Previous Service Themes adapted from Soul Matters …
From our friends at Soul Matters: “Talk of interdependence immediately calls up the work of saving the planet, rightly so. But what if the first step toward saving the planet is learning to speak to it? And hear it? Could our collective failure to confront the climate crisis be rooted in our lost ability to … Continue reading The Gift of Interdependence (April 2024)
From our friends at Soul Matters: Let mystery have its place in you; do not be always turning up your whole soil with the plowshare of self-examination, but leave a little fallow corner in your heart ready for any seed the winds may bring, and reserve a nook of shadow for the passing bird; keep … Continue reading The Gift of Transformation (March 2024)
UUFM is a part of the Soul Matters Sharing Circle, which provides resources for our Sunday Services, children’s Religious Education, and Chalice Circles. Check out our year of themes here and read below for the thoughtful introduction to this month’s theme, Justice & Equity. “Here we go again.Another injustice.Even more inequity exposed. So much pain.So many issues.So little … Continue reading The Gifts of Justice & Equity (February 2024)
From our friends at Soul Matters: “Love, it sits in the chest,at least at the start.It’s what makes our heart beat again after being broken,and our lungs breathe again after being closed off in the dark for far too long. For some, it came in the form of our grandfather’s eyeswhich saw us as carriers … Continue reading The Gift of Liberating Love (January 2024)
From our friends at Soul Matters: “We live in a culture that loves to conquer mysteries. For us modern folks, the unexplainable is simply a lock to be picked, a code to be cracked, a puzzle to be figured out. But what if mystery isn’t just something to solve? What if it’s also something to … Continue reading The Gift of Mystery (December 2023)
From our friends at Soul Matters:“It would be easy to see this as a month of niceness. After all, for many, the call of generosity is equated with the call to be kind. But that’s not the spiritual understanding, and certainly not the sort of gift our faith sees in generosity. First of all, it’s … Continue reading The Gift of Generosity (November 2023)
From our friends at Soul Matters: “Some people are your relatives, but others are your ancestors, and you choose the ones you want to have as ancestors. You create yourself out of [their] values. — Ralph Ellison Be on the lookout, friends. The ghosts are on their way! After all, you can’t talk about heritage … Continue reading The Gift of Heritage (October 2023)
From our friends at Soul Matters: “It seems to go without saying. To be welcoming, we’ve got to think big.Notice how often we speak about “widening the circle” and “making more room.” We place a priority on expanding our minds by welcoming new experiences and new ideas. Those that help usher in love are “big-hearted.” … Continue reading The Gift of Welcome (September 2023)
From September through June, we use Soul Matters themes for our Sunday Services, Religious Education, and Chalice Circles. As we wait for the church year to begin, this August we’ve chosen Thresholds as our transitional theme. Check out this beautiful reading to start us off. By Arlen Goff Thresholds.We cross them every day.From room to room,from … Continue reading Thresholds (August 2023)
From our friends at Soul Matters: Because the road turns long and lonely sometimes,I built this box of delight.I picked up the lidand into it I put… My children laughing, together.The look of giddy disbelief on my mother’s face when that black-capped chickadee swooped in and landed next to her knee, waking her up from … Continue reading Welcome to the Path of Delight (June 2023)
