Spirit of Life and Love, we are here because we believe what we do matters. We are here because we believe how we live our life matters. That with every act of kindness or meanness, courage or fear, love or hate, we are weaving the fabric of the universe that holds us all. We are here because we...

On this Transgender Day of Remembrance, we remember those who have been murdered for being who they are, those who face violence on a daily basis, those who have lost loved ones, and those who worry for loved ones. May we come to a time when we cease to shame children around gender roles and...

NOTE: All or part of this ritual can be used to bless a sacred space. We blessed our newly renovated sanctuary for the qualities and attributes we were trying to create with our renovations. Between each blessing, we sang a hymn, had a children’s story, took the offering, had a choir anthem, and...

[In the] spirit of love, harmony, and remembrance, we stand too often divided, too often set apart from one another in heedless ways. We seek to be compassionate but our vision may be clouded or distracted. We too often go forward, day by day, and look without seeing....

You are not alone, dear one...you are among all those who have walked this straining path before. You are not alone... you are with the wisdom of all your ancestors who live, if nowhere else, in the cells of your body and breath, remembering you from the very beginning....

We take time to remember The ancestor’s journey Lit by a thousand stars What the wilderness taught them “Blessed art thou oh lord” Trust in the path Celebrate with joy What might the wilderness teach us Where can we pray to our thousand stars To feel our own life’s blessings To know our own...

Today we gather with determination and commitment that is grounded in a profound sense of sorrow for those who have suffered and will suffer in the future because of climate change. As always, those who suffer most are the poor and marginalized....

The flame of our chalice this morning is a symbol of the warmth and brightness of our connections. The flame lights our way back together again From our separate summer lives, and it lights our way forward Into this new church year of promise and renewal.

Never from that summons swerve; Hark the prophets' living chorus! Truth and freedom still to serve Show the present path before us. As we dream, so shall we dare; Hands to service, hearts to prayer. Clouds of witness call us on, That a nobler day may dawn.

New Member Covenant (new members recite in unison) We enter this faith with hope and possibility in our hearts, pledging to participate in and support the ministries of this church. We covenant to remain true to the spirit of love that flows through this church and guides us....

Responsive Reading of Dedication 2011 (based on readings from 1950 and 1964 dedications of this church adapted by Rev. Kanter)....

Christmas and Hanukah once upon a time were about struggle, hope, and freedom. Both stories are exile stories pointing out how even a glimmer of light can provide a lasting hope for the triumph of all that is good. While we haven’t altogether lost these themes in our modern interpretations, we...

God of many names and mystery beyond all our naming, Persist in guiding us to a quiet measure of this moment, That we might link heart to heart in the stillness and calm, Leaving behind all scurrying and fury, rush and contempt For the shore of this quiet moment....

To love life is to notice the wonders that abound And To notice the wonders that abound Is to be grounded here and now And To be grounded here and now Is the beginning of finding love for this life today. Let us ground ourselves in this instant in the worship of all things good and right.

Today we walk toward the dayspring breaking through, the Easter day of joy.

Creator and Creation, We are here and We know paradise is beyond our reach yet at our finger tips. Here the sacred is revealed, And we hope for peace, And restoration of the soul. We acknowledge we are not in charge, And relinquish control. Let the realm of humanity be transcended by all that is...

Spirit of Life that flows through our hearts like a never ending stream, On this blessed day we are filled with gratitude to find ourselves together once again in this sacred time and place, unified in our diversity by the hope and compassion in our hearts, as well as the sadness and...

Ultimate Grace, the heart of every matter, in every perfection and imperfection, in all senses and: tenses, in moments of every right and wrong, presenting choices to inquiring hearts. You are in the purpose and the journey of mishaps. You are in moments of understanding and misunderstanding. We...

At the beginning of this sermon, pictures of the five black people killed by police officers were projected for the congregation to see as each was named. At the end of the sermon, photo portraits of each were placed on chairs as candles were lit for them. This is Tamir Rice. Tamir Rice is twelve...

Do not think we are finished— oh no we will never be finished never just done until the light of justice is lit behind every eye. Do not think we will be silent— no there will not be silence until the world has sung the names of the dead with full throats and still we will sing on. Do not think...