Our Religious Explorations for Children and Youth begin today, and we’ll reflect upon how we imagine the future and how we act now to create a future in which they’ll thrive.

Returning to suggestions made by Bryan Stevenson, we’ll consider what it means to maintain hope in our lives. How do we keep the vision of a better world alive?

This summer offered us a chance to appreciate water by its lack. Dry and smoky, many of us are ready for fall. We’ll begin with our annual water service. Bring water from somewhere you’ve been, or that has some meaning for you, or just from home. We’ll have water to pour into our common bowl, too. We’ll sing, bless, be blessed, and remember the gift of water in our lives.

Labor Day reminds us of what was fought for as unions were formed. Bread and Roses in particular calls us to make both bodily sustenance and beauty possible. We’ll consider what it looks like today.

The habits of school starting in late summer or early fall follow many of us through our lives. In that spirit, we’ll have a service to celebrate beginning again as we come into fall. Students (of any age!) are invited to bring along a backpack or similar object that represents the new year to be blessed. We’ll consider what it takes to begin again and again and again.

These are key words for our congregation. We’ll reflect on all four and the part they play in our life together and in the world.

One of our hymns says “even to question truly is an answer” and we’ll take up a practice in many UU congregations: the Question Box service. You get the chance to write down a question that you have wondered about, and Linda will answer as many as she can during the time allotted for the sermon. Other questions may become sermons later, so don’t hesitate to ask!