Sermons

Rev. Sophia Lyons preaching, with Rev. Kyle Belmont, Charlyn Bethell, Missy Shay, Guy Urban, and the FPW Band!

This Sunday is our annual Flower Communion worship service where we will ritualize the giving and receiving of flowers to honor our community’s flourishing, as well as the hope we have for a world where all living beings flourish. We will celebrate the abundance of life and love through music, dance, prayer, and story as we come together to marvel in this ravishing system of aliveness we Unitarian Universalists are committed to protecting and celebrating! 

Rev. Sophia Lyons with Rev. Kyle Belmont, Charlyn Bethell, Jean Gauthier, Beth Tappan-deFrees, Guy Urban, and the FPW Choir!

We will celebrate our LGBTQIA+ siblings this Sunday through word, prayer, song, blessing, and LOTS of rainbows! This worship service will celebrate the flourishing of Pride, center queer voices, and invite us to answer the Call of Love. Revs. Sophia and Kyle will offer Rainbow Blessings in front of church before worship, our Safe Congregation Committee has lots of swag for all who want it, and your choir will sing of Celebration. If you haven’t been at church for awhile–this service is calling your name. Let’s let Love Guide Us home to one another this Sunday. See you at church–and wear your Rainbow Pride if you have it!

Rev. Sophia preaching, with Kyle Belmont, Charlyn Bethell, Lynn Bratley, Allison Hewett, and Guy Urban.

We will close out this month’s theme of Rituals by focusing on the transformative power of appreciation and gratitude in a community. Whether you are new to FPW or not, serve as a leader or not, we all come bearing gifts that deserve honoring. This Sunday we will ritualize the thanking of one another for the gifts freely shared with this community–seen and unseen. See you at church!

Rev. Sophia preaching, with Charlyn Bethell, Jean Gauthier, Debi King, Dani Nordin, Missy Shay, and Guy Urban.

This Sunday we will hear about the ways that some indigenous cultures ritualize community healing and conflict resolution when hurt or misunderstanding descend. Let’s consider how wisdom teachings such as these might speak to our own treasured Unitarian Universalist beliefs and values! Our sacred circle is made stronger because of you–come to church and take your place in it. See you Sunday!

Rev. Sophia preaching, with Kyle Belmont, Charlyn Bethell, and Guy Urban.

As we continue to work with May’s theme of ‘ritual’ we will consider the many rituals we engage in as Unitarian Universalists, and as friends and members of First Parish. We might ask ourselves: what’s the story beneath some of our treasured rituals? and why do we do them? If you are seeking for renewal, meaning, and the genuine love of a community, then slow down and worship with us this Sunday!

Sensei Morris Sullivan and Rev. Sophia Lyons leading worship, with Kyle Belmont, Charlyn Bethell, and Guy Urban!

As Unitarian Universalists we believe that there are a myriad ways to touch fingers with the Divine. This Sunday let’s look to the Buddhist tradition as we come together to celebrate the Buddha’s birthday, otherwise known as Vesak! We will reflect on Buddhist teachings that will help to open our hearts and fill us with spiritual peace, as well as partake in a beautiful communal ritual together. You are not going to want to miss this special worship service! 

Rev. Shayna Appel preaching, with Kyle Belmont, Charlyn Bethell, Lynn Bratley, Missy Shay, Guy Urban, and the FPW Choir! You have heard it said, “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.”  And while this may be true, it also begs the question, “Is this outrage serving us?”  Living in these times which demand so much of our activism, what are the lessons we might learn from nature and how can those lessons help ground us in our Unitarian Universalist values?    We are thrilled to...

Rev. Sophia preaching, with Kyle Belmont, Charlyn Bethell, Debi King, Guy Urban, and Nick Woebcke.

As April’s theme of Awakening comes to a natural close let’s come together and ‘awaken’ to who we are as a church community. We arrive with a variety of gifts and needs, and it’s good to regularly discern what they are, what they aren’t, and how they might be speaking to us. We will also sing “Woyaya” together, which reminds us about the winding, wonderful (and sometimes weird!) spiritual path we are on as a community. Slow down and give yourself the gift of church–we sure do need one another these days. Following worship, we will enjoy refreshments provided our Parish Committee before church members convene in person and on Zoom for our Annual Meeting. See you Sunday!

Rev. Sophia preaching, with Charlyn Bethell, Jean Gauthier, Carole Katz, Guy Urban and some special musical guests!
The hope of worship is to awaken us to Something More, but this doesn’t just happen on Sundays. Rev. Sophia will reflect on one of her first ‘awakening experiences’ which just so happened to take place at a Grateful Dead show in 1991! Let’s come together and explore Awakening through music, story, and prayer–it will be good to be together. See you on Sunday!

*Collective Effervescence is a term coined by French sociologist Émile Durkheim in his 1912 book “The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life.”

Rev. Sophia preaching, with Kyle Belmont, Charlyn Bethell, Morris Sullivan, and Guy Urban.

We will celebrate the arrival of Spring and renew our commitments to a faith rooted in Jesus’ teachings about love of neighbor, stranger, creation, and ourselves. Spring flowers will bedeck our sanctuary, our choir’s voices will resound, and the joy of community will awaken us all! Take a breath, slow down, and give yourself the gift of church this Sunday.