Unitarian Universalist Sermons and Conversations from First Unitarian Church of Dallas

Creation stories shape us whether we are conscious of their influence or not. They weave their way through culture and practices that help or hinder our sense of well-being, reciprocity and gratitude. This Sunday we explore creation stories, including the creation story of the first Thanksgiving, asking, "What are the stories that might 'reconstitute the world?'"

Our annual remembrance of those in our church community we've lost in the past year.

What does love require of us when it comes to forgiving ourselves and others?

Whenever things begin to open up in new ways, in church life, in our inner life, in our social justice work a kind of clumsiness ensues. We doubt ourselves. We fumble around. We know that perfectionism and urgency are sure fire ways to ensure nothing is learned and nothing changes, and yet it's hard not to succumb to those cultural norms. This Sunday we embrace the messiness of transformation and...

Why do Buddhists talk about learning to "stay" with our discomfort? Why did Jesus ask his followers to get uncomfortable with the dominant culture of the time and to live into the discomfort of really meeting our neighbor? What makes discomfort an important aspect of spiritual growth and deepening? This Sunday we explore our relationship with discomfort and what it can teach us.

The thief said, 'Your money or your life,' what is your response? What is the theology of money that makes your life better?

Lets talk about promises, covenants, how we honor each other with them.

To cherish is more than holding something dear. It is accepting the cost of loving, and loving still, "consciously, conscientiously, concretely, constructively," as poet Marge Piercy writes. Together we explore what it means to cherish.

As we come back together, what have we lost and gained, we explore what we cherish about each other, our faith community, and life.

Our Unitarian Universalist tradition responds "yes!" But what does it mean to be saved, and why does it matter?

William Ellery Channing forged the Unitarian response to this question and gave us much to ponder. What is sin? How do we fit into the traditional Christian story of sin and redemption? Does it matter? Why are we still so fixated on sin? How does this impact my life today?

Dr. Parker will share a personal testimony about the spiritual destination her journey has led to, and will teach a simple spiritual practice to ground

Some seek a spiritual destination that transcends this world and this life…but what if our spiritual destination is to be discovered right here and now?

– Spiritual destinations are known in pilgrimage. Lets look where we are pilgrims of soul.

– How does the Affirmation of our church serve as a grounding and resting place for us on our spiritual journeys?

– Untangling the complicity of religion with white supremacy and finding the yes to a deeper humanity for all of us.

– New spiritual and ethical understandings emerging from feminism and womanism as faith moves "earth ward" and we grapple with the false gods that have led to global climate change and ecological crises.

– Dealing with the ways we use religion to defend ourselves against our experiences of pain or loss. How can we let go of those defenses to come in closer contact with life's realities and life's sources of grace and healing?

– How to say 'yes' to America in all its complexity. What is the spiritual response to hope for our country? POSTLUDE: on Batiste playing the "Star Spangled Banner/Lift Every Voice and Sing" on NPR music Live Sessions hosted by WXPN

American Idols are everywhere so we might ask, where is the place for critique as a spiritual responsibility?

– What happens after we say "No" to dangerous ideas about God? We begin a spiritual journey to a deeper "Yes."

What idolatries exist in our tradition today, which we must say "no" to in order to embrace a more meaningful experience of the holy?

The power and importance of saying "no" to dangerous religious ideas about God.

Christianity today is not what it was intended to be. What can we learn from it about who we are? Was Jesus actually a Unitarian? These questions and other blasphemies are uncovered in this sermon.

How when the world opens up to us, our small vision becomes a grand one!