Unity Church-unitarian's Sermon Podcasts

This podcast begins a reflection by Worship Associate Dick Buggs, continues with excertps from Unity's All Our Fullness project, and concludes with a homily from Rev. Oscar. Unity’s annual Flower Ceremony was developed over a century ago by Unitarians in Prague, who created a ritual to affirm the beauty and diversity of community in a time of rising authoritarianism and fear. At Unity Church, we aspire to know each other "in all our fullness," seeing the beauty and complexity of each individual and our community. 

This podcast begins with a reflection offered by worship associate Veronica Nordeng DeVillez. The sermon is delivered by Rev. Lara Cowtan. The promotion of gender equality was woven into the fabric of the United Nations from its beginning in 1946 with the establishment of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). The CSW is instrumental in promoting women’s and girls' rights, documenting the reality of their lives throughout the world, and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. How are we doing, as a society, as a community, as individuals, as we try to live into the values and future our foremothers dreamed of?​

Arthur Foote Music Sunday will include selections by Francisco Guerrero, Osvaldo Golijov, Ernani Aguiar, Johann Sebastian Bach, Craig Hella Johnson, Abbie Betinis, and Alysia Lee. To hear the music please visit our YouTube channel. This podcast is the reflection offered by worship associate Lorelee Wederstrom. 

This sermon podcast begins with a reflection by Nelson Moroukian, Unity's Religious Education Program Assistant, and excerpts of the credos of Unity's Coming of Age class of 2025 read by Coming of Age Facilitators Claire Cooke, Stu Alger, and Kelley Loughrey. The sermon is delivered by Rev. KP Hong, Minister of Faith Formation. Coming of Age Sunday celebrates the signature yearlong journey of our ninth grade youth, transitioning from the inherited faith of childhood to the adult journey of faith, and marked by youth sharing their statement of faith or credo. 

This sermon podcast begins with A Story for All Ages by Rev. KP Hong, continues with a reflection offered by worship associate Ari Giles, and ends with a sermon by Rev. Dr. Oscar Sinclair. Wendell Berry writes: Expect the end of the world. Laugh. Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful though you have considered all the facts… practice resurrection. On Easter Sunday, how do we practice joy, not despite but in the midst of heartbreak?    

This sermon podcast begins with a reflection offered by worship associate Charlie Caswell. Unitarian Universalist ministry is "called out from among" the membership of our congregations. Our tradition celebrates shared ministry, and we recognize and commission a whole range of ministries, from newly installed ministers to groups of volunteers doing the work of the church every day. This Sunday we join in a celebration of that shared ministry.

This week's sermon podcast begins with a reflection from worship associate Betsy Hearn, which is followed by a guided meditation led by Rev. Oscar. Grounding ourselves in embodied spiritual practices in order to find our balance, heal and engage with the world has long been a role of religious community. Once central to Christian self-understanding and spiritual expression, our bodies have been relegated to an inferior position relative to intellect and reason. What is a spirituality of embodiment? What reflections in theological anthropology might explain the absence of the body in modernity and a lot of Western Christianity? Moving forward, what practices can we adopt that help foster embodied activities as tools for spiritual formation and spiritual practices?

This sermon podcast begins with a reflection by worship associate Anna Newton. Courage, to Aristotle, is a virtue located between two vices: cowardice and recklessness. In times that call for great courage, but also great discernment, how do we chart a course between obstacles, and in doing so live courageously?

This sermon podcast begins with a reflection from worship associate Chris Russert. On the precipice of World War II, a time when most Americans were turning a blind eye to the growing social injustice and totalitarian threat in Europe, the Unitarian Universalist Association — alerted to the dire situation by their fellow congregation in Prague — was committed to saving as many people as possible. The story of Unitarian Universalists Rev. Waitstill and Martha Sharp is one that bears retelling today, to explore what message the past has for our future.

This podcast includes a reflection offered by worship associate Sara Ford. If you would like to listen to the musical piece by Elizabeth Alexander that Rev. Oscar refers to at the beginning, please visit our  YouTube channel. dJohn Lewis and the other leaders of the American Civil Rights movement were clear about the relationship between power, relationship, and organized action. In the midst of storms, we reach for each other’s hands. ​

In his landmark "Rules for Radicals," Saul Alinsky cautions organizers to practice the skills of being heard. “Lacking communication,” he writes, “I am in reality silent; throughout history silence has been regarded as assent — in this case assent to the system.” Organizing, like any spiritual practice, is a discipline with tools and methods developed over time. What lessons do those tools hold for this moment? ​​

For years, Unity Church has joined with other congregations around the Twin Cities and the world is proclaiming the dignity of each person, and the need for fair and affordable housing in our community. Housing is an issue that lives at the intersection of the individual and collective: what makes a house a home is deeply personal, but we all have a stake in creating a community of homes. 

This sermon podcast begins with a Story for All Ages by Rev. KP Hong. The word in Hebrew for truth, emeth, is related to the verb amam: to support and make firm. Emeth is inherently relational; we depend on each other for support, and to understand the world. Can we understand truth in isolation, or are we dependent on each other?

This podcast begins with a reflection from worship associate Meg Arnosti. Indigenous communities around the world were gravely impacted by The Doctrine of Discovery, a pronouncement by the Catholic Church and the policies of colonial domination by European countries that were used to justify dominion over lands that were not inhabited by Christians, and the right to subjugate and exploit non-Christian people. What is our role, as Unitarian Universalists, in furthering the process towards healing and repair? Towards Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery?

This podcast begins with a reflection by worship associate Charlie Caswell. Truth is not simply a dry recitation of facts. The Greek word for truth, aletheia, suggests an unveiling; it was used to describe a curtain coming up at a play, revealing the truth of the story. What truths are revealed to us today? 

This sermon podcast begins with a reflection offered by worship associate Anna Newton. The first generation of Unitarians in America preached that reason was the primary tool for understanding the truth of the world around us. Veritas, the Latin word for truth, gives us “verifiability,” the idea that truth is a description of external reality that can be understood by observation and experimentation. What role does this understanding of truth hold for us in 2025? 

The questions answered in this sermon were posed by the congregation at the beginning of the service. Music and ministry both exist in the relationship between structure and improvisation. This Sunday we will consider both, in an extemporaneous reflection from piano and pulpit.

Founded in 1940, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) has served as a beacon of liberal religion in the world, and the possibilities that exist when we connect faith with action. On the day before the 2025 United States presidential inauguration, we will hear from Rev. Mary Katherine Morn, president of UUSC, about the work of the committee and the possibilities of this moment.

This sermon podcast begins with a reflection offered by worship associate Chris Russert "Look well to the growing edge! All around us worlds are dying and new worlds are being born; all around us life is dying and life is being born." — Howard Thurman  Often this phrase is used to explain a painful moment or failure, an uninvited or unwelcome “opportunity for growth.” Yet, it is from these places of challenge that we do, indeed, emerge and develop, whether as planned or, more often, with an unexpected or creative outcome. We grow from places of strength, of hope and resilience, that once were edges themselves. Let us look to these edges together, that we may commit to a generative practice of being transformed.

Join us for Unity Church’s annual service of remembrance for the members of our community who have passed away in the last year. This sermon podcast begins with eulogies offered by Rev. Lara Cowtan and Rev. Oscar Sinclair.