While some people are being hailed as heroes of the pandemic (food service people, medical and healthcare personnel, teachers, delivery people, etc.), they may more accurately be called unwilling martyrs. What is our responsibility toward those among us whose sacrifices and risks are much higher than what many others face?

Most, if not all, of us have experienced “dark nights of the soul” at some time in our lives—times when we feel utter despair and hopelessness. What can we do about such moments, and how might these challenging times prove transformative rather than merely painful.

We will celebrate the flower ritual, which was created by Norbert Capek, the founder of the Unitarian Church in Czechoslovakia, and which honors the beauty and uniqueness of each individual and the bouquet we create by joining together with one another to create communities of justice and compassion. 

Recent protests and uprisings against racist police violence might be the beginning of the next American Revolution. What will this movement look like, where is it headed, and what is the role of our religious community in the changes that are happening?

The way police operate in the U.S. is firmly rooted in our nation’s long and ugly racist history. This sermon will explore this history to provide some context for the current discussion about how to reform the way policing is done in the U.S. or to abolish it and replace it with something new. 

Since the beginning of the pandemic, many of us have been in survival mode, just trying to do what we need to do to get by from one day to the next. How do we move from merely surviving to actually thriving in circumstances that continue to be challenging?

The true origins of Memorial Day are rarely discussed, but the holiday began in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War when African Americans, newly freed from chattel slavery, conducted a series of commemorations to express their sense of the meaning of the war. This service will explore the deep roots of Memorial Day and … Continued

The biblical story of Ruth offers a compelling example of true solidarity and what it means to be committed to being on the side of others who come from backgrounds different from our own but with whom our ultimate destiny is intertwined. This service will examine the meaning of this story for us today.

For different reasons, and to varying extents, all of us are grieving because of the pandemic and the toll it has taken on our lives and the lives of our loved ones. Making space for this grief is an important part of the healing process that must take place at some point. How do we … Continued

The Star Wars film and television franchise is one of the most successful in entertainment history. What makes these films so popular and what are the underlying messages about life and living that are relevant to us today? And what the heck is the Force, anyway?