Sermon for Rogation Sunday by Kathy Mockett

Rogation Sunday and The Giving Garden

 by Kathy Mockett, Lead Giving Garden Shepherd

I need some helpers up here with me on the steps.  I have 7 bags that need to be opened.  But here’s the hard part.  You need to be patient and wait till I talk to the big kids first, then we can open the bags.

In the Gospel reading Jesus appoints his disciples to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last. To bear fruit that will last could mean to bear children, or, using the fruits of your love to help your neighbor who may not have enough to eat, or, thinking about today, Rogation Sunday, it could mean to be God’s stewards of this Earth to make sure that the plants we plant today and the fruit we harvest this summer, will also provide seeds for us so we can plant more plants the following year.  Let’s keep this thought in mind for a few minutes.

Kate asked me to give a little history of The Giving Garden and how it started.

Sermon for Music Sunday by Bernadette Colley

Sermon May 6 2012

MUSIC SUNDAY-Fifth Sunday of Easter

Church of Our Redeemer Episcopal

Lexington MA

“Finding a fountain, and crowing…”

by Bernadette D. Colley, Music Director

Back in January, at a concert of the DeVaronistas chamber choir, I  heard for the first time a delightful spiritual, which the choir walked in singing  to open their second half. It was a catchy tune with a joyous affirmative refrain. I asked one of the members I knew for a copy of it, I went home with the song stuck in my head for the rest of the evening, and on Monday morning put the score in my “definitely use this someday” folder. The choir just sang it for you as this morning’s anthem, “His Name So Sweet.”

In mid-March Kate invited me to give the Music Sunday sermon. With a nod toward personal growth and ‘stepping out of my comfort zone’, in a moment of weakness, I said “Why not? sure I’ll do it. ”  Even though I felt honored to have been asked, less than 30 seconds after staff meeting while walking back to my office, a voice inside was screaming “WHAT were you thinking?”