Sermons given at UUCB, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley

Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley

September 27, 2026

Reading Sign

Rev. Marcus Liefert

Trackers learn to "read sign"—a bent blade of grass, a snapped twig—a script of the movement of creatures written on the world. An honest search for salvation asks us to pay the same kind of careful attention. How do we attune well enough to the soul's subtle signals to be aware of our own capacity for harm before it's already a trail?

Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley

September 20, 2026

Crouching at the Door

Rev. Marcus Liefert

As we honor the Jewish High Holy Day of Yom Kippur, we begin a new worship series using The Hunt as a metaphor for the religious question of soteriology—the search for salvation. When the Hebrew Bible first introduces the questions of harm and repair, it suggests sin is a predator crouching at the door, desiring you. What if naming our own capacity for evil isn't the opposite of salvation, but instead where an honest search for it begins?

Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley

September 13th, 2026

Days of Awe

Rev. Kathryn Jay

Sweetness and grief are woven fine. As we remember our individual and collective moments of joy and sadness, the kindness of strangers sometimes plays a bigger role than we expect. How can we small acts of kindness and tiny moments of grace help us break open our hearts to love?

Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley

September 6th, 2026

Getting Comfortable with Capacity

Rev. Marcus Liefert

Modernity places hope in humanity's endless potential to grow—"Onward and upward forever!" as one of our spiritual ancestors declared in the Five Points of the New Theology. But overemphasizing our power and neglecting our limitations and vulnerability leaves us ill equipped to meet the challenges of our times. How do we hold a conversation that both honors our constraints and inspires us to build the capacity to achieve our purpose?

Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley

August 30, 2026

The Faith Is In The Crossing

Rev. Marcus Liefert

Some traditions look out on the world and see people in need of conversion, lost souls who could be saved if only they are reached by the right message. Liberal religion holds instead a vision of pluralistic partnership. What kind of faith do we need to take the risk of crossing that chasm?

Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley

August 23, 2026

Holding Under Pressure

Rev. Kathryn Jay

We cross bridges every day, trusting trusses, rivets, and beams to bear the heavy weight. We need communities that inspire that same kind of trust. How can we shore up the institutions of our common life to withstand the forces working to bring them down?

Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley

August 2, 2026

The Power of Heartbreak

Rev. Dr. Kathryn Jay

Broken-heartedness is a fact of life. How can we grow and be transformed by the moments that break our hearts, making space for individual and communal healing in a world beset by loss and disappointment?

Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley

July 26, 2026

Rooted in Rich Soil

Rev. Sheri Prud’homme

From where do we draw our religious authority? Part of the answer is from the theological heritage of Unitarian Universalism. Ours is an open and evolving faith, and we are stewards of its unfolding. Knowing our theological roots grounds our resistance to authoritarianism, consumerism, militarism, and racism as well as our capacity to imagine a better way.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley

July 12, 2026

Spiritual and Religious

Intern Minister: Liesl Dees

What does it mean to be both spiritual and religious? In this closing service of our series on Reclaiming and Reimagining Religion, explore how personal spiritual practice and shared religious community can deepen and sustain one another. Together, we’ll reflect on what is sacred in our lives, what is of lasting worth, and how we build beloved community rooted in love.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley

July 5, 2026

Becoming What We Believe

Intern Minister: Liesl Dees

A religious life is not only about what we believe, but what we practice. We’ll reflect on the sacred work of living our faith beyond Sunday morning—shaping lives rooted in love, justice, and compassion.