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 February, 2009

Blessed Unrest

February 22, 209 — Rev. Lisa R. Schwartz

Blessed Unrest. Is it possible that humanity is experiencing a flowering of consciousness
that redefines our relationship to the environment and one another? In his book Blessed Unrest author and environmentalist Paul Hawken claims that a movement for social and environmental change is sweeping the planet with brilliant ideas and innovative strategies. The Prairie Star District (the UU district that includes UUFT) has urged everyone in the district to read Blessed Unrest together. In this sermon, Rev. Lisa Romantum Schwartz explores the book and its hopeful implications.

Listen to the sermon: Blessed Unrest

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Up is Not Down: Religious Truth-Claims in a Secular age

February 15, 2009 — Rev. Lisa R. Schwartz

Human curiosity and ingenuity shape the world around us, and are in turn shaped by both science and religion. Yet those two powerful forces have often been at odds with one another. What do humans do when scientific knowledge contradicts the heartfelt beliefs of faith? Perhaps Unitarian Universalism has something unique to offer in answer to this ancient question. Rev. Lisa Romantum Schwartz explores the Darwinian zeitgeist of the 21st Century in this sermon, part of the global celebration of the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth.

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We’re Gonna Have an Evolution

February 1, 2009 — Rev. Lisa R. Schwartz

Rev. Lisa wonders: Am I still the same person who was born on Feb. 8th, 1959? Certainly. And, most decidedly not. Evolutionary growth is one way to understand
describe the gradual process of maturation in human beings. The same evolutionary understanding fits Unitarian Universalism, and the UU Fellowship of Topeka, as we look back at nearly 50 years of history. Rev. Lisa Romantum Schwartz will bring an evolutionary perspective to personal and communal growth and development.

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