First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston Podcast

Genesis tells us we will return to the ground, because "for dust you are and to dust you will return." Carl Sagan was a bit more specific when he pointed out that we are made of stardust. We begin Advent, when those in the narrative looked to the star, and end our monthly theme of soil with an appreciation for our interdependence with these facets of the web.

Hope is the ground from which so much of our religious tradition springs. In this second sermon on our series on Soil we'll celebrate hope and offer the US debut of the song "Hope" by Commoners Choir. Commoners Choir is a project of the English musician Boff Whalley of Chumbawamba fame. They have given First Houston permission to perform a selection of their songs in over the course of the year.

We will start a monthly theme on Soil with a sermon reflecting on the source of faith. Is it in humanity? In the divine? Both? Neither? Something else? Does Unitarian Universalist spring from one source or many?

Our annual All Souls Day service and autumn music concert celebrated the music of former First Houston Music Director Thomas Benjamin. As part of the service, Rev. Dr. Colin Bossen spoke about recognizing all of our ancestors. He also challenges us to recognize some of the now out-dated views of our ancestors that we should let go of. 

Each of us is the descendant of countless generations. And all of us, whether we have children or not, will some day be the ancestor. In this service, we will explore what it is to be learned by being conscious of where we in the cycle of descendants and ancestors.

Throughout their life cycles, trees give and receive. In this service we'll consider how both giving and receiving are necessary parts of the Cycles that form our lives.

Rev. Colin uses the photographs of Libuše Jarcovjáková's from our current Fotofest exhibition, and the imperfections found in them, as a metaphor to how we can live more authentically to ourselves.

When the idea of making the world a better place sometimes seems insurmountable, it is always good to use the NOW to create things that will come to fruition later.    

Being a part of a congregation is to be part of a conversation.  Rev. Dr. Colin Bossen returns from sabbatical to talk about how important it is for YOU to join this conversation. 

Music is a universal language. Through music we are able to process and express emotions and events that we experience throughout this journey called life. A song can plant a seed of remembrance, reflection, or resolution. Let's remember to open ourselves to receive, to share, to give, to feel, and to appreciate the ability to express ourselves through music.

Chatting with a visitor one Sunday in Channing Hall, a congregant wondered out loud if "Unitarian Universalism" has run its course as a good descriptor of our current theology, mission, or even church communities. Let's consider our theological roots and how they inform who and where we are today.

Jason Oby reflects on his personal journey from near-death illness to wholeness. A single man, living alone, he will talk about the lessons he learned about friendship, family, and surrender. He will reflect on how, through the experience, he hopes to inform his life going forward, and what others can glean from such an experience.

Bishop Carlton Pearson shares his journey as he went from a nationally celebrated Pentecostal preacher who taught how to fear God to where he developed his "Gospel of Inclusion" where he declared that because of Christ, no soul will spend eternity in hell, which ultimately lost him his church. Carlton serves and has served on the boards of several charitable and humanitarian organizations, includi...

In addition to many spiritual and justice elements that connect to Unitarian Universalist values, indigenous worldviews commonly connect to democratic ideals as well, including non-hierarchical, intolerance of injustice, emphasis on community welfare and resistance to authoritarianism.  What do we find when we compare and contrast these worldviews?

The opening sentence of Charles Dicken's classic "Tale of Two Cities" (set in the time of the French Revolution) is "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times." Our Minister Emeritus, Rev. Dan King, shares reflections from the recent UUA General Assembly about the implications of reactions to the proposed 8th principle promoting affirmation of historically marginalized and oppressed iden...

Democracy in the United States has never been extended to everyone equally. In the American colonies only adult white male property owners could vote. Today, voter suppression assures only some can easily vote. The current makeup of the Supreme Court is a result of Presidents being appointed who did not win the majority vote. In our Fifth Principle, UUs covenant to affirm and promote ". . . the us...

It's the 10 year anniversary of the Texas UU Justice Ministry, our statewide action network! From trans rights to reproductive justice, voting rights to the environment, this is a crucial time in the work of TXUUJM. Rev. Erin Walter, Executive Director, joins us this July 4th weekebnd to reflect on opportunities and challenges our state is facing, and to invite us all to deepen our practice of sho...

The inescapable fact of human existence, these days, is that we hold it in our hands the power to end all things. The climate catastrophe envelopes all who rely on our ecosystem for survival. We have reached the point where only massive governmental policy might bring about a remedy. What stands in the way is an identity fragility—heteronormative whiteness, which gridlocks our mechanisms of govern...

This year, the annual remembrances of Juneteenth and Father's Day shared the third Sunday in June. Juneteenth commemorates the announcement proclaiming freedom for enslaved people in Texas, two and a half years after Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, and over forty years before the first Father's Day was observed.

June is Pride Month, and our theme is Reimagining Comfort. Rev. Scott asks us to think about Community: those people with whom we feel most comfortable. On June 12, six years ago, over a hundred people gathered in community were killed or injured in a mass attack on the Pulse nightclub. On June 28, fifty-three years ago, the Stonewall community fought back when the police raided their Greenwich Vi...

Flower Communion is a beautiful ritual designed to knit the members of our community more closely together. It comes from a Unitarian tradition from our congregation in Prague at a time when school is ending and many of us are getting ready for summer travels. We each brought a flower to this service representing the gifts we give to the community. We also selected a flower from the ones others br...

How do we approach remembering those who have died in the pandemic and by violent means, either in war or in a mass shooting. How do our obligations, rights, and responsibilities compel us to work toward a more peaceful, healthier, and more just society?

As part of the work of our developmental ministry on Identity – Mission/Vision/Covenant, this is the first of what we hope will be an annual tradition of Covenant Sunday. We'll explore the history of covenant at First Houston, the work of the committee, and how creating a new covenant relates to the future of the congregation.

A chain of life beginning with a Big Bang, or in the Garden of Eden, or in some primordial sea, has successfully continued down through today. Mothers have carried the narrative of this chain, of cultures and traditions, and often of change and reimagining. 

May Day, according to Britannica, is also called Workers' Day or International Workers' Day. In many countries around the world, the historic struggles and gains made by workers and the labour movements are commemorated on May 1. In this sermon, the story of May Day is told and why its message offers much of the wisdom we need today to reimagine what it means to be successful