James Witker, guest speaker; John Hart, worship associate. One of America’s most famous skeptics and satirists, Mark Twain’s commentaries on religion are humorous and razor sharp. In his time he befriended a number of Unitarians, his sensibilities often overlapping with their tradition of critical thought and social reform, and he remains well-loved in UU spaces. Today, many of Twain’s critiques apply to a world we find still beset by false piety, as well as greed and war. But there is also something deeper than cynicism in Twain’s writing, and in the odyssey of his most famous protagonist, that challenges skeptics and seekers alike, and resonates with the prophetic spirit of liberal religion. Join us in-person or online.

Rabbi Shira Freidlin, guest speaker; Rebecca Haggerty, worship associate. Come join Rabbi Shira Freidlin from the Santa Monica Synagogue as she shares with us the Jewish practice of chanting nigunim. A nigun is a wordless melody that is traditionally repeated over and over again in a desire to bring us into closer connection with our inner selves, each other, and the Divine. Please come with an open heart and a willingness to sing! Join us in-person or online.