Immigrants are being targeted across the country and fear is being used to stoke division and build power. In this critical moment, how can we articulate a powerful message of love that transcends fear?

When cycles of hurt and harm seem intractable, where do we turn for healing? How do we resist cynicism and re-encounter the world with a sense of hope?

Astronomers predict that sometime this fall, a nova explosion in the star system called T Coronae Borealis will create a “guest star” in the sky – when the nova becomes visible to the human eye for about a week or so. How does the awe and wonder we feel when looking out at the rest … Continue reading Signs and Portents

…and other Sabbatical reflections. This Sunday, Rev. Julia offers a systems perspective on life and leadership in religious community.

Our thirst for lives of meaning and purpose call us back to the well once again! This Sunday is our annual “Ingathering” service (which includes our beloved Water Ceremony) and it takes place every September here at USSB and in Unitarian Universalist congregations around the country.  Come and be refreshed by the spirit of this … Continue reading Why We Gather

You’ve heard of a “Dystopia” – a bleak future where everything has fallen apart – but what about a “Protopia”? That’s the word for imagining a possible future in which people thrive. But to imagine a Protopia, we must occasionally step outside the present moment to focus on the far horizon. This Sunday is the … Continue reading To Thrive, Not Just Survive

The Unitarian Universalist Association has been asking UUs around the country to articulate the core values of our faith, and here is what emerged: Justice, Equity, Transformation, Pluralism, Interdependence, Generosity – and at the center, Love. In just a few months, delegates at our annual General Assembly will be asked to vote to include these … Continue reading A Living Tradition

We are in the last weekend of the holy month of Ramadan, which ends on April 9. The forty days of Lent ended just last week. The ten days of Passover are coming up soon. These Islamic, Christian and Jewish holidays all have something in common: Time. Much more than just a one-day ritual, these … Continue reading The Time and Space for Transformation

One possible meaning of Easter: Abundant joy is just as real as death and loss. Another possible meaning: Spring returns, and new growth from a bare branch is happening all around us. Come and celebrate stories of life resurgent with us this Easter morning. Kids and youth are invited to participate in our annual Easter … Continue reading Sorrow is Not My Name

The distance between who we are and who we want to be has been described by philosophers, theologians, politicians and artists in many different ways. It’s a “divine dissatisfaction” (Martha Graham) “a tragic gap” (Parker Palmer) “…never has been yet, and yet must be.” (Langston Hughes). How do we lean into the longing for a … Continue reading The Now and Not Yet