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Sermon Archive

Saying “Yes” to Mystery

Saying “Yes” to Mystery © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church December 3, 2023   The other day the Washington Post reported that a lobsterman in Maine had pulled up a two-colored lobster. The lobsterman, named Jacob Knowles, was fascinated by his discovery and...

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Completing the Gift

Completing the Gift © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church November 19, 2023   The poet Mary Oliver gave us this poem, called The Gift:   Be still, my soul, and steadfast.Earth and heaven both are still watchingthough time is draining from the clockand your...

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The Generosity of Attention

The Generosity of Attention © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church November 12, 2023     One of my fondest memories of relief trips to the Gulf Coast was the day in Pearlington, Mississippi, when we had two lunches. Both of which involved fried catfish.   We...

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Relinquishing Privilege

Relinquishing Privilege © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church November 5, 2023   I wasn’t sure that Darren Walker still had a job. After I finished reading his opinion piece in the New York Times, portions of which Pat just read, I looked him up on line to see...

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The Thinning of the Veil

The Thinning of the Veil © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church October 29, 2023   In the fifth Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry and his friends find themselves dueling with wizards from the dark side, called the Death Eaters....

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Midnight Rumblings on Mahogany

Midnight Rumblings on Mahogany © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church October 15, 2023     Unitarian and Universalist historians have always been a little bit squeamish about discussing the phenomenon of Spiritualism that swept the country in the 19th century....

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A Little Beyond: Transcendentalism

A Little Beyond: Transcendentalism © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church October 1, 2023   The movement called Transcendentalism, began to emerge in the 1830’s, during a time of intellectual ferment, in a new nation full of new ideas, founded in revolution. It...

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At-one-ment

At-one-ment © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church September 24, 2023   You have to really admire the Ziz; the giant mythical bird in the story I told a few minutes ago. He had a good heart and a good soul; he meant well and didn’t want to hurt anyone. And yet,...

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Offering Belonging

Offering Belonging © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church September 17, 2023     A bit of a kerfuffle erupted at the Unitarian Universalist Association this past week. In its effort to welcome everyone into a new church year, the Communications staff at the UUA...

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Where Waters Meet and Merge

Where Waters Meet and Merge © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church September 10, 2023   This past June, visiting Pittsburgh for the first time, I found myself drawn to the spot where the Allegheny and the Monongahela Rivers meet to form the...

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What’s in A Poem?

        Order of Service – August 27, 2023 What's in a Poem?  Gloucester UU's Write Poetry Worship leaders Pat Johnson, Mern Sibley, Andrew Soll Introduction to the Poetry Service – What’s in a Poem? (Pat Johnson)   Poems I: To everything there is a season For a...

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Disrupt Church

Disrupt Church © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church August 13, 2023   At our UU General Assembly back in June, there was a lot of conversation about the future of church. We all know and acknowledge that church attendance is down everywhere. The pandemic...

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Upcoming Services

Nov 17, 2024

All is Not Lost, led by Reverend Janet Parsons, with Andrew Soll, organist. What can we look to as we adjust to the presidential election results? Where do we find hope, and resolve, and a way forward? Here's a hint: fractals.

Join us at 10am in-person or at the livestream link below.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIeJfO72kLh-gAtZZT-QOng/live

Children's programming will be provided by Kiana during the worship service for elementary-age and older.

Recent News

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...

Sunday, October 20

Seeking the Bell Stand Within, led by Reverend Janet Parsons, with music by Steve Lacey. Thomas Merton once wrote, "there is in all things...a hidden wholeness." But how do we hear that in times of great turmoil and stress? Please join us at 10am in-person or at the...

Thinking Too Much and Listening Too Little

Thinking Too Much and Listening Too Little, led by Reverend Janet Parsons with music by Sanae Kanda. Our theme for October is Deep Listening. As we prepare to honor Indigenous Peoples this weekend, we will consider the indigenous practice of listening to the natural...