Posts from March 2025
Listening to Lament 2
March 26, 2025A Note from Pastor April Dear Friends, This week, I offer you another lamentation written by British poet Benjamin Zephaniah. As we turn our focus this week on the theme of social justice, I am convicted once again by the words of John Wesley: “The gospel of Christ knows of no religion but social; no holiness but social holiness.” ~John Wesley, Preface, Hymns and Sacred Poems Krista Tippett’s On Being website writes: “Zephaniah’s urgent, imperative poem ‘To Michael…
Listening to Lament
March 19, 2025A Note from Pastor April Dear Friends, I pray that your Lenten season has been one filled with space for reflection, connection, and community. This season, the practice I chose to add was a Loving Kindness Meditation. I’ve found it even more helpful to visualize and hold space for others if I am also creating space to listen to the real struggles they are holding in their hearts. As we read the laments of our ancestors in the…
Lent at Hilliard UMC
Holy Week, April 13-19 Good Friday worship on April 18 will include ASL interpretation for the deaf and hard of hearing. (We’re hoping to have ASL for Maundy Thursday, too; stay tuned.) The Easter Vigil service at 7pm on Saturday, April 19, will be hosted in partnership with our friends at Resurrection Evangelical Lutheran Church, 3500 Main Street, just down the street from HUMC. Most services will also livestream. Easter On Easter, April 20, there will be Godly Play for…
Caring for God’s Sacred Creation
March 12, 2025A Note from Amy Rae Bashforth Dear Friends & Fellow Members of God’s Creation, I feel closest to God when I am in my garden. My garden is peaceful, but far from quiet. There may be a chirruping robin nearby on a fence post waiting to see if I unearth a tasty grub as I plant some seeds. I may hear the hum of a hummingbird as she quickly zips past my ear toward a Mexican sunflower. I…
Blessing the Dust
March 5, 2025A Note from Pastor Jon and Poet Jan Richardson Dear Friends, Blessing the Dust — A Blessing for Ash Wednesday by Jan Richardson All those days you felt like dust,like dirt,as if all you had to dowas turn your facetoward the windand be scatteredto the four corners or swept awayby the smallest breathas insubstantial – did you not knowwhat the Holy Onecan do with dust? This is the daywe freely saywe are scorched. This is the hourwe are…