The man who could have become the richest person on the face of the earth lives not far away. He chose not to do it. When asked, he expressed no regrets. “You are your decisions.” When I reflect on my life, I’m aware of many decisions that have shaped my being. Most of them didn’t … Continue reading You Are Your Decisions?
What keeps a tree from tipping over? It’s roots, we would say. Yet maybe too it is its pliant branches and leaves that move with the wind. We are forever seeking balance in our lives, and wisely so. What spiritual roots and flexible practices help us to be people who live in balance?
For some of us, our roots and our belonging come easily. For others of us, connecting to our roots is lifelong, journeying work that asks of us persistence and patience. The weekend after Tết, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, join Rev. Elizabeth Nguyen for worship. We’ll explore the words of the Vietnamese proverb that titles this worship-how … Continue reading While eating fruit, think of the person who planted the tree
“Love in action is a harsh and dreadful thing compared to love in dreams”, say Father Zosima in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel The Brothers Karamazov. What does it mean to try to live a life that is grounded in sturdy love- not sentiment, not valentines, not feel-good vibes- but a love that earns it’s keep by … Continue reading Love, Soft and Stubborn
Singing can make us brave when we are fearful. Sometimes singing a song helps us to remember a truth, or feel things more keenly. For some, singing is praying. This service for all ages will celebrate the power of song to help us carry on, and the power of singing together to make us … Continue reading Singing for Our Lives
Perseverance, our worship theme for the month, can be defined as a day-by-day decision to not give up. Who or what do you think of when you hear that word? What has helped you to persevere in your life? The worship service will take us into this territory of grit, forbearance and courage.
We cannot deny that the “other” scares us, but how have we come to construct the “other” and how does that impact the way we see the world? Let’s explore these questions of identity, world vision and how to begin to deconstruct “otherness” in favor of justice. — Our guest preacher, Jennifer Hernandez, is the … Continue reading Undoing Evil in the Other
Right Relations is a term often heard in UU congregations, but what does it mean in real life, “on the ground”? One way to look at it is the centrality we place on our relationships in a covenanted faith community, and the spiritual practice that arises from this intention. Come explore this together, and follow-up … Continue reading The Covenanting Congregation
Who gets remembered in the history books says a lot about who is valued. Who gets named says a lot too. This is true in the history of Unitarian Universalism as well. Let us reclaim the many people who have shaped this faith tradition, and who have been left out of our remembering. Today, we … Continue reading Remembering is Justice
Intention is the worship theme for January, and the start of the year is an apt time for setting intentions. Drawing from the work of Parker Palmer, we’ll explore the importance of listening to what our lives have to say about who we are, what values we embody, and what truth is ours to express … Continue reading Listening for Intent
