First Universalist Unitarian Church of Wausau Podcast

Something is Down There – The Rev. Brian Mason A sermon about coming to faith for reasons that seem small — the company, the view, the comfort of it — and discovering they weren’t small to begin with. Whatever drew you close enough to look, something stranger and more alive is waiting underneath.

Rebuilding a Love-Based Morality – Led by the Rev. Mark Richards Our civilization is driven by two fundamental powers – fear and love.  We will look at how those powers manifest in today’s world, and how they must be understood in the coming age of artificial intelligence. Bio:  Mark is a wondering wanderer with a penchant for exploring new places and ideas.  He was ordained by First Parish in Con...

Now What – The Rev. Brian Mason, preaching Fall is underway, school’s back in session, a new church year’s begun. Perhaps this season needs a question more than an answer: what are we building, alone, together, this year, and why?

The Rev. Brian Mason led the church's annual Water Communion and preached "Things Worth Counting."

Why I Noon Swoon – Led by the Noon Swoon Group The beating heart of our church is revealed in the groups that gather here. On September 6 Noon Swooner The New Yorker devotees will share their thoughts on what the experience of coming together means to them. Like our weekly Yawkey Hall The New Yorker gathering, the service will be a time for stretching our thinking, triggering memories, and hearing...

Reclaiming a Lost Connection, Led by the Rev. Iain McIntosh A person is a she/he/they. A spoon is an it. A tree is a …? The science we were taught as youngsters is not the science of today. Course corrections have come as new discoveries have been made. Yet with all we now know about the cosmological and microscopic, we still hold fast to certain understandings about our world. Let’s look at one o...

The Rev. Brian Mason preached "Unheroic Acts" On blockbuster heroes, the people who never make the highlight reel, and what it means to believe in the supreme worth of every human personality.

The Rev. Brian Mason preached "A Fidget's Guide to the Galaxy" There’s a particular restlessness that shows up whenever life asks us to stay put — through a meeting, a marriage, a silence, a decade in the same pew. This week: what our fidgeting doesn’t know, what the old monks built entire vows around, and what tends to appear only after we’ve stopped watching for it.

Becoming A Way Across the River – led by Jay Coldwell and Mary Testin How can we become stepping stones for each other in the stream of life? What is being asked of us to help each other reach the other side? With meditation and dance, we’ll explore these ideas together.    Bios: Jay Coldwell and Mary Testin are UU members and also sing in our choir. Jay has an extensive training in Yoga meditatio...

Football Is Life, and So Are Second Chances – led by Jessica Zimmer-Saltzman, DRE and aspirant for UU ministry What can a mustachioed American football coach teach us about soccer, forgiveness, and living a good life? Quite a bit, it turns out. Drawing on the unexpected wisdom of the television series Ted Lasso, this service explores why stories of redemption resonate so deeply and what they revea...

The Rev. Brian Mason preached "A Race the Losers Win" Building is an act of creativity and courage. So, sometimes, is tearing down. How do we know which one the moment is asking of us, and what moves us to answer?

The Rev. Brian Mason preached "When Good-Enough Isn't Good Enough" Be all you can be. We’re #1. Second place is just the first loser. Somewhere along the way, ordinary became the same as failing. Even to ourselves. Even in private. You finish something, and before the satisfaction has a chance to land, you’re already noting what you’d do differently next time. A sermon about why “enough” never fee...

The Rev. Brian Mason preached "Does Anyone Remember Why We're Mad?" Have you ever gotten irritated with someone, said something mean, and then later asked yourself, Why am I even mad? But kept it going anyway because the other person seemed mad now too, and you didn’t want to lose an argument you don’t remember starting. It’s okay, you’re not alone. A sermon about staying mad long after we’ve forg...

Masking for Jesus: Religion and Neurodivergence – Danika Monarksi, Guest Speaker Our minds are as beautiful and diverse as our religious and spiritual journeys and beliefs. Bring your fidget toys and jittery legs to celebrate our differences and explore the intersections of religion and the neurodiverse experience as told through personal experience, peer-reviewed research, and everything in betwe...

Solstice: Certainty in Uncertain Times – Randy Jefferson, Member of the Religious Services Committee Join in our observation of the summer solstice, celebrating the high sun as we express gratitude for our oneness with the natural world and its steadying influence. The midyear is a time for reflection, looking back with thanks and ahead with hope.  

Inappropriate Laughter Fan Club – The Rev. Brian Mason In hospital waiting rooms. In the checkout line. In the back of the tent when you think no one can hear. Somewhere in us there’s a laugh we haven't let out — the one that says, sure, okay, more is coming. A sermon about Sarah's inappropriate laugh, and God’s endorsement of it.

Off By a Thread – On this Flower Communion Sunday, the Rev. Brian Mason preached, with Worship Associates Jes Zimmer, Director of Religious Education, and Kara Hall assisting. Music was provided by the church choir under the director of Margaret Jerz.

The Stories We Inherit, the Stories We Become — Jez Zimmer-Saltzman, Director of Religious Education and Aspirant for UU Ministry, preaching, with Worship Associate Karen Scharpf. Music by Music Director Margaret Jerz, with guests Molly and Jacob Roseman.   We’re shaped by the stories we grow up inside and by the ones that challenge us, unsettle us, or invite us to grow in new directions. In this...

Terms and Conditions – The Rev. Brian Mason preached, with Worship Associate Amy Place assisting. Music was provided by Music Director Margaret Jerz. Pentecost is the oldest argument against the consumer model of faith: some things only come to those who gather.

Bridging Service — Jes Zimmer, Director of Religious Education, led the service, with the Rev. Brian Mason offering prayers and readings. Music was provided by Music Director Margaret Jerz, along with special musicians Ellie Mason, River McCarthy, and Christine Daniels. Rowen Saltzman served as Story Leader as the congregation celebrated graduates Margaret and Lucy. We celebrate our graduating sen...

Contact - The Rev. Brian Mason preached, with Worship Associate Sheryl Hemp assisting. The music was provided by Music Director Margaret Jerz, with guest musician Allycia Smith. Not a concept. Not a theory. Some things can only be known when they knock you sideways. What happens when the sacred gets close?

Minus One — The Rev. Brian Mason preached, with Carl Drake as Worship Associate. Music was provided by the choir, directed by Margaret Jerz, with guest cellist Laurie Davis.

The Notes You Don't Play - The Rev. Brian Mason delivered the sermon, with Iain McIntosh as Worship Associate. The Church Choir, under the direction of Margaret Jerz provided the music for the annual Spring Sing. 

More to Come - The Rev. Brian Mason preached, with Worship Associate Jim Maas. Music was provided by Music Director Margaret Jerz.

I Believe – Church members Louis Pradt, Jay Coldwell, and Amy Place shared reflections on their beliefs. Sarah Thurs served as Worship Associate, and music was provided by Music Director Margaret Jerz.