Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto

A lovely expression some use for the sad moment of a loved one’s death is “They have joined the ancestors.” We have so many ancestors: everyone who shaped our lives, who helped make us what we are–especially in ways that we treasure. They may be relatives, friends, strangers, even non-human beings. And we ourselves are … Continue reading With the Ancestors

⏰ Turn your clocks back, or you’ll be very early to services! 9:30 am service: outdoors and in-person only (weather permitting).11 am service: online only. I’ve never preached on “followership” because it just seems so self-serving. I’m a leader, and every leader wants people to be good followers, right? But today I’d like to share … Continue reading The Power of Followership

Disability rights activists in this country are both precursors to and inheritors of the movement for African-American civil rights. In casting off the restraints of pity and protectiveness, people with disabilities have led themselves and others to greater liberation. We’ll hear a small piece of this history today. Follow along in the order of service: … Continue reading Power over Pity

Such a wonderful invention: the opportunity to undo something we have done and suddenly regret. What’s past may be prologue to the future, but we still have the power to rewrite. What would you like to do a little differently in your own life? What shall we do differently as a country and community? The … Continue reading Ctrl-Z

The audio player above plays the audio podcast of the sermon only. The YouTube player below plays the video of the entire service with copyrighted and private information redacted. Follow along in the order of service: bit.ly/uucpa_oos_20201227 We know that we Unitarian Universalists are a church of many beliefs. But we are also a church … Continue reading A Church of Many Sensibilities

The audio player above plays the audio podcast of the sermon only. The YouTube player below plays the video of the entire service with copyrighted and private information redacted. We welcome Christmas, live-streamed from our beloved sanctuary, with stories, carols and special music, and candles. Come sing the familiar songs that are always powerful, and … Continue reading Christmas Eve Candlelight Service

Whether we call ourselves believers or not, most of us have a god we don't believe in--what others believe (or we think they believe) that shapes our own attitudes. That can be quite restrictive, because in the abundance of gods we have imagined, we have addressed many different human needs. So today, we'll hear about different kinds of gods. Maybe some other god-ideas are knocking at the door of our hearts, offering a new way of seeing the world. Since it's Posadas season, maybe someone else will knock at the door as well.

Once a year, the high-school-age members of UUCPA lead a service and always have great insights into the world around us. Today they offer leadership on ways to manage during trying times.

Our intergenerational Thanksgiving service comes at a tough time. The story The Table Where Rich People Sit, by Byrd Baylor and Peter Parnall, offers a way to think about our lives when we don’t have everything we want. With that story and a special performance from Greg Becker and Kris Geering, plus more adventures of Possum and friends and lots of beautiful music, we’ll literally count up our blessings and see how we’re doing.

Not only individuals, but families and communities, carry secrets within themselves. The secrets are protected by silence, and shame guards them like a fierce dog. But there are ways to pass safely into the vault and release the secrets, if we want to be free of them.