Ucdsm Sermons

Bryan Helmus, member July 19, 2015 Watch the Video (YouTube link) Listen to the Audio (MP3) Is it possible for someone to be a practicing Christian and a member of First Unitarian Church? Bryan tells the stories of how he discovered a revitalized Christianity through the mysterious processes of our church, shares what he learned about this church and himself through starting a Christian Fellowship group, and offers his vision of what First Unitarian could become in the future. Celebrant Reflecti...

Hazel Zimmerman, member July 12, 2015 Watch the Video (YouTube link) Listen to the Audio (MP3) Hazel Zimmerman shares her reflections on a life in harmony with the natural world and how life style changes can help to preserve that world for the future.

Keegan Walpole and Petra Lange July 5, 2015 Watch the Video (YouTube link) Listen to the Audio (MP3) Keegan Walpole and Petra Lange will explore how the Hero’s Journey and our First Unitarian community help frame the large transitions in our life to see what insight can be gained in our experience with the mundane transitions in our daily life.

Rev. Mark Stringer June 28, 2015 Watch the Video (YouTube link) Listen to the Audio (MP3) With the Supreme Court’s ruling that honored the right of same-sex couples to marry, Mark takes a look back at all that he has experienced while presiding at ceremonies for dozens of loving and committed same-sex couples. His place in this “river of love” as he calls it, has changed him and made him hopeful for our collective future.

Rev. Mark Stringer June 21, 2015 Watch the Video (YouTube link) Listen to the Audio (MP3) Download the Text (PDF) Celebrant Reflection - Bryan Helmus Watch the Video (YouTube link) Listen to the Audio (MP3) In the words that introduce our child dedication ritual, we say that it is our task as parents and a community to share with our children our ideals and hopes. And it is our task to learn from them the zest and wonder of life, with which children come into this world, and which we too often l...

Rev. Erin Gringrich Sunday, June 14, 2015 Watch the Video (YouTube link) Listen to the Audio (MP3)

Linda Barnes, Ministerial Intern Sunday, June 7, 2015 Honoring Linda Barnes (YouTube link) Watch the Video (YouTube link) Listen to the Audio (MP3)

Rev. Mark Stringer May 24, 2015 Watch the Video (YouTube link) Listen to the Audio (MP3) Download the Text (PDF) Mike Shaw, Celebrant Reflection: Watch the Video (YouTube link) Listen to the Audio (MP3) Download the Text (PDF) On this Memorial Day weekend, Mark invites us to consider the traditions we have received and the traditions we would most want to hand down to those who will follow.

Rev. Erin Gingrich May 17, 2015 Watch the Video (YouTube link) Listen to the Audio (MP3) Meditative Self Examination (PDF), by Rev. Dr.

Linda Barnes, Ministerial Intern May 10, 2015 Watch the Video (YouTube link) Listen to the Audio (MP3) While we don’t always appreciate what’s been handed down to us, at least not initially, each of us comes from somewhere and someone. This Mother’s Day, Linda explores how we are shaped by what we inherit and why it matters. Lyra Halsten, Celebrant Reflection Watch the Video (YouTube link) Listen to the Audio (MP3)

Linda Barnes, Ministerial Intern April 26, 2015 Watch the Video (YouTube link) Listen to the Audio (MP3)

Rev. Erin Gingrich April 19, 2015 Watch the Video (YouTube link) Listen to the Audio (MP3) Download the Text (PDF) Reflections: Watch the Video (YouTube link)

Rev. Mark Stringer Celebrant Reflection by Bryan Helmus April 5, 2015 Celebrant Reflection: Watch the Video (YouTube link) Sermon: Watch the Video (YouTube link) Celebrant Reflection: Listen to the Audio (MP3) Sermon: Listen to the Audio (MP3) Download the Text (PDF) An Easter Sunday reflection on the ways changes to the narrative we thought we were living may open up new understandings and possibilities. A service celebrating the resurrections that can arrive when we realize our story isn’t ove...

Rev. Brian Eslinger March 29, 2015 Watch the Video (YouTube link) Listen to the Audio (MP3) Our efforts to try and create a just and compassionate world too often seem to be for naught, as the pendulum of history mercilessly swings. Yet if we recall the resilience of our forebears in their difficult quest for justice, we will realize the reality of hope and possibility too great to refute.

Rev. Mark Stringer March 22, 2015 Watch the Video (YouTube link) Listen to the Audio (MP3) One form of resilience is the willingness to adapt, to learn from mistakes and to follow new directions. Therefore, a people of resilience would be willing to fail, knowing that failure is a means to success, or at least to a better understanding of what may still be possible and how we might get there.

Rev. Erin Gingrich March 15, 2015 Watch the Video (YouTube link) Listen to the Audio (MP3) What can nature teach us about resilience? What might an ecosystem's ability to rebound after disaster teach us about life and ourselves?

High School Youth Group March 8, 2015 Watch the Video (YouTube link) Listen to the Audio (MP3) As a reminder that they too have a distinct voice, members of the high school youth group share their everyday experiences as Unitarian Universalists and also address how they explain their faith community to others, even in challenging situations.

Rev. Mark Stringer March 1, 2015 Watch the Video (YouTube link) Listen to the Audio (MP3) Download the Text (PDF) Where do we find the resilience to live with and through the challenges of our time, especially when things can seem so bleak? How can we be present in ways that matter to whatever may come next?

Rev. Mark Stringer February 22, 2015 Watch the Video (YouTube link) Listen to the Audio (MP3) Download the Text (PDF) In a January sermon, Mark mentioned how his journey of faith has evolved from a tendency to too quickly dismiss the faithful perspectives of others towards a desire to respectfully translate these perspectives for himself into more accessible understandings. Mark tells us more about this kind of translating and shares with us the importance of it for what he thinks is faithful Un...

Rev. Erin Gingrich February 15, 2015 Watch the Video (YouTube link) Listen to the Audio (MP3) We close our religious services each week saying, “Let us go from this place open to life, expecting to love, and prepared to serve.” These words express faith in a particular way of engaging life. They also offer great relationship advice.