St. Stephens Cohasset

10/27/2026

10/26/2026

What would make you lose your cool?

In Theo of Golden, we see Theo get angry. When he tries to gift a portrait to a young woman, her jealous boyfriend shows up instead, and he is so possessive that he stomps on the drawing rather than let Theo offer it to her. It is the destruction of a beautiful creation, and that both the woman and her image are being devalued, that make Theo--usually such a gentle man--explode with a stream of Portuguese curse words.

Anger is very powerful. It can take us over, making us react in ways that we later wish we had been able to prevent. Righteous anger, like Jesus' turning over the tables of those who were exploiting people's faith in the Temple, can give us the urgency we need to speak out against wrongs and threats to the vulnerable. But rage is very easy to lose control of. How can the Holy Spirit help us to avoid giving way to one of our strongest emotions, to keep us from hurting others and damaging the image of God within ourselves?

This passage from Ecclesiasticus (ch.1) is a prayer for wisdom to regulate anger:

"Unjust anger cannot be justified,

for anger tips the scale to one’s ruin.

Those who are patient stay calm until the right moment,

and then cheerfulness comes back to them.

They hold back their words until the right moment;

then the lips of many tell of their good sense."

When we are at that tipping point, when we feel the spark of anger striking fire within us, can we ask, is this the right moment? Is this the time when these feelings will really be heard, or will they just escalate a bad situation? Can we ask for that moment, even saying something like, "I'm feeling mad about this. When can we make some time to talk about it?" Paradoxically, while the cause of anger needs to be addressed, anger itself is often not the best tool to solve the problem. It's like a fire alarm, letting us know when something is wrong, but rage itself doesn't put out the fire. It might be telling us we need to get ourselves to a safer place, or call for other resources to help.

Let us pray this week to use the insights of anger to care for those God has given to us, to listen more than we speak.

10/25/2026

St. Stephens Cohasset

10/24/2026

Join us on Sunday for a Spooky Fellowship after the 10am service - Kids can try out their costumes!

Enjoy some ghostly homemade treats, scary fair-trade coffee, spooky tea and an activity table for little ones.

10/21/2026

We are hiring our next Minister of Music! 🎶

Music is at the heart of our worship. It lifts us up in times of joy and comforts us in times of sorrow, and it helps us grow in our faith throughout the Christian year, from Advent and Christmas carols to the joy of Easter. We’re looking for a creative, collaborative musician to lead our music ministry.

What you’d do:
🎹 Preside at our 1963 Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ
🎤 Direct our parish choir and guide our congregation in song at the 10:00 am Sunday service and special liturgies
👧 Create joyful music with our children and youth
🔔 Have the opportunity to learn our 57-bell carillon
✨ Bring fresh ideas, with real creative freedom while honoring the Anglican tradition

Know someone who would be a match for this part-time position? Or is this you? Please send a cover letter, resume, and any recordings of recent performances to Rev. Dr. Maggie Arnold at [email protected].

Please share this post with any musicians you know. 💛

Music is a vital part of our culture and our humanity, giving joy when we are happy, and comforting us when we are sad.  In our church, we use music at many times throughout the Christian year.  At Christmas time we sing carols and anthems; at Easter we sing of the joy of the Resurrection.  We us...

10/21/2026

The Cohasset Food Pantry Is in need of:
-packets of crumble topping
-cans of apple pie filling and
-cans of coffee.
Please drop off in the basket at the entrance to the church or the entrance to the Parish office. Thank you!

10/19/2026

In Theo of Golden this week (chapters 21-30), Theo meets Ellen, a homeless woman who struggles with mental illness. Their encounter is like the story of Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at the Well in John 4. Ellen asks Theo, "How do you know me?" just as the woman at the well said of Jesus, "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did." Theo and Ellen talk about her very hard life story, which involved losing custody of her only child, who was placed in foster care.

After hearing about Ellen's terrible suffering and loss, Theo says that, "the older I get, the more convinced I am that every hurt the world has ever known is somehow the fault of every person who ever lived. Maybe not directly and never entirely, but somehow, I fear, we own all of the world's hurts together." You will not find a better description of the theology of Original Sin--the understanding that we are all affected by one another's pain. None of us can stand aside, perfect and untouched, from the world of mistakes and hurt. We're all in this together.

And then Ellen comes to church! She is loud and smelly and she is dressed strangely; she wheels her bicycle right down the aisle and swears at the ushers. The assembled congregation cringes and wonders what will happen next. In a moment of pure grace, a matriarch of the parish welcomes Ellen and invites her to sit with her family--but Ellen sits beside Theo. Everyone starts to calm down, and "one could almost hear the sound of stones dropping to the ground."

In John 8:7, Jesus refuses to judge a woman who is about to be stoned by an angry crowd. He says, "Let the one who is without sin cast the first stone," and they all have to let go of their rocks. We are all in this together, and that good news is our invitation--to welcome and be welcomed into God's house. To make our church and our town a place where hurts are noticed and we reach out to help each other. Where no one has to feel like an outcast. Where angels are real.

10/17/2026

Please join us for a VILLAGE FAIR planning, brainstorming and crafting gathering this Sunday at 3pm at 310 Beechwood Street in the studio above the garage.

Come along for a cup of tea, a treat and fellowship as we talk about possibilities for this year's fair and also craft together.

All are welcome at this fun social event!

10/15/2026

Join us in the Parish Hall after the 10:00am service on October 18 to say “Thank You” to our Children’s and Youth Director Sue Mc Hugh.

It will be a wonderful gathering and a time to share many great stories and well wishes with Sue!

Help us make this a festive occasion by signing up to bring some party food! Use this link https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0945A8AB2EA1FBC70-66234723-suemchughs #/ or call the office at 781-383-1083