Past Sermons Date added
-
Why Straight People Need to Hear Another Gay Pride Sermon
- Jun-22-2008
-
delivered on 22 June, 2008
June is a month for weddings and Gay Pride celebrations. Live Oak has already made a commitment to celebrating and including individuals who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender. Isn't that enough? Not quite.
-
Hearing and Being Heard
- Jun-03-2008
-
delivered on 1 June, 2008
We heard you! During our "love will guide us" stewardship season this spring, every person was invited to share feedback about and suggestions for our congregation. What did you have to say about our worship, our Religious Exploration, our membership, stewardship, and shared ministry programs? In this sermon, Erika reflects on, and responds to, much of your feedback.
-
Carving Your Life
- May-20-2008
-
delivered on 18 May, 2008 by guest minister Rev. Laura Mancuso
When you want to improve your life, do you naturally gravitate toward adding something, rather than taking something away? Sometimes we need less, even when we want more. In this sermon, Laura Mancuso (once a layleader at Live Oak) shares her insights about carving one's life -- both literally and figuratively -- in her first sermon at Live Oak as an ordained interfaith minister.
-
"The Numbers Game"
- May-05-2008
-
delivered on 4 May, 2008
There are numbers that unconsciously govern human behavior Sometimes, congregational life itself is guided by numbers. In her sermon, Rev. Erika Hewitt explains some of these numbers, and how they led Live Oak's leadership to make an important decision: in September, for about five months, Live Oak will hold two worship services. Read on to learn more!
-
A Bridge Across Generations
- Apr-20-2008
-
delivered on 20 April, 2008
"Age is an issue of mind over matter," said Mark Twain. "If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." But many of us do mind growing older (although, as kids will tell you, some of them can't wait to grow up!). What are the gifts of young adulthood, of middle age, and old age? In this sermon, Rev. Erika shares the thoughts reported by people of all ages, and endeavors to create a bridge of understanding across the generations.
-
An Unknown Number of Days
- Apr-19-2008
-
delivered on 13 April, 2008
Life is on loan to each of us for a short time. How do we confront, or accept, our own mortality? What will our death mean, and how will it affect our families and loved ones? Rev. Erika prepared this sermon in conjunction with the special end-of-life planning workshops offered at Live Oak on April 19th.
-
"Common Language or Tower of Babel?"
- Apr-14-2008
-
delivered by guest speaker Bob Meyerson on April 6, 2008
In this modern age, where miscommunication can be catastrophic, this sermon explores how language is a two-way street. What's meant is not always what's heard. We'll explore how even one language can cause misunderstandings...and what if we have dozens of languages?
Boby Meyerson is a layleader at Starr King UU Church in Hayward, CA.
-
"Confessions of a Mystical, Humanistically-Inclined Agnostic Theist with Pagan Tendencies...."
- Apr-04-2008
-
delivered by guest minister Rev. Joy Atkinson on 30 March 2008
Joy Atkinson, currently serving as interim minister of the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara, shares her theology as a Unitarian Universalist with many facets of religious identity.
-
The Eyes of Our Eyes Are Opened
- Mar-24-2008
-
delivered on Easter Sunday, 23 March 2008
What meaning does Easter – a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus – have for Unitarian Universalists? "Resurrection" can also be an awakening, an opening of our eyes. In this sermon, Erika begins with a Biblical account of the post-resurrection Jesus and then traces the theme of resurrection through the work of three poets: e.e. cummings, Miller Williams, and Mark Nepo.
-
The Deportees
- Mar-24-2008
-
delivered on 16 March, 2008
Our nation’s immigration policies affect the families in our community in real and devastating ways. How does our UU theology respond to our treatment of immigrants?
In this sermon, Erika explains why she believes that our immigration laws -- and especially their enforcement -- are in need of reform.
-
"Aerobic Life Lessons" by guest speak Eileen Maurer
- Mar-24-2008
-
delivered by Eileen Maurer, lay leader at Palomar UU Fellowship, on 2 March, 2008
Our culture is so fundamentally based in individualism that we’re often blind to shared experience. We automatically approach every event in our lives in a competitive mode, causing us to overlook the benefits of collective wisdom and the advantages of cooperation over competition. As a result, we miss a lot of opportunities to experience a real sense of belonging. The structure of our religion is precisely the reason that we need to recognize how important it is for Unitarian Universalists to worship together.
-
A Journey toward Wholeness
- Feb-20-2008
-
presented on 6 January, 2008 by Sally Klinkon and Sara Norquay
This "symbolic journey" reflects on the qualities and life patterns that lead and inspire us toward greater wholeness. This service, created by lay leaders Sally Klinkon and Sara Norquay, has become a cherished Live Oak tradition.
-
The Things We Do for Fear
- Feb-17-2008
-
delivered on 17 February, 2007
We're reminded (especially around Valentine's Day) that love moves us to do the unthinkable... but so does fear. In this service, Erika examines the hidden ways that fear works, using her recent travels to Mali as a lens for suggesting what happens when fear guides us, and what it takes to step out from under its control.
-
"Cell Phones in the Bathroom...and Other Perils of Technology"
- Feb-09-2008
-
delivered on 3 February, 2008
Technology allows us to do wonderful things, and creates connections across the global village that we'd never even dreamed of. Technology can be a curse as well as a blessing, though. How do we seek "spiritual responsibility" of these gadgets, ensuring that our ethics and practices keep pace with technology itself? This sermon explains what any of this has to do with Beloved Community, and how we make choices to support our values.
-
"Fierce Ambivalence"
- Jan-31-2008
-
delivered on 27 January, 2008
Change can be frightening, especially when it requires us to learn new habits and ways of relating. What are some of the changes that Live Oak is encountering on our way from being a "pastoral" congregation to a "program" one? And what does that mean? Read this sermon to learn more about how Live Oak is changing, and why you might be feeling fiercely ambivalent about those changes.
-
Thoughts on Generosity from a Former Waitresss
- Dec-11-2007
-
Delivered on 9 December, 2007
When she was 21 years old, Rev. Erika Hewitt spent fifteen months waiting tables. Supporting herself on tips gave Erika an interesting lens for viewing generosity, power, greed, and gratitude. Come learn what this has to do with our religious community.
-
Finding Balance
- Dec-03-2007
-
delivered on 2 December, 2007
In the harried pace of our culture, it can be challenging to find a comfortable rhythm between work, rest, and family. What would “balance” look in our lives, and how do we find it? In this sermon, Erika offers suggestions for the balancing act of life. -
Hospitality: Not Just a Cup of Coffee
- Nov-19-2007
-
Delivered on 18 November, 2007
What's the purpose of coffee hour? Why do we offer hospitality to our guests? What is "radical" hospitality? In this service, Erika explores the challenges of hospitality, in our daily lives and in our own Live Oak community, describing what those gestures of care communicate to others.
-
"I'm Sorry"
- Nov-14-2007
-
Presented on 16 September, 2007
During the Jewish High Holy Days, which culminate on Yom Kippur, people take an inner accounting of their behavior during the past year and ask forgiveness from all those they have harmed in some way. This service was compiled and presented by the Live Oak Worship Committee; in it, they explore through readings and music the spiritual benefits of saying “I'm sorry.”
-
Experiments with Utopia
- Oct-15-2007
-
Delivered on 14 October, 2007
As Part 3 of this series, Erika explores the Transcendentalists’ zest for creating utopian societies, and the (mostly) dismal fate that met their efforts. Erika will explains, however, that amid the many beliefs driving their experiments, the Transcendentalists had progressive attitudes on slavery and women’s rights. What relevance does the Transcendentalists' vision have for us today?
Please note: because the fourth "sermon" in this Transcendentalism series was a visit from Mrs. Lydian Emerson, it will not be posted on this website.
-
"Faith in a Seed"
- Oct-08-2007
-
Delivered on 7 October, 2007
Perhaps it’s a stereotype that all Unitarian Universalists love nature…but you could also say that reverence for the natural world is in our religious DNA. The Transcendentalists viewed nature as “the face and essence of God.” In this, Part 2 of her series on Transcendentalism, Erika will tell a Tale of Two Trees, and will explore the writings of Henry David Thoreau (and others) to reveal their unique legacy: belief of the Divine presence in the natural world.
-
"We Will Walk on Our Own Feet, We Will Work with Our Own Hands, We Will Speak with Our Own Minds"
- Sep-30-2007
-
Delivered on 30 September, 2007
These words, spoken by Ralph Waldo Emerson, reflect the watershed moment in 1837 when Transcendentalism became a major cultural movement in our country. Who was Emerson, and why did he make such an enormous impact on his world (and on ours)? In this first of a four-part series, Erika explores the Transcendentalist roots of Unitarian Universalism, weaving the lives of our religious ancestors into who we are today.
-
"Got Faith?"
- Sep-09-2007
-
delivered on 26 August, 2007 by Live Oak's community minister, the Reverend Teena Grant
What does "faith" mean for Unitarian Universalists? Is it possible to have faith without dogma? In this sermon, Rev. Teena Grant draws from different faith traditions, as well as personal experience, to offer reflections about faith.
-
What I Learned from the Megachurch
- Aug-21-2007
-
Delivered on 19 August, 2007
Revisiting her anthropology roots, Rev. Erika has studied up on the "megachurch" phenomenon and recently visited Saddleback Church, the largest church (of any faith) in California. What are they doing right? What can we learn from megachurches? (Noooooo, she doesn't want to turn Live Oak into one!) In this sermon, Erika describes her worship experience at Saddleback Church, how megachurches serve their members best, and how our Unitarian Universalist congregations can learn from them.
-
When Pop Culture Becomes Theology (Part II)
- Aug-06-2007
-
Delivered on 5 August, 2007
In this conclusion of a two-part sermon series, we look at the so-called “theology” that arises from popular culture. What’s the difference between bona fide theology and the philosophy offered by new-age movements and through the media?
In this sermon, Rev. Erika Hewitt examines the maxim "God helps those who help themselves" and the law of attraction (of "The Secret"). She provides her perspective on these messages, explaining why some of these messages strike her as more harmful than healing, and suggests how Unitarian Universalism fills in some of those gaps.
