First Universalist Unitarian Church of Wausau Podcast

Becoming A Way Across the River – led by Jay Coldwell and Mary Testin

How can we become stepping stones for each other in the stream of life? What is being asked of us to help each other reach the other side? With meditation and dance, we’ll explore these ideas together.   

Bios: Jay Coldwell and Mary Testin are UU members and also sing in our choir. Jay has an extensive training in Yoga meditation and Mary has a Masters degree in liturgy.

Football Is Life, and So Are Second Chances – led by Jessica Zimmer-Saltzman, DRE and aspirant for UU ministry

What can a mustachioed American football coach teach us about soccer, forgiveness, and living a good life? Quite a bit, it turns out. Drawing on the unexpected wisdom of the television series Ted Lasso, this service explores why stories of redemption resonate so deeply and what they reveal about our own hopes for forgiveness, accountability, and grace. Whether you're a devoted fan or have never watched a single episode, join us as we consider what it means to be a community that refuses to let people be defined by their weakest moments, and instead believes in the strength they can show when given the chance to begin again.

The Rev. Brian Mason preached "A Race the Losers Win"

Building is an act of creativity and courage. So, sometimes, is tearing down. How do we know which one the moment is asking of us, and what moves us to answer?

The Rev. Brian Mason preached "When Good-Enough Isn't Good Enough"

Be all you can be. We’re #1. Second place is just the first loser. Somewhere along the way, ordinary became the same as failing. Even to ourselves. Even in private. You finish something, and before the satisfaction has a chance to land, you’re already noting what you’d do differently next time. A sermon about why “enough” never feels like enough, and what it might cost us to actually believe it is.

The Rev. Brian Mason preached "Does Anyone Remember Why We're Mad?"

Have you ever gotten irritated with someone, said something mean, and then later asked yourself, Why am I even mad? But kept it going anyway because the other person seemed mad now too, and you didn’t want to lose an argument you don’t remember starting. It’s okay, you’re not alone. A sermon about staying mad long after we’ve forgotten why.

Masking for Jesus: Religion and Neurodivergence – Danika Monarksi, Guest Speaker

Our minds are as beautiful and diverse as our religious and spiritual journeys and beliefs. Bring your fidget toys and jittery legs to celebrate our differences and explore the intersections of religion and the neurodiverse experience as told through personal experience, peer-reviewed research, and everything in between.

Solstice: Certainty in Uncertain Times – Randy Jefferson, Member of the Religious Services Committee

Join in our observation of the summer solstice, celebrating the high sun as we express gratitude for our oneness with the natural world and its steadying influence. The midyear is a time for reflection, looking back with thanks and ahead with hope.  

Inappropriate Laughter Fan Club – The Rev. Brian Mason

In hospital waiting rooms. In the checkout line. In the back of the tent when you think no one can hear. Somewhere in us there’s a laugh we haven't let out — the one that says, sure, okay, more is coming. A sermon about Sarah's inappropriate laugh, and God’s endorsement of it.

Off By a Thread – On this Flower Communion Sunday, the Rev. Brian Mason preached, with Worship Associates Jes Zimmer, Director of Religious Education, and Kara Hall assisting. Music was provided by the church choir under the director of Margaret Jerz.

The Stories We Inherit, the Stories We Become — Jez Zimmer-Saltzman, Director of Religious Education and Aspirant for UU Ministry, preaching, with Worship Associate Karen Scharpf. Music by Music Director Margaret Jerz, with guests Molly and Jacob Roseman.

 

We’re shaped by the stories we grow up inside and by the ones that challenge us, unsettle us, or invite us to grow in new directions. In this sermon, we’ll explore what happens when we meet each other with certainty instead of curiosity, and how those moments can either close people off or open the door to a deeper sense of belonging. In a time when difference so often turns into division, we’re invited to consider what it means to stay in relationship across it and how we help shape the stories people carry with them.