Marianne DiBlasi May 26, 2019 For many American’s, the Memorial Day 3-day weekend signifies the unofficial start of summer. The holiday is marked by the appearance of outdoor grilles, summer clothes, pools opening, and gardens being planted. These activities make it too easy to forget that the origins and sacred meaning of Memorial Day – … Continue reading We Remember Them
This Sunday is “Youth Sunday.” Led by the Winchester Unitarian Society Youth Group, WUSYG, the service will feature live musical performances from our youth and the Youth Choir, as well as the famed “Senior Statements,” where our seniors offer reflections on their time spent with the youth group and talk about their ideas and hopes for the future. The theme for this year’s Youth Sunday is Blooming, and … Continue reading Youth Sunday / New Member Signing
Ram Mohan Roy and Debendranath Tagore founded the Brahmo Samaj, a philosophical movement grounded in belief in the unity of the divine and absolute equality between all people. As the “Fathers of the Indian Renaissance,” their ideas led to radical reforms, challenging the caste system, child marriage and violence against women. This service reflects on … Continue reading A Faith that Changed the World: The Brahmo Samaj
The current enthusiasm for Marie Kondo’s approach to “tidying up” invites us to think about our relationships with the objects we own – our stuff – and how this connection reveals our truest selves. (And thinking about tidying up invites us to prepare for the WUS Rummage Sale on June 1st!) “Spark Joy! The Spirituality … Continue reading Spark Joy! The Spirituality of Stuff
This Sunday we celebrate the Earth with new music for choir and jazz quartet by music director John Kramer. This suite both celebrates the wonder of nature while addressing some of the serious issues that lie ahead. Texts include poetry by Emily Dickinson, Wendell Berry, and the summary of the October, 2018 IPCC report on … Continue reading Music Sunday: A Jazz Suite for Earth Day
We will gather again to hear the familiar story of Jesus’ ministry, death and rebirth. This service will also include a true modern story about how the mystery surrounding these themes appears in our own time. And we will also celebrate new life by welcoming Ryan and Neil Mukherjee in a ceremony of Dedication! As … Continue reading An Ancient Story of New Life: Easter
There is a great need for movements seeking justice – economic justice, racial justice and ecological justice. Environmental Justice invites us to see how human rights and the state of the environment are connected. Inspired by the UUA common read Justice on Earth: People of Faith Working at the Intersections of Race, Class, and the … Continue reading Whose Earth is it Anyway?: Environmental Justice
We begin a month exploring “journey” by hearing from Christian, UU, Jewish and Muslim speakers, reflecting on the role of “pilgrimage” in their faith and in their lives. For some, pilgrimage is a physical journey to a place with spiritual significance. For others, it is an internal process from one state of being or understanding … Continue reading Pilgrimage: An Interfaith Story
As we deepen our awareness of injustices in the world, we are eager to press for progress. But to really understand our context, and make deep change, we need to understand our history first. This service will explore social change from the broad perspective of history and through reflections by WUS member Karen Erikson, serving … Continue reading Moving Forward By Looking Back
The Rev. Heather Janules It was the early 1900’s. At 2:30 one morning a young girl named Rachel and her father had an astronomical emergency. For her father had just discovered a new comet; the Harvard University Observatory needed to be notified immediately. The problem was that their camp in rural Vermont did not have … Continue reading “An Open Door and An Open Heaven”: Joel Metcalf, Minister Astronomer
