Speaker & Worship Leader:- Alix Geard

Stories, parables and memes show us patterns which we may choose to live by. In ways big and small they can set the courses of our lives and help define the groups who share them. Considering that, what stories do we want to share?

Video to come

Audio to come

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Alix Geard © 16 February 2025

About stories

You’re going to get my musings in 2 different sections with 2 different flavours today.

Today, I want to talk about stories.

This means, a little sadly, that I’m mostly not going to tell stories, certainly not with the poetry and resonance some of them deserve. When I do speak of specific stories I’ll summarise them.

Speaker & Worship Leader:- Alix Geard

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Alix Geard © 18 August 2024

Why do we light a chalice in our services? It’s a strange concept, when you think about it. If it’s a cup, then ceremonial cups are usually for water or wine, not flame. How did it get started?

Today I’m splitting my musing into 2 parts. One, now, is about what we know of the history of the flaming chalice. Later, I’ll talk through an interpretation of the lit chalice, using some of the imagery associated with it. I invite you to explore with me and find what resonates for you. This is a little long, so settle in.

Speaker & Worship Leader:- Alix Geard

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Follow this shortcut to the bottom of the page for the various readings, videos, etc. shared in the service.

Alix Geard © 31 December 2023

Good morning, community of Auckland Unitarians. Kia ora koutou! As we gather on this last Sunday of the year, New Year’s Eve, we find ourselves between times, standing on the bridge that connects the past and the future. Today, our theme is “Reflections and Resolutions” – a time to look back at the footprints we’ve left on the path of the past year and to gaze forward with hope and intention into the uncharted territory of the coming year.

There are cliches at this time of year. We might at well make use of them. Janus, the 2-headed god of doorways, transitions and January looks both back and forward.

I encourage us all to take some time to think, to feel, to breathe, to examine… and to gather ourselves together as we move into the new year.

Speaker & Worship Leader:- Alix Geard

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Follow this shortcut to the bottom of the page for the various readings, videos, etc. shared in the service.

Alix Geard © 4th June2023

Today’s theme is inspired by “Beyond growth: Pathways towards sustainable prosperity in the EU”

I wanted to share something about what the future might look like: especially something new about what’s going on in the space around climate change and degrowth. I’ve been finding that quite depressing, though.

I admit that I even asked ChatGPT for some examples of what I might say. The homilies it came up with were familiar, reassuring, anodyne and almost completely pointless. They did sound good, though.

Instead, I want to throw some ideas at you about what people are like, and how we work together. The ideas are all a bit flawed – they’re working notes and patterns to look out for – but I’ve found them useful.

Speaker & Worship Leader:- Alix Geard

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Follow this shortcut to the bottom of the page for the various readings, videos, etc. shared in the service.

Alix Geard © 19th February 2023

Sometimes you choose a theme for a service and then life throws you complications.

I had planned to take my text today from that most varied and human of sources, the microblogging site Tumblr. Every so often in my craft or philosophy groups some words turn up from the person known on Tumblr as higgsboshark:

The thing about knitting is it’s much harder to fear the existential futility of all your actions while you’re doing it.

Like ok, sure, sometimes it’s hard to believe you’ve made any positive impact on the world. But it’s pretty easy to believe you’ve made a sock. Look at it. There it is. Put it on, now your foot’s warm.

Checkmate, nihilism.

From <https://www.tumblr.com/higgsboshark/179475660451/the-thing-about-knitting-is-its-much-harder-to>

There are several hashtags that follow this. My favourites are #the sock is not a metaphor for anything #it’s just a sock #that’s all it needs to be.

Speaker:- Alix Geard
Worship Leader:- Ted Zorn

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Follow this shortcut to the bottom of the page for the various readings, videos, etc. shared in the service.

Alix Geard © 1st January 2023

Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tatou katoa

Greetings, greetings, greetings to us all.

Welcome again to this – small, niche – gathering of our community. Thank you for the opportunity to stretch outside my own comfort zone to address our group here. Happy New Year.

Or should I say “Happy Gregorian New Year”? Let’s come back to that.

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On this first day of the year, I want to talk about meaning. Specifically, I want to talk about how we take our small blue planet’s gravitationally-bound sweep around its star and turn one point on that circuit into a time for parties and new year’s resolutions and setting up a calendar for the year to come. About how different people – and peoples – do that differently, and how we navigate getting along together.