Rev. Joseph Boyd When I worked as a chaplain in a nursing home, I visited a woman every week named Marie. She had Alzheimer’s. I would walk in the room, and she would forget that I had seen her the week before. Marie had pictures of her family on the wall…she would tell me how … Continue reading Sermon: Sept 3, 2017 – “Forgetting Who We Were”

Rev. Joseph Boyd It matters what we believe. Our beliefs are attached to roots, roots which carry a legacy. They carry an intention. Right now the roots of our nation are showing in Charlottesville, and it’s a devastating, poignant, and heartbreaking sight. The picture on the front cover of your Order of Service shows a … Continue reading Sermon: Aug 20, 2017 – “Roots in Burning Season”

Rev. Joseph Boyd The meek will inherit the earth. This single line has agitated, inspired, and baffled many great minds, and it makes sense to wonder if this idea works practically in the real world. Nietzche believed it did. He believed this single line from the gospel is the central belief that brought democracy to … Continue reading Sermon: Aug 13, 2017 – “Who Will Inherit the Earth?”

Rev Joseph Boyd Harry Randall Truman was an odd celebrity. He lived a quiet life, never married, and lived his days as a caretaker at Spirit Lake at the base of Mt. St Helens in Washington state since 1928. You could say that Harry was a natural caretaker…taking care of the base of Mt. St … Continue reading Sermon: Aug 6, 2017 – “Rupture Before Renewal”

Rev. Joseph Boyd In the movie Reservoir Dogs, two wounded criminals are sequestered in an abandoned warehouse, barely able to move. A third criminal busts the door open, and he comes in carrying a knife. He announces that one of the criminals is an undercover cop. He proceeds to tie this cop to a chair, … Continue reading Sermon: Jul 30, 2017 – “Stuck in a Moment”

Rev. Joseph Boyd   Prayer is a distressing topic. It is no accident that the most common time when prayers are uttered or requested are in times of great distress. For some it is a comfort, for some it is superstitious, for some it is a distraction from the harsh and fragile experience of being … Continue reading Sermon: Jul 23, 2017 – “The Problem with Prayer”

Rev. Joseph Boyd Time passes us by. We wake up, we drink our coffee, go to work, greet the day open with possibility. Even if retired we go to work, making sense of our past, discerning how to make the most of our present while our health is still reasonably good and we can experience … Continue reading Sermon: Jul 16, 2017 – Homily: “The Ceremony of the Keys”

Rev. Matt Alspaugh Introduction This, some of you are variously sad, or glad, to know, is my last feature-length sermon at UUYO. Rev. Joseph and I will share the sermon next Sunday, and come following Tuesday, inshallah, I’ll be behind the wheel of a Penske moving truck, hurtling south on I-79 or is it I-77 … Continue reading Sermon: Jul 9, 2017 – “If There Is To Be Peace”

Matt Alspaugh After the congregation has brought their flowers forward for plessing during flower communion. Look at these flowers. I mean, really study them. Be amazed by their variety. Wonder at the different colors — crimson, saffrons, oranges, azure, magenta, violet. Ponder the different shapes and sizes, some singular, some a burst of connected elements. … Continue reading Sermon: June 18, 2017 – “Finding Joy in the Here and Now”