22 February
| | Janelle Durham
Air, one of the four elements, is the only one we can’t actually see. But we sense it with our eyes, hearing and touch. We will explore the ways we know air, and then as a communion together we will take a collective breath, honoring this essential element of life. Includes readings from John Fire Lame Deer, Gail Forsyth-Vail, Richard Gilbert, Lewis Latimer, David Abrams, and Lyall Watson, and concludes with Maria playing Prelude in D flat op. 43 no. 1 by R. Glier.
0
07 February
| | Janelle Durham
At the end of your life, will you be able to reflect back and know you have lived the life you wanted? Or are you urgently attending to one thing after another, without the time to take care of your basic needs? And what are those basic needs? These questions help give each of us clarity about whether we are doing the works that brings us alive and gives us meaning. We will explore how we prioritize our lives.
2
31 January
| | Janelle Durham
In this sermon, guest preacher Ariel Aaronson-Eves invites us to reflect on how we relate to the world around us and the various traditions that have connected or disconnected people from the land and its creatures. What healing becomes possible when we open ourselves up to communicating with even the most pesky of yellowjacket wasps? What kind of counter-oppressive culture might be created through relationships of reciprocity within our ecosystems? (Recording includes a reading by Emily Kedar.)
1
24 January
| | Janelle Durham
When we think of the homeless/unhoused community, what often comes to mind are tent cities, cardboard signs, struggle, hopelessness, addiction, isolation, and a community with tremendous needs. Eli Poore, a Unitarian Universalist seminarian, Community Ministry Intern, and community organizer who has been working with the unhoused community using a strength and relationship-based organizing process in Corpus Christi, Texas, shares what lessons unhoused communities have to offer us about perseverance, relationships, interdependence, inherent worth, and building Beloved Community. Recording opens with a reading.
0
17 January
| | Janelle Durham
Unitarian Universalists have seven principles that guide us… but in 2017 an Eighth Principle was introduced for consideration. This principle is about how we dismantle racism and move to anti-oppression in our faith. This is a fitting topic as we celebrate Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Includes a chalice lighting written by Rebekah Savage.)
1
10 January
| | Janelle Durham
Recording opens with a prayer reflecting on the events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. This is followed by a reading from Ivone Gebara in Longing For Running Water. Then Rev. Nancy:”Many of us have rejected the theology of God we were raised with. For some, this has left us without a theology and without religious language. We explore theologies that may offer a new way to move into our religious home with intellectual engagement.”
0
03 January
| | Janelle Durham
We celebrate fire in this service, thinking of what it offers as one of the basic elements of our planet. And fitting with this, we will have time for a burning bowl; a time to reflect on what to put behind us this past year, and what to move into as we look to the future. (Opening words adapted from “Out of the Flames” by Sara Eileen LaWall; includes a poem by May Sarton, and concludes with music – Romance by Shostakovich.)
0
20 December
| | Janelle Durham
This will be the longest night this year. So often we use this time of year to long for the light and wait for a kindling of fire to instill new life in us. How about we think about what the night offers to us? Instead of looking for something else, let us explore where we are (darkness) and why this is a normal part of each day, and each life. Recording begins with hymn Dark of Winter, by Shelley Jackson Denham, sung by Northlake choir, ends with When I am Frightened by Denham. Also includes a reading by Barbara Brown Taylor, from her book Learning to Walk in the Dark.
0
12 October
| | Janelle Durham
Begins with hymn Here Together, written by David Glasgow. Reading: “The Church Has Left the Building” By Margaret Weis. Sermon: Foundation of Congregants – “UU’s have a foundational belief in Congregational Polity. This means that we have no higher authority in our faith tradition than the congregation itself. This calls us to know ourselves well and to be responsible. It calls us to make promises to each other, trust each other, and commit to each other that we will care for each other. The work of the church is up to us.” Hymn reprise.
0
12 October
| | Janelle Durham
Begins with song “Let Your Little Light Shine”. The Time for All Ages was about Creating a Home. Hymn: Return Again. Sermon on Coming Home – synopsis: “Our theme for the year is Our House of Belonging, and we will begin by welcoming you home to Northlake after a summer of wanderings. Which leads to the questions…what makes a place home? Where do you belong, and when we ultimately are alone with ourselves in life, what makes us feel a sense of belonging?” Ends with song: Love Come and Be with Me.
0
04 October
| | Janelle Durham
Rev. Nancy leads a meditation, involving four elements: earth, sky, fire and water. Then Rev. Nancy speaks about Our UU Ancestors. Her summary: “We understand ourselves only in the context of our history, although we may not fully recognize how ancestors are foundational. This week we will talk about our ancestors, talking about why we need to know how they influence us, and then specifically introducing Hosea Ballou and William Ellory Channing, our Unitarian and our Universalist ‘fathers’.” The recording concludes with Jaie leading “We Are.”
0
21 September
| | Janelle Durham
The recording begins with a reading of a poem by Maya Angelou, in honor of the loss of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Then our new music director, Jaie, leads us in singing There is a Love. Nancy shares a “Meditation on Hope and Love in a Time of Struggle” By Alice Anacheka-Nasemann, and a sermon on a Faith of the Heart and the Head – Foundational Theologies of Unitarians and Universalists. The recording closes with the hymn We Shall be Known.
0
Time For All Ages: “Why Are There Protests?” Prayer from Rev. Joan Javier-Duval. Reading: “Love Is Calling” from Jess Reynolds. Reflection/Sermon: Riot is the Language of the Unheard by Rev. Nancy Reid-McKee – “What is it that America has failed to hear? We will explore the message we need to attend to. We will reflect on our response that shifts the focus from our fear and discomfort and centers on what and who have been silenced.”
0
After months of quarantining we are being pushed to return to “normal”. But should we? Could we use this lesson as a way to change destructive habits? And what is the cost to the front-line workers in returning to the previous habits? Let’s look at this closer. [Recording opens with “We Are Not in the Same Boat” by an unknown author.]
0
Excerpts from our Mother’s Day Online Service – opens with the song “There is a Love” sung by Dave, then Trish reads “Circle of Care” by Lisa Bovee-Kemper. Rev. Nancy shares a “Prayer For All Who Mother” by Victoria Weinstein, and her own reflection, titled Honoring Those Who Nurture.
0
The Failure of Perfectionism – by Nancy Reid-McKee.
0
A reflection for Stewardship Sunday.
0
We have entered a time of uncertainty. This is the time between realizing we are in a crisis, but before knowing the extent of it. This time is unsettling, it is much like passing through airport security, trying to get reorganized before we board the plane for the real trip. How do we become recombobulated?
0
Nancy Reid-McKee with a reflection on Chaos Theory, and the changes in our life due to coronavirus. This reflection was part of a virtual worship service on Zoom teleconferencing.
0
Long-time Northlaker Diane Fennema speaks about practicing compassion in the times of coronavirus. This homily was given as part of our virtual service on Zoom on 3/29/20.
0
