2023 Sermon Archives

Member Sermon

Guest Speaker – Darren Reale | December 31, 2023

Live stream will resume in January 2024.

A technical difficulty blocked the audio for this presentation.

Creativity as a Spiritual Practice

Pastor Karen Richter | December 24, 2023

Live stream will resume in January 2024.

A technical difficulty blocked the audio for this presentation.

10:30 am Pastor Karen Richter
Creativity as a Spiritual Practice
5:00 pm Pastor Karen Richter
Breaking Illusions and Christmas Liberation
Candlelight Service

Joys of the Season

UUCS Family Ministry Presents | December 17, 2023

Live stream will resume in January 2024.

A technical difficulty blocked the audio for this presentation.

Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins

UUCS Family Ministry Presents | December 10, 2023

Live stream will resume in January 2024.

A technical difficulty blocked the audio for this presentation.

Creativity as a Spiritual Practice

Pastor Karen Richter | December 3, 2023

Member Sermon

Guest Speaker – Amy St. Peter | November 26, 2023

Embodying Change:

Pastor Karen Richter | November 19, 2023

Embodying Change:
the dance of community change
Celebrating Stewardship

Embodying Change:
the hope and grief of bodies changing

Pastor Karen Richter | November 12, 2023

Embodying Change: after the apocalypse

Pastor Karen Richter | November 5, 2023

With and UUA guest
Rev. Sarah Millspaugh

Start-Up Workshop

On Belonging: belonging across time and space

Pastor Karen Richter | October 29, 2023

History and covenant and right relationship

Pride – community belonging is stirring things up!

October 22, 2023

One Community in Two Settings

On Belonging: community belonging

Pastor Karen Richter | October 15, 2023

Where in our body does giving start?

October Musings

Pastor Karen Richter | October 8, 2023

Life, Death, and Spirituality

On Belonging: belonging to ourselves

Pastor Karen Richter | October 1, 2023

The Alchemy of Connection

Pastor Karen Richter | September 24, 2023

Text: Mirabai Starr’s Wild Mercy

Sexuality Education as Ministry

Pastor Karen Richter | September 17, 2023

Text: Our Whole Lives values

“Who am I? Who are we together?”

Pastor Karen Richter | September 10, 2023

Text: Howard Thurman on radical amazement

Balancing Act

Kaden Sheffield | September 3, 2023

Counting the Fingers of God

Larry Lorenzen | August 27, 2023

The Meaning of Divine Numbers

Climate and the Human Perspective

Emily Whitmore | August 20, 2023

There is a false dichotomy of naive hope vs. doom mongering nihilistic despair when it comes to climate change. Popular culture has conditioned us to expect and accept the worst, that almost every movie or TV show or book or video game that takes place in the future just assumes we’re going to live in an apocalyptic dystopia. Sometimes we can feel like we’re passive movie “extras” in real life. But we can do the work to change things, because that’s what humanity does best. 

Two Days 

Lynn Melby | August 13, 2023

The Challenge to Construct a Self
Readings will be from Mother Teresa and Thich Nhat Hanh.

Brooke Gaunt | August 6, 2023

Tikkun in Fellowship 

Rabbi Dana Kaplan, Temple Beth Shalom | July 30, 2023

The Jewish concept of Tikkun calls us to work toward the healing and transformation of the world. How might we practice Tikkun within the fellowship of the congregation and our wider communities? 

Love Is A Verb

Janine Gelsinger, UUJAZ | July 24, 2023

Talking about social justice is not the same as taking action for social justice. Saying we “Side With Love” isn’t enough – it doesn’t make a difference in anyone’s else’s life when we don a yellow T-shirt. So how do we discern what truly moves us forward towards change and what obstructs change? We celebrate shared change-making by Unitarian Universalists across Arizona who demonstrate through their everyday actions that Love is a Verb.

Say It Now

Juliet Gustavson | July 16, 2023

We are not self-made. How can we relish, enjoy and acknowledge the gifts from those who have helped shape us into the people we are today, and why is that important?

A Computer Wrote this Sermon

UU Chaplain Emrys Staton| July 9, 2023

A look into the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence and its growing impact on our lives.

The End

Amy St. Peter | July 2, 2023

For all their different plots, characters and settings, most stories have these two words in common, the end.  All our lives are seemingly full of endings, the end of careers,  ailments, relationships, and even lives.  In our own congregation, we face the end of one ministry as we stand on the cusp of another. What do these endings mean? Are they really the end?

Visions of Interfaith

Pride Sunday

Dr. Albert Celoza | June 25, 2023

In 1958 Huston Smith first published his pioneering book The World’s Religions. It’s been reviewed as venerable, intelligent, clearly written, and reflecting the positive spirit behind the world’s religions. In 2010 a book titled God is Not One by religion scholar Stephen Prothero took a theme different from Smith’s. He assumed that the world’s religions are in perpetual rivalry with one another. Dr. Celoza proposes Visions of Interfaith — Is it Huston Smith’s or Stephen Prothero’s?

Where Have All the Father’s Gone?

Dr. Albert Celoza | June 18, 2023

With apologies to Pete Seeger and to Peter, Paul and Mary. We’re looking for fathers, not flowers.  The U.S. Census Bureau notes that 18.4 million children, 1 in 4, live without a biological, step, or adoptive father in the home. A father’s presence makes a positive difference in the lives of both children and mothers. A father’s absence may affect children in negative or unfortunate ways. Dr. Celoza explores the significance of fatherhood and, more expansively, parenthood given the challenges of our families and children.

A Soldier’s Tale

Jim Reay | May 28, 2023

Memorial Day is a solemn reminder of the millions of Americans who tragically lost their lives while serving our country. Jim Reay shares what this holiday means to him as he relates his experience as a young soldier drafted to serve in Vietnam.

Earth Day and Earth-Centered Spirituality

Darren Reale | April 23, 2023

Earth Day, modern-day paganism, and earth-centered spirituality – What does it mean to us? Where did Earth Day originate, and why is the earth worshipped by some? How nature is sacred, those who follow Earth-centered paths, and what we can do to further help the Earth Mother, our home.

Get Lost

Amy St. Peter | March 26, 2023

Our spiritual journeys take us on different paths. Sometimes the terrain is rocky or uncomfortable; other times, smooth and familiar. We may focus on a specific destination or wander in wonder at life’s surprises. Getting lost can feel disorienting and vulnerable, yet we often find ourselves and new elements of our spirituality in moments of uncertainty. Join us as we get lost, navigate new terrain, and discover our faith in the process.

To Resolve or Not to Resolve

Sharon Moore| February 26, 2023

Is that the question? Not necessarily. One can make steps toward desired change in many ways. This reflection suggests one positive way you can be the change you want to see.

Seasons, Evangelists, and the Power of Healing in Community

Paige Rappleye | February 5, 2023

Don’t let the title scare you. Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show won’t be in the parking lot to heal you with a touch. But some powerful testimony will be shared, and you may leave with more questions than answers. Laugh, cry, and perhaps even be born again?

What Illuminates Your Life?

Jim Reay | January 1, 2023

New Year’s Day is a wonderful opportunity to assess life’s blessings and consider future aspirations.