Sermons

Why is it so easy to judge someone by what they do — and so difficult to imagine what they might be

going through? Psychology calls this tendency the Fundamental Attribution Error: we often explain

other people’s behavior by their character while overlooking the circumstances that may have shaped

it. And, if we’re honest, we all do it. What would happen if, instead of rushing to judgment, we

practiced Love as Radical Grace? Pastor Joshua concludes his UU Values Series by talking about

our central value of Love.

Where does your faith come from? For some, it may be religious tradition. For others, family, nature,

science, relationships, struggle, or moments of profound beauty. We each arrive with our own sources

of meaning — and together, those streams become a community. In our annual Water Ceremony, we

bring water from places that hold special meaning for us and combine them in a shared ritual. Come

celebrate the many streams that flow into our life together.

It can be remarkably difficult to admit when we have caused harm. Individuals do it. Communities do

it. Nations do it. Sometimes, even in the face of overwhelming evidence, we insist that we are

innocent. Yet real reconciliation begins with something deceptively simple: acknowledging what we

have done. As Jews observe Yom Kippur, a day devoted to atonement and seeking forgiveness, we’ll

ask: What if we all made a regular practice of owning our mistakes? Could the world be different?

Rev. Jenn Tafel is a UCC minister with a passion for justice and caring for the planet. She has served

in ministry in a variety of settings, including youth ministry and summer camps, leading campus

ministry at Michigan State University, hospital chaplaincy, and, most recently, hospice chaplaincy in

metro Detroit. Rev. Tafel is a member of First Congregational UCC in Long Beach, where she is in

covenant and serves as chairperson of the Board of Social Justice and Outreach. Rev. Tafel’s

hobbies include creating acrylic paintings on canvas, spending time at local beaches, gardening,

enjoying family meals and celebrations, and engaging in centering spiritual practices. Rev. Tafel was

raised and ordained in the Swedenborgian Church and later transferred her credentials to the United

Church of Christ. Her home church in Southern California was Wayfarers Chapel in Palos Verdes.

While that church is currently undergoing a transformation, its grounds inspired her love of nature —

especially the ocean — and deepened her understanding of the sacred connection between God and

creation..

You’ve probably seen the equity meme of three people of different heights standing behind a fence watching a baseball game. Their varying ability to see over the fence, regardless of height, illustrates equity. But what if the fence were removed altogether? This Sunday, Pastor Joshua continues his series on UU values as we explore the meaning of Equity.