“Rewarding the Responsible” – Mark W. Harris – Is there any reward for being responsible? For those who answer emails promptly and are on time, what is the benefit? The responsible people often end up waiting or not hearing from someone, but there is no penalty for irresponsibility. What to do?
“Among the Cloud of Witnesses: David O. Rankin.” In another chapter of First Parish history we will look at the ministry of David Rankin in the 1960’s – What did he show us about UU evangelism? What about justice?
“Dream On” by Mark W. Harris – People often remember Dr. King for his I Have a Dream speech. Do you dream? I don’t mean those odd, colorful and strange visions at night, but rather visions for your life, or the life of the church, or the life of the world.
“An Ageist Story” by Mark Harris – Is American society ageist? Old people are put out to pasture, and no one pays any attention to them. To compensate we all pretend that we are forever young. Many us, even if we are old, can be ageist, too.
“Strength for the Journey” by Mark Harris – On Epiphany we celebrate the arrival of the three magi at the end of their journey to find the holy child. What journeys will you have in the new year? For me, I will have a journey into retirement, and a big move. Where will your journey take you?
“Lost Sheep” by Mark W. Harris – Christmas Eve Homily- I was a young shepherd in those days wandering the hills and valleys with a fairly large flock of sheep, at least 100. . .
“Silence of the Season” by Mark W. Harris – Silence has always played a critical role in religious journeys. Does silence play a role in your life? Do other people silence you sometimes with their words or looks? When is silence a weapon, and when is it a source of strength?
“Longing for God” by Mark W. Harris – Many members of UU congregations are humanists who usually say that all religion is an expression of human longing for meaning , connection, and hope, to make life and memory meaningful or “sacred.” But what about God? Do we still have a longing or desire for the divine, and how does it play a role in our lives?
“Blessing the Curse” by Mark W. Harris – We feel terrible when some difficult event occurs in our lives, but sometimes what seems like a life changing failure or disaster turns into a blessing.
“Time’s a Wasting” by Mark W. Harris – The modern age has us plugged in all the time, but perhaps that over connectedness and over scheduling means we have lost the ability to waste time. And this may be the most valuable time of all.
November 11, 2018 –
“How to Not Give Up After Hearing the News” Lay Service – Our three speakers will share their thoughts on dealing with the challenges of the troublesome era in which we are living and how we might respond in these hard times.
“All Our Losses” by Mark W. Harris – “As Halloween (and the Day of the Dead, and All Saints Day) approaches we think of the time of year when the veil between the living and the dead is thinest. Grief for a loved one is one kind of loss, but we all wrestle each day with other losses in our lives.”
“Arthur Knapp’s Journey from Watertown to Japan” Arthur Knapp was our minister from 1880 to 1886, when he left, under the direction of the American Unitarian Association to start a mission to Japan. What can we learn from Knapp, and what does his work tell us about examining our history from an anti-oppressive lens?
“Beautiful Souls” by Mark W. Harris
In the past few weeks we all witnessed the testimony of Christine Blasey Ford who showed such courage in coming forward to tell her story. Under what circumstances do we come forward? What impels us to defy authority and convention and speak up?