The Center of Our Faith: Part II sermon, by Reverend Marta Flanagan, Lead Minister November 5, 2023
Sermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusetts
Release Date: 11/06/2023
On the Road to Hope, by Rev. Tricia Brennan, Adjunct Minister, worship service Sunday, May 4, 2025
Sermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusetts
Rev. Tricia Brennan, Adjunct Minister, preaching Worship service given May 4, 2025 Prayer by Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 Like a cool water for the thirsty, hope fills us, sustains us and grounds us. Like water, hope is difficult to live without, and yet it can’t be ordered up or assured. Sometimes we have to wait for its return, sometimes we have to carry hope for each other. Offering and Giving First The Giving First program donates 50% of the non-pledge offering each...
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The Something I Can Do, by Amy Smith, 2025 Shinn Speaker, worship service Sunday, April 27, 2025
Sermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusetts
Amy Smith, 2025 Shinn Speaker, preaching Worship service given April 27, 2025 Prayer by Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 In this sermon, Dr. Amy Smith reflects on her experiences in international development and how those experiences have been influenced by the UU principles she grew up with. The Shinn Service honors Barbara Shinn (1912-1976) and her commitment to justice. Barbara served as chair of what was then known as the Social Responsibility Committee. An educator and...
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Resurrection as a Way of Life, by Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister, worship service, Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025
Sermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusetts
Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister, preaching Worship service given April 20, 2025 Reading from "Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front" by Wendell Berry, read by Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan and Rev. Tricia Brennan, Adjunct Minister Prayer by Rev. Tricia Brennan https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 Come and celebrate in this complex time! On Easter Sunday Lead Minister Rev. Marta Flanagan will preach, the First Parish Choir will offer seasonal music, along with the Boston University Brass Quintet. During worship...
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Here We Have Gathered, by Rev. Tricia Brennan, Adjunct Minister, worship service April 13, 2025
Sermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusetts
Rev. Tricia Brennan, Adjunct Minister, preaching Worship service given April 13, 2025 Prayer by Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 We will sing that familiar hymn this Sunday, as over twenty new members are welcomed into First Parish. Rev. Tricia Brennan will reflect on what it means to join a faith community: how one joins a particular congregation with a history and a future, how one joins a particular faith tradition, Unitarian Universalism at this moment in time. What it means...
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Youth Sunday: Balance, by the First Parish Youth Group, worship service April 6, 2025
Sermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusetts
Presented by the First Parish Youth Group Worship service given April 6, 2025 Prayer by Conard Anderson, Youth Worship Coordinator Senior Reflections by Alice Hunter, Anton Rie, Lucas Fernandez & Samantha Rauh Litany by Conard Anderson, Lettie Carswell, Onyx Hopwood, Alice Hunter, & Sean Maher https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 Each year, the First Parish Youth Group leads a special worship service. Come join the youth in their exploration of balance. Witness our youth reflect on their time at First Parish and...
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You, Me, and Love in the Middle, by Ebonié Smith-Cooper, Meadville Lombard Seminarian, worship service March 30, 2025
Sermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusetts
Ebonié Smith-Cooper, Meadville Lombard Seminarian, preaching Worship service given March 30, 2025 Prayer by Loren Gomez, Worship Associate https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 According to Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis, Love is the call [in] our lives. Ebonié Smith-Cooper, Meadville Lombard Seminarian and First Parish member, asks how can we pursue love for one another in times of distress? Ebonié Smith-Cooper (she/they) is an aspiring minister who is currently attending Meadville Lombard Theological School. In Ebonie's free time...
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Doing Hard Things, by Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister, worship service March 23, 2025
Sermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusetts
Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister, preaching Worship service given March 23, 2025 Prayer by Rev. Tricia Brennan, Adjunct Minister https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 On Sunday, March 23, our Lead Minister, Rev. Marta Flanagan, will consider what doing hard things can involve and call from us. The Time for All Ages will involve a telling of the story of Jonah. Note that our Lead Minister is retiring in June and this will be her third to last sermon. She preaches again on Easter Sunday, April 20 and on May 18...
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To Be Little: You Are Enough, by Dr. Daniel Parsley, Music Director, worship service March 16, 2025
Sermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusetts
Worship service given March 16, 2025 Prayer by Mary Breen, Worship Associate https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 In a world that often rewards the loudest voices, what does it mean to embrace being little—to be soft-spoken, to move gently, to love quietly? True strength is not always found in grand gestures but in the quiet persistence of kindness, in the humility of service, in the grace of listening. Music Sunday selections —Haydn’s “Little Organ Mass, Missa brevis sancti Joannis de Deo” and Pederson’s...
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Communities of Memory, by Rev. Stevie Carmody, Minister of Religious Education, worship service March 9, 2025
Sermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusetts
Rev. Stevie Carmody, Minister of Religious Education, preaching Worship service given March 9, 2025 Time for All Ages performed by Rev. Tricia Brennan, Adjunct Minister, and Sanjay Newton, First Parish Member Prayer by Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 Traditions, says the late poet John O’Donohue, are the memory of a community. Yet, ‘we’ve always done it this way,’ can sometimes be grounding, and sometimes constricting. Join Rev. Stevie Carmody, as he dons his religious...
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Despite It All, Joy! by Rev. Tricia Brennan, Adjunct Minister, worship service March 2, 2025
Sermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusetts
Rev. Tricia Brennan, Adjunct Minister, preaching Worship service given March 2, 2025 Prayer by David Whitford, Worship Associate https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 Joy is an intrinsic element of spiritual life that can exist side by side with all that hurts, discourages and troubles us. Joy can seem elusive and still shows up unexpectedly. The times we are in call for all the joy we can muster. Offering and Giving First For March 2025, the Giving First recipient is the Resilient Sisterhood Project. Cambridge-based...
info_outlineSunday Sermon given November 5, 2023
Prayer by Ruben Hopwood, Worship Associate
https://firstparish.info/
First Parish
A liberal religious community, welcoming to all
First gathered 1739
About the service: Unitarian Universalism is a living faith, honoring tradition and evolving over time. The Unitarian Universalist Principles are stated in Article 2 of the bylaws of the Unitarian Universalist Association. The UUA is currently in the process of amending Article 2.
Perhaps questions of faith should always be considered and tested by war and peace, life and death, love and loss. Amidst the poignancy and complexity of war in the Middle East this week, Rev. Marta Flanagan will consider what is central to our faith.
This Sunday is the second sermon in a two part series. Part I was delivered on October 15 and is available on YouTube.
Offering and Giving First
For the month of November, half of the offering supports the work of Centro de Esperanza (Shelter for Hope) is a migrant family shelter in Sonyata, Mexico, on the Arizona border. The shelter provides a safe refuge for families fleeing gang violence, religious persecution, and dire economic circumstances. In most cases, families have traveled hundreds, if not thousands, of miles to keep their families alive and safe. El Centro provides safe shelter, food, medical care, education, and legal and technical assistance and protects families from drug cartels, human traffickers, and others who would take advantage of them. Centro de Esperanza is unique in that all these families are attempting to seek asylum in the United States through legal channels. The average wait time for a hearing with a U.S. administrator at the border is 4-6 weeks. Currently the shelter can support 30 families with an expansion plan in the next few months for an additional 30 families. The annual operating cost is approximately $100k and the cost of the expansion is approximately $25k. The shelter was started by U.S. citizens in Ajo, Arizona but is managed by co-directors who are Mexican citizens.
The remaining half supports the life and work of this Parish.
To donate using your smartphone, you may text
“fpuu offering” to 73256. Then follow the directions in
the texts you receive.