Chalice Lighting: From Side With Love – Adrian Ballou The opening words are “intentions and trust”, by Amy Lloyd. Today I want to greet joyWithout a trace of suspicionI want to open my eyes to the lightWithout a blink of dreadI want to look at my pastWithout a whisper of Read more
Message by Rev. Michelle Scott-Huffman Moment of Perspective – Introduction to Side With Love – AJ Fox The opening words are A Prayer of Good Intention, author unknown. Dear Lord, So far I’ve done all right.I haven’t gossiped, haven’t lost my temper,haven’t been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or overindulgent.I’m really Read more
Message by Colleen Appel and Susanne Bounds Moment of Perspective – “Take 5” (Deep Breaths) – AJ Fox The opening words are from the article “Racial Bias, Even When We Have Good Intentions,” by Sendhil Mullainathan: “…Ugly pockets of conscious bigotry remain in this country, but most discrimination is more Read more
Homily by Rev Michelle Scott-Huffman The opening words are My High Resolve, by Howard Thurman. Keep fresh before me the moments of my high resolve. Despite the dullness and barrenness of the days that pass, if I search with due diligence, I can always find a deposit left by some Read more
The Joy that Finds Us, by Rev Elea Kemler, read by Jessica Wirges. This sermon was first delivered at First Parish Church, Groton MA. Moment of Perspective – AJ Fox – Behind the Scenes: Church Decisions, Values, and COVID-19 The opening words are Joy is Hard, by Rev Joe Cherry. Read more
Message by Rev. Michelle Scott-Huffman The opening words are Still So Much Good, and Beauty, and Joy, by Rev. Gretchen Haley. Come in, all who long to knowhow to love this worldHow to keep eyes openhands unclenchedarms wideBreathing deeplyIn, and outThis is a time to practiceBecause there isstill so much Read more
Colleen Appel reads some heart wrenching messages from real homeless people in Springfield. View this video by clicking the link below. https://express.adobe.com/video/yVUsEwoyJJ9uj/embed The opening words, “Why Celebrate Christmas?” are from Robert Edward Green. Why Celebrate Christmas? To reflect upon the miraculousness of birth: For with the winter solstice, the sun Read more
The opening words are Come Into This Place, by Rev Margaret Weis. Come into this place with your whole self – the parts that are raw and exposed;the part that is beaming with joy;the part that is seeking the truth, the new, the possibility.Come into this place – open your Read more
The opening words speak both of those in our history who paved the way for us to be here today, and also to our special observance on Trans Day of Remembrance, which falls on November 20 each year. They are: We Remember Them, by Sylvan Kamens and Rabbi Jack Riemer Read more
Congregants share their favorite memories of the UU for the monthly theme of Holding History. The opening words are Constellations of Our Lives, by Rev Karen G. Johnston.Humans make maps of stars,choosing some stars, ignoring others,to project our imaginations onto the heavens.These maps shift over time, across cultures.Names change for Read more