Hope Unitarian Church's Podcast: Recent Episodes
HopeUU
Rev. Steven Leigh Williams
Sunday, January 26th, 2025
This week has been a terrifying one for people in vulnerable communities in the US - immigrants, disabled people, and, closest to home for me, trans and nonbinary people and our families. Our current story - my community's, the one I have to tell - goes back 100 years, and of course, our larger story is as old as humanity. How we got here is important, and even more crucial is recognizing where we are now - the imminent dangers we are facing, and what others can do to help. Join guest minister and former Holocaust educator Rev. Steven Leigh Williams this Sunday for this timely topic.
Rev. Justin M. McCreary
Sunday, October 20th, 2024
James Luther Adams once wrote that the, “role of the prophet [is] central and indispensable to liberalism.” This Sunday’s service will continue the theme deep listening and will encourage us to listen to prophet voices past and present that help us better understand the world.
Rev. Justin M. McCreary
Sunday, October 13th, 2024
Buddhist Leader Thich Nhat Hanh once said, “To listen is an art.” This means that listening is not always simple, it takes work, practice, and time. Listening is also spiritual practice. It is something that our soul is called to do in the face of a world that pushes us into more and more isolation. This Sunday we will talk about the practice of listening in a world that struggles to hear.
Rev. Justin M. McCreary
Sunday, October 6th, 2024
Prayer and spirituality often go hand in hand. Prayer is an opportunity for deep listening and introspection. It connects us to something larger than ourselves and gives us the opportunity to reflect on days past, assessing the good and forgiving the bad. But if you are like me, your association with prayer has not always been so positive. Like many who have experienced religious trauma, when I became a UU, I had to relearn how to pray. This is that story.
Rev Justin M. McCreary
September 15th, 2024
Unitarian Universalism is part of a heritage called, “The Free Church.” James Luther Adams once said, of the free church that, “It protests against routine conformity or thoughtless nonconformity that lead to deformity of mind and heart and community.” This Sunday I’d like to take a look at that Quote and consider the ramifications of being free.
Sunday, September 1st, 2024
Rev. Justin M. McCreary
When I was a kid, I loved the feeling of getting an invitation in the mail. It was usually someone’s birthday, and I looked forward to every opportunity for birthday cake. Receiving an invitation can be a warm feeling, a feeling that will stay with someone for a long time. The act of inviting someone into our lives is important, especially to organizations like churches. With new people come new opportunities, new hopes, and new friends. So, during this season of ingathering, let’s put our best foot forward as we practice hospitality.
Sunday, August 4th, 2024
Rev. Ren Pasco
What makes us human? What makes us different from AI? One thing is our errors and the beauty of those mistakes.
Sunday, August 11th, 2024
Rev. Justin M. McCreary
The last time I preached I highlighted the UU value transformation; this week I will be highlighting the UU Value Pluralism. As a liberal church in Oklahoma Pluralism is a very important value, and it isn’t just about accepting different people of different spiritual identities in our circles. Pluralism is also rooted in our American System in our Bill of Rights, but even more importantly Pluralism is necessary for a free functioning democracy. I hope you can make it this Sunday when I share on Pluralism.
Sunday, July 14th, 2024
Rev. Justin M McCreary
During the summer I decided I would preach a series on the UU values
represented in the UUA’s article II. Last week we explored the value of Generosity, and this week we will be exploring the Values of Justice and Equity.
Rev. Justin M. McCreary
Sunday, July 7th, 2024
Often, the first thing that comes to mind regarding generosity is giving money and time. Generosity though, is something much bigger; it is a lifestyle. It involves a way that we live into our mutuality. Generosity is the balance between giving and receiving and the inherent understanding that all human beings deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Generosity reminds us that we are not alone in this world and that all our accomplishments are built on the work of others. To truly understand be generous, one must first be vulnerable and understand their own needs. Generosity is about how we live together.
We are the stories we tell. Not just the stories we tell of ourselves but also the
stories we tell about one another. This narrative is made up of perspectives that
we form from the experience of both joy and our sorrow. It is easy to forget that the world we see, though real, is perceived only through our senses, the eyes, the ears, the hands. That there are colors and sounds that we will never know, and narratives, no matter how much we wish it, can never be truly known. But if the stories we tell make up who we are the inverse is all true, we are also defined by the stories we choose to shelve. Empathy then, makes up the space between.
It is our tradition to celebrate Mother’s Day at Hope Unitarian Church with a flower communion. Flower communion itself though held at different times of the year in different churches dates to Prague in 1923 and was created by Norbert Čapek and was brought to the United States by his wife Mája Čapek following World War II. This tradition gives us an opportunity to focus on the beauty of the world around us, and the beauty that we find with each other. Please bring a flower to share during this communion.
Pluralism is seldom understood by those who do not value it, yet these are the people who generally define it. Unitarian Universalism is a liberal, pluralistic religion. It is important for us to define and understand this value for ourselves. Come and learn about it this Sunday.
By Steven Leigh Williams Sunday April 28th, 2004
Wyrd, in Norse pagan and related traditions, is essentially the woven fabric of reality, and each being/power in Existence has a thread in it. This service, we're going to get a little wyrd and explore how everything, everywhere, is connected and concurrent, from mycelial networks to star nurseries to you and me and our neighbors across the world. Please join me, and bring your weirdest self!
In Ancient Egyptian Mythology the heart of the dead is weighed against Ma’at, the goddess of harmony, justice, and morality. Ma’at is represented by a feather and the heart must be lighter than Ma’at’s feather if the spirit wants to pass into the afterlife. Though we may no longer fear this judgement, we still come to one another with heavy hearts, loaded down with the baggage of resentments. When left unchecked, these heavy hearts weigh us down in the life that we lead together. In a divided world, how do we lighten our hearts?
In Ancient Egyptian Mythology the heart of the dead is weighed against Ma’at, the goddess of harmony, justice, and morality. Ma’at is represented by a feather and the heart must be lighter than Ma’at’s feather if the spirit wants to pass into the afterlife. Though we may no longer fear this judgement, we still come to one another with heavy hearts, loaded down with the baggage of resentments. When left unchecked, these heavy hearts weigh us down in the life that we lead together. In a divided world, how do we lighten our hearts?
The Learning Center at Euchee Butterfly Farm helps improve the lives of Native people, plants and pollinators through innovative community-based programs that emphasize capacity building, cultural preservation, and sustainability.
The Learning Center at Euchee Butterfly Farm helps improve the lives of Native people, plants and pollinators through innovative community-based programs that emphasize capacity building, cultural preservation, and sustainability.
Sermon by Justin M. McCreary
APRIL 14TH, 2024 - 11:00 AM Last week, I laid groundwork for my sermons on interdependence and the human need for connection by exploring suffering and the human condition. This Sunday, I will explore the Importance of interdependence during what Douglass Adams calls, “The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul.”
Sermon by Justin M. McCreary
APRIL 14TH, 2024 - 11:00 AM Last week, I laid groundwork for my sermons on interdependence and the human need for connection by exploring suffering and the human condition. This Sunday, I will explore the Importance of interdependence during what Douglass Adams calls, “The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul.”
The Gospel of Subversion: Liberation in a Liberal Context
REV. JUSTIN M. MCCREARY
FEBRUARY 11TH, 2024 - 11:00 AM
You might notice the similarity in titles between this week and last week’s sermon. Last week I focused in on the theme of Justice and Equity through the idea of, Gospel meaning Good News. This week I will continue with this theme, expounding on the idea of preaching good news to the poor. This theological ride will hold in tension expressions of Liberal and Liberation theologies, and what it means for us as a faith.
The Gospel of Subversion: Liberation in a Liberal Context
REV. JUSTIN M. MCCREARY
FEBRUARY 11TH, 2024 - 11:00 AM
You might notice the similarity in titles between this week and last week’s sermon. Last week I focused in on the theme of Justice and Equity through the idea of, Gospel meaning Good News. This week I will continue with this theme, expounding on the idea of preaching good news to the poor. This theological ride will hold in tension expressions of Liberal and Liberation theologies, and what it means for us as a faith.
Liberating Love Part 2: Throwing Stones (A Redux)
JANUARY 21ST, 2024 - 11:00 AM
REV. JUSTIN M MCCREARY
This week I will be preaching the sermon I prepared for last week when we got snowed out. I did change the title because there will be no soup this coming week. Love can be complicated, and it has many dimensions. This past week we talked about the importance of Joy and Romantic Love. This week we will focus on an active nature of love, love which is expressed in what we do for one another. It is kismet that this topic comes up during Stone Soup Sunday. A Sunday focused not just on community, but how we provide nourishment for each other. This Sunday we will ask, “How do we express love in our community?
Liberating Love Part 2: Throwing Stones (A Redux)
JANUARY 21ST, 2024 - 11:00 AM
REV. JUSTIN M MCCREARY
This week I will be preaching the sermon I prepared for last week when we got snowed out. I did change the title because there will be no soup this coming week. Love can be complicated, and it has many dimensions. This past week we talked about the importance of Joy and Romantic Love. This week we will focus on an active nature of love, love which is expressed in what we do for one another. It is kismet that this topic comes up during Stone Soup Sunday. A Sunday focused not just on community, but how we provide nourishment for each other. This Sunday we will ask, “How do we express love in our community?
Understanding Alzheimer's and Dementia
Dr. Garrett from Tulsa’s Branch of the Alzheimer’s Association.
Speaking at Adult Forum on Feb. 2nd. Feb Generosity Recipient.
Understanding Alzheimer's and Dementia
Dr. Garrett from Tulsa’s Branch of the Alzheimer’s Association.
Speaking at Adult Forum on Feb. 2nd. Feb Generosity Recipient.
Liberating Love Part 1: Embrace REV. JUSTIN M MCCREARY
JANUARY 7TH, 2024 - 11:00 AM As a faith, Unitarian Universalism centers itself theologically around Love. This might sound simple; however, the meaning and expression of love is often debated. From Romantic Comedies to heartbreaking ballads, love is characterized as one of the simplest and most complicated concepts in the human collective unconscious. There is nothing that makes us feel more secure and dangerously vulnerable than love, which is why the writer of the Greatest Song encourages us, “Do not stir love until it is ready.” Rumi ,the 13th century Sufi mystic, would say “Love is a madman,” and, “Someone who does not run toward the allure of love walks a road where nothing lives.” This dichotomy makes me want to ask, “Which is it?” Yet there is no answer. This Sunday I’d like to walk the center line between the mystery and muscle of love, talking about both the desolation and healing power of love.
Liberating Love Part 1: Embrace REV. JUSTIN M MCCREARY
JANUARY 7TH, 2024 - 11:00 AM As a faith, Unitarian Universalism centers itself theologically around Love. This might sound simple; however, the meaning and expression of love is often debated. From Romantic Comedies to heartbreaking ballads, love is characterized as one of the simplest and most complicated concepts in the human collective unconscious. There is nothing that makes us feel more secure and dangerously vulnerable than love, which is why the writer of the Greatest Song encourages us, “Do not stir love until it is ready.” Rumi ,the 13th century Sufi mystic, would say “Love is a madman,” and, “Someone who does not run toward the allure of love walks a road where nothing lives.” This dichotomy makes me want to ask, “Which is it?” Yet there is no answer. This Sunday I’d like to walk the center line between the mystery and muscle of love, talking about both the desolation and healing power of love.
What the Dickens
This Sunday, Christmas Eve morning we will be celebrating one of Unitarian Charles Dicken’s most powerful stories, A Christmas Carol. Please join us for this live action retelling of Charles Dicken’s classic with special Hope Unitarian Zing!!! This live action service will be one you don’t want to miss.
What the Dickens
This Sunday, Christmas Eve morning we will be celebrating one of Unitarian Charles Dicken’s most powerful stories, A Christmas Carol. Please join us for this live action retelling of Charles Dicken’s classic with special Hope Unitarian Zing!!! This live action service will be one you don’t want to miss.
Yule Meditation by John Swoboda
Meditation in Light for Yule
This Sunday you will be invited to explore the changing of the seasons and shortening of days through ritual and celebration while we pray for prosperity in the year to come.
Yule Meditation by John Swoboda
Meditation in Light for Yule
This Sunday you will be invited to explore the changing of the seasons and shortening of days through ritual and celebration while we pray for prosperity in the year to come.
Our Generosity Recipient for December is LIFE Senior Services
LIFE Senior Services specializes in home and community-based services that promote healthy aging and aging-in-place for seniors, as well as services and support for family caregivers who play a critical role in helping their loved ones continue living at home.
Learn more or donate at the link below:
https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx...
Our Generosity Recipient for December is LIFE Senior Services
LIFE Senior Services specializes in home and community-based services that promote healthy aging and aging-in-place for seniors, as well as services and support for family caregivers who play a critical role in helping their loved ones continue living at home.
Learn more or donate at the link below:
https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx...
Hope Unitarian Church and the Mystery of The Mysterious Message
BY REV. JUSTIN MCCREARY DECEMBER 3RD, 2023 - 11:00 AM
When I was a child I read Encyclopedia Brown, the Hardy Boys’, and watched Nancy Drew Mysteries I always appreciated the title. The Mystery of the (Fill in the Blank). It was always something that could be solved, figured out, or made sense of. I still love mystery TV shows and movies, I try to figure out the whodunnit before the end. As I grew older, I learned that mysteries weren’t always solvable, as I began to explore spirituality beyond the easy answers, I realized that not only were some of the mysteries unsolvable, but sometimes, it is better that way. Unitarian Universalism does not provide easy answers to the world and the people who act within it, it is about wrestling and often coming to grips with the mysteries we may never understand.
Hope Unitarian Church and the Mystery of The Mysterious Message
BY REV. JUSTIN MCCREARY DECEMBER 3RD, 2023 - 11:00 AM
When I was a child I read Encyclopedia Brown, the Hardy Boys’, and watched Nancy Drew Mysteries I always appreciated the title. The Mystery of the (Fill in the Blank). It was always something that could be solved, figured out, or made sense of. I still love mystery TV shows and movies, I try to figure out the whodunnit before the end. As I grew older, I learned that mysteries weren’t always solvable, as I began to explore spirituality beyond the easy answers, I realized that not only were some of the mysteries unsolvable, but sometimes, it is better that way. Unitarian Universalism does not provide easy answers to the world and the people who act within it, it is about wrestling and often coming to grips with the mysteries we may never understand.
11/26/23 JoAnn Hause
The Attitude of Gratitude we can cultivate for the Holiday Season can show us the best way to make new and wonderful memories. It is only when we accept that we cannot control anything but ourselves that we can truly move forward to holiday joy.
11/26/23 JoAnn Hause
The Attitude of Gratitude we can cultivate for the Holiday Season can show us the best way to make new and wonderful memories. It is only when we accept that we cannot control anything but ourselves that we can truly move forward to holiday joy.
Divine Generosity
BY REV. STEVEN WILLIAMS
NOVEMBER 26TH, 2023 - 11:00 AM
In a world of seemingly relentless strife, war, and division, generosity can be a challenging attitude to take towards humanity. What might God(de/ss)(s) tell us about such a posture? How can our divine nature help us meet each other with open and generous hearts?
Divine Generosity
BY REV. STEVEN WILLIAMS
NOVEMBER 26TH, 2023 - 11:00 AM
In a world of seemingly relentless strife, war, and division, generosity can be a challenging attitude to take towards humanity. What might God(de/ss)(s) tell us about such a posture? How can our divine nature help us meet each other with open and generous hearts?
By the Grace of God: An Auction Sermon
REV. JUSTIN MCCREARY
NOVEMBER 19TH, 2023 - 11:00 AM
Welcome to this year’s Auction Sermon. Rebecca Jones, the auction winner, offered me a quote from an old UU World Article. The quote, by Rev. Sarah York, says, “Some people might say of those they serve at a soup kitchen, ‘There but for the grace of God go I.’ I think what they really mean is, ‘There by the grace of God am I,’ “The interplay between these phrases is intriguing, the difference between them rests in how we define generosity and how we relate to the people to whom we are generous. This Sunday I will start with this quote then integrate some theological concepts by UU Minister Rev. Rebecca Parker to talk about kindness and concepts of paradise in a complicated world, that is many things but paradise.
By the Grace of God: An Auction Sermon
REV. JUSTIN MCCREARY
NOVEMBER 19TH, 2023 - 11:00 AM
Welcome to this year’s Auction Sermon. Rebecca Jones, the auction winner, offered me a quote from an old UU World Article. The quote, by Rev. Sarah York, says, “Some people might say of those they serve at a soup kitchen, ‘There but for the grace of God go I.’ I think what they really mean is, ‘There by the grace of God am I,’ “The interplay between these phrases is intriguing, the difference between them rests in how we define generosity and how we relate to the people to whom we are generous. This Sunday I will start with this quote then integrate some theological concepts by UU Minister Rev. Rebecca Parker to talk about kindness and concepts of paradise in a complicated world, that is many things but paradise.
Resting in an Interdependent Web: A Sermon About Gratitude BY REV. JUSTIN MCCREARY NOVEMBER 12TH, 2023 - 11:00 AM
When I heard the phrase, “Let’s give thanks,” as a child I knew we were about to pray. Giving thanks was a holy practice, it was a sacrament, it was the moment when we communed with the almighty before something else happened. Thankfulness was a precursor to eating, asking for help, going into surgery, begging for intersession, and as the one who was often asked to give thanks, it became a box to be checked before I could do the thing I wanted to do. When I became a Unitarian Universalist, I wondered if I had any room left for prayer, especially since my faith in the almighty was and still is often in flux. I found a lot of excuses not to pray, because I realized I didn’t know how to anymore. It was easier to just simply, not check that box. But I also felt like I was missing something, so I began to listen when the UUs I looked up to would pray, and something bloomed inside me because prayer didn’t center on some deity, it centered on gratitude, it wasn’t a box to be checked, it was a reminder that we are all in this together. Not just the people but the entire interdependent web of creation. It is the acknowledgement of the connections, prayer is gratitude, thanksgiving, and connection. So this Sunday, I will focus on living in a state of gratitude.
Resting in an Interdependent Web: A Sermon About Gratitude BY REV. JUSTIN MCCREARY NOVEMBER 12TH, 2023 - 11:00 AM
When I heard the phrase, “Let’s give thanks,” as a child I knew we were about to pray. Giving thanks was a holy practice, it was a sacrament, it was the moment when we communed with the almighty before something else happened. Thankfulness was a precursor to eating, asking for help, going into surgery, begging for intersession, and as the one who was often asked to give thanks, it became a box to be checked before I could do the thing I wanted to do. When I became a Unitarian Universalist, I wondered if I had any room left for prayer, especially since my faith in the almighty was and still is often in flux. I found a lot of excuses not to pray, because I realized I didn’t know how to anymore. It was easier to just simply, not check that box. But I also felt like I was missing something, so I began to listen when the UUs I looked up to would pray, and something bloomed inside me because prayer didn’t center on some deity, it centered on gratitude, it wasn’t a box to be checked, it was a reminder that we are all in this together. Not just the people but the entire interdependent web of creation. It is the acknowledgement of the connections, prayer is gratitude, thanksgiving, and connection. So this Sunday, I will focus on living in a state of gratitude.
“Generosity on an Interdependent Web” Justin M. McCreary We oversimplify the practice of generosity, by focusing most often on the practice of giving, which is important. However, what we then leave out is the importance of receiving gifts. It is easy in a culture that idealizes the myth of the Self-made Man, to forget that giving and receiving are both part of the same practice. We cannot teach our children that giving is a positive value while repudiating the one who receives. Brene Brown puts it this way in her book The Gifts of Imperfection, “When we attach judgement to receiving help, we knowingly or unknowingly attach judgement to giving help.” It is important that we teach our children to be generous, but it is just as important to model the other side and learn to graciously receive help, regardless of how self-made we feel.
“Generosity on an Interdependent Web” Justin M. McCreary We oversimplify the practice of generosity, by focusing most often on the practice of giving, which is important. However, what we then leave out is the importance of receiving gifts. It is easy in a culture that idealizes the myth of the Self-made Man, to forget that giving and receiving are both part of the same practice. We cannot teach our children that giving is a positive value while repudiating the one who receives. Brene Brown puts it this way in her book The Gifts of Imperfection, “When we attach judgement to receiving help, we knowingly or unknowingly attach judgement to giving help.” It is important that we teach our children to be generous, but it is just as important to model the other side and learn to graciously receive help, regardless of how self-made we feel.
Samhain is a holiday that many of us know about, but by another name Halloween. Children of many different Faiths love to dress up in costumes and collect candy. Adults also like to dress up. There is more to Halloween than just Costumes and Candy. Come with us on an Adventure to the Shining Isle between the Worlds!
Samhain is a holiday that many of us know about, but by another name Halloween. Children of many different Faiths love to dress up in costumes and collect candy. Adults also like to dress up. There is more to Halloween than just Costumes and Candy. Come with us on an Adventure to the Shining Isle between the Worlds!
October 22nd, 2023, 11:00 AM “Our Prophetic Heritage of Peace” by Rev. Gary McAlpin
While war continues to rage in many parts of the world, our UU faith guides us to be the prophetic voice of reason and peaceful resistance. With Israel declaring war on Hamas and the continued invasion of Ukraine, we must stand firm in our faithful allegiance to peace. Our heritage speaks to this resistance in our lives and in our examples as a faithful people, to stand up in the face of oppression and terror.
SUNDAY SERVICES STREAMED EACH WEEK:
https://zoom.us/j/95346408780?pwd=UkpSOVEyQUdaYjNmL1o0TTloSGFDQT09
As I close out my sermons on Heritage this month, I want to take some time, not just to explore the gifts but what also seems like the curses of heritage. Heritage gives us the opportunity to draw from the power of our ancestors and our identity, but turned inward, it becomes an excuse for the destructive tribalism behind racism, sexism, and anti-LGBTQ sentiments. This Sunday I’d like to reflect on the world around us when heritage hurts…
SUNDAY SERVICES STREAMED EACH WEEK:
https://zoom.us/j/95346408780?pwd=UkpSOVEyQUdaYjNmL1o0TTloSGFDQT09
As I close out my sermons on Heritage this month, I want to take some time, not just to explore the gifts but what also seems like the curses of heritage. Heritage gives us the opportunity to draw from the power of our ancestors and our identity, but turned inward, it becomes an excuse for the destructive tribalism behind racism, sexism, and anti-LGBTQ sentiments. This Sunday I’d like to reflect on the world around us when heritage hurts…
SUNDAY SERVICES STREAMED EACH WEEK:
https://zoom.us/j/95346408780?pwd=UkpSOVEyQUdaYjNmL1o0TTloSGFDQT09
October 22nd, 2023, 11:00 AM “Our Prophetic Heritage of Peace” by Rev. Gary McAlpin
While war continues to rage in many parts of the world, our UU faith guides us to be the prophetic voice of reason and peaceful resistance. With Israel declaring war on Hamas and the continued invasion of Ukraine, we must stand firm in our faithful allegiance to peace. Our heritage speaks to this resistance in our lives and in our examples as a faithful people, to stand up in the face of oppression and terror.
SUNDAY SERVICES STREAMED EACH WEEK:
https://zoom.us/j/95346408780?pwd=UkpSOVEyQUdaYjNmL1o0TTloSGFDQT09
Last week we explored our human heritage as we took a walk down our genetic memory lane. This week, we will reduce that circle and spend some time with our Unitarian Universalist Heritage.
Livestream each Sunday https://zoom.us/j/95346408780?pwd=UkpSOVEyQUdaYjNmL1o0TTloSGFDQT09
Last week we explored our human heritage as we took a walk down our genetic memory lane. This week, we will reduce that circle and spend some time with our Unitarian Universalist Heritage.
Livestream each Sunday https://zoom.us/j/95346408780?pwd=UkpSOVEyQUdaYjNmL1o0TTloSGFDQT09
October 1st, 2023, 11:00 AM “The March of a Common Heritage,”
by Rev. Justin McCreary
What is your heritage? When you think of it, what do you think of family, culture, or religion? It is important when we reflect on our heritage to feel pride, but to also understand the inherent biases. Heritage is a double-edged sword, it can bring people together or build walls, because heritage is not just something we have, but it is something we build. Before we build though, we must understand the common foundations written in DNA.
September 24th, 2023, 11:00 AM “Living on the Edge: being Prophetic in a World of Injustice,” by Rev. Gary McAlpin
Central to our Unitarian Universalist faith is living in a prophetic way, not necessarily as seers, but of being a light pointing the way in darkness, showing the injustices and needs of our world. Being a prophet can be lonely and dangerous because it requires us to live on the edge of existence looking in, but our calling is nonetheless clear, to be a prophet, a voice and action of change, bringing that justice to those who need it most, while also sometimes being scorned by the establishment. What ways can we live out our calling to be a prophetic voice to our world? Let’s explore this together.
October 1st, 2023, 11:00 AM “The March of a Common Heritage,”
by Rev. Justin McCreary
What is your heritage? When you think of it, what do you think of family, culture, or religion? It is important when we reflect on our heritage to feel pride, but to also understand the inherent biases. Heritage is a double-edged sword, it can bring people together or build walls, because heritage is not just something we have, but it is something we build. Before we build though, we must understand the common foundations written in DNA.
September 24th, 2023, 11:00 AM “Living on the Edge: being Prophetic in a World of Injustice,” by Rev. Gary McAlpin
Central to our Unitarian Universalist faith is living in a prophetic way, not necessarily as seers, but of being a light pointing the way in darkness, showing the injustices and needs of our world. Being a prophet can be lonely and dangerous because it requires us to live on the edge of existence looking in, but our calling is nonetheless clear, to be a prophet, a voice and action of change, bringing that justice to those who need it most, while also sometimes being scorned by the establishment. What ways can we live out our calling to be a prophetic voice to our world? Let’s explore this together.
*Radical is a term that gets thrown around a lot lately. When I was a kid the term Radical meant something different. Radical had become a term that had synonyms like, awesome, fly, or dope. Which are generally considered affirmations of positivity in relationship to something, for example: That blouse is radical. But I am aware of the original meaning of this term, which involves revolutionary change. This Sunday I’d like to explore the cross section of being welcoming and a radical
*Radical is a term that gets thrown around a lot lately. When I was a kid the term Radical meant something different. Radical had become a term that had synonyms like, awesome, fly, or dope. Which are generally considered affirmations of positivity in relationship to something, for example: That blouse is radical. But I am aware of the original meaning of this term, which involves revolutionary change. This Sunday I’d like to explore the cross section of being welcoming and a radical
The church is important and because it is important it is dangerous. When confronted with the vastness of the mind and the brutality of life, the church offers a safe place to explore who we are, and what we want to become. Not just the part of us that is seen but unseen, thusly we are confronted with the danger of church. For many the church becomes a place that lulls people into false security with easy answers, and when this happens the church can do more harm than almost any other organization. For this reason, it is important for us to not just know who we are but take seriously the task of creating a space that is truly safe. This service will be streamed live via Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/95346408780?pwd=UkpSOVEyQUdaYjNmL1o0TTloSGFDQT09 (Webinar ID: 953 4640 8780
The church is important and because it is important it is dangerous. When confronted with the vastness of the mind and the brutality of life, the church offers a safe place to explore who we are, and what we want to become. Not just the part of us that is seen but unseen, thusly we are confronted with the danger of church. For many the church becomes a place that lulls people into false security with easy answers, and when this happens the church can do more harm than almost any other organization. For this reason, it is important for us to not just know who we are but take seriously the task of creating a space that is truly safe. This service will be streamed live via Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/95346408780?pwd=UkpSOVEyQUdaYjNmL1o0TTloSGFDQT09 (Webinar ID: 953 4640 8780
As we begin the opening of the church year on Homecoming Sunday, we’ll consider what it means to live a meaningful life and why it matters. As the great poet Mary Oliver once asked, “Are you living just a little, and calling it a life? I’ll offer concrete ways to break through the barriers that can hold us back and change the ending of our stories.
Hope Hill -Music by Dr. Joseph Rivers/Lyrics by Katharine Dillsaver
Sermon - We Are Called: Fifty Years at Hope Unitarian Church by Connie Goodpasture
Songs and discussion taken from the Book of Psalms as interpreted by the Rev. Tamara and Bonnie Lebak.
Come hear Hope member and seminarian, Ren Pasco, discuss wisdom from her seminary experience thus far. She will also talk about how all of us can consider and use wisdom from our own lives.
Questions submitted by congregation to the ministers for their answers, feeelings, etc.
So you've shifted your psychological paradigm of injustice, oppression, and fear...now what? What does that mean down here in the physical? How does interconnectivity and multiplicity affect who we aspire to be and our mission? I will pull from the model and work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr to aid us in grounding our heavenly hopes for our shared Earth.
In a world searching for answers we will explore how our questions determine our possibilities. Using questions from literature, spiritual text, and history our path of transformation will be expanded as we ask deeply and take our pondering into our lives and actions.
August 26, 2012Hope Unitarian Church SermonRev Barbara Prose - Evangelical Unitarian Universalist
May 27, 2012Hope Unitarian Church SermonElizabeth Cartmell Ladd - On Whose Shoulders We Stand
May 20, 2012Hope Unitarian Church SermonElizabeth Cartmell Ladd - Hope Coming of Age Charge to the Congregation
May 13, 2012Hope Unitarian Church SermonRev. Debra Garfinkel - Mama Mia! Why Did I Ever Let You Go?
May 6, 2012Hope Unitarian Church SermonElizabeth Cartmell Ladd - Letting Go of the Person You Used to Be
March 25, 2012Hope Unitarian Church SermonElizabeth Cartmell Ladd - To Phoenix with Love
February 26, 2012Hope Unitarian Church SermonElizabeth Cartmell Ladd - Until All Are Free