In this sermon, we ask what it means to remain, to witness, and to respond when others have fled or forgotten. By examining some of the stranger and more sinister Christmas time traditions, Rev. RItchie explores winter as both literal and spiritual terrain: a season that holds grief, stillness, and transformation. From ghost stories to … Continue reading Dead of Winter
Solstice, Christmas, and Hanukkah remind us how this season seeks to align cosmic and human energies in renewal. The return of light assures us that life continues, darkness does not prevail, and hope endures in communal expressions. We are invited to become stars for one another, fulfilling the holidays’ ultimate vision. Join us at 10:30AM … Continue reading Becoming Stars
Join us for a Christmas Eve worship, celebrating in song, story, lesson and candlelight. Join us at 7:00 PM at our newly renovated and expanded church home at 1574 Franklin Street, Lewis Center, Ohio, or, attend online using this link: Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82694590385?pwd=TlRCUitCa0VSdnNyY2tvemM5N29KUT09 Meeting ID: 826 9459 0385Passcode: 962432
“Nothing.” A word that means whole lot in spite of it meaning, well… nothing. For all the time we spend immersed in a world of people, places and things the idea of nothing can be overwhelming or even unfathomable. But it’s an important concept that help us in seeing not just the fullness of our … Continue reading Finding Faith in Nothing
This time of year we think of giving up certain vices as a positive, life affirming act of self-care. And yet, “giving up” in general has a bad reputation. How are we to know when to persist and when and what appropriate “giving up” looks like? Today, Rev. Susan offers some possibilities for recasting these … Continue reading Giving Up
Leave your boots by door and warm your bones by the fire. Director of Religious Exploration Morgan Patten explores oral tradition as a vessel of wisdom, memory, and community. Together we will reflect on storytelling, the origins of sacred texts, and modern folktales. By honoring the spoken word, we celebrate how stories passed from mouth … Continue reading Word of Mouth: Folklore, Faith and the Stories that Shape Us
On this Martin Luther King Day weekend, we reflect on the complicated relationship humans have with prophets—figures who are at once flawed individuals and larger‑than‑life voices for justice. How do we honor their vision without idolizing them, and how do we acknowledge their humanity without dismissing their call? This sermon explores what kind of relationship … Continue reading The Problem with Prophets
From Christianity’s insistence on the immortal soul to Buddhism’s rejection of it as a fear-born illusion, religions have long wrestled with what it means to be a self. This Sunday we turn to Unitarian Universalism’s vision: a self shaped not by isolation but by relationality, mortality, and the shimmering echo of the imago dei. Join … Continue reading Sources of the Self
Hate often masquerades as strength, promising clarity and belonging when our sense of self feels fragile. Resentment can become a perverse delight—an energy that feeds on itself, distorting our relationships and our humanity. In this service we will consider how cultivating genuine self-differentiation, balancing individuality with connection—can help us resist the temptation to scapegoat, to … Continue reading The Allure of Hate: Problems in Self Differntiation
