Sermons by Rev. Sian Wiltshire

What do a Victorian nurse with a gift for pie charts and the inventor of the World Wide Web have in common? More than you’d think! Florence Nightingale and Tim Berners-Lee both are our theological ancestors and used the tools of science in service of something sacred: healing, connection, and the common good. Come explore their stories as part of our monthly Unitarian Universalist History series.

Robert Frost told us about the road less traveled. Nobody warned us about the road less applauded: the one where you speak up at dinner, cast the lonely vote, or say “that’s not okay” when everyone else is laughing. This Sunday we explore moral courage, why it’s so hard, why it matters so much right now, and how love gives us the backbone to walk the path that’s right, even when it isn’t popular.

This week we begin a new sermon series exploring the lives of famous Unitarians and Universalists, starting with the two men often called the founders of our modern faith: William Ellery Channing and John Murray. Both arrived at their calling not through grand vision, but through grief, exhaustion, and circumstances neither of them chose. Join Rev. Sian as we explore what we can learn from them about starting over and starting out.

Every new church year begins with something small: a seed, a hope, an intention, a little bit of water. As we return from summer and gather again in community, we’ll reflect on what we want to nurture in ourselves, in one another, and in the world we are helping to create.

With the news punching us in the gut every day, many of us are craving kindness right now. But kindness isn’t always easy, especially when snark is so satisfying. Come explore how we might hold onto our Shared Values, and satisfy that craving.

In a country aching with loneliness and weary of dogma, Unitarian Universalism has something rare to offer: a spiritual home where you don’t have to check your mind at the door, where love is the center of everything, and where your questions are welcome. This Sunday, as we close our “Gifts of” series, we’ll celebrate the gifts of our own tradition.

Curiosity asks us to look more closely at the world — and at one another. This Sunday, our annual Flower Communion offers us the chance to do exactly that. Each of us will bring a flower and place it in a shared vase; at the end of the service, each of us will take home a flower someone else has carried in. What might we discover if we approached each bloom, and each soul, with a curious heart? Bring a…

Let’s be honest — when someone mentions their birth chart or pulls out tarot cards, some of us lean in and some of us look for the exit. This Sunday, we’ll explore the gifts of neopaganism, new age spirituality, and earth-centered practice with open hearts and curious minds. But like all traditions, they have gifts to offer.

A loving nod to Douglas Adams — and an invitation to approach our AI moment with curiosity instead of dread. We are living through one of the most significant technological shifts in human history. Is AI a tool? A mirror? A threat? A gift? This service doesn’t promise easy answers, but it does promise that asking the questions together is exactly what we’re here for.

We spend a lot of time in our heads — analyzing, planning, worrying. But our bodies hold a different kind of wisdom: older, quieter, and often more honest. In this service, we’ll explore what happens when we slow down enough to listen — not just with our minds, but with our whole, embodied selves. Spoiler: this is not a fitness class. But it might be the most grounding hour of your week. Rev. Sian Wiltshire with James and Kayla of…

Sometimes you show up expecting one thing — and find something you never could have planned for. This Easter, we explore what opens up when we least expect it. What plot twists await us in our lives?