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 December, 2009

Beyond Black and White: Exploring the Shadow

December 15, 2009 at 6:11 pm · Filed under All

December 13, 2009 — Rev. Lisa R. Schwartz

For Earthlings in the Northern Hemisphere, the coming of winter signals a season of For Earthlings in the Northern Hemisphere, the coming of winter signals a season of darkness and shadows. Our ancestors may have feared what lurked in the shadows, outside the ring of firelight and warmth, but they searched for a means to express the shadows within. Carl Jung believed that the shadow is both the reservoir for human darkness and the seat of creativity. Though in the 21st century technology can hold some of the darkness at bay, we can still profit from exploring the shadows. Rev. Lisa R. Schwartz explores the shadows in this dark of winter sermon.

Listen to the sermon:  Beyond Black and White

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Chalica: Celebrating the Flame

December 6, 2009 at 5:01 pm · Filed under All

December 6, 2009 — Rev. Lisa R. Schwartz

Unitarian Universalists enthusiastically celebrate many mid-winter holidays: Hanukah, Solstice, Diwali, Kwanzaa, and even Christmas make their appearance on the UU calendar. But none of them is really OUR holiday. Just two years ago some UU lay leaders proposed a distinctly Unitarian Universalist holiday: Chalica (CHA li cuh). It is seven days long and runs from the first Monday in December through the following Sunday, with each day representing one of the seven UU Principles. Rev. Lisa R. Schwartz will introduce this UU celebration.

Listen to the sermon: Chalica: Celebrating the Flame

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