EASTER APRIL 24, 2011
Rev. Kirk Ballin

Readings

RESPONSIVE READING #530  “Out of the Stars”

“Out of the stars in their flight, out of the dust of eternity, here have we come, stardust and sunlight, mingling through time and through space. Out of the stars have we come, up from time; Out of the stars have we come. Time out of time before time in the vastness of space, earth spun to orbit the sun, Earth with the thunder of mountains newborn, the boiling of seas. Earth warmed by the sun, lit by sunlight: This is our home; Out of the stars have we come. Mystery hidden in mystery, back through all time; Mystery rising from rocks in the storm and the sea. Out of the stars, rising from rocks and the sea, kindled by sunlight on Earth, arose life. Ponder this thing in your heart; ponder with awe: Out of the sea to the land, out of the shallows came ferns. Out of the sea to the land, up from darkness to light, rising to walk and to fly, out of the sea trembled life. Ponder this thing in your heart, life up from the sea: Eyes to behold, throats to sing, mates to love. Life from the sea, warmed by sun, washed by rain, life from within, giving birth, rose to love. This is the wonder of time; this is the marvel of space; out of the stars swung the Earth; life upon Earth rose to love. This is the marvel of life, rising to see and to know; Out of your heart, cry wonder: sing that we live!”  – Robert Weston

“ Now,after the Sabbath, toward dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the sepulcher. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. His appearance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow. And for fear of him, the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead…So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and graet joy, and ran to tell his disciples.” – New Testament, Matthew 28: 1-8

“The essence of Life is fleeting. Life might be over in the next instant! Remembering impermanence can teach you a lot about how to cheer up. It’s OK to let it scare you. Seeing your fear can heighten the sense of gratitude for the preciousness of human birth and the opportunity to [live and] to practice. – Pema Chodren, Comfortable With Uncertainty

Meet this transient world
with neither grasping nor fear,
trust the unfolding of life,
and you will attain true serenity. ~Bhagavad Gita

Thoughts which came to me during a particularly challenging time, a couple of weeks ago:
“I regret the things I cannot change in my past; I accept the limitations of my present; I am emboldened, empowered by the impermanence of my future.” [Read more…]

Put your dictionaries away folks, it’s not that kind of service.

Come Closer

Come closer she mimes; if I am to be yours

And you are to be mine

Come closer she says if all you see is differences

Come closer to see the goddess in me

If he is too queer to draw him near

Come closer dear friend where all can mend

There is always a boy inside of a man

All you need to do is come closer if you can.

At 15 I joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints – The Mormons

I was welcomed and loved and valued. Well, until I decided I would like to pursue a romantic relationship with a woman.  The acceptance I once felt did not extend that far.  I had crossed the boundaries. I was granted excommunication.

Tikkun Olam

I loved that religion, there was a comfort there. I searched for a spiritual replacement. I even went to a “Gay” church. I wanted to belong somewhere. So since I ran full speed and did a cannon ball into the lesbian pool, I thought “how about that gay church.”  I went but did not feel comfortable. I thought they were playing church, the way children play house. It seemed as though they were pretending and they were fake. Fake church members, and fake families. After all, real families

Are a mom a dad a kid and a dog.

Not a mom, mom, kid and a bird.

Or dad, dad, kid and cat.

Tikkun Olam

So I searched….

Finally, my boots ended up at the Unitarian Church of Harrisburg.

Prior to becoming a member of the Unitarian Church of Harrisburg, I was a big mean cop in the capital city. Now…after the gentle caresses of the Unitarian church, I’m not as mean. [Read more…]

Experiencing the Divine Through Every Day Life By Lisa Ellison

HUU Spiritual Journey’s Service March 27, 2011

Spiritual journeys are often long and winding roads. There are often forks in these roads and blind curves to navigate, but I believe we all possess an internal compass that shows us the way. I grew up in a Lutheran, Catholic, Buddhist family. Needless to say I was offered many different entry points on my spiritual journey; yet, all of these thresholds contained preset roadmaps. Fortunately my parents let me explore and choose my own way as I grew up. I can’t say that everyone was always happy with my choices, but I can say they were always mine to make. I think that people have aha moments in their lives when they hear things that speak to their inner truth. These experiences of truth originate deep in the gut unsullied by rational thought. Sometimes people mistake them for indigestion. But these moments offer important information that can expand our world view and show us something different. However, the messages we receive do not always coincide with what others may expect of us.

I spent a lot of time contemplating these three religious traditions as a young child. I liked the holidays and the sense of ritual I found in my grandmother’s Catholicism even though I wasn’t big on the idea of wearing frilly white dresses. Plus the whole idea of bread into flesh and wine into blood scared the crap out of me. In the beginning Lutheranism meant cookies, juice, and crafts. This was really enticing. I loved glue. But, when I was around seven years old I was told that I had to go to the big church service upstairs. My heart sank. Adult church was long and boring. They did not serve cookies and juice. Most of the time I sat quietly and contemplated the huge wooden cross suspended in the air above the pulpit. I wondered where the wood came from, how strong the wires were, what would happen if I tried to climb it. Wondering about all of the possibilities hidden in that huge cross gave me the patience to sit still while the preacher delivered his sermon. Everyone was very nice at this church, but somehow the practice did not speak to me. I had a real problem with original sin and needing somebody to forgive me for things I hadn’t done. [Read more…]

International Women’s Day (8 March) is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future. In some places like China, Russia, Vietnam and Bulgaria, International Women’s Day is a national holiday.

Dorothea Dix

by Judith Hollowood

I speak this morning to celebrate the relentless work of Dorothea Lynde Dix, a Unitarian reformer-heroine of pre-civil war America.

For many years, Miss Dix, a lifelong Unitarian Christian, did not have a purpose in life large enough for her conscience. By her early 20s, she was caught in cycles of depression and illness that so often dragged down unconventional women of her time – women who could not or would not find their whole purpose in marriage, family, and friendship.

But when more than half her life was passed – at the age of 43 – she found a purpose – improving the care of the mentally ill, who were for the most part housed with prison populations, uncared for and unable to care for themselves.

She was not, as simple accounts suggest, the first or only person concerned with better care for the insane. Massachusetts had built a model public mental institution, and several progressive private institutions existed. Many people, including some in her own circle, were already invested in this issue. Two well-placed social reformers, Horace Mann and Samuel Gridley Howe, had shown that overwhelming evidence could move cautious legislatures to action. But the movement for the insane lacked someone who could invest him or herself in it wholeheartedly. [Read more…]

STEWARDSHIP SUNDAY
“Living Generously”
March 6, 2011
by Rev. Emma Chattin

First Reading ~ Matthew 6: 37-38

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given unto you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured unto you.”

Second Reading
“Looking For Mt. Monadnock” by Robert Siegel

We see the sign, “Monadnock State Park”
as it flashes by, after a mile or two
decide to go back, “We can’t pass by Mondnock
without seeing it,” I say, turning around.
We head down the side road – “Monadnock Realty,”
“Monadnock Pottery,” “Monadnock Designs,”
but no Mt. Monadnock. Then the signs fall away –
nothing but trees and the darkening afternoon.
We don’t speak, pass a clearing, and you say,

“I think I saw it, or part of it – a bald rock?”
Miles and miles more. Finally, I pull over
and we consult a map. “Monadnock’s right there.”
“Or just back a bit there.” “But we should see it –
we’re practically on top of it.” And driving back
we look – trees, a flash of clearing, purple rock –
but we are, it seems, too close to see it:

It is here. We are on it. It is under us.

Good Morning!
[Read more…]

by Michael Quayle
February 6, 2011

For many of us the term theology holds a lot of negative baggage.  There is a tendency to associate theology with a specific approach or doctrine.   If we have rejected certain religious beliefs or teachings, there is a tendency to reject theology.

Within the Unitarian-Universalist tradition there are as many Religious or spiritual beliefs as there are people in this room. Some of us have suffered oppression and even violence in the name of Judeo-Christian practice and theology to the point that we reject all theology as limited or at best, not useful.

I come from a traditional or some would say orthodox Christian background.  My pastoral ministry was in the United Methodist church and my time as a lay-person has been in the Episcopal church.  In these traditions, theology tends to be linked with doctrine,   very specific doctrines.  Theology is viewed as a way of defending and preserving those doctrines and excluding beliefs which would weaken or destroy church teaching.

Yet, I find myself growing more and more connected to the Unitarian-Universalist way.   In some ways I thought I had invented Unitarian-Universalism.   Imagine my surprise when I found it was already there.  My study of Unitarian-Universalism has again and again affirmed the spiritual journey of my life, and has allowed a spiritual sigh of relief in discovering there exists a community of people who share my journey, my struggles, and my passion for social justice and a world view that makes sense to me. [Read more…]