with Worship Associate Nancy Blake and pianist David Dodd. On February 15, Japanese Buddhists commemorate the Buddha’s Paranirvana: i.e., his death and entry into final Nirvana. The last teaching frequently (mis-)attributed to him is expressed in Unitarian Universalist hymn #184: ”Be ye lamps unto yourselves; be your own confidence; hold to the truth within yourselves … Continue reading “Be Ye Lamps”
“A circle of friends is a ring of trust.” A consideration of the meaning of friendship in our lives, from church friends to life-long friends to saying goodbye to a friend. Rev. Maddie is joined by her longtime friends and musical collaborators, Chris and Lorin Rowan (The Rowan Brothers). Rev. Maddie Sifantus retired as the … Continue reading Circle of Friends
with Worship Associate Rev. Dr. Wakoh Shannon Hickey, Cantor Rachel Walters Steiner, and pianist David Dodd. We begin our exploration this month of the UU value of interdependence by reflecting on the human longing to belong. In this first service of the month, we’ll consider how community forms us, how it feels when we know … Continue reading You Belong My Beloved
with Worship Associate Nancy Blake and pianist David Dodd. As Unitarian Universalists, we covenant to dismantle racism and all froms of systemic oppression. How can those of us who have not suffered great injustice better understand it so that we can better fulfill our mission?
with Worship Associate Janice Hardy, Cantor Rachel Walters Steiner, The Larking About Choir, and pianist Gary Rossi. On this weekend when we celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., we ask: what does it mean to live our faith in public? How will our actions testify to our most deeply held beliefs?
with Worship Associate Nora Makdad, and musician Aidan Manousos. We often imagine justice as something we should already understand, rather than something we’re still learning. But justice rarely arrives fully formed. More often, it unfolds as we go. In this service, we’ll explore justice as a lived, imperfect practice—one that asks us to act with … Continue reading Justice as Practice, Not Perfection
with Worship Associate Dave Hudson, Cantor Rachel Walters Steiner, and pianist David Dodd. As Unitarian Universalists, we proclaim the value of Justice: We work to be diverse multicultural Beloved Communities where all feel welcome and can thrive. But what do we do when justice for some feels like injustice to others?
As is the tradition at UU Petaluma, we will be gathering to reflect on the year just past and the one to come, and take time to write letters to ourselves to be delivered in a year. If you wrote a letter last year, you should be receiving it shortly before the service.
On Christmas Eve we tell the old stories and sing the old songs in the hope that they will help us find the light waiting to be born in our time and in our place. Please join us in this carol-filled service featuring the traditional story, accompanied by our choir, Larking About, and our Wind … Continue reading When the Star is Hard to Find: Christmas Eve Service
with Worship Associate Dave Hudson, Cantor Rachel Walters Steiner, and pianist David Dodd. Throughout millennia, many cultures have marked the Winter Solstice as a sacred time. We come together in community to face the dark times and celebrate the return of the light.
