God of love and compassion, may we always recognize your spirit: · in the refugee family, seeking safety from violence; · in the migrant worker, bringing food to our tables; · in the asylum-seekers, seeking justice for their families; · in the unaccompanied child, traveling in a dangerous world.   Give us hearts that break open whenever our brothers and sisters turn to us. Give us hearts that no longer turn deaf to their voices in times of need; Give us eyes to recognize a mo

At that very moment, perhaps a voice, perhaps an image, opened my heart. I ask myself what that is; it turns out that God has been quietly living in my heart. Since the pandemic, the world has been transformed, communication no longer primarily face-to-face interactions. The internet is now used more to connect people’s lives, including church activities, so I started joining the Christ Church’s online Morning Prayer services. For over four years, weekly morning prayers in bo

Lenten Taizé Vespers Sundays at 6:00 p.m. in New Brick Vespers is a liturgy of Evening Prayer that combines scripture readings, prayer, silent meditation, and rich music. Each Sunday evening, Christ Church offers a service of contemplative prayer and music in the tradition of the Taizé community of France. It offers this special service on Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m. in New Brick, offering different opportunities for prayer, music, and reflection. This worship of reflection o

Lent V at Christ Church We have three services this Sunday morning: Holy Eucharist in Old Brick at 8:00, Family Worship in New Brick at 9:00, and Choral Eucharist in New Brick at 10:30. Collect for Today: Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys

This past Saturday, I participated in the Spiritual Direction portion of the Center for Spiritual Nourishment offerings at our church. The session was led by Carol Abbott, who is a certified Spiritual Director and a member of the congregation. Carol led us to reflect on the practice of waiting. For those of us who may not know, waiting is itself an important spiritual practice. Some time back, I learned about this practice of waiting in silence myself. And because of this pra

There is an old Cherokee parable used to teach their children about good an evil.  The parables states that each person is born with two wolves in consuming turmoil fighting to be in control inside each of us.  The lesson concludes that the wolf which we feed more, the one we love more, will be the wolf which directs our lives.  The parallel of this legend aligns to the consequence of Adam eating the forbidden apple, thrusting humanity on a road requiring us to know good and

Given that today's Meditation is a night prayer, we are posting it a little later in the day. Enjoy.   Lord, it is night.   The night is for stillness. Let us be still in the presence of God.   It is night after a long day. What has been done has been done; what has not been done has not been done; let it be.   The night is dark. Let our fears of the darkness of the world and of our own lives rest in you.   The night is quiet. Let the quietness of your peace enfold us, all de

What are those odd pictures made up of dark-colored blocks, or bricks, or Lego-looking objects? They seem to be everywhere, but can also appear intimidating to people. But they are actually extremely useful, both for us as a church, and for you, as a parishioner. For example, we provide you with QR codes to share upcoming worship information, to inform you about fellowship events around the campus, and we even provide a digital copy of the Sunday service leaflet and links to

Lenten Taizé Vespers combine scripture readings, prayer, silent meditation, and music in the contemplative tradition of the Taizé community. Christ Church in Columbia, Maryland, offers these services every Sunday during Lent at 6:00 p.m. in their New Brick Sanctuary. You can also worship online - find the details on our YouTube page or our website - https://www.christchurchcolumbia.org/lent #taize   #lenten   #Vespers   #vespers   #eveningprayer   #episcomd   #howardcounty  

Each year, the Wednesday Evening Lenten Supper Series is one of the most enriching experiences of the season. We are always thankful to the members of Christ Church's Spiritual Life Commission, who work so hard to put this, and other, events together. The WELS series offers five weeks of insightful, life-transforming seminars, and the first session was a very well-attended success. Tonight, our own Father Manny will present his perspective on our 2026 Spiritual Life Theme, Bu

God did not wait till the world was ready, till…nations were at peace. God came when the Heavens were unsteady, and prisoners cried out for release. God did not wait for the perfect time. God came when the need was deep and great. God dined with sinners in all their grime, turned water into wine. God did not wait till hearts were pure. In joy God came to a tarnished world of sin and doubt. To a world like ours, of anguished shame God came, and God’s Light would not go out.

It was more than the right place, right time. What transpired on a recent Sunday afternoon was my proof that both new and old relationships can intertwine in meaningful ways when love is the motivation. By love, I mean agape, the love of Christians for other persons, modeled on the love of God for humankind. With that definition in mind, I set out for a midday gathering in Laurel. My goal was to hear the remarks of Maryland Senator Cory McCray, author of The Apprenticeship th

Who Are Your Enemies? How Do You Love Them? By Rachel Held Evans   When I was in fourth grade, I had a nemesis. Let’s call her Samantha. Samantha was popular, pretty, rich, and bossy. Her golden locks were always pulled into a bouncy ponytail on the side of her head and topped with an elaborate bow. She wore name-brand clothes, used name-brand school supplies, and came from a name-brand family. As the teacher’s pet, Samantha would put in a good word for the classmates she lik

Howard County, March, 2026 (13) I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. (14) Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, (15) I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. (16) Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant betwe

Lent IV at Christ Church We have three services this Sunday morning: Holy Eucharist in Old Brick at 8:00, Family Worship in New Brick at 9:00, and Choral Eucharist in New Brick at 10:30. Collect for Today: Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

It’s almost the weekend - and so, it's almost time for CSN! We look forward to seeing you at the Center for Spiritual Nourishment at Christ Church this Saturday morning. Join us at 8:30 for a nice breakfast and fellowship before we begin the morning's sessions, or just meet us at 9. And this month - the theme is "Letting Go to Make Room" - there are many insightful and life-enriching sessions to choose from - visit https://cecevents.org/CSN for all of the details. As we walk

A few months ago, my family celebrated the 40-year anniversary of my father’s passing. It was a surreal moment for me. When I had the opportunity to speak, one of the points that I made was that I am not sure if I ever fully grieved my father’s passing. I still carry with me some residue of grief, and I don’t know if I will ever get over it. Grief, in itself, is a powerful human experience that encompasses every single aspect of our lives. The truth is, we grieve because of l

DreamBuilders Has its Largest Fundraising Dinner this Weekend! - March 14 DreamBuilders Spaghetti Dinner and Silent Auction Fundraiser is happening this Saturday, March 14. DreamBuilders will build three complete houses from the foundation up during their mission trip this coming June. In addition to sending volunteers, DreamBuilders also pays for the housing supplies, which cost nearly $75,000. They raise this money in various ways, but by far the biggest single fundraiser i

There seems to be a symbiotic relationship between having healthy self-esteem and having faith. If you have faith, you believe that good things will happen to you or that if bad things happen, it's not the end of the world. This is also enhanced by healthy self-esteem. If you believe that good things will happen and bad things are not the end of the world, you have the faith to wait on what God has in store for you, whereas healthy self-esteem helps to decrease impulses to go

It’s almost the weekend!  And, therefore, almost time for CSN.  We look forward to seeing many of you at Christ Episcopal this Saturday morning.  8:30 AM is the start of breakfast if you’d like to come early for food and friendship.  9 AM is our opening with many wonderful sessions to choose from.  We wrap up between 11:30 and noon. As we walk our Lenten journey, we rest in that sometimes uncomfortable in-between place.  We journey through the wilderness, waiting on the Holy