Speaker: Rev. Dr. Matthew Johnson

Reverence for the Land

Potawatomi Naturalist Robin Wall Kimmerer, in her beautiful book “Braiding Sweetgrass,” connects the ancient wisdom of her ancestors to the emerging science of ecology.  It turns out that understanding the land and all those who live in and on it requires a certain measure of … read more.

Reason vs reason.

As we close our month on reason, I’ll reflect on “reason” and “Reason.”  The enlightenment philosophers articulated a vision of reason as a way to make the world make sense, but in some hands, the cult of “Reason” became a deadly totalitarian project. How do we, … read more.

Faith and the Climate Crisis

The Climate Crisis is an existential threat to life as we know it.  It impacts human thriving, equity, and our natural world.  It is about how we live now and how we will live in the centuries to come.  It requires a faithful response, and … read more.

Homecoming!

We celebrate the beginning of the new church and school year, and reflect on the power of community.  We’ll consider what it means to be about repairing our lives and our shared world, and how we can be reasonable agents of love and healing in … read more.

Letters, Words, and the Book of Life

We begin our exploration of “reason” on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.  We’ll reflect together about the power of letters and words, the spoken and written language, to create, bind, break, and restore us and each other.  The New Year is … read more.

What is Unitarian Universalism?

What are the essential theological ideas of our living tradition? How do those ideas shape our lives and how would we explain them to another?  What makes us who we are?  BRING A FRIEND SUNDAY – bring someone along who might be curious about us, … read more.

The 9th Principle?

In last fall’s Auction, Bob Arevalo won the right to choose a sermon topic. He asked, “we know that an 8th principle of Unitarian Universalism is likely to happen. What do you think should be the 9th?” It was a great question, and I have what I think … read more.

The Welcome Table

The African-American Spiritual, the Welcome Table, is a profound song, celebrating a God who welcomes you to God’s table – even if the world too often doesn’t let you sit at it. Using a powerful story from Alice Walker as our text, we’ll examine how … read more.

Lammas

Lammas is the Celtic holiday celebrating the first summer harvest; it comes midway between the Summer Solstice and the Fall Equinox – August 1st.  As we begin a month on the topic of “Communion,” the Lammas holiday invites us to rethink our relationship with the … read more.

The Journey Home

Now that parts of life are “turning back on”, we’re beginning to deal with the work of our hearts.  And the emotional and cognitive cost has been paid during this pandemic, political upheaval, and racial reckoning.  In the hero’s journey, coming home is often more … read more.