Because no one has seen God, religion can only use metaphors to try to describe what God is like. Buddhists. Christians. Muslims. Sikhs. Confucians. Taoists. Hindus. They all employ metaphors. They say, “Look at THAT and you can understand God is.” But some people have never been offered a metaphor that makes sense to them, […]
My sermon on this Sunday will examine the spirituality there may be in laughter and humor–including that of Groucho Marx. But, from the title, we may have a visitor or two who thinks the sermon will be about Karl Marx. So maybe I should have called it “God, Grace, and Groucho.” But then I figured, […]
Tony’s sermon on this Sunday is about what people sometimes call thinking outside the box, moving outside the grid, or jumping the rails of conventional thinking. It’s also sometimes referred to, simply, as a paradigm shift. Whatever we might call it, though, it is the foundation stone for almost every important movement, cultural change, scientific […]
It feels like there is an uncomfortable level of hate-mongering in the world today. And most of us are fairly comfortable assuming that we aren’t part of the problem. I, myself, was quite comfortable making that assumption until a few years ago. Now, I’m far less convinced about my innocence… Through this conversation we’ll explore […]
Rev. Dr. Florence Buck is a little known minister in our Unitarian history whose ideas were groundbreaking at the time and many of her goals are ones we still are struggling to implement over the 100 years since she preached them. Find out how to spread the message of this queer, religious educator, pioneering minister […]
To love is an essential part of what makes us human. We first learn about love from our family of origin. Some of us are lucky to be enveloped in unconditional love from the moment we arrive. Others of us may only receive carefully dished out portions of love that carry expectations and limitations. Others […]
To love is an essential part of what makes us human. We first learn about love from our family of origin. Some of us are lucky to be enveloped in unconditional love from the moment we arrive. Others of us may only receive carefully dished out portions of love that carry expectations and limitations. Others […]
The Unitarian Universalist Fourth Principle says that UUs believe in “a free and responsible search for truth and meaning.” The Unison Affirmation says, “we gather together to celebrate within a caring community those truths which give meaning and direction to our lives.” But, what does it mean to say that something is true? And, how […]
What is a miracle? It is a word we use frequently to describe all sorts of situations. But what about “authentic” miracles? Can we know—really know—whether they are real or some sort of delusion? Are miracles essential to the truth of any religion? What does the absence or lack of miracles say? These are questions […]
In our most clear moments, our heart speaks of its desire. We long for meaning, connection, hope, adventure, and peace. But what gets in the way? And how might we overcome those barriers? The Rev. Dr. Matthew Johnson is the Senior Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church, Rockford, IL. He has served there since 2008, […]