The message was delivered on Sunday, April 20, 2025, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Dr. Nicole Kirk. DESCRIPTION: A foggy morning, a missing horse, and an unexpected miracle—what can a moment like this teach us about fear, hope, and the quiet beauty that surrounds us? In a world often overwhelmed by noise and urgency, wha…

This sermon podcast begins with A Story for All Ages by Rev. KP Hong, continues with a reflection offered by worship associate Ari Giles, and ends with a sermon by Rev. Dr. Oscar Sinclair. Wendell Berry writes: Expect the end of the world. Laugh. Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful though you have considered all the facts… practice resurrection. On…

"What Does Resurrection Look Like?" Sunday, April 20, 2025 Easter is upon us, the Sunday we talk about resurrection—of hope, of life, against all odds. In our Good Friday world, especially these days, how about some stories about resurrection and a reminder of how often it shows up... against the odds? Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; M…

The message was delivered on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar, Senior Minister. DESCRIPTION What if the story you believed in shattered before your eyes? What if resurrection wasn’t a spectacle—but a quiet decision to hope again? As a world once caught between betrayal and …

The message was delivered on Sunday, April 13th, 2025, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar. What if a fleeting note of music or a silent statue could say more about grief, love, and transcendence than words ever could? Explore the quiet power of mythos—the stories, sounds, and symbols that reach where logic…

"Joy in the In Between" Sunday, April 13, 2025 It's the week when we begin the celebration of Passover in the Jewish tradition and Holy Week in Christianity—hard stories with important and ultimately triumphant endings. And this is a month when we are supposed to talk about joy?! How perfect! What is our relationship to joy—our right to it, our abi…

This sermon podcast begins with a reflection offered by worship associate Charlie Caswell. Unitarian Universalist ministry is "called out from among" the membership of our congregations. Our tradition celebrates shared ministry, and we recognize and commission a whole range of ministries, from newly installed ministers to groups of volunteers doing…

The message was delivered on Sunday, April 6th, 2025, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by 19 of our all Souls 9th graders. Remarks by Rev.Dr. Marlin Lavanhar. What if the search for meaning isn’t about choosing the “right” path, but understanding the many ways people find purpose? How does belief—or disbelief—shape how we live, lov…

This week's sermon podcast begins with a reflection from worship associate Betsy Hearn, which is followed by a guided meditation led by Rev. Oscar. Grounding ourselves in embodied spiritual practices in order to find our balance, heal and engage with the world has long been a role of religious community. Once central to Christian self-understanding…

"Attempted Poetry and Other Misdemeanors, Oh Joy!" Sunday, April 6, 2025, 10:50 am Joy is a little word with an expansive definition. There is Joy in the hard work of trudging towards Justice. And there is the pure joy of celebration. With a spring in your step, a poem in your heart, and companions by your side, the fraught world becomes a little l…

The message was delivered on Sunday, March 30th, 2025, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar. What does it mean to take a stand when the stakes are high? One man, faced with corruption and intimidation, chose integrity over compromise, setting a powerful precedent for generations to come. His story, rooted in…

"Trust in the Wild" Sunday, March 30, 2025 Robin Wall Kimmerer, who writes about the natural world, writes about a world undergirded by trust, reciprocity, and generosity. But this is the same natural world that also has predators and prey and scarcity. Which do we put our trust in and why, and how does that shape life in our safe harbor? Rev. Vane…

This sermon podcast begins with a reflection by worship associate Anna Newton. Courage, to Aristotle, is a virtue located between two vices: cowardice and recklessness. In times that call for great courage, but also great discernment, how do we chart a course between obstacles, and in doing so live courageously?…

IN A WORLD THAT NEVER STOPS TALKING, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE TRULY LISTEN? A SWELTERING SUMMER WEDDING, AN UNEXPECTED MISUNDERSTANDING, AND A PROFOUND LESSON IN SILENCE UNDOLD IN WAYS NO ONE COULD HAVE PREDICTED. WHAT IF THE KEY TO DEEPER CONNECTION, INNER PEACE AND EVEN HAPPINESS LIES NOT IN SPEAKING, BUT IN THE SPACE BETWEEN WORDS? EXPLORE THE POWER…

“Trusting In Community” Sunday, March 23, 2025 Join us for this All-Ages Worship to hear a sweet story about how a cat helped calm a scary storm and brought a community together. Interactive opportunities to build trust in our community, both within our walls and outside our walls, will be part of the service. Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congre…

This sermon podcast begins with a reflection from worship associate Chris Russert. On the precipice of World War II, a time when most Americans were turning a blind eye to the growing social injustice and totalitarian threat in Europe, the Unitarian Universalist Association — alerted to the dire situation by their fellow congregation in Prague — wa…

The message was delivered on Sunday, March 16, 2025, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Randy Lewis, Assistant Minister. DESCRIPTION What does it mean to remember? And what does it mean to forget? In a world where history is being rewritten, censored, and erased, we must ask: Who holds the pen? From the echoes of prayers at t…

"Trust the Body" Sunday, March 16, 2025, 10:50 am What does it mean to live an embodied life, to treat the body as a shrine and as a source of wisdom? What happens when we don't? Maybe trust isn't just between two people or out in the world, but in one of the most fundamental relationships to ourselves? Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; …

This podcast includes a reflection offered by worship associate Sara Ford. If you would like to listen to the musical piece by Elizabeth Alexander that Rev. Oscar refers to at the beginning, please visit our YouTube channel. dJohn Lewis and the other leaders of the American Civil Rights movement were clear about the relationship between power, rela…

WHAT IF THE VERY THING WE'VE BEEN CONDITIONED TO SEE AS WEAKNESS IS ACTUALLY OUR GREATEST SOURCE OF POWER? IN A WORLD THAT GLORIFIES PRODUCTIVITY AND ENDLESS HUSTLE, REST IS OFTEN TREATED AS AN AFTERTHOUGHT-SOMETHING TO BE EARNED, DELAYED, OR SACRIFICED. BUT WHAT IF REST IS MORE THAN JUST SLEEP? WHAT IF IT'S A RADICAL ACT OF RESISTANCE, A WAY TO RE…

"Leaning In" Sunday, March 9, 2025, 10:50 am Anxiety and a feeling of ungroundedness can erode trust in ourselves and in our community. How do we lean into relationships during challenging times? Are there ways we can build trust instead of diminish it? Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life; Daniel Jackoway, Worship Associate; Emma Wa…

In his landmark "Rules for Radicals," Saul Alinsky cautions organizers to practice the skills of being heard. “Lacking communication,” he writes, “I am in reality silent; throughout history silence has been regarded as assent — in this case assent to the system.” Organizing, like any spiritual practice, is a discipline with tools and methods develo…

THIS SERMON WAS GIVEN ON SUNDAY MARCH 3RD BY REV.DR. MARLIN LAVANHAR WHAT IF THE THING HOLDING YOU BACK ISN'T YOUR PAST, BUT YOUR GRIP ON IT? WE ALL CARRY BURDENS-GRIEF, ANGER, REGRET-BUT ARE WE HOLDING THEM, OR ARE THEY HOLDING US? SOME THINGS CAN BE RELEASED, BUT OTHERS MUST BE CARRIED DIFFERENTLY. HOW DO WE KNOW THE DIFFERENCE? AND WHEN WE CAN'T…

"Safe Harbors in Stormy Times" Sunday, March 2, 2025 Someone teaches you about the ocean. Someone shows you how to swim for the joy of it, or maybe so you can be safe. Each of us will face storms, and what someone taught us about the water, about swimming, and about what will get us through is relevant now. And relevant to why generations have inve…

For years, Unity Church has joined with other congregations around the Twin Cities and the world is proclaiming the dignity of each person, and the need for fair and affordable housing in our community. Housing is an issue that lives at the intersection of the individual and collective: what makes a house a home is deeply personal, but we all have …

A visionary leader, a faith reimagined, and a movement ahead of its time. In the face of racial and theological barriers, Lewis McGee forged a new path-one that embraced reason, human dignity, and the fight for justice. From a fateful discovery of Unitarianism to the creation of a groundbreaking, multiracial congregation, his journey was one of cou…

This sermon podcast begins with a Story for All Ages by Rev. KP Hong. The word in Hebrew for truth, emeth, is related to the verb amam: to support and make firm. Emeth is inherently relational; we depend on each other for support, and to understand the world. Can we understand truth in isolation, or are we dependent on each other?…

SERMON BY MARY KATHERINE MORN, GUEST MINISTER AT ALL SOULS UNITARIAN CHURCH FEBRUARY 16TH, 2025 AMIDST OPPRESSION AND UNCERTAINTY, A VISION FOR JUSTICE AND RESILIENCE EMERGES. FROM THE EMBATTLED STREETS OF BURMA TO COMMUNITIES RESISTING TYRANNY ACROSS THE GLOBE, PEOPLE ARE DEFYING SYSTEMS THAT SEEK TO ERASE THEIR DIGNITY. WOMEN WHO HAVE ENDURED DEC…

This podcast begins with a reflection from worship associate Meg Arnosti. Indigenous communities around the world were gravely impacted by The Doctrine of Discovery, a pronouncement by the Catholic Church and the policies of colonial domination by European countries that were used to justify dominion over lands that were not inhabited by Christians…

IN TIMES OF CHAOS AND UNCERTAINTY, HOW DO WE STAY GROUNDED WITHOU BECOMING NUMB? HOW DO WE TAKE ACTION WITHOUT BURNING OUT? DRAWING FROM THE WISDOM OF SPIRITUAL LEADERS, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS, AND THE RESILIENCE OF MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES, THIS POWERFUL EXPLORATION REVEALS FOUR ESSENTIAL PRACTICES THAT CAN HELP US NAVIGATE INJUSTICE, FIND STRENGT…

This podcast begins with a reflection by worship associate Charlie Caswell. Truth is not simply a dry recitation of facts. The Greek word for truth, aletheia, suggests an unveiling; it was used to describe a curtain coming up at a play, revealing the truth of the story. What truths are revealed to us today?…

History is rarely as simple as heroes and villains. What happens when those we admire-family, leaders, even icons of progress-also hold beliefs or take actions we find deeply troubling? Through personal ancestry and historical figures, this exploration reveals the complexities of legacy, the weight of contradictions, and the uncomfortable truths we…

"Inclusion" Sunday, February 2, 2025 Who's in? Who's out? Belonging? Exclusion? Making room? Accommodations. Drawing the circle wider. Stretching beyond what we know, what and who is familiar. What does inclusion mean, and what does it ask, and why bother! Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern, Senior Minister; Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational L…

This sermon podcast begins with a reflection offered by worship associate Anna Newton. The first generation of Unitarians in America preached that reason was the primary tool for understanding the truth of the world around us. Veritas, the Latin word for truth, gives us “verifiability,” the idea that truth is a description of external reality that …

The message was delivered on Sunday, January 26, 2025, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Dr. Marlin Lavanhar, Senior Minister. DESCRIPTION What does it mean to truly be part of the “family of things”? This message takes us on a journey to explore our profound connection to the cosmos, our role in sustaining the only planet w…

"Story: Wine, Weddings, and a Coming Out" Sunday, January 26, 2025 The theme of January is “Story.” One of the things I love about a tradition—religious, cultural, or literary—is that the community starts to repeat and value certain stories as worth revisiting, as worth revising in light of the interpretations we bring to them based on where we are…

The questions answered in this sermon were posed by the congregation at the beginning of the service. Music and ministry both exist in the relationship between structure and improvisation. This Sunday we will consider both, in an extemporaneous reflection from piano and pulpit.

HWOW DO WE NAVIGATE THE TENSION BETWEEN CHAOS AND COMMUNITY? REFLECTING ON THE WORDS OF LEADERS LIKE DR.MARTIN LUTHER KING JR., THIS EXPLORATION BY REV. DR. MARLIN LAVENHAR DELVES INTO THE INTERSECTIONS OF DEMOCRACY, EQUALITY AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO TRULY PARTICIPATE IN SHAPING A GOVERNMENT 'OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE …

Founded in 1940, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) has served as a beacon of liberal religion in the world, and the possibilities that exist when we connect faith with action. On the day before the 2025 United States presidential inauguration, we will hear from Rev. Mary Katherine Morn, president of UUSC, about the work of the com…

"MLK" Sunday, January 19, 2025 Jonathan Eig won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography in 2024 for his biography King: A Life. People who previously refused to be interviewed told their stories, government documents that were newly released, and lots of research present a rich perspective on more of the layers of the story of Martin Luther King Jr., his …

This sermon podcast begins with a reflection offered by worship associate Chris Russert "Look well to the growing edge! All around us worlds are dying and new worlds are being born; all around us life is dying and life is being born." — Howard Thurman Often this phrase is used to explain a painful moment or failure, an uninvited or unwelcome “oppor…

THIS REFLECTION, DELEVERED WITH HEARFLET GRATITUDE AND VULNERABILITY, CENTERS ON THE THEME OF GRACE AND THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF RELATIONSHIPS. PHIL HANEY OPENS BY ACKNOWLEDGING THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY AND THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT HAVE SUPPORTED AND SHAPED HIM THROUGHOUT LIFE.

THIS REFLECTION BY CHAD JOHNSON ON BOARD OF TRUSTEES SUNDAY EXPLORES THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF GRACE, DEFINED AS UNMERITED FAVOR, LOVE, AND FORGIVENESS. GRACE IS PRESENTED AS A FORCE THAT HEALS BROKENNESS AND REVEALS BEAUTY IN THE WORLD. CHAD EXAMINES GRACE THROUGH THREE LENSES: CHRISTIAN TRADITION, EXISTENTIAL PHILOSOPHY, AND GREEK MYTHOLOGY.…

"Build Strength Through Our Stories" Sunday, January 12, 2025 Stories are powerful and offer us lessons to help resource ourselves. By looking at historical figures, ancestors, and our own lives, we can remember the stories that have given us resilience and have helped us build community in challenging times. Let's come together to tell these stori…

The message was delivered on Sunday, January 5, 2025, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Randy Lewis, Assistant Minister. DESCRIPTION In a world consumed by noise, division, and a relentless demand for judgment, where can we find hope? Beyond the headlines and viral moments lies something quieter, yet infinitely powerful—grac…

"The Stories We Tell" Sunday, January 5, 2025, 10:50 am Humans are storytellers, and stories have the power to influence us, for better or worse. Our affiliated community minister, Rev. Mille Phillips, will address what stories we tell ourselves or others. Do they empower us or hold us back? Which do we need to rewrite or retell? What stories do we…

Join us for Unity Church’s annual service of remembrance for the members of our community who have passed away in the last year. This sermon podcast begins with eulogies offered by Rev. Lara Cowtan and Rev. Oscar Sinclair.

The message was delivered on Sunday, December 29, 2024, at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, by Rev. Randy Lewis, Assistant Minister. DESCRIPTION What would it take to turn the page on the pain, mistakes, and struggles that have held you back? Through the lens of Nelson Mandela’s extraordinary journey, we explore the profound act of fo…

This podcast begins with a reflectin offered by worship associate Peggy Lin. The story of the Maccabean revolt is the inspiration for the Jewish festival of lights, Hannukah. The miracle at the heart of the story is simple: lamp oil that appeared to only be enough for a night lasted for eight days. But even in simplicity, the story holds meaning fo…

At the start of the Christmas story, Mary and Joseph are internally displaced refugees, traveling from their home in Nazareth to be counted in a census for a far-away imperial capital. By the end of the story, they are fleeing their homes as refugees, looking to start a new life in Egypt, away from political violence and oppression. In 2024 in St. …