There is a provocative statement we'll hear on Sunday: You must reconcile with your sisters and brothers. Don't take your battles to court.
That's hard to imagine these days, where central battles about our nation's policy rage in the courts.
But it gets worse. The bible's statement continues: And don't come to church and try to be fine with God until you've sorted things out between yourselves.
And this: Don't even insult your siblings.
Oh my. We think of the Sermon on the Mount as a lovely description of the meek and humble, of lilies of the valley blooming, and sparrows fed by God. But it contains these very challenging words, too. Ones we might want to skip over. They can't really apply today, can they?
Or perhaps there is a reasonable explanation. Maybe the words apply only narrowly, to my own brothers and sisters. I should reconcile with them. Family bonds matter, my people, my nation.
The Rev. Mary Margaret Earl will be taking this on in her sermon, "Who are My Brothers and Sisters?" She earned the 2014 Heroes of Faith Award from the Rhode Island State Council of Churches for her interfaith work there for many years.
Now she's come to Boston, and is already seen as a thoughtful leader in this troubled time from her new position as Executive Director of the Unitarian Universalist Urban Ministries (UUUM), located in Roxbury. She's working with a group called the Moral Revival, "trying to reclaim what it means to be religious in the public square." When should churches speak out? On which issues?
As Rev. Earl writes, "In these troubled times we must listen deeply for the call of God, and the call of conscience, to consider our personal responsibility in the work of peace and justice. God calls us to reconciliation with Sisters and Brothers. But who do we see are our siblings?"
It's a urgent question.
Rev. Earl is one whose answer I want to hear.
Joy
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Godspeed, Rev. Shawn Fiedler | March 5
Our Assistant Minister, the Rev. Shawn Michael Fiedler, will be leaving King's Chapel in one month's time;
March 5 will be his last Sunday. Shawn will be moving to Chicago, Illinois to join his partner Joshua who took a new job in Chicago last fall. Shawn will be joining the staff at the historic Fourth Presbyterian Church in downtown Chicago as their worship coordinator. To read Shawn's letter to the congregation and for the letter in which Senior Warden Miguel Gomez-Ibanez and Senior Minister Joy Fallon express their thanks for Shawn, and describe membership of the search committee established for our new Assistant Minister click
here. To see the job description, click
here.
Join us on
March 5 at 11 AM as Shawn offers his final sermon at King's Chapel. Following the service, we will celebrate Shawn's ministry among us with a festive reception at the Parish House. We will toast Shawn, give thanks for his work at King's Chapel, and wish him Godspeed as he embarks on a new journey in Chicago. Shawn has been with us since 2014 and was our first full-time Assistant Minister in recent memory. All are encouraged to attend.
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From the Chair of Adult Religious Education: Providing Support to Muslim Partners in Boston
Last autumn, King's Chapel sponsored a three-part series on Islam, as part of Rev. Joy Fallon's call for us to educate ourselves about Islam, and to welcome all. While planning the lecture series, I worked with both John Robertson of CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) and Sheik Imam Fahmy at the largest New England mosque, located in Roxbury (the ISBCC, the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center). Both of these Boston Muslim leaders are now helping to organize support for Boston area Muslims, some of whom are frightened and others who are spending many hours, yet again, sharing facts about their faith. As a follow up to our series, I urge all who are interested to show solidarity with our Muslim friends. Please consider the following, and let me know if you have special interest in this issue.
1. Join me for a visit to the ISBCC (Roxbury mosque) in the near future, during their prayer service; if interested,
please email at
[email protected].
2. Become a 'Friend of ISBCC': Make a financial contribution (no matter how small) to our interfaith partners at the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center (http://links.masboston.org/interfaith-supporters) and help them reach 100 Friends of ISBCC by February 11th. Your gift will offer tangible support to Muslims as they face the additional costs of P.R. work, advocacy, security and hosting community events. Support is a distinctly Christian way of saying "we are all Muslim."
3. Talk to Muslim friends and colleagues, and visit a local mosque to express your care, support and solidarity in person. The more personal the better - a note, a hug, a delivery of some home baked goods!
5. Stay informed: Sign up for e-newsletters from the Council on American Islamic Relations (http://www.cairma.org/) or the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center (http://isbcc.org/) to learn about community events, local actions and calls you can make.
Thanks for your consideration.
John Natoli, Chair of King's Chapel Adult Religious Education
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Help King's Chapel Support Boston's Homeless Sunday February 12 | 8:30 AM
The Winter Walk is a 2-mile walk through the streets of Boston to benefit people who are homeless. This first annual Winter Walk, next Sunday Feb. 12th from
8:30-11 AM, will start and finish on Copley Plaza where participants will share a meal, along with members of many of the City's organizations addressing the needs of Boston's homeless community. We can all finish our walks at King's Chapel in time for the 11:00 AM service where we can here listen to and meet our guest preacher: The Rev. Mary Margaret Earl, Director of the Unitarian Universalist Urban Ministry. There will be stories, poetry, and sharing from men and women who have or are experiencing homelessness, and all proceeds raised from the Winter Walk in this first year will be donated to five organizations that collectively serve a broad population of homeless individuals. Please visit
winterwalkboston.org for more information, and pass along this invitation! We have established a King's Chapel team page for this event. Hope to see you there! Please contact Jim Carroll at
[email protected] with any questions.
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Theology on Tap | Wednesday February 15
7 PM
Believer. Non-believer. Confident. Curious. Join us for a lively discussion of big questions at a local pub or bar. On Wednesday, February 15th, join us for Rev. Shawn Fiedler's final Theology on Tap. This week's topic: Ask the minister anything! Good luck, Shawn! We will be at the Kinsale Pub located across from City Hall Plaza.
Anyone 21 and over is welcome to join. For more information or to R.S.V.P., contact [email protected].
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Retreat at Glastonbury Abbey: Learning to Pray February 17-19
Not sure how to pray or what its benefits might be? That's true for many of us, both newcomers and long-timers in church. In the beauty and peace of the Glastonbury Abbey in Hingham, Rev. Fallon will offer examples of ways to pray that we will all get to try, including these: daily reflections on your moments of greatest joy and greatest sadness; prayer with scripture (thinking about which character you may be in the story); prayer while doing art or while singing; and wordless prayer while meditating or reflecting on an icon or object. Come to explore, for one session, or for Friday night through Sunday morning. To register or for questions, contact [email protected] or go to our website at www.kings-chapel.org.
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Shrove Pancake Breakfast
Sunday February 26 | 9 AM
How many pancakes can you eat? We dare you to attend our Shrove Pancake Breakfast and find out! Join us at
9:45 AM at the Parish House to eat your fill before the Lent season begins. This year, we are asking for monetary or canned food donations as part of your buffet fee. All proceeds will go towards the Boston Food Bank.
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Concert Series: Handel and Haydn Society - Beethoven Sonatas | February 26 | 5PM
The next concert in our Sunday series is February 26 at 5pm, when the Handel and Haydn Society will present violinist Susanna Ogata and fortepianist Ian Watson playing three Beethoven Sonatas. As always, advance tickets are available at a $5 discount:
http://m.bpt.me/event/2770058.
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Ash Wednesday | March 1
King's Chapel will host two services on Ash Wednesday, at 12:15 and at 6 PM. Ash Wednesday is the start of the Season of Lent-40 days of
reflection and
preparation for Easter. Both services will include a time of confession, a short homily, and the imposition of ashes as a sign of our immortality. Ashes are made from burnt palm branches from last years Palm Sunday observances. The Rev. Joy Fallon will preach. King's Chapel will be open from 8 AM to 6 PM with clergy and lay volunteers available for the impositions of ashes.
The first service held in King's Chapel on Ash Wednesday took place on February 26, 1868 under the ministry of the Rev. Henry Wilder Foote. His bust stands behind the pulpit at the front of the church. The Rev. Joseph Barth instituted the imposition of ashes at this service in 1966.
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Welcome to New Members:
The Rev. Dr. Thomas D. Wintle
The Rev. Dr. Thomas D. Wintle preached his first sermon at King's Chapel on April 25, 1976, and has been Senior Minister of The First Parish Church of Weston, MA, since 1995. He has been calling himself a "King's Chapel Unitarian" for 40-plus years because of his affection for the KC liturgy and theology. So he is very glad to make it official by joining KC. In 2006 a collection of his sermons was published based on the topics of the four tablets on the KC chancel wall: "Hear" (the ten commandments), "Pray" (the Lord's Prayer"), and "Affirm" (the Apostles' Creed). The latter may be the first Unitarian sermons on the Apostles' Creed in a 100+ years.
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From the Church School
Last Sunday, 9 AM Music Leader Skip Lewan led the children in a musical hour with orffs! What are orffs? They are the large wooden xylophone-ish instruments pictured below. You can expect these instruments to be featured in the Morning Light service in the future.
This
Sunday, February 12, the Church School will learn three Greek words for "love" found in the New Testament. In celebration of Valentine's Day, we'll decorate cookies and focus on agape, the Greek word for love that is centered on compassion.
If you would like more information about our Church School, please contact Ryan at
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"We Rejoice with Those Who Rejoice, and Weep with Those Who Weep"
~ Romans 12:15
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We hold in our prayers this week Peter Thomson and all of his family. Peter's daughter Wendy has entered hospice care, after nearly two years living with recurrent cancer. Peter's wife, Elizabeth, remains in the hospital, as doctors try to modulate her medications for her Alzheimer's disease. We give thanks for all of Peter's family who are gathering to support him, Wendy and Elizabeth.
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Sunday Services
February 12
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Morning Light | 9 AM
Church School | 10 AM
Morning Prayer| 11 AM
The Rev. Mary Margaret Earl
- Judy Luca & Miguel Gomez-Ibanez, Lectors
- Anne Sexton & Paul Luca, Head Ushers
- Paul Luca, Usher in Charge
- Judy Luca, Julie Hyde, & Jim Carroll, Ushers
- Lia Atanat, Verger
The Readings:
- Psalm 119:1-8
- Old Testament:
- New Testament:
The flowers on the communion table are given in loving memory of our beloved Joshua (2/16/02 to 11/9/09) by the Perkins Family.
At the communion rail following the service,
Jim Power will greet those interested in learning more about King's Chapel.
After the service, all are invited to Coffee Hour, hosted by
Julie Hyde and friends of the Hospitality Committee.
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Wednesday Service
February 15
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Holy Communion | 6 PM
- Sudeep Agarwala, Soloist
- Lia Atanat, Verger
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From the Bench:
By Heinrich Christensen
The service this Sunday will open with music by Cambridge composer Graham Gordon Ramsay, first with the organ prelude In Praise of San Simpliciano, originally written for Harvey Burgett to play on a baroque organ in Italy. For the Introit, you will hear Graham's simple and beautiful setting of If You Love Me, Jesus' words to his disciples.
The choral anthems are a setting of the opening of Psalm 119 by Englishman Charlies Villiers Stanford, and an excerpt of Psalm 51 by German Baroque master Andreas Hammerschmidt:
Create in me a clean heart,
O God;
and renew a right spirit
within me.
Cast me not away from thy presence;
and take not thy holy spirit
from me.
Restore unto me the joy of
thy salvation;
and uphold me with thy free spirit.
The postlude is by Johann Christian Kittel, a student of Bach and exact contemporary of Haydn.
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Tuesday, February 14
12:15 PM
Cassandra Extavour, soprano
Jessica Petrus, soprano
Carol Lewis, viola da gamba
Olav Chris Henriksen, theorbo
Heinrich Christensen, organ
Carissimi, Monteverdi, Purcell
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From the Freedom Trail
2017 is off to a great start for the Freedom Trail Visitors Program. In January, we welcomed 5,449 visitors to the chapel!
February School Vacation week, from February 20 - 24, is quickly approaching. The Freedom Trail Visitors Program will be open to the public daily from 10 AM to 4 PM. Throughout the week, we are offering tours and activities in celebration of the Revere bell's 201st birthday on February 23
! We hope you will join us!
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From the Chancel Committee
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Have you ever thought you would like to donate flowers for the Sunday Service but are unsure what one needs to do?
We would like to place flowers on the chancel table every Sunday of the year with the exception of the 6 week Lenten period.
Flowers can be donated for a variety of reasons. They can be in memory of a loved one who has died, in thanksgiving for a special occurrence, or in celebration of a new birth or anniversary. They may also be donated as living prayers and symbols for peace and hope.
Please confirm with Anne Sexton if you have a regular Sunday that you would like to continue. Anne can be reached at the following email:
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Upcoming Meetings at King's Chapel
* February 16 | 6 PM:
Chancel
* February 21 | 6 PM:
BIG Committee Meeting
*February 28 | 6 PM:
Joint Vestry/Council
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Anyone can help!
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Enter your email and select a spot to fill. New volunteers may choose to co-host with a buddy. Questions? Email
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Interested in Membership?
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Contributing to Between Sundays
Our enewsletter is sent each Thursday afternoon. Want something in Between Sundays? Feel free to email Brad at
[email protected] with a written piece and/or pictures before Wednesday at noon!
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Accessibility Assists
Our beautiful Georgian sanctuary designed by Peter Harrison and completed in 1754, has been lovingly maintained by the congregation since its completion. One of the box pews has been made wheel-chair accessible. Ushers are available to assist those who are wheelchair-bound to that pew.
A sound system has been installed in the sanctuary of The Chapel to amplify the sound during worship services. Hearing assistance devices are available for your use. Please see an Usher for assistance.
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