A weekly podcast of the sermon from the Sunday worship service at the Unitarian Church of Vancouver.
The federal government’s commitment to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is a potential watershed moment. Dr. Bruce McIvor, lawyer and historian, explores why Canada’s commitment to reconciliation has so far fallen short of the mark and what needs to ... read more.
The federal government’s commitment to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is a potential watershed moment. Dr. Bruce McIvor, lawyer and historian, explores why Canada’s commitment to reconciliation has so far fallen short of the mark and what needs to ... read more.
We go through life from our own point of view, all of the time. “Nobody is more dangerous than he who imagines himself pure in heart, for his purity, by definition, is unassailable.” – James Baldwin
We go through life from our own point of view, all of the time. “Nobody is more dangerous than he who imagines himself pure in heart, for his purity, by definition, is unassailable.” – James Baldwin
Leaving 2020 behind and moving ahead into a new year filled with possibilities and hope. Anything could happen! Just imagine!
Leaving 2020 behind and moving ahead into a new year filled with possibilities and hope. Anything could happen! Just imagine!
Renewing our commitment to the Unitarian Principles which call us to act for justice, equity, and environmental sustainability. Let us reaffirm together that the work of our faith is not just renewing our commitment to awareness, but renewing our commitment to being engaged in current ... read more.
Renewing our commitment to the Unitarian Principles which call us to act for justice, equity, and environmental sustainability. Let us reaffirm together that the work of our faith is not just renewing our commitment to awareness, but renewing our commitment to being engaged in current ... read more.
“A few years ago, I discovered that environmental activism can be taxing, but practicing gratitude keeps my spirits up. When I began to study gratitude I found that solid research supported a daily practice of gratitude for health and happiness. So I wanted to understand ... read more.
“A few years ago, I discovered that environmental activism can be taxing, but practicing gratitude keeps my spirits up. When I began to study gratitude I found that solid research supported a daily practice of gratitude for health and happiness. So I wanted to understand ... read more.
The late eco-feminist theologian, Sally McFague, often told her students to be careful how you see the world, for it is that way. Rev. Samaya Oakley explores how our perspective informs and shapes our worldview, and why it's important to be aware of ... read more.
The late eco-feminist theologian, Sally McFague, often told her students to be careful how you see the world, for it is that way. Rev. Samaya Oakley explores how our perspective informs and shapes our worldview, and why it’s important to be aware of ... read more.
In this topsy turvy time, we may be experiencing stress which can strain our relationships. What do we expect of ourselves and each other? How can we embrace being perfectly imperfect and accept that in others? The ancient Greeks developed the concept of perfection, but ... read more.
In this topsy turvy time, we may be experiencing stress which can strain our relationships. What do we expect of ourselves and each other? How can we embrace being perfectly imperfect and accept that in others? The ancient Greeks developed the concept of perfection, but ... read more.
Humanity is hurtling toward a multifaceted apocalypse, which we as individuals may feel powerless to stop. If ever there was a time to pray, it is now. Yes, even atheists. Ryan Guenther started attending the First Unitarian Church of Victoria at age 10, and he’s sung ... read more.
Humanity is hurtling toward a multifaceted apocalypse, which we as individuals may feel powerless to stop. If ever there was a time to pray, it is now. Yes, even atheists. Ryan Guenther started attending the First Unitarian Church of Victoria at age 10, and he’s sung ... read more.
Library catalogues. Museum and gallery indexes. Search engines. Any song, story, or research we could want is out there! But without indexing, it is lost in the flood. Who decides how we describe them, though? What are the questions we ask and answer, anticipating a future ... read more.
Library catalogues. Museum and gallery indexes. Search engines. Any song, story, or research we could want is out there! But without indexing, it is lost in the flood. Who decides how we describe them, though? What are the questions we ask and answer, anticipating a future ... read more.
Settlers colonized a tiny fraction Canadian space. Elsewhere the thin population in a vast land remained largely Indigenous, though subject to outside pressures and greatly changed. Now these Indigenous people are speaking back to settler Canada as never before. Basically, they speak of a relationship ... read more.
Our church is full of refugees from other faiths, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Agnostic, Buddhist, Pagan. Steven Epperson is a former Mormon. What draws people to Unitarianism? Leslie Hill describes her lifelong journey from two Protestant religions through New Age Spirituality to the Unitarian Church of ... read more.
Kiersten Moore, Director of Children’s and Youth Religious Exploration speaks on the grace of imperfection. Perfectionism and the fear of making mistakes is pervasive. What happens when we give ourselves and others the grace to be imperfect? To act for what you believe is right, ... read more.
As Steven Epperson’s time with the Unitarian Church of Vancouver comes to an end, he reflects on shared ministry, service, fatherhood, and the future.
These past three months, as perhaps never in our lifetime, have revealed the problem of “individualism” and the necessity of community and regard for the “other.” It’s been an ongoing tension within our religion as well as our society. Have we, will we be transformed ... read more.
(Over the past few months, in response to the pandemic, our weekly worship services moved to online streaming. While we were figuring that out, the podcast fell by the wayside. We’ll be posting the missing sermons over the next few weeks, but in the meantime, ... read more.
The ages-long experience of the Great Mother is the foundation of cultures all over the world: she was nature, she was the earth and she was the unseen dimension of soul or spirit. In the Hebrew Scriptures, wisdom is portrayed as a woman and as ... read more.
Fearing “internal subversion” of the standing order in Great Britain, William Pitt’s government determined to crush domestic opponents by any means necessary; many victims of this campaign were Unitarians—women and men—members of a brilliant generation of imaginative writers and public intellectuals. We find out who ... read more.
The type of music we call “the blues” arose from one of the most profound and neglected stories that occurred on this continent. We learn about that story and what makes “the blues” unique and unforgettable: music filled with melancholy, rage, longing, beauty and endurance. ... read more.
Reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada means different things to different people. Is it demonstrating compassion and understanding about the impact of colonialism on Indigenous peoples? Or is it about working in solidarity with Indigenous peoples on issues of justice and equity and ... read more.
Using religion as a moral cover for shoddy thinking and bad behaviour is not new to our age; it’s a complaint thousands of years old. So why bring it up now? It may be worth considering why we’re still ‘religious’ and what we’re religious for. ... read more.
Spread across continents and centuries, the story of Unitarianism is vast, maddening and thrilling. We explore its main outlines, themes, characters, and issues. All in one worship service? Let’s see what we can do—a story that we can understand, value and carry with us on ... read more.
What is art for? How do we value it? Can it be a source of spiritual regeneration? Inspired by Lewis Hyde’s The Gift, Steven considers how gifts of art (and other things) pass from hand-to-hand and how that act may enliven the work, the artist, and ... read more.
So often, we struggle for things to stay the same—relationships, jobs, identity; and for good reason—letting go is hard. We cling to what is and often fear the unknown of what may be. As the season of Autumn winds down and Winter approaches, are there ... read more.
Ursula LeGuin was one of the literary greats of the 20th century, a wise, radical trailblazer who, across more than 50 books—novels, poetry, translations and criticism—expanded and deepened the boundaries of science fiction and fantasy literature. This sermon is an exploration of one of her ... read more.
Feeling awe is a foundation for what makes us human and a source of what enables individual spirituality and religion to be enduring and vital in our lives. We’ll raise up the experience of awe through ritual, music, and parable.
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