Worship Services

Sri Ramana Maharshi, Knowing One's Self. Rev. Jeremiah Lal Shahbaz Kalendae, preaching; Sue Bickford, worship associate. Join us as we explore the life and teachings of one of the great saints of the Hindu tradition: Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi. After a near-death experience in his early years, he claimed he experienced enlightenment and then he spent the rest of his life teaching a path that was applicable to many religious traditions. Central to his teachings was consistent inquiry into the nature of one's Self. Join us for worship in-person and online. 

Our Fire of Love. Rev. Jeremiah Lal Shahbaz Kalendae, preaching; Chela Metzger, worship associate. Let us honor the Şeb-i Arûs of Pir Dr. Ibrahim Farajajé who joined the ancestors on February 9, 2016, but still lives in the hearts of generations of liberal religious leaders, with memories, songs, and poetry. The former Provost of Starr King School for the Ministry and beloved Sheikh to Revs. Jeremiah and Amelia and friend of Rev. Kikanza, the impact of his life continues to be felt profoundly by many souls near and far. A tireless advocate throughout his life for those living in the margins, we will call his transformative presence in service to love, justice, and equity into our sanctuary this Sunday. Join us for worship in-person and online. Join us for worship in-person and online.

Internal Justice. Rev. Kikanza Nuri-Robins, preaching; Cassie Winters, Worship Associate. Are you holding yourself responsible for things you cannot control? Do you beat yourself up with guilt over decisions you have every right to make? Do you call yourself names for doing things you would quickly forgive if someone else had done them? If your answers are YES! perhaps you might benefit from more justice directed toward yourself. Let's talk about internal injustice and what you might do about it. Join us for worship in-person and online.

The Love-Dependent Web. Rev. Joshua Lewis Berg, preaching; Patrick Meighan, Worship Associate. Let us worship together calling up the sacred and the spiritual in the question, "How do we spin, strengthen, and upkeep the love-dependent web of all existence?” Pastor Joshua Berg graduated from Meadville Lombard Theological School and is an ordained Unitarian Universalist Minister in Preliminary Fellowship with the UUA. Pastor Joshua preaches and officiates life-cycle events all over Southern California. He currently works full-time as a chaplain at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and lives in Burbank with his wife and two daughters. Join us as for worship in-person and online. 

Our Unitarian Universalist Association. Rev. Jeremiah Lal Shahbaz Kalendae, preaching; Susan Hendricks, worship associate. We are one lighthouse for the liberal religious spirit among over a thousand Unitarian Universalist congregations! We covenant to work together through the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations (UUA) to promote our 7 Principles and advance the religious, educational, and humanitarian causes of our unique religious tradition. Join us this morning to learn more about our national movement and the interdependent web of transformative change of which we are a part! Join us for worship in-person and online.

Join us in-person or online to celebrate the Hindu festival of Shivaratri (the Night of Shiva), as we contemplate this "Auspicious One," who shines beyond the limitations of human thought, structure, and prejudice, inviting us to search for the Divine in the darkness of the unknown. Each church year, we select one special teacher to lead worship, who helps us to widen our multireligious embrace, and/or to deepen our commitments to anti-racism/anti-oppression. The Rev. Dr. Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati is our 2023-2024 Honored Guest Teacher. Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati is a sannyasi (monk), pujari (priest), writer, and teacher living and serving at Kali Mandir in Laguna Beach. We are thrilled to have "Swami B" with us this year. 
Rev. Dr. Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati, Guest Speaker.
Rev. Jeremiah Lal Shahbaz Kalendae and Chela Metzger, Worship Associates.

The Islamic Holy Month of Ramazan arrives with the setting of the Sun this evening. Muslims all around the globe will begin the spiritual exercise of reading the entire Quran over the next lunar month. Join us in-person or online as we introduce and explore this luminous scripture in preparation for the arrival of the Queen of Months.

Rev. Jeremiah Lal Shahbaz Kalendae, preaching.
Karen Hsu Patterson, Worship Associate.

At the heart of Christianity is the call to share a meal with one another and to invite ourselves to be transformed by the experience of Oneness that follows. Join us in-person and online as we explore the roots of Communion and the practice of breaking bread as a path to wholeness and liberation.
Rev. Amelia Mu'mina Marie, preaching.
Sue Bickford, Worship Associate.

All journeys into liminal space begin somewhere. Most at a threshold. Acknowledging a threshold is an important step in transformation. In this talk, Chris will detail what skills, knowledge, and wisdom can be drawn upon as we embark on journeys of transformation. Join us for worship in-person and online.
Dr. Chris Hoff, Guest Speaker
Chela Metzger, Worship Associate

Who is Jesus of Nazareth? For two millennia scholars, theologians, religious leaders, and the faithful in many different religious traditions have struggled to answer this question. Let us listen to his own words in the light of our own tradition and come to our own conclusions this Easter morning. Join us in-person or online.
Rev. Jeremiah Lal Shahbaz Kalendae, preaching.
Rev. Dr. Kikanza Nuri-Robins, Worship Associate.

Rev. Jeremiah Lal Shahbaz Kalendae, preaching
Sue Bickford, worship associate
The springtime brings bright new blossoms, heavy storm clouds, cleansing rains, and our annual stewardship campaign to support the life of our beloved community. Thank you for all that you give—time, talents, heart, and financial gifts—to sustain our liberal religious community and its mission in the world in the good times and the difficult times. Our stewardship team has been working diligently and we will receive some of the many exciting opportunities of their work this month as we also plan carefully for the future and the positive difference we can make in our world in the year before us. Join us for worship in-person and online.

Rabbi Laura Geller, preaching
Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae, worship associate
This special guest service will explore some of the key themes of Passover, focusing on how Passover touches the historical, the political, the spiritual and the emotional dimensions of what it means to come out of a narrow place and how it challenges us to to ask what it means to say dayenu, I have enough. Rabbi Geller will offer a special workshop after the service on "Getting Good at Getting Older" and she will have copies of her latest book available. Join us for worship in-person and online. 

We are honored to be joined today by the distinguished Rabbi Emerita for Temple Beth Emanuel in Beverly Hills. Ordained in 1975 by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, she became one of the first female rabbis in the nation. She served 14 years as Hillel Director at the University of Southern California and 4 years as director of the Los Angeles branch of the American Jewish Congress. She engages in the study of Jewish meditation and of women's spirituality. Her awards for community service include ones from the ACLU of Southern California, the LA County Commission on the Status of Women, and our state legislature. Join us for worship in-person and online.