Running beneath most winter holidays is the recognition of light and dark and the Earth’s movement. The longest night, the return of light – this rhythm affects us deeply, and many cultures celebrate the turning point with story, song, and ritual. Join us for a multigenerational Winter Solstice Service.
Traditional understandings of the divine often leave us unmoved and spiritually wanting. Can we hold a sense of divinity that makes room for Mystery and acknowledges the sacred while allowing us room to breathe and think? Why do some people, even among Unitarian Universalists, need “God talk” while others don’t? Is the most important question … Continue reading “Questioning God”
During a time of transition, people often realize how they would like their religious community to do better. But it is also a time when the particular spirit of a community emerges and strengthens its people. There is grace in realizing, as Laila Ibrahim writes, that our “messy and imperfect beloved community” presents a clear … Continue reading “Imperfect and Beloved”
Nearly all of us “keep” memories of people who shaped and influenced us deeply. Here in the turning of the seasons, as we ready ourselves to move into the reflective time of winter, it’s good to remember those people we carry with us — and, of course, to acknowledge this 100th anniversary “Armistice Day” or … Continue reading “Their Memories Keep”
This month’s Soul Matters theme of Memory is poignantly relevant to the moment. If ever we were called to remember, it is now. And, yes, one thing we must remember is to live by love. But what does that mean in such a time as this? To turn away from the fear that gives power … Continue reading “Time of Reckoning”
Our Unitarian Universalist faith can, at moments, be a shelter, or sanctuary, for us in a harsh world. In order for that shelter to strengthen us to shelter others, we must bring our whole selves. Our service will include a New Member Recognition.
At a series of critical moments in this nation’s history, we are being called back to the most basic understanding of this country as a sanctuary for the values we also share in our faith tradition. How do we pursue the most important points of resistance – or even discern them – while acting out of … Continue reading Acting from Faith
Where do we find sanctuary for our souls in the midst of the busyness and fragmentation of our daily lives? Days of rest are extremely important not just when we are exhausted, but as a regular restorative practice. Historically, people in many faith traditions observed sabbaths. Now can there be a personal sabbath? How do … Continue reading “Be Still and Know”
It may sound counter-intuitive, but humility is part of living a life of calling. It is necessary for growth and deepening, and best of all it’s spiritually liberating. Humility does not mean self-abasement, but, rather, something much more to do with interdependence. How can we understand humility so that it deepens the relatedness that allows … Continue reading “Touching Earth”
Being a people of calling means knowing your past, trusting your future, and opening the heart. Wandering into a touch of cosmology, we’ll consider how the past becomes part of the present and calls us to the future. What invitations do both past and future make to us during a a transitional period in the life … Continue reading “Past and Future”
