Topics: coronavirus

coronavirus

“Spirit in the Sky, Full of Ghosts”

March 29, 2020

This is the third online-only worship service for First Church Unitarian in Littleton, MA. The title for my reflection this week came from an episode of Cosmos from a few years ago. William Herschel, an astronomer born in 1738, was “the first person to understand that a telescope is a time machine”. With a powerful telescope like Hubble, you can see not only incredibly far away, but also incredibly long ago; you can stand (or sit) on the earth and see an image from before the earth even existed! Even looking at the night sky with your naked eye, you can see celestial objects that might not exist anymore. My reflection considers some of the theological implications that come from the realities of looking up at “a sky full of ghosts”. If you watch on Youtube, go down to the description and click on “show more”. Then you can use the blue time stamps to go forward, or back, to any particular worship element.

“An Evolution of Love”

March 22, 2020

First Church Unitarian in Littleton, Massachusetts, has moved to online-only worship in this time of social distancing for Covid-19. We had planned to use Youtube Live with just the service participants, but we did not have that option this week. At the last minute, we switched over to an open Zoom format for the congregation. Below are the times if you want to skip ahead or go back to a particular worship element. The Order of Service: Prelude: Brian Tarbox on flute 0:00; Call to Worship: words of Lynn Ungar (read by Rev. Lara Hoke) 2:35; Chalice Lighting (Violet Malley) 4:32; Words of Welcome (Lara) 5:12; Time for All Ages: Aesop’s fable “Bundle of Sticks” (DRE Vicki Merriam) 7:25; Musical interlude (Music Director Molly Lozeau) 10:37; Special Guest Appearance by the Deacons (Andy Leyenaar, Cindy Malley, Lynn Courtney) 13:50; Offering – Virtual Share the Plate: COVID-19 Fund of the United Way of Mass Bay and Merrimack Valley (Guest: Lisa Rowan-Gillis) 18:17; Offertory (Molly) 21:48; Remarks (Short Sermon): “An Evolution of Love” (Lara) 23:16; (Prerecorded) Choral Interlude: The Church Choir 35:18; Improvisational flute (Brian) 37:25; Benediction 40:15; Postlude (Molly) 42:00

“Love in the Time of Coronavirus”

March 15, 2020

First Online-Only Worship Service in 306 Years of First Church Unitarian, Littleton, MA history! Order of Service: Prelude (Molly Lozeau) Call to worship: “Pandemic” by Lynn Ungar (Rev. Lara Hoke) Chalice Lighting (Vicki Merriam) Words of Welcome (Lara) Time for All Ages (Vicki) Musical interlude (Molly) Teach-in: “Fuente de Amor” (Rev. Jackie Clement and John Ford) Joys & Concerns Prayer, Time of Silence #123 “Spirit of Life”/“Fuente de Amor” Offering – Opportunity for Generosity: Loaves & Fishes Benediction Postlude [Afterwards: Online / Virtual Coffee Hour (via Zoom)]