Our Journeys, Our Hearts
We listen to the wisdom of our inner hearts and minds as we join in meditation.
A Prayer for People in War
Spirit of Life, You call us to embody equity and freedom in our lives.
No Longer Strangers
When I first entered the rooms of recovery, I thought I had nothing in common with the people around me.
Keep on Practicing
While it may be urgent to work toward creating justice, I can’t do that unless I have a sense of calm.
Love Is For Everyone, Including Us
For those of us who grew up in homes with addiction or dysfunction, it was so hard to know we were loved.
The Holy of Holies
The real holy of holies happens in sobriety when relationships with self and others are healthy and whole.
Surrendering to the Truth of My Addiction
Surrendering to the truth of my addiction has been the most empowering act of my life.
A Christmas Blessing
The story tells of a woman heavy with child, traveling with her partner to be counted in a census declared by a distant ruler unaware of the lives disrupted or the life that is to come....
A Guided Meditation on Gratitude
Ask yourself, in your heart: What or who are you grateful for?
Immortality
We remember the joys our departed gave us which opened us up to the life shared which is now ours to steward.
The Complex Feelings of Father's Day
Sometimes it feels like Father’s Day is more about enshrining a myth than it is about facing the realities of fatherhood.
Meditation on Letting Go
In our experience of letting go, may we be open to the possibility that we need not pick our worries back up.
The Cradle is Empty–Again
Can I do it again? Do I even dare? Do I have the strength? Because the cradle might be empty—again.
It’s Mother’s Day Again: A Childless Mother’s Cry
It can be a lonely time for those of us whose arms are empty.
I Believe in Fathering
I believe in the radical idea that men have the full human capacity to nurture.
Meditation on the Four Directions
In the pagan tradition, which is grounded in a respect and reverence for the natural world, calling upon the four directions is the usual way to begin any ceremony. Each direction is associated with an element of the natural world, and represents some part of our human nature as well....
Every Moment Is One
Your first Christmas, your last Christmas, this Christmas, and the redemption of the whole world are all happening right now, forever.
Let this Be a Place of Silence
Let this be a place of warm and gentle silence: the silence that soothes and comforts the wounded, the silence that yields insights into heart and soul, the silence that calms, the silence the listens, the silence that speaks, the silence that renews. Let this be a place of warm and gentle silence.
Spending Time in Silence
Quiet yourself and listen to the rhythm of your breath, your heart . . .Listen to the silence . . .
The Communion Prayer
In the name of Providence, which implants in the seed the future of the tree and in the hearts of men [and women] the longing for people living in [human] love; in the name of the highest....
Fall Equinox Meditation
Like the sun moving toward the shortest day, each moment arises—and is gone before we know it.
In These Days of Fire
Let us pause, and breathe, and be in touch with the sacred presence that permeates all, including this room, now. Web of All... of life, death, and renewal: We open our hearts to those who suffer as a result of the wildfires.
Traditional Transylvanian Blessing (I)
(Hungarian first—English follows) Hol hit—ott szeretet Where there is faith there is love Hol szeretet—ott béke Where there is love there is peace Hol béke—ott áldás Where there is peace there is blessing Hol áldás—ott Isten Where there is blessing there is God Hol Isten—ott...
Into the Wilderness
When Jesus was baptized the spirit descended upon him like a dove and God said, “This is my son, in whom I am well pleased.” It must have been a great feeling, but it didn’t last long. The next thing Jesus knew, the nice spirit that had descended like a dove became aggressive and drove him...
Some Wishes For You
I wish for you a troubled heart at times As woes of world and friend come close beside And keep you sleepless. I wish for you the thrill of knowing Who you are, Where you stand, And why. Especially why....
Meditation on Letting Go
Let us enter into a time of meditation, contemplation, and prayer. Feel the earth beneath your feet as it supports you. Feel the love of this community as it surrounds and enfolds you. Feel your breath as it flows in and out of your body. Listen to your heartbeat. Listen to your heart....
Pastoral Prayer for the Gulf Region
Spirit of Life, hold us in our pain and comfort us in our grief. Our grief feels boundless; our rage eats at us. We feel pain for all the wild creatures of the Gulf and the wetlands....
We Give Thanks For The Animals
We give thanks for the animals Who live close to nature, Who remind us of the sanctities of birth and death, Who do not trouble their lives with foreboding or grief, Who let go each moment as it passes, And accept each new one as it comes With serenity and grace....
Within This Instant
Within the space of an instant, you can make a first impression show gratitude, kiss, change your mind, wipe away a tear, live, and die. It only takes a minute to write a note, tell a joke, change a diaper, sing a song, or be still....
Prayer for Congregational Meeting
Spirit of life and love God of many names—and no name— Divine spirit which resides in all, We do not always understand each other. We do not always speak or listen carefully. We often find it difficult to look beyond our selves to our common purpose, and We cause suffering to each other and...
What We Do Matters
Spirit of Life and Love, we are here because we believe what we do matters. We are here because we believe how we live our life matters. That with every act of kindness or meanness, courage or fear, love or hate, we are weaving the fabric of the universe that holds us all. We are here because we...
Field at Table
When I begin to bless this food and close my eyes I lose myself first just in green: how do leaves grow themselves this green and how do they grow at all to be so large and how do they make themselves from soil which in itself is only brown and sunlight helps and water but how is the end of this,...
Towers of Babel
I have purchased a set of Islamic prayer beads from one of our local shop owners. The set has ninety-nine beads, one for each of the names of God in Islam....
Silence
Silence is not always golden. Sometimes, silence is a contempt for goodness; silence is a consent for atrocities; silence is a scorn for humanity. Often, it is better to scream.
Election Day
It is the day before the election as I write these lines, and whatever the outcome, I will be glad when it’s over. Some will be elated by the results, and others will feel dejected, but regardless of who wins or loses, our world will still be broken and suffering from ills that government is...
Meditation on Hope and Love in a Time of Struggle
In a world so filled with brokenness and sorrow It would be easy to lose ourselves in never ending grief, To be choked by our outrage To be paralyzed by the enormity of suffering, To feel our hearts squeeze tight with hopelessness....
Let Us Tell Stories of Mothers
Let us tell the stories of mothers… stories that could be true. Let us tell of warm mothers, soft and round, likely to be found with flour on their nose, and always ready to pour you a glass of milk to go with the cookies on your plate. These mothers are increasingly rare. Let us tell of mothers...
My Heart Fights for Those Who Can't Fight
Someone called me a "bleeding heart liberal." It was not intended as a compliment. However, I will always consider it one of the biggest compliments of my life. My heart bleeds for the underdog. My heart fights for those who can't fight. My heart rejoices in seeing others overcome adversity. My...
Let Us Listen
Let us listen deeply to what is on our hearts, Let us listen to what our fears are; Let us listen to the young children, Let us listen to the teens, Let us listen to the elders. Let us listen when the world is sick. Let us listen....
Winter Solstice Meditation
We pause as the path of the sun reverses, seemingly holding its place for a moment of turning. Let us delve into the gifts of darkness at the winter solstice. We follow curiosity and contemplation down into the cold earth, taking a journey to the world below the surface....
September Meditation
I do not know if the seasons remember their history or if the days and nights by which we count time remember their own passing. I do not know if the oak tree remembers its planting or if the pine remembers its slow climb toward sun and stars. I do not know if the squirrel remembers last fall's...
The moment of prayer is an invitation
The moment of prayer is an invitation to be calm in the midst of the tumult of the world and our over-busy lives, to bring together thought and feeling, mind and spirit, and to find some center -- some still point -- of perspective and peace. Here in this sanctuary which has been the home for so...
Grateful for Creatures from A to Z
We give thanks for the earth and its creatures and are grateful from A to Z: For alligators, apricots, acorns and apple trees; For bumblebees, bananas, blueberries and beagles; Coconuts, crawdads, cornfields and coffee; Daisies, elephants, and flying fish; For groundhog, glaciers and grasslands;...
God of all generations
God of all generations, in all the power, mystery and design of this world, draw us near, inspire us to see anew the life before us. Make us like the child who sees so clearly and touches so deeply. From the source of our being, we yearn for new vision, new eyes to see the world, new ears to hear...
Incandescent, the bright autumn leaf
Incandescent, the bright autumn leaf clings to the branch, holding on to glory, then floats to the ground in its fine array—down to winter's snows and spring's muck and mold. Does it rant and rave into that good night?...