November 5, 2017

Love is the spirit of this program. The music spans many genres but has unifying themes of justice, love, learning and hope. The messages come from podcasts, sermons and readings from Unitarian-Universalist and other allied sources in liberal religion.  The title of this program is “The Heart and the Hand.”  It comes from the words of a beloved Unitarian-Universalist hymn, “Spirit of Life,” including, “Sing in my heart all the stirrings of compassion” and “Move in the hand, giving life the shape of justice.”

Message

"Building a Covenant"

Kari Gottfried

Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis, Ore.

Sermon

“A Radical Welcome” (5/21/17)

Rev. Tim Kutzmark

Unitarian Universalist Church of Fresno

Message

"Nearly 1,300 Faith Leaders Tell Supreme Court Permitting Anti-LGBTQ Discrimination is Unjust"

Religious Institute

Natural Silence

"On the Banks of the Emerald River"

Andrew Skeotch and Sarah Koschak

Listening Earth

World Religions

Wednesday is the birthday, in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York, of Dorothy Day. A social activist, journalist and Catholic convert, she initially lived a bohemian lifestyle before gaining fame as a social activist after her conversion.  She later became a key figure in the Catholic Worker Movement and earned a national reputation as a political radical, perhaps the most famous radical in American Catholic history.  She died in 1980. 

Thursday is the birthday, in 1914 in Greensboro, North Carolina, of Thomas Berry.  A Catholic priest, cultural historian and cosmologist, he championed “ecospirituality” and believed that humanity, after generations spent in self-glorification and despoiling our planet Earth, is poised to embrace a new role as a vital part of a larger and interdependent “communion of subjects” on earth and in the universe.  He died in 2009.

Thursday is the anniversary of the violent 1938 persecution of Jews in Germany known as Krystallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass.  Germans killed hundreds of Jews while the authorities looked the other way.  Jewish-owned buildings were destroyed.  The event is seen as the start of the Holocaust.  The anniversary reminds us of the consequences of religious bigotry and the need for ordinary people to stand and stop it before it’s too late.

Friday in Tibetan Buddhism is Lhabab Duchen.  The holiday celebrates what Tibetan Buddhists believe is the time when the Buddha returned to earth after a period of teaching in the higher realms.  The event is seen as a metaphor for the manifestation of higher knowledge on earth.  Tradition holds that good deeds are multiplied on Lhabab Duchen.

Friday is the birthday, in 1483 in Saxony, of the German monk and transformative figure in western history, Martin Luther.  Last week marked the 500th anniversary of his posting of his 95 Theses, a document which challenged the Catholic Church and ultimately led to the Protestant Reformation.  His theology upended centuries of Christian dogma and led to both religious pluralism and to wars and violent anti-Semitism.  He died in 1548.

Friday is Veterans Day, a time for us to recognize and honor those who have served our country in times of peace and war.  Although war is never holy, each of those called to service is a beloved soul.  Veterans Day is a time to circle them in love, hold their stories and reflect on building a future worthy of their sacrifices.  Thank you to all our veterans.

Saturday is the birthday, in 1793 in Nantucket, Massachusetts, of abolitionist, feminist, pacifist and Quaker minister Lucretia Mott.  A co-organizer, with Cady Stanton, of the first women’s rights convention, the Seneca Falls Convention, she was a gifted orator.  She argued for suffrage and economic opportunities for enslaved and formerly enslaved people and women.  She remained a central figure in America until her death in 1880.

Sermon

“Restless Is the Heart” (8/20/17)

Rev. Rob Eller-Isaacs

Unity Church Unitarian, St. Paul, Minn.

Message

"Reflection on 'Me Too'"

The Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray, President

Unitarian-Universalist Association