Sermon: “Rituals of Hope in Hard Times”
Rev. Daniel Lawlor

Unitarian Universalism is a faith tradition with a growing tradition of rituals reflecting our espoused commitments to pluralism, interdependence and love. The liturgical year of many Unitarian Universalist congregations are anchored by Water & Flower Ceremonies, and the week-to-week practice in our sanctuaries is marked with chalice lightings and varied rituals to honor joy and sorrows. Flower Ceremony was a loving affirmation of religious pluralism and cosmopolitanism amidst the upheavals and growing authoritarianism of the interwar years in Prague. Water Ceremony was originally an affirmation of feminist consciousness and ecological awareness at the turn of the 1970s to the 1980s. We are approaching the mid 21st Century in a moment of upheaval – and profound possibility. Could we imagine a new ritual for our faith?

Bio: Rev. Daniel Lawlor (he/him) serves as minister of the Unitarian Church of Staten Island and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Hudson Valley in Croton-on-Hudson, New York. A proud alumni of Boston University School of Theology and First Church Boston, Daniel and his family now call New York City home. Daniel is very excited to see us!