GOOD GRIEF: A Poetics of Lament, A Practice of Liberation

Today’s Topic:

The shortest verse in the English Bible—”Jesus wept”—may also be one of its most profound poems. In those two words, we encounter a God who does not stand apart from grief but enters it fully, revealing that mourning is not the absence of faith but a sacred response to love, loss, and longing. This service explores how the poetry of grief—from the tears of Jesus to the laments of Scripture—can teach us not only how to survive what has been broken, but how to imagine and practice liberation in the midst of it.

Dr. Monique Liston
What evidence have you seen of you liberating yourself liberating others? monique liston is a serial community starter. She is the founder, chief strategist and joyful militant at UBUNTU Research and Evaluation where she leads a team of insightful, committed and socially conscious Black strategists who want to make the world a place where Black aliveness is protected. She asks that you send her recommendations of bookstores, restaurants, and beaches to help her find joy while surviving the end of a white supremacist heterocolonial queerphobic world.

Worship Team:

Dr. Monique Liston (she/her)
Tristan Strelitzer, Choral Director
Tom Hester, Worship Associate

Livestream at 10:00 am:

Join us for the complete service live on our YouTube site at 10:00 am. Find a recording of the service at our YouTube site anytime after 9:00 am.

Social Hour:  Join us for coffee or tea in the Leenhouts Common Room after service to meet friends, old and new.

We offer faith formation for children of all ages on Sundays. To learn more, please see our Faith Formation Web Pages and sign up to receive our FF Weekly Update.

Parking: Our church has no parking lot. Lincoln School for the Arts lot:  The entrance is located 1 short block west of First Church, on Marshall, just south of Ogden.  Jewish Family Services lot: JFS welcomes us to use their parking lot on Sundays. It is located 3 blocks west of the church, on Van Buren near Knapp St. We also rely on street parking in our neighborhood. Here is a map with details.

First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee is a progressive church for spiritual community, social justice, and intellectual freedom. Visitors to First Church are always welcome!