ain't no stopping us - worship THIS thursday @ 6pm!

If today’s any indication, tomorrow will be a hot night in the city. But there ain’t no stopping us! It’s September, and that means we’ll be back to worship in The Cathedral, stirring the Spirit (maybe waving some old-fashioned church-lady fans if I can get my mom to Fed-Ex a batch from her baptist church in Millville, Kentucky ...)

You know God has been busy among us this summer & during our August Sabbath. So come listen to stories, share love, look at wedding pictures (shout out to the Morello-Longs!), say “hi” to new folks and “what’s up?” to the ones you know. And be warned: I’ve just spent the last 8 days in England for the Greenbelt Festival, where nearly 20,000 people camp out every year and share worship, arts, food, deep wisdom, energy, hope, community and the radical love and vision of Jesus. If I wasn’t a Jesus hippie before – and, no, I don’t suppose I was – I am now.

I couldn’t possibly sum up here what I saw and discovered at Greenbelt. So instead, I hope you'll check this link for "while we were here", a newspaper that captured the Greenbelt experience. Or cruise the fabulous Greenbelt site and look for podcasts + videos on the Moot Community, Grace-London, Iona Community, Visions-UK, Cole Moreton, Bev Knight, the London Community Gospel Choir, Tom Sine, Ian Mobsby, the L'Arche Community, Lawrence Freeman, Eliacin Rosario Cruz, Karen Ward, the Beat Eucharist, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, Richard Rohr, Stanley Hauerwas, David Runcorn and Peter Tatchell. Wow, and those were just my highlights!

Pray for a sistah as I try to wring a 5-minute gospel reflection for tomorrow night out of the most spiritually alive summer I’ve ever had. Can’t wait to spread the love and see what God’s been up to in you since we last shared the body of Christ with each other.

what’s happening @ the crossing
WORSHIP & COMMUNITY / Thursday @ 6pm at The Cathedral
We're back! Rev. Steph offers the opening reflection on Luke 14:25-33 (see below) , and Sue Spilecki leads the month's spiritual practice: community singing. And fabulous sister Bishop Gayle Harris will come to share community and a big ol' episco-blessing either this week or next!

• BEFORE WORSHIP: Set-up for worship at 4:45pm. Prayer circle at 5:30pm.
• AFTER WORSHIP: Simple snacks and community, followed by a ritual procession to Fajitas n Ritas for cheap Brazilian/Mexican food. We'll subsidize your first visit!
• BY SUBWAY: 138 Tremont St -- across from Park St T stop (Red or Green Line); near Downtown Crossing T (Orange)
• PARKING: Boston Common Garage, Charles Street between Boston Common and Public Garden ($5 with validation @ church)
• FOR MORE INFO: Head to our website -- www.thecrossingboston.org

PRAY * SERVE * REFLECT -- SEPTEMBER 11th DAY OF SERVICE // Saturday, Sept. 11 @ 9am-4pm

The Crossing joins with our friends in Life Together -- the Diocese of Massachusetts Young Adult Intern Program -- for the 2nd annual Day of Service and Remembrance to commemorate the tragedy of September 11. The Crossing crew is headed 45 minutes north of Boston to West Newbury to do environmental cleanup with the Society of St. John the Evangelist (the monastic community runs a retreat center in West Newbury). Read more about the Day of Service at http://www.diomassintern.org/911/Welcome.html.

Children welcome! To join our group, get a ride, get more info, CONTACT Vicki Morte, our new Minister for Action (she’s the Relational Evangelist serving with us via Life Together): vicki@diomassintern.org or 508.333.6458.

GIVING @ THE CROSSING: follow the link to learn about sharing your money or your prayers with The Crossing -- it's a spiritual practice that we're grateful to invite people into. We raise a sizable chunk of the money for this ministry among our own members (the rest comes from grants we apply for and from generous support from our Cathedral and Bishops). To make an ongoing pledge, fill out a card at worship or CONTACT Lura at lsteele120@gmail.com.

THIS WEEK'S GOSPEL: Luke 14:25-33

Now large crowds were traveling with Jesus; and he turned and said to them, "Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, `This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.' Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions."

Keep the faith ...