“The Kindom of the Forest”

Drawing on the writings of Robin Wall Kimmerer, the findings of science, and indigenous thought, this sermon discusses plant intelligence and the seventh principle. What if we expanded our sense of who is our kin?

An Easter service rooted in our Universalist theology. Here is an example of how I offer multiple theological perspectives within a sermon (theistic and non-theistic.) It is also an example of how I preach on Easter. Easter can be a tricky topic in UU congregations.

A Thanksgiving service that dealt with the complexity of the day, which is also the National Day of Mourning for indigenous people. This sermon draws heavily on Robin Wall Kimmerer.

A pastoral service before the holidays. Let’s make some time for stillness, peace, and re-connection in our spiritual lives this winter season.

How to keep our personal sense of hope and possibility alive in a world filled with hate and division. This sermon references the work of Howard Thurman.

This sermon tells the stories of Michael Servetus and Abner Kneeland in the context of contemporary challenges to freedom of inquiry. This is an example of a sermon that connects UU history to our UU identity in a way that is relevent to today.

Hope was the overarching theme for this worship year. It’s been a hard couple of years. People really need church services that feel hopeful.

Another pastoral sermon, this one building on insights drawn from the neurodivergent community. It contained life hacks based on radical acceptance and rejecting ableism.

A buddhist inspired environmental service that also draws on Joanna Macy, this is another example of using diverse theological perspectives, stories, and traditions in worship.

The Sunday after the surprise leaked (draft) Supreme Court opinion reversing Roe, I scrapped the sermon I was going to deliver and gave this one instead. It draws heavily on the voices of others who are directly doing work on reproductive justice. I did not want to center my own voice for this sermon.

A sermon for MLK weekend. These days I preach a lot about courage. It’s an underappreciated virtue and one that UUs are going to need, in a world where Proud Boys sometimes show up outside our churches brandishing assault rifles.

Another UU history and identity sermon, this one is also a Christmas sermon and an examination of the challenges we sometimes face in confronting racism and white supremacy culture. Courage is once again a prominent theme.

Drawing on Dr. Katharine Hayhoe’s work, this is a hopeful sermon on how to talk about climate change.

Here you can find videos of sermons I’ve preached in the last year. This collection is a good example of the breadth and diversity of sermons I might preach over the course of a year.