Downloadable Sermons (Podcasts)
Click the "Download" links below to listen to or download an MP3 of any of these past sermons.
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May 2008
Pilgrimage of Faith
Our second UU Principle includes the words, "encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations." That is another way to talk about personal faith development. We are in process. "The Pilgrimage of Faith" is a sermon about that process from searching faith to liberating faith. Returning to our pulpit is The Rev. Jim Grant.
April 2008
April 27
Breathing into the Map
As our beloved Interim Minister for one year before Rev. John began serving us, Rev. Anne Felton Hines talked about the journey this congregation had been taking, and how we might keep it vital. Today she'll share a bit about where her journey has taken her, and reflect on what she witnesses about ours from a distance.
The Rev. Anne Felton Hines
Download MP3 (9 MB)
April 20
Soul Work
Earth Day weekend is a time to celebrate our planetary diversity-including human diversity. But Unitarian Universalists are only beginning to understand what it means to live as engaged anti-racist allies in a multicultural setting. Despite our goodhearted intent to welcome folks of all races and ethnicities, our congregations are disproportionately white. We know the racist history of our country, but are only beginning to grasp the challenges that race presents in its current forms. Join us as we explore the knotty issues of race and Unitarian Universalism…and talk about "one more step" that each of us can take.
The Rev. John Gibb Millspaugh
Download MP3 (10 MB)
April 13
An Intermediate Student of Flying
When I met my friend Mandy a decade ago, we butted heads. She was a pierced, no-nonsense, highly energetic DRE of a UU congregation, standing in the way of me, the equally no-nonsense (but not equally pierced) Assistant to the UUA President. As you might guess, she’s taught me a lot over the years I’ve known her—all the more so now that she’s becoming expert in the art of the flying trapeze. This is what I’ve learned from Mandy about the wisdom that can be learned from the flying trapeze.
The Rev. John Gibb Millspaugh
April 6
What Endures
Rev. John announces his resignation as Tapestry's minister, and provides information about his decision and the road ahead for our congregation.
The Rev. John Gibb Millspaugh
March 2008
March 30
Choosing Life
Who do you think you are? Sages and psychologists alike would assure you that you’re probably mistaken. Jungian anal yst James Hollis says that we all “walk in shoes too small.” Continuing this month’s theme of “Identity,” we re-examine identity, and explore the work it takes to embrace new life.
The Rev. John Gibb Millspaugh
March 23
Easter
UU ministers at Easter time often speak of renewal and resurrection as a natural parts of earth’s cycles. True. But I think that the most important resurrections must be chosen, risked, dared. One poet writes of being “threatened with resurrection.” What meaning does Easter have for us as UUs? Special Music.
The Rev. John Gibb Millspaugh
February 2008
February 24
What Do I Know?
Unitarian Universalists
are sometimes
suspicious of religion because
we see its “truth claims,” based
on subjective faith, as less reliable
than scientific truth claims,
made on objective facts. The
deeper truth is that our claim for
knowing anything is pretty thin.
Rev. Ricky Hoyt, a perennial
Tapestry favorite, currently
serves the Unitarian Universalist
congregation in Santa Clarita,
CA
Download MP3 (19 MB)
February 10
Valentine’s Day
for All of Us
As Tapestry celebrates Valentine's
Day, we are pleased to
welcome two guest speakers,
Toby and Annie. Their personal
stories will shed light on some of
the issues surrounding marriage
equality.
Toby, a native of Los Angeles, worked for 33 years in special education and was twice honored as teacher of the year. Annie, a native of England, recently joined the ranks of the retired, following a career as a paralegal and health inspector.
They met in 1983, had their commitment ceremony on Kauai, and now live between Laguna Beach and Palm Springs with their dog, Shayna. Come hear their remarkable personal stories as a celebration of love this Valentine’s Day Sunday.
February 3, 2008
SPECIAL EVENT: Joint Worship Service with OCUUC The Times They Are A’Changin
In a musical, celebratory service, our own Rev. John Millspaugh, along with the UUA’s Vice President Terry Sweetser and Orange Coast UU Church’s Rev. Karen Stoyanoff will reflect on change. Nationally known worship theorist Rev. John Tolley, professor at Meadville Lombard Theological School, will lead in the dramatic telling of a story for all ages. After the story the children will go to a separate room for programming designed specifically for them. Music will be performed by a large combined choir and SEVERAL instrumental ensembles.
January 2008
January 27, 2008
The State of the UUnion: A Minister’s Perspective
For six months now, we’ve been in conversation with the Orange Coast UU Church about possibilities for collaboration up to and including union, or as I like to think of it, UUnion. I’ve been pondering the pros and cons for our vision and mission as a community, and I’ll share my particular perspective before our democratic vote regarding whether to move forward.
The Rev. John Gibb Millspaugh
January 13, 2008
An Unprincipled New Year
When I first read the UU principles, I thought they were a strange group of statements to stand at the center of a religious movement. Too vague, too smacking of the pledge of allegiance, too anthropocentric. I have come to see them as profound…but still see things to change. So does our national movement, which is about to change them. Come hear about, and be part of, the revision of our seven principles… in worship, and in the workshop following the second service (page 10).
The Rev. John Gibb Millspaugh
January 6, 2008
Two Reflections from the Roadside
Rev. John and Rev. Sarah share a sermon on principles core to our faith: justice and compassion. As our collective journey takes a new turn into 2008, how can these age-old concepts take on new meaning…and what can be learned from the side of the road?
The Revs. John & Sarah Millspaugh
December 2007
December 30, The Ordinary as Mask of the Holy
Betty and I saw a play the other night, "Oscar and the Pink Lady," about a young boy in a cancer ward befriended by a "pink lady" volunteer. It is about spirituality, found in a desert: "...the lonely night under this starry sky was absolutely thrilling, a feeling of the Absolute."
Rev. Jim Grant, a retired UU Minister, Consulting or Interim Minister for eight UU Congregations in Southern California, PSWD Consulting Team, private consultant with congregations and non-profit organizations.
December 23, Saving the Best for Last
Are you saved? Me either. Or wait: maybe we both are. Many world religions include the concept of salvation, with different perspectives on what we need saving from, and what might save us. As Christians celebrate the arrival of their savior, what do other wisdom traditions have to say about what saves us, from what, and how? What would UU salvation look like…and could it be that we’re saved after all?
Rev. John Millspaugh
December 9, Song of Experience
According to the poet, William Blake, we all start out life singing “a song of innocence,” and then something along the way changes how we view the world and we sing “a song of experience.” Karen Stoyanoff will explore how this transformation in our lives affects us weaving together her own experience, Blake’s poetry, and a compelling story from mythology. Come join us and learn how we can regain our ability to face life with hope even after we know life’s destructive potential.
Orange Coast UU Church's Rev. Karen Stoyanoff
December 2 — The Dark Nights of the Soul
A recent study found that over 20 million Americans are in the clutches of depression; over 2 million are children. Worldwide, depression is the leading cause of disability for persons over age five, and accounts for more of the disease burden than anything but heart disease. This December, as light vanishes from the sky, we seek a spiritual perspective on depression, sadness, and grief, that might provide the means to keep a candle lit during the dark nights of the soul.
The Rev. John Gibb Millspaugh
November 2007
November 25 — Where the Theology Meets the Road
We think we know what we believe and what we hold to be true, but when it comes to a crisis of illness or death, often all bets are off. Michael Eselun, a chaplain at UCLA Medical Center, (and a well-received guest speaker at Tapestry three times before) will share an exploration of the different ways patients' theologies intersect with such crises, and the common themes that seem to surface from the atheist or fundamentalist alike.
Michael Eselun, a Unitarian Universalist, is a hospital chaplain at UCLA Medical Center and as the chaplain for the Palliative Care Unit at Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center. Michael is also a co-founder and co-chair of a non-profit, volunteer anti-homophobia speakers bureau called GLIDE, Gays and Lesbians Initiating Dialogue for Equality.
November 11 — Building a Humane Nation
Rev. John welcomes Wayne Pacelle, the President and CEO of the 10-million member Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). Mr. Pacelle has helped pass more than a half dozen federal laws to protect animals, and has been the subject of profiles by The New York Times (2007), The Wall Street Journal (2006)and The Washington Post (2004). For his management of HSUS’s response to Hurricane Katrina, NonProfit Times named him “Executive of the Year.” Mr. Pacelle is an outstanding speaker.
November 4 — A New Religious Orange County
The Immigration Act of 1965 eliminated the quotas linking immigration to national origins. Since then, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Zoroastrians, and new varieties of Jews and Catholics have arrived from every part of the globe, radically altering the religious landscape of the United States…and Orange County. We’ll discuss how America is now the most religiously diverse nation in the world, and kick off our local “Neighboring Faiths” series for Adults (see page 10).
The Rev. John Gibb Millspaugh
October 2007
October 21 — An Interdependent Web
Unitarian Universalist congregations are self-governing entities whose connections to one another sometimes seem tenuous. We can be part of changing that, to the benefit of each one of us, and our larger faith. In October 2007, Tapestry joins hundreds of congregations who are committing to common cause by joining in “Association Sunday.”
The Rev. John Gibb Millspaugh
October 14 — The Role of UUs in Immigration Reform
Dr. Norma Stoltz Chinchilla, member, Long Beach UU Church and Chair of their Immigration Task Force
Using a multi-media presentation, Norma and Eduarda Diaz-Schwarzbach will
provide us with a compassionate, in-depth look at the confusing and contentious debate
over immigration policy reform. The New Sanctuary Movement will be explained.
