Anniversaries

Details

Written by Jeanne Randall-Bodman

Published: 04 February 2021

Remember that you are dust
And to God’s beloved dust you shall return.
- Ash Wednesday Liturgy -

May you live all the days of your life.
- Jonathan Swift -

Last month we rounded the one-year anniversary of the first Covid19 case in the United States.

Next month we will pass the one-year anniversary of Covid distancing restrictions and zoom worship. We were a few weeks into Lent last year when we started to understand how dangerous the virus was going to be, and I remember sharing the quip, “well, this is the lentiest lent we have ever lented.” Little did we know just how long that lent, that season of giving up and letting go, was going to last. How “lenten” the whole of 2020 was going to feel – life pared down to essentials.

Now as we approach the beginning of a new Lent, I wonder if it might be wise to rethink our idea of this usually penitential season. We’ll gather on Ash Wednesday (Feb 17, 7pm) to meditate and to pray, and to dig our fingers into some earth and ashes. Because “That we are dust is a reminder that our lives are fragile, and that the lives and hearts of those around us are as well. So we must tread lightly and walk joyously, spreading love for hate, peace for rancor, and healing for a world which is all too wounded. That we are dust is a reminder that in our material existence there is a limitedness, a boundedness…” 

That we are dust, and into God’s beloved dust we shall return, is a challenge. But instead of letting that truth turn our hearts to self-recrimination, instead of focusing on “giving things up” and self-discipline, I invite us into a season of casting off shadows and renewing our hope.

Despite the relentlessness of the pandemic, in the face of economic uncertainty, while the long fight for justice is ongoing – springtime is on the way. Spring, when all the world will teem with life and joy and hope reborn. Now, as we wait for that springtime and the celebration of the resurrection, “is the time to rid ourselves of the chains, addictions, and habits which hold us bound. Now is the time to repair those wounded friendships, and to remember once again the joy that we had in them. The time is now because we are returning to dust, and there is no other time.” (Rev. Michael Rogers, S.J., Huffpost 3/3/2014)

Instead of a repeat “lentiest, lent we’ve ever lented,” may this season be made holy by attentiveness and love. Together let’s walk each other into a season of freedom and renewal.

KMUCC Virtual Happy Hour

Details

Written by KMUCC

Published: 25 May 2020

Conversation and Connection on ZOOM

Every Thursday evening at 5:00 pm

ZOOM Meeting Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84962500049?pwd=QlZ0UzZEbWtCY1lQMWJXRW5zZno0Zz09 

Meeting ID: 849 6250 0049
Passcode: 435810

You can also join us by phone:
(253) 215-8782 USA or (301) 715-8592 USA

Theology On Tap Virtual Gatherings

Details

Written by KMUCC

Published: 15 March 2020

Theology On Tap gatherings via ZOOM Meeting

7:00 pm on the 3rd Tuesday each month

Pour your favorite beverage and join us for conversation. This isn't a closed group or an event you need to have been to before.  If you like to talk with your church friends about life, the universe, and everything, come on in!

ZOOM Meeting Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86121354549?pwd=eThVUE1wZEVaVWZzM2VVcENHVGZqQT09

ZOOM Meeting ID: 861 2135 4549
Passcode: 596986

You can also join us by phone: (253) 215 8782 USA or (301) 715 8592 US

No matter who ...

Details

Written by KMUCC

Published: 24 November 2017

No matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey, you're welcome here!

If you know that God's love embraces all persons equally, no matter their gender, race, or sexual identity...

If you understand that faith is a matter of mind as well as heart, and that taking the Bible seriously means it cannot always be taken literally...

If, for you, diversity, tolerance, and inclusion are strengths to be taught...

If you believe that Christ calls us to be nothing less than global citizens, that the social expression of love is justice and that spiritual concerns are inseparable from a commitment to the natural world...

If you have wished for a more open and embracing community of faith to nurture your spirit and raise your children, and haven't yet found a place of belonging...

... then please know that Kairos-Milwaukie United Church of Christ is the place for you. 

Kairos-Milwaukie UCC seeks to create a community where participants can experience intellectual and spiritual excitement; a spirit of openness and acceptance, as well as love and laughter. We are a community where evangelism is in partnership with social justice; where personal spiritual growth and concern for the poor and disenfranchised go hand in hand; where nurture and action are two sides of the same coin; where love for tradition and a sense of urgency about the future are integrally linked. We are a community of faithful people who have known the joy of having been loved, accepted and affirmed by God. We are a community that celebrates our diversity as a way to understand and respond to the inclusiveness of God's love and the wideness of God's mercy.