Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections

On Easter, Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. All of us reflect on what rebirth might mean in this one wild and precious life. Are the cycles of nature really a good parallel for human rebirth and resurrection? And bunnies and chocolate eggs are supposed ... read more .

In Genesis, one man slew his brother, and when asked where that brother was, asked of his god, “I know not. Am I my brother’s keeper?” This question has been taken as many ways as there are storytellers under the sun: keeper of health? keeper ... read more .

The journey of a UU stay-at-home dad (so far) Author, stay-at-home dad, and UUCPA member Matthew Rosin reflects on the religious resources and practices, within and near Unitarian Universalism, that have helped him learn to become the healthy and connected man his kids need him to ... read more .

The Rev. Jane Dwinell’s husband, Sky Yardley, was diagnosed with “probable early stage Alzheimer’s” in 2016. Together, they contemplated the meaning of memory, what it is and how it is important. She will share her thoughts and those of her late husband that come from ... read more .

The messages we get about sexuality have a huge impact on our well-being–not just in the bedroom but in our whole lives, which is also the name of the sexuality education program at UUCPA. Today: why sex is an ... read more .

You’re the new kid in town . . . Your friend moved away and now you don’t have anyone to play with . . . You go to an activity you like, hoping to meet new friends, but everyone there seems to know everyone else ... read more .

We celebrate Black History Month with this intergenerational service lifting up the role of children and teenagers in the movements for civil rights for Asian Americans and African Americans. Their leadership was essential in winning “silver rights” and helping the United States live up to ... read more .

Seventy-five years ago, our spiritual family members envisioned the future and built it a home here on Charleston Road. Now it is our turn. We have shared our vision: that we are a people tending a beautiful, healthy Earth; a loving community of free thinkers ... read more .

Our annual Chalice Sunday celebration takes place today, at the cross-quarter festival of Imbolc. We’ll hear about why we light a chalice at the beginning of our gatherings. In an embrace of our Pagan roots, we’ll call the directions and seek inspiration from Brigid, the ... read more .

Writer Alice Hoffman muses that they might be “the only true magic,” William Styron says they are the secret to “living several lives” (all at once!), and actor Emma Thompson says they “are like people, in the sense that they’ll turn up in your life ... read more .

In nature, there is holiness. There is the divine. This is the way of the gods.* The choir sings Hymn to the Earth, a composition arranged by our own former music director Alva Henderson, in this service steeped in the Shinto wisdom Rev. Cat learned from ... read more .

When accused of “extremism,” Martin Luther King, Jr., reflected from his jail cell in Birmingham and “decided that perhaps [he] would like to think of [him]self as an extremist — in the light of the spirit which made Jesus an extremist for love.” If someone ... read more .

It’s time to get good at the pivot. We know enough to have lived through the idea that “God is change,” as it says in Octavia Butler’s great novel Parable of the Sower. But Butler has more to say about what comes next. Let’s get curious ... read more .

A popular Christian song of yesteryear sang “They will know we are Christians by our love.” In this intergenerational service, we’ll ask: How do people know what our most cherished values are? What’s the “tell”? Worship leader: Rev. Amy Zucker Morgenstern Worship Associate: Joe Bailey Follow along in ... read more .

Please note that both services will be held indoors (with patio seating always an option) due to the chilly temperatures expected. The service time changes on December 25! Beginning on that day, we will hold a single Sunday service at 10:15. The concept of childhood, it has ... read more .

Please note that both services will be held indoors (with patio seating always an option) due to the chilly temperatures expected. Shakespeare said “Love is blind,” and called it a liability. But love’s blindness to boundaries, rules, conventions, and barriers can also be a strength that ... read more .

Please note that both services will be held indoors (with patio seating always an option) due to the chilly temperatures expected. Help fill today’s altar with your fruits of the harvest: fruits, vegetables, leaves, flowers! We’ll hear stories and sing songs about gratitude, fall and family in ... read more .

Clocks go back at 2 a.m. today! Don’t forget, or you will arrive at the service very early! (Not the end of the world. We’ll give you a cup of coffee and you’ll have lots of time to chat and relax.) Justice doesn’t just happen when ... read more .

Liberation is linked to events. Freedom is woven of the many choices made thereafter. Today we explore the Jewish celebration of Sukkhot, the Festival of Booths, and consider how it might inform our own movements toward freedom. Worship leader: Rev. Stefanie Etzbach-Dale . ... read more .

Tuesday is National Coming Out Day, and we’re going to welcome God out of the closet. The way people have thought about human beings has always influenced us to imagine a certain kind of god. For example, if we think humans are the most important beings ... read more .

Please note that both services will be held indoors (with patio seating always an option) due to the chilly temperatures expected Friday was the 100th anniversary of the birth of Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. He was a veteran of World War II, a chemist, and the honorary ... read more .

Out beyond the land and into the sea, whales sing. Join Rev. Cat in an exploration of the symphony of whales and what their music can teach us about resilience in the face of climate change. Worship leader: Rev. Catherine Boyle Special music: Larry Chinn, jazz piano Follow ... read more .

Ancient peoples had a strange ritual for coping with their own wrongdoing and starting over: the scapegoat, which was literally a goat that was symbolically burdened with the sins of the people and then sent into the wilderness. What do we do when burdened with ... read more .