Sunday Service 02/14/2021

​Covenant, Culture, Compassion

​Sunday, February 14, 2021
​with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey

Come worship with the UUs!

We are in the midst of a year unlike almost any other.  The trauma of the pandemic.  The insurrection and disharmony of our political life.  The issues that arise from the linked oppressions inherent in our nation.  These and so many challenges.  Hence todays service.  We are a covenantal community, we have spaces filled with peoples from cultures far and wide, we are a compassionate people ready to step into the future with hope, vitality and optimism.​

#UUCLV #UU #UnitarianUniversalist #UnitarianUniversalism #UUCLVEvent #SundayService #BelovedCommunity #Covenant #Compassion #challenges #culture

Image by Anne-marie Ridderhof from Pixabay​

​Service Details

​Prelude
Introduction/Zoom Orientation with Nina Kuzniak

Good morning! Welcome to our Unitarian Universalist congregation. I’m Nina, and this is my first time serving as worship associate of this curious and compassionate community. We welcome everyone to our service, especially those searching for a spiritual home. Ours is a community of seekers- of truth, kinship, and belonging- on individual paths, intentionally intersecting here today. In this congregation, we strive not for perfection but for authenticity and connection. Whether you are new here or known well, we hope this time together will draw you nearer to your own lived experience through feeling connected to others, even in this virtual space.

This place is made sacred by us. It is through our presence and intention that our small corner of the interdependent web of all existence is held together. Please add your pronouns to your name on Zoom, using the three dots on the top right-hand corner of your picture. Doing this ensures we are all seen and addressed in ways that affirm who we are. Our Zoom tech this morning is Keith, he will be muting and unmuting you through the gathering. Erma, our office administrator, is the host this morning. She will be letting folks into the Zoom room and monitoring the chat.
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Now, I invite you to settle into your physical space, so you are comfortable, peaceful, and prepared to receive. Take a breath in, and sense your “enoughness”, not from doing but from simply being. Know you are seen and held by this beloved community. For the moment, you have arrived.

Ringing the Bell with Erin Mara
Opening Words with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey 
Chalice Lighting with Nina Kuzniak 

Our chalice lighting words this morning come from Rev. Maureen Killoran. She says,
“Love is the aspiration, the spirit that moves and inspires this faith we share.
Rightly understood, love can nurture our spirits and transform the world.
May the flame of this chalice honor and embody the power and the blessing of the love we need, the love we give, the love we are challenged always to remember and to share.”

"We light the chalice as a reminder that together we are a beacon in the desert.  May its light lead the way to love, acceptance and justice as we strive for personal and societal transformation." 

Reading with Nina Kuzniak 
with words from Rev. Dr. Kendyl L. R. Gibbons: “Communities of Memory and Promise”

“Our communities of memory and promise are founded upon covenants because we all need a defense against the impulse of immediate feelings that challenge our best intentions. It is necessary to be reminded from time to time of what you said you were going to do, and what you really want, over and above the lure of momentary comfort.
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"Covenant" is our word for the solemn promises that counteract the randomness of a future in which anything and everything is possible, by committing us in advance to certain relationships and values. We do [this] because what we build with intention, and even with difficulty, is more satisfying in the long run than the pleasures that we happen to encounter. We do it in time-consuming rituals, invoking powers that we scarcely know how to name, because we are seeking some way to give our lives the density, and dignity, and depth that we suspect, with longing, might yet be possible.”

Opening Hymn: Lean on Me by Bill Withers, Stevie Wonder, John Legend (UU Hymn #1021) - See video below
Of Our Hearts with Nina Kuzniak
Pastoral Reflection with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey
Pastoral Hymn: A Change Is Gonna Come by our own Sky Barton - Song by Sam Cooke
Offering and Invitations with Nina Kuzniak – The offering this month is being shared to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund.
Story for All Ages: The Story of Ruby Bridges written by Robert Coles and illustrated by George Ford (posted by The Teacher's Library on YouTube) - See video below 
Sermon: Covenant, Culture, Compassion with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey

Talking Points
Covenant:
A statement of how members of the congregation will be with, and will behave toward, one another, as well as what is promised or vowed to one another and to the congregation as a whole.
So, what does this mean to you?
How does this manifest in your life?
Can we start the movement towards caring about each other and the world?

Culture:
The Spiritual and Cultural Ethos of Unitarian Universalism
The collective personality of any group reflects both conscious and unconscious patterns that express the group's way of being in the world and its relationship with its members. I would dare say individualism and polity/ democratic principles are at the historical core for UUs.
Should we as Unitarian Universalists continue to reflect the American culture of individualism?
Could we incorporate a greater concern for mutual support in our congregations?

Compassion:
The word compassion comes from two Latin roots that literally mean “to suffer with.” True compassion requires that we see the other as equal to, and indeed part of, ourselves. This means it is not enough to feel sorry that people are suffering. We must feel their suffering and want to eliminate it if we can?
Are you open to learning how to be more compassionate?
Are you aware of your surroundings? 

Musical Interlude with Sky Barton
Closing Song: There Is More Love Somewhere by Bernice Johnson Reagon (UU Hymn #95) - See video below
Benediction with The Reverend Gordon Clay Bailey
Extinguishing the Chalice with Nina Kuzniak

"We release that which was called with love and gratitude and we extinguish the flame, but not our commitment to being a beacon in the desert. This burns brightly until we gather again."

Let’s Talk About It: Choose your own breakout room with Nina Kuzniak, Worship Associate
1. General coffee talk
2. Social Justice Chat
3. Pastoral Care sharing: How are you doing?
4. Events, hopes, plans of UUCLV
5. Newcomers: info about UUCLV hosted by Hilary

Lyrics

​Lean on Me by Bill Withers, Stevie Wonder, John Legend 
Sometimes in our lives, We all have pain, We all have sorrow
But if we are wise, We know that there's always tomorrow
Lean on me, When you're not strong, I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on...
For it won't be long, Till I'm gonna need somebody to lean on
Please swallow your pride, If I have things you need to borrow
For no one can fill, Those of your needs that you won't let show
You just call on me brother when you need a hand, We all need somebody to lean on
I just might have a problem that you'll understand, We all need somebody to lean on
Lean on me, When you're not strong, I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on...
For it won't be long, Till I'm gonna need somebody to lean on
You just call on me brother, When you need a hand, We all need somebody to lean on
I just might have a problem that you'll understand, We all need somebody to lean on
If there is a load you have to bear, That you can't carry
I'm right up the road, I'll share your load, If you just call me
Call me, If you need a friend
(Call me) (repeat)

A Change Is Gonna Come by Sam Cook
I was born by the river, in a little tent
Oh, and just like the river, I've been running ever since
It's been a long, A long time coming, But I know a change gonna come, Oh, yes it will
It's been too hard living, But I'm afraid to die
'Cause I don't know what's up there, Beyond the sky
It's been a long, A long time coming, But I know a change gonna come, Oh, yes it will
I go to the movie, And I go downtown
Somebody keep telling me, Don't hang around
It's been a long, A long time coming, But I know, a change gonna come, Oh, yes it will
Then I go to my brother, And I say, brother, help me please
But he winds up, knockin' me, Back down on my knees
Oh, there been times that I thought, I couldn't last for long
But now I think I'm able, to carry on
It's been a long, A long time coming, But I know a change gonna come, Oh, yes it will

There Is More Love Somewhere by Bernice Johnson Reagon
There is more love somewhere. There is more love somewhere.
I’m gonna keep on ‘til I find it. There is more love somewhere.
There is more peace somewhere. There is more peace somewhere.
I’m gonna keep on ‘til I find it. There is more peace somewhere. 
There is happiness somewhere. There is happiness somewhere. 
I’m gonna keep on ‘til I find it. There is happiness somewhere.
There is more joy somewhere. There is more joy somewhere. 
I’m gonna keep on ‘til I find it. There is more joy somewhere. 
There is more love somewhere. There is more love somewhere. 
I’m gonna keep on ‘til I find it. There is more love somewhere.