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March 2010

LETTING GO is our theological theme for March. There are times in life for holding on with all we’ve got and there are times when holding on will drag you down. So much about life is letting go.

We have to let go of each stage of life as we move into its next chapters, from childhood to adolescence and on, throughout our lives. We let go of other people’s expectations for us. We let go of possibilities and alternatives as we make choices and focus. We let go of grievances, grudges, resentments in order to be free and healthy. As we move through life, we grieve losses of jobs, places, people. We let go and try to end something well in order to begin something new in healthy ways. We let go of things. We learn we have to do what we can and then let go of results. At night, when we want to sleep, we need to let go of nagging concerns and problems. If we parent, we do all we can, and we have to let go of our children. At some point, we have to let go of our parents. As we experience life’s nuances and ambiguities, we let go of certainties. We have responsibilities; we tend to them, and we have to let go of control. We have to let go of our self-image, our appearance and health and eventually life itself. At times we let go of our separate individual self and recognize our oneness with the wholeness of things.

February 2010

We heard this story about the power of prayer, “I accidentally drove by the bakery this morning and there in the window were a host of goodies. I felt this was no accident, so I prayed, ‘God, if you want me to have one of those delicious coffee cakes, let me have a parking place directly in front of the bakery.’ And sure enough, the eighth time around the block, there it was!”

Unitarian Universalists are often cautious about prayer. The Rev. Patrick O'Neill, minister of the First Unitarian Congregational Society of Brooklyn, New York, writes, “Most Unitarian Universalist ministers I know spend a lot of time composing good, inclusive-type prayers…It’s a tricky business. ‘Oh, Thou Great Essence of Life’ sounds like a perfume advertisement.. . .In truth, I like the fact that our diversity of beliefs in the Unitarian Universalist church makes us choose our words of prayer carefully.”

This month’s theme is spiritual practice and prayer. You are invited to reflect on what you consider to be your personal way of prayer and spiritual practice or what you might like for it to be. Imagine you are composing a Book of Prayer and Spiritual Practice.

January 2010

2010 Oh, 10!

10 resolutions we offer for you to embrace for Oh, 10

Resolved: to go deeper in 2010. Join with people who are deepening as Unitarian Universalists, who attend Sunday services regularly, give 5 – 10% to the church or are committed to doing so (You can change your pledge at any time. Just talk with Treasurer Anne Greenwood), who want to support one another in our consumption, spiritual practices, and living our values. We’ll have a first meeting to consider our personal goals and group support on Sunday, January 10, 12:30-1:30 p.m., in the Fireside Room.

Resolved: to call church friends and invite them to sit with you for a Sunday Service, followed by a cup of coffee and conversation.
Resolved: to visit the 9:00 Sunday Service. The 9:00 service is green (no paper orders of service) and uses the projection screen for photos, images, readings, songs.
Resolved: to bring a friend to services especially on January 24. The choir will sing, Roger Dillahunty will dance, and we will celebrate friendships.
Resolved: to establish for yourself a personal goal of service in the larger community. Perhaps you would like to give 24 hours, one day of your life spread throughout this O 10 year. Service could be serving a meal at the shelter, reading in the schools, witnessing for non-violence on the streets, stepping in when you see something that needs to be done, rallies, advocacy, letter writing for marriage equality, water rights, health care reform, peace. Commit to actions to make for a more just and compassionate world.
Resolved: to meet someone new to you each Sunday.

December 2009

Peace is our theological theme for the month. As gifts to ourselves and others, we can practice peace each day this month.

2Doves Dec. 1 Greet the day with gratitude, open your heart to compassion, and your desire to bring peace.

Dec. 2 Enjoy a moment this evening to see the moon, full, bright, and shining.

Dec. 3 Breathing in, I calm my body. Breathing out, I breathe out peace.

Dec. 4 The mind is like a television set with hundreds of channels. Which channel will you turn on?” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Dec. 5 Each morning speak a daily intention of compassion and peace for yourself and all you encounter.

Dec. 6 “Let all rejoice who have a voice to raise!” Hymn #36, "When in Our Music," Singing the Living Tradition

Music Sunday and Sing-Along Messiah!

November 2009

Gratitude is the theological theme for the month of November. German theologian Meister Eckhart proclaimed that “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough."

As you rise in the morning, try saying, “This morning I’m thankful for…”

When you go to bed at night, look back on the day and remember things that happened, relive them by remembering, “I’m glad for...”

As you sit down for a meal, give thanks for the earth, the sun, the rain, the many hands that brought this meal to you.

If you share a meal with others, give thanks for the company of family and friends. When you eat alone, give thanks for the people who have accompanied your life.