The Unitarian Universalist Church of Savannah
311 East Harris Street, Savannah, GA 31401 * Troup Square * 912-234-0980
Sermon Podcasts
"Where Am I and What's Next?" (May 5, 2013) - Rev. David Messner
On the stages of life and the way our expectations about the future shape our choices in living and possibilities for understanding each other.
"My Alter in the World" (April 28, 2013) - Dr. Gaye Ortiz
Inspired by the book "An Altar in the World" by Rev. Barbara Brown Taylor, I will explore the 'spiritual practices' of getting lost, of encountering others, and of saying 'no' - in order to frame the experience of worshiping at my own altars in the world. Dr. Ortiz is the Consulting Minister for the Aiken Unitarian Universalist Congregation and she teaches Communications and Cinema at Augusta State University.
"Buzz, Swarm, or Sting: The Bee Sermon" (April 21, 2013) - Rev. David Messner
In celebration of Earth Day, we reflect together on our better natures, broader inter-dependencies and the fragility of them both as we recommit ourselves to the work of caring for our world.
"The Problem is the People of Surabaya" (April 14, 2013) - Jerry Silverman
Not exercising our right to engage in democratic process is often easier than participating with others with whom we disagree. But how UU is that?
"Hurricane Theology" (April 7, 2013) - Rev. David Messner
On the way our personal faith commitments and practices need to reflect and respond to the reality of the places we stand.
"More Good News?" (March 31, 2013) - Rev. David Messner
A multi-generational Easter celebration. Finding ourselves conflicted as we try to choose from among all the late-breaking good news we have in our lives.
"Everything That Rises" (March 24, 2013) - Rev. David Messner
On the power of the resources we hold in our hands when we count on continuous rebirth and reunion together.
"Snakes and All" (March 17, 2013) - Rev. David Messner
In honor of St. Patrick we look to the hard parts of the past to reckon what we are really like and to find inspiration for our lives.
"Three Moments that Made Us" (March 10, 2013 - Rev. David Messner
A look at the history of Unitarian Universalism and what these moments mean to us today.
"Certainly Uncertain" (March 3, 2013) - Rev. Richard Hood
"Doubt is the key to the door of knowledge; it is the servant of discovery."
"Happiness and Pain: Two Sides of the Same Coin" (Sunday, February 17, 2013) - Robert Pawlicki, Ph. D.
Reflecting on his many years working with chronic pain patients and his current interest in teaching about happiness and well being, Robert shares the similarity between the two worlds.
"Heavy Lifting" (Sunday, February 10, 2013) - Rev. David Messner
On the uniquely happy feeling of finding and doing the just-right kind of exhausting work to fill our hours, days and lives.
"21-17" (Sunday, February 3, 2013) - Rev. David Messner
The best defense is often, indeed, a good offense, and winning happiness sometimes demands taking risks in daily living and in our spiritual lives.
"Making Ammends" (Sunday, January 20, 2013) - Rev. David Messner
On overcoming hurt to achieve peace with the people close to us, and learning and adopting concrete life practices of reconciliation.
"Unfinished Business" (Sunday, January 13, 2013) - Rev. David Messner
Reflections on the challenge finding and maintaining a little peace of mind when we face so much ongoing incompleteness in our lives....
"Persisting for Peace" (Sunday, January 6, 2013) - Rev. David Messner
On how we might find the strength and resources to persevere in peace-making when there is so much seemingly intractable conflict in our society and world. We gather to consider a New Year's peace resolution for ourselves and our community.
"For the Love of" (Sunday, December 30, 2012) - Jim Jackson, Guest Speaker
In this last Sunday of our month talking about love, when you filled in the blank, did you think of "stuff?" I have known my attachments to objects as a personal issue for going on sixty years. I'm not alone, but dealing with my father's accumulated "treasures" after his death this autumn allowed me to reflect on the depth of my own issue"Loving the Unknown" (Sunday, December 23, 2012) - Rev. David Messner
On loving the divine and the newness of things and how it leads us in anticipation..."The Hate That's Killing Us" (Sunday, December 16, 2012) - Rev. David Messner
Reflections on the on the shadow side of love and the practical power of karma..."Telling Tales" (Sunday, December 9, 2012) - Rev. David Messner
On telling the stories and making sense out of other people and their actions as sometimes loving and sometimes not-so-loving practices...."Falling Out of Love With Ourselves" (Sunday, December 2, 2012) - Rev. David Messner
We open our month of reflecting on the spiritual value of love with the way our capacity and possibility for loving others begins with self-acceptance, affirmation and celebration."Developing a Generous Land Ethic" (Sunday, November 25, 2012) - Larry Carlile, Worship Leader
Larry Carlile will speak about conservation, our relationship to the land, and how we might develop a generous spirit toward the land.
"In the Neighborhood" (Sunday, November 18, 2012) - Rev. David Messner
Loving our neighbor is about picking the places where we stand, seeing clearly who's right beside us and overcoming a fundamental ambivalence to find more space for generosity. Our natural instincts often lead us in different directions and are only a beginning in making practical sense of the "second greatest commandment.
"Being and Becoming" (Sunday, October 21, 2012) - Rev. David Messner
Being hospitable is relatively easy, sustained generosity is the hard part, because it requires sacrifice. Understanding our best response to the idea and reality of immigration requires first getting comfortable with the truth that who we are is going to change as a result.
"Two Lies and a Truth" (Sunday, October 14, 2012) - Rev. David Messner
There are so many “facts” we inadvertently learn and stories we unconsciously carry about money. Some are true and helpful and others, not so much. Sorting them out is a Unitarian Universalist religious necessity.
"Buying the Farm" (Sunday, October 7, 2012) - Rev. David Messner
Reflections on what we might mean in our well-meaning efforts to say something meaningful to one another. Sharing a theory of interpretation leads to a new ways of thinking about truth and honesty and opens possibilities for connecting.
"Love Like a Dog" (Sunday, September 20, 2012) - Dr. Amy Blackmar
Teachings from Amy's dogs -- Max, Floyd, Queenie, Red, and Roo -- about constancy and the courage of presence in love.
"Resistance and Resiliance, a Blues Theology" (Sunday, September 23, 2012) - Rev. David Messner
Musician Boo Hanks said recently and definitively that the blues are about “hard times, disappointment and mistreatment.” It takes a special kind of courage to hold-out and to come back in the face of so much of this dispiriting trinity.
"Standing Alone" (Sunday, September 16, 2012) - Rev. David Messner
Preparation for national elections in this country brings a time focused very much on popular opinions and the will of the winning majority. We must recognize people of conscience who make the space and find the strength to stand alone on the commitments that matter. We must make an intentional effort to cultivate our own dissenting instincts.
"Disciplinary Action" (Sunday, September 9, 2012) - Rev. David Messner
I sure dislike being told what to do or to think, but I’ve come to believe that discipline is an under-rated virtue. Within our free search for truth and meaning and free Church of many paths, there are merits to bringing practices to our spiritual life and discipline to our practices. They don’t always produce the results we anticipate, but the courage of aspiration and persistence seldom goes without reward.
"Sign Me Up" (Sunday, September 2, 2012) - Rev. David Messner
It takes courage to declare ourselves in relationship and to be engaged and accountable beyond the concerns of the self and the present. We explore together the implications and imperative of belonging and the transformative and transcendent meaning of membership.
"Dominant Dreams" (Sunday, August 26, 2012) - Rev. David Messner
Sometimes the most promising new beginnings are to be found in the surviving remnants from our past. Awakening old dreams with the breath of different understanding and the capability of our new selves might be more possible than we imagine.
"The Arc of the Moral Universe is Long" (Sunday August 19, 2012) - Robert Pawlicki
If you judge the state of the human race solely by listening to the nightly news, you might think that we are headed for Armageddon. In reality quite the opposite is true. We are, in fact, on a long and steady trend line toward a more civilized world. This surprising observation is supported by a plethora of research and is a reason for optimism. Robert will show how, taking the long view, there really is hope.
"First Days" (Sunday August 12, 2012) - Rev. David Messner
First days are wild and fearsome things. Whether it is a new job, school, home or church, there is an inadequate science and a fragile art to guide the first steps of all great adventures. There is potential though for real power and joy in beginning together in faith.
"The Image of God" (Sunday August 5, 2012) - Jack Butler
The god or gods we worship are the answer to a question, but the questions we ask change with time and culture. The changing nature of our deities through the ages and the relevance of that nature speaks to the cultures that worshipped them. Jack Butler will be discussing the culture and religions from the Ice Age, the pre-Columbian New World, ancient Europe, Indo-Europe and Africa.
"An Introduction to Dr. Martha B. Fay" (July, 15, 2012) Bob Paddison
Dr. Fay was a member of our church for about 50 years. She was a community activist and will go down in history as one of Savannah’s most influential citizens.
"Meeting along the Path and Moving On" (July 8, 2012) Rev. Amy Kindred
Saying good-bye is rarely easy. However, if done well, it's an opportunity to learn something new. As Rev. Amy says "good-bye" to the congregation, she'll share tips for making the leaving moments in life more meaningful and a little less painful. Children will remain in the service.
"What Kind of Person" (July 1, 2012) Rev. Amy Kindred
Unitarian Universalist minister Richard Gilbert wrote - "I rise in the morning torn between the desire to save the world and to savor it..." We are so good at celebrating joy and beauty. We speak of our need to promote justice in the world but rarely do we talk about how to care for each other. This morning, we'll explore our perceptions of suffering and what it means to ease the pain of another.
"Poems, Prayers, and Promises" (June 17, 1012) Rev. Amy Kindred
No longer content with a faith based on dogma or creed, many people in the United States are seeking alternative approaches to spiritual practice. How do we nurture that part of ourselves that longs for meaning in human existence? Perhaps it's as simple as poems, prayers and promises.