The Rev. Maxwell Grant
Denomination: United Church of Christ (UCC)
Organization: Second Congregational Church UCC, Greenwich, CT
The Rev. Maxwell Grant has been the Senior Minister at Second Congregational Church UCC (2CC) since February 2012.
He is a 2006 graduate of Yale Divinity School, where he was awarded the Mersick Prize for Preaching, and he was ordained in June 2007. Most recently, he was the Pastor of Community Church of the Pelhams, UCC, in Pelham, NY, and the Chair of the Executive Committee of the New York Conference of the UCC.
Max has also served as the Chaplain for Pediatrics and Obstetrics at Yale-New Haven Hospital in New Haven, CT, and as School Chaplain and Religion Department Head at Collegiate School, an independent day school in New York City.
He has preached at Marble Collegiate and West End Collegiate churches in Manhattan, the Chautauqua Institution, Larchmont Avenue Presbyterian Church in Larchmont, NY, and at UCC churches throughout Litchfield County, Connecticut.
Max's interests include reading, walking, and American history. Max's wife, Liz Perry, is an independent school administrator. Max and Liz have two daughters, Grace and Emily.
Day1 Weekly Programs by The Rev. Maxwell Grant
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Maxwell Grant: Beyond the Panic Room
Tuesday August 21, 2018
In his sermon, the Rev. Max Grant says we live in a 'panic room world,' and there’s no disputing that these are fearful times for many. But we resist the idea of the church as a shelter, because it diminishes our sense of church as a sanctuary, a place that’s set apart, a place that stands for something different than the vicissitudes of life, even when they get scary.
Maxwell Grant: "Precarious Wisdom"
Tuesday August 14, 2018
The Rev. Max Grants says Solomon becomes a great king after asking for wisdom, but it turns out he isn’t entirely a good person. He focuses so much on the getting that he no longer got understanding… and as a result, a few short years after Solomon’s death much of what he had achieved was gone for good. Which shows us that getting wisdom is not a once-and-for-all kind of thing.
Torn Open, By God
Tuesday January 06, 2015
As the church observes the Baptism of the Lord, Max Grant points out that in Mark's gospel, the heavens are 'torn open' for the dove to descend on Jesus, which tells us that the baptism of Jesus is clearly a radical act--God has committed the act of breaking and entering into the world. And if we take our baptism seriously, it might just tear open our own lives.
The Troubling Star
Tuesday December 30, 2014
In his Epiphany sermon, Max Grant points out something ominous about the Christmas star--there's no telling what might happen. Whatever our fears may be, the story of the Magi reminds us that we can live our lives in a new light.
Expecting Christmas
Tuesday December 17, 2013
Christmas may be a time of tremendous, and exhausting, expectations, and yet in his sermon for the 4th Sunday of Advent, the Rev. Max Grant says the season of Advent seems full of counter-cultural potential, because these weeks help us imagine a different way of preparing for the birth of Jesus, one that can't be rushed or shoe-horned in between trips to the mall. We can see the world with new eyes, as Joseph did.
Looking for Christmas?
Tuesday December 10, 2013
In his sermon for the 3rd Sunday of Advent, the Rev. Max Grant notes that in Matthew 11, Jesus asks the crowd three times what they are looking for. Sometimes we may not even be aware of what we're looking for or hoping for, but Advent can help us answer that question for ourselves.