The work of “right relationship” with each other – repairing harm we have caused, healing and finding forgiveness for those who have harmed us – is messy at best, and can feel impossible sometimes, especially if a person dies or leaves our life when we haven’t found resolution. Alongside Jews in our community and around the world who observed Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, this past week, we come together this Sunday to reflect on our own work of right relationship.

In a time when we are beset by so much injustice, and so much loneliness, it is common to want to hole up or check out. And while we cannot change all of the circumstances of life, the choices we make – about how, and where, and with whom we give of ourselves – are what give our lives meaning. Join us as we reflect on belonging, purpose, and commitment!

Our ancestors in the work of justice and liberation paved the way for so much of what makes our lives meaningful and impactful today. As we celebrate the 200th anniversary of one of this congregation’s ancestors – abolitionist, activist, and one of the first women of African descent to become a published writer in this country, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper – what can we learn from the past to make justice real in our time? How can we work to become the ancestors our future needs?

It’s said that “pain is inevitable but suffering is optional.” Could that be true through the repurposing of our suffering for the liberation of self+kin?

Join us as we regather our community and recommit to nourishing our beautiful and hurting world with our annual multigenerational water ceremony. Bring some water from a special place with you to the Sanctuary, or have some with you at home!

Dancing, like singing, is a human birthright: It is a creative process we all have access to, and the magic we make together while dancing builds connection in a way that no other medium can. Join us ready to move on Sunday as we explore the transformative, spiritual, community-activating, joy-abounding powers of getting down.

In this service, we celebrate the gifts of our interconnectedness with the animal world. Bring your well-behaved or crated pets to the sanctuary or to your zoom camera to receive a blessing in this intergenerational service. Pictures of shy or departed pets, stuffed animals, or other symbolic animals are invited to receive a blessing too!

To bless is to “infuse with the sacred.” As students and educators prepare to return to a new school year, as we approach the formal beginning of our congregational year, and we reflect on other turning points in our lives and world, how might we bring an attitude of blessing to the journeys to come? Bring your backpacks, briefcases, purses, bikes, transit passes, car keys, or other symbols of what we carry and how we journey for a blessing as we prepare for the fall!

In the face of injustice, immorality, or any situation that blocks human flourishing, we often have three options: (1) Exit or leave; (2) Raise our voices as individuals or as a group to try to enact change; or (3) Stay silent and be perceived as loyal. Such ethical decisions challenge us in our personal lives as well as our political and economic lives. This service will use this framework developed by economist A.O. Hirschman, a German Jew who was active in the French Resistance to fascism during WWII, to explore examples of moral action in different contexts.

This Sunday, we reflect on the power of questions in our lives, and take time in service to offer our questions on matters of spirituality and social justice to Rev. Abbey and other worship leaders to answer in this spontaneous, unscripted service!

Circles and elephants- what could they possibly have in common? As we explore their messages and symbolisms, we will find lessons of strength, interconnectedness, and healing. Join us as we reflect on how circles and elephants can guide us and provide solace in their constancy amidst life’s chaos.

Vincent van Gogh is, easily, one of the world’s most famous artists. But during his life, society marginalized him for his Madness and mental illness. After his suicide, his family continued to celebrate his art, forever enshrining it in our culture. In this service, we’ll reflect on how Madness can gift us spiritual clarity, and explore the role memory has to play in building a more just world.