At pivotal moments in life, when change is no longer optional, we are confronted with a profound question: How do we find the courage to step into a new way of being? Let's explore the threshold moments when we choose to move toward transformation rather than retreat from it —allowing ourselves to be broken open, and forever changed.

Love breaks us open, not always in a single supernatural moment, but in a slow accretion of changes. When we love, we loosen our grip on the self; what is good becomes more than just what is good for me. In love, we become the best versions of ourselves, together. Make a donation to our Sunday offering in support of The Jeremiah Program.

"No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear." C. S. Lewis's A Grief Observed, is a firsthand account of the months after his spouse's death. In it, the 20th century theologian grapples with what it means to feel truly lost, unable to depend on the beliefs and certainties that shaped his life. Moments of grief change us, creating a dividing line in our stories between the time before, and the time after loss. ​

Sorrow endures for the night but joy comes with the dawn, writes the psalmist. Moments of joy, whether quiet moments over a cup of coffee, or life changing moments like the birth of a child, can open us to new experience and leave us transformed. As we begin a new year in an icy season, how can we cultivate our capacity for transformation?

This sermon podcast begins with a reflection by Worship Associate Ollie Stocker

This sermon podcast will consider how to cultivate faith to move forward into the new year and begins with a reflection from Worship Associate Anna Newton.

This sermon podcast, reflecting on what it means to tell, and retell a story over generations, begins with a reflection by Worship Associate Dick Buggs.

"Roses love garlic." Gardens abound with stories of different plants that grow together, sometimes unexpectedly. Polyculture, or companion planting, uses that diversity to create more resilient, beautiful garden beds. The same might be true for our churches: rather than a monoculture of a single creed, Unitarian Universalists plant our diverse faiths side by side, and in doing so cultivate wild and resilient communities.

Without hope, how can we authentically evangelize love? Hope, however fragile, can sustain us. It anchors our conviction and guides our commitment to serve with faith, compassion, and resilience.

This podcast begins with a reflection by Worship Associate Ollie Stocker and is followed by a sermon by Hallman Ministerial Intern Amy Brunell.