Last week I gave the guest sermon at Pocatello Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (PUUF) entitled God, Who? about our relationship to God, the word, the concept, the presence, and conceptualizing God as a process unfolding, rather than as a personage – more of a Tao than an identity. There is ample…
The Big Bang, Jesus and an Empty Chair
This sermon, entitled “The Gratitude Mystery” was delivered at South Valley Unitarian Universalist Society in 2012. The video footage is available on youtube OR if you prefer, you can download and read the PDF.
In the Dissonance
I do not remember the start What was it like? Unity? Knowing? I have stood at the edge of darkness Screaming into the space between the skies Burning with hungry questions Are YOU there? Why did you leave us so alone? So separate… What I see in a mirror, not…
What is Covenant?
Covenant is a promise, an agreement. I have grown to love this important symbol of commitment in my studies in seminary because it represents a profound way of being honest in the world. Covenant is not contract; a contract can be terminated, it can be breached, it can be void.…
Our Circles
I wanted to share this…because I have been ranting in various conversations and classes recently about how our capitalist and small-tribe paradigm, which has served us for literally thousands upon thousands of years is going to kill us all pretty soon. Seems I am not alone: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/zen-thich-naht-hanh-buddhidm-business-values Weeks ago I…
SVUUS Membership Reflection
This January I did a brief reflection at South Valley Unitarian Universalist about why I love the community. I have had several requests for copies, so I am putting it up here on gnosticity for posterity. Its copyrighted with the creative commons CC-BY-SA license, so if its useful, grab it…
6: The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
Taking a break out from a scary paper on the definition of religion to share thoughts on this principle. I just wrote to a fellow seminarian the phrase, “God is not required for us to be good to one-another.” and realized that I wanted to connect it to this principle.…
5: The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
I am going to take today’s news to reflect on this principle, because news today demonstrates why we live with such commitment to this principle. Yes, it is hard to organize our congregations democratically. It can be hard for individual members of our communities to remain educated and informed enough…
4: A free and responsible search for truth and meaning
Our lives are not small, shallow moments of consumption, consumerism, and entertainment. The message humming through our modern world would have us believe otherwise; everywhere we turn we see images of people with more than we have, better looks, more money, having more fun, driving better cars, living in better…
Compassion Sermon
After the Emma the Dog experience, our worship team asked if I would be willing to do a sermon on compassion. Here it is. It is based around our second principle, “Justice, equity and compassion in human relations.” I think it was well received this morning. Enjoy. 2011 Compassion Sermon