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.]
0Excerpts 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.
0The Failure of Perfectionism – by Nancy Reid-McKee.
0A reflection for Stewardship Sunday.
0We 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?
0Nancy 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.
0Long-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.
0Hard times come around for all of us. Some people get knocked down by challenges and never recover. Some are more resilient, and can bounce back to where they started. Some rise like a phoenix from the ashes – stronger than ever before. How can we build resilience in ourselves, each other, and our communities? What protective factors create the safety nets that catch us when we fall, and launch us back up onto our feet? Speaker: Janelle Durham
0Some of the hardest work we do is healing the broken world. And so, we give and we share what we have. What does the next step look like? Our prophets (not our Biblical, but our Social prophets) call us into relationship with others. That means moving closer, becoming proximate to those most broken.
0Buddhism has a term for what ails us: the hungry ghost. We desire a full life but have learned to dull our craving. How do we identify what we most need, and how do we work together to move toward satisfying this?
0We will reflect on our UU martyrs. Martyrs are those who have died for their beliefs, for their faith. We will explore the characteristics of a Saint/Martyr, and recognize those of our tradition. Sermon by Rev. Nancy Reid-McKee. Northlake Unitarian Universalist Church, Kirkland, WA
0This week, the Kirkland area is living with the presence of coronavirus in our community. We worry about over-reacting… we wonder if we should just go on about our lives as usual, knowing that for many people this virus only causes a mild illness. We worry about under-reacting. If we don’t change our behaviors, and keep going out in the world and interacting as we always do, could we increase the spread of the disease, putting many others at risk. In the spirit of compassion, and honoring the interconnectedness of all beings, we try to find a middle way.
0This is an important election year. We must be involved and use this year to promote our values in the world if we truly believe we are part of the interconnected web, dedicated to healing the world. At the same time we must learn resiliency, how we maintain our core integrity, when the political situation feels threatening. (Opens with a reading from Clarissa Pinkola Estes.)
2There is a debate about optimism versus hope. What is the difference? Liberation theologians declare optimism is not possible for those who can no longer trust the economy and politics of this country. In these difficult times, must we give up on optimism, but learn a form of spiritual hope? (Opens with a reading from Vaclav Havel.)
1Integrity can be defined as a sense of wholeness and authenticity. But what does wholeness and authenticity look like in a world that often appears fractured and demands conformity? Join us as our guest preacher, Raphaelle Mills Warner, MDiv, explores this topic.
0Recording of the Christmas Eve Services at Northlake UU in Kirkland, WA: Christmas Carol Medley, played by Maria (0 – 8:20); Joy to the World, Candle Lighting, O Come… (8:20 – 14:30); The No Rehearsal Xmas pageant (14:30 – 31:20); Carols, Readings and Offering (31:20 – 44); Homily by Rev. Nancy Reid-McKee – Take Time for Awe (44 – 50:40); Carols and Readings (50:40 – 1:00).
0In this season of cold and wet, we honor the light and warmth of fire and the blessings of community in this multigenerational service, which includes story, song, and a fire communion ceremony. (In Unitarian Universalist traditions, we often do a flower communion in the spring and a water communion in the fall. This service included Rev. Nancy’s creation of a fire communion.)
0When our personal lives grow crowded with the news and opinions of others, how do we remain open to the awe of all that is Divine? Speaker – Joe Rettenmaier, former intern minister at Edmonds UU, MDiv student at Meadville-Lombard.
0So often we are caught up in the business of life and miss the mystery of being alive. In this service, Rev. Nancy led us through several practices that help ground our spirit. Recording includes Homily (recording location 0 – 11:00 minutes), then Steve Wilhelm from Eastside Insight Meditation offers a guided meditation (11 – 17:30), Lectio Divina (read, meditate, pray and contemplation centered around a reading of The Longing by John O’Donohue – 18 – 22:40), gratitude practice (22:40 – 25:30), lighting a candle (25:30 – 26:15); Choir performs We Are One (26:15 – 29:46).
0This is a recording of a children’s story, as told by Rev. Nancy Reid-McKee at our Veteran’s Day service at Northlake UU Church in Kirkland, WA
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