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Embracing Possibilities – Together
There are lots of reasons I’m grateful to call Unitarian Universalism my spiritual home. One of them is that we have historically been people who looked around and saw potential. We saw the potential in each other, in community, in nature. We saw the potential for compassion, acceptance, religious diversity, equity, vulnerability, anti-racism, wonder, gratitude, beauty. And while many others were preaching about sin and a fallen world, we were noticing the spark of the divine wherever we could. I believe that remains a core part of who we UUs are.
It’s important to note that our attention to what’s possible doesn’t come at the expense of tackling problems and harsh realities. If anything, our focus has been a powerful call to engagement. Unitarian Universalists are called to act, to be part of creating the world we imagine, a world where love prevails.
As we begin this new church year, I am wondering what possibilities we will embrace as a community. What relationships and commitments will we renew and build? How will our learnings from these past few years so rooted in trauma inform what we do next and how we understand our role in the world? What do we need from one another?
As we embark on this new church year, I look forward to embracing the possibilities as we move into the future together.
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“Gather the spirit of heart and mind. Seeds for the sowing are laid in store. Nurtured in love, and conscience refined, with body and spirit united once more.”
These words by Jim Scott are some of the first words I remember learning by heart as a UU kid. As a UU adult typing those words out I can’t help but hear Jim’s melody in my head. As UU’s we are called to gather for we know that the spark within each one of us needs tending to. It is easier to keep that spark lit when there are others around to re-light it, when there are others around to witnes our peace, our thanks, our sympathy, our hope, compassion and strength.
“Gather the spirit, harvest the power. Our sep’rate fires will kindle one flame. Witness the mystery of this hour. Our trials in this light appear all the same.”
So once more we gather with a whole bunch of mystery ahead. This year we hope our monthly themes will fuel everyone in our congregation from cradle to sage with core actions that our faith calls us to and our times need from us.
At the start of this new church year we explore the ways in which our faith and times call us to “Embrace Possibilities!” What relationships will we strengthen this year? What new friends will we meet? Who will we say goodbye to? What will we try anew? What will we try again? What will we never try again?
We will get to embrace these possibilities of ours as we
“Gather in peace, gather in thanks.
Gather in sympathy now and then.
Gather in hope, compassion and strength.
Gather to celebrate once again.”
nadine j. smet-weiss
spiritual director
beloveds
let us embrace
beginning
release
the anxiety
of arrival
the journey is
step
by step
in time
punctuated by
pauses
for
reflection
restoration
reorientation
celebration
between
beginnings
embraced
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