In the fifteenth century Christian Europe asserted the right to conquer and subjugate the non-Christian peoples of Africa and the Americas. The result was enslavement and genocide of many peoples. How can we re-discover an America of peace and justice? Our Guest Preacher today is the Rev. Clyde Grubbs. Rev. Clyde Grubbs is a Unitarian … Continue reading Discovering America Again
An annual NUUC tradition. What’s on your heart and mind? Rev. Susan Ritchie will take your questions, personal, theological, practical–ask anything you like! She will answer a few select questions during service and then use the others to form topics for future sermons. While in the past we have collected questions live on the day … Continue reading Question Box Sermon
Why put down spiritual roots if you are open to the wisdom of other traditions? Is it possible to claim any one faith tradition, and remain fully open to the truth beyond? What does it look like to put down roots and lean into expansiveness and mystery? In this sermon, we’ll consider these questions and … Continue reading Christian+: The Practice of Putting Down Roots and Making Space for More
For this 4th of July Day service, Rev. Susan reveals some of the surprising ways that pirates, influenced by progressive religious ideas, broke open the rigidity of New England Puritanism. While this historical story is old, the questions it raises are still with us. Why is religious and cultural diversity important to democracy? How is … Continue reading Rev. Cotton Mather versus The Pirates: The Battle for the Soul of America
We’ll gather as usual as a worshipping community at our usual time of 10:30 AM, using our usual Zoom link, but after a few introductory remarks, we’ll settle in to watch together the Sunday morning worship connected to this week’s (virtual) General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association. We’ll keep the chat function on in … Continue reading Until Love Wins
The most radical aspect of our faith tradition is how it placed ultimate authority in the hands of the laity, organized by democratic process, long before such structures were known in the political world. In this worship, Rev. Susan explores the liberating consequences of this arrangement of power as well as its attendant responsibilities. We … Continue reading Transforming Power
For many, grief, trauma, and loss have been our steady companions this past year. Still, our beloved hymn beckons us to “enter, rejoice, and come in.” Where is joy to be found? And what are we to do when, in the midst of sorrow, happiness arrives unexpectedly? Intern minister Liora Malicdem shares wisdom from many … Continue reading Today Will Be a Joyful Day
Did you know that people are fighting over rainbows? Insulted that the rainbow has become such a widespread symbol of gay pride, some religious conservatives are trying to reclaim the rainbow as an exclusive expression of God’s covenant with Noah. What if its both/and? The fun-filled use of the rainbow in pride circles reminds us … Continue reading Becoming Rainbow People
When some minor issue arises in a video shoot, you will usually hear someone call out, “We’ll fix it in post-production.” However, in real life, we often get stuck telling stories that limit our embrace of life’s fullness. Commissioned Lay Minister Candidate Morgan Patten will use video as a metaphor for how we can tell, retell, and … Continue reading We’ll Fix it in Post: Reimagining our Stories
Using the lens of Universalist theology, Rev. Susan Ritchie reflects on the recent CDC guidelines, NUUC’s own reopening plans, and the story behind one of our most popular hymns to ask the question: what would happen if we truly learned how to center the most vulnerable among us? We also welcome special guest Kayla Davis … Continue reading Answering the Call of Love
