“We hold a love greater than we know between and among us, born from all that we hold holy.” –Rev. Dr. Sofia Betancourt Moving Forward, Centered in Love Rev. Joe Cleveland March 16, 2026 All that you feel is welcome here. All that you are is welcome here. Humans have an incredible capacity for … Continue reading Moving Forward, Centered in Love
Living Love through the Practice of Trust: Touch the Earth, Reach the Sky Sitting under the Bodhi tree on the verge of enlightenment, the one who would be Buddha was confronted and challenged by the god Mara, the threat of violence and domination and delusion. Needing a witness, and left on his own, he reached … Continue reading Touch the Earth, Reach the Sky
Living Love through the Practice of Inclusion: Including Religion There are such egregious examples of doing religion badly, hurtfully, abusively, that even if we participate with a religious community, we can tend to avoid identifying as “religious.” What if we leaned into it instead? Including Religion Rev. Joseph Cleveland February 23, 2025 Like a … Continue reading Including Religion
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
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 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