Sermons Archives - Page 26 of 71

August 30, 2020

We will host an online worship service on Sunday, August 30th at 11:15 am.

“So, What’s Next?” – Rev. Karen Gustafson

There is an old saying that goes something like, “People plan. God laughs”. Not so much for me a theological statement as a reminder to be nimble in my planning in the face of the impossible to plan for. And so it is that we pick up the work of moving UCE in the direction of forming a new covenant with a settled minister in the midst of a pandemic and in the face of a renewed commitment on the part of our whole religious movement to address systemic racism and white supremacy culture. The next phase of the Ministerial process will involve your input through a survey and cottage meetings to commence and complete by the end of October. And the work of the Interim continues. What will that look like? Why does it matter?

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 for Justice.

August 30, 2020UCE UCE2020-08-24T15:29:54+00:00

August 23, 2020

We will host an online worship service on Sunday, August 16th at 11:15 am.

“Widening the Circle of Concern” – Rev. Eileen Wiviott

What would it mean for UCE to be a truly inclusive community? What would it ask of us? Our Unitarian Universalist Association, through the Commission on Institutional Change has issued a powerful report which names the way white supremacy culture lives within our systems, just as it does throughout our larger society. The good news is that it also provides tools for dismantling systemic racism within, among, and beyond us. We can use these tools to build a more loving, anti-racist, anti-oppressive world. We can use these resources to practice building the Beloved Community. Those who attended the UUA General Assembly in June will share why Widening the Circle of Concern is essential to all of us.

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 are My Block, My Hood, My City and Bryan Stevenson’s group Equal Justice Initiative.

August 23, 2020UCE UCE2020-08-14T19:59:18+00:00

August 16, 2020

We will host an online worship service on Sunday, August 16th at 11:15 am.

“Faith on the Tightrope” – Rev. Lucas Hergert

Life can be precarious. Sometimes, it can feel as vulnerable as walking on a tightrope. How do we find faith for taking the next steps when we encounter uncertainty? This is a sermon about nurturing faith and finding hope in challenge.

The Rev. Lucas Hergert has been a minister since 2009, currently serving the North Shore Unitarian Church in Deerfield, Illinois. He grew up in a Unitarian Universalist congregation in Cincinnati, Ohio, and first heard his call to the ministry in high school. Lucas holds an undergraduate degree in philosophy from Miami University, a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School, and a Doctor of Ministry from the Pacific School of Religion. Lucas was also previously a college faculty member, teaching courses in philosophy and comparative religion. His interests include yoga, Shakespeare plays, biking, continental philosophy, fantasy novels, interfaith work, and humor.

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 are My Block, My Hood, My City and Bryan Stevenson’s group Equal Justice Initiative.

August 16, 2020UCE UCE2020-08-07T19:10:25+00:00

August 9, 2020

We will host an online worship service on Sunday, August 9th at 11:15 am.

“Let the Mud Settle” – Rev. Teri Schwartz

Our minds can be like the water of a pond–sometimes clear, and sometimes cloudy with the mud and muck from the pond bottom. There has been much in our world and lives that continues to unsettle the mud. Practices of mindfulness can bring us a bit more clarity in our interior landscape. When our minds are less clouded, we can then see our world more clearly, if even by a bit.

The Rev. Teri Schwartz serves the First Unitarian Church of Chicago, her along with her spouse, the Rev. David Schwartz as a co-ministry team since 2013. First U is a multi-racial, theologically a plural house of worship located in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. Teri also serves a chaplain to students at the Meadville Lombard Theological School since 2013. A graduate of Harvard Divinity School and Brown University, Teri has served as a professional hospital and hospice chaplain prior to her current call as a parish minister. You can find Teri walking around her home neighborhood of Woodlawn with her puppy, who is only one and a half times her size. She lives with her clergy spouse and their two elementary-aged kids and with their four cats, and that giant St. Bernard, their house is filled with chaos, fur, and even more love.

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 are My Block, My Hood, My City and Bryan Stevenson’s group Equal Justice Initiative.

August 9, 2020UCE UCE2020-07-31T17:28:49+00:00

August 2, 2020

We will host an online worship service on Sunday, August 2nd at 11:15 am.

“Love Unfolding” – T.J. Williams-Hauger M.Div
How long must we wait for justice to roll down like waters? How long until we know righteousness like an every-flowing stream? Drawing from the Book of Amos and Psalm 13, this sermon was preached from the Unitarian Church of Evanston pulpit and recorded for the The Global Interfaith Network for People of All Sexes, Sexual Orientations, Gender Identities and Expressions based in Johannesburg, Africa. It was delivered in celebration of global pride and in support of Black Lives Matter. Learn more about the Global Interfaith Network and please like, share and subscribe to the YouTube channel on this page. The queer faith activists of color need the support.

In 2017, TJ earned his Masters of Divinity from New York Theological Seminary in the field of Liberation Theology and Global Justice and is currently in the ordination process with the American Baptist churches. His first national speaking opportunity was in 2008 as a guest speaker at Reverend Al Sharpton’s Reclaim the Dream March. He also worked to organize the National Equality Prayer Service that was held at Pilgrim Congregational Church in Washington DC. In 2014, TJ became a part of the Religion and Foreign Policy Working group at the US State Department sponsored by President Barack Obama and Sectary of State John Kerry. TJ, and his husband, Brad Hauger, were the first gay couple to leagally marry at The Riverside Church in New York City. Brad and TJ continue to work to spread public awareness regarding social justice.

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 are My Block, My Hood, My City and Bryan Stevenson’s group Equal Justice Initiative.

August 2, 2020UCE UCE2020-07-30T17:28:42+00:00

July 26, 2020

We will host an online worship service on Sunday, July 26th at 11:15 am.

“Our Tower of Babel” – Rev. Chip Roush
How some other interpretations of the biblical “Tower of Babel” story might guide us in these interesting times.

The Rev. Chip Roush serves the First Unitarian Church of South Bend. He is the co-author (with Leslie Takahashi and Leon Spencer) of “The Arc of the Universe is Long: Unitarian Universalists, Anti-Racism, and the Journey from Calgary.” He has chaired the General Assembly Planning Committee, and participated in the UUA Moderator Search Committee. He is a “Beloved Conversations” Retreat Leader, and the Chair of the LGBTQ Center Board in South Bend. He uses he/they pronouns.

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 Deborah’s Place (Click here to learn more).

July 26, 2020UCE UCE2020-07-20T16:02:36+00:00

July 19, 2020

We will host an online worship service on Sunday, July 19th at 11:15 am.

“The Failure Confessions” – Rev. Allison Farnum
This Sunday your guest preacher the Rev. Allison Farnum will let you in on a little secret. You ain’t perfect, and neither is she! Join us this Sunday as we put the fun in failure. Our faith tells us life is not a test, instead a process where the Spirit of Love lures us to learning over being learned. Lay the burden of perfection down! Hallelujah! Bring a sharpie and two 8.5” x 11” (ish) pieces of blank paper.

The Rev. Allison Farnum serves as Director of the Unitarian Universalist Prison Ministry of Illinois. She recently returned to the Chicago area from over a decade serving her first call as minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Myers, FL. A graduate of Meadville Lombard Theological School, she has also served as an Adjunct Consultant for our UUA’s MidAmerica Region. She credits Second Unitarian Church of Chicago for her call to ministry and now serves Rev. Jason Lydon’s ministry as an affiliated community minister. Allison loves all things culinary and is a proud mother of two, and wife to her beloved Andy.

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 Deborah’s Place (Click here to learn more).

July 19, 2020UCE UCE2020-07-15T20:23:37+00:00

July 12, 2020

We will host an online worship service on Sunday, July 12th at 11:15 am.

“Yes, And” – Rev. Darrick Jackson
Improvisation is more than a source of entertainment. It can be a way of being in the world, a practice of living mindfully. This service will explore ways to embody an improv spirituality.

The Rev. Darrick Jackson is the Director of Ministries for Lifelong Learning of UU Ministers Association and an Affiliated Community Minister with Second Unitarian Church. He is one of the authors in the book “Centering: Navigating Race, Authenticity and Power in Ministry.” Darrick is active in DRUUMM (the UU ministry for people of color). He is also the treasurer and Workshop Leader for Healing Moments (a ministry for caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s). In his free time, Darrick likes to knit and to be involved in theatre. He is married to James Olson, a United Church of Christ minister and lives with their two cats, Merlin and Morgana.

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 Deborah’s Place (Click here to learn more).

July 12, 2020UCE UCE2020-07-02T21:19:33+00:00

July 5, 2020

We will host an online worship service on Sunday, July 5th at 11:15 am.

“Nap, Pray, Love” – by Monica Kling-Garcia

In our society, productivity is often the measure of success. Yet, during the COVID-19 pandemic, our ability to be “productive” was prevented by our collective grief and sudden changes in our society. If we listen to ourselves, we may find that we are tired in many ways – physically and spiritually. This Sunday, we will explore the different ways to let ourselves rest and why it is important. Log in to church in your comfy clothes and with your favorite warm beverage in hand as we care for our mind, body, and spirit together!

Monica Kling-Garcia is the Schug Ministerial Intern at the First Unitarian Church of Chicago and a third year seminarian at Meadville Lombard Theological School. At Meadville Lombard, she currently serves as the co-president of the Student Advisory Council, and was also the recipient of the 2019 Carleton Doan Prize in the Philosophy of Religion. In her ministry at First Unitarian, Monica has worked to foster a spirit of connection and community through her preaching, small groups, and the successful Celebrate@First community event series. A Wisconsinite at heart, Monica now lives in Chicago with her husband, Logan, and their cat, Yennefur.

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 Deborah’s Place (Click here to learn more).

July 5, 2020UCE UCE2020-06-29T17:32:49+00:00

June 28, 2020

In place of a UCE worship service at 11:15 am on Sunday, June 28, UCE will take the unprecedented opportunity to virtually join in the largest annual gathering of UUs for worship. All are invited to attend the UUA General Assembly virtual worship service at either 9 am CST or Noon CST. The service will include a collection for the Tomaquag Museum, an indigenous museum featuring an extensive collection and archive of Southern New England tribal communities. Members of the public are welcome. More information here.

UCE’s virtual coffee hour will be at 11:15 am this Sunday only, since GA worship services will be at 9 am CST and Noon CST. Please look in the Friday newsletter or the Wednesday email for a link to this virtual gathering.

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 Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) (click here to learn more).

June 28, 2020UCE UCE2020-06-24T17:39:15+00:00

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