Unitarian Universalism began as a theological commitment to God’s all encompassing loving grace. Faithfulness today requires turning ideals of universal love into universal housing, healthcare, education, and so much more. Our theology is proven by the world it helps create. Gregory Stevens (they/he)Gregory is a former Baptist preacher, long time labor organizer, and interfaith communityactivist. … Continue reading Universalism is Faith in Action
Today, we come together in agreement and recognition about the great injustice of chattel slavery, along with its many afterlife vestiges of institutional racism. We see and understand how state actors at all levels have all participated, knowingly or unknowingly in systems that have denied Black American’s their constitutional rights and the promises afforded to … Continue reading Reparations Begins with Us
The unraveling of our age is also a great unveiling, revealing thresholds to a different future. In this pregnant pause between worlds, our purpose is clear: to midwife the new world by cultivating communities of care, justice, and collective flourishing from the seeds of the old. Gregory Stevens (they/he)Gregory is a former Baptist preacher, long … Continue reading Embracing Apocalypse
The deepest truth about winter is that the brightest hopes are born, again and again, during periods of great darkness. We will celebrate the light that darkness allows from many traditions, stories and songs! Rev. Ben Meyers (he/him)The Rev. Ben Meyers loves living near Lake Merritt in Oakland, CA. His ministry spans 28 years: half … Continue reading In Darkness, Comes Light
In honor of November 20th as Trans Day of Remembrance, this service celebrates Queer and Trans resilience, LGBTQ ancestral wisdom, and the liberating power of Love. Through story, song, and blessing, we reclaim the sacredness of Queer and Trans bodies and our intersecting identities of race, gender, and sexuality. All are welcome to show up … Continue reading Blessed Are The Queer: Answering the Call of Love
What does it mean to experience an awakening as a Unitarian Universalist? What does it feel like? Does it happen suddenly, or gradually? Join Rev. Bonnie today in an exploration of our potential to experience transformative awakenings, as well as the ways we may actively avoid them in an effort to escape from painful truths. … Continue reading Awakening
In a culture both obsessed with, and disgusted by, our bodies, what does it mean to be an embodied being? From our first breath to our last we are sustained and sometimes entrapped in our specific unique remarkable body. We experience the world through our senses and are shaped by the perceptions we and others … Continue reading Wear This Body With Loving Kindness
There is an ancient teaching, found in many cultures, of the ‘two hungers.’ The lesser is for the ‘stuff’ that sustains daily life. The greater hunger is for expressing gratitude that life exists at all…the sermon reflects on how to feed this greater hunger. Thanksgiving Communion will be celebrated with bread and cider. Special music … Continue reading Feeding the Greater Hunger
Sometimes the greatest teachings come from the tiniest beings. In this service, Sharon shares what she has learned about love, service, and connection from two tiny kittens and rescuing feral cats. We’ll explore how our relationship with animals shifts when we view them through an animistic lens rather than a mechanistic lens, and how that … Continue reading The Smallest Among Us
“Blessing is the art of harvesting the wisdom of the invisible world.”These words were written by Irish teacher and poet John O’Donohue, whose blessings are loved by people all over the world. Today we will hear some of Rev. Bonnie’s favorite John O’Donohue’s blessings, explore his life-affirming philosophy, and consider how the act of blessing … Continue reading Blessing the World
