SERMON ARCHIVES

As we welcome new members, we consider the creative advance of our future, both individually and as a congregation.

All Souls / Day of the Dead
What in one’s life is immortal? We will honor the lives of church members who died in the last year-plus.

Knowing where we are isn’t as obvious as it sounds…most of the time.

Encountering the great Other is the ultimate relationship. What (Who) holds us?

How do we cultivate relationship with those outside the congregation? How do we welcome the stranger?

At this beginning of Yom Kippur, we consider the work of forgiveness. How might forgiveness free us? Is forgiveness a part of our work for justice?

The journey of transitional ministry is like a sojourn across a desert—full of challenge, full of possibility. How might our journey of mutual ministry bring forth abundancy amid the appearance of lack?

In all the ways to be religious, why be Unitarian Universalist?

Explore the facets of faith through the critical elements of air, earth, fire and water.

Is prayer ordering the Sacred to do our bidding? Does prayer work? What is prayer?

When we gather weekly for worship services, who/what are we worshipping? Why do we gather?

In our increasingly scientific world, why be religious?

Doubt and faith….Is doubt the dead end for faith or its fertilizer? It all depends on what we do with it on our journeys.

Whether you are an avid user of social media or not, the algorithms that run behind the scenes of these influential platforms impact our consumer behavior, our worldview, our politics, our ethics, even our friendships and families. Join Emrys for an exploration of the influence of algorithms in our lives.

What if to “side with love” meant making bold, faith-full choices? What if it were even a little bit scary? This worship service brings together worship leaders and musicians from across the country to offer hopeful, moving, challenging reminders about what we, as Unitarian Universalists, are called to do, and BE, in the world.

The times are changing and folx [sic] in the majority culture are on task to make room. Here’s the rub: it may feel scary, it may feel unfair, you may feel defensive. Some will claim this new history is revisionist and therefore invalid because it may be different from what was taught in school. Our UU faith can help us make room for the revisionist history (new history) we may be confronted with. Join Barbara Face, Valley Unitarian Universalist Worship Associate, for thoughts on revisionist h istory and how to make room for the messiness of the coming new world.

What’s love got to do with it? When it comes to our daily bread…EVERYTHING.

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. In a world looking for spiritual guidance and encouragement, “The Golden Rule”, as it is commonly called, is a simple expression of a complex idea that has woven itself into the moral edicts of most religions and continues to bring unique promise and hope to the world. This will be an exploration of how our UU Principles and Purposes express this concept.

Spring has come to Arizona, bringing with it signs of a new life. Will we emerge from our COVID winter to a changed world, or will we go back to our old ways? How do we prepare to make real the world we’ve dreamed about? Hear directly from a few of UUJAZ’s partners in the Latinx community, and how they describe their dreams for the future.

On this Memorial Day weekend, we set aside time to honor those who have died in wars. My message is not directly related to this holiday, but losing those we love, to wars or anything else, inevitably brings heartache. And heartache and heartbreak is my theme this morning. How do we learn to heal in a world that often discards that which is broken?

This will be my last sermon to you, a fact that I accept with a good deal of sadness. As singer/songwriter Jackson Browne wrote, “all good things must come to an end”. Those good things include ministry and life itself. When they end, it seems natural to look back and ask the existential question: “What was it all for?” I think our 15 years together have given me at least a few, uplifting answers to that question that I would like to share as I leave you.