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The ancient Hebrews had an absolute taboo on the use of the word “God”.  This taboo was expressed in the third of the Ten Commandments: “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.”  The sharing of silence is an important part of our worship services, and in the services of many Unitarian congregations around the world.  We can’t avoid words altogether, but we do well to remember that our words are no more than nets which we cast into the vast ocean of life in our attempts to capture meaning.

This full sermon by the Rev Geoff Usher can be read here.

If you think of St George, what is the image, the picture, that you have? For most people, the mention of the name of St George conjures up a picture of a brave, handsome knight, in shining plate armour of mediaeval vintage: dealing the death blow to a fearsome, fire-breathing dragon, while a beautiful young woman hovers in the background, full of gratitude and admiration, perhaps also of love, for the gallant hero who has saved her from being killed by the monstrous dragon. Sometimes he is on horseback, using a full-sized lance – the sort of thing used in jousting tournaments, but with a proper sharp point on i t , not a blunt end. Sometimes he is on foot, getting in close to deliver the coup de grace – the final slash – with a bright straight sword.

The rest of this tale can be read here.

Humility is the orphaned virtue of our age.  Charles Dickens dealt it a mortal blow in his portrayal of the unctious Uriah Heep.  True humility is one of the most expansive and life-enhancing of all virtues.  It does not need to advertise itself, but is a glorious revelation of the human spirit.

The full sermon can be found here.

These have been collected by Valerie Worswick, a member of Eric’s centre for progressive religion. These can be read in the links below.

https://sydneyunitarians.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Opening.pdf
https://sydneyunitarians.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Marriage.pdf
https://sydneyunitarians.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/NorthRyde.pdf
https://sydneyunitarians.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/E.S.NOTES-ON-PROCESS-THEOLOGY-AUGUST-2019-CPRT-GROUP-LED-BY-PETER-CORRY.pdf
https://sydneyunitarians.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/E.S.RETHINKING-THE-EASTER-STORY.pdf
https://sydneyunitarians.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/WHAT-IS-HOPE.pdf
https://sydneyunitarians.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Morphic.pdf

( Please remeber that, if the text is not easily read, you can magnify it in your browser)

by Rev. Rex A E Hunt 
(Rex Hunt is a former Victorian ‘living in exile in NSW’ and who lived in Ballarat and the District for 10 years)

Eureka Day is celebrated/remembered on 3 December each year. At around 3.52am on the Sunday morning of 3 December 1854, 276 troopers of the 12th Regiment, leave the Government Camp and attack the stockade (in Ballarat) at dawn.

The attack starts when a digger fires the first shot at 4.35 am. The battles finished by 4.55am.

In a letter  to The Age following the uprising, Peter Lalor, leader of the miners, wrote asking why “nothing had been done to fix affairs before this bloody tragedy took place.”

He continued: “Is it to prove to us that a British government can never bring forth a measure of reform without having first prepared a font of human blood in which to baptise that offspring of their generous love?… Or is it to convince the world that where a large standing army exists, the Demon of Despotism will have frequently offered at his shrine the mangled bodies of murdered men.”

After the Eureka uprising, most of the miners’ grievances were redressed.

This fascinating talk can be read here.