HOPEDALE IS ZOOM ONLY ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14 — NO IN-PERSON SERVICE

Gathering today virtually, we will celebrate the values of Pluralism and Generosity. During December we gathered food for our community, and on our Mitten Tree, warmth for the children. These gifts have been delivered via the Talawanda Oxford Pantry & Social Service (TOPSS), and generosity is needed all winter.

Sharing in the celebrations of the Christmas season offers an opportunity to learn from diverse cultures, theologies and experiences in our free, responsible search for truth and meaning. Today, as we listen to recorded music of the season by the Morman Tabernacle Choir, let us contemplate questions the early followers of Jesus were asking in the context of Jews living under the authoritarian rule of Rome. The scholarship of Elaine Pagels on the Gnostic Gospels and Nag Hammadi texts suggests an early struggle between a gnostic, or inner knowing, form of Christianity and a hierarchical Orthodox Christianity. Perhaps Unitarian Universalists are exploring our own gnosis in our responsible search for truth and meaning. Libby Earle will be Service Leader. Join us!