Ministry & Worship
sermons - audio

These sermons have been offered at our church by our minister, Reverend Tim Ashton, and guests who have been invited to address the congregation.

Each audio sermon is accessible for those using dsl.

January 10, "Worship!" Why Do We Use that Word?
Such a word in our times may bring to mind the image of “bowing and scraping, offering sacrifices to an idol, or the effort to cajole the gods to gain favor or exemption from bad fate or punishment. So what is it that we are doing on Sunday morning? Shouldn’t our religion be about good values and a well-lived life? – Rev Tim Ashton (audio)

January 17, Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday
The great leader of the civil rights movement forced the transformation our society. Yet many puzzle how Thomas Jefferson could have kept slaves. At the same time there is nostalgia for a past that seemed so much more civilized and well ordered, yet a past so firmly founded on racial inequality.
Many of the era were clear that civility came at a necessary cost. Was that cost racial entitlement and knowing your place? – Rev Tim Ashton (audio)
**Betsy Reeds, flutist for the BPO and a member of our church, will play J.S. Bach's Flute Sonata in G Minor during our service.

January 24, Is Love More Than an Idea?
Chris Barry for his Fantasy Auction sermon requested a reflection on this idea: Some believe that love is a power, perhaps the power which holds the Universe together. Is love the concrete attraction of the elements of a molecule? And thus, is love another name for god? – Rev Tim Ashton (audio)

January 31, Conversation and the Art of Relationship
How can you tell you’re having a conversation? The exchange is filled with question and feeling. In conversation people gradually and gently enter into each other’s lives. A relationship grows; and, this is the “dangerous” part, we become gradually responsible for each other.
Conversation may be a defining element of a church community and humanness. – Rev Tim Ashton (audio)

February 14, First Love

  – Rev. Tim Ashton (audio)

February 21, Just Because You Can...

Just because you can accomplish something, should you?  – Rev. Tim Ashton (audio)

March 7, The Fall of the Evangelical Nation
In her book of the same name, author Christine Wicker documents the continuing decline of the evangelical churches. It’s probably hard for you to believe this. Did you think it would come so soon? The religious landscape has changed. What does this mean for us? – Rev. Tim Ashton (audio)

March 14, Life Is Not Fair
Kari Sausen and Jennifer Pollard’s Sunday School class will present some lessons from the Story of Joseph in the Bible to ground the morning’s sermon. The kids are learning that life is not fair, but in the end, things will work out if you just give it time. Perseverance is more effective than evil actions and thoughts. In the midst of the Great Recession, I hear a lot of adults pondering these same ideas. – Rev. Tim Ashton (audio)

March 21, VIVE Buffalo
The Rev. John Long from the board of directors at VIVE will be at our pulpit to share with us the work that VIVE has been involved with throughout the years. Our youth groups have been active with them as well as some of our congregants. He will have much to bring to our attention. They are in partnership with Journey’s End and the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance that have recently welcomed 25 orphans from Haiti and will be opening a dormitory for them. He may bring a refugee that is trying to emigrate and have them share their experiences at VIVE. – Rev. John Long (audio)

March 28, Jesus, Who Was He?
Here's the question that Marie Evans passed from a letter she received: "The figure and teachings of Jesus are too often broken down, adapted, and then shaped to fit people's own particular needs and desires. Who was the real, walking, talking, preaching Jess, and what lessons can we take from him today?" With Easter just a week away, this is a timely question.
– Rev. Tim Ashton (audio)

April 4,   Easter: the Reminder of Continuity
Is it an illusion that we die? We see the flowers in the garden. Year after year they are there. They disappear and reappear and seem the same. It this why flowers and animals are so comforting? We don’t usually recognize them as individuals. So we see the continuity. There are the foxes in the valley; there is always a family of them in that place. They never seem to die. Why don’t we see human life that way? Why don’t we see the continuity?  – Rev. Tim Ashton (audio)

April 11,  What Do Unitarian Universalist Ceremonies, Rituals, or Sacraments Mean?
Victoria and Will Crago are bringing the twins to be dedicated. Of course, the questions arise. Why do we do these rituals? What difference do they make? If we follow the question far enough along, we must finally ask, Why do we come to church? Are we reminding ourselves that being good requires or needs constant nurturing and renewal? – Rev. Tim Ashton (audio)

April 18, The Wisdom Tradition
T.S. Eliot said, "Where is the knowledge that is lost in information? Where is the wisdom that is lost in knowledge?" Once  it was religious philosophy that was supposed to disclose the ultimate nature of reality. Science bulldozed those fragile structures. What's left? Perhaps something much more useful; the accumulated wisdom of how life should be lived. – Rev. Tim Ashton (audio)

May 9, Mothers Day – We Are Not Victims
Mothers Day in its original expressions was a liberation and reform movement. In the tradition of effective liberation movements, Mothers Day was centered not on restitution (candy/flowers/gifts) but empowerment. For your reflection, consider this: What do some of the sickest institutions and movements in the world have in common? – Rev. Tim Ashton (audio)