As we transition from our December theme of “Awe” to our January theme of “Integrity”, we are still journeying through the Christmas season. Unitarians and Universalists have an important shared Biblical heritage and Christian foundations that we, as a people who seek awe and aspire to integrity, can’t ignore if we want to maintain right relations […]
Format Archives:
12.22.19 Of Light and Service
As we reach the shortest day and the longest night of the year, USG will celebrate light and service touching on St. Lucia, Winter Solstice, and Hanukkah. This will be a multigenerational service.
12.15.19, Our Awesome World and Cosmos, Rev Kent Matthies
Science helps us understand the world, and also helps us understand how little we know. When we come to science revelations with an open, curious, spirituality, feelings of awe jump from our hearts. Come explore some of the most fascinating aspects of the scientific discoveries from the last hundred years. For people of every level […]
12.1.19, Waking Up to Awe, Rev. Kent Matthies
Awe is the spiritual theme of the month. We are heading into the holidays where we celebrate big stories of awe, stories about the miraculous birth of a savior and about the return of the sun to light our darkness. Today let us pause and pay attention to our daily experiences of feeling in the […]
11.24.19, Bread Communion, Rev. Kent Matthies
For our worship service on our multi-generational Community Day, we celebrate with a participatory Thanksgiving bread communion. Everyone is invited to bring some bread from home! We will commemorate the building of the elevator, celebrating the vision, hard work, dedication, and generosity of all who made a dream of installing an elevator into a reality […]
11.17.19, Living a Life of Loving Yourself, Amy and Maggie Birge-Caracappa
Every day it seems we are told that there is something wrong with our bodies that needs fixing. We are told that there is one narrow definition of what is normal and ideal and that everything else is wrong. It’s something everyone struggles with. But for people living in a fat body, it is compounded […]
11.10.19, Paying Attention in a Distracted World, Rev. Kent Matthies
Rising numbers of people struggle with paying attention for sustained periods of time. Channel surfing, texting, and social media are just some of the dynamics which keep us distracted. Schools, religious organizations, families – all are impacted by less capacity to concentrate. We are paying a price, because as the Buddhist sutras say, when we […]
10.20.19, The good, the bad, and the whole, Rev. Kent Matthies
How can you embrace yourself in your entirety? Many of us wrestle with this question our whole lives. As imperfect beings we go further down the road to finding peace with ourselves when we accept our imperfections. This can involve acknowledging selfishness, cowardice, going too slow and going too fast. When we acknowledge these sharp […]
10.13.19, Our Moment is Now, Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt
We Unitarian Universalists have always been a small religious group with outsized impact. But with many denominations in decline, and corresponding growth among those who are “spiritual but not religious,” it may seem that our best days are behind us. But what if we’re misreading the signs? In this moment, let’s reflect on what our […]
10.6.19, Atonement over Contempt, Rev. Kent Matthies
The ark is opened and the Torah scrolls are taken out. Reading the sacred text guides us to respond to our errors, correct and learn from our mistakes, and reveal more fully who we are and can become. In the United States a toxic culture of contempt is corroding our souls. Political disagreements generate harsh […]