https://www.uucpa.org/series/sermons/ Transforming Ourselves, Each Other, and the World Sun, 01 Nov 2026 19:04:49 +0000 en-US © 2024 Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Transforming Ourselves, Each Other, and the World Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto episodic Transforming Ourselves, Each Other, and the World Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto heather.chen@gmail.com false https://www.uucpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Unitarian-UniversalistChurch-of-Palo-Alto-Podcast.png https://www.uucpa.org/series/sermons/ yes https://www.uucpa.org/connection/donate/ 8345b6b0-8005-5b72-8da3-d71559b0e130 https://www.uucpa.org/services/abolishing-cages-journey-to-community/ Sun, 05 Nov 2023 22:23:57 +0000 https://www.uucpa.org/?post_type=uu_services&p=39449 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 which traveled to all the immigration detention centers in California … Continue reading Abolishing Cages: Journey to Community]]> full 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 which traveled to all the immigration detention centers in California … Continue reading Abolishing Cages: Journey to Community]]> https://www.uucpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Abolishing-Cages-Journey-to-Community.png Abolishing Cages: Journey to Community false no 00:24:38 No no https://www.uucpa.org/services/buddhism-beyond-the-binary/ Sun, 01 Oct 2023 18:40:23 +0000 https://www.uucpa.org/?post_type=uu_services&p=38895 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 Tsogyal that far from being a hindrance to enlightenment, as … Continue reading Buddhism Beyond the Binary]]> full 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 Tsogyal that far from being a hindrance to enlightenment, as … Continue reading Buddhism Beyond the Binary]]> https://www.uucpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Buddhism-Beyond-the-Binary.png Buddhism Beyond the Binary false no 00:20:19 No no https://www.uucpa.org/services/driving-while-white/ Mon, 18 Sep 2023 06:06:54 +0000 https://www.uucpa.org/?post_type=uu_services&p=38842 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 aspects of racism and white privilege we deal with both … Continue reading Driving While White]]> full 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 aspects of racism and white privilege we deal with both … Continue reading Driving While White]]> https://www.uucpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Driving-While-White.png Driving While White false no 00:16:14 No no https://www.uucpa.org/services/swimming-against-the-current/ Thu, 16 Feb 2023 02:08:57 +0000 https://www.uucpa.org/?post_type=uu_services&p=35567 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 this image, is the raison d’etre of the service: … Continue reading Swimming Against the Current]]> full 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 this image, is the raison d’etre of the service: … Continue reading Swimming Against the Current]]> https://www.uucpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Swimming-Against-the-Current.png Swimming Against the Current false no 00:22:04 No no https://www.uucpa.org/services/good-words-for-going-forth/ Fri, 25 Nov 2022 20:27:49 +0000 https://www.uucpa.org/?post_type=uu_services&p=34444 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, of our unison benediction: Go out into the world … Continue reading Good Words for Going Forth]]> full 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, of our unison benediction: Go out into the world … Continue reading Good Words for Going Forth]]> https://www.uucpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Good-Words-for-Going-Forth.png Good Words for Going Forth false no 00:28:04 No no https://www.uucpa.org/services/with-the-ancestors/ Fri, 28 Oct 2022 22:42:43 +0000 https://www.uucpa.org/?post_type=uu_services&p=34142 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 relatives, friends, strangers, even non-human beings. And we ourselves are … Continue reading With the Ancestors]]> full 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 relatives, friends, strangers, even non-human beings. And we ourselves are … Continue reading With the Ancestors]]> https://www.uucpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/With-the-Ancestors.png With the Ancestors false no 00:10:45 No no https://www.uucpa.org/services/the-power-of-followership/ Sun, 07 Nov 2021 18:30:00 +0000 https://www.uucpa.org/?post_type=uu_services&p=29391 ⏰ 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 followers, right? But today I’d like to share … Continue reading The Power of Followership]]> full ⏰ 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 followers, right? But today I’d like to share … Continue reading The Power of Followership]]> https://www.uucpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/The-Power-of-Followership.png The Power of Followership false no 00:24:34 No no https://www.uucpa.org/services/power-over-pity/ Sun, 17 Jan 2021 08:53:00 +0000 https://www.uucpa.org/?post_type=uu_services&p=25769 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 this history today. Follow along in the order of service: … Continue reading Power over Pity]]> full 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 this history today. Follow along in the order of service: … Continue reading Power over Pity]]> https://www.uucpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Power-over-Pity-1.png Power over Pity false no 00:07:56 No no https://www.uucpa.org/services/ctrl-z/ Sun, 03 Jan 2021 17:30:00 +0000 https://www.uucpa.org/?post_type=uu_services&p=25682 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 shall we do differently as a country and community? The … Continue reading Ctrl-Z]]> full 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 shall we do differently as a country and community? The … Continue reading Ctrl-Z]]> https://www.uucpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/CTRL-Z.png Ctrl-Z false no 00:18:31 No no https://www.uucpa.org/services/many-cultures-one-faith/ Sun, 20 Dec 2020 19:59:08 +0000 https://www.uucpa.org/?post_type=uu_services&p=25635 Continue reading A Church of Many Sensibilities]]> full Continue reading A Church of Many Sensibilities]]> false no 00:13:16 No no https://www.uucpa.org/services/christmas-eve-candlelight-service-4/ Thu, 03 Dec 2020 22:46:02 +0000 https://www.uucpa.org/?post_type=uu_services&p=25291 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 sing the familiar songs that are always powerful, and … Continue reading Christmas Eve Candlelight Service]]> https://www.uucpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Christmas-Eve-Candlelight-Service-2020.png Christmas Eve Candlelight Service false no 00:14:44 No no https://www.uucpa.org/services/what-if-god/ Thu, 19 Nov 2020 00:45:20 +0000 https://www.uucpa.org/?post_type=uu_services&p=25134 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.]]> full https://www.uucpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/What-if-God.png What If God . . . ? false no 00:07:47 No no https://www.uucpa.org/services/how-we-cope/ Wed, 18 Nov 2020 23:30:35 +0000 https://www.uucpa.org/?post_type=uu_services&p=25130 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.]]> full https://www.uucpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/How-We-Cope.png How We Cope false no 00:10:39 No no https://www.uucpa.org/services/the-table-of-plenty/ Wed, 18 Nov 2020 23:17:41 +0000 https://www.uucpa.org/?post_type=uu_services&p=25124 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.]]> full https://www.uucpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/The-Table-of-Plenty.png The Table of Plenty false no 00:15:38 No no https://www.uucpa.org/services/the-antidote-to-shame/ Tue, 03 Nov 2020 05:45:51 +0000 https://www.uucpa.org/?post_type=uu_services&p=24987 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.]]> full https://www.uucpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/The-Antidote-to-Shame-2.png The Antidote to Shame false no 00:20:49 No no https://www.uucpa.org/services/with-malice-toward-none/ Tue, 03 Nov 2020 05:27:36 +0000 https://www.uucpa.org/?post_type=uu_services&p=24982 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 firmness in the right as God gives us to see … Continue reading With Malice Toward None]]> https://www.uucpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/With-Malice-Toward-None.png With Malice Toward None false no 00:19:35 No no https://www.uucpa.org/services/annual-service-of-remembrance/ Sun, 01 Nov 2020 20:00:00 +0000 https://www.uucpa.org/?post_type=uu_services&p=24831 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 our last remembrance service, and also remember anyone whom any … Continue reading Annual Service of Remembrance]]> full https://www.uucpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Annual-Service-of-Remembrance.png Annual Service of Remembrance false no 00:11:29 No no https://www.uucpa.org/services/what-was-left-in-the-box/ Sun, 25 Oct 2020 19:30:00 +0000 https://www.uucpa.org/?post_type=uu_services&p=24815 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 container that had diseases and spiritual torments inside, and accidentally let … Continue reading What Was Left in the Box]]> full https://www.uucpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/What-Was-Left-in-the-Box.png What Was Left in the Box false no 00:31:07 No no https://www.uucpa.org/services/where-have-you-gone-joe-dimaggio-the-fall-of-heroes/ Sun, 18 Oct 2020 19:30:09 +0000 https://www.uucpa.org/?post_type=uu_services&p=24586 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 ourselves. Worship Leader: Rev. Amy Zucker Morgenstern Special music: Kris … Continue reading Where Have You Gone, Joe DiMaggio?: When Heroes Fall]]> full https://www.uucpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Where-Have-You-Gone-Joe-DiMaggio__-When-Heroes-Fall.png Where Have You Gone, Joe DiMaggio?: When Heroes Fall false no 00:19:18 No no https://www.uucpa.org/services/blessing-of-the-animals/ Sun, 04 Oct 2020 19:30:29 +0000 https://www.uucpa.org/?post_type=uu_services&p=24551 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 animal species. Now that online services make it easy for non-human … Continue reading Blessing of the Animals]]> full https://www.uucpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Blessing-of-the-Animals.png Blessing of the Animals false no 00:08:44 No no