O God who gave us life and death, you hold us in your hands. You cradle us in our need, and you push us into growth. We confess to you that all is not well, that we grieve the loss of many things and people....

"I remove my shoes because this is hallowed ground," the guide says. "A holy place, not an everyday life place." The guide tells us how we know—or think we know—it was the one and not the other for those people millennia ago. But aren’t the places where we live holy ground? Don’t our very...

Spirit of life and love, light within and without, mystery from which we have all emerged, within which we live and die: be with us now as we allow ourselves to drop into the silence and stillness at the center of our being. As people of faith, we seek to live in a spirit of love, a spirit of...

Gracious God, From Isaiah we hear you say, “Do not fear. I have called you by name. You are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you. And when you walk through fire, you will not be burned, and the flames shall not consume...

Throughout time, our Unitarian Universalist faith tradition has held a thread of clarity: how we relate to each other creates the conditions of hell or heaven here on earth. We may not know or agree about what lies beyond this life, but it's our conviction that that our actions– and our inactions...

Gracious God, A warrior fights for those who cannot fight for themselves. As a warrior prepares for battle, there is a solemn responsibility: to know how and when and if to take life, just as a warrior must know how and when and if to risk their own life....

Let every moment be a prayer. With every sip of trea, let your lips move in thanksgiving. Be fully present to every stroke of the hairbrush, every cup of milk you pour for the children....

Kids, I want you to do something special: I want you to put on your backpacks, if you brought them, leaving the back pocket open just enough for us to drop in a small gift...and I want you to stand up on your pews....

Based on Dedications led by the Revs Janne and Rob Eller-Isaacs, Unity Church-Unitarian, St. Paul, MN Let us enter into a space of dedication and hope, of promise and love, as we bless these young members of our community. I invite (children and caretakers) to the chancel. (Children’s names), by...

Each person (mostly children but some adults will have brought their backpacks too) comes forward with their backpack and stands in a group. The prayer follows, then worship associates give each person a “luggage tag” bearing a flaming chalice logo. Spirit of Life and Hope and Love, for many of...

God of all known by many names, Holy one. It’s in sorrow that I implore your intercession in removing the darkness that has descended upon this land. Heartbroken and filled with pain, we are on the precipice of descending into our lowest form of baseness in despair. Lift the veil of hatred, envy...

The days that come and carry away your spirit, your spark — bow down. Lay your head on the hard earth and let your brokenness join the death that is stirring there. Life rebels against death, takes the very dust of our bones and reweaves it into glory. You were made for Life, and Life does not...

Spirit of Life and Love, I come before you black and brown and red and yellow and alabaster, I come longing for the simpler days that truly never were our lot. And I am an American. Hear these voices, as in the complexity of our days, I am Humanist and Christian, Muslim and Jew, Pagan and Atheist...

No hot house flowers, these, bred for perfection, dyed and trimmed, and arranged to order, clothed in ribbons and bows. Not these. No, these are hardy, raw and wild. Grown under the sky, they’ve weathered the wind and the rain and the heat. These drew nutrients from the neighborhood soil and...

Spirit of Life and Love, known by many names and yet fully known by none, be with us in this hour of grief. Be with us as we reach out to one another in comfort. Be with us as we come to terms with our sadness, anger, and despair. Hold us in the embrace of eternal love...

Today, and forever, I grieve the loss of life. I grieve for the people who died in [name of most recent shooting]. I grieve for their families, friends, and co-workers. I grieve for those who were there and feel both lucky and guilty that they survived while others died. We have witnessed another...

I am sad. I am mad. I am afraid. These small words keep repeating in my head and heart. We give voice to our grief because of the lives stolen in Orlando: gay and lesbian and trans lives. Latino and Latina lives. Beloved, cherished lives. We give voice to our prayers for lasting comfort for their...

Imagine this. On the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, every fall, every year, the people make their peace with anyone they have wronged or slighted or injured or in any way neglected in the past twelve months....

People ask me sometimes, “Is this a gay church?” It is a privilege to answer: “Ours is absolutely, gladly, hopefully and humbly, gaily, a gay church, a gay tradition, where everyone, including heterosexual members and friends, is welcome, where everyone is needed, where everyone’s experience...

Six weeks into the church year, I have realized that I am the minister of a church where things usually go wrong. This morning the copy machine jams repeatedly. The bulletin describing the order of worship has been copied with the second page first and also upside down....