First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on December 21, 2014. Garlands, red, gold and green, carols, presents and celebration. When did Christmas become what it is today? We learn a bit of 'Christmas History'.

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on December 7, 2014. The ninth of the Ten Commandments talks about lying. What does lying do to a culture?

Chris Jimmerson's sermon delivered on November 30, 2014. December 1st is World AIDS Day. As the world pauses each year to remember the losses and recommit to the struggle against HIV, it's important to also remember what community responses to HIV can teach us about working for social change.

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on November 23, 2014. The sermon is on gratitude as we recognize the one hundred year legacy of founding member and longtime music director Janet McGaughey.

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on November 16, 2014. Why bad things happen to good people is a basic question for humanity, no matter what your view of the world.

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on November 9, 2014. This year marks the 100th anniversary of World War I. How did it change our world? How might we hold in our hearts some of its lessons?

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on November 2, 2014. How do we honor those who came before us? How do we keep the stories as true as we can, cherishing the things they did that were right and acknowledging, then forgiving the things they did that were wrong? How do we claim where we came from and still understand our power to choose who we are now?

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on October 26, 2014. This is the time of year when some earth-based traditions teach that the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead is thin. We are also celebrating the 30th anniversary of the First UU Women's Spirituality Group.

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on October 19, 2014. What does it mean to trust someone? What are the depths of being hospitable? How far do you go with people who take you places you didn't want to go? These are life-balance questions that we must address on the road to emotional and spiritual maturity, both as individuals and as a congregation.

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on October 12, 2014. Now THIS is Church! I have that feeling pretty often, and I wonder when you have it. Is it music? The candles? The faces of the people?

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on October 5, 2014. As the Jews celebrate the Days of Awe, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we reflect on when we're not the people we know we are capable of being.

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on September 28, 2014. What does sexual integrity look like? What is the history of our sexual mores?

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on September 21, 2014. John Murray's rowing ashore in New Jersey in September of 1770 was the beginning of Universalism on this continent. What is the Universalist element in our faith? Our good news is that no one goes to hell.

Assistant Minister Rev. Marisol Caballero's sermon delivered on September 14, 2014. This Sunday we prepare for Austin Pride by looking back at our involvement in the struggle for LGBTQ equality, and look ahead to how our faith is calling us to action in the days and years ahead.

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on September 7, 2014. It's time again for one of our favorite UU traditions, the Water Communion service! This is a UU ingathering service practiced by congregations across the continent where we bring water from a place where our spirit was refreshed and share our stories.

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on August 31, 2014. In Morita psychotherapy, mindfulness, daily practice and habits of attention are the elements with which one works to achieve sturdiness and balance.

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on August 24, 2014. For every people on earth, there are places where power gathers. This mountain, this street, this tree. How can we participate in the recognition and creation of such places?

Guest speaker Erin Walter's sermon delivered on August 17, 2014. What are you so afraid of? And what can you do about it?

Assistant Minister Chris Jimmerson's sermon delivered on August 10, 2014. Unitarian Universalism is a religion without creed. We do not have a prescribed set of beliefs with which we must all express agreement. So how is it that we are bound together?

Assistant Minister Marisol Caballero's sermon delivered on August 3, 2014. We celebrate the closing of another Camp UU year by looking to Harry Potter and the lot from Hogwarts to teach us life lessons. We explore how the seventh principle might be understood to one of J.K. Rowling's witches or wizards!

Assistant Minister Marisol Caballero's sermon delivered on July 27, 2014. When Theodore Parker said, "I do not pretend to understand the moral universe... but from what I see I am sure it bends towards justice," he never could have imagined the current landscape of dialogue around gender equality.

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on July 20, 2014. What is prayer for Unitarian Universalists? What good does it do? To whom do we pray? In what ways might we pray? Is it all magical thinking? Why do so many of us keep practicing things our mind doesn't quite support?

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on July 13, 2014. They say "Thou Shalt Not Kill," but we kill all the time: plants, animals, and other humans. What does our biology tell us? What do our ethics tell us?

Guest speaker Eric Hepburn's sermon delivered on July 6, 2014. Let's talk about some of the many things about which we are justifiably proud. Let's talk about the quality of our A-game and when (and how) we bring it. How can we bring our A-game more often, more consistently, more reliably? What's the shame in our game? We're gonna talk about that, too.

Rev. Meg Barnhouse's sermon delivered on June 29, 2014. Spiritual growth: this is more important for First UU than numerical growth. What might that look like for UUs? How do we know if it's happening?