Spring burst upon the central valley in a fragrant snow of almond blossoms. Soon it will be Beltane: the Celtic festival of fertility. While we can see why that festival would make sense to our ancestors who lived close to the seasons of the year, what significance does it have in our modern lives? Join … Continue reading The Rites of Spring
Most of us want plenty, or at least enough– plenty of friends, plenty of money, plenty of time. But what if the way to access a sense of abundance is not through addition but through subtraction? What do we need to give up to have plenty of what is most important to us? Worship Leaders: … Continue reading Abundance Through Subtraction
Nurturing the possibilities we most desire requires so much of us–this is one lesson of Easter. Please bring a flower or two to worship (whether you are coming in person or via Zoom) as we celebrate and honor all that possibility requires of us in our annual Flower Communion ritual. Worship Leaders: Rev. Darcy Baxter, … Continue reading To Nurture Possibility
Whether it’s Christian Church “Father” St. Augustine, who believed rhythm came from God, or Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., asking to be called a “drum-major for justice,” religious leaders have considered rhythm as essential in our efforts for spiritual and ethical living. So this will be a service full of rhythm! Dave Rogers from … Continue reading Drum Circle Sunday
A driving force of our world today is the desire to make the world controllable. Yet, according to sociologist Harmut Rosa, “it is only in encountering the uncontrollable that we really experience the world–only then do we feel touched, moved, alive. A world that is fully known, in which everything has been planned and mastered, … Continue reading Peace with Uncontrollability
Our deepest faith values tell us we must ABOLISH ICE NOW! “What Minneapolis taught me is that resisting authoritarianism requires trained, sustained resistance, grounded in truth-telling and faithful witness.” 1. Resistance must be trained. 2. Sustained resistance matters more than one-day action. 3. Non-cooperation is a moral strategy. Worship Leaders: Rev. Kevin Mann, Tricia Garcia, … Continue reading Abolish ICE Now! Lessons in Resistance from Minneapolis
We too often think of freedom as liberated from constraints or obligations. But the words freedom and friend share a common linguistic ancestor, an old word that meant free or beloved. Freedom originally meant being among friends—being in particular kinds of relationships. What relationships help us get free? Worship Leaders: Rev. Darcy Baxter and Zana … Continue reading How to Get Free
Our bodies are instruments of resilience, experience, and connection. They are also inherently sensitive and exposed. All it takes is a fall, a swerve of a car, or sudden chest pain to pierce illusions of independence and strength. As Board President, Lynn B’s grad school professor put it, “most of us are only temporarily able … Continue reading In the Skin We Share
Beauty is not incidental– beauty nourishes us so that we continue doing our parts to grow the beloved community, in the face of all that disheartens us. Come celebrate the glorious beauty we are surrounded by at this time of year (if your allergies allow!) Please wear your boots or sneakers and a coat, as … Continue reading Beauty is Not Incidental
Join Todd Whiteley for a discussion of the insights, resilience, and understanding that can be discovered using established writing tools to fictionalize your story of the search for truth and meaning. Worship Team: Matte Black and Melynda Rodriguez. Guest Speaker: Todd Whiteley. Tech Maestro: Adlai Frederickson.
