This sermon was offered to the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston in advance of a congregational vote on the Eighth Principle.
Suffering for Blasphemous Libel
A sermon on the significance of the Rev. Robert Wedderburn, the first Unitarian minister of African descent.
Networks of RESISTANCE: A May Day Sermon
as preached at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston, April 30, 2023 I have been in Houston almost five years. I have gotten to know the city pretty well, the congregation better, and the state of Texas somewhat. In that time, I have come to appreciate the role that Unitarian Universalism and Unitarian Universalist communities can play in a state governed by what I sometimes name the...
Building the Beloved Community
A sermon preached before the March 5, 2023 congregational vote to adopt a new vision, mission, and covenant for the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston.
A Day of Mourning
A sermon calling for the end to gun violence.
The Blessed Fool
as preached at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston, April 9, 2023 When I was in my early twenties, I used to take part in a lot of mass mobilizations. It was an era of giant puppets and papier-mâché. On the streets of Seattle, Chicago, or, say, Washington, DC, it was not uncommon to find massive figurines–sometimes requiring a whole team to transport and...
Widening Love’s Circle: Stewardship
The sermon celebrating the start of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston's 2023-2024 stewardship campaign.
The Living tradition
A sermon reflecting on the proposed changes to Article II of the Bylaws of the Unitarian Universalist Association.
Ordinary/Extraordinary; an ordination sermon for J Sylvan
as preached February 26, 2023 at Bay Area Unitarian Universalist Church, Houston, Texas There is much in the ordinary life of a religious professional that more secular people find extraordinary. A friend recently reminded of this over dinner. A word about my friend, he is a well-known writer and war correspondent. Most of us would probably describe his life as extraordinary. He has reported from...
Widening Love’s Circle
as preached at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston, February 18, 2023 He drew a circle that shut me out–Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.But Love and I had the wit to win:We drew a circle that took him in! Those words might be familiar. They have long been popular in Unitarian Universalist circles. They come from the poet and lifelong Universalist Edwin Markham. Active in the...