Reasons for the Seasons 

We share many celebrations linked to times of the year. There are both reasons and meaning behind our celebrations. 

Order of Service - Script 

for Sunday  December 5, 2021

NIUU, Jeanie Donaldson, Cindy Matthews, 

  Pastor Fred 

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Prelude - “Lo How a Rose “ere Blooming”  

  arr. By Dennis Alexander

Welcome and Opening Words: 

Everything begins on the verge of awareness.

By George Kimmich Beach

Everything begins on the verge of awareness. The dawn is not and then is. Sleep is and then is not. In between is the awakening.

The passage of thin light, between, breaks open the day. The passage of thin sound, between, flows into the day. Too soon the numbing rumble of traffic swells, the day glares.

Let the soft haze hang again across the row of morning. Wait upon the narrow moment, the first awareness of being in between! Live days and seasons on the thin edge of dawn, in praise that every single thing begins now! 

So 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: 

Our first Sunday of Advent reminded us to be patient. This second Sunday of Advent, we light the flame in hope that darkness will be dispelled.

In this holiday season,

May the darkness of winter

Be dispelled in this festival of lights,

And may the darkness of ignorance

Be dispelled in the strength

Of compassion, reason,

And sharing.

Hymn #225: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SQr0aRcBso

Hymn #225 sung by Revs. Barbara & Jaco ten Hove, retired UU ministers

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

Song: 

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, 

sung by Gene Autry: 

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

Story: 

Story of Rudolph (shared by JoAnn Schaller): 

As the holiday season of 1938 came to Chicago, Bob May wasn’t feeling much comfort or joy. A 34-year-old ad writer for Montgomery Ward, May was exhausted and nearly broke. His wife, Evelyn, was bedridden, on the losing end of a two-year battle with cancer. This left Bob to look after their four-year old-daughter, Barbara.

One night, Barbara asked her father, “Why isn’t my mommy like everybody else’s mommy?” As he struggled to answer his daughter’s question, Bob remembered the pain of his own childhood. A small, sickly boy, he was constantly picked on and called names. But he wanted to give his daughter hope, and show her that being different was nothing to be ashamed of. More than that, he wanted her to know that he loved her and would always take care of her. So he began to spin a tale about a reindeer with a bright red nose who found a special place on Santa’s team. Barbara loved the story so much that she made her father tell it every night before bedtime. As he did, it grew more elaborate. Because he couldn’t afford to buy his daughter a gift for Christmas, Bob decided to turn the story into a homemade picture book.

In early December, Bob’s wife died. Though he was heartbroken, he kept working on the book for his daughter. A few days before Christmas, he reluctantly attended a company party at Montgomery Ward. His co-workers encouraged him to share the story he’d written. After he read it, there was a standing ovation. Everyone wanted copies of their own. Montgomery Ward bought the rights to the book from their debt-ridden employee. Over the next six years, at Christmas, they gave away six million copies of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer to shoppers. Every major publishing house in the country was making offers to obtain the book. In an incredible display of good will, the head of the department store returned all rights to Bob May. Four years later, Rudolph had made him into a millionaire.

Now remarried with a growing family, May felt blessed by his good fortune. But there was more to come. His brother-in-law, a successful songwriter named Johnny Marks, set the uplifting story to music. The song was pitched to artists from Bing Crosby on down. They all passed. Finally, Marks approached Gene Autry. The cowboy star had scored a holiday hit with “Here Comes Santa Claus” a few years before. Like the others, Autry wasn’t impressed with the song about the misfit reindeer. Marks begged him to give it a second listen. Autry played it for his wife, Ina. She was so touched by the line “They wouldn’t let poor Rudolph play in any reindeer games” that she insisted her husband record the tune.

Within a few years, it had become the second best-selling Christmas song ever, right behind “White Christmas.” Since then, Rudolph has come to life in TV specials, cartoons, movies, toys, games, coloring books, greeting cards and even a Ringling Bros. circus act. The little red-nosed reindeer dreamed up by Bob May and immortalized in song by Johnny Marks has come to symbolize Christmas as much as Santa Claus, evergreen trees and presents. As the last line of the song says, “He’ll go down in history.” 

Meditation: 

Do not think the garden loses its ecstasy in Winter. It's quiet, but the roots down there are riotous. 

- Rumi 

Special Music 

Sermon: 

It's  now December, 

  in the period that the song calls, 

    "the most wonderful time of the year." 

For most of us, 

  there are times we truly feel 

    that this could indeed be 

      the most wonderful time of the year. 

There are other times 

  in which we definitely do not feel that way. 

Today is the Second Sunday in Advent, 

  soon after the start of the Christian liturgical year, 

    and preparations for Christmas 

      are visible everywhere. 

To say the least, 

  most of the decorations we use for Christmas 

    are bathed in light, 

      so they can provide a cheerful alternative 

        to the increasing darkness of Winter 

          and the shortest daylight times 

            around the Winter Solstice. 

An ancient theme for the celebrations 

  that happen around this time of year 

    is the victory of light over darkness. 

Ancient humans who lived in the far north 

  surely felt fearful at times 

    that the light just might not return this time. 

Bonfires and rituals were shared 

  to be sure, to attract the light and it would return.  

At this time of year, 

  we sometimes hear or read the phrase, 

    "the reason for the season." 

Much of the time, 

  the people who use the phrase 

    connect it to the name of Jesus, 

      saying something like, 

        "Jesus is the Reason for the Season." 

That's OK as far as it goes, 

  but seasonal celebrations 

    are more complex than that. 

Among many of the ancients 

  the reason for the season and its celebrations 

    was the sustenance and care of the sun 

      and the light and the heat it brought. 

We can begin to think about the complexity 

  with the reason 

    we have seasons at all: 

      Earth's axis around which it rotates 

        is at an angle of 23.5 degrees 

          from the perpendicular. 

Having seasons gives us variations in our weather. 

Anyplace on our small planet 

  is affected by its weather patterns. 

Weather patterns in turn 

  are affected by climate patterns. 

Because of the angle of the axis 

  around which the planet rotates, 

    climate patterns are affected 

      by the orientation of a given region 

        to the sun, the daystar, 

          the source of light and heat for us all. 

At a given time, 

  is the region in more light or in more shadow? 

If it's in more light, then the season is warmer. 

If it's more in shadow, 

  then the season is colder. 

It's no wonder that many forms of early religions 

  involved worship of the sun. 

At the very least, most ancient forms of polytheism

  included a sun god or goddess. 

The solstice and equinox celebrations 

  were among the most important opportunities 

    to worship the sun 

      and all the gifts the daystar gives us. 

In the sense of climate, 

  the reason for all our seasons 

    is the sun itself. 

Our stewardship of climate 

  and the use of energy from the sun 

    includes the energy given in ancient times, 

      stored in the form of such substances 

        as coal and oil. 

Our stewardship of climate also includes 

  the energy, the light and heat, 

    we receive day by day. 

We harvest the daily energy in various ways, 

  including solar cells and wind farms. 

Stewardship of the sun's gifts 

  is the most significant task 

    facing the human family 

      in our time. 

If we are able to act as good stewards 

  we may still have the opportunity 

    to gain the upper hand 

      on the threat of climate change 

        and abnormal, uncontrollable global warming. 

Within fewer years than most people realize, 

  if we do not act as good stewards 

    of heat and light from the sun, 

      very few other things we do or try to do 

        will matter much at all. 

I'm not trying to throw cold water 

  on any of our seasonal celebrations, 

    but I am trying to keep some sense of perspective 

      on the issues we are really facing 

        around the seasons in which we live. 

With that in mind, 

  we can move ahead with lesser matters 

    like having fun 

      with the Season we are moving into 

        and seeking to understand the reasons for it. 

For example, the cold of winter 

  is redeemed by snow. 

I didn't really know about that 

  until I began (as an adult) to live around snow. 

I was actually afraid of snow 

  until I made an amazing discovery: snowshoes. 

With snowshoes, I discovered that I could go places 

  I could not even reach at any time except winter. 

The snow actually provides a surface 

  along which we can move and explore 

    in unique ways. 

People who enjoy skiing 

  also find unique recreational opportunities 

    provided by snow. 

My own experience taught me 

  that I was not going to be much of a skier

    when I discovered that I could ski downhill nicely, 

      but I was not much good at stopping. 

As I nearly skied right into the ski lodge, 

  I came to the conclusion that I would probably need 

    to find another way to enjoy the snow. 

So we can say that 

  one reason for the season is snow. 

My experience can provide a rule of thumb 

  about many of our fears. 

We need not fear any season or its weather, 

  even though some events are less fun than others. 

We need to learn reasonable precautions, 

  like learning how to stop our forward movements, 

    but we can learn to live within the limitations 

      of the seasons. 

We need rain and wind for crops to flourish, 

  but too much of both together 

    can be harmful 

      whether or not we experience hurricanes. 

Snow is important, not just for exploring, 

  but also as the source of most of the water 

    we all need for life 

      in many areas of Western states of the U.S. 

Without the snow in California's mountains, 

  that State would be so arid 

    that much of its agricultural productivity 

      would be lost. 

Many areas of California would be uninhabitable. 

The Pacific Northwestern states 

  are also deeply dependent on snow for moisture. 

We would not be turned into deserts 

  quite as quickly as California, 

    but in time we would be subject to the same fate. 

An article in the Los Angeles Times 

  from the day before yesterday (December 3) 

    gives us a stark warning 

      about current events that may indicate 

        grave danger of failure of the snows 

          upon which so many of us in the West depend. 

Here is an excerpt: 

Headline: A ‘no-snow’ California 

  could come sooner than you think

A recent study found 

  that the already dwindling snowpack 

    across California and the western U.S. 

      could shrink dramatically — 

        or in some cases disappear — 

          before the end of the century. 

Should greenhouse gas emissions 

  continue unabated, winters of low snow, 

    or even no snow, 

      could become a regular occurrence 

        in as little as 35 years.

Many of the worst effects will be felt in California, 

  where snowpack 

    in the Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges 

      could decline 45% by 2050. 

(end of L.A. Times excerpt) 

As dependent as we are on snow

  to provide for our need for moisture, 

    too much snow and wind 

      in one place at a given time

        can cause a dangerous blizzard,

          like the one that just happened in Hawaii. 

So another reason for the current season is mosture,

   both as a source of good and harm. 

Moisture is a source of life 

  and also danger. 

We need balance, 

  and we are finding more and more 

    that balance is a key 

      to a successful relationship between ourselves

        and the seasons. 

When we are in balance with the seasons, 

  we can learn to appreciate them all. 

Our calendar year begins with winter. 

Staying warm enough 

  has long been essential for survival 

    during the cold season. 

Yet as soon as the cold and dark reach their peak, 

  the days begin to grow longer at the solstice. 

That's a paradigm for living in balance 

  with our world and it's various climate experiences. 

The reason for the season of Winter 

  just may be to teach us a kind of adaptability 

    to the conditions with which we live. 

Spring will bring a mixed period of warming. 

Sometimes our most impressive snowfalls 

  can be in March. 

Summer brings light and heat, 

  even though we hope that most years 

    will not bring nearly as much heat as last summer. 

If there is good balance 

  between moisture and warmth, 

    crops will grow well and we can be fed. 

If the balance fails, 

  we will have to rely 

    on the abundance of previous years, 

      or sharing in crops from areas 

        that were more fortunate. 

The arrival of Autumn 

  brings the return of the cold and dark, 

    usually slowly and surely. 

I can remember one year 

  in which our hottest period 

    was right around the Autumnal equinox, 

      the start of Autumn. 

It was a sign of imbalance and, in my opinion, 

  a sign of the dangers coming from climate change. 

Storage of crops and celebrations of giving thanks 

  are important traditional parts 

    of the Season of Autumn, 

      and its balance of heat and cold 

        have long enabled our celebration of it, 

          right through its holy day 

            of Samhain or Halloween. 

On that day, 

  according to Celtic tradition, 

    Winter actually begins. 

This year, all the way through 

  the beginning of December, 

    many of us have wondered where Winter went. 

I can assure us all that, 

  in the words of the Game of Thrones, 

    "Winter is Coming!" 

This need not be a scary thought, 

  even though we don't all have 

      good recreation opportunities 

        during the cold months. 

As the meditation words from Rumi say, 

Do not think the garden loses its ecstasy in Winter. 

  It's quiet, but the roots down there are riotous. 

- Rumi 

Amen 

So Let it Be 

Blessed Be 

Congregational Response 

Offering Information 

St. Vincent de Paul Society 

"TO PROVIDE DIRECTION AND SERVICES SUPPORTING INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES IN NORTH IDAHO NEEDING ASSISTANCE TO ENRICH, FORTIFY AND REBUILD THEIR LIVES WITH DIGNITY."

NIUU

P.O. Box 221

CDA ID 83816

 

Extinguishing the Chalice :

Hope Continues

By Kevin Jagoe

When the candle dims,

The wax almost spent

The light turns amber like a sunset

Still it provides light

Still it provides heat

Still it can kindle new flame

And pass its glow on

And contribute to new illumination

When sunsets turn to new days

When seasons transform all

When the candle dims, all is not lost.

Hope continues, uncertain and true,

like candlelight, ready to spark again.

All is not lost.

Welcoming Guests and Announcements

 

Closing words: 

Closing Words for Seasonal Transitions

By Andrew Pakula

May you know fully and deeply the blessings of each of your heart's seasons

The inward turning of Winter

Springtime's lush renewal

The effortless, steady growth of summer

And autumn's rich harvest

May your passage from season to season be blessed—

Eased by hands to hold, and by the light of love to guide you on.