|
SERVICES ON EARTH-BASED UU SPIRITUALITY:
SINGING THE WINTER AWAY - SPRING EQUINOX - Northern climes in
late March are seldom Spring-like, and we find it hard to believe that Winter will ever come to an end. We will reflect on
the darkness that is nearly past (believe it or not!), and consider what seeds of life we will plant for ourselves in the
coming season of renewal.
YOU ARE A CHILD OF THE EARTH - FIRST HARVEST (EARLY AUGUST)
- We will reaffirm our sacred connections with Mother Earth, and celebrate the traditional Celtic Festival of Lammas, or First
Harvest. Bring a summer gift from the Earth (grain, fruit, vegetables, bread, flowers, etc.) to church for our Lammas ritual.
IN SWEET FIELDS OF AUTUMN - AN EQUINOX CELEBRATION - We will
celebrate Harvest Home, saying a fond goodbye to Summer and reflecting on the winter to come. Bring an Autumn Harvest fruit,
food or decoration to church (e.g. apples, corn, wheat, squash, acorns, autumn leaves, pine cones, etc.).
DANCE IN THE DARK OF THE YEAR - THE WINTER SOLSTICE - In the
mid-winter festivals of light there is something for everyone to celebrate, from the most devoutly believing Christian to
the most confirmed Atheist. As we meditate on this darkest time of the year and simultaneously turn back toward the light,
we will invite everyone to honor whatever most closely touches their hearts and minds.
|
 |
|
ROCK 'N' ROLL SERVICES:
A DAY IN THE LIFE - The
eight short years that the Beatles were together (1963-1970) witnessed some of the most rapid and tumultuous social and political
change in history. We will listen to a number of the Beatles' songs, reflect on the period itself, sing, dance, and look at
how the music reflects Unitarian Universalist values.
NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JANIS JOPLIN - In the course of her short, tempestuous life, (1943-1970), blues-rock singer Janis Joplin
pushed back the boundaries that kept women "in their place" for hundreds of years. Without conventional beauty or "proper"
feminine restraint, she sang from the depths of her soul, and showed women everywhere that they could be who they were and
win. But she suffered from the self-doubt and loneliness often experienced by those who are light-years ahead of their time.
This service will explore, from a Unitarian Universalist viewpoint, the musical and cultural legacy that this remarkable woman
left for us.
|
|
|
SERVICES ON LIFE ISSUES:
MIST
AROUND THE BEND
From
the old Irish tales of the Faerie folk and the English legend of Avalon, to modern vampire lore and ghost stories, stories
of other realities co-existing with our own, although not ordinarily accessible to us, are common in cultures all over the
world. Do alternate realities actually exist, or are they pure fantasy? Do they
become "real" when we have the experience of brushing up against them? We will
consider these questions in song and spoken word.
THIS
IS THE WAY OF PEACE: THE LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF PEACE PILGRIM
The
woman who called herself “Peace Pilgrim” walked the highways of America from the height of the Korean Conflict
until her death in 1981, walking until she was given shelter and fasting until she was given food. She wrote: “This is the way of peace: Overcome evil
with good, falsehood with truth, and hatred with love.” We will explore
the relevance that this remarkable woman’s life has to our own lives and the times we live in.
OUR CHURCH IS ANYWHERE WE SING
Each
of the presenters has devoted a substantial portion of her life to music. Each will present a short homily on why she chose
a musical path, what it has added to her life, and what, if anything, she has had to give up for it, as well as the spiritual
meaning it has had for her. Each will choose a musical piece to present that
is typical of the music that she has chosen to focus on.
THE CIRCLE WITHIN THE CIRCLE – On the Path of Humano-Paganism
Is
it possible to be BOTH a Humanist and a Pagan? This service will explore the
not-always-obvious ways that these two seemingly very different belief systems can be reconciled.
MY WAGES DO
NOT MAKE MY WORTH - Presenters: Phil Cooper and Susan Urban. We live in a society where a person's worth tends to be
defined by the amount of money they make, and where people tend to define themselves by the work they do. Paradoxically, the
vast majority make a living at work that they do not enjoy or find rewarding. Are we really nothing but our place on the wage/prestige
scale? Can we/should we be something more?
I SING THE BODY ELECTRIC - A service on embracing and using
the gifts that each of us has been given, and on letting go of envy of those whose gifts are different from ours.
EVEN UUs GET THE BLUES - A service on music that is sad, or
"blue," and why it can sometimes make us feel so GOOD, and also on humorous songs that make us laugh about things that we
don't usually consider funny.
AND MANY, MANY, MORE...
|
|
|
|
