Thursday, 09 September 2010, 03:18 am PDT
Podcasts
"The Beginning of All Things" - May 16, 2010
This final component of our many-part sermon series on creation stories will focus on the Big Bang, looking at the scientific wonder behind the origins of the universe, and at all the things we do ... [listen to the episode]
Bull Run Unitarian Universalists
"Raising Unitarian Universalists" - May 9, 2010
The auction winners, Jenna and Mike Cooper, are expecting their second little UU quite soon. We'll reflect in this service on the task that lies ahead, and all of us, as we together commit to nur... [listen to the episode]
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"The Ocean is the Beginning" - May 2, 2010
This continuation of our creation myth series tells of a great sea-turtle who brings up the first bits of earth between his scaly toes. All of creation extends from the first thing to float upon th... [listen to the episode]
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"Transformation" - April 18, 2010
In this abundant season of rapid change, our theme for the month is transformation. How is transformation working in your life? Do you welcome it or is it just a little bit scary? Maybe both? [listen to the episode]
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"How Sweet It Is: Stewardship Sunday" - April 11, 2010
The annual Sermon on the Amount invites us to consider how we support the work of the congregation and community. How sweet it is to be a part of BRUU! [listen to the episode]
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"Yearning for a Faraway Place" - March 21, 2010
Sometimes we imagine that life is better just on the other side of the horizon. How can we find meaning and hope right here, in this place, even as we yearn for something more perfect? [listen to the episode]
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"Evil" - March 14, 2010
Drawing ideas from an essay I recently contributed to the book, “A People So Bold: Theology and Ministry for Unitarian Universalists,” we’ll look at how, historically, liberal religious folks... [listen to the episode]
Bull Run Unitarian Universalists
"Ready to Walk" - March 7, 2010
This is a service about walking, or at least about moving forward a little bit at a time. Able-bodied or differently-abled, walking forward both physically and spiritually can be an enriching. ... [listen to the episode]
Bull Run Unitarian Universalists
"In Praise of Offensive People" - February 21, 2010
I love people who offend me because they have the power to shake up my thinking and keep me on my toes. How can we, as a community, commit to being in relationship with one another even, perhaps e... [listen to the episode]
Bull Run Unitarian Universalists
"Love" - February 14, 2010
To love is one of the most difficult things a human being can do, and yet love is the one thing that connects us to the deepest sources of meaning. How do you love and how are you striving to love... [listen to the episode]
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"A Fearful Alchemy" - January 17, 2010
One abolitionist leader wrote that salve society had found “a fearful alchemy which transforms blood into gold. ” How does oppression still give rise to profit? What answer can we give to suc... [listen to the episode]
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"'Out of the Brokenness, the Beginning', Norse Creation Story" - January 3, 2010
In Norse mythology, the world is formed through the tumultuous struggle of the gods — it is out of this struggle that all things begin. What might this tradition have to say about the world we l... [listen to the episode]
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"Story Shaped" - December 13, 2009
One of our bridging youths said that she liked for things, including religion, to be "story shaped. " What stories give shape to your life? Are there stories about yourself that you... [listen to the episode]
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"Emptiness" - December 6, 2009
This is our monthly theme for December. We'll look at the spaces between our busyness. Of course, the holiday season can be full of activity, but when and how must there be emptiness in our lives ... [listen to the episode]
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"Covenant" - November 08, 2009
This is our monthly theme for November. People often say that we Unitarian Universalists come together not because of our shared beliefs, but because of a covenant we make with one another. We'll ... [listen to the episode]
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"Covenant" - November 01, 2009
One of the stories of creation in the Hebrew Scriptures talks of God scooping up a ball of clay and forming man and woman from it. What does this story have to teach us about who we are? About our ... [listen to the episode]
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"Atonement" - October 18, 2009
This second spiritual theme of the year will ask us to look at what it might mean to "get right," with the world. Is it coincidence that the word "atonement" is could al... [listen to the episode]
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"And There is The Sea" - October 11, 2009
The transcendent can best be described on metaphorical terms. This sermon will explore the metaphor of the sea as an image and archetype of the eternal. [listen to the episode]
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"Entrances and Exits" - October 4, 2009
What draws us into community like we have here at BRUU? The entrance signs over the doors welcome us in, but what are we to do once we have enjoyed that welcome and find ourselves drawn back out i... [listen to the episode]
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"Spiritual Hunger" - September 27, 2009
What really feeds us when we are spiritually hungry? How do we even begin to admit that we are yearning to be filled? [listen to the episode]
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"Religion Without Belief" - July 12, 2009
Is belief really at the center or religion? Some contemporary theologians don't think so. What if belief really isn't a necessary pre-condition of religious living? [listen to the episode]
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"A Living Prayer" - March 29, 2009
Each day of life as a new mother is a new adventure, and each act (even the frustrating ones) becomes a prayer. How might our work and our lives become living prayers? [listen to the episode]
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"Echoes of Faith" - March 1, 2009
The DRE and Religious Education volunteers will discuss the importance of our childhood faith experiences and how those experiences shape our lives into adulthood. Join us as we rediscover the beau... [listen to the episode]
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"Beyond Dog Heaven" - February 15, 2009
Sometimes the important stuff winnows its way into our consciousness in the most unexpected way and time. This message is based on my experience of a most unique memorial service quite recently. ... [listen to the episode]
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"Rise in BodySpirit!" - February 15, 2009
We live inherently as whole beings but too often we split ourselves into the false pieces of body, mind and spirit. Let's explore the power of embodied spiritual practice to help us embrace our wh... [listen to the episode]
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"The Paradox of Desire" - February 1, 2009
We are told to reach for the stars and to be happy with what we have, to be the best we can be and to accept ourselves as we are. We celebrate both ambition and contentment. Is it possible to have ... [listen to the episode]
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"Bargains We Make With Life" - January 25, 2009
Daniel Boorstin wrote, "We suffer primarily not from our vices or our weaknesses, but from our illusions. We are haunted, not by reality, but by those images we have put in its place. ... [listen to the episode]
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"Crossing Jordan" - January 18, 2009
In the Eagles' song "After the Thrill Is Gone", they ask "What can you do when your dreams come true and it's not quite like you've planned? " With this in mind, I wo... [listen to the episode]
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"Walk, Don't Walk" - January 11, 2009
Together we'll explore the many ways we live at the intersection of patience and action as we strive to make change in our lives and in the world. Rev. Crow is traveling all the way from Rochester... [listen to the episode]
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"Forgiveness" - January 4, 2009
Members of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church and the Westside Fellowship spoke of forgiveness for the gunman who entered the TVUUC sanctuary and opened fire last August. Bill Sinkf... [listen to the episode]
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"Anticipation" - December 21, 2008
This is indeed the season of anticipation, perhaps especially for me and my family. Just under two weeks away from our due-date, I'll reflect upon the anticipation both of the holiday season and o... [listen to the episode]
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"Truth Telling" - December 7, 2008
To conclude our sermon series, we'll look at one of the greatest risks of all, truth-telling. What truths do you have the courage to speak? What truths do you try not to utter? Truth-telling is... [listen to the episode]
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"Humility" - November 23, 2008
A Cistercian monk once said, "You have to have a healthy ego to die to self. " In this series on spiritual risk-taking, we'll look at the line that divides true humility from abject ... [listen to the episode]
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"Hunger in Our Midst" - November 16, 2008
This season of Thanksgiving and abundance marks an opportunity for all of us to reflect not only on our many gifts, but on the fact that here in our own town and our own congregation, neighbors and... [listen to the episode]
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"Post-Christian or Presently Pluralistic?" - November 2, 2008
Some people have described Unitarian Universalism as a post-Christian religious body. Others have taken great exception to that moniker. Who are we in relationship to the theological traditions t... [listen to the episode]
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Guest Presentation by Reverend Kalen Fristad - October 26, 2008
Our guest preacher is a Christian universalist and an ordained United Methodist Minister. After serving churches in Iowa for 27 years he embarked upon an independent ministry consisting of travelin... [listen to the episode]
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"Mercy" - October 19, 2008
The word "mercy" is most often used to reference the compassion or forbearance given by a God to people. But even if we take away the idea of a supernatural divinity entirely, what m... [listen to the episode]
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"Wrestling the Angel" - October 12, 2008
In the Hebrew Scriptures, the patriarch Jacob wrestles an angel to force a blessing out of him. In another story, Jacob steals a blessing from his brother Esau. Are we like Jacob or unlike him? ... [listen to the episode]
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"Devotion" - October 5, 2008
Sufi poets describe their spiritual quest as one centered primarily on devotion - devotion to God, to beauty, and to the world. How might we live out a sense of devotion in our lives? To whom or ... [listen to the episode]
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"Turning Toward the Light: Rosh Hashanah and the Third Principle of Unitarian Universalism" - September 28, 2008
Kristin Grassel is a UU Student at Wesley Theological Seminary in DC. She's a member of Cedar Lane UU Church and is starting her second year of ministerial education. [listen to the episode]
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"Faith" - September 14, 2008
This fall's sermon series will look at some different ways we can challenge ourselves to take spiritual risks in our lives. In this first one, we'll talk about how believing in something, anythi... [listen to the episode]
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"Abandoning the Raft" - August 31, 2008
The Buddha told a story about a man who built a raft to get to the opposite side of a river. He then asked, "Should this man, then, carry his raft upon his back once he has crossed? ... [listen to the episode]
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"Promises" - August 17, 2008
Great theologian Martin Buber wrote that "The human being as such, is the promise-making, promise-keeping, promise-breaking, promise-renewing creature. " What promises do we make and... [listen to the episode]
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"The Beauty of Impermanence" - July 6, 2008
Many things in life aren't meant to last. Everything that comes our way is, in time, on its way somewhere else. How can we come to accept and understand the impermanence of life? [listen to the episode]
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"Pluralism" - June 22, 2008
The Final Part of "Religion in America" Sermon Series: Contemporary American religion cannot be defined by one particular spiritual path or religious identity. We are a truly plurali... [listen to the episode]
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"God is a Crazy Shepherd" - June 15, 2008
Many of us have heard, at some point, the Christian parable of the lost sheep. The shepherd leaves the entire flock and goes in search of the one who has gone astray. If we can work with the metap... [listen to the episode]
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"Exodus Faith in 2008: Jeremiah Wright and the Black Church in America" - May 25, 2008
Part six in the "Religion in America" series: No series on religion in America would be complete without a look at the development and position of the African America Church in our na... [listen to the episode]
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"Hope is The Thing with Feathers" - May 11, 2008
Emily Dickenson wrote, "Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, and sings the tune -- without the words, and never stops at all. " How have you experienced the pers... [listen to the episode]
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"Prove All Things, Hold Fast the Good" - May 4, 2008
On May 5th, 1819, William Ellery Channing preached a sermon in Baltimore that laid out the doctrine of early American Unitarianism. His sermon encouraged hearers to "prove all things,... [listen to the episode]
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"Passing Over" - April 20, 2008
In commemoration of the great journey of Passover, this sermon will look at the many journeys we are on. How can we, as the ancient Hebrew story tells, set out to travel along an uncertain course a... [listen to the episode]
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"Community, Commitment, and the 2004 Red Sox" - April 13, 2008
In 2004, the Boston Red Sox won their first World Series in a very long time and fans around the world felt like they were a part of something bigger than themselves. In this world of isolation and... [listen to the episode]
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"Guilty as Charged" - March 16, 2008
In the Christian year, we approach the observed time of Jesus of Nazareth's execution at the hands of Roman officials. This sermon will look at what exactly Jesus was tried and convicted for and ... [listen to the episode]
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"A Plain Old Ordinary Day at BRUU" - March 9, 2008
This year's stewardship campaign theme is "Keeping the Lights On," and this sermon will reflect on all the everyday miracles that happen here among us at BRUU. A plain old ordinary ... [listen to the episode]
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"Religion in Civil Society" - March 2, 2008
From civil rights and environmental justice to hot-button issues like abortion and cloning, religion has long acted as a force to change or maintain society in America. This sermon will look at th... [listen to the episode]
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"Mormonism: An American Faith" - February 17, 2008
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon Church, is probably the most successful example of a uniquely American faith tradition. What exemplifies American reli... [listen to the episode]
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"A Sacred Spaciousness" - February 10, 2008
As we approach Valentine's Day, this we'll look at how we can not only be in deep relationship with one another, but leave room for sacred spaciousness between us. [listen to the episode]
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"Servant Leadership" - February 3, 2008
Most images of leadership (both moral and institutional) in our society have to do with big bossy folks getting their way. What kind of leadership could we share if we saw ourselves as servants to ... [listen to the episode]
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"By Heart" - January 27, 2008
In this service, several people will share something that they know "by heart," and Nancy will reflect on what it means to hold something so closely and treasure it so much that you k... [listen to the episode]
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"To Be Transformed" - January 20, 2008
Transformation is a pretty scary thing. What would it mean if we were to wake up every morning unafraid of transformation, ready to embrace all the changes at hand? [listen to the episode]