Each person coming into the worship service is handed an acorn on a loop of gold string long enough to hang around the neck. The cap of the acorn (glued on) is painted gold.

As you all know, a little acorn can grow into a HUGE tree. We're going to be thinking today about another kind of growing, growing of a very important kind.

The acorn you have now is a little piece of nature (notice the natural, unpainted part) with a gold part to represent treasure. We treasure nature, but today we want to think about some of the treasures we find here in church.

You are growing in many ways. You are growing taller and stronger, with more skills and more knowledge. You are growing socially, with more friends, and wider circles of people you know beyond your family and friends.

Your souls or spirits are growing, too. Our souls grow especially when we have experiences that touch us deeply or strongly.

Hold on to your acorn now and let's take a little quiet time to think of some times when our souls grew:

• Think of a time this summer when something was especially beautiful. Would anyone like to mention an experience of something especially beautiful?
• Think of a time this summer when something especially sad happened. Would anyone like to mention an especially sad experience?
• Think of a time this summer when someone did something especially kind for you. Would anyone like to tell us about something especially kind that someone did?
• Think of a time this summer when you did something especially kind for someone. Would anyone like to tell us about something especially kind that they did?

Our spirits, our souls, grow at times when we feel great beauty, great joy, or great sadness, when we feel close to someone or something. That's the main thing: feeling connections. Feeling well-connected with ourselves, usually in a quiet time alone; feeling closely connected with someone else; or feeling connected with God or nature -- maybe in prayer.

This acorn will remind you of your connections with this church. Coming to church on a Sunday morning is a little thing, but when you keep coming your connections grow. You become more and more closely connected with what is most important in life, with stories of great people from our history, with great religious ideas.

This acorn will remind you of your connections with this community of people who care about living lives of truth, respect and compassion, people who care about making this world a better place, who care about each other and you.