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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.**

January 25, 2004 - 4:00pm
Opening Doors
The Rev. Forrest Gilmore, guest speaker

Some years ago, a little girl came to my home to sell me a bar of chocolate. The encounter became one of the more transformative of my life. Olympia Brown, the first woman sanctioned as a minister by an American denomination, delivered her last sermon only weeks after women had won the right to vote. These two events speak to me of the profound power of this beautiful Unitarian Universalist faith of ours! The speaker is the Associate Minister for Lifespan Religious Programming at the UU Church of the Monterey Peninsula. Music Betsy Bogart, voice, guitar, piano

January 18, 2004 - 4:00pm
Martin Luther King, Jr. Observance
The Rev. Judith Meyer, speaker

Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Baptist minister and a man of great faith. Yet he wrote in his Letter from Birmingham Jail that he was deeply disappointed in the Christian church for failing to provide moral leadership in the struggle for racial and economic justice. What can we Unitarian Universalists learn from his faith and his disappointment? Music Jennifer Jurick, soprano
January 11, 2004 - 4:00pm
The Pastoral Imperative
The Rev. Stefanie Etzbach-Dale, speaker

Reality, together with our social gospel history, underscores the ongoing need for prophetic action in this world. However, the external and internal pressure to act in particular ways can often undermine the essential nature of tending the inner garden. This service explores pastoral aspects of prophetic action, while seeking to affirm both. Music Jonathan Davis, oboe

January 4, 2004 - 4:00pm
We Gather Together
The Rev. Judith Meyer, speaker

What happens when we gather together for Sunday morning services? What role can worship play in spiritual growth and community-building and what can each of us do to make the experience meaningful? A community dialogue with Judith Meyer on this topic will be held Wednesday, January 7 from 7-830 p.m. in Room 4. Music Louis Durra, jazz piano
December 28, 2003 - 4:00pm
Truth and the Good Life
The Rev. Stefanie Etzbach-Dale, speaker

Reality is complex! Truth is complex! Searching for greater parts of it CAN be disconcerting AND uncomfortable, but this is precisely what puts an ethical spin on what it MEANS to live . . . the Good Life. Music Julie Millet, soprano

December 24, 2003 - 4:00pm
Christmas Eve Services

6 p.m. Family Vespers Service
A service of carols, music and stories especially for children and their families.

8 p.m. Candle Lighting Vespers Service
A quiet service of reflection and music concluding with a candle lighting ceremony.

December 21, 2003 - 4:00pm
Year After Year
The Rev. Judith Meyer, speaker

Times may change, but the affirmations of the holiday season do not. Hanukkah and the Winter Solstice arrive this weekend. We will celebrate what they mean to us as Unitarian Universalists. Music Victor Lawrence, cello
December 14, 2003 - 4:00pm
Three Miraculous Births

This year we celebrate our annual Winter Holiday Pageant with a twist by re-living the birth stories of three of the world’s greatest teachers. This is an intergenerational service, and be forewarned: there may be a part for YOU to play. (Who wants to be the elephant?) So, friends, what do you get when you cross Buddha, Confucius and Jesus with a chorus of Friendly Beasts? Here’s a hint: it’s something you won’t want to miss. Join us in celebrating the spirit of the season.

Music: Sara Parkins, violin

December 7, 2003 - 4:00pm
In Search of Wisdom
The Rev. Judith Meyer, speaker

Wisdom is an ancient concept, valued by all the religions of the world. Its relevance is always timely. We'll explore what it means to be wise and how our faith helps us in the search for wisdom. Music Sara Andon, flute
November 30, 2003 - 4:00pm
Community Not a Neat Street
The Rev. Stefanie Etzbach-Dale, speaker

We are encouraged by the world's religious traditions to live out our lives in community — and yet it is sometimes hard to reconcile group vision and individual vision. Living authentically doesn't require isolation, nor does living in a community mean we have to give up our individuality. This service honors the complexity of our individual and shared dreams, and explores covenant groups as a way in which our lives may become a fuller expression of our dreams. Music David Ellis, guitarist