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When you hear, “We are the liberating force, spirit, light, and love,” what does that conjure in your spirit?Meditation | By Elandria Williams | January 25, 2023 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Activism, Power, Solidarity, WorshipWeb, Worship -
Of all the things "faith" can mean, to me it means believing in us.Reflection | By Erika Hewitt | November 9, 2022 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: Choice, Democracy, Living Our Faith, Power, Unitarian Universalism, Worship -
Blessing something or someone is a way of expressing my gratitude and reverence for them.Reflection | By Tania Márquez | May 4, 2022 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Direct Experience, Family, Mothers, Power, Spiritual Practice, Spirituality, Worship -
May we forever perceive the ways we can empower others.Reflection | By Sara Palmer | March 23, 2022 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: Children, Coming-of-Age, Compassion, Growth, Parents, Power, Worship -
This reflection was part of Side With Love Sunday 2021.Homily | By Julica Hermann de la Fuente | March 10, 2021 | From WorshipWebTagged as: #30DaysOfLove, #BlackLivesMatter, #SideWithLove, 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), Anti-Oppression, Direct Experience, Equity, Humanism, Justice, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Multiculturalism, Power, Privilege, Race/Ethnicity, Relationships, Secular, Unitarian Universalism, WorshipWeb, Worship -
"As people become more afraid and insecure, they do not know how to access their own soul, move to prayer, or toward their better instincts. At that point, the easy and comforting response is to quote some Scripture, some authority, or some legal principle. It takes away one’s anxiety rather...Quote | By Richard Rohr | February 25, 2021 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Arrogance, Authority, Christianity, Fear, Power
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The person who enjoys privilege always knows less about the person who lives under the weight of that privilege than the people who are actually under it.Quote | By Ta-Nehisi Coates | November 24, 2020 | From WorshipWebTagged as: #BlackLivesMatter, Anti-Oppression, Direct Experience, Justice, Power, Privilege, Race/Ethnicity, WorshipWeb, Worship
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We light this flame To ignite the sacred power of justice. We light this flame So that it may be a beacon of hope In moments of uncertainty, fear, anxiety, and the unknown....Chalice Lighting | By Jami Yandle | August 13, 2020 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), Justice, Love, Power -
"I believe firmly that to practice love is to disrupt the status quo which is masquerading as peace." —posted on Austin Channing Brown's Instagram, June 17, 2020...Quote | By Austin Channing Brown | June 27, 2020 | From WorshipWebTagged as: #BlackLivesMatter, Activism, Direct Experience, Justice, Living Our Faith, Love, Power, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Solidarity, Transformation -
I learned the hard way that there is a deep difference between the Jesus that Black folks worship and the Jesus that white Christians worship.Reading | By Austin Channing Brown | June 27, 2020 | From WorshipWebTagged as: #BlackLivesMatter, 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), Christianity, Direct Experience, History, Power, Race/Ethnicity, Religion -
Deep in the shadow of night, down near the crossroads and cemetery gates, with bitter liquor and cigar smoke wafting, I greet you. Clad in white, upon the floor before shrines, following the names of the Ancestors being uttered, I greet you. You are the sacred and righteous rage of my people.Prayer | By Byron "Tyler" Coles | June 2, 2020 | From WorshipWebTagged as: #BlackLivesMatter, 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Activism, Anger, Awe, Direct Experience, Generations, Indigenous American, Meaning, Power, Race/Ethnicity, Relationships, Secular, Wonder
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Jesus had no political power. He lived his whole life in the shadow of the Roman empire, and that empire killed him. Yet Jesus healed the sick, he listened, he moved among the ordinary people, in the lowly places.Reflection | By Myke Johnson | April 8, 2020 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: #COVID19, 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Calling, Caring, Christianity, Democracy, Easter, Evil, Good Friday, Healing, Hope, Power, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Responsibility -
May I always remember that Tango, like life, is a dance of the people. It’s meant to be shared, not practiced in isolation.Reflection | By Katie Romano Griffin | September 18, 2019 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Arts & Music, Balance, Body, Connections, Direct Experience, Family, Humanism, Multiculturalism, Playfulness, Power, Relationships, Secular -
There are so many spiritual lessons from the natural world and—in a season filled with Ingatherings and Water Communions—this is one for me: oxbow lakes as a beautiful combination of resiliency, strength, and flexibility.Reflection | By Tim Atkins | September 11, 2019 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: Beginnings, Direct Experience, Discernment, Earth, Earth-Centered, Environment, Homecoming / Ingathering, Journey, Nature, Power, Strength, Water Communion -
Spirit of Life, I have witnessed a loud love, an out-loud love, that challenges me. I did not recognize it at first— the rumble of an ocean I had long been under. But here it is right now and it looks just like the whole world could be. It doesn’t play nice; why should it when nice has only ever...Prayer | By Becky Brooks | September 9, 2019 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Direct Experience, God, Love, Power, Prophetic Words & Deeds -
I invite you now to join me in the spirit of meditation and imagination. Find a comfortable position in your seat and close your eyes. Take a deep breath and try to find the restorative power of air and water in the breath. We must breathe to live, but our bodies also need water to survive. Our...Meditation | By Israel Buffardi | December 7, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 6th Principle (World Community), Beginnings, Body, Commitment, Courage, Creativity, Generations, History, Judaism, New Year, Power, Rosh Hashanah, Searching, Spiritual Practice -
Advent is about expectation—radical expectations that undo the status quo—and anticipation: a skillful search for the places where liberation rises from the ashes.Reflection | By Robin Tanner | December 5, 2018 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Advent, Anti-Oppression, Christianity, Direct Experience, Patience, Power, Presence, Progress -
I like to think that after many years of living together, our family has developed a certain sense of equilibrium, a certain ease with each other. From time to time, of course, differences arise and sometimes, and, occasionally, an act of outright rebellion....Reading | By Carl Scovel | September 4, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), Christianity, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Direct Experience, Power -
Let this banner be a symbol of hope, A blanket of protection for those who need it, And a cape of power for those who must be empowered. Let this flag be a standard of our conviction to embody all of these things, And to be the change we will upon the world. Let the will we weave to empower and...Blessing | By Alex Swift | August 3, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Activism, Commitment, Compassion, Courage, Healing, Hope, Humanism, Justice, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Love, Power, Pride Sunday, Secular, Unitarian Universalism -
This is a prayer for when words fail, for when they are not big enough or small enough to slip into the little cracks left in our hearts by life’s unbearable pressures....Prayer | By Leslie Takahashi | July 17, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Challenge, Community, Disaster or Crisis, Fear, Hope, Power, Suffering, Transcendence, Unitarian Universalism, Unity -
Spirit of Life, God of Love, hear this cry which begins with gratitude for the human ability to take action to right the wrongs of our kin. If you are the force of Love, be loving to these dear ones who would rid the world of hatred and greed. If you are the force of Possibility, seed opportunity...Prayer | By Leslie Takahashi | July 3, 2018 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 5th Principle (Conscience & Democracy), 6th Principle (World Community), Activism, America, Democracy, God, Hope, Justice, Power, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Solidarity, Unitarian Universalism -
Last year for Lent, I decided to say yes to any request. I made it all the way to Easter without having to honor my decision.Reflection | By Nathan Ryan | March 14, 2018 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Choice, Christianity, Direct Experience, Humanism, Lent, Power, Privilege, Relationships, Spiritual Practice, Transformation, Unitarian Universalism -
"How complicated it is to break silence: to open all of the secrets in all of our broken hearts. But silence does break; truth seeks the light. We're unraveling silence because we have determined that our power with one another is greater than the power someone once had over us."Reflection | By Erika Hewitt | November 15, 2017 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Brokenness, Direct Experience, Gender, Healing, Humanism, Men, Power, Silence, Truth, Violence, Women -
Spirit of Life and of Love, Holy One that reaches wide to encompass all beings, Hold us to Yourself in this moment. We come to this place carrying so much in our hearts. Around us we hear the laments of a broken world, Torn by fire, storm and strife, Crying, “I too have suffered. I too have been...Prayer | By Rev. Molly Brewer | October 21, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Anti-Oppression, Body, Direct Experience, Healing, Pain, Power, Salvation, Solidarity, Vulnerability, Wholeness, Women -
Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson, is a novel that takes the form of a letter or journal that a dying, elderly Congregationalist minister in Gilead, Iowa, writes to his 7-year old son in 1956 – written so that one day the boy will know something about his father’s life and character. In this passage...Reading | By Marilynne Robinson | March 10, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Animal Blessing, Animals, Awe, Calling, Christianity, Faith, Leadership, Ministry, Ordinations, Power, Sacred, Unitarian Universalism, Wonder -
"What we need is here" is a perfect, simple song by Episcopalian priest Rev. Amy McCreath. Its five words are the closing sentence of a Wendell Berry poem, "The Wild Geese," which inspired Amy to write this tune....Music | By Amy McCreath | February 13, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Arts & Music, Community, Direct Experience, Faith, Humanism, Living Our Faith, Power, Presence, Purpose, Self-Respect, Solidarity, Unity -
An awakening passed through the whole theatre, and as if touched by some invisible hand, the people stood, clapped, shouted with joy, laughed, and wept… It was blessed to be connected to—no, to be a part of a community—a people. —Volker Kühn, in his essay about a cabaret performance during...Reflection | By Sean Parker Dennison | December 14, 2016 | From Braver/WiserTagged as: Arts & Music, Community, History, Personal Stories, Power, Responsibility, Self-Respect, Suffering, Tradition -
Do not be alone right now. Gather together. Gathering together grows courage: in ourselves and in others who see the numbers swelling. It is a small thing, but right now it is an important thing....Affirmation | By Karen G. Johnston | August 1, 2016 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 6th Principle (World Community), Community, Direct Experience, Justice, Power, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Purpose, Responsibility, Solidarity, Unity -
"The power of transgression is the archetypal foundational story of the Bible because we transgress; because we want to break our own codes, sometimes of morality, sometimes of ethics, sometimes of the power structures… because there is freedom in transgression, and there is power in...Quote | By Esther Perel | June 5, 2016 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Blame, Brokenness, Commitment, Failure, Freedom, Power
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The invisibility of whiteness means that one doesn't have to notice that one is white. So there are people, and then there are black people. There are people and there are Latino people. And people—just people, just folks—turn out to be white, but we don't notice it. White people have the luxury...Quote | By john a. powell | May 9, 2016 | From WorshipWebTagged as: #BlackLivesMatter, America, Anti-Oppression, Direct Experience, Identity, Justice, Power, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Race/Ethnicity, Self-Respect
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"The thing that's really slick about whiteness, if you will, is that most of the benefits can be obtained without ever doing anything personally......Quote | By john a. powell | May 9, 2016 | From WorshipWebTagged as: #BlackLivesMatter, Anti-Oppression, Direct Experience, Gender, Identity, Justice, Power, Privilege, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Race/Ethnicity -
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." This quote has been widely attributed to Martin Luther King, Jr.Quote | May 2, 2016 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Activism, Integrity, Living Our Faith, Power, Purpose, Seven Principles, Solidarity, Strength
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Prayer of Thanks for Hoes & Scythes & Spatulas & Toothbrushes & Binoculars & the Myriad Other Tools & Instruments That Fit Our Hands So Gracefully & Allow Us to Work with a Semblance of Deftitude Lovely little inventions, just right for the job at hand—a lawn edger, for example, or an arrow, or...Prayer | By Brian Doyle | April 27, 2016 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Calling, Choice, Direct Experience, God, Imagination, Mystery, Power, Purpose, Responsibility, Wonder -
Imagine if Easter preachers—and all the rest of us—had the chutzpah of Mary Magdalene.Time for All Ages | By Anne S. Howard | March 22, 2016 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), Abundance, Christianity, Courage, Easter, God, Good, Power, Revelation -
Love is the aspiration, the spirit that moves and inspires this faith we share. Rightly understood, love can nurture our spirits and transform the world....Chalice Lighting | By Maureen Killoran | February 26, 2016 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Body, Challenge, Community, Direct Experience, Faith, Generosity, Healing, Love, Mourning, Power, Spirituality, Transformation, Valentine's Day, WorshipWeb -
If you came to this place expecting a tame story, you came to the wrong place. If you came for a story that does not threaten you, you came for a different story than the one we tell. If you came to hear of the coming of a God who only showed up so that you could have a nice day with your loved...Opening | By Quinn G. Caldwell | November 24, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Christianity, Christmas Eve / Christmas, Integrity, Justice, Love, Power, Transformation -
Mindful that With great power comes great responsibility, We light this chalice in the hopes that In brightest day, in blackest night, Our faith will Flame on! —Spiderman, Green Lantern, & the Human Torch (compiled by Cynthia Landrum)...Chalice Lighting | By Cynthia Landrum | November 11, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: America, Courage, Covenant, Faith, Hope, Hospitality, Mindfulness, Playfulness, Power, Responsibility, Secular -
As we approach our agenda let us remember that we are doing the work of the congregation.* When we do the work of this congregation*, we touch lives. When we touch lives, we change the world. May this chalice flame we now kindle remind us throughout our meeting of our ministry and our mission....Chalice Lighting | By Erik Walker Wikstrom | November 10, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Business Meetings, Commitment, Covenant, Discernment, Leadership, Mindfulness, Power, Privilege, Purpose, Responsibility, Service, Seven Principles, Unitarian Universalism -
Reader 1: The word courage comes from the Latin cor, which means heart. According to poet Mark Nepo, the original use of the word courage meant to stand by one’s core: a “striking concept that reinforces the belief found in almost all traditions that living from the Center is what enables us to...Chalice Lighting | By Erika Hewitt | October 29, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), 6th Principle (World Community), Courage, Covenant, Identity, Love, Power, Purpose, Relationships, Responsibility, Strength, Trust -
God of many names and mystery beyond all our naming, Our time together today is a precious gift. We gather in the name of justice in love and service to a higher good. We gather in hope for a world where oppression of any kind is challenged. We gather to spark the fire of commitment lit in every...Prayer | By Daniel Chesney Kanter | October 1, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Body, Family, Power, Responsibility, Secular, Reproductive Justice -
#BlackLivesMatter Let the only burning be the fire of commitment in our hearts, minds, hands, spirits in our community of faith. Live solidarity. Use your voice. Demand justice... better, live it into being. Cry out for others to join you. Name hate as hate—without shrinking back without...Poetry | By Jeannie Shero | August 11, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: #BlackLivesMatter, 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 6th Principle (World Community), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Anti-Oppression, Black History / Whitney Young / James Reeb, Change, Direct Experience, Honesty, Humanism, Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday, Oppression, Power, Privilege, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Race/Ethnicity, Solidarity, Unitarian Universalism -
There are different versions of this Middle Eastern folktale; this version is just one way to tell it. You can find storytelling tips on WorshipWeb, but this story is also followed by suggestions about integrating this story into worship....Story | By Anonymous | August 10, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Animals, Honesty, Integrity, International, Mindfulness, Playfulness, Power, Relationships, Vision -
What does “fair” mean? Is “fair” the same thing as “equal”? Which one is reflected in the concept of “justice”? Designed to be used as a Message for All Ages or as part of a Children's Chapel service, this activity uses cookies (yum!) to explore the differences between fair and...Activity | By Erika Hewitt | August 3, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Anti-Oppression, Children's Sabbath, Direct Experience, Equity, Food, Justice, Playfulness, Power, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Relationships, Seven Principles -
Sheet Music (PDF) for "There Is A Love." There is a love holding me / us. There is a love holding all that I / we love. There is a love holding all. I / We rest in this love.Music | By Elizabeth H. Norton, Rebecca Ann Parker | July 31, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Awe, Direct Experience, Love, Peace, Power, Relationships, Seven Principles, Transcendence, Wonder -
It is the day before the election as I write these lines, and whatever the outcome, I will be glad when it’s over. Some will be elated by the results, and others will feel dejected, but regardless of who wins or loses, our world will still be broken and suffering from ills that government is...Meditation | By Gary Kowalski | June 3, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 5th Principle (Conscience & Democracy), Brokenness, Character, Freedom, Generations, Governance, Living Our Faith, Politics, Power, Responsibility, Suffering
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It hurts to let go of intensity that zapped like electricity yesterday. It hurts to disconnect arcing power, watch it ground and vanish. What was it that surged through us to lighten gray, indifferent skies? What was it that connected our hearts to hope?...Poetry | By Stephen M. Shick | April 27, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Forgiveness, Letting Go, Pain, Power -
Now is the time to call on the memories of the ancestors who thought they could not walk another step toward freedom—and yet they did. It is that time and place to call on the memories of the ancestors who, when the darkness of their lives threatened to take away the hope and light, reached a...Poetry | By Qiyamah Rahman | April 26, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Calling, Connections, Generations, History, Power, Purpose, Responsibility
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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 WorshipWebTagged as: Animals, History, Judaism, Peace, Power
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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 WorshipWebTagged as: Power, Truth
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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 WorshipWebTagged as: Abundance, Generosity, Power, Service, Stewardship, Strength