This multigenerational holiday service will incorporate a number of songs and stories illustrating the values of generosity, diversity, affirmation, and making a joyful noise unto the world!  Please bring a drum of your own (or other instrument) if you wish and be prepared to participate in a rhythmic celebration of the season!

Part of being human is having what the Buddha called a monkey mind. We constantly have thoughts running through our head. Thoughts of loss, thoughts of hope, thoughts of fear, thoughts of self-judgment, and the list goes on and on. What are some different tools and exercises we can try to help calm and tame … Continue reading Mindfulness for the Monkey Mind – Amy Carlson & Chris Kage

The ancient Greek as well as the eastern philosophies of Japanese Buddhism and Hinduism referred to concepts of the elements of earth, water, air/wind, and fire, as well as the void or aether. The elements were used to explain the nature and complexity of all matter, and how they related to observable phenomena as well … Continue reading “Earth, Air, Fire, Water and the Void” – Sarah Hardgrave & Sue Ellen Stringer

We have done much damage to our land, and to its original inhabitants.  As we contemplate our annual celebration of gratitude, let us consider some practical and spiritual guidance offered by indigenous peoples, and how we might work to repair our relationships with them and with nature.  

Charles Darwin, Thomas Starr King, John Muir, Henry David Thoreau, Annie Dillard—naturalists from the same mold, and I identify with them.  Not only did they dwell in profound respect and affection with the natural world, but they found religious inspiration there.  My own journey has always been as an anthropologist.  My theology is grounded in … Continue reading Nature is My Religion – Rev. Dennis Hamilton & Robin Jensen

Rev. Axel Gehrmann & Mary Kay Hamilton To enjoy a transcript of the sermon for this service please click on this link: The Face of the Deep According to scripture, in the beginning, when the earth was without form and void, God’s spirit moved upon the face of the waters. The deep and mysterious waters seemed inaccessible even to … Continue reading The Face of the Waters

Rev. Elaine Gehrmann, Corey Brunson & Amy Carlson This time of year we often think of ghosts and goblins, spirits and superstitions. During this service for all ages we will explore some of the ways that we can make best use of our ghosts, and search for ways to befriend and learn from them.

Karen Brown and Katie Hamilton   “I am one with the ancestors,” Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us, so on this Sunday we’ll weave together the joy of genealogical discoery and deepening connections, music and racial/sexual politics, along with the wisdom of Confucius, the Buddha, and indigenous spiritual traditions. You are encouraged to bring a photo … Continue reading Ancestor Worship?

Rev. Elaine Gehrmann and Amy Carlson If you can’t see it, touch it, or express it, does it exist? This morning we will consider some of the harder to grasp objects and occurrences in our lives, and the meanings we might nevertheless glean from them.

With every year as I grow older, I am more appreciative of the admonition, “Respect your elders!” The adage is found in a wide variety of religious traditions, as well as secular sources, both ancient and contemporary. Surely, no matter what our age or circumstances, we deserve a degree of respect. How can we best practice an enlightened respectfulness? … Continue reading Respecting our Elders – Rev. Axel Gehrmann & Mary Kay Hamilton