Today is All Saints’ Day, 1 November. Like festivals/ceremonies in many cultures around the world — tangihanga, Samhain, El Día de los muertos, the Buddhist celebration of Obon in Japan, Chuseok in Korea, Gai Jatra in Nepal, Pchum Ben in Cambodia, and Hungry Ghost Month celebrated by Taoists and Buddhists — today centres on remembering the dead.
The marks they’ve left on usThe marks they’ve left on us – Full Episode Listen, or download the MP3The marks they’ve left on us – Talk Only Listen or download the MP3
Can a novel help us imagine—and create—a better world? In this service, guest speaker Peter Lineham explores well-known writers whose lives and work were shaped by Unitarian beliefs and communities. Focusing on Victorian and later novelists, he considers how freedom of thought, compassion and a sense of calling found expression in their writing—and what their stories might offer us today.
Imagining a Better World: Writers and the Unitarian SpiritImagining a Better World: Writers and the Unitarian Spirit – Full Episode Listen, or download the MP3Imagining a Better World: Writers and the Unitarian Spirit – Full Episode Listen, or download the MP3
Our speaker today, Professor Peter Lineham, is a New Zealand historian specialising in religious history.
He is the author of many books on New Zealand religious history. He has undertaken research on, among other things, new religious movements, and the histories of the Brethren, Protestantism, evangelicalism, and Anglicanism in New Zealand.
In 2019, Peter was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to religious history and the community.
It’s lovely to have him here to talk to us on something more joyful than getting rid of pets, and I know you will enjoy and benefit from hearing him today.
The Flower Communion is based on a service developed by Dr Norbert Capek, the minister of what is now the Transylvanian Unitarian Church in Prague, during the 1930s. He wanted a ritual that would encourage the idea of a church as a community, whose individual people formed a greater whole.
Jazz is Life — What Music MeansJazz is Life — What Music Means – Full Episode Listen, or download the MP3Jazz is Life — What Music Means – Talk Only Listen, or download the MP3
Blessing of the AnimalsBlessing of the Animals – Full Episode Listen, or download the MP3Here are the words people chose to describe their animalBlessing of the Animals – Talk Only Listen, or download the MP3
Religions have strange, implausible stories, that assume there is a secret depth that sometimes seeps – or bursts – into ordinary life. While I have never ‘believed’ in an enchanted world, people thrive when they see beauty and meaning in what surrounds them. And that’s a creative process that requires unknowns and surprises. This talk explores the role of enchantment in contemporary life.
The Enchanted World, with Niki HarréThe Enchanted World, with Niki Harré – Full Episode Listen, or download the MP3The Enchanted World, with Niki Harré – Talk Only Listen, or download the MP3
I am a community psychologist, and an atheist and in 2021 I undertook what could be called action research in which for a year I a) investigated Christianity and a) was a secular priest.
Service Leaders & speakers: Barbara Thomborson, Karn Cleary
Today we’ll celebrate the Spring. The Equinox happens on September 23rd. marking a moment of balance before we transition into summer with longer daylight hours. This is an opportunity to consider what we want to leave behind in the darkness of winter, and how we will grow our hopes for the coming summer.
Spring Equinox CelebrationSpring Equinox Celebration – Full Episode Listen, or download the MP3Spring Equinox Celebration – Talk Only LIsten, or download the MP3
How the Equinox is measured when the Earth is in Balance – Karn
This is going to be a very short talk, as I expect all of us know what the Equinox generally refers to, the day when we experience equal hours of daylight and dark.
Today’s service honours Te Wiki ō Te Reo Māori and it is guided by our values of inclusion, justice and, if any of you are changed at all by the service, then also transformation! The value of inclusion is for that of the first people of this land, and the justice value is regarding the human right to speak one’s own language.
Introductory words
This week is Te Wiki ō Te Reo Māori and as an introduction to today’s service dedicated to this theme, I want to share with you the story of Karangahape Rd, or K’Rd, as it is commonly known.
Music matters spiritually because it can interrupt us, open us, and connect us—to our own inner lives, to other people, and to something larger than ourselves.
When Music Takes Our Breath Away: The Sounds of ReverenceWhen Music Takes Our Breath Away: The Sounds of Reverence – Full EpisodeWhen Music Takes Our Breath Away: The Sounds of Reverence – Talk Only
Each Sunday including this one we take the opportunity to share our joys and concerns. For me, this talk is an extended joy. I’m no expert on music. I am not here to lecture you on the technicalities of music because I don’t really understand them myself. Instead I want to share the joys that music brings to me and try to explain why that is, and the role that it plays in my spiritual life. My hope is that some of it will resonate with you and that it provides an opportunity for you to reflect on music in your life and share some of the joy I feel.
After a month of daily cold-water swimming and meditation, Kate will reflect on the physical, emotional, and spiritual effects of these disciplines. Understanding the science behind the practices does not reduce them to dry and rational explanations but adds to our experience of awe and wonder.
