<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Unitarian Universalist Meeting House of Chatham]]></title><description><![CDATA[Nurturing inclusive community
Seeking justice and equity
Encouraging free minds and spirits]]></description><link>https://www.uumh.net/printedsermons</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Wed, 17 Jun 2026 16:05:02 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.uuchatham.org/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA["The Spark"]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Dawid Zawiła on Unsplash When I was 22 and started going to sea aboard commercial merchant vessels as a junior officer, I sailed aboard tankers carrying various petroleum products to ports on the coasts of the United States, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. The tankers I sailed on in those days carried about 20,000 tons of a product such as gasoline or jet fuel which translates to about 7 million gallons. Now 7 million gallons of gasoline or jet fuel has a lot of explosive power,...]]></description><link>https://www.uumh.net/single-post/the-spark</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69fb9128f97c520375655af8</guid><pubDate>Sun, 03 May 2026 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2a294e_0c9039dcd51143819883bc910e37acec~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rev. Christopher McMahon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["Touch the Earth" (The Native American Spiritual Tradition)]]></title><description><![CDATA[During the past several decades, there has been a growing interest in Native American culture and, in particular, there has been interest in their religious experience and spirituality. Why this is so is complex, but probably one of the key reasons is that there is a crisis of spirit in American religious life. Aside from the ever-popular hellfire and brimstone religions of the religious right, mainstream religions have lost their meaning to many Americans. As I have suggested to you many...]]></description><link>https://www.uumh.net/single-post/touch-the-earth-the-native-american-spiritual-tradition</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69fb8f929fa0baa4b8b748e2</guid><pubDate>Sun, 19 Apr 2026 19:02:50 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2a294e_95271d3dea6c478c997073e45fe25d97~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_800,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rev. Christopher McMahon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["Easter – A Very Special Day"]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Aniket Bhattacharya on Unsplash As a child growing up Roman Catholic, I remember hearing my Sunday school religious education teachers always telling us that Easter was the most important religious holiday. I could never figure out why – because Christmas was so much more fun particularly since it involved getting a lot of presents. To me, Easter seemed boring. As a child I could even grasp the religious importance of Jesus, as the savior, coming into the world – but why was his...]]></description><link>https://www.uumh.net/single-post/easter-a-very-special-day</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d666af0611ac839ce7460c</guid><pubDate>Sun, 05 Apr 2026 14:33:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2a294e_645a8a6005e34e0fa02d261f32c01a8a~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rev. Christopher McMahon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["Can Religion Accept Modern Science"]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Stephan Widua on Unsplash One of the most famous examples of the conflict between religion and science was the situation with Galileo and the Catholic Church. In 1632, Galileo published a work that defended the heliocentric theory which said the earth revolves around the sun rather than the other way around. This was heresy according to the Church because in the Book of Joshua it says Joshua prayed to have the sun remain stationary in the sky to allow for more daylight so Israel...]]></description><link>https://www.uumh.net/single-post/can-religion-accept-modern-science</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d6682689f9e676eca10d36</guid><pubDate>Sun, 08 Mar 2026 14:41:34 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2a294e_7e89ac7a1f1d44338d4613437c398acb~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rev. Christopher McMahon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["Prophets and Prophecy"]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Drew Beamer on Unsplash The actions of prophets and their prophecies have been around since the dawn of civilization. So, just what is a prophet? Very generally speaking, a prophet is one who takes stock of the world around them and then offers predictions on what will happen in the world in the near or long-term future. This is true in both a religious and secular sense. George Orwell was considered a secular prophet when, in the 1940s, he wrote his books “1984” and “Animal Farm.”...]]></description><link>https://www.uumh.net/single-post/prophets-and-prophecy</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b81894d0d0f65ae6c1a497</guid><pubDate>Sun, 22 Feb 2026 16:05:40 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2a294e_1e167d51d49149beb700cc20fcaf70cd~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rev. Christopher McMahon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["The Spiritual Challenges of Our Youth"]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash Many years ago, I was sailing half a year on commercial ships engaged in worldwide trade and spending the other half of the year as a professor of nautical science at the United States Merchant Marine Academy. I did this for many years. I remember every year when a new class had been at the Academy for several months, some professors would grumble that “this group of midshipmen is terrible. They don’t know anything, and they are poor students as compared to...]]></description><link>https://www.uumh.net/single-post/the-spiritual-challenges-of-our-youth</link><guid isPermaLink="false">699604ccf7c9a5cfe203404b</guid><pubDate>Sun, 08 Feb 2026 18:48:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2a294e_b9c2cd9053364b41a8c6f051f3895d08~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rev. Christopher McMahon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["New Beginnings"]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Jordan McDonald on Unsplash Humans love to celebrate new beginnings, especially marked by a new year. The earliest known example of a new year’s celebration goes back to about 2000 BCE in Babylon – that’s 4000 years ago. This time was marked by the spring equinox which occurs in our March – the day of equal light and equal darkness. The celebration was called “Akitu” and was marked by various religious rituals, singing, dancing, and feasting. The holiday even included a ritual...]]></description><link>https://www.uumh.net/single-post/new-beginnings</link><guid isPermaLink="false">695fe4853267b24853958f84</guid><pubDate>Sun, 04 Jan 2026 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2a294e_d08c5d1f99b14bdf950de9ae7b963b61~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rev. Christopher McMahon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["The Christmas Story"]]></title><description><![CDATA[In truth, in many years past, I was a been kind of an Ebenezer Scrooge. Well – maybe not as bad as Scrooge, but the commercialism and phoniness of a lot of the Christmas season has never sat very well with me. When does the Christmas season begin anyway? This year I think I saw my first Christmas decorations at Lowes at the end of September. And these days, we are not only bombarded with Christmas advertisements on television and in the media, but we have “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday”...]]></description><link>https://www.uumh.net/single-post/the-christmas-story</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69515b4c6c6ab50b8de8d6aa</guid><pubDate>Sun, 21 Dec 2025 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2a294e_4a8f6bcc2a7745ffb8c8de21c8c13c58~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_640,h_960,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rev. Christopher McMahon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["The Wonder of Being Thankful"]]></title><description><![CDATA[“Thank you, I really appreciate it.” What simple words these are and how very easy they are to say. Why is it that these words are forgotten so many times during our daily lives? Being thankful is something that seems to come easily to some people but is far too difficult for others. Being thankful is very characteristic of some regions of the world and even some regions of our country, but in far too many places, it is often forgotten. And, by the way, what is a typical response when you do...]]></description><link>https://www.uumh.net/single-post/the-wonder-of-being-thankful</link><guid isPermaLink="false">692e2f572bc8fd382e71ae22</guid><pubDate>Sun, 16 Nov 2025 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2a294e_293f859d41db48b88fb02249288f8be4~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rev. Christopher McMahon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["Caring for Each Other"]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by J W on Unsplash You might ask yourself the question: Why do human beings care for each other? It certainly seems there are a lot of people who do not seem to care about their fellow humans, except, perhaps, another person such as a wife and possibly their family members.  If aliens landed on earth and looked around, they might misinterpret what they see. They might think that humans not only do not care about each other, but they are normally hostile to each other given the...]]></description><link>https://www.uumh.net/single-post/caring-for-each-other</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6909ea22326f431704c09648</guid><pubDate>Sun, 02 Nov 2025 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2a294e_17684296c42a462298cbdb67307a22ab~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_640,h_640,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rev. Christopher McMahon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["Knowledge is a Key to Spiritual Searching"]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Everyday basics on Unsplash The composer and guitarist Frank Zappa once said, “A mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work if it is not open.” Ben Franklin commented, “Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.” And Mark Twain noted, “What you know for sure that just ain't so.” I could go on but you get the point. A willingness to continue to learn throughout a person’s entire life is really important because to do otherwise is to become mired in not only a...]]></description><link>https://www.uumh.net/single-post/conversations-with-the-sacred-1</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6909071b12b86a0f317e45b2</guid><pubDate>Mon, 20 Oct 2025 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2a294e_35b0c49e145d475d9fdbf66f4f617ea0~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_640,h_640,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rev. Christopher McMahon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["Conversations With the Sacred"]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Wolfgang Hasselmann on Unsplash Conversations With the Sacred Throughout human history, one common characteristic of every culture is that there are people within the society who seem to have a special connection with the sacred – and, of course, what is called “sacred” is defined in very many different ways by the world’s religions and philosophies. We often call this type of relationship or bond a “mystical connection” and we call the person who can experience it a sage, a guru, a...]]></description><link>https://www.uumh.net/single-post/conversations-with-the-sacred</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68e976d1f99b368a71dbb081</guid><pubDate>Mon, 06 Oct 2025 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2a294e_48bdd1f47df740cab2df171ecdc240e0~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rev. Christopher McMahon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["The Sounds and Paradox of Silence"]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Jan Huber on Unsplash By Rev. Cari Keith, shared with UUMH with permission May the meditation of my heart and the words that I share be spoken with care and integrity. May they be received with openness, and held or let go as needed. Amen.... I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and in Jesus Christ, his only son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary... Oh no...oh dear...I forgot myself! You are not Presbyterians, are you?...]]></description><link>https://www.uumh.net/single-post/the-sounds-and-paradox-of-silence</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68dad6c164e88a07d07861be</guid><pubDate>Mon, 29 Sep 2025 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2a294e_afaf317e46a24a89a8d29a1d020eeb0c~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rev. Cari Keith</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["Life After Life"]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Kaushik Panchal on Unsplash Today’s sermon is a topic few UU ministers are willing to talk about. What happens when you die? But – I think it’s a really important topic even though, of course, we can’t be completely certain of the answer. Let me cut to the chase: After a lifetime of study, I have no doubt that in some way, the essence that is each person continues after death. This essence is a person’s consciousness, and I believe it continues. I’ll explain my reasons for believing...]]></description><link>https://www.uumh.net/single-post/life-after-life</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68d6baab84278015b56c8f49</guid><pubDate>Mon, 22 Sep 2025 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2a294e_c21d89df181f4069a749713992bdffc0~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rev. Christopher McMahon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["The Making of Joy – How to Give Happiness to Yourself and Others"]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Fuu J on Unsplash Last week I began the fall semester at Nichols College where I teach Leadership in the fall to two freshmen sections. This is a required course for all freshmen regardless of what major they decide to take. I applaud Nichols for requiring this course because there are too few good leaders in the world. I generally follow the mandatory syllabus, but I add some modifications along the way. One of the first topics we tackled last week was the  characteristics of a...]]></description><link>https://www.uumh.net/single-post/the-making-of-joy-how-to-give-happiness-to-yourself-and-others</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68d280ad0b64afbfd813a6d5</guid><pubDate>Mon, 08 Sep 2025 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2a294e_5c90a77375474ecbae6c4050028b1aa5~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rev. Christopher McMahon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["Faith – Is it a Gift or a Delusion?"]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo from Unsplash I remember a number of years ago I called an elderly friend of my sea captain uncle to console him on the loss of his...]]></description><link>https://www.uumh.net/single-post/faith-is-it-a-gift-or-a-delusion</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68d1c500f26d17d5daaa26b0</guid><pubDate>Sun, 24 Aug 2025 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2a294e_87ca275a6cbb4aa39a856c68ed16b0da~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rev. Christopher McMahon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["Sinners, Saints and Free Will?"]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Javier Allegue Barros on Unsplash The words “sinner,” “saint,” and “free will” are very common terms. They are used in everyday...]]></description><link>https://www.uumh.net/single-post/sinners-saints-and-free-will</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68d1c088a14cb1a1a09b7c77</guid><pubDate>Sun, 10 Aug 2025 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2a294e_f714d7c88ec54160be8a32722327bbb5~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rev. Christopher McMahon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["Introducing the Spirit of UU to You"]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Taylor Smith on Unsplash Unfortunately, I think most people in America have no idea what Unitarian Universalism is all about and...]]></description><link>https://www.uumh.net/single-post/introducing-the-spirit-of-uu-to-you</link><guid isPermaLink="false">688be36dc02bd9e72c5b8d3c</guid><pubDate>Sun, 27 Jul 2025 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2a294e_e70025d3f68a40d1a05176c6a768bdc0~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_640,h_960,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rev. Christopher McMahon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA["Let There Be Light"]]></title><description><![CDATA[In the Book of Genesis, Chapter 1 verse 3 God says, “Let there be light," and there was light. God then separated the light from the...]]></description><link>https://www.uumh.net/single-post/let-there-be-light</link><guid isPermaLink="false">687d596acebb6f8ccb029486</guid><pubDate>Sun, 06 Jul 2025 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2a294e_41bcde72204d4480b27840dcf7d18bdc~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rev. Christopher McMahon</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Spiritual Side of Being Positive]]></title><description><![CDATA[Photo by Bekka Mongeau: https://www.pexels.com/photo/white-printer-paper-22221/ As we go through our day-to-day lives, it is really...]]></description><link>https://www.uumh.net/single-post/the-spiritual-side-of-being-positive</link><guid isPermaLink="false">684608993f9d19c9670b3782</guid><pubDate>Sun, 01 Jun 2025 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2a294e_d0e3b356b3294518a092899c790d27e2~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rev. Christopher McMahon</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>