Erik Walker Wikstrom

Erik Walker Wikstrom is the Lead Minister at Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church in Charlottesville, Virginia. He is the author of several books and curricula, including Serving With Grace: Lay Leadership as a Spiritual Practice.

From Erik Walker Wikstrom

Displaying 11 - 20 of 22

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, a commissioning is "the act of granting certain powers or authority to carry out a particular task or duty." In many churches there is a common misconception that the leaders of the church run things—that the Board or the Council of Chairs has all...

Ritual | By Erik Walker Wikstrom | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
Tagged as: 5th Principle (Conscience & Democracy), Governance, History, Stewardship, Unitarian Universalism

We come together this morning because within us there is something that knows we need more than we can find in our aloneness. We know—instinctively, in the depths of ourselves—that we need others for this journey of life even though we also guard our independence and individuality quite...

Opening | By Erik Walker Wikstrom | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
Tagged as: Community, Connections, Relationships

For if they are evil and we are not, if that's how we see things, then we are committing the same kind of error which led to this tragedy. That's the problem of evil. Not so much that it exists — in that it's really just a fact of life, or a force of nature. The problem of evil, as I see it, is...

Sermon | By Erik Walker Wikstrom | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb

Once upon a time there was a girl named Wendy. She loved grass. What can I say? She loved grass—she loved the feel of it between her toes; she loved the smell of it when it was freshly mown; she loved its bright green color. Wendy loved grass more than just about anything. One day her family...

Story | By Erik Walker Wikstrom | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
Tagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Acceptance, Respect, Revelation, Unitarian Universalism
Photo of galaxy with stars

Each of the stars in the heavens is unique, an individual, yet together they form the night sky; Each of us here is unique, an individual, yet together we are a congregation; Each of our congregations is unique, an individual, yet together we are an Association....

Chalice Lighting | By Erik Walker Wikstrom | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
Tagged as: Awe, Caring, Connections, Diversity, Gratitude, Identity, Individualism, Nature, Purpose, Relationships

If the “opening words” called people to worship and opened the time and space for this purpose, the closing words bring the service to an end and prepare people to return home. If the service has been thematically tied together, the words can be a summation, a parting thought, a final nugget for...

Closing | By Erik Walker Wikstrom | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb

If you are who you were, and if the person next to you is who he or she was, if none of us has changed since the day we came in here— we have failed. The purpose of this community— of any church, temple, zendo, mosque— is to help its people grow. We do this through encounters with the...

Closing | By Erik Walker Wikstrom | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
Tagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Acceptance, Change, Character, Growth, Integrity, Living Our Faith, Purpose, Transformation
Offering bakset

It is said, “The Lord loves a cheerful giver,” yet we’ll accept from a grouch as well. As the ushers prepare to take this morning’s offering, may each of us look into not just our wallets or our checkbooks to see how much we have with us. Let us also look into our hearts and see what is...

Offering | By Erik Walker Wikstrom | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
Tagged as: Christianity, Direct Experience, Faith, Generosity, Gratitude, Stewardship

Spirit of Life, known by many names yet by no name fully known—we gather today with hopes and dreams and also with fears and wounds... [briefly name some of the things lifted up during the candles of joy and sorrow]. May we be reminded that all things come and go; that today’s joys and today’s...

Prayer | By Erik Walker Wikstrom | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb
Tagged as: Change, Community, Compassion, Growth, Joy, Sorrow, Unitarian Universalism

To “invoke” is to “call forth” and is traditionally associated with calling upon God. You can also think of it as invoking the spirit of your community—its vision of justice, its playful energy, or its familial feeling. Invocations can also serve to introduce the theme that you’ll be...

Opening | By Erik Walker Wikstrom | January 21, 2015 | From WorshipWeb

For more information contact .