The Seikilos Epitaph, dating from somewhere in the vicinity of the first century is the world’s oldest surviving complete musical composition, both words and music, in this case, an ancient Greek notation system. While you live, shine Have no grief at all Life exists only for a short while And time demands its toll Read more

GREAT CLOUDS OF WITNESSES A Hymn of the New Universalism James Ishmael Ford 3 November 2013 Preached at the Installation of The Reverend Christana Wille McKnight As the 32nd Minister of The First Parish Church, Unitarian Universalist Taunton, Massachusetts Text A human being is a part of the whole, called by us “Universe,” a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest—a kind of optical delusion of our consciousness.... Read more

The following are a couple of paragraphs cut from today’s sermon. Thought it stood, pretty well, on its own… We religious liberals are notoriously hard to pin down. For much of the twentieth century Unitarian Universalists heavily marked by a naturalistic humanism and the scientific spirit, it was said of us that we believed in one God, at most. In recent decades with the rise of a new spirituality, what I think is best called a New Universalism that line... Read more

On this day in 1611 Shakespeare’s the Tempest played for the first time at the Whitehall Palace in London… Some say his masterwork. Whatever, certainly worth recalling on this feast of all saints… Read more

Today is Halloween. It is also the 496th anniversary of Martin Luther nailing his famous ninety-five theses on the door of Wittenberg church. In honor of the occasion I thought I’d pin five theses to the cork board in my kitchen.. 1) God isn’t a person. Get over it. There’s no need to project your image onto the sky. In fact it gets in the way. Rather, if you want to find the divine, open your eyes and open your... Read more

On this day when many in my part of the world are thinking strong thoughts about the possibility of winning the World Series at Fenway Park for the first time since, I believe, 1918. And, yes, in other parts of the country those strong thoughts are being pointed at another conclusion, there’s something for us all to pause and notice. This is the day in 1945 when Jackie Robinson of the Kansas City Monarchs signed that contract with the Brooklyn... Read more

I just saw a quote attributed to Pope Francis, “A religion without mystics is a philosophy.” Personally I’ve been wary of the term mystic, because it is so large, it means everything from something to do with our fundamental relationship to the world or God to a small city on the coast of Connecticut to an ability to bend spoons through the power of thought. I feel it is pretty clear that the pope means the former, and not the... Read more

ARGUING WITH THE ANCESTORS Or, A Little Walk With the Desert Fathers & Mothers 27 October 2013 James Ishmael Ford First Unitarian Church Providence, Rhode Island Text Once there was a disciple of a Greek philosopher who was commanded by his Master for three years to give money to everyone who insulted him. When this period of trial was over, the Master said to him: Now you can go to Athens and learn wisdom. When the disciple was entering Athens... Read more

According to Wikipedia on this day in 1938, “the Archbishop of Dubuque, Francis J. L. Beckman, denounced swing music as ‘a degenerated musical system… turned loose to gnaw away at the moral fiber of young people,’ warning that it leads down a ‘primrose path to hell.'” It would appear his dire warnings were for the most part ignored. Very likely why we’re now in our current pickle… Read more

Jiles Perry Richardson, Jr was born on this day in 1930. He would die in a terrible plane crash on the 3rd of February, 1959, along with Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and their pilot Roger Peterson. In between those dates he made music… Read more