Sermons by Rev. Sian Wiltshire

Cultivating generosity and gratitude sounds easy, but it isn’t always when we have so many stressors in our lives. As we gear up for the holidays, how can we cultivate a feeling of generosity and gratitude without overwhelming ourselves?

In honor of Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, we will be exploring the concept of Good and Evil. How do we know as UUs what is good or evil? How do we define both? Come explore these concepts with Rev. Sian.

Today we celebrate our furry, feathered and scaley friends who bring so much love into our lives. You are invited to bring your pet for a blessing. If your pet would find it too stressful, you are welcome to bring a picture. Zoomers can show theirs off on camera! We will have a barking good time as we honor these beautiful beings in our lives!

The Scottish Gaelic concepts of Dùthchas and Cianalas invite us to consider our relationship to the land; that perhaps we don’t own the land, but the land owns us. How might that change the way we understand our relationship to the land we live on?

Not everyone will cure a disease or pass on great wealth (or even great genes!). So how might we all leave a legacy that will make the world a better place? And how might we do that right here in Orange County?

Global Unitarian Universalism. Did you know that Unitarian Universalism is found all around the world? From India to Africa; from the UK to Romania; Canada to Mexico; Australia to the Philippines. What might we learn from these other ways of being Unitarian Universalists?

Creating a welcoming congregation is not always easy, as people often want different things. How can we practice generosity of spirit in communities and help people with different backgrounds feel welcome?

What does it mean to be a “covenantal” faith in other parts of our lives – with family? Friends? Church? How do we forgive, reconcile, and create boundaries that help us all create a welcoming environment in all the places of our lives?

In our annual Water Ceremony, we welcome back Rev. Sian, welcome in Wendy, our new intern and we let go with our blessing, Beth, our Director of Music Ministries. What do you want to welcome in this year and lovingly let go of? Remember to bring water from someplace special for you to add to our community water. Symbolic water will also be provided.

What brings us delight? And how can we get more of it? Come celebrate what it means to be a delightful human being! Note that we will be bridging two of our youth this morning and after the service is our Annual Meeting – how delightful!

Let’s explore the ways we use images, in good and bad ways.