Sermon Archive
Thinking Too Much and Listening Too Little
Thinking Too Much and Listening Too Little © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church October 13, 2024 How many of you got to see the Northern Lights the other night? I found it as thrilling as it was back in May when I got to see them for the very first time in my...
Pilgrims in a Pilgrim Church
Pilgrims in a Pilgrim Church Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church Reverend Janet Parsons September 29, 2024 Part One: Lonely Voyages Into the Unknown I love to picture the scene in my mind’s eye: a traveler from England whose ship had gone aground, walking along a...
A Time for Balance, A Time for Gratitude
A Time for Balance, A Time for Gratitude © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church September 22, 2024 I’ve been noticing an interesting trend all along the shoreline here on Cape Ann in the past couple of years: perhaps you have as well. On many of our rocky...
It is Love That Sets Us Free
It is Love That Sets Us Free © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church September 15, 2024 Back in 2014, some cities in Ohio, including Columbus, Dayton, and Springfield, decided to join a network of communities, a task force, that formed under the name Welcoming...
The Blessing and Grace of Water
The Blessing and Grace of Water © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church September 8, 2024 There are so many ways to talk about water, to think about water. We often consider water as a wellspring, as a source; a still pool that grounds us. But water can also be...
Choose Joy
Choose Joy © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church August 25, 2024 I spent the early part of the summer feeling badly stuck, pinned on the horns of a serious dilemma. You see, I admire our president, President Joe Biden, and hold deep respect for the work that...
For Those Who Live at the Shoreline
For Those Who Live at the Shoreline © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church June 2, 2024 It was such a joy to be present at the flag-raising at City Hall this past Friday to kick off the month of June as Pride Month. It was the largest crowd at this event I’ve...
The Highest Good is Like Water
For All You Who Let Yourselves Feel
For All You Who Let Yourselves Feel © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church April 28 2024 We’ve been talking a lot the past couple of weeks about the interconnectedness of everything here on Earth, from unseen life underground to all the plants and animals...
Mother Earth, Mother Trees
Mother Earth, Mother Trees © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church April 21, 2024 It could be said that Suzanne Simard’s lifelong fascination with forests began one day when she was six and her grandfather’s dog ended up trapped in the outhouse. Suzanne’s...
The Cloud in the Paper
The Cloud in the Paper © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church April 14, 2024 Diana Beresford was orphaned at the age of 12. Both of her parents died within months of each other, and she was left in the care of an indifferent uncle in the city of Cork, in...
Universal Resurrection
Universal Resurrection © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church March 31, 2024 There is so much that we understand about this time of year, this time when life begins to emerge from the cold, barren earth. We know enough science to anticipate this emergence, to...
Upcoming Services
The Forgotten Longfellow
Rev. Norman Allen visits us from First Parish in Portland, ME, to share the transcendent wisdom of Rev. Samuel Longfellow - Henry Wadsworth's gay little brother. It was said of him, “he was good enough to be a saint and interesting enough to be a sinner.” Join us to learn more about Rev. Sam, his 40-year relationship with Rev. Samuel Johnson of Salem, and what we might learn from them in our own tumultuous times. Music by Steve Lacey.
Our service is in-person, or at the livestream link below. Everyone is welcome!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIeJfO72kLh-gAtZZT-QOng/live
Kiana will be providing childcare for elementary-age and older.
Recent News
Trusting Religious Community
Trusting Religious Community © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church March 16, 2025 It’s a story that never seems to end. This week, along with the daily headlines that just seem to go from bad to worse, a news story popped up about a megachurch pastor who was...
Unsheathing the Heart
Unsheathing the Heart © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church March 9, 2025 There is an ancient teaching that has long been attributed to the Buddha himself. It says, “Be ye lamps unto yourselves; be your own confidence; hold to the truth within yourselves as to...
Sunday March 16
Trusting Religious Community, led by Reverend Janet Parsons, with Andrew Soll, organist, and the church choir. What binds a religious community together? How do we grow in trust and care for one another? As we continue to explore the topic of Trust this month, we ask...