Podcast: Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections

Creating Relationships, Creating Justice

Clocks go back at 2 a.m. today! Don’t forget, or you will arrive at the service very early! (Not the end of the world. We’ll give you a cup of coffee and you’ll have lots of time to chat and relax.)

Justice doesn’t just happen when … read more.

With the Ancestors

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 Symphony of Whales

Out beyond the land and into the sea, whales sing. Join Rev. Cat in an exploration of the symphony of whales and what their music can teach us about resilience in the face of climate change.

Worship leader: Rev. Catherine Boyle

Special music: Larry Chinn, jazz piano

Follow … read more.

Embracing the Absurd

Liberation is linked to events. Freedom is woven of the many choices made thereafter. Today we explore the Jewish celebration of Sukkhot, the Festival of Booths, and consider how it might inform our own movements toward freedom.

Worship leader: Rev. Stefanie Etzbach-Dale. … read more.

God’s Pronouns

Tuesday is National Coming Out Day, and we’re going to welcome God out of the closet.

The way people have thought about human beings has always influenced us to imagine a certain kind of god. For example, if we think humans are the most important beings … read more.

How We Create Community

We return today to the series exploring: “Why Do We Do That In the Sunday Service?” Actually, today’s elements happen immediately before and after the service: welcome and announcements and greeting time. Why they happen when they do, and why they happen at all, are … read more.

What Fuels These Fools?

What makes the Faithful Fools of San Francisco “faithful”? More than anything it is their willingness to hang in there, even when it seems like not much is changing. Futility, rather than fuel, seems to be what’s on people’s minds these … read more.

Deep Gladness and Deep Hunger

Frederick Buechner, who died in August after a full and fulfilled life, described what we are each called to do as “the place where your deep gladness meets the world’s deep hunger.” Until we do find that place, we often feel like something important is … read more.

The Uses and Abuses of Scapegoats

Ancient peoples had a strange ritual for coping with their own wrongdoing and starting over: the scapegoat, which was literally a goat that was symbolically burdened with the sins of the people and then sent into the wilderness. What do we do when burdened with … read more.

Quiet Quitting / Steady Staying

A new trend is roiling the business world: “quiet quitting,” defined as fulfilling only one’s job description and nothing more. There are obvious justice implications of expecting employees to do more than they are paid for, but this service is not about those. Instead, we’ll … read more.