For many religious denominations, Advent is the four weeks leading up to the nativity of Jesus. Do UUs celebrate Advent? Mostly we don’t, but we can in our own UU way, and perhaps we should. It’s a time to remember the hope, peace, joy, and love that the Advent candles represent. How can we bring … Continue reading Advent for Unitarian Universalists
Last Thursday, many of us gave thanks with and for family and friends at Thanksgiving; some of us may have expressed gratitude for bargains on Black Friday. Before we get to Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday, I invite you to cultivate gratitude for this congregation; that is, for each other. OOS 11-30-2025 Music Sheet 11-30-25
We often think of gratitude as that which comes to us in an easy way. But often, gratefulness is hard won. It may come after struggle, suffering and conflict. We gather on this Sunday before Thanksgiving to explore this truth. OOS 11-23-25 Music sheet 11-23-2025
Tolerance is not an idea, it’s a lived practice. Respect for and tolerance of others comes in many shapes and sizes. Honoring diversity to strengthen understanding sometimes leads us into new territory. We explore this in our Sunday message. OOS 11-16-2025 Music sheet 11-16-25
“Some of us learned to count blessings on our fingers, others to whisper thanks to ancestors or earth or sky. We carry different languages of gratitude, different ways of recognizing what sustains us.” —Rev. Michelle Collins OOS 11-9-2025
It’s very easy for us to turn to the obvious things when we think about gratitude. What if we began to look at the difficulties and challenges of our lives from a stance of gratitude? How might that shift our perspective in terms of what it means to be human? Is it possible that our … Continue reading Gratitude That Arises in Challenging Times
As people of faith, our emotional default is to believe that since we automatically treat people with decency and respect and engage with them truthfully, we assume that others will respond in kind. When that does not happen, we may be left adrift, finding a need to protect ourselves, our beliefs and those we care … Continue reading Immigration, a Moral Dilemma
Who was Jesus aside from what Christian churches ordinarily teach? Let’s take inspiration from some possibilities. Music Sheet 10-19-25 OOS 10-19-2025
As we recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day at a time when the Federal Government is erasing most reminders of the roles of “others” in forming and maintaining our nation, our service concentrates on the effects of the reservation program. Jim Caverly brings a story of his adopted daughter to our congregation—a Lakota girl from the Rosebud … Continue reading A Broken Angel
A House Not Made with Hands is the dwelling place of spirit and community, the home we build in love that endures beyond walls. Melissa O’Brien grew up in Saratoga. She lives in southern Vermont where she is a hospice chaplain and community liaison for the Completed Life Initiative’s end of life project called The … Continue reading A House Not Made with Hands