Sermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusetts

Sunday Sermon given May 28, 2023 Prayer by David Whitford, Worship Associate https://firstparish.info/

First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739

Offering This Sunday half of the offering supports One Spirit - Lakota (https://www.onespiritlakota.org/) The remaining half supports the life and work of this Parish.

To donate using your smartphone, you may text “fpuu offering” to 73256. Then follow the directions in the texts you receive. Or give online: https://firstparish.info/give/

Rev. Tara Humphries, Guest Minister Rev. Tara (they and she pronouns) currently serves as the Transitional Minister at Allen Avenue UU Church in Portland, ME, and Supervising Minister for the Sanctuary Boston Spiritual Care Team. They live in Amesbury, MA, with their partner Laura and dog Maizel. 

About the Sermon: What kinds of books do you read? Whose music is the soundtrack to your days? Together we will explore the ways in which the texts and stories we read and hear and the songs to which we sway shape who we are, how we live, and the very form of our lives and the life we share. 

Prayer by Elizabeth Hunter, Worship Associate https://firstparish.info/

First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739

Offering This Sunday half of the offering supports One Spirit - Lakota (https://www.onespiritlakota.org/) The remaining half supports the life and work of this Parish.

To donate using your smartphone, you may text “fpuu offering” to 73256. Then follow the directions in the texts you receive. Or give online: https://firstparish.info/give/

About the Sermon: This Sunday Marta will offer reflections on the 100th anniversary of the first Flower Communion which was held at the Unitarian Church in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Since 1923 the flower communion ritual has spread to Unitarian Universalist congregations all over the world. This Sunday everyone is asked to bring a flower to worship which will be shared in our annual flower communion.

Sunday Sermon given May 14, 2023 Prayer by David Whitford, Worship Associate https://firstparish.info/

First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739

Offering This Sunday half of the offering supports One Spirit - Lakota (https://www.onespiritlakota.org/) The remaining half supports the life and work of this Parish.

To donate using your smartphone, you may text “fpuu offering” to 73256. Then follow the directions in the texts you receive. Or give online: https://firstparish.info/give/

About the Sermon: Join Rev. Erica Richmond on Sunday as she preaches about the spiritual power of nature and our transcendentalist forebearers. During this service we will also celebrate our high school seniors; blessing them as they embark on new journeys. Come hear the choir, be in community, and revel in the beauty of Spring.

Sunday Sermon given May 7, 2023 Prayer by Loren Gomez, Worship Associate https://firstparish.info/

First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739

Offering This Sunday half of the offering supports One Spirit - Lakota (https://www.onespiritlakota.org/) The remaining half supports the life and work of this Parish.

To donate using your smartphone, you may text “fpuu offering” to 73256. Then follow the directions in the texts you receive. Or give online: https://firstparish.info/give/

About the Sermon: The Hebrew root for the word “regret” is “to sigh.”  This Sunday Marta Flanagan will consider how we might sigh well.  In preparation Marta invites you to read over the poem “The Facts of Life” by Padraig O’Tuama. 

Sunday Sermon given April 30, 2023 Prayer by Ruben Hopwood, Worship Associate https://firstparish.info/

First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739

Offering This Sunday half of the offering supports Household Goods, Inc (https://householdgoods.org/) The remaining half supports the life and work of this Parish.

To donate using your smartphone, you may text “fpuu offering” to 73256. Then follow the directions in the texts you receive. Or give online: https://firstparish.info/give/

About the Sermon: Join Rev. Erica Richmond as she preaches on joy. How is it a means of resistance? What theological obligation do we have to find and cultivate joy?

Sunday Sermon given April 23, 2023 Prayer by Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister https://firstparish.info/

First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739

Offering This Sunday half of the offering supports Household Goods, Inc (https://householdgoods.org/) The remaining half supports the life and work of this Parish.

To donate using your smartphone, you may text “fpuu offering” to 73256. Then follow the directions in the texts you receive. Or give online: https://firstparish.info/give/

About the Sermon: From "Don't Say Gay" bills to the swath of laws criminalizing gender affirming and abortion-related care, attacks on bodily autonomy in the US are escalating at an alarming pace. And, this nation has always targeted certain kinds of bodies as less worthy of protection and freedom than others. How can our UU theologies of bodily autonomy and the sacredness of all bodies serve as an antidote? This year's Alliance Sunday considers the power and resilience of embodiment, intersectionality, radical spiritual imagination, and the liberation of all our sacred bodies.

The Rev. Ashley Horan (she/her) serves as the Organizing Strategy Director at the Unitarian Universalist Association. There, she leads the Organizing Strategy Team that holds all the outward-facing justice work of the Association under the banner of Side With Love and its related campaigns: UU the Vote, Create Climate Justice, Love Resists, and UPLIFT Action for LGBTQ, Gender & Reproductive Justice. Prior to her work at the UUA, Ashley served as the Executive Director of the Minnesota UU Social Justice Alliance, and the Curriculum Developer for Beloved Conversations. She also served congregations in Joliet, Illinois and Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. She lives in Minneapolis, MN with her partner, the Rev. Karen Hutt, and their two youngest children--Aspen, 8, and Eden, 3.

Prayer by Bill Licea-Kane, Worship Associate

About the Sermon: Sometimes we miss what is happening in the moment and only recognize its importance later.

The Reverend Wendy Page is an Affiliate Minister of First Parish Arlington. She has been a member of First Parish since 1999 and First Parish supported her on her journey into ministry. She is a graduate of Andover Newton Theological School and was ordained in the First Parish Sanctuary in 2017. She is now serving as a Hospice Chaplain for All Care Hospice. She also serves as a per diem chaplain at Mass General Hospital. Previous to her ministry, Wendy was a Software Engineer and Manager. She is an avid cyclist and has participated for 23 years in the annual Pan Mass Challenge fundraiser for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. She also is a quilter and gardener and sings in the FP choir.

About the Sermon: As in years past we will offer a communion during our Easter service. First Parish has no creedal tests for involvement. Our communion is an open table. All are welcome. We each bring our own interpretations of the sharing of bread and wine. Our blessings will be translations of the Hebrew spoken every Friday Shabbat in Jewish homes. In keeping with Passover, the elements of our communion will be matzah and grape juice.

Join us Sunday morning as we turn towards Passover, Holy Week, and Easter. As many families prepare for these special occasions, we will reflect on how the pressures of perfectionism have harmed us and no longer serve us.

Prayer by Samantha Rauh, Worship Coordinator

https://firstparish.info/

Led by participants in the First Parish Religious Education program. Come join the youth in their exploration of color. Witness how our youth have understood how color interacts with the world around us.