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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.**

Winter Holiday Pageant The Legend of Old Befana

This year we celebrate our annual Winter Holiday Pageant with a twist, celebrating the Christmas story with a retelling of the traditional Italian story of Old Befana, along with some Friendly Beasts and Wise People sprinkled in for good measure, all wrapped up in one (more or less) tidy pageant. This is an intergenerational service, the latest in our annual series of pageants from the pews, so be forewarned there may be a part for YOU to play. Join us in celebrating the spirit of the season.

Lost in His Freedom, Man Pursues the Shadow of His Images
The Rev. James E. Grant

Second in the W.H. Auden series, I will invite your consideration of how our freedom may become license. This is the Sunday nearest the anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Human freedom has sometimes resulted in inhumane license.
To Discover How to Be Human Now is the Reason We Follow This Star
The Rev. James E. Grant

This will be the first of three sermons based on W. H. Auden's Christmas Oratorio, For the Time Being. Auden's poetic license includes placing in juxtaposition the ancient story with contemporary life. One promise of the Hanukkah/Christmas holidays is a re-discovery of our humanity.
Your Choice - You may select the sermon
The Rev. James E. Grant

This will be what some people call a Question Box Sermon. I will attempt to build a sermon by responding to any written question or topic submitted to me no later than November 15. If I don't get any questions or topics, I'll probably do something about Edward O. Wilson's idea of the possible consilience of religion and science. Music David Ellis, guitar
Gratitude for the Garden
The Rev. James E. Grant

First, I shamelessly copied the title for this sermon from the Rev. Max Coots, Minister Emeritus, the UU Church of Canton, NY. This will be a Thanksgiving Sermon, with the reminder that giving thanks is a year-round attitude not confined to one day. The Guest at Your Table boxes will be distributed this Sunday. The world of hurricanes and earthquakes reminds us of the many guestswhom we need to remember as we gather at our family table. Music Vanessa Paloma, soprano
Accentuate the Possible
The Rev. James E. Grant

On this Commitment Sunday I will encourage us to think in terms of abundance, not scarcity. We're all familiar with an envelope -- something into which we seal a letter. The opposite of envelop is develop ? to unroll or to push the envelope. This service will include the Dedication of Liliana Rodriguez, infant daughter of Roberto Rodriguez and Natalie Rusk. Music Charla Gulino, flute
Memory Informs Imagination and Vice Versa
The Rev. James E. Grant

Last Sunday Vilma Ortiz helped us celebrate El Día de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead), which made me think about memory. Our memories are never pure, but informed by our imagination and circumstances.
El Dia de los Muertos ("The Day of the Dead") "Less Well-Known Saints"
The Rev. James E. Grant, speaker

On this annual celebration of "El Dia de los Muertos," Vilma Ortiz will arrange the altar and tell the Community Story. The sermon will remind us of the "saints" whose names never make the news, but whose deeds of courage and compassion are legendary. Music Louis Durra, piano
Spiritual Teachings of Earth-|Centered Traditions
The Rev. James E. Grant, speaker

This final "Source of the Living Tradition" deals with ways we are enriched by Native American and other "primitive" (or pagan, although that word is often misunderstood) traditions. Music Larry Steen, jazz bass
The Counsel and Warning of Humanism
The Rev. James E. Grant, speaker

Unitarian Universalism has been enriched by humanism. In fact, the first "Humanist Manifesto" (1933) was written primarily by Unitarian ministers. One key to humanism is that we humans are responsible; we cannot wait for "deus ex machina" ("god from the machinery," in classical Greek drama, an unexpected power or event saving a seemingly hopeless situation) to make things right. Music Alan Busteed, violin