Messages from the Mountaintop

Rev. Dr. Carolyn Scanlan-Holmes • May 13, 2025

Who's On Your Mt. Rushmore?

Once a month or so, my godson, CK, answers this question from one of his dad’s: “Who is on your Mount Rushmore right now?” He replies with the names of three or four people in his life that he looks up to, people he who support, mentor, or inspire him to be the best person he can be. Sometimes CK chooses people like the Dalai Lama, and other times includes a close peer, a teacher, or favorite artist. I like the question. Who’s faces would I like to see carved into stone? Which persons represent the best of humanity? Who inspires me?


As I am a pastor, it will surprise no one that Jesus would be on my Mount Rushmore. I might also include Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ghandi. Each of these leaders shared ideals that changed the world. They all committed to nonviolence and peaceful resistance against injustice. Fearlessly, they called out abuses of power and worked to uplift all people—not just the wealthy and powerful. Their resolve to live by their ideals led them to endure; indeed, each was martyred for daring to preach unconditional love in action. They envisioned a world where all people could be treated with fairness and dignity, regardless of status. Through their words and actions, they demonstrated unwavering courage and a steadfast commitment to uplifting humanity.


I have been pondering a message series on the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount and how we might explore them not only in a uniquely “Gardenesque” way, but also in a contemporary context. What do they mean to us in this moment in time? 


Mount Rushmore and the Sermon on the Mount are two landmarks that, at first glance, may seem un-connected. One is a literal monument, looming over the Black Hills, sculpted with the intent to honor figures who shaped a nation. The other represents a message that would change the world, delivered not in stone but in words—a call to live with humility, compassion, and love. Both ask us to reflect: Who do we look up to? What ideals do we want to carve into our lives?


When Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount, he wasn’t building a monument but offering a blueprint for a world where the poor in spirit find strength, the peacemakers find honor and respect, and those who hunger for justice are satiated. The message was not just a sermon—it was an invitation.


As I think about who would be on my personal Mount Rushmore, I ask myself: How do these ideals inspire me today? More importantly, how can they move us—not just to admire them, but to live them? I believe in the end it is not about who we honor in stone, but who we remember for the impact they made in the lives of others. It’s about how we contribute to their loving legacy through our actions, through the way we live, the way we vote, and the way we treat each other.



So—-who is on your Mount Rushmore? And how might the lessons of the Sermon on the Mount shape your legacy? How do you want to be remembered? What impact do you want to make?

"Livin’ On A Prayer" 

Sung by Kimberly Morgan

Written by Jon Bon Jovi, Desmond Child & Richard Sambora

Lyrics © Bon Jovi Publishing, Sony/ATV Tunes LLC, Aggressive Music, Universal Polygram Int. Publishing Inc.


"Down On Me"

Sung by Caroline Smith

Written by Janis Joplin

Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing


"God Is Good"

Sung by John McClain

Written by Jonathan Caleb McReynolds


If you're interested in the First Nations Bible translation mentioned in today's service, you can find it here.


The book of poetry Carolyn mentions in the service is What Narcissism Means to Me by Tony Hoagland

World Wide Communion

By Rev. Dr, Carolyn Scanlan-Holmes • September 29, 2026
Although we define our world with borders, walls, and ideologies, World Communion Sunday brings us a simple reality: we belong to each other. This Sunday, we gather around a table that expands across the globe, a table of radical hospitality where all are fed, all are valued, and all are loved. Together, we commit to the collective work of peace, justice, and healing for our planet. Join us as we break bread and build bridges.

The Art of Living: The Art of Prayer

By Rev. Dr. Carolyn Scanlan-Holmes • September 22, 2026
Be honest: When you pray, does it feel like a genuine conversation—or just another item on your to-do list? Sometimes, the most familiar things are the hardest to truly see. This Sunday, we continue week two of our series, The Art of Living, by stripping away the routine and taking a radical new look at the most famous prayer in history. Diving into the Gospel of Matthew, we're looking past the familiar recitations of the Lord's Prayer to discover what it actually takes to build a thriving spiritual life. Whether your prayer life feels vibrant, completely stuck, or non-existent right now, Jesus' words offer the reset you need. This week, we're digging into the setup, motive, and heart of prayer—moving past empty repetitions and performance checklists to find a space where true connection and forgiveness can transform our daily lives. Mastering the art of living doesn't start with striving; it starts with humility and silence in the presence of God. Join us this weekend as we discover how a simple shift in our prayer life can change everything. See you Sunday!

The Art of Living

By Rev. Dr. Carolyn Scanlan-Holmes • September 14, 2026
A new two-week series exploring how faith connects to daily rhythms and habits — with a visual artist and writer bringing "The Art of Living" to life.

Hunger is Rising and God Calls Us to Respond

By Michael Ransom • September 13, 2026
You can make a difference with the power of the pen

Kissing the Leper

By Rev. Richard Brendan • September 7, 2026
St. Francis's embrace of the leper reveals a truth about love: it grows not by avoiding what frightens us, but by moving toward it.

Where Were You?

By Rev. Dr. Carolyn Scanlan-Holmes • September 1, 2026
Remembering 9/11

It's the Journey.

By Rev. Dr. Carolyn Scanlan-Holmes • August 25, 2026
Life comes with no map. We try to make our own and we set out, sometimes with excitement, sometimes with fear or grief, or just because standing still isn't an option. Sometimes we go not entirely sure where we're headed or what we'll find when we get there. In one of the most quietly beautiful stories in the Gospel of Luke, two travelers, heavy with loss and confusion, walk a road from Jerusalem. They meet a stranger, who falls in step beside them. They don't know who he is. They don't know what's coming next. But they keep walking. Somewhere in the walking, something shifts. The Road to Emmaus isn't really a story about a destination. It's a story about what happens on the way there: the conversations, the companions, the moments of unexpected recognition that change everything. Join us Sunday as we explore what it means to be on a journey full of unknowns. Do we fear that which we cannot know, or can we embrace the uncertainty as part of the adventure?

Learning from the Mystics: A Pure Heart

By Rev. Dr. Brenda Freije • August 18, 2026
What if Jesus’ words, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God,” are not about who gets to see God someday, but an invitation to learn how to see God now? The great Christian mystics believed that the heart is more than the center of our emotions. It is an “organ of spiritual perception,” a way of seeing beneath the surface of things into the deeper reality of God’s presence. Richard Rohr says this is what mysticism is really about. Mystics are not spiritual elites who have strange or extraordinary experiences. They are people who have learned to go beneath the surface and discover the “connected core of reality.” The result is not simply a different experience of God; it is a different way of seeing everything. They begin to see grace in all things and the deep connections between all things—seeing a neighbor instead of a stranger, a human being instead of an enemy, sacred creation instead of commodities, connection instead of separation, and Divine Presence where we previously assumed God was absent. And that gives us perhaps the most important test of genuine mystical spirituality: Are we becoming more loving? The goal of contemplative practice is not extraordinary spiritual experiences. Its fruit is a growing capacity for compassion, generosity, freedom, and love—a different way of being in the world. Let's explore what Jesus might mean by a “pure heart,” what keeps us from seeing clearly, how learning from the mystics and their practices can help us awaken to a God who may be much closer than we realize, and how all of this might enable us to act in the world with greater peace, hope, and clarity.

Mother Love, Mother Loss

By Joy Dyer, MSW, LCSW • August 10, 2026
The relationship we have with our mothers is one of the most meaningful in our lives. Sometimes sweet, sometimes difficult…or worse…but always full of complexity. And researchers have determined that this most significant of relationships actually begins in the womb. It’s the template where we first learn about love, whether we were fortunate to have loving mothers, or mothers who sadly were unable to love us as we needed and deserved. This primal, intense relationship continues throughout our lives, influencing and shaping who we become and how we relate to others as we journey through on our own paths. Is it any wonder then that the death of our mothers is one of the most impactful losses that we will experience? And yet, even after her death, it’s possible to have a continuing conversation and relationship with her…with her gifts and her flaws…that allows for connection and the possibility of repair and forgiveness. This Sunday, please join us as we explore the joys, sorrows, and possibilities of the eternal bond between mother and child. Joy Dyer, MSW, LCSW, brings 37 years of clinical social work experience, including work in end-of-life care and advanced bereavement training. She specializes in grief in all its forms. Joy returns to The Garden on Thursday, September 3 for Debunking the Myths of Grief.

It's All Fun & Games

By Rev. Dr. Carolyn Scanlan-Holmes • August 4, 2026
On the Importance of Play