Chequamegon UUF Podcast

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The January talk by David Saetre will focus on the theme of “hope.” This is the third and last in his series on spiritual virtues. You may have heard the popular saying, “hope is not a plan,” and the dismissive tone of that phrase sums up a cynical side to modern society. Indeed, hope is often synonymous with magical thinking or unrealistic expectations that avoid personal responsibility and the hard work of building a better world. Yet, while hope is not a plan, no one can plan without it. Because the future always includes ambiguity and surprise – things rarely turn out exactly how we plan them – all plans require some level of risk. Hope is the way in which we launch our dreams and visions into actions. All good plans have their roots in hope. But, hope in what? That’s what we will explore at our gathering on the second Sunday in January. The topic seems right as we begin a new year, filled with our own resolutions, dreams and expectations for our families and community. And, the topic of hope carries particular importance in the wake of the Sandy Hook school shootings, and our national sense of vulnerability and sorrow.

Join David and the faculty, staff and students of Northland as we begin a new year of worship, thoughtful reflection and building community together around the theme of “Hope!” 

Listen thru iTunes or download at http://dl.dropbox.com/u/16150915/uu/2013W/1-13-13m.mp3

On the evening of December 16 we will celebrate our annual holiday service. The Religious Education program has prepared a holiday play of the folk-story "The Wolf and the Good Woodsman." Campus Minister David Saetre will share reflections of the season. In addition, there will be congregational singing of traditional carols and special music by pianist Joni Chapman. The CUUF string ensemble will accompany our traditional walk through the spiral of greenery. The service will close with a candlelight carol followed by fellowship and refreshments. We hope you will join us for this special service. 

Listen on iTunes or download from http://dl.dropbox.com/u/16150915/uu/2012F/12-16-12m.mp3

The next three talks will focus on the "theological virtues": faith, hope and charity. Western and Christian philosophy and theology posed the moral life as fulfilled in these three spiritual virtues. "The Meaning of Charity" is the theme for October. Charity, today, almost has a negative connotation. It is understood as a private virtue - privileged individuals giving monetary donations. But, a deeper look at the old idea of charity reveals a social meaning to the word. Charity is the necessary virtue for democracy, and should be understood as fundamentally social in character. It's about our commitment and generosity to one another - the way we care for one another in community. Charity is not about private giving of the privileged; it's the virtue that links our common lot together as one body. The presence or absence of "charity" defines the quality and character of any community more than it defines the character of an individual. 

The Virtue of Hospitality:  Becoming and Being a Welcoming Community By David Saetre

Speaker: David Saetre "The Meaning of Salvation" 
Easter Sunday Service, speaker David Saetre, Northland College Chaplain and Humanities professor. David will offer an inter-faith exploration on themes of new life and renewal. This will also be the last in his year-long series on "reconstructing theology": essential themes from the Judeo-Christian traditions. In David's own words, the series has been a theology for skeptics, exploring some of the difficult ideas from the Western religious traditions. 

The Easter service will focus on the idea of salvation. Noting that salvation derives from the Latin root, salus, meaning to be safe and sound, this meditation will explore what that might mean not only in the context of Easter, but in the everyday world of our lives. The world often seems unyielding and dangerous. Here, one finds a word of hope and encouragement. Finally, we look to the Universalist side of the UU heritage, which defined salvation in terms of a final acceptance and healing for all humankind. 
David W. Saetre 
College Chaplain and Assistant Professor of Religion, Northland College 
"The opposite of faith is certainty, not doubt." David 

Paul Schue will speak on the question morality, modernity, and the Holocaust. He will address what the Holocaust has to say about morality in modern industrial societies, and how we can change the way we think about morality to better respond to future crises in the modern world.

Prof. Schue has a Ph.D. in modern European history from the University of California, Irvine, and has been teaching history, including courses on the Holocaust, at Northland College since 2001.

David Saetre--Is it possible to talk about our existential experience of brokenness and alienation, without falling into the abyss of judgmental moralism. Is that what sin really signifies? Is it possible to imagine life's surprising capacity for renewal and hope, redemption, without appealing to supernatural causes? The words sin and redemption lead us down into those depths of our human experience as few other words can.