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 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 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)

October 9, 2022- What We Need Is Here

As we continue our exploration of the theme, “You Can Count On This,” we turn our attention to our bodies this week. Sources of ancient wisdom carried deep within our bones, sources of comfort, pleasure, pain, joy, grief, and frustration – our bodies hold so much. Through story, prayer, music, poetry and shared breath, we’ll explore the wisdom of the body this week.

Singing to Gather- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout, Franco Holder (:51)

Words of Welcome- Rev. Jen Crow (7:26)

Story for All Ages- Lauren Wyeth (13:07)

Singing- This Little Light of Mine-Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout, Franco Holder (19:54)

Prayer and Meditation- Rev. Jen Crow (23:43)

Practice of Giving- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (31:07)

Message- What We Need Is Here- Lauren Wyeth, Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout, Rev. Jen Crow (35:55)

Chant- What We Need Is Here- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (55:48)

Benediction- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (1:00:20)

 

October 2, 2022- The Heart Left Open Will Heal Itself

As we begin our exploration of the monthly theme, “You Can Count On This,” we’ll start with our hearts. What do our hearts tell us, and how do we listen? Where and with whom do we place our hearts? And what do we do with the inevitable heartbreak that comes? We’ll explore all of these questions and more through stories, songs, meditation, and prayer together.

Singing Together- Circle 'Round for Freedom (:28)

Words of Welcome- Rev. Jen Crow (1:35)

Story for All Ages- Rev. Ashley Harness (8:54)

Hymn- Lean On Me by Bill Withers- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (14:33)

Prayer and Cycle of Life- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (23:02)

Practice of Giving- Rev. Jen Crow (37:45)

Offertory- Franco Holder, piano

Message- The Heart Left Open Will Heal Itself- Rev. Jen Crow (42:50)

Benediction- Rev. Jen Crow (1:01:39)

Outro- Franco Holder, piano

 

September 18, 2022- Belonging to Beloved Community

The dream has been alive for years – Beloved Community. A place, a people, a moment in time when we might truly be, as our Visionary Goal proclaims, “a multi-racial, multicultural, and intergenerational faith community of mutual caring and support where people bring all of who they are and welcome each other with joy. Our sense of who we are as a community of faith is ever expanding.” What does it mean to belong to that Beloved Community, and what will be required of us as we unlearn soul-killing patterns of oppression and practice liberating, life-sustaining ways? What does it mean to belong to this Beloved Community?

Music for Gathering- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (:19)

Words of Welcome- Rev. Arif Mamdani (3:42)

Call to Worship- To Be of Use by Marge Piercy- Lóre Stevens (16:18)

Story for All Ages- Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout (18:26)

Prayer and Meditation- Rev. Arif Mamdani (26:11)

Practice of Giving- Rev. Jen Crow (33:28)

Celebrating Rev. Jen's Ten Years- Rev. Sara Smalley and the Team (37:17)

Message- Belonging to Beloved Community- Rev. Jen Crow (44:30)

Music for Going- Love Will Guide Us (1:03:05)