April 1, 2018

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 program comes 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.”

White cherry blossoms, a symbol of rebirth and fleeting existence, are revered in Japanese spring festivals.

Braver Wiser

"Kindling the Spirit"

The Rev. Connie Simon

Unitarian Society of Germantown, Penn.

Sermon

"The Burdens of Freedom"

The Rev. Shawn Newton

First Unitarian Congregation of Toronto

Message

TBD

Natural Silence

"The Experience of Uluru"

Andrew Skeotch

ListeningEarth.com

World Religions

Last night began Passover in the Jewish faith.  Passover commemorates the Jews’ liberation from slavery in Egypt and their freedom as a nation under the leadership of Moses.  Passover includes a Seder, a ritual feast including wine, matzo, bitter herbs and other foods evoking the twin themes Passover, slavery and freedom.  Leavened bread is forbidden.  During the Seder, Jews read from the Passover story book, the Haggadah, and sing songs.  Many Jews will abstain from work this weekend and Friday and Saturday. For Passover, here is a modern and child-friendly version of the song “Ma Nishtana,” or “Why is tonight different from all other nights?”  The phrase appears at the beginning of each line of The Four Questions, traditionally asked in song by the youngest capable child attending a Passover Seder.

Today in the Christian faith is Easter, also called Pascha or Resurrection Sunday, a holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament.  It is the culmination of the Passion of Jesus, preceded by Lent, a forty-day period of fasting, prayer and penance.  Easter customs vary across the Christian world, and include sunrise services, exclaiming the Paschal greeting “Christ Is Risen,” holding hands around churches and decorating eggs.  Easter foods include, in Italy, casatiello or tortano, a salty pie made with bread dough stuffed with various types of salami and cheese; in Greece, mageiritsa, a hearty stew of chopped lamb liver and wild greens seasoned with a lemony egg sauce; and in Russia, an Easter bread called kulich, baked in a tall cylindrical tin and topped with white icing.  And now, for Easter, an excerpt from Mahler’s Second Symphony.  These are the final, triumphal minutes of the work, containing the words “aufersteh’n, aufersteh’n,” “rise again, rise again.”  Leonard Bernstein conducts the New York Philharmonic.

This weekend in the ancient city of Kyoto, the cherry blossoms are in full bloom.  And all this month all around Japan, as cherry trees bloom on different dates in different locations according to weather, the Japanese will practice Hanami, otherwise known as flower-viewing or Cherry Blossom Festivals.  This is one of the most popular spring events in Japan.  People arrange excursions for enjoying the transient beauty of flowers, especially the symbol of Edo, or samurai-era, Japan, the cherry blossom or sakura.  The cherry tree blooms for only a week or two at most.  And so for the spiritually Shinto or Buddhist, it becomes a symbol of rebirth and life’s fleeting nature.  However, for the less spiritual, it is simply the enjoyment of nature’s beauty.  And now, inspired by the Cherry Blossom Festival, a traditional Japanese folk song about the sakura.

Friday is the birthday of William Ellery Channing in 1780.  Channing was the foremost Unitarian preacher in early nineteenth century America.  And with Andrews Norton, he was one of the leading theologians of Unitarianism.  Channing was known for his passionate sermons and public speeches.  His Baltimore Sermon in 1819 articulated the principles and developing tenets of Unitarianism and led to the founding of the American Unitarian Association, now the Unitarian-Universalist Association.  Channing influenced the New England Transcendentalists, although he never was one himself.

Sermon

"A Return to Spring"

The Rev. Carol Bodeau

Westside Unitarian-Universalist Church, Knoxville, Tenn.

Message

TBD

Conclusion

Seven Principles and Six Sources of Unitarian-Universalism