I Get Questions
You have left me with some questions that I would like to try to answer on Sunday. Want to add another? Email me by noon on Saturday, June 20. minister@firstparishdorchester.org
Archives: Services
Black Lives Matter: LISTEN!
Flower Communion
For our service this Sunday, we will be observing Flower Communion, in a bit of a different way: during the day on Saturday, you are invited to bring a flower to the back porch of the church building, and leave it there. While there, take a flower that someone else has left. Lucas will pick … Continue reading Flower Communion
Martyrs of the Race Course
In commemoration of those who have been killed in war we ask that each of us brings a flower to show on screen in a the memorial moment. The sermon recognizes the first Memorial Day ever held – it was in Charleston, South Carolina.
Miracle of Community
Because we Unitarian Universalists are so individualistic, a sense of community can elude us. We are afraid if we get too involved in a shared challenge we will lose our selfhood. What I hear over and over again from folks is, “We want a community.” I know what goes unsaid is the “BUT” ending, “But … Continue reading Miracle of Community
Blessing of the Animals
Join us this Sunday for a virtual blessing of the animals! Children, bring your stuffed animals. Adults, bring your living animals or pictures of them. And everyone, bring a picture or remembrance of an animal no longer with you. In this time of stress and uncertainty let’s celebrate the comfort these creatures give us. Here … Continue reading Blessing of the Animals
The Mother Who Saved Suffrage
Minutes after Tennessee ratified the 19th Amendment, essentially ending American women’s decades-long quest for the right to vote, a young man with a red rose pinned to his lapel fled to the attic of the state capitol and camped out there until the maddening crowds downstairs dispersed. Some say he crept onto a third-floor ledge … Continue reading The Mother Who Saved Suffrage
Old Time Religion
Mark Twain is reputed to have said, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” In that spirit, it is worth remembering evangelist Billy Sunday’s face-to-face 1918 encounter with the great influenza pandemic while conducting a revival crusade in Providence, Rhode Island. He claimed, “I can preach the devil influenza back to hell faster than … Continue reading Old Time Religion
The Only Way Out is Through
In this time of birth and rebirth, it is too easy to paint a beautiful, simple, clean picture of the triumphant coming of spring or the glorious resurrection of life. But we know that birth and transformation are messy, painful experiences. Right now, when nothing is normal and a lot is truly difficult, how might we be … Continue reading The Only Way Out is Through
Rising Up
As we continue to move through this period of isolation, joy and hope may be increasingly hard to come by. Yet there is an insistent call for us to continue to find ways to celebrate with each other, and discover ways to offer each other Life . How can we rise up in the midst … Continue reading Rising Up