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Rev. Chris Jimmerson and Rev Carrie Holley-Hurt
October 18, 2026
First UU Church of Austin
4700 Grover Ave., Austin, TX 78756
www.austinuu.org
Each year our wonderful stewardship committee, volunteers, and you do the good work of committing to our community so that it can continue to live love here and in our world. Therefore, it is only right and good that we celebrate this hard work! Join Rev. Chris and Rev. Carrie for a celebratory service followed by a party.
Welcome
Prelude: “Danza No. 11” (Teresa Carreño) – Valeria Diaz, piano
Chalice Lighting
This is the flame we hold in our hearts as we strive for justice for everyone. This is the light we shine upon systems of oppression until they are no more. This is the warmth we share with one another as our struggle becomes our salvation.
Call to Worship
MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES WELCOME
by Rev. Dawn Skjei CooleyThe diversity of the human species is astounding. The fact that we can gather together for common experience is nothing short of a miracle.
Today, let us celebrate some of those differences.
Let us celebrate those who worship best through music, for whom the holy speaks through rhythm and harmony, pitch and meter.
Let us celebrate the inter-personal worshipper, who finds the sacred in relationships and in community.
Let us celebrate those who worship best through the visual world, for whom the divine speaks through the aesthetics of a space.
Let us celebrate the verbal & linguistic worshipper, for whom words and languages, stories and poetry are sacred sources of joy and revelation.
Let us celebrate those to whom the divine might be found in logical reasoning, in mathematics, and through critical thinking
Let us celebrate the intra-personal worshipper, those who experience the holy as they listen to the still, small voice within themselves.
Let us celebrate those who worship best through their bodies- those to whom the divine speaks through movement and physical action.
And let us celebrate the naturalistic worshipper, for whom the sacred is found in plants and animals, mountains and valleys, deserts and forests, oceans and streams
Today, may we find a way to connect with the ultimate, each according to our own ways of understanding and experiencing the world.
May we bring our whole selves to this worship service and celebrate the diversity amongst us.
Affirming Our Mission
Together we nourish souls, transform lives, and do justice to build the Beloved Community.
Anthem
“Fountain of Peace” (Doug Adamz) – The First UU Intergenerational Vocal Ensemble & Band; Brent Baldwin, guitar/director; Jill Csekitz, drums; Valeria Diaz, piano; Ricardo Leon, percussion; Angel Roman, bass guitar
Reading
WHEN GIVING IS ALL WE HAVE
by Alberto RiosWe give because someone gave to us.
We give because nobody gave to us.
We give because giving has changed us.
We give because giving could have changed us.
We have been better for it, We have been wounded by itÑ
Giving has many faces: It is loud and quiet,
Big, though small, diamond in wood-nails.
Its story is old, the plot worn and the pages too,
But we read this book, anyway, over and again:
Giving is, first and every time, hand to hand,
Mine to yours, yours to mine.
You gave me blue and I gave you yellow.
Together we are simple green. You gave me
What you did not have, and gave you
What I had to give – together, we made
Something greater from the difference.
Centering
Music for Meditation: “Be Still and Breathe” (Loretta K. Notareschi & Gabe Perbieri) – The First UU Adult Vocal Ensemble & Band
Sermon
Carrie
Pluralism is one of my favorite things about us. I look out on this congregation and I see all sorts of people
People with various beliefs and identities, and opinions I see a beautiful community
And then I remember what Rev. Dr. Susan Ritchie said about us modern UUs which is that most of us would probably be the “wrong” sort of people in the eyes of our spiritual ancestors.
Our spiritual ancestors like those 16th century Unitarians who found a safe haven in Transylvania or the those ancestors living in 18th century Pennsylvania who heard the good news of Universalism from George de Benneville,
and I would even venture to say that those mid-20th century newly minted Unitarian Universalists wouldn’t recognize us either and if they did well they would probably give us a wide berth and a bit of the side eye.
Unitarian Universalism is a liberal religion because it says that we change That revelation isn’t something that happened once and then we pretzel ourselves into it but rather we grow. That revelation is continuous
And because revelation is continuous, we are required to be open to transformation, which means, to paraphrase Maya Angelo, we do what we think is right, and then as we learn, we do better.
Because transformation and evolution is baked into who we are, we have changed throughout the centuries and the decades. But that does not mean we are rootless or disconnected from those 16th, 18th and 20th century Unitarians and Universalists, or Unitarian Universalist
We are because they were.
Because they operated in a liberal tradition that allowed for change, that allowed for transformation.
We are trying to do what we know to be right all the while in the process of learning so we can do better. And those who come after us, in this building. will do the same.
As an aside, I have every intention of being a person open to transformation and the growth that comes from it but I have no delusions that I, my beliefs and behaviors, will ever be the pentacle of human morality. If our spiritual descendants aren’t cringing at least a little bit at who we were then they probably haven’t done transformation right. Amen!
And I bet they will be.. cringing just a little bit. because transformation/ change is built into the foundation of our faith
Over these last few months of the stewardship campaign,
A time when we recommit ourselves to this church,
A time when we are living love so that we can make it possible for us to do the good, nourishing work that is ours to do
AND we are making it possible for those in the future to take this beautiful religion and grow it, transform it, and do the work that is theirs to do
Just as everyone of those people who came before us did. The 16th, 18th, and 20th century spiritual ancestors
And more specifically the spiritual ancestors who built this church. Who raised funds year after year, keeping us going for over 70 years, so they could do their own work and, inevitably, so we can do ours
So as we wrap up this stewardship season, it is so good to celebrate the work that we have done. But also to celebrate that we are part of a beautiful lineage of bringing the good news and transformation to those who find their way here.
And because of that we celebrate where we have come from with gratitude We celebrate what we have done to add on to this good work
And we celebrate that we are building on the foundation needed for the good work those who will come after us will continue to do.
Chris
Thanks, Rev. Carrie. I love that concept of spiritual ancestors and remembering our context that we are but one small group of generations, one period, one age, on a long and continuing timeline of our Unitarian Universalist faith tradition.
That our faith ancestors might indeed give us the side eye because we have changed so much compared to their period and age.
And that – that is worth celebrating because, as Rev. Carrie said, for our tradition revelation is continuous and that makes the potential for spiritual transformation and growth everlasting.
We must always remember that the very idea that revelation is not sealed, not set, not pre-determined, this idea has been down through the ages and still is considered heretical and rebellious against orthodoxy.
So, my fellow heretics and rebels, on this Celebration Sunday, it gives me great joy to be able to say that we have much to celebrate!
Because you all met our pledge goal for 2027, God sent us relief from the heat and humidity and blessed us with this beautiful, cool day.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Plus, we have some folks here in the church we need to celebrate this morning. As I call on you, please stand or otherwise identify yourself so that we can celebrate you.
You heard from our stewardship chair, Karen Neeley earlier. Let’s celebrate her wonderful leadership in getting us to our pledge goal.
If you served on our stewardship council, we celebrate you also.
And if you volunteered in some other way for the pledge campaign – texting and making calls, writing thank you cards, we celebrate you too!
$885,000 in pledges – $885,147.80 to be exact – that is truly amazing and worth celebrating this morning – it is the single largest annual pledge amount in the long history and tradition of this church, so you can all celebrate yourselves this morning!
And even more worth celebrating is all that your generosity makes possible.
So, for instance, we can celebrate that we will be able to pay our staff a fair and living wage.
And, we will be able to treat our aging building, grounds, and facilities with some kindness and loving care.
More importantly, because of this, because of your generosity we will be able to not only to keep fulfilling our values and mission, but to grow, to expand, to deepen how we do so.
This congregation recently established a new set of ends, a set of priorities for how will we will go about this blossoming, this flourishing of living out our mission.
You’ll be hearing more about these ends throughout the upcoming church year so I will not go into detail about them now, but here is what your pledges will be supporting through these ends, as we continue our time in the long and ongoing tradition of our church and our faith.
We will strengthen and expand the intergenerational and multicultural religious education, spiritual and faith formation programs that nourish our spirits and shape the faith foundations of the folks of the generations to follow.. Let’s celebrate that!
And, we will expand upon and deepen our existing relationships of solidarity with both interfaith and secular human rights and mutual aide groups, especially following the lead of folks who are most under attack in the societal and political maelstrom in which we find ourselves.
Let us celebrate the possibilities and hope to be found within such relationships of solidarity.
And vitally, we recommit ourselves to the lifelong work of growing our inclusiveness, including doing justice in every part of our lives and our church by confronting racism and oppression wherever we find it, including within ourselves or within our own institutions and practices.
And this too, all of this, is more than worth celebrating.
Now, how many of you are just a tad bit worried about the upcoming election and its potential aftermath?
Raise your hand if you’re downright terrified.
My beloveds, we can’t know what will happen and how our authoritarianism aspiring regime will respond.
What we do know though, is because of you, First Unitarian Universalist Church will be here no matter what.
We will provide one another and those with whom we are in solidarity with support and all of the resources and activism Ñ if necessary, all of nonviolent resistance that we can muster.
We will help each other still find joy and communal hope no matter what challenges we might face.
And we can celebrate that you have made it certain that this religious community will be here for one another and for our beloved partners.
And next year, when the Texas State Legislature convenes – to do whatever new harms the white Anti-Christian nationalists folks can dream up
– we, the religious heretics and spiritual revolutionaries will show up also.
We will be able to carry forward our faith tradition, including in the public square.
And it matters.
It matters, because we are the spiritual ancestors of our collective faith future.
We will travel with the those who come after us and are laying the groundwork for what they will inherit.
We are the spiritual ancestors of the future church and our future faith. We are among the spiritual ancestors for future liberal religion more broadly.
You, my fellow ancestors of the future, make it possible for revelation to continue to be revealed so that faith evolution, spiritual transformation, and fierce love and justice may persist.
I am grateful for and celebrate you. So, lets keep drawing that side eye that Rev. Carrie mentioned.
Because that – that is truly worth celebrating.
Extinguishing the Chalice
We extinguish this flame, but not the light of truth, the warmth of community, or the fire of commitment. These we hold in our hearts until we are together again.
Benediction
THIS JOY by The Resistance Revival Chorus
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