Reflective Words and Worship

Because we are imperfect and love so Deeply we will never have enough days, We need the gift of starting over, beginning Again: just this constant good, this Saving hope. – Nancy Shaffer, “Because We spill not only milk” Forrest Church, an eminent Unitarian minister, spoke of Nancy Shaffer as embodying a world “riddled with …

“Art is like beginning a sentence before you know its ending. The risks are obvious: you may never get to the end … or having gotten there, you may not have said anything. This is probably not a good idea in public speaking, but it’s an excellent idea in making art.” – David Bayles and …

True kindness presupposes the faculty of imagining as one’s own the suffering and joy of others. Without imagination, there can be weakness, theoretical or practical philanthropy, but not true kindness. – Andre Gide, Pretexts, Reflections on Literature and Morality There are times when I miss something that’s plainly in front of me; we have a …

Recognising the good we do in this world is important for ourselves

If Unitarians were to have a mantra – a repeated phrase by which we could help give meaning to our lives – it may be “Living the question” – to recognise that life is a full engagement with the sacred mysteries that shape our lives; that burning bush within our hearts that can guides us …

One of the many strange aspects of being a ministerial student at Oxford is knowing that the city you live in is mirrored by a vast underground city. A city of books. The Bodleian library is a vast interconnected series of tunnels reaching miles out of the city. This city is populated by a mysterious species of house elves …

Unitarianism permits us to change – the way we see and understand the world, our philosophy, our theology. It recognises that identity is a flowing thing, that we are process, not product. As the great French philosopher, Michel Foucault said: “Do not ask me who I am and do not ask me to remain the same.” So …

“Once upon a time..” – the magical phrase probably exists in every language of the world. The one I remember is the Spanish version which translates as “There was a time when…” These formulae of enchantment evoke another kind of time, sacred time, a time before the burden of linear history in which we live …

I had never particularly warmed to angels. As fluffy cherubs they seemed bordering on the sickly and theologically, they made no sense to me. As good Unitarians, who needs intermediaries between the human soul and the divine spirit? Despite the vigilance of a rational mind, the dark wings of angels could sometimes be heard but …

A piece by Rev. Jane Barraclough from 2007 about our spiritual connection with the animal kingdom.