Dear Ones,
Our Seventh Principle reminds us that we are part of an interdependent and interconnected web of existence – that we belong to each other. We feel each other’s pain and share in each other’s joy.
So, as we begin meteorological autumn and a new liturgical cycle, it is appropriate that our first monthly theme is “belonging.” John O’Donohue asserts that “the word ‘belonging’ holds together the two fundamental aspects of life: Being and Longing, the longing of our Being and the being of our Longing.” And, Karina Antonopoulos states the somewhat obvious but profound truth: “where you belong is where you constantly choose to show up.”
On Sunday, we will celebrate the fact that you choose to show up as part of our UUCJ community. Through water communion–a ritual during which we all bring some water from our homes or a nearby water source, like a creek, pond, lake, or ocean and combine it with the water from other participants-we will embody what it means to belong to UUCJ’s beloved community.
During water communion, you will be asked to state your name and where you live – Arlington, Sandalwood, Riverside, Mandarin, etc. Then, after a short message, you will be given an opportunity to be blessed by the water (which will have been boiled in an electric kettle during the message). This annual Unitarian Universalist ritual celebrates our return to religious community where you are Known & Loved (by Blue Light Bandits & Joel Ansett). I look forward to your joining us on Sunday!
I leave you with Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s explanation of the Spirit of Ubuntu: “Africans have a thing called ubuntu. It is about the essence of being human, it is part of the gift that Africa will give the world. It embraces hospitality, caring about others, being willing to go the extra mile for the sake of another. We believe that a person is a person through other persons, that my humanity is caught up, bound up, inextricably, with yours. When I dehumanize you, I inexorably dehumanize myself. The solitary human being is a contradiction in terms. Therefore you seek to work for the common good because your humanity comes into its own in community, in belonging.”
Blessings,
Rev. Lee Anne