The Dakota

This week I learned a bit of history about our church. It seems the large old table and antique chairs outside the sanctuary in the hallway leading to my office belonged to  collectors. Dr. and Mrs. Davenport West lived in The Dakota in New York City throughout the winter. This is the same building where John Lennon and Yoko Ono had an apartment; it's that Dakota.  In the summer they lived on Neal Rd and worshiped regularly at Pilgrim Church. Their property in Harwich Port had two buildings, one for their summer home, and one to house their vast collection of antiques gathered in their travels around the world. When Monbleau Hall was built Dr. and Mrs. West donated the large old table and chairs from their collection of antique furniture to Dr. Monbleau for the Parish Hall, yet to be named.

I have always wondered what the backstory was for this old table. It is unique in my experience and looks like no other tables I have ever seen, not that I am an antique expert. But this solves the riddle and gives me a greater appreciation for the history of our church, for  the people who worshiped here and for the way they contributed to Pilgrim church from their rich and varied lives. Some were more rich and more varied than others. But that makes me smile all the more.

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Here is a head’s up on what is coming from the pulpit this summer.   

This next sermon series will takes its inspiration from the Garden. Scripture is full of lessons learned in the gardens of life. 

Sermons for August: The Lessons in the Garden

All summer the sermons are focused on the lessons we are learning together from this pandemic. We are looking at the things we can learn as we shelter in our homes. In July the sermon series was about Home. In August the sermons will all have a Garden theme. Lessons we are learning from the pandemic line up with the lessons you learn in the garden. 

August 2

Gardens Teach Hope - Genesis 2. Garden of Eden

When you plant seeds you take a leap of faith. We humans are people of hope and whatever we have to face we hold onto hope in good and bad times. The Bible story begins with stories of Creation that tell of God’s hope for us. As a species we are born bathed in God’s hope for us and for the future. It’s an important reminder of this core strength in human beings, Hope. 

August 9

Humility  - Matthew 13:3-9 Parable of the Soil

So much about life and gardens humbles us. Despite our dreams and plans we grow to see that we cannot control the outcomes of so much that we plant in earnest hope. Part of living a good life is being resilient when we are humbled by the changes in life we cannot control. 

August 16

Patience - Matthew 13:24-30 - Parable of the Weeds

  Life is complicated and messy. Blessings are so often bundled up with challenges. We only thrive when we learn to accept it all in one bundle. Jesus teaches us how to find the grace to do that. 

August 23

Generosity - Ruth 2 - Harvest for All

When Ruth became a widow she has to glean in the fields to survive but the Israelites planned for those who had less and made sure that everyone with a field to harvest would take care of those with less.  What does the Bible teach us about how to ensure that all people have a chance to prosper? And how can those lessons shape our lives right now? 

August 30

Peace - Psalm 24

Gardens teach us to be at home in God’s world. They help us to find spaces where we can slow down and drink in the goodness of creation. They remind us of the abundance of life. They offer space where we can connect with God and find our place in God’s kingdom. 

Blessings, 

Rev. Susan