Church of the River Sermons

Horror Bible 2021 continues with Rev Sam’s favorite Biblical ghost story and a cameo by Emily Dickinson.

This week, we'll host Neshoba Unitarian Universalist Church for the final installment of the Lost Words and Lost Worlds worship series.

The red fox is an important symbol of The Church of the River. What lessons does it have to teach us with its presence? And what can it teach us with its absence?

This week we are beginning a series exploring the book The Lost Words by Robert MacFarlane and Jackie Morris. To celebrate our annual River Sunday, we will be kicking things off by talking about river otters, and the ways in which they teach us about diving in.

In a time of anger and fear, how can we stay compassionate towards people who are actively causing harm?

Most of our narratives about war are overly simplistic and one-sided. What do we do with the more complicated realities? And what important lessons can we learn from Rahab, one of the more maligned biblical heroes?

The biblical hero Gideon was born into a difficult time that was then made even worse by an unexpected crisis. Sound familiar? Gideon was given some important tools to help combat the crisis, and he took full advantage of them because there was evidence in front of him that proved their effectiveness. Again, sound familiar? This week we’re going to be examine how Gideon’s story can help us deepen our spiritual lives and resilience during this ongoing pandemic.

This week, we will consider how we might learn from the natural world - especially from roots and wings - about how to be in community with one another and how to emerge from the pandemic holding one another more closely.

A pilgrimage is a journey, often to an unknown place, that we undergo in search of knowledge about ourselves and about the Sacred. In this moment of uncertainty, join us as we seek new understandings together in the fourth part of this month-long worship series.

A pilgrimage is a journey, often to an unknown place, that we undergo in search of knowledge about ourselves and about the Sacred. In this moment of uncertainty, join us as we seek new understandings together in the third part of this month-long worship series.

A pilgrimage is a journey, often to an unknown place, that we undergo in search of knowledge about ourselves and about the Sacred. In this moment of uncertainty, join us as we seek new understandings together in the second part of this month-long worship series.

A pilgrimage is a journey, often to an unknown place, that we undergo in search of knowledge about ourselves and about the Sacred. In this moment of uncertainty, join us as we seek new understandings together.

This week we will be talking about moving forward--how do we make space in our spiritual lives for the world after the COVID-19 pandemic? What kind of transitions might be needed? And why did Rev. Sam read such weird books in high school?

This is the final part of a month-long series exploring the spiritual lessons we can learn from often overlooked organisms on our planet. Today, we are focusing on cows and what they can teach us about the role of organized religion in our contemporary world.

In Meredith's last sermon as the Ministerial Intern at The Church of the River, she will focus on seeds of change in Unitarian Universalism, specifically on the 8th Principle.

This is the third part of a month-long series exploring the spiritual lessons we can learn from often-overlooked organisms on our planet. Today we are focusing on eels and what they can teach us about embracing the unknown.

Join us May 2 for a special worship service featuring our high school youth. Each year, the high school youth take responsibility for all aspects of a Sunday worship service. Planning and preparation for Youth Sunday is done with the help of adult advisors and is an important part of the Religious Education Program.

This week is part two of our series on the American South, and this week we'll focus on Southern religion. What does it mean for us to be religious liberals in a place where religion is such an integral part of the culture?

This week is part one of a two-part sermon series about the American South. This week, Rev. Sam will be focusing on Southern history and culture and what living in that culture means for our spiritual lives as Unitarian Universalists.

Today is our very special Easter service.