Speaking from the heart can turn an ordinary meeting into a rewarding one.

We are stronger together because we are different, and because we are one.

May this chalice light guide us toward the courageous and openhearted apology, toward repair of relationships in our lives.

We light this chalice in honor of the animal realm, Furred and hoofed, two-legged, four-legged, many-legged, Fanged and clawed, gentle and fierce, wild and tame. May we remember that all animals are our relatives, Worthy of our care and respect.

• It takes a spark. • It takes fuel. • It takes air. • And it takes a container to hold them all. It is only with all of these things that we make fire. • It takes a call. • It takes learning and experience • It takes love. • And it takes a community to hold them all. It is only with...

I light this chalice for all the times you have lit this chalice; For every time you struck the match Or flicked that zapper thing Or empowered a nervous parishioner to do the same. I light this chalice for all that you've done: For all you've fostered and cultivated and nudged; For all you've...

Let us hold a quiet moment together as our chalice is lit. As the wild wind bites, so does the still flame warm us. As the deep snows block our doors, so does the gentle flame bring us out....

The flaming chalice was first used by the Unitarian Service Committee as a symbol of life-saving refuge for people fleeing persecution in Europe. As we light this chalice, we invoke the love that called people to put their lives at risk to save others. May we be vessels of life-saving welcome.

As we kindle this flame, May it spark in each of us Connection and commitment To this living tradition And to each other.

In the bleak and cold winter, We gather ourselves in To light the fire to warm our spirits, To kindle the flame of love and hope.

When we light our chalice everyone focuses on the flame. Yet it is the paraffin of the candle, the cotton of the wick, the potassium chlorate and sulfur of the match, and the oxygen in the air around us that makes that flame possible. As leaders we are not called to be a lone beacon on a hill.

Reader 1: The word courage comes from the Latin cor, which means heart. According to poet Mark Nepo, the original use of the word courage meant to stand by one’s core: a “striking concept that reinforces the belief found in almost all traditions that living from the Center is what enables us to...

This is a house of reflection and contemplation, of joy and sorrow, friendship, sharing and laughter. We light this chalice in remembrance of what we have been and in the hope of what we may become.

For sleepless nights awaiting the curfew-breakers For anxious hours as a driving instructor For hours spent on sidelines, cheering And watching school plays, sometimes “resting our eyes,” For the pressures of bread-winning And “wait ‘til your father gets home.” For teaching moments and...

We light this chalice for the web of life which sustains us, For the sacred circle of life in which we have our being, For the Earth, the Sky, Above and Below, and For our Mother Earth, and for the Mystery.

T... starts out with Turkey and with Tofu, and Together, H...reminds us of Happiness, may it grow beyond all measure. A...means All who are returning, a reunion in Fall, N...for Newcomers to our Fellowship, and hearty welcome to all! K...for Kind friends with whom we will share dinner, S... means...

This light unites us. This light unites us with our neighbors, Our friends and our enemies. Most importantly, This light unites us within ourselves. Our hearts, Our souls, Our spirits. This light unites us. —First Parish, Bedford, Massachusetts, Coming of Age participant...

May we light this chalice to honor our past: for Jan Hus, burned at the stake for suggesting that the cup be shared by all; for our Service Committee's earliest days, when its logo enabled the persecuted to find a safe haven. May we light this chalice to endorse our present: for our commitment to...

(May be read responsively) For every time we make a mistake and we decide to start again: We light this chalice. For every time we are lonely and we let someone be our friend: We light this chalice. For every time we are disappointed and we choose to hope: We light this chalice.

We light this chalice, spark of the original fire of creation, to remind us that we all on this planet—the furred, the feathered, the finned, and the scaled, along with us featherless bipeds—we are all made of the same star-stuff and all share a common destiny. We all share the same hopes of a...

We light our chalice, symbol of our faith, For truth, sought through a questioning heart and an attentive mind; And for love, pursued through obstacles inside and outside our own human heart; And for forgiveness, and all it entails— The place where truth and love meet and merge.

Each of the stars in the heavens is unique, an individual, yet together they form the night sky; Each of us here is unique, an individual, yet together we are a congregation; Each of our congregations is unique, an individual, yet together we are an Association....