Worship & Sermons

  How welcoming can make you more deeply welcoming   By Rev. Rebecca Bryan Last June, we voted as a congregation to become a Level 2 Sanctuary Congregation. This means that we covenant, or promise, to support the Main Street Congregational Church in Amesbury,...

  By Rev. Rebecca Bryan We were in the process of blending our families after remarriage, four children and two adults. Always one for the importance of rituals and wanting to find a way to commemorate the transition, I had lugged us all down to the local...

  The First Religious Society welcomed quest preacher the Reverend Karlene Griffiths Sekou to the pulpit on October 13.  Listen to her homily, "Let's Get Free", by clicking the play arrow on FRS &U podcast, right.

  By Reverend Rebecca Bryan  When I began studying to be a Unitarian Universalist minister nearly ten years ago, I was oblivious to issues of race. I certainly would have told you that I was not prejudiced; in fact I dated the one black boy in my high school and...

  Watch the video recording of the sermon. By Reverend Rebecca Bryan  “The risk with Unitarian Universalism is that you skate. You skim from cause to cause and theology to theology, but never go deep. That may be interesting and even fun; however, what happens...

  Here we are with a sermon and service all about listening, and there is so much going on in the service! The paradox is clear. I know.  How are we to listen, Reverend Rebecca, when there is so much to listen to, so much worthy of our attention? I’m still...

  “Are you in recovery? Because it sure sounds like you are based on what you say from the pulpit.” My congregant smiled at me and my heart sank. I hadn’t yet decided whether to be “out” about being in recovery. As a minister I was conflicted. I wanted to be...

  By Rev. Rebecca(Transcript from a recording of Rev. Rebecca’s sermon that was delivered extemporaneously.) ​How many of you know who this is? Mr. Potato Head. Yes, and Mrs. Tater. The female is smaller, but don’t let that fool you – make no assumptions about...

  By Rev. RebeccaAs I sat there, the  pain of seven days only getting worse, I knew what I had to do. It was time to go to the hospital and receive medical care. I had been hoping against hope that this pain would go away on its own. I was avoiding receiving care...

  By Rev. Rebecca(Transcript from a recording of Rev. Rebecca's sermon that was delivered extemporaneously.)So for my sermon today, I'm doing something that's called a Question and Answer Box, and I had invited folks to submit questions in advance. I received a...

  (This sermon is dedicated to Linda Buddenhagen who gave me the inspiration) What is happiness, and is it achievable? Moreover, is the pursuit of happiness really where we ought to be putting our efforts, or as people of faith and morals, are there other more...

  By Rev. Rebecca BryanI first experienced our beloved and majestic steeple when I was here visiting as a prospective minister last February. My husband and I arrived in town a little early and were immediately drawn to its charm. We were walking back to the...

  We invite you to listen to the Podcast recording of this Sunday's sermon.As the sermon was an interactive reading and dialogue there is no formal transcript available. The hymn Rev. Rebecca Bryan refers to at the beginning of her sermon is hymn #140 - Hail the...

  By Rev. Rebecca Bryan“Heave ho.” I flung another box into the large dumpster and watched it land deep in a pile of trash. I paused to see if the automatic cruncher thing would push it further down out of sight; maybe it would even get buried. I returned to my...

  By Rev. Rebecca Bryan This morning we come together for as many reasons as there are people in this sanctuary. We come to celebrate Passover, Easter, and spring. We come to uphold family tradition of church on Easter morning, and we come to explore what it...

  By Rev. Rebecca BryanMany famous and infamous things happen in a moment. We make decisions every day, every moment, in fact. In and of themselves most never amount to anything. Every decision is interconnected to a web of earlier decisions and moments though by...

  On April 7, friends and members of the First Religious Society Unitarian Universalist’s shared a Sunday service on centering voices and people who have historically been marginalized. Friends Elliot and Susan shared their story of “The journey of finding and...

  By Tom Stites, guest speakerThe jazz great John Coltrane’s words and music reveal him to have been a profoundly religious person.  We UUs are a religion of seekers, but almost all of us are pikers compared with Coltrane.  His grandfather was an A.M.E....

  By Rev. Rebecca Bryan Last week I mentioned that I spent much of my earlier career as a fundraiser, the last eight years of it as a consultant to nonprofits which were undergoing big change. Often this change started as a capital campaign, yet organizations...

  By Rev. Rebecca BryanLet us pray. Spirit of Life, of love, of goodness, let us remember today that we are all alike and that we are all different.  Let us take this time to set aside judgement of ourselves and each other and ask instead for forgiveness, ...

  By Rev. Rebecca Bryan “I never envisioned that a religious community would have such a significant impact on my life… my entire extended family has been supported and influenced by the spirituality and teachings that we have received here”  These are powerful...

    Questions to ponder, discuss and hold... When have you thought that you were different and learned that, in fact, many people feel like you do? What is better in your life because of the groups and places to which you belong? How do you imagine yourself...

  By the Rev. Rebecca BryanStepping up to the podium, my knees were quaking; my hands and the paper that they held were shaking. I tilted my head up to the microphone and spoke. I don’t remember the exact words I said; however, I most certainly remember the sound...

  By the Rev. Rebecca BryanI was flabbergasted. Why wasn’t the professor doing something? Why didn’t he say something or protect me? I was just being honest in my response to my fellow student.It was my first year in seminary. I was in a small seminar class with...

    By Reverend Rebecca M. BryanI came across the photograph and exercise while reading Peter Gabel’s book, “The Desire for Mutual Recognition.” This is a book that I referred to several times in my sermon last week. The author asserts that our world...

  By the Rev. Rebecca BryanWhen have you experienced a deep sense of meaning in your life? Close your eyes for a moment, or look out the window, and take a moment to reflect on that question.   Bring to your mind a memory of a time that was deeply meaningful to...

  By Sophia Lyons, guest preacherIf you want a major lesson in humility, do the following.  Allow the children in your lives to take over your camera while you busy yourself with normal household to-do’s.  While your devices’ memory will become utterly overloaded...

  By the Rev. Rebecca BryanHow are you? Really?  How is your spirit? Is it full of good cheer? Or are you struggling to feel again the lightness of times when burdens were few and laughter was long? Life is not always easy. It can be hard in the winter time when...

  By Julie Parker Amery, Director of Religious EducationSome years ago, I opened myself up to prayer’s invitation. It had been a long journey to the place where I could put aside all the weird associations I had with the word and give it a whirl. At first, it was...