Podcast: Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections

Diversity and the Golden Rule

The Golden Rule is a central part of many religious traditions. But buried in it is an assumption: the people who you are “doing unto” share your values and expectations. How can we transform the Rule to work with people whose values differ from ours? … read more.

Hope: It’s Infectious

For this Earth Day service, we celebrate the gains we have made at UUCPA when we have united for environmental action. We all know the challenges facing our beautiful planet, and can get quite overwhelmed by them. But fear and despair sap the will to … read more.

The Ones Who Stayed

They weren’t among Jesus’s twelve apostles. They received so little respect that they couldn’t even be witnesses in a court of law. But they witnessed the miracle of Easter, because they persisted. Come to this intergenerational service to hear their story and receive new life … read more.

The Times, They Keep A’Changin’

I’ve got some good news, some bad news, and some more good news for you.

The good news is that we belong to a tradition that keeps changing to incorporate new understanding. The bad news is that that means we have to keep changing, too. The … read more.

Lifted Moments: 75th Anniversary Service

During the service, we wrote our “lifted moments” in these balloons, now displayed on the walls besides rooms 4, 5, and 6 (the block with the yellow doors). Enjoy, and come add your own!

UUCPA turns 75 on April 6! We celebrate today by looking at … read more.

Trust in the Opening

We can’t live forever. We’re pretty sure of that. And maybe we don’t want to live forever, especially when the body ages and we “get weary and sick of trying,” as the song “Ol’ Man River” says. But what if we’re also “scared of dying”? … read more.

But You Do Believe in God . . . Don’t You?

Daylight Savings Time begins today–set your clocks forward!

“But you do believe in God . . . don’t you?” I get asked this question from time to time by people who don’t know much about us. But we UUs stumble all over ourselves trying to avoid … read more.

Giving Life the Shape of Justice

We are inheritors of a long history of Unitarians and Universalists acting on our convictions in the social, political, and environmental realms. More than that, UUCPA has added its own chapters to this heritage. Continuing the anniversary theme running through this winter and spring’s Adult … read more.

Twenty-Four Lessons from Our Teacher, the Pandemic

It has been almost 24 months since the novel coronavirus–no longer so novel–took our lives around a sudden bend. And then another, and another. We’ll reflect on some things we’ve learned and decide on some to carry forward into the new normal.

Worship leader: Rev. Amy … read more.

The Paths That Brought Us Here

Diana and Shay followed very different paths to Unitarian Universalist ministry, beginning with the fact that Shay was raised Catholic and Diana was raised UU. They’ll share their journey, and explore what this means about the stories each of us brings to our Unitarian Universalist … read more.