Our country has been shocked by gun violence once again, this time the largest mass shooting in our history. Attitudes about guns are divisive and very sensitive. Is there any way for us to have a real dialogue about gun violence, or have we given up and normalized these events? There must be a way forward and we have to find it.

The Jewish people will have just completed the high holy day of Yom Kippur on this Sunday. This is a time in the Jewish calendar for “repentance and atonement.” Do we have any such thing in our yearly cycle or even in our worldview? How can we engage in healthy self-examination without excessive guilt or shame? I will look at this question in light of our recent UU struggles with racial justice.

The Jewish people will have just completed the high holy day of Yom Kippur on this Sunday. This is a time in the Jewish calendar for “repentance and atonement.” Do we have any such thing in our yearly cycle or even in our worldview? How can we engage in healthy self-examination without excessive guilt or shame? I will look at this question in light of our recent UU struggles with racial justice.

A sense of belonging is one of our most basic needs. Unfortunately, at different times in our lives, many of us have felt as if we did not fit in, that we were outcasts, or just “different.” We live in a time when it is easy to feel alienated and alone. Some of us have asked the question, “Where do I belong?”

A sense of belonging is one of our most basic needs. Unfortunately, at different times in our lives, many of us have felt as if we did not fit in, that we were outcasts, or just “different.” We live in a time when it is easy to feel alienated and alone. Some of us have asked the question, “Where do I belong?”

How can communities respond when times are difficult? This is not a hypothetical question. Between Charlottesville, DACA, Harvey, North Korea and assorted other challenges, our liberal religious tradition is challenged to proclaim a positive way forward. Let us try to describe that path and set a course to follow it.

How can communities respond when times are difficult? This is not a hypothetical question. Between Charlottesville, DACA, Harvey, North Korea and assorted other challenges, our liberal religious tradition is challenged to proclaim a positive way forward. Let us try to describe that path and set a course to follow it.

Today is the first Sunday of our 175th celebration year. We are going to use water as a symbol, as is our tradition, but in a different way from past years. We are going to celebrate water as a symbol of community and also as a symbol of justice. So if you brought water from the summer to share, please bring it Sunday, and if not, that’s fine, come anyway. Community and justice will be our themes as we begin a historic year for our church.

Today is the first Sunday of our 175th celebration year. We are going to use water as a symbol, as is our tradition, but in a different way from past years. We are going to celebrate water as a symbol of community and also as a symbol of justice. So if you brought water from the summer to share, please bring it Sunday, and if not, that’s fine, come anyway. Community and justice will be our themes as we begin a historic year for our church.

A meditation on the wise use of technology.