Unfolding Faith: Sermons from Foothills Unitarian

The Covenants We Inherit with Rev. Gretchen Haley

In the wake of the pandemic and all the changes that came with it, Rev. Gretchen explores how there are always things that abide across life's disruption and uncertainty. There are what Rev. Rebecca Parker calls "the covenants we inherit," and William Stafford calls threads we follow. Our church community has the inherited covenants and threads as transcendent truths of our community that we can lean on and place our trust in - no matter how life continues to shift. These are the values that will carry us forward as we navigate the road ahead.

Real Life in Re-Entry with Rev. Gretchen Haley

Rev. Gretchen draws on Juneteenth, Isabel Wilkerson's book Caste, and the Covid-19 pandemic to explore how we adjust, cope, and ground ourselves in moments of profound change. What happens when everything we know changes in an instant, then how do we adjust when things change again - especially when the change is as fuzzy and uncertain as it is now that we are beginning to re-enter "real" life post-pandemic. Rev. Gretchen references the work of Priya Parker to help us discern how we might have complicated conversations about identity and vision at moments of transition - just like the one we're in now.

Visualization & Meditation with Rev. Sean Neil-Barron | June 20, 2021

Rev. Sean guides us in a visualization of the past year and how we were changed. What is it you want to remember?

Meditation For The Struggling with Rev. Sean Neil-Barron | June 13, 2021

Rev. Sean leads us in a meditation for affirming that we are enough as we are even when we're feeling lonely, stuck, sad, and all the other hard and frustrating feelings that are part of being human.

The Awkwardness of Re-Membering with Rev. Elaine Aron-Tenbrink

Rev. Elaine explores what it means to reconnect after a year of separateness equalling safety - what it means to exercise many of the social, emotional, and spiritual muscles we didn't use while social distancing. She reminds us that we are all connected and that returning to togetherness may feel so intense because it is awakening our sense of communion with one another - and communion are intense!

Story and Prayer for the Awkward | Rev. Elaine Aron-Tenbrink | June 6, 2021

Rev. Elaine shares a personal story of awkwardness and offers a prayer to help us embrace awkwardness, uncertainty, and vulnerability.

“The Wisdom of the Awkward Turtle” | Rev. Sean Neil-Barron | June 6, 2021

Rev. Sean explores how we can find wisdom in the awkwardness of post-pandemic life - how it can be a springboard for connection. He challenges us to sit with awkwardness (a little longer than we might otherwise), to notice what happens in our bodies, and then to choose how we respond.

Homily: Planting Playfulness | Rev. Sean Neil-Barron | May 23, 2021

Rev. Sean guides us in exploring how we keep traditions and rituals alive in a meaningful way. How can we reinterpret old practices to give them new life, making them both playful and purposeful?