USGUU Sermon Podcast

Plenty of research tells us that having time for play in our lives is not only a desirable, but actually an essential condition for human flourishing. Through this service, we’ll explore the important role play plays in our lives, how it contributes to our spiritualjourneys, and what gets in the way of embracing it.

Rev. Mara Dowdall grew up at USG, and she was honored to be ordained by the congregation in 2008. She is currently wrapping up her ministry in Montpelier, Vermont.  This summer, she’ll be moving to Burlington with her husband Ben and 15 month-old son Dean to begin a new position at the First UU Society, where she was called this spring.

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If we’re all on our own spiritual journeys, what happens when we return home?  Debbie will explore the dynamic of individual pursuit of truth and meaning in the context of spiritual community. This is a repeat of a sermon first presented at USG in January of 2009. Debbie has been a member of USG for three decades. She was a worship associate for many years, and has appeared in the pulpit several times. She just retired from a 25 year career as a labor and delivery nurse and is helping to raise her grandson.

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Unfortunately, the historic church has not earned a positive reputation in terms of how it promotes or participates in our sexuality.  From repressive theologies to abusive clergy, too often the church has fallen short and failed. It does not have to be that way. We are sexual beings for our entire lives. With education, care and respect we can embrace the miracle and beauty of our sexuality. With the proper balance of boundaries and choices we can sing before the Lord with all our
might!

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Sunday worship service at USG: This year marks the 40^th Anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion in the United States. While much has changed in 40 years, disagreements about contraception, abortion, and sexuality overall are still hotly contest in culture and politics. What’s going to move us forward, and what’s religion got to do with it?

We welcome Rev. Rob Keithan back to our pulpit! Rev. Keithan is Director of Public Policy at the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. He was a Consulting Minister at USG during the 2011-2012 church year, and prior to that served as Director of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations Washington Office. He has trained hundreds of facilitators to lead the junior high and high school portions of the Our Whole Lives comprehensive sexuality education curriculum. He is a member and affiliated minister of All Souls Church Unitarian and lives in Washington, DC.

 

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n 2013 we know more than ever the body, mind and spirit are intricately connected. In global history Western societies were slower than Eastern societies to find wisdom on this point.  Now that we know life isn’t just “I think therefore I am” we are called more than ever to treat our bodies as temples.  Nothing is more critical than food to our well-being.  How can we create the best spiritual relationships with food for ourselves and our community?

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In 1870, the Unitarian peace and suffrage activist Julia Ward Howe called on us to listen to the voice coming from “the bosom of the devasted earth.” That voice still calls to us today beckoning us to bring forth justice and peace in the world. Mothers, fathers, children, friends, aunts, uncles, cousins — We all have the power to give life the shape of justice. How can we embrace our role as creators of justice and peace? This will be Joan’s final sermon of her 2012-13 internship at USG.

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Creation is the spiritual theme of the month. Unitarian Universalism teaches that we all play a role in creation of our own lives. When we pay attention we see countless life-affirming stories illuminating the tremendous human capacity for creation of complex lives.  Whether you are looking to write a completely new chapter or just turn the page, it pays to pay attention.  Together we can claim our innate wisdom and the power to be artists of our individual and communal lives.

 

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New York Times writer David Brooks wrote a fascinating book entitled “The Social Animal.”  Brooks argues convincingly that there are two levels of the mind, one unconscious and the other conscious.  The first is much more important than the second in determining how we live our lives.  Brooks argues that “non-deliberate emotion, perception and intuition are much more important in shaping our lives than reason and will.”  If he is correct – even partially – what does it mean for our religious life?

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