Sermons
You can see sermons from this church year (and some past favorites) on our current YouTube channel.
| Sermon | Video (YouTube) | Audio (mp3) |
|---|---|---|
| November 16, 2025 “History vs. Nostalgia” Rev. Dr. Jonipher Kwong, Interim Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| November 9, 2025 “Institutional Embodiment” Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| November 2, 2025 “Finding Comfort in a State of Perpetual Perishing” Rev. Dr. Jonipher Kwong, Interim Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| October 26, 2025 “Living Our Faith” Featuring First Parish member testimonials |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| October 19, 2025 “Engagement As A Spiritual Practice” Rev. Dr. Jonipher Kwong, Interim Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| October 12, 2025 “Picking Berries” Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| October 5, 2025 “Repent! The Beginning is Near” Rev. Dr. Jonipher Kwong, Interim Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| September 28, 2025 “What Else Do We Carry?” Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| September 21, 2025 “To Be Woke in a World that Prefers to Sleep In” Rev. Dr. Jonipher Kwong, Interim Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| September 14, 2025 “Show Me Your Birds” Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| September 7, 2025 “Welcome Aboard” Rev. Dr. Jonipher Kwong, Interim Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| Sermon | Video (YouTube) | Audio (mp3) |
|---|---|---|
| September 7, 2025 “Welcome Aboard” Rev. Dr. Jonipher Kwong, Interim Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| September 14, 2025 “Show Me Your Birds” Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| September 21, 2025 “To Be Woke in a World that Prefers to Sleep In” Rev. Dr. Jonipher Kwong, Interim Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| September 28, 2025 “What Else Do We Carry?” Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| October 5, 2025 “Repent! The Beginning is Near” Rev. Dr. Jonipher Kwong, Interim Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| October 12, 2025 “Picking Berries” Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| October 19, 2025 “Engagement As A Spiritual Practice” Rev. Dr. Jonipher Kwong, Interim Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| October 26, 2025 “Living Our Faith” Featuring First Parish member testimonials |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| November 2, 2025 “Finding Comfort in a State of Perpetual Perishing” Rev. Dr. Jonipher Kwong, Interim Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| November 9, 2025 “Institutional Embodiment” Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| November 16, 2025 “History vs. Nostalgia” Rev. Dr. Jonipher Kwong, Interim Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| Sermon | Video (YouTube) | Audio (mp3) |
|---|---|---|
| August 31, 2025 “Fear of Empathy” Barbara Ives, Lay Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| August 24, 2025 “Finding the Extra in the Ordinary” Bill Licea-Kane, Lay Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| August 17, 2025 “My Hindu Conversion” Rick Eastwick, Lay Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| August 10, 2025 “Peace Love and Understanding” Julie Garry, Lay Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| August 3, 2025 “Finding Stability in a Time of Chaos” Anna Callahan, Lay Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| July 27, 2025 “What Does AI Tell Us About Being Human?” David Dreyfus, Lay Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| July 20, 2025 “You Need a Vacation” Lillian Povey, Lay Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| July 13, 2025 “Celebrating What Resonates – A Jewnitarian Journey” Melanie Cohn-Hopwood, Lay Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| July 6, 2025 “The Middle Spirit” Lyn Fulton-John, Lay Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| June 29, 2025 “What (Emotional) State Are You In?” Brian Dooley, Lay Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| June 22, 2025 “A Spiritual Baptism – UU Style” Jeanne Feeley, Lay Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| June 15, 2025 “Notes From a Seeker…” Lida Junghans, Lay Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| June 8, 2025 “Body Wisdom” Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| June 1, 2025 “Coming of Age Credo Service” COA Youth and Mentors with Rev. Stevie Carmody, MRE |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| May 25, 2025 “The Peace of Trees” Rev. Fred Small, Guest Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| May 18, 2025 “The Last Sermon” Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| May 11, 2025 “Called to Love” Rev. Jory Agate, Guest Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| May 4, 2025 “On the Road to Hope” Rev. Tricia Brennan, Adjunct Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| April 27, 2025 “The Something I Can Do” Amy Smith, 2025 Shinn Speaker |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| April 20, 2025 “Resurrection as a Way of Life” Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| April 13, 2025 “Here We Have Gathered” Rev. Tricia Brennan, Adjunct Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| April 6, 2025 Youth Sunday: “Balance” The First Parish Youth Group |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| March 30, 2025 “You, Me, and Love in the Middle” Ebonié Smith-Cooper, Meadville Lombard Seminarian |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| March 23, 2025 “Doing Hard Things” – Music Sunday Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| March 16, 2025 “To Be Little: You Are Enough” – Music Sunday Dr. Daniel Parsley, Music Director |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| March 9, 2025 “Communities of Memory” Rev. Stevie Carmody, Minister of Religious Education |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| March 2, 2025 “Despite It All, Joy!” Rev. Tricia Brennan, Adjunct Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| February 23, 2025 “Like a Tree” Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| February 16, 2025 “Living with Death” Rev. Wendy Page, Affiliate Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| February 9, 2025 “Love in This Moment” Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| February 2, 2025 “Heresy Sunday: A Spark Within” Rev. Stevie Carmody, Minister of Religious Education |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| January 26, 2025 “Those Unacknowledged Legislators” Rev. Dr. Kelly Murphy Mason, Guest Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| January 19, 2025 “We Make The Way By Walking” Rev. Tricia Brennan, Adjunct Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| January 12, 2025 “By Gentle Powers” Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| January 5, 2025 “Claiming Our Way” Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| December 29, 2024 “Poetry Service” Led by Lillian Povey, Worship Associate |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| December 24, 2024 “Christmas Eve Candlelight Service” Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister, preaching |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| December 22, 2024 “The Wisdom of the Solstice” All Ages Worship led by Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister, and Rev. Stevie Carmody, Minister of Religious Education |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| December 15, 2024 “The People Speak of Faith” Credo Service |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| December 8, 2024 “Responding to the News” Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| December 1, 2024 “Plato’s Footstool” Rev. Hank Peirce, Guest Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| November 24, 2024 “A Messy Swirl – Grief and Gratitude” Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| November 17, 2024 “Choosing Love: Music Sunday” Dr. Daniel Parsley, Music Director |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| November 10, 2024 “What We Know to be True in These Times” Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| November 3, 2024 “Lessons from the 2004 Red Sox” Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| October 27, 2024 “All Souls Service” Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| October 20, 2024 “Living Our Faith” Jamie Aronson, Peggy Gardiner, and Lois Fine |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| October 13, 2024 “Wisdom Beyond Ourselves” Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| October 6, 2024 “Oh Sweet Forgiveness!” Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| September 29, 2024 “Second Drafts, Second Chances” Rev. Stevie Carmody, Minister of Religious Education |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| September 22, 2024 “The Whole Truth and Nothing But the Truth” Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| September 15, 2024 “What Is Your Role?” Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| September 8, 2024 “In Our Time” Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
You can see past sermons on our YouTube channel.
| Sermon | Video (YouTube) | Audio (mp3) |
|---|---|---|
| September 1, 2024 “Whither Blows the Wind?” John Hodges, Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| August 25, 2024 “Interdependence and Tenacious Love” Megan Anderson, Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| August 18, 2024 “Respectfully Yours” Jitendra Singh, Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| August 11, 2024 “The Future Is Not Yet Written: The power of imagination in confronting the climate crisis” Mary Babic, Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| August 4, 2024 “How First Parish Helped Me Become a Christian” Josh Davis, Worship Leader |
Email Worship Leader Josh Davis to view | Not available. |
| July 28, 2024 “Spiritual but Not Religious” Julius Pereli, Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| July 21, 2024 “When Life Feels Like a Greek Tragedy” Lori Kenschaft, Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| July 14, 2024 “Joy, the Essence of the Soul” Willa Taber, Guest Speaker, with the Welcoming Congregation Committee |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| July 7, 2024 “Union Work as Spiritual Work” Avon Lewis, Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| June 30, 2024 “(P)reaching Across the Aisle” Steve Kropper, Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| June 23, 2024 “Prayer as a Propeller” Ebonié Smith-Cooper, Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| June 16, 2024 “What’s Possible?” Jo Guthrie, Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| June 9, 2024 “Pride in Bloom!” Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| June 2, 2024 “Coming of Age Sunday” COA Youth & Mentors, with Rev. Stevie Carmody, Minister of Religious Education |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| May 26, 2024 “Social Justice and Planting Seeds” Yvette McDonnell, Guest Speaker |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| May 19, 2024 “To Disagree Well” Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| May 12, 2024 “A Velveteen Kind of Love” Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| May 5, 2024 “Shinn Service — Social Justice” Dr. Michael Curry, Guest Speaker |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| April 28, 2024 “Reflections on Facing History and Ourselves” Lara James, Guest Speaker |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| April 21, 2024 “Parting the Waters and Traversing the Wilderness” Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| April 14, 2024 “The Stories We Tell: Living the Beloved Community” Rev. Christana Wille McKnight, Guest Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| April 7, 2024 “Theological Basis for Democracy” Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| March 31, 2024 “Cast Your Nets and Other Faithful Acts!” Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| March 24, 2024 “Going to the Garden” Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| March 17, 2024 “Growth and Change: Youth Group Sunday Service” First Parish Youth Group, spring 2024 |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| March 10, 2024 “Painting with Sound: Vignettes of Beauty” Daniel Parsley, Interim Music Director |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| March 3, 2024 “Good for what Ails You!” Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| February 25, 2024 “The Lost Art of Play” Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| February 18, 2024 “Remaining Human” Dr. Marc Roscoe Loustau, Guest Preacher |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| February 11, 2024 “How to Be in Right Relation” Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| February 4, 2024 “The After Death Knitters” Rev. Erica Federspiel Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| January 28, 2024 “The People Speak of Faith” ~ credo service David Whitford, Worship Associate |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| January 21, 2024 “The Fine Art of Being Wrong” Rev. Marta Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| January 14, 2024 “October 15, 1969 and an Ode to Librarians” Rev. Erica Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| January 7, 2024 “How to Live Well” Rev. Marta Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
You can see past sermons on our YouTube channel.
| Sermon | Video (YouTube) | Audio (mp3) |
|---|---|---|
| December 31, 2023 “Poetry Sunday” Elizabeth Hunter, Worship Associate |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| December 24, 2023 6pm Candlelight Service Rev. Erica Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video 6pm | Audio 6pm |
| December 17, 2023 “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” Rev. Marta Flanagan, Lead Minister & Rev. Stevie Carmody, Minister of Religious Education |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| December 10, 2023 “Peace and a Few of Our Favorite Things” Rev. Erica Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| December 8, 2023 “Embrace the Darkness” Rev. Marta Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| December 3, 2023 “Comfort, Comfort My People” Rev. Marta Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| November 26, 2023 “Family Farm Stories” Rev. Wendy Page, Affiliate Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| November 19, 2023 “Helping Hands: Thanksgiving” Rev. Erica Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| November 12, 2023 “Living Our Faith” Three First Parish congregants speak about their spiritual commitment. |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| November 5, 2023 “The Center of Our Faith: Part II” Reverend Marta Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| October 29, 2023 “Hello? Answering Grief’s Call” Reverend Erica Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| October 22, 2023 “A Musical Celebration!” Honoring Director of Music Jonathan Colby, 2014 – 2023 |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| October 15, 2023 “The Center of Our Faith: Part I” Rev. Marta Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| October 8, 2023 “What a Strange Endeavor” Rev. Erica Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| October 1, 2023 “The Blizzard of the World” Rev. Marc Fredette, Guest Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| September 24, 2023 “Risking Brokenness: How to Apologize in a Harsh World” Rev. Erica Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| September 17, 2023 “Grilled Cheese, Sundaes, and Being Yourself” Rev. Stevie Carmody, Minister of Religious Education |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| September 10, 2023 “What Are We Doing Here?” Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
You can see past sermons on our YouTube channel.
| Sermon | Video (YouTube) | Audio (mp3) |
|---|---|---|
| September 3, 2023 “On the Nature of Things: What we might learn from Epicurus and Lucretius” David Dreyfus, Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| August 27, 2023 “Reckoning When Redemption Is Impossible” Amy Anderson, Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| August 20, 2023 “Spirit and Intellect United by Mother Earth” Anna Callahan, Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| August 13, 2023 “Abolition and the Big Problems of Our Time” Lori Kenschaft, Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| August 6, 2023 “Echoes of the Past” Diane Taraz, Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| July 30, 2023 “Doing the Needful” Danie Descoteaux, Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| July 23, 2023 “Cultivating Curiosity in Curious Times” Jen Navarro, Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| July 16, 2023 “The Miracle Is Us!” Mary-Beth Landy, Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| July 9, 2023 ”Recognizing a ‘Usurpation of Society’ “ Andrew Fischer, Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| July 2, 2023 “Radical Sharing: Food, Justice, and Childhood” Maya Gomez Coultas, Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| June 25, 2023 “A Sacred Break from Routine” Samantha Rauh, Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| June 18, 2023 “A Path of Painting” Suzanne McLeod, Worship Leader |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
You can see past sermons on our YouTube channel.
| Sermon | Video (YouTube) | Audio (mp3) |
|---|---|---|
| June 11, 2023 “Homely Boys and Other Valuable Lessons” Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| June 4, 2023 “What the Young Believe Today” [Coming of Age service] Tina Schultz, Director of Religious Education |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| May 28, 2023 “Footnotes of Our Lives” Rev. Tara Humphries, Guest Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| May 21, 2023 “What Would You Die For? What Are You Living For?” Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| May 14, 2023 “I Am the Very Model of a Modern Transcendentalist” Rev. Erica Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| May 7, 2023 “A Collective Sigh” Rev. Marta Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| April 30, 2023 “It Matters What We Worship: A Case for Joy” Rev. Erica Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| April 23, 2023 “Every Body Is Sacred” Rev. Ashley Horan, Guest Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| April 16, 2023 “On the Road: What Just Happened?” Rev. Wendy Page, Affiliate Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| April 9, 2023 “An Easter Attitude!” Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| April 2, 2023 “Perfection Is Possible . . . and Other Lies We’ve Been Told” Rev. Erica Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
You can see past sermons on our YouTube channel.
| Sermon | Video (YouTube) | Audio (mp3) |
|---|---|---|
| March 26, 2023 “The Colors of Us” (Youth Service) Led by participants in the First Parish Religious Education program. |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| March 19, 2023 “Living Well” Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| March 12, 2023 “Music Sunday” Jonathan Colby, Director of Music |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| March 5, 2023 “A Ship in the Harbor” Rev. Erica Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| February 26, 2023 “A Saving Faith” Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| February 19, 2023 “Divine Justice” Rev. TJ FitzGerald, Guest Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| February 12, 2023 “Partners in Democracy” (Shinn Service) Dr. Danielle Allen, Guest Speaker |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| February 5, 2023 “In Our Own Backyard” Rev. Erica Richmond, Parish Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| January 29, 2023 “The People Speak of Faith” (Credo Service) Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| January 22, 2023 “The Faith of Stephen Colbert” Rev. Marta Morris Flanagan, Lead Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
| January 15, 2023 “Racial Integration – Missed Opportunity or Hopeful Possibility” Rev. Marc Fredette, Guest Minister |
Video | Audio (mp3) |
*Because of the visuals referenced in the episode “Jesus Who?”, watching the video of the sermon is recommended.
Play the video below while you listen to “Annunciations Aplenty” to view sermon visuals. If you would like to jump right to the visuals, skip to 22 minutes in to this video.