Leading Worship

To lead worship is an extraordinary privilege. The community, whether it be a congregation, or just a spoken and unspoken needs, expectations and hopes. Intellectual stimulation, fellowship, intimacy, moments of beauty or inspiration, spiritual sustenance, emotional heights and depths, a clear analysis and galvanizing call to action on a pressing issue, all these are present. In this context, we share words from inspired and inspiring sources. Laughter and tears, the truths of our lives, music and images, drama and the thoughts of a preacher entrusted with the task of bringing all this together in a coherent whole.

To preach in the intensity of this context, requires an odd combination of daring and humility. Daring because it is audacious to imagine our thoughts are worth sharing; humility because it is not our worship service but the gathered community’s and it is only in the context of their lives can our words have meaning or power. As with all of worship, preaching is a conversational act, a journey of discovery that on the best of days we are taking together.

I have had the privilege of preaching and leading worship in a myriad of congregations and other settings for more than 25 years. Whether it was speaking as a lay leader in my “home” congregation, the Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship or leading worship in the founding days of the multicultural start-up of All Souls Unitarian Universalist in Durham or as the called co-minister at Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church or Mt. Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church, I have never failed to feel a sense of wonder and awe at the privilege of leading worship, which etymologically means to consider that which has worth.

Here is a sample of worship services I have led or co-led this year.

http://mduuc.org/worship-services/past-sermons/547-september-15-2013-in-we-trust

http://mduuc.org/worship-services/past-sermons/556-october-13-2013-petrified-watercress-a-meditation-on-impermanence-rev-leslie-takahashi-morris

http://mduuc.org/worship-services/past-sermons/567-december-1-2013-kissing-the-earth-with-our-feet-revs-leslie-and-david-takahashi-morris-and-intern-minister-melissa-thomson

http://mduuc.org/worship-services/past-sermons/568-december-8-2013-surrender-what-do-we-do-when-we-are-faced-with-circumstances-we-cannot-control-rev-leslie-takahashi-morris-and-community-minister-andrew-karlson

http://mduuc.org/worship-services/past-sermons/603-april-13-2014-losing-forward

http://mduuc.org/worship-services/past-sermons/611-may-11-2014-texting-tweeting-and-other-everyday-spiritual-practices-rev-leslie-takahashi-morris

http://mduuc.org/worship-services/past-sermons/614-sunday-may-25-2014-democracy-in-america

And here is a sampling of some other years....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ks9HmcRwkw&feature=youtu.be

http://mduuc.org/worship-services/past-sermons/517-april-27-qwhen-we-are-dividedq-rev-leslie-takahashi-morris

http://mduuc.org/worship-services/past-sermons/512-march-10-2013-the-five-smooth-stones-of-religious-liberalism