In the midst of a world,
wrote Rebecca Parker, marked by [both] tragedy and beauty…
In the midst of that world,
“there must be those who bear witness against unnecessary destruction…those who
speak honestly and do not avoid seeing what must be seen…of [both] sorrow and
outrage…”
Sorrow AND outrage.
Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers and
father figures and parents of every gender who are here today.
And Happy Pride.
There is a lot to celebrate today, even
though we know we have our work cut out for us.
Here at this church, where our mission is … read more.
Homily: Community and Commitment
Halleluiah. Thanks and praise.
“What a gathering—(points to congregation and then to flowers)
the purple tongues of iris licking out
at spikes of lupine, the orange
crepe skirts of poppies lifting
over buttercup and daisy.
Who can be grim in the face of such abundance.”
I’m sharing words of … read more.
“I have walked the long road to
freedom. …
I have discovered the secret that
After climbing a great hill, one only
finds
That there are many more hills to
climb.”
We celebrate Nelson Mandela for leading
South Africa…for being one of the leaders that helped South Africa end
apartheid, liberate itself from that … read more.
In response to the rise in white nationalist violence targeting places of worship across the country…from synagogues and mosques to Sikh temples, sacred Indigenous sites and Black churches…religious leaders and religious communities are raising our voices.
From the hashtag #Many Voices One Prayer
“Listen, America.
Out of many … read more.
And I saw that the sacred hoop of my people was one of many hoops
That make one circle, wide as daylight and starlight,
And in the center grew one mighty flowering tree
To shelter all the children
And I saw that it was holy.
One mighty flowering tree … read more.
“Rouse us from tiredness, self-pity, whet us for use…
Lure us to fresh schemes of life…”
Those words of Clarke Wells, former minister of this church, point us toward the spiritual work of this season.
Spring has sprung. The trees are blooming. The crocuses and daffodils are up. … read more.
“questions
that can make
…a life,
questions that have no right
to go away.”
Questions. We are a religious people that love them. We hold that revelation is not sealed, that the story of truth has not been completely told in any single scripture from the past…or in all of … read more.
Thank you choir.
“You are in us and we are in you. …
You are the tree…the seed…the cell… (each and all of those things)
you are the limit and the limitless.”
The text of the choir’s anthem is from the Indian poet Kabir, who lived in a religious … read more.
“Each person has a musical song [in] their bodies. …this is the hum from inside of you that can give you peace when you are really down. My grandmother had a hum, never a song. She would hum sitting in a rocking chair and I … read more.
