Worship & Sermons

  Sermon by Reverend Rebecca M. Bryan   I chose this year’s annual ministry theme of Truth last April, a time when many of you were nervous—about the future of democracy, the real and present danger of rising authoritarianism, and the increasing division...

  Homily by Reverend Laurel Gray   I find it comforting when things are old, especially traditions and practices that are well-worn because they are so loved. And flower communion is one such ritual, something that has existed for over a hundred years. I...

  Homily by Reverend Rebecca M. Bryan   Open my heart to be a sanctuary, All made holy, loved, and true. With thanksgiving, I'll be a living sanctuary for you. The first time I heard this song was at the end of my first semester in seminary. My classmates...

  Reflection by Reverend Rebecca M. Bryan   “What do we do if this election leads to us losing our democracy?” a parishioner wrote to me. “How do we live out our UU values in this time?” My thoughts went immediately to Dorothy Day who started The Catholic...

  Reflection by Reverend Rebecca M. Bryan   I would like to begin by extending a huge thank-you to all of the volunteers who helped our church this year, including Pastoral Care Associates, Parish friends, Worship Associates, Adult Choir members, teachers,...

  Sermon by Reverend Rebecca M. Bryan ​   I dedicated my sermon last Sunday to Ray Wilson, who won it at the auction. I dedicate this morning’s sermon to my colleague, Dr. Justin Murphy-Mancini, who didn’t buy a thing, but with whom I have had the pleasure...

  Sermon by Reverend Rebecca M. Bryan ​   Each year, I donate a “sermon of your choice” to the auction. Ray Wilson won this year. He chose the topic of “The Limits of Liberalism” based on an essay by David Brooks. This one is for you, Ray. Did you ever stop...

  Sermon by Erika Spanger, Director of Strategic Climate Analytics, Union of Concerned Scientists   Read Erika's sermon HERE.

  Sermon by Reverend Rebecca M. Bryan ​   I want to talk today about brave kindness. The power of and need for kindness is real. Kindness brightens people’s days and affects lives in ways we may never know. Kindness knows no boundaries. A person’s earning...

  Sermon by Reverend Rebecca M. Bryan ​   Four and a half months ago, a group of sixteen people assembled to create a meaningful workshop that would invite congregational participation. This was your Congregational Insight Team. They were the creative body...

  Sermon by Reverend Rebecca M. Bryan ​   How do you feel about resurrection? Do you welcome it into your own life, or do you doubt its possibility? Do you look for resurrection, the promise that things do get better, that spring returns, and that death does...

  Sermon by Reverend Rebecca M. Bryan ​   One of the many things we learn when life takes unexpected and difficult twists and turns is the necessity of allowing friends, loved ones, and even strangers, to help us. I am blessed to be part of two ministerial...

  Sermon by Reverend Rebecca M. Bryan ​ People loved my giving sermon last year so much that some of you have been saying, “Just plug and play!” (Meaning, do it again.) I debated preaching that sermon from last year, but I knew it wouldn’t work this year. Maybe...

  Sermon by Reverend Rebecca M. Bryan ​ Do you sometimes do things out of your comfort zone for people you love, because you love them? Maybe you’ve been the momma bear who stood up for children and what they needed, even when it was uncomfortable? Or the...

  Sermon by Reverend Rebecca M. Bryan ​ I have been preaching about the importance of, and need for, religious community for as long as I remember. I knew this as a child who didn’t have a consistent religious community and who longed for a place to belong. I was...

  Christmas Eve Homily by Reverend Rebecca M. Bryan ​ Tell me a story… Tell me the time when you and grandpa met for the first time. Remind me how I was born. What happened when you fell off that horse, or the time Uncle Sam plugged all the Christmas lights in...

  Reflection by Reverend Rebecca M. Bryan ​ ​“Transformation is the business of winter,” writes Katherine May in her book, Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times. This is certainly not the prevailing energy of this time of year for most, or...

  Sermon by Reverend Rebecca M. Bryan ​ Did everyone pick up three pipe cleaners as you came into the sanctuary? If so, are they mangled already, or still in good order? Hold yours up if they are untouched—if you’ve managed not to touch them. Okay, you’re control...

  Sermon by Reverend Rebecca M. Bryan ​ I dedicate this sermon to my teachers Sally Coate and Sat Tara; and to their teachers, among them, Snatam Kaur, Satpurkh, Abhai Raj, and Gwir Llewellyn; and to the lineage of their teachers including Guru Nanak, the founder...

  Sermon by Reverend Rebecca M. Bryan ​ The words of the 8th Principle are as follows: We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote: journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse...

  Sermon by Reverend Rebecca M. Bryan ​ How do I maintain relationships with people who think so differently from me? That question, or a variation on it, is one of the most common questions I have been asked over the last five years. It may pertain to people’s...

  Homily by Reverend Rebecca M. Bryan ​ We who are gathered here today are all animal lovers—why else would we be here? I see in your eyes and smiles how much you love and appreciate your animals, those animals who are with us and those who have passed on. It...

  Poem by Reverend Rebecca M. Bryan ​ I pray because it makes me a better person,more in touch with true self. I pray because it opens the pathto connect with compassionand feel the love within me. I pray becausein connecting with that compassion and love,I am...

  Sermon by Reverend Rebecca M. Bryan ​ I first heard the term axis mundi from Reverend Craig Barnes this summer while at the Chautauqua Institute. He described it using T.S. Eliot’s phrase, “the still point of the turning world.” My ears immediately perked up,...

  Sermon by Reverend Rebecca M. Bryan ​ This is the year for us to journey through the reality and truths of interconnectedness and interdependence. It is exciting, hopeful, and sometimes overwhelming. And it is time to learn about FRS wasps and all kinds of...

  Homily by Reverend Rebecca M. Bryan ​ (Rev. Rebecca calls the children forward to the front for the homily.) Sometimes we are given very big tasks to do. Has that ever happened to you? Yea, me too. Sometimes tasks we have to complete or concepts we have to...

  Sermon by Reverend Rebecca M. Bryan ​ (Sermon given in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire) I love being here to preach each August. It is beautiful inside, with its trompe l’oeil paintings and reed organ. It is beautiful outside, with the waving meadows, farmland,...

  Sermon by Reverend Rebecca M. Bryan ​ I open with words of Rev. Manish Mishra-Marzetti from an essay in which he describes church. We are engaged in a fallible, human enterprise, but it is one that simultaneously transcends our finitude. Amid the uncertainty,...

  Reflection by Reverend Rebecca M. Bryan ​ Was it the lead up to this weekend’s Pride activities, the growing sense that something remarkable was underway, that this city was blooming in Pride? Maybe it was Friday morning's ceremony marking National Gun Violence...

  Sermon by Reverend Rebecca M. Bryan ​ I have admired the work and philosophy of Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen for decades. Her book Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories that Heal, first published in 1996, has become a classic, helping an unknown number of people over the...