UUABQ Voice: Recent Episodes
uuabqvoice
First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque's weekly sermon podcast. New episodes each Monday. We are a liberal, non-creedal congregation grounded in love and justice, gathering in Albuquerque, Socorro, and the East Mountains. Welcome!
“You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.” (Perkei Avot 2:21) Quotes like this are often shared with well-meaning “get out there and change the world” memes on social media. Many of us are not able to join large gatherings, or we have personalities and/or disabilities that make loud, public acts of social justice harmful to ourselves. How can we engage in bending the arc of the moral universe toward justice effectively while playing to our strengths? Inspired by the book Social Justice for the Sensitive Soul: How to Change the World in Quiet Ways by Dorcas Cheng-Tozun and 1 Corinthians 12:4-11.
Rev. Erica Lea-Simka [LEE Sim-kuh]. Rev. Erica (she/they) is a pastor, peacebuilder, parent, partner, perseverer, pilgrim, and plant-based nut. Pastor Erica has served Baptist and Mennonite congregations, most recently as Pastor of Albuquerque Mennonite Church from 2017 to 2025. They are currently The Journey Project (Thriving Churches Initiative) Grant Director for the New Mexico Conference of Churches and Southwest Representative for Mennonite Women USA.
Music: Lydia Clark
Martin Buber said: “The human being…is the promise-making, promise-keeping, promise-breaking, promise-renewing creature.” Rev. Emily, our Board President Bill Miller, and members Judy Goering and Jan Lee will reflect on the transformative power of staying engaged in community despite disappointment and through conflict.
Music: Sue Young, Rusty Nelson, and Vance Bass.
How do we remember our growing up years, in our families of origin? And how do we experience those families now? Do we find blessing in our memories, and in current family experience? Or do we wish things were different? In her many years of ordained ministry, Rev. Sue has found the Family Systems Theory of Murray Bowen to be a powerful lens through which to view our families. She’ll share with us some key aspects of the theory, giving examples from her own life. This service will also include a ceremony to honor outgoing Board members and welcome new ones.Rev. Sue has been a UU minister since 1985. She has divinity degrees from Harvard and Episcopal Divinity School, and has served congregations in both settled and transitional capacities. She moved to Albuquerque in 2012 to marry her late beloved, Chuck Campbell, a member of First Unitarian for almost 40 years. She still lives in the house they shared.
Music: Lydia Clark
Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber speaks of a “load‑bearing structure”—the steady, grounding force that holds us when life feels unstable. For her, that structure is God and the salvation she found in Jesus: “For me, Unitarian Universalist principles and values have long served as one of those stabilizing structures. Over time, I’ve come to understand that such support can take many forms, so long as they help us remain upright through trauma and change. The Karpman framework of the Drama Triangle and the Empowerment Triangle has become one of those supports in my own ministry. I have seen how often groups, including congregations, become caught in the cycle of victim, persecutor, and rescuer, and how transformative it can be to shift into the roles of creator, challenger, and coach. This framework can be grounding, helping us to remain compassionate, clear, and centered during trauma‑impacted work.”
Rev. Dr. Jane Davis grew up in a Southern Baptist family and first discovered Unitarian Universalism more than forty years ago. After a 25‑plus‑year career as an engineer in the nuclear power industry, she answered the call to ministry in 2015 and enrolled at Meadville Lombard Theological School. She completed her ministerial internship at First U in 2020, and was ordained by this congregation in 2021. She went on to serve as a community minister in a Program Manager position with the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Project ECHO. She was granted Full Fellowship in February 2026, and completed her Doctor of Ministry in May 2026.
Music: Lydia Clark
Unitarian Universalism has sometimes been accused of failing to provide sufficient comfort & guidance during the crises of life. This sermon series will refute that view, providing both theists and atheists with a (not the!) Unitarian Universalist approach to these common human struggles. We will draw from the ways “process theology” aligns with UU principles of relationship, interconnectedness, love, and ongoing revelation/evolution. This week we’ll consider the questions “Why are we here?” & “How then shall we live?”
Music: Lydia Clark
Flower Communion is a specific tradition rooted in our UU faith during WWII. Rev. Stacey will share the values deep within our faith that contributed to Flower Communion—honoring the beauty in every person. Bring a Flower to exchange with others (if you can’t or forget, there will be flowers at the service for all). The RE team will be offering a “Bridging Ceremony” to honor graduating kids this year.
Music: Robin Korevaar, Max Reilly, and Vance Bass
Unitarian Universalism has sometimes been accused of failing to provide sufficient comfort & guidance during the crises of life. This sermon series will refute that view, providing both theists and atheists with a (not the!) Unitarian Universalist approach to these common human struggles. We will draw from the ways “process theology” aligns with UU principles of relationship, interconnectedness, love, and ongoing revelation/evolution. This week we will touch on concepts of pain, suffering, evil, and freedom.
Music: Lydia Clark.
The mural of spiritual symbols which forms the backdrop of our worship has formed and informed this congregation for 62 years. Christine will tell us about some of its history, its many meanings, and how it can remind us of who we are as Unitarian Universalists. The Puppets will also have some opinions to share.
Music: Tom Godfrey, jazz guitarist.
Christine was the minister of First Unitarian from 1988-2017. She still helps out around the place when asked, but mostly enjoys participating as a member of the congregation.
Susan Peck celebrates her retirement after 10 years as Director of Music at First Unitarian, in a musical service featuring Chalice Choir, Cantabilis, Spare Parts, and plenty of congregational singing.
A few years back, Bryan began directing his prayers to the Great Mother, having spent most of his life in Patriarchal religion with prayers directed to ‘Our Father’. Bryan keeps an eye out for synchronicities (in a pagan sense) and will share a story or two. His best practice is to just go out for a few hours of silence to hear what the trees are saying!
Music: Susan Peck and Jess Martin, with a Sol Singers sound bath in the foyer before worship.
Bryan Hackett is First Unitarian’s Director of Finance & Operations, first joining the staff as our Accountant in November 2022. A lifelong New Mexico native with over 30 years in ministry, Bryan has journeyed into Unitarian Universalism over the last 10 years or so.
Heartwork invites us to live our values by planting seeds of compassion and radical love—nurturing ancestral strength for future generations. Understand how storytelling can be medicine and remember that serving others is sacred work grounded in our commitment to be healing beings.
Music: Lydia Clark
Tanaya Winder is an author, singer/songwriter, poet, motivational speaker and educator who comes from an intertribal lineage of Southern Ute, Pyramid Lake Paiute, Diné and Duckwater Shoshone Nations where she is an enrolled citizen. She blends storytelling, singing, and spoken word to teach about different expressions of love (self love, intimate love, social love, community love, and universal love). https://tanayawinder.com
The amazing youth in our congregation chose the theme, music, and readings for this service, and wrote reflections to guide the congregation. The service also includes a child dedication ceremony for seven children and youth, and a special ritual to say goodbye to our Director of Congregational Life, Laira Magnusson, and her family.
How did rejecting the shame and stigma surrounding their mental illness help Christina root more fully into our beloved community? How can listening to all the parts of yourself bring you strength? Come contemplate through story and reflection. The service will include a farewell ritual for Rev. Beth Elliot, our departing Associate Minister. After the service, there will be a short reception for her with some special music led by Susan Peck.
Music: Lydia Clark, Staff Musician.
Christina Socorro Yovovich’s pronouns are she/her/they/them. She has been a member of First Unitarian since 2014. Their family roots begin in Mexico and Montenegro and the labels they claim for themself include writer, mother, artist, bipolar, autistic, fat, person with PTSD, and wisdom seeker.
A reflection for Easter on resurrection and reincarnation, through a look at Jesus, Buddhism, and the earth.
Music: Susan Peck and Chalice Choir, with Lydia Clark, Vance Bass, Chris Paul.
Rev. Stacey will reflect on how Jesus related to power, and what was historically happening that led to his death.
Music: Lydia Clark & Susan Peck
The Rev. Stacey Mitchell
Celebrating our connection to light and our interdependence with nature.
Music: Cantabilis, with Leslie Bowen, Emily Moore, Erika Nielson, Susan Peck, Michele Spiro, Celia Yapita.
Humans are story-making animals. As Unitarian Universalists, we both share our stories and tell a shared story. How we do that impacts not only how we feel about ourselves, but also how we change the world.
First U member Scott Kasmire joined Unitarian Universalism in the mid-1990s as a twenty-something. As a fifty-something, he can be found teaching high school math at the Alamo Navajo Reservation or spending time with family at Laguna Pueblo.
Music: Lydia Clark
How can we face our fears, do what’s right, be loving, be resilient and stay sane amidst internal and external turmoil? We’ll consider how to grow our courage, foster radical love within ourselves, and look to our ancestors to support our spiritual intuition and build our resilience.
Natalia “Natty” Averett (they/(s)he) is a gender-fluid, sapiosexual Black American and Afro-Caribbean Latiné person of African, European and indigenous North and Central American heritage. A long-time UU and Insight (Vipassana) meditator, as a young adult Natty served as president of a 1000+ member UU congregation while also serving as a trustee on both their local district UU board and the national UUA Board.
Music: Sol Singers, under the direction of Susan Peck.
Exploring Unitarian Universalism’s value of Pluralism, and the influential spiritual traditions of Reb Zalman, Krishnamurti, and Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan.
Music: Chalice Choir, under the direction of Susan Peck.
Author Robert Fulghum, who wrote “All I Really Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten” in 1988, is also a UU Minister. Inspired by this book, Rev. Stacey will give a sermon about what she has learned from her dog, Copper.
Music: Lydia Clark,Erika Nielson, and Michele Spiro share some great dawg-friendly songs.
How is democracy important to our UU faith? Whether we are pondering inclusion, justice, or agency, our faith points the way to a more equitable and compassionate world. And Rev. Stacey will also ponder the importance of Latino superstar Bad Bunny’s Superbowl performance from a week earlier and why it matters for our country.
Music: Clarinetist Robin Korevaar teams up with pianist Maxwell Reilly for some light classical duos. Lydia Clark will cover congregational hymns.
Every year, First Unitarian celebrates the lives of notable, interesting, and sometimes quirky people lost in the previous year. Spare Parts and Cantabilis honor musicians who crossed over in 2025.
Musicians: Spare Parts with Laura Bartolucci (tambourine, vocals), Vance Bass (guitar, vocals), Keith Morris (guitar, flute, vocals), Chris Paul (drums), Evan Kennedy Sadek (electric bass), Susan Peck (keyboard, vocals), featuring Larry Alei (flugelhorn/trumpet) and additional vocals by Cantabilis (Tania Hopkins, Michele Spiro, and Erika Nielson).
How do we find balance between paying attention to the world and protecting our own capacity to hope? Guest preacher Nate Clark will reflect on how joy can sustain us through anxiety and grief.
Nate Clark (all pronouns) is currently serving in Lexington, MA as Follen Church’s Ministerial Intern for 2024–2026. He graduated with his MDiv from Iliff School of Theology in the spring of 2025. Nate grew up a Unitarian Universalist in Dunstable Massachusetts. He is currently living in Westford, MA with his wife and their rambunctious cat. Nate’s calling is to parish ministry, and they hope to serve a congregation in their native New England.
Music: Guest musician, Francisco Ruíz. Francisco is an award-winning singer-songwriter from LA and long-time UU music leader. He studied circle singing with Bobby McFerrin and can turn a roomful of people into a magical vocal orchestra.
Rev. Nathan Ryan, lead Minister at the Baton Rouge congregation, will delve into our legacy of Unitarianism, and how we honor “The Transient and the Permanent.” Reverend Nathan is a life-long Unitarian Universalist from south Louisiana. He graduated from Meadville-Lombard Theological School in Chicago. After serving in various positions at UU churches in Texas and Maryland, he returned to Baton Rouge as Assistant Minister in 2012. He was called as their Senior Minister in 2020.
Music: Chalice Choir, under the direction of Susan Peck.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke to the UUA’s annual General Assembly in 1966. In that speech to UUs he said “There are some things in our nation and in our world to which I’m proud to be maladjusted.” Rev. Stacey will be exploring what he meant by that statement to UUs almost 60 years ago.
Music: Lydia Clark, Mark Clark, and Lewis Winn
Letting go of perfectionism and independence as a spiritual practice.
Music: Susan Peck
In all the world’s major faith traditions and throughout nature, there are guidelines around rest, hibernation, and Sabbath. Carving out space and time for quiet and ease is essential for health and honoring the cycles of life.
Music: Emily Moore, KJ Patrick, Susan Peck, Michele Spiro
Do you remember the Choose Your Own Adventure Books? Come be part of a service where YOU get to choose where we go and how we explore the foundations, joys, and responsibilities of being part of a faith community.
Music: Chalice Choir
Peter Mayer, UU singer-songwriter based in Stillwater, Minnesota, will share his “Sermon in Song,” weaving original songs with his thoughts on the lyrics and music. Mayer is best known in UU circles for the hymn “Blue Boat Home.” Come learn more about the rest of his music.
Rev. Stacey on Buddhist teachings that have inspired her over the years.
Music: Lydia Clark
For our 4th Sunday Speaker Series, New Mexico US Representative Melanie Stansbury spoke to a large group of Unitarian Universalists with a message of hope and the work ahead to ensure that every person has access to food, housing, healthcare, opportunity, and dignity.
The Rev. Stacey Mitchell
This Sunday we will remember and honor our Transgender Community by paying tribute to lives lost due to violence over the last year. Our faith has supported the affirmation of Trans lives for decades.
Music: Lydia Clark
Contemplations on “Building Strong Foundations” (inspired by some Buddhist ideas). This is the last Sunday of our 2026 Pledge Drive.
Music: Cantabilis, women’s chamber choir.
What is Universalism? As a radical, unapologetic and expansive Universalist, let me continue to share explorations as to why I believe it is the key to our faith’s future.
Music: Chalice Choir
Our UUA faith has a motto for the last 20 years: “On the Side of Love.” And, with our new statement of faith passed at General Assembly in 2024, our faith calls us into sacred acts of love around values of justice and more. Let’s explore how to manifest holy love.
Music: Lydia Clark, piano/vocals and Erika Nielson, vocals
Radical Generosity at First Unitarian centers in a continual call for us all to cultivate compassion. How does our faith’s call for extravagant amounts of love impact how we think about generosity? Join us for a joyful, playful take on abundance and the power of community.
Music: Susan Peck and Beth Elliot
Author Robin Wall Kimmerer states “Even a wounded world is feeding us. Even a wounded world holds us, giving us moments of wonder and joy. I choose joy over despair. Not because I have my head in the sand, but because joy is what the earth gives me daily and I must return the gift.” In this Sunday message, Rev. Stacey will explore the joys and gifts of our animal world.
We will also have our Backpack Blessing this Sunday for children and adults alike. Every child and youth should bring their backpack, and everyone, regardless of age, is invited to bring something that symbolizes their work for a blessing.
Music:Chalice Choir
What are the differences between confidentiality and secrecy? Why is one virtuous and the other a very big problem?
Music: Lydia Clark and Susan Peck
Join us as we explore the mythology of Lilith and how she became a symbol of the rejection of patriarchal domination and limited gender roles. What are the implications when feminine symbols like Lilith and Eve are demonized and blamed for the sins of humankind? We will examine how these ancient stories still have influence in our culture and politics.
Music: Cantabilis (women’s chamber choir)
What is taboo and why? There is value in examining our resistance, our disgust, and our rebellion. I swear.
Music: Spare Parts, our contemporary worship band
Interim periods can be a dynamic and reflective time. With Rev. Stacey being here for the next years, formally known as “Interim Ministry,” what can be expected in this time period?
Music:Lydia Clark
Alana Rodriguez, Director of Family Ministry
What could family ministry look like? With the many changes and shifts, how do we center joy and taking care of each other?
Music: First U Youth Kokiak Hopkins, Puck Magnusson, and Shane Magnusson with guest youth musicians Owen Mease, Josh Trujillo, and Silas Wilber.
In Rev. Stacey’s first sermon at First U Albuquerque, she talks about how with new beginnings, there are new opportunities.
Music: Chamber trio: Robin Korevaar (clarinet), David Schepps (‘cello), Susan Peck (piano)
St. Julian of Norwich is the author of Revelations of Divine Love, the oldest surviving book in English written by a woman. She was a deeply spiritual person and knew firsthand the power of the Divine Feminine during tumultuous times. As an anchorite, Julian was a spiritual director to her community, though her guidance lives on mystically. What wisdom does 14th century Julian have for us today in the 21st century?
Music: Lydia Clark
Even amid the most horrific of times, people have understood the value of joy. How do we stay grounded and spiritually nourished when the world is falling apart? We find whimsy, we value playfulness, and we recognize rest as resistance. We also say goodbye to our Intern Minister and Resident, Ron Ahnen.
Music: Cantabilis (women’s chamber choir) offers uplifting, whimsical songs for feeling good.
How does our spiritual journey call us to live our values? How can we support each other’s spiritual callings in our multi-religious faith?
Music: Lydia Clark and Susan Peck
“Where are all the new protest songs?” They’re everywhere, just not on the local AM radio stations like they were in the 60s. Also, what protest music are we missing due to cultural blinders? Susan Peck and Vance Bass will lead a service full of justice and union songs, with old familiars and new songs from thriving song circle communities.
Music: Susan and Vance share protest songs old and new, in the tradition of making good (musical) trouble.
We live in a culture that puts a lot of emphasis on being happy, but should that be our goal? Eudaimonia is an ancient idea that provides a way of living that doesn't chase fleeting emotion or temporary gratification but instead focuses on deep relationships, creativity, and meaning. Let's explore the idea of eudaimonia and how it promotes a more robust idea of human flourishing.
Music: Lydia Clark
Prayer:Troublemakers Blessing
What it means to not just imagine an end to nightmares, but to ground our dreams of better tomorrows.
Music: Special guests Rusty Nelson and Sue Young, with Susan Peck.
Untangling ourselves from old systems of oppression can feel daunting, but it is actually liberating.
Music: Susan Peck and Laura Bartolucci
A quarter of the way through the 21st century, how are we doing on anti-racist efforts in our community, state, and country? How can we overcome anti-DEI policies to live out our values of racial justice?
Music: Susan Peck with Rodney Bowe and Clarissa Crowe.
A special service marking the last day of Rev. Angela’s fifteen-year ministry with First Unitarian. Join us for great music, gratitude, and words of blessing and farewell.
Music: Chalice Choir, directed by Susan Peck, with Lydia Clark, Vance Bass, and Chris Paul
A poetic and pictoral exploration of how “mother” is expressed in the universe.
Music: Women’s chamber group, songs for Mother’s Day
Can you imagine what it looks like to be in Beloved Community? If we can imagine it together, we can create it together. We will look at Pagan teachings about community and what magic has to do with turning imagination into reality. We will also engage in our traditional Clay and Water Blessing.
Music: Ad hoc choir will lead chants for Beltane and Earth Day, including an original “Blessing Chant” composed by Susan Peck
Like many other faith traditions, Unitarian Universalists celebrate our youth as they move from childhood into adulthood. Our youth will share homilies and music in this annual favorite.
An Easter sermon of hope during a challenging time in our congregation, community, and country.
Music: Chalice Choir, directed by Susan Peck; with Lydia Clark, piano and David Schepps, ‘cello
Perhaps you’ve met Christina. Or perhaps you’ve noticed the woman knitting during services— that’s her! For Christina, knitting, spinning, and other fiber arts are a daily practice that bring a reliable joy. This joy is a powerful tool that helps her to stay grounded as she navigates mental health issues including PTSD, and all the challenges that living in the world brings. She will discuss the importance of having your own practice of daily, reliable joy. Christina is a member of First U and an essayist.
You can find links to her published works at https://christinasocorroyovovich.com/.
Music: Spare Parts, our contemporary worship band
Friend of First U—and the Executive Director of the NM Black Leadership Council—returns to our pulpit to kick off a month of “JOY” as a spiritual practice.
Music: Bassist Rodney Bowe joins Lydia Clark to celebrate joy in resistance.
We want to be safe. We want our loved ones to be safe. We want our streets and schools and congregations to be safe. We want to think the food we buy is safe. Of course we do. Is it possible? Is it even always good? And how do we live well in a world that feels increasingly unsafe?
The Rev. Christine Robinson was the minister of this congregation from 1988-2017.
Music: Gamelan Encantada, Jenny DeBouzek, director, with Lydia Clark.
Chloe Koren, Guest Preacher
Too often, when a person needs religion in their life, the place they find offers darkness couched as hope. Now, more than ever, progressive religion needs to shine where it can be seen. Chloe Koren is a rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. She is also the wife of our Senior Minister!
Let’s reflect on what makes us trustworthy and why it is a vital spiritual practice in these chaotic times.
Music: Special guest Reggie Harris, a singer-songwriter, storyteller and world-renowned song-leader who is a powerful interpreter of the global music narrative.
Rainer Maria Rilke said, “Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves... like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now.” A sermon about change, growth, and trusting the process.
Music: Lydia Clark & Susan Peck
How can we maintain civic trust in a way that continues to cultivate social justice? How do we re-commit ourselves to collective action when civic trust is broken?
Music: Chalice Choir, with Susan Peck.
We are besieged by toxic messages telling us what our bodies should look like. How do we perform that ultimate act of resistance: loving ourselves as we are?
Music: Leslie Bowen, Tania Hopkins, Susan Peck, Pauline LaBar-Shelton, and Celia Yapita
What are your good old days? Your carefree childhood? The Civil Rights years? Sweet 16? We all have good (if incomplete) memories that we go to in moments of nostalgia. We all know that the past is a great place to visit but not a great place to dwell in, and Christine has some thoughts about that.
Music: Lydia Clark, with Irene Fetherston, violin, and Lauren Harris, flute
Eulogies is our annual service celebrating the people who passed in the last year who had an impact on us, but who might be lesser-known. Our house band, Spare Parts, will be sharing songs by musicians we lost in 2024.
Each Sunday, our Order of Service includes the words, “During worship, we may speak of God, mystery, the spirit of life, love, or the ground of being. Our membership includes atheists, agnostics, and believers in many kinds of divinity. Whoever you are, wherever you are on your spiritual journey, welcome...” How do we do it? And why do we call it “worship?”
Music: Lydia Clark
Stories help and limit our ability to understand ourselves; how do our past stories affect how we see ourselves today
Music: Nicia Rae, piano and Chalice Choir, directed by Susan Peck
The week after this Sunday we will meet as a congregation to vote on our new covenant. How do our stories inform how we are together as a religious community?
Music: Lydia Clark and Rodney Bowe
Our Board of Directors will share information with the congregation about what to expect for this transitional year, and how we can all put our “best foot forward” in 2025.
Music: Susan Peck & Vance Bass
Why do ancient Greek and Roman gods belong to “mythology,” while other gods belong to “religion?” What’s the difference? And if someone says all religion is myth, should UUs get mad?
Music: Lydia Clark & Susan Peck
We can only have an impact on the things that we are present to. What does this present moment ask of us? How do we even stay present in this distracting life?
Music: Chalice Choir with Tania Hopkins
How can our community service be grounded in Unitarian Universalist fellowship?
Music: Hymn singing with Susan Peck
The holy is present in each season of life, offering us a source of comfort and trust.
Music: Spare Parts: Vance Bass, special guest Doug Cowan, Chris Paul, Susan Peck
We have an epidemic of separateness, more commonly called loneliness. How do we reverse this devastating trend?
Music: Intergenerational Band
How does healing happen? What do personal healing and collective healing have in common?
Music: Chalice Choir, with youth trio featuring Puck Magnusson, Carson Mayo, and Emi Shadowspeaker
It has been a very difficult week. In the aftermath of the election, what do we do now?
Music: Spare Parts: Vance Bass, Keith Morris, Chris Paul, Susan Peck, Celia Yapita
Talk about a liminal space. We are watching our country enter a crossroads and take one of two very different directions. What should we consider as we wait? This service includes a candlelighting ritual of remembrance for those who have died.
Music: Lydia Clark
Our multi-religious approach to religion and faith provides many possibilities to understand ourselves and our place in this life. Listening with deep intention to our inner voice allows us to discover our personal wisdom and truth. Yet truths emanate from both our lived experiences and the shared experiences of others. We explore ways of deep listening in our search for truth and meaning.
Music: Lydia Clark
With so many headlines and heartbreaking notes around hurricanes, floods, fires, and the intersectionality of justice concerns we care about related to climate change and environment, we are invited to explore light within the darkness. If we believe that our work is Loving the World we must hold the All of it. We must pay attention in new ways and in deeper levels. We are "refugia" in this stormy moment. There is great beauty and tender joy in holding the suffering of our current realities. We are not living in a challenging Era - we are Living into a New Era that is challenging our Loving.
Our Pulpit Guest this Sunday is Joan Brown, a Franciscan Sister from the Rochester, MN community, who is living and working in Albuquerque, where she serves as the Executive Director of New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light (NM IPL). NM IPL is part of a national faith-based organization working to address climate justice.
Music: Chalice Choir, with Nicia Rae and Susan Peck
As we begin another operating pledge campaign, can we listen for the messages that call to us from our community, our campus, our congregation, and our hearts?
Music: Intergenerational music with youth and members of Spare Parts
What does it mean to live for reproductive freedom? How can we use the strength of our convictions to move forward in faith for reproductive freedom, and what would it look like to lean into what is necessary? Today’s talk will focus on three ways we can advance reproductive freedom. Hint it has to do with - Clarity, Willingness and Possibility!
Music: Lydia Clark
Former First U staff member and now minister Beth Elliot preaches on our dreams for the future of First Unitarian.
Music: Chalice Choir, directed by Susan Peck and accompanied by Nicia Rae on piano.
Our pulpit guest series continues with Reverend Randy Granger—a professional musician, storyteller, workshop facilitator, educator, and licensed massage therapist—speaking about moving from "Othering" towards understanding differences in our world's rich tapestry. Healing through hearing each other's stories, stories of grace and transformation.
We will also have our Backpack Blessing today for children and adults alike. Bring your backpack, bag, or other symbol of your learning or work to the service.
Music: Lydia Clark and Susan Peck
You are not your thoughts. You are so much more than the fleeting thoughts you experience, and the world is more than what we see; reflection can help put self and the world into perspective.
Music: Spare Parts: Vance Bass, Tania Hopkins, Keith Morris, Chris Paul, and Susan Peck.
Community Leader and performer Cathryn McGill joins us with a sermon that explores our personal responsibility to overcome conflict and confront biases. It calls for both individual and collective efforts to foster understanding, unity, and connection, emphasizing that building bridges within our communities is essential to transforming division into harmony.
Music: Cathryn McGill will be joined by John Mangel on piano and Lydia Clark.
Thriving 21st-century spiritual communities are like strong and beautiful stained-glass windows. They’re composed of many individual people who come together to create a deep and meaningful experience where everyone cocreates together but each person can ALSO shine as themselves at their best.Music: Guest Musician Celia Farran, with Susan Peck.
The sabbatical guest preacher program continues with Rev. Erica Lea-Simka of the Albuquerque Mennonite Church.
August 28, 2024 will be the 61st anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s most famous speech- I Have A Dream. In these times of global unrest and interpersonal uncertainties, it is extra challenging to "hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope". How might Elijah's Dark Night of the Soul in 1 Kings 19:4-9, MLK's vision in his 1963 speech, and our own wisdom help move us as communities of faith and consciousness toward deeper spiritual centering?
Music: Michael Mandrell and Susan Peck
The sabbatical guest preacher program commences with Rabbi Celia Surget of Albuquerque’s Congregation Albert.
Even the Rabbis of the Talmud agreed- it can be difficult to live in community- as individual members, we often risk facing the challenge of not being truly seen, of feeling (or being) ostracized, and yet… they also acknowledge that there is power and strength when we take the time to look at each other, acknowledge each other and hold each other accountable.
Music: Lydia Clark & Susan Peck
It’s hard to believe that it’s been five years since Rev. Bob joined the
First U staff as Associate Minister. What have we co-created in that
time?
Music: Lydia Clark and guest musician Issa Noor.
Participants from the Association of UU Music Ministries annual conference will join the First U worship team for a service about mutual support, a positive vision for the future, and covenant. The Rev. Bob LaVallee preaches.
Places of refuge are important for nurturing our spiritual lives. But what counts as one, and where do we find it? This is Angela’s last Sunday in the pulpit before her sabbatical. She will return November 3.
Music: Guest musicians Sue Young and Rusty Nelson
What happens after death? We don’t know for sure, but many people believe in reincarnation (including a surprisingly high number of Christians!) Let’s explore this ancient idea.
Music: Spare Parts, with Laura Bartolucci, Vance Bass, Keith Morris, Chris Paul, and Susan Peck.
Rev. Dr. Mark Morrison-Reed has been a parish minister, seminary professor, and prolific writer on UU history. On this Sunday Rev. Bob will speak on what his work tells us about the experiences of People of Color in UU spaces.
Music: Lydia Clark and Susan Peck
We each have spiritual autobiographies or stories of the spiritual influences and growth that have shaped us. So does the church itself! Our Minister Emerita the Rev. Christine Robinson will join Angela in the pulpit today to tell that story.
Music: Lydia Clark
Have you heard the good news? There are great things happening in the world. They don’t make the headlines as often as the bad stuff. Come and be lifted as Angela preaches “the good news” today.
Music: Susan Peck
Unitarian Universalism is a covenantal faith, and every UU congregation has a covenant. During this year, we’ll gather as a community to develop a new covenant to meet the needs of our new reality and awareness. Rev. Bob will explain how the church will do this important work.
Music: Lydia Clark
On this Pride weekend, a sermon for everyone who dreams of embracing courage, vulnerability, playfulness, and self-expression.
Music: Susan Peck
Some of the most important things we can do for our youth to support them into adulthood are to keep them connected to Unitarian Universalism, and to continue to minister to them as they become adults. Our Bridging Ceremony celebrates this important transition and reminds the congregation of our commitments to our youth. We will honor Yony Mostoller and Evan Sadek. We will also celebrate Founders Day!
Music: UU Youth Band
Simple rituals, practices, and sacred objects can be incorporated into each day. They help us live more deeply, without necessarily “doing more.” This enriches our lives in good times and becomes a source of strength in hard times.
Music: Lydia Clark with jazz violinist Muni Kulasinghe
There are countless names for the Ultimate or Divine. Let’s explore some! How do they help us understand existence? In what ways are they true?
Music: Chalice Choir
Like better known Christian holidays, Pagan holidays have common names but many different beliefs and rituals. Sara Wofford and the First U Covenant of UU Pagans will join Rev. Bob to explore pluralism in Pagan beliefs.
Music: Vance Bass, Keith Morris, and Susan Peck
Marge Piercy’s poetry is celebrated by Unitarian Universalists for the way it weaves across the breadth of politics, gender, and environmentalism. We’ll use her poetry and more to celebrate this Earth Day.
Music: Chalice Choir, with Nicia Rae and Susan Peck
How does change happen in a person’s life? How much change is possible? A sermon about the spiritual and the psychological.
Music: Lydia Clark
As many of you know, our trans and gender expansive beloveds are under attack and being criminalized in many US states right now. This is so serious that they fit the criteria to be designated as internally displaced people (IDPs) by the United Nations. This isn’t the first time fascism has reared its ugly head, and we at UUSC know how to respond. UUSC has been dedicated to aiding people being targeted by fascism since our founding in 1940. Our faith calls us to make holy trouble for the powers that would deny anyone’s full humanity and divinity. Join us, holy troublemakers, now is the time!
Music: Sol Singers with Susan Peck. Sing justice songs with us!
Heather (she/her) is the Coordinator for Congregational Activism at the UU Service Committee and as such, works with congregations, state action networks and other groups that want to do their social justice work more effectively and faithfully. She is part of the Congregational Accompaniment Project for Asylum Seekers (CAPAS) team that matches (and supports) congregations with asylum seekers needing sponsorship and coordinates with UUSC’s frontline trans partners working to get our beloveds free and safe through the Pink Haven Coalition. Outside of her paid work, Heather co-coordinates the Beyond Bond & Legal Defense Fund which is part of the wider Boston Immigration Justice Accompaniment Network in Massachusetts and is an active member of her UU church, First Parish Malden and an aspirant to UU Ministry.
If you wonder what hope there is, if you’re feeling hopeless, if you’re afraid being hopeful will only lead to disappointment, or if you think of hope as a form of wishful thinking, then this intellectually honest, nourishing sermon is especially for you. And everyone else will probably appreciate it too! With an uplifting message and an easter egg hunt for kids, this is a great day to invite new friends to try our church.
Music: Lydia Clark and special guests.
In a few months UUs will have a big decision to make at our denomination’s annual general assembly: whether to transform the Seven Principles into a new kind of statement for our new era. Here’s what’s being proposed, and how our congregation can get involved.
Music:Chalice Choir, Nicia Rae, piano
Four years ago, our lives were upended by a virus. The most deadly phase has passed, but we haven’t returned to “normal” and we certainly haven’t acknowledged all that was lost in that time.
Music: Spare Parts, with Keith Morris, Chris Paul, Susan Peck, and Evan Sadek-Kennedy
In the polarized rhetoric around Israel and Palestine, each side gets dehumanized in the service of “justice.” Fathers Bassam Aramin and Rami Elhanan, a Palestinian and an Israeli who both lost daughters to the violence, want us to know that another way is possible.
Music: Lydia Clark
The global economy is built on constant growth, creating and consuming more regardless of whether we need it or not. The result is the devastation of our planet and the creation of a tiny class of ultra-rich and the impoverishment of the rest of us. Degrowth is the idea that we scale down this destructive cycle and focus instead on human needs and the planet’s well-being.
Music: Linda Myers, singer-songwriter
“Repent” is a religious word with a lot of baggage. It brings to mind shame and threats of punishment. But there is another side to it: one that has to do with healing, repair, and peace. This sermon draws from the UUA’s Common Read, On Repentance and Repair by Danya Ruttenberg. You can learn more about the Common Read program here. (https://www.uua.org/read)
Music: Lydia Clark & Tom Godfrey
We all want to thrive, and what that means differs during our lifespan. There are plenty of hints and tips about that, and I have a few of my own, especially about the life stage of “retirement.” However, almost all the thinking I can dig up about thriving assumes that we can thrive all by ourselves, and I doubt that. We believe we are all connected, after all… and that would mean that we need to put some thought into how the thriving and non-thriving of others impacts us. The puppets will have some thoughts to share about thriving as well.
Music: Chalice Choir, directed by Susan Peck. Nicia Rae, piano.
We are a covenantal faith, but what does that even mean? First U’s Mission Covenant has great aspirations but very little on specifics. How do we know when we’re out of covenant? How do we return to covenant?
Music: Lydia Clark and Susan Peck
The popular, annual service dedicated to regular yet notable people who died in the last year. We’ll celebrate some of the people whose lives touched ours, even if we never knew their names. Inventors, activists, scientists and more… come for good music and good stories; leave with a spring in your step.
The Rev. Angela Herrera & The Rev. Bob LaVallee
You’ve got questions, and we’ve got... well, we’ll do our best! Today the ministers draw your questions out of a hat.
Music: Susan Peck
Love is a liberating gift, but it doesn’t come for free. A sermon about what love—especially self-love—asks of us. We’ll also collect questions today for next week’s “Question Box” sermon.
Music: Chalice Choir, directed by Susan Peck. Nicia Rae, piano. Anthems include O Love by Elaine Hagenberg, and Show Us How to Love by Mark Miller
Liberation Theology was created by Catholic clergy working in the global south. Witnessing the results of colonialism and militarism, they reframed the message of the New Testament to call for a renewed focus on the plight of the poor. Is there a similar theology in Unitarian Universalism?
Music: Susan Peck and Tania Hopkins share music from Las voces del camino
UU ministers, like other UUs, sometimes have “both/and” religious identities: Buddhist-UU, Christian-UU, Hindu-UU … But how does that work? Angela will share her personal spiritual story, and what it means that she has begun to identify as UU and Jewish.
Music: Spare Parts, with Vance Bass, Laura Bartolucci, Jayson Capps, Keith Morris, Chris Paul, Susan Peck
A special and unusual in-person service, featuring sound healing with our own staff musician, Lydia Clark, and her brother, Mark Clark, percussionist. Join Lydia, Mark, and Rev. Bob LaVallee for a peaceful morning filled with instrumental sounds.
At this time of year, there are so many winter holidays, so many twinkling lights. But the oldest tradition of all—one that has been largely lost in mainstream US culture—is celebrating the winter solstice.
Music: Chalice Choir
One of the sources of UU faith is “the direct experience of transcending mystery and wonder.” What does that mean? How do you know if you’ve had one?
Music: Lydia Clark, Chris Paul, Susan Peck
It’s estimated that there are more than 4,000 religions in the world. Why do people choose to believe what they do, and why do they join the religious communities that they do?
Music: Doug Cowan and Sharon Stepler
Early in life, we are taught to share our material possessions, and to share the spotlight—giving everyone a chance to be seen. However, it is not until we have experienced struggles and challenges that we learn to share our humanity.
Music: Susan Peck
Where is the holy in the conflict between Israel and Palestine? In this time of grief, a message from the ministers about deepening our compassion and understanding.
Music: Lydia Clark
Every day, we receive from the earth and her creatures, and from the labors of our fellow humans. The commodity economy does not encourage us to think of these things as gifts. Yet doing so is both life-changing and soul satisfying.
Music: Lydia Clark
November’s theme at the church is generosity, and Rev. Bob will kick the month off talking about the ways that we can cultivate more generous spirits. This service includes a candlelighting ritual for those who have died. Zoom participants are encouraged to have a candle ready at home.
Music: Chalice Choir
We’ll welcome Rev. Bob back into the pulpit today, after a four-month sabbatical. What will he talk about? Come and find out. Family-friendly Halloween costumes are encouraged. There will be a multigenerational costume parade at the end of the 11:00 am service.
Music: Lydia Clark
Here’s something we don’t talk about much at First U. Where did the idea of demons come from? What do they do? And are they real?
Music: Spare Parts
Just in time for Halloween, a sermon about magic and the mysterious power of words. From the archive, this sermon was originally preached in 2013.
Music: Rafe Pearlman
The phrase “witch hunt” has been used in the news by certain politicians lately and, well, that’s pretty ironic. Here’s why.
Music: Lydia Clark
We are born into families and cultures that shape us, often in ways that are invisible to us. Drawing from the fields of family systems and trauma, a sermon about developing an intentional, life-affirming relationship with your heritage.
Music: Chalice Choir sings music by Sweet Honey in the Rock
The Rev. Jane Davis
A reflection about welcoming those in recovery and those re-entering our community from incarceration. Jane is an Affiliated Minister of First Unitarian.
We’re taking some chances in this church: trying to make a difference when the odds seem stacked against us; siding with love when hate is so threatening; and stepping up to hard work when people can always just opt out. Where do we get the guts?
Special Musical Guest: Peter Mayer
Welcoming each other means practicing hospitality, compassion, and non-judgment. But what if the person we would welcome does not share those values? Is it unwelcoming to set boundaries?
The Rev. Christine Robinson, Minister Emerita
We started the summer series on a wide variety of world faiths with a song called “Atheists Ain’t Got No Songs,” which was funny in the context of the service, but I found myself frowning …. because it’s just plain wrong! Come and hear some good atheist songs, and about the wide variety of human faiths which don’t center on a spiritual figure—Atheism, Agnosticism, Humanism, Stoicism, Taoism … among many. Music: Lydia Clark, Vance Bass, Susan Peck
Rev. Randy Granger explores Native American spirituality and religions through creation stories, music, and common beliefs amongst Native Peoples, sharing with us how Native American ideas of the 7th Generation and Walking in Beauty resonate still in our society and can help guide us in our personal lives.
This Sunday, in the 8th installment of our “summer seminary sermon series,” we welcome pulpit guest Rabbi Darah Lerner, a rabbi in the Reform Movement of Judaism. In 2022, Rabbi Lerner returned to Albuquerque from Bangor, Maine, where she is the Rabbi Emerita of Congregation Beth El after serving there for 17 years.
The Rev. Angela Herrera Why do religion and science often seem to be at odds? And why does First U have a science display right in the front of our sanctuary? From the “greatest hits,” this is the sermon Angela preached when the display was installed five years ago. Music: Lydia Clark, piano & vocals
The Rev. Christine Robinson, Minister Emerita
We call ourselves religious liberals but have a hard time explaining what we mean. There’s a national effort afoot to help us understand ourselves better by focusing on our values.
Music: Spare Parts Trio with Vance Bass, Tania Hopkins, and Susan Peck
How many kinds of Christianity are there and why are there so many? What do they have in common and where do they differ? A sermon about the religion we probably think we know best.
Imam Abdur’Rauf Campos Marquetti, of Minara Muslim Community, is our pulpit guest today, with a message about Islam. Minara shares First Unitarian’s campus, along with the Abq Center for Spiritual Living. He will be joined by the Rev. Emily Wright-Magoon. Music: Susan Peck & Nicia Rae, with a special performance by the Roots Summer Leadership Academy.
The Rev. Angela Herrera The Zen Priest angel Kyodo williams asks, “What does it mean to be born in this human life and so bothered by it?” Buddhism has wisdom about life’s big questions, and encourages each person to test those teachings out to see whether they feel true.
Fifteen percent of the global population identifies as Hindu—that’s one billion people! In this first Sunday of our “summer seminary sermon series,” we’ll learn more about the oldest of the world’s major religions.
Our hymnals include many tunes from the Southern Harmony and shape note tradition. These tunes support a variety of texts, from traditional to modern. Susan Peck and guest singer Peter Tras will lead the congregation in singing through a history of these American hymns.
Sun, Jun 25, 2023 "What Is Religion?" The Rev. Angela Herrera Is Unitarian Universalism a religion? How is religion defined, and by whom? (It’s trickier than you might think.) A message to get us ready for a “summer seminary” sermon series, where we’ll explore major world religions one Sunday at a time in July and August.
Music: Spare Parts
When we embrace new approaches to inclusivity and justice, does it diminish the work of the past, or build on it? How do we become good ancestors, knowing that things will continue to change? This service also includes a Fathers Day candle lighting ritual. (To participate on Zoom, have a candle nearby!) Music: Lydia Clark
The Rev. Bob LaVallee On Rev. Bob’s last Sunday before taking a four-month sabbatical, he’ll tell stories about the wonderful things that the First Unitarian congregation accomplished in the last four years.
Kristin Famula, Intern Minister 100 years ago (on this exact day) a new UU tradition was born: The Flower Ceremony. Bring a flower (from your garden, the store, the farmers market) this Sunday as we bring back this special ritual marking the diversity and beauty of us all. We will also celebrate our “Bridgers,” honoring the graduating seniors moving from youth to young adulthood.
This week was Shavuot, the Jewish spring harvest festival and celebration of the giving of the Torah on Mt Sinai. How does Judaism see the creation stories in Genesis that are part of the Torah and that many UUs may be familiar with through a different lens? What do creation stories have to do with our lives?
“Primordial Flaring Forth” Kristin Famula, Intern Minister The creation story told through human exploration and science—a celebration of our inherently mysterious existence and the ever-unfolding creation of life.
Music: Spare Parts
The fierce yes is made of Love, feels like joy, and is self-sustaining. Rather than try to manhandle the future into being what if you were so steeped in Love that you grow the future in your womb, incubating it, feeding it, nourishing possibility in the dark, giving it the time, warmth, sweet songs and stories to grow so that it emerges ready and able to live itself into greater and greater capacity constantly living into more and more Love.
Rev. Bob LaVallee
Coming of Age - Like many other faith traditions, Unitarian Universalists celebrate our youth as they move from childhood into adulthood. Our youth will share homilies and music in this annual favorite.
"Is This A Queer Church Now?" The Rev. Angela Herrera Someone asked this recently, which got Angela thinking… how would we know? A sermon about– yep- the field of queer theology, who a “queer church” would (and wouldn’t) be for, and how this all connects to our theological theme of Resistance.
Rev. Bob LaVallee
The Boss in Our Head - We marinate in capitalism and because of that, judge our own worth by how productive we are. This has devastating effects on our lives and our planet, and especially the historically marginalized. How do we turn off the boss in our head?
The Rev. Angela Herrera. An easter sermon about cycles of rebirth and renewal, and how to carry on meaningfully in a world that is sometimes overwhelming.
Jesus Christ, Antifascist - We know there are many versions of Jesus. As we approach Good Friday and Easter, we’ll talk about the ways that Jesus resisted authoritarian empire, befriended the marginalized, and organized mutual aid.
Susan Peck. The last three years have been difficult for all of us. Living and singing through an airborne pandemic has been especially poignant for singers, whose art is created by sharing breath. Join Susan Peck and the Chalice Choir for reflections on grief and hope in the time of pandemic.
he Rev. Angela Herrera. When we have the courage to show vulnerability, it can transform many of our relationships for the better. But what if others respond with meanness? How do we protect ourselves?
Kristin Famula. Dozens of books were published last year – with the aim of supporting people in managing their time. But is time management really what we’re after? How else might we approach the reality of time in our lives? And yes, make sure you “spring forward” so that you don’t miss this service.
Rev. Bob LaVallee - UU principles affirm that the active care of the natural world is fundamental to spiritual life and social justice. In a state driven by extraction economies, what are we called to do?
The Rev. Angela HerreraLove, like “soul,” is hard to define. We know it when we see it. But it’s also a skill we can get better at. And who doesn’t want to be great at love?Music: Chalice Choir, directed by Susan Peck, Nicia Rae, piano
For this sermon, Rev. Bob interviewed wise elders at First U for their thoughts about love. Come hear some sage advice about one of life’s mysteries.Music: Lydia Clark
“Cringe”
Kristin Famula, Intern Minister
Finding the sacred gift of cringe-worthy moments. How might we harness the power of embarrassment and find acenter of vulnerability within our community? Share your (short) examples of embarrassing moments with Kristin by emailing kfamula@uuabq.org. We might use them (anonymously of course!) in the service.
Music: Chalice Choir
“Self Centered”
The Rev. Angela Herrera
Author and activist Christopher Heuertz says, “We all find ourselves bouncing around three very human lies that we believe about our identity: I am what I have, I am what I do, and I am what other people say or think about me.” A sermon about knowing (and forgetting) the true self at our center.
Music: Laura Pirard, trombone
The Rev. Bob LaVallee
As we observe the MLK holiday, we’ll share Dr. King’s remarks spoken to UUs at the 1966 General Assembly, our denomination’s annual business meeting. How can we continue to “Not sleep through the revolution?”Music: Lara Manzanares
Resmaa Menakem’s powerful book My Grandmother’s Hands discusses how racism lands in our bodies, regardless of our race. How can our bodies undo the consequences of that racism? This service will include gentle movement suitable for all bodies.
Music: Lydia Clark and Lowell Burton
The Worship Coordinators
This year, instead of examining our individual selves on New Year’s Day, let’s consider the context of community. What can we learn from the web of life that connects the forest floor? Stay in your PJs at home and join us for aZoom-only service, or join other congregants to watch the service together, starting at 10:30 am in the Social Hall. Coffee and other beverages will be served. Have writing and coloring tools available for our annual worship stations!
Music: Lydia Clark, piano & vocals
Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, so stay in your pajamas and join us for this Zoom-only service. We’ll sing carols, tell the Las Posadas story, and hear a short message from Rev. Bob. Repeat: This service is only on Zoom. There are no in-person services on December 25.
Susan Peck, Music Director, and the Ministers
The poet Wendell Berry writes, “To go in the dark witha light is to know the light./ To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,/ and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,/and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.” Join us in celebrating the longest night of the year in this service featuring the Chalice Singers Choir, our band Spare Parts, Revs Angela and Bob, and Intern Minister Kristin Famula.
Rev. Bob LaVallee
“Wokeness” seems to be easily dismissed by the some, but in an era of growing Christo-fascism, our progressive values are more important than ever. This topic was chosen by the winners of the Social Justice Auction.
The Rev. Angela Herrera, The Rev. Jane Davis, and
Rev. Angela Herrera and Rev. Jane, co-chairs of the 8th Principle Explorations Task Force, will join Angela in reflecting on our work this year toward dismantling oppression and a big congregational decision coming up in January.
The new science of attachment theory gives us some surprising insights into how we form relationships. Can we love better? And what does attachment theory tell us about being members of a church?
Intern minister Kristin Famula reflects on this week's election with a message of moving forward with love. Artist in residence, Francisco Ruiz leads the First Unitarian choirs and the congregation in song.
Rev. Angela updates a sermon from 2010 - "Where Are We?" about approaching the new with a sense of adventure. Our Sunday services are now live-streamed over Zoom from our sanctuary at 9:00 am each week!
How do we stop systems based in relentless extraction and move towards ways of being that heal and restore? Communities in the front lines of the climate crisis are leading the way towards the transformations necessary for our collective survival and flourishing. Join us as Rev. Mary Katherine Morn, president of Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, shares stories of the remarkable work they’re engaging in around the world with the support of our UUSC members.
What do we do with the in-between-ness of the times we’re living in? Join us as we explore together life in a new age of uncertainty.
Life includes risk from the very beginning. That’s part of what makes life so precious to us. But when we’ve experienced trauma, the feeling of danger can become overwhelming. A sermon about finding our center again.
For a faith that is sometimes fairly accused of being too intellectual, there’s a strong tradition of resistance in Unitarian Universalism. What can our history teach us about protest today?
Joy, pleasure, play– we are born for these! To embody them in the face of dehumanizing systems is an act of resistance and makes rebellion irresistible.
What makes Unitarian Universalism so special, and how does that come alive at First U ABQ?
Universalism—the idea that all are saved—has been an outrageously controversial idea. But what does it even mean in today’s Unitarian Universalism? Is there any cosmic/divine justice?
Theology should be about the things that we most cherish as a community. How do we move from focusing on individual beliefs to sharing meaning and purpose?
In light of recent changes in the labor market, as well as the outrageous concentration of wealth in relatively few hands, a Labor Day sermon on working, agency, and liberation.
Sara and Angela join forces today to discuss the spiritual art of apologizing. Is there a right way? How do we know when an apology is needed? Sara is the Chair of our congregation’s Healthy Community Committee, a committee of the Board tasked with helping our congregation practice healthy conflict.
In Tibetan Buddhism, a hungry ghost is shaped like a teardrop, with tiny mouths and enormous stomachs. A hungry ghost is also a metaphor for the condition of addiction. Rev. Bob will talk about addiction, and more importantly, recovery.
We tackle some big questions in church... and here’s your chance to ask yours! Send in your spiritual, moral, and theological questions to specials@uuabq.org and on August 7, Bob and Angela will take turns responding to them.
What is predictable about human development and what is not? How much—and how— does a person change in their lifetime?
What has Unitarian Universalism conceded to more mainstream religions that we might want to consider taking back?
Adrien Lawyer, hosted by the Rev. Jane Davis Our service this Sunday will be led by the Rev. Jane Davis, First Unitarian's Affiliated Minister. Adrien Lawyer is the founder and Executive Director of the Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico. Music: Amanda Udis-Kessler and Phoebe Lostroh
A sermon about sin and making things right. Updated for today, Angela originally preached this sermon in 2011. Due to her father’s unexpected passing, Angela is postponing the original topic of “Preparedness” until a later date.
Quaker theologian Parker Palmer’s book Healing the Heart of Democracy came out in 2014 and a lot has happened in our government since then. On Independence Day weekend, how do we create a politics that’s worthy of the human spirit?
For many UUs, poetry is a source of wonder and renewal, a blessing to our hearts and souls that is always there for us. Join us for First Unitarian’s not-quite-annual poetry service, and bask in words of beauty, insight, and compassion.
Religious communities create unique blessings that are hard to find in other places. As we face some truly terrible times ahead, how do we at First U bless each other and our community?
One of the biggest obstacles for us to find inner peace is the shame that we carry. Join us on a journey and a discussion of shame...and how we can finally work to say goodbye to it in our lives once and for all, to become the beautiful and creative beings that we are destined to be.
Many families get together to "say grace" before meals in order to ask for blessings for the future. But is grace only present when things are going well? Is there grace present in struggle? Join Matt as he explores our relationship with grace and just what it means when we talk about it.
Combat is held up as the ultimate expression of masculinity. But the real war exists within men’s hearts and it begins the first time that they are told that boys don’t cry. Former Marine Corps artilleryman and VA chaplain Rev. Bob reflects on the internal and external battles that men fight.
May 22, 2022 Matt Pargeter-Villarreal, Intern Minister Join Matt for a sermon about...yes, unicorns! This Sunday, come along on a journey on the history and mythology of these mythical creatures and how they not only are popular for parties and cake toppers, but they have much to show us about appreciating and recognizing the existence of the Divine in our everyday world. Music: Elya Arrasmith, soprano, Susan Peck, piano.
Our theological theme this month is “beauty.” But what is that exactly? A look at the spirituality and politics of beauty. Music: Chalice Choir
Legislation harming transgender kids and adults has proliferated, spurred by the religious right. We’ll examine the beliefs underpinning these laws, and their impact, from factual, ethical, and theological angles.
Our six Sources of the Living Tradition as UUs speak to “Spiritual teachings of Earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.” What does Beltane, a Pagan celebration traditionally celebrated at the beginning of May have to teach us about that? Music: Chalice Choir
9:00 am – 10:00 am April 24, 2022 The Rev. LaVallee Bridging is the annual UU celebration welcoming our youth into young adulthood. Bridging is a ritual, and a process, and a commitment! First U youth Mozely Bleistein, Gina Kennedy, and Oliver Workman will offer homilies.
Music: Spare Parts
9:00 am – 10:00 am April 17, 2022The Rev. Angela Herrera When the dead refuse to stay down, when the living do not cease to be in conversation with them, then Love finds its fullest power. An Easter sermon for our times. Music: Chalice Choir
Many all over the world will be observing Palm Sunday this day, celebrating the arrival of Jesus into Jerusalem. But, with global warming and climate change wreaking havoc on our world, what would the Divine have to say about our world today? Join Matt for a discussion of the 7th Principle and why it matters for us as people of faith and stewards of the environment. Music: Gabriel Longhuinos and Pauline LaBar-Shelton.
Spiritually speaking, the opposite of being awake isn’t being asleep, it’s more like being in a trance. How do we become aware of the trances we are in? Music: David Berkeley, Santa Fe singer-songwriter.
We all experience painful seasons in life. What does it mean to lean on a UU faith when our personal lives are difficult? Music: Lara Manzanares, New Mexican indie singersongwriter.
About a third of the congregation at First Unitarian is agnostic. That is, they claim neither faith nor disbelief in God. What does that mean for our religious community? Music: Spare Parts, First U’s contemporary band.
Times are bad and likely to get worse. Should we have faith? And if so, in what? Music: Vocal trio, After the Gold Rush
How do UUs understand the word “faith?” An introduction to this month’s theological theme.
Music: Karl Winkler, string quartet
February 27, 2022 The Rev. Bob LaVallee. Thich Nhat Hanh died this past January. We remember his extraordinary grace and conviction and reflect on his teachings.
Father Anne was ordained on October 16, 2021 in Albuquerque with the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests. She is committed to seeing women welcomed into the Roman Catholic priesthood within her lifetime. While many have understandably walked away from the Roman Catholic Church, she chooses to obey the Holy Spirit’s call to collaborate with God in bringing about gender equality in one of the most powerful institutions in the world.
A sermon about UU theologies of diversity and inclusion, and brave work happening at the national level in our denomination.
Join Matt for a reflection on his time in youth and young adult ministry—and how young people have a lot to show us about moving our denomination forward in the name of inclusivity and social justice into the years to come.
Music: Becky O’Boyle, viola. Susan Peck, piano. Henry Eccles, Sonata #11 in G minor.
The popular, annual service dedicated to notable (if sometimes unknown) people who died in the last year. We’ll celebrate some of the regular people whose lives touched ours, even if we never knew their names. Inventors, activists, scientists, musicians and more… come for good music and good stories; leave with a spring in your step.
Sometimes we set out with the best intentions, and then things go hilariously or terribly wrong. What then?
The work of anti-racism and anti-oppression requires that we encounter it on a variety of levels; within ourselves, in our relationships, and in the systems and institutions of the world. A big first step is understanding what kind of effort is required for what level. On this Sunday before Martin Luther King Day, Rev. Bob LaVallee will explore how we might do this as individuals and as a congregation.
In physics, “inertia” describes the way things that are in motion continue in that motion until some external force interrupts. It’s what you might call the “same old, same old” quality of matter. Our lives can also take on an inertia-like quality, perhaps heading in a less than satisfying direction, unless we apply intention to them.
The day after Christmas, December 26, known to many people as Boxing Day, is celebrated in many different countries around the world, but unknown to most people in the U.S. Join Matt, our Intern Minister, for the history of this celebration— and what it has to teach us about what is truly important in this holiday season.
The Worship Coordinators In these pandemic years, we have been waiting. Though in many ways the world still holds its breath, can we begin to emerge into joy? This interactive service will incorporate our annual worship stations, both in person and on Zoom.
Sometimes we work against our own joy without realizing that we’re doing it. Rev. Bob will talk about the corrosive power of sarcasm, cynicism, and envy.
Do you dance like no one is watching? Have you laughed so loud that it can be heard across the room? These are ways we express and cultivate joy. How do we create a life of blissfulness, a life that prioritizes happiness? How do we surrender to the expression of jubilation? The Rev. Katie Culbert has worked as a Director of Religious Exploration and is a Chaplain, most recently employed at Tampa General Hospital. Katie lives in Tampa with her two teenage boys, Desi and Casey.
What is the relationship between pleasure and joy? Between joy and justice? We’ll delve into these questions and how to increase joy in our lives in this introduction to December’s theological theme.
A sermon about practicing gratitude, even if we can’t do it perfectly. Updated for today, Angela originally preached this sermon in 2013.
Settler colonialism is the ongoing process of non-Native settlers occupying Native land, demanding their world views, morals, and economies be followed, and attempting to erase, assimilate, and replace the original inhabitants. How do we understand our roles as UUs in settler colonialism?
Regardless of what came before, your history—your story— is still unfolding. By bringing our full selves to the present we have the power to shape a story we can tell later with gratitude, peace, a sense of wholeness and pride.
Judgment is a function of experience, but gosh, getting experience can be painful. To live is to make mistakes and even inadvertently cause other people pain. As we get older, how do we make peace with our pasts? In the spirit of Samhain and All Souls Day, today’s service includes a special candle lighting and prayer honoring the deceased. Zoom attenders: have an extra candle handy. In person: candles will be available in the sanctuary.
A Halloween-y sermon about our relationship with fear. Family-friendly costumes are welcome at church today, and all are invited to join a costume parade through the courtyard after the 11:00 am service.
Barriers to abortion on the state and federal levels have increased in the decades since Roe v. Wade, a trend that is escalating rather than slowing. As we watch with horror the events in Texas and elsewhere, it’s important to know that there are theological and spiritual grounds to support reproductive choice.
The end of October/ early November is a time when many believe the veil between the living and the dead is thinnest, and spirits walk among us. Do you believe in this kind of thing?
As we celebrate LGBTQIA+ History month in October and continue committing ourselves to Side With Love, join Matt for a reflection on what it means for those of us in the LGBTQIA+ community to make the decision to come out and be ourselves—often in the midst of insurmountable odds—and how we can love, support, and celebrate all of those in the LGBTQIA+ community who are important members of our church family.
There’s a movement happening in Unitarian Universalism to add an additional principle to our current seven. This principle would call UUs to intentionally work to dismantle racism and other oppressions. Rev. Bob will talk about the history and future of the 8th principle.
Everything is just so much more these days, and it’s hard to stay present, joyful, and above all, grateful. We talk a lot about how being grateful changes the way we see and feel, but how about the impact on other people? And why is it so hard to accept gratitude from other people?
The rest of this sermon title might as well be “and the Impossibility of Perfection.” We all know it’s impossible to be perfect, and, well, sometimes that really stinks. But it also opens the door to one of our superpowers as humans.
First Unitarian has had two Sunday services for many years. Now that one is on Zoom and one is in the sanctuary, what possibilities lie before us? In our personal lives as well as at church, how do we embrace possibility?
In the midst of the global pandemic and rising new cases due to the Delta variant, there is much uncertainty about what the future will hold, and whether we will ever return to a sense of “normal” again. Matt offers a message of how we can find hope, inspired by the life and the words of Julian of Norwich and the music of UU minister/songwriter Rev. Meg Barnhouse.
This month we’re tackling some big questions in church… and giving you a chance to ask yours! Throughout August we’ll collect your spiritual, moral, and theological questions via email and the chat box. Today, Bob and Angela will take turns responding to them.
Last March, we felt resilient for locking ourselves down for the greater good, and last September we hunkered down for a long winter, and last Spring we got our vaccinations so we would be able to breathe freely and see each other’s faces and travel the world again, and now…here we are, masked again, worried, and, perhaps, sticking close to home. In the meantime, the world is not just heating but burning, and it looks like that is going to go on for the rest of our lives. How is your resilience? Are you ready for the long haul? If not, let’s talk about it. We get some help from my dog, Mosby, who had a trauma of his own to deal with last year and sailed through. Christine Robinson is our Minister Emerita, after serving as the Minister, then Senior Minister of this congregation from 1988-2017. She says she learned a lot about resilience from us!
Doubt has gotten a bad rap in Protestantism, but it wasn’t always that way. In
fact, it is an important part of spiritual growth, and UUs especially embrace it.
Not every church would place giant interfaith symbols in the center of its worship space. As we prepare to return to our beloved sanctuary, we’ll take a closer look at our mural in this sermon about First Unitarian’s interfaith faith.
One of the strengths of Unitarian Universalism is our willingness to embrace spirit AND science. In Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book Braiding Sweetgrass, botanist and Potawatomi Nation citizen Robin Wall Kimmerer does just that. Rev. Bob will explore how her dual wisdom helps us to navigate the climate crisis.
From time to time, we all get frustrated in our attempts to communicate. If you’ve ever wished you could understand someone better, or feel heard yourself, then this sermon is for you.
Are you experiencing a transition of some kind? Aren’t we all? Whether it’s a change you looked forward to, or one you would never have wanted or imagined, this sermon on the psychology and spirituality of transitions will offer perspective.
The Rev. Bob LaVallee Late-stage capitalism has fostered incredible income inequality, exacerbating other issues like climate change, racism, and sexism. In addition, it diminishes our hearts, minds, and souls. How can UUs protect themselves and others from this blight?
Whether we are conscious of them or not, negative beliefs about ourselves can become like prison bars around the spirit. On this holiday, a sermon about freedom of the most personal kind: freedom within.
Unitarian Universalists recognize that the transition from youth to young adulthood is a moment to be celebrated, a process to be supported, and requires a lifelong commitment from all of us. This week we honor our congregation's most recent high school graduates with a special Bridging service. Charlotte Clark-Slakey and the Rev. Bob LaVallee will share their perspectives.
The historian Johan Huizinga once said, "In play we move below the level of the serious, as the child does; but we can also move above it— in the realm of the beautiful and the sacred.” That’s true for everything from "dad jokes" to sacred dance. (Yes, really!) On Angela’s first Sunday back from sabbatical, a sermon about the divine, sometimes ridiculous, act of being playful.
Music: This Sunday, our service will feature music by our own contemporary band, Disparate Parts, playing music by Todd Rundgren and Los Lobos.
Late-stage capitalism has fostered incredible income inequality, exacerbating other issues like climate change, racism, and sexism. In addition, it diminishes our hearts, minds, and souls. How can UUs protect themselves and others from this blight?
Music: Classical tracks from Gabriel Longuinhos and friends, and the Petroglyph String Quartet
Rev. Dr. Nicole Kirk, Guest Minister
Rev. Kirk is a professor of history at Meadville Lombard Theological School. Dr. Kirk’s first book, Wanamaker’s Temple: The Business of Religion in an Iconic Department Store (NYU Press, 2018), offers a historical exploration of the relationships between religion, commerce, and urban life in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Music: First Unitarian’s Virtual Chalice Choir
How do we create the story of our life? We go about it one brick at a time. Our lives are made of many stories which come from many sources. We build stories upon stories as we become who we are. Let’s explore a few stories and ideas about who we are as individuals, a community, and as Unitarian Universalists. This is a joint service with our sibling congregation in Las Cruces!
Music: Special guest Randy Granger, Native multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter.
Mike Hogue is the father of three amazing kids (ages 10, 12, 21) who are growing up too quickly! He is a dog person by nature and upbringing, but his wife, from whom he has learned many things, has taught him to love a couple of cats, too. He is a Professor of Theology at Meadville Lombard Theological School. His most recent book is American Immanence: Democracy for an Uncertain World.
Music: Lasotras, videos of live, socially-distanced performances from this pandemic year
Beth Elliot, Alana Rodriguez, & Emily Kuo-Lillie
Sharing stories connects us and helps us better understand each other and what we are called to do together.
Music: Tom Godfrey, guitar. Pauline LaBar-Shelton, soprano
Sharing stories connects us and helps us better understand each other and what we are called to do together.
Music: Tom Godfrey, guitar. Pauline LaBar-Shelton, soprano
The Coming of Age program at First Unitarian is designed to help our youth develop and articulate their personal theologies. Come hear the spiritual wisdom of some wonderful young folks in our community.
What would it feel like to let go of our toxic attachments to things? What could it look like to collectively let go of the mirage of endless growth and the cycle of consumption? Join us for this Earth Day celebration where we explore the possibilities of liberation from excessive production
and consumption through remembering our inherent worth.
The Reverend Jennifer Nordstrom is the Senior Minister of the First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee, where she preaches, teaches, and organizes for social justice. In 2018, the book she co-edited, Justice on Earth: People of Faith Working at the Intersections of Race, Class and
the Environment, was published and chosen as the Unitarian Universalist Association’s national Common Read.
Rev. Takahashi is the lead Minister of the Mt. Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church, a position she has held since 2015. She has been active in many volunteer roles in the UUA, UUMA and at the local level, where she participates now as part of the Faith in Action East Bay justice network. Her work has been published in many anthologies and she is the primary author of The Arc of the Universe Is Long: Unitarian Universalism and the Journey Towards Wholeness and of “Widening the Circle of Concern: The report of the Commission on Institutional Change.” She is the mother of two children and two bully breed pups and loves walking, water, and gardening.
We will use the poetry/prayer form of antiphon (each stanza beginning “O,…”) throughout the service to name our longings and gratitudes. Although the form has roots in Christian worship, this service is designed to have universal appeal.
Beloved Conversations: Justice, Discomfort, and Joy
The Rev. Bob LaVallee
Participants in the Fall session of the Beloved Conversations program share their learnings and lessons. Rev. Bob LaVallee leads the discussion.
Dr. Elias Ortega is the President of Meadville Lombard Theological School. He is an interdisciplinary scholar who received his M.Div. and Ph.D. (Religion and Society, Magna Cum Laude) from Princeton Theological Seminary. In addition to leading Meadville Lombard, he currently serves the larger Unitarian Universalist movement as a member of the UUA’s Commission on Institutional Change.
Inspired by Laura Paskus’ recent book At the Precipice, Rev. Bob will discuss how faith can drive our response to a changing climate in the world and at home here in New Mexico.
March 7
Guest Minister, The Rev. Joel Miller
Rev. Joel is the Interim Minister at All Souls Indianapolis. A graduate of Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, CA, his ministry includes opening and serving the Columbine UU church in the Denver area for 7 years, serving as senior minister in Buffalo, NY for 11 years, and serving as interim minister for 5 different UU congregations since 2011. He is primarily a Humanist, but has been surprised to find himself a theist because of his spiritual practices in recovery from alcohol addiction.
Bayard Rustin was an American leader in social movements for civil rights, socialism, nonviolence, and gay rights. His journey offers some lessons on our journey towards collective liberation.
Music: Virtual Chalice Choir, Creation of Peace, by celebrated Methodist composer, Mark A. Miller
Drawing upon scripture, spiritual practice, and original music, we reflect on how to foster joy and gratitude in 2021, even as we continue to live in a pandemic.
Rev. Erin J. Walter is a community minister, nonprofit director, writer, and musician based in Austin, Texas. Her work is rooted in the powerful connection between the arts, justice movements, and multicultural community.
Unitarian Universalist, liberal religion, iTunes
The Rev. Erin Walter
, iTunes uuabq.video, sermon.
In this time of pandemic isolation, let’s celebrate the power and grace of what we can do together.
Unitarian Universalist, liberal religion, iTunes Rev. Bob LaVallee, iTunes uuabq.video, sermon
In this time of pandemic isolation, let’s celebrate the power and grace of what we can do together.
Unitarian Universalist, liberal religion, iTunes The Rev. Bob LaVallee, iTunes uuabq.video, sermon
Words are powerful, they help us make sense of the world and many times can help us see things with more clarity. This message is about a word coined by the Spanish Philosopher Adela Cortina that was selected as the word of the year in 2017. Let’s explore together what this word offers us and how it challenges us, too.
Rev. Tania Y Márquez is the assistant minister of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego. She is also a group leader of the UU College for Social Justice. She has a background on Latin American Literature and Spanish Linguistics, is married and has two teenage daughters. She has lived most of her life in the border region and her fronteriza experience has greatly influenced her ministry.
Music: We will sing the contemporary Spanish-language hymn Cuando el pobre:
“Cuando el pobre nada tiene y aún reparte…va Dios mismo en nuestro mismo caminar. When the poor ones, who have nothing, still are giving…we see God, here by our side, walking our way.”
Unitarian Universalist, liberal religion, iTunes The Rev. Tania Márquez, iTunes uuabq.video, sermon.
The popular, annual service dedicated to notable people who died in the last year. Though 2020 brought so much grief, let us not forget to celebrate some of the regular people whose lives touched ours, even if we never knew their names. Inventors, activists, scientists, and more… come for good music and good stories; leave with a spring in your step. Angela will also pass the ceremonial Key to the Church to Bob today, as this is her last service before leaving for a four-month sabbatical.
Unitarian Universalist, liberal religion, iTunes Rev. Angela Hererra, iTunes Rev. Bob LaVallee, iTunes uuabq.video, sermon.
Although every person on earth was born, the subject of birth is conspicuously absent from religious art and literature. Angela (a former doula) and her daughter Olivia, a nurse at Dar a Luz birth center, will reflect on this, and on what being present with birth has taught them. Unitarian Universalist, liberal religion, iTunes Rev. Angela Hererra, iTunes uuabq.video, sermon.
On this MLK weekend, we’ll honor Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and also reckon with what his message means to us today. Spoiler: It’s not what you think. Unitarian Universalist, liberal religion, iTunes Rhe Rev. Bob Lavallee, iTunes uuabq.video, sermon
Unitarian Universalism is the result of courageous acts of religious imagination. Our tradition went from looking a lot like other mainline Protestant denominations to the vibrant and evolving religion that we are today. Rev. Bob will talk about a few of the amazing people who helped us get here.
Unitarian Universalist, liberal religion, iTunes The Rev. Bob Lavallee iTunes uuabq.video, sermon.
Whether we are inspired by science, ancient stories, or our own experiences of transcending mystery and wonder, imagination plays a big role in our understanding of ultimate reality and our place in it.
Join the Ministers and Music Director Susan Peck for a special Christmas Eve service for all ages, including intergenerational story-telling, inspiring music, and a homily by Angela Herrera.
In 2008, Catholic priest and activist Daniel Berrigan wrote a book called “The Kings and Their Gods” about
the pathology of power, using the books of Kings from the Hebrew Bible as a leaping off point. Twelve years
the pathology of power, using the books of Kings from the Hebrew Bible as a leaping off point. Twelve years
later, Rev. Bob reflects on power and morality in this moment.
Unitarian Universalist, liberal religion, iTunes The Rev. Bob LaVallee, iTunes uuabq.video, sermon.
A sermon about gratitude and the blessing of low holiday expectations. First preached by Angela in 2011, this message has fresh relevance today as we reshape our holiday plans in the world’s pandemic year.
Sunday, December 6
“Stillness”
The Rev. Angela Herrera
In her poem "Today," Mary Oliver writes, “I’m taking the day off. Quiet as a feather. I hardly move though really I’m traveling / a terrific distance. Stillness. One of the doors / into the temple.” Today we’ll look through that “door,” in an introduction to this month’s theological theme.
Unitarian Universalist, liberal religion, iTunes The Reverend Angela Hererra, iTunes uuabq.video, sermon
November 29
“A Theology of Forgiveness”
The Rev. Bob LaVallee
Unitarian Universalism has many strengths: deep inclusiveness, an explicit call to work for
justice, and the encouragement of personal pursuit of meaning and purpose. However, our
faith does not have a well-articulated theology of forgiveness and redemption. How can we
do better, and develop resilience and connection within ourselves and our communities?
Unitarian Universalist, liberal religion, iTunes The Rev. Bob LaVallee, iTunes uuabq.video, sermon.
November 22
“The Promise and the Practice (BIPOC Voices)”
The Rev. Dr. Rebekah A. Savage
The Promise and the Practice is a celebration of our shared commitment to live into a new
chapter in the story of our faith. This worship centers the voices and stories of Black,
Indigenous, and other People of Color UUs, calling upon the lived experience of BIPOC
religious professionals as sacred text. It’s a turning moment; a choice to listen deeply to the
stories in our movement that have not been heard—or taken to heart—by all UUs.
November 15 “Healing Powers” The Rev. Angela Herrera
A sermon about the human capacity for healing, even when we aren't sure how to do it.
Unitarian Universalist, liberal religion, iTunes The Rev. Angela Hererra, iTunes uuabq.video, sermon.
November 8
“What Now?”
The Rev. Angela Herrera
The votes are in. What now? What do we make of this moment? How shall we proceed in
light of all that has happened and is happening?
unitarian universalist, liberal religion, iTunes The Rev. Angela Hererra, iTunes uuabq.video, sermon.
November 1
“Healing the Planet, Healing Ourselves”
The Rev. Bob LaVallee
We humans are tied to the land and the water and the air. It’s a vibrant system in which both the planet and the human race either thrive or decline together. In this season of drought in New Mexico, how do we bring healing to our environment and ourselves? Unitarian Universalist, liberal religion, iTunes the Rev. Bob LaVallee, iTunes UUABQ, sermon.
Can your ego cause you to wear a “mask” that hides your true self? Have you known
someone with a “monstrous” ego? (Okay, okay, enough with the Halloween puns). This
sermon is about why egos get a bad rap even though we need them, the difference between a
big ego and a strong one, and the role of the ego in becoming spiritually wise. It’s sure to be
a real “treat.” (Sorry!)
Unitarian Universalist, liberal religion, itunes (Minister’s name), itunes uuabq.video, sermon
October 18 “Will You Listen to Yourself?”
The Rev. Christine Robinson, Minister Emerita, First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque
We are often told that the good life is one of “being in the moment,” always aware of what is going on around us in the world. Dogs are really good at that, and it is one of the things welove them for. But people are more complicated than dogs because we have an inner life … which we also need to listen to and learn from. Christine was the Senior Minister of this church for 28 years before retiring three years ago. Since then, she has done some church consulting and minister mentoring, tended her garden, and has enjoyed being an active member of this congregation.
Clergy, staff, and congregants from First U started the Beloved Conversations program
about anti-racism in early October. What are they doing—and more importantly—what are
they learning?
Unitarian Universalist, liberal religion, itunes The Rev. Bob LaVallee, itunes uuabq.video, sermon.
October’s theological theme is “Deep Listening.” In this first sermon on the topic, we’ll
consider listening’s transformative power and how to do it in troubling times.
Dan Lillie Ordination 10042020, unitarian universalist, liberal religion, Albuquerque, Woodinville, iTunes Dan Lillie, iTunes Christine Robinson, iTunes Bob LaVallee
Sunday 09/27/2020
Racial Justice Is Faith Formation
The Rev. Bob LaVallee
First U has a strong racial justice practice, but given what we’ve recently learned about the state of racism in America, how do we more deeply and authentically ingrain anti-racism in everything that we do together?
September 20 "Friendship" The Rev. Angela Herrera It's bring a friend to church day! We'll celebrate our connections within and beyond church, dispel myths about "ideal" friendship, and reflect on the peculiar (but common) experience of feeling lonely in the company of others.
"RenUUing!" with the Rev. Bob LaVallee
In the time of pandemic, gratitude practice is more important than ever. Let’s celebrate this vibrant, life-affirming, life-changing congregation!
“Renewal” The Rev. Angela Herrera
As we head into an uncertain autumn in the time of COVID, are you wondering where summer went? Even if with fewer events to attend due to social distancing, are you feeling inexplicably tired? A sermon about the hidden demands of this time, the importance of rest and renewal, and practical strategies for getting some in the midst of everything else. Feel free to wear your pajamas to this one.
"Question Box Sunday” Got spiritual questions? For this special service, congregants were invited to email a question ahead of time. Drawing them at random and speaking off the cuff, Angela and Bob respond to as many questions as they can during the usual sermon time, and will consider the rest as they plan future sermons. We also welcomed 41 New Members with a New Member Recognition Ceremony.
“The Right to Vote” The Rev. Angela Herrera
On August 26, 1920, an amendment was added to the US constitution, stating: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” Many Unitarian and Universalist women were involved in the suffrage movement. As we mark the 100th anniversary, we’ll remember them, the long fight for voting rights, and the work still ahead.
Rev. Bob LaValle started as our Associate Minister one year ago—and what a year it’s been! He will reflect on all he has learned, and talk about our future together.
“Ten Years at First Unitarian” The Rev. Angela Herrera In August 2010, Angela arrived as First Unitarian’s new Assistant Minister. She’ll reflect on what she has learned in a decade… and what she still wants to know.
SHOW LESS
“A Movement, Not a Moment” Cathryn McGill, Guest Preacher We are excited to welcome back community leader Cathryn McGill. Cathy is founder of New Mexico Black History Month and Roots Summer Leadership Academy. She is a teacher and activist, known in Albuquerque for her work at the city and grassroots levels. And… she is a beloved guest preacher at First Unitarian!
"Bridging" The Rev. Bob LaVallee and Bridging Youth A special service co-led by some of our recent high school graduates and Rev. Bob, as the youth mark their transition into adulthood.
“Desert Spirituality” a homily by The Rev. Angela Herrera Since time immemorial, the desert has been a place of deep spiritual meaning for humans. We’ll reflect on harshness, beauty, and the desert as spiritual home.
SHOW LESS
"Los Penitentes: Belief & Passion” a homily by The Rev. Bob LaVallee New Mexico was the home of the Roman Catholic sect called Los Penitentes (The Penitents). This lay fraternity of believers has roots in in the 13th century flagellants who mortified their flesh as a statement of their commitment. What does their version of devotion mean to Unitarian Universalists? And what are UUs passionate about?
“This Land Is…” a homily by The Rev. Angela Herrera
This weekend many in the US are celebrating American Independence Day, in which we remember the rebellion against England that led to the US becoming an independent country. Today we’ll remember a different rebellion story—one that is part of New Mexico’s history.
Homily with The Rev. Angela Herrera: Last month, Angela said in a sermon that she hoped the pandemic would usher in transformation in our world, that it would be a threshold experience. But what would that look like? Today, and today only, Angela will run for president of the United States. She’ll share her vision for a post pandemic country. She is joined by First Unitarian’s experienced “Presidential Advisor” Kelsey Atherton, a defense technology journalist and foreign policy obsessive.
"Voices of Fatherhood" Fatherhood is a complex role. Join us as three fathers from our community offer warm and honest reflections upon their diverse experiences of fathering.
Includes “Love in the Time of Pandemic” a homily with The Rev. Bob LaVallee
The Rev. Mark Mosher DeWolfe was the first openly gay UU minister in Canada. During his ministry in the 80’s, he served young men who were dying of AIDS. This service honors his memory, and the compassion that he brought to all.
A goodbye to our ministerial intern, Jane Davis; a reading of Langston Hughes' poem, "Let America Be America Again;" and a homily from the Rev. Bob LaVallee about the Black Lives Matter protests and the resulting movement to defund the police.
Homily with the Rev. Angela Herrera When the pandemic hit, our congregation pivoted very quickly to become a virtual church! Now that the governor is beginning to ease restrictions, when will we gather in person again? Angela will share her thoughts on this and describe how the ministers and Board are working together to help First Unitarian exit “pandemic mode.
“An Invitation to Live: What Death Teaches Us About Living Fully. ” A Homily with The Rev. Bob LaVallee Zen Hospice founder Frank Ostaseki writes that "Life and death are a package deal. You cannot pull them apart." Drawing on Ostaseki's work and his own experiences as a hospice chaplain, Rev. Bob will reflect on how to prepare for a good death, whether it be another person's or our own.
"There Is No Crying in Baseball," a homily with Ministerial Intern Jane Davis. Crossing thresholds in our human experience is often marked with ceremony, and ceremony is often associated with ritual and emotion. There are two distinct camps with respect to ceremony and its often-associated emotion. On the one hand, they are seen as immensely valuable to the individual, communities, and society. On the other hand, there is the view that they are essentially useless. How do we decide?
“Moms in Jail - Incarceration, Mothers, and Justice” a homily by The Rev. Bob LaVallee
For the past three years, organizations have collected funds to pay the bail of mothers in pretrial detention. If it's true that when a person goes to jail their family goes with them, what does real justice look like?
"Thresholds" a homily by The Rev. Angela Herrera
Finn Jackson says, "Changes can happen quickly. Transitions take a long time for people to work through." This is as true on the spiritual or personal level as it is on a global level. A message about the difference between change and transition, and spiritual growth through them.
Highlights from the service includes a Time for All Ages with Rev. Angela Herrera talking about why we stay home right now; a meditation led by Ministerial Intern Jane Davis; a reading shared by Rev. Bob LaVallee; and a message about how Covid19 is homeschooling all of us. Guest musician Randy Granger.
Highlights of the Easter service include homilies with Revs. Angela Herrera and Bob LaVallee, and Ministerial Intern Jane Davis with reflections on the healing of nature, Passover, and how the Easter story relates to our lives in these times.
Rev. Bob LaVallee gives a homily about the benefits of monastic living including some of St. Benedicts's story. Director of Religious Education, Mia Noren, talks to kids (and adults) about finding our own spaces to be alone while quarantined at home.
The Rev. Angela Herrera talks about the wisdom of our childlike natures, Rev. Bob LaVallee shares a Sufi poem, and music director Susan Peck inspires with performance and hymns. Plus the church's puppets take advantage of an emtpy campus.