Sermon Archive
PRIOR TO SEPTEMBER 2017
August 27, 2017 — Lessons from the Camino
Max Merrill, Grace Kennedy, Wendy Howard, Bob Barber, Lay Leaders
The Camino is a collection of sacred pilgrimage routes through France, Spain and Portugal. What meaning could this walk have for us today? Join four UUFCO members who walked part of the Camino through Portugal and Spain. How were they changed or were they changed? How many lessons learned in walking translate into a spiritual practice for all of us?
August 20, 2017 — The Story of Tibor Rubin
Dan Cohen, Guest Speaker
From a Nazi concentration camp to the Korean War to the White House, this is the incredible story of Tibor "Teddy" Rubin, the only Holocaust survivor to have received our nation's highest military distinction, the Medal of Honor. Teddy was a Hungarian Jew and an unlikely hero who embodied faith, charity and valor in the most horrific of conditions. Rubin's life story offers a narrative of the truly extraordinary.
August 13, 2017 — Celebrating and Caring for Our Land
Marean Jordan, Lay Leader, and Panel: Alice Elshoff, Duncan Brown, Dave MacGurn, Chandra Smith
Our new church home is part of a landscape that embodies the biodiversity of Central Oregon and the interdependent web of life. Its natural beauty calls us to live with a deeper connection to the wisdom and rhythms of nature. Guided by a panel of presenters who are helping to care for this environment, we will learn about our land, plants and animals, and what we can do to help them thrive. There will be a nature walk around our land after the service for those who are interested. Please bring a hat, sturdy shoes, and binoculars if you'd like to watch the birds.
August 6, 2017 — Greeting One Another in the Spirit of Welcome
Chela Sloper, Lay Leader
Using the Dances of Universal Peace as the means of experiencing “welcome” with one another, this Sunday we will enjoy worship in the round. Chela Sloper, our Congregational Life Facilitator, will lead us in two dances. Participation is easy and encouraged; spectators also welcome.
July 30, 2017 — Rest and Belonging
Rev. Laurie Newman, Guest Speaker
Do you have a love/hate relationship with your smart phone? Our technology allows us to keep connected to others through text, phone calls, social media and emails. We play music on it, and watch movies and TV shows. We can translate, and learn languages on it. We can rally for causes and read books on it. But, far too often, this same phone becomes a distraction and something that distances us from others and ourselves. It becomes an easy escape taking us away from our true selves. Writer Anne Lamott gets to the heart of it: “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes. . . including you.” The idea of sabbath is about rest and belonging, and "unplugging."
Rev. Laurie L. Newman serves as Associate Pastor for Congregational Care at Westminster Presbyterian Church. Her ministry engages the community within and without the congregation through an arts ministry, and through healing ministries, including work with the Deacon board, Stephen Ministry, the monthly Taize Service of Healing and Wholeness and the Prayer Team. At present, she is enjoying a three-month sabbatical leave with her two sons (Alex, 18 and Aaron, 15) including travel to sing and to write poetry. Her poetry blog is at https://lauriemvischer.wordpress.com/.
July 23, 2017 — Game of Lines
Rev. Craig Moro, Guest Speaker
What we celebrate may say as much about us as what we believe or what we achieve. What do celebrations like political rallies and conventions say about who we are and who we want to be? Craig Moro is a graduate of the University of Chicago and Starr King School for the Ministry. He has lived and studied in India, Singapore, Thailand, the Netherlands, and Japan. He has served churches in California, Illinois, and the Pacific Northwest and is a founding member of the TriCities Interfaith Alliance in Washington. He lives in Portland where he serves the Wy'east UU Congregation. His sermons are often informed by readings in the original languages of religious texts (including Arabic, Hebrew, and Tamil) and are known for blending scholarship with plain speech and a sense of humor!
July 16, 2017 — You You - Living in community, living with intention
Nancy Stevens and Gwenn Wysling, Lay-led Service
"Community is an essential building block in a cooperative and sustainable world" —from Fellowship of Intentional Community.
Gwenn and Carlos Wysling, Nancy Stevens, and Jameson O'Neal have all lived at Higher Ground, an intentional community in Bend, for over five years. They will share their stories, highlights, and unique aspects of what it means to them to live there, where neighbors are invested in people, place and connections, and where there's room for introverts and extroverts; where there is an opportunity to share talents, and a cohesiveness that results from dignity and respecting the worth of every individual.
July 9, 2017 — The Secrets We Carry
Rev. Barbara Smith, Guest Speaker
It has been said we are only as sick as our secrets. By exploring some of the "secrets" that affect our lives — mental illness, addiction, and incarceration, for example — we will reflect on how our Unitarian Universalist congregations can break the silence, be more inclusive, and challenge the shame and stigma in our wider culture.
July 2, 2017 — Finding Your Truth
Ayla Halberstadt, Director of Religious Exploration
Throughout our lives our claimed identities change and evolve as we grow as people. Let us explore how our ever changing identities impacts us on a personal level and how it impacts us as a beloved community interacting with the greater community and world.
June 25, 2017 — Gratitude & Goodbyes
Susan Kinney and James Simmons-Cox, Lay-led Service
As we come together for our last Sunday with Rev. Antonia, let us pause and reflect on gratitude for our time together, leavings, loss and the opportunities for new beginnings.
June 18, 2017 — Many Hands, Many Flowers, Many Blessings
Rev. Antonia Won
As we celebrate Fathers’ Day, we’ll also hold our flower communion and recognize the dedication, teamwork, and generosity of spirit of our volunteers and leaders that keeps us going. Bring a flower today!
June 11, 2017 — Stumbling of Happiness
Rev. Antonia Won
We northerners revel in the return of summer, the savoring of special places and people, and hopes of more happy times. And sometimes the stories we come away with give us the best returns on summer! Rev. Antonia closes out her sermon season with a focus on June's twin theme of joy/zest.
June 4, 2017 — Passages & Partings
Rev. Antonia Won
Changes and transitions in our lives, especially goodbyes and partings, can be tough. Are we better when we avoid the discomfort of our goodbyes, our losses, our woes? Can we find healing and peace in the pain of our partings? Come and be together as we find our way through another doorway of life.
May 7, 2017 — Wishing Well
Rev. Scott Rudolph
The second of two sermons from our ministerial candidate, Rev. Scott Rudolph — now called to be our settled minister. A multi-generational service with music by David Roth.
April 30, 2017 — Let Go To Love
Rev. Scott Rudolph
The first of two sermons from our ministerial candidate, Rev. Scott Rudolph.
April 23, 2017 — Transformation & The 21st Century: Change that Begins with Me
James Baldwin writes, 'Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced.' Join Rev. Antonia and members of UUFCO as they share stories of what they've faced and the change it's brought to their lives and commitments.
April 16, 2017 — Easter: Hope in the Dark
On Easter Sunday, Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead – the centerpiece of faith for many. The Easter story holds a mysterious power. But is Easter more than just a day? What happens when we think of resurrection as a verb? The choir sings at both services this morning.
April 9, 2017 — Grandmothers of the 14th Moon
This sermon explores how the role of ritual spiritually can enrich our stages of life and bring us into balance.
April 2, 2017 — Breaking the Silence: Speaking of Suicide
Many of us have felt the pain of losing someone to suicide yet we don’t often speak of it, mostly out of fear. Is silence the best way for us to deal with this ultimate act of despair? Can we find the courage to talk about it? Are there sources of wisdom and strength that can help and guide us? Join Rev. Antonia in holding space for this sacred exploration.
March 26, 2017 — The Risks of Principle #4 - & Possibly a Few Others...
Principle #4 affirms the free and responsible search for truth and meaning. We are living in a crossed up world where truth and lies, facts and falsehoods and especially fear are being traded for profit – and religion is caught in the middle of it all. As people of a liberal faith tradition, what are we called to in times like this? If we promote tolerance, what is asked of us now?
March 19, 2017 — Crossing Boundaries, Finding Wisdom
Rev. Katherine Jesch
Exploring Native ways of life can lead to new understandings of solidarity and survival, allowing us to learn much from the wisdom of the original peoples of this land. In this sermon we’ll consider the wisdom gleaned from crossing boundaries into Native cultures
March 12, 2017 — Up a Creek Without a Paddle
When in doubt, find a metaphor! Rev. Antonia riffs on rivers as a favorite muse and spiritual guide in confusing times.
March 5, 2017 — What Does It Mean to be a Community of Risk?
Risk is not only our theme in March, but is also highlighted on the cover our monthly "Soul Matters" packet. In our super hero styled culture, we think of risk in both individual and polarized terms -- either exhilarating or terrifying. What does it mean to be a community of risk? What do religion and risk have to do with each other? What's right for me?