Rev. Leuchtenberger is our senior minister. Read more.
Sanctuaries are places of refuge, places that make us feel safe. They are holy places we return to again and again, places made holy because we return to them over and over. Sanctuaries can take on many forms – physically, emotionally, intellectually, spiritually. They exist all around us. Yet we don’t always pay attention to … Continue reading Our Sanctuaries
Visions of the American Dream have inspired generations of recent and established immigrants alike. The American Dream is a story of hope and fulfillment of a better life. Yet embedded in the American Dream are assumptions that undermine its very aspirations: try hard enough (on your own) and you will succeed; success means owning (a … Continue reading The Violence of the American Dream
Where is that line between strength and aggression, play and abuse, defense and assault? Where in our lives do we wrestle with our own impulses to become violent – physically, emotionally, mentally? What to do when we know we’ve crossed the line? How to respond when others feel we have crossed the line? How do … Continue reading Owning Our Violence
We may resist the notion, yet violence is a fundamental part of who we are as human animals and human communities, the survivors of decisions made by our ancestors over millennia. We suffer from the consequences of physical violence, emotional violence, and violence in our thoughts. Nonetheless, as Robert Sapolsky writes in “Behave,” we don’t … Continue reading The Purpose of Violence
For each child that’s born a morning star rises and sings to the universe who we are. These lyrics by UU musician Ysaye M. Barnwell, remind us that the birth of Jesus is a symbol for the miracles of life we get to experience over and over. Today’s service will focus on a creative retelling … Continue reading Tikva and the Star
Our Universalist roots suggest that we cannot really fall from grace, or be pushed from grace. The universal love extended to us by God or the Universe is always around us, ready to embrace us at all times, even when it doesn’t always feel that way. Hell, in the Universalist understanding, is when we close … Continue reading Falling from Grace
We don’t talk about grace in UU theology very often or easily. What is the traditional understanding of grace? What are we missing when we disregard grace as a concept? What could grace mean to us? How do we relate to the experience of grace even as atheists or agnostics? Our first Sunday drop-in covenant … Continue reading The Meaning of Grace
Do you agree that the single most reusable answer to any spiritual (and emotional or material) question seems to be: It depends on finding the right balance? (If you can think of another candidate, please let Michael know.) So answering the question whether we should live our lives from a place of scarcity or abundance … Continue reading Enough Already?
The abundance of choices, freedoms, material things, (social media) friends, knowledge, medical provisions, safety devices, and religious truths ought to assure a life full of blessings and happiness. Compared to previous generations, we are living in the age of abundance, yet a look below the surface of human aspiration suggests we have fallen under a … Continue reading The Illusion of Abundance
For abundance to show its beautiful, peace-instilling, and joyful side, we may need to welcome scarcity into our lives as a way to discern what truly matters, as a teacher challenging our assumptions and cravings, as a reality that connects us with everyone else. Then less can be more and scarcity softens to simplicity, spacious … Continue reading When Less is More
