"Resurrection wouldn't be a miracle if it was easy. It isn't easy. It's hard to imagine, harder still to believe, to hold hope in the aching cavity of an exhausted heart. [...] But the Easter story asks us to gather our supplies and meet the dawn - to see that sun rising and believe that the tomb isn't the end of the story."

In our service today we’ll think about the wisdom of the Easter story – what it can tells us about hope amidst the struggle and finding our way after the unthinkable happens.

Works referenced in this sermon:

"Did the Sun Come Up This Morning," from "Walking Toward Morning" by Rev. Victoria Safford: https://www.uuabookstore.org/Walking-Toward-Morning-P16809.aspx

Mark 16, The Resurrection: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+16&version=NLT

Words from Rev. Megan Lloyd Joiner: http://www.revmeganlloydjoiner.org/

"Rising to Life," from "A Temporary State of Grace" by David Blanchard: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3165981-a-temporary-state-of-grace

Written by: Rev. Laurel Gray

Music by: Kala Farnham

Host: Amanda Hall

Produced and Directed by: Bruce Hall

Amanda and Rev. Gray reflect on this month's sermons and answer questions from the congregation. This month's theme is "wisdom."

Topics of discussion: cultural pressure to override the wisdom of the body; health and the cumulative trauma of oppression; interdependence, vulnerability, and control; a collective remembering

Sermons written by: Rev. Laurel Gray

Music by: Kala Farnham

Host: Amanda Hall

Produced and Directed by: Bruce Hall

"In praying, we bridge the gap between ourselves and something else."

Today we’ll ponder what it means to pray, particularly when so many of us are atheists or humanists, or have differing understandings of God. And perhaps more so, because we often want to pray in moments of deepest despair – but why and to whom are we praying?

Works referenced in this sermon:

"The Word That Is a Prayer" by Ellery Akers: https://elleryakers.com/poetry/word-prayer.php

“Help, Thanks, Wow” by Anne Lamott: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/313149/help-thanks-wow-by-anne-lamott/

Written by: Rev. Laurel Gray

Music by: Kala Farnham

Host: Amanda Hall

Produced and Directed by: Bruce Hall

"Kindness says, 'I will be a friend to you as you are. I will meet you in the truth. I will witness your pain and not look away. I will celebrate your joy with gladness. I will stand up for you when you need me to.' "

Works referenced in this sermon:

"Kindness" by Naomi Shihab Nye: https://poets.org/poem/kindness

Written by: Rev. Laurel Gray

Music by: Kala Farnham

Host: Amanda Hall

Produced and Directed by: Bruce Hall

Works referenced in this episode:

"When This Is Over" by Laura Kelly Fanucci: https://www.instagram.com/p/B9zCs-xl3x2/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

"Pandemic" by Lynn Ungar: http://www.lynnungar.com/poems/pandemic/

Written by: Rev. Laurel Gray

Music by: Kala Farnham

Host: Amanda Hall

Produced and Directed by: Bruce Hall

"Neither trees nor people are creatures meant for solitude. Thriving and flourishing and resilience are products of community."

Native traditions have long taught that the natural world is alive with its own wisdom, but scientists rejected this idea. Recently, however, science has begun to agree, citing evidence that trees can in fact communicate and cooperate. In this service, we’ll focus on the wisdom to be found in the lives of trees.

Works referenced in this sermon:

“Wash Your Hands” by Dori Midnight: https://dorimidnight.com/uncategorized/wash-your-hands/

"Braiding Sweetgrass" by Robin Kimmerer: https://birchbarkbooks.com/all-online-titles/braiding-sweetgrass

Written by: Rev. Laurel Gray

Music by: Kala Farnham

Host: Amanda Hall

Produced and Directed by: Bruce Hall

"Our bodies know what we need, if only we might listen. So too, do they remember what we’ve been through."

For the month of March we’ll be thinking about different types of wisdom, beginning with the wisdom of our bodies. We’ll look at what it means to know something in our bodies and focus on connecting with that wisdom.

Works referenced in this sermon:

“Facing Feelings in Faith Communities” by William Kondrath: https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781566994347/Facing-Feelings-in-Faith-Communities

“The Body Keeps the Score” Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/313183/the-body-keeps-the-score-by-bessel-van-der-kolk-md/

Genesis 32:22-32, Jacob wrestles with an angel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_wrestling_with_the_angel

Written by: Rev. Laurel Gray

Music by: Kala Farnham

Host: Amanda Hall

Produced and Directed by: Bruce Hall

Amanda and Rev. Gray (and a special guest!) reflect on this month's sermons and answer questions from the congregation. This month's theme is "resilience."

Topics of discussion: integrating into a new community; power decentralization and the minister's role in UU organizations; a sweet historical technicality; meaningful sharing of abundance

Sermons written by: Rev. Laurel Gray

Music by: Kala Farnham

Host: Amanda Hall

Produced and Directed by: Bruce Hall

"If you continually give, you will continually have. Hallelujah!"

Written by: Rev. Laurel Gray

Music by: Kala Farnham

Host: Amanda Hall

Produced and Directed by: Bruce Hall

"We’re all doing our best to practice being human, to show up with our whole wild hearts, to stay present when it’s hard - and the beautiful thing is that in this place we do all of it together."

Written by: Rev. Laurel Gray

Music by: Kala Farnham

Host: Amanda Hall

Produced and Directed by: Bruce Hall