Sermon Archive
Toward a Truly Liberating Theology for UU’s
Toward a Truly Liberating Theology for UU’s © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church February 11, 2024 It was Dr. Paul Farmer, the late founder of Partners in Health, who introduced me to the concept of Liberation Theology. I was devouring Tracy Kidder’s...
The Stories Behind the Music
The Stories Behind the Music © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church February 4, 2024 Today is the time and the place to call upon the memories of the ancestors. Today we are hearing of heroes, and of giants. In the words of our author Qiyamah Rahman, “It is...
Love The Hell Out of This World
Love the Hell Out of This World © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church January 21, 2024 I read a story recently by the Reverend Susan Frederick-Gray, who just last June finished her term as the president of the Unitarian Universalist Association. She was...
Power Without Love…Love Without Power
Power Without Love…Love Without Power © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church January 14, 2024 It wasn’t until the election of 2016 that I fully came to understand the depth of the derision and dislike that conservative sectors of our country, actually,...
To Lead with Love
To Lead with Love © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church January 7, 2024 We speak often about love. Love is, perhaps, the greatest force we know, perhaps the greatest mystery, ‘the only magic’ it was called in our reading earlier. So we think about it,...
The Risk of Birth
The Risk of Birth Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church Christmas Eve, 2023 In 1973, the poet Madeleine L’Engle wrote these words: “This is no time for a child to be born, With the earth betrayed by war & hate And a comet slashing the sky to warn That...
Saying “Yes” to Mystery
Saying “Yes” to Mystery © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church December 3, 2023 The other day the Washington Post reported that a lobsterman in Maine had pulled up a two-colored lobster. The lobsterman, named Jacob Knowles, was fascinated by his discovery and...
Completing the Gift
Completing the Gift © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church November 19, 2023 The poet Mary Oliver gave us this poem, called The Gift: Be still, my soul, and steadfast.Earth and heaven both are still watchingthough time is draining from the clockand your...
The Generosity of Attention
The Generosity of Attention © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church November 12, 2023 One of my fondest memories of relief trips to the Gulf Coast was the day in Pearlington, Mississippi, when we had two lunches. Both of which involved fried catfish. We...
Relinquishing Privilege
Relinquishing Privilege © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church November 5, 2023 I wasn’t sure that Darren Walker still had a job. After I finished reading his opinion piece in the New York Times, portions of which Pat just read, I looked him up on line to see...
The Thinning of the Veil
The Thinning of the Veil © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church October 29, 2023 In the fifth Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry and his friends find themselves dueling with wizards from the dark side, called the Death Eaters....
Midnight Rumblings on Mahogany
Midnight Rumblings on Mahogany © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church October 15, 2023 Unitarian and Universalist historians have always been a little bit squeamish about discussing the phenomenon of Spiritualism that swept the country in the 19th century....
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
How We Flourish
How We Flourish © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church June 7, 2026 Last Sunday we hosted a wonderful concert here in the sanctuary. It featured well-known local performers - Miranda Aisling, as well as What Time is it Mr. Fox. But most...
Sunday June 7
How We Flourish, led by Reverend Janet Parsons. As we prepare for our Annual Meeting following the service, we ask what individuals and communities need to thrive. Join us at 10:00 a.m. - everyone is welcome! Music provided by Andrew Glennon. Worship is in-person, or...
Let the Mystery Be
Let the Mystery Be © Reverend Janet Parsons Gloucester UU Church May 31, 2026 Just a little over two years ago, I received one of the great gifts of my life. It was a beautiful, clear night, with a crescent moon hanging low in the sky. My son was visiting, and...