Rev. Frank Hall Services Archive

“Carry one another’s loads, bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the teaching of Jesus.”  Gal. 6:2 My dear brothers and sisters, ladies and gentlemen and children: It was a little bit difficult for me to begin my speech to you today because I am feeling so very thankful; I am thankful for this very […]

Opening Words: Autumn is my favorite season (except for spring) and during the month of September, just passed, I was reminded why it’s my favorite—Goldilocks got it right:  not too hot, not too cold–just right. Every morning in September I went to Compo beach and walked for two miles–some days I went back in the […]

When we were kids my older brother Chet raised homing pigeons, among others; there were warblers, who turned in mid-air, there were pigeons with big fluffy crowns, and so forth. They were beautiful, and the homing pigeons were quite remarkable in their ability to find their way home. One day we went to Revere beach, […]

Opening Reading: “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock“ Let us go then, you and I, When the evening is spread out against the sky Like a patient etherised upon a table; Let us go through certain half-deserted streets, The muttering retreats Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells: Streets […]

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 […]