Chalice Sermons: Recent Episodes
Chalice Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Conejo Valley "CVUUF"
At Chalice we are people of many beliefs and backgrounds: people with a religious background, people with none, people who believe in a God, people who don’t, and people who let the mystery be.
Many Unitarian Universalists feel a discomfort around the figure of Jesus, because his teachings have been distorted by dogma, politics, and fundamentalism. But what if we look beyond doctrine and politics to rediscover the heart of his message? Who was Jesus, really, and what did he stand for? And might his wisdom still speak to us as UUs today? Join us as we explore Jesus as mystic, rebel, wisdom-teacher, and activist.
Rev. Ellie Kilpatrick joins Rev. Nica to share her journey within her Jewish identity about Israel and Palestine, and how love called her to grow in her understanding of peace. Join us for this important ongoing conversation.
We pray a lot here at Chalice. We “give thanks for the gifts and the givers”. We consecrate things like babies and backpacks. We say prayers of petition or lamentation. We are a reverent community, but why? Who are we talking to? Join Rick Wells this week as he engages this existential question of how we create a meaningful life and what this thing called prayer has to do with that creation.
How do we continue to get up each morning and face all the horrors the world offers, without being paralyzed by fear or despair? How do we hold onto our humanity, our joy, our love and peace amidst it all? How do we keep finding the light among all the darkness surrounding us? Join us for this deep dive into what it means to be human at this time.
It has been over 180 years since the Ventura Chumash community has built a tomol in Ventura. They are currently finishing their first tomol in over 180 years... "We are due!" writes Alan Salazar, Chumash elder, who will share this story with us for Indigenous People's Day.
The unconditional love we receive from our animal friends and family members is a gift. In honor of all they have given us, today we offer them a blessing of love, happiness, and good health as we are reminded that our lives are so much better with them.
Join us for a musical celebration of the life and wisdom of Singer-songwriter, Social Justice and Environmental Activist, Carolyn McDade.
A former zen seminary student and poet in residence on the Flathead Indian Reservation, Alex Alviar shares two short essays and an ancient buddhist sutra that explore how to feel at home in one's own skin no matter where in the world you are.
What if our interactions with the earth, and rocks in particular, shape us and we shape them? How do we shape them and what do these interactions say about our culture and values? We will explore stones of: 1. geology and fossils 2. stones of building materials and tools, 3. commerce and trade, 4. art and 5. ritual.
The poet, John O’Donohue, wrote: “May this house shelter your life. When you come home here.” This Ingathering Sunday we come home to Chalice and gather around a living fountain, reminding us of the source that nourishes and sustains our lives. Home is not only where we live, but where we are seen, loved, renewed and inspired. Today we come home to one another, for the new congregational year, celebrating this community and connections that sustain us.
Some time back, Ayanna Gaines presented a service that centered on the concept of the soul: what it is and what do Unitarian Universalists believe about the soul. Now, Ayanna is revisiting the concept of the soul, this time from a popular culture perspective: why do we call Stevie Wonder's songs "soul music," or fried chicken "soul food"? How does this connect to the soul in our hearts?
Living a life that matters is no small thing. Today we are inspired by Michael Josephson's poem: "What Will Matter" to explore what truly matters in our lives, how we find purpose and meaning. Join us for this deep, soulful enquiry.
We are on a journey. It is a challenging one with a new learning curve as we acquire knowledge in how to stay connected, express our discontent but continue to evolve. Diane DeMarco has been a long time Unitarian Universalist practicing psychotherapy in Cambria, California.
Words like God, holy, sin, or church can feel loaded or alienating to many UUs, but do they still have something to offer us? Join us as we gently unpack and reinterpret religious language, exploring how, in translation, it might benefit our shared spiritual journey.
Join us for our Summer Surprise gatherings. Since July and August are theme-free months, Our Worship team will be offering Summer Surprises. This week Sam and Ayanna have a service that is guaranteed to be so fabulous! But you'll have to attend to see what they are cooking up.
What does it take to be a Unitarian Universalist? How has our history taught us about courage? Today we explore the courage required to be UU and what it takes to be willing to keep growing, changing, reinventing, and pushing society’s edges.
Courage? I take heart from the cowardly lion, in the Wizard of Oz. What if we all have the courage needed for life but we find reason to disempower our super power. Join us as we explore what courage is versus our internal conversation.
Does the future feel uncertain and perhaps even scary to you? With growing climate issues, social division, wars and violence all increasing, how do we find courage and hope for the future? Join us to help nurture courage and resilience for the challenging times ahead.
Unitarian Universalism is a covenantal faith , as opposed to a creedal one. This means we covenant how to be together in community, how we treat one another, how we care for each other and the wider world. Our covenants emerge from our values. Values such as love, justice, inclusion, growth, and compassion. Join us … Continued
Ingathering is our annual service celebrating our community. We will share a special water ceremony, enjoy amazing music, and celebrate Chalice folk coming together after years of pandemic and separation.
This week Rev. Nica has returned from dropping her son off at college, and her summer break. Families are returning from summer vacations and sending kids back to school. It’s a time of big transitions for all. We will bless the backpacks we use in returning to our work and school lives and hold a … Continued
DeBenneville Pines is a beautiful UU camp in the San Bernardino mountains. This summer saw the first youth camps held since the pandemic began. Ayanna Gaines had the opportunity to serve as a staff member for both elementary and high school camps, and learned many valuable lessons, which she would like to share.
We will explore the obstacles affecting our sacred rights to vote, and are invited to Get Into Good Trouble by UUing the Vote. Our member and good trouble activist, Pamela Lopez, will be leading the service. Our Special Collection will benefit UU the Vote and we also invite you to participate in our ongoing school … Continued
Today we explore how to find and create more kindness and compassion in a world that is often cruel and filled with suffering. Join us to explore ‘nurturance culture’ and the possibility of more loving lives.
Last month several Chalice members attended our annual Unitarian Universalist General Assembly. Today Rev. Nica and members share inspiration, updates, and lessons about our wider faith tradition with our Chalice community.
Time flies by in the blink of an eye. We’ll explore how freedom and independence of thought creates, as a UU, a life designed with interdependence on independence.
As we navigate these challenging times, we are so grateful to have community with whom we can share our ups and downs and grow together. Today we celebrate the many blessings of our community, and share the strength, gifts, and blessings we might derive from being in it together.
Today we honor those who have gifted us their commitment, curiosity, and fellowship. Our Bridging Seniors encourage us to adapt with the times and remind us to welcome the seeker. Our RE volunteers are love in action, reminding us that “church is a place children go to learn that people other than there parents love … Continued
As children, we are taught a very simplistic version of the origin of Thanksgiving. We make Pilgrim hats out of construction paper, and pretend that the Indian headdresses we construct are representative of all Indians. Yet the truth of the holiday is much more complicated than we are led to believe. How can we reconcile … Continued
Moving together through these challenging times, we find ourselves confronted by loss in so many dimensions. What might be there for us? Do we hold on or let go? UCLA Oncology Chaplain and popular guest speaker, Michael Eselun will share reflections on these questions.
Contemporary western culture doesn't honor or respect aging. In our appearance and health obsessed society, older people are often written off as declining, deficient, or disposable. Yet, as we age, most of us become wiser, happier and emerge into a new sense of wholeness. Today, we explore how we might reframe aging and society's messages, to become something we celebrate and value.
To celebrate All Souls, All Saints, Dia de Los Muertos and Samhain, today we deepen our relationship with our ancestors. Join us for our annual tradition in which we share photos of our deceased loved ones and other ancestors we wish to honor. Anahi Quiroz will share wisdom from her culture and join Rev Nica … Continued
Guest speaker Allison Hess, of the UU@UN connects the dots between food equity, sustainability and climate justice.
We all eat to survive. Yet, what we eat might actually be killing us. How we eat can be influenced by our culture, our religious beliefs, our health needs, our upbringing or our preferences. But how many of us consciously choose what we eat to maximize our health and well-being, as well as our planet’s … Continued
In honor of Indigenous People’s Day, Alan Salazar, a Fernandino tribal elder will speak to us of the struggles of the Fernandeno Tataviam tribe to achieve Federal recognition. Alan will also share a recent children’s book he has written called “Tata, The Tataviam Towhee, A Tribal Story”. Our Central Coast Cluster of UU congregations is … Continued