This homily was recorded at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Somerset Hills (UUCSH) in North Branch, NJ.

A Child's Christmas in Somerset County

This year's intergenerational Christmas Eve service will be a ceremony of lessons and carols. Some things will be traditional and familiar, like "Silent Night" and readings from the nativity story in the Gospels; other aspects of the service will be new. As with so many of the annual rituals of our lives, very often our most cherished Christmases are dear to us because they combine the known and comfortable with novel surprises.

The readings came from The Bible, as well as readings from Dylan Thomas' "A Child's Christmas in Wales". As the latter is a copyrighted work, we can't share those readings with you. The readers of the Biblical verses are separated by our congregation's performance of "Angels We Have Heard on High".

The readers are as follows

• Brianna D-K: Luke 2: 1-7
• Ed. H: Luke 2:8-20
• Peter H.: Matthew 2:1-2, 9-11

The music used for the intro of this PodCast comes from the PodSafe Music Network. The song Friend from Rob Costlow can be found on the PodSafe Music Network.

This pageant was recorded at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Somerset Hills (UUCSH) in North Branch, NJ.

The Christmas Menorahs

Holiday Pageant

Because Christmas and Hanukkah will be celebrated on the same day this year, our Holiday Pageant will be an adaptation of the book "The Christmas Menorahs" by Janice Cohn. This book is based on the true story of how the citizens of Billings, MT united to fight back against prejudice one holiday season. Presented by Caryn Phillips and the children and youth of UUCSH.

This file is rather large - approximately 70 meg, and is a video file. You should be able to use Windows Media Player, the newest Free version of Quicktime Video Player from Apple, the file should play within iTunes and is transferrable to video iPods.

This sermon was recorded at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Somerset Hills (UUCSH) in North Branch, NJ.

The Christmas Menorahs Homily

Because Christmas and Hanukkah will be celebrated on the same day this year, our Holiday Pageant will be an adaptation of the book "The Christmas Menorahs" by Janice Cohn. This book is based on the true story of how the citizens of Billings, MT united to fight back against prejudice one holiday season. Presented by Caryn Phillips and the children and youth of UUCSH.

The music used for the intro of this PodCast comes from the PodSafe Music Network. The song Friend from Rob Costlow can be found on the PodSafe Music Network.

This sermon was recorded at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Somerset Hills (UUCSH) in North Branch, NJ.

Keep the Chalice Flame Burning

Religious conservatives have come to exert a significant influence upon our nations' culture and its political process. We need to reclaim our place at the table and raise our collective liberal religious voice. To do that, we need to renew our commitments to our congregations, our institutions, and our faith.

The music used for the intro of this PodCast comes from the PodSafe Music Network. The song Friend from Rob Costlow can be found on the PodSafe Music Network.

This sermon was recorded at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Somerset Hills (UUCSH) in North Branch, NJ.

Goin' Over Home

The journey to find a religious home can be fascinating and invigorating; it can be frustrating and lonely and frightening. Often it's all these things and more. But there is something in the human heart that makes us seek communities of faith.

The music used for the intro of this PodCast comes from the PodSafe Music Network. The song Friend from Rob Costlow can be found on the PodSafe Music Network.