In the 1987 movie, ‘The Princess Bride’ the character of Vizzini (played wonderfully by Wallace Shawn) keeps watching his evil plans be thwarted by the heroics of protagonists, Westly and Buttercup. ‘Inconceivable!’ he cries. This is a service where we try to imagine a world without the inventions, the heroes and she-roes and the various … Continue reading Inconceivable!!!
Cornell West once said that “Justice is what Love looks like in public.” Each year, MPUUC celebrates a ‘Love Hero’ – a person or group who exercises the kind of ‘public love’ that resembles and inspires justice. This year, our Love Hero is Sergio Jaime Lopez who has successfully navigated our broken immigration system to … Continue reading Love Hero
Falling in love is the euphoric moment when we discover someone with the unique combination of what you’ve always wanted and needed: attention, acceptance, appreciation, affection, allowance – what David Richo calls ‘the 5 A’s of Love’. And, somehow, you muster the courage to go all in. You find – or borrow – enough to … Continue reading The Myths and Realities of True Love
We live in the age where we’re subject to the tyranny of the ‘now.’ Driven by Facebook, tweeting, 24/7 news, and the ‘buy-now’ button. But the obsession with the immediate has further decimated our abilities for long-term planning. And the truth is resolving the problems we currently face – from climate change to pandemic response … Continue reading The Good Ancestor
Greek philosopher Heraclitus once talked about our quest for stability and permanence and the pain that’s inevitable in a world that never stops evolving. He said, ‘The only thing constant in this world is change.’ Buddhists have a similar take, citing ‘impermanence’ as a more accurate descriptor of what we often call ‘reality.’ This is … Continue reading Belum
In this traditional Christmas Eve Service, we will be visited by three Ghosts and the man who calls forth their presence. This man has reduced his life – indeed ALL the lives around him – to practicality, personal advancement and profit. He has forgotten wonder, faith, charity, family, hope, faith, love and – most of … Continue reading Christmas Eve Service
The midwinter holidays are filled with generosity and gift giving. Christmas, in particular, has made gift-giving so central, that it’s sometimes hard to remember that it is not the true purpose of the holiday. The commercialization of Christmas and the juggernaut force with which advertisement campaigns have co-opted the season, almost require us to put … Continue reading The Gift of Greatest Price
We are entering into the season in our trip around the sun where we are the farthest – and most tilted away – from the light and the warmth of the sun. This means light and warmth are most scarce. Those who are unfamiliar and sensitive to living in cold, dark climates struggle. When it … Continue reading It’s Dark Out There
More than 80 years ago, a small delegation of the Unitarian Service Committee were sent to western Europe to offer a response to those victims of the ethnic cleansing and human rights violations taking place under the reign of terror imposed by the Third Reich. That essential and successful justice campaign set into motion a … Continue reading Guest at Your Table
How in the world did we make it this far? Had impartial observers witnessing evolutionary dynamic been asked to place a wager on which human species would thrive and go on to dominate the planet, Homo Sapiens would certainly not have been the leading candidate. But the reason we did is not due to the … Continue reading Survival of the Friendliest
