Sunday, March 1st, 2020 - Sunday Sermon by Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch - So often we use the term “Christian” in a monolithic way, suggesting it refers to a uniform set of beliefs and practices. A few years ago when Rev. Pat searched the internet asking the question, “how many different kinds of Christians are there?”, the answer was 33,820. The most recent study from the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon Conwell puts the number of Christian denominations and sects at 43,0...
Mar 01, 2020•30 min
Sunday, February 23rd, 2020 - CUC Sharing Our Faith "Drops Making Waves" Sermon by Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch - "Because he knew that, although he was just a drop in the bucket, enough drops in the bucket make a bucketful." From A Drop with a Dream by Rev Christopher Buice. Annually the Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC) encourages congregations to take up a special offering for the CUC Sharing Our Faith Fund, part of a program that provides funds for congregational initiatives. Last year such...
Feb 23, 2020•24 min
Sunday, February 16th, 2020 - by Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch - “Although our theological beliefs can be diverse, our covenant with one another and the love we bring to it tie us together in a common bond. . .We embrace our responsibility toward one another and the world at large. We encourage one another's search for truth and meaning.” (from Love Connects Us by UU Curriculum authors, Michelle Richards and Lynn Ungar) Rev. Pat will reflect on our Unitarian Universalist heritage of love....
Feb 16, 2020•23 min
Sunday, February 9th, 2020 - "Coming of Age Credo Service: Respect" by FirstU COA Youth with Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch Since the Fall of 2018, two of our FirstU youth have been following a UU Coming of Age (COA) that will culminate in today's service. They have planned the service with Rev. Pat and here we hear one of their credo statements. A credo is defined as "a statement of beliefs or aims which guide someone's actions."
Feb 09, 2020•12 min
Sunday, February 2nd, 2020 - by Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch - As a little UU girl, Rev. Pat was taught that everyone was part of the human family, that all should be respected. How can it be that we separate out certain people from the rest of the pack, the rest of the human family, and call them "other." Who after all is a “they” and not an “us”? As Black History month commences this February, Rev. Pat considers the idea of "the other."
Feb 02, 2020•25 min
Sunday, January 26th, 2020 - by Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch - Rev. Pat recalls being asked once, “Why do Unitarian Universalists pray?” Interesting question... How would you respond? Do you pray or meditate? What sort of meaning does this practice hold for you? Join Rev. Pat as she explores a UU understanding of prayer.
Jan 26, 2020•26 min
January 19, 2020 - Sunday Sermon by Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch and The Right Relations Team - We acknowledge that our campus is located on unceded, traditional Algonquin Territory and that all Canadians have treaty responsibilities
Jan 19, 2020•27 min
January 12, 2020 - Sunday Sermon by Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch - Over the next few months, Rev. Pat will present a series exploring traditions of spirituality and mysticism across many different traditions. Before looking to other traditions, why not start with Unitarian Universalist Mysticism? In 1937, the President of the American Unitarian Association, Louis Cornish, declared that "We belong among the mystics." Agree? Disagree? Come find out what Rev. Pat has to say.
Jan 12, 2020•27 min
January 5th, 2019 - Sunday Message by Deirdre Kellerman - Drawing on a sermon given at the 2006 General Assembly by Rev. Gail R. Geisenhainer, this service will allow us to acknowledge the messy nature of learning and working together. How do we keep moving forward in community and covenant?
Jan 05, 2020•12 min
December 29, 2019 - Sunday Sermon by Rev. Ellen Bell - A new year is celebrated in many different ways and at many different times around the world. What's it all about and where is the spirituality?
Dec 29, 2019•17 min
December 22, 2019 - Sunday Sermon by Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch - For the ancients in the Northern Hemisphere, winter was a time of mystery, magic, and fear of what the future might hold. What creatures were out there shrouded by snow and darkness? Will the sun return and the storehouses be replenished? In their myths, there is evidence they were aware of sun depravation's effects on mental health. Yet, winter was also a time of festivals and feasts. At this time of the Winter Solstice, "the...
Dec 22, 2019•27 min
December 15, 2019 - Sunday Sermon by Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch - "Give me the strength to walk the soft earth, a relative to all that is." (Black Elk/Heȟáka Sápa, b.1863-d.1950, an Ogala Lakota holy man from the U.S.) "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes but in seeing with new eyes." (Marcel Proust, b.1871-d.1922, writer) As the children will be walking the Advent Spiral downstairs in the NOW Room during the service, let us reflect upon the ancient contemplati...
Dec 15, 2019•26 min
December 8th, 2019 - Remembering Polytechnique - Sunday Message by Rev. Patricia Haresch and members of the Men's Breakfast Group This Sunday we celebrate our FirstU tradition of the Mitten Tree, "decorating the tree" with donations to the Snowsuit Fund. We also recognized members who have joined recently. And here our Rev. Patrician Guthmann Haresch is joined by members of the Men's Breakfast Group to name and recognize the lives of the 15 female victims of the École Polytechnique massacre, 30 ...
Dec 08, 2019•12 min
December 1st, 2019 - Advent Sunday: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Renew Holiday Giving - Sunday Sermon by Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch Years ago there was a book called, "Unplug the Christmas Machine." Ever feel that way - that you just want to dial down the holiday season? This holiday season, let us consider some other ways of giving that may be friendlier to the Earth, ourselves, and our loved ones.
Dec 01, 2019•19 min
November 24th, 2019 - Don't Wait for the Woodcutter: On Being Your Own Hero/Heroine - Sunday Sermon by Rev. Patricia Gutmann Haresch During a ministers' retreat years ago, Rev. Pat with a small group of colleagues were given the task of together weaving the story of Little Red Riding Hood into a homily that could be used in a Sunday morning service. A series of three sermons resulted, each focusing on different characters/personalities in the story. Are we waiting for a Woodcutter to bring us a ...
Nov 24, 2019•26 min
November 17th, 2019 - Experts tell us music is as old as humanity itself and found in every culture on earth. Somehow music is hardwired into the core of our being and essential to our existence. We instinctively know how music and song lyrics make us feel, but how does music and particularly song make a difference as we put our UU principles into practice? Using historical and recent examples, this talk explores how the power of song can unite minds and spirits to help influence and inspire hop...
Nov 17, 2019•22 min
November 10th, 2019 - Imagine it is 2024. Imagine what it will be like at First U in 5 years. Will we be feeling effects of climate change? How will changes in technology and transportation be impacting our society? What will "church" look like in 2024? During this Sunday's service we will share together our hopes for the future. To prepare for this special service, please take the time to consider even write a description of a peak moment you have experienced at First U that make a difference i...
Nov 10, 2019•19 min
November 3rd, 2019 - The story of David and Goliath, of the small young man subduing the giant, can be found in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim sacred writings. Many a sermon has centered on the metaphoric meaning of the five smooth stones David brought in his shepherd's pouch along with his staff and slingshot to overtake the almost 10-foot Goliath. Our Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch explores: What are the five smooth stones that we as UU's have in our back pockets to confront the larger-than-lif...
Nov 03, 2019•27 min
October 27th, 2019 - "Man's Search for Meaning" is a 1946 book by Viktor Frankl chronicling both his Nazi concentration camp experiences as well as his psychotherapeutic method based on the premise that finding meaning is a primary motivational force in our lives. As we approach All Souls' Eve (Halloween) and All Souls' Day, let us reflect upon those we have lost and loved and the meaning of our own lives.
Oct 27, 2019•22 min
October 20th, 2019 - The story of Adam and Eve has been ubiquitous over the years in art, literature, comedy, and theatre where women are portrayed as wily temptresses rendering men defenceless (and blameless). Our Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch asks: What might the original author(s) of the story intended? What innovations did the author(s) make to the older underlying stories and why? What inferences did the people of the time make when they heard these stories? What new understandings might w...
Oct 20, 2019•21 min
October 13th, 2019 - What is Grace? Philosopher and theologian Paul Tillich suggests that “Grace strikes us when. . .we walk through the dark valley of a meaningless and empty life. . . It strikes us when, year after year, the longed-for perfection of life does not appear. . . Sometimes at that moment a wave of light breaks into our darkness, and it is as though a voice were saying: “You are accepted.” On this Sunday before Thanksgiving, our Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch will reflect with grati...
Oct 13, 2019•27 min
October 6th, 2019 - On this "Pledge Sunday" we begin our pledge campaign for the coming year. As part of her sermon, Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch reads from a Dedication Address for the new church building of the First Unitarian Church of Buffalo, N.Y. on October 13, 1880
Oct 06, 2019•20 min
September 29, 2019 - This year Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins at sunset on Sep 29 and ends at sunset on October 1. The holiday marks the beginning of a 10-day period known as the “Days of Awe” or “High Holidays.” For Jews this is a time of self-reflection, forgiveness, prayer and introspection. The shofar, typically a ram's horn, is blown at Rosh Hashanah services to signal the New Year, but is also a sort of spiritual wake up call. Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch will reflect on bein...
Sep 29, 2019•24 min
September 22, 2019 - In this first of a series focussed on Unitarian perspectives on the Bible, our Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch will answer, "Why the Bible?" Unitarian Universalism draws upon many sources including wisdom from Jewish and Christian teachings. The European Unitarian and Universalist movements grew out of an era of Protestant Revolutions, when the Bible was more widely distributed and read leading educated and common folk alike to question the doctrines of the Church. What they ...
Sep 22, 2019•30 min
September 15, 2019 - Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch reflects on the notion of all of us being part of a great cosmic dance. Not just as bystanders, but as partners and co-creators.
Sep 17, 2019•25 min
September 8, 2019 - Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch presents a reading of "Old Turtle" by by Douglas Wood "A man should treat all creatures in the world as he himself would like to be treated." (Sutrakritinga Sutra, circa 5th Century B.C.) When a people lose sight of an old truth, perhaps an old turtle and a child can help restore the knowledge once shared. All ages are welcome to gather together for our first "official" Sunday of the new congregational year and hear a telling of Douglas Wood's "...
Sep 08, 2019•18 min
September 1, 2019 - Sermon by Rev. Patricia Guthmann Haresch - We might speak as though being concerned about our carbon footprint, or how we impact or damage the world around us, are new ideas. But, concepts like “The Golden Rule” and “do no harm” have been asserted in philosophical and religious traditions for thousands of years - none more intense than in Jainism, an ancient religion that pre-dates and gave rise to Buddhism. Jainism is concerned with the welfare of all living beings and organ...
Sep 01, 2019•26 min
Aug 18, 2019 - Guest speakers from the 2SLGBTQ+ community will share their stories and experiences for Ottawa Pride Week!
Aug 18, 2019•22 min
Aug 11, 2019 - Loneliness is the unspoken reality for many of us at some point in our lives and/or right now. It can become a mental health issue. How can we understand the complexities of loving as a human need and a process, which can be a part of our spiritual journeys? Linda Goonewardene is one of two Community Ministers affiliated with First. In 2002, she graduated from Drew Seminary in Madison, New Jersey. Since 2013, Linda has worked as a Family Counsellor with Rideauwood Addictions and F...
Aug 11, 2019•20 min
The average human takes 20,000 breaths per day, every day, no matter what is going on in our lives our breath comes and goes. Breath sustains us physically and mentally. Can it also support our spiritual growth? In all spiritual traditions, breath plays a central role both in metaphor and practice. Does our breath make us living souls? How does breath connect us to Spirit? What breathes life into you and me? Lisa Boulay, RP (Registered Psychotherapist), recently retired, and a UU member since Ma...
Aug 04, 2019•21 min
