
Episodes

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 15, 2021
February 14, 2021- Following the Thread - Rev. Justin Schroeder
Monday Feb 15, 2021
Monday Feb 15, 2021
In worship this Sunday, Rev. Justin offers reflections on his ministry with First Universalist, speaks to how his faith is guiding him into a new season, and most importantly, reflects on what it means for all of us to follow the call of love, to live our deepest truths, and to trust our innermost knowings. We are held by music from Franco Holder, Andrew Tralle, and a story from Aimee K. Bryant.
Words of Welcome- Rev. Jen Crow (:31)
Story for All Ages- Aimee K. Bryant (7:37)
Song- One Voice, by the Wailin' Jennys- Andrew Tralle (14:41)
Sermon- Following the Thread - Rev. Justin Schroeder (17:58)

Monday Feb 08, 2021
February 7, 2021 - Is the Truth Broken? - Rev. Karen Hutt
Monday Feb 08, 2021
Monday Feb 08, 2021
The word “truth” is a major construct in any discussion of Unitarian Universalism. We pride ourselves on being seekers of truth, but who has this truth? How is it confirmed? What happens when the truth appears broken? Can we let go of our need for universal truths?
This Sunday, we delve into our February worship theme, “Truth Telling,” with this message from Rev. Karen Hutt. Rev. Jen Crow and Lauren Wyeth will share a story for all ages, and we’ll also enjoy newly recorded music from Franco Holder and Aimee K. Bryant — and a special reading and musical reflection from Franco.
Words of Welcome - Rev. Jen Crow (:30)
Story for All Ages- Rev. Jen Crow and Lauren Wyeth (3:37)
Hymn- For All That Is Our Life- Fawzia Khan (12:05)
Sermon- Is the Truth Broken? - Rev. Karen Hutt (12:40)

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)

Monday Jan 25, 2021
January 24, 2021- Existence as Resistance- Rev. Jen Crow
Monday Jan 25, 2021
Monday Jan 25, 2021
In a society that wants you erased, existence is resistance. In a country where laws have limited your access to resources and opportunity, to safety and basic human rights, survival is a form of resistance. In a time when lies are fed to the masses, naming the truth is resistance. As we take a collective breath this week, we will remember that for many of us, existence is an act of resistance. We will remember those who did not make it with us to this moment, and we will acknowledge the parts of ourselves that have been injured even as we have survived. Together, we will continue to heal.
Words of Welcome- Rev. Justin Schroeder (:28)
Story for All Ages- Seth Anderson-Matz (4:11)
Interlude- We Will- Ann Reed (7:42)
Sermon- Existence as Resistance- Rev. Jen Crow (9:33)

Tuesday Jan 19, 2021
January 17, 2021- A Dream or a Nightmare?- Rev. Justin Schroeder
Tuesday Jan 19, 2021
Tuesday Jan 19, 2021
While Dr. King fervently spoke about the “dream” of country where character mattered more than skin color, this dream has failed to materialize. More often than not, the dream is simply given lip service, while structures and practices of oppression and harm remain in place. What is required for the dream to truly come alive, for justice to roll down like waters, and peace like an ever flowing stream?
Words of Welcome- Rev. Justin Schroeder (:24)
Story for All Ages- The Castle With Three Windows- Aimee K. Bryant (3:06)
Hymn- Gather The Spirit- Aimee K. Bryant and Franco Holder (10:45)
Sermon- A Dream or a Nightmare?- Rev. Justin Schroeder (13:48)

Monday Jan 11, 2021
January 10, 2021- Remembrance Sunday
Monday Jan 11, 2021
Monday Jan 11, 2021
Every year, as we begin the New Year, we hold a ritual space to name and recount the losses we’ve experienced in the past year. This year, more than ever, this ritual of “Remembrance Sunday” feels so important. In 2020, grief was a constant companion. We lost jobs, business, and loved ones, many of them to Covid-19. We lost opportunities to attend graduations and weddings, memorials and family reunions. For many of us, grief wove with grief.
In this service, we will be held by beautiful music from Ellis as well as Franco Holder and violinist Travis Waymon. Lauren Wyeth, Rev. Arif Mamdani, and Rev. Justin Schroeder will lead us in story and ritual as we touch on the realities of impermanence, remember what lives on in memory, and discover how, even in the face of grief, we might embrace life and love once again.
Words of Welcome- Rev. Justin Schroeder (:29)
Story for All Ages- Lauren Wyeth (3:03)
Lighting the Candle of Impermanence (9:30)
Interlude- Excerpt from Spiegel im Spiegel- Travis Waymon and Franco Holder (10:55)
Prayer and Reflection- Rev. Justin Schroeder (11:43)
Lighting the Candle of Memory (21:02)
Spirit of Life- Travis Waymon and Franco Holder (22:02)
Homily- Rev. Arif Mamdani (23:20)
Lighting the Candle of Embracing (30:46)
Start Where You Are- Ellis Delaney (32:45)
Closing Words- Lauren Wyeth, Rev. Arif Mamdani, Rev. Justin Schroeder (36:59)

Tuesday Jan 05, 2021
January 3, 2021- Impossible Dreams- Rev. Justin Schroeder
Tuesday Jan 05, 2021
Tuesday Jan 05, 2021
What will be different in 2021? What dreams for our lives and our community have been shaped by the pandemic, the racial justice uprising, and the questions still unanswered of whether or not the United States can actually become a pluralistic, equitable, multi-racial democracy? What dreams of yours – and what collective dreams of ours – might come to life in 2021? For dreams to be born, we must choose change, be courageous and brave, and let old habits and patterns fade and die, so something new and life giving can blossom.
Story for All Ages- Aimee K. Bryant (:21)
Hymn- Voice Still and Small, Erin Segrue (6:40)
Sermon- Impossible Dreams, Rev. Justin Schroeder (8:16)
Closing Hymn- We'll Build a Land, Sarah Lindsay

Monday Jan 04, 2021
December 27, 2020 - A Year-End Prayer- Rev. Arif Mamdani
Monday Jan 04, 2021
Monday Jan 04, 2021
Rev. Arif Mamdani shares: In a year that has seen so much, how we gather, how we mark this passing, is not as clear cut as it may have been in other, less tumultuous years.
Back in the spring, almost a year ago now, I asked “what is the story that we want to be able to tell about this time?” I invited us then to imagine ourselves into a future where we’d be sharing the story of this pandemic with young ones who hadn’t lived through it or were too young to recall. This was before George Floyd was murdered, before the cities across our nation and around the world rose up in a cry for justice that is still reverberating, before it became evident that Line 3 was going to be a significant fight, before our president would make numerous attempts to destroy our democracy and we would wonder (we are still wondering) if we’d have a peaceful transition of power or if we would need to be in our streets defending our democracy. And in the background of all this, the drumbeat of loss, and loss, and loss that has been a constant refrain of 2020.
It has been a year. And so, when we gather as a community on the 27th, let’s gather with this question in mind: “how shall we end this year? And what comes next?” And when we gather, let’s see how we answer it, together.
Words of Welcome- Rev. Arif Mamdani (:34)
Opening Hymn, Sanctuary - Seth Anderson-Matz (3:01)
Collective Prayer- Rev. Arif Mamdani (4:59)
Homily- Rev. Arif Mamdani (19:27)

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)