First Universalist Church of Minneapolis Sunday Service Podcast

December 25, 2022- Christmas Morning

Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout, Cummins Ministerial Intern Lóre Stevens, and Rev. Arif Mamdani invite you to Christmas morning at church, where our worship leaders will be gathered by the fire opening presents together—presents we are gifting to ourselves and to the church as we work to bring the spirit of these winter holidays into the day-to-day of our lives all throughout the year.

Music for Gathering- For Each Child That's Born- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (:24)

Words of Welcome and Story- Rev. Arif Mamdani (1:09)

Singing Together- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (7:58)

Prayer and Meditation- Lóre Stevens (10:09)

Practice of Giving and Receiving- Rev. Arif Mamdani (12:25)

Offertory- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout

Reading- Relentless by Sean Parker Dennison- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (14:42)

Giving and Receiving Gifts- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout, Lóre Stevens, and Rev. Arif Mamdani (17:47)

Singing Together- Say Amen- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (41:07)

Benediction- Now the Work of Christmas Begins by Howard Thurman- Lóre Stevens (42:58)

Music for Going- Where You Go I Will Go, Beloved by Shoshana Jedwab- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout

 

December 18, 2022- Dreaming in the Dark

As we approach the longest nights of the year and the beginning of Hanukkah, we’ll explore the wonders that take place in the dark. Perhaps it is in our dreaming, in those times when the limitations that so often diminish our imagination drop away, that we can find healing and hope. Join us on Sunday as we claim our space in this darkest time of the year and trust in the generative power of our dreams.

Singing to Gather- O Come You Longing Thirsty Souls- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (:20)

Words of Welcome and Call to Worship- Rev. Jen Crow (2:48)

Story- Sulwe by Lupita Nyong'o (9:57)

Singing- Light One Candle - Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (19:21)

Prayer and Cycle of Life- Lóre Stevens (22:50)

Message- Dreaming in the Dark- Rev. Jen Crow (28:18)

Invitation to Give to Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism (49:46)

Offertory- Wanderers Nachtlied II by Goethe/Schubert- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (51:38)

Singing Together- O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (54:22)

Benediction- Rev. Jen Crow (57:49)

December 11, 2022- The Ocean in One Drop

The everyday work of world change takes trust, patience, and faith. The individual steps it takes to progress a vision can look mighty different, more complex, smaller, even frustrating at times. It can be hard to see sometimes how what we’re doing even makes a difference in the world. Yet, this diligent faith is the very dream in action. 

This Sunday, December 11, Lena K Gardner talks with Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout about the bold work of BLUU (Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism). Come to worship this week with your heart wide open to sing, to learn, and to learn how our hands can help the dream.

Music for Gathering- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout, Franco Holder, piano (:30)

Words of Welcome- Rev. Ashley Harness (4:52)

Singing Together- Lean On Me (11:06)

Meditation and Cycle of Life- Rev. Ashley Harness (17:44)

Message in Conversation- Lena Gardner and Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (23:20)

Hymn- The Fire of Committment (57:24)

Benediction- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (1:00:29)

December 4, 2022- Waiting for the Coming Dreams

Winter is a time of turning inward, a time where the nights are longer and so too is our time for dreaming.

December is a month in which we experience ever shorter days, the longest night, and then the turning toward the long days of summer again. It is also a month in which some amongst us share stories about a light that held out against hope and others tell of the coming of a singular light to the world.

As we begin this time of beginnings, as we enter this month of waiting, of dreaming, of telling stories and remembering in our bones the turning of the earth, the turning of the seasons, and the turning of our tradition, we gather on Sunday to start at the beginning. We’ll revisit beginnings, wonder about what came before the beginning, where we’re situated in the line of beginnings and endings, and incline our hearts toward what we hear when we’re dreaming in the dark.

 

Singing to Gather- Come Thou Fount of Ev'ry Blessing (:30)

Words of Welcome- Rev. Jen Crow (1:20)

Time for All Ages- Rev. Jen Crow (8:58)

Prayer and Cycle of Life- Rev. Jen Crow (16:18)

Message- Waiting for the Coming Dreams- Rev. Arif Mamdani (23:21)

Holiday Giving Introduction- Isabel Quast (44:55)

Offertory- Franco Holder, piano

Hymn- Blue Boat Home (50:41)

Benediction- Rev. Arif Mamdani (53:38)

November 27, 2022- One in Gratitude

On this multigenerational Sunday, our shared attention will turn to the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address, a practice created and shared by the indigenous people of the Turtle Clan, Wolf Clan, and Mohawk tribe. This practice invites us to begin and end our days with gratitude, and together we will experiment and wonder about how we might choose to begin and end our days, and how we and our relationships might be changed by our practices.

Intro- Ashgrove (Welsh Tune)- Franco Holder, piano

Hymn- We Give Thanks (1:43)

Words of Welcome- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (5:19)

Singing Together- The Welcome Table (7:42)

Prayer and Cycle of Life- Rev. Jen Crow (11:36)

Gratitude Ritual- Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address- Rev. Jen Crow, Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout, members of the congregation (17:54)

Practice of Giving- Rev. Jen Crow (40:11)

Offertory- You Matter to Me by Sara Bareillis- Franco Holder, piano (44:56)

Singing Together- For the Earth Forever Turning

Benediction- Rev. Jen Crow (49:58)

November 20, 2022- Becoming Together: Child Dedication Sunday

This Sunday, Nov. 20, we will celebrate the miracle that is at the center of our larger story and the cycle of life. We will welcome, name, and dedicate ourselves to the care of children in our congregation through a Child Dedication Ritual. Together we will discern and practice the spiritual work of committing ourselves to the care of our youngest and making room for the people they will become over the course their lives. 

Singing to Gather- Come, Come Whoever You Are

Words of Welcome- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (2:21)

Child Dedication Ritual- Lauren Wyeth, Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout, Rev. Ashley Harness (7:47)

Silence, Meditation, Prayer- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (15:09)

Practice of Giving and Receiving- Rev. Ashley Harness (22:46)

Offertory- Glen Thomas Rideout (25:36)

Message- Becoming Together- Rev. Ashley Harness (26:56)

Benediction- Rev. Ashley Harness (42:13)

November 13, 2022- The Company We Keep

We are members of many things: families, gyms, affinity groups, and faith communities. Our culture likes us to think of “membership” as an administrative task: a series of tasks that lead us to checking off a box. This Sunday, November 13, we welcome and celebrate the commitment of our newest members of First Universalist, and invite you into reflecting on- and participating in!- membership as a creative, relational process, one in which we change and by which we are changed by the company we keep.

Hymn for Gathering- Morning Has Come- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (:29)

Words of Welcome- Rev. Jen Crow (7:52)

Time for All Ages- The Messiah Lives Among You- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (14:46)

Hymn- Woyaya- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (20:37)

Prayer, Meditation, Cycle of Life - Rev. Jen Crow (25:49)

Offertory- What Wonderous Love is This- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (35:27)

New Member Ceremony- Liz Farmer, Rebecca Slaby, Daryn Woodson (38:35)

Singing Together- Come and Go With Me- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (45:24)

Homily- The Company We Keep- Liz Farmer (48:12)

Singing Together- Be Thou My Vision- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (57:04)

Benediction- Liz Farmer (1:03:02)

 

November 6, 2022- The Practice of Giving and Receiving

This Sunday, November 6, we open the theme of “Giving, Receiving (as love shows us how).” We’ll enter the theme through the Tonglen practice, a Buddhist practice that invites us to open our hearts and spirits to giving and receiving and in doing so, soften our hearts and live more deeply into the experience of our interdependence. Drawing on the work of rev. angel Kyodo Williams and Lama Rod Owens, we’ll have time for practice, song, and reflection as love leads the way.

Opening Hymn- Wake Now My Senses- Aimee K. Bryant, Franco Holder (:21)

Words of Welcome- Rev. Arif Mamdani (2:32)

Time for All Ages- Aimee K. Bryant (6:00)

Meditation and Prayer- Aimee K. Bryant, Franco Holder, Rev. Ashley Harness (11:13)

Practice of Giving and Receiving- Rev. Ashley Harness (19:12)

Mesage- The Practice of Giving and Receiving- Rev. Arif Mamdani (22:49)

Tonglen Practice- Rev. Arif Mamdani (33:38)

Singing Together- Filled with Loving Kindness- Aimee K. Bryant, Franco Holder (44:42)

Benediction- Rev. Arif Mamdani (47:43)

 

October 23, 2022- A River of Stars

As we continue exploring our monthly theme, "You Can Count on This," we move from heart, body, and mind to…space? Many may wonder how the vast field of galaxies can be counted on. But our ancestors have always traced stories onto constellations. Humanity navigated dangerous waters using those reliable but distant stars. During our own times of loss and alienation, how can the mysterious, interdependent universe provide solace and hope?

Singing to Gather- We Are- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout, Franco Holder (:29)

Poem by Nancy Scaffer (3:34)

Words of Welcome- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (5:18)

Story for All Ages- Quilatzli and the River of Stars- by Lóre Stevens, inspired by Aztec and Greek mythology (10:38)

Body Meditation- Michael Tangen (16:02)

Body Prayer- Lóre Stevens (20:04)

Prayer and Cycle of Life- Rev. Ashley Harness-Jiminez (22:25)

Invitation to Give - Rev. Ashley Harness-Jiminez (27:33)

Offertoty- Into the West  by  STØLACE- Michael Tangen (31:35)

Homily- A River of Stars- Lóre Stevens (40:44)

Hymn- A Firemist and a Planet - Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (50:43)

Benediction- Lóre Stevens (53:57)

 

 

October 16, 2022- Mental Health Sunday

This Sunday, October 16 is Mental Health Sunday, a service where we commit ourselves to creating a world where struggles with mental health are normalized and where seeking mental health care is destigmatized. Through word, song, and ritual we will make visible these commitments of our hearts, bodies, and minds, knowing that mental health care is something we all need access to, and that while not all illness can be cured, in community, we all can find healing.

Opening Hymn- Come Thou Fount of Ev'ry Blessing- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (:28)

Words of Welcome- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (3:17)

Story for All Ages- Rev. Ashley Harness-Jiminez (9:56)

Hymn- I've Got Peace Like a River- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (17:43)

Meditation and Message- Rev. Arif Mamdani, Carol Jackson (22:14)

Ritual (32:14)

Song- Sending You Light by Melanie DeMore- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (49:55)

Singing Together- For All that is Our Life- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (53:26)

Benediction- Rev. Arif Mamdani (56:08)