Be joyful

Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands;
serve the Lord with gladness
and come before his presence with a song.

Know this: The Lord himself is God;
he himself has made us, and we are his;
we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and call upon his Name.

For the Lord is good;
his mercy is everlasting;
and his faithfulness endures from age to age.

Photos - Staff

 

Photos - Staff

 

 

OBITUARY

Webster L. Harrison

MARCH 31, 1940 – JUNE 17, 2018

AUBURN: Webster Lee “Web” Harrison, 78, of Auburn passed away unexpectedly due to cardiac arrest at his home on June 17, 2018. His friends described him as a man of character and wisdom, serious, engaging and loyal. He was a good man who enjoyed life and touched many lives for the better. He was born in Torrington, Connecticut on March 31, 1940 to Lee H. Harrison and Inez Delia Webster. He is the grandson of the 19th century Lewiston Mayor, William E. Webster. He was a student at Torrington High School and New Hampton School. He attended Bates College from 1959-63. He played football under the tutelage of some very fine men who would have a lasting impact on his life, and developed disciplined, hard work habits as a Biology major. He loved the education and opportunities that Bates College afforded him. A loyal alumnus, he recently celebrated with former classmates at his 55th Reunion. In 1964 he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps. As an infantry platoon commander in Vietnam, his experiences and memories from there were an important part of his life. He saw the best and worst examples of human behavior, and it taught him to truly value the freedoms we enjoy. Following Vietnam he was stationed at Quantico, VA training officer candidates. He was discharged from the USMC in 1967 as a Captain. He said his experiences as a Marine officer taught him that commitment, discipline, integrity and courage were necessary to succeed. This is how he led his life. In 1977 he was named head football coach at Bates College and the following year head lacrosse coach. During his tenure he coached and mentored hundreds of Bates athletes. He always emphasized the academic side of their time at Bates. His commitment to those he taught through sports may be reflected in the array of success that can be found in his former players. In his last years at Bates he joined the Office of College Advancement. He retired in 1999 after 25 years of service. Web was very engaged in a second “career” in retirement. During that time he developed a love of golf and spent hours practicing his swing at his favorite driving ranges and offering coaching tips to anyone who was nearby. His competitiveness was evident when he played with “ The Coaches Foursome” and former players. He loved spending winters in Siesta Key, FL where he could practice and play and enjoy the serene life by the water. He spent many hours on the lanai talking and laughing about Marine Corps days and hundreds of other topics with his dear friends. He developed an extensive library of varied topics from the history of the Vietnam war, gardening and cooking to the stock market and science. He was proud of the fact that he was a lifelong learner and was currently studying the history, physics and philosophy of time.... really! He inherited both his Mother’s and Father’s love of gardening. Lovely gardens on his property in Auburn featured over 12,000 daffodils. They were a source of enjoyment, pride and more than modest accomplishment. He proclaimed himself as the Daffodil King of Auburn and was shooting for the title to include Southern Maine. He gave away thousands of those daffodils every year. Bouquets were given to people at the Hospice House, Androscoggin Home Healthcare and Hospice in Auburn, the Dempsey Center for Cancer, Hope and Healing and the staff at East Auburn Community School, which his daughter had attended. He enjoyed talking about the 27,000 varieties and 13 types. When people stopped by they often got a lesson, including an annual visit from the kindergarten class down the hill. He is survived by his loving wife of 31 years, Kathleen (McEntee) Harrison of Auburn, daughter Kathryn Harrison and her husband, Tim Smith of Fort Collins, CO and his beloved granddaughter, Delia Smith. Condolences may be shared with his family at www.thefortingrouplewiston.com

Per Web's wishes, a Memorial Service will be held at Bates College Chapel at a later date. Those wishing, may make a charitable contribution to honor Web's memory to Friends of Bates College Athletics c\o the Development Office 2 Andrews Rd. Lewiston, ME 04240 or Androscoggin Home Healthcare and Hospice 15 Strawberry Ave. Lewiston, ME 04240. Arrangements are under the care of The Fortin Group Funeral Home, Cremation and Monument Services 70 Horton St. Lewiston, 784-4584.

This is what the love of God is like

“This is what the love of God is like:
it is free and therefore it is both all-powerful and completely vulnerable.
All-powerful because it is always free to overcome,
but vulnerable because it has no way of guaranteeing worldly success.
The love of God belongs to a different order, not the order of power,
manipulation and getting on top, which is the kind of power that pre-occupies us.”  

― Rowan Williams, 
Theologian and former Archbishop of Canterbury.

So draw our hearts to you

A Prayer of Self-Dedication

Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to you, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly yours, utterly dedicated unto you; and then use us, we pray you, as you will, and always to your glory and the welfare of your people; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

draw water with rejoicing

Canticle 9 The First Song of Isaiah 
Isaiah 12:2-6 Ecce, Deus 

Surely, it is God who saves me; *
I will trust in him and not be afraid.

For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense, *
and he will be my Savior.

Therefore you shall draw water with rejoicing *
from the springs of salvation.

And on that day you shall say, *
Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name;

Make his deeds known among the peoples; *
see that they remember that his Name is exalted.

Sing the praises of the Lord, for he has done great things, *
and this is known in all the world.

Cry aloud, inhabitants of Zion, ring out your joy, *
for the great one in the midst of you is the Holy One of Israel.

All creatures of our God and King

All creatures of our God and King

All creatures of our God and King

Lift up your voice and with us sing
Oh, praise Him
Alleluia
Thou burning sun with golden beam
Thou silver moon with softer gleam
Oh, praise Him
Oh, praise Him
Alleluia
Alleluia
Alleluia
Thou rushing wind that art so strong
Ye clouds that sail in heav'n along
Oh, praise Him
Alleluia
Thou rising moon in praise rejoice
Ye lights of evening find a voice
Oh, praise Him
Oh, praise Him
Alleluia
Alleluia
Alleluia
Let all things their creator bless
And worship Him in humbleness
Oh, praise Him
Alleluia
Praise, praise the Father praise the Son
And praise the Spirit three in one
Oh, praise Him
Oh, praise Him
Alleluia
Alleluia
Alleluia

Words: St. Francis of Assisi | Paraphrased by William H. Draper

O Gracious Light

Phos hilaron (O Gracious Light)

O gracious light,
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!
Now as we come to the setting of the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of Life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.

God be with you

God Be With You

God be with you till we meet again;
By his counsels guide, uphold you;
With his sheep securely fold you.
God be with you till we meet again.
Till we meet, till we meet,
Till we meet at Jesus' feet,
Till we meet, till we meet,
God be with you till we meet again.

To Everything there is a season

Ecclesiastes 3:1-15

1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; 7 a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

9 What gain have the workers from their toil? 10 I have seen the business that God has given to everyone to be busy with. 11 He has made everything suitable for its time; moreover he has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; 13 moreover, it is God's gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil. 14 I know that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it; God has done this, so that all should stand in awe before him. 15 That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already is; and God seeks out what has gone by.

I dwell in the high and holy places...

Thus says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, "I dwell in the high and holy place and also with the one who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite." 

Isaiah 57:15

Christ has no body but yours

Christ Has No Body

Christ has no body but yours,

No hands, no feet on earth but yours,

Yours are the eyes with which he looks

Compassion on this world,

Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,

Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.

Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,

Yours are the eyes, you are his body.

Christ has no body now but yours,

No hands, no feet on earth but yours,

Yours are the eyes with which he looks

compassion on this world.

Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

~Teresa of Avila (1515–1582)

Small deeps

Small Deeps

We are too complicated.

We seek God here, there and everywhere.

We seek God in holy places, in books,

in rules, regulations, rites and rituals.

We seek God in pomp and glory and ceremony,

in relics and statues

and visions and shrines.

We seek God in Popes and Fathers and saints.

Ah, like lost bewildered children,

we seek outside the God

who waits to be found

in the small deeps

of the human heart.

From Edwina Gateley, There Was No Path So I Trod One (1996, 2013)