No One Is Outside the Circle of Love

In an indigo sky, circles of stars' trails are created by leaving a camera lens open

Leader: We know that hurt moves through the world, perpetrated by action, inaction, and indifference. Our values call us to live in the reality of the heartbreak of our world, remembering that:

Congregation: “No one is outside the circle of love.”

L: We who are Unitarian Universalist not only affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person; we also affirm the inherent wholeness of every being—despite apparent brokenness.

Congregation: “No one is outside the circle of love.”

L: We know that things break, or break down: promises, friendship, sobriety, hope, communication. This breaking happens because our human hearts and our very institutions are frail and imperfect. We make mistakes. Life is messy.

Congregation: “No one is outside the circle of love.”

L: With compassion as our guide, we seek the well-being of all people. We seek to dismantle systems of oppression that undermine our collective humanity. We believe that we’re here to guide one another toward Love.

Congregation: “No one is outside the circle of love.”

L: No matter how fractured we are or once were, we can make whole people of ourselves. We are whole at our core, because of the great, unnameable, sometimes inconceivable Love in which we live.

Congregation: “No one is outside the circle of love.”

This litany is based on the pastoral letter written by Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray on June 29, 2017.

About the Authors

Susan Frederick-Gray

Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray is the ninth president of the Unitarian Universalist Association. She was elected in June 2017 to a six-year term after serving congregations in Arizona, Ohio, and Tennessee. After leading the Unitarian Universalist response to Arizona’s anti-immigrant laws in 2010, she...

Erika Hewitt

Rev. Erika Hewitt (she/her) serves as the Minister of Worship Arts for the Unitarian Universalist Association. She also spends time on the road as a guest preacher, worship consultant, and wedding officiant....

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