Sermons-First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco

Of all the depictions of the birth of Jesus, or of Jesus as a baby, there are none that show him with his father, his earthly father, that is: the one who took in the pregnant young girl and promised a home for her and her child. We've got almost no historical record of this man, but given the fact his own father was named Joseph, Dave Sammons would like to put him back into the story on this Sund...

Evan will talk about how UUs in Calfornia have worked and can continue to work together to affect political decisions in our state on such issues as human equality, water rights and climate change. Evan R. Junker, Guest Preacher The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director Reiko Oda Lane, Organist and Bell Choir Director Madeleine Gerlach, Soprano Soloist Dav...

We celebrate the hope our children give us by performing two wonderful pieces of music.  John Rutter's Mass of the Children and Arthur Honegger's Une Cantate de Noel. Guest singers will augment our choir, Chad Runyon and Kate Offer are our soloists, the UC Women's Chorale from Berkeley will be singing the children's choir music featured in both masterworks, and a full orchestra will acco...

A walk through the aisles of Macy's or any other such store, sometimes beginning in August there is no doubt that Christmas is on the way - not the Christmas that goes with the story of the birth that supposedly took place in Bethlehem a couple of millennium ago, but the Christmas that goes with exchanging gifts, from clay plaques into which have been pressed the hands of five year old's, to the B...

There is a lot to give thanks for this Sunday after our country's annual remembrance of the feast celebrated by the Pilgrims and their Native American guests that first harvest after their arrival. But we should remember the no thanks that should have gone with it - like the no thanks for forcing the local tribes off their lands those many years ago and the no thanks for turning what had become ou...

Our guest speaker is Rev. Dr. Bonn Dlott,  Bonnie, left a career in science to raise her two children  with her husband Rick. a doctor working for Kaiser. Bonnie discovered Unitarian Universalism at the Mt. Diablo Church, while Dave Sammons was its minister, and discovdred there that she wanted to be a minister. She graduated from Starr King in 2005, and has been serving the Na...

The Rev. Dr. David Sammons, Interim Senior Minister Bruce Knotts, UU-United Nations Office Director Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director Reiko Oda Lane, Organist Jonathan Silk, Sound, Order of Service & Podcast

Rolling Down the Window The Rev. Dr. David Sammons This sermon will deal with why it's important to not forget those who have gone before us. It's not spooky for Mexicans, for instance, to visit the graves of the members of their families who have passed on. It's a way not only of honoring their ancestors, but of telling the Grim Reaper that he's got no sway over them. We all die, but death is nev...

The Speckled Bird The Rev. Dr. David Sammons A minister in Maine found himself wondering, as Emerson once did, what he was doing in church when what attracted him most during the week were his walks in the beautiful woods that lay behind his house. He just loved the speckled birds that chirped around his pond. But though he loved his walks, and felt in touch with the divine when he was on them, th...

We are delighted to welcome Sister Sheila Flynn back to our pulpit this Sunday. Sister Sheila has been an annual visitor to our congregation since she first came here in 2002 at the invitation of our Minister Emerita, Margot Campbell Gross. Sister Sheila’s ministry to women, children and men, infected and affected by HIV/AIDS in the poorest communities in South Africa. She is the founder, and ment...

Most days our lives are fine, then BAM, something bad happens, often something really bad, then what? What do we do? How do we handle, pain, frustration, humiliation, loss? Particularly when we are in the midst of what's happening it's hard to figure out how we're going to get through it and move on with our lives. But that's our task. Life is a gift and we owe it - and ourselves - a commitment to...

The metaphor of the interdependent web combines universalist love with unitarian wholeness into a vision of cosmic unity and goodness.  This is a large idea that lies at the heart of UU faith and asks us to stretch ourselves wide to be worthy of it. The Rev. Dr. Jay Atkinson, Guest Minister John Young, Worship Associate Dr. Mark Sumner, Choir Director Reiko Oda Lane, Organist & Bell Choi...

September is the month of High Holy Days, a time when people are asked to think about the mistakes they've made and how to deal with them. Mistakes can be embarrassing, but people are embarrassed by a lot of things that have nothing to do with mistakes, like when our Interim Senior Minister was asked to join in a flash dance at his son's recent wedding. This Sunday he'll explore what it is that ca...

In an intriguing book called Why Does the World Exist? Jim Holt, an explorer of the intersection of science and philosophy asks: "Why is there something rather than nothing?" If the answer is: "because some thing created something out of nothing," does that something have to be God? Dave Sammons has been wrestling with questions like this for a long time. Discovering that God might not have to be...

"In April at the Pacific Western Regional Assembly, Rev. Sarah Moldenhauer-Salazar preached a sermon that made waves across the Region inspiring a new way of thinking about Unitarian Universalism for the 21st century. She has agreed to come preach it for us. Please join us to hear Rev. Sarah's inspiring message. Rev. Sarah serves our movement as the President of the Pacific Central District UU Min...

"The idea of "home" has meaning for most people, but what is the meaning? Is home a place we're from and can come back to? Is it something in which we're rooted or something from which we want or need to escape? We'll explore the meaning of home in our lives on this, our "Homecoming Sunday," the time when we celebrate our new church year."

"Some say religion comes from a God-given revelation. But which of them is true? The one that came to Moses, the Buddha, Paul, Mohammad, Baha'u'llah Joseph Smith or Mary Baker Eddy? What if, instead of being based on revelation religion is just something that evolved from the time people began sitting around campfires and telling stories. If this is the case, how does Unitarian Universalism fit in...

"Small Group Ministries is an ongoing program to help us deepen our connections to each other, to grow spiritually, and to strengthen our San Francisco Unitarian Universalist community as a whole. Small Groups, each with about ten people, meet twice monthly to share important parts of their lives. They practice deep listening, which enables participants to form lasting friendships, a stronger comm...

"Dave Sammons often wears rather unusual garments when he preaches. They're called "chasubles." In the Roman Catholic tradition they are kind of over-garments worn by the priest in recognition of the liturgical season the church is now in. Dave's have  a different history and a different meaning. This Sunday he'll wear a chasuble whose design is taken from a painting by Alexander Calder...

"What does it mean to live a religious life if you are not what most people would consider religious? Unitarian Universalism is a unique religion in that it not only welcomes people who follow other faiths, but also those typically referred to as non-believers: atheists, agnostics, those who have rejected other faith traditions, and those who were raised, like today's guest preacher, to reject rel...

Do you remember when you first learned to ride? It was, at heart, an act of faith. Rev. Vail Weller is the Special Assistant to the President for Major Gifts at the Unitarian Universalist Association. She has served as a parish minister in West Virginia, Michigan, and most recently, San Mateo, CA.         Reverend Vail Weller, Guest Minister Reverend Dr. Joh...

Considered this country's poet laureate by many Americans of African descent, Langston Hughes' work also captured the feelings, experiences, and dreams common to all human beings.  Poetry, it has been said, the middle zone between words and music.  Langston Hughes wanted his poems to convey the spirit of American jazz. A look at his life, his religion, and his message. &nb...

Best known for his song-writing and union organizing activities, Woody Guthrie also produced a large quantity of writing (mostly unpublished) on matters of religion and spirituality in a strongly universalist vein. Rev. Steve Edington’s   book and sermon, Bring Your Own God, holds up some of these writings and places them in the context of Woody’s overall life. His book is the result of...

Without water to drink there is no life. The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) has chosen the “human right to water” as one of its primary four areas of focus.  It is an issue of environmental justice. This Sunday we will celebrate the justice work of the UUSC and the remarkable work we have been doing in California and around the world to make safe drinking water available...

Overcoming Social Anxiety to Recognize Belonging. For some of us, it can be hard to remember that we all belong in the interconnected web of life when we don’t even feel like we belong among our friends. Let’s explore together what it would look like to cut through our anxiety, recognize our belonging, and from that place invite our friends to join us Molly Johnson, Guest Preacher and Seminarian R...