Download Here Together - Unitarian Universalist Church of the Restoration

“Title”
date
““epigram from top of order of service if you use one
Prelude
Jane Hulting
Gathering Bell
Welcome and Call to Worship
Kathy
Good morning and welcome! I am KE, privileged and blessed
to serve this lively and growing congregation. I am joined
today by worship associate, -------------. Today, we
We’re glad you are here. It’s good to be together.
Please join us for (coffee and conversation or potluck lunch)
immediately following our worship celebration downstairs in
fellowship hall.
Communication/Connection Card (Generally I want to
announce one thing, either the thing happening today, very
soon or the thing that feels most important. Sometimes I do
say more than one.)
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We invite you to bring all that you are to this community:
Your whole self - including your truths and your doubts,
Your fears and your dreams.
Whoever you are, you are welcome here.
You are welcome here.
In our presence may you seek meaning,
Speak your truth in love,
Share your truth, your gifts, and your love.
(That’s what I basically say. Sometimes, I adlib a bit from
it. Sometimes I add something pertinent to the particular
service. Below from the George DeBenneville day.)
As one of those on our window, George de Benneville
wrote, "As no church is pure in all things, so none can be
found that does not contain some truth. Glorious truths
are found in every church and religion under the sun. And
this glorious chain of truths . . . we believe will someday
unite all of them into one form of love."i
May we unite in love as we worship together.
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Chalice Lighting
(There are many beautiful possibilities for chalice lightings. I
sometimes use the opening stem below and then use one of
the principles, one of the sources or the Restoration
Covenant that seems to fit the service.)
As we light our chalice this morning, we call to mind and
reaffirm one of the principles of our free faith: the acceptance
of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our
congregations.
Responsive Song Here Together Congregation
We are here, here together
in this holy moment and
we’re grateful for the winding road
that brought us to this place. (repeat)
Entering Reflection
(One page; 450 to 700 words max, 3-5 minutes)
Gathering Hymn
(We moved both joys and sorrows and the offering to the front
of the service so that our children and youth can participate.)
Joys and Sorrows
We build our community, our connections by sharing our joys and
sorrows – those things that brought you lifted up above the snow
in joy this morning or those burdens that weighed you down,
trudging through the slush.
(I’ve been saying something like below since using the stones
and water.)
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We share our joys and sorrows using stones and water.
Water is essential for life; water holds us all. Water can
symbolize emotions.
I invite you to come forward, bring your stone or choose
another to represent your joy or sorrow, hold it and send the
energy of you prayer into the stone and then place it in the
water. The ripples remind us of our connections. Like
dropping a pebble into a pool of water, we never know how far
the ripples of our changing lives -- the sharing of our joys and
sorrows and stories may travel.
As you come forward, you may bring your joy or sorrow in
silent prayer or you may come to the microphone and verbally
share.
Prayer
Responsive Hymn # Spirit of Life or LovingKindness or
When our Heart is in a Holy Place
The Morning Offering/Change for Change
Below are several different requests.)
(From December) One way to share our own light is to share
from our financial resources for the building of our community,
for our work in the world to transform the world. . . I invite you
to share “happy money” – money that you can feel good
about sharing.
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If you are a first time visitor here, you are our guest and we
are happy to welcome you. Your presence with us is a gift
and you are not obligated to give us another gift.
The morning offering to this community will now be gratefully
received.
(from a November service)
Generosity is a significant spiritual practice – generosity of
spirit, generosity of time and energy and yes, generosity of
our financial resources. I invite you to share “happy money” –
money that you feel good about sharing – because you are
helping to create and sustain a meaningful spiritual home.
Money that you can joyfully give because you have also been
given good gifts. May we share with awareness of gratitude
for the abundance of gifts that we have received.
Change for Change will go to ------------------. It will
_______________. (And sometimes mention Restoration
volunteer involved or other connection to the recipient.)
Offertory
(Since we have started receiving the offering up front, I
generally say some words of thanks which includes thank you
for all your gifts of life, love and energy.)
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Thank you for all your gifts of life and love. Your sacred,
holy gifts of your life energy, your resources and your time to
help make the world better, to help your religious community.
thank you for your holy gifts of life and love.
Thank you for the gifts of service (or music or . . .
particular people for particular things.)
Story Wisdom
Children and Youth leave for their time together.
Reading
Anthem
Words of Inspiration
( Generally 1800 to no more than 2500 words. I try to end with
using some words or phrases in the hymn that follows. You can
end by saying Ashe. Amen Blessed Be. May it be so. Or any
combination, if you like. You don’t have to. My friend, Ken Belden
generally ends the sermon by saying , “May you live in blessing.”)
Hymn #
Closing Words
Extinguishing the Chalice
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(You can ask people to form a circle and hold hands for chalice
extinguish. Some folks here really like it; some hate it. I often
just plain forget it.)
Responsive Song “Here Together”
Music & Lyrics by David Glasgow
We have spent time together
and these holy moments
give us strength to go
down the winding road until we meet again. (repeat)
(I have been inviting the worship associate to walk with
my down the aisle as we sing the repeat verse. We
open the doors.)
and my prayer for you is a peace
that’s true until we meet again.
(After the song, I say something like this below and
sometimes add “but first come downstairs for
coffee/lunch. It still seems to get a laugh.)
Go in Peace and be peace and return in love. May you live
in blessing.
Postlude
Questions for Contemplation:
(If you are using these, I just type them here to remind myself.)
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i
http://www25-temp.uua.org/uuhs/duub/articles/georgedebenneville.html
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