A sermon is an oral presentation by a live speaker to a live congregation. It always involves a bit of interaction, even if it’s just eye contact and facial expressions. Reading the text of a sermon, then, is like reading the script of a play to yourself. The live, communal experience is gone.

Nevertheless, please enjoy reading these text versions of sermons and other presentations made at the UU Fellowship of Topeka during our worship services. You may find that there are additional notes and/or commentaries to the original text.

Archive for November, 2006

Settlers and Pioneers: it takes all kinds

A Thanksgiving Homily — Rev. Lisa Schwartz

The Thanksgiving holiday is the traditional time of year to honor the Pilgrims, though in recent years we do that with some ambivalence. These days we recognize that the Pilgrims were “settling” a land that had been occupied by other humans long before the Pilgrims arrived. Even when I was grade school, though, we noted with deep gratitude the Native Americans’ gracious help, which was necessary to the Pilgrims’ survival. But before the Pilgrims sat down to the big feast, even before they set their hopeful feet on Plymouth Rock, they had to get there. Their amazing journey is a wonderful story.

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The Costly Heritage We Claim

by UUFT’s Intern Minister — Rev. Jill Jarvis

We gather together as a free faith, intentionally forming a community of goodwill. Our UU congregations are direct descendants of the centuries-old “free church” tradition — and it has both nothing and everything to do with our modern liberal religion. In claiming our heritage we explain what it really means to be a member of a free religious community, and the potential for that community to reshape society.

Listen to: The Costly Heritage We Claim

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