Sermons given at UUCB, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley

Ministerial Intern Liesl DeesPrayer is often imagined as speaking into silence. But what if prayer is an exchange of longing, listening, wonder, and response? We continue our series on Reclaiming and Reimagining Religion by exploring prayer as a practice of attention, connection, and presence.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley May 31, 2026Community in BloomWe celebrate our annual flower communion with the recognition that we bloom always in relationship. Like the interdependent community of flowers and pollinators, we depend on each other more than we know to express our unique and sacred beauty. Bring a flower to celebrate!Rev Marcus Liefert

Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley May 24, 2026Sound of SpiritRev Liesel DeesAs we begin our series on Reclaiming and Reimagining Religion, we start with the wisdom of our bodies. On this Pentecost Sunday, we’ll riff on the New Testament story of embodied spirituality through a jazz lens, featuring special guest trumpeter Delbert Anderson.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley May 17, 2026The UnderstoryWe know some of the biggest stories that shape the world and human society are rapidly changing. Those changes show up in the small and specific realities of our own lives and our own community. How do we practice creating beloved community by living in the moral framework of interdependence here and now?

Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley April 26, 2026 The Bark and the HeartwoodRev Marcus LiefertLearning to live in a complex reciprocity asks us to grow inward and outward at the same time. The fact that the ground we stand on is not as solid as we were led to believe is both terrifying and liberating, an invitation to tend to the semipermeable membranes between ourselves and the world with tender care.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley April 19, 2026 EarthlingsRev. Kathryn JayWe often think of rebels as folks fighting alone against the status quo. But we are all part of the crew, transforming our grief and anger into action. In this Earth Day service, we’ll ground ourselves in the simultaneous realities of lament and hope.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley April 12, 2026 What You Can Depend OnRev. Marcus LiefertOur culture's economic system and mechanistic worldview teach us to understand relationality as fundamentally transactional. But at our roots we live in a complex interdependence, which requires relating to our inevitable disappointments and frustrations not with the fix-it attitude of a manager, but a reorientation toward mutuality.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley April 5, 2026 Alleluia AnywayRev. Marcus LiefertLike each of our lives and the times we live in, the stories of Easter and Passover are rife with joy and struggle intertwined. With all that would bury us in the tomb, how do we rise up and sing alleluia anyway?

Sustaining FireRev. Marcus LiefertTo keep a flame burning, we watch and feed it so it does not go out. But fire can also be sustaining: offering warmth, light, and a place for people to gather. Our spiritual lives are rarely simple, and the work of love is complicated. We live within complexity—tending the fire of love and searching for clarity in its warmth.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley March 22, 2026 Claimed by AshRev. Marcus LiefertBefore it can be transformed, loss must be witnessed. What can we learn from communities that have been shrouded in ash but refused to grieve alone?