Speaker: Rev. Catherine Boyle

Buddhism Beyond the Binary

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 … read more.

Gathering in the Waters

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Gathering in the Waters
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With our annual intergenerational Water Communion service, we affirm our interdependence with one another and the whole planet. Bring a little water to pour into the communal bowl, and we will bless and be blessed by the waters. (If you forget your water, there will … 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.

Easter, All Together

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Easter, All Together
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On Easter, Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. All of us reflect on what rebirth might mean in this one wild and precious life. Are the cycles of nature really a good parallel for human rebirth and resurrection? And bunnies and chocolate eggs are supposed … read more.

A Hearth at the Heart

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
A Hearth at the Heart
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Our annual Chalice Sunday celebration takes place today, at the cross-quarter festival of Imbolc. We’ll hear about why we light a chalice at the beginning of our gatherings. In an embrace of our Pagan roots, we’ll call the directions and seek inspiration from Brigid, the … read more.

Way of Nature, Way of the Gods*

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Way of Nature, Way of the Gods*
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In nature, there is holiness. There is the divine. This is the way of the gods.*

The choir sings Hymn to the Earth, a composition arranged by our own former music director Alva Henderson, in this service steeped in the Shinto wisdom Rev. Cat learned from … read more.

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service

We welcome Christmas with stories, carols and special music, and candles. Come sing the familiar songs that are always powerful and experience the magic of candlelight in the darkness.

Worship Leaders: Revs. Amy Zucker Morgenstern & Cat Boyle

Special music: Veronika Agranov-Dafoe, piano; … read more.

Stories of the Season

Antiochus’s soldiers defile the Temple

We rejoice in the everyday miracles of the season, marking winter solstice, telling the story of Hanukah–which begins tonight–and inviting all who wish to play a part to help make the story of Jesus’s birth come to life in our … read more.