Speaker: Rev. Amy Zucker Morgenstern

Genie in a Bottle

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Genie in a Bottle
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What is a genius? Someone rare, we know that. Someone with extraordinary gifts that few of us can hope to have. Figures such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Nikola Tesla, Marie Curie, Ella Fitzgerald, Michael Jordan. Or, descending slightly from the stratosphere, someone with an IQ … read more.

Chalice Sunday

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Chalice Sunday
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Our annual intergenerational service in which we ask and answer questions such as: What is the origin of the flaming chalice symbol? What does the chalice mean to you? What happens when we put all those meanings together into one community? Why do we have … read more.

Ruts, Routes, and Paths

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Ruts, Routes, and Paths
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Habits go straight to the heart. When we’re trying to break an unwanted habit and failing, we often feel as if there’s something wrong with us. The same thing happens when we’re having trouble creating a better habit. It’s true that our habits say a … read more.

Mystery Gifts

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Mystery Gifts
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When we embrace mystery, we never know just what we’re going to discover. In this service, we won’t even know what order things are going to happen. A pile of wrapped gifts will be on the altar, and as each is opened by a volunteer … read more.

Judgment and Curiosity

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Judgment and Curiosity
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Two attitudes, two ways to journey through the world. As Amy departs for the explorations made possible by a six-month sabbatical, she shares her thoughts on the doors each one opens or closes. What happens when we meet one another, meet ideas, meet the world, … read more.

Intergenerational Flower Communion

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Intergenerational Flower Communion
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Exactly 100 years ago, on June 4, 1923, the minister of the Unitarian Church in Prague, Czechoslovakia, the Rev. Norbert Čapek, introduced the Flower Celebration. He asked the people of the congregation to bring flowers, and after they gathered them into one beautiful display and … read more.

Beautiful and Terrible

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Beautiful and Terrible
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“Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid,” says Frederick Buechner. Here we are, plunked down in a life that encompasses devastating tragedies and transcendent joys. What shall we do?

In addition to giving the sermon, Amy sings music by three … read more.

An Act of Restoration

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
An Act of Restoration
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Today we are celebrating Earth Day a little late (April was packed) and reconsidering one species that we often regard as having no useful role in our ecosystem. What it contributes to the global community seems to be far outweighed by what it takes. Of … read more.

We Don’t Talk About Burnout

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
We Don't Talk About Burnout
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Life in Silicon Valley is phenomenally stressful. There are as many different ways to try to cope with its pressures as there are personalities, and understanding how our personality intersects with the stress can help us to be less vulnerable to the complete exhaustion known … read more.

Dismantling, Rebuilding, Repairing

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Dismantling, Rebuilding, Repairing
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Is the UUCPA group Dismantling White Supremacy, which first convened in late 2019, an education program, a justice project, a support-oriented small group, a spiritual growth group . . . ?

Yes!

Today, by speaking about what they’ve learned, what they’re doing, and the kinds … read more.