This Sunday we celebrate several things: the last Sunday of Eastertide, the Ascension of Christ, Mother’s Day and the Festival of the Home.  Bringing all those together with what is happening in nature right now we will think about nests, how we are born into them, how we are nesting creatures, how people we love leave our nests, how we leave the nests of people we love, how our spiritual tradition teaches us to respond to losses or imperfections in our nests.

You can read about the children’s Religious Exploration program that will be happening in the Parish Hall mid-way through worship by clicking here.

We will read the beautiful Psalm 84 and sing the even more beautiful tune of “Lo How a Rose E’er Blooming” with words that translate that Psalm.  The children will hear the good-parts version of the story of the Ascension based loosely on Acts 1, and we will read two gospel passages, Matthew 23:37-39 and John 17:13-23, that relate to our nesting and being one.

We will also sing the beautiful Mendelssohn hymn with words by Harriet Beecher Stowe, “Still, Still With Thee,” a perfect one for these glorious spring mornings.  We will send the Easter Season off with one of the most rousing, fun to sing hymns in our tradition, “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name,” followed by the Caribbean “Halle Halle Halle” that we sang on Easter morning.