University UMC Sermons

We continue celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! Pastor Earl will preach on a name for God from the Christian mystical tradition—the Ocean of Divinity, and reflect on how God’s vast and boundless love can draw us together as we confront the dividing force of racism.

We welcome Rev. Dr. Jeehei Park to the pulpit. Dr. Park’s sermon is “Not Your (Stereo)Typical Lamb” and the sermon text is Revelation 7:9-17.

This Sunday we celebrate our Confirmation Class of 2025. As we celebrate these youth, we are reminded that confirmation is not a destination but rather a point along the way in our journey of faith and talking about the work we do as a community and our own experiences of faith throughout our lives.

Bluegrass Sunday! An annual tradition at UUMC celebrates the joy of the Easter season with music from some of our own church members sharing bluegrass music. The Gospel lesson shared in worship will be John 20:19-31 when the resurrected Christ appears to the disciple Thomas.

Christ is Risen! Alleluia! We celebrate Easter with a Gospel Lesson from Luke 24:1-12. Concluding our “Everything [in] Between” sermon series, Pastor Teresa preaches on the theme of living in between grief and hope.

This Sunday is the 5th Sunday in Lent and the scripture passage is the parable of the Fig Leaf from Luke 13:6-9. Pastor Teresa’s sermon continues the Lenten worship series “Everything [in] Between” and focuses on rest and growth.

This Sunday is the Fourth Sunday in Lent and the scripture passage is the Parable of the Lost Sheep from Luke 15:1-7.

This Sunday is the 3rd Sunday in Lent and the scripture lesson is Luke 10:38-42 when Jesus visits Mary and Martha. In her sermon, Pastor Teresa will focus on the importance of both faith and works. 

This is the 2nd Sunday in Lent and the scripture lesson comes to us from Luke 10:25-37, the familiar story of the Good Samaritan. Our sermon series for the Season of Lent is “Everything [in] Between.” This series is an invitation to navigate the polarities in our lives with more faith, intention, and openness to be transformed. Each week we explore two supposed binaries. In this week’s sermon, Pas...

On this first Sunday in Lent, Pastor Earl is preaching and his sermon title is “Everything [In] Between: Between the Divine and the Human.” The scripture lesson is Matthew 4:1-11.

We celebrate Transfiguration Sunday, when Jesus was transfigured before his wilderness experience. This Sunday takes place before Ash Wednesday and the coming Lenten season. We will discover together what Jesus’ transfiguration has to teach us about celebrating change and honoring differences. The sermon texts include Luke 9:28-36 and 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2.

We’ll conclude our sermon series “Called to Compassion.” Pastor Teresa preaches a homily on the challenging scripture passage from Luke 6:27-38 where Jesus calls us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.

We continue our sermon series “Called to Compassion.” The scripture lesson comes from Colossians 3:12-17. Human compassion is equal to human cruelty, and it is up to each of us to tip the balance. – Alice Walker

This Sunday as we celebrate our affiliation with Reconciling Ministries Network in 2011 and recommit ourselves to the ongoing works of advocacy for the full inclusion of all LGBTQIA+ members in the life of the church. Designed and planned by our Queer Council, this worship service aims to deliver the voices of the underrepresented in this political climate, and our sermon is by A. Villarreal, Musi...

The worship theme throughout the month of February is “Called to Compassion” and Pastor Teresa will be preaching about the ways in which the practice of attentiveness deepens our capacity to love. The scripture readings come from I Corinthians 1:4-13 and Hebrews 13:1-2.

Pastor Teresa is preaching and the scripture reading is Luke 4:14-21 when Jesus proclaims the Spirit is upon him to preach the good news. As Jesus looks back to the prophetic teachings from Isaiah to inform his ministry, we will consider the importance of looking to the past as we move into God’s preferred future.

Join us for worship on Sunday as we celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. and recommit to the ongoing work of justice in the church and in the world. We are thrilled to welcome guest preacher Rev. Dominique A. Robinson, DMin. to the University UMC pulpit.

January 12 is Baptism of The Lord Sunday. We’ll hear the account of Jesus’ baptism from the Gospel of Luke and all are invited to renew the commitments made at their baptism or to anticipate their baptism.

On Epiphany we remember the visit of the Magi to Jesus. We welcome guest preacher Rev. Lizzie Wright, executive director of Austin Region Justice for Our Neighbors (Austin JFON). Austin JFON is a non-profit law office, welcoming refugees and immigrants into our communities by providing free, high-quality immigration legal services, education, and advocacy.

We continue our celebration of Christmas and we will continue to sing the songs of Christmas. Pastor Teresa preaches on the lectionary Gospel lesson from Luke, when Jesus the child is found by his parents in the temple.

Pastor Teresa preaches on Christmas Eve as we celebrate the coming of God in the Christ child.

We light the candle of Love on this Fourth Sunday in Advent. Pastor Earl preaches and we will hear Mary’s Magnificat in the scripture reading.

In worship this Sunday we continue our Advent journey and light the candle of JOY. The scripture reading reminds us that John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus in the wilderness and Pastor Teresa’s sermon is “The Joy of Service.”

Join us as we begin our journey in this season of Advent! We will hear from the first chapter of Luke and light the first candle on our Advent Wreath - the candle of hope.

Megan Otto gives a pep talk for those who are both hopeful and a bit nervous about the holiday season. This season can be overwhelming but we hope you feel supported by this community. We want to remind you that God continues to be present with us during this time.