Meetinghouse closed due to storm. Worship was zoom-only. Living Love through the Practice of Inclusion: Welcoming the Whole Self Looking back, I’m awed by the way that embracing everything—from what I got right to what I got wrong—invites the grace of wholeness. Parker J. Palmer. On the Brink of Everything: Grace, Gravity, and Getting Old. OOS … Continue reading Welcoming the Excluded Parts of Ourselves
We believe in the practice of inclusion. But what do we mean by that? OOS Feb 2 2025.docx
Guest speaker: Maggie Fronk, Executive Director of Wellspring About Wellspring: For over 40 years Wellspring has been supporting survivors of relationship and sexual abuse in upstate NY. We answer more than 1,700 calls on our 24/7 hotline each year – calls from your friends, neighbors, and family members. We believe everyone deserves to feel safe. … Continue reading Wellspring of Stories
In celebration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we look to cultivate his audacious faith in our own hearts. I must confess, my friends, the road ahead will not always be smooth. There will be still rocky places of frustration and meandering points of bewilderment. There will be inevitable setbacks here and there. There … Continue reading An Audacious Faith in the Future
Rather than asking “Is that true or is it a story?” let us ask: How is what is true a story? How do stories lead us to truth? OOS Jan 12 2025.docx Attend in person at 624 N Broadway or via Zoom at <http://bit.ly/uusaratoga-worship>. True Story Rev. Joe Cleveland January 12, 2025 Imagine that you … Continue reading True Story
We explore beginnings, famous and not-so-famous first sentences and paragraphs, as a way of beginning to explore story and story-telling as a spiritual practice. Nourish beginnings, let us nourish beginnings. Not all things are blest, but the seeds of all things are blest. The blessing is in the seed. –from “Elegy in Joy” by Muriel … Continue reading Beginning a Story
Our annual poetry service is a celebration of the power of words to uplift, inspire, and engage. Congregants share poems that resonate with presence. This worship service will be a tapestry of voices and verses, reflecting the diverse spirit of our community. Attend in person at 624 N Broadway or via Zoom at <http://bit.ly/uusaratoga-worship>. OOS … Continue reading Annual Poetry Service: Words That Inspire
Our annual Christmas Eve worship service celebrates, in the light of the story of the birth of Jesus, the re-birth of hope. The service will include readings from Christian and Muslim traditions and more. We’ll hear the prophetic words of Maya Angelou and Howard Thurman. And, of course, we will light candles and sing “Silent … Continue reading Annual Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
In honor of the Winter Solstice, we explore the gifts of the dark even as we turn toward the returning sun. OOS Dec 22, 2024.docx The Presence and Presents of the Dark Rev. Joe Cleveland December 22, 2024 UU Saratoga Imagine this: It is a holiday gathering. It’s a small family. All of them … Continue reading Winter Solstice: The Presence and Presents of the Dark
The Christian season of Advent is a month-long meditation on the practice of waiting. As a spiritual practice, waiting is the practice of acknowledging the presence of what isn’t present yet. Can—or should?—we let go of what we imagine is to come to be more present now? OOS Dec 15, 2024 The Presence of What … Continue reading The Presence of What Isn’t Yet