Flower Communion Sunday – bring a flower, take a flower. We have been conditioned, dare I say, brainwashed, to appreciate and cultivate only the well-bred members of the botanical family — the fine roses, the graceful lilies, the amusing black-eyed Susans, the elegant peonies. Weeds such as the kudzu, the clover, the ubiquitous dandelion…well, as … Continue reading Stubborn Flowers with the Wisdom to Survive
Watch the service HERE. “Schismogenesis” is a term used by anthropologists and sociologists to describe conditions between cultural areas or individuals that causes the separate cultures or individuals to take on identities and rituals that are opposite of each other in almost every way and therefore each becomes defined by what the other isn’t. It … Continue reading Schismogenisis and The Space Between
Watch the service HERE. Is it any wonder that the word “Evangelism,” which means literally “preaching of the good news,” has an uncomfortable ring to many religious liberals? For many reasons, some valid and some stereotypic, we tend to associate evangelism with religious bullying and intolerance, with corruption and hucksterism, with rigid creeds and finger-pointing. In some … Continue reading Evangelism in a Liberal Key
Watch the service HERE. Aside from being one of the summer’s boffo blockbusters, the film “Barbie” has sparked a robust and important conversation far beyond the iconic doll introduced by Mattel in 1959 as an alternative to baby dolls. The eye-popping production design, the memorable musical numbers and the snappy dialogue entertain. Yet, the film … Continue reading Let’s Talk About Barbie
Watch the service HERE. Many of us have been re-gifted a “keeper” item along the way (and yes, sometimes a clunker). Perhaps we’ve scored an actual treasure at a White Elephant or Yankee Holiday swap. Sometimes, good gifts do keep on giving, both the tangible and intangible kinds. As we launch our 2024-25 annual stewardship … Continue reading Good Gifts Keep on Giving – Stewardship Sunday
Watch the service HERE. “We have to recognize that there cannot be relationships unless there is commitment, unless there is loyalty, unless there is love, patience, persistence.” – Cornel West. As a wedge is plunged deeper into our cultural, religious and political divides, to whom or to what are you loyal? Family? Friends? A cause? … Continue reading Your Loyalties Are Your Life
Watch the service HERE. Where do you feel you belong? Everywhere? Nowhere? Belonging is a big, although not often examined, part of participating in any part of our lives. It’s one of the reasons we come to Eastrose to belong to something larger than ourselves. Buddhism has a unique way of engaging with belonging. It begins by … Continue reading Belonging Through a Buddhist Lens
