Session 7: Love Surrounds Us in Ritual

Beautiful orange sunset over a deep blue ocean. — Tapestry is Sunsetting

The UUA is no longer updating Tapestry of Faith programs.

Part of Love Surrounds Us, Grades K-1

In This Section

Introduction to Session 7
From Love Surrounds Us

Ritual is the way we carry the presence of the sacred. Ritual is the spark that must not go out….
Session-at-a-Glance
From Love Surrounds Us

Activity Minutes Welcoming and Entering 0 Opening 10 Activity 1: What Is Ritual?…
Spiritual Preparation
From Love Surrounds Us

Not all Unitarian Universalist congregations use the same rituals, and the use of ritual within a congregation can vary. Your history of participating in religious ritual may be positive or negative. Use this spiritual preparation activity to acknowledge your feelings or memories of ritual in a…
Welcoming and Entering
From Love Surrounds Us

Materials for Activity Ribbon sticks (or wrist ribbons) in a container (Session 1, Opening) Drawing paper and crayons Preparation for Activity If you have not previously made ribbons sticks or wrist ribbons for each child do it now as per instructions in Session 1, Opening….
Opening for Session 7
From Love Surrounds Us

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Ribbon sticks (or wrist ribbons) in a container (Session 1, Opening) Chalice, candle, and lighter or LED/battery-operated candle Session 1, Leader Resource 1, Rote Teaching — Love Surrounds Us Song Yellow cloth for centering table Preparation for…
Activity 1: What Is Ritual?
From Love Surrounds Us

Activity time: 10 minutes Preparation for Activity Clear a large open space for participants to sit in a circle on the floor. Description of Activity This activity prepares participants to learn about ritual in our congregations by first discussing rituals in their everyday lives….
Activity 2: Story, The Flower Ceremony, A Plain and Simple Beauty
From Love Surrounds Us

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity A copy of the story “The Flower Ceremony — A Plain and Simple Beauty” Leader Resource 1, Norbert Capek Optional: “The Flower Ceremony” coloring sheet Preparation for Activity Read the story….
Activity 3: Flower Making
From Love Surrounds Us

Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity Sheets of tissue paper in multiple colors Green chenille pipe cleaners Preparation for Activity Cut the tissue paper into 5x7-inch rectangles, enough for each child to have at least five. Arrange tissue paper rectangles and chenille for children to…
Activity 4: Flower Ceremony
From Love Surrounds Us

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Handout 1, Flower Ceremony Service Centering table (Opening) Vase or container to hold tissue paper flowers Tissue paper flowers made in Activity 3, Flower Making Preparation for Activity Copy Handout 1 for anyone who will read a part of the service.
Closing
From Love Surrounds Us

Activity time: 5 minutes Description of Activity Invite everyone to gather in a circle and hold hands….
Leader Reflection and Planning
From Love Surrounds Us

Think about the participants who participated in the session today. What did they learn? Do they understand the idea of ritual? Are there participants who need more assistance in crafts, or in reading? Are there participants who could help others? Reflect on your effectiveness in presenting this…
Faith In Action: Leading a Flower Ceremony
From Love Surrounds Us

Activity time: 30 minutes Materials for Activity Handout 1, Flower Ceremony Service Tissue paper flowers made in Activity 3, Flower Making Chalice, candle, and lighter or LED/battery-operated candle A vase for flowers Cloth for centering table Preparation for Activity Arrange to conduct a flower…
Alternate Activity 1: Flower Poem
From Love Surrounds Us

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Index cards, enough for each participant to have three Pencils for all participants Preparation for Activity Distribute three index cards per child and pencils at work tables. Ask readers/writers to help others write and spell their words….
Alternate Activity 2: Altar Symbols
From Love Surrounds Us

Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity Clay that air-dries or can be baked, various colors Parchment paper Preparation for Activity Separate clay into small pieces about 1/4-cup size, or 2x3 inches square. Set clay on work tables. Place parchment paper on a clean, dry surface where…
Alternate Activity 3: Ritual Collage
From Love Surrounds Us

Activity time: 30 minutes Materials for Activity Large pieces of construction paper in various colors Magazines, newspapers, greeting cards, and calendars with pictures to cut up Scissors, including left-handed scissors, and glue sticks Preparation for Activity Gather old magazines and greeting…
Alternate Activity 4: Poster, Third Principle
From Love Surrounds Us

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Handout 2, Poster — Third Principle Crayons and/or color markers Preparation for Activity Copy Handout 2 for all participants. Set crayons/markers at work tables. Description of Activity Distribute the handout. Invite children to think about an…
Taking It Home: Love Surrounds Us in Ritual
From Love Surrounds Us

Ritual is the way we carry the presence of the sacred. Ritual is the spark that must not go out. — Christina Baldwin, in Life’s Companion: Journal Writing As a Spiritual Quest IN TODAY’S SESSION… the group learned about the Unitarian Universalist tradition of flower ceremony with a story about…
The Flower Ceremony, A Plain and Simple Beauty
From Love Surrounds Us

Adapted from a story by Janeen K. Grohsmeyer in her book Lamp in Every Corner: Our UU Storybook (Boston: Unitarian Universalist Association, 2004). Used with permission. In the city of Prague, in the land of Czechoslovakia, in the year nineteen hundred and twenty three, there was a church….
Handout 1: Flower Ceremony Service
From Love Surrounds Us

Adapted from Flower Communion by Reginald Zotolli. This author has given Unitarian Universalist Association member congregations permission to reprint this piece for use in public worship. Any reprints must acknowledge the name of the author.Leader: By exchanging flowers in this service,…
Handout 2: Poster, Third Principle
From Love Surrounds Us

Unitarian Universalist Third Principle In our congregations, we accept all people and we learn together. Printing This Handout Download a high-resolution copy of this Handout (PDF) for printing.
Leader Resource 1: Norbert Capek
From Love Surrounds Us

From the Unitarian Universalist Historical Society’s online Dictionary of Unitarian and Universalist Biography. Norbert Fabian Capek, June 3, 1870-October 12, 1942 Printing This Handout Download a high-resolution copy of this Handout (PDF) for printing…
Find Out More
From Love Surrounds Us

Flower Ceremony The Unitarian Universalist Association online Leaders Library has readings, prayers, and ceremonial words for use in a Flower Ceremony. Dr. Norbert Capek For more about the life of Capek, see the biography, Norbert Fabian Capek: A Spiritual Journey by Richard Henry (Skinner House,…