Spiritual Practice and Worship Resources
From the Spirituality Development Conference Manual.Spontaneous Spiritual Practice
(Whatever time you want/need!)
Objective
To respond to the spiritual needs/urges/desires of individuals or the group.
Graces
Graces are wonderful centering ways to reflect on anything before a meal. Out loud, or silently, you can remember and thank; those who were a part of creating the food for you, your community, or anything else.
Joys and Concerns
This is a Unitarian tradition that many if not most of our congregations participate in every Sunday. By lighting a candle and speaking to any joys or concerns that any community members have, the group holds members in their thoughts.
Silent Meals
This is a time to just reflect and be at peace with a good meal. When a whole group eats silently. It can be quite powerful.
Making Joyful Noise
SHOUT! SCREAM! SING AT THE TOP OF YOUR LUNGS! Make a joyful noise for however long you want as a group to celebrate all that life has to offer.
Journaling
By being able to capture our feelings and thoughts on paper, we are sometimes able to make more sense of all that is around us and look back on times past and remember where we were on our journeys.
Lighting the Chalice
Our symbol of spirituality is the chalice. Light it before a meeting or worship in silence or with anything spoken. This is the light that brings us together.
Self Care
You can't care for others till you care for yourself. Remember to listen to your body and heart. Take a break and relax, or get a drink and go to the restroom. Do what you need to.
Praying
There are all different types of prayer and there is no one right way to do so. Out loud or silent, focus, reflect, and do what is right for you.
Making a Spiritual Plan
Decide to do sit-ups in the morning, or decide to read an hour a day. Commit to daily activities that deepen your spiritual awareness and meaning. Make sure you are enjoying it!
Moments for Mindfulness
Take time—Are you racing and forgetting to think? Try a moment or two of just breathing and being aware of what yourself.
Group Hugs
A fine way to affirm each other. Just remember to ask for consent.
Spiritual Check-Ins
Go around the circle/group and allow people to share their feelings and state of mind.
Expressions of Anger
Need to scream or jump up or down? Maybe you need to journal or speak to someone. Just get it out, instead of bottling it up.
Cleaning the Church
We must remember to respect our spaces, especially when we are guests. Cleaning can be a great way to accomplish a task while giving back to the community.
Social Justice Worship
Chalice Lighting
Reading by Paul Robeson; #462 in Singing the Living Tradition
Song
I've Got Peace Like a River; #100 in Singing the Living Tradition
Centerpiece
- Listen to Utah Phillips and Ani Difranco's "Anarchy" (Track 4 from the album The Past Didn't Go Anywhere).
- Follow with journal-writing session based on the following prompts:
- Utah talks about devoting his life to pacifism. Is there a justice issue or struggle that you devote your life to or care deeply about?
- Why is it so important to you?
- What about your faith moves you to do justice work?
- How is justice work grounded in your belief system?
- When they have finished, have the group do a popcorn or Quaker-style** sharing of pieces of what they have written. Encourage them to be short.
Reading
It Is Possible to Live In Peace by Mohandas K. Gandhi; #577 from Singing the Living Tradition
Closing Song
"We Will Get There (Wo Ya Ya)" #1020 from Singing the Journey or "Freedom is Coming" #1025 from Singing the Journey or "We Shall Overcome" #169 from Singing the Living Tradition
Healing Worship
Opening Song
"Gathered Here" #389 in Singing the Living Tradition
Chalice Lighting
Come in to the Circle of Caring by Richard S. Gilbert
Come into the circle of caring
Come into the community of
gentleness,
Of justice and love.
Come, and you shall be refreshed.
Let
the healing power of this people penetrate you.
Let loving kindness and joy
pass through you.
Let hope interfuse you,
And peace be the law of your
heart.
In this human circle,
Caring is a calling.
All of us are
called.
How easy it is in our weakness
To avoid those beside us who are
hurting,
How tempting to ignore the pain,
For it reminds us of our own
fragility.
How often does our circle of caring constrict,
As we draw the
web of community tight around ourselves,
Excluding people of other colors,
faiths and lands,
Who hurt as we hurt, who feel as we feel.
Many there are
whose suffering exceeds our own,
Who hunger for bread as we hunger for
meaning.
All these live with us in the caring community of earth.
In this
human circle, caring is a calling.
All of us are called.
Stretching
"We are all saddened, and we all hurt. Let us soothe our aches by stretching a bit. With your eyes closed, stretch down and feel it in your back and your legs. Stretch and reach up with your hands, your shoulders, your torso. Roll your head over your neck. Relax in this calming movement. When you are ready, open your eyes, but don't stop rolling your head. Watch, you see the whole room gathered together in rhythm and movement. Realize the quiet power generated by these motions, and, with the rest, send this strong but calm power to a place where you think needs it most."
Meditation
by Theodore S. Webb
If we come to this hour uncertain of what lies before us, surprised and hurt because of what life can do to us, lonely because we are separate in our homes and habits…
If we come to this hour reassured by our knowledge of mastery within us of selfish tendencies, and if we are made confident in our awareness of success day-by-day in overcoming despair…
If we are reassured by the remembrance of our discovery of beauty even in dark corners, and the discovery of presence even in the black silence of night with its shroud of loneliness which covers us…
And if we are reassured by our certainty that within ourselves, and yet deeper in time called history is the driving necessity to fill life and our time with meaning…
Then we come to this hour and will leave having learned about ourselves as about all people, that are uncertain and surprised and hurt and lonely—and that we with all others share rewards which come from the discovery in ourselves of strengths we did not know we had and of the capacity to transcend incidents of despair.
We come to this hour to deepen our assurance that life's venture is important because we are that venture.
We come to receive from each other—from the silence within laughter and from behind our masks, the joyous realization that we are all One, and can give to each other only out of the abundance of that One.
Silence, followed by
Quaker-Style* Sharing
Prayers for those in need.
Song: "I Know This Rose Will Open" #396 in Singing the Living Tradition
Closing Reading
by Wayne B. Arnason; #698 in Singing the Living Tradition
Take courage friends.
The way is often hard, the path is never
clear,
and the stakes are very high.
Take courage.
For deep down, there
is another truth:
You are not alone.
*The central aspect of Quaker worship is a period of silence in which people may share a thought, feeling, or song with the group as the spirit moves them. The sharing takes place in no particular order, and continues until everyone who feels moved to speak has been given the opportunity. Participants are asked to allow a period of silence after each person speaks, to show respect for everyone, and to avoid having the sharing turn into a 'conversation'.
For more information contact youth @ uua.org.
Last updated on Saturday, April 19, 2008.
