Joe Manchin is doing everything he can to undermine effective legislation to address the climate crisis and stop any sort of expansion of the social safety net. Like a lot of people, I have been feeling a lot of anger and despair over his power to dictate the Democratic Party’s legislative agenda at a time when it seems clear that a major consolidation of right-wing and white supremacist power is...
Mourning the Past
In this sermon I consider how we might re-imagine mourning the past.
Grieving the Future
In this sermon, I consider how we might grieve for losses that will occur in the future.
The Transient and the Permanent
as preached at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston, September 26, 2021 It is good to be back in the pulpit. I have missed you. I have not been gone from First Houston these past weeks. But I have been absent from Sunday morning worship. And worship, this thing the congregation does together–whether online or in-person–sits at the core of the life we share. The title of...
Welcome and Explanation of the Service of Lamentation for the 20th Anniversary of 9-11
as presented at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston, September 11, 2021 Welcome to this service marking the twentieth anniversary of the attacks on September 11th. I am the Rev. Dr. Colin Bossen, and along with the Rev. D. Scott Cooper, and on behalf of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston, I thank you for your presence and participation on this solemn occasion. Today...
When the Spirit Says Do
as preached at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston, August 29, 2021 Thank you, Sophia for that exquisite violin performance. It is a blessing to have such talent in our congregation. I think that I can speak for the entire community when I say that we are proud of your achievements and wish you the very best as you continue your musical education. I am certain that you will bless...
When Our Heart in a Holy Place
In this sermon I ask, what makes a place a holy place?
Growing Generosity; Rooted in Faith
The sermon to launch the 2021-2022 stewardship campaign.
A Unitarian Universalist Response to Evil
The policy choices that led to the winter storm disaster in Texas are a moral evil. In this sermon, I argue why.
Truth and Lies
We are arguably living through the great age of propaganda. The rise of social media and its resulting social fractures and competing claims of truths led to a dynamic that played out in the recent presidential election and its aftermath.
How can we find the truth at such a time? And how can direct experience of awe and wonder help us to discover it?