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Congregation Unitarian Universalist
When is Enough, Enough?
A Gift Of Change
Opening words: -- David S. Blanchard
Lighting the Chalice:
May your oil not run out as you light one more candle to drive the dark of tyranny
away.
May you build a fire to drive away the cold demons of the winter's night.
May you glow with radiant peace on a silent night of beloved memory and fondest
hope.
May you give yourself and others a spiritual manumission, setting all free of past
wounds, injuries and injustices.
And may you ring in a new year with renewed commitment to learn and to teach how
to love more steadfastly in your daily life.
By kindling a chalice, we sanctify this time and this place as a safe haven in
which all may speak freely and honestly, without fear of judgement.
Lighting of the Advent Cnadles:
"Presents are the sorts of things that fit on lists, complete with size and color preference. Presents are the sorts of things we are smart enough to ask for. Gifts are altogether different. We don't usually think to ask for them, perhaps because we think we don't deserve them, or don't want to risk expressing the need. Gifts differ from presents because no matter what form they take, they always represent something greater, something deeper, something more enduring; they are about things like love, respect, and affirmation."
Advent is the season of preparation, and today we light candles in
anticipation of new vitality and new possibilities.
Let this First Candle be for
faith, the trust that the foundation of life is good.
Let this Second Candle be
for hope, which renews our spirit and gives us strength to continue.
Let this
Third Candle be for love, which helps us to find the deepest meaning of human
life.
Faith, hope, and love: these candles symbolize the spark of divinity in
each of us and in the web of life
Prayer: (Followed by a moment of silent meditation)
Hymn "Simple Gifts Singing the Living Tradition " #16 Listen to music here
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" )
Hymn:: Reading
I am grateful for this pile of dirty laundry.
I have plenty of clothes to wear - many wear rags.
I am grateful for that unmade bed, it was so warm and comfortable last
night - many have no bed in which to sleep.
I am grateful for the tall grass that needs mowing, and the lawn that
needs raking - we all enjoy the yard.
Even though the roof leaks, the stair rail is wobbly, the floor is
scuffed, and the faucet drips, I am grateful for my home - many are homeless.
Even though I grumble and bemoan my fate from time to time, and wish my
circumstances were not so modest, I am grateful for life.
Hymn : #226 Singing the Living Tradition (adapted)
Theme of our Discussion - When is Enough, Enough? (Copyright: First Unitarian Church San José)
Extinguishing Chalice:
Hymn and Closing Circle of Hands (We link arms while we read)
Sometimes in life, we have to become less to be more. We become whole people,
not on the basis of what we accumulate, but by getting rid of everything that is
not really us, everything false and inauthentic. Sometimes to become whole, we
have to give up the Dream.
Amen. Shalom. Blessed be.
*Hymn:
Today our story is Lights for Lucy by Connie Dunn
# 123 (STLT)
"Spirit of Life" by Carolyn McDade (adapted)
Spirit of Life, come unto us,
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.
People look east, the time is near
Of the crowning of the year.
Make your house fair as you are able,
Trim the hearth and set the table.
People look east and sing today,
Change, the Guest, is on the way.
Furrows be glad. Though earth is bare,
One more seed is planted there.
Lend your strength the seed to nourish
That in course the flower may flourish.
People look east and sing today,
Growth, the Rose, is on the way.
Stars, keep the watch. When night is dim,
One more light the chalice shall brim,
Shining beyond the frosty weather,
Bright as the sun and the moon together.
People look east and sing today,
Hope, the Star, is on the way.
This is a time of year when we ask—and are asked—what do you want? We ask and we answer. We shop, we wrap, we ship.
And the season usually comes and goes so quickly that we never really answer the question:
What do you want?
This can be a question for each of us to hold on to for a time in mind and heart. What do we want?
Not what would we like, but what do we want to give us a deeper connection with life and to help us give expression to our deepest selves?
Not a long list of things, but a sense of clarity that illuminates what it is we are doing and why.
Discussion Questions:
1. What are some issues you have struggled with for which you do not feel grateful?
2. How much money would be enough?
3. How big of a house would be enough?
4. What satisfies you? When do you feel content?
5. Which of the following quotes do you agree with?
Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for your life should not consist in the abundance of possessions.- Luke 12:15
The want of money is the root of all evil.- Samuel Butler
The eyes of other people are the eyes that ruin us. If all but myself were blind, I should want neither fine clothes, fine houses, nor fine furniture. - Benjamin Franklin
Satisfaction is not so much getting what you want as wanting what you have.- David T. Myers, Ph.D. The Pursuit of Happiness
If you could live without limits, if you could do anything, go anywhere,command anyone to do what you wanted, would that make you happy?- Rabbi Harold Kushner - When All You Have Ever Wanted Is Not Enough
Most of the luxuries, and many of the so-called comforts of life, are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind. With respect to luxuries and comforts, the wisest have ever lived a more simple and meager life than the poor.- Henry David Thoreau
All I ever really needed to know I learned in kindergarten. - Robert Fulghum, Unitarian Universalist Minister
He who dies with the most toys, wins.- Bumper sticker
Realizing that well-being is something other than being well-off is liberating..- David T. Myers, Ph.D - The Pursuit of Happiness
Most of us have become so focused on what we think we want, we have forgotten what it is we are really seeking. We seldom ask ourselves, "What do I really want?" - Peter Russell - Waking Up in Time
In the busy holiday season,
let us remember the true gifts of the spirit.
Let us feel the blessing of community
and the sweet expectation
of good things to come.
And now we extinguish our chalice
but not the light of hope:
hope for change that brings
new blessings into our lives and the lives of those around us.
Go now in Peace
Go now in Peace, Go now in Peace,
May the Love of God surround you
Everywhere, everywhere, You may go
