Uu Fellowship Of San Luis Obispo County

Mary Oliver writes, "To live in this world you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones, knowing your own life depends on it; and when the time comes to let it go, to let it go."

In ancient Roman religion, according to Wikipedia, Janus is the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages and endings. This surely makes Janus one of the busiest gods, one whose face we recognize as looking forward and backward simultaneously. What can we learn by studying the posture of this ancient god-with-a-small-g?

All is calm. All is bright. But only for moments. The Christmas story is also one of upheaval, fear, insecurity, risk, and courage in the face of danger and desperation...and that courage can provide comfort, too.

Courage is an important element of the story of Hanukkah. How does it translate into our contemporary context?

Like Robert Frost, we often arrive at forks in the road and we just don't know which is the best way. We choose without knowing. That takes courage.

Courage is the root word found in encouragement and discouragement. Our third Principle calls us to "acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations." How are we doing?

Are gratitude and generosity part and parcel of the promises we make?

Agreements, treaties, covenants, contracts...there are many ways to make promises to one another. And when those promises are broken...

We celebrate the promise embodied in our children and in our own ability to make promises in the present that may help shape the future. Choir will be performing The Seal Lullaby by Eric Whitacre

"We are opening our eyes to white supremacy as it exists in the very fabric of our story as a society and a nation...In this time, our commitment to the inherent worth and dignity of all people and our collective interdependence call for us to live, invest in, and understand our faith in new ways." - Susan Frederick Gray, President of the UUA.

Michael Eselun will explore the experience of insiders and outsiders — our yearning to belong and the comfort we take in belonging versus our inner experience of being on the outside, often at the same time.

October 11 is National Coming Out Day, celebrating the 29th anniversary of the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights and supporting the rights of LGBTQ people to freely and publicly claim their full selves in the public square.

Looking at the most distressing pieces of our history—as individuals; as Americans; as Unitarian Universalists—it is tempting to treat them as tragic aberrations. Yes, that happened, I say. But…that’s not me!

Sermons from the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of San Luis Obispo County.

As our year turns from summer to fall, let us take time to notice how our lives too are marked by seasons of change. Join Lora Barnett as she reflects on how nature is often our best teacher in learning to embrace the many seasons of our lives.

Reflections on the Seventh Principle. No, it’s not just a justification of environmental action. Well, it is that, but it is far more than that. It’s really about the sacredness of the ordinary, about the reality of the divine within us all, even about mysticism. So let’s think a little more deeply about this thing.

What would happen if instead of seeing ourselves as broken, in progress, imperfect or otherwise less than, we instead insisted that we are already and always whole? What if, we are already creative, resourceful and wholly capable of solving the complex challenges that confront us in our daily lives? What might happen if we just acted as if?

As UU's our principles and values call us to respond to injustice but doing so has too often been a matter of political and social conscience rather than prophetic or theological conscience. What might be gained if we dared to boldly claim our theological territory in search for whole justice in the public square? (ed - technical glitch, sorry - the first few minutes are missing)