Unitarian Universalist
Worship
An Interfaith Introduction by Rev. Olivia Holmes
Session
Co-ordinators: Arpad Szabó & Bill Sinkford
Unitarian
Universalism is a faith that calls on members not just to
tolerate people whose views and spiritual practice and beliefs
are different, but to affirm such difference, and to learn
to grow by understanding the cultures and history that nurtured
such differences into being. Thus Unitarian Universalism,
as practiced in the United States of America, has no core
doctrinal or creedal statements. Rather, it has a core set
of values which begins with the affirmation of the inherent
worth and dignity of each person, and ends with the affirmation
of the interdependent web of life of which we are all a part.
Thus,
worship is primarily an opportunity to help each person in
the congregation find his or her own right path to relationship
with that which is sacred in life through engaging the gathered
community in mutual support and affirmation, through uplifting
the importance of one of our core values in sermon and story,
and through reflection on the lessons about the meaning of
life and the work of living as expressed in the rich variety
of the world's profound religions and faith communities.
Some
Unitarian Universalist communities include prayer as part
of their shared worship experience. Some have a time for meditation.
Others have a time of silence set aside for private meditation
and prayer. All share a time for the minister or lay leader
to offer a sermon regarding a core principle, history, the
struggle to be more fully human, current events or some other
relevant topic. Many also share a time, either during or after
the service, for members of the congregation to talk over
the major ideas of the sermon with the minister; empowered
to disagree with him or her as their hearts and minds dictate;
making the community stronger for the effort to understand.
The
chalice; that is an open bowl as receptacle for a flame, is
the symbol of our faith in the United States; most congregations
light a chalice at the beginning of worship, usually accompanied
by a reading giving focus to the service to follow. The chalice,
for many of us, symbolizes our own need to be open and receptive
to the fire of life, which some call God, others call the
Ground of Being, or the Spirit of Life. Many of our congregations
cherish a time of shared joys and concerns, during which congregants
come forward to light a candle from the chalice flame, honoring
some important celebration in their lives, such as the birth
of a child or recovery from life-threatening illness; or honoring
some important despair or sorrow in their lives, such as the
death of a loved one or the relapse into illness. This sharing
helps the entire congregation know who among them needs extra
support from the entire community through a time or passage
and change.
We
love to sing. Our favorite hymn is "Spirit of Life."
Its words are these:
Spirit
of Life, come unto me
Sing in my heart all the stirrings of compassion
Blow in the wind, rise in the sea
Stir in the hand, giving life the shape of justice
Roots hold me close, wings set me free
Spirit of life, come to me, come to me.
|
|
|