Below is a list of past sermons given at The Fellowship. Once you find the sermon you’d like to listen to, just click on the sermon title listed, and it will open that sermon in a page with the options to listen to it via the web, to download the MP3 for listening offline, or to open the transcript of the sermon to read.
by Rev. Kathleen Rolenz
In ancient times, “hearing voices” was a sure sign of being chosen as a prophet. In contemporary times, it may indicate a mental health crisis. Yet, each one of us has a private soundtrack in our heads; a chorus of voices who, for better or worse, shape who we are and the decision we make. Which voices should we listen to and which ones should we ignore?
by Rev. Kathleen Rolenz
One of the greatest gifts we can give our children, our families and ourselves is the gift of being fully present for each moment of life. Why then is that the gift we find difficult to give? What’s so important about the next moment that we can’t live fully and completely in this one?
by Rev. Kathleen Rolenz
Thomas Jefferson famous excised any mention of “miracles” from the Bible. Ralph Waldo Emerson rejected the notion of miracles apart from human agency. Yet, about 80% of Americans believe in miracles. How does science-minded Unitarian Universalism understand miracles and where, at the beginning of the holiday season, might we find them today?
by Rev. Hope Engeseth
with Marla Mischler, Worship Leader
Reflections of a life’s journey of learning lessons from Nigerian poet and novelist Ben Okri when he wrote, “There are things that burn us now which turn golden when I am happy. Do you see the mystery of our pain?”
by Rev. Kathleen C. Rolenz with John Newhall
In 2011, I found myself in one of the actual “cathedrals of the world,” a metaphor that Forrest Church has used in his books to describe our Universalist theology. Universalism believes there are many windows that reveal one light. I felt so alive in that sacred space and then I walked out the door into the city that surrounded it.
A sermon by the Rev. Dottie Mathews at the ordination service for Jim Coakley.
by Rev. Kathleen C. Rolenz
It’s just two days before a historic election when Americans are given a choice to vote for a candidate that best represents their values. It feels as if the country has never been more divided by issues of race, class, citizenship and what it means to be an American. While enduring the rhetoric around this election season has been painful, it has also brought into sharp relief the values of a nation that are worth voting for. No coincidentally, the theme for this month is “Tell me a story about a time when you felt most alive.” Certainly the month of November will be such a time!
by Rev. Leah Hart-Landsberg
The relationships we have with friends can be among our most formative life experiences, yet friendship itself can go remarkably unremarked upon. Our friendships deserve appreciation and celebration but that doesn’t always mean they are easy. We’ll recognize how hard and scary it can be when they go awry and hear a story about the complex friendship of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass. This service is designed for those of all ages who have friends or have longed for them; who have ever had to part ways with a friend or are themselves a friend to someone else.
by Rev. Keith Kron, UUA Transitions Director
Living our Unitarian Universalist values isn’t always as easy as we would like it to be. Often what we strive for is not what actually happens. How can we improve the odds that we will lead with our best values inside and outside our congregation? This sermon will explore these issues as they pertain to your next minister.
Reading: The Possum from the book The Van Gogh Cafe by Cynthia Rylant
by Rev. Kathleen Rolenz
There are some words we never say, but wish we had. There are some words that we’ve heard that we hope to never hear again. Whether in our daily and/or religious life, what are words that we can freely use, words that require explanation, and words that we never want to hear spoken in the Fellowship?
