In this sermon given in advance of Indigenous Peoples Day, I link the current conflict in Israel-Palestine to the ongoing process of colonialism in the Western Hemisphere and the Doctrine of Discovery.
Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery
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Divine Pathos: Abraham Joshua Heschel
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The second sermon in the series "Lives of the Spirit" focuses on the life and teaching of Abraham Joshua Heschel.
New Horizons; Transformations, the eighth Principle
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This sermon was offered to the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston in advance of a congregational vote on the Eighth Principle.
Networks of RESISTANCE: A May Day Sermon
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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...
Ordinary/Extraordinary; an ordination sermon for J Sylvan
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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...
The Sacred and the secular
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A sermon about the nature of the sacred and the secular offered during the Jewish High Holidays.
The Photographer as Dissident
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A sermon reflecting on the exhibition "Libuše Jarcovjáková: The Photographer as Dissident."
Seeds
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A sermon reflecting on the nature of religious dissent in the 21st century United States.
An Accidental Day in Tarragona
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Today was a day that it was a good to have a back-up plan. We went to Barcelona with the intention of taking the train to Zaragoza. Once we got there I found out that we needed to have our passports with us in order to buy non-regional train tickets. Of course, we didn’t have our passports on us so we had to change plans. We ended up taking a regional train to Tarragona, which is where we were...
May Day: A Tribute to the Workers Holiday
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as preached at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston, May 1, 2022 I want to begin by thanking everyone who contributed to last night’s fundraiser. It was a wonderful celebration of First Houston and our musical program. Thanks to Dr. Rocke and Chelsea, the choir, the string band, Paige Powell, Jim McGehee, Karoline Mueller, Traveler, the Clear Creek Girls, Rev. Scott, Alma, Tawanna...