UUAC Sherborn: Recent Episodes
UU Area Church at First Parish in Sherborn
May 1, 2022. "Poetry And Preaching" a sermon offered by Rev. Nathan Detering and Jamele Adams, Poet and Spoken Word Artist.
April 3, 2022. "Surrender to the Unknown," a sermon offered by India Wood, Youth Ministry Coordinator and Sage Lafleur, member of UUAC's Senior Youth Group. This podcast is of the reading and sermon.
March 20, 2022. "The Gospel According to Uncertainty," a sermon offered by Rev. Nathan Detering.
March 13, 2022. "Love School," a sermon by Rev. Nathan Detering. This is a podcast of the sermon offered in our sanctuary.
March 6, 2022. "Where Do We Go From Here: Beyond the Vote," a sermon in many parts with Rev. Heather Concannon, Don Greenstein, Barb Worby, and Katie Frassinelli. The podcast is of the reading and the four part sermon, interspersed with a song written and sung by Katie Frassinelli.
February 27, 2022. "The Hope and the Healing We Can Learn From Dr. Paul Farmer," a sermon by Rev. Nathan Detering. This podcast includes the reading and sermon.
February 13, 2022. "Building a New Way," a sermon offered by Rev. Heather Concannon. This podcast includes a testimonial by Jud Wolfskil.
February. 7, 2022. "Tarrying Together," a sermon by Rev. Nathan Detering. This podcast includes a testimonial by Molly Howes.
January 23, 2021. "Top Ten Religious News Stories of 2021," a sermon by Rev. Nathan Detering. This is an audio recording of the reading and sermon from the worship service on Sunday, January 23, 2021.
January 16, 2022. "Spiritual Wholeness as Foundational to the 8th Principle," a sermon offered by Jason McLin, Ministerial Intern.
January 9, 2022. "Top Ten Truths I Need to Hear Right Now," a sermon offered by Rev. Heather Concannon. This is a podcast of the reading and sermon.
December 12, 2021. "Finding Our Way (Again)" a sermon by Rev. Nathan Detering. This podcast is of the reading and sermon from the live-streamed service.
December 5, 2021. "What are you waiting for?" a sermon by Rev. Heather Concannon. This podcast is a recording of the reading and sermon.
November 29, 2021. "Don't Block My Blessing!" a sermon by Darrah Bryans. This is a podcast of the reading and sermon.
November 21, 2021. "Loving a World That May or May Not Deserve It," a sermon by Rev. Nathan Detering. This is a podcast of the reading and sermon.
November 14, 2021. "Restorers of Life," a sermon by Rev. Nathan Detering. This is a podcast of the reading and sermon from our worship service.
October 31, 2021. "Living With Death," a shared sermon by Rev. Nathan Detering and Rev. Heather Concannon. This is a podcast of the reading and sermon.
October 24, 2021. "Kindness is a virtue we practice on ourselves," a sermon by Rev. Nathan Detering. This is a podcast of the reading and sermon.
September 19, 2021. "In and Out of Exile," a sermon offered by Rev. Nathan Detering." This is an audio recording of the reading and the sermon only.
March 14, 2021. "One Year Later," a sermon by Emily Bruce, Ministerial Intern, and Rev. Nathan Detering.
February 14, 2021. "What Does Love Look Like?" A sermon by Rev. Nathan Detering and Darrah Bryans.
January 31, 2021. "Dreaming Is a Form of Planning," a sermon by Rev. Heather Concannon.
January 24, 2021. "Top Ten Religious Stories of 2020," a sermon by Rev. Nathan Detering.
January 10, 2021. "Let America Be America Again," a sermon by Rev. Nathan Detering. This is an audio recording of the reading and sermon only.
January 3, 2021. "No Going Back," a sermon by Rev. Heather Concannon. This is a podcast of the reading and sermon.
April 5, 2020. "Time Has Changed," a sermon by Emily Bruce, Ministerial Intern. This is a recording of the reading and sermon.
June 7, 2020. "Ring the Bells that Still Can Ring," a sermon by Emily Bruce, Ministerial Intern. This is a recording of the reading and sermon.
October 11, 2020. "Birthright of Paradise," a sermon by Emily Bruce, Ministerial Intern. This is a recording of the sermon only.
November 29, 2020. "Waiting" a sermon by Emily Bruce, Ministerial Intern. This is a recording of the reading and sermon only.
November 20, 2020. "Grace Anyway," a sermon by Rev. Nathan Detering. This is an audio recording of our full online service.
October 25, 2020. Our Service was led by the Senior Youth Group and India Wood with a theme of Listening: The Language of Love and Our First Principle. The sermon was offered by Ray Lafleur.
October 11, 2020. "The Birthright of Paradise," a sermon by Emily Bruce, Ministerial Intern. This is a recording of the complete, online worship service.
October 4, 2020. "Listening to Our Pain," a sermon by Rev. Heather Concannon. This is a recording of the full, online worship service.
September 27, 2020. UU The Vote. This is a recording of the complete online worship service.
September 13, 2020. "The Church Has Left The Building," a sermon by Rev. Heather Concannon. This is an audio recording of the whole, online service.
June 14, 2020. "That's How The Light Gets In," a sermon by Rev. Nathan Detering. This a recording of the full online service.
June 7, 2020. "Ring the Bells That Still Can Ring," a sermon my Emily Bruce, Ministerial Intern. This is a recording of the full online service.
May 31, 2020. "The Companionship of Creatures," a sermon by Rev. Heather Concannon. This is an audio recording of the full, online service that includes a Blessing of the Animals and A Pastoral Message in Response to Minneapolis.
May 17, 2020. Our online service was led by Rev. Nathan Detering with a sermon titled: "Be Here Now (When The Future Is Uncertain)"
May 3, 2020. Rev. Nathan Detering and Emily Bruce, Ministerial Intern, lead our service with a sermon titled: What is Catching Your Attention These Days?
April 26, 2020. "How Do We Inherit a Broken World," a service led by the Senior Youth Group and India Wood, Senior Youth Group Coordinator.
April 19, 2020. An audio recording of our full online service. Rev. Nathan Detering, Rev. Heather Concannon, and Emily Bruce, Ministerial Intern led the service together with a sermon titled, "We Are A House For Hope."
April 12, 2020. A recording of our full service led by Rev. Nathan Detering, Erin Collier, and Doug Brown with a sermon titled: Easter Resilience in a Good Friday World.
April 5, 2020. This is an audio recording of our online service. Emily Bruce, Ministerial Intern, led the service with a sermon titled: "Time Has Changed."
Sunday, March 29, 2020. Rev. Nathan Detering led the service with a sermon titled: "Grump, Grief, and Grace in Time of Lockdown." This is a recording of the whole service, and not just an excerpt of the sermon.
March 22, 2020. Rev. Heather led our online worship service with a sermon titled: "Keep Calm and Adjust Your Expectations." This recording is of the complete worship service.
March 14, 2020. UUAC goes to online services! Our inaugural service was led by Rev. Nathan with a homily reflecting on our new reality of social distancing.
March 8, 2020. "A User's Guide to Awe," a sermon by Guest Minister, Rev. Aaron Stockwell.
February 23, 2020. "Once Upon a Time: Poetry and Preaching," a sermon by Rev. Nathan Detering with poetry by Jamele Adams.
February 16, 2020. "Full Circle: a Generations Dance Sermon" by Rev. Heather Concannon.
January 26, 2020. "Kindness, Coffee Cards, and the Boundaries of Comfort," a sermon by Rev. Nathan Detering.
January 5, 2019. "Top Ten Religious Stories of the Decade (2010 - 2019)," a sermon by Rev. Nathan Detering.
December 1, 2019. "Looking Out From The Here And Now," a sermon by Emily Bruce, Ministerial Intern.
November 17, 2019. "The Simplest of Sacraments," a sermon in three parts by Rev. Nathan Detering, Rev. Heather Concannon, and Emily Bruce, Ministerial Intern
November 3, 2019. "Life Calls Us On," a sermon by Rev. Heather Concannon and Rev. Nathan Detering.
October 27, 2019. "When a Door Closes Does a Window Open?" A sermon by Rev. Nathan Detering.
October 20, 2019. "Possibility Abounds," a sermon by Rev. Heather Concannon and India Wood, Senior Youth Group Coordinator.
October 6, 2019. "Don't Worry About It!" Said No Helpful Advice Ever! a sermon by Rev. Nathan Detering.
September 29, 2019. "How To Love," as sermon by Emily Bruce, Ministerial Intern at UU Area Church at First Parish in Sherborn.
May 26, 2019. "If We Had More Time," a sermon by Jessica James, Ministerial Intern at UU Area Church at First Parish in Sherborn.
April 28, 2019. "The Ache and Beauty of Vulnerability," a sermon by Rev. Jo Murphy with "Reflections on Vulnerability" by Sarah Deveau, Director of Music Ministry.
March 31, 2019. "We Can Breathe Life Into Something New," a sermon by Dr. Takiyah Nur Amin.
March 17, 2019. "Love Is A Tough Business," a sermon by guest preacher, Jennifer Johnson, Seminarian and Candidate for UU Ministry.
March 10, 2019. "The World Our Hearts Know Is Possible," a sermon by Rev. Heather Concannon
February 17, 2019. "What Will We Risk For Love: A Sermon In Three Parts," a sermon by Jessica James, Ministerial Intern.
February 10, 2019. "A Love So Fierce It Made You Run," a sermon by Rev. Nathan Detering.
February 3, 2019. "Love On A Wednesday Night In A Middle School Auditorium," a sermon by Rev. Nathan Detering.
January 27, 2019. "On the Boundary of Grace," a sermon by Jessica James, Ministerial Intern.
January 6, 2019. "Top 10 Stories of Hope, Salvation, and Resistance of 2018: The Don't Give In Edition," our annual "Top 10" sermon by Rev. Nathan Detering.
December 30, 2018. "I LookedMy Hatred In The Face," an annual burning fo the grudges sermon by Jessica James, Ministerial Intern.
December 16, 2018. "To The Person Who Emailed Me About God Before Christmas," a sermon by Rev. Nathan Detering.
December 2, 2018. "Light Persists: Reflections on Hannukha," with Rev. Nathan Detering, Mike Zarin, Anisa Torres, and Alan Cantor.
Sunday, November 25, 2018. "Open the Gates of Justice," a sermon by Jessica James-Carnes, Ministerial Intern.
November 11, 2018. Duty to Serve, Honor to Heal, a sermon by Jessica James-Carnes, Ministerial Intern.
Sunday, November 4, 2018. "What the Living Do," a sermon by Rev. Nathan Detering and Rev. Heather Concannon on All Souls Sunday.
October 14, 2018. "Poetry and Preaching Slam" with Rev. Nathan Detering and Jamele Adams, Poet, Activist, and Spoken Word Artist.
Sunday, October 7, 2018. "Maybe Scared Is What Brave Feels Like," a sermon by Jessica James-Carnes, Ministerial Intern at UUAC.
Sunday, September 30, 2018. "The Art Of Authenticity," a sermon by Rev. Heather Concannon.
Sunday, September 16, 2018. "Sometimes Faith Needs a Running Start," a sermon by Rev. Nathan Detering
November 26, 2017 Ministerial Intern, Jessica James-Carnes, "Fearfully and Wonderfully Made"
January 7, 2018 Rev. Nathan Detering, "Top 10 Signs of Hope from 2017: The Hallelujah Anyhow Edition"
January 14, 2018 Ministerial Intern, Jessica James-Carnes, "Forgiveness: 'Vendamos, no haycemos recetas.' We sell, we don't prescribe."
February 4, 2018 Rev Nathan Detering and Ministerial Intern, Jessica James-Carnes debate the value of religion in today's world.
November 19, 2017 Rev. Nathan Detering "It takes risk and courage to keep falling, and to get again, And trust again.... It takes risk and courage and trust and people we can count on. But those people are around us and redemption is possible."
November 12, 2017 Rev. Nathan Detering "Get past your fences, people, open the gate; love where and when it’s hard, forgive someone you don’t want to, love somewhere you hate..."
November 5, 2017 Jessica James-Carnes, Ministerial Intern
"We need community and rituals and spaces for lament. We need to come together and lay down our stones. Stones are easier to carry together."
November 26, 2017 Jessica James-Carnes, Ministerial Intern "Fearfully and Wonderfully Made” Miracles grow in the dark. We grow into ourselves through our relationships. Religious communities are powerful incubators, where something new is always being born inside each of us—something that cannot be born alone. We can research every detail of human development and self-actualization, in this age of information, but knowing requires experience and reflection. As we prepare for winter, what mysteries gestate within…what can emerge as each soul comes to know they are loved, necessary and enough?
Sunday, October 29, 2017 This week's sermon is a sermon duel between Rev. Nathan and Rev. Heather with Doug Brown as the moderator. The ministers answered 4 questions: 1. What is truth? 2. How do we find truth? 3. Why does truth matter in church and 4. What happens when truths collide? It's by turns funny, touching and serious.
Sunday, October 22, 2017 Rev. Nathan Detering encourages us to remember to appreciate the beauty around us, to pause in gratitude for brightly colored leaves on an autumn day. "In falling times, let us fall up together."
Sunday, October 15, 2017 Rev. Nathan Detering and Jamele Adams, poet and activist, preach hard truths about racism, privilege, and being human in a world that disenfranchises people of color. "There is no 'I' anymore, there is only 'we.' And if one of us is hurting, then we all hurt."
Sunday, October 8, 2017 Rev. Becky Sheble-Hall reminds us that "love gives hope back" in the face of loss and evil.
Sunday, October 1, 2017 Jessica James Carnes, Ministerial Intern adopts Glennonn Doyle's term "beautiful," a combination of brutal and beautiful, to encourage us to lean into discomfort, to listen for the the invitations in our lives to resist injustice or to take a stand for justice, despite our fears.
Sunday, September 24, 2017 by Rev. Heather Concannon We can't promise that we'll be safe in this world, but we can choose to be brave.
Sunday, September 17, 2017 Rev Nathan Detering challenges us with the question: "Can we tremble and feel courage at the same time? Together the answer is yes."
Sunday, September 10, 2017 We come back to church not for our own salvation, but to gain strength to help participate in the saving of the world.
April 30, 2017 Rev Nathan Detering's reminds us that we "sing each other's song;" we give respite to one another in a difficult time.
April 9, 2017 Ministerial Intern Otto O'Connor talks about how exploring questions about the universe with children can help us to make meaning in our lives.
April 2, 2017 Rev Heather Concannon and Ministerial Intern, Otto O'Connor offer a sermon in honor of Transgender Day of Visibility, which was on March 30, 2017.
March 26, 2017. Rev Nathan Detering urges us unlearn the prayers of "blame and shame," and to lean toward prayers for a "ministry of with-ness, of showing up, of being together." Because together we can face down anything.
March 19, 2017 Rev Nathan Detering's reminds us that in these difficult times, we all need sanctuary, forgiveness, and to see the altars of sacred around us in the world.
March 3, 2017 Rev Nathan Detering offers a sermon asking us in these hard and challenging times to hold the light for each other. "I need others to hold hope for me. I need for the light to get in."
February 19, 2017 Rev Detering offers a sermon challenging us to look beyond headlines, to confront stereotypes and fears. He challenges us to bridge gaps, to bring peace and wholeness to our world.
February 19, 2017 Rev Heather Concannon offers a sermon on coziness and comfort as a balance to the uncertainty in our world today.
January 22, 2017 Rev. Nathan Detering's sermon explores "what our UU faith looks and feels like over the next four or more years with a president whose campaign was so contrary to much if not all our faith calls us to be."
January 15, 2017. Ministerial Intern Otto O'Connor in his Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend sermon offers reflections on his process of "waking up white." A sermon that pulls no punches, Otto encourages us to examine our unconscious biases, to move beyond them and become active participants in dismantling racial injustices.
January 8, 2017. Rev Nathan Detering's annual recap of the previous year's religious news stories. Rev. Nathan urges us toward "intentional tenderness" as he recaps the joys and challenges of 2016.
January1, 2017. Rev Heather Concannon welcomes in the New Year with a Sermon titled: Return, Release, Renew.
December 18, 2016 The three ministers of UU Area Church at First Parish in Sherborn give a modern take on the Christmas story. Where do you find yourself in this tale of immigration and hope?
December 11, 2016. Rev. Heather Concannon reminds us that beautiful and terrible things are happening in our world. She asks us the question, "What are you going to DO with [your] hope?" and "How have you felt called to a purpose that is larger than yourself?"
December 4, 2016 Rev. Nathan Detering's sermon in which he tells us, "the job I have to do is remind us that hope is a state of mind; it's a dimension of the soul that says that good is worth working for because it is good, and that is reason enough."
November 27, 2016 Ministerial Intern, Otto O'Connor, uses his status as a non-American to remind us that we all have had times in our lives when we have been outsiders. Today with the deep divisions in our country, we need to have hard conversations with our families and friends, to stand up for what we believe in.
November 6, 2016 Rev Heather Concannon, in her pre-election sermon, reminds us that in these uncertain times, times when we are "without a map," we need to let our UU values be our compass, our religious community be our guide. We are not alone as we find our way through the uncertain present into an unknown future.
November 20, 2016. Rev Nathan Detering asks us "How are we supposed to heal?" when our wounds of racism, classism, sexism and bigotry are broken open.
Sunday, Nov 13, 2016 Rev. Nathan Detering urges us to stand fast with each other, with our neighbors against hatred and discrimination. That what we are is enough to heal our world.
October 30, 2016, Rev. Nathan Detering's sermon asks us to move beyond a longing for a romanticized past and recognize that today will be tomorrow's past. Today, we need to ask ourselves "What is the present demanding of you? Who and what is waiting for you to show up?"
October 23, 2016. Sermon by Otto O'Connor, Ministerial Intern. In our highly polarized society, Ministerial Intern, Otto O'Connor encourages us to see beyond our differences. We need to love our neighbors with compassion even when we are angry and we disagree.
Sermon from October 2, 2016. Rev Heather Concannon's sermon, "Where Does It Hurt" is an exploration of
In Rev Nathan Detering's sermon from 9/25/16, he is back on his bike "with Grit and Gospel." Rev Nathan uses his experience of a week long bike race over and through the French Alps as a metaphor for getting up off our couches and out into the world. He says, " the only way over, is though; we can't go around the pain, the only way is through."
In his sermon from 9/18/16 Rev Nathan Detering asks the question: Where's the Love? In a world of chaos, violence and fear, what do we need to prove that we are human.
Rev. Concannon gives us the 10 rules for white water rafting and for life. "When white water comes, pray for having people to pull us back into the raft, offer blankets, and warm tea. We pray not to stay warm and dry, but to help each other when we are not."