The theme of the day was “Love”. Our president for the day brought us a reading
from Hinduism, a reading and a prayer from Christianity, and a prayer from
Buddhism. We included our usual silent
ritual in which a flame, some bread, some water and an item for fanning oneself
are passed around the whole circle of participants. We do not specify what these elements are to signify
to participants. We prefer to act in silence so that people can derive their
own meanings and satisfaction from the ritual.
We also lit candles and spoke of our joys and concerns, which has become
a deeply moving part of our meeting for reverence, and which allows us to
develop our mutual understanding as the months go by.
Our first reading was from Paul’s first letter to the
Corinthians, and is the famous passage often used at weddings (1 Corinthians Chapter
13 verses 4 to 8). We were invited to
consider which of its well-known clauses we personally would find hard to live
up to. It was a challenge for this Unitarian
to narrow it down to only one! As one
would expect at a Unitarian gathering, there were as many different views as
there were people present.
Not everyone present felt able to study the reading from
Paul in a detached way, as it was felt to come freighted within a very strong
context. I for one was grateful for the frankness
that was spoken aloud about that. Unitarians
find it is important that people feel able to be honest about such matters. Personal integrity matters a great deal to us
and we would not be content for someone to feel they had to pretend, or to conceal
their honest dissatisfaction or discomfort. My own view is that many religious groups of all faiths have
a tacit convention that disagreements and discomforts are hidden for the sake
of conformity and stability. This diminishes
the richness of the whole experience and can cause individuals to feel rejected
in the very place where they most seek – and most need to find – the feeling of
being included, and of being at home.
Our second reading was translated from the Sanskrit, said to
have been written by the poet Kalidasa, and may not be quite so well known:
Look to this day:
For it is life, the very life of life.
In its brief course
Lie all the verities and realities of your existence.
The bliss of growth,
The glory of action,
The splendour of achievement
Are but experiences of time.
For yesterday is but a dream
And tomorrow is only a vision;
And today well-lived, makes
Yesterday a dream of happiness
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well therefore to this day.....
Our music was a Unitarian hymn with words by June
Boyce-Tillman (We sing a love) and a
rendition by Joe Cocker of Up Where We
Belong:
Who knows what
tomorrow brings
In a world few hearts survive
All I know is the way I feel
When it's real, I keep it alive
The road is long
There are mountains in our way
But we climb a step every day
Love lift us up
where we belong
Where the eagles cry
On a mountain high
Love lift us up where we belong
Far from the world below
Up where the clear winds blow
And we finished with some famous words by Mother Teresa, before staying to chat over hot drinks. If you haven't tried our gatherings for reverence yet, do consider giving them a go. We look forward to hearing YOUR take on what life, the universe and everything is all about.
