Notes from a Seeker Who Has Traveled In and Out of Marriage, by Lida Junghans, Lay Worship Leader, worship service Sunday, June 15, 2025
Sermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusetts
Release Date: 06/25/2025
Peace Love and Understanding, by Julie Garry, Lay Worship Leader, worship service Sunday, August 10, 2025
Sermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusetts
Julie Garry, Lay Worship Leader Worship service given August 10, 2025 Prayer by Mary Breen, Worship Associate https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 Lay leader Julie Garry will talk about the ways in which Peace, Love & Understanding are foundational to our UU principles. She has been captivated by both the simplicity and challenge of these fundamental skills. Julie has been attending First Parish for 13 years and is grateful to be a part of this community. Her interests include: cooking, gardening, camping, art, and...
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Finding Stability in a Time of Chaos, by Anna Callahan, Lay Worship Leader, worship service, Sunday, August 3, 2025
Sermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusetts
Worship service given July 27, 2025 Prayer by David Dreyfus, Worship Leader https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 In this time of chaotic national politics, how can we find stability for ourselves and others? Lay Worship Leader Anna Callahan will talk about the power of providing for others as a way to stabilize yourself. During the summer our Zoom-only worship is led each week by a member of our congregation. Anna Callahan is a city councilor in Medford, a mom of 10 year old Leif Aune, and a student of democracy. She has...
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What Does AI Tell Us About Being Human? by David Dreyfus, Lay Worship Leader, worship service, Sunday, July 27, 2025
Sermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusetts
Worship service given July 27, 2025 Prayer by David Dreyfus, Worship Leader https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 In the era of AI, the rise of large language models (LLMs) offers a unique opportunity to reflect on what it truly means to be human. These models, capable of generating text that mimics human writing and reasoning, challenge our understanding of intelligence and creativity. But as we integrate them into various aspects of life, we can ask: What does their development tell us about ourselves? Throughout history,...
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You Need a Vacation, by Lillian Povey, Lay Worship Leader, worship service Sunday, July 20, 2025
Sermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusetts
Worship service given July 20, 2025 Prayer by David Whitford, Worship Associate https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 This week's worship leader, Lillian Povey, ponders what it means to really take a vacation. Vacations can be a lot of work! How do we achieve the right balance between activity and rest, solitude and socializing, stimulation and vegging out? How do we balance the unrelenting expectations others have for us at home, at work, at church—not mention the pressure we put on ourselves—with our desire, our need,...
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Celebrating What Resonates – A Jewnitarian Journey, by Melanie Cohn-Hopwood, Lay Worship Leader, worship service Sunday, July 13, 2025
Sermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusetts
Worship service given July 13, 2025 Prayer by Loren Gomez, Worship Associate https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 Our liberal religious tradition calls us to explore and incorporate rituals and spiritual teachings from a variety of faith traditions. As a person who was raised Jewish, Melanie will share some of the traditions learned in childhood that still hold deep meaning for her as she participates in UU worship services as an adult Jewnitarian! During the summer our Zoom-only worship is led each week by a member of our...
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The Middle Spirit, by Lyn Fulton-John, Lay Worship Leader, worship service Sunday, July 6, 2025
Sermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusetts
Lyn Fulton-John, Lay Worship Leader Worship service given July 6, 2025 Prayer by Mary Breen, Worship Associate https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 Have you ever found yourself in that space in life between what was and what’s next—where the old story has ended, but no new one has begun? It’s a place of waiting without promise, and it is profoundly spiritual. This reflection is an invitation to honor the in-between, to find meaning not in fixing, but in staying—with love, with presence, and with the quiet truth that...
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What (Emotional) State Are You In?, by Brian Dooley, Lay Worship Leader, worship service Sunday, June 29, 2025
Sermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusetts
Brian Dooley, Lay Worship Leader Worship service given June 29, 2025 Prayer by Bill Licea-Kane, Worship Associate https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 Our bodies are wired for danger. When there’s too much danger we get overloaded and we lose presence — our innate state — and we find ourselves in a state of fighting, freezing, fleeing, or fawning. And, our bodies contain some some built-in tools we can use to equilibrate. Drawing from the wisdom of Banks, Tolle and Huble, Brian Dooley will share ideas and calming...
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A Spiritual Baptism - UU Style, by Jeanne Feeley, Lay Worship Leader, worship service Sunday, June 22, 2025
Sermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusetts
Jeanne Feeley, Lay Worship Leader Worship service given June 22, 2025 Prayer by Lillian Povey, Worship Associate https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 I believe a Spiritual Baptism is an inner transformation where one’s heart fully opens to the divine presence a Gracious Love. Not so much about a ritual, but an alignment with a higher truth. Allowing us to deepen our compassion and connection to others and to Spirit. During the summer our Zoom-only worship is led each week by a member of our congregation. Jeanne Feeley was...
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Notes from a Seeker Who Has Traveled In and Out of Marriage, by Lida Junghans, Lay Worship Leader, worship service Sunday, June 15, 2025
Sermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusetts
Lida Junghans, Lay Worship Leader Worship service given June 15, 2025 Prayer by Lida Junghans, Lay Worship Leader https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 In my post-marriage I've been living my unmarried identity and pondering what I've gained and lost along the way. In this sermon I reflect on my experience in and out of coupledom and the dynamic relationship between Self and Other, Self and Social Structures. During the summer our Zoom-only worship is led each week by a member of our congregation. Lida Junghans began coming...
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Body Wisdom, by Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister, worship service Sunday, June 8, 2025
Sermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusetts
Worship service given June 8, 2025 Prayer by Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister Offertory Music: "Benediction: When the Recall Sounds," music by Jennifer Kobayashi, words adapted from Rev. Dr. Vivien Pomeroy (1883-1961) Anthem: "Bidden or Unbidden: God is Present," music by Kenneth Seitz, words by Marta Morris Flanagan and Charles R. Duffy, spoken at their wedding on August 13, 2023 https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 Join us for this special service! Join us for song, reflection, music, and ritual as we say...
info_outlineLida Junghans, Lay Worship Leader
Worship service given June 15, 2025
Prayer by Lida Junghans, Lay Worship Leader
https://firstparish.info/
First Parish
A liberal religious community, welcoming to all
First gathered 1739
In my post-marriage I've been living my unmarried identity and pondering what I've gained and lost along the way. In this sermon I reflect on my experience in and out of coupledom and the dynamic relationship between Self and Other, Self and Social Structures.
During the summer our Zoom-only worship is led each week by a member of our congregation. Lida Junghans began coming to Sunday services at First Parish in 2001, seeking a framework for her then four year old daughter to explore life’s BIG questions. At First Parish she discovered a beloved community where she felt an intimacy and sense of belonging that has sustained her through passages when she was missing such nourishing connections in her personal life.
Offering and Giving First
The Giving First program donates 50% of the non-pledge offering each month to a charitable organization that we feel is consistent with Unitarian Universalist principles. The program began in November 2009, and First Parish has donated over $200,000 to more than 70 organizations. For June 2025, The Boston Alliance of LGBTQ+ Youth (BAGLY) will share half of the plate. For nearly 50 years, BAGLY has been a youth-led, adult-supported social support organization, committed to social justice and creating, sustaining, and advocating for programs, policies, and services for the LGBTQ+ youth community in Massachusetts. After serving over 200,000+ youth since 1980, BAGLY is recognized nationally for its pioneering role in creating, sustaining, and advocating for social support, leadership development, and health promotion programs for LGBTQ+ youth.
The remaining half of your offering supports the life and work of this Parish. To donate using your smartphone, you may text “fpuu” to 73256. Then follow the directions in the texts you receive.