Sermons

UPCOMING SERMONS

SUNDAY, MAY 10, 2026 – “She Who Is.”

Culturally, we have a long history of defaulting to masculine language when speaking, both about people and about God. What lessons can we learn from feminine images of the divine, and how can they apply to people of all gender identities? Join Intern Aiden McMahon as he explores the intersection of gender and religious imagery.

SUNDAY, MAY 17, 2026 – “The Temple Was Never A Cage”

Some traditions taught that the body is sacred and then used that very teaching as a reason for shame, building altars out of restriction and making holiness synonymous with denial. This Sunday, we are reclaiming joy itself as a revolutionary act, because choosing pleasure, delight, and full embodiment in a world that has told so many of us to want less, feel less, and take up less space is not indulgence, it is liberation. Come fully, come joyfully, come exactly as you are. Join Rev. Rodney Lemery for this service.

SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2026 – “Love and Resistance: Reflections from Minnesota.”

Please join us as we reflect on how do we hold love and resistance in the same hands? When neighbors are taken. When families are torn apart. When lives like Renee Good's and Alex Pretti's from Minnepolis are lost. Bring your grief, your hope, your questions as Rev. Ron Ahnen returns with a witness to share, and together we'll wrestle with what love asks of us in these complicated times.

(This sermon was previously scheduled on April 26, 2026.)

SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2026 – “When Faith Is Metaphor”

In the best of times, faith may seem unnecessary. In the worst of times, it may seem in adequate. How does our particular form of faith which affirms our agency in creating the connections and steadfastness use metaphor as a proxy for certainty? Please join Rev. Leslie Takahashi for this service about how we, whether we believe in a more traditional idea of God or not, can find meaning in metaphors of faith.

PAST SERMONS

Videos of past sermons are available HERE

SUNDAY, MAY 3, 2026 – “WHEN WORDS ARE NOT ENOUGH”

Sometimes we can touch larger truths with greater dexterity through movement and rituals than we can through ideas and concept. Theologian Rita Nakashima Brock says this is because there is a limit to personal sincerity and sometimes in the world, we have to tap into larger truths when our most anchoring beliefs are shaken. Come…
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SUNDAY, APRIL 26, 2026 – “When Love Looks Like Justice and Justice Looks Like Love.”

Join Ron Ahnen and Rev. Leslie Takahashi for this reflection on love in a time of polycrisis. In this service, Ron Ahnen will share reflects on his observations and participation in the actions of protest and mutual aid in Minneapolis this last January. Rev. Leslie will talk about how this translates in the caring practices…
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SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 2026 – “75 YEARS OF COMMITMENT”

A congregation is like a wave–with a certan shape which may change ever so slightly as the landscapes around shift. Some of the drops of water change and some reman the same. Along the way, the path is shaped by the individual and collective acts and commitments of all of us drops. Come and join…
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SUNDAY, APRIL 12, 2026 – “WHOSE STORY IS THIS?”

During his time as a jail chaplain, Rev. Rodney sat with people the world had stopped listening to and found something unexpected: their stories were mirrors. This service explores deep listening as a spiritual practice that dissolves the wall between “us” and “them,” and asks a simple but demanding question: when did you last let…
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SUNDAY, APRIL 5, 2026 – “WE RISE: AN EASTER CELEBRATION”

Join us for this service of joyful celebration of the ways that new life can spirng from old. Just as the rich humus of that which has gone before provides the nourishment and energy for the sprig and the sapling, we celebrate the ancient traditions which we recast anew each generation. This will be a…
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SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2026 – “Songs of Resistance and Joy.”

In this service we celebrate the way that singing has become a powerful tool of expressing our joy in resistance. this will be a joyful service of song and rhythm and movement. With Rev. Leslie Takahashi and our music director Jyvonne Haskin!
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SUNDAY, MARCH 22, 2026 – “Chiaroscuro.”

Twice a year, the world has an equal share of day and night. In this celebration of the Spring Equinox, let’s take some time to appreciate the beauty of both, especially as they are held in perfect tension. Join Intern Aiden McMahon for this service.
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SUNDAY, MARCH 15, 2026 – “THE NONVIOLENT 45”

In a time when we are compelled to reexamine how our ations relate to our motives, how do we both hold our values close AND be willing to compromise when we need to do so. Rev. Leslie Takahashi will look at what the deeper history of other movements for social change tell us about commitment,…
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SUNDAY, MARCH 8, 2026 – “The Sugar Bowl: Power, Permission, and the Practice of Joy.”

When young Harriet Tubman stole a sugar cube from her mistress’s sugar bowl and ran, she was brutally punished. Join us as we explore different questions from this historical story, depending on our position in society. This service calls us to an honest reckoning with our different positions in systems of oppression and our shared…
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SUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2026 – “I Lift My Lamp.”

Our nation has been shaped by immigrants from many shores. Though we no longer offer sanctuary and opportunity to people from other nations, let us celebrate their contributions. Join Rev. Leslie Takahashi for this service.
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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2026 – “Happiness As Resilience”

When our days are filled with much that makes us despair, happiness can seem frivolous or a form of spiritual by-pass. Yet as living creatures, we need happiness. Rev. Leslie Takahashi will talk about this essential form of survival—from the perspective of those who have had to seek it despite circumstances for generations AND with…
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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2026 – “Finding Our Voice(s)

When we speak, it is not just our own voice; instead, we speak with a synthesis of many voices, learned, quoted, and internalized. The voices we choose to amplify matter, and in this day and age, we have more power to shape our voices than ever before. Join Intern Aiden McMahon as he reflects on…
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