Embedded Files
"The Gift of Remembering"
Reverend Rebecca Bijur
10/19/2025
The neuroscientist Lisa Genova celebrates the power of memory while also offering a clear-eyed assessment of the ways in which our memories can lead us astray. How can we cultivate compassion for forgetfulness in certain areas of our lives, while also receiving the gift of remembering?
"The Courage to Love"
Mary Ruth Velicki
10/12/2025
The legacy of our faith is radical love, and radical love reveals itself in having compassion for ourselves, our friends and family, and yes, even those we disagree with. Join us as we examine the roots of our transformative religion and consider the importance of practicing compassion in our regular, everyday lives.
“Expanding Our Perspective”
Mary Ruth Velicki
10/5/2025
Our lives are a short and precious opportunity to experience and create. However, not all of this creation is conscious. We all have subconscious patterns that influence our perceptions and behavior. Some of these patterns have been inherited as part of our human nature and others have been developed in response to our life experiences. However, when we appreciate the lens we look through, it becomes possible to set it down and widen our perspective. To facilitate this type of introspection, Mary Ruth uses personal stories to describe common features of our human mindset and ways our perspective can expand.
"Taking the Risk of Belonging"
Lay-Led, Carol Kline
9/28/2025
The warm and witty Rev. Tess Baumberger is Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Essex, Massachusetts. As a once young single mother who was going through a divorce, alone, and “allergic” to words like "God"and "Prayer," she took “the risk” to join a church that gave her a family and community to heal and grow as she raised her young son. She calls herself a professional listener and poet, who loves creating worship in order to serve the health of the congregation and the cause of justice in the wider community. As a contributor to Soul Matters, she has generously updated this sermon for our service this Sunday. We are grateful for her and her story.
"Why Do We Gather"
Nick D'Agosto
9/21/2025
What kind of statement are we making when we show up for church? What opportunities for justice are we creating? What does it mean to have a "spiritual home," and what role do conflict and vulnerability play in making that home a loving one?
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