We draw from many wells,
From oceans and rivers,
From lakes and streams,
From the muddy Mississippi to the roaring Rio Grande,
From faraway places and from the ponds and puddles in our own backyards.
Yet all are refreshing, each rivulet is cleansing, each capable of nurturing and sustaining life.
As people of faith, we draw inspiration from many sources:
From earth and sky,
From poetry and legend,
From art and music,
From conscience and the law written in our own hearts.
Each satisfying our deep thirst for meaning
And the yearning for justice that rolls down like waters in the soul.
As I call forth the name of the spiritual tradition that inspires you, I invite you to rise in body or spirit in honor of the religious diversity that enlivens our Unitarian Universalist faith.
Christian …. Jewish …. Buddhist …. Humanist …. Pagan …. Theist ….
Feminist …. Native American … Hindu …. Muslim …. Taoist ….
We bring our water into communion, to share with one another, just as we pool the many insights that inform our own singular experience. For a droplet of water alone has no color. It remains clear and translucent, almost invisible. But in combination, the many drops together can create a brightly varied rainbow, unseen realities made real and present for all to witness.
Together we aspire to represent the full spectrum of humanity: to make love, justice and hope visible upon the earth. As you carry your water forth today, I invite you to pour it somewhere upon these grounds, the site where we rejoice, mourn, laugh and worship: your special contribution to the greater life and sea of faith of which we are a part.