First Universalist Church of Minneapolis Sunday Service Podcast

January 5, 2020 - Remembrance Sunday: The Cure for Sorrow

Remembrance Sunday is an annual service that is a time to remember and reflect on our losses over the past year and to honor those we love who have died. This service can also be a time to mark other significant losses in the life of your family, such as a separation or divorce, saying goodbye to friends who’ve moved away, or any number of other things. 

Wisdom Story- Lauren Wyeth (:29)

from the Cycle of Life, Rev. Ruth MacKenzie (4:55)

Readings (8:32)

Sermon, Rev. Jen Crow (10:08)

December 29, 2019 - Ending a Decade

Ten more years of the century have passed. What have we learned about ourselves, our church, and our country?

Call to Worship- Arif Mamdani (:22)

Wisdom Story- Arif Mamdani and Rev. Karen Hutt (2:03)

Sermon- Rev. Karen Hutt (8:13)

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)

October 6, 2019 - Mental Health Sunday

Secrets, shame, and stigma are not helpful when striving for wellness, health, and spiritual well-being. Through great strides have been made over the years, there is all too often a deafening silence around mental health challenges. At First Universalist Church, we aspire to be a place where we can bring our whole selves, as we are welcomed in joy. Join us for our 3rd annual Mental Health Sunday, as we break the silence, speak the truth, and with loving and curious hearts explore the realities of mental health challenges and how that touches all of us.

 

September 8, 2019 - Water Communion: Daring to be Human Together

Why Church? With so many options on a Sunday morning, why come to church? Why be in human community? Why wrestle with meaning and purpose? Why be unsettled and provoked and calmed and steadied? What are we doing here, anyway? Why are we at church?

This service is also Water Communion Sunday, an annual service at which we celebrate the many rivers, eddies and waterways of our life experiences, converging in our sanctuary every Sunday forming a river of faith. We embody this truth by bringing water from our homes, our travels, our walks, and our bike paths—and combine them during the service in a ritual called Water Communion.

Story for All Ages: The Journeying Stream - Rev. Jen Crow and Arif Mamdani (:32)

Homily: Daring to be Human Together - Rev. Justin Schroeder (6:40)

Water Communion Ritual - Worship Team (16:24)

September 1, 2019 - Love the Hell Out of this World

When the culture around us doesn’t encourage us to our best selves, how do we model the kind of world we want to live in? Guest speaker and musician, Matt Meyer, will reflect on the good and bad of middle school, the time he picked the very best costume for a high-stakes 5th grade costume party, and how we find the skills for beloved community.

Matt is a musician and community organizer who has led hundreds of services for UU congregations across the country. He has a degree in hand drumming and has studied abroad in Cuba, Ghana and Central America. Matt serves as Director of Community Life for Sanctuary Boston, a contemporary worship community in Boston, and is a founding resident of the Lucy Stone Cooperative in Roxbury.

Welcome- Rev. Jen Crow (:22)

Call to Worship - Matt Meyer (3:11)

Story for All Ages - Matt Meyer (8:05)

Sermon - Matt Meyer (15:37)

June 2, 2019 - Flower Communion

Flower Communion is an early-summer tradition of Unitarians and Universalists. The ritual is a metaphor for the diversity, connectedness, and beauty of our community. In this service, the First U congregation honored the participation, learning, and work of the many leaders, teachers, facilitators, planners, and more through this celebration of giving and receiving blessings.

Call to Worship: Rev. Karen Hutt

Wisdom Story: Rev. Justin Schroeder  

April 7, 2019 - The Third Body

Our promises transform us. Being unwavering in our commitment may feel static, but it will shape us. Transformation will happen.
– The Third Body, by Robert Bly.

Wisdom Story: Life Itself, by Rev. Kristin Maier; read by Lauren Wyeth

Sermon: Rev. Elaine Aron Tenbrink

 

March 3, 2019 - Stretching the Circle

This month we consider what the theme of sacrifice might mean for us as Unitarian Universalists. In a world where sacrifice has so often meant the destruction of the less powerless for the pleasure or salvation of the powerful, what value can this concept possibly hold for us? Come join the conversation as we consider stretching the circle of "I" to include a much larger "we."

Wisdom Story: Rev. Justin Schroeder

Sermon: Rev. Jen Crow

Piano music: 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