This sermon podcast begins with a reflection by Nelson Moroukian, Unity's Religious Education Program Assistant, and excerpts of the credos of Unity's Coming of Age class of 2025 read by Coming of Age Facilitators Claire Cooke, Stu Alger, and Kelley Loughrey. The sermon is delivered by Rev. KP Hong, Minister of Faith Formation. Coming of Age Sunday…

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…

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…

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…

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?…

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…

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…

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…

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 …

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?…

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…

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?…

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 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.

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…

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…

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.

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. …

This sermon podcast begins with a reflection offered by worship associate Sara Ford. In the Christian calendar, Advent is a time of waiting and preparation for the coming of the Christ child. The story from first century Palestine tells us that with the birth of Jesus comes hope, love, the undoing of the status quo: a new reign of peace on earth. I…

“My Soul Magnifies the Lord,” Mary tells the Angel Gabriel in the gospel of Luke. The song she sings next is a vision of a world that might be, one where the mighty are thrown down, the hungry are fed, and the beloved community arrives. What lessons do her words hold for us, 2000 years later? ​

How do we build hope from the gifts and wounds we carry with us, while also navigating the fear of change?​

On this Thanksgiving weekend, we consider the traditions from around the world and at our own tables of offering words of gratitude. How do these rituals provide opportunities for deepening and growing in our spiritual and personal relationships. What is grace? How can we give and receive it in our lives and the larger world?…

Vaclav Havel, the Czech statesman and literary figure, wrote that hope “…is an orientation of the spirit, an orientation of the heart; it transcends the world that is immediately experienced, and is anchored somewhere beyond its horizons.” How do we anchor ourselves to hope, even when it exists beyond our vision, on the other side of the horizon?…

This sermon podcast begins with a reflection by worship associate Anna Newton. What can we say, in the aftermath of an election? How have the church’s commitments changed, or have they? How do we balance the uncertainty of this moment with the certainty of faith?

“Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” “A republic, if you can keep it.” Benjamin’s Franklin’s words at the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention in September 1787 have obvious relevance in 2024. The first Unitarians and Universalists in the United States came from the first generation after the American Revolution, and f…

We have heard it said, the only constant is change, and that there is no growth, no growing forward without letting something go and embracing change. Sometimes a door must close in order for a window to open, but how do we navigate this kind of loss, these decisions about what and when to let go in order to be open to new possibilities? Anatole Fr…

This sermon podcast begins with a reflection by worship associate Betsy Hearn. Dan Hotchkiss writes, “Congregations create sanctuaries where people can nurture and inspire each other — with results no one can predict. The stability of a religious institution is a necessary precondition to the instability religious transformation brings.” How do we …

Join us for Celebration Sunday, as we gather to celebrate Unity Church and commit to a joyful year together. Unitarian Universalist congregations depend on the support of their members for everything from religious education and kitchen volunteers to legacy giving and ongoing financial support. How do we root our gifts to the church in our spiritua…

Pop culture is full of dystopian stories. In a time of climate change, war, and political uncertainty, dystopia feels near at hand. Even as they grapple with the consequences of the suffering and destruction, authors from Octavia Butler to Becky Chambers can help up to imagine a better world. What are the tools of storytelling that might help us im…

This sermon podcast begins with a reflection by Chris Russert, worship associate. In 1348, a community of monks in Sienna opened the doors of their abbey to serve as a hospital during the plague. Seven hundred years later, the abbey exists as a picturesque ruin, popular with tourists and filmmakers. What are the risks of hospitality, and why do we …

This sermon podcast begins with a reflection by worship associate Meg Arnosti. The ancient question, “Who am I?” inevitably leads to a deeper one: “Whose am I?” because there is not identity outside of relationship. You cannot be a person by yourself. To ask, “Whose am I?” is to extend the question far beyond the little self-absorbed self, and wond…

This sermon podcast begins with a reflection by worship associate Anna Newton. Unitarian Universalists are rightly proud of width and breadth of our institutional welcome. But who decide who is welcomed? Who belongs? What are the systems that we can either critique or build to deepen our understanding of welcome?…

Rev. Sinclair offers a reflection on belonging, and how we are drawn to faithful life in community, sometimes in spite of ourselves.

Is making a meal or baking or creating art or music an expression of your love? Let us lift up the many labors that go unsung, the under appreciated and maybe uncompensated work of people for others that enrich our lives in priceless ways. This podcast begins with a reflection by worship associate Lorelee Wederstrom.…

We’ll explore the depth of tradition and the benefits of renovation through a journey at sea.

In the uncertainties of our times, our mistrust — of the future, of ourselves and one another — might be justified. But we are called, as people of faith in a liberating love, to cultivate greater trust. Let’s explore how to become more trusting and more trustworthy in the face of change. Rev. Karen Hering…

The life of the spirit is all about triage: attending to this thing and then that thing, each in its time, with care. But the planet spins beneath our feet, sometimes careening wildly, and our days are disjointed and dizzying. When the known world flies apart, what holds you in place? Join us for pancake brunch after the service.…

There were some audio issues with this recording. The audio gets better at the 30 seconds mark. We are all familiar with the story of Henry David Thoreau and his two-year experiment on a plot of land owned by his teacher, Ralph Waldo Emerson. We are less familiar with the story of Harriet Jacobs, Thoreau’s contemporary, who also, alone, entered a s…

As hostile laws are adopted across the county, queer families and individuals are making their way to states like Minnesota. We will paint a picture of what is happening, how Unitarian Universalists are connected, and supporting the effort to find safety and sanctuary for those who are migrating to Minnesota.…

This service begins with a reflection by Sara Ford followed by Kevin Ward and Jess Goff. What happens when a book changes your life? You buy copies for your friends? Or maybe you talk about it in a summer service. In 2016, the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu wrote The Book of Joy. Some of their ideas are weird and unattainable (like — Can yo…

This sermon podcast begins with a reflection by worship associate Chris Russert. In a consumer society focused on limited resources and rugged individualism, many are left feeling estranged from one another and numb. How might we move from a culture of scarcity towards abundance, understanding the power of sharing, and embracing our human vulnerabi…

What does it mean to have a conversation or an encounter with another human that invites the divine into relationship? When we talk about “going deep quickly” and knowing each other “in all our fullness,” what do we mean? Why are these things important? And what do Herr Buber and Mr. Douglass have to teach us about all this?…

This sermon podcast begins with a reflection by worship associate Caswell Burr. There is a great, interconnected web of existence, a great and entrancing mystery, and we are starting to see more of the effects of our neglect for that interdependence. How can our UU faith and principles help guide us through the growing imperative to change our rela…

This Sunday reflects on the milestone events since Rev. Kathleen’s arrival at Unity Church in September 2022: successes, missed opportunities and work that is still in the making.

Fatherhood has changed a lot since the first celebration of Father’s Day in 1910, as have ideas about masculinity. Worship associates Charlie Caswell, Chris Russert, and Isaac Fried will reflect on their own experiences of fathers, and the joys and the challenges of navigating maleness amidst a culture that insists on binary thinking. ​…

We are well aware of the realties of climate change; we see evidence of the changing earth on an almost daily basis. Yet climate fatigue — the feeling of helplessness and hopelessness is also evident. How do we cultivate a sustainable level of energy and care for the environment when our own resources are often thin? How is that climate of care pra…

Beethoven was completely deaf when he embarked on his masterpiece, Ode to Joy, and it’s a tragedy that he never heard a single note of it except inside his head. At many times in our lives, finding joy may seem impossible. Life can seem painful or tragic, and joy completely out of reach. Not ignoring the truths of the tragedies and challenges of ou…

Ukraine. Israel and Palestine. Haiti. Eritrea. Ethiopia. There are so many places around the globe where violence and the war that follows results in an endless cycle of retaliation and devastation. On this Memorial Day Sunday, we honor those who have died in past wars, while maintaining the hope that we can learn the things that make for peace.…

A flower celebration Sunday homily.