Sermons by Rev. Sian Wiltshire (Page 2)

In our ongoing exploration of the gifts each religious tradition offers the world, we turn this week to Islam. Islam has shaped art, science, poetry, law, architecture, and spiritual practice across centuries. This Sunday we explore its enduring gifts to the world. Join us as we widen our understanding and deepen our respect in this continuing journey through the world’s sacred traditions. You can also listen to our weekly sermons anytime, anywhere on your favorite podcast platform – Apple Podcasts…

Bring your curiosity and your questions – Rev. Sian is ready to answer.

A famously flawed episode of Star Trek offers a surprisingly sharp moral warning: when sacred words are stripped of meaning, they can become tools of division. In this service, we’ll explore how ideals become distorted when they’re treated as relics instead of relationships, and how Unitarian Universalism invites us into the harder, more hopeful work of our Constitution and covenant. -Rev. Sian Wiltshire Listen to our weekly sermons anytime, anywhere on your favorite podcast platform – Apple Podcasts and Amazon…

This service explores the gifts Christianity. Some of us carry deep gratitude, others carry deep wounds – and many carry both. In this service, we’ll take a clear-eyed, compassionate look at the gifts Christianity has offered the world and our own tradition – while acknowledging that for many of us, this is tender terrain.

At the heart of Buddhism is the desire to alleviate suffering. This service reflects on gifts of Buddhism and its practices has deepened our capacity for and understanding of compassion, resilience and liberation.

The turning of the year offers more than a fresh calendar—it offers a chance to become more fully ourselves. Join us as we explore how growth, connection, and shared purpose can shape the next chapter for you, for OCUUC, and for our wider community. Listen to our weekly sermons anytime, anywhere on your favorite podcast platform – Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music. Just search for OCUUC and hit “Follow” to stay up to date.

Unwrapping the Spirit of Christmas: This Christmas Eve, gather with us for an evening of story and song as we unwrap what truly makes the season shine. Together we’ll peel back the layers of tinsel and tradition to rediscover the Spirit of Christmas—hope that glows in the dark, joy that bubbles up in unexpected places, and the deep magic of family, friendship, and community. Come sing familiar carols, hear meaningful stories, and share in a moment of candlelit connection. Whether…

Continuing our monthly look at world religions and in honor of Hannukah, let’s look at the gifts of Judaism this holiday season.

In this service, we’ll explore how Christianity has been co-opted by modern Christian Nationalism – and how voices like Unitarian Julia Ward Howe remind us that faith was never meant to be a weapon of domination, but a force for justice, compassion, and courageous transformation. Due to an unexpected technical issue, this service was not recorded. Rev. Sian graciously re-recorded her sermon so everyone could still hear her message.

Advent, the Christian holiday of preparation, begins this week, but it is not for shopping, but of awakening. Advent calls us to a gentle kind of revolution — to imagine systems built on care instead of control, and belonging instead of fear. Before the light of celebration comes the courage to dream of justice. Listen to our weekly sermons anytime, anywhere on your favorite podcast platform – Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music. Just search for OCUUC and hit “Follow” to…

What if gratitude isn’t about counting our blessings—but imagining life without them? This Sunday, we’ll explore how reflecting on the absence of what we cherish can awaken a deeper, more enduring sense of appreciation for the lives we already have.