The qualities of Advent are faith, hope, love and joy, the indispensable elements of a meaningful existence. Hope may be the least understood of the four. Hope rises and falls any number of times during the course of a single day. The Oxford English Dictionary has 60 different examples of hope, but all with a […]
What is the purpose of ordination? What is the meaning of community ministry? What is the relationship between an ordained community minister and a lay led fellowship of shared values who serve the same community? On the surface, these questions can be answered with covenants and words of mutual support. Deeper down there are undertones […]
If you have ever had your car well and truly stuck in the mud, you know how hard it can be to pull yourself out. Sometimes just walking through the world feels like your feet are stuck in the mud. On any network newscast there will be at least 5 things that will make you […]
Do words like faith, worship, pray, church, God, Lord, and other religion-related words make you uncomfortable? Alan will explore the disconnects between how some people use these words and how some people hear these words (and in some cases the origins of these words). Before our “Moment of Quiet” we are often encouraged to embrace […]
Looking at how the Unitarian Universalist women ministers of the Prophetic Sisterhood made their ways into ministry, and made their congregations places of sanctuary over 100 years ago, we too can use the spirit of that example to make our congregations today places of radical welcome and sanctuary. The ways we go about doing that […]
The seven UU principles are the foundation of modern Unitarian Universalism. The principles express important values. But, what is their history and how can philosophy help us understand their importance? Today’s message will look at a categorization of the principles from a philosophical perspective and at two important theories of 17th and 18th century philosophy […]
Christianity is one of a group of mystery religions. Mystery diminishes the more you throw the light of understanding at it. Often, mystery led to manipulation, those in positions of power and authority, preyed on the fears and superstitions and ignorance of the common people. But there is no need to be ignorant to feel […]
The Reverend Drew Kennedy will invite us to reflect on how we ought to live in light of the fact that life is precious and all of us, one day, must die. Centering on a startling and poignant story of a woman at a crossroads in her life, we’ll explore two of life’s interrelated, basic […]
Sin is not a topic we discuss very often. Do we even remember the “seven deadly sins” of Christian theology? Are they relevant today? If not, how would we answer the question posed by the title of today’s talk? How about some other questions: If you believe in God, what is your god’s job description? […]
Along with Judaism, Hinduism is the world’s most ancient wisdom tradition. And it is exceedingly wise. Hindu theology offers a non-Christian trinity, a more useful list of “commandments” and understands that God always enters a person’s life through a private door. Huston Smith, the great religious scholar, wrote, “I was perfectly content with Christianity until […]