All Souls Unitarian Church

The sermon was delivered on Sunday, May 28, 2017, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Joseph Boyd, Intern Minister. SERMON DESCRIPTION Sometimes we struggle to make sense of what is worth fighting for, even worth giving our life for, and what is worth surrendering. This memorial weekend we will explore patriotism as an everyday practice, practicing our American values of freedom,...

The sermon was delivered on Sunday, May 21, 2017, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Bishop Carlton D. Pearson, Affiliate Minister. SERMON DESCRIPTION The opposite of cruelty is mercy. Otherwise, there'd be no such thing as cruelty. Cruelty is defined as callous indifference to or pleasure in causing pain and suffering. The most poignant example of that is the concept of eternal...

The sermon was delivered on Sunday, May 21, 2017, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Dr. Kendyl Gibbons, Guest Minister. SERMON DESCRIPTION As we celebrate high school graduations among the teens of this community, some reflections on how we all might think about our preparation for the adventures ahead of us. As author Bill Bryson discovered while hiking the Appalachian Tra...

The sermon was delivered on Sunday, May 14, 2017, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar, Senior Minister. SERMON DESCRIPTION At some time every one of us would like to be given another chance and would prefer not to have to pay the full consequences of our actions or inactions. We've done something wrong. We wish we had not done it or at least we wish we had...

The sermon was delivered on Sunday, May 14, 2017, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Barbara Prose, Executive Director of Ministry. SERMON DESCRIPTION As we at All Souls consider what we can do to protect and advance the rights and freedoms of women in the 21st century, it's time to remember the 21 women who fought hard to forge a way forward for themselves and liberal relig...

The sermon was delivered on Sunday, May 7, 2017, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Joseph Boyd, Intern Minister. SERMON DESCRIPTION In our Lent Meditation for All Souls on the Beyond Belief blog, we had a chance to reflect on mortality and the miracle of life present in every moment. This Sunday we will explore how we can hold both our mortal, fragile humanity and the awesomenes...

The sermon was delivered on Sunday, April 30, 2017, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar, Senior Minister. SERMON DESCRIPTION Many people would argue the title of my message should be "Jesus or Science?" We live in an era of great division between those who hold a scientific worldview and those who hold fundamentalist religious views. There are those who cl...

The sermon was delivered on Sunday, April 23, 2017, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Bishop Carlton D. Pearson, Affiliate Minister. SERMON DESCRIPTION An orthodox understanding of redemption is the act of buying one's freedom or having it paid for by someone else. It is mostly about compensation, which is to make up for something unwelcome or unpleasant by exerting an opposite...

The sermon was delivered on Sunday, April 23, 2017, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar, Senior Minister. SERMON DESCRIPTION The concept of "alternative facts" is rightfully being scorned and mocked in politics today. Yet religion has often been, and continues to be, a realm of alternative facts. What does it mean to have a religion or church that rejects...

The Easter Sunday homily was delivered on Sunday, April 16, 2017, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar, Senior Minister. SUBSCRIBE TO AUDIO PODCAST: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/all-souls-unitarian-church/id193096943 WATCH THIS HOMILY ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/vUKzKRTcWe0 SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?...

The sermon was delivered on Sunday, April 9, 2017, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar, Senior Minister. SERMON DESCRIPTION On Sunday, on the eve of determining the next steps towards All Souls' future, it was important for us to first join in worship. It was a time to remember how important this congregation is to each of us and to our community. After th...

The sermon was delivered on Sunday, March 19, 2017, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Bishop Carlton D. Pearson, Affiliate Minister. SERMON DESCRIPTION Religious authority and Spiritual authority are often assumed to have the same meaning, but they differ. Religious authority is a human construct and has its place and purpose. Spiritual authority is the result of transcendence,...

The sermon was delivered on Sunday, March 19, 2017, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Joseph Boyd, Intern Minister. SERMON DESCRIPTION A man asked Martin Luther, the Protestant reformer: "What would you do if you knew the end of the world would come tomorrow?" Luther replied: "I would plant a tree." We're all faced with the reality of endings. We can imagine the ending of our pl...

The reflections were delivered on Sunday, March 12, 2017, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Barbara Prose, Rev. Gerald Davis, Bishop Carlton Pearson, and Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar. DESCRIPTION The current UUWorld magazine features an article about race in America and focuses on Tulsa's history and the role of All Souls throughout the past 96 years. Join us on Sunday, March 1...

DESCRIPTION Sanctuary: a church or other sacred place where people are entitled to immunity from arrest. Rev. Marlin Lavanhar, Rev. Barbara Prose, and special guests Rev. Alvaro Nova Ochoa, Rabbi Marc Fitzerman, and Jordan Mazariegos share their responses to the current climate of hostility towards immigrants. Please join us in exploring our responsibility as citizens, as we stand in and claim the...

The sermon was delivered on Sunday, February 19, 2017, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar, Senior Minister. SERMON DESCRIPTION Since the unexpected death of our daughter Sienna, we have learned that when a child precedes her parents in death, it reverses the usual dynamic of legacy. Instead of the parents' legacy being in the child's hands, the child's le...

The sermon was delivered on Sunday, February 12, 2017, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Bishop Carlton D. Pearson, Affiliate Minister. SERMON DESCRIPTION "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." —Abraham Lincoln Freedom is our power, our right to act, to speak, and to think as we want with...

The sermon was delivered on Sunday, February 12, 2017, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar, Senior Minister. SERMON DESCRIPTION "The God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time." —Thomas Jefferson Jefferson was an American Revolutionary and someone who penned the Declaration of Independence. But, how did he square this sentiment with being a sla...

The sermon was delivered on Sunday, February 5, 2017, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Joseph Boyd, Intern Minister. SERMON DESCRIPTION When we think of strangers, we often think of people who think and live differently than we do. This Sunday, we will explore the question: "Who is the stranger within us?" Mystics have emphasized the importance of beginner's mind, of not taking...

The sermon was delivered on Sunday, February 5, 2017, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Barbara Prose, Executive Director of Ministry. SERMON DESCRIPTION Award winning film, Hidden Figures, highlights parts of the U.S. space program which have been long ignored. When parts of history are uncovered, they can change our understanding of ourselves and our understanding of our...

The sermon was delivered on Sunday, January 29, 2017, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Gerald L. Davis, Affiliate Minister. SERMON DESCRIPTION Distraught over recent events that suggest a change in your life? Grappling with an onslaught of news that seems to be contradictory? Seeking clarity that only church can provide? Well, I've got good news for you! Step right up and...

The sermon was delivered on Sunday, January 22, 2017, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Bishop Carlton D. Pearson, Affiliate Minister. SERMON DESCRIPTION "I'm not into organized religion. I'm into believing in a higher source of creation, realizing we're all just part of nature." -Neil Young Join me in the Contemporary service to discover the benefits of creating with intention....

The sermon was delivered on Sunday, January 22, 2017, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar, Senior Minister. SERMON DESCRIPTION This month we are exploring creation as our theme. We are not just beings who are created, but we are also creators ourselves. Life can be thought of as a process of evolution, of creation and re-creation. Our ability to create som...

The sermon was delivered on Sunday, January 15, 2017, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Barbara Prose, Executive Director of Ministry, and Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar, Senior Minister. SERMON DESCRIPTION Can you imagine what Martin Luther King Jr. would be saying in this era of Obama, Black Lives Matter, and Trump? We have some clues when we look at his writings and speeches....

The sermon was delivered on Sunday, January 8, 2017, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Bishop Carlton D. Pearson, Affiliate Minister. SERMON DESCRIPTION Creation and Divinity are inseparable. Creation is the testosterone of consciousness. We all have it and we all do it- create that is. It is part of our spiritual biology and mental ingenuity. We are created, creative, and creat...