Perdition and providence are two seemingly conflicting states of being. The former is being eternally punished, the latter is being guided with foreseeing care. But the two can exist together, even in concert with one another, in more ways than one. Reading From “Inflammatory Essays,” by Jenny Holzer Jared Hammond In 1979, long before free agency could get an artist’s work sold or…
Love. Revere. Discover. Connect.
Love. Revere. Discover. Connect.
Sermons by Rev. Denis Paul (Page 8)
What if your body could do anything you wanted it to do? What if you could fly, or leap to the tops of trees? Or just get down the stairs in the morning without feeling intense pain? Imagine what you could accomplish. Would you be superhuman? Or simply more human? The first Sunday of each month is food month. Please bring…
Prayer The Secret Prayer of St. Phiaret is a prayer of not knowing, and trying to find comfort in not knowing. The prayer is about being open to possibilities, and maybe even a little guidance from an outside source. It begins “O Lord, I do not know what to ask of you.” Here’s a variation on it, that I wrote, that I…
Many people have a memento like a watch or a ring or a pocket knife that reminds them of their father. A box can hold a lot of memories. And mysteries. And maybe the key to living a good life. Call to Worship Rev Denis Has your curiosity ever got you into trouble? Have you ever been so desperate to know a secret…
Back in the days when the purpose of my job was to create beauty in the homes of my clients, I often felt like my job had no meaning. It didn’t save lives or change the world in any tangible ways. But six different world religions have something else to say about that. Reading Jared Hammond Our reading this morning is from…
We’ll begin the service by lighting the candles left after Friday evening’s Tenebrae, and end the service in time for the annual Easter Egg Hunt, both symbols of hope and new beginnings. Eggs point to new beginnings, the kinds of beginnings we make with each new day, each new opportunity to present ourselves to the world. Call to Worship Halcyon: Today…
Tenebrae is a service that recognizes the suffering of Jesus on Good Friday. For UUs, it’s a chance to share the stories of suffering in current world. This quiet service ends in darkness, with only the extinguished candles as hope for the new beginning of Easter Sunday. INTRO Rev. Denis Letourneau Paul Welcome to Our Good Friday Tenebrae Service. I wanted to start…
In any nation, the flag is a symbol loaded with meaning, but the United States these days, that seems to be the case more than ever. For some of us it’s about who we want to be; for some it’s about something that never will be. Who is included? And who is left out? The service will be followed by a special…
Ralph Waldo Emerson once called William Ellery Channing, the “father” of Unitarianism in America, a public conscience. As someone who was excluded from — actually thrown out of — the Congregational Church, he was always framing ethics and morality in terms of inclusion. Who, he asked, in his own way, was being left out? The first Sunday of each month is Food…
Beauty, they say, is in the eye of the beholder. It’s so cliche it’s almost painful. But all you have to do to see the truth of the statement is to look around at the artwork in our congregation. Everything we do that has visual or physical presence elicits a wide variety of responses. The easiest way to deal with that differences…