Imbolc is the Earth-centered celebration of the first stirrings of new life. Believe it or not, this is the time of year when seeds begin to germinate and the sap starts to rise in the trees. These are signs of new life that are so subtle we hardly notice them, but they are there.
The days may be getting longer but it’s still pretty dark and cold – a good time to take an inward journey to the center – to your center. There are many spiritual practices that can help people examine, shape and care for their lives, and the life around them. Together we’ll explore what makes something a spiritual practice and why a practice that helps cultivate depth in our lives is important.
As we honor the life and work of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. , what do you imagine Dr. King might have to say to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on the eve of the presidential inauguration?
In 1836, Ralph Waldo Emerson tempted his readers with a challenge: he suggested that they “make their own bibles.” By this he meant to collate one’s personal reflections with meaningful selections from the literature and religious works of the world, to create a highly personalized sacred text. Since the Fall of 2019, four of us have been meeting in a small group ministry setting to explore what it means to each of us to make our own bibles. Jennifer Revill, Marty Langlois, Emeline Walker, and Holly Willsey-Walker will offer excerpts from their own personal “bibles,” along with some thoughts on the spiritual nature of this process, and how it can shape one’s view of the world.
Thich Nhat Hanh writes, “Every morning, when we wake up, we have twenty-four brand-new hours to live. What a precious gift!” As we perch on the leading edge of a whole new year, what are the possibilities for beginning anew?
The post-Christmas, pre-New Year service will include readings and the opportunity to zoom-share our thoughts on the holidays, past, present and future.
It will also involve the opening of envelopes containing your statements written a year ago and writing new statements for next year. I will mail your statements to you ahead of time.
For those of you that didn’t attend last year, you will have the opportunity to write down your thoughts and feelings and possibly resolutions this year, seal the envelope and keep it until next year. Please have pen and paper ready.
If newbies find this confusing, I promise it won’t be once you’re “there.”
We’ll welcome Christmas with candles, music, and readings, celebrating the light born of hope in the birth of every child. We’ll tell the ancient story of Jesus’ humble birth and light candles for the birth of every child born since last Christmas Eve.
We can’t gather in person this Christmas, but we will make candles for our beautiful candle lighting ceremony available so everyone can light a candle at home. It won’t be quite the same, but I promise you it will be the same light.
“Every night a child is born is a holy night” – Sophia Lyon Fahs, Unitarian Religious Educator
Join Rev. Carol to virtually welcome in Yuletide of the year. It doesn’t look like it’s going to be a good idea to gather in person for this annual NSUU Church ritual but we can still gather around a fire to warm our hearts in each other’s company as we celebrate the gifts of darkness and light on this the longest night of the year.
Vietnamese Buddhist Master Thich Nhat Hanh says that we can create true peace that can be a powerful force in our lives and in our world. True peace isn’t passive. Thich Nhat Hanh says, “To practice peace, to make peace alive in us, is to actively cultivate understanding, love and compassion, even in the face of misconception and conflict. Practicing peace, especially in times of war, requires courage.” How do we cultivate peace, especially in such turbulent times? And why is it so important, especially now?
This Sunday is our annual All-Music Service. The musicians of NSUU are delighted to come together to share the enduring power of music as it helps to sustain our hope during a dark time. Join us for carols led by the members of the Singing Group as well as piano music by Judy Putnam and Andrea Kaiser; vocal solos by Terri Hansen, Jennifer Revill, Helen Brandt, Gary Nelson and Rev Carol, and the Singing Group’s labor of love to blend their voices together in audio editing software.
