When we are engaged in acts of love, we humans are at our best and most resilient… If the goal was to increase the love, rather than winning or dominating a constant opponent, I think we could actually imagine liberation from constant oppression.

As we repent in full body and form, secure our names and the generations to come as you have done through time. God who blessed the womb of life, save us once again.

Illuminate our hearts and the spaces between them in this Sacred Time of unfolding.

Our bodies are so wise, and they hold so much information.

What if you thought of it as the Jews consider the Sabbath— the most sacred of times? Cease from travel. Cease from buying and selling. Give up, just for now, on trying to make the world different than it is. Sing. Pray. Touch only those to whom you commit your life. Center down. And when your...

This group blessing is designed to be shared by many voices or read by just one. Alex suggests creating an altar with a chalice and testing supplies (which are then distributed to students as they need them). Speaker 1: We have come to the end of the quarter/semester/year. An end to these classes.

"We can change. People say we can’t, but we do when the stakes or the pain is high enough. And when we do, life can change."...

We seekers are on a quest: A quest to discover truth and meaning. Sometimes we think we’ve found it— Wrapped up, glimmering with newness Straight off the intellectual assembly line. All the answers right here for us And others, if they’d only listen. But truth has a way of coming in disguise,...

This is the hour. The time has come. Mindful of our responsibilities as leaders of this faith and guardians of the living tradition, we call upon that great cloud of witnesses—those who came before, those who are here now and those who have yet to come. We seek their presence, love and support in...

Rest now, Rest in the peace of this moment. Be at ease. Look up at the stars, and down at the grass: Imagine the stars looking back at you over years and centuries, across oceans of empty space. Imagine the feel of the grass on your bare feet and feel it—dry and crunchy, soft and supple....

This hymn (sheet music is available) was written as a Celtic-style harvest song. Come as the summer turns t'ward autumn; Come as the long-night stars climb high'r. Come as time's unceasing turning Wheels us 'round 'round the harvest fire. Chorus: So we go From daylight toward the night. So we go,...

“Expect nothing. Live frugally on surprise.” —Alice Walker I had finally begun to relax—a bit. We were en route to Pennsylvania. My friend, a formal part of our “framily,” was visiting. We decided a visit to a crayon factory was the perfect winter outing for toddlers. The day was clear...

The Solstices teach us that darkness comes, that darkness goes. The Solstices teach us that light comes, that light goes. The Solstices teach us, calmly, silently, to be calm, silent. Learning. The Solstices teach us as we circle the sun that everything flies....

This hymn text was written to accompany the tune St. Louis, commonly known as "O Little Town of Bethlehem" (#246 in Singing the Living Tradition). O Holy Darkness, loving Womb, who nurtures and creates, sustain us through the longest night with dreams of open gates....

Go forth in simplicity. Find and walk the path that leads to compassion and wisdom, that leads to happiness, peace and ease. Welcome the stranger and open your heart to a world in need of healing. Be courageous before the forces of hate. Hold and embody a vision of the common good that serves the...

Let’s start with the people we love and those who love us, thankful they are in our lives obliging us to open our hearts. Let open hearts embrace the Earth, the sea and soil and stars, blessed by bold beauty, the bounty of being. Then with hearts open to beauty let us embrace the arts and the...

Spirit of Wisdom, As we prepare to elect new citizens to lead us, in our communities, town and cities, in our counties, states, and our heart-torn nation, grant us wisdom and discernment so that we may choose those of peaceful heart, of competent mind and of servant spirit. Spirit of the Harvest,...

"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...

This ritual was designed as part of a worship service/fire communion. Please see that holiday description for more details. Leader: Today’s service is about letting go, metaphoric cleansing and quenching of thirst, setting of intentions, self-anointing, healing, new beginnings and possibilities.

As we move through life finding ourselves, always newly wise and newly foolish, we ask that our mistakes be small and not hurtful. We ask that as we gain experience we do not forget our innocence, for they are both part of the whole.

Within each of our hearts there is a most glorious light....

Today we share in a blessing for losers, risk-takers, all failures far and wide.... Blessed are they who fall in the mud, who jump with gusto and rip the pants, who skin the elbows, and bruise the ego, for they shall know the sweetness of risk. Blessed are they who make giant mistakes, whose...

We speak to the god, the goddess, the spirit of life, the eternal. We speak to the mysterious thread that connects us one to the other and to the universe. We speak to the deep wisdom at the center of our beings. We embody the yearning of all people to touch each other more deeply, to hear each...

Each moment of our living brings us closer to our dying. Young or old, the knowledge of life’s end is with us, growing more real, more familiar through the experiences of time and of loss. Yet what is to keep us from frittering away what time is left to us, Making it almost a matter of...

I have learned to trust those who are witnesses rather than gurus, those who express their confusion as well as their knowledge, and those who share their suffering along with their joy.

During the Advent season, we celebrate the qualities of faith, hope, love, and joy. Yet these must be viewed through the prism of paradox. No Faith is worthy without the capacity to doubt all things—for then it is only credulity. No Hope is possible without the specter of defeat in the wings—for...

Wisdom, fundamentally, is knowing who you are, where you are, and what you’re trying to do or be.

Forgive me dear father For all the trouble I caused The missed curfews The missed classes Your unfulfilled dreams for me Forgive me dear father But your dreams are not my dreams Forgive me dear father And I will forgive you For missed moments That you sacrificed So that one day I could follow my...

Walk the maze within your heart: guide your steps into its questioning curves. This labyrinth is a puzzle leading you deeper into your own truths. Listen in the twists and turns. Listen in the openness within all searching. Listen: a wisdom within you calls to a wisdom beyond you and in that...

Spirit of Life, God of Love, grant me the courage to love boldly in the face of my greatest fears. Grow me in your wisdom and let my actions speak when silence threatens justice and indifference disturbs peace....

When my youngest child was a baby, the sweetest part of my day was putting David to sleep. At fifteen months he had a demanding schedule. There were toilet paper rolls to unravel, dressers to empty, bookshelves to clear, trash baskets to dump on the floor, papers to tear, pans to bang, books to...

Go forth Because we are always going forth from somewhere Going from our homes, our childhoods Going from our cities and countries Going from innocence to experience to enlightenment Going into mystery and questions Going into the desert Getting to the other side....

To outgrow the past but not extinguish it; To be progressive but not raw, Free but not mad, critical but not sterile, expectant but not deluded; To be scientific but not to live on formulas that cut us off from life; To hear amidst clamor the pure, deep tones of the spirit; To seek the wisdom tha...

Holy One We gather this day to be reminded of the sacred in the ordinary. The holy moments of waking yet again to a new day. The feel of the earth beneath our feet The crisp cool on our skin The joy of being welcomed by our fellow travelers The warmth of this place. Help us this day to be fully...

Blessed is the Sky, And all that is warm and filled with light. Blessed is the Air, And all that is open and free. Blessed is the Earth, And all that is steady and firm. Blessed is the Sea, And all that is hidden and deep.

We are in the midst of advent, friends, and I have to admit how much I love this season. Like most clergy I feel that it is my job, 24/7/365 to orient the world to the best of my ability toward peace, love, hope and joy....

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....

For nearly thirty years, Forrest Church served as the spiritual leader of the All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in New York City. During his ministry, the church became both a haven for spiritual seekers and a beacon of social outreach to the community. He helped to found a shelter for...

We light this chalice to honor the memory of those who have come before us, kindling flames of wisdom in dark times, willing to challenge orthodoxy even at great personal risk, giving us a legacy of freedom and a love of truth, A legacy that warms our hearts and lights our paths.

Overview: A Soulful Sundown worship on abundance, exploring the interwoven nature of emptiness and fullness Theme or Background: spiritual abundance and the cyclical paradox of emptiness and fullness Materials Involved/Altar: set in our usual way with fabric and strips....

The chalice lit among us is a beacon A beacon of hope, in a world in crisis A beacon of possibility, made manifest in community A beacon of warmth through our interconnections A beacon of light illuminating our shared wisdom A beacon of connection by our being together...

Someone told me once that Einstein thought time is a variable. That is to say that time is not a constant. Are you following this? I think Einstein was right. When I was a child, a year was a YEAR! Now a year is a week....

In sightless night, terrors draw near Nameless fears of talon and tooth Hopelessness yawns before us—an abyss Alone and unknown in the gloom, longing for the dawn O sacred flame blaze forth—wisdom brought to life Guide us— With the light of hope The warmth of love The beacon of purpose and...

Reverently I offer this symbol of our hope and high intent. Reverently I bequeath this flame to you. This is the light that is lit for everyone who comes into the world. Bear this light to others, one by one. Let the flame go from life to life till all is lit with its warmth. Tell that the light...

In the midst of a world marked by tragedy and beauty there must be those who bear witness against unnecessary destruction and who, with faith, rise and lead in freedom, with grace and power. There must be those who speak honestly and do not avoid seeing what must be seen of sorrow and outrage, or...

Walk softly. Speak truthfully. Love gently. Breathe deeply. Live wisely. Go in peace.

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

We are here because we are people of faith. Within each of us lives the conviction of a saving faith that could restore our broken planet and illuminate the lives of our sisters and brothers. Ancient wisdom teaches that we who would save the world must first save ourselves....

The Wedding blessing is to be used with a wedding ritual of pouring water from two vessels into a common vessel, as an alternative to a unity candle....

For some, the chalice cup is a communion cup, freely offered to all who would seek the greater Truth. Others see the circle of fellowship in its embracing sides....