Rev. Clay Nelson

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An exploration of abundance in a world of scarcity.
Rev. Clay Nelson.

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Clay Nelson © 23 November 2014

Sometimes a chosen sermon topic doesn’t lead me where I expected to go. This is one of those times. When I committed to speak on “When is enough enough?” I had in mind that for Americans Thanksgiving is coming soon, a time of celebrating abundance represented by an overflowing cornucopia and loosened belts after the feast. I thought I would be putting forth the virtues of a theology of abundance. I did begin there in my thinking but that is not where it ended. So I’ve decided to share with you my journey from the sermon I thought I was going to give to the one I am giving. Continue reading When is Enough Enough? →

by Rev. Clay Nelson.

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Clay Nelson © 16 November 2014

I would have nothing to thank George W. Bush for if it weren’t for his re-election. If various unscrupulous Republican tactics had not given Ohio to Bush, I would probably still be living in Sacramento, California. Adopting New Zealand as my home was my response to the U.S. moving further to the right; away from progressive values. After the most recent US election, Continue reading Surviving Being Progressive in a Conservative Era →

by Rev. Clay Nelson

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How is it we come to feel certain?

How do we know what we know is true?

Can you be certain and be a UU?

Clay Nelson © 9 November 2014

In RE class a group of children were colouring with great focus and intensity. As the teacher walked around the room checking out their artistic efforts she stopped to ask one little girl what she was drawing. The little girl, without looking up, answered, “A picture of God.” The teacher paused for a moment seeking a diplomatic response and then said, “Well, actually no one knows what God looks like.” Still drawing with great purpose, the girl answered with certainty, “They will when I’m finished.” Continue reading Sin of Certainty vs. the Seven Principles →

by Rev. Clay Nelson

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Inspired by the music that the VoiceClub performs for us today.

Clay Nelson © 2 November 2014

Neurologist Oliver Sacks has said, “Music is the most direct and mysterious way of conveying and evoking feeling. It is a way of connecting one consciousness to another. The nearest thing to telepathy is making music together. ” Continue reading Life Flows on in Endless Song →

“Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child” versus The Seven Principles

by Rev. Clay Nelson

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Clay Nelson © 19 October 2014

I arrived in New Zealand in 2005 to be greeted by a highly charged debate over what its opponents called the “anti-smacking” bill, a private bill by one of my New Zealand heroes, Sue Bradford. In truth the bill was called Continue reading The Sins of Scripture Part 2 →

The Word of God versus the Seven Principles Part 1

by Rev. Clay Nelson

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Clay Nelson © 12 October 2014

Perhaps you remember Frank McCourt’s memoir entitled Angela’s Ashes or perhaps you saw the film based on it. It chronicles the human cost of poverty, as well as the loss of life to death and the diminishment of life to disease that poverty constantly exacerbates. It portrays a father so overburdened with the anxieties of his life and by the absence of hope for a way out Continue reading The Sins of Scripture Part 1 →

by Rev. Clay Nelson

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Clay Nelson © 5 October 2014

I had not planned to focus on the Bible this early in my ministry with you. I didn’t want to spook the humanists amongst us, but I blame an email from one of you acknowledging being biblically illiterate and not sure how to respond when some
Christians use the Bible as a club. Continue reading Rescuing the Bible for UUs. →

by Rev. Clay Nelson

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Clay continues his focus on re-enchanting ourselves and the world.

Clay Nelson © 21 September 2014

As I began preparing this third and last sermon on how Unitarian Universalism can play a role in re-enchanting the world I wondered what that world would look like in post-election New Zealand this morning. Would the forces of unrestrained capitalism continue their firm hold on us after the election or would the voices of compassion calling for equality and respect for each New Zealander prevail against the odds? Continue reading Re-enchanting the World, Part 3 →