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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.**

October 15, 2000 - 5:00pm
Make No Little Plans
The Rev. Judith Meyer

(Celebration Sunday) This is the Sunday we set aside to celebrate who we are and what we may become as a church community. We will revisit our vision and renew our commitment to the future. The adult and children?s choirs will take part in both services, after which all friends and members will enjoy a festive brunch.
October 8, 2000 - 5:00pm
No Future Without Forgiveness
The Rev. Judith Meyer

(Yom Kippur Observance) There is "no future without forgiveness," Archbishop Desmond Tutu has written in his most recent work about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa. This truth applies not only to nations seeking to heal from turbulence and injustice, but also to all of us as we attempt to maintain relationships and community through the ups and downs of daily life.
October 1, 2000 - 5:00pm
The Culture of Peace
The Rev. Judith Meyer

(United Nations Sunday) We observe the "International Year for the Culture of Peace," the United Nations theme for the year, with a look at the peace movements that have shaped our culture, our hope of peace, our sense of justice, and our image of spirituality. From Gandhi to King to the Woodstock Nation, the peace movement is a diverse tradition from which we still have much to learn.
September 24, 2000 - 5:00pm
What Do We Still Believe?
The Rev. Judith Meyer

Many liberal religious thinkers, including noted Episcopal Bishop John Shelby Spong, admit that the biblical concept of God is no longer relevant. Is the only alternative atheism? Or can religious traditions evolve along with our knowledge of the world? Our tradition offers a resolution to these dilemmas.
September 17, 2000 - 5:00pm
What Are We?
The Rev. Judith Meyer

As religious identities blur with the impact of interfaith influences, the task of defining ourselves becomes more difficult. But the challenge is good for our souls.
September 10, 2000 - 5:00pm
Living Our Faith
The Rev. Judith Meyer

Ingathering Sunday (two services at 930 and 1100 a.m.) We observe our fall ingathering with a celebration of our living tradition what does it mean to live by our faith today? We will also dedicate the teachers in our Religious Education program. The choir sings at both services.
September 3, 2000 - 5:00pm
Bearing Witness, Taking Action
Susan Conrad, guest speaker

(one service at 1030 a.m.) What does it mean to strive for social justice within a religious, Unitarian Universalist context? Why do we do this type of work? What do we gain from doing it? This sermon explores the theological roots of peace and social justice efforts within our tradition, and beyond.

August 27, 2000 - 5:00pm
"The Search for Virtue in Religion and Film"
The Rev. Silvio Nardoni

A Summer Sermon Series (One Service at 1030 a.m.)

The guest speaker for the entire month is The Rev. Silvio Nardoni, a member of this congregation. He is a graduate of the University of Redlands, the University of Michigan Law School, and received his Master of Divinity degree from Harvard Divinity School in 1981. He currently practices law in Los Angeles, emphasizing litigation, including elder abuse cases. Mr. Nardoni was the minister at Emerson Unitarian Church in Canoga Park from 1981 to 1985, and he served on the headquarters staff of the Unitarian Universalist Association in the Department of Ministry from 1985 to 1988. He currently serves as a member of the Ministerial Board of Review of the UUA. Currently, he lives in the Silverlake district of Los Angeles, with his wife, Wanda Teays, and an assortment of fur-bearing and feathered creatures (two cats and a bird).

Unitarian Universalism is an "ethical" religion, i.e., the true test of our faith lies in what we do, not profession of certain beliefs. My recent reading in virtue-based ethics informed the selection of these

July 30, 2000 - 5:00pm
Urban Ministry of Los Angeles Sharing Our Vision of Justice
Maggie Pipes, Sally Daynes and Karan Neal, Guest Speakers

(One Service at 1030 a.m.) How do you level the playing field for children in inner-city schools or transform a trash-strewn vacant lot into a flourishing community garden and learning center for adults and children? The Urban Ministry has some answers. The Urban Ministry is housed at the First Unitarian Church, which is located an area greatly affected by the riots of 1992. Come learn about our innovative "Aprendamos" ("Let's Learn") educational enrichment program and the Frances Avenue Community Garden - and find out how you can become a part of this exciting UU outreach in the inner city. Music Rachel Bolinger, Lisa Graham, Singers

July 23, 2000 - 5:00pm
Love Is the Every Only God
The Rev. Paul Sawyer, Guest Speaker

(One Service at 1030 a.m.) Using the poetry of Unitarian Universalists e.e. cummings and William Carlos Williams, we will speak of the centrality of love to the working of the human cosmos and the role of forgiveness. The Rev. Paul Sawyer is Minister at Throop Memorial Church, Pasadena. Music Betsy Bogart, Singer