Messages by Rev. Lee Paczulla (Page 7)
Woven Fine
Rev. Lee begins this week’s message by talking about a new framework for the stages of grief, including an added a sixth stage: “finding meaning.” Of course, that’s a very hard concept to accept, especially if we’re in the early stages of grief. She also talks us through the conundrum of how we can all support each other when we’re all going through the same thing. She shares the “Parable of the long spoons,” where the answer isn’t to feed…
It’s Not You…
Rev. Lee begins this week’s message by mentioning a meme about an imaginary coworker, “Cheryl,” on whom to blame things. She explains that what we’re actually doing in these moments is making space to protect our relationships. There’s a lot of grief right now with the pandemic, and many of us are feeling that if this had never happened, our lives would be different. But when things don’t turn out the way we want, maybe we can make a practice…
Unorthodox
Rev. Lee opens this week’s message with a story about a friend who lost her home in a fire. In those first panicked moments, her friend reached for the things she thought she’d need, only to find out later that what she really needed was never in that house. This week’s Spiritflix series asks us what and who we reach for in a crisis, and shows us how sometimes the things we thought we’d need aren’t what we wind up…
The Farewell
This week, Rev. Lee opens with a story about a man being filmed by a helpful bystander during a traffic stop, and how looking out for one another like this is a new way to show love. Love requires unexpected things from us right now, just like in this week’s Spiritflix movie, The Farewell. She also ponders the nature of truth in a stressful environment. The Farewell om for the answers, maybe a bigger room than we’re used to, a…
13th
This week, Rev. Lee preaches about the Ava Duvernay documentary, “13th.” She begins by talking about her family’s experiences, both spoken and unspoken, which led to her growing up in the suburbs. It’s important to realize that the racist ideas that allowed slavery are still operating in our politics and criminal justice system today, but she reminds us that our actions have power, even if it doesn’t seem to “work” in the moment. 13th [00:00:00]The following is a message from…
The Willoughbys
For this week’s SpiritFlix message, Rev. Lee preaches on the Netflix movie “The Willoughbys.” This movie is about a group of children who are mistreated by their parents, until a person with a higher standard of care shows up in their lives. What if we all held ourselves to a higher standard of care right now? It just might save someone’s life. The Willoughbys [00:00:00]The following is a message from Wellspring’s congregation. Good morning, everybody.[00:00:06]So are you ready for our…
Do The Right Thing
Rev. Lee kicks off our summer SpiritFlix series by talking about the 1989 Spike Lee “Do The Right Thing.” Even though this movie is over 30 years old, it’s incredibly pertinent to the police brutality we’re still seeing today. This film shows us imperfect characters interacting over the course of a single day, and asks us to consider what it means to do the right thing – both in small ways and in larger, society-changing ways. Spiritflix – Do The…
What We Can Save
This week, Rev. Lee continues our Love the Hell Out of This World message series. She opens with a story of a Universalist church making the decision to remain closed during the 1918 flu pandemic. She also shares a story from a inside a hospital in the Bronx, where front-line workers are making a conscious effort to honor the humanity in their patients in the midst of so much fear and uncertainty. There’s power in saving what we love, and…