Currents - Fall 2015

Blessed are you who know that the work of the church is transformation of society, who have a vision of Beloved Community transcending the present, and who do not shrink from controversy, sacrifice or change. Blessed are you indeed. - John Buehrens

As I've said many a time, religion is our response to the reality of paradox. So, stay where you are - stay on the beach, in the garden, hiding out from the heat in the movie theater with the kids (I'll see you there), on the boat, or visiting at your mom's house.  I hope you are having a truly wonderful summer. But....AND, also remember that Ingathering Sunday is on its way - Sunday, September 13th - and I can't wait to see you, and all your loved ones, and all you friends, there, ready to give yourself time for deep conversation, quiet reflection, meditation, prayer, and the peace and beauty of the inner and outer space that is First U. 

I've been on study weeks, trying to dive into the joys, challenges, and sometimes frankly horrifying frustrations of our nation, and our beautiful, hopeful, hurting world.  As is our tradition, here are some of the titles that I've been reading, and videos I've been watching...Not everything, but a preview of the resources and wonderings upon which our new preaching and teaching year will be built.  And speaking of the new year - check out and prepare to "follow" our new Worship Program blog: The Antidote.  Once church starts we begin with the theme of Voices in "Big Conversations" and there will be plenty to read, remember and follow-up on as we go. You can also join our Facebook page to stay in the know about not only preaching and teaching, but every fun chance to get together, get to know one another, put our Faith into Action, and make our buildings and grounds Flexible, Accessible and Beautiful - a top goal of our church year.

With all of you, I believe in the Beloved Community, and believe in the hope of the present, and our combined resources toward the good. I look forward to seeing you soon - Rev. J

hands down required reading -
Between the World and Me
by Ta-Nehisi Coates. I have not read The Beautiful Struggle yet - but, I will!

the academic and awesome -
Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence by Karen Armstrong

UU specific -
The Cathedral of the World

and fiction that really enlightens and informs -
The Red Pencil
A Long Walk to Water
The Book of Unknown Americans
The Invention of Wings

In exploring our new social justice initiative to know and serve New Mainers I was told by the folks at Opportunity Alliance not to miss the movie The Good Lie We'll have a showing of it at church this year.

Worth watching at home -
We Should All Be Feminists - and her novels are awesome, too!
and both tough and funny from The Daily Show... Spot the Africa

SUNDAYS AT FIRST U  YARMOUTH

9:30 am - Religious Education
"Unitarian Universalists are called to converse, not convert"

Explore our preaching and teaching themes through games, activities, small group work as well as large group discussions. Make friends, flex your spiritual muscles, be challenged and comforted, and have fun!
Children

Meet with their RE Teachers in a class from PreK - 1st or 2nd - 4th grade (5th graders welcome as well)
Adults

Meet with Rev. Jennifer or our guest presenter in the Gathering Room

10:30 am - Worship
Worship services held in our beautiful Sanctuary focus on story,  myth, music, inspirational texts from many traditions, meditation, prayer and the need for both peace and wonder in our lives. Children stay with the adults through the Offering, then proceed to their own Children's Chapel space to finish the worship journey in their own language and time.

"Time to remember how fragile life is and how precious love must therefore be. Time to seize every opportunity we are given to offer thanks, to celebrate, to serve, hope and love."

11:30 am - Fellowship and Faith In Action

"We test our faith by deeds, not creeds."

At our coffee hour we provide a chance each week to engage our social justice program directly and put your Faith In Action. Activities are inclusive of all ages and contribute to our Partnerships locally and abroad.

Please see our Faith In Action at First U, Yarmouth guide for more information.

All quotes from the Rev. Forrest Church The Cathedral of the World

A little inspiration and exploration on a snowy, icy Sunday!

Hi folks -
Happy New Year - I've been missing you since Winter Solstice and Christmas Eve and was looking forward to seeing you this morning. Alas, it's too icy to go out, but here are a few of my inspirations for what would have been this Sunday's service, and I hope they will warm up your morning - stay safe, and I'll see you soon - Rev. Jennifer

When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.  - John Muir

 

Call to Worship

 

Praise wet snow

  falling early

Praise the shadow

  my neighbor's chimney casts on the tile roof

And Praise the invisible sun burning beyond the white cold sky, giving us

light and the chimney's shadow.

Praise

god or the gods, the unknown,

that which imagined us, which stays

our hand

and gives us still,

in the shadow of death,

our daily life,

and the dream still

of goodwill, of peace on earth

Praise

flow and change, night and

the pulse of day

 - - Denise Levertov

 

We are exploring Liberations, and there are 4 parts to an "Ethics of Care" which is one way to reach interdependence and liberation for all life. Children were going to practice the first part of an ethics of care: Attentiveness

Attentiveness can be explored many ways - this Sunday we were going to watch, count, feed and learn more about the birds around First U.  Our local Audubon chapters are always hard at work being attentive to our native species, and reaching out to help preserve our beautiful habitats. You and your children can learn more at http://birds.audubon.org/great-backyard-bird-count

http://maineaudubon.org/

 

 

Prayer

 

It is neither spring nor summer. It is Always

With towhees, finches, chickadees, California quail, wood doves,

With wrens, sparrows, juncos, cedar waxwings, flickers,

With Baltimore orioles, Michigan bobolinks,

And those birds forever dead,

The passenger pigeon, the great auk, the Carolina paraquet,

All birds remembered, O never forgotten!

All in my yard, of a perpetual Sunday,

All morning! All morning!

 - - Theodore Roethke

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tNjf9VGlZQ - Spirit of Life meditation

 

 

As we explore Liberations we will turn to the inspiration of Unitarian Universalist minister and author Galen's Guengrich's new book: God Revised: How Religion Must Evolve in a Scientific Age

 

 "If you and I were forced to design principles of justice for our nation or (perhaps more tellingly) our world, and if we had no idea what place we would subsequently occupy in either, my guess is that we would do our best to upgrade the downside. I can do the math. The current odds of any randomly chosen person in human history enjoying the level of comfort and well-being that I do now are at least a million - maybe ten million - to one against. If we can think rightly....we must at times choose and act and legislate as though we are ignorant of our own good fortune. Reason demands it, and justice requires it. Besides, the world is our world; an ethic of gratitude demands that we take it personally (185)."

 

Meditation

 

If I were alone in a desert

 and feeling afraid,

I would want a child to be with me.

For then my fear would disappear

 and I would be made strong.

This is what life in itself can do

because it is so noble, so full of pleasure

  and so powerful.

But if I could not have a child with me

I would like to have at least a living animal

at my side to comfort me.

 

Therefore,

let those who bring about wonderful things

in their big, dark books

take an animal

to help them.

The life within the animal

will give them strength in turn.

  For equality

gives strength, in all things

and at all times.

 - - Meister Eckhart

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTvr79Oe5w8 - If I Had a Hammer