Sunday, May 17, 2026
Questions Without Answers – Let the Music Speak” Led by our Director of Music, Greg Moses, and the Music Committee
Text of the Reading, Sermon, and Centering Exercise after the video
Here’s the MURRAY PLAYLIST 2026 created by the congregation.
Reading
Adapted from “All That We Do Not Know” by Susan L. Suchocki
Day by day, month by month, year by year we are confronted with all that we do not know, that we do not understand, that we do not grasp.
Sometimes we are humbled by this knowledge and say: God, it is too wonderful for me to comprehend, but I know this universe is more grand and more beautiful than I ever could have imagined.
Sometimes we are saddened by this knowledge and say: O merciful spirit, we need to have the burden of hurt and suffering removed from us.
Sometimes we are angered by this knowledge and say: In the name of justice and compassion—if it be in our power—give us the strength and ability to right the wrongs, for we do not, nor does any person in the world, deserve this.
Sometimes we are made joyous by this knowledge, and we say: Spirit of life who blesses our world, we rejoice and cheer for our glorious life.
Sometimes we are made curious by this knowledge and say: Holy and inexplicable, is this life?—I have no idea what happened or how it happened, but somehow, someway, something changed, and I am free to explore new ways of being. Please always let me continue to search for the unknown in myself and others.
Sermon
Questions Without Answers – Let the Music Speak, by Patty Bratberg & Stephanie Paquette
Sermon, by Patty Bratberg
There is something deeply human about asking questions.
Why is the sky blue?
Who am I?
Who are we?
Why do people hurt each other?
Toddlers are notorious for relentless questioning…but at some point, many of us stop questioning and start looking for answers — immediate answers. School trains us to search for the “right answer.” The internet and social media are full of “experts,” “truth,” and instant certainty. But are they right? How do we know?
We live in a society that values answers and experts over curiosity. AI, social media, influencers, leaders — anyone with a platform can claim to have the answers and be certain of the truth. But certainty and wisdom are not the same thing. Wisdom means continuing to search for new truths, asking new questions, and remaining open to growth and change.
As a teacher, I know that the institution of school can sometimes crush curiosity. One way we try to cultivate creativity, wonder, and flexible thinking is through essential questions — questions that do not have one correct answer.
In math classes, we might ask:
“When is the right answer wrong?”
Or:
“How close is close enough?”
In theatre, we ask questions like:
“What happens when theatre artists use their imaginations and learned skills to explore new ideas?”
Or:
“How do our individual backgrounds and choices shape the way we interpret a performance?”
Do you want to guess which subject lends itself more naturally to flexible and creative thinking?
Though honestly, I’ve gotten some pretty good answers in math too.
One student once argued that although a hamburger technically meets the criteria, it is definitely not a sandwich- hence, the right answer was completely wrong. I probably should have framed the question around the math content before asking it.
Other answers have been more thoughtful. When discussing mathematical modeling and asking “How close is close enough?” one student pointed out that it depends on what we are modeling. Predicting the path of a raindrop versus predicting where a missile will strike — “close enough” means very different things when the consequences of error are so different.
In theatre, students are often more willing to think creatively — though I should clarify, they are often the exact same students as in the math classroom, just in a different environment. There are beautiful moments when they realize their own experiences inform the acting choices they make, while another person’s interpretation of the same performance depends on that person’s lived experiences. We all experience art differently — and how exciting is that?
As Unitarian Universalists, we ask essential questions too.
“What does it mean to be a leader in the quest for collective liberation, and when should we follow?”
“What does it mean to be part of a covenant rather than a creed or a contract?”
These questions require more wondering and pondering than questions of simple fact. They ask something deeper of us than:
“What is 2 plus 2?”
Or:
“What is the capital of Massachusetts?”
Sometimes it is difficult to free our minds enough to truly engage with them.
Music, however, creates a space where we are invited to wonder.
Whether we are listening through headphones, watching a performance, or performing ourselves, music opens pathways into the human mind, heart, and soul that prose and spoken words do not always reach.
There is the actual physical experience of sound — vibrations moving through us — combined with melody, rhythm, harmony, and structure. And then, layered on top of that, are the lyrics. Even when we do not understand the language, music evokes feeling.
You may mirror the emotions of the composer or performer, or you may experience something entirely different. Either way, you feel something — and those feelings cause you to think, question, and ponder.
Debussy’s Clair de Lune may make you cry as you imagine the world at the time it was composed compared with today.
Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” may make you wonder how voices can remain unshared, how silence can persist even when people long to connect.
Rage Against the Machine’s Bulls on Parade might make you want to leap to your feet and protest injustice.
Music speaks to us on a different level. It bypasses the analytical part of the brain and speaks directly to the soul. Because of that, it has the power to evoke questioning and reflection.
Sometimes it is the literal question in the song:
“Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”
“Do You Believe in Life After Love?”
Sometimes it is the suggestion of a question or the impact of a musical passage or phrase- for me it was Rachmaninoff’s second piano concerto – I knew exactly where to place the needle of the record to hear the exact passage that moved me.
Some of these questions we revisit over and over throughout our lives.
And sometimes the greatest wonder comes when we hear a familiar song years later and suddenly realize the lyrics mean something entirely different than we once thought. With age and experience, we hear music differently. Songs evolve because we evolve. A song that once sounded simple may suddenly reveal grief, longing, resistance, hope, or wisdom we could not yet understand when we first heard it.
And that, too, is a form of questioning.
So today, let us create a congregational playlist of songs that speak to us — songs that cause us to wonder, question, and ponder.
We will begin with a short guided meditation to help us remember the songs that may have shaped who we are.
Do you remember a song that spoke to you on that level?
Centering Exercise, by Stephanie Paquette
Consider a time in your life when music had a profound impact on you.
Close your eyes if you are comfortable doing so.
Where are you?
Imagine where you are sitting.
Are you on a bed or a chair?
Are you outside in the grass or sitting on a beach?
What season is it?
Are you bundled in sweaters and blankets?
Or do you feel the warmth of the sun on your face?
Think about songs that you love.
Songs that made you feel something.
Songs that made you wonder.
What is your song?
Can you hear it in your mind?
Where were you when you first heard it?
How old were you?
Did you immediately love it?
Or did it make you uncomfortable at first?
How does it make you feel when you hear it now?
What question did it ask?
What did it make you ponder?
Has your understanding of the song changed as you have journeyed through life?
Sometimes these memories are difficult to articulate because they live not in words, but in music and feeling.
Listen to the song in your mind.
How does it make you feel?
What does it make you wonder?
Sit with it for a few more moments.
[pause]
Open your eyes when you are ready.
What is your song?
Take a few moments to share your songs with the people around you, if you are willing. Perhaps you can share a memory, a feeling, or a question connected to your song.
Here’s the MURRAY PLAYLIST 2026 created by the congregation.
