Sermons
Sermons
by Rev. Wendy Williams are digitally recorded. The recordings have been edited to contain only the
Readings and Sermon from the service. Each recording is available as an MP3 file. MP3 audio files may be
listened to directly on your computer, on an MP3 player (e.g., Apple iPod), or burned to a CD and listened
to on a CD player.
Upcoming Sermons
03/14/2010
Be Ours a Religion
Rev. Wendy Williams
9:15 and 11 am. Theodore Parker was an outcast among peers and yet spoke to packed houses. Poetic, brilliant and inspiring, his words were studied by and informed the work of Gandhi and later appeared to have inspired Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Choir will sing.
03/21/2010
Be Who You Are
Rev. Wendy Williams
ONE SERVICE ONLY, 10 am. The late Rev. Dr. Forrest Church offered this as the middle piece of the theology which guided his life and informed his death: “Want what you have. Be who you are. Do what you can.” But who was he? What did he do? Come learn more about this important life in our recent history.
03/28/2010
Epiphany & Spirituality
Sam Piper
9:15 and 11 am. What does someone mean when he or she says, “ I’m not religious but I’m spiritual,” or “I’m spiritual but I don’t subscribe to any religion”? What makes it worse, is that I’ve heard myself say the same things. So I’m going to go out on a limb and put together something of a (hopefully) coherent approach to the subject of human spirituality, for which I think the concept of epiphany opens a door to understanding.
Past Sermons
03/07/2010
Lofty Ideals and Rugged Realities
Rev. Wendy Williams
9:15 and 11 am. On the eve of International Women’s Day, we look back at women whose lives shaped the faith that we call home.
02/28/2010
Dedicated to Community
Rev. Wendy Williams
ONE SERVICE ONLY, 10 am. Shelley Jackson Denham offers this lyric, “We dedicate our minds and hearts to the spirit of this child.” In this service, also at Thorpe Park, we will conduct a dedication ceremony. Unitarian Universalists don’t baptize, as we believe each of us is born whole and holy. However, we do dedicate in order to bless new life, honor parents’ hopes for their child, and call parents and congregation members to lead and nurture the child’s spiritual life as it grows. Join us as we celebrate Jenny Bales, Audrey Kessenich, and our connection to both and each other. The choir will sing.
02/21/2010
Living the Story
Shelly Dennis and Ann Cotten
ONE SERVICE ONLY, 10 am. Join our Worship Associates who celebrate our history through stories
02/14/2010
A Legacy of Love
Rev. Wendy Williams
9:15 and 11 am. We mark our congregation’s 52nd anniversary with a look at our history and its continuing gifts.
02/07/2010
Of Warriors and Weepers
Rev. Wendy Williams
9:15 and 11 am Adrienne Rich once wrote: “There must be those among whom we can sit down and weep and still be counted as warriors.” Most of us would identify that quality as one we have found in this congregation. That is, it is a place where we can cry and still be seen as strong. What does this counter-cultural privilege ask of us?
01/31/2010
More Than a Fraction
Rev. Wendy Williams
9:15 and 11 am. Henry David Thoreau said we “live but a fraction of our lives.” How might we live more? What guidance do Thoreau and other forebears offer us?
01/24/2010
It’s All Good – or Is It?
Rev. Wendy Williams
9:15 and 11 am. This current cultural cliché offers a certain perspective. What’s the embedded theology?
01/17/2010
Dark Nights and Silence
Rev. Wendy Williams
ONE SERVICE ONLY, 10 am On this weekend that celebrates Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, we remember a time of silence in his life that produced a legacy that benefits us still.
01/10/2010
Sustenance through Story
TBA
9:15 and 11 am.
01/03/2010
What Now?
Rev. Wendy Williams
9:15 and 11 am. Whether we resisted or reveled in the holidays, they are over. It is now time to move into the now. What are the spiritual steps of doing so?
12/27/2009
Out with the Old – Really?
Rev. Wendy Williams
9:15 and 11 am. What do we lose by cherishing the new and the shiny? How do we decide what to hold on to?
12/24/2009
Touched by Christmas
Rev. Wendy Williams
6:00 at Coconino Center for the Arts Join us for our annual Christmas Eve celebration
12/20/2009
An Expectant Heart
Rev. Wendy Williams
ONE SERVICE ONLY, 10 am Where is your own darkness? Where do you look for the light’s return?
12/13/2009
Living with the Darkness
Rev. Wendy Williams
9:15 and 11 am. Worship will again feature our UUFF choir. Words and music will be woven together to recognize the spiritual significance of diminishing light.
12/06/2009
Darkness: Exploring an Innate Value of the Season.
Worship Associates Shelley Dennis and Sam Piper
9:15 and 11 am. As we approach the Winter Solstice, Worship Associates Shelley Dennis and Sam Piper have prepared a service in honor of the much-maligned gift of darkness. Bring your sighs, wounds, and inner voices. Winter is the time for mendings on the inside
11/29/2009
The Forming Edge of Our Lives
Rev. Wendy Williams
9:15 and 11 am. In the shadow of the Thanksgiving holiday, we will reflect on gratitude’s role in spiritual practice and enduring theology.
11/22/2009
Unitarian and Universalist: One Life
Rev. Wendy Williams
9:15 and 11 am. Thomas Starr King’s life touched and inspired many people. Come learn why.
11/15/2009
Thus Do We Covenant
Rev. Wendy Williams
ONE SERVICE ONLY, 10 am at Thorpe Park Adult Center, 245 N. Thorpe Ave. We say it every week, but how do we understand the theology of covenant? Join Rev. Wendy for history, challenge, and perspective on articulating who we are and why we covenant.
11/08/2009
The Unsung Hymnal
Erika Kessenich
9:15 and 11 am. Led by Erika Kessenich and our UUFF choir, we take a closer look at our music. What don’t we sing? Why?
11/01/2009
Hosea Ballou and William Ellery Channing
Worship Associates Shelley Dennis and Sam Piper
9:15 and 11 am. The Unitarians and Universalists merged denominations 50 years ago. Worship Associates Shelley Dennis and Sam Piper have researched and will deliver some background and history on Hosea Ballou, considered the defining Universalist minister and theologian in the early 19th century, along with his contemporary and counterpart Unitarian minister and defining theologian, William Ellery Channing.
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10/25/2009
A Movement in Action
Connie Cordain and Katy Johnson
9:15 and 11 am. Unitarian Universalists have a history of social activism. In this service, Connie Cordain and Katy Johnson reveal some of the social action projects in our national movement.
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10/18/2009
Social Action Sunday - Keep Hope Alive
Rev. Wendy Williams
ONE SERVICE ONLY, 10 am at Thorpe Park Adult Center, 245 N. Thorpe Ave. Our vision for our congregation is to become "a center for liberal religion and action." We have been involved in a number of projects. What are they? What are some of our stories?
10/11/2009
Embracing Our Power
Rev. Wendy Williams
9:15 and 11 am. It is easy to be overwhelmed. What are the hurdles to realizing our power?
10/04/2009
Life at the Shoreline
Rev. Wendy Williams
9:15 and 11 am. Join Rev. Wendy as she begins a month-long exploration of social action. What influences our decisions to get involved or not? What are the challenges to getting involved?
09/27/2009
Renewal and Rebirth
Rev. Wendy Williams
9:15 and 11 am. These are often words associated with spring, yet they are also associated with the Yom Kippur—the Day of Atonement. What might it mean to be born again as Unitarian Universalists.
09/20/2009
Recession
Rev. Wendy Williams
10 am – One service only - At Thorpe Park Senior Center. The Great Recession, as our economic time is now called, offers us an important religious opportunity. Reconcile and recapture are words used in the world of finance, but Rev. Wendy asks what guidance they offer our faith life?
09/13/2009
Return Again
Rev. Wendy Williams and the choir
9:15 and 11 am Remarkably for those of us who aren’t teachers or students and don’t have school age children at home, the academic rhythm still influences our lives. So it is that despite an active summer in our congregation, there is a sense that we are returning for a new year. What does this mean for us? How can we return, remember, and recommit?
09/06/2009
Poetry Sunday
Shannon Wells
9:15 am – One service only. Join in a shared service celebrating and enjoying the poems that have illuminated our lives. Has a special poem or poet been meaningful to you - just when you needed it most? Have you or someone you know written a poem you found disturbing, funny, beautiful or just right for that exact moment? This special Sunday we will share these words with each other - words that uplift and light the way - often simply, often profoundly.
08/30/2009
Humility and Awe
Rev. Wendy Williams
Making room for humility and awe is key to any spiritual quest. How do we make room?
08/23/2009
Integrity and Other Forgotten Virtues
Rev. Wendy Williams
What are your virtues? What virtues do you value in others? There are some virtues which help us progress on a spiritual path toward connectedness. This service looks at several.
08/16/2009
Leading and Following
Rev. Wendy Williams
For everything there is a season and a time for every purpose, according to Ecclesiastes. Thus, there is a time to lead and a time to follow. What does mature leadership ask of us? Following is not simply the opposite. But what is it?
08/09/2009
Navigating the Boundary Waters
Rev. Wendy Williams
Having boundaries is essential to self-care, balance, and being able to give from a place of love and generosity. What intention do we give to discerning what boundaries help us deepen our spirits and connections?
08/02/2009
Repent and Ye Shall Be Saved
Rev. Wendy Williams
Forgiveness, it has been said, is a gift to oneself. Yet, for anyone who has truly forgiven someone, it is a gift that requires presence and work. Where does self-forgiveness fit? How do we ask for forgiveness from others?
07/26/2009
Beyond Childish Impulse
Rev. Wendy Williams
ONE SERVICE AT 9:15. The apostle, Paul, said in Romans, “When I was a child I spake like a child.” This was a prelude to his insistence that there is more to life and faith that acting like a child. What are some ways in which childish patterns limit our spiritual deepening?
07/19/2009
Tolerating Ambiguity
Rev. Wendy Williams
ONE SERVICE AT 9:15. One of our beloved songs ends “Maybe to question really is an answer.” Maybe. We like to think of ourselves as a religion that lives the questions. But do we do any better at tolerating ambiguity than any one else? This is the first in a seven-part series exploring facets of spiritual maturity.
07/12/2009
Annual Picnic at Fort Tuthill
Rev. Wendy Williams
ONE SERVICE AT 10:00. Worship will be designed around the music of Nolan McKelvey. You may find yourself tapping your toe and clapping. The possibilities are endless.
07/05/2009
Question Box Service
Rev. Wendy Williams
What theological questions do you have? What do you wish a worship service would answer? What questions do you have about being a Unitarian Universalist? Rev. Wendy will do her best to answer the questions you submit in advance.
06/28/2009
What Atheists and Fundamentalists have in common: Denotative vs. Connotative Christianity
Sam Piper
06/21/2009
Radical Hospitality
Rev. Wendy Williams
The Benedictine Religious Order mandates a vow of hospitality, not poverty. The experience of living has taught visitors much. What might they teach us?
06/14/2009
Of Sorrow Songs and Spirits Soaring
Rev. Wendy Williams
This service is a sequel to last months Gospel Sunday. Led by the choirs singing, we will explore the meaning, value, and challenge of sorrow songs for Unitarian Universalists
06/07/2009
To Be Honest
Rev. Wendy Williams
It is likely we would all cite honesty as a virtue, but what do we mean by the word? What does it ask of us?
05/31/2009
ONE SERVICE ONLY
Rev. Wendy Williams
10:00 at Thorpe Adult Center, 245 N. ThorpeAve., followed by Congregational Celebration and Potluck.
05/24/2009
In Memory and Celebration
Rev. Wendy Williams
Memorial Day offers us the opportunity to remember those whose life has passed
05/17/2009
Gospel Sunday
Rev. Wendy Williams
The choir will lead us in a rollicking service of gospel music and high spirits
05/10/2009
Of Blooms and Blossoms
Rev. Wendy Williams
Our Flower Communion remembers the importance of Norbert Capek, aCzechoslovakian Unitarian minister executed by the Nazis during World War II
05/03/2009
Beltane Blessings: A Meditation on the Metaphor of May Day
Shannon Wells and Sandy Quintanilla
Intuition, Inspiration, Creativity and Passion
04/26/2009
Spiritual Sustainability
Rev. Wendy Williams
Much conversation these days is about sustainability. Tipically it is in terms of green building and reducing dependence on fossil fuels generally. How might we apply that term to our spiritual lives?
04/19/2009
Eating Ethically and Sustainable Agriculture
Katy Johnson
We will continue our discussion on eating ethically with Karna Otten, coordinator of the Flagstaff Community Supported Agriculture Project. She will speak about sustainable agriculture.
04/12/2009
Beyond Resurrection, Before Injury: Lessons from a Life
Rev. Wendy Williams
Eschewing traditional doctrines, our Unitarian and Universalist forebears embraced Jesus as teacher. What did they understand that we may have lost track of?
04/05/2009
Doubt and Faith: Soul Mates or Antonyms?
Rev. Wendy Williams
Can one be faithful and still have doubt? Doubt, faith and how both have shaped our our world, are explored.
03/29/2009
Something Larger than Ourselves
Rev. Wendy Williams
Purposeful lives are always connected to something larger than the individuals chronological existance. For many of us our participation in the congregation links us to something larger. It connects to the dreams of our founders and to the vision we have for our children. How are we called to respond?
03/22/2009
On Inspiration and Interpretation
Rev. Wendy Williams
This service is one purchased by a member at the annual goods and services auction. Two favorite books have been provided to Rev. Wendy, who will offer her interpretation of why they have inspired and what message they have for us as Unitarian Universalists.
03/15/2009
Is Poverty a Problem?
Tamie Harkins
Director of Religious Education Tamie Harkins recently visited South Africa and Zambia. Among other things, she often found herself asking the question, "Is poverty a problem? And if so, why exactly?" She will share her thoughts and struggles around this question and, technology permitting, will share some photos as well!
03/08/2009
Of Conversations and Community: The Influence of Margaret Fuller
Rev. Wendy Williams
A conversation partner of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller was an influential member of the Boston Transcendentalist circle. As a teacher and writer, she laid the foundation for womens rights. Join Rev. Wendy to learn more about our Unitarian heritage. Choir performs.
03/01/2009
Present to the Mystery
Rev. Wendy Williams
This service led by Rev. Wendy explores mysticism apart from theism. Theologian Paul Tillich called us to the "God beyond God" which in its paradox describes the essence of mystic thought for generations. Yet, what does it mean to be a mystic? How might claiming that label shape our lives?
02/22/2009
The Urge to Merge
Rev. Wendy Williams
12/28/2008
New Beginnings
Sam Piper, Shannon Wells, and Anne Cotten
A multi-voiced service led by Worship Associates Sam Piper, Shannon Wells and Anne Cotten. Please send your favorite New Year’s memories, reflections, musings, observations and rituals to Sam (samcascade @npgcable.com, 226-0257) or Shannon (shannonwells1@mac.com) for this service. You might consider this most recent momentous year, or other endings/beginnings that have been important in your life. Let us know if you wish to read your work during the services, or have one of us read it for you. We look forward to a service that shares many voices from the congregation as we begin 2009.
12/24/2008
Christmas Eve: The Meaning Beyond the Story
Rev. Wendy Williams
Rev. Wendy leads the celebration of this religious and cultural holiday as Unitarian Universalists. Bring your families, friends, and neighbors to Coconino Center for the Arts, 2300 N. Fort Valley Rd., 6-7 pm, where we can all join together to be warmed by the best spirit of the season.
12/21/2008
Return of the Light
Rev. Wendy Williams
Rev. Wendy and Connie Cordain honor our shortest day and longest night. Do we appreciate the light without the dark? What is the significance of the dark? Why are so many religious holidays celebrated at this time of year?
12/14/2008
Music Sunday
Rev. Wendy Williams and Choir
This proud UUFF tradition takes a different look. Join us in this music-led worship.
12/07/2008
The Age of Dilemmas and No Easy Decisions
Sam Piper
Worship Associate Sam Piper talks about confronting some of the difficult lessons of war and history and trying to reconcile them with his anti-war, pacifistic preferences. In the past year Sam’s son Ben has entered the US Marines, while at the same time his research into the development of the atomic bomb has generated some startling paradoxes. What are appropriate responses to extreme evil?
10/26/2008
Eating Your Ethics
Rev. Wendy Williams
Rev. Wendy and Worship Associate Katy Johnson introduce this topic into the fabric of life in UUFF. We will examine the impact of our food choices on the environment and economy.
10/19/2008
At One
Rev. Wendy Williams
This sought-after state is a part of the word atone and atonement. How do we understand these words? What time do we set aside to remember? What efforts do we make to seek forgiveness or offer it to others? Join Rev. Wendy and Worship Associate Krista Munson who try to answer some of these questions.
10/12/2008
Accessing Spirit through the Body
Dr. Steven Teagarden
Krista Munson is Worship Associate (Rev. Wendy is out of pulpit). We have the sacred capacity to literally embody our spiritual values. By forgiving ourselves we have the freedom to experience grace. Dr. Steven Teagarden, a practitioner of Network Spinal Analysis, brings us a spiritual perspective on body work. Steve will give a demostration after second service.
10/05/2008
Our Theological House
Rev. Wendy Williams
"Our house is a very (very very) fine house," as the old song goes. Join Rev. Wendy and the choir as your hymnals are used to detail our theology.
09/28/2008
Revolution Wanted: Apply Within
Rev. Wendy Williams and Shannon Wells
The old Beatles song has a line, "You say you want a revolution." The desire to change the world resonates for many of us. How does our faith help us? Rev. Wendy and Shannon Wells.
09/21/2008
Honoring th Dark
Rev. Wendy Williams and Connie Cordain
Rev. Wendy and Connie Cordain take a look at the vernal equinox. What does this time offer us? How do we understand its spiritual and other significance?
09/14/2008
Prayer in Islam
Nancy Curry
Guest speaker Nancy Curry lived in Syria for three years studying traditional Arab music and the Islam faith. She works at NAU in International studies.
09/07/2008
Back to School
Rev. Wendy Williams and Anne Cotten
Whether we are starting school, returning, or are looking at our formal education in the rearview mirror, the rhythm of this time is palpable. Join Rev. Wendy and Anne Cotten as they examine lessons of kindergarten, and the things taught to us by children.
08/31/2008
Verse and Reverse
Rev. Wendy Williams
Karen Armstrong, theologian and historian, suggests that our theology ought to be poetry. Rev. Wendy asks: What poems move us? What do they say about our theology? Join us as we explore our Unitarian Universalist theology through poems that guide us.
08/24/2008
A Generosity of Spirit
Rev. Wendy Williams
Rev. Wendy: Have you ever known people who you would describe as generous? Likely, it had little to do with presents, but more to do with presence. These are the people who challenge us to learn to receive.
08/17/2008
Mission Accomplished?
Rev. Wendy Williams
Each week we light our chalice connecting us with others who share our faith across the country and around the world. Some of the people with whom we are connecting are the Unitarians of the Khasi Hills in India. Unitarianism had an interesting start there, in part due to the American Unitarian Association’s mission work. Rev. Wendy tells an interesting chapter of our history.
08/10/2008
The Gospel According to Walt Whitman
Randy Vining
Guest speaker Randy Vining will be hosted by Sam Piper.
08/03/2008
Diversity: Illusion or Reality, Blessing or Burden?
Rev. Wendy Williams
Rev. Wendy asks: How diverse are we? How diverse are we ready to be? What holds us together as Unitarian Universalists without a creed?
07/27/2008
How Secular is Humanism?
Florence Karlstrom
When Humanism enters public discourse these days, it tends to be "Secular Humanism," as though all of a piece. And everybody is supposed to know the meaning of "secular," of "sacred," of "humanism," and even, perhaps, of "god." Let’s explore.
07/20/2008
The Places We’ll Go
Rev. Wendy Williams
Rev. Wendy One service at 11:00 a.m. at Fort Tuthill. Potluck picnic to follow. In this service of celebration of our congregation, the theologies of Dr. Seuss and Clarence Skinner collide to offer us a view of what might be. Community Funds Collection.
07/13/2008
Life is a Circle
Rev. Wendy Williams
Rev. Wendy This is Stephanie Ludwig’s last Sunday as our Director of Religious Education. As that chapter ends and we honor her gifts, we begin the chapter of a new Board of Trustees, who will be installed.
07/06/2008
Always Faithful
Rev. Wendy Williams
Rev. Wendy will offer the sermon of colleague Rev. Jan Christian who serves our congregation in Ventura, California. This is an adaptation of the sermon written for the ordination of Rev. Terry Sims. In it, Rev. Jan shares her journey of connecting with her brother’s Marine battalion decades after his death in Viet Nam. In it she says, "We are all faithful, but to what or to whom?" Join us as we struggle with the answer. School Supplies Collection.
06/29/2008
TBA
Guest speaker
Rev. Wendy attending General Assembly.
06/22/2008
Tibet
Diane Hoffman
Diane Hoffman will offer reflections on her visits to Tibet and relationship with Tibetan monks.
06/15/2008
Loving the Questions
Rev. Wendy Williams
Rainer Maria Rilke wrote "Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves." What might that look like? As Unitarian Universalists, we like to say of ourselves that we love the questions. Do we?
06/08/2008
Multiple Choice in a True-False World
Rev. Wendy Williams
What do you do when you feel like you need a third or fourth box to check when there are only two offered? Gender has been seen by society as a two box category, but lived reality for many suggests its more fluid than that. How do our UU principles call us to respond? Choir sings.
06/01/2008
Welcome
Rev. Wendy Williams
Who has really made you feel welcome? Where have you felt welcome? Whose job is it? As you might suspect, this shared ministry asks more of us than we may think. Congregational Meeting after second service.
05/25/2008
Is it (W)right? Why should we care?
Rev. Wendy Williams
Rev. Wendy reflects on how we keep hope alive while we mourn and remember those lives lost in service to this country.
05/18/2008
Honoring our Coming of Age Youth
Rev. Wendy Williams and Stephanie Ludwig
Our Coming of Age youth and their mentors will share their faith statements and reflections on their year of learning and growing together.
05/11/2008
The Power of the First Principle
Stephanie Ludwig
Multiple speakers from UUFF will reflect upon the power of the First Principle and becoming a Welcoming Congregation.
05/04/2008
TBA
Guest speaker
04/27/2008
Our House is a Very Very Very Fine House
Rev. Wendy Williams
We may not have two cats in the yard, but our theological house is indeed quite fine. Come and learn how it was constructed.
04/20/2008
The Revolutionary Spirit of Our American Roots
Rev. Wendy Williams
Where do UUs come from? What stories didn’t we learn about the founding of our country? Could it be the spirit of our movement?
04/13/2008
Loss and Rebirth
Rev. Wendy Williams
Most of us have experienced loss. Some of us have experienced loss that has brought us to our knees. What lessons have we learned? Is rebirth possible? Is there blessing in the death as well as the new life?
04/06/2008
Sermon by Rev. Dr. Dana Prom Smith
Rev. Dr. Dana Prom Smith
The Rev. Dr. Dana Prom Smith will be in the pulpit and Sam Piper will host.
03/30/2008
Treasure Beyond Measure
Rev. Wendy Williams
Our message and our community have been just what so many of us were looking for, though we couldn’t have described it exactly. How do we thank the people who went before? How do we build and protect it for those who come after?
03/23/2008
Rational Mysticism
Rev. Wendy Williams
In a faith in which we celebrate the teachings of science, as well as the experience of transcending mystery, can we embrace both simultaneously? What might that look like?
What might we learn from wrestling with the concept and its impact?
03/16/2008
A Poet’s Dad
Rev. Wendy Williams
The father of poet e.e. cummings was a Unitarian minister. He was fond of saying "Gladness is next to godliness." What did he mean and what is his on-going gift to our faith?
What might we learn from wrestling with the concept and its impact?
03/09/2008
Loss and Rebirth
Rev. Wendy Williams
Most of us have experienced loss. Some of us have experienced loss that has brought us to our knees. Rev. Wendy asks, "What lessons have we learned? Is rebirth possible? Is there blessing in the death as well as the new life?"
What might we learn from wrestling with the concept and its impact?
03/02/2008
Sin and Salvation
Rev. Wendy Williams
Universalism suggests that all are saved, but then how do we understand sin? It is a word used regularly in common parlance.
What might we learn from wrestling with the concept and its impact?
01/06/2008
Thank God for Evolution
Rev. Wendy Williams
12/30/2007
A Circle of Beginnings and Endings
Stephanie Ludwig
12/24/2007
Celebrating the Birth of Hope
Rev. Wendy Williams
Join us for our Christmas Eve service at 7 pm at the Coconino Center for the Arts. Our spirits will be lifted by favorite carols, stories retold, and a message that is entirely Unitarian Universalist.
12/23/2007
Make Your House Fair
Rev. Wendy Williams
For what and how do we prepare for holidays and the year’s end?
12/16/2007
Miracles out of Darkness: Intervention or Partnership
Rev. Wendy Williams
Rev. Wendy explores the idea of miracles so prevalent in the religious holidays of this season. How do we understand miracles?
12/09/2007
Singing the Holidays
Choir led
Join us for a choir-led celebration of the holidays in song.
12/02/2007
A Language of Reverence
Rev. Wendy Williams
Do you have to be a theist to use a language of reverence? Are feelings of reverence common to us all? If so, with what words do we describe them?
11/25/2007
On Harvest and Gratitude: Embracing the Circle of Life
Rev. Wendy Williams
Rev. Wendy. Living in a place without a strong agricultural rhythm, we may forget that there are still things we plant and later harvest.
11/18/2007
Elder or Elderly: A Spiritual Reframing of Last Chapters
Rev. Wendy Williams
Rev. Wendy. In a culture in which we become less visible as we age, how do we experience growing older in a way that honors the journey?
11/11/2007
Articulating Your UU Faith
UUFF Members
Rev. Wendy out of pulpit. UUFF members who participated in the workshop "Articulating Your UU Faith" will share their thoughts and insights in the ways they talk about their liberal faith with fellow UUs and the wider community.
11/04/2007
A Sanctuary of Dissent
Rev. Wendy Williams
Rev. Wendy. This is the phrase Amy Goodman used to describe Beacon Press (one of two presses sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Association). Beacon published the Pentagon Papers, piercing the public’s illusions about the Viet Nam war. What is the state of our free press? What does this heritage ask of us?
10/28/2007
Making a Difference
Stephanie Ludwig
Stephanie Ludwig will host members of our congregation offering their reflections on living our values by participating in Make a Difference Day on Saturday, Oct. 27.
10/21/2007
Caring and Community
Rev. Wendy Williams
How do we care for each other without enabling? What can we expect of each other? Potluck to follow with the Caring Cadre.
10/14/2007
Association Sunday
Rev. Wendy Williams
Religare, the Latin root for the word religion, means to bring together for greater strength. In this service we celebrate and strengthen our common values and purpose as we join the national campaign to grow and deepen our faith. We will also recognize new members.
10/07/2007
Common Courtesy – Or Is It?
Rev. Wendy Williams
Author Lynn Truss describes this time as "an age of lazy moral relativism combined with aggressive social insolence." Is there still a connection between manners and morality? How do we work toward the common good if we are busy "talking to the hand?" Coming of Age youth and their mentors will be honored.
09/30/2007
Open or Ambiguous?
Rev. Wendy Williams
In this sermon, Rev. Wendy discusses whether our different beliefs, backgrounds, and views can co-exist under the Unitarian Universalist umbrella and if so, how. What unites us? How do we speak about our faith? Do our liberal views prevent us or encourage to act in the larger community?
09/23/2007
The Poetry of Meaning and Spirituality
Led by Sam Piper
Led by Sam Piper, several of our members will share their path through their poetry.
09/16/2007
Discipleship
Rev. Wendy Williams
What does discipleship mean? Can Unitarian Universalists be disciples? What has this meant in other faiths? Rev. Wendy explores these questions and their implication for our faith and church.
09/09/2007
Our Story
Rev. Wendy Williams
We all have stories. What is ours and how do we tell it? By sharing our story we not only better understand our roots, but help each other find a place in the story so that the next chapters can be written. Join Rev. Wendy as she reflects on our story. The UUFF Board of Trustees will be installed.
09/02/2007
Religion and Terror
Rev. Wendy Williams
In this service, Rev. Wendy’s sermon addresses the observations of one of the auction-winners from our fundraiser last November. Many of the choices made by our government in reaction to 9/11 erode our Constitutional rights (i.e. free speech and thought). All of the changes were to protect the citizens from the stateless enemy. In the U.S. many of the Christian sects have acted the same as the Islamic sects (KKK or killing of abortion clinic personnel) The main distinction is that few of the Christian sects are suicidal. Is there a sickness in the world?
08/26/2007
Consensus, Conflict and Community
Rev. Wendy Williams
Led by Rev. Wendy. As our community grows in numbers and deepens in connection and commitment to each other and the wider world, we will work toward consensus. Sometimes that will be reached easily and sometimes not. What do our principles ask of us in the times it isn’t so easy?
08/19/2007
Simple Gifts
Stephanie Ludwig and Beth Lyall-Wilson
Life is full of simple gifts. Some of the most profound gifts are intangible, like love, freedom and community. Nationally renowned artist P. S. Gordon was commissioned by All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma to represent the simple gifts at the heart of Unitarian Universalism and his artwork will be the heart of this lay-led service.
08/12/2007
Let Peace Begin With Me
Rev. Wendy Williams
Join Rev. Wendy as she explores our desire for peace set against a backdrop of chaos and busy-ness. What dimension might a rhythm of rest add to our abilities to make peace?
08/05/2007
Wisdom, Wonder, Worship, and the World
Stephanie Ludwig
Lifespan Religious Education Director Stephanie Ludwig will reflect on how humans mature religiously and spiritually and what that means for Unitarian Universalism and UUFF. School supplies collected for Killip School.
07/29/2007
Divergent Pasts and One Future
Rev. Wendy Williams
Join Rev. Wendy as she discusses the difference between Unitarianism and Universalism. Why the long name? What might a true integration look like?
07/22/2007
Celebration, Appreciation and Transformation
Rev. Wendy Williams
One service only at Ft. Tuthill, 11 am, as part of Church Picnic. A look at life in community – ours – led by Rev. Wendy. Potluck, games and merriment to follow. No Religious Education this week.
07/15/2007
Fear
Rev. Wendy Williams
What are we afraid of? Do we get to a point when we don’t have fear? Should that be our goal? Rev. Wendy describes some of what fear has to teach us. No Religious Education this week.
07/08/2007
Guilt: Baggage or Gift?
Rev. Wendy Williams
Rev. Wendy explores whether guilt is baggage (theological or otherwise) or has something to offer.
07/01/2007
Why I Am a Unitarian Universalist
Stephanie Ludwig
Several members will offer their answers to this important question.
06/24/2007
The Challenge of Choice
Rev. David Cooper
Each one of us faces choices daily. Some are minor; others are momentous. Yet, all of our choices have consequences. Faced with a choice, how do we determine the correct one? Rev. David Cooper is the guest speaker.
06/17/2007
Belonging
Rev. Wendy Williams
Rev. Wendy welcomes our new members and explores the meaning of hospitality, home, and belonging.
06/10/2007
Bearing Witness
Rev. Wendy Williams
In a time in which hurt in the world abounds, we are often at a loss on how to fix it. Perhaps, as Rev. Wendy suggests, we are not so much called to solve the world’s problems as we are to simply (and not so simply) bear witness as Unitarian Universalists.
06/03/2007
Ordinary Acts and Everyday Resurrections
Rev. Wendy Williams
Unitarian theologian James Luther Adams believed in "the prophethood of all believers." In this service, Rev. Wendy explores this Adams wisdom and how it might guide our lives.
05/27/2007
Serrmon by Rev. Dr. Dana Prom Smith
Rev. Dr. Dana Prom Smith
The Rev. Dr. Dana Prom Smith will be in the pulpit.
05/20/2007
Building Bridges
Rev. Wendy Williams
In this intergenerational service led by Rev. Wendy, we will take a look at what it means to work together. How do we empower each other? What are ways in which, despite our best intentions, we hinder our progress toward building a joint vision? We explore these questions and more through song, story and activity.
05/13/2007
Conscience, Reasoning and Faith
Rev. Wendy Williams
In the 19th century, Unitarian minister Theodore Parker built on the work of the transcendentalists and suggested that the message of the divine had been etched in the human heart long before Jesus. Thus, eternal truth was rooted in the human soul and could be found in all faiths. Join Rev. Wendy as she tells another chapter of our Unitarian Universalist story and examines its lasting legacy.
05/06/2007
This I Don’t Believe: One Man’s Path to Atheism
Samuel Piper
Samuel Piper has accepted Rev. Wendy’s invitation for someone in the congregation to speak about his personal approach to atheism. "My favorite theologian is Mark Twain, who noted that ‘Man is the only animal with the True Religion – several of them!" and ‘It’s man’s idea that the Deity sits up nights to admire him.’ While it may seem a contradiction to some, I find that I have a lot of company as an atheist who is also an amateur scholar of religion." (Rev. Wendy out of pulpit to fill in for Rev. Dan Spencer who is on sabbatical from Granite Peaks in Prescott.)
04/29/2007
Mayday Celebration
CUUPs
Beltane is an ancient Gaelic holiday celebrated around May 1. Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (CUUPs) will be creating sacred space to host a Beltane Service at 9:15 and a Maypole Dance at 11:00. Bring a 14-foot ribbon in a color that represents what you would like to weave into your life in the next year.
04/22/2007
The Search for Truth and Meaning
Stephanie Ludwig and Rev. Wendy Williams
This is an intergenerational service led by Stephanie Ludwig and Rev.
04/15/2007
Step It Up!
Rev. Wendy Williams
As Unitarian Universalists, we agreed upon a Statement of Conscience about the urgent need to address the issue of global warming/climate change. There may be agreement among us regarding the reality of global warming, but what are we willing to do about it? Will we lead or follow? How are we called to respond?
04/08/2007
Suffering, Death and Resurrection: The Presence of Addictions in our Lives
Rev. Wendy Williams
Few of our lives and families are untouched by addictions. Why? What do we do with the anger, hurt, fear and disappointment that results? Join Rev. Wendy as she explores faithful reflections on addiction.
04/01/2007
A Theology of Gratitude
Members of Worship Committee
In the recent spring issue of U.U. World, Galen Guengrich expresses what he feels to be the heart of UU faith and theology: gratitude. This service, with the help of Guengrich’s article, will explore the idea of gratitude and the role it plays in our UU faith and community. Rev. Wendy away; led by members of the worship committee.
03/25/2007
Life Beyond Violence
Rev. Wendy Williams and Mary MacKenzie
Rev. Wendy and Mary MacKenzie together examine the principles of non-violence in celebration of the lives of Ghandi and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This is an inter-generational service.
03/18/2007
Something Out of Nothing
Jeff Chamberlain
While Rev. Wendy is away, Jeff Chamberlain, a musician from the Northwest Tucson congregation, will lead the service. He writes, "This universe seems to have arisen out of nothing - there is certainly a lot more nothing than something in this cosmos of ours. The music I write comes from an unknown place. It is, perhaps, a compilation of my training and practice, but those now are not much more than ephemeral memories. Even as I write these words, I am unsure where they come from. The Tao is unseen and yet all things arise from it. In the beginning was the logos - the word, the logic. So much comes from so little, and I try to explore this through words and music that I would like to share with you."
03/11/2007
Addictions
Rev. Wendy Williams
Few of our lives and families are untouched by addictions. What do we do with the anger, hurt, fear and disappointment that results? Join Rev. Wendy as she explores faithful reflections on addiction.
03/04/2007
Messengers from the Mystery
Rev. Wendy Williams
Rumi wrote, "Love is the way the messengers from the mystery tell us things." Who are the messengers of the mystery? In a culture that places a premium on knowing the right answer and correct citations to books and online sources, Rev. Wendy asks about other sources of information.
02/25/2007
Speak and It Shall Be Done - An Intergenerational Purim Service
Guest speaker
Today we hear the story of Queen Esther who saved the Jewish
02/18/2007
An Ethic of Generosity and the Spiritual Value of Money
Rev. Wendy Williams
Jim Wallis, among others, have urged all of us to view budgets as moral documents so that our values are readily revealed in the numbers. In a very different way, the "What’s in your wallet?" commercial campaign says that what is in our pockets says something about who we are and how we want to live. Rev. Wendy takes a closer look at what UUFF might look like if we presumed money had a spiritual value and we employed an ethic of generosity.
02/11/2007
To Love Abundantly
Rev. Wendy Williams
Scottish writer Henry Drummond wrote, "To love abundantly is to live abundantly, and to love forever is to live forever." Drummond was modeling upon the teachings of Jesus. Sharon Salzberg, an American Buddhist writer and teacher from a totally different approach, concludes that a life free from suffering calls us to love abundantly.Neither is speaking of romantic love. Rev. Wendy explains why and how to begin to love abundantly this Valentine’s Day.
02/04/2007
Life Isn’t Fair
Rev. Wendy Williams
Why do we expect life to be fair? How does our expectation color our response? Even when change is positive, there may be parts of it we aren’t so excited about. What is the balance? Join Rev.
Wendy for a closer look at our interest in fairness and the fallout when we don’t get it.
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