First Universalist Church of Minneapolis Sunday Service Podcast

November 24, 2019 - Radical Welcome

When have you felt like you truly belonged somewhere? What did it feel like? If you’ve rarely or never had that feeling of belonging, what made you keep showing up in places that didn’t feel comfortable? We claim that Universalism is grounded in a love big enough to hold us all, no exceptions – but how are we doing living into that core belief, and what might we do to become even more radically welcoming?

Call to Worship- Rev. Jen Crow (:29)

Sermon- Rev. Jen Crow (3:51)

October 27, 2019 - History Is What We Make

Ever wonder why and how our church was founded? What does it mean to celebrate the anniversary of a minister’s ordination and installation? Are we consciously using our history to inform our future as a faith movement? This week, we remember and dream together.

 

Call to Worship- Monroe Chumklang

Sermon- Rev. Karen Hutt

October 20, 2019 - Where the Sky Meets the Sea

Disney’s Moana tells the story of a young woman who hears the call of the ocean. In answering the call, Moana embarks on a voyage to save her people, and find the place she belongs in the process. Most of us aren’t called forth into our belonging so dramatically, and few us are accompanied by a soundtrack featuring The Rock. This Sunday, we listen for how the story and music of Moana speak (and sing!) to us in our continued exploration of The Edges of Belonging.

Wisdom Story- Rev. Karen Hutt & members of the congregation (:32)

Reading- Arif Mamdani (3:35)

Sermon- Arif Mamdani (5:25)

September 15, 2019 - Joining Our Wildernesses

The English poet John Donne wrote, “No person is an island…we are all a part of the continent, part of the main.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote, “In a real sense, all life is inter-related. All people are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.” While this may be true, our lived experience is often that we feel terribly alone, separate, isolated. We feel as if there are wild parts of ourselves disconnected from other human beings. This month, we continue to ask, “Why Church?” This Sunday, we explore how church might be the place where we join our wilderness (our wild places) to the wilderness and wild places of others — discovering deep joy and connection with one another.

Call to Worship - Lauren Wyeth (:31)

Reading - Excerpt from The Book of Delights by Ross Gay (4:40)

Sermon- "Joining Our Wildernesses" Rev. Justin Schroeder (7:44)

July 14, 2019 - The Congregation is the Curriculum

“Faith development is all we do. Unitarian Universalism is the faith we teach. The congregation is the curriculum.” Connie Goodbread is a credentialed religious educator who consults about healthy congregations and transformation for the Unitarian Universalist Association. Her words remind us that faith development is not just for children; in fact, it is a thread woven through all our activities. What are we teaching and what are we learning at church, on purpose and by accident? How might a focus on faith development help us manifest the sweetest, most dangerous promises of our UU faith?

Call to Worship- (:30)

Reading- It's Hard Work, Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt (3:57)

Reading- Even This Is Enough, Vanessa Southern (5:17)

Sermon- The Congregation is the Curriculum, Lauren Wyeth (7:43)

 

 

February 10, 2019 - Wake Now Our Vision

Meditation has taught me that each breath is new and unique, and worthy of my full attention. My Unitarian Universalist faith teaches me that this is true for each interaction with another human being. When I am deeply attentive, not assuming I know what my breath or the person in front of me is going to do, I open up to the holy, to the possible. All of a sudden, my assumptions, “shoulds,” and expectations are sidelined, and a wide open horizon unfolds in front of me, a whole new vision of what could be. What happens when we, as community, practice putting down our assumptions, “shoulds,” and expectations? Does a whole new vision wake up in us?

Worship Associate: Pamela Reed

Reading: Our Visions are Ropes through the Devastation, adrienne marie brown

Sermon: Rev. Justin Schroeder

Piano: Franco Holder

February 3, 2019 - When Vision Fails

As we move into our new worship theme of “Vision,” we’ll consider all that our lofty goals and aspirations give to us, and what we can do when we lose our way. What happens when that clear idea of what was right comes into contact with the realities of our lives or the discomfort that moving toward our ideals might bring? How do we find our way again when we are lost?

Wisdom Story: The Most Magnificent Thing, Rev. Elaine Aron-Tenbrink (& Rev. Justin Schroeder as "the kid.")

Reading: Under Ideal Conditions by Al Zolynas 

Sermon: When Vision Fails by Rev. Jen Crow, read by Rev. Elaine Aron-Tenbrink

 

January 6, 2018 - Remembrance Sunday

Wisdom Story: Badger's Parting Gifts, Susan Varley- Lauren Wyeth

Reading: My Mother's Belly, Sonya Renee Taylor - Rev. Elaine Aron Tenbrink

Homily: Rev. Justin Schroeder

Guest Musicians: The OK Factor

April 29, 2018 Call to Worship - a song with no end by Charles Bukowski, read by Rev. Ruth MacKenzie

March 11, 2018 Reading - Mindfullness by Mary Oliver, read by Rev. Jen Crow