Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections

Today’s sermon will encourage reflection upon the history and sacred aspects of drag.  Sister Plush has been a fully professed member of the San Francisco Order of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence for seven years.  Her ministry focuses on Queer and Trans young adults, encouraging them to forge relationships with their Queer and Trans ancestors.  She is also, in her mundane life, a teacher in th...

In what has become an annual tradition, Amy takes your questions and answers as many as she can in the time usually allotted to a sermon. The identities of the questioners will be confidential. And she has a question for you, too: “What question would you like me to ask you ?” Worship leader: Rev. Amy Zucker Morgenstern Special music: Veronika Agranov-Dafoe, piano Follow along in the order of serv...

The dream of democracy in the United States has never been completely realized, but it remains as an ideal, prized most when we most fear that it could slip away. Today we celebrate the nation’s birthday by sharing some of the ways we can help bring democracy to the USA. Some are obvious and some are more subtle; some are a lifetime’s hard work and some are simple things we can make a part of our...

Today’s Fathers’ Day sermon was inspired by recalling a book by George Lakoff called Don’t Think of an Elephant that Steve read over two decades ago.  Although the examples are a bit dated, it’s not hard to see that they still apply today, and have both political and relational lessons for us as we transform ourselves, each other and the world. Steve Johnson is a member of UUCPA and a frequent gue...

When it comes to personal and spiritual growth, what’s the right amount of challenge? As with exercise, it can’t be downright painful (at least not to the point of actual injury), and to be effective, it also can’t be too relaxed. We aim to do something in between: stretch. Today we’ll hear about how to know when we’re in the stretch zone. We’ll also hear briefly from Kelly Younger of our justice...

As individuals, Unitarian Universalists aspire to keep questioning, growing, changing, and moving. The same is true of our denomination as a whole. Before and since the merger of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of America (60 years ago this week), the tradition has been characterized by change. We look to our principles and what they require of us, and when our knowl...

Both our political system and our religious tradition grew out of a highly individualistic philosophy. But our experiences tell us that we are, in fact, not only shaped by but inextricably intertwined with others: especially our families, but also friends, the wider community, and the community of earth. If we reframe our decisions to respect these interconnections, they become more complicated, b...

Who gets written out of history, and whose stories have been lost to us until they are retold? Rev. Barnaby Feder tells us about two, Rev. Phebe Hanaford and Rev. Elizabeth Padgham, and we’ll even hear directly from them! Barnaby comes to us today from the Champlain Valley Unitarian Universalist Society in Middlebury, VT, where he is the minister. A lifelong Unitarian Universalist, he was a New Yo...

Over many decades, our congregation has helped countless people to get under a roof (oftentimes ours!) and to find transitional and permanent housing. Frustratingly, housing and homelessness are even more acute problems than ever. AND: no one is better situated than us to figure out how to tackle these problems as they arise. Amy spoke some of our local experts on what it will take to provide enou...

“The opiate of the theologians” . . . “a threat to Christianity” . . . “a pernicious heresy”: What is this terrifying doctrine? Universalism. We celebrate it this morning in what is, by one reckoning, the 250th anniversary year of its blossoming on this continent. Amy will share why she is a proclaimer of this pernicious heresy, and you may discover reasons why you are one too! Worship leader: Rev...

You can read the text of the sermon on Darcey’s blog: Stories Like Constellations We are constantly making up stories about why things happen and what those events mean. A good story can help us through hard times. A good story can help us create a place for ourselves in the future. But stories can also keep us stuck within the limits of their tropes and formulas. Stories that are unconnected to r...

In this intergenerational service, we celebrate Easter with stories, very special music, and a traditional animal of the season: the cicada. Photo of cicada’s wings (c) Roger Smith , used by permission Worship leader: Rev. Amy Zucker Morgenstern Special Music: Karen Van Dyke, flute, and the Stanford Flute Ensemble The full order of service is at bit.ly/uucpa_oos_20210404 . Video of the entire Apri...

Invisible people roll past us, walk among us, even speak to us . . . and what’s even stranger, we are sometimes invisible to them. This isn’t a fantasy movie, but instead, a strange fact of our existence, one that Passover urges us to challenge and change. For we can all be free only when the invisible becomes visible. We also celebrate Palm Sunday and the Transgender Day of Visibility this mornin...

Today’s service shares what we have experienced, learned, mourned, and hoped for during this past year, to give us inspiration for the last push. Worship leader: Rev. Amy Zucker Morgenstern Worship Associate: Steven Mashin Special music: Veronika Agranov-Dafoe, piano, Dan Schatz, guitar Follow along in the order of service: bit.ly/uucpa_oos_20210314 Video of the entire March 14, 2021 service with...

So many of our mental models were created for and by men. The hero’s journey, for example, is a particular kind of journey for a particular kind of hero, suited more to typically male ways of being than female ones. When we re-imagine how such models would be revised for and by women, it not only opens up worlds of possibility for women, but for men as well. As our culture grows in awareness that...

It can be very hard to be a latecomer to a point of view. As people like Rep. Liz Cheney have discovered, you not only anger the people with whom you used to agree, but you don’t get a lot of love from your new allies either. They’re less likely to say “Better late than never” than “What took you so long?” Yet if we are committed to honest self-examination and the changes that it can inspire, don’...

That’s what Valentine’s Day is really all about. At least, that’s the best anyone can figure out, since this holiday, now dedicated to made-for-TV movies and keeping florists in business, has very murky origins. But there is some real wisdom embedded in its stories, with no romance required. Worship leader: Rev. Amy Zucker Morgenstern Special music: Veronika Agranov-Dafoe Follow along in the order...

No, I’m not going to tell you. You know what matters most to you — or, if you are still trying to figure that out, you are in the right place, because we support each other in discerning and living into our most profound values. Today’s service will help us along. Worship leader: Rev. Amy Zucker Morgenstern Special music: Dawn and Mark Walker, flute and cello Follow along in the order of service:...

You heard the reflection, now hear the sermon: on how disability rights activists in this country both influenced and inherited the movement for African-American civil rights, and led themselves and everyone to greater liberation. Amy was unable to be at the January 17 service and so continues this thrilling story today. If you missed it too, take it in before this morning’s service (Thida Cornes’...

By highly unofficial survey, of the seven principles that we affirm and promote as a member congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association, number four, “A free and responsible search for truth and meaning,” is the favorite. Today we delve into what this freedom and responsibility mean, at a particularly acute moment for our country. Worship leader: Rev. Amy Zucker Morgenstern Special musi...

Our limitations don’t usually feel like a gift. But today we’ll hear some stories about surprising things that have happened in situations of difficult and unwanted constraints. Our guest preacher, Rev. Darcy Baxter, is in her seventh year of serving as the minister at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Stanislaus County, in the Central Valley. She is a third generation Unitarian Universalis...

Such a wonderful invention: the opportunity to undo something we have done and suddenly regret. What’s past may be prologue to the future, but we still have the power to rewrite. What would you like to do a little differently in your own life? What shall we do differently as a country and community? The YouTube player below plays the video of the entire service with copyrighted and private informa...

The audio player above plays the audio podcast of the sermon only. The YouTube player below plays the video of the entire service with copyrighted and private information redacted. Follow along in the order of service: bit.ly/uucpa_oos_20201227 We know that we Unitarian Universalists are a church of many beliefs. But we are also a church of many cultures and sensibilities. We may feel magnanimous...

The audio player above plays the audio podcast of the sermon only. The YouTube player below plays the video of the entire service with copyrighted and private information redacted. Follow along in the order of service: bit.ly/uucpa_oos_20201213 . Holidays are a time for traditions, and by nature, we humans are tradition creators and sustainers. But what if we can’t practice our usual traditions th...

The audio player above plays the audio podcast of the sermon only. The YouTube player below plays the video of the entire service with copyrighted and private information redacted. We welcome Christmas, live-streamed from our beloved sanctuary, with stories, carols and special music, and candles. Come sing the familiar songs that are always powerful, and experience the magic of candlelight in the...