Rev. William Barber II, leader of the Poor People’s Campaign, contends that poverty among White people is the big problem our country needs to address. Yet Barber himself is Black. Let’s see if we agree with him. [Based in part on a question from last April’s Question Box Sermon.]

Grief at the death of someone close to you. Grief at environmental problems. Grief over political divisions. What do we do about grief? We’ll ask those questions, and believe it or not, this will be an upbeat service! [Based on a question from last April’s Question Box Sermon.]

Unitarian Universalists have no general religious prohibition against assisted dying. But we do have specific ethical and religious questions about how assisted dying works in actual practice. We explore some of these questions, and maybe figure out what we think and feel about the subject. (Based on several conversations with First Parish members.]

The annual water ritual is our chance to reconnect after summer. Please bring a small amount of water that represents your summer. (It doesn’t have to be actual water from an actual place; you can use tap water.) This ritual symbolizes how we come together, each bringing our separate lives to our First Parish community.