Tag Archives: Ecclesiology

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

The Deal on Those Days, a sermon for the UUA General Assembly June 2022

Posted on June 29, 2022 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

It was March 2020, you know the week. I’m sitting in my home office. Just a few feet away, my two teenagers are in the living room “homeschooling.” A few feet from them, my partner is at the kitchen table. It is … Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons | Tagged Change, Church, Collaboration, Covenant, COVID, Diana Butler Bass, Ecclesiology, Mission, Partners, Partnership, Promise, Sermon, Sermons, Unitarian Universalism, Vision | Leave a comment

True Things – Sermon March 12 2017

Posted on April 17, 2017 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

Reading, from Adrienne Rich’s “Lies, Secrets, and Silence” Sermon, “True Things” – part 1 of 3 part series “Real Life” Today’s my mom’s birthday, and so I’m going to start by sharing a classic my-mom story. She’d just come back … Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons | Tagged Confession, Ecclesiology, Healing, Prayer, Reality, Secret, Secrets, Sermon, Sermons, Shame, Truth, Unitarian Universalism, William Ellery Channing | 1 Comment

Preaching in the Context of Diversity

Posted on January 27, 2016 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

Next Tuesday, as a part of a conference at the Iliff School of Theology, I will sit on a panel about Preaching in the Context of Diversity. We’re covering the topic in three ways: rhetorically, liturgically, and biblically. I’m responsible for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog Reflections, Philosophy of Church, Theology | Tagged Diversity, Ecclesiology, Liturgy, Papers, Preaching, Theological Diversity, Theology, Worship | Leave a comment

What Is Required of Us

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

Readings 1. Martin Luther King, Jr. from “The Role of the Church in Facing the Nation’s Chief Moral Dilemma,” 1957 Our ultimate end must be reconciliation; the end must be redemption; the end must be the creation of the beloved … Continue reading →

Posted in Justice, Sermons, Theology | Tagged Beloved Community, Community, Covenant, Ecclesiology, Justice, Liberation, Role of the Church, Sermon, Sermons, Social Change | Leave a comment

The Limits of Diversity

Posted on June 9, 2013 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

Reading “The Purpose of the Church” In 1948, most congregations and houses of worship in the United States were segregated (separated) by the color of their members’ skin. Some were segregated by law; others by custom or by a lack … Continue reading →

Posted in Covenant, Justice, Sermons, Theology | Tagged Beloved Community, Covenant, Diversity, Ecclesiology, James Luther Adams, Justice, Racism, Role of the Church, Sermon, Sermons, Theology, Unity | Leave a comment

Get Religion

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

Sermon – January 6, 2013 It was about 2007 when I could keep it in no longer. I’d avoided the issue for long enough. I’d downplayed my feelings, guarded my intuition. I’d kept a lot of my favorite things and even … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal Stories, Sermons, Theology | Tagged Coming Out, Courage, Covenant, Ecclesiology, Liberation, Religion, Role of the Church, Sermon, Sermons, Theology | Leave a comment

The Bright Thread of Hope

Posted on November 4, 2012 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

The Bright Thread of Hope [1] We gather this morning, just two days from the end of the election cycle. Two days, my friends, two days. And over these months of the campaign- or has it been years, or an eternity … Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons, Theology | Tagged Brave, Courage, Ecclesiology, Hope, John Murray, Risk, Sermon, Sermons, Stewardship, Theology, Thomas Potter | Leave a comment

The Nature and Function of Preaching

Posted on December 12, 2011 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

Preaching stirs up a holy story, in the preacher, and in the congregation: a story already written, a story alive and unfolding, a story not yet imagined. That is to say, it is rooted in tradition. There can be no … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog Reflections, Philosophy of Church, Theology | Tagged Ecclesiology, Preaching, Sermon, Sermons, Spiritual Direction, Theology | Leave a comment