May 26, 2019
The unifying themes of this program are justice, love, learning and hope. The messages come from sermons and readings from Unitarian-Universalist sources. The program title comes from a beloved Unitarian-Universalist hymn, “Spirit of Life,” which includes the words, “Sing in my heart all the stirrings of compassion” and “Move in the hand, giving life the shape of justice.”
This week, we talk about neurodiversity and neuroplasticity, the amazing way our minds are different and ever-changing. We also talk about how to find trust and redemption in the aftermath of abuse.
Commentary
Written by Orlando Montoya
I sat by the ocean recently on my first beach trip of the season. I ate a fish sandwich on the deck of the venerable Tybee Island restaurant Fanny’s on the Beach. Gazing out at the vast Atlantic from a table for three, I noticed that I was the only person in the place dining solo. On the beach, mine was the only chair by itself, an umbrella and towel surrounded by enough sand to separate me from surrounding conversations. I know that at that moment there were many people more isolated than I – the homebound, the sick, the elderly and those truly without friends and family. I have people that I can call on if so desire. But the sight of it – the ocean, its vastness, its infinite horizon, made me think of all those who, surrounded by the sands of isolation, swam into the infinite, including a friend of mine, who years ago killed himself weeks after telling me about his isolation, and another friend of mine, who died of cancer years ago weeks after telling me that he felt like a rat in a cage. I’m not the best person to consult about loneliness, an epidemic in our nation. A friend of mine more recently did so, telling me about a deep-seated aloneness. I stumbled through that conversation, as many people do, emphasizing a kind of personal defiance – “Blank everyone else, go by yourself” and a kind of mystic optimism, Rumi’s quote – “That which you seek is seeking you.” Cold comfort, I know. Perhaps the best thing to do in noticing loneliness is to acknowledge that you’ve noticed it and to move on, to notice something else, a Buddhist practice. Thinking outside the present ruins the fish sandwich and the view. Enjoy your moments, alone and together.
Sermon
"The Mystery of the Mind” (5/5/19)
Rev. Matthew Johnson
Unitarian-Universalist Church of Rockford, Illinois
Sermon
“Trust and Redemption” (2/3/19)
Rev. Shana Lynngood
First Unitarian Church of Victoria, British Columbia
Sermon
TBD
Sermon
TBD
Braver Wiser
Used by permission of Braver Wiser, a publication of the Unitarian-Universalist Association
Quest Monthly
Used by permission of Quest Monthly, a publication of the Church of the Larger Fellowship
UUA Statements
Messages from the Unitarian Universalist Association
Natural Silence
Used by permission of ListeningEarth.com
UUA Principles and Sources
Our liberal faith as defined by the Unitarian Universalist Association
World Religions
Written by Orlando Montoya
Interfaith Calendar
Written by Orlando Montoya
UU FAQ
Written by and used by permission of John Sias from interviews with Rev. Steve Edington
Published by the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Nashua, NH
A Year of Spiritual Companionship
Written by and used by permission of Anne Kertz Kernion
