May 20, 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."

Braver Wiser

"Building a Common Life"

The Rev. Elea Kemler

First Parish Church of Groton, Massachusetts, Unitarian-Universalist

Sermon

"Lost Connections" (3/4/18)

The Rev. Hannah Petrie

Unitarian-Universalist Church of Studio City, California

Message

TBD

Natural Silence

"Where the Jungle Meets the Sea"

Andrew Skeotch

ListeningEarth.com

World Religions

Today in many Christian traditions is Pentecost Sunday.  The festival commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus while they were in Jerusalem celebrating a Jewish holiday.  Some consider it the birthday of the Christian church.  Some consider it to be akin to the “breath of God” falling onto the faithful.  It is celebrated 50-days after Easter, hence its name.  Liturgical traditions vary greatly by sect.  In Eastern churches, it is considered the second most important day of the year, behind Easter.  Eastern churches often decorate their buildings with plants and flowers ahead of a three-day feast.  In Western churches, the main sign of Pentecost is the color red.  Worn by ministers, choirs and congregants, red symbolizes the fire of the Holy Spirit.  Many Western churches also have multi-day feasts, the length varying by denomination.

Today in Judaism is the beginning of Shavuot, also known as the Festival of Weeks.  A one or two day holiday depending on location and denomination, Shavuot celebrates the revelation of the Five Books of the Torah, which is the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, by God to Moses and to the Israelites at Mount Sinai, 49 days, or seven weeks, after the Exodus from Egypt.  It also commemorates the wheat harvesting in the Land of Israel.  Holiday traditions vary by denomination but might include all-night Torah study, recitation of certain liturgical poems, reading from the Book of Ruth, eating certain dairy foods including, in some cultures, cheese cakes or cheese blintzes, and decorating homes and synagogues with greenery.  Some synagogues will hold confirmation ceremonies for high school students graduating from religious studies.

Wednesday in the Baha’i faith is the Declaration of the Bab.  The Bab was the 19th century prophet Sayyed Ali Muhammad Shirazi, the founder of Babism, and one of three central figures in the Baha’i faith.  The Declaration of the Bab happened in May 18-44 when Ali Muhammad explained difficult holy teachings to a pilgrim who was on a journey to find the messiah.  The pilgrim declared Ali Muhammad to be the Promised One.  From that point, Ali Muhammad took the name “the Bab,” Arabic for “the gate.”  His writings became the foundation of the Baha’i faith, which became a religion through Baha’u’llah, the religion’s founder.  Holiday traditions include special prayers and sharing stories.

In Sikhism, Wednesday is the birthday of Guru Amar Das, an important innovator in Sikhism.  He introduced a religious organization of trained clergy, a system that still exists.  He wrote and compiled hymns into a book that helped create the central religious scripture of Sikhism.  Guru Amar Das also created Sikh rituals relating to baby naming, weddings and funerals.  He founded centers of Sikh pilgrimage and picked the site for the Golden Temple, the holiest place in Sikhism, in the city of Amritsar, Punjab, India.

Wednesday is the birthday, in 1810 in Cambridgeport, Massachusetts, of Margaret Fuller. A journalist, literary critic and women’s rights advocate, she was very much associated with transcendentalism, becoming the first editor of The Dial, the movement’s magazine.  Her book, Woman in the Nineteenth Century, is considered the first major feminist work in the United States.  She advocated for an end to slavery, economic rights for the poor, civil rights for Native Americans and civil rights for women.  She called on staunch, old line Unitarian rationalists to embrace a more mystical and emotional faith.  And although she came from a Unitarian family and walked in Unitarian circles, she never considered herself churched, declaring, “I have pledged myself to nothing. God and the soul and nature are all my creed, subdivisions are unimportant.”

Sermon

"How Far Would You Go To Be Healed?" (4/29/18)

The Rev. Aaron White

First Unitarian Church of Dallas

Message

"Reclaiming Jesus"

Conclusion

Seven Principles and Six Sources of Unitarian-Universalism