Sunnyhill Unitarian Universalist

Some of the best music you will ever hear has emerged from a place of persecution and oppression, and, rather than dwelling in hopelessness and despair, has proclaimed through its very existence and through its great beauty that there is something more. This service will explore theology as a genre of the blues. www.sunnyhill.org

The Jewish holiday of Purim is centered around the Book of Esther. How does this story of heroism in the face of vulnerability relate to our own time? What can we learn about Esther that might help us face our own personal and collective challenges? www.sunnyhill.org

When most people think of the punk movement, they think of Mohawks, loud, chaotic music, and anarchy. But beneath the safety pins and distortion lies a profound “do-it-yourself” spirituality of resistance. We will explore Punk Theology – an ethos of authenticity, justice, and “questioning everything” that mirrors the radical, countercultural ministries of Jesus, the Buddha, and other spiritual beings. www.sunnyhill.org

Almost everything we do as Unitarian Universalists is somehow related to our most enduring values of love and justice. What is the relationship between these two values, and how do we pursue them in an era when both love and justice are often scorned or given short shrift? www.sunnyhill.org

There is a human tendency to root for the underdog in any competitive situation. In our current era, many of us find ourselves cast as underdogs as we pursue compassion and justice for all. Why do we root for the underdog, and how does the underdog sometimes win? www.sunnyhill.org

As we have seen in recent weeks, the United States is now a place where someone can be summarily executed on the streets by federal agents for merely observing their actions. There is no due process or justice for the victims and no accountability for the perpetrators of this heinous violence. How are we to meet this moment? www.sunnyhill.org

MLK popularized philosopher Josiah Royce’s concept of “Beloved Community” as “a global vision in which all people can share in the wealth of the earth.” How might this vision inform the work that is before us now? www.sunnyhill.org

The film “Wicked 2: For Good” arrives at an interesting time, given our current era of disharmony and discord. What lessons might this show’s underlying themes of kindness, understanding, and inclusivity offer us, and how might we implement these lessons in our own lives. www.sunnyhill.org

This sermon will explore how making New Year’s resolutions can be a double-edged sword. While stating one’s intentions is often a good thing, it’s also been said that “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.” How can we make the best use of our intentions for ourselves and our world? www.sunnyhill.org

Stillness and the SeasonAdvent, the season leading up to Christmas, is meant to be a time of quiet expectancy, a time to contemplate mystery and possibility, a time to slow down, a time to make room in our lives for something new to enter and to change us. How do we make room for this spirit of stillness in our lives? www.sunnyhill.org

This service will be comprised of holiday­-themed music from various Sunnyhill members and friends, including the choir and other individuals and groups of all ages and many different styles. Come celebrate music and the season! www.sunnyhill.org

Cynicism may be understood as an attempt to protect oneself from the heartache of unfulfilled hopes. While it may be effective in the short term, cynicism ultimately leads nowhere. But how do we go about choosing in hope in what seems like a hopeless time? www.sunnyhill.org

One service at 10:00. The great Christian mystic Meister Eckhart famously said, “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.” Of the various kinds of prayers, prayers of thanksgiving might be the most powerful. How do we practice giving thanks, even in challenging times? www.sunnyhill.org

As we engage in discernment about next steps for Sunnyhill’s “Be the Future” project, we will focus on how we live into two key aspects of our mission: creating compassion and creating justice. How do we go about living into these aspirations? www.sunnyhill.org

The book of Ecclesiastes famously states that there is “a time to tear down and a time to build up.” Sometimes both must occur simultaneously. In the current era of tearing down democratic processes and social safety nets, it is time to build something new. What are we building together in this congregation, and why is it important, especially now? www.sunnyhill.org

All Souls Day is a time to remember everyone who has died, everyone who has been part of the gathered community. The phrase “All Souls” has a particularly Unitarian connotation because of something that one of our own “saints,” William Ellery Channing, said: “I am a living member of the great Family of All Souls; and I cannot improve or suffer myself without diffusing good or evil around me through an ever-enlarging sphere.” What does it mean for us to be a community of All Souls? www.sunnyhi...

While we often trace our Unitarian Universalist concept of covenant back to our Puritan forbears, are there other ways of conceptualizing covenant that might be helpful as we create our own covenant? This sermon will consider pirate covenants of the 17th and 18th centuries. www.sunnyhill.org

Jonathan Murray, intern minister. Our addictive American consumer culture has not only negatively impacted our finances and environment, but it has also damaged our spirituality and compassion for others. Can society transition from an endless pursuit of more stuff to an authentic pursuit of happiness? www.sunnyhill.org

As we prepare for our Sunnyhill Pumpkin Patch, what are the implied theological underpinnings of this task that builds community within the congregation while also reaching out into the larger community? How might this undertaking represent building alternatives to the dominant culture of self-centeredness and despair? www.sunnyhill.org

In an era of distrust of virtually all organizations and institutions, what does it mean to belong? How can a sense of belonging strengthen us as individuals and as members of a larger community? www.sunnyhill.org