In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die / And where you invest your love, you invest your life / Awake my soul / Awake my soul / Awake my soul – w ords from the British folk-rock band Mumford and Sons. [1]  I’m not deeply familiar with their music. My colleague, the Rev. Carolyn Patierno, mentioned back in October she was using the song in a worship service. I liked it, so I asked Jenn (Richards) if she could play it for us this morning. She already knew the

Gathering Music "Someday at Christmas" by Ron Miller and Bryan Wells "Calling on Mary" by Aimee Mann Jenn Richard, guitar and vocals Welcome and Announcements (Rev. Josh Pawelek) Centering Prelude "Astral Plane" by Valerie June Jenn Richad, guitar and vocals Chalice Lighting and Opening Words "Late November" by the Rev. Mary Wellemeyer adapted ever-so-slightly by Rev. Josh Pawelek Opening Hymn #15 "The Lone, Wild Bird" words by H. R. MacFayden music from William Walker's Sou

Gathering Music Welcome and Announcements Centering Prelude "Rainbow Connection" by Paul Williams Chalice Lighting and Opening Words "The Abundance of Our Lives Together" by Katie Sivani Gelfand We light our chalice as a symbol of gratitude... In this sanctuary we harvest bushels of strength for one another ... we cultivate a simple sweetness to brighten our spirits ... May we be grateful for the ways we nourish and uplift each other, For it is the sharing of this hallowed ti

Photo of King's Chapel from a recent UUSE Affirmation class trip to Boston I’m about to take you on a whirlwind tour of 1,840 years of Unitarian, Universalist, and Unitarian Universalist history. (I’ll be covering, on average, about 92 years every minute of this sermon). Please know everything I say is a generalization, and I am leaving out many important people, events, and trends. I’m offering primarily a theological history—Unitarian and Universalist are, after all, theol

Gathering Music (Mary Bopp)   Welcome and Announcements (Rev. Josh Pawelek)    Centering   Prelude “Gather the Spirit” by Jim Scott adapted by Mary Bopp   Chalice Lighting and Opening Words Excerpt from “I Call That Church Free” by James Luther Adams     Opening Hymn #145 “As Tranquil Streams” lyrics by Marion Franklin Ham music: Musicalisches Hand-buch , Hamburg, 1690, adapt.   As tranquil streams that meet and merge and flow as one to seek the sea, our kindred hearts and mi

Gathering Music Welcome and Announcements Centering Prelude Chalice Lighting & Opening Words "Chalice Lighting Words" by Albert Schweitzer At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. In the glow of that gratitude, let our worship begin. Opening Hymn STJ #1008 "When Our Heart Is in a Holy Place" When our heart is in a holy place, When our heart

Our November ministry theme is nurturing gratitude , which aligns very obviously with the Thanksgiving holiday later this month; though for me, it’s not the holiday that gives us the theme. For me it’s all the features of autumn—changing, falling leaves, dropping temperatures, decreasing daylight hours, increasing darkness—and perhaps most importantly, the conclusion of the growing season in these northern latitudes—the harvest, the reaping, the preparations for winter—all of

Gathering Music Welcome and Announcements Centering Prelude "Vivace" from Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor by J. S. Bach Sharon Gunderson and Anhared Stowe, violin Ryan Ford, bass Mary Bopp, piano Chalice Lighting and Opening Words "Languages of Gratitude" Rev. Michelle Collins Opening Hymn #18 "What Wondrous Love" American Folk hymn adapted by Connie Campbell Hart Music from the Southern Harmony , 1835 What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul, what wondrous love i

Part I: “What a Free Faith Invites”           I began my October newsletter column with this question: “How do I engage in constructive dialogue with people who think, feel, believe and act radically differently than I do?” I’ve been encountering various versions of this question throughout my career; and as our nation’s cultural, political, economic and religious polarization continues to deepen, I seem to encounter it multiple times every day. So many unrelated conversation

Gathering Music (Mary Bopp) Welcome (Emmy Galbraith) Announcements (Rev. Josh Pawelek) Centering (Emmy Galbraith) Prelude and Calling the Directions "To the Four Directions" Music by Mary Bopp Words adapted from Joan Goodwin's "To the Four Directions" Sandy Johnson, vocals Chalice Lighting and Opening Words Excerpt from "The Art of Living" by Thich Nhat Han Bill Graver, Alex and Wesley Bernier (11:00 AM) Opening Hymn #387 "The Earth, Water, Fire, Air" anonymous The earth,

Gathering Music (Mary Bopp)   Welcome and Announcements (Rev. Josh Pawelek)   Centering   Prelude "A Conversation" Improvised by Mary Bopp   Chalice Lighting and Opening Words “Turn Scarlet, Leaves” Words by Raymond J. Baughan Music by Mary Bopp Turn scarlet, leaves Spin earth Tumble the shadows into dawn Tumble the shadows into dawn   Opening Hymn #1023 “Building Bridges” Words: The Women of Greenham Common peace occupation in England, 1983 Music: Contemporary English Quaker

Gathering Music   Welcome and Announcements   Centering   Prelude "Believing" by Mary Bopp   Chalice Lighting and Opening Words excerpt...

Gathering Music Welcome and Announcements Centering Prelude "Nothing Can Harm Our Love" Written and performed by Tret Fure Chalice...

The oak burl chalice on the world map table in the chapel at UUSE Over the last decade I’ve become a fan of the Drive-By Truckers , a...

Gathering Music Ambient #13 by Dan Thompson Inspired by Ben Elzerman Welcome and Announcements (Rev. Josh Pawelek) Centering Prelude...

Gathering Music (Mary Bopp) Welcome & Announcements Centering Prelude #188 "Come, Come Whoever You Are" Music by Lynn Ungar Arranged &...

UUSE's Oak Burl Chalice, on the globe table in the garden level chapel We are in the midst of launching our congregational year. I am...

Gathering Music (Mary Bopp)   Welcome and Announcements (Rev. Josh Pawelek)   Centering   Prelude “Give Yourself to Love” by Kate Wolf...

Gathering Music (Mary Bopp) Welcome, Announcements (Rev. Josh Pawelek) Centering (Emmy Galbraith) Prelude “Anthem” by Leonard Cohen...

Gathering Music "Ambient #8" by Dan Thompson Welcome (Vivian Carlson) Prelude "Here Together" by David M. Glasgow Opening Words (Rev....