Speaker: Rev. Joe Cleveland | “I’m trying to tell you something about my life,” sing the Indigo Girls in their song, “Closer to Fine.” The song appears not just once but three times in the Barbie movie, which was directed and co-written by Greta Gerwig, who was raised Unitarian Universalist. Today we’ll get help from … Continue reading Getting Closer to Fine
Speaker: Rev. Joe Cleveland | The ‘Summer of Song’ continues with “When You Are a Wave” by UU songwriter Peter Mayer. Mayer’s song will help us to continue to explore the question of ‘what is it to be’ that we looked at last week, as well as the question of what it is that religion … Continue reading Moving Through You
Rev. Joe says: I sometimes call the blues artist and songwriter Chris Smither my favorite philosopher. Today, we’ll use his song “I Am the Ride” to help us explore what it is that makes a song or a text sacred or religious. We’ll also plumb it for insights into the spirit and into human nature. … Continue reading What It Is To Be
Speaker: Rev. Joe Cleveland | “There is a love that exists beyond the love we think we know.” Our summer of song continues with a song that helps us explore a theology of love. With the help of “Love Beyond” by old-time fiddler and songwriter James Leva, we’ll explore what we believe in when we … Continue reading Love Beyond
Speaker: Rev. Joe Cleveland | The notion of a calling can sometimes feel a bit elusive. And sometimes, hearing who we are called to be can paradoxically mean letting go of our ego or current sense of self. Today we explore the spiritual practice of listening for the ways our love wants to manifest in … Continue reading Hearing Our Call
What song might be most appropriate for this Fourth of July weekend? What song might minister to the needs of our human spirit?
To thrive in changing times, times of uncertainty, requires the development of a special skill and spiritual practice: the expression of vulnerability.
Speaker: Rev. Joe Cleveland | At the beginning of Black History month, the top news stories include police violence against Black bodies, and the State of Florida making it against the rules to teach history that is woke to the centrality of anti-black white supremacy culture in American history. It’s clear that when Black bodies … Continue reading Healing and Humanizing and the Future of History
The resurrection of Jesus was and is no mistake. Neither is Passover and the liberation of the Jews from Egypt. But finding resurrection, renewal, and liberation in our own lives can be more difficult. One thing we can count on is that we make mistakes. So today we explore the renewal, resurrection, and liberation to … Continue reading Whoops, Resurrection: Finding Renewal in Making Mistakes
Speaker: Rev. Joe Cleveland | This morning’s service is not just our annual flower communion. We also celebrate the 100th anniversary of the ritual which was created by the Unitarian minister Norbert Čapek and first used in the Unitarian church in Prague, Czechoslovakia, on June 4, 1923. We learn about Norbert Čapek and also about … Continue reading 100 Years of Flowers