Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Charlottesville: Recent Episodes
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Charlottesville
Rev. Alex McGee preaches this sermon as a goodbye to the congregation before her role ends in September: reflections and appreciations, with a little bit of challenge tossed in. Readings from UU writers will offer you a chance to ponder the nature of change. Alex is grateful to Scott, Music Director; Ellie Ransom, Videographer; MJ […]
Rest can give spiritual nourishment, and therefore access to rest is a justice issue. Rev. Alex McGee, with much gratitude, will share insights from her sabbatical. Note that this is one of three final sermons by Alex before we say goodbye to her in September (Aug 8: “Saved by Community?” and Aug 29, her goodbye […]
Flower Communion Rev. Linda and leaders of the congregation join in an on-line celebration of the history Unitarian custom called “Flower Communion”. Members are encouraged to bring a flower to show on-line, and we will listen to one another share what we give and what we receive from one another when we gather. Here is […]
We worship in multigenerational community for our annual Giving Tree service! Through story, song and sharing we celebrate this season of giving and receiving. Rev. Leia will help us explore the wonder and magic of our congregation’s Giving Tree. Rev. Alex will preach about the meaning of sabbatical and rest as she prepares for her […]
Tao of Inner Listening. Just as the symbol of yin and yang balances two energies, so, too we need to balance inner listening with outer listening. When we tend to our inner voice, we find more wholeness. Come join Rev. Alex McGee as she reflects on tools and stories for this dance.
Theology for a Pandemic. https://youtu.be/HIjDj4jhd5w This is the sermon video that Rev. Alex made for us for April 26, to be included in the zoom worship live, and to be here for anyone to see after the service. There is also a text available below. Sermon for April 26, 2020 for TJMC UU “Theology for […]
Deepening your faith journey: From Rev. Alex: “Some of you asked me to share the names of the books I referred to in the Feb 9 sermon on Faith. Here they are:” Engaging Our Theological Diversity by the Commission on Appraisal of the UUA, 2005. Fluent in Faith By Nieuwejaar (Skinner House Books, 2015) Faith Without Certainty by Paul […]
Rev. Alex McGee led our service. Sermon: Truth as Skill Good morning again. Here we are on the 10th of November, as the weather is dipping below freezing and the leaves are letting go of the trees with raucous abandon. Tomorrow is Veterans Day. In three weeks, Thanksgiving will arrive, and then we […]
The service was led by Rev. Alexandra McGee. We made it. We made it to the two year anniversary after the tragic events of August 12 2017. In our town this year, grassroots organizations are teaming up with city organizations to educate, inspire and celebrate what is good and true about this town. Yesterday I […]
The service was led by Rev. Alex McGee, Assistant Minister and Bob Gross, Worship Weaver. This text and notes are generally what I said from the pulpit, but some extemporizing and changes occurred during delivery. Please give credit when citing sources. For today, I picked the sermon title “What Does Love Ask of Me?” As […]
As always, this text is close to what I said in the pulpit, but not exact, for a sermon is always a present-moment experience with the people gathered. Some of the wise lines in this sermon came from a few women who advised and discussed this topic with me in the past week; I asked […]
The theme this month is Awe. It is a grand thing, awe. The very nature of awe is that it defies words. So this brings a dilemma of how to talk about it. So, I decided to break it down into five explorations to share with you this morning: Awesome, Awh! Aaaahhh, Shock and Awe, […]
INTRO We are just a week and half away from the first day of spring. The world around us is doing its annual transformation. And we humans have a chance to think about transformations in our lives, also. The butterfly is a class example because of its change from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to […]
Having lived through WWII and communism, Unitarians in Transylvania know a lot about sticking to core values during hardship and change. Rev Alex will offer ideas for us based on her visit. [Note: we will be celebrating our New Member Recognition ceremony!] Our liturgical year is organized around the four seasons and four fundamental issues […]
I find it very good news that Love Knocks and Waits for Us to Hear. We need that at times like this. Here we are, on the morning of August 12, 2018. We look back. We pause for a moment here. We go forward. We humans, throughout history, have needed Love again and again when […]
“Many Meanings of Freedom” A Sermon marking the 450th Anniversary of the Edict of Torda This morning I would like to talk about religious freedom, and how that relates to freedom of conscience, and then the distinction of spiritual freedom. Three meanings of freedom, with different opportunities and callings for us today. RELIGIOUS FREEDOM Let’s start […]
We have sung the hymn Morning Has Broken, with its references to the sensation of fresh defall in the wet garden, the sound of blackbird singing, and the sight of sunlight. The hymn writer praises for them, and names their origin in the Word, meaning the sacred text of the Bible, and originating in God’s creativity. […]
“Chaos and Love: One Step at a Time” By Rev. Alexandra McGee Followed by words by Wendy Repass, Worship Weaver This text served as a general outline for my words, which became somewhat extemporaneous. Today we have a sermon in two parts. After I reflect on the nature of chaos, Wendy will offer ideas for […]
This month’s image is shawl. Alex McGee talks about the transformational quality of love.
Tomorrow is Martin Luther King Day. Here is a quote from MLK’s nephew, Isaac Newton Farris, Jr., who spoke this past Friday at the White House: He said: “If my uncle were here today, the first thing he would say is, “What are we or what are you doing for others?” And that’s why it […]
Rev. Alex McGee talks about how we can use our stories to know each other and ourselves better.
This month we are exploring the image of Roots. I am especially moved by the images on the altar in which glass jars show the roots which support these plants and draw up nourishment from the water. Today I am enquiring about our spiritual roots. I am encouraging all of us to know our spiritual […]
(I have been asked for a text of the words I spoke this morning. Because I had prepared with handwritten notes, what you find below is a restatement of what I said this morning but might be worded differently. Please forgive lack of punctuation and typos – my computer is in the shop and so […]
During the summer worship often takes on a more relaxed feel — we have only the one service at 10:00, and it’s a time for different voices in the pulpit. On the 2nd, Rev. Wik will preach, and on the 9th it will be Rev Alex’s turn. Sunday the 16th the preacher will be one […]