Are you looking for interactive worship materials? Be sure to check out our Litanies section.
(In a responsive reading, the leader and congregation read different words as the piece progresses. In a litany, the congregation responds to the reader with the same phrase, repeatedly.)
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Displaying 21 - 30 of 48
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One: Listening is not an act of the ear, listening is an act of the heart. Many: In these times when so much speaks: outrage, anger, disillusionment. One: Rage is a constant cry. Derision has found his voice. The despair of the fair and faithful speaks fast and often. The whisper of despair grows...Responsive Reading | By Leslie Takahashi | September 12, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Caring, Direct Experience, Empathy, Healing, Meditation Practices, Multiculturalism, Prayer Practices, Unitarian Universalism, Wholeness
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As we are confronted by chaos, May we have the wisdom to believe in peace. Surrounded by voices of disagreement, May we have the audacity to speak for peace. Lured by the seduction of despair, May we have the courage to maintain a vision of possibility and peace.Responsive Reading | By Maureen Killoran | August 23, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), Commitment, Courage, Peace
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When the angel Gabriel brought to Mary the news that she would give birth to a son, Luke records that “she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.” The angel said to Mary, [response:] Do not be afraid. When an angel appeared before the shepherds living...Responsive Reading | By Andrew Millard | August 18, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Awe, Christianity, Community, Despair, Direct Experience, Faith, Fear, Hope, Solidarity, Tradition, Unity
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One: It may be the hardest thing we will ever do, Many: Caught up in our self-righteousness, honing our pain. One: The one who offended may not deserve forgiveness Many: And we are not obliged to offer it. One: Why, then, should we forgive? Many: Because we have all caused pain....Responsive Reading | By Amanda Udis-Kessler | July 3, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Direct Experience, Fire Communion, Forgiveness, Growth, Healing, Humanism, Letting Go, Limitations, New Year, Spiritual Practice, Transformation, Yom Kippur
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One: We would go deeper. Many: We would become the selves we cannot even imagine today. One: We would become courageous. Many: We would grow to delight in congregations filled with different perspectives. One: We would know unutterable joy. Many: We would be filled with gratitude. One: May we go...Responsive Reading | By Amanda Udis-Kessler | July 3, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), Awe, Courage, Direct Experience, Gratitude, Spirituality, Transformation, Wonder
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One: Today, Pride Day, we affirm with joy that we are proud. Many: We are proud to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and questioning. One: We are proud to have survived and thrived despite challenges to our dignity, well-being, and sometimes even our lives. Many: We are proud to be...Responsive Reading | By Amanda Udis-Kessler | June 10, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), Anti-Oppression, Direct Experience, Humanism, Identity, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer, Multiculturalism, Pride Sunday, Secular, Solidarity, Unitarian Universalism
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Leader: We're not sure what happened. But, we know what it's like when someone appears whose message we feel offers hope, who inspires us with new ways of living....Responsive Reading | By Daniel Budd | March 14, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Christianity, Death, Doubt, Easter, Faith, Mystery, Sorrow, Unitarian Universalism, Wonder
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We light the Hanukkah candles in wonder, joy, and gratitude, each candle a miracle. When the Holy Temple was rededicated at the time of the Maccabean liberation battle, only one day’s worth of oil remained, yet it burned for eight days so we light candles in remembrance....Responsive Reading | By Amanda Udis-Kessler | January 18, 2017 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Anti-Oppression, Awe, Freedom, Hanukkah, Judaism, Trust, Wonder
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In the face of hate, We answer the call of love.Responsive Reading | By Julia Corbett-Hemeyer | December 7, 2016 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Activism, Anti-Oppression, Commitment, Equity, Human Rights, Humanism, Indigenous Peoples Day, Justice, Justice Sunday, Living Our Faith, Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday, Multiculturalism, Pride Sunday, Secular, Seven Principles, Solidarity, Unitarian Universalism, United Nations Day, Vision
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They once dwelled among us, the people of memory.Responsive Reading | By Heather K Janules | October 24, 2016 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), All Saints Day, All Souls Day, Death, Día de los Muertos, Family, Generations, Gratitude, Memorial Services, Samhain