A Salute to the Sun
by Rev. Rob Eller-Isaacs Unitarian Universalist children of my generation were taught that it was the Pharaoh Akhenaten who first “unified the Godhead,” by insisting that everyone worship Amun Ra, […]
New Search
If you are not happy with the results below please do another search
463 search results for:
An Infinite Expectation of the Dawn
/in Sermons/by Phyllis SchmittBy Rev. Karen Hering
Easter’s celebration of resurrected hope and new life invites us all to consider how hope rises in the midst of loss and despair. “We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake,” wrote Thoreau, “not by mechanical aids but by an infinite expectation of the dawn.” What habits, spiritual practices and bonds of community will nurture our “infinite expectation of the dawn”? How do we keep our hearts awakened to the dawning of the morning star? Wear your Easter hat or bonnet to continue the tradition started last year.
Rev. Karen Hering serves as consulting literary minister at Unity Church-Unitarian in St. Paul, Minnesota. She is author of Writing to Wake the Soul: Opening the Sacred Conversation Within and leads guided writing sessions and retreats in congregations and other community settings in the Midwest and beyond. She grew up in Appleton and is a graduate of Appleton East. www.karenhering.com
It Is What It Is
/in Sermons/by Phyllis Schmittby Rev. Dr. Wayne Arnason
There’s a politician I know who uses this line a lot, especially when he’s advocating an unpopular program, like a new tax increase. Most of us would prefer to live our lives unencumbered by limitations imposed by government, money, or time. Political conservatives call that “freedom.” This week let’s explore how “liberation” is different from “freedom” when it consists of accepting the limits of things as they are.
To Tell the Truth
/in Sermons/by Phyllis Schmittby Rev. Kathleen C. Rolenz
Telling the truth can be liberating – or it can be paralyzing! Politicians are both rewarded or reviled for “telling it like it is,” marriages and relationships can be strengthened or damaged– all by that simple act of truth telling. This week we’ll explore both the liberation and the responsibilities that come with naming what you see, think or feel.
A Generous Universe?
/in Sermons/by Phyllis SchmittRev. Don Southworth
Is the universe a place of generosity or scarcity? How about our own lives? As we celebrate the blast off of the 2016-17 Fellowship stewardship drive we will reflect on generosity, abundance and how we can create a universe and a Fellowship of our dreams.
The Rev. Don Southworth is the founding Executive Director of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association. Prior to this role, he spent ten years in parish ministry in San Francisco, Atlanta and Durham after a twenty-year career in corporate America. He has led workshops on stewardship and congregational growth around the world and returns to the Fox Valley for his fourth visit. He is a California native and it is only because of his fondness and love for the Fellowship that he ventures into the frigid tundra of the north!
Our Hearts’ Desire: A Service of Congregational Response
/in Sermons/by Phyllis Schmittby Rev. Kathleen Rolenz, Rev. Dr. Wayne Arnason, and Rev. Leah Hart-Landsberg Who are we now? What do we want to become? What is our Heart’s Desire for our Fellowship? Half […]
The Missing Peace
/in Sermons/by Phyllis Schmittby Rev. Dr. Wayne Arnason
On the cultural holiday when loving relationships are celebrated, single people can feel left out. Whether you are partnered or single, all of us will ultimately lose those we love the most, so it makes a difference now how we think and feel about what our most intimate loving relationships really mean in our lives. Are they the “missing piece” that completes us, or are we “missing peace” by expecting that won’t can’t be whole within ourselves?
Desire from All Sides
/in Sermons/by Phyllis Schmittby Rev. Jim Foti
Throughout our lives, we humans are instructed to manage, ignore, and stifle our desires. At the same time, equally loud messages tell us to listen to, follow, and fulfill our desires. As E.B. White would say, “This makes it hard to plan the day.” Desire can be dangerous, powerful, life-giving — what are loving, thinking people to do? Where might we turn?
Rev. Jim Foti serves as the Assistant Minister at the First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis, where his portfolio includes pastoral care and adult learning. Jim received his master of divinity degree in 2013 from Meadville Lombard Theological School, a UU seminary in Chicago, and was ordained in 2015. Jim is a Milwaukee-area native and earned his undergraduate degree from UW-Madison. Before going into ministry, he had a 20-year career as a newspaper journalist. Jim lives in Minneapolis with his partner of 10 years, Ralph.
Sandpaper People
/in Sermons/by Phyllis Schmittby Rev. Leah Hart-Landsberg
Some people just seem to rub us raw, maybe for an obvious reason or perhaps due to no discernible cause. What’s the best way to handle those to whom we seem to have instinctive resistance? Do we simply grit our teeth and try to survive them or is engagement possible? We might even find that difficult folks, sometimes known as sandpaper people, can be meaningful spiritual teachers.
Resistance to Reality: On Not Being Able to Control Change
/in Sermons/by Phyllis Schmittby Rev. Mark Belletini
The Greek philosopher Heraklitus suggested that change is really the only permanent thing our lives and in reality as a whole. Other teachers, including Gautama Buddha and Jesus of Galilee, also proclaimed this as a central message. Grief, moves, losses, and aging have made change central to my life, so I want to unpack what this has meant for me.
Street & Mailing Address:
General Contact:
920.731.0849
