Do you have a favorite monument in New England? Is there a piece of artwork in the area that always catches your eye? My favorite statue sits between Gloucester and Hereford Streets on Commonwealth Avenue in Boston’s Back Bay, a larger than life likeness of a man sitting on a huge boulder in a slicker and ball cap, a pair of binoculars in his hands. It’s Samuel Eliot Morrison, “Sailor and Historian,” and carved into a rock below are his words: Dream dreams, then write them. Aye, but live them first.
What are your dreams for the summer? What are your hopes in life? In a season offering more time for rest and reflection we might pause and wonder just what it is we’re striving toward. Are our aspirations aligned with our convictions?

Our theme at Payson Park this year has come from Jesus’ words found in the Gospel of John, “I am the vine,” an image reminding us how our Christian faith connects us with God’s presence and all of creation. They are words inspiring us to remain rooted in loving faith no matter what our gifts or circumstances, acknowledging, always, the part we play in the greater whole. As these weeks find us branching out through summer season activities, it is my prayer we’ll keep lovingly connected with each other and with God, that in this time of such global disaster and unrest we may dare to bring Christ’s dream of love and compassion to life in this world. Amen – oh, may it be so.

Faithfully from The Reverend Lael Atkinson.