I know not where you are, Whether your soul is traveling the universal highway Or as I imagine, sitting at the left hand of God Being consulted about matters of consequence....
Closing
| By
Jay Wolin
|
November 10, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
Tagged as: Awe, Direct Experience, Generations, History, Love, Wonder
What is the history of any thing? This apple, let's say, that my grandson just picked as he sits on my shoulders, feet dangling like parentheses around my heart?...
Poetry
| By
Peter Friedrichs
|
November 10, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
We light this flame As our fervent plea to brighten the dark corners of our hearts; We hold this flame For in it is the promise of warmth for souls grown cold in loss and despair; We kindle this light That we might continue to find comfort in its warmth; strength in its light; holiness in its...
Chalice Lighting
| By
S. William Feiss
|
November 10, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
Tagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), All Souls Day, Animal Memorial, Death, Día de los Muertos, Forgiveness, Healing, Love, Meaning, Memorial Services, Purpose, Sacred, Samhain, Sorrow, Strength, Truth
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.
Chalice Lighting
| By
Erik Walker Wikstrom
|
November 10, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
As we approach our agenda let us remember that we are doing the work of the congregation.* When we do the work of this congregation*, we touch lives. When we touch lives, we change the world. May this chalice flame we now kindle remind us throughout our meeting of our ministry and our mission....
Chalice Lighting
| By
Erik Walker Wikstrom
|
November 10, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
"Our children did not get their wounds alone. They were created by the actions of our family, our communities and our world. They were created by the things we choose to believe in, the causes we chose to champion and the despair we chose to neglect....
Quote
| By
Yolo Akili
|
November 4, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
"There is a hope that's been expressed in you: the hope of seven generations, maybe more. And this is the faith that they invest in you: It's that you'll do one better than was done before. Inside you know, inside you understand; inside you know what's yours to finally set right..." —lyrics from...
Quote
| By
Susan Werner
|
November 3, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
The following ritual—which could be used to honor a congregation's founders—is used at First Unitarian Church of Des Moines (IA) to honor decade(s) membership anniversaries. Those celebrating 10, 20, 30, etc. years of membership are invited on stage, given a rose for each decade of membership,...
Ritual
| By
Mark Stringer
|
November 1, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
For all who die in war We lift up our hearts For all who live in suffering in the aftermath of violence We lift up our hearts For all who give their lives in smoke and flame We lift up our hearts For all who go on in honor of the dead We lift up our hearts For all who have served We lift up our...
Prayer
| By
Amy Petrie Shaw
|
October 30, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
Tagged as: 6th Principle (World Community), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), All Saints Day, All Souls Day, Brokenness, Buddhism, Christianity, Conflict, Direct Experience, Islam, Judaism, Memorial Day, Pain, Peace, Reconciliation, Religion, United Nations Day, Veterans Day, War
O God of many names, the personal and mysterious, We have come to a quiet time, an interior place, a place for the deepening of spirit, the enrichment of soul. We seek to know ourselves by knowing you....
Prayer
| By
Katie Kandarian-Morris
|
October 29, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
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...
Chalice Lighting
| By
Erika Hewitt
|
October 29, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
Let us wake up. Not just from the Sunday morning exhaustion, from the wish for a few more drowsy minutes in bed. Let us wake up to this world we live in: to its beauty and wonder, and also to its tragedy and pain. We must wake up to this reality: that not all in our world have what we do, however...
Opening
| By
Christian Schmidt
|
October 29, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
Tagged as: #BlackLivesMatter, 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 6th Principle (World Community), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Activism, Anti-Oppression, Black History / Whitney Young / James Reeb, Challenge, Direct Experience, Justice, Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday, Privilege, Race/Ethnicity, Unitarian Universalism
"Our first task in approaching another people, another culture, another religion, is to take off our shoes, for the place we are approaching is holy. Else we may find ourselves treading on [people's] dreams. More seriously still, we may forget that God was here before our arrival."...
Quote
| By
Max Warren
|
October 26, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
As we begin to settle to a deeper more inward place; to be fully present right now in this place made for head and heart together; we might begin to feel how our own bodies are not only flesh and blood — but skeleton bones as well. No matter how old we are, no matter how we move from place to...
Meditation
| By
Katie Kandarian-Morris
|
October 26, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
Tagged as: All Souls Day, Awe, Body, Día de los Muertos, Direct Experience, Nature, Playfulness
Unconditional love is not so much about how we receive and endure each other, as it is about the deep vow to never, under any condition, stop bringing the flawed truth of who we are to each other.
Quote
| By
Mark Nepo
|
October 21, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
Please note: written in 1969, Berry's reflection on the "wound" of racism was written before inclusive gender was used. If the white man has inflicted the wound of racism upon black men, the cost has been that he would receive the mirror image of that wound into himself....
Quote
| By
Wendell Berry
|
October 21, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
As the first hint of green begins to peek through the barren ground As that little sprig grows into a healthy stem As that stem grows into a stalk and forms a bud As that bud slowly opens with each new day To form a yellow daffodil Let us be, like that first hint of green, renewed by the warm of ...
Chalice Lighting
| By
Jennifer McGlothin
|
October 20, 2015
| From
WorshipWeb
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I know not where you are, Whether your soul is traveling the universal highway Or as I imagine, sitting at the left hand of God Being consulted about matters of consequence....Closing | By Jay Wolin | November 10, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Awe, Direct Experience, Generations, History, Love, Wonder
What is the history of any thing? This apple, let's say, that my grandson just picked as he sits on my shoulders, feet dangling like parentheses around my heart?...Poetry | By Peter Friedrichs | November 10, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Awe, Children, Connections, Direct Experience, Family, Fathers, Generations, History, Humanism, Interdependence, Parents, Wonder
We light this flame As our fervent plea to brighten the dark corners of our hearts; We hold this flame For in it is the promise of warmth for souls grown cold in loss and despair; We kindle this light That we might continue to find comfort in its warmth; strength in its light; holiness in its...Chalice Lighting | By S. William Feiss | November 10, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), All Souls Day, Animal Memorial, Death, Día de los Muertos, Forgiveness, Healing, Love, Meaning, Memorial Services, Purpose, Sacred, Samhain, Sorrow, Strength, Truth
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.Chalice Lighting | By Erik Walker Wikstrom | November 10, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Community, Inclusion, Interdependence, Leadership, Purpose, Relationships, Responsibility, Service, Seven Principles, Teamwork, Unitarian Universalism, Unity
As we approach our agenda let us remember that we are doing the work of the congregation.* When we do the work of this congregation*, we touch lives. When we touch lives, we change the world. May this chalice flame we now kindle remind us throughout our meeting of our ministry and our mission....Chalice Lighting | By Erik Walker Wikstrom | November 10, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Business Meetings, Commitment, Covenant, Discernment, Leadership, Mindfulness, Power, Privilege, Purpose, Responsibility, Service, Seven Principles, Unitarian Universalism
"Our children did not get their wounds alone. They were created by the actions of our family, our communities and our world. They were created by the things we choose to believe in, the causes we chose to champion and the despair we chose to neglect....Quote | By Yolo Akili | November 4, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), Child Dedication, Children, Community, Family, Generations, Healing, Humanism, Love, Parents, Responsibility, Seven Principles, Wholeness
"There is a hope that's been expressed in you: the hope of seven generations, maybe more. And this is the faith that they invest in you: It's that you'll do one better than was done before. Inside you know, inside you understand; inside you know what's yours to finally set right..." —lyrics from...Quote | By Susan Werner | November 3, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Generations, Healing, Hope, Humanism, Purpose, Service, Seven Principles, Wholeness
The following ritual—which could be used to honor a congregation's founders—is used at First Unitarian Church of Des Moines (IA) to honor decade(s) membership anniversaries. Those celebrating 10, 20, 30, etc. years of membership are invited on stage, given a rose for each decade of membership,...Ritual | By Mark Stringer | November 1, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), Commitment, Dissent, Integrity, Interdependence, Leadership, Living Our Faith, Relationships, Teamwork, Tradition, Unitarian Universalism, Unity
For all who die in war We lift up our hearts For all who live in suffering in the aftermath of violence We lift up our hearts For all who give their lives in smoke and flame We lift up our hearts For all who go on in honor of the dead We lift up our hearts For all who have served We lift up our...Prayer | By Amy Petrie Shaw | October 30, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 6th Principle (World Community), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), All Saints Day, All Souls Day, Brokenness, Buddhism, Christianity, Conflict, Direct Experience, Islam, Judaism, Memorial Day, Pain, Peace, Reconciliation, Religion, United Nations Day, Veterans Day, War
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...Chalice Lighting | By Erika Hewitt | October 29, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 3rd Principle (Acceptance & Spiritual Growth), 4th Principle (Truth & Meaning), 6th Principle (World Community), Courage, Covenant, Identity, Love, Power, Purpose, Relationships, Responsibility, Strength, Trust
Are we a people of holding on or of letting go?...Chalice Lighting | By Jay Wolin | October 29, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Acceptance, Connections, Direct Experience, Generosity, Growth, Hospitality, Identity, Integrity, Letting Go, Unitarian Universalism, Wholeness
Let us wake up. Not just from the Sunday morning exhaustion, from the wish for a few more drowsy minutes in bed. Let us wake up to this world we live in: to its beauty and wonder, and also to its tragedy and pain. We must wake up to this reality: that not all in our world have what we do, however...Opening | By Christian Schmidt | October 29, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: #BlackLivesMatter, 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), 6th Principle (World Community), 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Activism, Anti-Oppression, Black History / Whitney Young / James Reeb, Challenge, Direct Experience, Justice, Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday, Privilege, Race/Ethnicity, Unitarian Universalism
"Our first task in approaching another people, another culture, another religion, is to take off our shoes, for the place we are approaching is holy. Else we may find ourselves treading on [people's] dreams. More seriously still, we may forget that God was here before our arrival."...Quote | By Max Warren | October 26, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 1st Principle (Worth & Dignity), 2nd Principle (Justice, Equity, & Compassion), Anti-Oppression, Christianity, Humility, Multiculturalism, Relationships, Respect
As we begin to settle to a deeper more inward place; to be fully present right now in this place made for head and heart together; we might begin to feel how our own bodies are not only flesh and blood — but skeleton bones as well. No matter how old we are, no matter how we move from place to...Meditation | By Katie Kandarian-Morris | October 26, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: All Souls Day, Awe, Body, Día de los Muertos, Direct Experience, Nature, Playfulness
Unconditional love is not so much about how we receive and endure each other, as it is about the deep vow to never, under any condition, stop bringing the flawed truth of who we are to each other.Quote | By Mark Nepo | October 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Acceptance, Humanism, Love, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Relationships, Vulnerability
Please note: written in 1969, Berry's reflection on the "wound" of racism was written before inclusive gender was used. If the white man has inflicted the wound of racism upon black men, the cost has been that he would receive the mirror image of that wound into himself....Quote | By Wendell Berry | October 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: America, Anti-Oppression, Healing, Humanism, Justice, Race/Ethnicity, Secular
"We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community.”...Quote | By Dorothy Day | October 21, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: Christianity, Community, Love, Prophetic Words & Deeds, Relationships, Salvation
As the first hint of green begins to peek through the barren ground As that little sprig grows into a healthy stem As that stem grows into a stalk and forms a bud As that bud slowly opens with each new day To form a yellow daffodil Let us be, like that first hint of green, renewed by the warm of ...Chalice Lighting | By Jennifer McGlothin | October 20, 2015 | From WorshipWebTagged as: 7th Principle (Interconnected Web), Abundance, Awe, Beauty, Beginnings, Earth, Earth Day, Earth-Centered, Easter, Flower Communion, Growth, Health, Interdependence, Nature, Secular, Spring, Unitarian Universalism, Vernal Equinox