In Yarmouth, Maine the area clergy would get together once a month for lunch.  At least they did while I was there.  I really hope they still do.  Those lunches were great. We all got together for lunch once a month – same restaurant, same table, same waiter even, and same lunch order.  Every month we all ordered the […]

This multi-generational service has become one of our “touchstone” Sundays – a time for us to remember and honor those who came before.  Leia Durland-Jones and Rev. Wik will facilitate worship together.  Please remember to bring photos or mementos of loved ones who have died for our Communal Ancestors’ Altar.  [Note:  the Children’s Choir will be singing, and Child […]

You can find it in the myths and folklore of pretty much all Mesoamerican cultures; it shows up in lot’s of other cultures, too.  Hungarians called it, “égig érő fa,” the Sky-High Tree, and “életfa,” the Tree of Life.  To the Norse it was, “Yggdrasil,” the World Tree.  At the base of which was the pool of the […]

Having lived through WWII and communism, Unitarians in Transylvania know a lot about sticking to core values during hardship and change. Rev Alex will offer ideas for us based on her visit.  [Note: we will be celebrating our New Member Recognition ceremony!] Our liturgical year is organized around the four seasons and four fundamental issues […]

There’s a joke I’ve always loved, but always have to look up to make sure I get it right.  When I looked it up (again) this week I discovered that in a 2005 poll in the UK it had been voted the funniest religious joke: I was walking across a bridge one day, and I saw a […]

As I listened on Thursday to the testimony of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, I knew that what I’d planned to reflect on this morning had to be set aside.  This happens to preachers from time to time.  I’ve had it happen as late as while I was stepping into the pulpit.  I know someone who says that there’ve […]

The various traditions and lineages of Buddhism disagree with one another as much as the different branches of Christianity do (or, for that matter, people who understand Unitarian Universalism differently).  These various traditions and lineages do share many common teachings, of course.  One of these is that all Buddhists — from no matter what specific […]

This morning I’d like us to explore two ideas:  marginalized community, and beloved community.  We hear both of these terms a fair bit, yet with one of them we have all too many examples to look to, and the other nowhere near far enough.  When I studied philosophy in college I learned that it’s really important to begin […]

Ganesh and Blessings for New Beginnings OPENING When I was in college, I spent four months in Sri Lanka, which is a country on the other side of the world, near India.  I lived with a family there.  One day, we were setting out on a trip.  As we left town, we stopped by a statue at the […]