Unfolding Faith: Sermons from Foothills Unitarian

Red Lines & Heart Lines

Heroes can feel out of reach—like the kind of people who have more courage, more clarity, or less to lose. But what if it’s not about being extraordinary? What if the difference is just practice—small, consistent choices that shape who we become and how we show up when it matters most? This week's message is an invitation to stop waiting for the moment and start preparing for it together, drawing our lines, building trust, and learning the kind of courage that doesn’t come from going it alone, but from rising side by side.

The Facts and the Feelings (Rev. Gretchen)

We’ve all been there—someone we care about falls down a rabbit hole of “alternative facts.” You try to explain, to reason, to send the article that will finally convince them. But somehow, the more facts you share, the deeper they dig in.
So what’s really going on when facts fail? Why do smart, caring people come to believe things that make no sense? And how can connection—rather than correction—bring us back to truth?
Join Rev. Gretchen this week, as we explore how belonging shapes belief, and what it means to stay human, curious, and kind in an age of misbelief.

Let Go, Hold Fast: Real Talk About Real Love

In a world that keeps demanding we either smooth over our differences or cut each other off completely, Rev. Sean's message explores a harder, more honest way forward—where love isn’t control or avoidance, but the daily work of staying rooted in your convictions while making space for others to be fully themselves. What if the tension we’re trying so hard to eliminate is actually where love—and transformation—lives?

The Bridge Between Us

In a world where fear often masquerades as wisdom, this message invites you to treat your discomfort not as a red light, but as data—pointing to where love is asking more of you. Rev. Sean draws on personal experience to help differentiate between real threat and personal unease, and choosing to cross the bridge of courageous love—even when it’s hard, even when you’re scared—to have fellowship with those on the other side.

2025 Service of Remembrance

This past Sunday was our cherished annual Service of Remembrance, where we came together to honor loved ones who have passed by bringing their photos or objects into our sacred space as we built a shared altar. Rev. Elaine asked Foothills Member Karen Wilken to talk about the sudden loss of her son, Oliver, and her journey with grief.

Turning Point USA

You’ve spent years believing that if you just told the truth clearly enough, people would see it—but now that logic feels broken, and it’s breaking something in you, too. When the old tools stop working, faith invites us to grieve what’s gone and still step forward, learning to speak truth in a way that reshapes the ground we stand on.

The Crack in Everything - How we respond to Evil

We want to believe heaven is already here, on earth. In beauty, and nature; in generosity and creativity; and in human goodness that still surprises us in its abundance. But then....we read the headlines, we feel the heartbreak, and we experience the harm - and all of these ideas feel hollow.
So, as Eleanor Shellstrop (from TV's The Good Place) might say....is this the bad place?And if so, how do we live faithfully here - in what Parker Palmer calls the "tragic gap,"  between the world as it is and the world as it could be?
These are the questions at the heart of this sermon from Rev. Gretchen.

At Sunrise (Rev. Elaine)

Life shifts under our feet in ways we didn’t ask for— relationships strain, identities evolve, and structures and expectations that once felt right can start to feel confining. 
It’s easy to mistake the pain of breaking open, growing, and becoming as a sign that something is wrong.  
This message from Rev. Elaine invites us to discern whether the strain we feel is the cost of becoming or the cost of staying too small.