Sermons

2025 was a tough year in many ways. 2026 will also have its challenges, so let’s begin the year with hope. Pastor Joshua will help us think about how to have hope.

When we counter hate with hate, the haters feel like it validates their hatred. They say things like, “See, I hate them, and you hate me, so everybody hates someone.” But it doesn’t have to be this way. When we counter hate with love, we show that a more loving world is possible and, in time, we might just eradicate hate for good.

Guest Speaker Matt Vask

We have retained the name “Pacific Unitarian Church,” so let’s talk about Unitarianism. This week is the anniversary of the signing of the Edict of Torda which officially recognized Unitarianism in 1568 in Transylvania. It declared there is no one way to be religious or to be free.

January 14th was “Global Belly Laugh Day,” when the health benefits of laughter are recognized. It was created by Laughter Yoga teacher Elaine Helle to highlight laughter’s power to connect and its benefits for mental, physical, and social well-being. Let’s have some fun together in what Pastor Joshua hopes will be an annual humor service.

Eco-philosopher Val Plumwood reminds us that we are “animals, positioned in the food chain.” Many humans arrogantly ignore this, forgetting our own animality and ecological vulnerability. We cannot successfully confront the future of our planet and our species without acknowledging that we are not only predators but also prey.