First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on June 14, 2015. We observe the 150th anniversary of Juneteenth. The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 was not enforced in Texas until two years after it was made. Many enslaved men and women hadn't heard that the government had declared them free. Juneteenth is the celebration of that good news.

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on June 7, 2015. Rev. Meg continues her fairy tale sermon series with a classic Japanese story, "The Boy Who Drew Cats." How can we know what will make a difference? How do we know which efforts are large and which are small? How are the things which bring you joy used for the good of the whole?

Assistant Minister Marisol Caballero's sermon delivered on May 31, 2015. Summer has arrived and we welcome it. Our annual flower communion service celebrates stubborn hope and new life despite all odds. We'll be "Whistling with a Shoe Full of Slush."

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on May 24, 2015. Next in our sermon series on fairy tales, Rev. Meg explores the story of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." What does this story say about sharing? Manners? Entitlement? Home invasion? How welcoming are we called to be? Are we Goldilocks or are we the bears? And what does all of this have to do with Elijah of the Old Testament?

We honor our graduating seniors and incoming freshman with our annual Bridging Ceremony. Join Rev. Mari Caballero and our youth group for "Expressions of the Soul." Three of our graduating seniors, Ana Runnels, Mary Emma Gary, and Kate Windsor present homilies. They'll lead us in pondering the various ways by which we convey our soul's deepest aspects in our lives.

Assistant Minister Rev. Chris Jimmerson's sermon delivered on May 10, 2015. On this Mother's Day, not far from here, hundreds of immigrant mothers are being held in a detention facility, separated from their children and loved ones. Just a little farther away, immigrant women and their children -- some as young as three -- are also being held in detention, many of them for months at a time. How do...

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on May 3, 2015. The poem "Choosing to Bless the World" by Rebecca Parker is the subject of this Sunday's sermon. "Your gifts - whatever you discover them to be - can be used to bless or curse the world... What will you do with your life's gifts?"

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on April 26, 2015. Second in our fairy tale sermon series, "Rumpelstiltskin" tells the story of a girl asked to spin straw into gold. She meets a trickster who solves her problem, but at what price? Rev. Meg recalls the tale of "The Impossible Task."

Sermon delivered on April 19, 2015. Rev. Marisol Caballero and members of the "Building the World We Dream About" Class have been participating in an anti-racism course for the past two years. The sermon is delivered by its participants: Ann Edwards, Rob Feeney, and Barabra Abbate.

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on April 12, 2015. The Plagues of Egypt were ten calamities that Israel's God inflicted upon Egypt to persuade the Pharaoh to release the ill-treated Israelites from slavery. In our culture's story, who or what is the pharaoh who won't let the people go? Who is enslaved by this pharaoh? What can be done? How many plagues will it take?

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on April 5, 2015. Vedran Smailovic played his cello as mortars were falling on his street. His courage shone a light on the insanity of war. The service features a choir piece inspired by his story composed by Kiya Heartwood and featuring cellist Anna Park and guitarist Klondike Steadman.

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on March 29, 2015. Falling on the Sunday before Easter, the story of Palm Sunday is about Rabbi Jesus traveling into Jerusalem, even though he knew he was likely to be killed there. He refused to be treated as a hero or a king, even though that's what the people wanted.

Guest Minister Rev. Jonalu Johnstone's sermon delivered on March 22, 2015. It may be trite to say that each of us has unique gifts, but what are the implications of that? Our individual differences mean that we never see the world exactly the same way. What a challenge for living together in the world! But Unitarian Universalism gives us a head start. What a resource, if we can bring ourselves to...

Assistant Minister Rev. Chris Jimmerson's sermon delivered on March 15, 2015. We live in a culture that often values a kind of hyper-individualism and self-reliance, which can lead us to project an air of invincibility. Yet research by Brene Brown and others in the social sciences indicates that the opposite may be the key to living wholeheartedly. Being willing to embrace and express our vulnerab...

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on March 8, 2015. The Question Box sermon is a tradition in many UU congregations. Today Rev. Meg answers questions submitted by members of the congregation.

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on March 1, 2015. First in a new fairy tale sermon series, this Sunday we talk about the things that take over our lives and compel us to do things we would rather not do, go places we meant not to go. How do we retrieve our spirits?

Guest Minister Rev. Meg Kristian Schmidt's sermon delivered on February 22, 2015. This Sunday we welcome the unexpected and celebrate that which is special among us.

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on February 15, 2015. Let's talk about love on this Valentine's weekend. How can we learn to love one another and this planet on which we live? How can we get better at receiving love? We take a lesson from "The Book of Love".

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on February 8, 2015. She finishes her ongoing sermon series on the Ten Commandments. The tenth commandment has to do with greed and desire.

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on February 1, 2015. The ancient Celtic festival of Brigid celebrated the fertility of the earth and its animals. We celebrate our animal companions in the intergenerational Animal Blessing service.

Assistant Minister Marisol Caballero's sermon delivered on January 25, 2015. Most of us would like to think that we are good at demonstrating empathy, but the truth is, we all sometimes fall short. We definitely know how it feels to be cared for and to feel less than important ourselves. How do we navigate that narrow space between showing that we truly care and risking getting it wrong?

Assistant Minister Chris Jimmerson's sermon delivered on January 18, 2015. As we as UUs continue the struggle for racial justice, it is important that we know from whence we come.

Assistant Minister Rev. Marisol Caballero's sermon delivered on January 11, 2015. It is so easy to wish for more for ourselves and our lives, and to become victim to frustration or despair. "Yet" holds more power than we can ever imagine. How will we wield our "yets" in 2015?

Assistant Minister Chris Jimmerson's sermon delivered on January 4, 2015. We greet the new year with our annual Burning Bowl service! It is good to begin the new year by clearing out old regrets and resentments. We toss those things into the fire and get a fresh start.

Assistant Minister Chris Jimmerson's sermon delivered on December 28, 2014. Each time we approach the coming of a new year, we tend to be more open to new possibilities. We are more likely to embrace change and even make resolutions about what we would like to change. What if we were to view life this way all year? What if we thought of everything as continuous change - as ever-unfolding possibili...