Category Archives: Sermons

A Bigger Mission, a sermon for the installation of the Rev. Ron Phares at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, Colorado Springs

Posted on April 7, 2024 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

It is my honor to be here with you on this great occasion, and for Rev. Sean Neil-Barron (who will offer the blessing) and I to bring you greetings from the northern end of the Front Range. Your new minister … Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons | Tagged All Souls, Ancestors, Colorado History, Faith, Feminism, Future, History, Iowa Sisterhood, Ministry, Mission, Partners, Partnership, Progressive Religion, Progressive Spirituality, Religion, Sermon, Sermons, Shared Ministry, Unitarian, Unitarian Universalism, Unitarian Universalist, Universalism, Universalist, Vision, Women, Women in Ministry, Worship | 1 Comment

All Bodies are Sacred (Hallelujah!)

Posted on February 5, 2024 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

Hallelujah to the grace And the body and every cell of us all The Hallelujah of the body begins at birth. I have been present at two births in my life, (other than my own) neither of them my children’s. … Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons | Tagged Age, Ageism, agency, Andrea Gibson, Autonomy, Beloved Community, Birth, Bodies, Bodily Autonomy, Body, body-image, body-shaming, Death, Disability, Disabled Justice, Embodied, Embodiment, Fat, Fatphobia, Holiness, Holy, Interdependence, Justice, Liberation, Life, obesity, Pluralism, Race, Racism, Reverence, Sacred, Sacredness, self-love, Sermon, Sermons, Somatic, Sonya Renee Taylor, Theological Anthropology, trans, Transphobia, Unitarian, Unitarian Universalism, Universalism | Leave a comment

What You Can Control

Posted on January 23, 2024 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

The Work That Is Theirs to Do by Joanna Fontaine Crawford And said, “That’s enough of that.” And the day came when finally they put down their burdens The moment was full of sorrow but also relief Arms exhausted from … Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons | Tagged Boundaries, Boundary, Caregivers, Caregiving, Communication, Control, Covenant, Families, Family, Family Systems, Healing, mental-health, Needs, Parenting, Parents, personal-growth, Relationships, Saying no, Self-Differentiation, Sermon, Sermons, Unitarian Universalism | Leave a comment

Choosing to Love, Anyway – Christmas Eve 2023

Posted on December 25, 2023 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

Readings: Homily In Bethlehem tonight, the usual extravagant Christmas celebrations have been canceled. In place of Glorias echoing across the land, there is war and grief, all across Palestine and Israel, and in Gaza. As the Mayor of Bethelhem declared today, Christmas this … Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons | Tagged Christmas, Christmas Eve, Faith, Hope, Hopelessness, Jesus, Journeys, Justice, Love, Sermon, Sermons, Vision | Leave a comment

Gather in Storms

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

Reading – a combination of Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg’s 2022 and 2023 Hanukah reflections, which end with this reflection Hanukah isn’t just about what happened in the past, on the calendar. It’s about who we are capable of being. It’s about … Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons | Tagged Beloved Community, blog, Christmas, Compassion, Conflict, Conflict Avoidance, Covenant, Empathy, Family, Gathering, Hanukkah, Hebrew Bible, Inherent Worth, Interfaith, Interfaith Dialogue, Jewish, Jews, Judaism, Justice, Listening, Non-Violence, Non-Violent Communication, NVC, Peace, Priya Parker, Religion, Sermon, Sermons, Television, The Bear, Trauma, Trauma-Informed, TV, TV Shows, Universalism, Vincent Harding, Violence, War | Leave a comment

Gather in Joy – a sermon for our first Sunday in our new sanctuary

Posted on December 4, 2023 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

Can you believe it?! I never doubted we would get here, really, but we have been talking about needing a bigger sanctuary since I started at Foothills 11 years ago, and that conversation had been going on long before I … Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons | Tagged Belonging, Church, Community, Faith, Gathering, God, Intention, meaning, Mission, Power, Priya Parker, Purpose, Refuge, Ritual, Sanctuary, Sermon, Sermons, Unitarian, Unitarian Universalism, Universalism, Worship | Leave a comment

Goodness Beyond the Good Life

Posted on November 20, 2023 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

Reading: Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front, by Wendell Berry Last Sunday, I told you about sitting down with the Rabbi from Har Shalom, and how the first people to call her after the Hamas attack were Christian Evangelicals. What … Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons | Tagged Bonhoeffer, Capitalism, Collective, Commitment, Community, Fasicsm, Fear, Idolatry, Individualism, James Luther Adams, Liberal, Liberal Faith, Liberalism, Patriarchy, Rebel, Reparations, Resist, Resistance, Sacrifice, Sermon, Sermons, Success, Time, Wealth, Wendell Berry | Leave a comment

Church as Countercultural Practice

Posted on November 19, 2023 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

A couple of weeks ago, I sat down with Rabbi Finestone, who serves Congregation Har Shalom, just down the road. We were speaking about the attack on October 7th, and what her community has been feeling since. She shared many things … Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons | Tagged Christian Zionism, Church, Covenant, Ecclesiology, Fascism, James Luther Adams, Liberal Church, Liberal Faith, Liberalism, Purpose of Church, Resistance, Sermon, Sermons, Small Groups, Zionism | Leave a comment

Lifewords

Posted on October 15, 2023 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

Twenty four years ago this week, I was on a flight to Portland to meet up with my parents. I had words I needed to say to them for the very first time. Words that were too big for an email or a … Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons | Tagged Adrienne Rich, Audre Lorde, Beginnings, Change, Coming Out, Communication, Dementia, Endings, Humanity, identity, Labels, LGBTQ, Listen, Listening, Memory, Othered, Othering, Sermon, Sermons, Silence, Speech, Transformation, True, Truth, Words | Leave a comment

Good Walls: Boundaries as Acts of Love

Posted on September 13, 2023 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

Reading: From Prentis Hemphill, On Boundaries For me, there is a big love [that exists regardless of me]. [Which means,] there are people I have boundaries with that I’m like, “I don’t know if I love you but there’s a big … Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons | Tagged Boundaries, Boundary, Change, Community, Covenant, Diversity, Justice, Liberal, Sermon, Sermons, Tolerance, Trump | Leave a comment

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