Rev. Frank Hall Services Archive

There are lots of stories and poems about trees; one of the most famous poems about trees is written by a man named Joyce Kilmer. Trees, Joyce Kilmer (For Mrs. Henry Mills Alden) I think that I shall never see A poem lovely as a tree. A tree whose hungry mouth is prest Against the […]

Opening Words: The Circle of Life From the day we arrive on the planet And blinking, step into the sun There’s more to see than can ever be seen More to do than can ever be done There’s far too much to take in here More to find than can ever be found But the […]

Matthew 21:  “And when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to…the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find an ass tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If any one says anything to […]

Opening Words: love is a place & through this place of love move (with brightness of peace) all places yes is a world & in this world of yes live (skilfully curled) all worlds Usually we think of a place as being ‘somewhere’ out there; a part of the world, like Westport, or Vermont; or […]

It often happens during a reception following a wedding or a memorial service:  someone approaches me, thanks me for the service, and says, “So, tell me about the Unitarians.”  Or they say, “What do you believe?” It happened this week.  On Thursday afternoon, following the private memorial service in honor of the life of Dana […]

The small-group ministry gatherings have a monthly discussion topic; this month it’s prayer. I was asked to offer my thoughts on the subject. Since this is Superbowl, I thought of a comment made by Frank Leahy, football coach at Notre Dame from 1941 – 1954.  When asked if thought his team’s winning record had anything […]

January 17 marked the 300th anniversary of the birth of Ben Franklin.  The New York Times printed an article about him by a Franklin biographer, Stacy Schiff.  I read the article through the eyes of the sermon I was preparing — about what we Unitarian Universalists believe, and what I personally believe – and I […]

Some years ago a psychologist in town asked to come tointerview me for a book he was writing about wills.  He told me that he was collecting data on decisions people were making in wills that were causing problems they didn’t anticipate, as well as the punitive decisions to cut people out of the will […]

  Opening Words:  Florida Scott-Maxwell, in her wonderful book, The Measure of My Days, writes: “A man once said to me, ‘I don’t mind your telling me my faults, they’re stale, but don’t tell me my virtues.  When you tell me what I could be it terrifies me.’  I was surprised then, I understand now, […]

Opening Words:  Mary sings a lullaby to her little one in the manger, his cradle, his bed…a soothing song to bring a sense of calm, after the long journey, after the uncertainty, after the anxiety, the fear; like our own long journey; like our own uncertainty, anxiety and fear. So she’s singing to us:  “Sleep […]