Gathering Music
Welcome & Announcements
Centering
Prelude
"Illumination"
Improvisation by Mary Bopp
Chalice Lighting & Opening Words: "Where equity and justice transcend mere dreams"
(Dr. David Breeden)
Welcome to this place
where equity and justice
transcend mere dreams;
where they are the air we breathe.
Enter this sanctuary,
all who yearn for respite
from a world rife with
scarcity & inequity;
rife with the relentless
shackles of privilege and bias.
come, embrace this space;
be embraced by this place,
this refuge where
scarcity and disparity
dissolve
into we, together,
crafting a place
where the breath of life
is equity and justice ...
cherished, manifested, sustained.
Opening Hymn
#159 "This is My Song"
Words: Lloyd Stone; Music: Jean Sibelius
This is my song, O God of all the nations,
a song of peace for lands afar and mine.
This is my home, the country where my heart is,
here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine,
but other hearts in other lands are beating
with hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.
My country's skies are bluer than the ocean,
and sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine,
but other lands have sunlight too, and clover,
and skies are everywhere as blue as mine.
O hear my song, thou God of all the nations,
A song of peace for their land and for mine.
Prayer/Meditation: "In These Times in which the Ground Feels Shaky"
(Rev. Joan Javier-Duval)
In these times in which the ground feels shaky
And our hands and feet unsteady
We turn to you
Oh, Source of Strength,
Spirit of Compassion
For we do not know what the future holds
Truly, we can never know
And we need strength in these times of uncertainty
We need the strength and the fortitude to hold on,
to see clearly,
to reach out in love.
May we find guidance within ourselves and beyond ourselves
May we be restless for truth when truth is cast aside,
May we be seekers of peace as the drumbeats of war grow louder around us,
May we hear and sound the alarm for our planet as fires rage and ravage,
And, in all this, may Love rule our hearts.
May we know the Source of Love within us and stay grounded in that source
As we grieve,
as we grapple with the unknown,
as we work towards creating a more just, peaceful, and sustainable present and future together.
So May it be.
Amen
Welcoming Visitors and Joys & Concerns
Musical Meditation
Offering
Continuing our practice of sharing our gifts with the community beyond our walls, and in recognition of Black History Month, fifty percent of our Sunday plate collections for the month of February will go to Manchester's African American and Black Affairs Council or AABAC. AABAC is a community-based organization whose mission is to uphold all aspects of the lived experiences of Black people through advocacy, education, and community endeavors. AABAC strives to eliminate injustices experienced by Black people in Manchester, CT, through engagement with Manchester residents, community partners and allies.
Offertory
"Black Hole Sun"
Chris Cornell; arr. Mary Bopp
Prayer: "Your Guiding Power" (Rabbi Sydney Greenberg)
God, your word brings on the twilight of evening.
The heavens proclaim your glory.
And we, your creatures on earth,
Behold in wonder Your endless miracles.
Help us to recognize your guiding power
in distant galaxies and in our own souls.
Teach us your law of righteousness and love
So that Your spirit may govern our lives.
God of peace, bless our worship;
May our meditations find favor in your sight.
May our gratitude for your wonders
Lead us in love, to your service,
So that, like the changing seasons, the days, the nights,
Our lives too, will proclaim your glory.
Amen
Sermon: "Reflecting God's Light into the Dark Places" (Rabbi Konigsburg)
Closing Hymn
#118 "This Little Light of Mine"
Words & Music: African American spiritual
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine.
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Ev'rywhere I go, I'm gonna let it shine.
Ev'rywhere I go, I'm gonna let it shine.
Ev'rywhere I go, I'm gonna let it shine.
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Building up a world, I'm gonna let it shine.
Building up a world, I'm gonna let it shine.
Building up a world, I'm gonna let it shine.
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Closing Words: "Rekindle Commitment" (Rev. Jenn Gracen)
May we go forward
From this gathering
Ready to commit again
To sharing the gift
of justice and equity
With this hurting world.
Go in peace, Go in love.
Extinguishing the Chalice
Closing Circle
May faith in the spirit of life
And hope for the community of earth
And love of the light in each other
Be ours now, and in all the days to come.