Sunday, March 20, 2011

Sunday, March 20, at 11:00 a.m. - THE ART OF LOVING - Don Ayre recalls the extremes of idealism and realism of the 60s and 70s and the rhetoric of the "Make Love, Not War" era. Erich Fromm's The Art of Loving was one of the books that sparked the movement but it was lost in the violence of the antiwar protests and demonstrations against the "system." Today there is a renewed call for the development of a more caring global community which will reactivate the need for the art of loving. Unitarian Universalism could play a key role. Our pulpit guest this morning will be Don Ayre of Winnipeg.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Sunday, February 20, at 11:00 a.m. - IT SOUNDS LIKE SCRIPTURE TO ME: THE KING JAMES BIBLE AFTER FOUR CENTURIES - The most familiar version of the Bible in English—the King James, or Authorized Version—was published in 1611 after a rigorous process of translation and editing under the guidance of a group of scholars who came to be called "God's secretaries." Although its language is increasingly difficult to understand, it is still the translation that "sounds like scripture" to our ears and it remains favoured as the "authentic" Bible in most people's estimation. We will celebrate the poetry of the King James Version while learning about its origins and its limitations. Rev. Stefan Jonasson will preach.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Sunday, January 16, 2011 at 11:00 a.m. – TOLERATING THE INTOLERABLE – In proper doses, rat poison helps to prevent heart attacks but, taken in excess, it can kill more than a rat. We often here it said that "too much of a good thing" is harmful to us. Have we taken the doctrine of tolerance too far? Should we be less tolerant of some things than we have been? Are there limits to tolerance? Rev. Stefan Jonasson will preach.

Sunday, December 19, 2010 - Christmas!

Sunday, December 19 at 11:00 a.m. – LEARNING NEW WAYS FROM THE OLD – In her playful Yuletide song, "The Christians and the Pagans," folk musician Dar Williams sings, "Lighting trees in darkness / Learning new ways from the old / Making sense of history / And drawing warmth out of the cold." We will celebrate the life of the present moment while making sense of the crazy history of this magical season! As is our custom, we invite those joining us for this service to bring gifts for The Mitten Tree—clothing, nonperishable food items, toys and gifts—to be passed on to the Arborg Cheer Board. Rev. Stefan Jonasson will preach.

Sunday, November 21 at 11:00 a.m. – GOD WHISPERERS – In recent years, the popular imagination has been introduced to "horse whisperers" and "ghost whisperers," individuals who seem to enjoy a mystical relationship to creatures and phenomena around us. My personal favourite is the "dog whisperer," Cesar Millan, whose television program and books provide fascinating insights into the behaviour of our canine friends and who seems personally capable of making any dog behave itself, no matter how aggressive. It got me wondering: Are there any God whisperers? There are certainly many aggressive expressions of religion in the world, so how is it that some have come to emphasize a God of love over and against more violent images of the divine? Rev. Stefan Jonasson will preach.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Sunday, October 17 at 11:00 a.m. – ISLAM: BEYOND THE HYSTERIA – Between the recent threat to burn the Qur'an by an obscure and delusional pastor in Florida and the public furor over the building of a Muslim community centre near "Ground Zero" in New York City, much public discourse about Islam has tipped decidedly in the direction of bigotry and irrationality. While I find the teachings of Islam to be no more compelling than those of other orthodoxies in religion, the anger and antipathy of too many people is grounded in ignorance and fear. Our aspiration for global community and world peace demands that we seek to understand Islam, whether or not we are convinced by its teachings. Rev. Stefan Jonasson will preach.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Sunday, September 19 at 11:00 a.m. – THE CASE FOR RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY – Theodore Parker called upon the church to be "a means of reforming the world." While he challenged nearly every religious assumption and convention of his day, Parker held that religious communities could be invaluable institutions in nurturing the spiritual life of individuals and promoting the welfare of society by examining each in light of conscience, reason and universal ends. Rev. Stefan Jonasson will preach.