Spiritflix (Page 2)

Spiritflix (Page 2)

Angels and Saints: Eros and Awe

In today’s message, lay preacher Rodney Whittenberg shares clips from a movie he produced called Angels and Saints. It focuses on how people square their religious lives with their sexual identities.

But I’m a Cheerleader

Ministerial Intern, Beth Monhollen, introduces Pride Month by speaking about one of her favorite cult films: But I’m a Cheerleader. In this film about queer characters at a “reprogramming” camp, Beth explores how society has treated LGBTQIA+ people throughout history.

Us Kids

In the wake of the tragic events in Uvalde, Texas, Rev. Lee opens our annual SpiritFlix series with the movie “Us Kids.” This film follows some of the survivors of the Marjorie Stoneman Douglass school shooting, as they turn to activism.

Happy

Chris begins this week’s service by talking about the nature of happiness. He highlights the Kurt Vonnegut quote “If this isn’t nice, what is?” He also brings up the concept of tragic optimism, which means being clear-eyed about a situation, while remaining hopeful. He concludes with The Five Remembrances of Buddhism. He goes through each and explains how – even though some of them might seem gloomy on the surface – they can hold the key to happiness. Happy [00:00:00]…

Minari

This week, Rev. Ken begins by talking about he voices of loved ones on answering machines. Minari is a movie about a Korean family’s move to rural Arkansas during the 80s, and Rev. Ken remarks on how poignant it was to watch this movie during the pandemic, when hatred against people of asian descent is still continuing. Ultimately, this is a movie about connective love in the midst of discouraging circumstances. Also shared is a Twitter thread that went viral,…

The White Lotus

Rev. Lee begins with speaking about last week’s in-person service. She also speaks to the times we’re living in right now: parents deciding what to do about school, and all of us watching the scenes in Afghanistan unfold. In talking about this week’s series, The White Lotus, she remarks upon the different ways in which we try to escape. Sometimes they’re healthy and sometimes they’re unhealthy – but all are temporary. She asks us to consider how we react when…

Avatar: The Last Airbender

This week, Carol Breslin, our YouthSpirit Director talks about the themes and meanings in the much-loved Nickelodeon series, Avatar: the Last Airbender. Miss Carol and the YouthSpirit kids have been watching this series together throughout the summer, and linking the 7 UU Principles to lessons learned in each episode. Avatar: the Last Airbender START OF TRANSCRIPT[00:00:00] Speaker1The following is a message from Wellspring’s congregation.[00:00:06] Speaker2Some of you may have seen this viral post from just this week, that’s real life…

The Wizard of Oz

Lee revisits one of the classics this week by talking about The Wizard of Oz. At its heart, this is a story about a girl who experiences trauma (literal head trauma, in her case) and spends much of the rest of the story trying to determine when and how things will feel safe again. This is very much what we’ve experienced in the pandemic. She also talks about the meaning of the Arabic word “Inshallah” and shares a poem contemplating…

Grease

Rodney talks about the first time he saw the movie Grease on vacation with a friend when he was 14. He mentions that when we are on vacation, we’re almost like different people. We go outside of our comfort zone, and we’re more present and mindful in our day to day because everything is new. Grease is a movie about a romance that began on a vacation. While some parts of the movie may seem silly, especially now, at its…