Upcoming Events
Worship: "On Holy Ground"
Our spiritual ancestor Thoreau wrote: “Heaven is under our feet.” With these words he encourages us in our religious search to “get our head out of the clouds,” as it were, and discover the sacred all around us. What does it look like to build a spirituality not from thin air, but from the solid matter of our beautiful world. Rev. Rob Hardies preaching.
Worship: "What Masks Can't Hide"
Since the pandemic, facial coverings have become a regular—and now sinister—feature of American life. Once a staple of PPE, masks are now a significant element of urban streetwear, protest culture, and, chillingly, federal “law enforcement.” My concern about masks is as much about what they hide as what they reveal. What they reveal about who we’ve become, and how we’ve allowed ourselves to be governed. What’s the meaning of a mask? Rev. Rob Hardies preaching.
Worship: "Fearless and Free"
In today's service, we explore Buddhist and Christian teachings that offer wisdom about the role of the church a time characterized by fear. Guest Minister, Rev. Lauren Smith preaches.
Harvard Book Store Author Event - Matt Dinniman
Please Note: Tickets to this event are sold out. There will have a stand-by line at the church. If any seats are still open five minutes before the event begins, Harvard Book Store will sell tickets to those in the stand-by line on a first-come, first-served basis.
Harvard Book Store welcomes Matt Dinniman―artist, musician and bestselling author of several books, including the bestselling Dungeon Crawler Carl series―for a discussion of his first stand alone novel Operation Bounce House. He will be joined in conversation by Laura Martens―Arts Editor-at-Large for The Harvard Crimson and president of the Harvard Pops Orchestra.
Harvard Book Store Author Event - Michael Pollan
Harvard Book Store welcomes Michael Pollan―New York Times bestselling author of ten books, including This Is Your Mind on Plants and How to Change Your Mind―for a discussion of his new book, A World Appears: A Journey into Consciousness.
Worship: "Planting Trees at the End of the World"
Legend has it that the great religious reformer Martin Luther was once asked what he would do if he knew the world would end tomorrow. He answered: “I’d plant a tree today.” What can this brief story teach us about hope, grief and love in the face of the climate crisis and other losses? How do we love what we may one day lose? Rev. Rob Hardies preaching.
Worship: "Love Beyond Belief"
Someone said to me recently: “Rob, I feel like the church is the only place I can believe in love anymore.” How do we keep loving when love itself strains credulity? Perhaps this is precisely what our faith calls us to embrace: a Love Beyond Belief. What might such a love mean for our lives and our world? Rev. Rob Hardies preaching.
Worship: "Their Eyes Were Watching God" - Easter Sunday
Late in the day on Easter, the disciples were walking along the road when they encountered their rabbi Jesus—whom at first they failed to recognize. The story suggests that Easter is not complete—new life is not possible—until we can see in another’s countenance, the face of a friend, or even the image of God. Rev. Rob Hardies preaching.
Worship: "Grasping at Straws"
We spend much of our lives grasping at the world, reaching for things we believe will fulfill us and make us happy. A few years back, I broke both arms in a bike accident, leaving me unable to grasp. My frustration eventually gave way to a question: What if the greatest fulfillment in life comes not from grasping the world, but from allowing ourselves to be held by it? Rev. Rob Hardies preaching.
Harvard Book Store Author Event - Margaret Atwood
Please Note: Tickets to this event are sold out. We will have a stand-by line at the church. If any seats are still open five minutes before the event begins, we will sell tickets to those in the stand-by line on a first-come, first-served basis.
Harvard Book Store welcomes Margaret Atwood―prize-winning author of more than fifty books of fiction, poetry, and critical essays, including The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments, and a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour for services to literature―for a discussion of her memoir, Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts. She will be joined in conversation by Robin Young—Peabody Award–winning documentary filmmaker and host of NPR's Here & Now.
Thin Places and Narrow Passages: Musical Pathways to the Unbound Spirit - Eudaimonia in Concert
Thin Places and Narrow Passages: Musical Pathways to the Unbound Spirit features the bold expression of Eudaimonia Voices in an entirely vocal and choral concert that transports and transcends, to the mystical realm, to ecstasy, to a sweet safe haven.
With Eudaimonia’s characteristic diversity of repertoire from the 16th century through the current day, this program centers around Benjamin Britten’s Hymn to St. Cecilia, while also encompassing otherworldly period works by Byrd, Blow, and Billings, and dipping into contemporary and Appalachian song.
Eudaimonia’s Social Action Partnership for this event will highlight the freeing work of Lesley University’s program for Dance and Movement Therapy, which teaches the power of dance as a channel for trauma recovery and community repair.
Eudaimonia continues their connection with the social justice initiatives and music program of First Parish in Cambridge where Eudaimonia is Artist-in-Residence.
Admission is Pay-What-You-Decide ($20 recommended). Follow this link to purchase tickets.
Worship: "The View From Here”ONLINE ONLY
Worship on ZOOM Only at 10:30 am
The City of Cambridge has issued a Snow Emergency Parking Ban beginning at 10:00 am tomorrow, therefore, in-person worship at First Parish is cancelled. Instead we will gather at 10:30 am on Zoom (Meeting ID 155 025 783). Guest preacher, Phoebe Eckart-Lee will deliver a morning message and Assistant Minister, Sophia Doescher will assist with the rest of the service.
WORSHIP ONLINE ONLY January 25 - All other events cancelled
Worship on ZOOM Only at 10:30 am
The City of Cambridge has issued a Snow Emergency Parking Ban beginning at 10:00 am tomorrow, therefore, in-person worship at First Parish is cancelled. Instead we will gather at 10:30 am on Zoom (Meeting ID 155 025 783). Guest preacher, Phoebe Eckart-Lee will deliver a morning message and Assistant Minister, Sophia Doescher will assist with the rest of the service.
Rock Voices Concert
One of our ongoing rental groups, Rock Voices Chorus will be having a fundraising concert in the Meeting House on Sunday, January 18 at 5:00 pm. The concert will feature songs by The Beach Boys, Ozzy Osbourne, Supertramp, Sly and the Family Stone, Adele, Prince, The Bangles, Cyndie Lauper, James Taylor and more!
This concert will benefit Food For Free. Tickets available at the door and online at Eventbrite. $20/$15/$10 (children 12 & under are free)
For more information go to www.RockVoices.com
Worship: "From Our Mountain of Despair, a Stone of Hope" Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Sunday
We will hew out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope. – Martin Luther King, Jr.
In his I Have a Dream speech, Dr. King speaks of a faith that allows us to fashion hope from despair. What is this hope born of despair? And what are the practices by which we chip away at our mountain of despair until all that remains in our hands is small, sturdy stone called hope? Rev. Rob Hardies preaching.
Worship: "How to be the Mischief Makers"
Once upon a time, there were people who believed wealth and power could be hoarded and kept forever. And once upon a time, there were those who knew how to take it back: the tricksters, the mischief-makers. How might we be the mischief-makers of our time? Sophia Doescher preaches.
Worship: "From Surviving to Thriving"
The psychiatrist Rachel Naomi Remen writes, “What we do to survive is often different from what we need to do in order to live.” And the religious life is an invitation to live life fully and abundantly—to not merely survive but to thrive. After a year of collective hunkering down and survival, how can we reclaim our lives and thrive in the New Year? Rev. Rob Hardies preaches.
Christmas Eve Service
Please join us at 4 pm on Christmas Eve for our annual Candlelight Service of Lessons and Carols. The First Parish Choir is preparing some beautiful music for this service, and I will offer a Christmas homily. Invite your friends and family to join us for this special celebration! Our earlier start time allows you to return home in time for Christmas Eve meals and celebrations.\
Holiday Lunch for Wednesday Meals
On Christmas Eve, help us prepare and serve a special Christmas lunch for our Wednesday Meals guests. You can sign up here for volunteer shifts throughout the day. Thank you!
Worship "Filling the Dark with Light and Singing"
On the winter solstice, on the shortest and darkest day of the year, it is easy to dwell on all the things that make us fearful and and uncomfortable in the dark; so instead, let us respond with joy. Come join us for an intergenerational service to ring in the new solar year with smiles on our faces and music in our hearts. Valentin Frank preaches
Christmas Caroling in Harvard Square
Serenade shoppers and strollers from the front steps of the church! Kids can pass out candy canes while we fill the air with festive song. Meet in the Meeting House at 12:00 to run through the carols, then sing out front starting around 12:30.
Worship: Christmas Play
Christmas Play December 14
Follow Mary, Joseph, and the donkey on their journey to the place where they welcome new life and light! We warmly invite you to join us for our annual Christmas Play at First Parish, produced by the RE Team and enacted by our children and teens. This year we will offer three magical advent stories, along with musical accompaniment directed by Kenneth Griffith and narration by Rob Hardies. There will be baby lambs, wise shepherds, angels, a stubborn ox, and Christmas Mice!
Worship: "The Peace (Not) Past Our Understanding"
Too often peace feels elusive and fragile, outside of our control, beyond our understanding. It is tempting to look for a peace we can truly know so that we can cultivate it in our lives. So what do we do when the only peace we find is one we cannot know?
Worship: “Recipes of Faith”
At the holidays, some of us will dust off recipes handed down from our families: instructions for making holiday meals, cookies and other treats. Our families also pass down recipes of faith, instructions and models for what it means to be a person of faith. How do we relate to and reckon with the religion we inherited from our families in ways that allow us to develop a life-giving spirituality of our own? Rev. Rob Hardies preaches
Worship: "Holy Doubt"
"Come with whatever seed of faith you can muster, and listen…” -Enfleshed Liturgies
Join us for a celebration of faith and doubt through story and song. Matt Meyer will reflect on a high stakes wager, a secret doubt, and what it takes to stand up to bullies in heaven and earth.
Matt is an itinerant troubadour and worship leader who has led hundreds of services for UU congregations across the country. He has a degree in hand drumming and serves as Director of Community Life for Sanctuary Boston.
Harvard Bookstore - Rep. Jim Clyburn
Harvard Book Store welcomes Congressman Jim Clyburn―who has served more than thirty years as the Congressman representing South Carolina’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he previously served as Majority Whip―for a discussion of his new book, The First Eight: A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation. He will be joined in conversation by Marla F. Frederick―Dean of Harvard Divinity School, the John Lord O’Brian Professor of Divinity, Professor of Religion and Culture, and Professor of African and African American Studies, all at Harvard University.
Ticketing
There are two ticket options for this event.
Book-Included Tickets: Includes admission for one and one hardcover copy of The First Eight pre-signed by Congressman Jim Clyburn.
Admission-Only Tickets: Includes admission for one.
Note: Books bundled with tickets may only be picked up at the venue the night of the event, and cannot be picked up in-store beforehand. Ticket holders who purchased a book-included ticket and are unable to attend the event will be able to pick up their book at Harvard Book Store up to 30 days following the event. This offer expires after 30 days. Please note we cannot guarantee signed copies will be available to ticket holders who do not attend the event.
Please be aware that security measures at the venue will be heightened for this event. Large bags or backpacks will not be permitted. If you must carry a bag, please use a small wristlet or handheld wallet, or clear plastic, vinyl or PVC. All items brought into this event are subject to inspection.
Worship: "Spirit of Life, Come Unto Me"
One consistent element in our worship service is the hymn Spirit of Life. More than a song, it is a prayer - a plea, even - for Spirit to draw near: Spirit of Life, come unto me. For the hymn’s creator, Carolyn McDade, this hymn and this plea emerged from a difficult political moment, not unlike the one we face today. What wisdom can McDade’s hymn offer us now? And what does Spirit of Life reveal about our shared understanding of the sacred? Rev. Rob Hardies preaches.
Worship: "Still Not a Butterfly"
17th century Japanese pot Matsuo Basho writes:
Deep into autumn
and this caterpillar
still not a butterfly.
As we find ourselves deep into autumn - deep into this long, tender transition of our lives and our world - let us come together amid the uncertainty of what comes next, holding one another in possibility. Sophia Doescher preaches.
PBHA honors Deborah Archer
For generations, Phillips Brooks House Association (PBHA) students, alumni, and partners have come together each fall to celebrate those who lead with purpose. This year, they gather to honor Deborah Archer, President of the ACLU and NYU Law Professor, for her lifelong commitment to advancing civil rights and equality. Her story, and the stories shared through the Robert Coles “Call of Service” Lecture & Award, remind us that justice grows through community and that service is a call we answer together.
Happening at First Parish. Free and open to the public. RSVP, livestream, and get more information at pbha.org.
Worship: "Both Sides Now"
Pema Chodron writes: “To. live is to be willing to die over and over again.” As we grow and change, we are constantly “dying” to our old selves and being “born” anew. Perhaps, then, we know more than we think we do about the border between life and death. Perhaps we’ve already glimpsed our lives from both sides. This All Souls Sunday we remember our dear, departed loved ones, and consider how accepting our mortality can be a source of power and strength in our lives. Rev. Rob Hardies preaches.
Worship - "Coming Together to Relight the Hearth"
As the days grow cooler and shorter, we find ourselves turning to our community for a sense of warmth. With the autumn holiday of Samhain just around the corner, we take this time to reflect on all the things that hold us together, from the solemn and serious to the light-hearted, joy-filled and serendipitous. Valentin Frank preaches.
Video Recording
Worship - "Something Inside So Strong"
There is within each of us a place of inner peace and strength. In a time when we so often feel buffeted and worn down by the world, how do we re-discover and regularly return to this place? How can we move through the world from this place of peace and strength? Rev. Rob Hardies preaches.
Video Recording
Worship: “Truth Telling in a Culture of Lies”
What is lost when we place the "objective” above lived experience, memory, or the truth of our interconnected lives? Join Sophia Doescher and our Indigenous Justice Working Group as we gather the threads of perfectionism, urgency, and objectivity to practice truth-telling that resists erasure and reclaims our shared humanity. Sophia Doescher preaches
Newcomer Orientation Session
Join us on Sunday, November 5, at 12:15 pm when we will examine what being in community in First Parish Cambridge and Unitarian Universalism is about. Participants will also have an opportunity to learn about becoming a member of the congregation. This session will be very interactive: bring your whole self! We will meet in the Mikelson Room (at the top of the stairs, elevator access available) at 12:15 pm. See you there! Register here.
Worship: In the Shadow of the Enola Gay
After the US bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, two communities—one American, one Japanese—sought to forge a relationship based on peace and reconciliation. In honor of Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, Rev. Rob will share perspectives on forgiveness and atonement from his involvement in a decades-long relationship with Japanese Buddhists and survivors of the atomic bomb. Rev. Rob Hardies preaches.
Worship: Let's Meet This Moment
The poem "Outwitted" by Edwin Markham tells us what to do:
He drew a circle that shut me out--
Heretic, a rebel, a thing to flout.
But Love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle that took him in!
Join us so we can draw the circle together, with The Rev. Dr. Thandeka guest preaching.
People of Color Caucus
Members of the People of Color community at First Parish gather once a month after church, on the 3rd Sunday of each month, to offer one another community and support. We recognize that we are individuals with different backgrounds and experiences, and yet we share the reality of living in a polarized society where we are targeted based on our racial identities. For more information or to join our mailing list, contact poc-caucus@firstparishcambridge.org
Worship: "The Department of Lost Causes"
These days, it feels like many of the causes and institutions we believe in are facing devastating setbacks; the values we cherish and the people we love are threatened. How do we find the spiritual and emotional fortitude to persevere in our struggle for the good, when so much we care about seems ‘lost’? Rev. Rob Hardies preaching.
Harvard Book Store: Elizabeth Gilbert
Ticket required. Harvard Book Store welcomes Elizabeth Gilbert, #1 New York Times bestselling author of numerous books including City of Girls, The Signature of All Things, Stern Men, Big Magic, and Eat Pray Love, for a discussion of her highly anticipated book All the Way to the River, a landmark memoir that will resonate with anyone who has ever been captive to love — or to any other passion, substance, or craving — and who yearns, at long last, for liberation.