Speaker: Rev. Dan Harper

No-Rehearsal Christmas Pageant

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
No-Rehearsal Christmas Pageant
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We rejoice in the everyday miracles of the season, marking the winter solstice, telling the story of Hanukah, and inviting all who wish to play a part to help make the story of Jesus’s birth come to life.

Interdependence Day

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Interdependence Day
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In our intergenerational Thanksgiving service, we give thanks for interdependence — an important corrective to the individualism that characterizes so much of our culture. Appropriately, we launch our annual Guest at Your Table program, supporting the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee in connecting us to people all around the world. Music: Sarah Kirton, Scandinavian violin music

Our Congregation And Its Ministers, 1947 – 2000

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Our Congregation And Its Ministers, 1947 – 2000
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Looking at the relationships between our congregation and its ministers reveals a great deal about us Unitarian Universalists — what we think about lay leaders, what we think about ordained ministers, and what we believe the purpose of our congregation is.
This is the first in an occasional series of sermons leading up to the 75th anniversary of our congregation in 2022.

Music: Wind in the Strings, Ken and Sue Dinwiddle, harp and flute

Water Communion

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Water Communion
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In our annual ritual of ingathering, we bring water from the places of our lives, and pour the many waters into a communal bowl in a ritual honoring variety and unity. We welcome the Adult Choir back after their several-week break. Music: Nicholas Dold, piano

Unitarian Universalism’s Seven Principles: Is Something Missing? 

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Unitarian Universalism's Seven Principles: Is Something Missing? 
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Are the seven principles distinctive to Unitarian Universalism, distinguishing us from other faith communities? And are there other principles and values that are also part of the fabric of Unitarian Universalism? Music: Libby and Anat Kardontchik, piano and violin

Coming of Age

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Coming of Age
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As young people at UUCPA come of age, they spend several months together in reflection on the questions adult UUs grapple with, meet with mentors from the congregation, and articulate their own beliefs in a credo project. They will share their credos and lead the service today. Music: Karen Vandyke, flute

Flower Communion

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Flower Communion
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For this intergenerational service, please bring a flower to exchange in our annual ritual. Dan will tell the story of how the Flower Celebration came to be, and we will fill the hall with flowers. We’ll have plenty of extras for those who forget or don’t know about the ritual in advance. We will also welcome new members during this service. Music: Veronika Agranov-Dafoe, piano

Roll Away the Stone! (Easter)

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Roll Away the Stone! (Easter)
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What weighty thing stands, seemingly immovably, between you and new life? Let’s roll it away and be amazed!
Amy gives the sermon, Dan tells the Easter story, and Liz Russ, who has sung for our Christmas Eve services, gives us special music in this intergenerational service. Special Music: Liz Russ, soprano

Life in a Judean Village in the Year 29

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Sermons and Reflections
Life in a Judean Village in the Year 29
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Unitarian Universalists have our own unique take on the figure of Jesus. What little historical record that is left shows clearly he was Jewish (not Christian), and that he lived under the oppressive colonial rule of the Roman Empire. In our view, he was not a god, and so we see him as a human who was fully immersed in the contemporary problems of his place and time. This is what we teach children in our popular “Judean Village” program, and the results are interesting, to say the least. Music: Ihang Lin