Beyond Sunday: Reflections, News and Flyers
For favorite sermons, the current Friday Flyer, Rev. Lori’s reflections, and the Monthly Messenger, this is the place!
Rev. Lori: on The Light of Resistance and the Blessings of Imbolc
“I began noticing this week how it gets lighter earlier in the morning and stays light later. In spite of the bitter cold temperatures I feel some encouragement by the addition of the minutes. I feel like light is also returning on in other areas of my consciousness. As hard and sad as things can feel these days, the light of effective resistance is shining. Small wins are popping up in the nation and in our community.”
“As it is said every Sunday, "When we gather together as a community, we bring the gifts of ourselves, our hearts and spirits, our time and energy, our talents and skills, to support the work of this church here within our walls and out in the larger community." By our very nature we gather together in community and give of ourselves. This weekend is about recognizing all of you who do in the many ways that you have. It is also about opening the circle to our new friends and members to help them find their way of folding their hearts and spirits and skills and energy in with the wonderful work we do to nurture this community! With soup and sweets and fellowship and fund we will celebrate each other and the get ready for the wonderful work that lies ahead!”
Rev. Lori: Don’t Stay In Your Seats!
“We are a faith community, even if we come from different faiths or no faith. We walk together and support one another on our own individual spiritual journeys. Faith without action is incomplete. Spiritual journey without witness is vacant. It is important to practice our spirituality in the ways that nourish ourselves and our community. And our spirituality also requires we look outward.”
“This week we will shine our light by celebrating Imbolc and honoring Brigid, Celtic Goddess of fertility and Irish Saint. In our cozy Parish Hall, we will hear Brigid's story and our youth will help facilitate a ritual that involves honoring the elements and getting ready for spring. It is not to be missed!”
For Those Who Came Before: Honoring UU Activists and Resistors Through the Ages
“We gather with the memory of Unitarian and Universalist activists, and with the memory of all those across the world who stood against injustice with nothing more than courage, clarity, and love. We gather to consider how our values shaped them—and still shape us. We gather to consider how these values, in shaping our lives, have shaped our communities, our society, and our world.”
Rev. Lori With A Modern Parable of Readiness
“There once was a traveler who set out with nothing but a thin cloak and a determined heart. Whenever the winds changed, she gathered the cloak around her. When storms approached, she cinched the cloth tight at her waist so her hands were free—free to build, free to shield, free to lift others up. When asked why she always prepared herself so deliberately, she said, “The world is full of work that requires both strength and tenderness. I gird myself not for battle, but for love.””
Rev. Lori on letting go and dreaming forward at the new year.
“Two faces, one looking back, one forward—keeper of thresholds, guardian of beginnings. In one eye, memory: what shaped us, what we survived. In the other, possibility: doors unlatched, light not yet named….”
Rev. Lori: What is Love calling us to do in this moment?
“…not all stories have readily available happy endings. There is sadness and brokenness that is highlighted and that may not ever have resolution. In this instance, it is not our place or character as a community to look away. We are obligated as UUs and people of faith to provide compassion, seek justice, and care for people. We are obligated to be a people of hope. We are also obligated to be in constant conversation about what our chalice and beacon is calling us to do. What is love calling us to do in this moment?”
Rev. Lori on Choosing Hope
“Choosing hope is choosing relationship—trusting that others will show up, that love will meet us again, and that the future is shaped not only by outcomes but by the spirit with which we meet the journey. In choosing hope, we commit ourselves to tending sparks of possibility wherever they appear, and in doing so, we become part of the light we long to see.”
The Season of Advent: Approaching Joy
“Today we focus on one movement within that season: Approaching Joy.
Not joy triumphant.
Not unshakeable joy.
But a joy we are moving toward—tentatively, courageously, honestly.
And maybe that’s the most faithful way to speak of joy in a world like ours.”
Rev. Lori: Joy is the Soft Glow on the Horizon
“Joy as a spiritual practice, is something we gird ourselves with as we approach the darker days. Joy is a choice even when happiness is not. It isn’t fake to find the spark that brings your light alive and choose to cultivate that spark.”
Rev. Lori: Gratitude in the Liminal Spaces
“Gratitude for the in-between spaces invites us to honor the pauses—the moments of not yet and no longer. These are thresholds where growth quietly happens, where we rest between what has ended and what is beginning. It can be tempting to rush past uncertainty, angst, pain, anger, fear or other uncomfortable feelings but gratitude teaches us to linger, to trust that these liminal spaces are sacred too.”
Rev. Lori: “Gratitude begins and ends with Love.”
“Gratitude begins and ends with love. When we feel thankful, it’s because we recognize the love that flows through our lives—love given and received in countless forms. Every act of kindness, every moment of connection, every breath of beauty is love expressing itself, reminding us that we belong to one another and to this world.”
Rev. Lori Offers a Samhain Ritual
“We are celebrating in word and ritual this week, the pagan holiday of Samhain. Samhain is the ancient Celtic festival marking the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter, a time to honor ancestors, reflect on cycles of life and death, and embrace the mystery of transformation as the veil between worlds grows thin. “
Rev. Lori on How We Learn Compassion
“Close your eyes for a moment and think of those who first showed you what compassion means. It may have been a parent, a grandparent, a teacher, a neighbor, or even a stranger. Perhaps it was a gentle word when you felt small, a hand extended when you were lost, or a quiet presence that made you feel safe. These moments, though ordinary at the time, planted something in us. They reminded us that we are never alone, that kindness has the power to carry us through pain, and that to care for another is to give them life itself.”
Rev. Lori on Turning Compassion Into Action
“Action. Political action. Cultural action, Community action. Action. I think about that word a lot lately. I am constantly wondering what my part is in the world right now. I am compassionate towards most. I am an advocate for so many. And yet I wonder what is effective for me to participate in. Where will my limited energy even make a difference. I do believe a well of compassion must overflow to satisfy need or suffering. Whatever that means. I am confessing that it all has felt disheartening to me, so much so that I have had to step away from news feeds and social media as much as possible.”
Rev. Lori on the Intersection of Addiction and Compassion
“Addiction isn’t just about drugs or alcohol. It’s broader, and honestly, a lot more familiar than we like to admit. Most of us know what it’s like to chase a feeling—whether it’s the dopamine hit from social media, the comfort of a nightly glass of wine, or the mindless escape of binge-watching something when life feels a little too sharp around the edges. Addiction, in some ways, is about the stories we tell ourselves: “I need this to unwind,” “I’ll stop tomorrow,” or “It’s not that bad.” We all have a version of that narrative.”