Reflection: The Old Year Has Now Passed Away In past years, the Sunday after Christmas was often a quiet one with fewer people in church than usual after the buildup of Advent, the concerts, pageants, parties and finally the arrival of Christmas Day with large,...

Opening to Joy © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church December 13, 2020   I sat quietly, allowing this homily to emerge from my head and heart, through my fingers and onto the page, and as I sat, I was accompanied by the sound of rain pounding on the roof...

This Sunday our congregation will be joining our friends at the UU Society of Rockport for their service.  Their service begins at 10:30 a.m.  Join Zoom Meetinghttps://zoom.us/j/91158913840? pwd=MGlCNUJyM2xDWVVtMUZ1R3U3K3dsQT09

What Grounds Us?        November 29, 2020  Rev. Janet Parsons, Charles Nazarian, Lucille LePage  Rev. Janet  It’s hard, during this year like none other in our lifetimes, to hold on to what centers us.  I am reminded frequently of the well-known line in William Butler...

Dear friends, Since I did not preach this past Sunday for our joint service of seven UU congregations, I wanted to share an old Thanksgiving sermon from 2015.  I’ve been thinking about it a long lately, as it feels especially relevant during these times.  I hope you...

Light from the Broken Pieces Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church November 15, 2020 In the aftermath of this most difficult presidential election, I have thought a great deal about what is happening here in the United States.  We are so divided, and like so...

The Soul of the Nation Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church November 8, 2020 In the end, I would say that it was worth the wait, this week, as the anticipated blue wave proved to be more of a blue trickle.  Yesterday afternoon, as word spread that Joe Biden and...

Side by Side: Holding Grief and Hope Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church November 1, 2020   Tomorrow is the Feast of All Souls, that day each year when people remember and mourn the deaths of loved ones everywhere.  We typically commemorate All Souls, at least...

CLUES        Oct 25, 2020 Newt Fink Now we are here to think about giving.  Giving has always been central to worship: we naturally give to what or whom we regard as worthy of our attention, our following and our faithfulness.  We give to and for what matters to us. ...

In Another’s Shoes Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church October 18, 2020 Let’s begin this morning by digging into our memories.  Some of us may have to think hard, to dig deeply.  Others of us may have a fresh memory right on the surface. ...

Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church September 27, 2020 Louis Newman refers to himself as having been a model child.  We all know some of those – perhaps we were one of them.  The child who seems naturally well-behaved, who doesn’t get into...

Whole, Broken, and Then Whole Again © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church September 20, 2020 First Reflection:  Born and Reborn Again The lyrics of one of the songs in our turquoise hymnal keep going through my mind these days:  “Return...