Sometimes beauty has the power to shake up the status quo. Re-examine our assumptions. Invite curiosity. Come join us as we learn to embrace the paradox of beauty, wonder and courage as wise companions on our spiritual journey. Welcome! Rev. Jennifer Alviar is a Unitarian Universalist minister, spiritual innovator, and avid community builder. She cultivates … Continue reading “Discovering Beauty in Unexpected Places”
When fear tries to drive the bus of our lives, how do we remain loving? We live in a world increasingly hostile to those fighting for liberation, fighting for freedom from harm. The gifts in this moment may be that we are forced to learn how to center, ground, nourish, and focus. Kathryn LaFond, Intuitive … Continue reading Prayer in a Time of Chaos
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson said, “The Universe is under no obligation to make sense to you.” While this is certainly true, we (collectively, all of humanity) have learned how to describe and predict many things. From Johannes Kepler’s observation that celestial bodies travel in elliptical orbits to the complex differential equations of Quantum Electrodynamics, math … Continue reading “The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences”
When you care deeply, whether for others, your community, or the world, it’s easy to overlook your own well-being. Come and explore how self-compassion is not a luxury, but a vital practice for those engaged in caregiving and justice work. Drawing on the insights of Kristin Neff, Tricia Hersey, and Israa Nasir, we’ll reflect on … Continue reading Tending the Soul: Building Self-Compassion When You Care Deeply
Come and explore the interrelationships of generosity, joy, and service as we try to live lives of integrity and purpose. This sermon will also make mention of the Cedars pledge drive! Rabindranath Tagore inspires us with his poem: “I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I … Continue reading Generosity: The Joy of Service
This sermon is a kick-off for all the learning and visioning we will be doing together in the months to come. Let us work together in building a co-ministry of support, beauty, and restoration. John O’Donohue says, “We each possess an imagination. Everyone, whether they like it or not, is involved in the construction of … Continue reading Imagination: We Are All Artists
Hope is tricky, especially when things are going wrong. Does it mean hoping for a cure, or turning this disaster around, or what exactly? In this sermon, we’ll consider the changing nature of hope and explore our options for getting through these uncertain times Rev. Barbara Cornell was in an About Your Sexuality class when she … Continue reading Resurrecting Hope
An exploration of why “everyday depression” comes to us, what it intends, and whatmeaning it may hold for us. Bruce A. Bode is Minister Emeritus at the Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (QUUF) in Port Townsend, Washington, from which he retired in 2018 as the Senior Minister after serving the congregation for fourteen years (2004-2018). Before … Continue reading Everyday Depression’: Our Potential Ally
Springtime and gardening go together and have us imagining Beloved Community as a garden. Imagine the soil of Beloved Community as the ground of being that nurtures Unitarian Universalism. What do we want to cultivate? How do we handle the weeds? Will everyone be welcome? Camille Dungy’s book “Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden” provided … Continue reading Creating the Garden of Beloved Community
Moral injury is a human condition, suffered as a part of living in a world where we, others and the earth are harmed by actions or the failure to act. How do we integrate these experiences to be able to continue to live when everywhere we look there are more reasons to cry in agony, … Continue reading Living with Moral Injury
