Unitarian Universalists

Freedom: We have gathered here to light our chalice of freedom with a flame that symbolizes freedom - of expression, faith and other individual liberties. Flame that brings light, helps us to see and fends off the darkness. Flame that warms us up when it is cold, either outside or in our hearts.

Peace: Where there is Faith There is Love. Where there is Love There is Peace. Where there is Peace There is God Where there is God There is no Need.

Gratitude: Each morning we must hold out the chalice of our being in gratitude To receive, To carry, and to give back We light this as a symbol to be ever mindful of those three tasks.

Wisdom: May this flame go up and remind us that our faith is good: every one of us can bring love to the world. May this chalice burn with clear flame as a symbol of our path: every one of us can have joy, peace and harmony in our hearts. May through this flame the wisdom of ages speak to us and stay in us: every one of us can be a blessing to the world.

Knowledge: Let this flame symbolize the divine spark of light embedded in all living beings. May its flame lead us to greater knowledge and tolerance. May its warmth lead us to deeper love and compassion. And may its light lead us toward greater wisdom and understanding. Yes, each of us is but a tiny flame. But together we can enlighten the world! <

Courage: Breath of the divine, light a flame of reflection in all that we do. Breath of strength, light a flame of courage to be who we are: sentient, vulnerable, and diverse. Breath of creation, light a flame of connection in our circle of care. Breath of wonder, light a flame of inspiration to cultivate participation. Breath of this moment, light a flame of celebration for our future unfolds the covenant of this day.

Humanity: We light this chalice to mark the commencement of our Unitarian and Universalist service of witness which we believe is necessary for the future of all humanity. By this simple act of lighting a flame we are activating a symbol of our solidarity with a noble line of freedom of thought that is relevant today and By this simple act we are identifying with a world-wide community of fellow believers who seek to enrich the world by their peaceful and tolerant commitment to Unitarian and Universalist principles.

Justice: Across this land and around the world people strive for justice, struggle for peace, Honor love, and dream of a new day When all will live in dignity. Our loving, free faith has a duty to Justice, A vision to uphold, and a call that sounds From sea to sea to sea. If you are here today, You are called to the ministry of all to all To make heaven here on earth Now, in this place, on this planet For all people. May our time in worship together, As a congregation and as a faith, Renew our call to this shared ministry.

Hope: We light our chalice of hope, the symbol of our faith, in the spirit of hope. We reflect for a moment, In this place of simple beauty, On the meaning of hope in our lives. And we think of those not here, Blessed in the knowledge That the fond spirits of those whom we love well can never leave us, But stay in our hearts forever.

Mercy: We light our chalice in the spirit of mercy with inspiration from Micah 6 8. Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world's grief. And what is required of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly and lightly upon this earth. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.

First Principle Worth and Dignity: The light of life shines through the eyes of each and every person. The light of truth shines through each life. May the light of this chalice remind us that our search for truth and light is ongoing, and is enhanced and nurtured by every person we meet. May we honor the light in each other.

Rev. Jill McAllister

The years of all of us are short, our lives precarious. Our days and nights go hurrying on and there is scarcely time to do the little that we might. Yet we find time for bitterness, for petty treason and evasion. What can we do to stretch our hearts enough to lose their littleness? Here we are - all of us - all upon this planet, bound together in a common destiny, Living our lives between the briefness of the daylight and the dark. Kindred in this, each lighted by the same precarious, flickering flame of life, how does it happen that we are not kindred in all things else? How strange and foolish are these walls of separation that divide us!

We light this chalice, a living symbol of the one Life that animates and sustains all things and all persons, the one Life in which we all live and move and have our being, and the one Life which perpetually gives of itself to itself so as to become the many. By means of the light of truth and reason, and the warmth of fellowship and compassion, may the many come to know themselves to be not only interconnected with each other, but also indivisible emanations of that one great Light which enlightens all Life and which can never be extinguished.

Rev. Dr. Ian Ellis-Jones

Australian and New Zealand Unitarian Universalist Association

www.anzuua.org