Tag Archives: Liberation

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

Now is not a time for passing

Posted on April 1, 2022 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

With every new headline or “debate” about the latest wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation, I hear Audre Lorde: “My silence had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you.” In Florida, the literal intent of the law is silencing- to … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog Reflections, Justice, Personal Stories | Tagged Audre Lorde, Cis, Freedom, gender, Genderqueer, LGBTQ, Liberation, Non-Binary, Passing, Queer, Queerness, Straight, TDOV, trans, TransDayofVisibility, transgender, Visibility | Leave a comment

The Cullor Covenant

Posted on October 24, 2021 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

This pandemic season has been challenging for so many of us, in really significant and serious ways, and also in some small yet persistently annoying ways. I have a confession that’s more in the latter category to share with you. Which … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy of Church, Sermons | Tagged Church, Collective Action, Collective Change, Community, Covenant, Economic Justice, Equality, Essential, Healing, Inequality, Liberation, Money, Sermon, Sermons, Shame, Stewardship, Taboo | Leave a comment

The Power of How We Dress: Introducing the Drag King Pastors

Posted on May 9, 2021 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

The first big fight I had with my parents when I was in college was not – despite what you might think – when I told them I was switching majors from math to theatre. For that, they were more….trying … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog Reflections, Sermons | Tagged Clothing, Costumes, Drag, gender, Liberation, Power, Queer, Shakespeare, Theatre | Leave a comment

How We Survive

Posted on May 31, 2020 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

I set up a new home office this week, setting up a more permanent space for this new time. In my re-arranging, I came across an old journal, and some old photos – all marking my life more than twenty … Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons | Tagged collective liberation, Community, Homily, Justice, Liberation, pandemic, Resilience, Sermon, Sermons, Survival, thrive, Universalism | Leave a comment

The Morning After

Posted on September 22, 2018 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

Reading: After 37 Years My Mother Apologizes for My Childhood by Sharon Olds Sermon – The Morning After – Gretchen Last Sunday, I told you about the ledge at my friends’ lake cabin. How I was too afraid to ever follow … Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons, Theology | Tagged #MeToo, Apology, Atonement, Forgiveness, Liberation, Reconciliation, Redemption, Rosh Hashannah, Sexual Misconduct, Sorry, Transformation, Yom Kippur | 1 Comment

#MeToo

Posted on March 27, 2018 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

Listen to this sermon on podcast here. See the whole service on video here. Sermon – March 25, 2018 To be honest, before I found Unitarian Universalism, I thought all religion was patriarchal, and sexist. Finding this faith nearly 20 … Continue reading →

Posted in Covenant, Justice, Sermons, Sexuality, Theology | Tagged #MeToo, BlackLivesMatter, Boundaries, Confession, Courageous Love, Justice, Liberation, Ministry, Misconduct, Racial Justice, Racism, Sermon, Sermons, Sexual Assault, Sexual Violence, Sexuality, Sexuality education, Sin, Theology, Universalism | 2 Comments

Christmas Eve Homily 2016

Posted on December 29, 2016 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

Text: Luke 2:1-19 Homily: The Radical Story of Christmas – Mary, Jazz and Turning the World Upside Down It starts with being counted. Whether or not they wanted to make the journey, it didn’t matter. They had to go. … Continue reading →

Posted in Justice, Sermons | Tagged Christianity, Christmas, Hospitality, Justice, Liberation, Mary, Risk, Transformation, Vision | Leave a comment

My Precious – a sermon on liberation and will

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

Here is the audio of this sermon. Reading: Paul’s Letter to the Romans, Chapter 7, verses 15-24 It was a recent blog post from Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project that made me think of Gollum for today’s service. … Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons, Theology | Tagged Augustine, Brokenness, Choice, Christianity, Free Will, Freedom, Liberation, Revelation is Not Sealed, Sermon, Sermons, Shame, Sin | Leave a comment

Expect Nothing, and Everything

Posted on December 7, 2015 by Rev. Gretchen Haley

We know how the story of Hanukkah goes. The Jewish people had finally returned to the temple after many years of occupation, humiliation, and near despair. They were celebrating, purifying, remembering and re-claiming – for the Assyrian army had been … Continue reading →

Posted in Sermons | Tagged Acceptance, Buddhism, Expectations, Gun Violence, Hanukkah, Interfaith Relationships, Judaism, Liberation, Peace | Leave a comment