“Different Stories” Rev. Megan Lloyd Joiner Unitarian Society of New Haven January 27, 2019 Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood…[i]   How often, it seems, that in our lives, we stand at the crossroads between two paths. And feel, perhaps, … Continue reading Sermon: “Different Stories”

Unitarian Society of New Haven Rev. Megan Lloyd Joiner January 13, 2019 Reading “Spring Giddiness” by RUMI   Sermon   When Carol Cheney and Lois Smith first came to us to say they were interested in raising money for a new kitchen at USNH, they thought they could raise $50,000.   The first estimates for … Continue reading Sermon: “The Realm of Possibility”

Come down from the hills. Declare the fighting done.[i]   The story of Hanukkah is the story of a great military victory for the Jewish people. Judas Maccabee and his brothers had, with a small band of fighters, miraculously defeated the mighty armies of Antiochus IV Epiphanies, the Syrian Greek king of the Seleucid empire who … Continue reading Sermon:“The Eight-Day Mystery”

Reflection: “Memories Made Possible” Rev. Megan Lloyd Joiner Unitarian Society of New Haven November 11, 2018 One of my favorite things about being your minister is hearing your stories – especially your stories about how this congregation has made a difference in your life, transformed your understanding of being a parent or a member of … Continue reading Reflection: Memories Made Possible

Unitarian Society of New Haven Rev. Megan Lloyd Joiner November 4, 2018 Readings:   Let America Be America Again by Langston Hughes   The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus   Sermon: audio link   “Look, Mama, there she is!”   We had boarded the last ferry from lower Manhattan to Governor’s Island.   The sun … Continue reading Sermon:“Go to the Polls; Remember Who We Are”

“Sanctuary Hearts” Rev. Megan Lloyd Joiner Unitarian Society of New Haven October 14, 2018   Call to Worship: “We are All Longing to Go Home” by Starhawk Reading: “Red Brocade” by Naomi Shihab Nye Sermon: We are all longing to go home. How true is that?   This month, I attended two clergy gatherings, one … Continue reading Sermon: Sanctuary Hearts

Reflections on Israel and Palestine “Being an Oasis of Peace” Rev. Megan Lloyd Joiner Unitarian Society of New Haven October 7, 2018   In the introduction to his book, Letters to my Palestinian Neighbor, Yossi Klein Halevi writes that in his work as a Jewish person to understand the Palestinian perspective, he never “lost [his] … Continue reading Sermon: Being an Oasis of Peace

Rev. Megan Lloyd Joiner Unitarian Society of New Haven September 30, 2018 Call to Worship by Viola Abbitt, adapted Message for All “Building Respect: The Rev. Joseph Jordan” By Janeen K Grohsmeyer Prayer by Rev. Connie Simon Reading “Black Joy” by Rev. Kimberly Quinn Johnson Homily “A Visionary Faith” by Rev. Megan Lloyd Joiner   The … Continue reading Sermon: A Visionary Faith- A Practice and Promise Sunday

Rev. Megan Lloyd Joiner September 16, 2018 Unitarian Society of New Haven   Reading: The Ways I Kept Myself Alive Today by Hanif Abdurraquib   Sermon: My daughter, Arden, got her first bee stings this week. Yes, stings, plural. She has given me permission to share this story with you. We got a note from … Continue reading Sermon: A Vision of the New Year