Unitarian Universalist Sermons and Conversations from First Unitarian Church of Dallas

All of us yearn to be of use, to have work that is real and meaningful. What is your real work?

Part 2 of our Unitarian Universalist series on our Universalist present.

Part 1 of our annual 2-part sermon series intro to Unitarian Universalism

Rev. Beth Dana reflects on what the pandemic and sabbatical taught her about this question

What is a miracle and what does a Unitarian Universalist do with a miracle? •••MUSIC: Ruth Ann Ritchie, flute, Alan Dyer, piano

The Kubler-Ross five stage model of grief is a place to start when grieving, but it isn't the only way to navigate grief. Grief isn't something we move through as if we have a map. It has its own shape and according to the poet Albert Huffstickler "that's what we're looking for: not the end of a thing but the shape of it."

How does attentiveness help us find the sacred in the mundane?

As Rev. Beth returns from sabbatical, she reflects on the meaning of rest and what kind of rest we need right now in this world.

Interestingly, given the title, this sermon, written by Rev. Kanter, had to be "preached" at the last minute by Rev. Beth Dana because Daniel was under the weather and unable to do it himself.

Second in our two part series on democracy in America.

In our first installment of a two part series on democracy and patriotism, Rev. Edwin Robinson was set to speak on being black in America. In light of Roe being overturned only 2 days prior to this service, the subject matter understandably expanded.

An exploration of our spiritual response to Juneteenth.

When we give up hope we see the world as it is. When we are motivated by love, not by hope, we discover ways to serve and to be of use.

Storyteller Nicole Stewart and Rev. Daniel Kanter will tell abortion stories that address how we remove shame from our lives and how we learn how to listen to others.

Buddhist monk and US Army Veteran Claude AnShin Thomas will preach about peace in a warring world.

Rev. Ruth's final sermon to the congregation, exploring the energy and efforts of our community that she will take with her, and the energy she hopes to inspire.

Coming of Age and Senior Graduation Sunday give us a chance to reflect on life lessons.

On this Mother's Day Sunday, we'll look at the nature and nurturing of trees, how they mother one another and us.

Revisiting the theme year as we look to ground our lives in gratitude.

Karter talks about her spiritual journey, and how much her church community has meant to her along the way.

Easter Worship is a celebration of hope's victory over despair. Lets do that!

What is triumph and how does it look to those who know some stories end badly. Let's look at Palm Sunday together as we enter 'Jerusalem' with triumph on our hearts.

Moss Allison in his famous song writes: "Everybody's crying mercy when they don't know the meaning of the word." Today we explore the meaning of mercy and the openings it creates.

Reclaiming the concept of grace is a difficult task for us. But thinking of it as "surprising goodness," makes it easier to defy the idea of "cheap grace," a term coined by German pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer to describe how most people perceive grace — as a personal benefit.

In many Christian traditions, repentance has come to mean confession of our sins, admitting how far we've wandered off the path and promising to do better next time. But what if repent means something more? Could repentance be a way in which we awaken and live a fuller life? This Sunday, we reclaim the complex and life giving idea of repentance.

What markers on our spiritual journeys do we need to claim and reclaim. We start our Lenten series on reclaiming theological terms that are foundations of our faith.

As we celebrate Mardi Gras, we enter the realm of joy and ask, Is joy appropriate when there is so much sadness in the world? What are the limits of language and spiritual life in describing something such as joy?

This is an invitation to wade in the water of racial equity, and worth and dignity for all. The waters of this life's work are transformational, loving, challenging, and imperative.

Love is a central value and theological faith claim of Unitarian Universalism. Love is more than a feeling. Our Universalist ancestors proclaimed "God's nature is love" Or put another way, the source of all being is love. We are born from it and return to it. It was a radical faith claim then, and it is radical now.

This core concept makes our faith come to life. Lets explore it.

Building beloved community seems daunting, lets talk about how we do it one day at a time.

During WWII, Unitarian Universalist theologian and scholar, John Luther Adams traveled to Germany and watched one liberal church after another fold against the tide of fascism. As we continue to explore the gifts of a liberal faith, we ask questions about the nature of a faith that is free, and whether or not there are non-negotiables that we hold in balance with our freedom.

adrienne maree brown writes: "We currently live in a reality of scarce justice, scarce attention, scarce liberation. It makes us believe that we must pit ourselves against each other with our harm…" On this Sunday in which we celebrate and commemorate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr, we will explore the lie of the scarcity model and the abundance that is sensed and felt when we practice solidarity.

How do we pursue them and why?

Our annual Burning Service where we have the opportunity in ritual to burn the things we no longer wish to carry into the new year.

In this week between two big holidays, we take time to pause and explore the spiritual practice of sabbath. This is Rev. Beth Dana's last Sunday with us before leaving for sabbatical.

A brief homily before the children's annual Christmas pageant.

The old poem said that the bells of Christmas ring wild and sweet. What do they really ring out?

What holds us captive? What makes our hearts ache? In this season of Advent we hold our grief and our hope side by side, rejecting the present ordering of things, and imagine this season as a call to liberation: free and fierce loving, merciful, and abundant living, with comfort for all hearts in exile.

Advent starts the season that leads up to Christmas. We ponder the myth of the season by finding its resources in hymns like O Come, O Come Emanual which claims, 'God is with us."

Sometimes gratitude surprises us. We may be in a hard place personally, or the events of the day may overwhelm us, yet an opening appears often revealed in a posture of gratitude.

What theology is behind our gratitude?

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 change.

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.