Our ministerial intern will present her first sermon to our congregation.
Sermons
This is a full list of sermons presented at UUCCSM since mid-1999. Links to sermon texts are included when made available by their authors. Audio recordings are also available for most sermons presented after September, 2007 by our staff ministers and others directly affiliated with our church (just click the speaker icon next to each sermon where it's available). Audio from guest speakers is posted only when we have their permission to share it.
Rev. Greg’s sermons are now available for purchase in the Front office and on Sundays, in Forbes Hall. The cost to produce this publication is $5. In order to continue publication, we ask for a donation that will cover - or go beyond - production costs. Any revenue raised beyond cost will go to the Ministerial discretionary fund which is used to assist members and friends in their time of need (such as shelter, food, utilities, medical, etc.)
"Leaving Room for Hope: Sermons for Uncertain Times," a book of Minister Emerita Judith Meyer's sermons, is available here.
September 30, 2018
What the World Needs, What Ministry Is; Why Me? Why Us? Why Now?
Monthly Theme: Vision
Robin Stillwater
September 23, 2018
Water as a Bridge - Water Communion Sunday (Return to Fall schedule - two services at 9 & 11 a.m.)
Monthly Theme: Vision
Rev. Greg Ward
Water represents so many things to us as human beings. It is a source of life. It is also source of beauty and play. It is also something that connects us. Perhaps this is why it is also a deeply symbolic and religious element. In this, our annual Water Communion ceremony, we will explore ways in which water helps and heals the mind, body, spirit and communities of which we are a part. Please consider bringing some water that symbolizes that part of your life that is most important to you.
September 16, 2018 - 10:00am
Making Amends (Sermon at UUSM)
Monthly Theme: Vision
Rev. Kikanza Nuri-Robins
If good fences make good neighbors, what can you say about the wall around your heart? During the Days of Awe, between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we are invited to reflect on the unnecessary fences we have built or caused to be built, and to consider what we might do to mend them, lower them or just take them down. For what might you make amends?
September 16, 2018 - 10:00am
Taking the Rap (Sermon at Camp de Benneville Pines)
Monthly Theme: Vision
Rev. Greg Ward
We've all done things - or have been part of things - that went poorly. We've all, at times, hurt or disappointed people we respect or admire. Being able to see - and move - past that is more than a matter of time. It's not simply 'forgive and forget.' It's a matter of understanding, accepting, owning and starting again. This is a service about how Camp taught me about taking the rap and being part of rap groups.
September 9, 2018 - 5:00pm
Heart and Soul: A Contemplative Worship Service @ 5 p.m. - "What Does it Mean to be a Community of Vision?"
Monthly Theme: Vision
Catie Grasso
Heart and Soul is a contemplative worship service series that occurs on the second Sunday of each month. It is a shorter, more intimate service, with singing, statements, and questions, silence, and sharing. Readings, poems, quotes, and music are drawn from a variety of sources, including the UU Soul Matters Sharing Circle, our hymnals, and popular/folk music.
Please note audio is currently unavailable for Heart & Soul services.
September 9, 2018 - 10:00am
Y'all Come Back Now, Y'hear?
Monthly Theme: Vision
Rev. Greg Ward
Unitarian Universalist Minister and author, Robert Fulgum, once wrote that "Everything I Know I Learned in Kindergarten". Maybe it's something all ministers eventually recognize, but I now concede that many of the most profound lessons I learned stem from experiences I had when I was a boy. And most everything I learned about how to be a minister, and what a good church is, came from time I spent teaching RE.
September 2, 2018 - 10:00am
Our Struggle Will Be Our Freedom
Monthly Theme: Vision
Rev. Rae Huang
“Why do people suffer?” has been a question that humans have sked for hundreds of years across all religions. On Labor Day, we will talk about the power that comes when we unite our suffering and struggle. The Rev. Rae Huang is a faith-rooted organizer with Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE) and is an ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church.
August 26, 2018 - 10:00am
And Now We Are Six
Monthly Theme: Play
Rev. Greg Ward
What were you born to do? Who have you come here to be? And have you gone through that becoming? Because some people haven't. Some people never wind up as the person they were meant to be... even if they spend a lifetime wanting that becoming to take hold of them. Some people remain too focused on what it's like to be the prey rather than what it's like to be the prayer. This is a service for those who feel called to something great and who go after it, despite the danger.
August 19, 2018 - 10:00am
Listening is an Act of Love
Monthly Theme: Play
Abby Arnold
When we listen with open hearts, avoiding response or judgment, we can learn more than we imagined. At the same time, we are giving the gift of unconditional love.
August 12, 2018 - 5:00pm
Heart and Soul: A Contemplative Worship Service @ 5 p.m. - "What Does It Mean to be a Community of Belonging?"
Monthly Theme: Belonging
Kathleen Hogue
“True belonging is the spiritual practice of believing in and belonging to yourself so deeply that you can share your most authentic self with the world and find sacredness in both being a part of something and standing alone in the wilderness. True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are.”- Brene Brown What does it mean to be a community of belonging? When, in your life, have you felt as if you truly belonged? How do you welcome people into your spiritual community?
Please note audio is currently unavailable for Heart & Soul services.