Love reveals itself most clearly in grief. The empty spaces left behind show where love once lived, and still lives. Nothing replaces what we lose, but grief affirms the love that shaped us, and the connections that continue to grow around the absence. Service Leader: Octavia MacIsaac Service Coordinator: Charlene Zelanko Welcome and Zoom Link … Continue reading Affirming Love Through Grief
We are all people who suffer, who cause suffering, and who, ideally, attempt to heal and repair suffering. We are also all people who need human connection, love and belonging. When our choices impact others in ways we never intended or imagined, and some of them are hurtful, is it still the thought that counts? … Continue reading Intention and Impact: Love and Belonging
The tension between hope and despair is always with us, as Canadian science communicator Elin Kelsey notes at the beginning of Hope Matters: Why Changing the Way We Think Is Critical to Solving the Environmental Crisis. The lyrics of They Might Be Giants’ song, Birdhouse In Your Soul, grapple with this tension, as they sing … Continue reading Birdhouse in Your Soul
Like all elements, love is essential for human survival. We need it to survive and thrive, so why aren’t we taught to hold unconditional love for ourselves? Join Octavia as she speaks to the true power of self-compassion. Service Coordinator: Cate Ziegler See all services Sermon Video Order of Service Centering Thought “To fall in … Continue reading An Element of Love (The Elements Series: Love)
Following the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001, Stephen Jay Gould wrote that “good and kind people outnumber all others by thousands to one,” despite our mistaken perception that decency and depravity are found in more equal measure. He called the preponderance of goodness and decency the “Great Asymmetry” and argued that we … Continue reading The Great Asymmetry
Every week, this congregation sings an affirmation that begins with the words, “Love is the spirit of this church.” What do we mean by that? Or, as the old pop song asks, “What’s love got to do with it?” What do we even mean when we speak of love in such a manner? We will explore … Continue reading If Love Is the Spirit of This Church
