Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch

Shows

Unitarian Church of Edmonton (UCE)“Jewish Traditions for Today’s UUs,” Karen Mills & Gordon Ritchie, May 3, 2020What comes to your mind when you think of Sabbath? Do you think of rest? A break from work? What might it mean in this time of uncertainty and unrest? What does it mean to be and do good? We'll ponder all these questions as we look at the wisdom Jewish tradition may hold for us now. #UU #YEG 1 Welcome by Gordon Ritchie 0:00 2 “Al Shlosha D'varim” performed by Spivey Hall Children's Choir 0:45 3 Opening words - Jewish Unitarian Universalists - Beliefs & Principles read by Karen Mills 4:16 4 Kindling the Chalice, from a Jewish Passover Haggadah, read by Gordon Ritchie 6:31 5 Responsive Reading “May We See...2020-05-0436 min

First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa"43,000 Different Christians"Sunday, March 1st, 2020 - Sunday Sermon by Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch - So often we use the term “Christian” in a monolithic way, suggesting it refers to a uniform set of beliefs and practices. A few years ago when Rev. Pat searched the internet asking the question, “how many different kinds of Christians are there?”, the answer was 33,820. The most recent study from the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon Conwell puts the number of Christian denominations and sects at 43,000. What is a "good" definition for the word Christian and where might Unitarians and Universalists fit into...2020-03-0129 min

First Unitarian Congregation of OttawaCUC Sharing Our Faith - "Drops Making Waves"Sunday, February 23rd, 2020 - CUC Sharing Our Faith "Drops Making Waves" Sermon by Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch - "Because he knew that, although he was just a drop in the bucket, enough drops in the bucket make a bucketful." From A Drop with a Dream by Rev Christopher Buice. Annually the Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC) encourages congregations to take up a special offering for the CUC Sharing Our Faith Fund, part of a program that provides funds for congregational initiatives. Last year such grants helped support UU summer camps, website development, accessibility renovations, increases in social media and...2020-02-2323 min

First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa"Love Connects Us"Sunday, February 16th, 2020 - by Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch - “Although our theological beliefs can be diverse, our covenant with one another and the love we bring to it tie us together in a common bond. . .We embrace our responsibility toward one another and the world at large. We encourage one another's search for truth and meaning.” (from Love Connects Us by UU Curriculum authors, Michelle Richards and Lynn Ungar) Rev. Pat will reflect on our Unitarian Universalist heritage of love. 2020-02-1623 min

First Unitarian Congregation of OttawaComing of Age Credo: "Respect"Sunday, February 9th, 2020 - "Coming of Age Credo Service: Respect" by FirstU COA Youth with Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch Since the Fall of 2018, two of our FirstU youth have been following a UU Coming of Age (COA) that will culminate in today's service. They have planned the service with Rev. Pat and here we hear one of their credo statements. A credo is defined as "a statement of beliefs or aims which guide someone's actions."2020-02-0912 min

First Unitarian Congregation of OttawaBlack History Month - Considering "The Other"Sunday, February 2nd, 2020 - by Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch - As a little UU girl, Rev. Pat was taught that everyone was part of the human family, that all should be respected. How can it be that we separate out certain people from the rest of the pack, the rest of the human family, and call them "other." Who after all is a “they” and not an “us”? As Black History month commences this February, Rev. Pat considers the idea of "the other."2020-02-0225 min

First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa"Why Pray?" [Spirituality/Mysticism Series #2]Sunday, January 26th, 2020 - by Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch - Rev. Pat recalls being asked once, “Why do Unitarian Universalists pray?” Interesting question... How would you respond? Do you pray or meditate? What sort of meaning does this practice hold for you? Join Rev. Pat as she explores a UU understanding of prayer.2020-01-2626 min

First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa"Covenant Relationships: A Declaration of Interdependence"January 19, 2020 - Sunday Sermon by Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch and The Right Relations Team - We acknowledge that our campus is located on unceded, traditional Algonquin Territory and that all Canadians have treaty responsibilities 2020-01-1926 min

First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa"Unitarian Universalist Mysticism" - Spirituality/Mysticism Series #1January 12, 2020 - Sunday Sermon by Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch - Over the next few months, Rev. Pat will present a series exploring traditions of spirituality and mysticism across many different traditions. Before looking to other traditions, why not start with Unitarian Universalist Mysticism? In 1937, the President of the American Unitarian Association, Louis Cornish, declared that "We belong among the mystics." Agree? Disagree? Come find out what Rev. Pat has to say.2020-01-1226 min

First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa"Having The Spirit For Winter"December 22, 2019 - Sunday Sermon by Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch - For the ancients in the Northern Hemisphere, winter was a time of mystery, magic, and fear of what the future might hold. What creatures were out there shrouded by snow and darkness? Will the sun return and the storehouses be replenished? In their myths, there is evidence they were aware of sun depravation's effects on mental health. Yet, winter was also a time of festivals and feasts. At this time of the Winter Solstice, "the longest night," how might we in this age cultivate a spirit for weathering...2019-12-2227 min

First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa"On Labyrinths: A Journey To The Centre"December 15, 2019 - Sunday Sermon by Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch - "Give me the strength to walk the soft earth, a relative to all that is." (Black Elk/Heȟáka Sápa, b.1863-d.1950, an Ogala Lakota holy man from the U.S.) "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes but in seeing with new eyes." (Marcel Proust, b.1871-d.1922, writer) As the children will be walking the Advent Spiral downstairs in the NOW Room during the service, let us reflect upon the ancient contemplative and healing practice of walking the pat...2019-12-1525 min

First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa"Remembering Polytechnique"December 8th, 2019 - Remembering Polytechnique - Sunday Message by Rev. Patricia Haresch and members of the Men's Breakfast Group This Sunday we celebrate our FirstU tradition of the Mitten Tree, "decorating the tree" with donations to the Snowsuit Fund. We also recognized members who have joined recently. And here our Rev. Patrician Guthmann Haresch is joined by members of the Men's Breakfast Group to name and recognize the lives of the 15 female victims of the École Polytechnique massacre, 30 years ago on December 6th, 1989.2019-12-0812 min

First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa"Advent Sunday: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Renew Holiday Giving"December 1st, 2019 - Advent Sunday: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Renew Holiday Giving - Sunday Sermon by Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch Years ago there was a book called, "Unplug the Christmas Machine." Ever feel that way - that you just want to dial down the holiday season? This holiday season, let us consider some other ways of giving that may be friendlier to the Earth, ourselves, and our loved ones.2019-12-0119 min

First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa"5 UU Smooth Stones" (A UU Perspective on the bible - #3 in the series)November 3rd, 2019 - The story of David and Goliath, of the small young man subduing the giant, can be found in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim sacred writings. Many a sermon has centered on the metaphoric meaning of the five smooth stones David brought in his shepherd's pouch along with his staff and slingshot to overtake the almost 10-foot Goliath. Our Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch explores: What are the five smooth stones that we as UU's have in our back pockets to confront the larger-than-life challenges in our own world and society?2019-11-0327 min

First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa"Let's Start at the Very Beginning: Creation" (A UU Perspective of the Bible - #2 in Series)October 20th, 2019 - The story of Adam and Eve has been ubiquitous over the years in art, literature, comedy, and theatre where women are portrayed as wily temptresses rendering men defenceless (and blameless). Our Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch asks: What might the original author(s) of the story intended? What innovations did the author(s) make to the older underlying stories and why? What inferences did the people of the time make when they heard these stories? What new understandings might we gain about the story's message about humanity's "proper place" in Creation?2019-10-2021 min

First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa"Grace: In praise of the Unexpected"October 13th, 2019 - What is Grace? Philosopher and theologian Paul Tillich suggests that “Grace strikes us when. . .we walk through the dark valley of a meaningless and empty life. . . It strikes us when, year after year, the longed-for perfection of life does not appear. . . Sometimes at that moment a wave of light breaks into our darkness, and it is as though a voice were saying: “You are accepted.” On this Sunday before Thanksgiving, our Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch will reflect with gratitude on unbid and unexpected gifts.2019-10-1427 min

First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa"More Than Bricks and Mortar"October 6th, 2019 - On this "Pledge Sunday" we begin our pledge campaign for the coming year. As part of her sermon, Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch reads from a Dedication Address for the new church building of the First Unitarian Church of Buffalo, N.Y. on October 13, 1880 2019-10-0619 min

First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa"On Being Awake"September 29, 2019 - This year Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins at sunset on Sep 29 and ends at sunset on October 1. The holiday marks the beginning of a 10-day period known as the “Days of Awe” or “High Holidays.” For Jews this is a time of self-reflection, forgiveness, prayer and introspection. The shofar, typically a ram's horn, is blown at Rosh Hashanah services to signal the New Year, but is also a sort of spiritual wake up call. Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch will reflect on being spiritually awake.2019-09-2924 min

First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa"Roots Hold Me Close, Wings Set Me Free"September 22, 2019 - In this first of a series focussed on Unitarian perspectives on the Bible, our Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch will answer, "Why the Bible?" Unitarian Universalism draws upon many sources including wisdom from Jewish and Christian teachings. The European Unitarian and Universalist movements grew out of an era of Protestant Revolutions, when the Bible was more widely distributed and read leading educated and common folk alike to question the doctrines of the Church. What they found in the Bible wasn’t necessarily what was being taught or demonstrated through the words and deeds of the Church.2019-09-2229 min

First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa"Walk Gently On The Earth... But Also Dance"September 15, 2019 - Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch reflects on the notion of all of us being part of a great cosmic dance. Not just as bystanders, but as partners and co-creators.2019-09-1724 min

First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa"What the World Neds Now Is Love"September 8, 2019 - Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch presents a reading of "Old Turtle" by by Douglas Wood "A man should treat all creatures in the world as he himself would like to be treated." (Sutrakritinga Sutra, circa 5th Century B.C.) When a people lose sight of an old truth, perhaps an old turtle and a child can help restore the knowledge once shared. All ages are welcome to gather together for our first "official" Sunday of the new congregational year and hear a telling of Douglas Wood's "Old Turtle and the Broken Truth."2019-09-0818 min

First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa"Do No Harm"September 1, 2019 - Sermon by Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch - We might speak as though being concerned about our carbon footprint, or how we impact or damage the world around us, are new ideas. But, concepts like “The Golden Rule” and “do no harm” have been asserted in philosophical and religious traditions for thousands of years - none more intense than in Jainism, an ancient religion that pre-dates and gave rise to Buddhism. Jainism is concerned with the welfare of all living beings and organisms, not just humans.2019-09-0125 min

First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa"The Faith Club"Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch has members of the congregation read excerpts in character from "The Faith Club: Common Themes in Christianity, Islam, Judaism". This highly recommended book is by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner, t...2019-05-0628 min

First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa"Hope As If You Mean It"Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch reflects uplon lessons learned with regard to hope related to an incident found in The World of Pooh, "In Which Piglet Is Entirely Surrounded by Water"2018-11-2513 min