Podcast: Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections

The Power of Followership

⏰ 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.

The Wind Phone is Connected

A man named Itaru Sasaki missed his deceased cousin, so he set up a phone booth in his garden in Ōtsuchi, Japan. Although the phone was not connected to anything, he found it comforting to pick up the phone and speak to his cousin. After … read more.

Awakening vs. Enlightenment

Awake, enlightened: they might sound as if they are much the same thing, or at least close kin. But in two movements of the 18th century, they represented a conflict: between the emotion-driven “Great Awakening” and the reason-saluting “Age of Enlightenment.” Unitarianism and Universalism grew … read more.

A Longing of the Soul

Today’s service is the first in a series: Why do we do that in the service? Let’s consider Caring and Sharing, our name for what many congregations call “pastoral prayers” or “prayers of the people.” Why do we share our joys and sorrows? And … read more.

Plastic. Policies. People. Power.

Sometimes a single, simple change can illuminate a very big problem–and what we can do about it. UUCPA’s own single-use plastics policy, implemented for the first time last month, provides a case study in how to make lasting change. Let’s follow a piece of plastic … read more.

Water Communion: Nothing Unconnected

Our annual, intergenerational Water Communion restores our sense of connection with all beings, as we pour our different waters into one vessel.

Please do not think your water has to have come from “someplace special.” It is special because it comes from you and from … read more.

Both/And and Beyond

September 23 is Bi Visibility Day, which by rights ought to be a Unitarian Universalist holiday. Why? Because no matter what your sexual orientation, the existence of bisexuality models both/and thinking, which is so important to our journeys as spiritual seekers … read more.

Stories Within Stories

Yesterday marked 20 years since the tragic events of September 11, 2001. The attack and its aftermath invited us into the stories of each others’ lives, often in heartbreaking ways. Let’s reflect together on how such sharing can bring us greater life and richer meaning. … read more.

Let Us Not Be Resigned

The pandemic has shaken the world of work. Many businesses are finding it impossible to bring back employees under their former conditions. In three months of this spring alone, 11.5 million U.S. workers quit their jobs, a wave called the Great Resignation that may still … read more.

The Magic Penny

Last week we talked about time. This week the topic will be money, and the following week, the series will wrap up with a service on work.

It’s said that you have to spend money to make money. We get that when it’s applied to, say, … read more.