December 3, 2017

Love is the spirit of this program. The music spans many genres but has unifying themes of justice, love, learning and hope. The messages come from podcasts, sermons and readings from Unitarian-Universalist and other allied sources in liberal religion.  The title of this programcomes from the words of a beloved Unitarian-Universalist hymn, “Spirit of Life,” including, “Sing in my heart all the stirrings of compassion” and “Move in the hand, giving life the shape of justice.”

Braver Wiser

TBD

Interview

"The Soul of an Atheist"

Dr. Robert Pawlicki

RobertPawlicki.com

Message

"Letter to Tamir"

By Amanda King

Natural Silence

"Favorite Australian Birdsong"

By Andrew Skeotch

ListeningEarth.com

World Religions

Today in Western Christian churches is Advent Sunday.  Marking the beginning of the liturgical or official church year, it also marks start of Advent, the season in preparation of Christmas.  Advent traditions include the wearing of special-colored vestments, the lighting of candles or wreaths and the reading of a passage from the Bible’s Zacharia: “Rejoice greatly, daughter Zion, shout daughter Jerusalem, see your king comes to you.”

Tomorrow in Santeria is the feast day for the orisha, or god, called Shango.  Santeria is an African-Caribbean religion, heavily influenced by the Catholic faith.  In Santeria, Shango is one of the most popular orishas and one of the faith’s four pillar gods.  He is the god of dancing, thunder, masculinity and fire.  His feast day is synchronized with that of St. Barbara, whose death came from fire.  Traditions include parades, cakes and parties.

Wednesday in Western Christian churches is the feast day for St. Nicholas.  Celebrated on December 19th in Eastern Christian churches, the holiday gives rise to traditions as varied as Christendom itself.  These traditions usually center around the laying out of a personal item, such as a shoe, in exchange for a gift.  The American Santa Claus derives from St. Nicholas, a third century Greek bishop whose real life is shrouded in mystery.

Friday in the Catholic Church is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.  Celebrating the belief that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was conceived by normal biological means but kept sinless by God acting upon her soul, the festival is often celebrated by parades, fireworks, processions and huge dinners, especially in Latin America and the Philippines.  Eastern churches also celebrate Mary’s conception but view its immaculateness differently.

Friday in Buddhism is Bodhi Day.  Called different names in different Asian countries, the holiday celebrates the day that Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha, attained enlightenment.  Buddhists believe Siddhartha gave up years of extreme ascetic practices to sit under a fig tree and simply meditate until he found the root of suffering and how to liberate oneself from it.  Traditions include meditation and meals including tea and cake.

Friday marks the anniversary of the 2009 Hindu Declaration on Climate Change.  Read aloud at the 2009 Parliament of World Religions, the declaration took a definitive Hindu stand on humankind’s role and responsibility in the Earth’s welfare.  Calling the whole world one family, it promoted eco-friendly living, personal frugality, alternative energy, sustainable food production, vegetarianism and new technologies to avert disaster.

Sermon

“The Stigma That Sticks” (10/29/17)

By the Rev. Michael Schuler

First Unitarian Society of Madison, Wis.

Message

TBD

Conclusion

Seven Principles of Unitarian-Universalism