December 8, 2019  “Diwali: The Hindu Festival of Lights" Rev. Gretchen Weis, Kavita Vansant, DLRE

Diwali is a five-day festival celebrated in the late fall by Hindus, Jaines, Sikhs and some Buddhists. During the festival, homes, shops, temples and office buildings throughout India are brightly illuminated, celebrating the spiritual and metaphoric victory of light over darkness, of good over evil, and of knowledge over ignorance. Kavita Vansant, our Director of Lifespan Religious Education will co-lead worship for this multigenerational service.

December 1, 2019  “Weaving a New Way” McKayla Hoffman

Amidst times of cultural and political turmoil across our world, humanity calls for a change. This "new way" can be woven by the love and goodwill of our united global community. Join us for a service where we will explore the construction of this new way, our place in our web, and the call to embody the radical love our world needs. McKayla Hoffman (they/them/their) is a first year seminarian at Meadville Lombard Theological School, and is a member of First Parish Bridgewater.

November 24, 2019  “Gratitude and Blessings”   Rev. Gretchen E. Weis

Today is our traditional Thanksgiving service when we acknowledge the abundance and many blessings of our lives.  Our traditional cornbread and cider communion will be served for this all-important multigenerational family service.

November 17, 2019  “Whose Ancient Feet Once Walked Here?”   Rev. Gretchen E. Weis

The season of Thanksgiving invites us to consider those original Native Americans who once roamed this land long before the pilgrims arrived.  Who were the native peoples and what was their relationship to this land, right here, where our church now stands?  We turn to the work of Dr. Maurice Robbins to explore the history of indigenous people in the area that came to be known as Attleboro.      

November 10, 2019  “To Honor and to Heal ” Rev. Gretchen E. Weis

Fifty years ago, most Americans didn’t hail the men and women who served in Vietnam as heroes.  A service person in uniform was likely to be spit on in public.  Young men were drafted one by one, and they came home one by one -- often fighting in the jungle on Tuesday and walking down the main street of their home town by Thursday, with no time to decompress.  Post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) wasn’t officially recognized as a psychological response to violence until nearly 10 years after the Vietnam war.  On this Veteran’s Day Sunday, let us pause to honor and thank those who served during the Vietnam era.  I will be sharing some of the stories from several of Murray’s Vietnam era veterans.       

November 3, 2019  "“To Take Good Care of our Sacred Selves” Rev. Gretchen E. Weiss

Exactly one year from today, Americans will go to the polls to decide who will be the next President of the United States.  Could 2020 be even more divisive, hate-filled and vitriolic than 2016?  It’s hard to imagine, but, given the players, it’s possible we’ll be in for more ongoing nastiness, incivility and bullying.  As we work to help elect theS candidates of our respective choices, how do we take good care of ourselves amidst a national conversation that stokes fear, hate and even further dividedness?  

October 27, 2019  "On Truth and Lies in Our Public & Private Lives" Guest Minister Rev. Richard M. Fewkes

In 1978, Harvard philosopher, Sissella Bok, wrote a major book about Lying: Moral Choice in Public and  Private Life.  What she said back then ties in incredibly well with what is happening in our political, social and religious lives in 2019. What can we learn from the truth and lies in our public and private lives today?

October 20, 2019  “The Practice of Forgiveness" Guest Minister Rev. Jim Robinson

We welcome Rev. Jim Robinson to the pulpit today as we explore forgiveness from four angles: forgiving others, asking to be forgiven, forgiving ourselves and forgiving life. The practice of forgiveness is essential for a spiritual and moral life.

October 13, 2019  “A World in One Piece/Peace" Guest Speaker Allison Hess

Please join us this week to hear guest speaker Allison Hess, UUA International Engagement Associate at the United Nations.  Allison will share with us the many initiatives our UU organizations are involved with to further the work of world peace.  The Unitarian Universalist Sixth Principle calls us to come together to work for a world community with peace, liberty and justice for all. This United Nations Sunday service will delve into what it means to work towards peace locally and as part of an international body like the United Nations. How can people of faith answer the call to defend human dignity and rights?

October 6, 2019  “You Are Beloved" by Rev. Gretchen E. Weis

It was almost 250 years ago that John Murray first preached the messages of Universal love and forgiveness on American shores at Thomas Potter’s little chapel in Good Luck, New Jersey.  At a time when our world is so divided by politics, fear and hate, let’s dive a little deeper into the messages of love and hope that Universalism brings.     

September 30, 2019  “Get Lost! (And Open Yourself to Discovery)” by Rev. Gretchen E. Weis

Most of us stick to familiar routines – we travel the shortest route from Point A to Point B to make good time. How often are we willing to get lost? To travel off the beaten path and dawdle for a while in the unfamiliar? Getting lost, stepping out of our comfort zones, can open us to new discoveries. The Bible talks about time spent in the wilderness as transforming experience. Henry David Thoreau encourages people to get lost in the woods. He writes, “Not till we are completely lost, or turned around…do we appreciate the vastness and strangeness of nature. …Not till we have lost the world, do we begin to find ourselves….” This Sunday, we celebrate the dedication of our Green Sanctuary nature trail in the back woods of our church. May this place of peace and beauty help nurture our spirits!

September 22, 2019  "The Pursuit of Happiness" by Rev. Gretchen E. Weis

America’s Declaration of Independence declares the pursuit of happiness as one of our inalienable rights.  Yet, recent research has found that Americans are not among the happiest people on earth.  Researchers for National Geographic traveled around the globe, exploring a number of different peoples and cultures, identifying “Blue Zones” -- areas where people report living lives of deep satisfaction and joy.  What secrets do these Blue Zones have to teach us about happiness?    

September 15, 2019  "Humility: A Call to our Better Selves" by Rev. Gretchen E. Weis

Humility.  It is one of the seven virtues -- an invitation to connect with our best, highest selves. Humility reminds us we don’t know all the answers.  We are invited into lifelong learning, encouraged to open ourselves up to other points of view.  Humility asks us to transcend the self-centered focus of our consumer-based culture, as we come to value our lives as interdependent parts of something much larger than ourselves. 

September 1, 2019 "The Music Lesson" presented by Ruth Debrot

A musical instrument that lies on the ground makes no sound. It is a musician who must bring “Music” forth. What can Music teach us about our lives? As humans, all of us are musical in some way. The thing is, many people let notes and rhythms get in the way. Join me and explore how Music, on many levels, can be a metaphor for life and living.