sermon summaries

The list of current choices for this label is long – where do we begin? Sadly, it was used for a person who was dedicated to freedom, equity, and love, who helped shine more light on the immoral foundations of so much of our society not so long ago. Those foundations remain strong, and seem to be being fortified as we speak. In those dangerous times he said: “There is an invisible book of life that faithfully records our vigilance or our neglect…. We still have a choice today.” We do still have choices today. How shall we live now? We’ll revisit some of the legacies and present wisdom of the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Following the service, all who are interested are invited to join in a first conversation about entering into a ministerial transition, with Jill and members of the Board and Committee on Ministry.

One the Roman calendar, the foundation for the Gregorian calendar we now use, every January was a crossroads between past and future – the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. The month is named for Janus, the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, frames, and endings. (Wow – that’s a lot of responsibility!) The Fellowship is at a crossroads in this January; to begin with, with the rest of the country (and much of the world) we’re about see what new government leadership will mean for our lives. And we’re renewing part of our building in preparation for…. the future! Some of this will be hard, some of it will be nourishing. All of it will be change. What tools, practices and skills do we already have for navigating these changes, and what do we need to learn?

Though arbitrary in many ways – calendars are human creations- the beginning of this new year feels momentous. Certainly we are called to continue to be present to the world in ever more careful and effective ways. As always, this kind of presence requires strengths and courage which come from being grounded and centered.

This first Sunday in January is a good time to remind ourselves of the meanings of religion, spirituality, grounded-ness, and centering.

With Rev. Jill McAllister

We are between and amidst winter holidays – Christmas and Yule, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, New Year’s. There is quiet observing, celebrating, gathering, resting and contemplation. We’ll gather on this last December Sunday for short worship service for all ages – affirming our connections and acknowledging the realities of the world, followed by sharing in a Holiday(s) Brunch and intergenerational activities. Please bring finger foods to share, such as holiday breads, muffins, cheese, hard-boiled eggs, fruits, veggies, nuts, etc.

Activities may include drawing / coloring, origami, singing together, discussion groups (be ready to share about something you’ve read this year that really made a difference, or some action you’ve taken this year that really made a difference.)

Each season brings its gifts, and challenges. Here is the unique beauty of the Pacific Northwest in winter – green and fog and cold. Here are the holidays of light and joy. Here is the time of waiting and wondering. Join us for a morning of music and contemplation of this season on the earth, this season in our lives.

With the UUFC Choir and Band, Music Director David Servias, Choir Leader Steven Evans-Renteria, and the Rev. Leslie Chartier.

We enter into the traditional “Christmas Season” in the Christian tradition, with the first Sunday in Advent, Dec. 1. Part of that story, of Mary the mother of Jesus, is a common teaching that is mostly overlooked – the encouragement to “be not afraid.” It’s an old encouragement, part of many other stories, archetypal in many ways, given how much we humans tend to be afraid, and what we tend to do with that fear. So let’s start there this season, and see what we can learn.

With Rev. Jill McAllister Special music from Tim Hardin.

The coming season is always a challenge, more and more each year. We find ourselves in-between in so many ways – between proclamations of peace and ongoing war, between holy days and (often mindless) accumulation, between stories of freedom and realities of oppression, between giving thanks and perpetuating pain. And this year, with heightened fear.

How do we begin to enter in, to be part of nourishing and helping, of both gratitude and responsibility? There are no easy answers, but we can enter in nevertheless.

With Rev. Jill McAllister

One of the great teachings, of Jesus and others, is to try to love your neighbor as yourself. And as soon as it was taught, the questions began. Does that mean all my neighbors? Even the ones I think are strange? And the ones that scare me? And the ones I don’t like, don’t know, don’t want to know, don’t care about? Even the ones who are dangerous? The teaching remains, and so do all the questions. How might we approach them now? Especially from our aim to be a welcoming congregation?

with Rev. Jill McAllister