Sunday Morning Worship
Sunday morning worship begins at 10:30 a.m. at UUFA.
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This month’s theme is Courage. The Fellowship offers many opportunities and invitations to explore and practice the theme. We will be exploring the theme through out the month in worship and Religious Exploration.
August 3 “Tongues of Fire!” with Rev Misha Sanders
Can an ancient sacred story about the infilling of the Holy Spirit be useful to Unitarian Universalists? What if a retelling through a new lens makes all the difference? What if the message of Pentecost really has been applicable all along?
Rev. Misha Sanders (she/her/hers) is a community chaplain in metro Atlanta, and a fiery preacher of the good news of universal love. She is dual-affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association and The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries. She believes that the whole world is built and rebuilt by the stories we tell ourselves and each other.
August 10 “Courageous Learning” with Rev. Dr. Pippin Whitaker
Knowing can be a great comfort, yet it is also a great illusion. At times, we must release knowing and be open to beginning again, ready to learn. In this worship service, all are invited to join in our annual backpack blessing. Bring a backpack, purse, or bag with you to receive a blessing. Then, stay after for our annual ice cream social!
August 17 “Building Up Love, Tearing Down Doubt” with Rev. Dr. Pippin Whitaker
Sometimes we create inner barriers to love. Faced with the prospect of a new love, we recall a heartbreak. Given the opportunity to build a loving new program, we recount past failures. In this worship service, let us find our paths to set aside fear, anxiety, and doubt and make way for more love and joy.
August 23 with Rev. Dr. Pippin Whitaker
Reflection Ideas and Questions
Are you seeking more ways to explore the theme of courage?
Consider reflecting on these quotes:
All around you, people will be tiptoeing through life, just to arrive at death safely. But dear children, do not tiptoe. Run, hop, skip, or dance! – Shane Claiborne
Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear. – Ambrose Redmoon
We need the courage to question the powers that be, the courage to be impatient with evil and patient with people…. In many instances we will be stepping out on nothing, and just hoping to land on something. But that’s the struggle. To live is to wrestle with despair, yet never allow despair to have the last word. – Cornel West
You can choose courage or you can choose comfort, but you cannot have both. – Brené Brown
Some questions you may use as a prompt for conversation or for a journal entry follow:
- What is the greatest act of courage that you directly witnessed? And how did it change you?
- What seems more dangerous these days? Pessimism or optimism?
- Is life calling you to make a “leap of faith”?
- Has comfort led you to forgetting what courage feels like?
