Rev. Dr. Robert M. Hardies; March 4, 2018

“Why is the Buddha crying?” asked a child who’d seen a figurine of a weeping Buddha. The answer to her question may offer a way forward through our own grief.

Rev. Dr. Rebecca Parker; February 25, 2018

Many voices speak to us as we chart our life’s path and consider our vocational calling. Whose call upon us matters most? Our parents? God? Our inner self? Or??? In the midst of many demands, how do we choose the “call” that we will answer? And what difference does it make?

NOTE: In the introduction to this sermon, W.H. Auden should have been identified as Dag Hammarskjold’s translator rather than as his life-partner. The nature of their relationship is not publicly known. Also, San Jose–not San Juan–is the capital of Costa Rica.

Rev. Rob Hardies, February 18, 2018

Mid-life crises: they’re not just for the middle-aged anymore. The poet David Whyte says they can occur “anytime that the tide of life seems to have left us stranded on the beach.” Reconnecting with our vocation and purpose in life can get us moving again.

Rev. Dr. Joanne Braxton, February 11, 2018

How do we sustain our gifts of vocation and calling through seasons of moral ambiguity? How might wonder and awe help us as we seek to move toward transformative cultures of care and justice?

Rev. Dr. Robert M. Hardies, February 4, 2018

A poignant line from a favorite hymn goes: “Disappointment pierced me through, still I kept on loving you.” What do we do when we feel let down by the people and the communities that we love? How can disappointment and failure be a doorway to greater religious commitment?

Rev. Dr. Robert M. Hardies, January 21, 2018

“In order to understand the world,” wrote Camus, “one has to turn away from it on occasion.” More than anything else, we must be fully present to both the beauty and brokenness of the world, if we are to help redeem it. But to be fully present over the long haul, we must sometimes take time away from the world. How do we strike a balance between engagement and retreat?

Rev. Dr. Robert M. Hardies, January 7, 2018

To be awake is to be present to the fullness of our lives; ours joys and sorrows, perils and possibilities. This Sunday we take stock of our lives and our world, and ask how to begin the New Year with heart, soul, and strength, focused always on our mission of Building the Beloved Community.

Rev. Dr. Joanne Braxton, December 31, 2017

We gather together to celebrate Kwanzaa. As a spiritual and religious community, we will give thanks and invite blessings as we move to into a New Year.

Rev. Dr. Robert M. Hardies, December 11, 2017

Rev. Dr. Robert M. Hardies, December 3, 2017

The popular hymn “Amazing Grace” includes the line, “Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved.” How does grace give us the courage to face our fears?

Rev. Dr. Robert M. Hardies, November 26, 2017

How can we cultivate gratitude and mindfulness during the busy holiday season, and throughout the year?