Unitarian Universalist Church of Loudoun Sermons

Be Who You Are. A simple concept on the surface but a complicated and difficult idea in practice. This week’s service will talk about the idea of being unapologetically you in a world filled with labels that both unite AND divide us. No two of us are the same, we are all singing different parts in the choir of life. (8/12/2018)

How Life Experiences Affect Our Perspective and Use of Labels (8/5/2018)

We build skyscraper forts out of the labels we use to characterize "others", and hurl epithets and worse at "them". Yet we are all members of the same species, live on the same planet, and have the same basic biological needs. How do we reconcile the immense barriers we've created between individual subsets of us and them with the basic facts of our earthly human existence? (7/29/2018)

Computer software makes suggestions on what we might want to watch or buy, helps doctors make diagnoses, and judges issue sentencing, even helps vehicles on the road drive more safely. While the perception of computers is that they are making un-emotional, un-prejudiced assessments, they are based on data provided by humans, and so can hide and perpetuate bias we are unintentionally feeding them. (7/22/2018)

Continuing with our summer series, we will investigate labels of religious affiliations. What do we gain from these labels? What are the dangers that can come from these labels? How do our principles guide our actions when confronted by labels? (7/15/2018)

Just as in viniculture and musical culture, our own personal 'Terroir' nurtures and informs us, providing our lives with tastes of joy, sorrow and wonder with every sip. (7/8/2018)

We use labels to make sense of the world. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? This summer, our speakers will explore many of the labels we use, both for ourselves and others, and their impact on how we see and treat the world. (7/1/2018)

After five years as UUCL's Treasurer, Marco shares parting thoughts and the things he has learned along the way. More than just numbers, facts, and figures, how can we work together to truly be greater than the sum of our parts. (6/24/2018)

In the book, Gardens of Democracy, authors Lui and Hanauer argue that western institutions are based a fundamental misunderstanding of Darwinism: only the strong survive, dog-eat-dog, survival of the fittest, etc. They argue that the growth models of our religious and social institutions have been based on competition and self-interest. And yet, observing the natural world, we see that the natural world is not, in fact, based on simple competition. The healthiest, most vibrant ecosystems are those that have the most biodiversity: the most cooperation (both within a single species, and between multiple species). As we move further into the 21st century, this may well serve as a model for how our religious communities might not just survive but thrive. In this service, I ask myself, drawing on nature’s model of biodiversity, how does my theology make room for others, for “theodiversity.” (6/10/2018)