Episodes
Monday Apr 24, 2023
April 23, 2023- Hot for Climate
Monday Apr 24, 2023
Monday Apr 24, 2023
The Environmental Justice Team from First Universalist Church leads us through an Earth Day service that invites us to consider what it is that we love in this natural world, and why and how we might get more involved in fighting for it. Join us this Sunday as the team ministers to us through music, story, and personal narrative, and helps chart a pathway of hope for how we might more fully live into our interdependence with the web of existence of which we are a part.
Opening Hymn- For the Beauty of the Earth- Aimee K. Bryant and Franco Holder, piano (:30)
Words of Welcome- Rev. Arif Mamdani (2:53)
Land Acknowledgement- Susan Keller (9:16)
Call to Worship- Bob Freidman (10:39)
Time for All Ages- Cathy Geist (13:53)
Singing Together- Wake Now My Senses- Aimee K. Bryant and Franco Holder, piano (20:59)
Prayer and Meditation- Rev. Arif Mamdani (23:33)
Invitation to Give- Stan Sattinger (31:02)
Message- Hot for Climate- Alix Dvorak (32:56)
Closing Hymn- The Oneness of Everything- Aimee K. Bryant and Franco Holder, piano (55:11)
Benediction- Alix Dvorak (59:10)
Outro Music- Where You Go Will Go, Beloved by Shoshana Jedwab
Monday Apr 17, 2023
April 16, 2023- Only We Are Earthseed
Monday Apr 17, 2023
Monday Apr 17, 2023
62 years ago this week, the first human being went to outer space! Our perspective as Earthlings has never been the same. Life on Earth is the part of the cosmos which relentlessly resurrects. How can we become more responsible stewards of the seeds of Life, both on and beyond Earth? This Sunday, April 16, We invite you to bring the seed paper and annual giving commitment cards which you received in your annual giving campaign packet to share blessings and aspirations!
Opening Hymn- Blue Boat Home (:18)
Words of Welcome and Call to Worship- Lóre Stevens (1:31)
Time for All Ages- Rev. Arif Mamdani and Lauren Wyeth (6:09)
Hymn- This Little Light of Mine (18:03)
Silence and Prayer- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (21:07)
Practice of Giving and Receiving (28:55)
Offertory- by James Williams; Franco Holder, piano (29:46)
Hymn- Rising Green (31:49)
Message- Only We Are Earthseed- Lóre Stevens (34:42)
Hymn- Touch the Earth, Reach the Sky (49:05)
Benediction- Lóre Stevens (51:26)
Tuesday Apr 04, 2023
April 2, 2023- Trusting Life
Tuesday Apr 04, 2023
Tuesday Apr 04, 2023
As we make the sometimes slow and halting turn toward spring and the emergence of new life, we continue our journey of pausing to pay attention. Together, we pick up the practice of noticing and naming the changes and losses among us and tentatively begin to trust again the turning and motion that life offers. This Sunday, April 2 we join each other in the collective practice of letting go as we do our part to make room for all that is about to emerge.
Opening Hymn- Open the Window- Aimee K. Bryant, Franco Holder (:22)
Words of Welcome and Call to Worship- Rev. Jen Crow (5:11)
Story for All Ages- Little Mole Finds Hope by Glenys Nellist (12:47)
Singing Together- There's a River Flowin' in my Soul - Aimee K. Bryant, Franco Holder (17:09)
Poem- The Thing Is by Ellen Bass- Rev. Jen Crow (20:03)
Singing- A Change is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke- Aimee K. Bryant, Franco Holder (21:20)
Message- Trusting Life- Rev. Jen Crow (25:47)
Meditation and Cycle of Life- Rev. Ashley Harness (42:45)
Reflection on Giving- Kerstin Beyer Lajuzan (51:23)
Offertory- Franco Holder (59:32)
Hymn- Make Channels for the Streams of Love- Aimee K. Bryant, Franco Holder (1:01:31)
Benediction- Rev. Jen Crow (1:03:06)
Postlude- Where You Go I Will Go, Beloved by Shoshana Jedwab
Tuesday Mar 28, 2023
March 26, 2023- This Isn’t a Crisis; This is Your Life
Tuesday Mar 28, 2023
Tuesday Mar 28, 2023
This isn’t a crisis, this is your life.
These wise words arrived at my mental doorstep a few weeks back, and they stopped me in my tracks. How might I – and we – make space to breathe and reflect, to name and collectively acknowledge the losses and changes that have impacted us all in different ways over the last three years?
Opening Hymn- Come Sing a Song With Me (:29)
Words of Welcome & Call to Worship- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (3:02)
Time for All Ages- Rev. Jen Crow (7:51)
Breathing Meditation- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (17:47)
Message- This Isn't a Crisis; This is Your Life- Rev. Jen Crow (23:11)
Meditation and Cycle of Life- Rev. Jen Crow (52:28)
Reflection on Stewardship- Shelley des Islets- (57:14)
Invitation to Give and Receive- Rev. Ashley Harness (1:03:18)
Offertory- Light of a Clear Blue Morning by Dolly Parton- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (1:04:13)
Benediction- Rev. Jen Crow (1:08:51)
Tuesday Mar 21, 2023
March 19, 2023- A Covenant with Mystery
Tuesday Mar 21, 2023
Tuesday Mar 21, 2023
As Unitarian Universalists, we make covenants all the time. Our relational faith is built on covenant. Join us as we explore what it means to make horizontal and vertical promises to each other and to the oneness of mystery.
Prelude- Seasons of Love, Franco Holder, piano (:23)
Opening Hymn- Gathered Here- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (1:14)
Words of Welcome and Land Acknowledgement- Rev. Jen Crow (5:35)
Story for All Ages (11:40)
Meditation and Cycle of Life - Rev. Jen Crow (16:30)
Hymn- For the Earth Forever Turning (23:13)
Reflection on Annual Giving- Ginny MacAninch (26:16)
Practice of Giving and Receiving- Rev. Jen Crow (30:21)
Offertory- The Lovers’ Celebration by James Williams- Franco Holder, piano (32:03)
Reading- from The Sacred Depths of Nature by Ursula Goodenough (34:13)
Anthem- What Wondrous Love is This, setting by John Carter- Franco Holder, piano (37:05)
Message- Guest Minister (39:47)
Hymn- Woyaya (54:04)
Benediction (56:49)
Music for Going- Where You Go I Will Go, Beloved by Shoshana Jedwab
Monday Mar 20, 2023
March 12, 2023- The Seeds We Plant
Monday Mar 20, 2023
Monday Mar 20, 2023
Robin Wall Kimmerer says that our deepest longing is to belong to each other and to belong to the larger community of life. She says that this longing is expressed in the idea of tending a garden, which is itself an expression of belonging on many different scales. There is a persistence in this belonging—one that speaks to us of our lives here, together at church, and of the audacity to plant seeds that will nourish the generations that come after us, knowing that we have been fed by work of the generations that came before. This too is tending a garden, and is itself an expression of belonging and extending belonging. As we continue with this month’s theme of persistence, we’ll journey with stories of planting and harvesting, wondering about which part of this collective garden we tend, and what seeds we’re planting for our future.
Music for Gathering and Opening Hymn- Gather the Spirit (:24)
Words of Welcome and Land Acknowledgement- Rev. Arif Mamdani (4:18)
Story for All Ages- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (10:26)
Centering Prayer and Meditation- from Robin Wall Kimmerer- Rev. Ashley Harness (15:40)
Singing Together- Morning Has Broken (19:18)
Annual Giving Reflection- Meleah Houseknecht (21:36)
Invitation to Give and Receive- Rev. Arif Mamdani (24:09)
Offertory- Garden Song by John Denver- Aimee K. Bryant, Franco Holder (25:47)
Message- The Seeds We Plant- Rev. Arif Mamdani (29:12)
Singing Together- Blue Boat Home (44:43)
Benediction- Rev. Arif Mamdani (47:52)
Tuesday Feb 21, 2023
February 19, 2023- Universal-ish
Tuesday Feb 21, 2023
Tuesday Feb 21, 2023
You may or may not know that there have been multiple flavors of Universalism, some with caveats or some that were questionable. We can learn a lot about our own flavors of Universalism through the stories from our spiritual ancestors. As First U decides who we become next, it can be helpful to reflect on who we have been.
Singing to Gather- Lead With Love by Melanie DeMore (:22)
Call to Worship and Words of Welcome- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (7:40)
Story- Hosea Ballou and the Mud Puddle- Lóre Stevens (13:59)
Invitation to Visionary Goals Process- Ben Miles (21:20)
Prayer and Meditation- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (26:48)
Invitation to Giving and Receiving- Lóre Stevens (39:18)
Offertory- I Need You to Survive by Hezekiah Walker - Glen Thomas Rideout (39:18)
Message- Universal-ish- Lóre Stevens (43:21)
Hymn- Love Will Guide Us (57:20)
Benediction- Wake Into Love by Saretta Morgan - Lóre Stevens (59:06)
Monday Feb 13, 2023
February 12, 2023- Are We Sleeping Through a Revolution?
Monday Feb 13, 2023
Monday Feb 13, 2023
Multiple choice question:
Who said: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice”?
- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
- Theodore Parker
- None of the above
This Sunday morning we learn the answer, not just for this question but more so for what these ministers and theologians had to say to Unitarians and Universalists in the past, and what their words say to us today. In particular, how do their words point us toward two essential movements in our spiritual and religious lives and what do they call us to today?
Music for Gathering- by composer Robert Glasper- Franco Holder (:22)
Welcome - Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (4:50)
Singing Together- Guide My Feet (9:17)
Reading- Practice by Omar Bronson- Rev. Ashley Harness (15:19)
Hymn- My Life Flows on in Endless Song (18:12)
Loving Kindness Meditation- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (26:47)
Practice of Giving and Receiving- Rev. Ashley Harness (36:08)
Offertory- Franco Holder (37:16)
Message- Are We Sleeping Through a Revolution?- Rev. Arif Mamdani (40:43)
Hymn- Make Channels for the Streams of Love (1:08:52)
Benediction- Rev. Arif Mamdani (1:10:19)
Music for Going- Where You Go, I Will Go, Beloved by Shoshana Jedwab
Wednesday Feb 01, 2023
January 29, 2023- Who Said 70 is the New 50?
Wednesday Feb 01, 2023
Wednesday Feb 01, 2023
Music for Entering the Space- All People that on Earth Do Dwell (:20)
Call to Worship- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (1:12)
Singing Together- Lean On Me (5:36)
Prayer and Meditation- Rev. Ashley Harness (10:21)
Practice of Giving and Receiving- Rev. Ashley Harness (18:43)
Offertory- There is a Balm in Gilead - trad. Arr. Mark Hayes- Franco Holder (19:48)
Message- Who Said 70 is the New 50?- Rev. Karen Hutt (24:07)
Singing Together- Lady of the Season’s Laughter (49:03)
Benediction- Rev. Karen Hutt (52:17)
Tuesday Jan 24, 2023
January 22, 2023- When’s Your Shift for the Revolution?
Tuesday Jan 24, 2023
Tuesday Jan 24, 2023
Hymn for Gathering- Building a New Way- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (:27)
Words of Welcome- Rev. Ashley Harness (3:31)
Call to Worship- Dallas Rising (8:31)
Time for All Ages- Stone Soup- Rev. Arif Mamdani (12:11)
Singing Together- Love Will Guide Us- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (21:16)
Meditation Prayer and Cycle of Life- Rev. Arif Mamdani (24:31)
Message- When's Your Shift for the Revolution? - Meleah Houseknecht (34:25)
Practice of Giving and Receiving- Rev. Arif Mamdani, Jeanne Guignon, Jeff Snyder (48:13)
Offertory- Sing Out, March On- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (55:02)
Hymn- The Fire of Commitment- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (58:05)
Benediction- Meleah Houseknecht (1:01:25)