Sermons Preached: March 2006 Archives

I am preparing a sermon on Evil, and on that personification of evil, Satan. Seems like a perfectly ordinary Unitarian Universalist topic to me.

Explore Evil, talk about "evils" and the idea of Evil itself. Introduce the Prince of Darkness and talk about his history in Hebrew Scriptures and early Christianity.

Help the listeners decide whether they believe in an array of evils, or whether their is something to the idea of Evil itself. Contrast this to non Western non-dualisms.

I mention this topic to some of my colleagues and they wondered how I could get away with that topic in a UU church. The devil and Evil, next you'll be preaching about Sin and Redemption. Well Passion 'sunday is coming up, and Easter too.

I do get away with it. I think it is because I use words like "Let me suggest..." and "or you might look at this way."

No witnessing. Much probing.

A Sermon on Global Warming given in Stuart, Florida on March 19, 2006

Sometimes a preacher cuts some material out of a sermon. Perhaps it seems to divert from the intent of what the preacher wants to say, sometimes it is too radical, or too spiritual for the audience, or adds unnecessarily to the length. Here is an outtake from a sermon I wrote in 1996. I don't know why I cut it.

I have preached the sermon in different versions since then, but this is the first time the out take has been made public. It is a peak into my preaching soul from ten years ago.

I'll publish the sermon. I wonder where it was supposed to fit?