Previous Sermons at First UU
Reverend Holly Baylies' previous sermons are available for you to read below. You can read her most recent sermons here. You can also read a sampling of our lay-led sermons too.Reverend Holly Baylies' sermons
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June 21, 2009
Reading and Sermon - Hatred is Not a Family Value |
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May 24, 2009
Memorial Day can be a difficult time for those who have lost loved ones to the scourges of war. As we observe the meaning of this day, as Unitarian Universalists, we can see many sides of the wartime dilemma, as we honor those who have served. Rev. Holly Baylies |
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May 10, 2009
We are mothered in so many ways. Often we are unaware of how and when we are "mothered" and by whom! This sermon is a look at the many facets of motherhood. Rev. Holly Baylies |
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May 3, 2009
All of us collect something of meaning to us. Jane Goodall the renowned British "monkey lady" saves six very special treasures that bring her hope which has meaning for us all. Rev. Holly Baylies |
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April 19, 2009
Many of the demands of our living involve perfecting something, be it the skills of our job, the efficiency of running a home or the mere flaws in our character we wish to eliminate. This sermon examines the parameters of excellence of our strivings to meet the expectations of those around us. Rev. Holly Baylies |
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April 12, 2009
Easter Sunday has brought us one Christian definition of resurrection however we have many more that have a greater meaning to us as we gather to truly celebrate Easter. Rev. Holly Baylies |
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April 5, 2009
The people assembled to welcome a stranger enter the city the crowds cheered, palms were strewn. Everyone loves a parade, but as we cheer, it is so important to know exactly what it is we are cheering for. Rev. Holly Baylies |
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March 29, 2009
Rev. Holly Baylies |
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March 15, 2009
Upon welcoming our new members this sermon will explore the perpetual sorting out of our spiritual practices which is an activity that is easily overlooked and all too often ignored...Rev. Holly Baylies |
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March 1, 2009
There are those among us who thrive on taking chances, or betting on the unknown with the hope of 'making it big'. Some are winners but most of us need to take a second look at what it is we are hoping for, working toward, and how it will come about, by chance or by change? |
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March 8, 2009
The Origins of Morality takes a hard look at the roots of our moral principles, spawned from our Judeo Christian heritage, they at times leave a lot to be explained! |
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February 15, 2009
We have become a society of specialists. So much so that one wonders if we may have lost our ability to see the whole picture. |
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February 8, 2009
Feb. 12 marks both Abraham Lincoln's and Charles Darwin's respective birthdays. Following the election of our first Black President it would seem that there are some interesting observations to be made on this unique anniversary. |
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February 1, 2009
On Super Bowl Sunday, as the yearly ritual of football devotees gather to witness another playoff, there comes to mind the fact that spiritual practice, namely faith and football have much in common! |
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Sermon date January 11, 2009
Nobel Prize Winner and author Leon Lederman takes us on a fascinating journey through the complexities of quantum physics in search of the "God Particle!" |
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Dec. 14, 2008
When John Milton coined the phrase, to "Trip the light fantastic," in his poem L'Allegro written in 1632. He meant.. "to dance nimbly, to move in musical accompaniment, "Come and trip it as you go, On the light fantastic toe." I do not believe Milton could have imagined the metaphors that phrase would conjure in the 21 century, especially at Christmas time! |
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Dec. 7, 2008
December 7th is a time of remembrance not only for those who served in the military, but for many families who are facing the holidays after the loss of a loved one. It is also a time of new life and hope amid the sadness. |
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Nov. 23, 2008As our primary symbol of freedom and welcome to immigrants, the Statue of
Liberty has a strange history which is far from welcoming.
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Nov. 16, 2008
How do U.U.'s take a stand against what we consider to be harmful doctrine without violating our own principles of tolerance? |
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Nov. 2, 2008
It never occurred to the fathers of our country that giving the gift freedom without a practiced understanding of what is needed and required to live successfully in a democracy is imperative to its success. |
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Oct. 26, 2008
Human imagination is an amazing force. It is even more powerful than reality itself for our perceptions of what we see, and hear and conjure, can change from the norm to the horrifying. |
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Oct. 19, 2008
Music is the story of our ancestors, passed on in times of trial in the desperate haunting blues of enslavement and hidden messages of freedom imbedded within the chorus. |
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Oct. 5, 2008:
Of all the Jewish Holidays, Sukkot, The Festival of Booths, next to -Hanukkah is one of my favorites, because the meaning of this holiday, presents a concept, an idea that has challenged me for years and has a resounding echo pertinent to the practice of all faiths everywhere. |
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2008
Most of us as children enjoyed a game called telegraph or "gossip." ... simple children's game, but when one compares it to the story of how the Bible came to be translated into so many languages with differing texts and understandings, a simple game of "gossip" becomes more than just an analogy. |
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2008
Reason, Tolerance and Freedom;words not meant just for fledgling ministers or to impress tourists. Those words are the universal, theological glue that not only cement all Unitarian Universalist societies together as physical structures of wood and stone, but also provide for us the root of our most sacred principles. |
Lay-led sermons
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July 19, 2009. Sermon by Jerry Clausen, M.D.
What is hidden in Hinduism? First, it is 6,000 years old. Parts of the Veda were composed then from hymns that were already ancient. An Oxford University scholar Fredrick Muller stated that the Veda was written around 1000 BCE because, as a Christian, he believed that the world was created in 4004 BCE as the Bible said. Because of his stature, this was accepted for many years. However, the Veda mentioned a mighty river, the Sarasvati. Satellite imagery in the early l980's allowed people to see a dry river bed 5 miles across at one point. It had dried up around 1900 BCE (before the Christian Era) helping to correct the Veda's dating. |
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June 21, 2009. Sermon by Gracia Sears.
I tend to buy books and tuck them away. It was such with Scotty McLennan's book, "Finding Your Religion" when the faith you have grown up with has lost its meaning". Though no beginner to spiritual questing, I continue to be a seeker and at the time I took this book down from the shelf I was feeling very restless. |
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March 25, 2007. Sermon by H. Richard Levy.
Today Unitarian-Universalist communities throughout the United States are observing Justice Sunday. This is an opportunity for us to remember our principles of justice, equity, and compassion, and to translate that compassion into action. The focus of this year's Justice Sunday is Darfur, the region of Sudan where a genocide has been in progress for the past 4 years. |
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August 13, 2006. Sermon by Jerry Clausen.
Compassion was placed as a first priority by those who built the mission statement. One of the Dalai Lama's main themes is compassion. Two of his best loved books on the subject are The Compassionate Life and An Open Heart. Since all religions "advocate love, compassion, and forgiveness" we need to be specific. The Dalai Lama states, "In Buddhism compassion is defined as the wish that all beings be free from suffering" - - the wish that all beings be free from suffering. |
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January 30, 2000. Sermon by Peggy Sperber Flanders.
When I picked the topic of rejection to talk to you about, it came from my experience of having to send hundreds of rejection letters to writers aspiring to publish their poems in our magazine, The Comstock Review. That definitely put the subject at a distance. |
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Summer, 2003. Jerry L. Clausen, M.D.
Last December I went to Harvard to study forgiveness as a tool of medical healing. I had been using it in my practice of psychiatry for a long time before that. To forgive is a self loving act. |
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June 22, 2003. Kim Reed, the Welcoming Congregation Committee, the Religious Services Committee
Our Annual GBTL Pride Service! This year the service included: a pagan Summer Solstice ritual, some readings including one from Hedwig and The Angry Inch, and a thoughtful reflection from our own Kim Reed. |
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February 3, 2002. Jerry L. Clausen, M.D.
Resentment was described by Father Martin, when he came to Lemoyne College, as "anger that is being re--sensed." That is sensed again. Frederick Nietzsche said, "Nothing on earth consumes a man more completely than the passion of resentment." |
Come Visit Us
Consulting Minister:
Reverend Holly Baylies
Services are at 10:30am on Sundays
We are a Welcoming Congregation that celebrates and supports the lives, relationships, religious quests, and contributions of LGBT people, their families and friends.
We are also an emerging Green Sanctuary striving for recognition by the Unitarian Universalist Association.
