For New Year’s Day, we will hold our annual burning bowl service. We contemplate what we would like to let go so that we may more easily find our center. Then we whisper that which we would like to let go into pieces of flash paper, toss them into a fire and watch them burn away.

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 that we share with one another as our struggle becomes our salvation.

Call to Worship

BURNING THE OLD YEAR
Naomi Shihab Nye

Letters swallow themselves in seconds.
Notes friends tied to the doorknob,
transparent scarlet paper,
sizzle like moth wings,
marry the air.
So much of any year is flammable,
lists of vegetables, partial poems.
Orange swirling flame of days,
so little is a stone.
Where there was something and suddenly isn’t,
an absence shouts, celebrates, leaves a space.
I begin again with the smallest numbers.
Quick dance, shuffle of losses and leaves,
only the things I didn’t do
crackle after the blazing dies.

Affirming Our Mission

Together we nourish souls, transform lives, and do justice to build the Beloved Community.

Reading

LOVE LETTER Nathalie Handel

I’d like to be a shrine, so I can learn from peoples’ prayers the story of hearts. I’d like to be a scarf so I can place it over my hair and understand other worlds. I’d like to be the voice of a soprano singer so I can move through all borders and see them vanish with every spell-binding note. I’d like to be light so I illuminate the dark. I’d like to be water to fill bodies so we can gently float together indefinitely. I’d like to be a lemon, to be zest all the time, or an olive tree to shimmer silver on the earth. Most of all, I’d like to be a poem, to reach your heart and stay.

Sermon

Before we really get going, I want to address our friends who are in church online today. Today is our Burning Bowl ceremony, which involves taking pieces of flash paper and putting them into a fire. I would like to invite all those in church this morning who are not in the physical building to participate and be both CREATIVE…and SAFE. You might toss an imaginary piece of paper into a candle. You might use your powers of visualization and imagination to put a piece of flash paper into a bonfire in your mind. I would love to know what you decide to do, so feel free to let the church know about it in a Facebook comment or an email or a carrier pigeon or whatever. Whatever you decide to do, I will be carrying one piece of flash paper to the fire to represent what you are letting go of today.

Alright, let’s get going. I want to ask you a strange question this morning. Who is fire? I know what fire is. But who is fire? How do you know it in your life? When I think of fire, I see a series of images and scenes. The knight of wands from the Rider- Waite-Smith Tarot, a young adult in silver armor and yellow clothing astride a red horse galloping across a desert. The gas heater in my first apartment and the way I had to lie down on the floor and then perilously light its pilot light with a match every single time I wanted to use it…and then, the accompanying smell of burning dust, as I didn’t use the heater very often.

Prometheus chained to a rock in the sea, punished for giving fire to humanity. Standing with my friends in a backyard at night, the black sky above us, the darkness holding us, shovels in our hands, laughing and chanting as we dig into the earth to make a fire pit. Christ resurrected, roasting fish on the shore as Peter swims frantically towards his beloved teacher with all his clothes on. Holding a single candle in my hands and lifting it up towards the ceiling of a chapel as we read the name of a beloved soul for another Trans Day of Remembrance.

And, of course, the chalice. We light it at least once a weekÐsometimes more often. The chalice holds more meanings than I can count, which is its power and beautyÐit is the spark of the divine within each of us; it is the light of truth; it is the fire of commitment; it is the warmth of community; it is a torch to the light the way; it is the fire we tend that was lit long before each of us; it is the gift we give to all those who seek it; it is an image from the 1940s; it is timeless; it is an object in our sanctuary; it is passion; it is reason; it is the flaming chalice, symbol of our faith.

Today, I want to do two things. I want to explore fire as a recurring symbol in our faith and our lives, and I want to guide us through our ritual of the Burning Bowl.

So: fire.

Fires must be fed. Like us, they eat. When I think of this, I see myself on my back porch, standing over a little black grill. I accidentally drop a ring of onion between the bars of a grill and into the coals, and I say what I always say when this happens, “That one is a sacrifice to the little god of the fire.” Fire must be fed. The fire in our church’s chalice eats oil; there’s an oil lamp inside of it. And the fire of our burning bowl eats…something more complicated than that.

In a literal sense, it eats accelerant and flash paper. But it also eats gifts from all of us.

The Burning Bowl or Fire Communion is a New Year’s service held by many Unitarian Universalists. This service is our chance as a community to consider our year, and consider our attitudes and behaviors, and then keep what was good, and let go of what was not.

What shall we each give the bowl this year? What is it that we are ready to leave behind? There is always a lot of advice flying around, especially this time of year, regarding exactly where we’ve all fallen short. Some of it may even be good advice. But I worry.

Because I want us to find our joy and our truth by what resonates as true within each of us, not by listening to shame. I want to speak from the heart about this. I think we all have something to let go of today. We all do things that hurt people. We all do things that hurt ourselves. And we all do things that do both, and we hurt others WHILE we hurt ourselves.

And many of us cling to these behaviors for reasons that are sometimes simple and sometimes complicated and hard to understand. In their misguided way, these behaviors protect or serve us. We lash out to push people away before they hurt us. We isolate ourselves to protect ourselves from the possibility of rejection. We say hurtful things to feel strong instead of weak. We judge because we are afraid of the danger others may be putting themselves in. We replicate cycles of abuse and oppression to maintain our power. … And we know we have to stop. But we get stuck. When someone else points it out, we start to panic. We feel ashamed. We spiral. And my friends, I don’t want you to let anything go today just because you are ashamed. You deserve to live a beautiful life free of whatever it is that has hurt you or those around you. We all deserve this, and we can build this life together. As Unitarian Universalists, we affirm that all people have inherent worth and dignity, and that includes you.

We can let go with a spirit of love, a spirit of care, a spirit of joy. And we can grieve whatever must be grieved with open hearts, unburdened by shame. Shame demands we shove whatever repulses us into a box and fight to keep it hidden. But with compassion, we can see that even our worst behaviors were trying to serve us, protect us, and show us love in a misguided and harmful way. And we can hold this part of ourselves close to our hearts, thank it for all it has tried to do and all that it has taught us, and then, finally, we can say goodbye, knowing that the sacred fire will transform it.

So let the fire shine its light upon you. Listen for the still small voice insideÐthe divine spark, which guides you towards a life of love and joy. And together we will feed this fire. For indeed, whatever you give the fire is a gift.

For the fire of the burning bowl will live by eating what you feed it, and will transform what it is fed, and it will feed you, too. And…I believe that by feeding the burning bowl, you also feed the chalice. What might you feed the fire today that will give fuel to the light that shines upon systems of oppression until they are no more? What might you feed the fire today that will cause the light of truth, the warmth of community, and the fire of commitment to burn even more brightly than before? What might you feed the fire today that will tend to your own divine spark and the divine spark of others? What might you feed the fire today that will honor and care for the flaming chalice, symbol of our faith, rich with infinite meaning?

So, with all of that in our minds and hearts, let us light the burning bowl and begin this ritual. We will consider the year together before bringing our gifts to the fire.

In a moment, I will invite Carolyn to carry a flame from the chalice into the bowl. As she does so, let us sit in prayer and contemplation of our own special relationships with the chalice. What values does it hold for you today? Which flames dance most beautifully within you this morning? If you are joining this ritual online, I invite you to light a candle, imagine the bowl vividly in your mind, or do whatever it is you would like to do to participate. I will hold this piece of flash paper for all of you and carry it into the fire last.

Carolyn, please light the fire. [Carolyn lights the bowl]

The fire of the chalice, which is now the fire of the burning bowl, welcomes you. Love, beauty, joy, and compassion live within it. The fire accepts all of who you are, and all of what you will give it. As you consider this past year, you may feel a sting of shame. You may recoil from something you wish you had not done. Please know that you are safe here. No one desires for you to feel any shame. You need not hide anything from this sacred fire. You are already held by what is sacred and counted among the beloved of the world. You are a creature of inherent worth and dignity, and nothing can change that fact. This truth lives within you, and you can return to it at any time.

Now, as the fire burns, let us take a moment to take stock of the past year: 2023. I invite you now to close your eyes if it will be helpful to you. Let the memories of this year flow through you, as much as you can. Say hello to your joys. Say hello to your sorrows. What did you do this year that brought you joy? And what did you do this year that did not? Let’s take a moment to hold each memory of our thoughts and actions, to see which brings joy and which does not. If shame comes, you need not fear it. You are safe here.

Now, let us hold our flash papers (or simply our thoughts) near to ourselves. You can hold this paper in any number of ways. Hold it against your heart so that it can feel what most longs to be free. Hold it against your head so that it can hear the thoughts which wheel within you. Hold it against the part of your body which feels most tense so that it can meet your body’s pain with compassion. Or hold it in a way that your heart, mind, body, or other guide asks you to. If you feel a mysterious communication, follow its guidance. You are safe here. Let us take a holy quiet moment to listen to whatever still small voice might speak to us now.

What shall you let go of today? There are many ways to know. You may know it by a word or phrase: fear, anger, bigotry, reliance on the opinion of others, self-doubt. You may know it by an image in your mind: a closed fist, a dying plant, a dusty stack of papers, an old book, an empty glass. You may know it by a feeling in your body: a tightness, a hot face, a sore throat, a restless urge to run. You may know it by a color, a face, a voice, a sound, or even a disorganized thought. These things go by many names. You may not be entirely sure what your gift to the fire will be today, and that is alright, too. You are safe here, and no one here desires that you feel any shame.

Whatever you will be letting go of today, hold its identity, its name, its image or thought or sound as you hold your paper. If you wish, you may whisper its name into your paper now.

Now, as you hold this thing in your hands, you might see that it is not what you first thought. Perhaps it is much larger than you realized; perhaps it is much smaller. It has done something for you, perhaps in a misguided way. It has tried to protect you, or tried to teach you. It may have harmed you, or it may have harmed others, or maybe both. But in its imperfect way, it has tried. Now comes its time for it to transform in the fire and find a new life, supporting the values you hold in the flame of the chalice.

If you are ready, or if you feel able, outloud or in your mind, I invite us now to thank these parts of ourselves for all they have taught us, by saying: “Thank you; I wish you well.” Thank you, I wish you well.

Now let’s cast them into the fire so they can begin their new existence! Friends in the sanctuary, please line up.

Friends who are online, please take this time to perform the remainder of this ritual however you have chosen to do so.

SERMON INDEX

Most sermons during the past 23 years are available online through this website. Click on the index link above to find tables of all sermons for each year listed by date (newest to oldest) with topic and speaker. Click on a topic to go to that sermon.

PODCASTS

Podcasts of this and other sermons are also available for free on iTunes. You can find them by clicking on the podcast link above or copying and pasting this link. https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/first-unitarian-universalist/id372427776

Centered Relationships are Key

November 13, 2023 by tom Posted in Audio available, Guest Speakers, Sermons

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Listen to the sermon by clicking the play button above.

Rev. Carrie Holley-Hurt
November 12, 2023
First UU Church of Austin
4700 Grover Ave., Austin, TX 78756
www.austinuu.org

As Unitarian Universalists, we work towards building the Beloved Community, a community in which everyone’s needs are centered and met and where equity is enshrined in all we do. As we work towards this larger and universal goal we also do the work of practicing the Beloved Community in our own space. Let’s explore the role of relationships in our practice of the Beloved Community and how those relationships have the power to transform us both individually and collectively.

Chalice Lighting

As we kindle this the flame, we honor and remember
Those who have passed into the mystery.
Their brightness lives on in our vision;
their courage lives on in our commitments;
and their love continues to bless the world through us.

Call to Worship

ANYONE’S MINISTRY
Rev. Gordon McKeeman

Ministry is

a quality of relationship between and among human beings that beckons forth hidden possibilities;

inviting people into deeper, more constant, more reverent relationship with the world and with one another;

carrying forward a long heritage of hope and liberation that has dignified and informed the human venture over many centuries;

being present with, to, and for others in their terrors and torments; in their grief, misery and pain; knowing that those feelings are our feelings, too;

celebrating the triumphs of the human spirit, the miracles of birth and life, the wonders of devotion and sacrifice;

witnessing to life-enhancing values;

speaking truth to power;

speaking for human dignity and equity, for compassion and aspiration;

believing in life in the presence of death;

struggling for human responsibility against principalities and structures that ignore humaneness and become instruments of death.

It is all these and much, much more than all of them, present in the wordless, the unspoken, the ineffable.

It is speaking and living the highest we know and living with the knowledge that it is never as deep, or as wide or a high as we wish. Whenever there is a meeting that summons us to our better selves, wherever

our lostness is found,

our fragments are united,

our wounds begin healing,

our spines stiffen and

our muscles grow strong for the task,

there is ministry.

Affirming Our Mission

Together we nourish souls, transform lives, and do justice to build the Beloved Community.

Reading

ONE LOVE
Rev. Dr. Hope Johnson

We are one,
A diverse group
Of proudly kindred spirits
Here not by coincidence–
But because we choose to journey-together.

We are active and proactive
We care deeply
We live our love, as best we can.

We ARE one
Working, Eating, Laughing,
Playing, Singing, Storytelling, Sharing and Rejoicing.
Getting to know each other,
Taking risks
Opening up.
Questioning, Seeking, Searching…
Trying to understand…
Struggling…
Making Mistakes
Paying Attention…
Asking Questions
Listening…
Living our Answers
Learning to love our neighbors
Learning to love ourselves.

Apologizing and forgiving with humility
Being forgiven, through Grace.

Creating the Beloved Community-Together
We are ONE.

Sermon

Text of this sermon is not yet available.

SERMON INDEX

PODCASTS

Culture of Caring

July 10, 2023 by tom Posted in Guest Speakers, Sermons

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Listen to the sermon by clicking the play button above.

Rev. Chris Jimmerson,
Susan Thomson, and Toni Wegner
July 9, 2023
First UU Church of Austin
4700 Grover Ave., Austin, TX 78756
www.austinuu.org

As a faith without creed, Unitarian Universalism is deeply rooted in relationship. We are a people of shared values, mission, and covenant, and through these we make sacred promises to care for one another and our world. Join Rev. Chris and the leaders of our First UU Cares Team as we explore how we can create an ever-increasing culture of caring at First UU Church of Austin.

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 that we share with one another as our struggle becomes our salvation.

Call to Worship

WE NEED ONE ANOTHER
by George Odell

We need one another when we mourn and want comfort.

We need one another when we are in trouble and are afraid.

We need one another when we are in despair, in temptation, and need to be recalled to our best selves again.

We need one another when we strive to accomplish some great purpose, and realize we cannot do it alone.

We need one another in the hour of success, when we look for someone to share triumphs.

We need one another in the hour of defeat, when with encouragement we try to endure, and stand again.

We need one another when we come to die and seek gentle hands to prepare us for the journey.

All our lives we are in need, and others are in need of us.

Affirming Our Mission

Together we nourish souls, transform lives, and do justice to build the Beloved Community.

Reading

BLESSING WHEN THE WORLD IS ENDING
by Jan Richardson

Look, the world
is always ending
somewhere.

Somewhere
the sun has come
crashing down.

Somewhere
it has gone
completely dark.

Somewhere
it has ended
with the gun
the knife
the fist.

Somewhere
it has ended
with the slammed door
the shattered hope.

Somewhere
it has ended
with the utter quiet
that follows the news
from the phone
the television
the hospital room.

Somewhere
it has ended
with a tenderness
hat will break
your heart.

But, listen,
this blessing means
to be anything
but morose.
It has not come
to cause despair.

It is simply here
because there is nothing
a blessing
is better suited for
than an ending,
nothing that cries out more
for a blessing
than when a world
is falling apart.

This blessing
will not fix you
will not mend
you will not give you
false comfort;
it will not talk to you
about one door opening
when another one closes.

It will simply
sit itself beside you
among the shards
and gently turn your face
toward the direction
from which the light
will come,
gathering itself
about you
as the world begins
again.

Sermon

LIVING OUR MISSION
Susan Thomson

I had the privilege in 2010 to be on the church board that created our first mission. We led a worship service to introduce the mission, and as we walked out of the sanctuary someone said very excitedly, “We should write that mission on the wall above the sanctuary doors!”. This was very gratifying as we had no idea how it would be received. Well, it ended up on the wall inside the sanctuary and we of course recite it together every week. The mission you see was revised a few years ago to add the beloved community, and it will be reviewed periodically by future boards with your input.

At some point it occurred to me that as a member of this church I have a role to play in living our mission. This may be a direct result of my Methodist upbringing. One of my major takeaways from the Methodist church of my youth is this quote from John Wesley, a founder of the Methodist church.

Do all the good you can,
by all the means you can,
in all the ways you can,
in all the places you can,
at all the times you can,
to all the people you can,
as long as ever you can.

That’s a very tall order! I shared this quote with my spiritual companion who I have been meeting with regularly since my first year in Wellspring in 2016. The context was that I struggle with feeling that I’m never doing enough. She shared some wise insights as she usually does. When I later told her I wanted to give her credit in a homily I was preparing, being the very ethical person she is, she asked me not to use her name. So I am referring to her as “she who will not be named.”

She who will not be named pointed out to me that John Wesley did not say you have to do it all. He said, do what you can. Then she shared with me a quote often attributed to Rabbi Tarfon. He was commenting on Micah 6: verse 8. He said:

I keep this on a sticky note on my computer.

Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justly, now,

Love mercy, now.

Walk humbly, now.

You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.

So how do we do what we can to live our mission? Our wonderful social justice leaders give us many ways and means to do what we can to do justice. We are not expected to do it all.

We have opportunities to transform lives as well. If we have gifts of music or art or helping with worship services, we can share those. The second verse from the hymn, “Love Will Guide Us”, is as follows,

If you cannot sing like angels,
If you cannot speak before thousands,
You can give from deep inside you,
You can change the world with your love.

My husband Tom and I always smile at each other when we sing that verse because neither of us sings like angels!

So how can we nourish souls? This part of our mission speaks to me of how we nourish souls by caring for one another. Two of our 5 values also speak directly of caring:

Community-to connect with joy, sorrow and service with those whose lives we touch

Compassion-to treat ourselves and others with love

Our service today is focused on creating a culture of caring within this congregation. First UU Cares is our formal caring ministry. We work alongside our ministers to provide care in a variety of ways. We now have a great group of volunteers who are literally able to nourish souls by bringing meals to congregants who are ill or who are welcoming newborns into their home. They bring food to memorial service receptions. They are also available to visit congregants who are hospitalized or ill at home. More volunteers are always welcomed.

But we can nourish souls as well by simply caring about each other and reaching out when we learn that someone in our community is facing the challenges life sometimes presents us, be that dealing with a serious illness, grieving the loss of a loved one, or even a happy event such as welcoming a newborn.

The announcements under “First UU Cares” in our Friday newsletter and the announcements from the pulpit before we light candles are a new means of informing our church community about these challenges. We can’t reach out to nourish souls if we are unaware of who might appreciate this. We encourage you as you feel comfortable to either let our ministers know of your own situations you wish to share or those of others in our church community. None of these announcements are made without the permission of the persons being referenced. But they give each of us the opportunity to do what we can to nourish souls.

CULTURE OF CARING
Toni Wegner

I want to talk a bit today about what a culture of caring might look like, because I was fortunate to experience this firsthand. My husband, two daughters and I moved in 2000 to Winchester, MA, a suburb of Boston, far away from any family. We both had jobs at Harvard and kept busy with work and child-related activities. We were not church goers. When 9/11 hit, we felt the lack of community in our lives and wandered into the UU church in our town. We loved the services and kept going back, but the only activity we did outside of Sunday service was a Circle Dinner Ð where 8 of us met 4 times for pot luck suppers. A year later, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and had major surgery and chemo. We were totally blown away when two different people from that group dropped by with dinner, and then a couple more that we didn’t even know. My husband did all of our cooking and would have never asked for help, but I can’t express how helpful it was not to have to think about a meal, and how touched we were that these people reached out. This is when I realized what it means to be part of a community. The interim minister also visited me in the hospital, apparently after one of my daughters mentioned something in youth group. Mind you, we weren’t even members of the church, but we were definitely embraced by the community.

We were fully engaged members of the Winchester UU church community seven years later when my husband was diagnosed with ALS, which our most recent minister had just died of. The disease progression was gradual, mostly predictable. Being quite capable and independent people, it would never have occurred to us to ask for or accept help from others – we could manage it. But offers of help poured in, or sometimes people just showed up. People really wanted to do something to help. One fall morning we heard a bit of commotion outside as we were getting dressed to find 8 church members armed with leaf blowers, rakes and bags cleaning up the fall leaves. That was great! My husband was a big man and feared that I wouldn’t be able to get him up off the ground if he fell. His physical therapist offered to teach a class on how to get someone off the ground, no matter how big they are (but it took 2 people). We invited interested church members to attend and had over 20 participants. He fell twice after that, and both times I called people from the class; they came right over to help. It was a challenging time for sure, but the love and support of members of the church really held us up and carried us through. The type of help ranged from meals to rides to dog walks to cards, flowers, visits and check-in emails. It was comforting to know we were not doing this alone.

When my husband died, the memorial services team walked me through everything to help create a perfect celebration of his life. As with most people who do this for the first time, I had no idea where to begin, and it really meant a lot to have someone guide me through that. That’s the reason I signed up for the memorial services reception team after I joined this church.

Based on my experience, here’s what I think are key elements of a culture of caring:

1. Let the ministers and First UU Cares know when you are in need or experiencing a life event – and let them spread the word. Sharing your news helps us to connect as a community, and no matter how minor it may seem to you, it’s helpful to know that others care.

2. Say yes to help, even if you think you don’t need it. People want to help, and there is very likely something they can do to be helpful (even if it’s not a casserole). Having one less thing to do can make a big difference, even if it’s something you can do.

3. Keep in mind that you don’t have to know someone to offer to help. We are all part of this community.

First UU Cares gives us an opportunity to engage in a culture of caring, which we need now more than ever.

Through a culture of caring, we can continue to grow and develop our shared values, mission, and covenant.

Benediction

In the night, I dreamt of a world made better by our togetherness.

Of reaching toward never before imagined horizons, Made knowable and possible only by living in mutuality.

I saw distant lands made out like visions of paradise, Replenished and remade through a courage that embraced interdependence.

We dwelt in fields of green together, Fertile valleys nurtured by trust.

We built visions of love and beauty and justice, Nourished by partnership, cultivated through solidarity.

I dreamt of lush forests thriving with life, Oceans teaming with vitality,

Mountains stretching toward majesty,

Our world made whole again.

These things we had done together.

These things we had brought to pass with each other.

These dream world imaginings seemed possible in the boundless potential we create by caring for one another.

I awoke,
And still, the dream continues.

SERMON INDEX

PODCASTS

Joy and Justice, Amen

July 5, 2023 by tom Posted in Audio available, Guest Speakers, Sermons

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Listen to the sermon by clicking the play button above.

Rev. Julicia Hermann de la Fuente
July 2, 2023
First UU Church of Austin
4700 Grover Ave., Austin, TX 78756
www.austinuu.org

There are so many things vying for our attention and energy. How do we manage it all? How do we find joy and satisfaction? How do we fit our commitment to justice among the many other things that need doing? Let’s explore the possibility of sustainable and joyful liberation and transformation, in our lives and our communities.

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 that we share with one another as our struggle becomes our salvation.

Call to Worship

By no means are we Unitarian Universalists perfect. We often fail as much as we succeed. Yet even when we have broken our vows a thousand times we return to this essential work of justice and liberation for all. We do the work best when we remember what the church is and what it is not.

Church is not a place to hide. It is not the place to get away from the world. It is not place shere we get to pretend that the lives we live and our particular situations are not terribly complex, often confusing, and sometimes depressing.

Church is the place where we stand with one another, look the world in the eye, attempt to see clearly, and gather strength to face what we see with courage and yes, with joy. Come, let us worship together.

– Rosemary McKnight

Affirming Our Mission

Together we nourish souls, transform lives, and do justice to build the Beloved Community.

Reading

V’AHAVTA
by Aurora Levins Morales

Say these words
when you lie down and
when you rise up,
when you go out and
when you return,
in times of mourning and
times of joy.

Inscribe them on your doorposts,
embroider them on your garments,
tattoo them on your shoulder,
teach them to your children,
your neighbors,
your enemies.

Recite them in your streets.
Here, in the cruel shadow of empire.

Another world is possible.

Thus spoke the prophet Roque Dalton:
All together they have more death than we,
but all together, we have more life than they.
There is more bloody death in their hands
than we could ever wield, unless
we lay down our souls to become them,
and then we will lose everything.
So instead,

imagine winning. This is your
sacred task.
This is your power. Imagine
every detail of winning, the exact smell
of the summer streets
in which no one has been shot, the
muscles you have never
unclenched from worry, gone soft as
newborn skin,
the sparkling taste of food when we know
that no one on earth is hungry, that the
beggars are fed,
that the old man under the bridge and
the woman wrapping herself in thin sheets in the
back seat of a car,
and the children who suck on stones,
nest under a flock of roofs that keep
multiplying their shelter.
Lean with all your being towards that day
when the poor of the world shake down a
rain of good fortune out of the heavy clouds, and justice
rolls down like waters.

Defend the world in which we win as if
it were your child.
It is your child.
Defend it as if it were your lover.
It is your lover.

When you inhale and when you exhale
breathe the possibility of another world
into the 37.2 trillion cells of your body
until it shines with hope.
Then imagine more.

Imagine rape is unimaginable. Imagine
war is a scarcely credible rumor
That the crimes of our age, the
grotesque inhumanities of greed,
the sheer and astounding shamelessness
of it, the vast fortunes
made by stealing lives, the horrible
normalcy it came to have,
is unimaginable to our heirs, the
generations of the free.

Don’t waver. Don’t let despair sink its
sharp teeth
Into the throat with which you
sing. Escalate your dreams.
Make them burn
so fiercely that you can
follow them down
any dark alleyway of history and not
lose your way.
Make them burn clear as a starry
drinking gourd
Over the grim fog of exhaustion, and
keep walking.

Hold hands. Share water. Keep imagining.
So that we, and the children of our
children’s children may live

Sermon

Text of this sermon is not yet available.

SERMON INDEX

PODCASTS

Toward our Metamorphosis into Who Knows What

June 28, 2023 by tom Posted in Audio available, Guest Speakers, Sermons

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Listen to the sermon by clicking the play button above.

Rev. Chris Buice
June 25, 2023
First UU Church of Austin
4700 Grover Ave., Austin, TX 78756
www.austinuu.org

We bring a very special worship service from our annual Unitarian Universalist General Assembly, where UUs from from far and wide have gathered in Pittsburgh this week. Our Director of Religious Education, Kelly Stokes, leads our service as we join our larger faith in worship. Rev Buice is minister of the Tennessee Valley UU Church in Knoxville, Tenn.

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 that we share with one another as our struggle becomes our salvation.

Affirming Our Mission

Together we nourish souls, transform lives, and do justice to build the Beloved Community.

Reading

PUSHING FORWARD
By Elandria Williams

If we believe in the promise of our faith, we must continue pushing forward, even if the reality makes us want to give up. There is no one-size-fits-all solution or model, but there are many paths forward based on context, relationships, and place.

Ideology sparks movements, but relationships are what changes organizations and sustain movements. It takes one relationship at a time. In the end changes to the leadership of the institution happen because of relationships, people pushing. We must place value on the relationships and the need to not leave folks behind in our quest for transformation.

I live in a small city, and living in that small city helps me understand what community means. Community doesn’t only include the people who agree with you or those with whom you want to be friends. Our Unitarian Universalist faith is similar in the sense that we are a small religious community of people who are not bound by creed but instead are bound by principles, values, and a covenant with a need for intellectual rigor combined with spiritual depth or humanist love. Everything comes back to our congregations and covenanted communities. That is where the faith starts and ends. We must embody the changes we wish to see and not just say that we believe in the changes. We must actually live the changes with every fabric of our being. If we believe in the promise of our faith, we must continue pushing forward.

Sermon

Text of this sermon is not yet available.

SERMON INDEX

PODCASTS

Rise and Shine

April 6, 2023 by tom Posted in Audio available, Guest Speakers, Sermons

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Chaplain Anthony Jenkins
April 2, 2023
First UU Church of Austin
4700 Grover Ave., Austin, TX 78756
www.austinuu.org

Chaplain Anthony Jenkins will lead a worship service exploring the interfaith intersection of the modern Easter holiday – through an ancient (and Divine Feminine) prism. This morning will be a hearing of sorts, a trial for the rightful ownership of Easter. You will be the jury.

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 that we share with one another as our struggle becomes our salvation.

Affirming Our Mission

Together we nourish souls, transform lives, and do justice to build the Beloved Community.

Reflection #1 – Ostara

Reflection #2 – Ishtar

Reflection #3 – Shifra

Reflection #4 – Mary Magdalene

SERMON INDEX

PODCASTS

Liturgy: The (Earth) Work of the People

March 27, 2023 by tom Posted in Audio available, Guest Speakers, Sermons

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Rev. Sara Green
March 26, 2023
First UU Church of Austin
4700 Grover Ave., Austin, TX 78756
www.austinuu.org

There are many interpretations about what we are supposed to be doing as a church – rituals, building community and justice, are just a few. Liturgy, sometimes interpreted as the work of the people, calls us to make micro experiments in beloved community creation. Let’s explore how our care of land and collaboration with the planet helps us to dig deeper into our mission in our communities.

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 that we share with one another as our struggle becomes our salvation.

Call to Worship

Excerp from “Evidence”
by Alexis Pauline Gumbs

Affirming Our Mission

Together we nourish souls, transform lives, and do justice to build the Beloved Community.

Meditation Reading

Excerpt for “Being Black”
by Angel Kyodo Williams

Sermon

Text of this sermon is not yet available.

SERMON INDEX

PODCASTS

Choose Kindness

March 20, 2023 by tom Posted in Audio available, Guest Speakers, Sermons

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Listen to the sermon by clicking the play button above.

Rev. Ed Proulx
March 19, 2023
First UU Church of Austin
4700 Grover Ave., Austin, TX 78756
www.austinuu.org

We have seen the unspeakable become commonplace. It’s become more and more common and unspeakable. How do we, as religious people address our societal breakdown? One conversation at a time.

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 that we share with one another as our struggle becomes our salvation.

Call to Worship

OUR LIVES INTERSECT AND INTERTWINE
By Tania Marquez

It is a wonder and mystery that our paths have crossed;
That in the immensity of time, in the vastness of space,
we coincide here.
I am in awe at the ways in which our lives intersect and intertwine,
at the beauty we create when we gather.
May our coming together make us more compassionate,
more just, more caring, and more loving.
May our hearts and minds be open to this offering.
I am so glad you are here.
Let us worship, let us marvel at the miracle of being here, right now,
and the Mystery that has brought us together.

Affirming Our Mission

Together we nourish souls, transform lives, and do justice to build the Beloved Community.

Meditation Reading

To laugh is to risk appearing a fool,
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental
To reach out to another is to risk involvement,
To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self
To place your ideas and dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss
To love is to risk not being loved in return,
To hope is to risk despair,
To try is to risk failure.

But risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.
The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing.
He may avoid suffering and sorrow,
But he cannot learn, feel, change, grow or live.
Chained by his servitude he is a slave who has forfeited all freedom.
Only a person who risks is free.

– William Arthur Ward

Sermon

Text of this sermon is not yet available.

SERMON INDEX

PODCASTS

A Return to Center, A Return to Love

February 19, 2023 by tom Posted in Audio available, Guest Speakers, Sermons

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Listen to the sermon by clicking the play button above.

Rev. Addae Kraba
February 19, 2023
First UU Church of Austin
4700 Grover Ave., Austin, TX 78756
www.austinuu.org

Since time immemorial love has been the topic of conversations. We are endowed with a boundless capacity to love, but when we are filled with emotions like fear and anger we shield love’s pulsating rays. – Addae Kraba

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 that we share with one another as our struggle becomes our salvation.

Call to Worship

WE ARE ONE
By Hope Johnson

We are one, a diverse group of proudly kindred spirits, here not by coincidence but because we choose to journey together. We are active and proactive. We care deeply. We live our love as best we can.

We are one, working, eating, laughing, playing, singing, storytelling, sharing, and rejoicing, getting to know each other, taking risks, opening up, questioning, seeking, searching, trying to understand, struggling, making mistakes, paying attention, asking questions, listening, living our answers, learning to love our neighbors, learning to love ourselves, apologizing and forgiving with humility, and being forgiven through grace, creating the beloved community together. We are one.

Affirming Our Mission

Together we nourish souls, transform lives, and do justice to build the Beloved Community.

Meditation Reading

NO ONE IS OUTSIDE THE CIRCLE OF LOVE
By Susan Frederick-Gray, Erika Hewitt

We know that hurt moves through the world, perpetrated by action, inaction, and indifference. Our values call us to live in the reality of the heartbreak of our world, remembering that:

“No one is outside the circle of love.”

We who are Unitarian Universalist not only affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person; we also affirm the inherent wholeness of every beingÑdespite apparent brokenness.

“No one is outside the circle of love.”

We know that things break, or break down: promises, friendship, sobriety, hope, communication. This breaking happens because our human hearts and our very institutions are frail and imperfect. We make mistakes. Life is messy.

“No one is outside the circle of love.”

With compassion as our guide, we seek the well-being of all people. We seek to dismantle systems of oppression that undermine our collective humanity. We believe that weÕre here to guide one another toward Love.

“No one is outside the circle of love.”

No matter how fractured we are or once were, we can make whole people of ourselves. We are whole at our core, because of the great, unnameable, sometimes inconceivable Love in which we live.

“No one is outside the circle of love.”

Sermon

Text of this sermon is not yet available.

SERMON INDEX

PODCASTS

Finding our Center: Building a New Way

February 3, 2023 by tom Posted in Audio available, Guest Speakers, Sermons

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Listen to the sermon by clicking the play button above.

Rev. Chris Long
January 29, 2023
First UU Church of Austin
4700 Grover Ave., Austin, TX 78756
www.austinuu.org

Please join Rev Chris Long, The Minister of Congregational Life (Unitarian Church of Baton Rouge, LA), as he returns to Austin for the first time since 1994 -1995. He will explore the Soul Matters theme of the month.

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 that we share with one another as our struggle becomes our salvation.

Call to Worship

THE COURAGE TO BEGIN ANEW
By the Reverend Rosemary Bray McNatt
President of Starr King School for the Ministry – Oakland, CA

…In this moment of worship we call to mind those times of failure and regret common to all of us. We remember first, in silence, those times when we have failed to do all that we meant to do, or through our actions failed to be all we were meant to be.

We now recall our moments of integrity, those times we have lived into our deepest values, and acted as the human beings we always dreamed of being.

We choose at this moment to lay down the burden of our shortcomings, and grasp the courage to begin anew. Together, we affirm our capacity for goodness and grace, for freedom and purpose and joy. We are not trapped in our past, but freed by creation to live and grow today. With gratitude, we say blessed be and amen.

Affirming Our Mission

Together we nourish souls, transform lives, and do justice to build the Beloved Community.

Meditation Reading

RESPONDING TO VIOLENCE IN OUR WORLD
By The Reverend Dr. Hope Johnson – Of Blessed Memory
(Excepted from the UUA Website – November 13, 2017)

“…We can pause. We can express our gratitude for the positive efforts being made. We can each do something. And we can celebrate the fact that none of us is alone – we’re a team. From there, we can work with our congregations by supporting their efforts to balance the disparities that abound. We don’t have to do it all but, if we want to be part of the change that we’d like to see, we do have to keep challenging each other, not by being hard on ourselves, but by being real….”

Sermon

My name is Rev. Chris Long. My pronouns of choice are he/him/his. I am so delighted to be HERE!! I am so delighted to be here, in Austin, Texas for the first time in 29 years. It has been both a time- traveling and soul affirming experience since arriving Thursday evening.

I had the great fortune to complete a 16-week internship at St. David’s Rehabilitation Center as a part of my undergraduate degree in Therapeutic Recreation!!!! As fate, LIFE, would have it, it would be another five years before I would meet Unitarian Universalism, and The Reverend Jonula Johnstone who was then Minister of James Reeb Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Madison, Wisconsin.

On December 12, 1999, in Reverend Jonalu’s then Church Office, I would “Sign the Book” to become a Unitarian Universalist. Since that FaithFULL day, I have been humbled to call here a Dear Mentor, Ministerial Colleague and Friend.

It is through these many years of connection, support, love, and with the affirmations by Reverends Chris and Erin that I am truly grateful to be here today with you, all!! Good morning!!! A special note of thanks to Reverends Chris, and Erin, Kelly Stokes, Brent Baldwin, Peter, Rina Saporssantos, and all of the staff, technical support staff and volunteers who have made my visit here one I will long remember. Also, I am grateful to have had conversations of grounding and connecting with some of the BIPOC Members of this congregation. My soul is FULL Y’all!!!

The title and theme for today’s Worship Service is, “Finding Our Center: Building a New “Way”.

When you hear the word, or phrase, ‘to center’ or to be ‘centered’ what comes to mind? If you are one who practices yoga, forest bathing, Buddhism, or any other number of meditations or spiritual practices. If you engage regular exercise, you have a music practice, you may be familiar with the concept or practice of being “centered”. And if you do not practice any form of regular “centering” for any number of reasons, too much work, the children are your “center”, or if one’s body is not able to do any of those forms of centering, you are not alone!!

And again, what on earth does it mean to “Find Our Center” to those of us who are not sure what it is? Furthermore, is it the same as being ‘grounded’? As important is what does this have to do with me, or you, being a Unitarian Universalist, members of this congregation or someone seeking possible community with us, and why now?

First, I find it very important to state, that finding ‘center’is not a static place, and if one does not know what it is, or find it important, this is OK. And, I hope that we all could use some supports in working, working, to explore if and why it is a concept we might continue or begin to practice,… as the days, moments, years of our lives are or may be becoming ever busy. Ever busy, complex and our lives, friends and families pull at all of what it means to be a human being, today.

In searching for support on the subjects of centering and ground, I found something on the topic by Dr. Diana Raab. Dr. Raab is a Transpersonal Psychologist who has written extensively about the subjects of “centering” and “grounding” helping me to frame some of my thinking for today’s Offering. From the February 3, 2020 online issue of Psychology Today Dr. Raab wrote:

“Sometimes the words centering and grounding are used interchangeably. Centering usually refers to our mental and physical state of mind. It’s the place we know we have to get back to when we’re not feeling like ourselves. When we’re not centered, we might feel lost or out of touch with ourselves. When we center ourselves, we bring calm to our emotions. We do so by slowing down our breathing so that we “feel” more of what’s going on around us. Becoming centered is a way to find peace within the chaos that might be surrounding us. It’s about being “in check” with what’s going on. Individuals who are centered are typically calm and peaceful.”

She goes on to say,

“Grounding is a term used in conjunction with the energy fields around us. Being grounded means that we’re content with who we are. We’re sure of ourselves and have confidence in the decisions we make. Becoming grounded is about getting rid of excessive energy in the body, allowing clean energy to come through. When we ground ourselves, we’re calming or slowing down our emotions and getting more in touch with our internal and external worlds. Grounding our energy can be helpful when we feel either unbalanced or nervous. Being grounded also means that we’re more mindful with respect to our environment.”

Centering and grounding. In preparation for today’s Service, I am humbled to say that I have had a few weeks of connecting conversations with Reverends Chris, Jonalu and Erin. Also, through my chats with Peter and with some of the BIPIC members over a meals the last two days, I got to take in each person’s passions regarding the health, health of this Church, and in the areas of continued hope and possibilities that you all are working, working, into in the life of this congregation.

Additionally, I took a few minutes to look over this Church’s history wall in Hausen Hall. I was amazed to learn some gathered under the values and beliefs of Unitarianism starting here,in Austin, in the late 1800s. Then, officially becoming a Unitarian Church in 1954!!

Y’all have been around a long time, and doing the sacred, holy work of justice, love and mercy. AMEN???

In this time of continued transition as a congregation on many levels, namely how we all continue to navigate life post the hardest parts of the pandemic, having the realities, and difficulty of Reverend Meg Barnhouse deciding to retire in May of last year, leaving sooner than most would have desired, and to be in the middle of the process, holy process, of deciding the next chapter in the life of this congregation related to selecting your Senior Minister, the transitions continue.

And, AND, I am learning joy, justice, mercy and a deep dedication to embodying the 8th Principle, again, the work of embodying the 8th Principle, as a spiritual, religious undertaking is mission, vision of this historic Church. Amen???

As you may well know, one of your Ends Statement Reads:

“Together we nourish souls, transform lives, and do justice to build the Beloved Community.”

Even, or especially with all of the changes going on inside and around us, the violence in particular, how shall we work on finding our center, during these ever uncertain times? How can, or might we do the work needed to build a new way towards more love, justice and mercy now? The Reading Peter shared a few minutes ago was excerpted from an article on the Unitarian Universalist Association website, uua.org, from November 13, 2017. Again titled, “Responding to the Violence in Our World”.

The Reverend Dr. Hope Johnson, who was a long-time mentor, friend, colleague, now an Ancestor of Blessed Memory, crafted those words in a short, sacred article in response to some of the violence, in the name of religion, that was happening in the world at that time. I highly commend it to you for your ongoing reflection as we potentially continue or begin to reflect on the possibilities of having this church, and other spots in our world be considered, a place for meaningful, ongoing centering, and grounding.

As Unitarian Universalists or those seeking to become a part of this sacred community and living religious tradition, what role, if any does this congregation play in working towards more justice, mercy, compassion and love for all, right here, right now? Do we have a role in co- creating the world that we seek? If we do, or do not have a practice, or practices of “centering”, how might we consider starting a practice so that we can weather the storms of our lives that will, that will come? How are we, or might we do this in community here?

As critical, and at once, if you will, how do we explore not only centering that is needed here, but how might we move our justice making into the center of marginalized communities, in even more authentic and accountable ways? At the close of the article of the Reading shared, Reverend Dr. Hope Johnson shares this, just as yet another heart breaking, soul wrenching attack killing many and wounding more had happened, in the name of religion.

She writes:

“And yet, I know how important it is for us to allow our grief-filled hearts to invite faith, hope and love to seep in–drop by precious drop. Allow our hearts to guide us in coming together, once again, as often as we must, to claim that we will not let fear dictate the kind of people we are and will be, in spite of the anger, the tears and the fears. Allow us to be the people who know how to respond-yes, once again-by uniting our actions, our hearts and our minds in love. Allow us to remember as we work with the larger world, our congregations, and each other, that we are part of a team, doing the work that we have each been called to do.”

As we begin to take our leave from this Worship Service today, may we find this Church to be a place of ongoing “centering and grounding”. Especially as we dig ever more deeply, into harder religious questions of our day. May we continue to do this holy work in faith, love and compassion, in our precious, precious lives?

Amen, Ashe, Blessed Be, Shalom, Salaam and May it Be So!!

SERMON INDEX

PODCASTS

2022 Lessons and Carols

December 28, 2022 by tom Posted in Audio available, Guest Speakers, Sermons

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Listen to the sermon by clicking the play button above.

Lay Leaders
December 25, 2022
First UU Church of Austin
4700 Grover Ave., Austin, TX 78756
www.austinuu.org

Come join our annual Christmas Eve worship service of Lessons and Carols. We will read, from the Christian texts, the story of Rabbi Jesus’ heralded birth as well as sing Christmas carols and hymns for the holiday.

Chalice Lighting

On this night of anticipation, we raise our voices in story and song to greet Christmas. May the lessons of compassion, trust, and generosity alight within us and lead us into the new day, renewed.

Opening Words

The Persian poet Rumi wrote,

God’s joy moves from unmarked box to unmarked box
From cell to cell. As rainwater, down into flowerbed.
As roses, up from ground.
Now it looks like a plate of rice and fish,
Now a cliff covered with vines,
Now a horse being saddled.
[God’s joy] hides within these,
Till one day it cracks them open.

Reading

“COME INTO CHRISTMAS”
by Ellen Fay

It is the winter season of the year
Dark and chilly
Perhaps it is a winter season in your life.
Dark and chilly there, too
Come in to Christmas here,
Let the light and warmth of Christmas brighten our
lives and the world.
Let us find in the dark corners of our souls the
light of hope,
A vision of the extraordinary in the ordinary.
Let us find rest in the quiet of a holy moment to
find promise and renewal.
Let us find the child in each of us, the new hope,
the new light, born in us.
Then will Christmas come
Then will magic return to the world.

Reading

“THE SHORTEST DAY”
by Susan Cooper

So the shortest day came, and the year died,
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive,
And when the new year’s sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, reveling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing behind us-Listen!!
All the long echoes sing the same delight,
This shortest day,
As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
They carol, fest, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And so do we, here, now,
This year and every year.
Welcome Yule!

Reading

“ON ANGELS”
by Czeslaw Milosz

All was taken away from you: white dresses,
wings, even existence.
Yet I believe you,
messengers.
There, where the world is turned inside out,
a heavy fabric embroidered with stars and beasts,
you stroll, inspecting the trustworthy seams.
Short is your stay here:
now and then at a morning hour, if the sky is clear,
in a melody repeated by a bird,
or in the smell of apples at close of day
when the light makes the orchards magic.
They say somebody has invented you
but to me this does not sound convincing
for the humans invented themselves as well.
The voice – no doubt it is a valid proof,
as it can belong only to radiant creatures,
weightless and winged (after all, why not?),
girdled with the lightning.
I have heard that voice many a time when asleep
and, what is strange, I understood more or less
an order or an appeal in an unearthly tongue:
day draws near
another one
do what you can.

Reading

Luke 2: 1-7

1. And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
2. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3. And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
5. To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
6. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Reading

A GENTLE KIND OF MADNESS
by Anthony F. Perrino

A gentle kind of madness
Comes with the end of December
A winter solstice spell, perhaps,
When people forget to remember –

The drab realities of fact,
The cherished hurt of ancient wrongs,
The lonely comfort of being deaf
To human sighs and angels’ songs.

Suddenly, they lose their minds
To hearts’ demands and beauty’s grace;
And deeds extravagant with love
Give glory to the commonplace.
Armies halt their marching,
Hatreds pause in strange regard
For the sweet and gentle madness born
when a wintry sky was starred.

Reading

“EACH NIGHT A CHILD IS BORN”
by Sophia Lyon Fahs

For so the children come
and so they have been coming.
Always in the same way they came-
Born of the seed of man and woman.

No angels herald their beginnings.
No prophets predict their future courses.
no wise man see a star to show where to find
The babe that will save humankind.
Yet each night a child is born is a holy night.
Fathers and mothers
Sitting beside their children’s cribs-
Feel glory in the sight of a new beginning.
They ask “Where and how will this new life end?
Or will it ever end?”

Each night a child is born is a holy night
A time for singing-
A time for wondering
A time for worshipping.

Reading

Luke 2: 8-14

8. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Reading

“IN THIS NIGHT”
by Dorothee Solle

In this night the stars left their habitual places
And kindled wildfire tidings
that spread faster than sound.
In this night the shepherds left their posts
To shout the new slogans
into each other’s clogged ears.
In this night the foxes left their warm burrows
and the lion spoke with deliberation,
“This is the end revolution”
In this night roses fooled the earth
And began to bloom in snow.

Reading

Luke 2:15-20

15. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
17. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
20. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Reading

“THE CAMELS SPEAK”
by Lynn Ungar

Of course they never consulted us.
They were wise men, kings, star-readers,
and we merely transportation.
They simply loaded us with gifts
and turned us toward the star.
I ask you, what would a king know
of choosing presents for a child?
Had they ever even seen a baby
born to such simple folks,
so naked of pretension,
so open to the wind?
What would such a child care
for perfumes and gold? Far better
to have asked one born in the desert,
tested by wind and sand. We saw
what he would need: the gift
of perseverance, of continuing on the hard way,
making do with what there is,
living on what you have inside.
The gift of holding up under a burden,
of lifting another with grace, of kneeling
To accept the weight of what you must bear.
Our footsteps could have rocked him
with the rhythm of the road,
shown him comfort in a harsh land,
the dignity of continually moving forward.
But the wise men were not
wise enough to ask. They simply
left their trinkets and admired
the rustic view. Before you knew it
we were turned again toward home,
carrying men only half-willing
to be amazed. But never mind.
We saw the baby, felt him reach
for the bright tassels of our gear.
We desert amblers have our ways
of seeing what you chatterers must miss.
That child at heart knows something
about following a star. Our gifts are given.
Have no doubt. His life will bear
the print of who we are.

Reading

A RITUAL OF THE WINTER SOLSTICE FIRE”
Rev. Meg Barnhouse

Let us take into our hands a Christmas candle, a Solstice candle
this is a night of ancient joy and ancient fear
those who have gone before us were fearful of what lurked
outside the ring of fire, of light and warmth.
As we light this fire we ask that the fullness of its flame
protect each of us from what we fear most
and guide us towards our perfect light and joy.

May we each be encircled by the fire and warmth of love
and by the flame of our friendship with one another.
On this night, it was the ancient custom to exchange gifts
of light, symbolic of the new light of the sun.

Therefore make ready for the light!
Light of star, light of candle,
Firelight, lamplight, love light

Let us share the gift of light.

Reading

“THE WORK OF CHRISTMAS”
by Howard Thurman

When the song of angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are
home,
When shepherds are back with
their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
to find the lost,
to heal the broken,
to feed the hungry,
to release the prisoner,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among the brothers,
to make music in the heart.

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.

Closing Words

“KNEELING IN BETHLEHEM”
by Ann Weems

It is not over, this birthing.
There are always newer skies
into which God can throw stars.
When we begin to think
that we can predict the Advent of God,
that we can box the Christ in a stable in Bethlehem,
that’s just the time that God will be born
in a place we can’t imagine and won’t believe.
Those who wait for God
watch with their hearts and not their eyes,
listening, always listening for angel words.

Most sermons during the past 22 years are available online through this website. Click on the index link below to find tables of all sermons for each year listed by date (newest to oldest) with topic and speaker. Click on a topic to go to that sermon.

SERMON INDEX

Podcasts of this and other sermons are also available for free on iTunes. You can find them by clicking on the podcast link below or copying and pasting this link. https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/first-unitarian-universalist/id372427776

PODCASTS

Reproductive Justice and our UU Faith

November 21, 2022 by tom Posted in Audio available, Chris Jimmerson, Guest Speakers, Sermons

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Listen to the sermon by clicking the play button above.

Rev. Chris Jimmerson
November 20, 2022
First UU Church of Austin
4700 Grover Ave., Austin, TX 78756
www.austinuu.org

Our faith proclaims that reproductive justice is a vital component of and inextricably intertwined with our anti- racism and anti-oppression efforts to build the Beloved Community. Some of our fellow church participants will share their stories of how it (or the lack of it) influenced their lives, and the lives of their loved ones.

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 that we share with one another as our struggle becomes our salvation.

Affirming Our Mission

Together we nourish souls, transform lives, and do justice to build the Beloved Community.

Reading

Reproductive justice emphasizes that everything is connected, and therefore insists we refuse to isolate or pit important social issues against each other. Instead, reproductive justice advances these rights across the interdependent web of social justice issues. As the advocacy group Forward Together puts it in their “Strong Families” initiative, reproductive justice calls on us to work towards a world where every person and family has the rights, recognition, and resources to make decisions about their gender, their bodies, and their sexuality; where every person, family, and community has what they need to flourish.

– Rev Darcy Baxter

Sermon

Text of this sermon is not yet available.

SERMON INDEX

Most sermons during the past 22 years are available online through this website. Click on the index link above to find tables of all sermons for each year listed by date (newest to oldest) with topic and speaker. Click on a topic to go to that sermon.

PODCASTS

Return to Love

October 9, 2022 by tom Posted in Audio available, Guest Speakers, Sermons

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Listen to the sermon by clicking the play button above.

Rev. Anthony Jenkins
October 9, 2022
First UU Church of Austin
4700 Grover Ave., Austin, TX 78756
www.austinuu.org

In this season of atonement – reuniting darkness and light (Fall Equinox) and souls with their wholeness (Yom Kippur) – Anthony Jenkins will invite us to contemplate the concept of tough love. Together we’ll consider how doing love’s shadow-work can help shine the light of balance into our families, friendships, and relationships.

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 that we share with one another as our struggle becomes our salvation.

Call to Worship

In the flush of love’s light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet it is only love
which sets us free.

– Maya Angelou

Affirming Our Mission

Together we nourish souls, transform lives, and do justice to build the Beloved Community.

Meditation Reading

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

1 Corinthians 13 4-8

Sermon

Text of this sermon is not yet available.

SERMON INDEX

PODCASTS

The Hole in the Soul of America

September 26, 2022 by tom Posted in Audio available, Guest Speakers, Sermons

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Listen to the sermon by clicking the play button above.

Rev. John Buehrens
September 25, 2022
First UU Church of Austin
4700 Grover Ave., Austin, TX 78756
www.austinuu.org

G.K. Chesterton once called America “the nation with the soul of a church.” Sadly, there is now a gaping in hole in our national soul. Our Consulting Minister for Leadership Transitions returns to our pulpit, to suggest both the depth of the problem and to suggest how a congregation like ours can be part of the remedy.

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 that we share with one another as our struggle becomes our salvation.

Call to Worship

LITANY OF ATONEMENT

For remaining silent when a single voice would have made a difference.

We forgive ourselves and each other; we begin again in love.

For each time that our fears have made us rigid and inaccessible.

We forgive ourselves and each other; we begin again in love.

For each time that we have struck out in anger without just cause.

We forgive ourselves and each other; we begin again in love.

For each time that our greed has blinded us to the needs of others.

We forgive ourselves and each other; we begin again in love.

For the selfishness which sets us apart and alone.

We forgive ourselves and each other; we begin again in love.

For forgetting that we are all part of one family.

We forgive ourselves and each other; we begin again in love.

For those and for so many things big and small that make it seem we are separate.

We forgive ourselves and each other; we begin again in love.

Affirming Our Mission

Together we nourish souls, transform lives, and do justice to build the Beloved Community.

Sermon

Text of this sermon is not yet available.

SERMON INDEX

Most sermons during the past 22 years are available online through this website. Click on the index link above to find tables of all sermons for each year listed by date (newest to oldest) with topic and speaker. Click on a topic to go to that sermon.

PODCASTS

Podcasts of this and other sermons are also available for free on iTunes. You can find them by clicking on the podcast link above or copying and pasting this link. https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/first-unitarian-universalist/id372427776