Episodes
Monday Aug 23, 2021
August 22, 2021- One Of Us- Rev. Arif Mamdani
Monday Aug 23, 2021
Monday Aug 23, 2021
Going slow to go fast. Heeding the lessons from geese. These last several weeks, our services have invited us to reflect on how it is that we do this thing called religious community. This Sunday, we continue this exploration as we lift up a concrete approach to the challenges that can arise when human beings try to do things together.
Words of Welcome- Rev. Jen Crow (:30)
Story for All Ages- The Messiah is Amongst You- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (8:07)
Prayer and Cycle of Life- Rev. Karen Hutt (14:43)
Message- One Of Us- Rev. Arif Mamdani (21:04)
Introduction and Anthem- How Can I Keep from Singing- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout, First Universalist Choir, Dr. Randal Buikema (conductor), Franco Holder (piano), and the First Universalist Orchestra. (38:13)
Monday Aug 09, 2021
August 8, 2021- Roots Hold Me Close- Rev. Jen Crow
Monday Aug 09, 2021
Monday Aug 09, 2021
Change is ever-present these days, a constant cycle of new information, new experiences and new understandings of ourselves, each other, and the larger world keep coming our way. This Sunday, we continue our exploration of the nature of change and how we, as people of faith, continue to align our actions with our values.
Words of Welcome- Rev. Jen Crow (:30)
Story for All Ages- The Water Cycle- Aimee K. Bryant (4:58)
Blessing in Song- Breaths- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (9:37)
Prayer and Cycle of Life- Rev. Arif Mamdani (14:21)
Sermon- Roots Hold Me Close- Rev. Jen Crow (23:12)
Outro music- Shenandoah- First Universalist Church Choir, conducted by Dr. Randy Buikema
Monday Jun 14, 2021
June 13, 2021- Making Room- Rev. Jen Crow
Monday Jun 14, 2021
Monday Jun 14, 2021
After over a year of being physically apart, this Sunday, June 13 marks our first time together in person and online as a church community when we gather at the Lake Harriet Bandshell and on zoom. How will it feel to be together in person? How will it feel to be online when others can gather face-to-face? What will it be like? As people of faith, we promise to pay attention, to be curious with ourselves and each other, and to make room for all of who we are and all of the feelings and experiences that arise. We’ve got this, together.
Words of Welcome- Rev. Jen Crow (:30)
Prelude- How Can I Keep From Singing, First Universalist Choir, Dr. Randal Buikema conducting, Franco Holder on piano (6:09)
Story for All Ages- Just Ask by Sonia Sotomayor- Jill Braithwaite (10:56)
Reading- Spilling the Light by Rev. Theresa I. Soto- Jill Braithwaite (16:56)
Anthem- Love Is Love by Abbie Betinis- First Universalist Choir, Dr. Randal Buikema conducting, Franco Holder on piano (18:50)
Message- Making Room- Rev. Jen Crow (19:58)
Outro- Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield- Aimee K. Bryant and Franco Holder
Monday Apr 12, 2021
April 11, 2021- The Holy Fool- Rev. Justin Schroeder
Monday Apr 12, 2021
Monday Apr 12, 2021
Sometimes we think of the religious life as serious and staid. But in every faith and spiritual tradition, there exists a trickster, fool, clown, jester, buffoon, or “simpleton” that disrupts, mocks, pokes fun at, and questions authority—religious and otherwise. The purpose of the “holy fool” is to upend what we think we know, to shatter our perceptions of what is real, and to reveal a deeper truth. Play, playfulness, riddles, and humor are all tools of the “holy fool,” designed to snap us out of our waking slumber, out of our certainty, and into a new understanding of life and ourselves. In this time of environmental collapse, of racial justice uprising, of life altered by a pandemic, what might we learn from the “holy fools” of history, from the “holy fools” of our own time, and how might we embody and practice holy foolishness? Worship on Sunday, April 11 at 10 a.m. includes a story for all ages, sharing our joys and concerns, special music, and a message.
Words of Welcome- Rev. Justin Schroeder (:31)
Wisdom Story- Aimee K. Bryant (5:54)
Prayer and Cycle of Life (10:50)
Anthem- Concerto: A Pandemic-Inspired Performance- Members of First Universalist Choir; Dr. Randy Buikema, conductor; Franco Holder, pianist (17:32)
Message- The Holy Fool- Rev. Justin Schroeder (23:11)
Monday Apr 05, 2021
April 4, 2021-Practicing Resurrection in this Moment - Rev. Justin Schroeder
Monday Apr 05, 2021
Monday Apr 05, 2021
Easter is about new life, new hope, and resurrection of the spirit in the face of despair. Easter speaks to a miraculous force and a love that is stronger than death. In this time of global pandemic and this time of the trial of Derek Chauvin (which has global implications), how do we make sense of Easter? Easter speaks to the timeless cycle of death and rebirth, and this Easter, we ask, “Given the world as it is, what in us might die, so that something new and life giving might be born?”
Words of Welcome- Rev. Justin Schroeder (:30)
Wisdom Story - Lauren Wyeth (5:31)
Interlude- Lo The Earth Awakes Again- Members of First Universalist Choir
Message pt. 1- Practicing Resurrection in this Moment- Rev. Justin Schroeder (13:28)
Special Music- Lift Every Voice and Sing- Give Get Sistet (26:41)
Message pt. 2- Practicing Resurrection in this Moment- Rev. Justin Schroeder and Julica Hermann de la Fuente (28:44)
Hymn- Over My Head- Aimee K. Bryant and Franco Holder (39:41)
Monday Mar 22, 2021
March 21, 2021- Collective Truth, Collective Power- Rev. Jen Crow
Monday Mar 22, 2021
Monday Mar 22, 2021
Each of us has a piece of the truth, and together, we are so much wiser and braver. Together, we have strength and imagination, accountability and encouragement big enough for transformation. When each of us brings what we can, including our vulnerability, we have the collective power to build a community of liberation and joy. Join us as we explore our collective truth and our collective power, with a special cameo appearance from a modern day UU superhero.
Words of Welcome - Rev. Jen Crow (:31)
Story for All Ages- Aimee K. Bryant (4:46)
Hymn- All Creatures of the Earth and Sky- First Universalist Choir, Dr. Randal Buikema, Franco Holder- (8:30)
Prayer and Cycle of Life- Rev. Justin Schroeder (11:10)
Message- Collective Truth, Collective Power- Rev. Jen Crow (22:50)
Outro Music - Aimee K. Bryant and Franco Holder
Monday Feb 22, 2021
February 21, 2021- Remember, You Are Water - Rev. Jen Crow
Monday Feb 22, 2021
Monday Feb 22, 2021
The truth is, grief hurts. It is exhausting, disorienting, and downright awful when we lose someone or something that matters to us. As we approach a year of pandemic living and losing, grief is our everyday companion. The author and activist, adrienne maree brown, reminds us that we are water, that the salt trails of our tears are the natural outcome of our living and loving. This Sunday, we continue to recognize our losses and the love that keeps us connected.
Words of Welcome- Rev. Justin Schroeder (:28)
Story for All Ages- Seth Anderson-Matz (3:54)
Interlude music by Dean Magraw
Message- Remember, You Are Water- Rev. Jen Crow (9:37)
Anthem- Gaelic Blessing- First Universalist Choir, Dr. Randal Buikema (33:05)
Monday Feb 01, 2021
January 31, 2021- Amidst the Change- Rev. Justin Schroeder
Monday Feb 01, 2021
Monday Feb 01, 2021
We are in the midst of great change, aren’t we? Some change we choose, and some change chooses us, but everything is always changing. As Octavia Butler writes, “God is Change.” What might it mean to really embrace this reality? As we finish our month of exploring the theme of “Choosing Change,” we’ll rest in the divine swirl of courage, change, brokenness, love, new possibilities and dreams, and we’ll see what emerges to guide us in our living in 2021.
Words of Welcome - Rev. Justin Schroeder (:30)
Story for All Ages- Lauren Wyeth (3:29)
Hymn- Voice Still and Small- Erin Segrue (8:38)
Sermon- Amidst the Change- Rev. Justin Schroeder (10:15)
Anthem- Dream On by Aerosmith- First Universalist Choir (29:32)
Sunday Dec 27, 2020
December 20, 2020- A Christmas Pageant
Sunday Dec 27, 2020
Sunday Dec 27, 2020
Our beloved annual Christmas Pageant, adapted for the small screen with creativity, humor, and extra layers of meaning will remind you of what matters most in this extraordinary season, as 2020 draws to a close.
This year’s Pageant is born of the time and talents of so many, including: our children and youth, who will co-lead the service and act out our story; Aimee K. Bryant, Randy Buikema, Franco Holder, the First Universalist Choir, Seth Anderson-Matz, Andrew Tralle, Dave and Ani Peichel, several caroling families and our virtual children’s chorus, who crafted amazing music; and a great deal of technical wizardry from dedicated church members and staff.
Monday Dec 14, 2020
December 13, 2020 - Question Box Sermon - Julica Hermann de la Fuente
Monday Dec 14, 2020
Monday Dec 14, 2020
Sunday, December 13, Julica Hermann de la Fuente, our Director of Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Ministries, offers a Question Box Sermon. Do you have a burning inquiry about anti-racism and anti-oppression work, especially as it applies to our congregation? We create the message together when you provide the questions for the sermon part of our worship service.
Words of Welcome - Rev. Justin Schroeder (:22)
Story for All Ages - The Wonder Box- Julica Hermann de la Fuente (3:04)
Sermon - Question Box - Julica Hermann de la Fuente (13:48)
Anthem - Make Them Hear You, from Ragtime - First Universalist Choir, Dr. Randal Buikema, conductor, Dominique Wooten Embretson, soloist, Franco Holder, piano, First Universalist Instrumentalists, Shelley des Islets, editor (40:33)