As we commemorate 250 years of institutional history, we have challenged ourselves to not just have a celebration but to evaluate our heritage. We have added to our services acknowledgments of thefts and violence that are not part of the simple telling of our story. These omissions harm our understanding and should be learned and … Continue reading Learning and Telling our Real History
What does it mean to live out our liberal faith in these days of rising white nationalism and democracy under threat? Some religious figures from history provide us with inspiration and guidance in these dangerous times.
There is so much going on in the big and little picture of our lives. We do not know how it all turns out. Many things are very hard and many things are possible. We’ll explore how love can be the gravity that guides us as we let go of certainty and ride the waves … Continue reading Love That Lets Go
To truly understand our own experiences and the perspectives of others, we can try to “see” what we have been through and allow ourselves to enter into the experiences of others. In this way, seeing really is believing.
The end of October is a traditional time to observe rituals between life and death, we will have opportunities to remember and celebrate our ancestors. Please bring a “memorial object” – it could be a photo, or something which reminds you of a person (a book? A scarf?), you will be invited to put them … Continue reading All Souls and All Saints
Both modern science and ancient spiritual traditions have a lot to say about what brings us joy and fulfillment. While a relentless “pursuit of happiness” may be self-defeating, deeper engagement with life and other people may help us feel happier while we aren’t even noticing.
We explore what belonging to each other asks, and offers, of us during a time of societal shift.
In the October 9 church service we will celebrate our church, its roof, and how it serves our community. As we begin our capital campaign we will focus on the importance of our church building to our own congregation and the broader Jamaica Plain community.
In addition to our other occupations and activities, we are homemakers. We tend and cultivate places where we belong, places we can return to. This week we will reflect on the idea of “home” in a broad sense, as well as our church home, as we begin our Capital Campaign to take care of our … Continue reading Home
There are four Greek words for love in the Bible, each a different aspect of the notion. We will reflect on philia, friendship love, this Sunday. Rather than an absorbed, face-to-face love, philia is a side-by-side love, it’s participants having common interests. In friendship love, “Do you love me?” means “Do you see the same … Continue reading On Friendship
