The Embodiment of Liberation
March 2026
Dear Beloved Sepulveda Unitarian Universalist Society,
March invites us into holy reflection. Our congregational theme, “Liberating Our Theologies,” calls us to examine the beliefs we have inherited, the stories we have told, and the faith we are still becoming. It asks: What in our theology frees us? What still needs unbinding?
March is also Women’s History Month, and in Unitarian Universalism we have much to celebrate.
From the early days of Universalism in the United States, Judith Sargent Murray was already leading the way—writing boldly about the equality of women in the late 18th century and arguing that women’s intellectual capacities were equal to men’s. Her theological courage helped stretch the moral imagination of a young nation.
In the 19th century, Rev. Olympia Brown became the first woman ordained with full denominational recognition in the United States. She refused to accept a theology—or a society—that limited women’s call to ministry, leadership, or public voice. She helped shape both our faith and the broader struggle for women’s suffrage.
These foremothers did not simply adjust theology. They liberated it.
And here at Sepulveda UU, we are blessed by women who continue that sacred work every single day.
The Women of Sepulveda lead worship, anchor committees, organize justice efforts, provide pastoral care, coordinate hospitality, and sustain the quiet, faithful infrastructure that keeps this congregation alive. Some lead from the pulpit. Some lead from the kitchen. Some lead from the margins. All are ministers in their own right.
We gather this March in a complicated national moment. Many of us are still dealing with the fallout of what feels like an “administration from hell”—policies that harm the vulnerable, rhetoric that divides neighbor from neighbor, and a public climate that often feels exhausting and cruel.
So how do we, here in Los Angeles, in California, in the United States, find the strength and courage to keep pushing forward? How do we try harder without burning out? How do we keep hope alive?
We root ourselves in community.
At SepulvedaUU, liberation is not theoretical—it is embodied.
Our work with JUUstice LA continues. We are building a webpage and hopefully a site where all of the congregation of LA county can share their social actions and justice efforts. Maybe just maybe this is the month when we can begin to act as a faith community not just separate congregations. Maybe just maybe we can come together for the greater good of this region and of our beloved UU movement? Lets try to show up for justice in real, local, tangible ways. Maybe as we partner with each other and like minded spiritual communities we can advocate, maybe witness, and maybe even act. Let us refuse despair as a spiritual practice.
Our Adult Religious Education offerings create space for deep theological exploration and courageous questioning. Liberating our theologies means examining what we have been taught and claiming faith that reflects love, equity, and dignity for all. List what we’ve been up to?)
And this March, we are expanding our creative spirit. The SUUS Players are emerging as a vibrant expression of our shared life. Through liturgical drama woven into worship, we are embodying our theology—telling stories not just with words, but with presence, movement, and imagination. Worship is becoming more expansive, more participatory, more alive. Maybe we’ve got a part with your name on it?
So dear ones lets lean into-
We are alive.
We are doing all we can.
We are organizing, learning, praying, singing, grieving, resisting, and loving.
Liberating our theologies means refusing to believe in a small God, a narrow love, or a powerless people. It means trusting that Spirit is still at work among us. It means recognizing that when national leadership falters, local communities of faith must rise.
Hope is not denial. Hope is discipline.
Hope is action.
Hope is covenant.
Hope is love made visible.
May this March deepen our courage.
May we honor the women who paved the way.
May we celebrate the women who sustain us now.
May we continue the sacred work of liberation—together.
In hope, in faith, in love,
Rev Gordon
Rev Gordon Clay Bailey
Minister
Sepulveda UU Society
818-724-4260
For more information and access to other events, sign our Guestbook!