Selected Sermons
Aiming for Joy (MP3) 21 MB
The Reverend Jennifer Innis
March 1, 2015 Encounter with Awe (MP3) 22 MB
The Reverend Jennifer Innis
February 15, 2015
Neuroscientist Paul Pearsall tells us that
“Awe [is an] overwhelming and bewildering
sense of connection with a startling
universe that is usually far beyond the
narrow band of our consciousness.” Rabbi
Abraham Heschel says that “Awe enables
us to see in the world intimations of the
divine...” What is the nature of awe and why
should we care? This service is the second
reflection following on the core values
named by those at the Vision Workshop on
January 24. Please join us.
Hope Made Manifest (MP3) 27 MB
The Reverend Jennifer Innis
February 8, 2015
Following on the Vision Workshop from
January 24, worship will include ways to
explore the core values expressed by those
in attendance: Hope, Joy, Connection,
and Joy. We begin with Hope. Also, all
are invited to join the Children and Youth
Religious Education Council as we thank our
wonderful volunteers during the service.
Religion: Do You Take it With or Without? (MP3) 19 MB
The Reverend Annie Foerster
February 1, 2015
Unitarian Universalists are good at discarding the religious language that creates problems with their beloved Reason and Logic. Out goes the language and out goes the accompanying concept. Yet the rest of the world is still talking about these things, leaving us nothing to say in response — or at best, protesting with a defensive response. Could we use our R and L to chip away the misunderstandings between us? Let’s try. Let’s be brave and jump right into the biggest kerfuffle. Let’s talk about God.
A More Abundant Life (MP3) 21MB
The Reverend Jennifer Innis
January 25, 2015
Rev. Jennifer is happy to offer the closing
worship in the three-part Revival sponsored
by First Jefferson this month. After starting
with her own experience growing up in
Unitarian Universalism, she offers her own
hopes for the coming years of this faith.
A Dream for the Ages (MP3) 18 MB
The Reverend Jennifer Innis
January 18, 2015
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke of his
dream for equality and respect among
nations. What is this dream to us today and
what shall it be in our lives to come?
Do Over (MP3) 17 MB
The Reverend Tony Lorenzen
January 4, 2015
Rev. Tony Lorenzen reflects on seeing life
as journey with no destination. We need
courage and grace to restart, reboot, and
take a resilient do over.
Rev. Tony Lorenzen currently serves as
the half-time consulting pastor at two
congregations in the greater Houston area:
Thoreau Woods UU Church in Huntsville, TX
and the Unitarian Fellowship of Houston.
A Christmas Story for Today (MP3) 21 MB
The Reverend Jennifer Innis
December 21, 2014
A sculpture of Jesus as a homeless person
sleeping on a bench still receives mixed
reactions over a year after its installation.
What is the new account of the child
anticipated by so many of us in the world?
Who is this child in our time?
Intergenerational Winter Solstice Service
The Reverend Jennifer Innis & Friends
December 14, 2014
Part 1 (MP3) 9 MB
Parts 2 and 3 (MP3) 7 MB
All ages are welcome to hear this story
about the first Winter Solstice. The creatures
of the world learn what happens when they
demand day and night from the Earth. Join
us for a reflection on how to determine our
wants and needs as we enter the darkest time
of the year.
Religion is Not an Option (MP3) 22 MB
The Reverend Mark Walz
November 30, 2014
If nothing is more important than bringing
soul to everything we do, can there be
soul without a vivid sense of the sacred.
The theologian Thomas Moore claims we
must surrender to religion. That religion is
our most creative and concrete response
to the mysteries of our lives. Can this be a
Unitarian-Universalist position?
Ordinary Love (MP3) 26 MB
The Reverend Jennifer Innis
November 23, 2014
Our news and conversations are filled
with stories of heroic acts of dedication
and service. Those critical and demanding
events inspire us and give us pause in our
every day lives. And then life goes on. What
about the quieter examples? Join us for a
take on radical hospitality that might be
more sustainable and transforming than
expected.
Prophets in Our Own Country (MP3) 21 MB
The Reverend Jennifer Innis
November16, 2014
The just and loving community is essential
to an open and inclusive faith if the church
is to have any standing in our society. But
how we do we listen when someone “speaks
the truth in love”? What truths might need
to be heard today?
Changing the Recipe: The Unexpected Adventure of Rosemary Matson (MP3) 17 MB
Worship Arts with the
Reverend Jennifer Innis
November 9, 2014
As we begin with the theme of Justice
from James Luther Adams’ Five Smooth
Stones, Worship Arts and Rev. Jennifer
offer the contemporary biography of the
late Rosemary Matson. Her death in early
October 2014 closes a powerful chapter in
20th century activism. Her efforts include
migrant ministry, women’s spirituality, and
gender equality while being grounded in
Unitarian Universalism. Caesar Chavez
appears, too!
Honoring el Dia de los Muertos (MP3) 9 MB
The Reverend Jennifer Innis
November 2, 2014
Join us for a time to reflect on death and
celebrate the lives of the loved ones we have
lost. This service is in the style of el Dia de
los Muertos and includes an offrenda and
a chance to share with the congregation.
All are welcome to bring a small token of
remembrance to add to the offrenda during
the worship.
On Capes and the Cosmos (MP3) 18 MB
The Drive to Leap Tall Buildings and Live Up to Our Superhero Nature
The Reverend Jennifer Innis
October 26, 2014
Join us for “Superhero Sunday” as we
explore how these modern myths inform
our mortal dreams. All are welcome to
bring a festive spirit and come in costume.
The Art of Wild Wisdom (MP3) 22 MB
John Beckett
October 19, 2014
John is a member of the Denton UU
Fellowship and a Druid in the Order of
Bards, Ovates and Druids, an ordained
priest in the Universal Gnostic Fellowship,
the Coordinating Officer of the Denton
Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans
and a member of the Board of Trustees of
CUUPS National.
The Reluctant Radical: The Legacy of William Ellery Channing (MP3) 22MB
The Reverend Jennifer Innis
October 12, 2014
Channing is one of the most known and
cited figures in Unitarian Universalism,
but what was the nature of his life? Why is
he so essential to us nearly two hundred
years later? Come learn about a man
who found his voice and still calls us to
greatness.
Opening the Heart (MP3) 20 MB
The Reverend Jennifer Innis
September 28, 2014
The Jewish New Year begins with the
imperative to understand oneself in a new
way. In these “Days of Awe” at the start of
Rosh Hashanah, how shall we be honest
judges of ourselves?
Giving and Needing (MP3) 17 MB
The Reverend Jennifer Innis
September 14, 2014
The Rev. Dr. James Luther Adams’ extols
the primacy of free and mutual consent
between people as the foundation of
a liberal approach to what we believe.
When are we consenting, and when are
we not?
Lost and Found and ... (MP3) 23 MB
The Reverend Jennifer Innis
August 17, 2014
What happens in those moments when
we are good and lost? When there is no
path? And is finding the path always the
solution? Bring your wandering selves and
see what we might find.
Born This Way: Why A Growing Number of Faith Communities are
Welcoming LGBTQ Persons (MP3) 25 MB
Dr. Stephen Sprinkle
August 3, 2014
Dr. Sprinkle will speak about why
more and more faith communities
are welcoming lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, and queer people, and will
also offer a way forward for the LGBTQ
community and churches to bring about a
better world for us all.
Walking Toward Trouble (MP3) 19 MB
The Reverend Jennifer Innis
July 20, 2014
In so many moments of our lives, it is all
we can do to keep our head down and get
through the day. Sister Simone Campbell
of the “Nuns on the Bus” challenges us to
“walk toward trouble” when others move
away. Why might we step deeper into the
struggles of the world?
Babble (MP3) 11 MB
Jo Burnham / Mary Kirwin
July 13, 2014
What are the costs of seeking results
over relationship? Join us as we tell a
story that reminds us that success is not
very enjoyable without love and the spirit
of community. Based on a story by Rev
Erika Hewitt.
Conflict Management UU Style (MP3) 13 MB
The Reverend Vickie Johnson
July 6, 2014
Rev. Johnson will discuss how conflict
might enliven a congregation rather than
tear it apart.
Rev. Vickie Johnson graduated from Duke
Divinity School and was ordained in the
United Methodist Church in 1989. She became
saddened when their policies became
something she could no longer support. She
and her partner of 15 years moved to Texas
3 years ago and she has begun her journey
toward ordination in the UU Church.
Sermons in Text
HTML Files
PDF Files
|
Sunday Services