Sermon Archive
Dying is the Opposite of Leaving
Dying is the Opposite of Leaving © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church Easter Sunday April 5, 2026 Today is a day of stories. We enter into this day, that we call Easter Sunday, thinking we know the story. But there are many stories, many layers, many...
To Speak Out Against Kings
To Speak Out Against Kings © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church March 29, 2026 By 1980, El Salvador was overrun with paramilitary groups: death squads, who roamed the country assassinating people in the name of “traditional values”, and “law and...
Making the World Come Alive
Making the World Come Alive © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church March 15, 2026 Most years I dread the month of March. It’s not really winter, and not quite spring. The clean brightness of the snow recedes and leaves mud and dead leaves and gray...
The Beginning of Devotion
The Beginning of Devotion © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church March 8, 2026 In one of his most famous passages explaining his decision to live alone in the Concord woods for two years, Henry David Thoreau wrote, “I went to the woods because I...
To Live Like a River Flows
To Live Like a River Flows © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church February 22, 2026 People often wonder how a minister creates a sermon. Frankly, the minister often wonders this herself. But people tend to be curious about the process: how we find...
Jame Baldwin: On Love and Salvation
James Baldwin: On Love and Salvation Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church February 15, 2026 He could have grown to adulthood consumed with hatred. In fact, he harbored great anger at the way his country treated him and other marginalized people....
To Take Back Our Land Again
To Take Back Our Land Again © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church January 18, 2026 As I was writing this sermon yesterday, I heard that there was a large-scale protest taking place in Minneapolis, the city most recently targeted for authoritarian control of...
We Fight for Roses, Too!
We Fight for Roses, Too! © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church January 11, 2026 The story began 114 years ago, on January 1, 1912. That day, a new law took effect in Massachusetts that reduced the number of hours in the work week for women, from 56 hours per...
Prepare Him Room
Prepare Him Room © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church Christmas Eve 2025 One of the most beloved of Christmas church traditions is the staging of Christmas pageants, when a community dresses up in costumes and retells the ancient story, complete with...
A Light for Dark Days
A Light for Dark Days © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church December 21, 2025 The Gospel of John tells us: “..the light was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.” (John 1:4b-5.) The year was 1993, over...
New Life Begins in the Dark
New Life Begins in the Dark © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church December 14, 2025 There are many wonderful aspects of living on Cape Ann: the beauty and wonder of the ocean, the variety of places to explore on foot, with plenty of woods and fascinating rock...
Practicing Hope as a Verb
Practicing Hope as a Verb © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church December 7, 2025 “Imagine the world as a theater,” wrote author Rebecca Solnit. “Imagine the world as a theater. The acts of the powerful and the official occupy center stage. The traditional...
Upcoming Services
Led by Reverend Janet Parsons with music by Steve Lacey.
Sunday, September 13 is our traditional Ingathering, where we look forward to being together again after summer activities. Our theme for September is Beginnings, and we'll be marking our new church year in two ways.
First, we'll be holding our traditional Water Ceremony. If you have gathered water from a trip or from a moment that meant something special to you, please bring a small amount to add to our common bowl. We mingle this water to symbolize our reconnection as a community. If you haven't saved some water, no worries - we will have pitchers of water that you can pour from while you describe what it means to you.
Second, we will be holding a Blessing of the Backpacks to mark the beginning of the school year. If you are a student or a teacher, or if you are beginning a new venture of another sort, please bring your backpack, briefcase, or tote bag to church with you, and we'll bless them and your new beginning.
Worship is in-person or at the livestream link below.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIeJfO72kLh-gAtZZT-QOng/live
Recent News
Book Group – Oct 20, 2026
The Gloucester UU next book group meeting will be at 3 o'clock on Tuesday, October 20. Please note that book club meetings will now be held on the third Tuesday of every other month (i.e., even-numbered months). Please note that the December meeting will not occur on...
Sunday Aug 23
Gloucester UU joins Rockport and Essex for a joint service in Essex, 10am. Also on Zoom, see below. Sunday August 23rd 10 am Stronger Together with Rev. Tess Baumberger Join us for a service about how we can be stronger by working together, using the symbols of...
What Brought You Here
What Brought You Here Jonathan Hudgins, 8/16/2026 Readings Much of what brought me here is the history of this place. So, buckle up, I’ll be weaving plenty of history into today’s service. --- In July 1846, A D Mayo became the pastor of our Gloucester...