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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.**

Taking the Rap (Sermon at Camp de Benneville Pines)
Monthly Theme: Vision
Rev. Greg Ward
We've all done things - or have been part of things - that went poorly.  We've all, at times, hurt or disappointed people we respect or admire.  Being able to see - and move - past that is more than a matter of time.  It's not simply 'forgive and forget.'  It's a matter of understanding, accepting, owning and starting again.  This is a service about how Camp taught me about taking the rap and being part of rap groups.
 
Note: No audio recording is available for this service.
Heart and Soul: A Contemplative Worship Service @ 5 p.m. - "What Does it Mean to be a Community of Vision?"
Monthly Theme: Vision
Catie Grasso
Heart and Soul is a contemplative worship service series that occurs on the second Sunday of each month. It is a shorter, more intimate service, with singing, statements, and questions, silence, and sharing. Readings, poems, quotes, and music are drawn from a variety of sources, including the UU Soul Matters Sharing Circle, our hymnals, and popular/folk music.
 
Please note audio is currently unavailable for Heart & Soul services.

 

Y'all Come Back Now, Y'hear?
Monthly Theme: Vision
Rev. Greg Ward

Unitarian Universalist Minister and author, Robert Fulgum, once wrote that "Everything I Know I Learned in Kindergarten". Maybe it's something all ministers eventually recognize, but I now concede that many of the most profound lessons I learned stem from experiences I had when I was a boy. And most everything I learned about how to be a minister, and what a good church is, came from time I spent teaching RE.

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Our Struggle Will Be Our Freedom
Monthly Theme: Vision
Rev. Rae Huang

“Why do people suffer?” has been a question that humans have sked for hundreds of years across all religions. On Labor Day, we will talk about the power that comes when we unite our suffering and struggle. The Rev. Rae Huang is a faith-rooted organizer with Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE) and is an ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church.

And Now We Are Six
Monthly Theme: Play
Rev. Greg Ward

What were you born to do? Who have you come here to be? And have you gone through that becoming? Because some people haven't. Some people never wind up as the person they were meant to be... even if they spend a lifetime wanting that becoming to take hold of them. Some people remain too focused on what it's like to be the prey rather than what it's like to be the prayer. This is a service for those who feel called to something great and who go after it, despite the danger.

Listening is an Act of Love
Monthly Theme: Play
Abby Arnold
When we listen with open hearts, avoiding response or judgment, we can learn more than we imagined. At the same time, we are giving the gift of unconditional love. 
Heart and Soul: A Contemplative Worship Service @ 5 p.m. - "What Does It Mean to be a Community of Belonging?"
Monthly Theme: Belonging
Kathleen Hogue
“True belonging is the spiritual practice of believing in and belonging to yourself so deeply that you can share your most authentic self with the world and find sacredness in both being a part of something and standing alone in the wilderness. True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are.”- Brene Brown  What does it mean to be a community of belonging? When, in your life, have you felt as if you truly belonged? How do you welcome people into your spiritual community?
 
Please note audio is currently unavailable for Heart & Soul services.
Supporting the Hard and Essential Work of Parenting
Monthly Theme: Play
Dorothy Steinicke
Being a parent is probably the most important and one of the most difficult tasks in any society.  How do we nurture and support the parents in our community? 

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Poetry of Mindfulness
Monthly Theme: Play
Rima Snyder
"Mindfulness" is a word we hear a lot these days. It means living in the present, being fully aware and awake to the world. Poems can be expressions of mindfulness, giving us a glimpse into a moment that transforms the familiar into something sacred. They can provide refuge and inspiration when we need a reminder of how to live fully and compassionately. Rima Snyder and Dorothy Steinicke share their reflections on poems from the anthology ""Poems of Presence"" (edited by Phyllis Cole-Dai and Ruby R. Wilson)

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Freedom Through Commitment
Monthly Theme: Freedom
Ian Dodd
Freedom Through Commitment Freedom of choice is great, but TOO much freedom can be paralyzing.  Psychologists have shown that more choices don't lead to more happiness, but less.  But when we set out to create a life of meaning, rather than just the pursuit of happiness, we can find freedom by eliminating the plethora of choices available and commiting ourselves to things greater than ourselves.  In this sermon, we will explore what author Emily Esfahani Smith calls "the 4 Pillars of Meaning."

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