The Spirit of Thanksgiving
Date: November27, 2005
Description: The latest in my
string of sermons that delve into the real
history of modern rituals and holidays, this one
looks at a shining moment in the history of our
relations with Native Americans. The Pilgrims
actually got it right (for a while), and I submit
that we should finally learn this 400-year-old
lesson of how to treat our fellow man and give
thanks to the Pilgrims for showing us how. Read
the Sermon.
In Defense of Marriage
Date: May 15, 2005
Description: Marriage has a
long and storied past dating back to the
Babylonians, Egyptians, and probably beyond. It
has taken many forms and meant many different
things to different peoples. And yet, our
modern-day polititians claim that the cohesive
heritage of marriage gives them the right to deny
this basic right to an entire class of people.
Boy are they wrong! Read
the Sermon.
Facing Dystopia
Date:
November 21, 2004
Description:
For this sermon, I re-read the two classic tales
of dystopia - 1984 by George Orwell and A
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley -
and compared them to the stsate of our world
today. The parallels are often frightening. In
this sermon I discuss whether our current world
is facing one of these dystopias or perhaps one
of our own making. Read
the Sermon.
Perils of an Anonymous
Society
Date:
February 8, 2004
Description:
Has the Internet doomed us to a lifetime of
computer viruses, spam, rude behavor, and attacks
on our very identities? In this sermon I posit
that the anonymity of our new information age
society has left us with not enough safeguards
against these and other attacks. But is the
answer more surveillance or more accountability? Read
the Sermon.
Stranger in a Strange
Land
Date:
October 26, 2003
Description:
This is the book that had the most profound
effect on my worldview as an adolescent. It
started me down the road from a conservative
republican, Lutheran to a liberal, democratic,
Unitarian Universalist. For this sermon, I
re-read my turning-point novel and found a lot of
UU philosophy inside that I shared with the
congregation. Read
the Sermon.
Creation, God, and
Immortality
Date:
January 26, 2003
Description:
In this sermon, I discuss the relationship
between the creative spark and the belief in God;
between the procreative act and the divine. The
Greeks thought muses breathed inspiration into
their bodies. That inspiration begets the
creation of everything from great poetry to
children; and that may be our true path to
immortality. Read
the Sermon.
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A Light to Guide Us
Date:
October 30, 2005
Description:
For this Halloween eve service, I discuss the
pagan roots of the holiday and discuss the true
meanings of the rituals of trick-or-treating,
jack-o-lanterns, and dressing up like ghouls and
goblins. In the end, this is less a celebration
of the dead than a time to remember those who
have fallen. Read the Sermon.
Celebrating Spring
Date:
March 7, 2005
Description:
Historically, Spring has been a time of rebirth
and renewal of the spirit. In this sermon, I take
a look at the origins of Spring Religious
Celebrations, and find some interesting parallels
between rituals from different religions. You
might be surprised to find out where the Easter
Bunny and baskets lines with grass really come
from. Read the Sermon.
Imagine a Better World
Date:
September 19, 2004
Description:
For the third anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, I
discussed John Lennon'lasting legacy, his eternal
search for a more peaceful world, and the
powerful song that to this day brings flooding
back all of the emotions I felt after those
brutal attacks on our buildings, our people, our
very safety and way of life.Read
the Sermon.
Does God Believe in Us?
Date:
December 28, 2003
Description:
In Robert J. Sawyer's novel Calculating God,
aliens come to Earth looking for proof of the
existence of God in our fossil records. In this
sermon, I discuss not only the existance of a
universal creator, but what such a being truly
wants from his or her (its) creation. Just a
hint, I don't think it's blind adoration or
crusades in his name. Read
the Sermon.
People of Principle
Date:
March 16, 2003
Description:
UUs try to live by a set of seven priciples,
including the inherent worth and dignity of every
person, justice, equity, and compassion in human
relations, a free and responsible search for
truth and meaning, and respect for the
interdependent web of all existence. This sermon
discusses the history and the meaning of the
principles. Read
the Sermon.
Science, Fiction, and
Fantasy -
The New Mythologies
Date:
March 16, 2003
Description:
In ages past, man explained the mysteries of the
world through mythical stories of Gods, Godesses,
Titans, and Monsters. In the age of reason, those
myths were cast aside for the mythology of
science. But there are still things science
cannot explain, such as why we cannot get along
with our felow man. For the answers to those
social questions, many turn to SF and fantasy. Read
the Sermon.
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