with Worship Associate Dave Hudson and musicians David Dodd, Tim Jenkins, and Lotte Moore. None of us does life alone – even when we try. We’re shaped by what we inherit and changed by relationships past, present, and future. This week’s service explores interdependence not just as something we practice now, but as something that … Continue reading The Lives That Live in Us: How We Shape One Another, Across Time
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 Nate Makdad, Cantor Rachel Walters Steiner, and pianist David Dodd. What we notice shapes what we value… and what we miss shapes it, too. This service explores equity through the lenses of fairness, attention, and the quiet lessons of conflict. Our sense of fairness can often help us in life, and it … Continue reading Equity, Seen Differently
with Worship Associate Nora Makdad and musician David Dodd. Why do we seek out fear when life already offers so much of it? From ghost stories to suspenseful films, people have long turned to scary stories as a safe place to feel what’s dangerous – a rush of adrenaline, a flicker of excitement, a controlled … Continue reading “The Stories That Scare Us – and Shape Us”
with Worship Associate Rev. Dr. Wakoh Shannon Hickey, Cantor Rachel Walters Steiner, and musician Aidan Manousos. In life, we step into many roles – parent, partner, leader, learner, friend – and each one shapes us in unexpected ways. The same is true of the roles we take on in our professional lives and extracurricular pursuits, … Continue reading The Theater of Becoming: Transformation Through the Roles We Play
with Worship Associate Nora Makdad and pianist David Dodd. We often celebrate goals, milestones, and successful outcomes – but what if the most sacred moment is the one where we begin? This service invites us to reimagine success not as crossing the finish line, but as standing courageously at the starting line, uncertain but willing. … Continue reading Starting Lines and Brave Beginnings
Worship Leader Ashley Kennedy Makdad, Worship Associate Nate Makdad, and pianist Gary Rossi. Why do we sometimes stay in situations long after we know they no longer serve us? From relationships and careers to wars and public policy, humans often cling to decisions simply because we’ve already invested time, money, or emotion. Psychologists call this the … Continue reading Letting Go: Breaking Free from the Sunken Cost Fallacy
with Nora Makdad and guitarist Tim Jenkins. What stories shaped you – and which ones are you ready to rewrite together? This Mother’s Day, we gather across generations to explore the power of imagination, the stories we inherit, and the ways we care for the future. Together, we’ll reflect on how we shape tomorrow through … Continue reading A Love Letter to the Future: Celebrating Motherhood, Story, and Imagination
with Worship Associate Andrew Richardson, pianist David Dodd, and guitarist Tim Jenkins Joy is often thought of as something we chase—something to be earned, planned, or created. But what if joy is also something that finds us? This service explores the connection between presence and serendipity, asking: Can we miss joy simply by not paying … Continue reading The Joy That Finds Us: Attention, Openness, and the Unexpected
In the coming months and years, we are called to be a steadfast presence for those most vulnerable among us—our LGBTQ+ family, immigrants, BIPOC communities, and all who face systemic injustice. This sermon will explore our moral responsibility to stand with and, when needed, in front of those who need protection, offering both practical actions … Continue reading “Standing in the Light: Protecting the Vulnerable in Uncertain Times”
