Sermon

In light of the hate that is fueling our culture and targeting our people, how shall we live out our Unitarian Universalist values? Rev. Michael Crumpler is the UUA LGBTQ and Multicultural Program Director.

• How Then Shall We Live? Transcript and suggested service elements (PDF)
• How Then Shall We Live? (Vimeo)
• How Then Shall We Live? (with embedded captions) (Vimeo)

Suggested Chalice Lighting

The Element of Fire Represents Passion, Veracity, Authenticity, and Vitality By Sarah Lammert
The element of fire represents passion, veracity, authenticity, and vitality.
If the chalice is the supporting structure of Unitarian Universalism, then we are the flame.
We are the flame, fanned strong by our passion for freedom, our yearning for truth-telling,
our daring to be authentic with one another, and the vitality we sustain in our meeting together.
In all of this there is love.

Suggested Readings

First Reading:
Let Us Make this Earth a Heaven By Tess Baumberger
Let us make this earth a heaven, right here, right now.
Who knows what existences death will bring?
Let us create a heaven here on earth
where love and truth and justice reign.

Let us welcome all at our Pearly Gates, our Freedom Table,
amid singing and great rejoicing,
with all our lovely colors,
straight, gay, transgender, bisexual, and all the ways
of loving each other’s bodies.
Young, old, fat, thin, variously-abled, gentle, cranky, joyous, sorrowing.

Let no one feel excluded, let no one feel alone.
May the rich let loose their wealth to rain upon the poor.
May the poor share their riches with those too used to money.
May we come to venerate the Earth, our mother,
and tend her with wisdom and compassion.
May we make our earth an Eden, a paradise.
May no one wish to leave her.

May hate and warfare cease to clash in causes
too old and tired to name; religion, nationalism,
the false false god of gold, deep-rooted ethnic hatreds.
May these all disperse and wane, may we see each others’ true selves.
May we all dwell together in peace and joy and understanding.
Let us make a heaven here on earth, before it is too late.
Let us make this earth a heaven, for each others’ sake.

The second reading and closing reading are included in the video.

Suggested Hymns

• 126 — Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Chalice Extinguishing

Daring Vision By Maureen Killoran
We extinguish this chalice flame,
daring to carry forward the vision of this free faith,
that freedom, reason and justice
will one day prevail in this nation and across the earth.