Church of the River Sermons

The Arctic has long been a source of fascination for human beings. What is it about this place that draws us to it? What happens when we go to one of the most inhospitable places on earth and find ourselves?

Peacemaking does not mean accepting the status quo. Peacemaking usually means breaking down the status quo in order to create a more just and compassionate world. What does it mean to seek peace? What do we do when the only way to find peace is through chaos?

Religious institutions should never demonize or degrade human sexuality. Rather, we should honor and celebrate it. How can we move past destructive and ignorant ideas about sex in ways that are in line with our Unitarian Universalist values? And what is the religious function of joy?

According to Christian faith tradition, this coming Sunday is the first Sunday in Advent—the season of preparation for Christmas—the coming of the One known as the Christ Child. Advent takes place over four Sundays, assigning one of four gifts of the season to each: hope, peace, joy, and love. This year, not only is Advent a little longer because Christmas is on a Sunday…but this first Sunday's theme is hope. I think we're going to need the extra time. It's going to be a hard task for some of us to focus on hope. We've had a hard week…month…season. From the fatal shooting in Colorado Springs at an LGBTQA bar to our own losses right here at home. In the midst of it all, where will we find hope?

We live in a world that tells us that we need more - more money, more stuff, more accomplishments. This toxic culture leaves us feeling like we don't have enough time, capacity, or joy. Using the latest brain science, mixed with ancient wisdom (and of course the story of Stone Soup) we will be wondering together how to acknowledge the realities of a scarcity mentality while opening up the possibility of choosing abundance.

Always bare in mind that living in a fantasy is a lot easier than accepting a reality check from a condescending jerk. What do you do when somebody has proved that your whole worldview is wrong? And what if they're being a jerk about it?

There is nothing more powerful than a parent's devotion to their child. This makes us powerful, but it also makes us vulnerable. We all want to love and protect our children. How do we seperate that healthy instinct from our own personal fears and hangups?

In Gujarati, Kali means dark (eternal) and Chaudas means the fourteenth. Kali Chaudas marks the 2nd day of Diwali - The Hindu Festival of Lights. On this day Goddess Kali, also known as Shakti, defeated the demon Narakasura. Join Rev. Sam Teitel and Pratik Mamtora to explore how good triumphs over evil and how light shines upon life as per Hindu traditions and scriptures.

Our broken parts are what make us compassionate and powerful. Do not be afraid of your brokenness, give thanks for it.

Horror Bible 2022 continues! As humans, we love to judge people based on their appearance, even though we know that appearances can be deceiving. This week we are going to be talking about The Prince of Darkness himself, Ozzy Osbourne, the singer from the band Black Sabbath. We all may have more in common with Ozzy than we think, and that's probably a good thing.