Podcast: Northlake Unitarian Universalist Church

Honor the Dark – Nancy Reid-McKee

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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.

Coming Home

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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.

Riot is the Language of the Unheard

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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.”

The Trouble with Normal – Rev. Nancy Reid-McKee

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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.]

The Re-combobulation Zone – Nancy Reid-McKee

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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?

We are a Strong, Resilient People – Janelle Durham

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Hard 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