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SermonsUnexpected Blessings
March 14, 2010 Some of the hardest times we encounter in our lives are difficult because we were not expecting them to happen. This wasn’t going to happen to me, this way. This was not the way it was supposed to go. We imagine our lives and our days unfolding in certain ways, and we make plans, fill out our calendars and then boom, something unexpected occurs and we have to adjust. We have to turn and face this unknown. And then, as if the turning toward it is not enough, we then have to be able to will ourselves to see this hardship as an opportunity for learning, as a blessing even. This is at the heart of spiritual practice and at the center of living, and it can be one of the most difficult lessons to learn. Devotion – A Practice Across Faiths
February 21, 2010 It feels like there are candles everywhere. The shrines line the walls of the cathedral and in front of each altar, the tiny lights flicker in the great expanse. I had walked into a shop in Ottawa, Canada and seen an image of the cathedral on a postcard. The person behind the counter said that the Notre Dame Cathedral was only a few blocks away so I made my way over on that rainy, grey afternoon. When I entered through the great doors, I was struck by the incredible intricacy of the designs and the shapes and colors that decorated every surface of the place, from the pillars painted in bright, colorful designs, to the elaborate altars that lined the walls! There were many gold inlaid statues of saints in robes and crowns, and angels in the corners of the ceiling and so many candles, each lit to remember a person or a place in need of a prayer; a place in a follower’s heart. It was a striking and elaborate sanctuary, an expression of the Catholic faith that offered such a range of images and ways to express ones devotion. Caring For Our Own
January 17, 2010 “Our Hospital’s Mission: We will welcome you with a smiling face, warm sympathy, and soft language. As Dr. Kitasato, our founder, often said: we know our patients are worried. We want to give them a sense of assurance about their health. We will do all in our power to protect your privacy and dignity. Preserving your life and health is the reason this hospital exists.” (The Healing of America, T.R. Reid, pg. 100.) T. R. Reid, author of The Healing of America, copied down this mission statement posted on the wall of a hospital in Japan, one of the countries that he explored while doing research for his book on health care, and a system that he and his family personally benefitted from while living there. More Articles...Page 1 of 2 |
The Walpole Unitarian Church
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