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
D
Building the Beloved Community
B
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.
Our Covenant
O
A sermon considering the proposed covenant of the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston.
The Waning of the Light
T
as preached at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston, December 4, 2022 In the Jewish tradition there is a midrash, an interpretation, of the Torah, the sacred text, about twilight. It points to a spiritual practice that is essential for many Unitarian Universalists. The midrash has to do with what once happened at the waning of the light, that period of time when it is no longer day...
Act Upon Hope
A
as preached at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston, November 13, 2022 This past summer, I had the opportunity to hear the Commoners Choir in concert. The show was part of their Hope & Anger tour. They are a British folk choir that sings all original compositions. Our choir sang one of their pieces, “Hope,” earlier in the service as today’s special music. It was the song’s North...
Roots and Branches
R
as preached at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston, September 11, 2022 It is good to be back in the pulpit. It is good to share this morning with you. It is a special morning for me. It is my first Sunday back from sabbatical. And it is my first time preaching to you or anyone else since we held our flower communion back in June. I am glad to be with you, to see longtime members of...
Covenant Sunday: Success and the Beloved Community
C
The sermon I preached for Covenant Sunday 2022.
Building the Legacy of Tomorrow
B
as preached April 3, 2022 at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston It is good to be back in the pulpit. It feels like I have been away for a long time. I have missed you. The last time I was supposed to offer you a sermon I came down with COVID. It was a mild breakthrough case. I completely lost my voice for a couple of days and needed a lot of extra sleep for about a week. But I...
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...