Rev. Jim Magaw

Blues Theology

Some of the best music you will ever hear has emerged from a place of persecution and oppression, and, rather than dwelling in hopelessness and despair, has proclaimed through its very existence and through its great beauty that there is something more.  This service will explore theology as a genre of the blues.

Love and Justice

Almost everything we do as Unitarian Universalists is somehow related to our most enduring values of love and justice. What is the relationship between these two values, and how do we pursue them in an era when both love and justice are often scorned or given short shrift?

Rooting for the Underdog

There is a human tendency to root for the underdog in any competitive situation. In our current era, many of us find ourselves cast as underdogs as we pursue compassion and justice for all. Why do we root for the underdog, and how does the underdog sometimes win?

Fire and ICE

As we have seen in recent weeks, the United States is now a place where someone can be summarily executed on the streets by federal agents for merely observing their actions. There is no due process or justice for the victims and no accountability for the perpetrators of this heinous violence. How are we to … Continued

Beloved Community

MLK popularized philosopher Josiah Royce’s concept of “Beloved Community” as “a global vision in which all people can share in the wealth of the earth.” How might this vision inform the work that is before us now?

Wicked Theology, Part 2

The film “Wicked 2: For Good” arrives at an interesting time, given our current era of disharmony and discord. What lessons might this show’s underlying themes of kindness, understanding, and inclusivity offer us, and how might we implement these lessons in our own lives.

Fresh Start or Road to Hell?

This sermon will explore how making New Year’s resolutions can be a double-edged sword. While stating one’s intentions is often a good thing, it’s also been said that “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.” How can we make the best use of our intentions for ourselves and our world?

Community of the Open Heart

ONLINE ONLY Opening our minds to new ideas and opening our doors to diversity are often extolled as paramount virtues in a liberal religious community. But what might we gain by practicing opening our hearts together, and how do we go about such a task?

Christmas Eve

These services will feature music, reflections, and readings celebrating Christmas. Our children’s nativity reenactment will occur at the 4:00 service, and our Christmas Eve candle lighting ritual will take place at both services. 

Stillness and the Season

Advent, the season leading up to Christmas, is meant to be a time of quiet expectancy, a time to contemplate mystery and possibility, a time to slow down, a time to make room in our lives for something new to enter and to change us. How do we make room for this spirit of stillness … Continued