February 3, 2019
Our Unitarian forebear Ralph Waldo Emerson famously wrote: “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds”. My sermon considered wise inconsistencies as well as life’s contradictions and what we can learn from them.
Rev. Lara Hoke
“Forget Your Perfect Offering”
January 27, 2019
My short sermon was part of a whole church (also known as “multi-generational”) worship service reflecting on the concept of “Perfectly Imperfect; Impossibly Possible”, and considering things we “used-to-think”. (The service was followed by a whole church “Winter Comfort” Sunday Social where members and friends were asked to bring their favorite comfort food to share, and to wear pajamas. That is why I’m in pajamas!)
“The Day I Saw God”
January 13, 2019
In Sanskrit, the word darshan means a chance for a meeting with a holy entity or even the sighting of a deity. In the west, we might call it a chance for holy communion or a Beatific Vision. Have you ever seen a deity? In this sermon, I discuss the day I saw God.
“Remembering the Astronauts”
January 6, 2019
This reading (the poem “Astronauts” by the great Robert Hayden) and my short sermon (“Remembering the Astronauts) were shared at the end of Remembrance Sunday. Remembrance Sunday is an annual FCU tradition; the congregation lights Candles of Love and Memory to recall irreplaceable family and friends who died in the past year as well as Candles of Hope and Joy to celebrate children dear to us who were born in the past year. Errata note: The beautiful line in Hayden’s poem is “once Absolute Otherwhere” (not “Everywhere”, as I mistakenly say a couple of times in this video.) My apologies! Read his gorgeous poem at this link.
“Let Every Heart Prepare Room”, a Christmas Eve Homily
December 24, 2018
My Christmas Eve homily for 2018. Is your heart prepared to do the work of Christmas?
“Does the Shadow Know?”
December 23, 2018
In this month of mystery, I continue on with a look at the ideas of Carl Jung. We usually think of our “shadow side” as scary and negative. In the midst of this dark time of year, I consider Jung’s concept of the shadow and whether there’s something useful lurking there.
“Synchronicity and the Interdependent Web”
December 9, 2018
- Rev. Lara Hoke
- The Tao of Psychology: Synchronicity and Self
- Carl Jung
- interdependent web
- psychology
- synchronicity
- Taoism
In this sermon, I talk about the connection between psychiatrist Carl Jung’s theory of synchronicity, the Tao of Taoism, Alice in Wonderland, and the Seventh Principle of Unitarian Universalism (the “interdependent web of all existence”). What might this offer for your life?
“The Miraculous and the Mundane: A UU Appreciation of Hanukkah”
December 2, 2018
This sermon is an appreciation of the Jewish holiday Hanukkah from my (inevitably) UU perspective. I consider the difference between what is a miracle, and what is mundane.
Reflection for “Whole Church” Thanksgiving Service
November 18, 2018
The highlight of FCU’s annual Thanksgiving Service is really the Cornbread and Cider Communion. But you really need to be there for that! Here’s my reflection, to share one small piece of the service.
“From Puritan to UU”
November 11, 2018
When I have given a brief overview of UU history to newcomers, there is sometimes still a bit of mystery in the air. Namely — hold on — did modern Unitarian Universalism come from Puritanism? My sermon attempts to explain this phenomenon. Learn about your puritanical spiritual ancestors, and how this history is relevant today. This sermon was preached on November 11, 2018 (Note: The Unitarians and Universalists merged into the Unitarian Universalist Association in 1961. It sure sounds like I say 1969 in the sermon; if so, I misspoke! It was 1961. In any case, most of what I learned about this era of Unitarian history I learned from Prof. David Hall at Harvard Divinity School in the fall of 1994. I will be forever grateful. Any mistakes are my own.)