Dianne Skafte, When Oracles Speak (adapted) and Vincent B. Silliman, "This Day...", Bruce Southworth)
I regret that many modernized countries no longer celebrate a "day of the dead." The deceased seem to have no place, no usefulness, in a culture devoted to industrial production. Individual friends and relatives are remembered, but we extend no hand of greeting to the multitudes of dead as a community. Our lack of hospitality separates us from an important human tradition. Perhaps we are missing many opportunities to receive direct assistance from the "friendly dead" who still take interest in our lives.
So, let us remember that this day is ours-- Its beauty, its promise-- Its weight of sorrow and disappointment, the brightness of its opportunity for doing and achieving, Of its opportunity for the deepening of love and understanding. We make it ours By the readiness and warmth of our appreciations; For from it we shall receive according to the measure of our giving. Let our giving then be of ourselves, and from the heart. May there be laughter in this day, and if there be tears, then generous tears. Welcome to this Unitarian Universalist Congregation. We are glad that you are here.
Take a moment in silence to light a candle next to your loved one's photo.
Now the dead move through all of us still glowing
Mother and child, lover and lover mated,
Are wound and bound together and enflowing.
What has been plaited cannot be unplaited
Only the strands grow richer with each loss
And memory makes kings and queens of us.
Prayer: ( followed by a moment of silent meditation)
At this time of year nature and our mythology remind us of the cycles of life and death. Our environment seems less abundant as trees and plants prepare for winter. Many cultures in our world claim that the veil between the living and dead is thinner at this time of year.
For those of us coping with loss of friends and loved ones, that thinness feels vast – and thin. Vast because our relationship with those who have died has forever changed. Yet thin because our memory of the dead can keep them close and vital to us.
The cherished memories of our loved ones who came before remind us of the love they gave us and our love for them. We are reminded by them that how we live today matters not just to those with us today but the future generations to come.
As those who came before influence us then we will in turn influence those to come. If we influence others is not our choice, how we influence them is. Our time in this life is limited but what we choose to give to others can be abundant.
May our love and concern for others guide us in preserving the memories and values of those who came before – and may we pass on to those who come after the highest values and spirit that enriched our own lives.
Joys and Concerns: : (We throw a small stone into this bowl filled with water, to symbolize our thoughts, which move in circular rings eternally, like concentric waves.)
We invite you to share your joys and concerns since our last meeting
Story for All Ages: (the children go to Religious Education at the end of the story and the adults sing "Spirit of Life" )
The Days of the Dead are celebrated by people of many cultures, all over the world. During this time we honor the dead, both those whom we have known personally, as well as the ancestors we may not have met, but whose lives influence ours in many ways. We might honor them by reflecting on their memory, creating altars, and bringing family and friends together to share stories of our loved ones. As we celebrate this tradition we might share laughter and tears that can help us to heal our loss. As we reflect on the lives of those whose memory and legacy we carry, we might also be reminded that we are each like links in a long chain, connected to more distant past and future than we normally imagine. In this way it can also become a time to reflect on our own lives, and the legacy we ourselves pass on.
The Days of the Dead can be a time to remember, honor, heal, support, and celebrate. Take some time to think about whom you would like to honor or remember at this time. It may be someone who has died recently, and still feels very near. It may be an ancestor or group of ancestors. It may be a person who is not in your family, but whose legacy you carry, nevertheless. You may be surprised to find a particular person or memory presents itself unexpectedly, asking for your attention.
Sing in our hearts all the stirrings of compassion.
Blow in the wind, rise in the sea;
Move in our hands, giving life the shape of justice.
Roots hold us close; wings set us free;
Spirit of Life, come to us, come to me.
First Reading:
Listen more often to things than to beings
Tis the ancestors’ breath
When the fire’s voice is heard
Tis the ancestors’ breath
In the voice of the waters
-- Birago Diop, Senegalese poet and folklorist ( adapted by Sweet Honey in the Rock)
Second Reading:
-May Sarton
Did someone say that there would be an end,
An end, oh an end, to love and mourning?
Tell me again while the leaves are falling:
“Dear child, what has been once so interwoven
Cannot be raveled or the gift ungiven.”
Discussion Theme: Day Of the Dead Copyright FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH
OF SAN JOSE
What pictures, food, or mementos would beckon that person/spirit back?
Spend some time relating to the person who is present for you: sitting with a picture or memento, talking with others who knew him or her, writing a letter to or imagining a dialog with your loved one. What significance does this person’s memory hold for you? What message might that person send?
What might you do differently if you were to take this message seriously? How might you more deeply honor what has been passed on to you in your own life? How might you carry forward this inheritance, this legacy?
Benediction:
If, here, you have found freedom, take it with you into the world. If you have found comfort, go and share it with others.
If you have dreamed dreams, help one another, that they may come true! If you have known love, give some back to a
bruised and hurting world. Go in peace.
*Closing circle of hands:
(Holding hands or link arms as you read the closing words together)
Extinguish Chalice:
And now we extinguish our chalice but not:
The warmth of community,
The spirit of gratitude,
Or
The fire of commitment and shared compassion of this community.
The light of hope, hope for change that brings new blessings into our lives and the lives of those around us continues to burn brightly, we carry hope in our hearts until we are together again.
# 123 (STLT)
"Spirit of Life" by Carolyn McDade (adapted)
