First Universalist Church of Minneapolis Sunday Service Podcast

December 6, 2020 - In the Interim Time - Rev. Justin Schroeder

In his poem, “For the Interim Time,” John O’Donahue writes, “You are in this time of the interim/Where everything seems withheld,” and “The old is not old enough to have died away; the new is still too young to be born.”

These words capture right where we are: we are in a season of waiting, of anticipating the arrival of Christmas, of the Solstice, of Hannukah, of the turning of the planet, and the returning of the light. We are in a season of waiting, anticipating the vaccine for Covid-19 and the end of the pandemic, but “when?” and “how?” remain just out of reach. We are in the in-between place, the liminal space, a time of miracle and magic, fear and anxiety, wonder and grief.

In such a space, where do we cast our eyes for hope? In such a space, what is the spiritual work as we wait for the new dawn?

 

Words of Welcome - Rev. Justin Schroeder (:31)

Wisdom Story - Aimee K. Bryant (1:45)

Hymn- Lo, How a Rose/The Rose - First Universalist Choir (12:54)

Sermon - In the Interim Time - Rev. Justin Schroeder (18:18)

Interlude - Why Shouldn't We - David Lauth (34:20)

Blessing - Rev. Justin Schroeder (34:56)

November 22, 2020 - The Seeds We Are Planting - Rev. Arif Mamdani

From Rev. Arif: These last many weeks, I’ve been returning to the notion of the fractal nature of reality that adrienne maree brown writes about in Emergent Strategy. As she writes: “Dandelions contain an entire community in each spore that gets blown on children’s breath.” Here in the Twin Cities, the dandelions are long gone. Winter is coming. COVID rates are on the rise. Hospitals and those who staff them are at the very edge. This may well be a very hard season. And yet, I wonder in this emerging winter, what spores are we crafting that will reseed the Earth as it awakens in spring? How might we, individually and collectively share the burdens, lighten our load, and move, even just a little, toward the world we dream of? Let’s gather up on Sunday- Breathe together and share word and song as we turn our hearts toward the season ahead, grab each other’s (digital, imaginary) hands, and make our way through.

 

Words of Welcome, Julica Hermann de la Fuente (:28)

Wisdom Story- Tigers Above, Tigers Below, Seth Anderson-Matz (3:41)

Interlude - Be Here Now, David Lauth (6:30)

Sermon- The Seeds We Are Planting, Ref. Arif Mamdani (7:45)

November 8, 2020 - What Now? - Rev. Justin Schroeder

The election is over. The votes counted and still being counted. What now? What next? What guides, holds, and shapes us in these coming months? How might we live with, wrestle, and be challenged by these words of the great American poet, Langston Hughes, who wrote,

“Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death,
The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies,
We, the people, must redeem
The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers.
The mountains and the endless plain—
All, all the stretch of these great green states—
And make America again!”

 

Words of Welcome - Rev. Justin Schroeder (:32)

Story for All Ages- Aimee K. Bryant (2:59)

Sermon- What Now? - Rev. Justin Schroeder (9:11)

October 25, 2020 - The Ordination of Rev. Arif Mamdani

Some say that the most unique element of Unitarian Universalism is its individualism - the idea that each one of us is an essential source of religious authority for our own spiritual journey. But individualism and personal authority are not all there is to it. Our faith requires community, and our faith communities call out the good - and the god - in us. This Sunday, we set one among us apart as we ordain Arif Mamdani to the Unitarian Universalist ministry. Our faith community will call out the good - and the god - in him - and we will reaffirm our commitment to call out the good and the god in ourselves and each other.

 

Words of Welcome, Rev. Justin Schroeder (:30)

Story for All Ages, Seth Matz (2:29)

Hymn: Gather the Spirit, Aimee K. Bryant and Franco Holder (7:38)

Homily, Rev. Jen Crow (10:30)

Act of Ordination, Bryana French and congregants (21:42)

Presentation of Stole (26:20)

Laying on of Hands, Revs. Janne and Rob Eller-Isaacs (31:00)

Hand of Kinship, Rev. Ashley Horan (35:45)

Charge to the Minister, Rev. Karen Hutt (39:33)

Charge to the Congregation, Rev. Meg Riley (46:10)

Hymn: For All That is Our Life, Fawzia Khan and Franco Holder (49:11)

Benediction, Rev. Arif Mamdani (51:14)

October 18, 2020- Magnitude and Bond, Arif Mamdani

The poet Gwendolyn Brooks, in a poem and tribute to Paul Robeson writes “…we are each other’s harvest/ We are each other’s business/ We are each other’s magnitude and bond.” These lines reflect one way we might understand what we’re driving at at church when we talk about being a community of communities. This Sunday, Aimee Bryant, Arif Mamdani, and Lauren Wyeth weave together music, story, and prayer and in the process endeavor to lift up some ways we might enter into all this: these words from Gwendolyn Brooks, the invitation of community, and a heart’s yearning to be known and beloved.

 

Wisdom Story- Lauren Wyeth (:29)

Hymn- Aimee K. Bryant and Franco Holder (5:08)

Sermon- Arif Mamdani (6:30)

 

October 11, 2020 - Soul On Deck - Rev. Jen Crow

In these extraordinary times, we are called to care for ourselves and each other with extraordinary discipline and extraordinary tenderness. This Sunday, we explore how we might lean into vulnerability and expand our resources as we name the mental health challenges of this and every time.

 

Words of Welcome, Rev. Jen Crow (:27)

Wisdom Sharing, Julica Hermann de la Fuente (3:22)

Humming Meditation, Aimee K. Bryant (10:27)

Sermon, Rev. Jen Crow (17:48)

October 4, 2020- Celebrating 250 Years of Universalism

Although the focus of Universalism has shifted over the years – today’s Universalists are far less focused on Universal salvation and everyone going to Heaven than our forebears were – the essential message of Universalism (there is something of value in every human being; or said another way, there are no fundamentally bad people, only bad and deeply harmful behaviors) remains a challenging, potent, and powerful roadmap for building the Beloved Community here on earth. Universalism is no easy faith. It demands we do away with either/or, right/wrong, good/bad thinking, and hold a more honest and nuanced understanding of what it means to be human, and how love can shape and change us. It calls us into the difficult, uncomfortable work of loving the hell out of ourselves, our communities, and ultimately, the world.

Story for All Ages- Aimee K. Bryant (:20)

Sermon- Rev. Justin Schroeder (5:46)

September 27, 2020- Caring for One Another in a Time of Crisis- Rev. Justin Schroder

In this Sunday Service podcast, we remember the tools, practices, and habits that will sustain us through election season, winter, and a pandemic.

Words of Welcome- Rev. Justin Schroeder (:31)

Story for All Ages- Aimee K. Bryant (2:52)

Sermon- Rev. Justin Schroeder (10:35)

September 20, 2020 - Building Connection, Strengthening Hope - Julica Hermann de la Fuente

From Julica Hermann de la Fuente:
Dear First U, This first month and a half of my time with you has been a lovely time of connecting and deepening trust. Thank you for welcoming me so warmly, for trusting me to go deep quickly, for your willingness and desire to engage in anti-racism work in the many areas of our congregation. Please join me this coming Sunday morning for a couple of stories about imagination and hope that I hope will nourish you in these difficult times, and also give you a window into what moves me and sustains me in my work. Bonus for the crafters among us: the story of how I constructed the tree in my office! 

 

Story for All Ages - Interview with Rev. Jen and Julica (:29)

Sermon- Julica Hermann de la Fuente (8:00)

September 13, 2020- Water Communion- Revs. Justin Schroeder and Jen Crow

As we gathered for this virtual Water Communion Sunday, we remembered that we are held in a larger community of care, a community that isn’t afraid of the complexity of this time, or the many swirling currents of this time, or the waves of feeling and emotion that crash into us on a daily basis. In the midst of all of this, we symbolically linked arms, held hands, and breathed together, riding the waves of our life, finding our way. 

Words of Welcome- Rev. Jen Crow (:21)

Wisdom Story- Lauren Wyeth (2:41)

Sermon- Rev. Justin Schroeder and Rev. Jen Crow (8:18)

Water Communion Ritual (27:00)