Selected Sermons
That Is so Random (MP3) 16 min, 15 MB
D. Scott Cooper
February 25, 2018
Thresholds and Liminal Spaces (MP3) 18 min, 17 MB
D. Scott Cooper
February 18, 2018
Liminal spaces, such as waiting rooms, stairwells, and rest stops, exist for those things that come before or after them. Our lives are full of such times and spaces. How do we, as a faith community, make the most of these times, learning all we can from the past and preparing for the best of futures?
From You I Receive; To You I Give (MP3) 14 min, 13 MB
The Reverend Annie Foerster
February 11, 2018
What does it mean to be committed to a religious faith. For religions with creeds, the answer seems obvious. What about Unitarian Universalists?
The Hero’s Journey—Starting Out (MP3) 23 min, 21 MB
Read the Sermon
The Reverend Annie Foerster
February 4, 2018
According to the stories that Joseph Campbell collected about various cultural heroes, there is a formula to the hero’s journey. In the first of this series, I talked about what happens if you choose not to take the journey. Once you’ve decided, then you must begin. Think about your first day of school ever, when you had to leave your home and your mother to spend part of the day with strangers. Did you do it heroically or not?
UU Values—Covenant: More Than Just Words (MP3) 18 min, 17 MB
The Reverend Annie Foerster
January 28, 2018
We are a covenantal denomination. How many times have you heard that statement? What does it really mean? I’ll look at the historical process of covenanting and at our own covenants, what they mean and how they affect us.
“The Hero’s Journey—Why Go?”
The Reverend Annie Foerster
January 14, 2018
The Reading (MP3) 6 min, 6 MB
The Sermon (MP3) 21 min, 19 MB
Read the Sermon
The Adult Spiritual Exploration group has been studying Joseph Campbell’s description of the universal myth of the Hero’s Journey. A more recent philosopher, Carol Pearson, building on Campbell’s work, looks at this myth as a model for our individual lives. What does it mean to take The Hero’s Journey? This is the first in a series of seven.
Beginnings (MP3) 17 min, 16 MB
The Reverend Annie Foerster
January 7, 2018
Renewal. Starting over. Second chances. These are some of the social buzz words synonymous with ‘beginnings.’ But can we ‘begin’ again? Or do we drag our pasts, our incomplete endings, around behind us? The first Sunday in the ‘new’ year is a good time to ask these theological questions.
Rumplestiltskin: the Advent Story (MP3) 17 min, 16 MB
The Reverend Annie Foerster
December 10, 2017
For this series of services, we have been singing the song in the teal hymnal called Return Again. ‘Return to who you are,’ say the lyrics, not ‘return to who you have been.’ What does that even mean? I think it means making choices—choosing one of three options open to you for the future. I’ll give you a tour of current operations, but the choices are up to you.
A Flow-Through Faith (MP3) 15 min, 14 MB
The Reverend Annie Foerster
December 3, 2017
In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, let’s take the time to consider what it means to each of us to be a Unitarian Universalist. Is it about personal satisfaction, values clarification, motivation or, possibly, all of the above? At the same time, we’ll glance at what it means to be human. I promise a giggle or two with any deep thinking that might be required.
Living the Question (MP3) 20 min, 18 MB
The Reverend Samuel Schaal
November 26, 2017
Most people live within the easy boundaries of the familiar. The poet Rilke suggests that to be truly alive, we must trust in the difficult. This is especially true for those of us (both individuals and congregations) facing an uncertain future.
A Matter of Public Trust (MP3) 13 min, 12 MB
The Reverend Marjorie Montgomery
November 19, 2017
Our heroes, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry Thoreau taught us to be SELF RELIANT! YES!! But the world does not work very well with every man for himself. (Or every woman for herself.) So how may we live with these two contrasting points of view? T’aint easy, that’s for sure.
Revisioning Part III: Return Again (MP3) 25 min, 23 MB
The Reverend Annie Foerster
November 12, 2017
For this series of services, we have been singing the song in the teal hymnal called Return Again. ‘Return to who you are,’ say the lyrics, not ‘return to who you have been.’ What does that even mean? I think it means making choices—choosing one of three options open to you for the future. I’ll give you a tour of current operations, but the choices are up to you.
Revisioning Part II: A Story Worth Telling (MP3) 18 min, 17 MB
The Reverend Annie Foerster
November 5, 2017
Congregations in our denomination are often referred to as “The Sacred Community.” What makes them sacred is the easy part. What makes them community is often more complicated, because each one has a story beyond its history, beyond its structure. But, complicated or not, nuanced or out there, it is a story worth discovering—and telling.
Revisioning I: The Sleeping Beauty Expose (MP3) 21 min, 20 MB
The Reverend Annie Foerster
October 22, 2017
I’m a firm believer that our childhood stories tell
us a lot more about life than we have realized.
Buried in our fairy-tale memories are the answers
we seek for life’s difficult questions. I’ve always
thought something was left out of the Sleeping
Beauty story. Let’s explore it together as we
look ahead to life at First Jefferson Unitarian
Universalist Church.
False Fronts and Disguises (MP3) 21 min, 19 MB
The Reverend Annie Foerster
October 1, 2017
What does it mean to take someone at face value?
Is the face we present to the world our true face or
are we all mask-makers of the first degree? What’s
behind your false front?
To Hope and Back Again (MP3) 26 min, 24 MB
The Reverend Jennifer Innis
September 10, 2017
Join us for Rev. Jennifer’s last time of
leading worship at First Jefferson. She offers
a message of thanksgiving and her wishes for
the future of the church.
Sermons in Text
2018
2005-2017
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