Deuteronomy 6:6–7

Every generation hopes to leave something meaningful with the generation that follows. In Deuteronomy, the Israelites are preparing to enter the Promised Land, and Moses encourages them to keep their relationship with God alive not only through worship, but through the everyday rhythms of family and community life.

This Sunday, as we continue our The Gospel According to… summer worship series, we’ll explore the music of Mumford & Sons and the story of lead singer Marcus Mumford, whose childhood was deeply shaped by his parents’ faith and leadership in the church. Now a parent himself, Marcus continues to wrestle through music with questions of faith, family, grace, and what we pass from one generation to the next. Together, we’ll consider how the lives we live today can help shape the faith, compassion, and hope of those who follow us.

Bob Marley's music has endured for generations, but his legacy is about much more than reggae. Songs like One Love gave voice to a longing for peace, justice, and reconciliation in a deeply divided world. This Sunday, we'll explore how Marley's life and music intersect with James' challenge that faith is meant to be lived, not just believed. What does it mean to use whatever influence we've been given—whether it's a stage, a classroom, a neighborhood, or a church—to make a difference in the lives of others?

Join us as we continue our The Gospel According to... summer worship series and discover how God's call to love our neighbors is always more than words. It is a faith that becomes visible through compassion, service, and the ways we choose to live each day.

This Sunday we will celebrate our partnership with Fundación Sor Dominga Bocca (FSDB) in Guayaquil, Ecuador. At the beginning of this year we hoped to be in Ecuador right now. Unfortunately, due to global unrest and high airfare, a trip was not feasible this year. 

But the girls at FSDB are never far from the minds of those who have visited previously. Dan Gabree will share a reflection from his experience visiting for the first time last summer. 

I remember when I was new to the church I didn’t understand this partnership. I might have thought…Why does a church in Southington, CT care so much about a home for girls in Guayaquil, Ecuador?

Once I visited for the first time, everything changed. I learned more about the depth of relationship between our church and the foundation, the long standing connections and friendships formed over nearly 20 years. 

If this Sunday will be your first time learning about this partnership, you are in for a treat! The smiles and laughter of the girls is contagious. 

If it is your 20th time hearing about this partnership, I’m sure you will come away with a new reminder about the way our church lives out our faith. 

Come to learn, be inspired, and grow together in faith!

This Sunday, our worship service will be led by the youth of FCC, as they share stories and reflections from their week of service in Providence, Rhode Island. Throughout the week, our youth have been putting their faith into action through hands-on service, building relationships, and discovering the many ways God is present in moments of compassion and community.

Grounded in Colossians 3:12–17, we'll reflect on what it means to "clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience," and how these qualities come alive through serving others. Join us for this meaningful service as we celebrate the experiences of our youth, hear how God has been at work in and through them, and consider how we, too, are called to live out Christ's love in our everyday lives.

Paul McCartney wrote “Let it Be” after a dream he had about his mother, Mary who offered him comforting advice and it has become words of comfort, guidance, peace and wisdom to many generations.

In saying yes to the call to become the mother of Jesus, a different Mary offers us words of comfort, praise and challenge to create a world that magnifies what our God dreams for us!

Come to hear and speak words of wisdom and joy, hope and love from the Beatles and the many Mary’s in our lives!

 

Cat Stevens, who was born, Stephen Demetre Georgiou, began his musical career in his childhood home of London, England. As a teenager in the 1960’s, he began playing music at his parents’ café and clubs in London. His music and fame spread to the US in the 70’s. Growing up, he was raised Greek Orthodox, but attended a Roman Catholic school.  Later in life, after nearly drowning, he converted to Islam and changed his name to Yusuf Islam.

In a personal reflection on his music and his life, included in a booklet with his 2014 CD “Tell ‘Em I’m Gone”, Yusuf shared that, during a battle with TB, he took a “more reflective look at my life. Soon followed a period of inspiration mixed with the spiritual hunger emerging from the dying days of the sixties.”  He further reflected that he ventured through “many lyrical terrains, melodious valleys and cadences during my fifty-year musical and spiritual exploration…” In 2007, he was awarded the Mediterranean Prize for Peace and an honorary doctorate by the University of Exeter all in recognition for his efforts to increase understanding between Islamic and Western cultures.  

Whether we hear the creation story come alive in Morning Has Broken or his hope for peace in Peace Train, Cat Stevens spirituality shines through his music. So I invite you to join us this Sunday as we share the music of Cat Stevens alongside Paul’s words to the Philippians on living such that we experience God’s peace.

I never read the Book of Job before I went to seminary. In fact, when I started at Yale Divinity School, I'm not even sure I could have told you with confidence that Job was a book in the Bible (and I definitely didn't know how to pronounce it correctly!). Then I met Professor Greg Mobley, whose scholarship focuses on Job. He introduced this notoriously difficult book with such wisdom and care that it completely changed how I read it.

This Sunday we'll pair one of Scripture's most challenging books with one of Fleetwood Mac's most recognizable songs, Dreams. Both remind us that life rarely unfolds according to our plans. Heartbreak, disappointment, and unanswered questions are part of the human experience. Yet in the midst of the whirlwind, God is still speaking. I hope you'll join us as we continue our The Gospel According to... summer worship series.

I have a CD player in my car.  And I have a Peter, Paul and Mary CD titled “Peter, Paul, and Mommy,” which my grandchildren and I sing along with. I admit that we skip some songs, but typically sing “The Marvelous Toy,” “Boa Constrictor,” “Going to the Zoo,” and of course, “Puff the Magic Dragon”. On one occasion, we played those songs all the way from their home in Middlebury, CT to a campground in Mystic, CT.  I admit that I enjoy sharing music from my youth with them!

While Peter, Paul, and Mary sang a number of children’s songs and even have children singing with them in some of those, the trio is also known for their folk music with a social commentary message. Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey, and Mary Travers began singing together in 1961 and were known for their activism in the Civil Rights movement and in protest of the Vietnam War in the 60’s and 70’s. Across generations, their music has appeal to adults and children alike.

In our scripture reading today, Jesus chastised his disciples for trying to prevent children from coming to him, saying “it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” This Sunday we will explore who Jesus might have in mind when he said, “such as these” and how the Peter, Paul, and Mary song “Day is Done,” sung by the trio and children, offers insight for accompanying “such as these” as they go from crying to smiling today.

    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”  (Psalm 139:13-14)

Brandi Carlile is an singer songwriter who has been involved in activism and fundraising on various issues, including humanitarian aid, COVID-19 relief, racial justice, and LGBTQ rights.  She and her wife Catherine Shepherd along with her long-time music collaborators Tim and Phil Hanseroth run Looking Out Foundation which to date has donated close to $9 to grassroots causes.   While I do not know her faith beliefs, her music speaks to my soul.

From the highest of the peaks

To the darkness of the blue

I was just too blind to see

Like a lighthouse in a storm

You were always guiding me

Yeah, it's true

You carried me with you”   (Brandi Carlile  2020) 

Join us as we celebrate together all that God has wonderfully made each of us to be! 

    and what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice and to love kindness

    and to walk humbly with your God?  Micah 6:8

John Denver was a prolific songwriter and singer known for his joy-filled lyrics, his love of nature and yes, the country roads of West Virginia and Rocky Mountain highs! But he also championed causes like the environmental movement, the homeless, the poor, the hungry and the African AIDS crisis. He is quoted as declaring: “Music does bring people together. It allows us to experience the same emotions. People everywhere are the same in heart and spirit. No matter what language we speak, what color we are, the form of our politics or the expression of our love and our faith, music proves we are the same.”

‘We are standing on the threshold of a dream

No more hunger, no more killing

No more wasting life away

It is simply an idea

And I know its time has come”

~From I Want to Live by John Denver, 1977

Join us as we discover in word and song what the Gospel according to John Denver can teach us about justice, loving kindness and walking humbly with our God together as a family of faith!

Rev. Kathy's Bio: The Reverend Kathleen O’Toole Peters is a retired UCC clergywoman and is a grateful and joyful member of this First Congregational Church in Southington, Connecticut who has deeply missed you all these past three months as she served First Church of Christ in Saybrook as their Bridge pastor. In retirement she (usually!) reads, walks on the beach or by the river, tries to speak out in these troubled times, and travels as often as she can to be Nana to her granddaughter in Minnesota!