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Sermons

This is a full list of sermons presented at UUCCSM since mid-1999. Links to sermon texts are included when made available by their authors. Audio recordings are also available for most sermons presented after September, 2007 by our staff ministers and others directly affiliated with our church (just click the speaker icon next to each sermon where it's available*). Audio from guest speakers is posted only when we have their permission to share it.

Hard copies of sermons by Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae are available in the church office. Contact office assistant Sibylla Nash at office@uusm.org if you have a request.

"Leaving Room for Hope: Sermons for Uncertain Times," a book of Minister Emerita Judith Meyer's sermons, is available here.

**Please Note: Video recordings are available for sermons with a small TV icon showing at the bottom of the sermon listing. Just click the icon to watch the service.**

Courage in Both Life and Death
The Rev. Judith Meyer, speaker

Norbert Capek, founder of the Unitarian church of Prague, Czechoslovakia, was an inspiring leader, a prolific writer, and a spiritual role model. He died in Dachau, where he was imprisoned by the Nazi Gestapo, in 1942. On this Passover/Palm Sunday, we will learn his story. Music Nevenka Women's Chorus
Life Is an Odyssey
The Rev. Judith Meyer, speaker

Learning to tell the story of our lives is a healing and spiritual practice. Not only do we understand ourselves that way, but we discover the larger patterns and meanings in life. You are invited to a community dialogue on this sermon topic Wednesday, March 31, from 7 to 830 p.m. in Forbes Hall. Music Sara Andon, flute
True Peace Is Always Possible
The Rev. Judith Meyer, speaker

Zen Buddhist monk and teacher Thich Nhat Hanh begins his latest book with the words True peace is always possible. We'll explore his contribution to the philosophy of nonviolence and its potential in today's world. Music Christine Mourad, singer/songwriter
Taking Fun Seriously
The Rev. Judith Meyer, speaker

We don't take fun seriously enough, said designers Ray and Charles Eames. These words are inscribed on the wall of the Eames office on Main Street, where their work is displayed. Whenever I see that quotation, I find myself thinking about it for a long time afterward. Today I'll tell you what it means to me. Music Angela Meade, soprano
Golfing with Monkeys
The Rev. Scott Alexander, guest speaker

Scott writes, Despite overwhelming everyday evidence to the contrary, most Americans seem to persist in believing that life will routinely be predictable and fair. How this notion of life's basic reasonableness survives in the chaotic world we live in is a mystery to me. The spiritual secret to successfully getting through life as it actually comes to us lies in our ability to keep our hearts supple before life's unexpected and unwelcome surprises. Knowing how to golf with monkeys also helps! Yes, there is a story, but you're going to have to come to church to hear it. Scott Alexander is senior minister of River Road Unitarian Church in Bethesda, Maryland. Music: Victor Lawrence, cello

Save the Males
The Rev. Tom Owen-Towle, guest speaker

It is my firm conviction, writes Tom Owen-Towle, that the inner life of most adult males is sorely impoverished...and that changing men changes the world. This service supports the soulful and prophetic growth of men, to the benefit of all. Come hear some amazing stories of male transformation. Tom Owen-Towle has been a parish minister since 1967, currently serving the Palomar UU Fellowship in northern San Diego as its interim minister. He is the author of 16 books, some of which will be available for purchase on Sunday, including his latest, Save the Males. He will be with us for the entire weekend, offering a workshop, Updating My Relationship with God, on Saturday, February 28.

Six Perfect Minutes
The Rev. Dr. Frederick S.Wooden, guest speaker

Our pulpit guest writes, Much as May Sarton says that happiness is not a continuous state but a collection of moments, spiritual living is not a state of being but a readiness to be spiritual when the time is ripe. Sometimes it can last a long time, even six minutes. Fred Wooden is the senior minister of the First Unitarian Congregational Society in Brooklyn, NY.

Who Says 'I Do'?
The Rev. Judith Meyer, speaker

What is marriage? There are many answers to this question. They all affirm the right to marriage for all people. Following the second service, and after lunch in Forbes Hall, Interweave will host a panel discussion, The Politics of Same-Sex Marriage, at 1230 p.m. in the sanctuary.
To Awaken, to Excite, to Cherish
The Rev. Judith Meyer, speaker

The great end in religious instruction, wrote William Ellery Channing, is to awaken the soul, to excite and cherish spiritual life. Our service today celebrates our religious education tradition and includes a ceremony of installation of Catherine Farmer, our Director of Religious Education. Please join us and stay for the gala reception for Catherine after each service.
What Part of No
The Rev. Judith Meyer, speaker

No is a powerful and sometimes necessary statement. But yes is what leads to growth. We'll look at the role of the negative and the positive in religious life.