January 6, 2008. "Getting to the Promised Land." Rev. Dr. Marilyn Sewell.

We set goals in life, and we set goals as a society. Those goals typically remain unfinished in our own lifetime, and so we begin to understand that we stand on the vision and deeds of the past, we do our part, and then we pass what is unfinished on to the next generation. Salvation is not about getting to the promised land - it's about how well we journey.

January 13, 2008. "Starting from Scratch." Rev. Thomas Disrud.

A new year is a time to start fresh - letting go of the old and beginning with the new. But sometimes that is not as easy as it sounds. How do we make a fresh start?

January 20, 2008. "Immigration: The American Dream and Nightmare." Rev. Kate Lore.

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a theologian who saw the interconnectedness of the world like few others before him. He saw humanity inescapably bound together and, at the same time, cruelly divided. He was true to the American Dream - and devastated by the American Nightmare. His whole adult life was a quest for the dream of Beloved Community and a struggle against divisions. How do King's insights and hopes relate to the controversy over immigration?

January 27, 2008. "Your Life As Story." Rev. Dr. Marilyn Sewell.

Is life just a series of chaotic accidents? Or are there themes to your story? I believe that the way we interpret our life story, the way we shape its meaning, makes all the difference in our happiness and well-being.

February 3, 2008. "Satisfying the Hunger." Rev. Dr. Marilyn Sewell

A remarkably high number of people in this country are fearful about where their next meal is coming from, and some are literally hungry. But many more of us hunger in ways that are devastating spiritually - we hunger for intimacy, for meaning, for hope and renewal. How do we satisfy the hungering?

February 10, 2008. "A Long Conversation in the Heart." Rev. Thomas Disrud.

Sometimes it takes a long time to get to a place where we are settled with an issue. Sometimes what we need to do is take time to listen to our heart.

February 24, 2008. "The Uses of Beauty." Rev. Dr. Marilyn Sewell.

In this sermon Marilyn focuses on a few simple but exceedingly important questions: (1) What is beauty, and why do we need it? and (2) How has a false, commercial concept of beauty kept us from the essence of its healing power?

March 2, 2008. "Is Peace Possible?" Rev. Kate Lore.

No one ever promised it would be easy to rid the world of the scourge of war, which is so deeply rooted in human history - perhaps, even, in human nature. No one ever promised us that the road would be clear, or that those sincerely committed to peace would not sometimes be deeply divided. Yet we all yearn for a deep and lasting peace. Is there reason to think that peace is even possible?

March 9, 2008. "Why We Believe What We Believe." Rev. Dr. Marilyn Sewell.

Why do we hold fast to certain ways of seeing life, of seeing others? Why do we adopt and often cling furiously to our views?

March 16, 2008. "Annual Youth Service." First Unitarian Youth Program.

Our high school youth examine the first and seventh principles this year. They offer their insights into individual importance and the value of inherent dignity. They discuss strong sentiments about our place in the interdependent network and how vital that is to the preservation of our world.

March 23, 2008. "The Invitation of Light." Rev. Dr. Marilyn Sewell.

Darkness has its comforts, and often the light is frightening, startling and blinding to us. How can we turn with confidence to the light that would transform us, make us anew?

April 6, 2008. "The Power of Secrets." Rev. Thomas Disrud.

Secrets can have a great deal of power. So what do we do with them? When are they best kept hidden and when are they best held in the light?

April 13, 2008. "What Do Our Children Require of Us?" Rev. Dr. Marilyn Sewell.

Children are vulnerable, and in their trust and innocence, they depend upon grown-ups. What is it they need from us, in order to grow into healthy, confident, loving adults?

April 20, 2008. "Is Marriage Obsolete?" Rev. Dr. Marilyn Sewell.

Increasingly, couples find it unnecessary to marry in order to live together, or even to have children together. Other people marry 3, 4, or 5 times, sequentially. Is marriage itself becoming outmoded?

April 27, 2008. "Creativity: Where the Human and the Divine Meet." Rev. Kate Lore.

It has been said that the act of creation - whether a painting, a poem, a dance, a song, or a lesson plan - is one of the most spiritual things we can do. Why? And what price do we pay when we reserve the arts for "the professionals"?

May 4, 2008. "When the Holy Breaks Through." Rev. Dr. Marilyn Sewell.

Our lives can cruise along in very much an ordinary fashion, and then all at once, something unexpected happens, and we are awakened as we had not been previously.  How can these epiphanies deepen and mature us, spiritually speaking?

May 18, 2008.  "Called to Consciousness." Rev. Dr. Marilyn Sewell.

Though our culture too often distracts us from what is real and vital, our spiritual lives call us to a growing consciousness. As with all forms of growth, there is loss involved - but the gain is living with more depth and fulfillment.

June 1, 2008. "Did the Devil Make Me Do It?" Rev. Dr. Marilyn Sewell.

Is there a force for evil in the world, countering the force for good? Or are our misdeeds simply the result of ignorance and poor upbringing?

June 8, 2008. "Learning from our Failures." Rev. Thomas Disrud.

Unitarian Universalists tend to take great pride in our accomplishments, but sometimes it is in our failures that we find the path that leads us to where we need to go.

June 22, 2008. "Transforming Our Suffering." Rev. Dr. Marilyn Sewell.

We cannot choose the time and place of our suffering - we can only choose our response to our suffering. How can suffering be "offered up"and in this way, transformed?