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First Congregational Church Wolfeboro

United Church of Christ

An Open and Affirming Congregation

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This is a new piece of art by John August Swanson, created in July 2020.

For the story of his inspiration. Click here.

SUNDAY WORSHIP

March 21, 2021

View the Service

Fifth Sunday

of Lent

"Twenty five years ago people could be excused for not knowing much about, or doing much, about climate change. Today we have no excuse."

– Desmond Tutu

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St. Patrick's Day Address 2021

by Michael Higgins,

President of Ireland

Other Links... as promised!


More about Greta Thunberg (here)


We are not all in the same boat by Damian Barr (here)


Ecological Footprint Calculate (here)


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Scripture

Matthew 8: 18-27


Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. A scribe then approached and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Another of his disciples said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”


And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. A windstorm arose on the sea, so great that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, you of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm. They were amazed, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?”

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Ritual Action



The words of Jesus we highlight this week from the healing story are

“follow me and let the dead bury their own dead.” These may seem like harsh words.

And yet we hear Jesus’ urgency.


Now is the time to move, no matter how difficult, we cannot wait. What is past is past. There is brokenness and there are casualties in its wake. But we can move forward. We can make changes.

We can face storms because we are a people led by the Healer, the Calm-in-the-Storm who can offer us faith in the midst of fear.


And so this week for our symbolic ritual action, I invite you to restore some beauty by adding to the beauty of our glass pieces. Do you have some thin craft wire? You might wrap some of that wire around one of your pieces of beach glass, creating a pendant that can be hung in a window or as a necklace, a constant reminder of our role as those who must “take care,” must care for and contribute to, rather than diminish, the beauty of this earth.


This week the reaction of the crowd in the story is amazement at Jesus’ connection to the cosmic forces of wind and wave. As scientists now try to teach us, all things are connected. We are part and parcel of all creation. Rather than dominion, we are to be a-tuned to all around us. We see the cry of creation in awakened natural disasters and we must heed the call not to hide in fear, but to work for healing.


Let us put our minds to imagining how we can learn about contributing to the beauty and healing of our environment.


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Lenten Devotional

Emily Dickinson Poetry

Lent is a time of reflection and insight, a change of seasons - and Emily Dickinson, one of the world’s most beloved poets, was also an avid gardener and a careful observer of the natural world.

In this Lenten devotional, biblical texts and simple, accessible practices weave together with Dickinson’s poetic vision, creating a 40-day journey into the heart of the holiest week of the year.

All you’ll need is your favorite Bible and a collection of Dickinson’s poems. Week by week, we’ll walk through the garden together toward Easter morning - with Emily Dickinson as our guide.  

This devotional will be available every week during lent in our weekly email. Please email Krista if you would like a printed hard copy.

View Devotional

Please remember to send in your offering, as you are able.

We are checking the mail at the post office, and our counters are still making deposits. Many of our expenses continue.

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