Our ancestors had dreams of a new world where they could do more than survive.  But their dream is a bit tattered now and it’s time for a new dream. What should it look like? How can we get there?

What is our form of democracy within our church and how can we be "democracy healers" manifesting and activating our understanding of freedom outside our beloved community?

  This being the first Sunday of summer and all it seemed like a sermon on summer spaciousness was appropriate. After all, isn’t that what summer is about? Out of our usual routines, out of our ruts, time for a anew perspective, time to get away from the daily oppression…

  June is officially designated Pride month, celebrating Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender people. Many, myself included, expand Pride to encompass folx from a variety of sexual orientations and gender identities, not limiting the rainbow to these four. Pride is a time for people from various communities to come together,…

“A living tradition is not bequeathed through some law of inheritance; it must be earned, not without dust and heat, and not without humbling grace.” Those words of UU theologian James Luther Adams are worth remembering as we celebrate the life of this community over the past year and look…

  Let my love be heard whispering in your angel wings. As grief once more mounts to heaven and sings… Let my love be heard. Knowing the truth of grief and loss… Achingly aware of disappointment in ourselves And in our world, And yearning for a certainty that remains Always…

Come join the UU Women’s Choir as they celebrate visionary women past and present. Special features include “In Your Hands,” by Abbie Betinis; a spoken and sung narrative of Eleanor Roosevelt’s address to the United NFrom Subject Received Size Categories Zaida Cooper 7/14/19 Attendance 9:36 AM 48 KB ations; music by…

  I have felt a presence that disturbs me with the joy of elevated thoughts; a sense sublime of something far more deeply interfused, Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns, And the round ocean and the living air, And the blue sky and the mind of Man A…

  “Does Justin Trudeau Apologize Too Much?”  That was the headline in my news feed one day back in March.  This BBC article went on to point out that the Prime Minister of Canada has issued four formal apologies for past injustices since he was elected in 2015, more than…

[su_vimeo url="https://player.vimeo.com/video/268448503?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0"]   The recognition of our graduating seniors earlier in the service is a reminder of the season we're in. For the students it is recognizing a very important rite of passage, from one chapter to another. And those passages involve parents and teachers and siblings as they too,…

Anthem: He Saw A Skull by Michael Gordon So, the story goes like this… There’s a man walking along the banks of a river when he sees a skull floating on the water nearby. And, with an unusual calmness and in a sudden bout of existentialism, the man speaks to…

  According to tradition, on the night of the historical Buddha’s awakening, as he sat in deep meditation under the Bodhi tree, he was attacked by the tempter, Mara. Seductive dancing women tried to distract him. And armies of phantom demons were sent to frighten him. When these failed to…

This is an annual tradition at First Unitarian—a service led by our high school youth in YRUU (Young Religious Unitarian Universalists). It’s a wonderful opportunity to experience what our church nurtures in young people. The service will include the musical talents and insightful homilies of our youth.

Tis a gift to be simple, tis a gift to be free) Tis a gift to come down where we ought to be When we find ourselves in the place just right Twill be in the valley of love and delight This Shaker song is a beautiful expression of the…

  Easter. Rebirth. Redemption. Where should this sermon begin? Where should the message start? What needs to be said when what we want is some deep rebirth and renewal, when what we need is not more words but new life. I was inspired by Victoria Safford, in a piece titled,…

Join us in Eliot Chapel for this special communion service in which we remember the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth, who stood fast against the forces of oppression and taught us to love one other. We will use the silver Communion Service donated by the founders of our…

  Darkness Lightness This past week Spring began here in the Northern Hemisphere. And to denote this changing of the seasons, those of us who celebrate the turning of the Wheel may have participated in ceremonies or rituals to honor Ostara, the Spring Equinox. The Equinox is a day of…

  When a preacher takes on topics like humility and pride, it is important to do so with a good deal of care. I think back to a time circa 1978 when I was a sophomore or junior in high school. It was the custom back then that the youth…

The Lord is my shepherd, I have all I need… Even though I walk through a dark and dreary land, There is nothing that can shake me, She won’t forsake me. I’m in her hand. I love Bobby McFerrin’s version of the 23rd Psalm, especially in this week when we…

  You may remember the melody from that fabulous piano anthem Signe offered. The original version was on the Michael Jackson album, Thriller. The lyric of the song repeated this refrain: “Why? Why?... Tell ‘em its just human nature.” The composer was responding to a conversation with his young daughter…

The power outage that affected sections of downtown Portland, including our church block, is now over.  Power has been restored.  All church events scheduled for this evening, Feb. 22, will go on as planned.

  Most religious traditions have something to say about brokenness (which we could also call pain, suffering, or injustice), and Unitarian Universalism is no exception. Today we’ll explore what makes our UU response to pain uniquely compelling, and how that response shapes our prayers of lamentation — as well as…

  Traditional liberal religious wisdom has left us far from the Beloved Community. Dr. Robin DiAngelo, the major presenter at Seminary for a Day, will join Rev. Sinkford for a dialogue focused on what we need to learn and what we need to look at in order to move forward.

Our spiritual theme for the month of February is prayer. Prayer; that place where we take our emotions, our seekings, our questions and concerns, our gratitude, and set them forth with intention. When we pray, we speak our words aloud or express our intentions silently, invoking the presence of Love,…

  Anthem: Lift Every Voice and Sing Sermon: Answering the Call of Love “Stick to the paths of Love and Justice. Your restless hearts will find me there.” That sentiment from the Psalm is echoed in our anthem. “Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met…

  “You ask me how to pray to someone who is not,” began our Responsive Reading this morning. And that is certainly one question that thinking about prayer can prompt. Is prayer begging a favor from someone or something, some power or force outside ourselves that might have the ability…