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Sermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington MassachusettsSermon Body Wisdom, by Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister, worship service Sunday, June 8, 2025Worship service given June 8, 2025 Prayer by Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister Offertory Music: "Benediction: When the Recall Sounds," music by Jennifer Kobayashi, words adapted from Rev. Dr. Vivien Pomeroy (1883-1961) Anthem: "Bidden or Unbidden: God is Present," music by Kenneth Seitz, words by Marta Morris Flanagan and Charles R. Duffy, spoken at their wedding on August 13, 2023 https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 Join us for this special service! Join us for song, reflection, music, and ritual as we say g...2025-06-1231 minSermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington MassachusettsSermon Coming of Age Credo Service, by COA Youth & Mentors, with Rev. Stevie Carmody, Minister of Religious Education, worship service Sunday, June 1, 2025Featuring COA Youth & Mentors, with Rev. Stevie Carmody, Minister of Religious Education Worship service given June 1, 2025 Prayer by Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 At First Parish, we honor the passage from childhood towards adulthood through our Coming of Age program. Our service will include Credo (“I Believe”) statements from the Coming of Age class as well as a blessing of the senior youth and a farewell to our Youth Program Coordinator Rose Sawyer-Marsh. And as a...2025-06-0330 minSermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington MassachusettsSermon The Last Sermon, by Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister, worship service Sunday, May 18, 2025Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister, preaching Worship service given May 18, 2025 Prayer by Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister, preaching Reading: "Mrs. George Reece" by Edgar Lee Masters from Spoon River Anthology https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 This Sunday Marta Flanagan offers her last sermon as Lead Minister at First Parish. Marta has served First Parish since 2009. On June 8 she is retiring from full-time parish ministry after 39 years of serving Unitarian Universalist congregations. On Saturday, May 31 First Pa...2025-05-2143 minSermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington MassachusettsSermon Claiming Our Way, by Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister, worship service January 5, 2025Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister, preaching Worship service given January 5, 2025 Prayer by Bill Licea-Kane, Worship Associate https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 Come join us for a worship service about Epiphany and the New Year. The three magi followed a star in the East, what will guide you in 2025? Rev. Erica Richmond, parish minister, will be preaching. Offering and Giving First The Giving First program donates 50% of the non-pledge offering each month to a charitable organization...2025-01-0627 minSermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington MassachusettsChristmas Eve Candlelight Service, by Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister, worship service December 24, 2024Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister, preaching Worship service given December 24, 2024 Prayer by Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister Reading of "The Christmas Story" by Robin Richstone by Rev. Stevie Carmody, Minister of Religious Education https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 Join us for our annual Christmas Eve candlelight worship service. Offering and Giving First The full amount of the gifts received during the live worship service supported the work of Renewal House, a domestic violence s...2024-12-2719 minSermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington MassachusettsSermon The Wisdom of the Solstice, led by Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister, and Rev. Stevie Carmody, Minister of Religious Education, worship service December 22, 2024Led by Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister, and Rev. Stevie Carmody, Minister of Religious Education Worship service given December 22, 2024 "The Solstice Badger," adapted by Rev. Kimberlee Tomczak Carlson from the book by Robin McFadden Prayer by Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 Join Revs. Erica and Stevie for a holiday worship service for all ages! We will hear a fable acted out by a merry band of children, youth, and adults of all...2024-12-2340 minSermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington MassachusettsSermon The People Speak of Faith, Credo Service, worship service, December 15, 2024Credo Statements from Elizabeth Hunter, Mara Prentiss, and Lyn Fulton-John Worship service given December 15, 2024 Prayer by Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 Credo means “I believe" in Latin. Periodically, First Parish invites members to offer personal statements of belief. Based on their personal experience, members speak of what they trust to be true. Worship this Sunday features the credo statements of FIrst Parish Members Elizabeth Hunter, Mara Prentiss, and Lyn Fulton-John. Please join us. ...2024-12-1627 minSermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington MassachusettsSermon A Messy Swirl - Grief and Gratitude, Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister, preaching, worship service November 24, 2024Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister, preaching Worship service given November 24, 2024 Prayer by Mary Breen, Worship Associate https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 As we look towards the Thanksgiving holiday, many of us are feeling a particular heaviness this year. How do we honor both grief and gratitude? How do we support ourselves and one another? Come join us Sunday morning as Rev. Erica Richmond preaches and all of us partake in our intergenerational ritual of sharing cornbread with one another.2024-11-2528 minSermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington MassachusettsSermon What We Know to be True in These Times, Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister, preaching, worship service November 10, 2024Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister, preaching Worship service given November 10, 2024 Prayer by Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 In the wake of a contentious Election Day, Rev. Marta Flanagan will preach. After worship, she and Rev. Erica Richmond, Parish Minister, will facilitate a “Reverberations” session in the sanctuary. Reverberations occasionally occurs after Sunday worship giving members of the congregation an opportunity to offer their perspectives. Offering and Giving First The Givin...2024-11-1235 minSermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington MassachusettsSermon Lessons from the 2004 Red Sox, Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister, preaching, worship service November 3, 2024Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister, preaching Worship service given November 3, 2024 Prayer by David Whitford, Worship Associate https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 Twenty years ago, the Red Sox finally broke the curse and won the World Series after an 86 year drought. They sustained a sense of belonging and connection through ups and downs, wins and losses. As we look towards the election on Tuesday, what spiritual lessons can we glean from the 2004 World Series? Let's cowboy up. Offering a...2024-11-0430 minSermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington MassachusettsSermon Wisdom Beyond Ourselves, by Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister, worship service October 13, 2024Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister Worship service given October 13, 2024 Prayer by Loren Gomez, Worship Associate https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 Using Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book, “Braiding Sweetgrass,” Rev. Erica will explore how theological pluralism came to be a priority in Unitarian Universalism and what Indigenous wisdom might teach us today. Offering and Giving First The Giving First program donates 50% of the non-pledge offering each month to a charitable organization that we feel is consistent with U...2024-10-1526 minSermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington MassachusettsSermon Second Drafts, Second Chances, by Rev. Stevie Carmody, Minister of Religious Education, worship service September 29, 2024Rev. Stevie Carmody, Minister of Religious Education Worship service given September 29, 2024 Prayer by Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 So you had a bad first go of it. Luckily there’s always the Second Act. Join Stevie this Sunday as we explore trying again. Offering and Giving First The Giving First program donates 50% of the non-pledge offering each month to a charitable organization that we feel is consistent with Unitarian Universalist pr...2024-09-3027 minSermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington MassachusettsSermon What is Your Role?, by Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister, worship service September 15, 2024Worship service given September 15, 2024 Prayer by Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 As we look towards the election in November, as we protect and fight for democracy, what role will each of us play? Using Deepa Iyer’s social change ecosystem map, Rev. Erica will invite each of us to think about what, in particular, we might offer. Offering and Giving First The Giving First program donates 50% of the non-pledge offering each mon...2024-09-1630 minSermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusettssermon In Our Time, by Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister, worship service September 8, 2024Worship service given September 8, 2024 Prayer by Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 In her sermon, Marta will consider what do our times call for from us as people of faith? The choir will offer music and we will launch the religious education programs for our children for the year. Water Ceremony Please bring water from a place meaningful to you. During worship we join our waters together in our annual water ceremony. This water wil...2024-09-0936 minSermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusettssermon Pride in Bloom!, with Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister, worship service June 9, 2024Worship service given June 9, 2024 Prayer by Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 Join us for a fun and unique intergenerational service on June 9th. Revs. Erica Richmond and Stevie Carmody will lead us in playful yet poignant reflections celebrating LGBTQ+ pride, allyship, flower communion, and one another. Bring flowers for our annual flower communion and plan on staying after worship for our end-of-year picnic. Offering and Giving First The Giving First program donates 50% o...2024-06-1142 minSermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusettssermon Coming of Age Sunday, with Rev. Stevie Carmody, Minister of Religious Education, worship service June 2, 2024Worship service given June 2, 2024 Prayer by Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 At First Parish, we honor the passage from childhood towards adulthood through our Coming of Age program. This Sunday we celebrate seven of our 8th grade youth! Our service will include Credo (“I Believe”) statements from the Coming of Age class. And as another cohort passes through the “Arch of Love,” we celebrate all the people who have contributed to our multigenerational community. After the serv...2024-06-0530 minSermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusettssermon A Velveteen Kind of Love, by Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister, worship service May 12, 2024Worship service given May 12, 2024 Prayer by Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 This coming Sunday, Rev. Erica Richmond will preach on love- how imperfect, vulnerable and messy it can be. It is this type of love that makes us real and allows us to be our real selves. Our high school seniors will delight us with a reenactment of the Velveteen Rabbit and then, as they prepare for their next chapters, we bless them as a faith...2024-05-1321 minSermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusettssermon Shinn Service -- Social Justice, by Dr. Michael Curry, Guest Speaker, worship service May 5, 2024Worship service given May 5, 2024 Prayer by Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 Each year, one Sunday is devoted to the social-justice-themed Shinn Service, with a guest providing the sermon related to their own social justice work and interests. Dr. Michael Curry is currently the President & CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, which represents 52 health centers, serving over one million patients out of over 300 practice sites. He plans to stay and participate in “Reverberations” on Sund...2024-05-0638 minSermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusettssermon Theological Basis for Democracy, by Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister worship service April 7, 2024Worship service given April 7, 2024 Prayer by Elizabeth Hunter, Worship Associate https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 Join Rev. Erica Richmond this coming Sunday as she preaches about congregational governance, dissent, and communion. Don’t worry, she promises to make it interesting. As Unitarian Universalists we have a long standing commitment to democracy, what does that look like in our congregation? What does that teach us about community? We will also be blessing our new set of teachers for religious education! Offering an...2024-04-0826 minSermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusettssermon Cast Your Nets and Other Faithful Acts, by Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister Easter worship service March 31, 2024Worship service given March 31, 2024 Prayer by Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 Easter worship features Rev. Marta Flanagan preaching and Rev. Stevie Carmody offering a story. Join the First Parish Choir and a brass quintet of Boston University students in a joyous morning of music by Pavel Chesenekov, Jacob Narverud, and more. As in the past, communion will be offered during our Easter service. First Parish has no creedal tests for involvement. Our communion is an...2024-04-0132 minSermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusettssermon Going to the Garden, by Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister worship service March 24, 2024Worship service given March 24, 2024 Prayer by Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 On Palm Sunday, join Rev. Erica Richmond and the worship team as we talk about the spiritual themes of Palm Sunday. Holy Weeks teaches us about sitting with pain before rebirth. How does this show up in our individual lives? How do we wrestle with messy transformation? Come join us for worship and enjoy our featured musicians- Sam Fleishman, Paul Franzosa...2024-03-2530 minSermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusettssermon Painting with Sound: Vignettes of Beauty, Daniel Parsley, Interim Music Director, worship service March 10, 2024Worship service given March 10, 2024 Prayer by Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 As we gather together in worship, we are reminded of the power of community music to paint vivid images and evoke deep emotions within our hearts. Just as an artist uses a brush to create a masterpiece, musicians use the notes and rhythms of their instruments to craft a melody that touches the soul. Join the First Parish Choir and chamber orchestra as we delve...2024-03-1118 minSermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusettssermon The Lost Art of Play, Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister, worship service February 25, 2024Worship service given February 25, 2024 Prayer by Bill Licea-Kane, Worship Associate https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 Join us this Sunday as Rev. Erica Richmond explores the theology of play and its importance in our lives. What might reconnect us to childlike wonder? Don't worry, it's not all talk, we will have a chance to play with markers, clay, and other crafts during worship! Offering and Giving First The Giving First program donates 50% of the non-pledge offering each month to...2024-02-2627 minSermons from First Parish Unitarian Universalist of Arlington Massachusettssermon The After Death Knitters, by Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister, worship service February 4, 2024Worship service given February 4, 2024 Prayer by Elizabeth Hunter, Worship Associate https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 As we take stock of our lives and these times, it can be challenging but sacred work to consider what the world will look like for future generations. How do we make sense of our legacies? Join parish minister, Rev. Erica, as she shares wisdom from a group called the Loose Ends – knitters who finish projects for other sewers after they die. Offering and Giving Fi...2024-02-0527 min