Incarnation's "Small Ya'll Choir" leading us in worship under the conducting of Grant Sung As I have written before, the goal of Incarnation’s music program is to ensure that we “preach the gospel” through congregational singing. We come to church in order to encounter Jesus and be strengthened by him through the preaching of the Word and through receiving the sacraments. By doing this, we remember the story of God’s salvation in Jesus: the One who “has died” and “is risen” a

The view from our back porch on a rainy morning in Maine Dear Incarnation, I’m back from my vacation and very grateful (as ever!) to our wonderful staff team for capably holding down the fort. Did you catch the staff interview series they kicked off last week? I loved reading TJ’s musings on cold water, photosynthesis, and so much more, and I’m delighted by the opportunity to hear from members of our team over the coming weeks. And I’m grateful to all of you as well, for once

Dear Friends, The long, sunny days of summer inspire me to explore beyond the world I know. And I pray that would be true of your summer as well. I’m asking God to fill us with wonder – as we hike new trails, visit new coffee shops, and embark upon new novels. And as we do, may our wonder lead us to worship. Summer is also a season of transition. And our staff and vestry are keenly aware that many within our church are navigating transition, especially those who are new to o

A summer Wild Wonder scene from many years past! Dear friends, Happy summer! School is wrapping up and summer officially begins this Sunday. I’m ready for the long days, warm weather, and relaxed rhythms of summer — how about you? Things relax at church, too. This is Ordinary Time, the longest season of the church year. “Ordinary” is taken from the word “ordinal,” as in the ordinal numbers (first, second, third, etc), because that’s how the church counts the long stretch of S

The Widow's Mite (Le denier de la veuve), James Tissot,1886–94 Dear Incarnation, As my tears on Sunday showed, it is often tender to talk about money. At our core, we are all wondering whether there really is a God who has our best in mind, who will actually take care of our needs, whose kingdom is actually one of abundance rather than scarcity. And we often feel those questions most acutely in our money. As you continue to reflect on these tender matters, I have three simple

Sylwia Perczak (Polish, 1977–), “Boga nikt nigdy nie widział, Jednorodzony Bóg, który jest w łonie Ojca, o Nim pouczył” (Polish for "No one has ever seen God. It is the only Son, himself God, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known" from John 1:18), 2023. Dear Incarnation, I loved celebrating Trinity Sunday with you! And I had several rich conversations afterward about the trinitarian nature of God, which is a bottomless well of contemplation. During my ser

“Amazed and astonished, they asked…” (Acts 2:7) Dear friends, I always love Pentecost Sunday. The children’s leadership, the languages, the paper airplanes, the candle lighting, the testimonies of God’s Spirit at work, the quiet prayers for gifts. I am often surprised by which of the Isaiah 11 gifts most resonates with me in a given year; this year, I was moved to pray for Counsel (described as, “to listen to God in our hearts; to receive God’s guidance about what should be d

Note from Amy: I love including reflections from our community on the Incarnation blog. After hearing Shari reflect on her recent trip, I asked her to share a written reflection, and she graciously agreed. I hope you enjoy her "ponderings" (as she called them) below as much as I did. And thank you — so many of you — for the many prayers prayed over her trip! Mont St-Michel, from childhood dream to recent reality. All photos in this post by Shari Hughes. My mother died almost