Sermon Archive
From Darkness to Light - Mt. Hood Cluster Collaboration
As the year winds down, four Mt. Hood Cluster UU congregations (Eastrose in Gresham, Mid-Columbia in Hood River, Community UU in Pasco and Wy’east in Portland) gather in a collaborative service to reflect upon the gifts of darkness and turn our gaze towards the coming light in the year ahead. Join us.
Please note that the Mid-Columbia UU Fellowship in Hood River will be hosting this service, so the Zoom link is different from the one we use for Wy’east-hosted worship. That link will be available here when it is published.
Join our Virtual Service Sunday at 10:30
Here is the special link to join this service: https://zoom.us/j/767376780
Christmas Eve Gathering at 5pm
On Christmas Eve, we will “gather for renewal and fellowship” as called for by our mission. We’ll do so virtually again, alongside our covenant to be cared for and to care for others. We will share stories, light candles, and close with the traditional Silent Night. In community together, though separated by screens, we will grieve what we are missing and lift up our hopes shining through the darkness. You're invited to bring a candle to light from your home worship space. This gathering will be facilitated by Wy’east members and friends.
Join our Virtual Service Sunday at 10:30
Click Here to link to the Zoom Service
Meeting ID: 275 194 110
Phone In: (669) 900-6833
The Power of Belief - Rev. Craig Moro
Now there’s the sort of sermon title you’d expect to see on a church’s highway sign! But the power of belief works in many ways, not all of them positive or life-giving. Our Universalist ancestors had many observations on this complex power that we would be wise to remember.
Celebration of Light - Anders Liljeholm
In the spirit of innovation demanded by COVID-19, we have reimagined our annual Celebration of Light service. In more usual times, our children would regale us with adorable costumes and antics in their annual Winter Pageant, acting out the solstice stories of eight different religious traditions. This year, show writer & producer Anders Liljehom, will tell the story of the creation of this production celebrating how we all find meaning in the darkness of winter, no matter which stories are told and which holidays we observe.
Wells We Did Not Dig - Rev. Rick Davis
If you ask a UU what they believe you will get many answers. If you ask us why we believe what we do you will get one answer. Yet that one answer leads us in many fruitful directions as we explore our sources. Please come join us - it'll be great to see YOU and it'll be meaningful to have this opportunity to reflect upon the deeper meanings and purposes of our lives.
Sermon by Rev. Rick Davis from the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Salem and is part of a pulpit exchange. Our minister, Rev. Craig Moro will be delivering the sermon in Salem today.
Sit at the Welcome Table: A Shared Gratitude Service
Thanksgiving weekend is often a time for us to take a step back and look at our world and personal experience through a lens of gratitude. This Sunday, we come together with two of our sister congregations, the Mid-Columbia Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Hood River and the Community UU Church in Pasco, WA in a shared collaborative worship focused on gratitude. Come and sit at the welcome table with us! Service led by members of all three UU congregations.
Champ!
This Sunday before Thanksgiving, I’ll share some early memories of life in an impoverished Deep South community. It was hard enough for people to feed themselves. So what did they do about their pets when things got extra tight? Come hear the story of a big, friendly dog named Champ!
By Rev. Moro
The Mechanics Driving Economic Inequality
Last spring, when the Social Justice Committee was working to identify a focus for the 2021-22 Church Year, Wy’east Member Robin Henderson advocated strongly for the idea of looking at economic inequality. This Sunday, Robin will share his passion for why it is important for everyone to understand and embrace economics to bolster all of us against the sway of political coercion and scare tactics.
Economic Inequality as an issue has become prominent everywhere (not just at our church), both in politics, national and local, and numerous religious and nonprofit organizations. In essence, our country has become more “WOKE!” to this issue. However, increasing public understanding of how an economic system actually works is important to make voters less susceptible to conservative politicians’ use of poisoned words and manipulative phrases when battling for policies necessary to reverse inequality. Robin hopes to both enlighten and interest listeners to an otherwise seemingly stuffy and tedious subject. With the broader voting public, this is especially important to resist intense right wing political manipulation.
You’re Not What You Once Were
November already! It’s late in the year now as daylight grows less and darkness grows more. Fall is a good time to think about similar changes in our own lives. Are we “less” now than we were in our younger days, or “more”? Neither? Or both? Let’s spend some time with king Solomon in both his youth and his old age as we ponder these questions.
By Rev. Moro
Wisdom of the Ancestors
Learning about our ancestors and embracing their cultures enriches our lives. This Sunday, please join us for a story-filled service as five of our members and friends share the wisdom of their ancestors.