Previous Service Themes adapted from Soul Matters …
What does it mean to be a people of Becoming?
It’s become popular in our society to talk about spiritual journeys as a process of living into your full or true self, of letting the authentic seed inside you unfold. We UU’s agree. We even enshrined … read more.
What does it mean to be a people of Commitment?
There’s a natural, and important, go-getter quality to this month. After all, huge payoffs come when we keep our commitments. Maintaining loyalty to healthy habits not only lengthens our lives but enriches them. Faithfully following through … read more.
What does it mean to be a people of Beloved Community?
Henri Nouwen, the treasured Catholic teacher, activist and pastor, once described beloved community as “the place where the person you least want to live with always lives.”
On its surface it seems to be a straightforward … read more.
What does it mean to be a people of Imagination?
Maybe our most important work is to re-imagine imagination.
Imagination’s great gift is improvement. At least that is what we’re usually taught. The deep magic lies in the way it can reshape our reality. We are urged … read more.
What does it mean to be a people of Stillness?
Don’t tell me to be calm
when there are so many reasons
to be angry …
I didn’t say to be calm, said the wind,
I said to breathe.
We’re going to need a lot of air … read more.
What does it mean to be a people of Healing?
Jewish teaching includes frequent reminders of the importance of a broken-open heart, as in this Hasidic tale: A disciple asks the rebbe: “Why does Torah tell us to ‘place these words upon your hearts’? Why does … read more.
What does it mean to be a people of Deep Listening?
This is your chance to listen carefully.
Your whole life might depend on what you hear. – Joyce Sutphen
Listening helps us find our way. The listening of therapists allows … read more.
September is a season of homecoming for us UUs. And renewal is central to that. At the opening of each new church year, we renew our commitments to each other and our church community. We renew our energy for another year of journeying together.
It’s also … read more.
It might seem like one of our easier monthly themes. After all, compassion sounds … well, nice. It conjures up a bunch of warm feelings. Images come to mind of people telling each other they are keeping them in their thoughts. It would seem to … read more.
When encountering thresholds, we often talk as if our work is that of successfully “passing through” them. We speak of “making healthy transitions.” We seek out advice and support as we decide which thresholds to lean into and which to resist. The goal, it would … read more.
