And after Advent comes Christmas - some more #Unitarian thoughts

A CHRISTMAS PRAYER WITH SEVEN WORDS

We remember the Magi,

Observers of stars,
Evidence-based seekers
Who found their way to kneel before a baby.
May we, too, kneel before life’s intricate mysteries
Following the path of science-based searchers for truth

We remember Mary,
Birth-mother of a revolutionary prophet
The fetus in her womb a surprise,
Her choice a decision to magnify her hope,
The birth difficult,
Attended by a beautiful diversity of animals,
And a rag-tag gathering of vulnerable people.
May we too, kneel at the cradle of earth’s dreams for peace
And dedicate ourselves to revolutionary love.

We remember Joseph,
Unexpectant father,
Who embraced the baby as his own
Believing that every child has a God-given entitlement to love and care.
May we too, stand by the women and children of this world
When patriarchal privilege and power threaten their freedom
And put their well-being at risk.

We remember the Angels
Singing in a cold night to the over-taxed poor,
Promising peace and goodwill to all.
May we echo their song in acts of solidarity and justice
For all souls—refugee souls, green souls, disabled souls,
Black souls, young souls, transgender souls.
May we join the bold, holy movement
To bring heaven to earth.
May the Morning Star brighten our hope for a new day,
And may laughter strengthen all our prayers. AMEN

-- Prayer offered on December 17, 2017 by Rev. Dr. Rebecca Parker, Theologian in Residence, All Souls Church Unitarian, Washington, DC - Copy/Share freely!

American #Unitarian converted St Nicholas into Santa Claus

The Advent Wait #unitarians

What are we waiting for?

By its very nature the eternal You cannot become an It.

The eternal You is not to be found either in or outside the world; is not to be experienced; is not to be thought.

And we transgress against That Which Has Being if we say: “I believe that He is.”

For even “He” or “She” or “It” is still a metaphor, while “You” is not.

(adapted from Martin Buber, I and Thou)

You, the Self

the Tao

the Brahman – Atman

the Rule

the Source

the Sovereign

the Way

the Abyss;

You, Life

Underlying Order

the Great Unfolding

Overall Dance

Complete Entirety

the Integral Net of Being

There is no reason, no meaning, no travel, no ‘later’, in You

There is only here, now.

December 2017 - Light in Winter Darkness, a meeting for reverence by Ringwood #Unitarians

The meeting for reverence for December 2017 was on the theme of “Light in Winter Darkness”.  Our president for the day gathered together a wealth of thoughts and references to the kinds of celebration that people have felt moved to make at this time of year, since well before written records.

At our very fundamental core, there seems always to have been a fear that, as the nights grow longer and the sun’s effect weaker, the sun may soon fail to rise at all.  Life may be irretrievably lost.  But just when all hope can be lost, there is a pivot point, which can be marked and measured.  And this turning point brings more than hope – it brings a promise to replace the hope.

So we can see why so many long established world faiths build on those Earth-centred, earlier beliefs, and choose the dark of winter in which to locate one of their big celebrations.  The Winter Solstice is but one way of seeing that pivotal event.  Christians at Christmas see the promise of redemption in the birth of a child.

Jews at Hanukkah see the saving of a whole culture and history and narrative of the divine, in the unexpected continued burning of a light in the darkness. Diwali for Hindus is a celebration of lights in the darkness, lights which cannot be doubted.

We sang a very Unitarian hymn which has words by John Andrew Storey: “But not alone on Christmas morn / Was God made one with humankind: / Each time a boy or girl is born, / Incarnate deity we find.”  And we may have been a little surprised to hear a quotation from a previous Archbishop of Canterbury, William Temple (1881 – 1944), referring to several other world faiths and saying, “....There is only one Divine Light, and every man in his own measure is enlightened by it...”

We heard readings from Forrest Church, from The Cathedral of the World, and from Walt Whitman, I Thank You, and we had some moving recorded music from Robert Prizeman and John Rutter, interspersed by some very intense silences.