Speaker: Joseph Bednarik

Graveyards, Graduations, and Baseball Blessings

On this Memorial Day Sunday – and in the midst of graduation and baseball season – we consider the many joys and sorrows of these pandemic Spring days: Remembering our dead, celebrating our graduates, and hearing the call to “Play ball!” Click here to watch the service.

Religious Rodeo: Bull Whips, Throwing Stars, and a Volunteer from the Audience

The traveling showman was larger than life: A world-record knife thrower, a Vietnam vet with a prosthetic leg, and fresh from performing at the legendary Gerry Rodeo. This summer evening, he and his wife were saving souls under a vast billowing tent in rural New York. Three UUs sat in the front row and raised … Continue reading Religious Rodeo: Bull Whips, Throwing Stars, and a Volunteer from the Audience

Second Best Time

The proverb goes like this: “The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is today.” This sermon explores our ever-present second best time, and the lives we choose to live there.

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Yes And How

You would be hard-pressed to find shorter words in the English language than yes, and, how. Yet these teensy-weensy words are chock-full of power and wisdom, and when used as an operating system, they create the alchemy of improvisational theater. This sermon explores the practical wisdom of yes and how and how they can nourish … Continue reading Yes And How

Ecstasy and the Psychology of Joy! (Candle of Joy)

In his book Ecstasy: Understanding the Psychology of Joy, Jungian analyst Robert Johnson writes that ecstasy “was once considered a favor of the gods,” a “transformative fire” that could obliterate barriers and provide a greater understanding of the universe. This Sunday, as we light the Candle of Joy, we leap feet first into ecstatic explorations in the name of a living joy, right here, right now!

Click here at 10 am Sunday to go to our YouTube channel or anytime thereafter.

Spread the Faith

Earlier this month, as the President-elect concluded his victory speech, he told a lovely story that whenever he left his grandparents’ home after a visit, his grandfather would say “Joey, keep the faith.” And then his grandmother would counter, “No, Joey, spread the faith.”

This Sunday, as we light the candle of Faith, we ask “How shall we spread this light?”

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You Are Here. Now What?

The large map is on display behind plexiglass. A bold arrow points to a spot and three words announce, in no uncertain terms: “You are here.” These three words—each on its own then working together—are profound: Identity, Existence, Location. This sermon follows that arrow to a specific spot on the map, bows to the miracle … Continue reading You Are Here. Now What?

They Saw Two Heads!

On this Mother’s Day Sunday, we travel to the farthest reaches of the bell curve to explore one of the most sublime and powerful forces in the Universe: Mother Love.

Music: Helen Lauritzen, piano and Mary Ann Tapiro, cello

Click here at 10 am Sunday to go to our YouTube channel or anytime thereafter.