Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto

Abolishing Cages: Journey to Community

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto — Sun, 05 Nov 2023 22:23:57 +0000

The Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity is engaging communities of faith in the movement to close prisons and detention centers, and create thriving communities based in racial equity and community care. Rev. Lee will share a frontline report from the Pilgrimage to Heal our Communities ... read more.

Buddhism Beyond the Binary

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto — Sun, 01 Oct 2023 18:40:23 +0000

Yeshe Tsogyal (c. 757 or 777 – 817 CE) attained enlightenment in her lifetime and is considered the Mother of Tibetan Buddhism. When she herself asked about “her inferior female body” (a common theme in the biographies of female spiritual practitioners), her teacher advised Yeshe ... read more.

Driving While White

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 06:06:54 +0000

Most of us pride ourselves in not being racist but it could be argued that racism exists on a continuum on which we all reside. Join us on 9/17 when UUCPA member Tom Parker discusses the grey areas, the more difficult, challenging, and sometimes subtle ... read more.

Swimming Against the Current

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 02:08:57 +0000

In the series Why Do We Do That in the Sunday Service?, we come to the sermon.

We inherited our service format from the Protestant Christian tradition from which Unitarian Universalism is descended. It has been affectionately or pejoratively nicknamed “the sermon sandwich.” The sermon, in ... read more.

Good Words for Going Forth

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto — Fri, 25 Nov 2022 20:27:49 +0000

Please note that both services will be held indoors (with patio seating always an option) due to the chilly temperatures expected.

In this sermon, part of the series, “Why Do We Do That In the Sunday Service?,” we look at the circuitous history, and multiple meanings, ... read more.

With the Ancestors

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 22:42:43 +0000

A lovely expression some use for the sad moment of a loved one’s death is “They have joined the ancestors.” We have so many ancestors: everyone who shaped our lives, who helped make us what we are–especially in ways that we treasure. They may be ... read more.

The Power of Followership

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto — Sun, 07 Nov 2021 18:30:00 +0000

⏰ Turn your clocks back, or you’ll be very early to services!

9:30 am service: outdoors and in-person only (weather permitting).
11 am service: online only.

I’ve never preached on “followership” because it just seems so self-serving. I’m a leader, and every leader wants people to be good ... read more.

Power over Pity

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 08:53:00 +0000

Disability rights activists in this country are both precursors to and inheritors of the movement for African-American civil rights. In casting off the restraints of pity and protectiveness, people with disabilities have led themselves and others to greater liberation. We’ll hear a small piece of ... read more.

Ctrl-Z

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto — Sun, 03 Jan 2021 17:30:00 +0000

Such a wonderful invention: the opportunity to undo something we have done and suddenly regret. What’s past may be prologue to the future, but we still have the power to rewrite. What would you like to do a little differently in your own life? What ... read more.

A Church of Many Sensibilities

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto — Sun, 20 Dec 2020 19:59:08 +0000

The audio player above plays the audio podcast of the sermon only. The YouTube player below plays the video of the entire service with copyrighted and private information redacted.

Follow along in the order of service: bit.ly/uucpa_oos_20201227

We know that we Unitarian Universalists are a church ... read more.

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 22:46:02 +0000

The audio player above plays the audio podcast of the sermon only. The YouTube player below plays the video of the entire service with copyrighted and private information redacted.

We welcome Christmas, live-streamed from our beloved sanctuary, with stories, carols and special music, and candles. Come ... read more.

What If God . . . ?

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 00:45:20 +0000

Whether we call ourselves believers or not, most of us have a god we don't believe in--what others believe (or we think they believe) that shapes our own attitudes. That can be quite restrictive, because in the abundance of gods we have imagined, we have addressed many different human needs. So today, we'll hear about different kinds of gods. Maybe some other god-ideas are knocking at the door of our hearts, offering a new way of seeing the world. Since it's Posadas season, maybe someone else will knock at the door as well.

How We Cope

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto — Wed, 18 Nov 2020 23:30:35 +0000

Once a year, the high-school-age members of UUCPA lead a service and always have great insights into the world around us. Today they offer leadership on ways to manage during trying times.

The Table of Plenty

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto — Wed, 18 Nov 2020 23:17:41 +0000

Our intergenerational Thanksgiving service comes at a tough time. The story The Table Where Rich People Sit, by Byrd Baylor and Peter Parnall, offers a way to think about our lives when we don’t have everything we want. With that story and a special performance from Greg Becker and Kris Geering, plus more adventures of Possum and friends and lots of beautiful music, we’ll literally count up our blessings and see how we’re doing.

The Antidote to Shame

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 05:45:51 +0000

Not only individuals, but families and communities, carry secrets within themselves. The secrets are protected by silence, and shame guards them like a fierce dog. But there are ways to pass safely into the vault and release the secrets, if we want to be free of them.

With Malice Toward None

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 05:27:36 +0000

The audio player above plays the audio podcast of the sermon only. The YouTube player below plays the video of the entire service with copyrighted and private information redacted.

How do we move forward together as such a divided nation? How do we proceed “with ... read more.

Annual Service of Remembrance

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto — Sun, 01 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000

It is the time of All Souls and All Saints, and Rev. Millie Phillips returns to our pulpit to lead the service of memory for our beloved departed. We will lift up the names of the members of the UUCPA community who have died since ... read more.

What Was Left in the Box

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto — Sun, 25 Oct 2020 19:30:00 +0000

We’ve heard the story of Epimetheus and Prometheus, and how Prometheus was punished by the gods for bringing the gift of fire to humanity. Well, in one version, that wasn’t enough for Zeus, who also sent one last punishment: Pandora. And she opened a ... read more.

Where Have You Gone, Joe DiMaggio?: When Heroes Fall

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto — Sun, 18 Oct 2020 19:30:09 +0000

Do we still have heroes? Do we still need heroes? When the people we venerate turn out to have flaws, we have some choices: we can give up our ideals, beat up our former idols–or grow up into a more complex view of them and ... read more.

Blessing of the Animals

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto — Sun, 04 Oct 2020 19:30:29 +0000

Today is the Feast of Saint Francis, and thus the traditional day for blessing animals in Roman Catholicism. It’s also World Animal Day–a fine occasion for us homo sapiens to reflect on what it means to share a biosphere with about 8.7 million other ... read more.