Sermons
The following selection of sermons can be played directly on your computer by clicking the links below or can be downloaded to your computer or MP3 player as a podcast by following the directions at the bottom of this page.
May 12, 2013 Mother’s Day without Hallmark
The Reverend Patti Pomerantz
I’ve done some exploration of what Mother’s Day looked like before it became the Hallmark holiday so many of us grew up with. Join me to share in this history, its connection to Unitarian Universalism, and to celebrate the importance of mothers and mothering from a deeper perspective.
The Reverend Patti Pomerantz is recreating her ministry as a spiritual director with the Interfaith Spiritual Center in Portland, OR. She served us at OUUC during her internship a few years ago and has been a welcome presence in our pulpit on several occasions.
May 5, 2013 May Peace Come To Live On Our Streets and Justice Within Our Walls
The Reverend Arthur Vaeni
The sermon title comes from a line in Psalm 122 as translated by Stephen Mitchell. Thich Nhat Hanh has written: “If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can blossom like a flower, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace.” Just three weeks earlier our society was reeling from the horror of the atrocity at the Boston Marathon. In light of such terrorism some may feel that Thich Nhat Hanh’s formula for peace is spiritual fantasy, and yet, can we truly imagine peace will ever reside on our streets if it does not first reside in our hearts – the only true breeding ground for justice.
April 28, 2013 The Problem with Private Prisons
The Reverend Arthur Vaeni
In her book, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, Michelle Alexander writes: “Prisons are big business and have become deeply entrenched in America’s economic and political system.” We may well ask, does this best serve the interests and needs of a free and democratic society?
April 14, 2013 Considering Job and Our Just Desserts
The Reverend Arthur Vaeni
The Book of Job provides one of the Bible’s significant reflections on the occurrence of good and evil in our lives and in the world. How do you experience good and evil and the quest to live a moral life?
April 7, 2013 The Promise of Recovery
Addiction and Recovery Ministry - David Verbon, Fred Kellogg & Selena Kilmoyer
A vital goal of human beings is to find their purpose in life, and having done that, to achieve their highest potential. Recovery, the great promise for those afflicted with the disease of addiction or the burden of co-dependency, can be attained and abundant help is available for those who seek it. Yes, it can be a spiritual struggle, a physical challenge and an intellectual contest of will, but the reward of achieving a healthy, loving life with very real happiness is not only possible, it has been achieved by millions.
March 31, 2013 Expect a Miracle
The Reverend Arthur Vaeni
On this Easter Sunday we reflect upon the role of the miraculous in developing our relationship with life. We can all use a good miracle now and again to resurrect our lives.
March 3, 2013 All Shall Be Well
The Reverend Karen Taliesin
Throughout our lives, we are faced with challenges, struggles, and heartache; yet somehow we survive and even thrive. Resiliency is an amazing gift if we come by it naturally, but if we don’t, it is well worth cultivating.
January 6, 2013 To Accept and Encourage One Another
The Reverend Arthur Vaeni
Over the past five months as our congregation has struggled with our differing perspectives regarding the personnel dilemma confronting us, two of our principles have been emphasized, the first with its focus on the individual and the seventh with its focus on the community. As we begin the New Year it may be helpful to broaden our focus to include our third principle, “Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations,” which places its focus on the juncture of the individual and community.
August 12, 2012 To Be Filled with Lovingkindness
The Reverend Arthur Vaeni
Our capacity for developing friendliness toward ourselves and others is essential to the development of lives that are capable of experiencing and sharing good will and compassion.
October 16, 2011 Michael Servetus: A Heretic in Search of Truth
The Reverend Arthur Vaeni
Born September 29, 1511, this year marks the 500th anniversary of Michael Servetus’ birth. With a commitment to seeking truth that ultimately cost him his life, Servetus was one of our religious Tradition’s antecedents whose courageous quest helped lead to our existence.
July 24, 2011 Perspectives on Prayer in Our Lives
The Worship Arts Committee
What meaning and value does prayer have in the life of a Unitarian Universalist? Our UU Association states “Few words in the liturgical lexicon are more problematic for Unitarian Universalists (UUs) than ‘prayer’.” Members of the Worship Arts Committee will share their perspectives on prayer and what it means to them.
Karen Jackson, Diana Finch, and Myra Barker are members of the Worship Arts Committee. Each has been involved in various aspects of our congregational life.
May 1, 2011 Finding Refuge in Unitarian Universalism
The Reverend Arthur Vaeni
What does it mean to seek refuge in our religious tradition? Where do we find comfort when our souls feel besieged?
September 14, 2008 Four
Reasons to Try Something Different by
The Reverend Arthur Vaeni
Reason number 1: The experience of
human life is incredibly precious.
Reason number 2: The experience of
human life is incredibly short.
Reason number 3: Society is often
designed to deny reason number 1.
Reason number 4: As short as life
may be, we are continually sowing the seeds of our future in our present
actions.
November 25, 2007 The
Values of Liberalism by
The Reverend Arthur Vaeni
In his book, Freedom’s Power, Paul Starr writes: “The proposition that each of us has a right to ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’ remains as good a definition as anyone has ever come up with of liberalism’s first principle and America’s historic promise.” The values and understanding of what constitutes a healthy society derived from liberalism are central to the American experience and to the possibility of fostering freedom, justice and equity throughout our society.
September 23, 2007 Faith
Without End by
The Reverend Arthur Vaeni
Some years ago, James Fowler proposed a theory of faith development in which he suggested that people often move through established stages of faith. What can we learn from this about the nature of faith, and our capacity to create a faith that evolves as our understanding of ourselves and life grows.
September 16, 2007 The
End of Faith by
The Reverend Arthur Vaeni
The title is taken from Sam Harris’s book of the same name. Both Dr. Harris and Richard Dawkins who wrote, “The God Delusion,” challenge not only commonly held religious perspectives but the wisdom of tolerance for those perspectives that are held by so many people.
Podcasts
Podcasts are a way of
letting a program manage subscriptions to audio content, downloading
programs you subscribe to so you can then listen to them any time,
or even load them onto a mp3 player (or iPod). You can choose to set
the programs to automatically download during the night if you have a
slower modem.
There are a number of programs that can be downloaded to obtain podcasts,
some for a fee, but one of the best is the free download of iTunes from
Apple (which runs nicely on PCs). You can get it at http://www.apple.com/itunes/download.
If you would like information on other types of programs available for
downloading podcasts a list of them can be found at http://www.podcastingnews.com/topics/Podcast_Software.html.
If you use iTunes, you can easily subscribe to our Podcast by clicking
here. Anytime you start up iTunes, new sermons will either automatically
download (if you set your preferences for that) or you can right-click
the OUUC Podcast title in the list and select Update Podcast to get
any new episodes that have been added.
Donations to this audio service
We have had many positive responses to this page, and a number of people have asked if they could make a donation to help support our online audio service. This is now possible through our secure donations page where you can choose any amount you might wish to contribute. You’ll find a spot for Podcast Support in the Contributions section. Podcast funds raised here will be used to make more recordings available by letting us increase our server storage. Thanks!