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Sermons at First Parish Church

We have a number of Rev. Kemler’s sermons in audio form if you would like to get a sense of her style. These files are large, but they should begin to play in your browser (in a new window) soon after you click on the links. Click the triangle next to a year for links to that year’s sermons.

We have transcribed a couple of dozen of Rev. Kemler’s sermons. Again, click the triangle next to Transcripts for the links.

  2013

March	24 The Terrible Blessings of the Journey	17 Reflections	10 Sacred Time	03 Finally To Unfold Again: Spiritual Renewal and the Practice of Prayer [truncated]
February	24 Going Deeper, Coming Home: Spiritual Renewal and the Practice of Prayer	17 Our Song at the Sea (Matt Meyer)	03 Truth and Emptiness: Reflections on the Fourth Principle
January	27 One Sun, One Ground, One Sky	20 Lay-led service for Martin Luther King Day Chalice lighting – Betty Keddy Excerpts from Drum Major Instinct by Dr. M. L. King Jr. – Paul Harter Restorative Justice – Barbara Rich Prison Ministry/ AVP – June Adams Johnson Groton Interfaith Council – Donna Nowak	13 Paint From the Inside

  2012

December	24 The Blessed Light That Comes	16 Words for Dec. 16: audio – transcript
November	18 Around Our Grateful Table	04 The Passionate Heart of Joshua Young (Rev. Elz Curtiss)
October	28 Beloved Then, Now and Always	21 The Heart of a Sojourner	14 Get Found, Sing Loud!	07 Eye to Eye and Soul to Soul
September	30 The Shelter of Each Other	23 Carbonated Holiness — On Laughter and Forgiving	16 Who We Haven't Yet Become
May	27 Memorial Day Reflections (Ellen Todd) Bless the Poets and Those Who Mourn (Rev. Elea Kemler)	13 To Bless the World	06 A Call to Those Who Remember the Dreams of Our Youth
April	29 The God Who Knows Only Four Words: Come Dance With Me: audio – transcript	22 We are Grateful, Good Earth	15 Dancing on the Edge of Maybe	08 Woken from the Sleep of Ages	01 Pilgrims on the Road of Dust and Ashes
March	25 Reflections (Clara O'Rourke) Reflections (Meghan McNierney) Reflections (Grace)	18 Over and Over Again [truncated]	11 Use Your Wings to Show You're Alive	04 The Open Doors of the Heart: audio – transcript
February	26 Let This be a Season for Wandering	12 The Gift of Deeper Sight	05 Bring Your Broken Heart to This Altar of Life
January	29 Put a Pebble in My Shoe (Melinda Green)	22 The Holy Thing Inside You	15 Reflections on CityReach (Gregg Baker & Braydon Woods) Reflections on Prison Ministry (Pat Parker-Roach & Justin Holmes) Reflections on Nicarugua (Ed O’Rourke & Clara O’Rourke) Reflections on TADS (Teenage Anxiety and Depression Solutions) (Steve Boczenowsk)	08 Heeding the Signposts of Intuition and Dream

  2011

December	24 Life is So Generous: Christmas Eve Message 2011: audio – transcript	11 To Reteach a Thing Its Loveliness	04 Say the Thing That You Most Need and the Door Will Open Wide: audio – transcript
November	27 Return to the Place Where Your Heart Is (Aaron Stockwel)	13 Every Small Spring Rising	06 Reflections on Ten Years as a Wel­com­ing Congregation
October	23 Touch Wonder	16 We Stand As In An Open Field	09 Walking Our Paths	02 Open Your Fists: A Reflection on Yom Kippur
September	25 Sweet and Thankful For Any Small Gesture	18 Strong and Strong Again: Steeple Navigation Part Two
June	05 What Sustains Us: The Taste of Honey and the Touch of Stone
May	29 Making Real A Dream Once Lost Among Sorrows and Songs	22 The Answer to Every Question	15 The Doorway into Thanks and Silence	08 A Great, Common Tenderness
April	24 What Makes You Come Alive	17 If You Have Seen	10 Perfection	03 The Road to Holiness
Marvh	27 You Must Answer This Question	20 Hearts Opening, Very Wide	13 The Shared World	06 Ten Year Reflections
February	27 Whose Silence Are You?
January	30 Reflections on Fifty Years in Ministry (Rev. Charles Gaines)	23 Stories of Power, Stories of Repair	16 Everybody Can be Great, Because Anybody Can Serve	09 Inspiration, Art, and Spirit	02 These Ways of Seeing

  2010

Dec.	24 A Man Who Listened to Dreams	12 While Waiting for Light, Bring Light	05 Hannukah To Haiti (Joel Wool)
Nov.	28 Seven Gifts (Michael Roberts)	14 Choosing To Be True Human Beings	7 Dramatic Reading: Rev. John Farwell Moors
Oct.	31 Eternity Breaking In	24 Then, Love the World	17 Room In the House of the Heart	10 To Be (Arron Stockwell)
Sep.	26 Our True Home is Under the Stars	19 How the Heart Wants to Be Alive
May	30 The Responsibility of Memory, The Strength of Hope	16 The Compass of the Heart	9 Filling In the Silences	2 Quiet In Heart
Apr.	25 Reflections For Earth Day	18 The Ground on Which We Walk Together	4 There Is Time Left
Mar.	28 Telling a New Story	21 Is Anyone Thirsty? Come and Drink	14 We Are Saying Thank You	7 Lifted Out Into the Light
Feb.	28 Go Into the Place Called Barren; Stand In the Place Called Empty	21 Dancing With Shadows and Light	7 Waiting to See Us Once Beautiful and Brave
Jan.	31 Welcome to the Mountain of Fire and Miracles	24 The Passing of a Threshold is at Hand	17 Reflections On Service	10 The Dream of a Common Language	3 No Smoldering Twig

  2009

Dec.	24 The Turning Open of Each Life	13 While Waiting for Hope, Be Hope	6 Waiting for the Light, Being the Light
Nov.	15 Come to Prayer, Come to Well-Being	8 Service of the Heart
Oct.	15 Laughing in Aston­ishment, Bowing Our Heads: The Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer	8 Perhaps This Gift Is Your Answer
Sep.	27 Go Lightly Toward Light	20 Dawn By Dawn: Seeing Our Way Clear
May	31 Bless Us With Fool­ishness & Bridges to Community	24 The Responsibility of Memory, The Strength of Hope	17 Reflections on Mental Health	10 The Great Human Family
Apr.	26 Glad to the Brink of Fear (Sue Phillips)	12 New Life Always Arriving	5 The Terrible Blessing of the Journey
Mar.	29 Quiet In Heart, and In Eye, Clear	22 Wisdom Ancient & Emerging	8 Holding the World in Trust
Feb.	22 What Time, Grace, and Circumstances will Make Us	15 Common Love	1 To Save What Matters Most
Jan.	25 Walking Forward In that Light	11 Reflections (Arthur Blackman)	4 The Great Gift of Time: Stories That Transform Our Lives

  2008

Dec.	24 Fear Not the Strangeness	14 Sing Sturdy Songs	7 At the Threshold
Nov.	16 Member Expectations, Caring For One Another	09 Building the Be­loved Community, Honor Differences	02 Remembering Our Journey(George Downey)
Oct.	26 Building a Beloved Community	19 Building a Beloved Community	12 Living a Life of Meaning and Purpose	5 Praise the Light That Shines Before Us, Through Us, After Us
Sep.	28 Every Stone on the Road, Precious	14 Navigating By Steeple: A Vision For the Year Ahead

  Transcripts

• April 21, 2013: What Thrives in Rubble and Ash
• June 17, 2012: Father’s Day Reflections (Tim Svarczkopf)
• April 29, 2012: The God Who Knows Only Four Words: Come Dance with Me
• March 4, 2012: The Open Doors of the Heart (Lent 2)
• December 24, 2011: Life is So Generous: Christmas Eve Message 2011
• December 4, 2011: Say the Thing You Most Need and the Door will Open Wide (Advent Two)
• September 25, 2011: Reflections for Rosh Hashanah: Sweet and Thankful For Any Small Gesture
• September 18, 2011: Strong and Strong Again: Steeple Navigation Part Two
• May 22, 2011: The Answer to Every Question
• February 28, 2010: Go to the Place Called Barren, Stand in the Place Called Empty
• February 21, 2010: Dancing with Shadows and Light
• February 7, 2010: Waiting to See Us Once Beautiful and Brave
• December 13, 2009: While Waiting For Hope, Be Hope
• September 27, 2009: Go Lightly Toward Light: A Sermon for Yom Kippur
• September 20, 2009: Dawn By Dawn: Seeing Our Way Clear
• April 26, 2009: Glad To the Brink of Fear (Rev. Sue Phillips)
• March 29, 2009: Quiet in Heart and in Eye, Clear
• February 22, 2009: What Time, Grace, and Circumstances Will Make Us
• November 16, 2008: Reflections on Member Expectations: Caring For Each Other
• June 1, 2008: The World Shining: A Post-Sabbatical Sermon
• May 11, 2008: And It Was Good (Rev. Sue Phillips)
• February 3, 2008: Good Fences Make Good Neighbors? (Rev. Sue Phillips)
• January 6, 2008: Stepping Out of the Current
• December 16, 2007: You Have Come Into the World To Do This
• December 2, 2007: Living With Less: The Path To Sustainability (Patrick Hughes)
• September 23, 2007: Out of the Narrow and Choked Place: The Power and Promise of Yom Kippur
• November 26, 2006: Indigo Reflections (for a service of Blues Music)
• November 18, 2006: Misunderstanding and Meaning (a worship service for the Excellence In RE Conference, Clara Barton District of the UUA)
• October 1, 2006: Unpacking Your Heart
• September 17, 2006: Living In Shaky Houses
• May 1, 2005: Beginning From Below
• March 6, 2005: Only A Visitor

1 Powder House Road … P.O. Box 457 … Groton, MA 01450-0457 … 978-448-6307 …   …  

Most recently updated 2013-04-21