Complete Order of Service - Script 

for Sunday October 31, 2021 

Holy Halloween, Blessed Samhain 

The high holy day for Earth based spirituality is a combination of Christmas and New Year's Day for those who understand it best. 

NIUU, Sue Hansen-Barber, Jeanie Donaldson, 

  Pastor Fred 

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Prelude - Jeanie Donaldson 

Welcome:  Welcome to the North Idaho Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.

Thank you for joining this morning.  The day will be a bright one again, the trees on fire with reds and oranges, the air rich, holding the last warmth of summer.  To me, a day doesn’t get more beautiful than this.  The world beyond our walls calls I know, and am glad this community also calls.  May you find inspiration here to live your life fully by your values and the solace for the pain in your heart.  May you find companionship and community.  At NIUU we accept, we support, we transform.  Ourselves.  Our community.  Our world.  We are very glad you are here. 

Opening Words and Chalice Lighting:

As long as humans have existed, we have wondered about death and tried to

understand it. People in different parts of the world, at different times in history, have

created special ceremonies about death.

In the fall, the ancient Celts of Britain celebrated the harvest and the beginning of a new

year. The Celtic dead were believed to have access to earth on Samhain (say: SOW in,

with sow like cow), October 31st, when the boundary between the worlds of the living

and the dead relaxed. The Celts danced around huge bonfires, wearing animal heads and hides to confuse the spirits, and burned crops as offerings to the returning dead.

In Europe in the eighth century, the Catholic Church decreed November 1 as All Saints

Day. Setting aside the day to honor the martyrs and saints was an attempt to replace

the 2000­ year tradition of the Celts and their Druid priests.

Around the end of the first millennium, the church reinforced its attempt to cover the

Celtic celebration by designating November 2 as All Souls' Day to honor the dead. All

Souls' Day was celebrated with parades, big bonfires and the people dressed as saints,

angels and devils.

In the language of the day, All Saints Day and All Souls' Day were known as

All­hallowsmas, and October 31 was "All Hallowed's Eve" or Hallow'e'en.

Today, we light our chalice in joyful celebration of those who have died. We rejoice in

the gifts they gave us and the ways in which they shaped us.

Hymn #108 - My Life Flows On in Endless Song: 

Covenant: 

Love is the spirit of this church, and service its law

This is our great covenant:

To dwell together in peace,

To seek truth in love,

And to help one another. 

Meet and Greet / Check-in  / Joys and Concerns /  Sharing 

Meditation - 

Death is a mystery and puzzle. Nobody knows for sure what happens after death, but

we understand that death is a necessary part of life, as natural as the leaves falling off

the trees. In our Unitarian Universalist faith we can believe that death is never the end

of the story. By studying the world of nature, we know that spring always comes after Winter, and the trees grow new leaves. This is possible for the heart and spirit, too. We

celebrate and honor the loved ones who have gone on before us to the mystery of death; we can celebrate the gifts and lessons their lives were to us, keep their love with

us and continue on our life journey. Join me in meditating with the music.

Meditation Music - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KP_XkN2v7OM  - Remember Me - 1 minute and 15 seconds 

Reading - By Mark Bellintini

Some of us remember with pleasure aunts, uncles, fathers, mothers, friends and lovers, cousins and neighbors, other times and other places: cities and farms, homesteads and rooms, yellow sunsets, chilly sunrises. 

Some of us find it hard to remember, for the memories that clamor inside us are jagged, like glass we ourselves did not break. 

Some of us remember people we have never met, but who through history, recent events, book and poem and film and painting have met us and entered the secret chambers of our heart. 

Some of us remember children, and cannot be comforted. Some of us remember and are set free in our thanksgiving. Some of us remember and are tight with guilt or shame. Some of us struggle daily to remember with greater charity. 

Some of us weep easily and often. Others weep rarely, but grieve all the same. Some of us are stoic and say, "These things happen." Some of us rail against the unfairness of it all, and clench teeth and fists with discontent. 

Some of us bear the burden of those who took their own lives, or who suffered greatly at the end. Others among us remember only vast meadows of love and charity in which we played with joy. 

But all of us remember, whether we speak or are silent, whether we deny or affirm, whether we love or find it hard to love. May the power of love embrace us all, as the curtains between then and now are drawn open for a moment, and the fullness of life impresses itself on us, each in our own way. 

Day of the Dead Ritual - 

 Reader 1:  The rituals and ceremonies that cross cultures and time nearly always speak at truth.  Our beloved dead do live with us.  We feel them.  We cannot push them away.   Some feel their spirits humming around the edges of their lives.  Others find them in memories and in the way we conduct our lives.  Often they exist in very cells in our bodies.  They are here, always, with us.

  Reader 2:  Today, in this late time of the year, as the shadows and darkness deepen, as the plants die, we follow the traditions of the Northern Europeans and other cultures around the world, we remember our dead.  We invite them to visit, to slip across the veil, into our lives. We say their name, admire their photographs, clean the grave or walk where the ashes were spread, tell stories, remember the jokes, their kindnesses, and to say thank you to them for being there in life and now in death. Maybe their breath no longer animates their life, but our breath does.

Now we invite you to speak the names aloud of your beloved dead.  Please raise your hand or otherwise indicate that you wish to speak.  Fred and I will light candles for each name read.  If you do not wish to speak, but would like a name or names read, please write them in the chat and Fred will read them.  You may have more than one person you wish to bring into this space today.  That is fine. Let us hold these people who have given our lives so much.  Let them be here with us now. 

Sermon:  

Today is a high holy day 

  that begins a whole season of holy days 

    for our culture. 

I will be saying more about the season of holy days 

  as we draw nearer the end of the sermon, 

    but for now I want us to look carefully together 

      at the deeper meanings 

        of the Day we are getting to enjoy together 

          despite the impediments of the current times. 

We often understand Halloween 

  as a primarily secular celebration. 

In fact, it's sacred as well as secular. 

For people whose spiritual orientation 

  turns toward Earth (or nature or creation) 

    as its center, 

      Halloween (or Samhain) 

        is the highest of high holy days. 

To compare it to the mainstream culture of the U.S., 

  Samhain (or Halloween) for Earth based spirituality 

    is Christmas and New Year's celebrations 

      rolled into one. 

I've had many people tell me 

  that Halloween is their favorite holiday. 

I feel that there are good reasons for that... 

(1) It's a fun time. 

(2) Many of us have wonderful memories of it. 

(3) I believe that the sacred nature of a holiday 

         that centers on natural events 

            carries an echo in our hearts. 

...

We all experience the changes in the natural world. 

By the time Samhain comes around 

  at the end of October every year 

    the transition from hot to cold weather 

      is easy to see, 

        or at least it was easy 

          before the era of climate change. 

There is still at least an obvious transition, 

  and that is one reason so many of us 

    love Halloween / Samhain. 

We humans are edge dwellers 

  from the earliest days of our species, 

    and we love the edges of the natural world 

      to this day. 

Beaches may be at the top of that list, 

  where ocean meets land. 

Rivers are part of the picture, too, 

  and the edges of periods of time 

    are also important to us. 

The first day of any Season is worthy of celebration. 

The start of a New Year is also marked by a holiday. 

Likewise, Samhain / Halloween is a time of transition, 

  and I'm convinced one reason 

    many of us love it so much 

      is the transition from warm to chilly. 

In our part of the world, 

  the transition is especially visible. 

As I've mentioned before 

  in our Samhain celebrations, 

    our dearly departed Beth used to tell me 

      that the first snow in our part of the world 

        often arrived at or around Halloween. 

Of course, with climate change, 

  the former lines of demarcation are also changing, 

    and many of us may experience the change 

      in reliable transitions as a loss, 

        maybe even nostalgia. 

In any case, 

  Samhain is a holiday for us, at least in part, 

    because it is reflected in our experience 

      of the natural world around us. 

...

The very word holiday means holy day, 

  and the way I use the term, 

    a holy day is a special day. 

So a special day that is fun, 

  generates wonderful memories 

    and has echoes in the world of nature 

      is a natural favorite. 

One could say that we celebrate 

  and have lots of fun with 

    some of the things that scare us 

      on this special day. 

It's especially fun and meaningful for me 

  that we get to share our Halloween and Samhain, 

    October 31, 2021, on a Sunday. 

When I speak of Christmas and New Year's 

  rolled into one, 

    I'm thinking of Christmas as the redemption 

      of the cold of winter in the northern hemisphere, 

        and Samhain (Halloween) is quite literally 

          the start of the Celtic New Year. 

Samhain also marks a major transition 

  to the colder weather of Winter, 

    so it is an appropriate time 

      to mark a redemption of coldness 

        through fun and celebration. 

There is another area 

  in which Samhain connects with Christmas, 

    and I feel a need to tread lightly 

      as I speak of this. 

Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas

  does a great job of connecting the darker themes 

    of Halloween with Christmas, 

      and even in the Bible there are connections. 

The martyrdom of the innocents comes to mind, 

  where King Herod the Horrendous killed children 

    born about the same time as Jesus 

      because he so feared being supplanted 

        by one born to be King in Israel. 

And there is one more connection 

  I feel the need to mention. 

As Christmas celebrates the Holy Birth, 

  all of us who believe in life after this life 

    can think of death as a holy birth 

      from one world into the next. 

On the other hand, 

  Halloween also has a much lighter side, 

    one we may well prefer to talk about. 

Like many of the special days of the year, 

  in our culture, Halloween has long been  

    a fun and special time for children. 

As many of us do, 

  I remember from my own childhood, 

    the joy of going from house to house 

      in my neighborhood, 

        saying "Trick or Treat!" 

There is some interesting history 

  behind the custom of trick or treating. 

From ancient times people have dressed in costumes  

  and visited their neighbors' homes, 

    putting on a brief play, 

      and looking for a treat as a reward. 

More recently, "soul cakes" have been shared 

  in various communities, 

    remembering loved ones and friends 

      who have recently died, 

        and perhaps praying for them 

          if that is part of the local faith and custom. 

As I've spoken of it before, 

  this high holy day is a thin time, 

    that is, a time in which the veil 

      which separates our world 

        from the world of spirit 

          becomes so thin 

            that we can almost see through it. 

We can think of the spirits 

  as the life of those we love who have crossed over, 

    and so we have All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day 

      right after Halloween 

        as a time to remember them and be aware 

          that they are still part of our lives 

            in so many ways. 

Hispanic culture celebrates the sense of presence 

  of those who have transitioned, 

    as the currently popular euphemism (which I like) 

      would have it. 

The Day of the Dead is a wonderful time

  to celebrate and enjoy 

    many of the things that might otherwise 

      leave us feeling uncomfortable. 

Skulls decorated with brightly colored flowers 

  and even made 

    into candy, cookies, and other treats 

      are among the Hispanic (especially Mexican) 

        cultural practices 

          that surround the Day of the Dead. 

That Day is related closely to Halloween 

  because it celebrates the thin time, 

    and it falls on November 2, also known as 

      All Souls' Day. 

My own preference in my personal spiritual practice 

  is to focus on my awareness 

    of the spirit (the breath of life) all around us. 

There are many realities that we are not aware of 

  simply because we are not paying attention. 

The holy day of today 

  is a perfect opportunity 

    to look more closely 

      at the burgeoning life around us 

        than we normally do. 

Trick-or-treating is fun, 

  and appreciating the oneness of all life 

    can be even more deeply satisfying. 

Opening our minds to realities 

  that we don't often think about 

    is a healthy exercise at any time. 

Samhain can be a reminder 

  to broaden our awareness. 

If we use this holy time in that way, 

  it can mean more to us than fun and candy. 

Of course, we may well not want to give up 

  either the fun or the candy, 

    but we can still remember that there is more 

      to the celebration. 

We are entering a season of holy days - 

  also sometimes known as the holidays. 

Each one has customs surrounding it, 

  and each one has a deeper meaning, too. 

Halloween is the thin time 

  to remember the spirits, the life, of all things. 

Thanksgiving is a National Holiday 

  to remember to give thanks,

    not only for the harvest, 

      but also for the many good things in all our lives. 

Canada had their Thanksgiving 

  on the second Monday of October. 

Christmas celebrates 

  the birth of Christ for Christians, 

    and it is also a traditional Earth based festival, 

      known as Yule. 

As such, it celebrates the Solstice 

  and the beginning of longer days. 

New Year's Day brings us an opportunity 

  to remember and celebrate new beginnings. 

The ancient Greek and Roman god and symbol, 

  Janus, has two faces, 

    one facing forward and one facing backward. 

Reasonably enough, Janus is remembered to this day 

  in the name of the first month of a new year, 

    January. 

This year for Samhain, 

  since we can be together (even virtually) 

    on Sunday for our worship time, 

      we are emphasizing the thin time 

        as our opportunity to remember 

          our loved ones 

            who have crossed the veil before us. 

As such, remembrance is more than memory. 

In more ways than one, 

  all the holy days remind us of times past 

    and bring hope of times future. 

If we are careful with our thinking, 

  we can avoid the sadness 

    that often comes with holidays 

      as they remind us of happier times in the past. 

We can focus on the holy days and their meaning, 

  finding deep comfort in our hearts and minds 

    thinking of powerful themes of our culture, 

      our values, and our spirituality. 

When we keep our hearts set 

  on the powerful meaning of holiday traditions, 

    we can draw strength from the celebrations, 

      and it's possible for us to share in the fun 

        even in the midst of a certain amount 

          of nostalgia. 

Amen. 

So let it be. 

Blessed be! 

Congregational Response 

Offering Information 

Our Charity of the Month:

Safe Passage

Violence Prevention Center

"Safe Passage not only helps survivors, we work toward reducing violence through prevention education. We provide individual and group programs that teach ways to recognize domestic violence and how to safely intervene and help."

NIUU

P.O. Box 221

CDA ID 83816 

Musical Interlude--Asia Minor by Jeanie Donaldson

Extinguishing the Chalice and Closing Words:

This Sacred Thread - Responsive Reading - All 

By Heather K Janules

They once dwelled among us, the people of memory.

They who knew us, they who taught us,

They who hurt us, they who loved us.

They touch our lives time and again,

through their presence and their absence.

Through familiar scents and favorite songs,

Through old stories and renewed sorrow.

As the earth turns and leaves fall,

We reach back to renew the bonds between us.

With hearts and hands open

We hold onto love,

Ever-stronger than death.

We reach back in gratitude and understanding -

Without our time together,

The pain and the joy,

We would never be who we are today;

We would have little to pass on ourselves.

Without fear, with thanksgiving

and with hope for all that awaits,

We remember those who have gone before,

We honor the circle of life and death,

And our place within this sacred thread.

 

Welcoming Guests and Announcements 

 

Full Service Script

for Sunday October 17, 2021  

Enoch and Mythology in the Bible 

The Bible is rich in many kinds of literature. Mythology is one of them, and Enoch is an excellent example. 

NIUU, Jeanie Donaldson, April Winters, Pastor Fred 

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Prelude:  Turn Ye to Me--a Scottish Folk Song

Welcome:  

Come into this circle of love and compassion,

Come into this community where we can dream and

Believe in those dreams—

Welcome to North Idaho Unitarian Universalists where we accept, we support, we transform:  Ourselves, Our Community. Our world.   

Lighting the Chalice: 

A Fire in the Universe

By Shawn Trapp

Our chalice reminds us of that the fire within ourselves is the same fire that illuminates the Universe. It is our reminder that all is connected even though the space of the void is vast, and our experience here is but a blip in the cosmic timeline.

This flame is our promise that in our smallness and our short time on this Earth, that we live intently and deeply, with love for one another, with honesty and integrity, to be guided by rational thought and critical thinking, and with a sense of shared responsibility—for as the late astronomer Carl Sagan reminded us, this pale blue dot is the only home we’ve ever known.

Opening Words: 

Call from Beyond

By Susan Maginn

When William Shatner, Captain James T. Kirk, returned to Earth last week,  after his brief adventure in space, he spoke of his powerful feelings. He was overwhelmed by seeing our home in its fragility with its thin blue line of atmosphere. 

From beyond the playful summer clouds,

beyond the earth's thin blue line,

from beyond the bright moon and meteor showers,

we hear the call to look and listen carefully,

to turn away from a world that buys and sells happiness,

to fully experience the luring whisper of your heart's truth.

Why not today, why not now?

We are here and together at home in this evolving place,

home in this ever changing breath and body,

home in this dewy morning even as it reaches toward high noon.

We hear the call from far beyond and deep within and we do not hear it alone.

Come, let us worship together.

The movie, City of Angels, portrayed fallen angels simply as those who had chosen to live a human life on earth. Some of them married and had children. The mythology of fallen - or descended - angels, the Nephilim, as portrayed in the Books of Enoch and in Genesis, included their having children with human women. The song, “In the Arms of the Angel” served as a theme for City of Angels, and it is most appropriate for our theme today. 

Hymn - In the Arms of the Angel by Sarah McLachlin 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SiylvmFI_8 

Covenant: 

Love is the spirit of this church, and service its law

This is our great covenant:

To dwell together in peace,

To seek truth in love,

And to help one another. 

Meet and Greet / Check-in  / Joys and Concerns /  Sharing

Story: 

Icarus, a myth about one who fell to the earth, but not in a good way. 

By Erica Shadowsong

an original retelling

Daedalus was a brilliant inventor, and he had made a career, even a legend of himself for being able to create the seemingly impossible. So when he decided to escape from his tower prison by flying over the ocean like a bird, his son, Icarus, had no doubt he would do it.

It took him only a little while, and Daedalus did the thing that no one else had ever been able to do. He created two sets of wings that for all intents and purposes looked like they could have come from a very large bird, with a wingspan twice his and his son's own heights. Daedalus was ready to fly.

At any other time in his life, that would be it; he would take off, no matter how dangerous the risk, with the untested creation, and somehow beat odds impossible for anyone else. But Daedalus was older now, and he'd had his share of trouble. His proclivity for trouble had landed him in this prison, after all. And because he now had a son, he could no longer do anything without first weighing the consequences. And he worried, now...something he had hardly ever done for himself in his own youth and prime.

When the wings were finished, Daedalus showed them to his son and gave him careful instruction.

"When we set out over the ocean, you must take care not to fly too high, because if you do, the heat of the son will melt the wax holding these wings together, and you will fall into the sea, and I won't be able to save you. But you also must not fly too low, because the ocean spray will soak the feathers, and drag you down into its depths. Be sure to follow me and do what I do, until we safely reach the shore."

Icarus agreed; his father knew everything. So they attached the wings to themselves one day and lept out of the high tower window, catching the wind and sailing high over the endless ocean.

At first, Icarus did exactly as his father instructed. But as they continued to travel for what seemed hours, he naturally was a fast learner, and he began to fly playfully, imitating the sea birds shrieking in the sky. He flew faster than his father, who was flying more carefully. Every now and then, he'd hear his father call out to him to remind him to take care not to fly too high or too low.

He stayed well away from the ocean spray. But he could not resist flying higher and higher to see how far he could go, and the enormous sun was so very far away; surely there was more than enough height for him to go before there was danger from it. And he probably would have been right, if it were not for the fact that, as he saw the tiny silhouettes of birds flying across the great bright sun over the ocean, he found himself hypnotized by its beauty and enormity. He couldn't help it.

Watching the sun and the birds flying seemingly so close to it, he naturally rose higher and higher. And he began to entertain what he knew was impossible; he began to think about what it would be like to touch the sun! He heard his father's voice calling behind him, so far away, and could hear the terror in it. But he was mesmerized by the sun, and sure enough, as his father had said, the wax holding his wings together began to melt it its heat, and still he rose higher, still he kept his eyes on the horizon, toward the great sun.

And as his wings came apart, and he plunged to his death in the sea, his father watching, helpless to be able to save him, could it be that he knew he was about to die for flying too close to the sun? And could it be that he simply decided, it was worth it?

 

Meditation: 

Holy and Creative Light,

By Charles W Grady

Holy and Creative Light, teach us to love this earth, our home. Together we live in one small house, even though to us it seems so large, with so many rooms. This quiet star, marbled blue and white, was hanging here and spinning in black space long before we came. Whole families, kingdoms, empires of teeming life arose and passed away before us. Now we are here, not knowing how or why. Slowly we have begun to learn about our house: how delicate, how self-contained, how easily torn apart! Holy it is, this bubble of rock, water, air -- not to be consumed, nor smashed like the careless child's toy, but to be cared for and cherished, to be kept clean and livable for all the later tenants in their generations. Teach us to be servants of life, and not prideful masters. For we are caretakers and stewards here, with a great responsibility: to watch over the house, to savor its beauty, to breathe its air.

Eternal One, addressed by the human heart through many names, but never to be encompassed by any name, even the holiest: we would know more of ourselves within this hour. We would find more light, knowing dimly somehow that to be a human is, precisely, to be responsible. To feel shame at the sight of misery condoned; to feel shame when we hear of suffering shrugged away; to resist the inroads of arrogant wrong from whatever quarter; to struggle against oppression. We would stand up with quiet strength, and together plant our tree of justice and truth, our flower of mercy, our stone of understanding, our foundation for peace. May wonder and adventure, curiosity and humor, live in us always. May we search in faith for the green fields beyond the desert of this time, and look for the dawn coming over the sea's horizon rim, and for the stars beyond the dark. Amen.

Sermon: 

Scripture quotations are from the NRSV, 

"New Revised Standard Version Bible, 

    copyright 1989, 

      Division of Christian Education of the 

        National Council of the Churches of Christ in the 

          United States of America. 

Used by permission. All rights reserved." 

  Designated by the initials, (NRSV).

The word "mythology" is all too threatening 

  to many people when it is used 

    in reference to parts of the Bible. 

In truth, it's simply a literary classification. 

By definition, mythology refers to stories 

  where gods, goddesses, angels, and other beings 

    intervene in the lives and affairs of people 

      and communities. 

With that simple understanding, 

  there is a lot of mythology in the Bible. 

To speak of a myth 

  does not necessarily refer to an untruth, 

    although the term is often used that way. 

In fact, 

  myths may convey particularly important truths. 

It is with that in mind 

  that I'm wanting us to think about myths today. 

Most cultures from ancient times to today 

  have important myths 

    as part of their self understanding. 

The Aboriginal people of Australia have 

  one of the oldest cultures in the world. 

It goes back about 60,000 years or more. 

The most ancient time of their culture 

  is sometimes called the dreamtime, 

    a mythological age of heroic ancestors, 

      like those of many cultures. 

Another such culture with heroic ancestors 

  helped in the formation of the Bible. 

I'm speaking of the culture of the ancient Hebrews, 

  the ancestors of the people whom we know today 

    as the Jews. 

Their heritage and culture is a vital part 

  of the formation of our own. 

Adam and Eve were the first of the heroic ancestors. 

The name Adam simply means humankind. 

The name Eve simply means Mother of All the Living. 

In our more scientific age, 

  genetic scientists have found evidence of Eve 

    in the cells of every living human being. 

Her genetic material is found in the mitochondria 

  of every human cell, 

    and so she is known as Mitochondrial Eve. 

She is believed to have been a female hominid 

  who gave birth to the first of her children

    about a quarter of a million years ago. 

We are all her descendants, 

  and so her name is, "Eve." 

At this point Biblical mythology 

  and natural Science meet. 

It's always fascinating when science and religion 

  actually meet this way. 

People's reaction to the encounter 

  varies widely, 

    mostly according to their own faith traditions 

      and accompanying preconceived ideas. 

Science and mythology have always had 

  an interesting relationship. 

For our purposes, 

  the most interesting characteristic 

    of the relationship 

      is the place of the mythology 

        in the history and development of cultures. 

Enoch, whom we are thinking about today, 

  is important in the development 

    of our own culture 

      mostly because he is believed by many people 

        to have been the first to experience 

          one of the most important 

            past and future events

              in modern religious mythology. 

I'm speaking of the rapture, 

  the belief that some people will not taste of death 

    but will be taken bodily to meet God. 

What the Bible actually said of Enoch 

  is just a little bit less than specific 

    than the concept of the rapture. 

In Genesis 5:21-24 we read, 

  "21 When Enoch had lived sixty-five years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 Enoch walked with God after the birth of Methuselah three hundred years, and had other sons and daughters. 23 Thus all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty-five years. 24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him." (NRSV)

 

Many conservative Christians see in Enoch 

  the experience for the first time known 

    of being raptured as a way of entering eternal life. 

In truth, the concept of the rapture 

  as it lives in popular culture 

    is not clearly presented in the Bible. 

It's an idea that inspires both fear and hope. 

One way to think about and picture 

  both the fear and hope 

    is the series of Science Fiction books (and movies) 

      known as Left Behind. 

It tells the story of people who were not ready, 

  not true believers, 

    when the time of the Rapture came. 

Hence the fear part: 

Their lives became more and more difficult 

  as the end of time 

    and the second coming of Christ approached. 

For many of those in the stories, 

  things turned out very well indeed. 

For the rest of humanity, 

  it was not so good. 

Belief in the rapture provides a kind of escape 

  from the fears and exigencies of everyday life - 

    - and from the alienation experienced 

      by many people living in the modern world. 

Not knowing for sure 

  that one will be taken up in the rapture 

    is a source of fear. 

For our purposes, 

  thinking about the mythology 

    surrounding the rapture

      can provide us a perspective on the thinking 

        of friends, family, and neighbors 

          whose way of life may seem 

            quite foreign to us at times. 

Because one interpretation of Enoch's story 

  is that God took him up bodily into Heaven, 

    his story is considered 

      by many who believe in the rapture 

        as evidence that their concept of escape 

          from the tribulations of the end time 

            is true. 

There are also two books of Enoch 

  that were not made part 

      of the Jewish or Christian Bible,

        but that are considered important 

          by many scholars who study mythology. 

For example, 

  one collection of characters in the story 

    were called the Nephilim, 

      whose name is variously interpreted as giants 

        and also "those who came from above." 

As one can imagine, those who came from above 

  have become important grist for the mill 

    of alien hunters and UFO enthusiasts. 

The Nephilim are also mentioned in the Bible, 

  in the book of Genesis. 

Much more detail of the mythology about them 

  is provided in the books of Enoch. 

Mythology is still an important part 

  of popular culture 

    in an age that likes to think of itself 

      as based on scientific objectivity. 

I don't want to dignify many of the false narratives 

  about such things as COVID-19 

    or the Insurrection against the U. S. capitol 

      last January 6, 

        but mythology underlies many people's 

          understanding of themselves and the nation. 

For example, there is the myth 

  regarding George Washington and the cherry tree. 

The story is probably not true in a historical sense, 

  but it represents much of the esteem

    in which George Washington is held 

      as Father of his Country and its First President. 

Another myth is that the 

  United States is a Christian nation. 

The Constitution clearly forbids the establishment 

  of any state religion, 

    yet the myth represents the importance 

      of people of Abrahamic faith, 

        as well as many other traditions

          to the founding and development 

            of the nation and its culture. 

So it is no surprise that the myth of Enoch 

  (and the Nephilim) 

    are so fascinating to many people in our time. 

They are indeed part of a powerful myth 

  of Jewish tradition, 

    and their adoption by people of various kinds 

      is a sign of our times. 

The two books of Enoch are among the so-called 

  lost books of the Bible. 

They have not been included in any Bibles 

  except that of the ancient Coptic church of Africa. 

Yet they have long been held in reverence by many. 

There are even references to the writings of Enoch 

  in the New Testament letter (Epistle) of Jude. 

In verses 14 and 15 (Jude has only one chapter), he refers to 1 Enoch, saying that God sent His myriads to bring judgment upon the ungodly who grumble and stir up trouble for the people of God: 

14 It was also about these that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “See, the Lord is coming[a] with ten thousands of his holy ones, 15 to execute judgment on all, and to convict everyone of all the deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

The idea of his holy ones 

  probably refers to the Nephilim, 

    the mythological race of Heavenly beings 

      who came down to earth. 

Since the myth says that they were sent 

  to defend God's children, 

    at least here, they do not seem to be 

      fallen or evil. 

Rather, they can be seen as ancestors of humanity, 

  and their powerful presence may well have been 

    understood by some as a good thing. 

Myths can be interpreted in different ways,

  according to the needs of people 

    here and now. 

They are a valuable form of literature 

  in that they represent deep truth about ourselves. 

We ourselves can choose what we believe, 

  and positive interpretations of mythology 

    can help us understand ourselves and our world. 

Amen. 

Let it be. 

Blessed be. 

Congregational Response 

Musical interlude (put this anywhere) 

  My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose

Robert Burns wrote the beautiful words to this poem and found a melody in a songbook to which he could set them.

Offering Information

Our Charity of the Month:

Safe Passage

Violence Prevention Center

 

"Safe Passage not only helps survivors, we work toward reducing violence through prevention education. We provide individual and group programs that teach ways to recognize domestic violence and how to safely intervene and help."

NIUU

P.O. Box 221

CDA ID 83816

Extinguishing the Chalice :

The light of our Chalice is part of the same light that illuminates our small planet as we travel together on our journey through the deep heavens. We cannot extinguish that greater light, but as our small light is extinguished, we receive it into our own hearts and minds. 

 

Welcoming Guests and Announcements

 

Closing words: 

Be a Branch of the Tree of Life

By Norman V Naylor

Our eyes and minds turn now toward the ordinary.

Leaving this virtual space made sacred by our presence, take with you at least some seed of understanding, hope and courage and drop it into the confusion of the world.

Nourish the seed that it might grow as a tree of life giving shelter to the weary and hope to the despairing.

Be yourself a branch of the tree of life. Amen. So let it be. Blessed be. 

 

Order of Service - Script 

for Sunday  October 3, 2021

World Communion Sunday 

Many Christian churches, including our sister church, the United Church of Christ (UCC), participate in a special occasion on the first Sunday in October, a date on which most Christians share in receiving Holy Communion. 

NIUU, Pastor Fred 

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Welcome:  

Come into this circle of love and compassion,

Come into this community where we can dream and

Believe in those dreams—

Welcome to North Idaho Unitarian Universalists where we accept, we support, we transform:  Ourselves, Our Community. Our world.   

Lighting the Chalice: 

Connie

Reminder of the Inner Light

By Gregory David Miller

This fire is a reminder of the light within us all;

the yearning for freedom,

the longing for truth,

the flame of intuition,

the torch of conscience.

We dedicate this service to the remembrance of this Holy Light.

Opening Words: 

Hoping, Trusting for So Many Things

By Katie Kandarian-Morris

Here we have come into this sacred space—

quieter now with our readiness

Hushed voices, hoping, trusting for so many things:

For connection, for communion

For inspiration, for information

For healing, for wholeness,

For words, for music,

For celebration and consolation,

Here we have come into this space bringing all of who we are,

Let us be willing… however we are changed.

Hymn: 

World Communion Sunday video based on "Joyful, Joyful" by Beethoven

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbQvV6eIUxE

Covenant: 

Love is the spirit of this church, and service its law

This is our great covenant:

To dwell together in peace,

To seek truth in love,

And to help one another. 

Meet and Greet / Check-in  / Joys and Concerns /  Sharing

Story: 

Shared meal

by John M. Buchanan

September 26, 2013

World Communion Sunday is one of the best ideas Presbyterians ever had. The idea originated in the 1930s, a time of economic turmoil and fear and the rise of militaristic fascism abroad. Hugh Thomson Kerr, a beloved pastor in the Presbyterian Church, persuaded the denomination to designate one Sunday when American Christians would join brothers and sisters around the world at the Lord’s Table.

The idea caught on. Other denominations followed suit and the Federal Council of Churches (now the National Council of Churches) endorsed World Communion Sunday in 1940. But though the day is still noted in some denominational calendars and program materials, it doesn’t seem to be considered as important as it once was.

Of course, every Sunday is in a sense World Communion Sunday insofar as many churches celebrate the Lord’s Supper every Sunday. But we do not welcome one another at the Lord’s Table. In some churches, a place at the table is reserved for members only. Some Lutherans exclude other Lutherans. And, of course, Eucharist is restricted in the Roman Catholic tradition (although individual Catholic clergy do not always adhere to their church’s teaching on this point).

I have heard all the ecclesiastical reasons for excluding people from the sacrament. I was once part of a Presbyterian delegation to a Reformed–Roman Catholic dialogue at the Vatican. Our delegation decided to gently raise the issue of sacramental exclusion. We agreed with our Catholic counterparts that the church has been given responsibility for the sacrament. As we pressed this issue, it became clear that we had not resolved disagreements about the nature of the church. Lewis Mudge, a Presbyterian theologian, spoke up: “You’re still saying that we are not a true church, aren’t you?” We remained, for them, an “ecclesial community,” not a church—so no sharing of communion.

I believe that when Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me,” he referred not only to the Last Supper but to his entire life of teaching, healing and welcoming all—a welcome so radical it scandalized religious leaders. I have never been able to square excluding a fellow Christian from the table and the meal that commemorates Jesus and that conveys, in bread and wine, something of his grace and love and forgiveness.

During a summer stint at a tiny church in Scotland, I had a visit from the pastor of the church in the next village who told me a communion story I will never forget.

He was an infantryman in the British army in World War II and ended up in a prisoner-of-war camp in Poland. The conditions were dreadful. There was no heat, and prisoners were given a single bowl of thin soup and a small crust of bread daily. Men were starving, sick, filthy and desperate. Suicide was a very real option. All one had to do was run toward the perimeter of the camp and leap against the barbed wire fence. Guards would immediately shoot and kill anyone trying to escape.

In the middle of the night he walked to the perimeter and sat down beside the fence to think about going through with it. He heard movement in the darkness from the other side of the fence. It was a Polish farmer. The man thrust his hand through the barbed wire and handed my friend half of a potato. In heavily accented English he said, “The Body of Christ.”

“Do this in remembrance of me." 

 

Meditation: 

More Than Symbol

 

Connie   

 IN ITS FULLEST sense, remembering is far more than the long backward glance of nostalgia, and in its fullest sense the symbol of bread and wine is far more than symbolic. 

It is part of the mystery of any symbol always to contain something of the power of the thing symbolized just as it is more than a mere piece of painted cloth that makes your pulse quicken when you come upon your country's flag in a foreign land, more than a mere sound that gladdens your spirit when you hear someone speak the name of an absent friend. When in remembrance of Jesus, the disciples ate the bread and drank the wine, it was more than mere bread and wine they were dealing with, and for all the tragic and ludicrous battles Christians have fought with each other for centuries over what actually takes place at the Mass, the Eucharist, Communion, or whatever they call it, they would all seem to agree that something extraordinary takes place. Even if the priest is a fraud, the bread a tasteless wafer, the wine not wine at all but temperance grape juice, the one who comes to this outlandish meal in faith may find there something to feed his deepest hunger, may feel stirring within himself a life even more precious, more urgent, more near than his own. 

-Originally published in The Faces of Jesus

 by Frederick Buechner 

 

Sermon: 

This wonderful month of October 

  brings us two holy days, that is special days 

    in keeping with the definition 

      I spoke about a few weeks ago. 

The best known of the two 

  is a favorite occasion for a lot of people, 

    Halloween, also known as Samhain, 

      the high holy day for the pagans among us 

        for whom it is Christmas and New Years 

          rolled into one very special day. 

The other is today, 

  the first Sunday in October, 

    known as World Communion Sunday. 

It is an occasion for remembering 

  that people all over the world 

    are sharing in the sacrament 

      of the bread of life 

        on the same day. 

At first glance,

  it may not seem too important 

    for us as UU's. 

In reality, this occasion 

  has a number of important lessons to teach us. 

First and most importantly, 

  World Communion Sunday is a day 

    to recognize oneness and togetherness 

      for all kinds of people in all kinds of places 

        all over the world. 

While all the kinds of communion are meant to be 

  opportunities to bring people together, 

    the sacrament of bread and wine 

      has all too often become an occasion 

        for pushing people apart 

          because of disagreements 

            about what it means. 

I've told a story about the divisions before, 

  and I want to tell it again, 

    because this particular story 

      has an important part to play 

        in the history of the journey of the UU's. 

A prince and princess in Prussia were to be married. 

Both were devout Christians, 

  and they wanted to share 

    in Holy Communion together 

      as part of their wedding. 

One of them was Lutheran, 

  and the other was Reformed, Calvinist. 

They were told by leaders of their churches 

  that it would be impossible for them 

    to share in Communion at their wedding 

      because there were too many differences 

        in the theology of the sacrament 

          between the Lutherans and the Calvinists. 

You see, Lutherans believed (and still do believe) 

  in a doctrine called Real Presence: 

    the Body of Christ is truly present 

      in, under, and with 

        the Bread of Holy Communion. 

Likewise, the doctrine teaches 

  that the Blood of Christ is truly present 

    in, under, and with 

      the Cup of Wine of Holy Communion. 

Calvinist teaching on the other hand, 

  teaches that the Bread 

    is a symbol of the Body of Christ, 

      and the Wine is a symbol of the Blood of Christ. 

The difference may not seem like much 

  to people on the outside 

    of the respective churches, 

      but the difference is so important 

        that it seems like life and death 

          to believers within those churches. 

As a Lutheran, 

  I saw it as absolutely vital... 

    that is, until I attended 

      a (formerly) Presbyterian college. 

The Presbyterian church 

  is a Reformed or Calvinist church, 

    whose tradition is to speak of the sacrament 

      in symbolic terms. 

It means they would say that 

  the Bread of Communion 

    is a symbol of the body of Christ, 

      and the Wine of Communion is a symbol 

        of the Blood of Christ. 

To me, the use of the word, symbol, 

  to refer to the elements of Holy Communion 

    was anathema. 

Then I learned something new and important: 

My Presbyterian brothers and sisters 

  believed and taught 

    that the bread and wine of Holy Communion 

      are a special kind of symbol 

        in that they convey the thing they symbolize. 

That sounded so much like my own faith 

  that I could no longer think or speak 

    about how wrong they were! 

So, let's get back to the Prussian prince, and Princess

  the Lutheran and Calvinist, 

    who wanted to get married. 

There were various political considerations 

  as well as the personal faith matters, 

    but the end result of the controversy 

      came in 1817. 

The Prussian Union Church was formed, 

  a merger of Lutherans and Calvinists in Prussia. 

As highly conservative religious people will often do, 

  many Lutherans resisted the merger. 

Some of them moved to the U.S. 

  and founded the LCMS. 

On the other hand, 

  many people who were part of the United Church 

    also come to the New World, 

      and they became an important part 

        of the history of faith in the U.S. 

The Evangelical and Reformed church, 

  as the Prussian Union Church was known 

    more widely than just in Prussia,

      merged with the Congregational Church

        of New England, 

          the church of the Puritans 

            as it moved forward in history. 

The Congregational church is clearly an ancestor 

  of our own Unitarian Universalist tradition. 

The newly formed, united church

  became the United Church of Christ, the UCC. 

We UU's are not part of the UCC, 

  but in New England, the UCC 

    is nearly indistinguishable from the UUA. 

World Communion Sunday 

  is an important part of the story. 

Now, various Christian groups, 

  regardless of their expression of faith 

    about the Sacrament of Holy Communion 

      recognized their oneness in their participation 

        in Communion on World Communion Sunday. 

Depending on our own inner attitudes, 

  our faith can bring us together 

    rather than causing us to divide more and more. 

I had an experience in a presentation by a rabbi 

  that taught me the lesson of oneness in faith 

    between Christians and Jews. 

(I use the word “experience” 

  Rather than just “hearing” the presentation 

    Because it was a profound moment in life 

      That wrought a change in me.) 

Speaking of his own faith in God, 

  he said he believed God is in 

    the covenant making business. 

God was in Moses on Mt. Sinai, he said, 

  making a covenant with Israel, 

    and God was in Jesus on Mt. Calvary, he also said, 

      making a covenant with all the world. 

This sharing of his own faith was so much like 

  what I believe 

    that I could no longer see Jews and Christians 

      as other than participants in different expressions 

        of the same faith. 

Similarly, a bishop in the Lutheran community 

  to which I belonged 

    once spoke of India 

      as a nation with millions of unbaptized believers. 

You see, Hindus belong to a religious faith 

  that receives teachings from many sources, 

    and many of them believe in Christ 

      as well as their own gurus. 

If we think in these terms, 

  Hindus are very much like us UU's 

    in their willingness to receive ideas of faith 

      from many different sources.     

As UU’s we receive ideas of faith - 

  - not only from our heritage in the Christian tradition - 

      But also from traditional forms of pagan, earth based spirituality 

        And from other religions such as Islam and Judaism. 

So it is that the faith of others - and our own, too - 

  can be a part of bringing people together 

    instead of pushing us apart. 

We as UU's can take part in the process 

  of bringing ourselves and others together 

    with World Communion Sunday 

      as we take part in the simplified experience 

        of a sacrament of remembrance. 

For this very reason, 

  I'm asking that we take a piece of bread, 

    a cracker, or a cookie and share it. 

Shall we break bread? 

We remember. 

("Re-Member"- We put back together in our hearts and minds - including people and experiences in spirit, to be with us in community through this "remembering" action.)

It's up to us to decide whether or not to participate 

  in this super-simplified form of communion, 

    and what kind of bread we use. 

Even more importantly, 

  it's up to us to decide 

    what (or whom) we remember. 

As we do so, at the very least, 

  we are remembering the act of doing this together. 

As such, 

  our remembrance includes our human oneness. 

World Communion Sunday is a holy day, 

  a special occasion, 

    to remember that we are already 

      one with each other, 

        and we can and will become more so. 

Amen. 

So let it be. 

Blessed be. 

Congregational Response 

Offering Information 

Our Charity of the Month:

Safe Passage

Violence Prevention Center

"Safe Passage not only helps survivors, we work toward reducing violence through prevention education. We provide individual and group programs that teach ways to recognize domestic violence and how to safely intervene and help."

NIUU

P.O. Box 221

CDA ID 83816

 

Extinguishing the Chalice and Closing Words: 

By Robin F. Gray

Connie 

Ours is a communion borne of words and welcome. 

Fred 

Our communion finds expression in caring and commitment to our highest ideals. 

Connie 

Our communion lives on in our hearts though this sacred hour has ended.

 

Welcoming Guests and Announcements 

 

for Sunday September 12: 

UU Sacraments

A Sacrament is an action which makes real a spiritual experience. Unitarian Universalists share many of those actions. 

In today's sermon 

  I'm going to present the idea that we as UU's 

    actually do have and share sacraments, 

      even if we don't often use the word, sacrament. 

Generally, I try to provide 

  the simplest possible definitions 

    of the terms we use regarding our lives of faith. 

While our faith as UU's can be widely varied, 

  there are some important things 

    we share in common. 

Maybe the most important thing 

  we share in common 

    is our acceptance of each other 

      along with our differences. 

Our understanding of sacraments 

  would be something with which we can do both. 

We can agree on a definition 

  and accept our disagreement on the details. 

In Christianity and in general, 

  the simplest definition I have found for a sacrament 

    is the one from St. Augustine: 

      A sacrament is an outer and physical sign 

        of an inner and spiritual grace. 

That works for me on many levels. 

Some of those terms would have to be defined, too, 

  but without getting too carried away, 

    we can agree that the term "spiritual" 

      refers to breathing and so to life itself, 

        while grace refers to love - unexpected 

          and maybe even undeserved. 

I've tried to simplify the definition further 

  with my description of today's sermon: 

"A Sacrament is an action 

  which makes real a spiritual experience. 

Unitarian Universalists share many of those actions." 

We share many of those sacramental actions 

  with our contemporaries 

    and with religious people from ancient times. 

Our most basic spiritual action 

  is our expression of UU faith. 

We are concerned with matters of believing 

  vs. skepticism. 

As UU's we may find the skepticism to be 

  of equal and sometimes even greater value. 

When we find matters of faith 

  about which we agree or disagree with people 

    of other faiths, 

      we are not particularly dogmatic 

        about those matters. 

Our faith seeks to find meaning in life 

  for ourselves 

    rather than accept what another person 

      tells us our lives mean. 

One of the most UU statements 

  about the meaning of life 

    that I have ever heard 

      came from the great movie, Oh God. 

        (with George Burns as God 

          and John Denver as His prophet.) 

God said, "Your lives mean 

  exactly what you think they mean, 

    no more and no less." 

I'm sure I've quoted 

  this statement from the movie before, 

    and I'm sure I'll quote it again, 

      if for no other reason than its near perfection 

        as a presentation of UU theology and faith 

          when we think of the meaning of life. 

I'm not prepared to call skepticism a sacrament, 

  but maybe for us as UU's it is close to being so. 

We find meaning in many ways in our lives, 

  but we do not insist that our own understanding 

    is the only correct one. 

Our willingness to maintain an open mind 

  is sacred to us, 

    and so it makes real an important part 

      of our lives, and that is a sacrament. 

Sacraments, no matter the religion 

  in which we find them, 

    can help us focus on the meaning of our lives. 

As I spoke of it in my most recent sermon, 

  our Water Communion 

    has a sacramental character 

      because it helps us remember 

        our relationship with the water of life 

          upon which we depend for our lives, 

            and the ways in which water connects us 

              to each other. 

Hence we call it water COMMUNION, 

  and we can affirm it as a UU Sacrament. 

Likewise for those who practice it, 

  the sacrament of the Bread of Life, 

    generally thought of as Holy Communion 

      in a Christian context, 

        can be a UU Sacrament as it

          gives us a point of connection with each other. 

Other UU Sacraments would have to include 

  the traditionally pagan celebration of a ritual 

    with cakes and ale. 

The chalice used for the ale 

  is the Cup of the Goddess, 

    and many people believe that it 

      is the source of the legends of the Holy Grail. 

The grail was never lost! 

It's right here in our hands 

  perhaps as a beer mug 

    when we dedicate our drinking from it 

      to the Mother of us all. 

Speaking of Pagan sacramental rites, 

  the celebration of the Seasons 

    and the wonders of Nature 

      are ways of connecting us 

        to the world in which we live 

          and to each other. 

The current celebration of the Season 

  is the remembrance of the Equinox. 

The newborn Season of Autumn began 

  at 12:30 p.m. Pacific Time last Wednesday. 

Today is our first opportunity 

  to remember the Equinox

    in our time of worship together. 

The act of remembering 

  and holding in our hearts 

    the sacredness of the Season 

      is a pagan and UU Sacramental action. 

The Horned God may say in our hearts, 

  "Do this for the remembrance of me," 

    as we take a sip of beer. 

The Horned God (or Green Man) is a type of Christ 

  in that he offers himself as a sacrifice 

    for the continuing flow and passage of the Season. 

In his case, the sacrifice is not for sin 

  but for the natural order. 

The remembrance of his death 

  is a sign of death and rebirth, 

    a pattern seen in nature over and over, 

      especially in the unfolding of seasons and years. 

As we celebrate life, death, and rebirth, 

  we make our experience of the natural order 

    into a Sacrament that binds us together 

      with Mother Nature, the natural order, 

        and each other. 

The nature based rites 

  are tailor made as UU Sacraments 

    because of their universality 

      and because they are not limited 

        to a particular sectarian religious practice. 

Our remembrance of the Horned God 

  with his birth, death, and rebirth 

    in the unfolding of the natural order 

      connects us with ancient sacramental rituals, 

        with those who celebrate them today, 

          and with each other. 

I don't care at all that Christian hardliners 

  have sometimes connected the Horned God 

    with their devil. 

In fact, in a kind of perverse way, 

  it pleases me, 

    because my sacramental remembrance of him  

      is for me a meaningful repudiation 

        of the narrowness of their faith. 

I believe that sacraments are meant to unite us, 

  not divide us. 

So you can imagine how much I disagree 

  with Roman Catholic bishops 

    who want to exclude President Biden 

      from R.C. Holy Communion

        because of his disagreement with them 

          on the political aspects of abortion. 

I'm fascinated that in my disagreement 

  with those bishops, 

    I'm taking a position close to that of Pope Francis. 

It is the pope's belief that bishops - and others - 

  can agree to disagree with each other. 

As I have told some of my UU friends 

  who have been Roman Catholic 

    during some part of their lives, 

      as UU's, they just may be better catholics 

        than they were in the Roman Catholic church, 

          since the very word, "catholic," 

            means "universal"! 

We don't often think of it in those terms, 

  but that really is 

    what the word catholic (small c) means. 

What we think of as the Catholic Church 

  is more properly called the Roman Catholic Church, 

    and the faith of RC people 

      is often less different than our own UU faith 

        than we might expect. 

Certainly they live within a church hierarchy 

  where we do not, 

    and they have strict doctrinal concepts, 

      which we also do not. 

Yet our human spirituality is based 

  on the universality of our breath  

    in every case, 

      and so our experience of faith and sacraments 

        is more similar than most of us can imagine. 

We all have spiritual experiences, 

  moments in which the completeness of our nature 

    is more clearly revealed to us 

      than we are aware of in ordinary life. 

Those experiences are signs and sacraments. 

A cool Autumn breeze 

  may invoke a reality beyond everyday sensation. 

An act of human kindness may lift us out of doldrums 

  that have been a drag on our hearts' joy. 

Such sacraments are truly catholic 

  since they are part of 

    universal human experience. 

So it is that we as UU's do indeed have and share 

  in holy sacraments that remind us 

    of the holiness of all our lives. 

Our respect for the faith of others, 

  including those who disagree with us, 

    can inspire the finding of meaning 

      in all our lives and faith commitments. 

Amen. 

So let it be. 

Blessed be.