| Waking The Morning After Our decisions, especially decisions we make as activists, can cause us anxiety. Courage, one might say, is a spiritual practice. This homily looks at that. |
First Unitarian Church of Victoria. Sunday April 3, 2022 |
| Beneficiaries of a Genocide A reflection and response to the experience of co-facilitating dialogues on “Reconciliation and Relationship.” The dialogues were hosted at the Centre for Studies in Religion and Society at UVic in spring 2019 for the Victoria Unitarian Universalists church and guests. This homily is also a response to the song “Beneficiary” by Wintersleep. Watch Now. |
First Unitarian Church of Victoria, Sept 2019. |
| Mary Oliver: A Devotion “Attention is the beginning of devotion” – Mary Oliver Mary Oliver was an American poet who passed away in early 2019. This sermon was written for a service that was held in honour of her September 10th birthday, celebrating the life and legacy of Mary Oliver. |
Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Victoria. Sunday Sept 8, 2019 |
| Universalism: Roots and Current Practices A Universalist heritage is both the rational heart and the deep well of wisdom in the Universalist tradition. We’ll look at two perspectives on universalism, and their legacy in the UU tradition. |
First Unitarian Fellowship of Nanaimo. Sunday, October 14, 2018 First Unitarian Church of Victoria. Sunday, May 22, 2016 Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Victoria. Sunday, August 9, 2015 |
| Religion As A Survival Strategy Churches were language sanctuaries for Hungarians who came under Romanian authority in 1920. Even today, seminarians are charged with responsibility for the cultural survival of Hungarian-speaking Transylvanians. |
First Unitarian Fellowship of Nanaimo. November 5, 2017 First Unitarian Church of Victoria. September 3, 2017 Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation. August 13, 2017 |
| Embarrassed to be Religious? There are valid reasons to avoid talking about religion. And times when the silence is uncomfortable. A look at uneasiness about admitting to religion. |
First Unitarian Church of Victoria. Sunday, June 12, 2016 Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Victoria. Sunday, November 22, 2015 |
| Elevation and Awe: Emotional Roots of Religious Experience At the heart of universalism lies a conviction that humans are naturally religious — whether believers or unbelievers. Recent scientific studies show the role of human emotions in the religious impulse. |
Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Victoria. Sunday, September 13, 2015 |
| Congregation Models Not Model Congregations According to sociologist Penny Edgell Becker, there are different types of congregations. Family congregations. Social action congregations. We’ll look at the characteristics of each of Edgell Becker’s four types, why we might be drawn to them, and the challenges they face. |
Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Victoria. Sunday, June 21, 2015 |
| The Idea of God: Is Plato’s God an Option for Unitarians? | Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Victoria. May 2012 |
| Mindful Speaking: Honesty, Kindness, Questions and Silence | Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Victoria. Sunday, March 15, 2009 |
| Happiness Is Letting Go of Joy | Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Victoria. ~2008 |
| More Tolerance: Different From Respect A further exploration of the challenges of tolerance as a spiritual practice, and a call to move beyond respectful distance to close discomfort. |
Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Victoria. Sunday, September 19, 2004 |
| Tolerance and Intimacy Unitarian Universalists embrace “tolerance” as a spiritual practice. This homily draws a parallel to the Buddhist concept of bearing shenpa, the stated of being “hooked,” and explores a link between tolerance and intimacy. |
Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Victoria. ~2003 |
| The Poetry of Antonio Machado This homily explores a small selection of poems by the Spanish poet Antonio Machado, a modernist and member of the Generation of 1898 group of intellectuals. |
Capital Unitarian Universalist Congregation. February 17, 2002 |