17 December, Gabrielle Donovan, “The History and Significance of Carol Singing”
One can hardly image Christmas without music, song and plays. The wide varied range of customs connected with this time, date back earlier than Christianity. This explains how many pagan echoes and symbols have mingled with the
customs of the Christmas season.
The original Christmas carols were not Christian hymns; they were pagan seasonal songs, sung many thousands of years ago all over Europe to drive away evil spirits. They were sung at Winter Solstice celebrations, the shortest day of the year,
as people danced around stone circles. The word “Carol” means a dance or a song of praise and joy. Carols used to be written and sung during all four seasons, but the only tradition of singing them at Christmas has really survived.
The origins of carols lie firmly in agricultural superstition, performed during the summer, at harvest time as well as midwinter. Country people sang them as they went about the village, offering good wishes and blessings on individual
households in return for food and drink. Often at midwinter, the carollers provided a wassail bowl full of ale in addition to their songs and blessings. Alternatively, carollers sang as they passed through the fields. Whether they sang at households or the crops, the intention was the same: to drive away evil spirits with their singing.
3rd December, Rev Geoff Usher, “Light”
Only by the light of learning, which at the same time represents the spark of our own life, can we overcome the darkness of ignorance, superstition, despair, in our own lives and in our society’s effects on our lives. And when it has helped us to achieve wisdom and goodness in our own lives, we have a responsibility to do what we can to help others to find their way out of the darkness.
19th Novenber, Rev Daniel Jantos, “Reflection on Rumi”
What can a 13th century Afghan mystic have to say that might be relevant or beneficial to contemporary people? Well, for starters, he was a dancer and was the founder of a dance company. That could be refreshing in the religious realm. And he liked taverns. That might cautiously suggest a willingness to not take things too seriously which, especially in the milieu of devoted Islam and maleness, might be promising . And maybe some other things too. This reflection will be an exploration of the writings and the life of Jalaludin Rumi and what it may have to say to us.
5th November, Martin Horlacher, “Fear” ( This meeting was dancelled)
We’ve all felt it – and still feel it, much more often than we’d like. It can set us back by days, months, years, even a lifetime – or, it can spur us on to action and accomplishment, and convince us to change our circumstances for the better. But where does one draw the line between toxicity and necessity?
29th October, Rev Geoff Usher, “His Clear Voice Soundeth”
Religion is not just an intellectual proposition, nor is it just a theory about God. Religion is a consciousness of what some people want to call ultimate reality. It has been said that the aim of all religion is the practical realisation of the highest truth. Whatever our theology about him, Jesus is the central figure of our Unitarian faith. He remains unique among the great religious leaders and teachers. What is needed is the religion of Jesus, not the religion about him. What is needed is a religion inspired by him as a compelling force for the good, not doctrines of sin and punishment, of persecution and fear.
22nd October, Rev Rex A E Hunt, ” Looking to Nature: Landscape, Plants and Beauty”
Everywhere we look, from the dirt under our feet, to butterfly wings, to the edges of the expanding ‘James Webb’ cosmos, and on every scale from atoms to galaxies, the universe appears to be saturated with beauty. Irish philosopher and poet John O’Donohue reminds us: Landscape is the first born of creation. No two places in a landscape are the same, and the landscape viewed or experienced from each place is different. Envisaging the wider reaches of reality not only enlarges the scope of living, but it sensitises our feel for life and beautifies its quality.
15th October, Martin Horlacher, “Fear”
We’ve all felt it – and still feel it, much more often than we’d like. It can set us back by days, months, years, even a lifetime – or, it can spur us on to action and accomplishment, and convince us to change our circumstances for the better. But where does one draw the line between toxicity and necessity?
17th September, Rev Geoff Usher, “The Personal and the Planetary” Part 2
3rd September, Rev Geoff Usher, “The Personal and the Planetary” Part 1
The Lawrence Lectures on Religion and Society were established to inquire into the nature and relevance of religion as it relates to personal meaning and fulfilment, to formulation of values and ethical commitment. On 17 October 1980, Theodore Roszak gave the Lawrence Lecture entitled “The Personal and the Planetary”, at the First Unitarian Church of Berkeley, California. These two sermons are based on that Lecture, for which Roszak took as a text a couple of lines from Gerard Manley Hopkins:
And what is Earth’s eye, tongue, or heart else, where
Else but in dear and dogged man?
27th August, Rev Geoff Usher, “A Religious Adventure in Science”
If you were to seek an outstanding example of the polymath philosopher of the Enlightenment, Joseph Priestley should come immediately to mind. He saw himself not as an expert in any discipline, but as an ‘adventurer in science’. The extent of his thought, the range of his interests,the simple clarity of his writing: all compare favourably with most of his better remembered contemporaries.
20th August, Martin Horlacher, “America’s – and the World’s – Problem with Science”
From America’s inception, there has always been a rebellious, anti-establishment mentality amongst its population. But that way of thinking has become more and more reckless, now that the entire world is interconnected and there are added layers of verification (or repudiation) of facts. It has also become more and more prevalent outside of America, and, spurred on by various voices on both sides of the political and cultural divide, now poses a genuine existential risk to human civilisation.
30th July, Colin Whatmough, “Early Christian Communities up to the 4th century AD and the following conflicts that arose between them”
23rd July, Martin Horlacher, “Use Well the Days”
The saying may well be a simple one – “carpe diem”, or seize the day. Nothing could be more true, more universal. But what is so simple to express in sentiment, is not necessarily so easy to put into practice.
16th July, Gerald Christmas, ” My Life experiences particularly those involved with Christianity and Religion.”
2nd July, Rev Dan Jantos, “Makarrata: a uniquely Australian process of reconciliation or an unrealistic idea from another time?”
The talk will look at the little known practice of Makarrata in comparison to other truth and reconciliation efforts in other parts of the post-colonial world.
25th June, Gabrielle Donovan, “The Spirit of Life, the life of the composer Carolyn McDade”
18th June, Rev Geoff Usher, ” A Celebration of Ralph Waldo Emerson”
A service that will consist largely of readings from Emerson’s own writings, celebrating the 220th anniversary of his birth.
4th June, Martin Horlacher, ”Weasel Word Salad: Why We Are in Need of a Rhetoric Renaissance”
It seems to many, there used to be a certain amount of dignity inherent in the rhetoric used – politically or otherwise – in public discourse. Indeed, the art of rhetoric has a long and proud history, going as far back as Plato and Aristotle. But when the state of modern day rhetoric succumbs to the kind of name-calling and anti-intellectual insults that it has in the past few years – not least of all, with the meaningless term “woke” – then it appears a reinvigoration of critical thinking is in order
28th, May, Carolyn Donnelly, “The life and works of philanthropist, and activist Caroline Chisholm the first woman to appear on an Australian banknote.”
21st May, Rev Geoff Usher, “Renewal and the essence of identity”.
The good news that we Unitarians offer the world is that there is the greatest of hope in the face of all opinions and aspirations. It is not a contingent hope. It is not bound to blind, unchanging stories that ignore the evolution of all creation. It is not a hope rootes in fixed unchanging forms. Its great strength lies in what seems to be its vulnerability, its weakness. throughout our history, Unitarians have borne witness to the power of inclusivity.
7th May, Martin Horlacher, “’Ode to Aesthetics’ – the historical intersection of ethics and beauty”
It’s quite alarming when you consider the degree of human suffering that went into the construction of so many works of beautiful art throughout human history, and doubly so when you consider the ideology behind so many of those creations. But that doesn’t mean we can’t still appreciate the aesthetic achievements of those artworks and their makers, and consider what deeper truths they might stand for.
30th April. Grabrielle Donovan, “Music and the First World War”
The outbreak of war in 1914 was an inspiration for many songwriters, lyricists, professional singers and musicians, resulting in a huge body of works devoted to wartime themes. Popular wartime music reveals the relationships and experiences of those who served and those who remained behind. Music stirred feelings of loss, longing, nostalgia and sometimes hope, and touched many in a powerful and emotional way.
23rd April, Rev Geoff Usher, “St George and the Dragon”
16th April, Rev Geoff Usher, “Some Post-Easter Reflections”
The Tenebrae+ service held in some Christian churches during Holy Week acts as a reminder that Easter hope arises from real pain, and that life’s affirmations are often made in the context of difficulty and sorrow. The resurrection stories are a reminder that through times of personal despair and hopelessness there is a light at the end of the tunnel and rebirth for the soul.
2nd April, Martin Horlacher, “Ode to Aesthetics: The Historical Intersection of Ethics and Beauty”
It’s quite alarming when you consider the degree of human suffering that went into the construction of so many works of beautiful art throughout human history, and doubly so when you consider the ideology behind so many of those creations. But that doesn’t mean we can’t still appreciate the aesthetic achievements of those artworks and their makers, and consider what deeper truths they might stand for.
26th March, Rev Geoff Usher, “Reason and Religion”
The history of religion indicates that there is an area of knowledge which is different from ordinary reasoning. Emerson called it intuition or the “Oversoul”, and said that reason is a tool – the tool by which we can fashion our intuition into truth which we can communicate to other people.
There are both rational and mystic elements in religion. we need to find the balance between the elements based on reason and the elements based on faith or intuition. And both kinds of elements need to be tested in the appropriate ways.
19th March, Rev Geoff Usher, “Gospel Values and Political Attitudes”
Some questions to consider as we prepare for the coming elections. How do we reconcile our faith with the decisions we make in daily life? What determines the way we feel about the body politic? Do we think about our consumer choices and the impact these may have on third-world producers? What determines our attitude towards conflict in all its forms
26th February, Rev Geoff Usher, “God, Mammon and Unitarians.”
Whenever a prophet threatens the status quo, the economic core is also threatened. That has often led to elaborate, often fatal, efforts to end the prophet’s influence. And yet prophets throughout the ages have simply posed the questions: What motivates our actions? Where do we honour relationship? How do we feel secure? How do we live with money?
19th February, Rev Geoff Usher, “What do we mean by Religion?”
What do we understand by the word “religion”? This is a question much more easily asked than answered. Many writers on comparative religion show a distinct reluctance to give a definition. In the Department of Religious Studies at Sydney University in the 1980s the subject was often raised, but no definition was formally agreed or adopted.
5th February, This talk has been postponed to a future date
Martin Horlacher, “Ode to Aesthetics: The Historical Intersection of Ethics and Beauty”
It’s quite alarming when you consider the degree of human suffering that went into the construction of so many works of beautiful art throughout human history, and doubly so when you consider the ideology behind so many of those creations. But that doesn’t mean we can’t still appreciate the aesthetic achievements of those artworks and their makers, and consider what deeper truths they might stand for.
29th January, Ginna Hastings, “Reflections on a book by Mary Trump ( niece of Donald Trump) about her notorious uncle and his disastrous presidency.”
Reviewing Donald Trump as president and leader upon rereading Mary Trump’s book. What we do not need in our political leaders.
22nd January, Rev Geoff Usher, “Quality rather than Quantity”
If we feel essentially incomplete, an easy way to prove our connection with reality/life/the world, and to prove our sense of personal worth, is by conspicuous consumption. Our measures of abstract value are often related to concrete objects; our measures of personal worth tend to be quantitative rather than qualitative.