Sermons Archives - Page 25 of 71

November 8, 2020

We will host an online worship service on Sunday, November 8th at 11:15 am.

“What’s Next: Healing and Hope”
What do we do when we don’t know what to do? How do we lead when we don’t know where we’re going? How do we hold space for healing when so much has been broken and lost? There has been much talk about different scenarios post-election day. It can be helpful in the heightened anxiety of these uncertain times, to make a plan and chart a steady way forward…incorporating multiple pathways and plans. What is certain, is that there is a way forward. No matter what happens, we will need to heal our hearts, heal our democracy, and sustain our efforts to make the world whole. We will need to heal together. This service will begin as a YouTube livestream (as usual) and conclude with a Zoom gathering in breakout rooms for listening and healing.

Please submit your Joys and Sorrows through this online form. If you submit a message by 11 am, we will try to read it that Sunday. Thank you for your patience as we are adapting to best serve you all! Note there will only be one service time during the summer so that we can gather together as a whole community of faith. You can still give to the shared offering through “text to give,” mail a check to the office with “shared offering” in the memo line, or go to our website and hit “give” on the upper right or click here. This Sunday’s shared offering recipient is the Brennan Center.

November 8, 2020UCE UCE2020-11-02T15:53:42+00:00

November 1, 2020

We will host an online worship service on Sunday, November 1st at 11:15 am.

“Learning From Our Ancestors”

On All Souls or All Saints Day, we remember our ancestors. Spiritual growth and maturity require both honesty and appreciation as we reflect on the lives of those who have come before us. What can we learn from the mistakes and triumphs of the past? Can we recognize the sinner and the saint in each of us as we recognize the worth and dignity of those we’ve loved and lost? Please send your photos of loved ones you have lost in the last year to Rev. Eileen at ewiviott@ucevanston.org for a photo montage.

Howard Levy, UCE favorite and accomplished musician, will be our musical guest.

Please submit your Joys and Sorrows through this online form. If you submit a message by 11 am, we will try to read it that Sunday. Thank you for your patience as we are adapting to best serve you all! Note there will only be one service time during the summer so that we can gather together as a whole community of faith. You can still give to the shared offering through “text to give,” mail a check to the office with “shared offering” in the memo line, or go to our website and hit “give” on the upper right or click here. This Sunday’s shared offering recipient is the Brennan Center.

November 1, 2020UCE UCE2020-10-30T21:07:27+00:00

October 25, 2020

Instead of hosting a virtual worship service, UCE joins the Democracy Revival on Sunday, October 25th at 10 am.

Democracy Revival
Join with hundreds of other Unitarian Universalists around IL for a Democracy Revival. Along with 16 Unitarian Universalist congregations across IL, UU Advocacy Network of Illinois (UUANI) and UU Prison Ministries of IL (UUPMI) we will sing, dance and shout (virtually) together to revive democracy and our spirits! Democracy has always been a core of our Unitarian Universalist faith. Using our online technologies, we will gather our resources and energies for this worship service.
Watch to hear more here. Let us know you will be there by clicking here.

Joys and Sorrows cannot be read this Sunday, but please submit yours through this online form to be read another Sunday. You can still give to the shared offering through “text to give,” mail a check to the office with “shared offering” in the memo line, or go to our website and hit “give” on the upper right or click here. This Sunday’s shared offering recipient is the Crossroads Fund/Black Lives Matter Chicago.

October 25, 2020UCE UCE2020-10-16T22:39:16+00:00

October 18, 2020

We will host an online worship service on Sunday, October 18th at 11:15 am

“Claiming the Story: Racism at UCE in Real Time” – Rev. Karen Gustafson

“We cannot change what we do not see.”

We are all aware of the power of story. The story of the very public murder of George Floyd in May of this year was a story that galvanized the world. It was not a new story. Black men in America have been brutally murdered by white men for centuries. Power came because it was recognized as part of a larger story: the story of systemic racism that is embedded in white supremacy culture. The extreme violence and injustice and harm portrayed here are easy to identify as acts of oppression that must be addressed. This tragic event became, for the world, a teachable moment. The less evident pieces of the larger story are the countless often unnoticed stories in the lives of people of color and others that do not become opportunities for any kind of growth or learning. As you strive to embody “the beloved community” at UCE, we offer a story that became a teachable moment in the work of the Ministerial Search process at UCE. I will be joined in this service by Shannon Lang, Lisa Presley, Susan Carlton, and the UCE Search Committee.

Please submit your Joys and Sorrows through this online form. If you submit a message by 11 am, we will try to read it that Sunday. Thank you for your patience as we are adapting to best serve you all! Note there will only be one service time during the summer so that we can gather together as a whole community of faith. You can still give to the shared offering through “text to give,” mail a check to the office with “shared offering” in the memo line, or go to our website and hit “give” on the upper right or click here. This Sunday’s shared offering recipient is the Crossroads Fund/Black Lives Matter Chicago.

October 18, 2020UCE UCE2020-10-12T18:46:22+00:00

October 11, 2020

We will host an online worship service on Sunday, October 11th at 11:15 am

“The Uncommon Community” – Rev. Eileen Wiviott
People often come to religious community in search of belonging, a place to be seen, known and loved. What holds a community together, beyond that initial sense of feeling at home, are the values and commitments we share in common. But religious community must be about more than comfort and social connection. Building the Beloved Community means practicing mutuality and interdependence, making space for everyone to share their voice, while living into our shared commitments with integrity.

Please submit your Joys and Sorrows through this online form. If you submit a message by 11 am, we will try to read it that Sunday. Thank you for your patience as we are adapting to best serve you all! Note there will only be one service time during the summer so that we can gather together as a whole community of faith. You can still give to the shared offering through “text to give,” mail a check to the office with “shared offering” in the memo line, or go to our website and hit “give” on the upper right or click here. This Sunday’s shared offering recipient is the Crossroads Fund/Black Lives Matter Chicago.

October 11, 2020UCE UCE2020-10-06T18:28:13+00:00

October 4, 2020

We will host an online worship service on Sunday, October 4th at 11:15 am.

“Listen to the Animals” – Rev. Susan Frances

It’s World Animal Day on October 4th! A day to honor our respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

Join us in celebrating our beloved pets and all living creatures that are a part of our ecosystems. Have your pet, or a photo of a beloved pet who has died or you haven’t been able to visit during the pandemic, or a photo of your favorite animal nearby during the worship service for a ritual blessing.

Please submit your Joys and Sorrows through this online form. If you submit a message by 11 am, we will try to read it that Sunday. Thank you for your patience as we are adapting to best serve you all! Note there will only be one service time during the summer so that we can gather together as a whole community of faith. You can still give to the shared offering through “text to give,” mail a check to the office with “shared offering” in the memo line, or go to our website and hit “give” on the upper right or click here. This Sunday’s shared offering recipient is the Crossroads Fund/Black Lives Matter Chicago.

October 4, 2020UCE UCE2020-10-02T16:01:10+00:00

September 27, 2020

We will host an online worship service on Sunday, September 27th at 11:15 am.

“The Big Loop Back to a New Beginning” – Rev. Karen Gustafson

What happens to the old stuff when change happens? Is there such a thing as a “new beginning”? These are questions that hover around us in every aspect of our unfolding futures. In our personal lives, in the lives of our families, communities and now, certainly in our nation, we are faced with changes that are offering few clues to the nature of the “new normal”. This is a time when fluctuations between reactivity and paralysis are showing up in decisions about everything from how many feet is a safe social distance, to the nature of the congressional response to COVID relief funding.

And in the midst of all of this, UCE is moving forward to make a decision about your next settled Senior Minister, a decision that will significantly impact your future. What might it look like for every member of UCE to use this opportunity to engage in a thoughtful, nonreactive approach to understanding the nature of beginnings in your own lives and the life of your church?

Please submit your Joys and Sorrows through this online form. If you submit a message by 11 am, we will try to read it that Sunday. Thank you for your patience as we are adapting to best serve you all! Note there will only be one service time during the summer so that we can gather together as a whole community of faith. You can still give to the shared offering through “text to give,” mail a check to the office with “shared offering” in the memo line, or go to our website and hit “give” on the upper right or click here. This Sunday’s shared offering recipient is the Shorefront Legacy Center.

September 27, 2020UCE UCE2020-09-21T16:04:20+00:00

September 20, 2020

We will host an online worship service on Sunday, September 20th at 11:15 am.

“Risk Tolerance” – Rev. Eileen Wiviott

As danger mounts, a natural reaction is to seek protection, safety and shelter. Yet, in this time of great upheaval and societal breakdown, we are called, as progressive people of faith, to resist injustice. This moment requires a greater tolerance for certain risks. As we look to keeping people safe from needless harm, how can we increase our risk tolerance?

Please submit your Joys and Sorrows through this online form. If you submit a message by 11 am, we will try to read it that Sunday. Thank you for your patience as we are adapting to best serve you all! Note there will only be one service time during the summer so that we can gather together as a whole community of faith. You can still give to the shared offering through “text to give,” mail a check to the office with “shared offering” in the memo line, or go to our website and hit “give” on the upper right or click here. This Sunday’s shared offering recipient is the Shorefront Legacy Center.

September 20, 2020UCE UCE2020-09-14T17:00:13+00:00

September 13, 2020

We will host an online worship service on Sunday, September 13th at 11:15 am.

“Reconstitution”

Water is life. It renews, refreshes and reconstitutes our world and our spirits. Though we can not be together when it would be the time of our Ingathering, we will join together virtually for water communion in a new way. We invite each of you to bring to this worship service a bowl or cup of water and a stone for each person in your home. We will share in a ritual of collective healing and replenishment. Revs. Eileen, Karen, and Susan are our worship leaders.

Please submit your Joys and Sorrows through this online form. If you submit a message by 11 am, we will try to read it that Sunday. Thank you for your patience as we are adapting to best serve you all! Note there will only be one service time during the summer so that we can gather together as a whole community of faith. You can still give to the shared offering through “text to give,” mail a check to the office with “shared offering” in the memo line, or go to our website and hit “give” on the upper right or click here. This Sunday’s shared offering recipient is the Shorefront Legacy Center.

September 13, 2020UCE UCE2020-09-07T04:21:04+00:00

September 6, 2020

We will host an online worship service on Sunday, September 6th at 11:15 am.

“Breakfast, Legos, and Reinforced Concrete” – Rev. David Schwartz

How do we stay solidly grounded as people when the world feels volatile and uncertain? A service to tend to our foundations — paying attention to and strengthening the spiritual grounding of our living.

Since 2013, the Rev. David Schwartz has served The First Unitarian Society of Chicago with his wife and co-minister Rev. Teri Schwartz. For the past three years, he has also served as minister for the Beverly Unitarian Church. Rev. David grew up outside Boston, did his BA at Tufts University, and did his theological degree at Harvard Divinity School. Before full-time ministry, Rev. David spent a decade in corporate learning and development. He lives in Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood with Teri, their two elementary-age kids, their four cats, and one extremely large dog.

Please submit your Joys and Sorrows through this online form. If you submit a message by 11 am, we will try to read it that Sunday. Thank you for your patience as we are adapting to best serve you all! Note there will only be one service time during the summer so that we can gather together as a whole community of faith. You can still give to the shared offering through “text to give,” mail a check to the office with “shared offering” in the memo line, or go to our website and hit “give” on the upper right or click here. This Sunday’s shared offering recipient is the Shorefront Legacy Center.

September 6, 2020UCE UCE2020-08-28T22:28:43+00:00

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