Sermons given at UUCB, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley

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?

Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley March 15, 2026 Smoke and MemoryRev. Marcus LiefertWe are the inheritors of a tradition that believes in the sovereign self — the individual who chooses, who transforms, who transcends. But what do we do with the inheritance we never chose? How might we be led by Sankofa, the Akan symbol of the courage to turn and face what you’re already carrying?

Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley March 8, 2026 Raging and RefiningRev. Marcus LiefertThe prophet Malachi promises a refiner’s fire — patient, purposeful, transforming. But some fires don’t refine. They just rage.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley March 1, 2026 The Good NewsRev. Kathryn JayUnitarian Universalism can be hard to explain and we are often uncomfortable testifyng about the power of our faith. But what if we tried? We could be the spark of love that helps transform the world.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley March 1, 2026 The Good NewsRev. Kathryn JayUnitarian Universalism can be hard to explain and we are often uncomfortable testifyng about the power of our faith. But what if we tried? We could be the spark of love that helps transform the world.

Technological innovations have led to a more and more "frictionless" society. But what if friction is just what we need to grow our spirits and warm our souls?

Rev. Marcus LiefertNo one window holds all the light; no one angle tells the whole truth. In a world shaped by dislocation, spiritual community can be a place where light is held in common, shadows are named without shame, and every room is trusted to be illumined by the same enduring source.

Healing begins with honest reckoning. As civil rights activist James Baldwin reminds us, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” Ministerial intern Liesl Dees draws on her experience in building solidarity with an Indigenous community to reflect on what courage and humility ask of us as we tell the truth about past harms—and begin the work of repair.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley February 1, 2026 People of Color Caucus (POCC) andRev. Marcus Liefert, Service Leaders

Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley January 25, 2026 STAINED GLASS JOYRev. Marcus LiefertJoy rarely arrives as pure light. It is colored by grief, memory, fear, and longing—beautiful, complex, and sometimes fragile. We honor joy not as a reward for spiritual success, but as light refracted through real lives, asking how communities can celebrate brightness without demanding it.