Sermon Archive
Fiercely Compassionate
Fiercely Compassionate © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church October 26, 2025 Times are hard in the city of Chicago these days. Since September 9, when the Department of Homeland Security launched what it named Operation Midway Blitz, over 1000 people have...
Proclaiming Democracy
Proclaimdem/rel101925 Rev. Art McDonald Oct 19, 2025 I’m one of those dinosaurs who still gets the daily newspaper, the Boston Globe, delivered 7 days a week. As a Latin American historian once wrote, I eat the newspaper for breakfast. A few months back, an article in...
Giving, Receiving, as Love Shows Us How
Giving, Receiving, as Love Shows Us How © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church October 12, 2025 It was almost exactly 10 years ago now, in November of 2015, to be exact, that presidential candidate Donald Trump openly mocked a reporter with a physical...
To Do More That Feel
To Do More Than Feel © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church October 5, 2025 One thing that has taken me completely by surprise in recent months has been a growing awareness that many voices on the political right are adamantly opposed to the moral value of...
Longing to Belong
Longing to Belong Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church September 21, 2025 Many years ago, as newlyweds, my husband and I relocated to West Germany for almost a year. Walter’s company transferred him, originally for six months, and off we went on an adventure;...
Outside of Nothing
Outside of Nothing © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church September 14, 2025 This past Monday, I was invited to a friend’s home with a group of colleagues to participate in a retreat. It was a beautiful day, spent largely outdoors, with an ideal blend of social...
Always Connected
Always Connected © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church September 7 2025 I love living near the ocean. It fascinates me: beautiful and yet intimidating, grounding and yet constantly in motion. But each year I try to find my way to fresh water, to rivers and...
Watching for the Mischief-Makers
Watching for the Mischief Makers© Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church August 24, 2025 “Eat, coat. Eat.” Throughout human history, and across cultures, we have always enjoyed the imagination and the vitality of tall tales about the mischief-makers. These are...
Gaza: From Heartbreak Comes Courage and Inspiration
Presentation- Gaza: From Heartbreak Comes Courage and Inspiration Gloucester UU Church, August 10, 2025 Susan Nicholson, Ph.D., J.D. I. INTRODUCTION Those of you who know of my 20 year advocacy for Palestinian human rights will not be surprised I was deeply impacted...
What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?
What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? — Reflections For Our Time Honoring Frederick Douglass and Reimagining Freedom Today Introduction Thank you for gathering with me today. We meet not only to commemorate the birth of a nation, but to reflect on the complexities...
Caring for the Stranger
Caring for the Stranger Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church July 20, 2025 I’ve been watching, this spring and summer, as efforts to capture and detain undocumented immigrants have filled our news and our social media. There have been some dramatic scenes of...
The Living Earth – My Journey Through Deep Time
Sermon presented at Gloucester UU Church July 13, 2025 by Mern Sibley “The Living Earth - My Journey through Deep Time” In the days following the election last November, I found myself feeling discouraged. I imagine many of you felt the same way. So many hourly and...
Upcoming Services
Gloucester UU joins Rockport and Essex for worship this Sunday at First Univ of Essex, or on Zoom.Sunday August 23rd 10 am Stronger Together with Rev. Tess BaumbergerJoin us for a service about how we can be stronger by working together, using the symbols of spinning threads and weaving tapestries. The service will include a simple ritual, poetry, and meditations on the power of collaboration.To join us via Zoom please visit uuessex.org and click on the Zoom link. If you’re coming in person, there is some street parking or you can use the municipal lot. Coming from Gloucester you would go past the church and take your first left onto Martin Street, then go left again on Shepherd Street. Please know the central spots in the lot are reserved for boat and trailer parking during the summer. If you go up the stairs at the end of the lot, you can cross the parking lot and make your way to the church.
Recent News
Sunday July 26
Sunday July 26 - All three churches worship at the UU Society of Rockport, 4 Cleaves Street in Rockport Worship is in-person at 10:30am, or on Zoom. Join Meeting | Zoom Zoom Meeting ID: 955 3909 6111 with passcode: worship Gloucester UU will be...
Flower Communion
Flower Communion reflections July 5, 2026 by Lucille LePage Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church So, here are your flowers – and here we are, together. It is cause for celebration. Today we take part in the Flower Communion, as people have done for more...
Sunday July 18
Worship this Sunday is led by Rev. Matthew Henry. Worship is in-person, or at the livestream link below. Everyone is welcome! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIeJfO72kLh-gAtZZT-QOng/live