A meat eater comes up to a vegan: “Did you hear about the new study saying vegans are more likely to go blind? I guess it’s because you don’t get the proper nutrition.” The vegan replied, “Nah, it’s just from reading all of those tiny ingredient lists.” Vegans (vegetarians who don’t...

Spirit of life, we come from different spaces. Some of us arrive alive with hope and joy. Some of us come in loneliness or fear -- looking for friendship and support but not sure we'll find it.

At this quiet time and in this place of worship we would seek to know more deeply what it means to love one another. We know so well our own needs. We know that we, ourselves need understanding, affection and recognition. Why is it then that so often we hesitate to extend these precious gifts to...

Spirit of kindness and compassion, we come from different places to this sacred ground of communal caring. We are enriched by the company of each other, and are drawn closer to the heart of love in this time of service. Touch this gathering with tenderness so that we may be refreshed anew by the...

Spirit of creative good, be with us when we are afraid. Grant us the courage to do what we have to do. Grant us the peace that passes understanding. When we fail to find courage, or peace, May we find compassion for our brothers and sisters who also fail. May we sometimes win the prizes that we...

Here is where it all begins. It cannot be otherwise. Here we have come to listen, we have come to hear. An old woman sat here yesterday on a park bench, a brown bag at her side, her eyes sparkling as children frolicked on a carousel. "Nice day," I said. "You're right," she said, and smiled....

We gather together to face ourselves honestly, to forgive ourselves gently, to love one another fervently.

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...

Once upon a time, a thief snuck into the room of a sleeping Buddhist monk. As the burglar rummaged about, the monk awoke. The startled thief ran into the snowy streets with the monk racing after him, "Please stop!" the monk called, and the man finally did, realizing that his pursuer was no threat.

May our lives be blest according to the depth of our love, the persistence of our faith, our willingness to forgive and be compassionate, and in proportion to our yearning to be free. Amen.

Our time in this place may have ended, but our connection to each other and this community remains. Together may we walk the path of justice, speak words of love, live the selfless deed, trod gently upon the earth, and fill the world with compassion. Until we meet again, blessed be.

Now may our wisdom show itself in compassion and understanding; and may the fruits of the spirit be apparent in our lives.

As we depart one from another, let our hearts be secure through every human season. Let our hearts be secure in seasons of anguish as in seasons of joy, in seasons of failure as in seasons of success, in seasons of uncertainty as in seasons of security....

Go in peace. Live simply, at home in yourself. Be just in your word, just in deed. Remember the depth of your own compassion. Do not forget your power in the days of your powerlessness. Do not desire with desire to be wealthier than your peers, and never stint your hand of charity. Practice...

My friend Marcy and her boyfriend Brian recently ate dinner at a local Chinese restaurant. As they enjoyed a plate of lo mein, engrossed in conversation, a hand reached down and ushered away their platter of noodles....