This Thanksgiving I find myself reflecting on the absence
of perfection. You have heard me preach about the problems of perfection as a
standard, the way it encourages all of us to embrace definitions of the good
that are culturally determined…and leaves us all perpetually unsatisfied with
our performance … read more.
You have likely now heard that the Music Ministry at First Unitarian Church, particularly the adult choir program, has been largely restructured. This began last spring when it was announced that we would be retiring our three mixed choirs (then known as Chalice Choir, Chamber … read more.
Monthly Theme: Birth
Sermon Topic: “Holy Night”
O Magnum Mysterium
Music: Kenneth L. DeJong
Text: Traditional
O magnum mysterium,
et admirabile sacramentum,
ut animalia viderent Dominum natum,
iacentem in praesepio!
Beata Virgo,
cujus viscerameruerunt portare
Dominum Iesum Christum.
Alleluia!
The Works of Christmas
Music: Elizabeth H. Norton
Text: Howard Thurman
When the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star … read more.
On November 12, the Supreme Court considered the Trump administration’s termination of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), deciding whether this action was lawful and possibly whether DACA’s creation itself was lawful. With the potential to impact the lives of 700,000 recipients, First Unitarian Portland … read more.
In his concluding statement
during the Democratic Candidates Debate last night, Senator Corey Booker
pointed out Rep. John Lewis sitting in the audience and began with the famous
words of gratitude from Deuteronomy: “We drink from wells we did not dig.”
He began with gratitude and
the recognition that … read more.
Theologian and jazz great,
Duke Ellington, got it right: “Come Sunday, oh, come Sunday, that’s the day.”
We call it Celebration
Sunday, this Sunday, when we try to transform our financial giving to support
First Unitarian into a joyful expression of our gratitude for all the church
means in … read more.
The first thing to say about our democracy is that it is not one. Our system of government is not a democracy. The “framers” of our system, those “founding fathers”, were deeply distrustful of democracy and what might happen if all the people had a … read more.
Monthly Theme: Death
Sermon Topic: “Building a New Way”
Dig a Little Deeper
Music: Jenifer Lewis, arr. DeReau Farrar
Text: Jenifer Lewis
Don’t matter what you look like
Don’t matter what you wear
How many rings you got on your finger
We don’t care, no, we don’t care
Don’t matter where you … read more.
