God is mystery. Much of life remains a mystery, often beyond words, yet palpable, real, and open to understanding at some deeper, mysterious level of conscious and unconscious awareness. The mystery shows up in music & art, in the miracles of nature, the brilliance and emptiness of space, the cycles of life, the return from … Continue reading Dancing with Mystery

Touch can be a most important source of healing and joy, for children and adults alike.  Many of us long for more touch – from the right person, in the right way, at the right time.  Touch can also be a devastating source of pain, fear, and abuse.  How do we tap into the healing, … Continue reading The Power of Touch

Come hear first hand stories about what it can be like to arrive in Concord as a refugee, perhaps knowing no English, arriving with few belongings, largely disconnected from networks of cultural and family support.   And hear the stories of what it can be like to befriend a family of refugees, growing into a … Continue reading Being & Befriending Refugees in Concord

With no creeds or official dogma what are the throughlines that have held steady in our evolution as the liberal, justice seeking faith we are?  What aspirations, visions, and struggles connect us to the Unitarians, Universalists, and Unitarian Universalists of the past 200 years and the movements they helped to shape within our congregations and … Continue reading Throughlines of our Faith

Each Sunday we “embrace the beauty within each of us, yet acknowledge the imperfections that make us human.”  UNLESS, it seems, you are a celebrity leader, dead or alive.  Those leaders we expect to be first-rate and beyond reproach, flawless and infallible, honorable and admirable in all aspects of their public and private lives.  What … Continue reading Hallelujah for Imperfect Leaders

Forgiveness and creativity, wonder and compassion, love and courage, and just about everything else that makes life interesting and worthwhile, depends on our willingness to welcome curiosity into our way of being. It cracks open the doors we didn’t realize existed. It doesn’t take sides as we explore different perspectives. It doesn’t insist on a … Continue reading The Answer to Everything: Curiosity

We aspire to welcome, value and engage the diverse parts of humanity that surround us. What if we approached the diverse parts within us, the varied  subpersonalities that make up our “internal family,” with similar sincerity – including those we’d rather ignore or keep at bay? What if we can’t truly welcome those around us … Continue reading Welcoming Ourselves

As we re-gather in our beautiful sanctuary for our annual water communion service, may we all experience the gift of feeling welcomed, by music, by friendly faces, by open hearts, a caring community, and the joy and curiosity of a Beginner’s Mind. Our water communion ritual honors the varied stories that join us together – … Continue reading The Gift of Welcome: A Water Communion Service

As we celebrate its 100th anniversary, may our annual Flower Communion service remind us once more of the blessings we receive when we are present for one another, sharing, caring, with an open heart, a helping hand, creating community that matters.  Please bring a flower if you can – though we’ll have plenty of extras.  … Continue reading Flower Communion Sunday: Come, Come, Wherever You’ve Been

As we listen to anguish, afflictions, and suffering, how do we become the refuge these voices long to find?  How do we prepare our hearts, our homes, our communities?  How do we balance our need for boundaries with our desire to offer safety, solace, and sanctuary?  The emotional hunger around us is real and so … Continue reading May I Be a Refuge