Past Sermons

Our Vespers worship service is modeled after the traditional Taizé worship service, which uses silence, scripture, prayer, and repetitive singing of short chants and rounds to quiet the mind and promote deep meditation. The Taizé Community promotes peace and justice through prayer and meditation. Our Vespers service mirrors Taizé-style attention to silence, holy words, prayer, and singing, but has also evolved to include other meditative traditions such as yogic singing and Buddhist chanting. Followed by a time for community gathering. Every second Wednesday of the month (now virtual, through Zoom).

Click here to log in to Zoom.
Dial in: 301.715.8592; meeting ID: 997 7201 2495; passcode: 927624

The events of this past Wednesday will stay with us for a long time to come. This morning’s sermon will reflect on this moment in history in light of the theme of resistance. We’ll also welcome the virtual presence of Bokamosa to bring us music, dance, and song. 

It’s Bokamoso Sunday! The Bokamoso Youth can’t visit with us in person this year, so we’ll celebrate them through video and music.

Most of us could not say farewell to 2020 fast enough! It’s a new year and with it comes the hope of a healthier and more hopeful 2021. It’s natural to use early January as a time to look back to the past and forward to the future. What lessons do we resist learning; which ones should we carry with us into 2021 from All Souls past – and how might they help shape the future?

The last Sunday of this year falls on the second day of Kwanzaa, a day to celebrate the Kwanzaa principle known as “Kujichagulia.” This day acknowledges the importance of “self-determination” for the Black community, for peoples of color all over the world, and, indeed, for everyone. It affirms our right to determine the trajectory of our own journeys, to set the course for our own futures, and to have access to our own resources to forge the path ahead. Join us for a service inspired by the second principle of Kwanzaa and anchored in the words of James Baldwin, Lila Watson, and one of All Souls’ sainted poets, Mary Oliver.

The ever-repeating process of letting go eventually creates space for new life. This can be in physical space changes, emotional transformation, the death of loved ones, or an individual health crisis. Gradually open space fills again, and it is time for new intentions of release. The year 2020 has been full of challenges, so there is great opportunity for new letting go!   

On Winter Solstice, join this All Souls community in reflection, music, and liturgy for releasing. The service will offer spiritual practices you may use throughout the day and evening, even around the exact Solstice Monday morning at 5:02 am. Create your own personal or family observance all day Sunday into Monday morning, in a way that fully honors and welcomes the turning of the Light. 

For many of us, the rituals of gift giving are a significant part of this season. However, the practice of re-gifting has not really caught on as a cultural phenomenon. How we identify, use, give and receive the gifts of others is part of what we’ll explore in this service and sermon.

Our Vespers worship service is modeled after the traditional Taizé worship service, which uses silence, scripture, prayer, and repetitive singing of short chants and rounds to quiet the mind and promote deep meditation. The Taizé Community promotes peace and justice through prayer and meditation. Our Vespers service mirrors Taizé-style attention to silence, holy words, prayer, and singing, but has also evolved to include other meditative traditions such as yogic singing and Buddhist chanting. Followed by a time for community gathering. Every second Wednesday of the month (now virtual, through Zoom).

Click here to log in to Zoom.
Dial in: 301.715.8592; meeting ID: 997 7201 2495; passcode: 927624

This time of year has its own predictable rhythms, rites and rituals which many of us look forward to. The rituals we practice reveal something about who we are and what’s important to us. How do these holiday rituals reveal our identity as individuals and as members of All Souls?

Perilous times remind us of all that we have lost, but it also inspires us to be grateful for what we have. This is the time of year to pause and to give deep thanks to all that sustains us.

When many touchpoints of living are postponed or absent, finding a path ahead is a challenge. As external markers dissolve, it is interior intuition which perceives a way forward. The heart may lead when the mind is flummoxed. How can prophetic imagination inspire us to make the road as we travel?

Our Vespers worship service is modeled after the traditional Taizé worship service, which uses silence, scripture, prayer, and repetitive singing of short chants and rounds to quiet the mind and promote deep meditation. The Taizé Community promotes peace and justice through prayer and meditation. Our Vespers service mirrors Taizé-style attention to silence, holy words, prayer, and singing, but has also evolved to include other meditative traditions such as yogic singing and Buddhist chanting. Followed by a time for community gathering. Every second Wednesday of the month (now virtual, through Zoom).

Click here to log in to Zoom.
Dial in: 301.715.8592; meeting ID: 997 7201 2495; passcode: 927624

We hope and expect that by now we will know the results of the 2020 election. Regardless of who is the new President, we – the people – will have a lot of work to do to build the world we dream about. The theme for the month of November is “prophetic imagination.” We will all need to bring our imagination, creativity and prophetic voice to the days ahead.