We have always looked up and wondered what might be waiting beyond the horizon. But what happens when wonder itself begins to feel naïve, impractical, or indulgent? Here, Rev. Scot explores the strange and sacred pull of the cosmos through Yuri Gagarin, Star Trek, Carl Sagan, and the enduring human need to reach beyond ourselves. This is a sermon about awe, courage, imagination — and why looking up may be one of the most important things we can still do.
The Curious Case of Betty and Barney Hill
A strange light appears over a lonely New Hampshire highway. Missing time. Government investigations. A married couple from a Unitarian church suddenly at the center of one of the strangest stories in American history. This was the birth of modern UFO culture, and partly why we keep looking up into the night sky saying “The Truth is Out There”. Equal parts spooky, funny, thoughtful, and wonderfully weird — because every Halloween season deserves a good mystery.
Counting Blessings is not Enough
What if gratitude is just spiritual bubble wrap? This Thanksgiving, I’m wondering if generosity isn’t the revolution we’ve been searching for.
Warning: May cause spontaneous acts of kindness. ($100 bills graciously accepted.)”
Remembering (to be human)
Been feeling more like a productivity machine than a person lately? Come laugh (and maybe cry a little) with me as I explore how we lost our way between PowerPoint and performance reviews – and how we might find our way back to being gloriously, messily human again.
Christmas Eve Homily: Stille Nacht
A broken organ, a volcanic winter, and soldiers in No Man’s Land created a most beloved Christmas tradition. Join me for the surprisingly epic tale behind the Christmas theme, “Silent Night”. Warning: even Napoleon cried. (Okay, maybe not, but I might.)”
The Parable of the Bricklayer
Our “inner lizard” kept our ancestors alive, back when the #1 concern was “Don’t Get Eaten”. But these deep reflexes, so well suited to the savannah, the tundra, the forest, the jungle, are perhaps a bit less helpful in email, social media, the dinner table, a traffic jam, or the ballot box. And that’s a problem. Today, I explore mindfulness, acceptance, and yes, some consequences.
The Gift of Mortality
I’ve struggled to see mortality as anything other than the Sword of Damocles, forever hanging over our heads. But there is a story there. From Gilgamesh, Christianity, Cicero, Tennyson, and Tolkien, mortality is seen as a source of freedom both in this world and from it. Perhaps that’s true.
The Hill We Climb: a Juneteenth Reflection
As a teenager, I thought my history teacher was just threatening us with summer school. Turns out, he was teaching us something way more important. Join me for a candid exploration of how America’s hardest stories – from Juneteenth to January 6th – can light our way forward.
Cream of Mushroom Soup: Mother’s Day, Flower Communion, and the end of Roe v. Wade
In this Mother’s Day confession, I talk about about choice, courage, and change. Come laugh, cry, and discover how our mothers’ choices – from casseroles to civil rights – planted seeds that still bloom today.
The Holy Question Mark 