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The Jazz of Life
Rev. Peter Friedrichs ~ June 6, 2010
What does it take to lead a full and rich life? How do we seek out new ways to experience our lives and express ourselves? How do we keep things "fresh" when so many of our days can seem like mere repeats of the days before? What impact can improvisation have on how we approach and live our lives? Rev. Peter explores these and other questions using jazz as a metaphor. We are blessed to have "Promises," a trio of jazz musicians, providing our music, and the musicians "dialog" with Rev. Peter during his sermon.
Available in Text  and Audio  .
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The Thin Places
Rev. Barbara H. Gadon ~ May 30, 2010
As we reflect on those whom we love and miss, questions arise. What happens when we die? Are the dead still among us? Rev. Gadon explores the connections we make in the “thin places” – where the dividing line between the dead and the living breaks down. Rev. Gadon is minister of programs and pastoral care at the First Unitarian Church of Wilmington, DE.
Available in Audio only.
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Quiltmakers All
Rev. Peter Friedrichs ~ May 23, 2010
This Sunday we "bridge" our senior youth to young adulthood. It has become a tradition to present each youth/young adult with a hand-made quilt that has been lovingly pieced together by members of the church, so that each of them can take the warmth and love of UUCDC with them wherever they go. Using the quilt as a metaphor for our society, Rev. Peter offers his thoughts on the immigration debate, Arizona's recently adopted law, and our commitment as Unitarian Universalists to promoting and affirming the inherent worth and dignity of every person.
Available in Text and Audio .
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Be Who You Are
Rev. Peter Friedrichs ~ May 16, 2010
Rev. Peter preaches the third sermon in his three-part series honoring Forrest Church. Thus far we have reflected on Church's statements "Want what you have" and "Do what you can." The third leg of Church's formula for meaningful living is "Be who you are."
Available in Text and Audio .
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Do What You Can
Rev. Peter Friedrichs ~ April 18, 2010
As we continue our sermon series honoring the life and legacy of Rev. Forrest Church, Rev. Peter considers the second part of the mantra which sustained and guided Church during the last decade of his life: "Want what you have. Do what you can. Be who you are." The simplicity of the statement "Do what you can" belies the complexity and depth of its meaning.
Available in Text and Audio .
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Want What You Have
Rev. Peter Friedrichs ~ April 11, 2010
For thirty years, the Reverend Forrest Church served as the senior minister of All Souls Unitarian Church in New York City. Church was a prolific scholar and author, writing more than twenty books during his lifetime covering topics of American history and public theology. He was a frequent contributor to the public dialog on the role of religion in American life. In February of 2008 he informed his congregation that he had been diagnosed with esophageal cancer, and he spent the following year writing a book entitled "Love and Death," in which he reflected on what he called "the two primary concerns of human life." In his book he summarized the "mantra" by which he sought to live his life: "Want what you have. Do what you can. Be who you are." Forrest Church succumbed to his cancer in September of 2009. In tribute to the significant contributions Rev. Forrest Church made to our faith during his lifetime, Rev. Peter offers a three-part sermon series based on Church's mantra. This week he reflects on the meaning of the words "Want what you have." The sermon series will continue on April 18 with "Do what you can" and it will conclude on May 16 with "Be who you are."
Available in Text and Audio .
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The Truth About Resurrection
Rev. Peter Friedrichs ~ April 4, 2010
Now there's a sermon title that's likely to raise some eyebrows in Unitarian Universalist circles! Rev. Peter offers up his perspective on the death and resurrection of Jesus, and his belief that even skeptical UU's can find meaning in the story that stands at the center of Christianity.
Available in Text and Audio .
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Would You Like a Chariot or a Donkey?
Rev. Elizabeth Ellis ~ March 28, 2010
We think of Palm Sunday as a time when things were going well for Jesus, at least temporarily. The people cheered as he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. But he was on a donkey, after all, while Pontius Pilate rode into town in a chariot pulled by fine horses, with legions of soldiers in a full regal procession. We might call the paths that they followed the Way of Empire, or the Way of the Donkey. Which do we choose today?
Rev. Elizabeth Ellis is a retired Unitarian Universalist minister who spent most of her professional career in urban ministry. She is a friend of our church who is offering a Bible study class.
Available in Audio only.
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Making the Good Life Last
Rev. Peter Friedrichs ~ March 21, 2010
We celebrate the kick-off of our Annual Fund Drive by holding a dynamic multigenerational service. Rev. Peter, our Director of Religious Education Irene Friedrichs, and a cast of thousands (well, maybe not thousands, but for sure a lot of other folks) presented "Listen to the Wind," the story of Greg Mortenson and his efforts to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Rev. Peter offered his reflections.
Available in Text and Audio .
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Lost and Found: a Homily
Rev. Peter Friedrichs ~ March 14, 2010
We celebrate the kick-off of our Annual Fund Drive by holding a dynamic multigenerational service. Rev. Peter, our Director of Religious Education Irene Friedrichs, and a cast of thousands (well, maybe not thousands, but for sure a lot of other folks) presented "Listen to the Wind," the story of Greg Mortenson and his efforts to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Rev. Peter offered his reflections.
Available in Text and Audio .
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A New Universalism?
Rev. Peter Friedrichs ~ March 7, 2010
As a faith, Universalism was a response to the strict doctrine of Calvinist Christian churches that proclaimed that, even before we're born, God has selected some of us to go to heaven when we die and others to be punished eternally. Universalism rejected this theology and proclaimed that "all are saved." In our modern progressive faith, where concepts of heaven and hell are more amorphous or rejected outright, is there a "New Universalism" that we can proclaim that is both consistent with our heritage and relevant to our lives today?
Available in Text and Audio .
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A Fairy Tale Church
Rev. Peter Friedrichs ~ February 28, 2010
We celebrate all of the ministries that take place in our church: our ministry to our children through religious education; our ministry to each other through the Caring Committee; our ministry in our wider community through our NAACP Scholarship Fund, the Media Food Bank and our "Share the Plate" program. You get the idea. Everything we do is ministry, even if some of us aren't comfortable with that term. Rev. Peter reflects on how ministry makes us who we are and who we want to be, and everyone has an opportunity to enroll in one or more of UUCDC's five "Ministry Teams."
Available in Text and Audio .
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Encountering the Goddess
Heather Gehron-Rice, Guest Speaker ~ February 21, 2010
The divine is all around us, if only we learn to pay attention. Heather is a candidate for the UU Ministry.
Available in Audio only.
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Loving Is Not Enough
Rev. Peter Friedrichs ~ February 14, 2010
In years past, Rev. Peter has talked about different kinds of love, from the filial love we feel for family members to "agape", the form of selfless love that supports deep compassion for those whom we don't even know. This year, Rev. Peter explores this complex and enriching form of human relationship.
Available in Text and Audio .
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No Savings Plan
Rev. Kent Matthies, Guest Minister ~ January 31, 2010
Economically we continue to live in tough times for so many people. Unemployment has reached 25 year highs. Even with the recovery of the stock market it is hard to find somebody who hasn't been hit by the economic downturn. Spiritually it is tough to know how to live in a Recession. In some ways love is completely opposite from money. Saving our love for somebody or something for later is often a plan for waste.
Available in Audio only.
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Theodore Parker: Pistol-packin' Preacher
Rev. Peter Friedrichs ~ January 24, 2010
Rev. Peter examines one of our more controversial Unitarians, Rev. Theodore Parker, and the legacy that he has left us.
Available in Text and Audio .
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…And the Children Shall Lead Us:
A Homily for Multigenerational Worship on Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday
Rev. Peter Friedrichs ~ January 17, 2010
We celebrate the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through inspiring stories of those who make a difference, large and small, in
our world. Rev. Peter reflects on Dr. King's "legacy of action."
Available in Text only.
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Grace Happens
Rev. Peter Friedrichs ~ January 10, 2010
We've seen the bumper sticker that says (in a more profane way) "Stuff Happens." But on the flip side, there's a bumper sticker that says (in a more profound way) that "Grace Happens," too. Rev. Peter asks: What is this concept of grace? How and when does it enter our lives? And how can we invite it in when we may need it most?
Available in Text and Audio .
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The Best We Can Be
Rev. Peter Friedrichs ~ January 3, 2010
The US Army has a recruiting slogan that urges young men and women to join the military so that they could "be all you can be." As we turn the page on a new year, Rev. Peter reflects on what it takes to be the best we can be, how we can live up to our own expectations and potential, and how we can live with each other and ourselves when we fall short of our goals.
Available in Text and Audio .
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Many Faiths, One Light: a Homily
Rev. Peter Friedrichs ~ December 13, 2009
Rev Peter offers a brief reflection on the diverse holidays we recognize and celebrate during this time of year.
Available in Text and Audio .
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Peace in the Heart, Joy to the World
Rev. Peter Friedrichs ~ December 6, 2009
At the start of the holiday season, which on the Christian calendar is the season of Advent, we will examine the connection between our interior landscape and the outer world. How do we find places of peace inside ourselves when the world is a battleground of hatred and fear? How can our inner peace bring joy to a troubled world?
Available in Text and Audio .
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Margaret Fuller Shapes the Consciousness of America Through the New York Tribune
Michael Barnett, Guest Speaker ~ November 29, 2009
Margaret Fuller, Unitarian, transcendentalist, feminist, social justice activist and revolutionary is Michael Barnett’s subject for this service. In the 1840s, Margaret Fuller was considered the most brilliant woman in America. Only Poe matched her as an outstanding literary critic. Fuller was a leading Transcendentalist with her colleagues Emerson and Thoreau, the first woman social and literary critic for Horace Greeley's New York Tribune, and the first woman foreign correspondent while fighting for the Italian democratic cause.
Available in Audio only.
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Many Wells, One Source
Rev. Peter Friedrichs ~ November 8, 2009
Our Unitarian Universalist tradition empowers and encourages us to draw inspiration from a variety of places, including sacred texts and the words of prophetic women and men. Through the use of texts from sacred Scriptures and works of poetry, Rev. Peter helps us to consider the sources of our own inspiration.
Available in Text and Audio .
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Why I am a Unitarian Universalist
Rev. John T. Crestwell ~ November 1, 2009
Our guest preacher for Association Sunday is the Reverend John T. Crestwell, associate minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis. In his sermon, entitled "Why I Am a Unitarian Universalist," John tells us why he loves this faith and what it requires of us.
Available in Audio only.
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Honoring Our Ancestors: A Homily for Multi-Generational Day of the Dead
Rev. Peter Friedrichs ~ October 25, 2009
This Sunday we celebrate a multi-generational "Day of the Dead" service modeled upon the Mexican Dia de los Muertos. Our children helped to build an offrenda (altar) and shared a song with us. Members and friends were invited to bring a photograph or other small momento in honor of loved ones who had passed away. Rev. Peter offers his thoughts on how we can honor our ancestors.
Available in Text and Audio .
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The Real Threat to Marriage
Rev. Peter Friedrichs ~ October 18, 2009
Last week Rev. Peter joined more than 100,000 of his closest friends at the National Equality March in Washington, D.C. This Sunday, Rev. Peter reflect on what he perceives to be the real threat to marriage (as contrasted to the dangers posed by granting full legal rights to LGBT's).
Available in Text and Audio .
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What is the Meaning of Life and Why Can't I Do Anything with My Hair?
Rev. Elizabeth Ellis, Guest Minister ~ October 11, 2009
There in some things in our lives that we can control. And others... Rev. Elizabeth Ellis, guest minister weighs in on what we can do.
Available in Audio only.
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Back to the Garden
Rev. Peter Friedrichs ~ October 4, 2009
Last spring we decided to focus our attention as a congregation on becoming more environmentally friendly here in church, in our homes, and in our community. Rev. Peter kicks off this initiative with this sermon, exploring our deep connections to the Earth and how we can approach reducing our carbon footprint as a spiritual practice.
Available in Text and Audio .
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The 'R' Word
Rev. Peter Friedrichs ~ September 27, 2009
From the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates last summer to former President Jimmy Carter's remarks last week, claims of racism abound in our society. This week Rev. Peter reflects on use of the "R Word" and the impact it has on our ability to conduct an honest dialogue about race relations in our nation.
Available in Text and Audio .
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How Can I Help?
Rev. Peter Friedrichs ~ September 20, 2009
The title of this Sunday's sermon is taken from the book of the same name by Ram Dass and Paul Gorman. Keeping with this year's theme of "Compassion With Joy," this Sunday we will explore our natural human urge toward compassion, what sometimes holds us back from expressing it, and how we might overcome those roadblocks.
Available in Text and Audio .
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Make A Joyful Noise: A Homily for Ingathering
Rev. Peter Friedrichs ~ September 13, 2009
The new church year started off with an intergenerational presentation of the Golden Rule. Rev. Peter recalls how noises can echo on a quiet lake, and how smiles, kind words and good deeds can also reverberate throughout our society.
Available in Text and Audio .
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