2017 Sermons
You can see all our latest sermons on our YouTube channel.
“Hope Changes”
Hope is a deep desire for the best possible outcome, after accepting the real circumstances. As circumstances change in life, so does hope. That flexibility of hope is not a weakness of naivete. The flexibility of hope is the source of resilience and growth in our lives.
Rev. Kent Doss
December 31, 2017
“Boundary Crossing: Offering Hope in the Form of Kindness”
Sometimes during the darkest moments of our lives, a simple act of kindness can bring us much needed light. Hope is crucial with disconnect is strong, so it is important to remind ourselves to offer kindness when we can.
John Bloom-Ramirez, Tapestry Intern
December 17, 2017
“Stories of Hope”
As we enter the darkest, coldest period of the year, many religious traditions remember their powerful stories of hope. This Sunday we will celebrate some of the hopeful stories that inspire our Tapestry community. Hope is not optimism, the conviction that everything will turn out okay. Hope is an orientation of the spirit.
Rev. Kent Doss
December 3, 2017
“Question Box Sunday”
Rev. Kent answers questions submitted before & during the service. Questions include:
- What is one word you use to describe our congregation?
- What is the nature of God if there is one?
- Do you believe in God?
- Who is your favorite philosopher and why?
Rev. Kent Doss
November 26, 2017
“Is God Gold?”
Thoughts on the Enlightenment and the evolution of Christianity & Unitarian Universalism
Intern Minister John Bloom-Ramirez
November 19, 2017
“You Gotta Have Faith”
“Faith” is a difficult word for many Unitarian Universalists. We all believe in things we cannot see, mostly because someone else told us they are true. This Sunday we will hear some of the UU frameworks for faith, and consider the boundaries of what we accept as truth in our own lives.
Rev. Kent Doss
November 12, 2017
“Let Go and Fly”
Clinging too tightly to the safety we know prevents us from grabbing ahold of life. This Sunday we celebrate the courage of letting go and embracing change, as individuals, as families, and as a religious community.
Rev. Kent Doss
November 5, 2017
“A Table of Remembrance”
In many cultures remembering the dead is done through cooking symbolic offerings of food or sharing a meal at the gravesite. This Sunday nearest Samhain, Dia De Los Muertos, and All Saints Day, we remember our loved ones who have gone before. How can we make room at our table in our hearts to nourish the memory of their lives?
Rev. Kent Doss
October 29, 2017
“Hospitality is …”, a “This I Believe” Service
Three Tapestry members talk about what hospitality means to them. They talk about times they have felt welcome and cared for, and times when they could have used a little more support.
Peggy Thompson, Nikki Rinderer, Carrie Snipes
October 8, 2017
“Hospitality in the Wilderness”
When the natural elements challenge human survival, caring for neighbors becomes a basic rule. Our lives may be safe from the challenges of nature, but plenty of other dangers lurk in the suburbs. How are we called to protect our neighbors from the real dangers of loneliness and fear?
Rev. Kent Doss
October 1, 2017
“Answering the Call To Love”
One of our most loved hymns has changed its name. This Sunday we discuss how the hymn “Answering the Call to Love” embodies our Unitarian Universalist faith tradition, and all we hope to be in the world.
Rev. Kent Doss
September 24, 2017
“In Gathering Sunday”
In this very special ritual, as we prepare to take on bold new adventures, we will celebrate this community’s history together. Please bring with you photographs or other mementoes of our beloved community. This Sunday is also water communion. If you have collected a small amount of water during your travels, bring that with you as well.
Rev. Kent Doss
September 17, 2017
“Let Our Little Light Shine, Shine, Shine!”
On this Sunday Rev. Tom is honored to preach on the core of our Unitarian Universalist gospel and how we might best share it with the larger world.
Rev. Tom Owen-Towle
September 10, 2017
“The Eye of the Beholder”
Rev. Kent Doss
September 3, 2017
“Gender Beyond A Binary”
Gender is not as simple as we once believed. Even more than a justice issue, the fluidity of gender has powerful lessons to teach us about engaging our full human potential. Life offers an array of experience and expression if we are brave enough to embrace it.
Rev. Kent Doss
August 13, 2017
“Making Room for Mystery”
Our liberal religion encourages scientific inquiry and truth telling. But, sometimes life’s questions require more poetry in their answers. This Sunday we celebrate the role of ambiguity and paradox in our faith journey.
Rev. Kent Doss
August 6, 2017
“Liberation Theology”
Liberation Theology, which grew out of the African American church and was later embraced by feminist and queer theologians, is often poorly understood in liberal religious circles. This Sunday we explore Liberation Theology and where it fits within our Unitarian Universalist tradition.
Rev. Kent Doss
July 23, 2017
“Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out”
Digital technology is an ever-increasing presence in our lives and can become controlling every year. This Sunday we explore ways to use technology as a tool for liberation, and ways we might liberate ourselves from technology’s controlling influence.
Rev. Kent Doss
July 16, 2017
“Interdependence Day”
Too often we mistake individualism for independence. This Sunday we explore how relationships are the most important tool for liberating ourselves and others.
Rev. Kent Doss
July 9, 2017
“Reflections From General Assembly”
Tapestry member Celia Young will share her experience of our national Unitarian Universalist meeting in New Orleans. This year’s meeting focuses primarily on racial justice. Rather than offering a summary of what occurred, Celia will share with us her interpretation of the meeting and our denomination’s ongoing struggle with racial justice.
Celia Young
July 2, 2017
“An Arresting Development”
There are many ways in which one may choose to be an activist, each unique to our time, talents, interests and other considerations.So, why did 29 Unitarian Universalists, along with our UUA President, Peter Morales, and myself, allow ourselves to be arrested and jailed in Phoenix, AZ on July 29, 2010?
Rev. Lee Marie Sanchez
June 25, 2017
“Youth Sunday”
Tapestry’s high-school youth will lead us in worship, sharing their understanding of Unitarian Universalism and their hopes for the future. Graduating senior Noah Gothard and Rev. Kent Doss will deliver the sermon.
Noah Gothard and Rev. Kent Doss
June 18, 2017
“Visions of Beloved Community”
Tapestry is many different things to many different people. This Sunday, in advance of our Annual Meeting, we explore the challenge and the dream of being a radically welcoming, theologically diverse, multicultural congregation. To help us explore that vision, the Children’s and Youth Choir from All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, OK will visit and share their music.
Rev. Kent Doss
June 11, 2017
“Hear the Earth Call”
For a long, long time courageous people have spoken up for the needs of our fragile planet. This Sunday we celebrate the history of environmentalism as we remember our own efforts for are part of a long and powerful tradition.
Rev. Kent Doss
April 23, 2017
“Wake Now My Senses”
Our beloved hymn, “Wake Now My Senses” tells of a reawakening of faith. This Easter Sunday we celebrate the renewal of Spring with the Unitarian Universalist ritual of flower communion. If you can, please bring a flower from your home to help build our shared ritual.
Worship Associate: Sheryl Hagen
April 16, 2017
“The Web of Creation”
April is Climate Justice month at Tapestry. This Sunday we reflect on the interdependence of life. There is both comfort and responsibility in knowing we are all in this together.
Rev. Kent Doss
April 9, 2017
“Everyday Heroes for Environmental Advocacy”
Everyday heroes for environmental advocacy do not need to be wealthy and powerful to have an impact. We see examples of these heroes all around us. How can we follow their example to become the heroes we need to protect our environment?
Glenn Pascal
April 2, 2017
“Day Language/Night Language”
Our Unitarian Universalist tradition embraces scientific discovery, ancient religious traditions, and personal experience of the transcendent as sources of truth. Perhaps our greatest balancing act as a religious tradition is ability to incorporate fundamentally different types of truth, all of which point to a deeper understanding of our world.
Rev. Kent Doss
March 19, 2017
“What The Bleep Do We Do Now?”
A look at the reality of our congregational life in light the profound changes in our national landscape. How can we welcome the new visitors, anxious for community? What is the hopeful message we can speak in anxious times?
Arvid Straube
March 12, 2017
“Syphrosony and the Scales of Justice”
Syphrosony is the ancient Greek concept of personal fulfillment through temperance, moderation, and prudence. This Sunday we consider our desire for personal balance as we confront injustice in the world around us.
Rev. Kent Doss
March 5, 2017
“Respecting the Border”
Rev. Kent Doss
February 26, 2017
“R-E-S-P-E-C-T”
Rev. Kent Doss
February 19, 2017
“Perspectives on Relationships”
Nikky, Paul, Nikki and Jean
February 12, 2017
“Respecting the Border”
We believe that human diversity is a powerful force for creating good in our world. This Sunday we will talk about respecting difference, even when we don’t know exactly how to respond.
Rev. Kent Doss
February 5, 2017
“Dreams of the Heart: A Meditation on Martin Luther King, Jr”
Martin Luther King, Jr. should have turned eighty-seven today. Instead he was cut down by an assassin’s bullet in 1968. This month here at Tapestry we are considering facets of the jewel that is courage. It might be helpful to pause and to consider Dr King, his dream, and what it means to us today.
Rev. James Ishmael Ford
January 15, 2017
"What is Religion?"
Our guest speaker is Dick Whitaker the founder of Green Forests Work (or GFW) which is an organization dedicated to reforestation of reclaimed mining areas. In other words, they plant trees in compromised lands to bring them back into healthy and productive native forests. He is also involved with the Newfoundland Labrador Fracking Awareness Network, a non-partisan network of organizations and individuals who have serious concerns about the potential risks of fracking used in oil and gas exploration and development in Newfoundland and Labrador. He will share with us some insights into his involvement in these two areas and how he incorporates them into his viewpoint of “What Is Religion?”
January 8, 2017
“The Courage to Change”
Whether we strive to break old habits or create new ones, making a change takes courage. This Sunday we welcome the new year by reflecting on the serenity prayer and celebrating the power that we each have to create change in our lives.
Rev. Kent Doss
January 1, 2017