Podcast: Chalice Sermons

One Small (Side) Step

The language we use has a much larger impact on the people around us than we realize. Today we’ll talk about small steps we can take to change our defaults and be more inclusive in everyday life – and why it matters.

Everything Possible   

Strong and bold, or quiet and kind, every one of us is unique and filled with possibilities. Our service today is based in part on Fred Small’s iconic folk song that became an anthem for generations. Everything Possible celebrates love and friendship, encouraging us to dream our own dream, choose our own path, and embrace our possibilities, wherever they may take us.

I Would Love to Live Like A River Flows

As we recognize Earth Day, and with the words of John O’Donohue, Celtic philosopher, poet, and nature lover guiding us, we will explore our relationship with rivers and our interdependence, focusing on the integral role they play in our spiritual journeys. We recognize the flow of these rivers of life as a metaphor for the flow of our own lives, and we honor the ecosystem of wisdom they offer; one that holds life lessons for each of our journeys. “I’d love to live my life like a river flows, carried by the surprise of its own unfolding.” ~John O’Donahue

Reciprocity: Spirituality and the Environment

As Earth Day approaches, we orient ourselves toward the interdependent web of all creation. As UU’s, we recycle, we compost, we drive EVs. But what if we re-conceive our relationship to the natural world and see how it takes care of us?  How might that shift our perspective on… everything?  This morning Sam Thomas, CLU professor of Religion & Environmental Studies, will explore themes of reciprocity, gift economy, and land ethics in conversation with Indigenous writers and other deep ecology voices.

Hope in Bloom – Flower Celebration

During this time of Passover and Easter, we celebrate our Unitarian Universalist tradition of the flower ceremony. As we gather to honor the beauty of nature, let us also be reminded of the seeds of hope planted with our community. Please bring a flower for this treasured ritual of connection and renewal.

What Did You Miss? with Rev. Kikanza Nuri-Robins

The Sabbath is Spirit in the form of time. Sabbath rest is allowing Spirit to rest within us and connect with God. What happens when you lean into something that is always there? What do you notice when something that’s always been there goes missing? What can you learn about yourself and your world during this season of fasting and reflection?

The Thread

Popular guest speaker and UCLA oncology chaplain, Michael Eselun will reflect and explore the idea of a single thread that may run through our entire lives – what it takes to find it, what is our relationship to it, and how it just might help us make sense of the whole journey thus far.

The Ten Commandments are STILL RELEVANT!

Although 3500 plus years old, these ten imperatives—examining God, Sabbath, family-life, adultery, killing, robbery, lying, and greed—furnish a lodestar for the moral agenda and spiritual life of 21st century progressives. The Rev. Dr. Tom Owen-Towle is grateful to be preaching again at Chalice and will have his latest book, Living with Purpose and Integrity: A Fresh Perspective on the Ten Commandments.