Laurel addresses the events of January 6.

Written by: Rev. Laurel Gray

Music by: Kala Farnham

Hosted and Edited by: Amanda Hall

Come celebrate Christmas Eve with UUCSW! This will be a classic lessons and carols service – we’ll tell the age-old tale of the little baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph, and the wise men who followed the guiding light of a star. In this strange season of spending Christmas physically separate in order to keep each other safe, I’ll reflect on the power of friends in the Christmas story and our own lives.

Written by: Rev. Laurel Gray

Music by: Kala Farnham

Hosted and Edited by: Amanda Hall

Amanda and Rev. Gray reflect on this month's themes.

Topics of discussion: Amanda can't stop relating things back to social policy; someone's always paying; the personal as pastoral; be gentle with your little human self; Bud Armstrong is my favorite astronaut

Sermons written by: Rev. Laurel Gray

Music by: Kala Farnham

Hosted and Edited by: Amanda Hall

"When did you remember that you have always been enough?"

Stillness is so often elusive in life – especially during the holidays. But it can also be something we so want to run from, something we try to escape when we’re deep in the valley of life’s struggles. This Sunday, I’ll tell you the story of how I learned the transformative power of stillness and came to know deep in my being that our worth is inherent and unconditional.

Written by: Rev. Laurel Gray

Music by: Kala Farnham

Hosted and Edited by: Amanda Hall

"This is not a simple moment. And there is space in this place for all the complexity."

We typically have our UUCSW All Souls service at the beginning of November, but this year we’re celebrating it in the space between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The holidays are a time when so many of us feel the absence of loved ones gone from this world. This year, as we enter the holiday season amidst a pandemic, we will also make space for recalling all the people with whom we wish we could celebrate in person.

Works referenced in this sermon:

Written by: Rev. Laurel Gray

Music by: Kala Farnham

Hosted and Edited by: Amanda Hall

Amanda and Rev. Gray reflect on this month's themes.

Topics of discussion: Trumpism as a defense mechanism; transcendence is part of our lineage; when you're being defensive, you aren't listening; the role of consent in connection and deep listening

Referenced in this episode:

Ear Hustle podcast: https://www.earhustlesq.com/

Sermons written by: Rev. Laurel Gray

Music by: Kala Farnham

Hosted and Edited by: Amanda Hall

"The lie that says some people matter more than others is predicated on everyone agreeing that their worth is conditional."

This is a reflection on my experience serving as a chaplain on a heart transplant unit – caring for people who had literally received new hearts – and the biblical story about having our heart of stone replaced with a heart of flesh. This is a story about transformation and love for the world, amidst all the things that plant seeds of cynicism.

Written by: Rev. Laurel Gray

Music by: Kala Farnham

Hosted and Edited by: Amanda Hall

"It’s hard to listen when we don’t want to know, or to be known."

So much of life is spent with people talking past each other. Being listened to deeply is a rare experience, but a profound gift. Let us, as a community, consider how we listen and what gets in the way of true connection.

Works referenced in this sermon:

"Say Yes" by Andrea Gibson

"A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward an Undivided Life" by Parker Palmer

Written by: Rev. Laurel Gray

Music by: Kala Farnham

Hosted and Edited by: Amanda Hall

Amanda and Rev. Gray reflect on this month's themes.

Topics of discussion: #SmallActsBigPrinciples; amplify/undermine; joy as an act of resistance; data has an opinion; eugenics, abortion, and the first time we had to bleep something on this podcast; how to measure the health of a society; the work only you can do; apocalypse means revelation

Referenced in this episode:

Amanda's comments on white supremacy’s complicity in the development of modern statistics were informed by White Logic, White Methods: Racism and Methodology by Tukufu Zuberi and Eduardo Bonilla-Silva.

Laurel's comments on the history of abortion shielding segregationism are informed by the books Untamed by Glennon Doyle and Shameless by Nadia Bolz Weber.

Sermons written by: Rev. Laurel Gray

Music by: Kala Farnham

Hosted and Edited by: Amanda Hall

Our spiritual heritage is one deeply tied to an experience of awe in nature. As we seek to nurture our spirits as a community, we’ll focus today on our Unitarian roots and how they call us to notice and open ourselves to moments of transcendence.

Works referenced in this sermon:

"The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews

Written by: Rev. Laurel Gray

Music by: Kala Farnham

Hosted and Edited by: Amanda Hall