Worship & Preaching
When creating worship, I focus on balancing silence, music, spoken words, meditation, and interactive time. I love telling stories, both during the Time for All Ages portion of the service and during my sermons. I believe that stories are integral to our understanding of ourselves, our communities, and our shared world.
Theme-based ministry and worship has been the focus of my ministry and contributes greatly to the cohesion and flow of the church and liturgical year.
By utilizing themes, we are able to explore an idea in depth over a series of weeks, which allows the congregation to delve deeper into that theme. This offers additional time to explore how the theme interacts with personal faith, communal faith, and spirituality in our lives.
For many congregations, Sunday morning worship is the focal point of the week and church life. It is an opportunity to stretch our minds, our hearts, and our spirits while connecting with one another and that which is larger than us.
Honoring ritual and tradition while also striving to stretch and grow in new and different ways can happen in worship and truly transform congregational life.
Sermons
In my preaching, I seek to follow the arc of the worship service and integrate the readings, hymns, and Time for All Ages into the sermon. Ideally, the whole worship service is the sermon and each element intermingles with the others to create a cohesive, reflective, and dynamic experience for those gathered.
Below are samples of my sermons. Please note that they may take some time to load.
Choosing Love Over Fear
Rev. Margaret L. Weis
Rites of Passage
Weddings
It is an honor to officiate at the marriages of members of my congregation and those who are not directly affiliated with the congregation. I have had the honor of officiating at many weddings over the years – for members, for friends, and for those I have just met. I meet with each couple and craft a service that illustrates their love for one another and their hopes for their family.
Funerals and Memorials
It is very sad when friends, family, and members of our community die and pass beyond the veil of our knowing. I am honored to meet with family and friends to create a service of memory that honors that person’s life, and offers healing and solace to those who are left behind. I am also a continued pastoral presence in the weeks, months, and years following the loss.
Child Dedications
Welcoming children into the human family is a blessing and an illustration of my belief that every soul matters in this world. Child dedications and naming ceremonies are one of my favorite aspects of ministry because they truly honor the uniqueness of each person and the ways we all grow and change in community with one another.
Other Rituals
Welcoming New Members
Welcoming new members and having them sign the book in worship is a wonderful way to live out our Unitarian Universalist value of community and connection.
Blessing of the Coats
Bringing social justice projects into worship services illustrates the important and integral role justice work plays in living a life of intention.
These are coats gathered for a social justice project, which we blessed together before they were given to those who need them.
Dedication of Flags
Rituals can enhance when a congregation makes its values known publicly. Displaying rainbow, chalice, and trans* flags are congregational decisions that can be honored through ritual and celebration.
