Unity Church-unitarian's Sermon Podcasts

College education, money, sound body and mind, heterosexual, male, physically attractive, white skin, English speaking, socially skilled…do these characteristics separate us from beloved community and contribute to our collective suffering or bring us together in a spirit of love that is healing and liberating? Worship and reflect on how sins of privilege can be transformed and blaze a path toward freedom and justice for all.

Kabir says, Go over and over your beads, paint designs on your forehead, wear your hair matted, long and ostentatious. When deep inside you there is a loaded gun, how can you have God?" We live at the intersection of spiritual development and right action in the world. Urgency is understandable but so often its also an indication that we’re hiding behind the troubles of the world as a way to avoid confronting our own troubles. We run from church to church or from crisis to crisis hoping against hope to find an all-consuming cause. Such behavior can perpetuate the very injustice its intended to combat. Rob and Worship Associate, Craig Allen will begin our series on "Identity and Violence."

Evil prospers and wrongdoing asserts itself; loved ones disappoint us and fall short. Even our own dreams die and our courage often fails us. In the face of this often cruel reality, how dare we lay claim to hope? Rev. McNatt invites us, and our faith, to endure. This Celebration Sunday join us as we renew our financial commitments to our church community.

As part of our series on faith, Janne and Worship Associate Karen Palmen will examine where we look for validation of our faith. Do we look inward for our own sense of truth or do we look to outside sources? Or is it ever that clearly delineated? Emerson’s essay on self reliance will be a primary source for this service.

What does faithful living look like? What does faithful living feel like? It must have to do with living aligned to our values. What questions should we be asking ourselves? How can we most usefully serve one another in living faith-filled lives? Rob, Janne and worship associate, Estelle Brouwer will each offer reflections on these essential questions.

What is the role of faith in a noncreedal religion that is so attractive to skeptics? In what ways is faith different than belief? Janne and worship associate Don Brunnquell will examine the role of faith in today’s world.

In Jewish tradition the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are called "the Days of Awe." That awe is inspired by the sure knowledge that you and I can move beyond our brokenness, beyond our dissolution and begin again. Each year we celebrate the Jewish High Holy Days in a service, which culminates with a "Litany for Atonement." Rob Eller-Isaacs will offer a sermon on faith. Jean Olson will serve as worship associate.

First lines explores the importance of beginnings and what it means to have a beginner’s mind.

Is it possible that starting a backyard flock of three chickens could be a meaningful response to the human crisis of inequity in food production and distribution? What does producing our own food at the really local level reveal to us about the relationship between feeding our communities and nourishing our souls? And what are you supposed to do when one of your hens begins to crow? Kerri Meyer reflects on the growing trend of keeping chickens and the ‘inexpressible satisfaction’ that comes from more than just fresh eggs.

We in America are immersed in a culture of violence, and in general we don’t even notice. Our news, our entertainment, and our societal norms lead us to accept horrific violent acts as normal, acceptable, business-as-usual. As Unitarians, as people seeking to lead a religious life, should we be concerned? What response can we offer?

In religion and spirituality, a pilgrimage is a long journey or search of great moral significance. It may also be a journey to a sacred place or shrine of importance to a person’s beliefs and faith. Lyn Burton will share joys, hardships and insights from her seven-year journey of faith as a Unity Church sponsored candidate for UU parish ministry on the path to Preliminary Fellowship in the UU Minister’s Association.

For many people, working in corporate America seems both necessary and unavoidably numbing. Is workplace spirituality really an oxymoron? Must it be so? Come for some observations about the alleged conflict between work life and personal essence based on Craig’s 15 years working for large Minnesota businesses.

In a world in which money and success are intimately tied with time and efficiency it is difficult to stop and reflect on and appreciate our actions as well as the way in which society and nature act upon us. Based on Thich Nhat Hanh’s book "Peace is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life," we will explore simple ways to incorporate mindfulness into our busy lives in order to create a more peaceful and meaningful existence.

Oh Say Can You See, By the Dawn’s Early Light? — Tom Esch It is time to really put our imaginations to use. Fewer people can doubt that we are near or at a point of crisis on many levels as a planet and as a species. Is it time for all of us to begin to see new things in new ways? Where do we as a UU movement find our vision and inspiration in times of desperation?

The Eldercare Journey - by Rev. Ann Romanczuk Many of us in this congregation are caring for, or anticipating caring for, our aging parents. Author Mary Pipher writes of this process: "if we embark freely and willingly on this voyage of discovery, we may find joy, empathy, understanding, and intimacy. We expand our definitions of what it means to be human. We grow our own souls in the garden of time." Rev. Ann Romanczuk will explore this difficult and potentially rewarding passage.

  During the month of May, our ministers Rob and Janne Eller-Isaacs made their way along the Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage trail that culminates at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compestella. They return to Unity Church to tell us why they chose to go beyond Santiago and to end their pilgrimage at the sea. In this 4 part sermon, Rob and Janne reflect on their sabbatical, on making a pilgrimage, and on the importance of "taking time" to truly reconnect with ourselves and our deepest callings.

The Joy of Ripeness Justin Schroeder Life is full of beginnings and endings. Yet, there is that magical moment, that space someplace between the beginning and the ending, where a fullness and perfect readiness is reached. It is as if we have been preparing our whole lives for this moment, this moment that can come again and again in our lifetime. It is a moment of joy, a moment of perfect ripeness - filled with sweet nectar, ready to burst forth.

The Journey We're Ready For by Teresa Schwartz We make our paths by walking them, step by step. If our lives are a journey, are we ever truly ready? How would we know? What is the role of faith as we step into the unknown, especially as Unitarian Universalists? As we reach the close of our church year, we"ll reflect on the paths we�ve made together, and what lies ahead as we move into the ripe season of summer and the ripe season of ourselves.