Unity Cross Ritual – Joining and Held Together by God
At a wedding I officiated last Saturday on a beautiful hilltop in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, the couple chose to include the Christian ritual of the Unity Cross. Signifying the wedding covenant, the Unity Cross is a lasting reminder of the Bride and Groom...
Lovingly Piercing the Thin Veil Between the Worlds
As noted in the previous blog post, this past weekend, the end of October, was the time of the ancient celebration of Samhain (pronounced “Sah-win”), observed by Pagans and others around the world. Samhain is the root of our modern religious celebration of All Saints...
Wiccan Wedding
Last Saturday, I was honored to officiate the wedding of a Wiccan couple in New Hampshire. Wicca is a contemporary Pagan religion which, like many other nature-based spirituality faiths, is pantheistic, meaning that the Divine is seen as everywhere and in everything....
Happy Mother’s Day – For All Those Who Have Nurtured Us
Today is Mother’s Day, and my wife and I gathered with some friends to celebrate the occasion. I asked everyone to reflect on their experiences with their own mothers, as well as for those who are mothers themselves to reflect on that part of their lives. While we...
Casados en el cuerpo, la mente, el corazón y el alma (Married in body, mind, heart, and soul)
Last Saturday, my wife and I traveled up to Lake Placid, NY where I officiated at the lively wedding of Lorena and Jafet, a Latino couple. (She’s Columbian and he’s Cuban.) The wedding took place at a secluded property alongside a beautiful pond. So that all the...
“CHANGE I WILL”
In worship services I’ve led this month, I have focused on the theme of acceptance of life changes and how they can be a vehicle for transformation. Some changes we love and welcome, like getting married, a better job etc., and others we struggle with greatly, such as...
Why is This Night Different from All Other Nights?
Last weekend was the start of the Jewish holiday of Passover, which commemorates the freedom of the ancient Jews from slavery in Egypt. To honor this, on Saturday night our UU Church in Hartland, VT held its 2nd annual Seder celebration, which I led, and which focused...
The Empowering Embrace of Helplessness
As mentioned in an earlier posting, I had elective surgery recently. I’ve been recuperating at home ever since. I’m progressing nicely, but surgery by nature is invasive and an assault on the body, so recovery is a slow process. There’s been a fair amount of physical...
A Life That Matters
Last week I had the great privilege to officiate at a funeral service for a woman who was very beloved by her family, friends, and community, many of whom shared stories about her that were full of full of heart and humor. The overarching theme was that she had lived...
Dissolving the Self
Last week, I had elective surgery done. The first surgery of any kind for me in 55 years, since I was a child. Although I didn’t have any life-threatening condition, the procedure required being put under by general anesthesia. And I found myself utterly terrified at...
In the depth of winter… there was in me an invincible summer
Yesterday, after leading worship services at UU churches around New England for the last several weeks, I came home and lead the service at my own UU church in Hartland VT. The theme was personal healing and transformation through life changes and transitions. We know...
A Springtime Prayer
Spring is a time of rebirth and renewal, and deepening connection with the Divine (however we experience and name it), as beautifully expressed in this A Springtime Prayer by “spiritual midwife” and writer, Joyce Rupp. Happy Spring! Ever-renewing and energizing...
Happy Easter! – Rebirth, Sacred Activism, And The Inner Transformative Journey
Yesterday was Easter, and in the sermon I gave at the Franklin, New Hampshire UU church, I connected the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection with the journey of sacred activism to heal ourselves and heal the world. The Easter story has a deeper meaning and wisdom...
Sacred Activism In Our Communities
The past two Sundays, I led worship services at two more Unitarian Universalist churches, both in New Hampshire - one in Charlestown and the other in Franklin. And both of them continued with the theme of Sacred Activism that I talked about in late February at the St....
Cozy Wedding in Brattleboro, Vermont
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of officiating the wedding of Albert and Sara, in Brattleboro VT. It was a cozy wedding at the home of a family member. The actual ceremony took place in the living room. It was a simple and love-filled event for the couple and the...
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