Opening Words: “In the muddled mess of this world, in the confusion and the boredom, we ought to be able to spot something-an event, a person, a memory, an act, a turning of the soul, a flash of bright wings, the surprise of sweet compassion-something where we ought to pick out a glory to celebrate.“ […]

Opening Words: This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your […]

We enter the world with a cry. It’s almost as if we knew what was in store! We leave the world with a sigh, having endured what we cried about, intuitively, when we arrived. If we’re fortunate enough to have a good, long and meaningful life, the sigh with which we leave the world is […]

Reading: “When we honestly ask ourselves which persons in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with […]

Unison Reading, by e e cummings i thank You God for most this amazing day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything which is natural which is infinite which is yes (i who have died am alive again today, and this is the sun’s birthday;this is […]

Emerson provides the text for this sermon, which is my response to Mel Gibson’s controversial film, The Passion of the Christ: “Truly speaking, it is not instruction, but provocation, that I can receive from another soul.” No matter what else you may think or say about the film, it is provocative. Indeed, it has stirred […]

(originally scheduled for January 18, but was postponed due to snow.) I want to offer some comments ‘in praise of Christianity.’ It was the religion of my birth and boyhood, and I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the ministers and Sunday school teachers who introduced me to Jesus, whose name is synonymous with […]

We begin with a question: “Are you happy?” In typical rabbinic fashion you answer with a question: “Well, what do you mean by happy?” Do you mean, “Am I content? Satisfied? Cheerful? Optimistic? Positive? Grateful?” ‘Happy’ is a funny word, like one of those little smiley faces. It is rooted in the verb ‘to happen,’ […]

In a letter to her husband, John, who was in Philadelphia, helping to give birth to a new nation in 1775, Abigail Adams wrote, “In the new code of laws which you will make I desire you to remember the Ladies. Do not put unlimited power in the hands of the husbands. Remember all men […]

Opening reading: Fire Logs, by Carl Sandburg Nancy Hanks dreams by the fire; Dreams, and the logs sputter, And the yellow tongues climb. Red lines lick their way in flickers. Oh, sputter, logs. Oh, dream, Nancy. Time now for a beautiful child. Time now for a tall man to come. Preface: welcoming comments to seventh […]