UUFairfax Sermons

Instead of thinking inside the box, and buying the same old binary model, Rev. David Miller encourages us instead to be the ones who who explore what's possible and envision and help build a new model. Full rebroadcasts Sun-Tue, 7pm, uucf.org/streaming. #uucf #possibilities

In John 13:34–35, Jesus centers love as the defining commandment: love one another as I have loved you. Rev. David Miller suggests the real miracle of Easter is that Jesus' followers should be known not by doctrines of memorization, purity, prosperity, or power, but by love alone, "a radical redefinition of religious purpose and identity."

There are plot twists in life. In his sermon, guest minister Rev. Byron Tyler Coles tells us that sometimes the chariots that we hope for aren't golden. Sometimes, our peace, our hope, the comfort we seek, come in forms we didn't expect, but those unexpected offerings can still bring us insight and growth.

Instead of paying attention to every falsehood and unscrupulous morality served up to us, Senior Minister Rev. David Miller offers the words of Bell Hooks to help illustrate where our attention must go: "To be truly visionary, we have to root our imagination in our concrete reality while simultaneously imagining possibilities beyond that reality." This means "we desperately need to think about, strategize, pray about, plan, build relationships for, hope for, design, act on behalf of, and bring about as soon as humanly possible, what needs to come next." Full rebroadcast Mon & Tue, 7pm, uucf.org/streaming.

Rev. David Miller reminds us that "The world needs us. But the world also needs us to pay attention to it ... all of it. Because when we allow ourselves to let moments of awe inspire us, we are reminded why this world and its fragile miracles are worth all the risks that may come with the radical need for acts of love and justice." Full service rebroadcasts Sun-Tue, 7pm, uucf.org/streaming.

Most of us are confronted with things in our lives we didn't expect and maybe things we didn't think we could do. Rev. David Miller offers some possible ways to boost our resilience so we are better able to face what lies ahead. Full service rebroadcasts Sun-Tue, 7pm, uucf.org/streaming. Strategies to build resilience: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/five_science_backed_strategies_to_build_resilience

Whether we call it spiritual or not, Rev. David Miller invites us to move beyond words into understanding the concept that spirituality is about the connection, meaning, understanding, and transformation that results from attending intentionally and deeply to our lives - the things that fill us with the breath of life.

Faced with all that technology can do in this moment and is likely to be able to do in the near future, guest minister Rev. Rebecca Benner suggests that our Unitarian Universalist values call us to ask these questions: Who do we want to be? How do we want to spend our limited time? What do we value and why? What will help us become most fully ourselves? Full service rebroadcasts: Sun-Tue, 7pm, uucf.org/streaming.

The constant drip of hate, fear, misinformation, gaslighting, and scapegoating have grown into an infection of dehumanization and intimidation, says Senior Minister Rev. David Miller. So, it's time to treat the disease with the strong immune boosting medicines of truth, inclusion, hope, involvement, and love.

At a time when Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's legacy and the true history of this country are under constant assault, Senior Minister Rev. David Miller and Pat Jackson from the Fairfax NAACP underscore the importance of honoring Rev. King's legacy by continuing to share the stories, actions, and work that will ultimately lead to beloved community. Full service rebroadcast, including music, Mon & Tue, 7pm, uucf.org/streaming.

In this time of heartbreaking lies, delusion, and denial, Rev. David Miller asks us to practice resistance by continually speaking the truth and supporting each other in building and rebuilding hope.

Because conflict is an inevitable part of our shared humanity, guest minister Rev. Jessica James invites us to explore restorative justice practices as compassionate and transformative ways of meeting and healing conflict in a hurting world. Full service rebroadcasts Mon & Tue, 7pm, uucf.org/streaming.

Guest ministers Rev. Dr. Wayne Arnason and Rev. Kathleen Rolenz explored the "four kinds of forever" - from Brenda Hillman's poem - and what they teach us about time, connection, and legacy in our fleeting lives. Full service rebroadcast Mon & Tue, 7pm, uucf.org/streaming.

Rev. David Miller asks, What are the promises and intentions of us as Unitarian Universalists? These times are asking more from us, including proclaiming to the wider world an alternative to religions that preach the gospel of fear and hate of others. Unitarian universalism is a house of hope that can be a life-affirming force for good. A saving message for a hurting world and a religion for our time. Full service rebroadcasts, including music, Sun-Tue, 7pm, uucf.org/streaming.

As Unitarian Universalists, we talk about love being at the center of who we are. So how do we reconcile that with the need to guard ourselves against the exploitation, pain, and injustice in this world? Guest minister Rev. Rebecca Benner explores the challenges of balancing open heartedness with guardedness. Full service rebroadcasts Sun-Tue, 7pm, uucf.org/streaming.

On Sunday, UUCF’s choir lifted up Spencer LaJoye’s Plowshare Prayer, a song that invites us into a timely Thanksgiving question: Who is welcome at our tables? Rev. David Miller reminds us that our UU commitments to love, justice, and compassion urge us to expand our circle of care to include those who have been forced to the margins. Full service rebroadcast Sun-Tue, 7pm: uucf.org/streaming. Plowshare Prayer words here: https://spencerlajoye.bandcamp.com/track/plowshare-prayer

If the defining element of a faith is a daily practice or discipline of some kind, what is that practice for Unitarian Universalists? Rev. David Miller refers to the words of Rev. Galen Guengerich and proposes that practice could be Gratitude. He also proposes that living into that practice can lead us toward fostering a more loving, compassionate world. Full service rebroadcasts Sun-Tue 7pm at uucf.org/streaming. 

Starting with a retelling of the classic story - The Emperor's New Clothes - Guest Minister Rev. Kathleen Rolenz invites us to explore the role of the truth tellers in our lives, our communities and in our country. Full service rebroadcast Mon & Tue 7pm at uucf.org/streaming.

At some point we will all be ancestors. What will our descendants think of our legacy when they look back on this time? Let's double down on love, compassion, kindness, and service - all necessary to build connection and meaning in this world.

At a time of substantial compassion deficits, how do Unitarian Universalists define and live the value of compassion? Rev. David Miller offers a definition that puts compassion into action - recognizing need and suffering in ourselves and others and working to alleviate it. 

Greed. Ignorance. Anger. They are all - according to Buddhist wisdom - monkeys on our backs. And they are all being fed and celebrated by people in power. So how do we shake these monkeys off our backs and try to live instead with compassion? Guest minister Rev. Dr. Wayne Arnason shares some antidotes.

Unitarian Universalism is a covenantal faith versus a faith based on creed or doctrine. Our religious practice is based on choosing to be together as we work in the world to build beloved community. It's a living, breathing, aspiration made every day. But what does it look like in our individual and congregational life? Rev. David Miller offers context and perspective. 

At the heart of this Unitarian Universalist faith tradition - based on the evolving understanding of who we are, and firmly expressed in UU values and principles - we are the people of inclusion, not exclusion. That means that we want to have a world in which we can find a way to live together. So, the question is? What are we going to do about our deep disagreements and divisions?

Rev. David Miller invites us to think of ourselves as weavers. "There are and will continue to be real and vitally important opportunities for us to weave. Some will be slow weaving of a beautiful and diverse tapestry. But others may be driven by a rip that needs immediate attention." None of us can weave alone. The need is too big, and we are all needed to connect the threads.

As UUCF and other Unitarian Universalist congregations start a new year with an Ingathering service, is this the time for a renewal of the term “movement” for Unitarian Universalists for this time and these circumstances - a movement of true solidarity with UU values and with each other. Full service rebroadcast, including music: Sun-Tue, 7pm. uucf.org/streaming.

Sermon by Social Justice Coordinator Andrew Batcher: As Unitarian Universalists we put love at the center. Sometimes that means being brave. Bravery might mean protesting in the streets. It might mean caring for loved ones through hard times. It might mean speaking your mind when it's unpopular. In times of fear, our congregation can provide spiritual sustenance through supporting each other to take the risks we choose to take.

The broad concepts of Love can be hard to define, but the love of and for our animal companions - while challenging at times - shows us how tangible and evident love can be. More from Rev. Rebecca Benner at UUCF's Animal Blessing service. Full service rebroadcast, Sun-Tue 7pm: uucf.org/streaming.

Senior Minister Rev. David Miller proposes that in Unitarian Universalism, the spiritual and political are intertwined. If we care about the spirit, we cannot avoid concern with the here and now. The healing inside and the healing of the world are wrapped up in one another. Full service rebroadcast Sun-Tue, 7pm, uucf.org/streaming.

As he does each summer, UUCF's Senior Minister Rev. David Miller takes the congregation's questions about Unitarian Universalism, UUCF, and spirituality during the worship service.

“I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.” ― E. B. White In these times that continue to challenge our sense of humanity and justice, Rev. David Miller's sermon reminds us to savor and appreciate the magical moments and acknowledge the beauty and blessings of those moments with love and gratitude.

Rev. David Miller: We're constantly being baited into outrage and reactivity. But what if we choose a different path? By staying rooted in our values, we can use our energies as a strategic force for good and justice.

UUCF welcomed guest minister Rev. Dayna Edwards (Cedar Lane UU Congregation) on Sunday. Rev. Dayna's sermon "Kindness as an Act of Resistance," proposes that deep kindness - the kind that moves us out of our comfort zones - is a possible antidote to tyranny. Full service rebroadcast Sun-Tue, 7pm. uucf.org/streaming.

In a world grappling with division and ethical decay, we all need a place to ground ourselves—a place that nurtures our spirits and calls us to live with integrity. UUCF offers just that: a compassionate community where we can face hard truths together, grow in our values, and act with courage and hope. Rev. David Miller's sermon and the entire service is rebroadcast Sun-Tue, 7pm, uucf.org/streaming.

Transparency is an act of resistance. Kindness is an act of resistance. Connecting is an act of resistance. Grace is an act of resistance. Joy is an act of resistance. Showing up is an act of resistance. Not giving into despair is an act of resistance. Centering love is an act of resistance. Peaceful protests are an act of resistance. And not forgetting the holy importance of our common humanity is an act of resistance. From Rev. David Miller's June 15 sermon - "We're Not Going Anywhere." Full service rebroadcast, including uplifting band music, Sun-Tue, 7pm, uucf.org/streaming.

As Cara Fortner ends her ministerial internship at UUCF, she reflects on what she learned as a newly forming minister and as a person. Rebroadcast of full service, including music, Mon & Tue at 7pm: uucf.org/streaming.

Ideas based in deep and loving values call on our best selves to make our choices. It's really about your future, the future we create every day and the small choices we make. Who are we, if not the aggregate of the choices we make.

In has sermon, Senior Minister Rev. David Miller asks: what is love calling us to do. How can we be communities that not just place love at the center, but actively replace hatred with care? Despair with joy? And greed with generosity? Full service rebroadcast Mon-Tue, 7pm, uucf.org/streaming.

"Something has changed within me. Something is not the same." Elphaba's words from Wicked show the power in the belief of transformation, the belief that things can get better. That people can change. Intern Minister Cara Fortner suggests the potential lies in our willingness to change ourselves.

In last week’s sermon Rev. David Miller asked congregants to let him know “what brings you hope?” This week’s sermon reflects on the congregation’s feedback. Full service rebroadcast Sun-Tue, 7pm, uucf.org/streaming.

Hope is often seen as a future pursuit. But in these times when despair is so easy to find, Rev. David Miller asks how we might engage in the kind of hope that the Rev. Dr. Rebecca Parker calls "compassionate care for the present realities of suffering, injury, and injustice that call for an active response?  

Intern Minister Cara Fortner asks us to consider the difficult process of learning to trust. It requires an inward and an outward journey. It requires knowing when we can't carry the load alone and reaching out to others for support. The work is hard, but it can also be very rewarding.

In Sunday's sermon, Rev. David Miller posed a big question for this moment in time: How can we - in these times when we are out of joint and people have lost their reason - trust that we have the strength and commitment to come together to help move into a time of rebirth? Full service rebroadcast Mon-Tue, 7pm, uucf.org/streaming. 

Intern minister Cara Fortner asks us to make an intentional commitment to being in relationship with our authentic selves. In these times of great unknown, that genuine self exploration and love can lead to finding ourselves in other human beings.