Sermons given at UUCB, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley

Members bring to the service a small amount of water from a place that is special to them. During the appointed time in the service, people one by one pour their water together into a large bowl. As the water is added, the person who brought it tells why this water is special to them. The combined water is symbolic of our shared faith coming from many different sources. It is often then blessed by the congregation, and sometimes is later boiled and used as the congregation’s “holy water” in child dedication ceremonies and similar events.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley August 17, 2025 THE RULES OF THE GAMEIf the rules of the game you're playing don't leave you with moral choices, cheat. Play by your own rules. Mingle your roots with others who want to play the game you want to play and let us growtogether.

IT’S YOUR MOVEIn our first worship series of the church year we'll explore the spiritual themes of faith and trust through the lens of games of play. However stacked the odds may be against you, however disastrous the situation on the game board, your turn is bound to come around once again. The stakes are high, the situation is dire, the choices seem limited—yet still, what move will you make?

Rabbi Zvika Krieger at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley August 3, 2025

The Place Where We AreWe all have our own special places that bring us joy. How do we hold that joy as we also face the grief of climate change?

Rev. Wakoh Hickey

Doing It WrongSpiritual exploration is often built on the solid and well-worn foundations of tradition and ritual. What might we discover when we allow wisdom to take a backseat, and follow along with the journeys of those doing it "the wrong way?"

FaithA journey from dogma or nothing to finding a source of strength and support.

This is an UprisingSometimes received wisdom says change is impossible. And then, boom. All that wisdom gets turned upside down. The Stonewall riot helped to create a cultural and institutional revolution, reminding us that when common wisdom comes from the mainstream, maybe we need to listen to the margins for new understandings.

Love's Saving PowerIf we believe that no one is beyond the reach of love, that belief transforms how we see ourselves and how we engage with a world desperately in need of revolutionary joy.