First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee

The Heart of Mother’s Day

Editor — Sun, 11 May 2008 23:23:03 +0000

A Sermon from: May 11, 2008
By: Rev. Craig D. Schwalenberg, Story by Beryl Aschenberg, Kathy Porter and Darcy Hamlin

And how shall we celebrate this Mother’s Day? Historically, with a proclamation for peace? Sentimentally, with a card and thoughtful gifts? Reluctantly, with memories of the way things were or could have been? How shall we celebrate this day? By finding the heart of this day….

Size: 17 MB

Things Seen and Unseen

Editor — Fri, 09 May 2008 21:15:22 +0000

A Sermon from: May 4, 2008
By: Rev. Andrew C. Kennedy

Drawing on the keen observations of the nature mystic Annie Dillard, the science writer Bill Bryson and others, this service ponders our place in the scheme of things in an utterly wild and literally incomprehensible universe where, if Dillard is right, “The secret of seeing is the pearl of great price.”

Optimism: Moral Courage in the Face of Challenges and Change

Editor — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 20:43:57 +0000

A Sermon from: April 27, 2008
By: Philip Chard

Whether your glass is half empty or half full, there will be times when life will simply shatter it. While some of us can put on a genuinely happy face when beset by disappointments, losses and tragedies, for most of us doing so is a steep hill to climb. Research shows that pie-in-the-sky optimism can be just as ineffective in dealing with life’s toughest challenges as woe-is-me pessimism. But there is another choice called “realistic optimism.” This attitudinal and spiritual posture toward adversity is the foundation for perseverance, courage and personal triumph. We will examine the characteristics of realistic optimism, including how it is learned and applied in our lives.

Philip Chard is a psychotherapist, book author, newspaper columnist and a nationally acclaimed speaker. He writes an award-winning weekly column, called “Out of My Mind,” that appears in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and he is author of the Healing Earth, a groundbreaking work in eco-psychology that received the 1995 Midwest Publishers Award.

Size: 18 MB

Disconnected, Distanced, and Disowned

Editor — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 16:32:50 +0000

A Sermon from: April 20, 2008
By: Rev. Craig D. Schwalenberg, Story by Beryl Aschenberg

Many have forgotten where they came from. Many have forgotten their place in the web of existence. Many know not the source of their food, the source of their water. Many have forgotten the feel of the earth upon the soles of their feet. Too many have lost the feel of the earth within their souls. Let’s reconnect. Let’s close the gap. Let’s rejoin the family, where we belong.

Size: 17 MB

My Walk With Cancer

Editor — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 16:08:38 +0000

A Sermon from: April 13, 2008
By: Rev. Andrew C. Kennedy with Words for All Ages told by Beryl Aschenberg

Many of you kindly ask about my health with some regularity. Today, I’d like to invite you to join me as I share some images, surprises, learnings, and pages from my personal journal, called “Walking the Dog,” about my little walk with cancer. (Fear not, for me, it has been a pretty upbeat walk.) — Drew

The Struggle Within Our Souls

Editor — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 23:00:08 +0000

A Sermon from: April 6, 2008
By: Rev. Andrew C. Kennedy

Join me as we wrestle with a perennial spiritual issue, namely, the ongoing struggle within our souls between life and death, saint and sinner, Jesus and Judas, and what the ancient Greeks identified as Eros and Thanatos. It is one of humanity’s oldest and richest stories, so stories will abound. Please join us. — Drew

Who’s Calling, Please?

Editor — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 16:12:03 +0000

A Sermon from: March 30, 2008
By: Rev. Craig D. Schwalenberg

About this sermon Craig says “I was called to the UU ministry. Our faith is called to grow. Later this year, this congregation may call me to be their minister. Many of you have been or are currently being called. Who’s calling whom? And what, exactly, are they saying? How should we answer?”

Size: 17 MB

Calmly Plotting the Resurrection

Editor — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 16:00:06 +0000

A Sermon from: March 23, 2008
By: Rev. Andrew C. Kennedy, with “Words for All Ages” by Beryl Aschenberg

Today we celebrate Easter Sunday – the high holy day of the Christian world — yet in our own distinctive Unitarian Universalist way.

The Arts, Personal Practice, and Social Change

Editor — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 22:00:53 +0000

A Sermon from: March 16, 2008
By: Peggy Hong

What is our task as spiritual beings in this day and age? How do we embody our deepest spiritual beliefs in our communities and in this nation? What role does poetry play in social justice issues? Through sharing of her writings and others’, Peggy Hong will discuss how faith, social justice, and poetry are interrelated and complimentary.

Acceptance and Tolerance: What About UU?

Editor — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 17:00:55 +0000

A Sermon from: March 16, 2008
By: First Unitarian Society Youth Group

As Unitarian Universalists, we often pride ourselves on being tolerant, but are we always accepting? Join us for this special service as the YRUU Youth Group explores this question.

The Gospel of Judas

Editor — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 22:00:43 +0000

A Sermon from: March 9, 2008
By: Rev. Andrew C. Kennedy

An ancient manuscript, The Gospel of Judas, was popular for a couple of hundred years, then disappeared from view, presumably lost forever – until about a year ago. Three days before Jesus’ last Passover supper, this ancient text claims: “Jesus said to him, ‘Step away from the others and I shall tell you the mysteries of the kingdom. It is possible for you to reach it, but you will grieve a great deal.’” Today we explore The Gospel of Judas and what it might mean for us.

Opening the Heart With Rumi

Editor — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 23:40:27 +0000

A Sermon from: February 24, 2008
By: Rev. Andrew C. Kennedy

Join us as we explore the ecstatic and beautiful poetry of Jalalu’ddin Rumi, a Sufi mystic who lived 800 years ago. Rumi, it seems, is taking the country by storm. Publishers Weekly calls him the best-selling poet in America. Amazon. com lists over 9,000 items for sale when you query “Rumi” at their website – books, CDs, calendars, videos, tapes, you-name-it. Let’s find out why. Join us for a morning of passionate, playful, and wonderfully deep and meaningful poetry that celebrates the sacred in everyday life and urges us to go deep within for our richest resources.

A Spiritual Approach to Global Warming

Editor — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 23:00:05 +0000

A Sermon from: February 17, 2008
By: Rev. Roger Bertschausen

More and more people around the world are recognizing global warming as the most significant challenge facing humanity today. Much of the challenge has to do with science, sustainability, and economics. But it is also partly a spiritual challenge.

Size: 12 MB

Spiritual But Not Religious

Editor — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 23:54:56 +0000

A Sermon from: February 10, 2008
By: Rev. Andrew C. Kennedy

Includes a Story for All Ages told by Becky Spice

Not infrequently, we hear, “I’m spiritual, but not religious.” This sensibility, of course, is often a great “fit” with Unitarian Universalism. In this sermon Dr. Kennedy explores just what this might mean exactly.

Roots and Runners

Editor — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 22:55:06 +0000

A Sermon from: February 3, 2008
By: Rev. Craig D. Schwalenberg

Some plants send their roots into the soil, seeking the hidden depths. Some plants send out runners, reaching out to the beyond. A healthy spiritual life consists of both—runners and roots.

Size: 15 MB

Reason And Doubt

Editor — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 23:31:25 +0000

A Sermon from: January 27, 2008
By: Rev. Craig D. Schwalenberg

We have a long history of doubt and skepticism in this faith tradition and in this country. Currently, we seem to be suffering a crisis of Reason (as opposed to a crisis of Faith.) Doubt and Reason maybe be the first steps in addressing this crisis but where do we go after that?

Size: 15 MB

Martin Luther King, Jr. and Thich Nhat Hanh

Editor — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 22:04:37 +0000

A Sermon from: January 20, 2008
By: Rev. Andrew C. Kennedy

“What a wonderful surprise it was for me this past summer to learn that Martin Luther King, Jr., one of my (inevitably flawed) heroes, was acquainted with one of my favorite Buddhist teachers, Thich Nhat Hanh. Join me as we explore the intersection of two of our most inspirational contemporary spiritual leaders.” — Drew

When We Work Together

Editor — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 20:00:29 +0000

A Sermon from: January 13, 2008
By: Rev. Craig D. Schwalenberg

There is much need in this world of ours. Every little bit helps, every word, every act. But sometimes, the world needs more than we can give. Fortunately, we aren’t alone.

Size: 13 MB

Love and Freedom

Editor — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 22:03:17 +0000

A Sermon from: January 6, 2008
By: Rev. Andrew C. Kennedy

As we inexorably plunge into another new year, I invite you to join me for some musings, stories and images of the tensions between freedom and love, commitment and risk.

The Time Travelers

Editor — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 20:59:35 +0000

A Sermon from: December 30, 2007
By: Rev. Craig D. Schwalenberg

Ever wonder what it would be like to travel in time? Oh, what amazing things we might see. What wondrous changes would occur. Of course, it could be scary, too. You never know what you might find when you travel through time. — Craig

Size: 15 MB

Skeptical Yet Spiritual

Editor — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 21:54:58 +0000

A Sermon from: December 16, 2007
By: Rev. Michael Schuler

This sermon by The Rev. Michael Schuler, Senior Minister of the First Unitarian Society of Madison, reflects on the value of honest skepticism.

Size: 13 MB

Moments of Bliss

Editor — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 17:52:36 +0000

A Sermon from: December 9, 2007
By: Rev. Craig D. Schwalenberg
Including a story told by Beryl Aschenberg

Every once in a while, if fortunate, we experience something unexpected, indescribable, something transformative, something transcendent. Timeless … and yet, terribly, wonderfully brief. Moments of Bliss. They are worth holding on to, worth seeking, and worth sharing with each other.

Size: 18 MB

How to Read the Season’s Stories

Editor — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 15:09:26 +0000

A Sermon from: December 2, 2007
By: Rev. Andrew C. Kennedy
With a musical performance by Jack Forbes Wilson and Joseph Ketchum

About this sermon, Drew Kennedy says, “Many of our favorite stories — whether novels or movies or video games or seasonal celebration stories — are, in an important sense, not true. They are myths — myths which evoke deep needs, hopes and aspirations. And, thus, while perhaps not true factually, they may be profoundly true in other ways. As one of my colleagues says, ‘Let us prepare a manger in our hearts for the season’s stories.’”

Unity and Universality

Editor — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 20:23:37 +0000

A Sermon from: November 25, 2007
By: Rev. Sarah Oelberg

The Rev. Sarah Oelberg is a retired UU minister and a member of the First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee. About her sermon topic Sarah says, “The early Unitarians were so named because they believed in the unity of God, not the trinity. The Universalists were called such because of their belief in universal salvation. But the root words also have subtler, more complex meanings, which can work both positively and negatively. We will look at some of the implications.”