Introductions and Orientation
including introduction of the president for the day & safety notices
Lighting of the candle in the chalice
with a few words by the president, followed by a moment of silence for centring ourselves
Many paths, one welcome
the following words or a substitute, spoken by the president
Welcome
Welcome to this table
Whatever path has brought you here
Whatever load you carry
Let us rest a while together.
May our hearts be open to accept what comes to us as a stranger,
May our minds be open to wonder at what we do not understand,
And may our spirits be nourished by our time here together,
Before we again take up our loads and set off upon our many paths,
Welcome!
Hymn
from green or purple Unitarian hymnbooks
Opening Prayer(s)
A pause to reflect on what matters to us and how we have lived up to that
led by the president or another, ending with:
‘This is what the Sacred asks of you; that you act justly, that you love tenderly, and that you walk humbly in its presence’.
First Reading
the president or another reader
Short Silence
Second Reading
the president or another reader
Short Silence
Break piece — incidental music or hymn
Reflection on Text / Sermon
words by the president
Hymn
a resetting time for personal re-orientation after reflection / sermon
Time of Silent Meditation — 7 minutes
Sharing Intentions, Concerns, Hopes
with the lighting of candles
Words of Shared Witness (one of the five versions, see below)
said together out loud, as far as people feel able
Closing Prayer(s)
Hymn
Blessing
the following words or a substitute, spoken by the president
Let all we do be done in joy;
May we ever seek abundant living.
Let all we do be done in truth;
May we ever listen to the voice within.
Let all we do be done in love;
May affection for all that lives be the rule of our hearts.
Amen
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WORDS OF SHARED WITNESS
Version 1
You to whom we call
Even if it is only we who answer,
You to whom we look
Even if only to raise our eyes,
Of you we tell our tales of justice and hope
That we might make them true
To you we come with gratitude
That we forget not what is ours to give
And before you we stand in need of new beginnings
That we withhold from no one a chance to start again
Version 2
Source of love,
help us to love when it is hard to do so.
Source of courage,
help us to endure when we are afraid.
Source of inspiration,
breathe into us when we are dried up.
For the world cries out for love to heal its hatred and indifference.
The world cries out for courage to heal its cowardice and weakness.
The world cries out for inspiration to heal its soul-hunger and its withered hopes.
Source of vision,
show us the vision of a better world.
Show us the vision of a better world:
a world awake to its oneness,
a world of colour, song and comradeship,
a world of fairness, joy and festivals.
And give us the faith to feed the vision and to make it real.
Version 3
We are a Free Church:
Free to welcome regardless of creed, class, colour, sexuality, or gender.
Free to change and grow together and as individuals
Free to see the value of our heritage while embracing the wisdom that is offered by that of others
Free to make a difference in the here and now.
We are Free.
Version 4
We affirm that love is our greatest purpose.
Accepting one another is the truest form of faithful living.
The search for truth is our constant star.
We pledge our hearts, minds, and hands:
To challenge injustice with courage;
To find hope in times of fear;
And to live out our Unitarian values every day as a beloved community.
Thus do we covenant with each other
and with all that is sacred in life.
Version 5
We are aware and we affirm that we do not find our peace
in the certainty of what we confess,
but in wonder of what befalls us and what we are given;
that we do not find our destination in indifference and greed,
but in vigilance and in connection with all that lives;
that our existence is not fulfilled by who we are and what we possess,
but by what is infinitely greater than we can contain.
