Be ­gentle with another— It is a cry from the lives of ­people battered By thoughtless words and brutal deeds; It comes from the lips of those who speak them, And the lives of those who do them. Who of us can look inside another and know what is there Of hope and hurt, or promise and pain? Who...

Let us enter into a time of meditation, contemplation, and prayer. Feel the earth beneath your feet as it supports you. Feel the love of this community as it surrounds and enfolds you. Feel your breath as it flows in and out of your body. Listen to your heartbeat. Listen to your heart . . ....

With our words we have given our mind's consent to the letter of this covenant. Now let us come together in the spirit of covenant, laying on our hands, and offering our heart's consent. As we begin, join me in placing your hands over your heart. Feel its precious beating....

Note: This ritual combines fresh water with water from the previous year that has been boiled and filtered. The combined water is poured over the hands into the common bowl. Minister: The ancient Greek philosopher Heracltus of Ephesus is famous for one belief. He taught his students that...

When I begin to bless this food and close my eyes I lose myself first just in green: how do leaves grow themselves this green and how do they grow at all to be so large and how do they make themselves from soil which in itself is only brown and sunlight helps and water but how is the end of this,...

To those who gave birth this year to their first child—we celebrate with you To those who lost a child this year–we mourn with you To those who are in the trenches with little ones every day and wear the badge of food stain–we appreciate you To those who experienced loss through miscarriage,...

Ground of all being, Great Nurturing Spirit, This morning especially, we give thanks For beautiful days right in between spring and summer, For flowers and green trees and freshly cut grass and lazy lakeside afternoons, For the sound and sight and heart-swell of being together in this place made...

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....

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.

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,...

The road of history is long, full of both hope and disappointment. In times past, there have been wars and rumors of wars, violence and exploitation, hunger and homelessness, and destruction of this earth, your creation....