The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world. (Psalm 19:1-4)
This Sunday will cap off our series on The Psalms that Shape Us with Psalm 19, submitted by Nancy Sung. It feels fitting to end our series on a note of wonder, and I'm excited to team up with a scientist for a psalm that meditates on the mystery and beauty of creation. I've loved spending the summer hearing each other's stories and delving into psalms ranging from highest praise to deepest lament, with a flannelgraph thrown in for good measure. THANK YOU to Elena, Nicole, Weber, Juliet, Buz, Kevin, Emily, Nancy, and the kids for your contributions!
This Sunday we will also return to the Renewed Ancient liturgy from our Book of Common Prayer. We've enjoyed the jubilant Kenyan liturgy since Easter, and we'll come back to it again next year.
Outside of Sundays, this fall brings new ways to connect more deeply with others in our community and to grow in habits of prayer:
Small groups are open now! Groups are meeting on different days of the week, morning and evening, around the area and on Zoom. Most groups follow a simple format of a meal plus prayer. Learn more and sign up on our Small Groups page. This is an opportunity to form relationships at church and establish a rhythm of communal prayer, and I hope you'll find one that works for you. (And if you're in DC and would like to host a group, let me know!)
The fall retreat is coming on Oct 6-8! This is a wonderful opportunity to get to know others in the community and to pray, rest, and play together. Read more about this year's retreat, then signup by Sept 6! And please consider giving an hour or two of your time to helping out with our kids on the fall retreat — there's a place on the registration to indicate your willingness to serve in this way. Register here.
We're continuing our Labor Day tradition of hiking at Calvert Cliffs! Dogs, neighbors, kids, grandparents, friends all welcome on this fun hike to a small fossil beach and back. Meet at 10am on Monday, Sept 4, at Calvert Cliffs State Park (10540 H. G. Trueman Road, Lusby, MD) and email Jenni if you're interested: jennimcswain@gmail.com
See you Sunday!
With joy,
Amy