In my Easter sermon for 2022 I challenge us to go beyond the idea that there is such a singular thing as the truth.
Troubling the Truth (Easter 2022)
T
Struggling with Revolutionary Love
S
In this sermon in honor of MLK's birthday, I consider where we might find revolutionary love today.
The Transient and the Permanent
T
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
W
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
W
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
W
In this sermon I ask, what makes a place a holy place?
1876, 1968, and Today: The Need for a Radical King
1
In this sermon, I reflect on how Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. combined the prophetic with the pastoral in his effort to dismantle white supremacy. He taught that our efforts towards a more spiritual life for ourselves and more just society for all can only be pursued together.
COVID, the Environment and Justice
C
On Sunday, January 10, 2021, I participated in a panel organized by the Interfaith Environmental Network of Houston. The other participants were Dr. Harish Chandra (Acharya, Arya Samaj Greater Houston), Rabbi Sarah Fort (Assistant Rabbi, Congregation Beth Yeshurun), Stephanie Thomas, PhD (Buddhist Chaplain), and Rev. Karen Tudor (Senior Associate Minister, Unity of Houston). Here are my remarks:...
Now is the Time: Leonard Freed’s Photographs of South Africa’s 1994 Elections
N
The Danish publication KATALOG — Journal of Photography and Video just published an article that I wrote with my father on Leonard Freed’s photographs of the election that brought Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress to power. Copies of the issue can be ordered by emailing shop@katalog-journal.com and run 19 euros plus VAT. The issue also features an extended piece on...
Truth and Reconciliation: An Open Letter to President-Elect Joe Biden
T
The United States needs to establish a National Commission for Truth and Reconciliation if it is to ever address systematic racism, rural poverty, and white supremacy.