Water unites us. All water is one water, shape-shifting as it goes on and on in its unending cycle. The stream we gather by unites us with all the waters of the world, for all of life depends on water. That's why this common, everyday element on which our very lives depend is sacred. In our...

“There’s a hunger beyond food that’s expressed in food, and that’s why feeding is always a kind of miracle. It speaks to a bigger desire.” Note: one version of this quote, quasi-attributed, appears in Take This Bread (p. 23) by Sara Miles.

We light our chalice as a symbol of gratitude as we celebrate the abundance of our lives together. In this sanctuary we harvest bushels of strength for one another, and offer our crop with the hands of compassion and generosity....

To offer hospitality, we first have to identify ourselves — sometimes in inconvenient or uncomfortable ways — as helpers; as willing to offer kindness or connection to someone we might disagree with.

Every day in our world, people are feeling vulnerable, frightened, and heartbroken. For those [of us] who are Black, Indigenous, or people of color, the effects of racism and oppression are an everyday lived reality — and these feelings are not new....

The offering that we take each Sunday isn't just a stale habit: it's an opportunity to recommit to this place, and to this people. Our offering is an affirmation—a “yes.” When we give, we say yes to something we value. With our gifts, freely given, may we say yes to the values of our faith.

As we approach the time for our offering, give what you will: for the church that has meant so much to you, for the church that meant so much to those who came before you, and for the church that will mean so much to people you will never know. Give what you will, for you are a generous people.

Light We Seek, wherever I am on the journey toward wholeness for all of us—that is, toward racial equality—help me to forgive myself and others for missteps and missed opportunities, and guide my efforts to build up the relationships where love, justice, and understanding grow.

This religious community exists by its mission as a fire exists by burning. But a fire cannot burn without fuel. And it is the time, the energy, the imagination, the vision, the creativity, the compassion, the love, and the financial support of the members and friends of this community that fuels...

A religious community is like a river formed from the many streams of our lives that meet and merge and flow to the sea....

The light of our chalice would soon flicker and die without the oil that nourishes its flame. And just as this flame cannot burn without oil, this religious community cannot survive or thrive without the financial, as well as personal, support of its members and friends—the oil that keeps the...

We know that our financial contributions to this congregation come from sacrifice and hard work. We are so grateful for this, and commit together to ensure the funds we gather collectively do a greater good for ourselves and our world than they could have done alone. May there be an offering to...

This script is intended to take place over the arc of a worship service or children's chapel. People Needed: Narrator (can be Worship Leader) and Five Villagers....

In the newspaper there was a story about a seminary professor in Kansas City who was put on trial by the Southern Baptists, accused of being a Universalist. It's no wonder they were suspicious. He had stated publicly his belief that all people born into the world are children of God....

Source of all, This is my third attempt at a prayer. The first two revealed to me that I am angry, which I didn’t realize until I just couldn’t bend those prayers into what I thought they should be. What is wrong with us, how can we be so depraved and cruel, how is it we do not learn, how can we...

This image, containing words from Peter Mayer's hymn "Blue Boat Home" (Singing the Journey #1064), was created for use on social media.

Ever since I graduated from college, I have had a recurring dream. My wife has had it, too, as well as a lot of other people I know. In my dream, it is time to take an exam and I am unprepared. I have not gone to classes all semester. I failed to do the reading....

I am frequently astonished by monarch butterflies. Delicate beyond belief, they fly thousands of miles each year from all parts of the continent to settle in the forests of South America. To my delight, their migratory route takes them along a bridge near my home. A few days ago, I was driving on...

On this green bank, by this soft stream, We place with joy a votive stone, That memory may their deeds redeem, When, like our sires, our sons are gone. —Ralph Waldo Emerson A green heron stands motionless on the bank of Emerson’s soft stream. In its beak it holds a fish, just the right size for...

Once upon a time, most folks used the offering plate to fulfill their pledges of financial support. Nowadays lots of folks click on their church websites or set up automatic transfers from their checking accounts. Some still write a monthly check, paying their "church bill" along with all the...