Our two readings sum up rather well our human condition when it comes to this month’s theme of identity and belonging. Each of us is unique, and yet we are connected. All of us long to belong, and yet we all too often find ourselves feeling disconnected and lonely. Brene Brown begins her book, Braving the Wilderness, which is subtitled The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone, by talking about her own longing to belong as a child. She grew up in Texas in a community where...
Sermons
“Brigid of Kildare: Goddess or Saint?” by Rev. Wendy L. Bell – February 2, 2020
This is a holy weekend. Today, many of our Christian friends are celebrating Candlemas, which commemorates the day the baby Jesus was presented by his parents to the priests in the Temple. It is also the day when the candles for the church year are traditionally blessed. Today is also Groundhog Day and Superbowl Sunday, and I imagine that some of us celebrate one or both of those. And yesterday, February 1st, our friends and neighbors from pagan and earth-centered traditions – including,...
“Reflections on White Rage, White Grief, and White Fragility” by Rev. Wendy L. Bell – January 19, 2020
A Reflection on White Rage We began this morning with the dream. And yet we hardly need reminding, that the ideal which we seek lies in stark contrast to the reality in which we live. Have we made progress in this country in terms of race? Yes, but it has not been straight forward. Every inch of progress has been met with a countervailing counterforce. The end of the civil war and the eradication of slavery was met with the Black Codes in Mississippi and nine other former confederate states,...
“Envisioning Our Future” by Rev. Wendy L. Bell – January 12, 2020
It’s hard to believe that we are almost a quarter of the way through this two-year interim period. I have thoroughly enjoyed beginning to get to know you, and hearing some of your stories. And I thank you for welcoming me in and sharing with me some of your concerns and some of your hopes. When people ask me what interim ministry is about, I sometimes say that it is about journeying with a congregation as, together, we look back, look around, and look ahead. This morning I invite you to look...
“Seeking a Word” by Rev. Wendy L. Bell – January 5, 2020
Happy New Year! During this first month of the new year we will be looking ahead and reflecting on the theme of vision and possibility. According to the Soul Matters staff writers who pull together and distribute a lot of our theme material each month, “Of all our topics…possibility is arguably most central to our faith. It has distinguished Unitarian Universalism from the start. Historically, when others saw depravity and sin at the core of human identity, we saw potential… When many were...
“What Breaks Your Heart? What Gives You Hope?” by Rev. Wendy L. Bell – December 29, 2019
What Breaks your Heart? I first heard that story of the perfect heart told a couple of summers ago. It was shared by our UUA President, The Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray, as part of a worship service at a Unitarian Universalist General Assembly. Later in that service, during her sermon Rev. Susan reflected on her first year as President. She spoke of the gratitude she felt for having had the opportunity to serve. She also acknowledged the heartbreak and challenge and urgency she felt coming into...
“What are you waiting for?” by Rev. Wendy L. Bell – December 22, 2019
Happy Solstice to everyone! At 11:19 last night, we reached that astronomical moment when the noontime sun is at its lowest point in the sky. We have arrived at the shortest day of the year. We have been waiting for the return of the sun to the northern hemisphere for so long, and now that return trek has begun. Even though winter has just officially begun and the coldest days are yet to come, there is hope of longer, brighter days ahead! For many of us, this has also been a season of waiting...
“Radical Hope” by Rev. Wendy L. Bell – December 8, 2019
This morning is the second Sunday of Advent, which, in Christian churches, is the first season of a brand-new liturgical year. In congregations which traditionally light the candles of an Advent wreath on each of the four Sunday’s of Advent, last week’s candle would have been a candle of hope, and this morning’s candle would be a candle of love or faith. During this month of December, we, too, will begin to focus on the theme of hope, for hope is an integral part of this season. Those who...
“Remembering Our Other Ancestors” by Rev. Wendy L. Bell – November 10, 2019
During this month of November, we’re reflecting on the theme of Memory. This morning I’d like to spend some time thinking with you about memory and how it shapes us. About how the stories that we tell about ourselves and our experiences shape our sense of identity and self-understanding. Last week, we touched on the personal, on remembering the sources of our strength. And as part of that sermon, I suggested that if we can look back and remember from our past a time when we were challenged,...
“Remembering the Sources of Our Strength” by Rev. Wendy L. Bell – November 3, 2019
Last week, we thought about grief together. And I mentioned that among the things we might find ourselves grieving these days are climate change and our current political situation. And it’s not just grief that we feel, it’s also anxiety and disorientation. Life feels hard to many of us right now, particularly challenging, as some of the things that we’ve taken for granted for many years, some of us for most of our lives, things we thought would always be, are being eroded, swept away....