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Displaying 1851 - 1900 of 3077

  • For sleepless nights awaiting the curfew-breakers For anxious hours as a driving instructor For hours spent on sidelines, cheering And watching school plays, sometimes “resting our eyes,” For the pressures of bread-winning And “wait ‘til your father gets home.” For teaching moments and...
    Chalice Lighting | By Peter Friedrichs | April 16, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Change, Children, Direct Experience, Father's Day, Fathers, Parents, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Relationships
  • On Father’s Day we honor those people who have been teachers, confidants, and friends. We acknowledge that it is not biology that makes a parent, But love and attention. For those of us that have lost a father, or a child, we hold their memories in our hearts....
    Prayer | By Carol Allman-Morton | April 16, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Caring, Compassion, Family, Father's Day, Fathers, Humanism, Love, Parents, Prophetic Words & Deeds, WorshipWeb
  • Once upon a time there was a teacher named Sophia. Sophia had been a teacher in the town where she lived for so long that the kids she first had in her class grew up and had kids of their own and sent them to her class too....
    Story | By Becky Brooks | April 15, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Abundance, Generosity, God, Home, Hospitality, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Unitarian Universalism
  • “[God] has written the promise of the resurrection not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.” —Martin Luther Words of Welcome & Opening Words Good morning! [General words of welcome.] The Unitarian Universalist minister Max Coots once wrote: “We need a celebration that speaks the...
    Complete Service | By Erik Walker Wikstrom | April 15, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Christianity, Easter, Hope, Spring, Unitarian Universalism, Wholeness
  • Once upon a time there were two rivers flowing side by side. Both rivers liked to argue about who was the best. “The water in my river is better than the water in your river!” said one. “No, the water in my river is better than the water in your river!” said the other. The two rivers would...
    Story | By Christopher Buice | April 14, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Individualism, Nature, Purpose, Strength, Unity
  • There once was a man named Daniel who was as gentle as a lamb. The King loved Daniel so much that he gave him power over the entire kingdom. But this made many men jealous of Daniel. One day, when the men happened to see him praying to God, they thought of a way to hurt Daniel....
    Story | By Christopher Buice | April 14, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Animals, History, Judaism, Peace, Power
  • There once was a little girl who was walking beside a creek when she happened to see a frog that looked very sad. “I wonder why that frog is so sad?” she asked herself. Then she remembered a story once told by her mother about how a girl had kissed a frog and how the frog had magically turned...
    Story | By Christopher Buice | April 14, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Friendship, Happiness, Love, Transformation
  • Once upon a time there was a young girl named Maggie, who found out she had a very terrible disease and probably would never be well again. She was very, very sad, and although she had many friends, all of them were afraid to visit her because they feared they might catch the disease....
    Story | By Christopher Buice | April 14, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Body, Caring, Friendship, Healing, Health, Love, Presence
  • Once upon a time, a mother and her daughter were carrying bags of food to a neighboring village where people were hungry and had no food of their own. The two had to travel a great distance, which made them very tired, so they stopped to rest. As they sat down they heard a voice call out to them.
    Story | By Christopher Buice | April 14, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Caring, Character, Discernment, Integrity, Kindness
  • Once upon a time in a little village, there appeared a sign that said: Beauty Contest to be held this Saturday at the fair grounds. There will be a surprise guest judge. All the young girls in the village were very excited about being in a beauty contest, and they began to prepare for the big day.
    Story | By Christopher Buice | April 14, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Beauty, Character, Discernment, Integrity
  • One day a merchant was traveling on a road when he was attacked by bandits. The bandits were so cruel that they beat the merchant, stole everything he had, and left him for dead lying on the side of the road. The merchant was so badly hurt he couldn’t move or speak at all, and he could barely see...
    Story | By Christopher Buice | April 14, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Acceptance, Activism, Caring, Christianity, Compassion, Love
  • Once, two frogs were hopping through the forest when they accidently hopped into a big churn of cream. The sides of the churn were so slick and slippery that there was no place to hold on to, so the frogs had to swim in circles to stay afloat. After a long time one frog said, “There is no hope.
    Story | By Christopher Buice | April 14, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Courage, Hope, Strength, Stress
  • Once there was a little girl who was queen of an island. One day an advisor said to her, “Your majesty, the people on this island are good, but we must beware of the people on the next island for they are our enemies.” “Our enemies?” responded the queen, “How terrible!” “Yes, it is...
    Story | By Christopher Buice | April 14, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Conflict, Division, Friendship, Peace
  • Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Olympia who had a dream. She dreamed that one day she would grow up to be a minister. But during the 1800s, only men were ministers, so it didn’t seem likely that Olympia’s dream would come true. Olympia, however, continued to dream. Time passed,...
    Story | By Christopher Buice | April 14, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Commitment, History, Judaism, Purpose, Universalism, Women
  • Noah was an old man who loved to dance and sing and to make things with his hands. He especially loved to make mud pies. Noah loved to do these things because he felt closest to the Creator when he was being creative himself. All the people in Noah’s village thought he was a fool. “Why do you...
    Story | By Christopher Buice | April 14, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Christianity, Joy, Purpose, Service, Unitarian Universalism
  • Once upon a time there was a very greedy king who had lots and lots of gold. But he wanted even more gold, so he decided he would order his army to attack the neighboring kingdom and steal all their gold. The king called all his soldiers into his courtyard and told them his plan....
    Story | By Christopher Buice | April 14, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Power, Truth
  • Once there was a little girl who worried about a very big problem—world hunger. She read in the newspaper about children all over the world who did not have enough to eat. She wanted to do something about it, but she was only a little girl and this was a giant problem. What could she possibly do...
    Story | By Christopher Buice | April 14, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Abundance, Generosity, Power, Service, Stewardship, Strength
  • Once upon a time, there was a village with a road that went straight through the center of town. One day, something strange happened. God walked down the road . . . and she was beautiful! She wore a long flowing robe and on top of her head there was a wonderful hat....
    Story | By Christopher Buice | April 14, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Conflict, Direct Experience, Diversity, Division, God, Relationships, Truth
  • Once upon a time there was a little girl named Rosa, who loved to read her Bible. One of her favorite stories was the story of Moses, and how he helped the Hebrew slaves gain freedom. Moses was a young man who lived in Egypt. He knew it wasn’t right for the Hebrew people to be the slaves of the...
    Story | By Christopher Buice | April 14, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Anti-Oppression, Black History / Whitney Young / James Reeb, Freedom, Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday
  • There once was a beautiful and powerful tiger. One day she was captured by a mean and cruel man who put her into a cage. The man kept the cage in the jungle not far from his house. Everyday he would bring out a bowl of water and some food for the lonely tiger....
    Story | By Christopher Buice | April 14, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Beauty, Freedom, Friendship, Power, Strength
  • Once upon a time there was a drop of water named Higgins. Higgins was no ordinary drop of water. He was a drop with a dream. Higgins lived in a valley where it had not rained in a very long time, so all the lovely green grass was turning brown, all the beautiful flowers were wilting, and all the...
    Story | By Christopher Buice | April 14, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 5th Principle (Conscience & Democracy), Community, Earth, Power, Purpose, Service, Strength, Unitarian Universalism, Water Communion
  • The Resurrection is to me the most difficult story in the Bible. John 20:31: Jesus said unto Thomas, "Because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed. Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." To elaborate on this, I look at three characters in the story. Mary Magdalene, a woman...
    Reading | By Ricardo Williams | April 13, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Christianity, Commitment, Doubt, Easter, Faith, Presence
  • May our lives be reflections of the beauty, peace, and joy that is possible in the world, and may the love we find in this place sustain us as we go our separate ways.
    Closing | By Chris Rothbauer | April 9, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Beauty, Interdependence, Love, Peace
  • This can be read by a single voice, or the congregation can be invited to speak, responsively, the phrase "Jesus is resurrected." Jesus is resurrected— because his message of love, justice, healing, and liberation transcends time and space. Jesus is resurrected— because in his story we hear our...
    Litany | By Kimberley Debus | April 9, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Christianity, Easter, Faith, Hope
  • Let us contemplate the Spirit together: Spirit of Life and Love, Justice and Peace: Six weeks ago our Christian neighbors held their rite of ashes, and this past week they scattered palms from which next year’s ashes will be made, and commemorated the death of the ancient leader whose ministry...
    Prayer | By Paul R Beedle | April 9, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Christianity, Connections, Easter, Hope, Interdependence
  • Let us contemplate the Spirit together: Spirit of Life and Love, Justice and Peace: Day in and day out wait weary tasks, burdens we lift again, worn paths we wear some more, Want, and means worn thin, and fatigue— Pain and grief, coldness of heart, bitter and weary days&mdash Where we know...
    Prayer | By Paul R Beedle | April 9, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Abundance, Balance, Easter, Healing, Health, Hope, Strength
  • We do not know the woman’s name. Jesus tells those with him not to scold her for anointing his head: “Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has performed a good service for me. For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish; but you will not...
    Reading | By Paul R Beedle | April 9, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Christianity, Connections, Easter, Faith, Relationships, Unity
  • In all sacred literature, the hearts of the storytellers are revealed in the stories, their breath is felt in the words on the page, and we may be touched or moved or stirred by their ancient art. And maybe we can glimpse a truth that they saw, if we read closely and reflect on what we have read.
    Reading | By Paul R Beedle | April 9, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Awe, Christianity, Contemplation, Easter, Mystery
  • Please join me for a body prayer of caring. We bring our hands over our hearts to express respect for ourselves. We expand our hands into a small circle to express respect for others. We expand our hands out wide to express our respect for our church. [repeat 3 times] Amen and may it be so.
    Prayer | By Annie Scott | April 3, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Body, Direct Experience, Healing, Health, Silence, Spiritual Practice, Worship Tips, WorshipWeb
  • It's important is to take time to be quiet, to be still, so we can be in touch with the deepest and best part of ourselves—our inner voice— often called prayer or meditation. I invite you to join in a body prayer. I will show you the motions— then invite you to move through it with me once,...
    Prayer | By Annie Scott | April 3, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Body, Direct Experience, Healing, Health, Silence, Spiritual Practice, Worship Tips, WorshipWeb
  • “I believe that if, on every Sunday morning before going to church, we could be lifted to a mountain-peak and see a horizon line of six hundred miles enfolding the copious splendor of the light on such a varied expanse; or if we could look upon a square mile of flowers representing all the specie...
    Quote | By Thomas Starr King | March 31, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Awe, Climate Justice, Earth, Earth Day, Nature, Reverence, Unitarianism, Universalism, Wonder
  • The Earth has returned. She is living, breathing, Realizing her breath was leaving. She was needing us to remember her worth, to recognize her worth all over again. We used to be her friends. We used to help her heal us. Help her, heal us. Help her heal us....
    Poetry | By Christopher Sims | March 30, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Climate Justice, Earth, Earth Day, Earth-Centered, Healing, Nature, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Unitarian Universalism
  • Bring who you are as you enter our church this morning. Bring your best self and your struggling self; bring your mistakes and your triumphs; bring your shortcomings and your recommitment to good....
    Opening | By Sarah C Stewart | March 29, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Acceptance, Covenant, Love, Relationships, Unitarian Universalism, Vulnerability
  • We extinguish this flame, But we keep its light in our hearts, with its message of love and justice, Taking it outside these walls to the world we live in, until we are together again.
    Chalice Extinguishing | By Maddie Sifantus | March 27, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Commitment, Community, Humanism, Justice, Teamwork, Unitarian Universalism, WorshipWeb
  • It is said that ministers are here to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. I say, we are all afflicted, and we are all comfortable. May our time together this morning be a comfort and a confrontation. May we here find peace in times of tumult; May we here invite tumult into lives of...
    Opening | By Sharon Wylie | March 27, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Activism, Challenge, Commitment, Justice, WorshipWeb
  • The diversity of the human species is astounding. The fact that we can gather together for common experience is nothing short of a miracle. Today, let us celebrate some of those differences....
    Opening | By Dawn Skjei Cooley | March 27, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Community, Covenant, Diversity, Sacred, WorshipWeb
  • We join our voices in a holy communion of mind and heart, dedicated to the promises that bind us in compassion, one with another. In this hour we light the flame that signals our intention to find the sacred in every living thing.
    Chalice Lighting | By Robin F. Gray | March 25, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Community, Compassion, Covenant, Dignity, Healing, Immanence, Inclusion, Reverence, Sacred, WorshipWeb
  • Ours is a communion borne of words and welcome. Our communion finds expression in caring and commitment to our highest ideals. Our communion lives on in our hearts though this sacred hour is ended.
    Closing | By Robin F. Gray | March 25, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Sacred, WorshipWeb
  • The flame is extinguished, but not our hope for the future, our courage in the face of crisis, or the love we share in all the world.
    Closing | By Robin F. Gray | March 25, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Sacred
  • By the light of this chalice we prepare for the future. We prepare ourselves for the times of triumph and times of trial that might come. We prepare ourselves to be present to one another with loving hearts even in the most difficult of times....
    Chalice Lighting | By Robin F. Gray | March 25, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Caring
  • We call for this blessing on all sheltered here whether in body or in spirit... May the flame of our community ignite a love bold enough to share. And, in return May we all be embraced by a love that remains constant in times of sorrow and in days of great gladness.
    Closing | By Robin F. Gray | March 25, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Community, Justice, Peace
  • (Can be preceded by singing the first verse of "Bright Morning Stars," Hymn 357 in Singing the Living Tradition) Day breaks on our gratitude for family and friends, For the freedom to find our own truth, For the company of those who gather here, And the promises we offer one another....
    Chalice Lighting | By Robin F. Gray | March 25, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Covenant, Faith, Family, Freedom, Friendship, Grace, Gratitude, Hope, Journey, Truth
  • As we prepare to depart, we give voice to these hopes: May we know ourselves bound in community, even while we are apart. May a passion for justice burn in our lives. May we carry the light of compassion in our hearts and in our every interaction....
    Closing | By Robin F. Gray | March 25, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Community, Justice, Peace, WorshipWeb
  • This chalice burns with twin flames. The first flame burns for those who seek and defend the right to a free and responsible search for truth and meaning so that each person may live according to conscience in a democratically elected society. The second flame burns for the defenders of freedom,...
    Chalice Lighting | By Tracy Bleakney | March 25, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), 5th Principle (Conscience & Democracy), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Activism, America, Anti-Oppression, Commitment, Democracy, Freedom, July 4th, Justice Sunday, Memorial Day, Oppression, Power, Responsibility, Rights, Secular, Unitarian Universalism, WorshipWeb
  • Wind that whispers through the willow trees Sun that sustains us Water that washes over willing earth and weathered stones A smile shared and savored A child’s squeal of delight as she dances in the daisies and daffodils The quiet joy of gathered community This, this is the spirit of life and lov...
    Invocation | By Seth Carrier-Ladd | March 25, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Beauty, Children, Community, Direct Experience, Earth, Earth-Centered, Humanism, Joy, Nature, Paganism, Sacred, Unitarian Universalism, WorshipWeb
  • Each week as we gather we light a common chalice. We sing and celebrate, we pray and think. Then we each gather strength from the flame and go out from here, taking the light with us.
    Closing | By Heather Christensen | March 25, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Community, Direct Experience, Humanism, Interdependence, Spirituality, Unitarian Universalism, WorshipWeb
  • Over the years your staples have slipped and pages loosened. Here a faded purple crescent of ancient wine, there a smudge from bricks of date paste. But when you speak I swoon....
    Poetry | By Rabbi Rachel Barenblat | March 24, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Courage, Freedom, God, History, Judaism, Reverence, Sacred, Tradition
  • The day after the seder, reality shoves back in like a football player with lowered shoulder. Dishes to wash: the browned kugel pan, chopping knives, the eggbeater that whipped the whites for Eppie’s matzah balls, the gravy boats that held haroset, the glass bowls encrusted with salt. All day...
    Poetry | By Rabbi Rachel Barenblat | March 24, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Food, Judaism, Passover (Pesach), Prophetic Words & Deeds, Spiritual Practice, Tradition
  • "So the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls wrapped in their cloaks upon their shoulders." —Exodus 12:34 You’ll need to travel light. Take what you can carry: a book, a poem, a battered tin cup, your child strapped to your chest, clutching your necklace in one...
    Poetry | By Rabbi Rachel Barenblat | March 24, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Courage, Fear, Freedom, Judaism, Letting Go, Passover (Pesach), Tradition, Transformation
  • Breakfast on kosher macaroons and Diet Pepsi in the car on the way to Price Chopper for lamb. Peel five pounds of onions and let the Cuisinart shred them while you push them down and weep....
    Poetry | By Rabbi Rachel Barenblat | March 24, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
    Tagged as: Direct Experience, Food, Freedom, Generations, Judaism, Passover (Pesach), Prophetic Words & Deeds, Spirituality, Tradition

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