Welcome and Announcements (Rev. Josh Pawelek) Centering Prelude "Falling Colors" by Mary Bopp Chalice Lighting and Opening Words #485 "Turn Scarlet, Leaves" Words by Raymond J. Baughan Music by Mary Bopp Turn scarlet, Leaves! Spin Earth! Tumble the shadows into dawn. Tumble the shadows into dawn. Opening Song #1009 "Meditation on Breathing" by Sarah Dan Jones When I breathe in, I'll breathe in peace When I breathe out, I'll breathe out love. Time for All Ages "On Being Prepared" Joys and Concerns Musical Interlude Offering She Leads Justice She Leads Justice advocates for under-resourced, marginalized women in Connecticut. They work to close the civil legal justice gap and to create state policy for economic security. Formerly known as the Connecticut Women's Education and Legal Fund, their work supports women who identify as cisgender and transgender, and non-binary individuals, as well as people of all marginalized gender identities. Manchester Latino Affairs Council The Manchester Latino Affairs Council (M.L.A.C.) was established in January of 2007. Its current mission is to address social issues with a focus on diversity, inclusivity and equality within Manchester's Latino Community. MLAC sponsors Manchester's annual Hispanic Heritage Day, a "Three Kings Celebration" in January and a "Latina Heart Health Walk" next April. Offering Music "Ritual Fire Dance" by Manuel de Falla Mary Bopp, piano Sermon "Are You Ready?" Rev. Josh Pawelek Closing Song "Great Balls of Fire Alarm" Adapted from Jerry Lee Lewis Andy Ricci, guitar and vocals Mary Bopp, piano 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. FIRE DRILL

Gathering Music Welcome & Announcements Centering Prelude "Mabon Magic by Mary Bopp Chalice Lighting "Prayer of Xuma" by Xuma, Shaman of the Amazonian Amahuaca tribe Calling the Quarters Time for All Ages (Emmy Galbraith, Director of Children & Youth Ministry) Opening Hymn #1069 "Ancient Mother" Traditional Navajo Prayer Ancient Mother, I hear you calling. Ancient Mother, I hear your song. Ancient Mother, I feel your laughter. Ancient Mother, I taste your tears Reading "The Last Leaf" by David Horst Introductions, Joys and Concerns Musical Response Offering For the month of September, our Community Outreach offering will be shared by two organizations:   She Leads Justice She Leads Justice advocates for under-resourced, marginalized women in Connecticut. They work to close the civil legal justice gap and to create state policy for economic security. Formerly known as the Connecticut Women's Education and Legal Fund, their work supports women who identify as cisgender and transgender, and non-binary individuals, as well as people of all marginalized gender identities.   Manchester Latino Affairs Council   The Manchester Latino Affairs Council (M.L.A.C.) was established in January of 2007.  Its current mission is to address social issues with a focus on diversity, inclusivity and equality within Manchester’s Latino community. MLAC sponsors Manchester’s annual Hispanic Heritage Day and is looking forward to its first public “Three Kings Celebration” in January and a “Latina Heart Health Walk” next April. Offering Music "Everything Will Be All Right" by Kay Gardner Performed by Manchester Women's Sacred Singing Circle Everything will be all right. Day is day and follows night. Everything will be all right. Darkness flows into the light. Reading "Earth Mother, Star Mother" by Starhawk Homily : Autumn Equinox (Mabon) Harvest, Letting Go, and Balance Closing Hymn "Cycles of Life" by Janet Ciano Performed by Manchester Women's Sacred Singing Circle Cycles of life, seasons of the year, Rhythms of the earth and my heartbeat Closing the Quarters Closing Words : "Let Us Bless the Earth" by Eric Williams 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. Read on for an Important Update from the UUA Discernment Task Force Over the past three weeks the Discernment Task Force has been meeting with members of the congregation to discuss what, in their view, a good discernment process would look like. Members of the Task Force have met with members of the Policy Board, the minister, and the director of Children and Youth Ministries (CYM). We also reached out to folks who were active in raising concerns about the new Article 2 and the UUA. In addition, we met with folks who reached out to us, following our E-Blast (August 29) seeking input on what a good process would be. In addition, we identified additional folks to ensure different demographics were represented, for example a range of generations, people with children, people without children. We engaged with 35 people, of whom 33 agreed to share their views. NEXT STEPS Sept 23 The Task Force will meet to identify themes that emerged from our conversations with stakeholders. The congregation can expect a brief report – via a dedicated eblast, via the CYM weekly email, on UUSE’s Facebook page, and as an insert in the Sunday order of service -- regarding the main themes that emerged. Oct 6 The Task Force will have a four-hour meeting to design a process of congregational engagement based on the input received. The congregation can expect an overall description and timeline of opportunities for congregational engagement soon after this meeting -- via a dedicated eblast, via the CYM weekly email, on UUSE’s Facebook page, and as an insert in the Sunday order of service. Second half of Oct and November : likely time frame for congregational engagement events. Late December/Early January : Report to the Policy Board Discernment Task Force Members : Trisha Corey-Lisle, chair; Desiree Holian-Borgnis; David Lacoss; Sage Nitzan; Sylvia Ounpuu; Sid Soderholm; Monica van Beusekom; Lynn Dove, Policy Board Liaison Summary of mission of UUA Discernment Task Force : The UUA Discernment Task Force will design and implement a process by which UUSE members and friends can: 1) listen to each other’s concerns about the UUA and Unitarian Universalism; 2) determine together the institutional relationship we wish to have with the UUA; and 3) determine what changes to the UUSE constitution, if any, will enable us to formalize that relationship.

I shared with you earlier Jesus’ parable of the Messianic Banquet, also known as the Great Banquet, the Wedding Banquet, or the Great Dinner. Though this parable was likely told in many different ways among the early followers of Jesus, and was likely written down in many different versions in many books now lost to antiquity, by my count there are three versions that have survived into our time, one in the Christian New Testament Book of Luke, one in its sibling, Matthew, and one in the non-biblical, gnostic Gospel of Thomas. In short, the master of the house—context suggests a person of great wealth and status—intends to throw a banquet. He sends his servants—sometimes translated into English as slaves—to invite his friends who are also people of wealth and status. The friends decline the invitation. They all have reasonable excuses. In Luke the master becomes angry and says to his servants, “Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.” They do this, and there is still room at the table, so the master then says “Go out into the roads and lanes”—sometimes translated as ‘highways and byways’ or  ‘highways and hedgerows’—“and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled.” In Mathew the master of the house is also the king. His friends kill the servants who bring the invitations. The king then sends soldiers who kill the “murderers” and burn the city. He then says to the servants, “The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.” The text continues, “Those servants went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad, so the wedding hall was filled with guests.” In the Gospel of Thomas we don’t learn how the master feels about those who decline the original invitation. He simply says to the servants, “Go out on the streets and bring back whomever you find to have dinner.” If nothing else, this is a story about invitation. Who is invited to the banquet table? What is at stake in the invitation? When I first learned that our ministry theme for September is invitation , I immediately thought of this story. I first encountered it as a child. I have a vague memory of hearing and discussing it—and absolutely not getting it—in a Sunday School class at my grandparents’ church in Hanover, Pennsylvania. In seminary, in the mid-1990s, I audited a class on Jesus with the theologian and scholar of religion Harvey Cox . His description of this story has never left me. I want to share from my notebook from that class to give you Cox’s take on what Jesus was doing when he told this parable. Those of you who are familiar with the parables know that Jesus was trying to explain to his followers what the kingdom of God is like. That’s purpose of the parables. The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. The kingdom of God is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour. The kingdom of God is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. The kingdom of God is like a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. Each of Jesus’ parables, in some way, subverts the dominant social, cultural and religious ideas and practices of his day, meaning, the rules that apply in society do not apply in the Kingdom of God. As in almost any society, ancient or otherwise, there were unwritten rules, social conventions, religious restrictions regarding who could associate with whom, and in the case of this parable in particular, who could eat with whom. As in almost any society, ancient or otherwise, there were powerful stigmas attached to certain groups of people, making them perennial outsiders. This would have included poor people, those deemed unrighteous, sinners, people with disabilities—the crippled, the blind, the lame—lepers, people perceived to be demon-possessed in some way—today we might say people with mental illness—menstruating women, and generally any woman who was not under the control of a man, and who might therefore be referred to as a prostitute, a sex worker, a whore, etc. Tax collectors are often added to the list. To provide cultural and religious context, Cox referred to passages in the Dead Sea scrolls, which were unearthed in the mid-twentieth century, and which provide scholars with a host of insights into the society in which Jesus lived. The texts belonged specifically to a somewhat isolated Jewish sect known as the Essenes, though their beliefs and practices likely would have overlapped with those of other Jewish groups in the region. The scrolls refer to a Messianic Banquet, a great feast at the end of time, at which all the righteous of Israel will sit before the Messiah. Absent from that feast, according to Cox, are the crippled, the blind, the lame, the deaf, the poor, etc. These outsiders do not get a seat at the Messianic Table. Cox claimed that Jesus and his followers would have been familiar with stories of the Messianic Banquet. And they would have been familiar with the basic rules about who could eat with whom. Many of Jesus’ followers would have been among those who were typically excluded. In hearing Jesus tell the parable, they would have expected the man of status and wealth to invite his friends of status and wealth to his banquet. But Jesus, in typical fashion, begins with this familiar image and then flips it on its head. Those who typically get the invite are not coming. But does the man cancel the banquet? No! Go out to the streets and bring in whoever you find. Bring in the blind, the crippled, the lame. Bring in the poor. Bring in the sex workers. Bring in the aliens and the immigrants. Bring in the tax collectors. He is saying “no” to hierarchy, “no” to systems of rank, “no” to exclusion based on arbitrary characteristics. He is saying “yes” to a different kind of society, clearly a more welcoming and inclusive society that doesn’t get hung up on tests of righteousness and purity, or tests of wealth and status; a more compassionate society, a more loving society. Cox says this was a truly radical, truly subversive vision. Pretty much everyone gets an invitation to the Messianic Table. When I wrote the blurb for this service I asked what this parable says to us, Unitarian Universalists, here in this beautiful meeting house, tucked away in a calm, woodsy Connecticut suburb, just shy of two thousand years from the time Jesus supposedly shared it with his followers. I have a few thoughts. We know Jesus uses the Great Banquet as a metaphor for the Kingdom of God, but it’s not just a metaphor. He and his disciples also lived this way. They weren’t waiting for the  kingdom to arrive. This, for them, was how to live here and now. And they were criticized for it. “Look, he eats with sinners and tax collectors.” I’m mindful that many Unitarian Universalists and many liberal Christians say some version of these words: “the idea of Christ—Jesus as the risen savior—doesn’t have any meaning for me. I’m not a believer in that sense. But I agree he was a great teacher and prophet, an excellent moral guide. I try to follow his teachings. I think that’s what matters.” Does that sound familiar to you?  I’ve said words to that effect many times over the years. But I also know I don’t eat like this. It’s almost as if there’s some unwritten rule, deep in our societal structure prevents us from eating like this. Some of us on the Social Justice / Anti-Oppression Committee have been helping out a local undocumented immigrant family whose breadwinner, until this past week, was detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. We’ve been delivering food and diapers once a week to the mom who’s been home with three children under five and a teenager. They need this support, and we’ll keep doing it for a little while longer; but it dawned on me in preparing for this service, “why haven’t we eaten with them?”  Why did that thought not occur to me? What unwritten rule prevented that thought from breaking into my consciousness? There are certainly many venues in our larger society where large groups of diverse people who don’t know each other come together and eat: fairs, malls food courts, restaurants, sporting events, etc. But the unwritten rules still operate in these venues. It’s rare that people are encouraged in such settings to eat with someone they don’t know, especially someone who is radically different from them and learn something about them, while also sharing about themselves. Breaking into conversation with someone you don’t know at the table next to you is as likely to be deemed rude as it is to be welcomed. There needs to be invitation. But can you imagine a mall staff person yelling to everyone sitting in the food court to get up and meet someone new. Eat with that person. Get to know something about them. Let them get to know something about you. It’s almost impossible to imagine. Our congregation used to organize events with Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Bloomfield. I still remember one of the first times we had a meal together. People were sitting with people they knew. We very naturally failed to cross lines of church membership, which were also racial lines. Rev. Dr. Johnson, who was Bethel’s pastor at the time said, at the top of his lungs, “No, no, no. Everybody rise, find someone from a church you don’t belong to, and eat with them.” We did, and a great relationship evolved out of those meals. But it wasn’t instinctual. We had to be invited. We have our own version of a Messianic Table here at UUSE and within Unitarian Universalism. At our messianic table we celebrate freedom of spirit, conscience and belief; the free and responsible search for truth and meaning; the pursuit of justice and equity, living in right relationship with the earth, interdependence, democratic processes, religious pluralism, and a love that, once expressed, is never lost. All this is worth sharing with others. But as long as I’ve been a Unitarian Universalist, I’ve heard it said—and I think it’s largely true—that we’re uncomfortable sharing our faith. We often say we don’t like to proselytize. There are many reasons why it matters that we become more comfortable with inviting people—friends and strangers—to explore Unitarian Universalism, and many ways to do it. But there’s one group of people I feel I would be remiss if I did not name as I close out this sermon. I’m thinking about what sociologists and social workers, and even the United States Surgeon General are referring to as the epidemic of loneliness. Throughout and since the coronavirus pandemic, though even before it, loneliness has been on the rise, particularly among elders, though certainly not limited to elders. I commend to you Vivek Murthy’s 2023 Surgeon General’s report, Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation . I also commend to you the website of the Connecticut Collaborative to End Loneliness . It is clear to me that faith communities are uniquely situated to address this epidemic. Part of our Messianic Table is a caring, connected community, which is exactly what people of all ages need to help overcome the negative health outcomes associated with loneliness. Do you know someone who is lonely? Invite them to come to worship with you? Is there someone in your social orbit who may be struggling? Invite them to come to worship with you. Knowing there are lonely people; knowing there are all sorts of people who may be hungering for a table like ours, why not make the invitation? As we kick off our 2024-2025 congregational year, what better time to make the invitation? Why not go out into the streets and bring in whoever you may find? Why not go out to the highways and the byways and make the invitation? Make it with pride. Make it with confidence. Make it with spirit! Make it with the knowledge that not everyone will respond, but there are many who are waiting. Make the invitation. Amen and blessed be.

Gathering Music (Mary Bopp)   Welcome (Rev. Josh Pawelek)   Announcements   Centering   Prelude “Allegro” from Flute Quartet in D, KV 285 by Wolfgang A. Mozart Greig Shearer, flute Anhared Stowe, violin Patricia Vance, viola Pablo Issa, cello     Chalice Lighting and Opening Words You Are Beloved, and You Are Welcome Here By the Rev. Joan Javier-Duval  Opening Hymn #360 “Here We Have Gathered” Words by Alicia Carpenter Music: Genevan psalter, 1543   Here we have gathered, gathered side by side; circle of kinship, come and step inside! May all who seek here find a kindly word; may all who speak here feel they have been heard. Sing now together this, our hearts’ own song.   Here we have gathered, called to celebrate days of our lifetime, matters small and great: we of all ages, women, children, men, infants and sages, sharing what we can. Sing now together this, our hearts’ own song.   Life has its battles, sorrows, and regret: but in the shadows, let us not forget: we who now gather know each other’s pain; kindness can heal us: as we give, we gain. Sing now in friendship this, our hearts’ own song.   Time for All Ages “The Parable of the Great Banquet” Music “Adagio” from Flute Quartet in D, KV 285 by Wolfgang A. Mozart Greig Shearer, flute Anhared Stowe, violin Patricia Vance, viola Pablo Issa, cello     Joys and Concerns   Musical Interlude   Offering For the month of September, our Community Outreach offering will be shared by two organizations:   She Leads Justice She Leads Justice advocates for under-resourced, marginalized women in Connecticut. They work to close the civil legal justice gap and to create state policy for economic security. Formerly known as the Connecticut Women's Education and Legal Fund, their work supports women who identify as cisgender and transgender, and non-binary individuals, as well as people of all marginalized gender identities.   Manchester Latino Affairs Council   The Manchester Latino Affairs Council (M.L.A.C.) was established in January of 2007.  Its current mission is to address social issues with a focus on diversity, inclusivity and equality within Manchester’s Latino community. MLAC sponsors Manchester’s annual Hispanic Heritage Day and is looking forward to its first public “Three Kings Celebration” in January and a “Latina Heart Health Walk” next April. Offering Music   “Rondeau” from Flute Quartet in D, KV 285 by Wolfgang A. Mozart Greig Shearer, flute Anhared Stowe, violin Patricia Vance, viola Pablo Issa, cello     Sermon “Sitting at the Messianic Table” Rev. Josh Pawelek   Closing Hymn #407 “We’re Gonna Sit at the Welcome Table” Traditional   We’re gonna sit at the welcome table. We’re gonna sit at the welcome table one of these days, hallelujah! We’re gonna sit at the welcome table, gonna sit at the welcome table one of these days.   All kinds of people around that table…   No fancy style at the welcome table…   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.

Gathering Music (Mary Bopp)   Welcome (Emmy Galbraith)   Announcements (Rev. Josh Pawelek)   Centering    Prelude “Bulgarian Rhythm from Mikrokosmos”   By Béla Bartók Mary Bopp, Dorothy Bognar, pianos   Chalice Lighting and Opening Words “A Spacious Welcome” by the Rev. Shari Woodbury   Opening Hymn #361 “Enter, Rejoice and Come In” Words and Music by Louise Ruspini   Enter, rejoice, and come in. Enter, rejoice, and come in. Today will be a joyful day; Enter, rejoice, and come in. Open your ears to the song… Open your hearts ev’ryone… Don’t be afraid of some change… Enter, rejoice, and come in… BACK to SCHOOL Slide Show Blessing of the Backpacks      Joys and Concerns   Musical Meditation (Mary Bopp)   Offering For the month of September, our Community Outreach offering will be shared by two organizations:   She Leads Justice She Leads Justice advocates for under-resourced, marginalized women in Connecticut. They work to close the civil legal justice gap and to create state policy for economic security. Formerly known as the Connecticut Women's Education and Legal Fund, their work supports women who identify as cisgender and transgender, and non-binary individuals, as well as people of all marginalized gender identities.   Manchester Latino Affairs Council   The Manchester Latino Affairs Council (M.L.A.C.) was established in January of 2007.  Its current mission is to address social issues with a focus on diversity, inclusivity and equality within Manchester’s Latino community. MLAC sponsors Manchester’s annual Hispanic Heritage Day and is looking forward to its first public “Three Kings Celebration” in January and a “Latina Heart Health Walk” next April. Ann Stowe would like to say a few words about this piece.   Offertory Music “Allegro Molto ed Appassionato” from Violin Sonata #3 Edvard Grieg Anhared Stowe, violin; Mary Bopp, piano   Our UUSE Covenant We will strive to… §  Treat each other with respect §  Foster an encouraging and supportive congregational culture §  Engage each other with love, compassion, kindness and forgiveness §  Listen with an open heart and mind §  Speak our truths thoughtfully, openly and directly §  Acknowledge and recognize conflict as an opportunity for growth and understanding §  Welcome, accept and care for one another §  Nurture generous spirits §  Be sensitive to dynamics of power and privilege as they relate to race, class, gender, sexual orientation, ability and age §  Be accountable to one another and honor our commitments §  Maintain and encourage a sense of humor §  Learn and participate in Unitarian Universalist Society East’s established system of due process and governance   If any of the above fails, we strive for forgiveness.   Our Children's Covenant   Be respectful of people and space. Treat others how you want to be treated. Be kind (and use kind words!) Use materials appropriately. Listen when others are talking. Follow the principles. Participate. Do your best!   If we forget, we begin again in love!     Our Congregational Commitment We come together as companions in the search for truth and meaning. We share in our congregational mission of caring for one another, encouraging each other in spiritual growth, working for justice and peace in the wider world, and living in harmony with the earth. We join our gifts together, trusting that a gathering of diverse souls, united in common endeavor, has the power to bring freedom, healing, and love. We renew our pledge to share our time, energy and talents with this congregation; to diligently seek our spiritual truths; and to strengthen the bonds of community.   Chant “Love is the Spirit of This Church” words by James Vila Blake, music by Mary Bopp Love is the spirit of this church and service its law. This is our great covenant: To dwell together in peace. Love is the spirit of this church and service its law. To seek the truth in love, and to help one another. Love is the spirit of this church and service its law. Reflection : “On Having a Spiritual Home” (Rev. Josh Pawelek, Emmy Galbraith, and congregation) Closing Hymn #1010 “We Give Thanks” Words and music by Wendy Luella Perkins     Oh, we give thanks for this precious day, For all gather’d here, and those far away; For this time (food) we share with love and care, Oh, we give thanks for this precious day.   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.

Gathering Music Welcome and Announcements Centering Prelude Original Composition by Mary Bopp Introduction to the Service Chalice Lighting "You are Welcome Here" by Rev. Allison Palm We gather this morning on the brink of a new congregational year, Some of us come fresh from summer adventures, From wind and waves and sunshine. Some of us come broken down from summer losses, From tears and pain and heartache. Some of us come renewed from summer rest, From peace and solitude and contemplation. Some of us come wearied from summer monotony, From work and heat and sameness. Whoever you are, wherever you come from, whatever gifts and needs you bring, You are welcome here Opening Hymn #361 Enter, Rejoice, & Come In Words & Music by Louise Ruspini Enter, rejoice, and come in. Enter, rejoice, and come in. Today will be a joyful day; Enter, rejoice, and come in. Open your ears to the song. Open your ears to the song. Today will be a joyful day; Enter, rejoice, and come in. Open your hearts ev'ry one. Open your hearts ev'ry one. Today will be a joyful day; Enter, rejoice, and come in. Don't be afraid of some change. Don't be afraid of some change. Today will be a joyful day; Enter, rejoice, and come in. Reading 1 "Prayer for an Invitation" Poem by David Whyte I pray for you, world to come and find me, to see me and recognize me and beckon me out, to call me even when I lose the ability to call on you who have searched so long for me. I pray to understand the stranger inside me who will emerge in the end to take your gift. I pray for the world to find me in its own wise way. I pray to be wanted and needed by those I have learned to love and those I must learn to love. I pray to be wanted and needed by those I cannot recognize in my self-imposed aloneness. And I pray to be wanted and needed by those I wish to be wanted by. But I acknowledge the power of your beautiful disguise, and I ask for the patient heart of all things to understand the abiding fear I feel in following your unknown ways, in my fear of receiving, in my fear of taking your hand, in my fear of following your hidden, difficult and forever beckoning way Welcoming Visitors and Joys & Concerns Musical Response Reading 2 Reflection on Mary Oliver's poem: Invitation by Fay Adams There is an urgency in this poem. Mary begs us not to miss out on what is offered up to us. She says that especially here, especially now, especially when much of what we see and hear about is brokenness, we must not forget the feast that is offered up to us already. Simply by virtue of our being alive and being in the magnificent company of Life's abundance it is offered ... This could be the moment of revolution. Albeit a quiet and personal one. Here is the question I will take with me from this poem: even in my 'busy and very important day' (which every day needs to be!), can I let the wonders of Life change me? Invitation Poem by Mary Oliver Oh do you have time to linger for just a little while out of your busy and very important day for the goldfinches that have gathered in a field of thistles for a musical battle, to see who can sing the highest note, or the lowest, or the most expresive of mirth, or the most tender? Their strong, blunt beaks drink the air as they strive melodiously not for your sake and not for mine And not for the sake of winning but for the sheer delight and gratitude-- believe us, they say, it is a serious thing just to be alive on this fresh morning in the broken world. I beg of you, do not walk by without pausing to attend to this rather ridiculous performance. It could mean something. It could mean everything. It could be what Rilke meant, when he wrote: You must change your life . Offering Original Composition by Mary Bopp Sermon Closing Hymn #188 "Come, Come, Whoever You Are" Words adapted from Rumi Music by Lynn Adair Unger Come, come, whoever you are, Wanderer, worshipper, lover of leaving. Ours is no caravan of despair. Come, yet again, come. Extinguishing the Chalice "A First Step Faith" by Rev. Scott Tayler Go with faith, not the kind that is called to move mountains, but the quieter sort that calls us to take the first step even when the whole staircase sits beyond our view. And as we move toward the unseen may we notice that the way unfolds only as we risk traveling it that on this journey we are never alone. Amen 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.

Gathering Music “Turn, Turn, Turn” by Pete Seeger/Ecclesiastes Pat Eaton-Robb, vocals, guitar   Welcome and Announcements  (Rev. Josh Pawelek)   Centering   Prelude “I Will” by Paul McCartney Sandy Johnson, vocals; Dan Thompson and Andy Ricci, guitars   Chalice Lighting and Opening Words   adaptation of Romans 12: 4-8 by Rev. Josh Pawelek    Opening Song “Morning Has Broken” by Eleanor Farjeon Pat Eaton-Robb, vocals, guitar Morning has broken like the first morning, blackbird has spoken like the first bird. Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning! Praise for them, springing fresh from the Word! Sweet the rain’s new fall sunlit from heaven, like the first dewfall on the first grass. Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden, sprung in completeness where God’s feet pass. Mine is the sunlight! Mine is the morning, born of the one light Eden saw play! Praise with elation, praise every morning, God’s recreation of the new day! Emcee’s Intro (Gymm Morey) Original poem (to be announced) by Elizabeth Thomas    “Feral Orison” by Alicia-Marie Lavoie   Joys and Concerns   Offering The recipients of our July and August community outreach offerings are the MACC Food Pantry, the Hockanum Valley Food Pantry, and CT Mutual Aid East of the River Food Pantry.   As a reminder, you can also donate on our website. If you haven’t visited our new website, we highly recommend it. Lots to explore! There’s a yellow donate button in the top center of the home page.   Offering Music "Nosebleeds" by Luke Harper   Music and Poetry Original Song (to be announced) Nick Glomb, guitar and vocals   “Independence Day” by Gretchen Peters (Martina McBride version) Kate Howard-Bender, guitar and vocals   “Rearview Mirror” by Cory Clark   “Girl from Ipanema” Antonio Carlos Jobim Sandy Johnson, vocals; Dan Thompson and Andy Ricci, guitars    “Wisdom of Athena” by Bill Lautenbach   "Healing Time On Earth" by John Denver Nancy Madar, guitar and vocals; Joe Madar, vocals   Homily   Closing song #131 “Love Will Guide Us by Sally Rogers led by Kate Howard-Bender   Love will guide us, peace has tried us, hope inside us will lead the way on the road from greed to giving. Love will guide us through the hard night. If you cannot sing like angels, if you cannot speak before thousands, you can give from deep within you. You can change the world with your love. Love will guide us, peace has tried us, hope inside us will lead the way on the road from greed to giving. Love will guide us through the hard night.   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.

Gathering Music (Dorothy Bognar) Welcome and Announcements (Anne Vogel) Introduction to the Service and Guest Speakers Centering Prelude "Secret of Life" by James Taylor Andy Ricci, guitar and vocals Chalice Lighting (Laurie Kelliher) Joys and Concerns Silent Meditation Offering Continuing our practice of sharing our gifts with the community beyond our walls, fifty percent of our Sunday plate collections for the month of August will be split among three area food pantries: MACC Food Pantry, Hockanum Valley Food Pantry and CT Mutual Aid East of the River Food Pantry. Offertory Music "Circle Game" by Joni Mitchell Andy Ricci, guitar and vocals Sermon 1 : "In Search of Ritual" (Laurie Kelliher) Hymn #1009 "Meditation on Breathing" by Sarah Dan Jones Dorothy Bognar, piano When I breathe in, I'll breathe in peace. When I breathe out, I'll breathe out love. When I breathe in, I'll breathe in peace. When I breathe out, I'll breathe out love. When I breathe in, I'll breathe in peace. When I breathe out, I'll breathe out love. Michael Michaud "Pray It Again and Again" from The Power and the Pain by Andrew Holecek Musical Meditation "Meditation on Breathing" performed by Dorothy Bognar Sermon 2: "Over and Over Again! Breath, Mantras, Meditation and Movement (Michael Michaud) Closing Hymn #1031 "Filled with Loving Kindness" Ancient Buddhist Chant Adapted by Mark W. Hayes; Music by Ian W. Riddell May I be filled with loving kindness. May I be well. May I be filled with loving kindness. May I be well. May I be peaceful and at ease. May I be whole. May you be filled with loving kindness. May you be well. May you be filled with loving kindness. May you be well. May you be peaceful and at ease. May you be whole. May we be filled with loving kindness. May we be well. May we be filled with loving kindness. May we be well. May we be peaceful and at ease. May we be whole. Extinguishing the Chalice Closing Words 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.

Gathering Music   Welcome and Announcements   Centering   Prelude   “Verdant Meadows” George Frederick Handel (arr. Van. A. Christy) Dorothy Bognar, piano   Chalice Lighting and Opening Words   Opening Hymn   #76 “For Flowers That Bloom about Our Feet” Words: Anonymous Music: Severus Gastorius Dorothy Bognar, piano     For flowers that bloom about our feet, for tender grass so fresh and sweet, for song of bird and hum of bee, for all things fair we hear or see: Giver of all, we thank thee.   For blue of stream and blue of sky, for pleasant shade of branches high, for fragrant air and cooling breeze, for beauty of the blooming trees: Giver of all, we thank thee.   For this new morning with its light, for rest and shelter of the night, for health and food, for love and friends, for everything thy goodness sends: Giver of all, we thank thee.   Introduction to the Service   Reflections from Sharon Gresk   Joys and Concerns   Musical Interlude   Reflections from Jim Adams   Offering Continuing our practice of sharing our gifts with the community beyond our walls, fifty percent of our Sunday plate collections for the month of August will be split among three area food pantries: MACC Food Pantry, Hockanum Valley Food Pantry and CT Mutual Aid East of the River Food Pantry.  Offering Music   “My Master Hath a Garden” Eric H. Thiman Dorothy Bognar, piano   Reflections from Mary Ellen Vigeant   Musical Interlude   Closing Reflections from Kate Kimmerle   Closing Hymn          #207 “Earth was Given as a Garden” Words: Roberta Bard Music: Roland Hugh Prichard Dorothy Bognar, piano     Earth was given as a garden, cradle for humanity; tree of life and tree of knowledge placed for our discovery. Here was home for all your creatures born of land and sky and sea; all created in your image, all to live in harmony.   Show to us again the garden where all life flows fresh and free. Gently guide your sons and daughters into full maturity. Teach us how to trust each other, how to use for good our power, how to touch the earth with rev’rence. Then once more will Eden flower.   Bless the earth and all your children, one creation: make us whole, interwoven, all connected, planet wide and inmost soul. Holy mother, life bestowing, bid our waste and warfare cease. Fill us all with grace o’erflowing. Teach us how to live in peace.   Extinguishing the Chalice and Closing Words        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

Gathering Music Welcome and Announcements Prelude "The Song the World Still Sings" Music and Lyrics by Jenn Richards Service Introduction Chalice Lighting and Opening Words Opening Hymn "Morning Has Broken" #38 in Singing the Living Tradition Words by Eleanor Farjeon; Music: traditional Gaelic melody Morning has broken like the first morning, blackbird has spoken like the first bird. Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning! Praise for them, springing fresh from the Word! Sweet the rain's new fall sunlit from heaven, like the first dewfall on the first grass. Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden, sprung in completeness where God's feet pass. Mine is the sunlight! Mine is the morning born of the one light Eden saw play! Praise with elation, praise every morning, God's recreation of the new day! First Poem : "Know What I Mean" By Bruce Cohen Second Poem : "La Pregunta Sagreda" by Lisa Sementilli Joys and Concerns Third Poem : "My Mother's Voice" by Marsha Howland Offering Continuing our practice of sharing our gifts with the community beyond our walls, fifty percent of our Sunday plate collections for the month of August will be split among three area food pantries: MACC Food Pantry, Hockanum Valley Food Pantry, and CT Mutual Aid East of the River Food Pantry. Offering Music "The End" Music and Lyrics by Lucky Luke Harper When I get a hit, I mark my own flank When I get to walk, I build myself a plank When I get a ride, I stay off the road Asking me to think is telling me to go   I’ve been lonely with the ghost I’ve been stealing from my host I’ve been cursing all the saints For my grounds to grow   You won’t listen if I glisten I’ll be sober, but I’ll be fixin’ Wake up three-fold, wet and empty and full of dread   I’m a sermon for the preacher I’m a lesson to the teacher I won’t tire of fighting fires in my head  If I’m not at the end   When I get to sing, I get paid no mind When I write a song, I’m sorry, it’s mine When I try to dance, I can’t believe my limbs Only playing games, I don’t think I’ll win   I’ve been carrying the flowers I’ve been pleading to the powers I’ve been telling on myself For not letting go   You won’t listen if I glisten I’ll be sober, but I’ll be fixin’ Wake up three-fold, wet and empty and full of dread   I’m a sermon for the preacher I’m a lesson to the teacher I won’t tire of fighting fires in my head  If I’m not at the end   I’ll say sorry when I feel it I’ll forgive you when I mean it I’ll seduce my righteous anger into bed   You won’t change me, don’t you know me? You can’t fight me, hell ain’t slowed me You can’t live with me if I can’t break your bread   You won’t listen if I glisten I’ll be sober, but I’ll be fixin’ Wake up three-fold, wet and empty and full of dread   I’m a sermon for the preacher I’m a lesson to the teacher I won’t tire of fighting fires in my head  If I’m not at [the end]   Fourth Poem:   "Laundry Eagles" and "Prism Women" by Jeannette Lesure   Fifth Poem:  "Sacred" by Molly Vigeant   Reflections   Closing Hymn   “May Nothing Evil Cross This Door” #1 in Singing the Living Tradition Words by Louis Untermeyer, Music by Robert N. Quaile   May nothing evil cross this door, and may ill fortune never pry about these windows; may the roar and rain go by.   By faith made strong, the rafters will withstand the battering of the storm. This hearth, though all the world grow chill, will keep you warm.   Peace shall walk softly through these rooms, touching our lips with holy wine, till every casual corner blooms into a shrine.   With laughter drown the raucous shout, and, though these sheltering walls are thin, may they be strong to keep hate out and hold love in.   Extinguishing the Chalice and Closing Words   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.

Spinoza talk by MFB delivered at UUSE Sunday 7/28/24. Title  “Spinoza’s God:  Wisdom from the 1600’s”           I was struck dumb in the year 2023 when I heard for the first time: the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) planned a big change.  The UUA leaders proposed that we drop all 7 of our Principles.  There would be something new. “No,” I said.  “Don’t take our Principles.” Our UU principles have taken at least 5 centuries to develop.  Written and debated for years by Unitarian Universalists (UUs).  The UUA General Assembly of 1985 adopted them. In shock, I realized that the 7 Principles meant something deep to me.  They spoke to my soul.  But I could not articulate why.  What was so important about the Principles? I read the New Yorker magazine, and sometimes more than the cartoons.  In February, I happened on a book review.  The title of the review:  The Reticent Radical, Baruch Spinoza’s quiet revolution .  The book:  Spinoza:  Freedom’s Messiah , a short biography in Yale University’s Press, written by Ian Buruma.   A quote from the review:  Spinoza argues that the highest happiness of which human beings are capable is seeing the universe “under the aspect of eternity.” He said Spinoza’s dedication to freedom of thought makes him a thinker for our moment. And for my moment this past winter. This is the Buruma book!  ( Show! ) I told people that          What disturbed me most about the proposed A2, and the removal from the UUA Constitution of the 7 Principles, was the appearance of thought control .   No one was going to tell me what I was going to think. No one was going to take away my 7 Principles.   At the back of our Sunday Service program are the 7 Principles.  Take a look with me.  It begins:  We covenant to affirm and promote:  and then lists the 7.  Clear and poetic. I have been OK with the 7 Principles.  They do NOT tell me what I must think or believe.  Just that I join with the rest of Unitarian Universalists in affirming them.  And I proudly promote them. And since the UUA adopted them in 1985, I have done just that.  I hand out the book mark with the 7 Principles on them – particularly when anyone asks me why I am a UU.  ( Show latest Bookmarks! Offer to give them out. )  I am proud of them.  I fully accept these principles as a guide to my own life.  I try daily to live up to them, incorporate them in my actions.  I even base my lawyer’s advice upon them. And these 7 Principles do NOT tell me what to believe. When I tell you that I use them in my legal practice, let me say:   I often represent people in hotly contested will contests.  Angry people on both sides.  I represent the people on one side of the contest.  They despise the people on the other side.  I urge my clients to: Respect the inherent worth and dignity of every person involved – the other side, their attorney, the judge, any witnesses, themselves. Work for Justice, equity, and compassion in this family conflict.   Conduct a free and responsible search for truth and meaning.  Know and deal with the real facts of the case.  Not just what you want to believe. We’re all in this together. All the Principles apply to a winning case.   5. Peggy Webbe  spoke about truths on Sunday July 7 here.  One definition of truth is subjective and based on faith.  All other religions but ours have such faith truths:  Reincarnation, The Virgin birth, Jesus was God’s son on Earth, There is a heaven, There is a hell.  There is a man-like God who watches over us, to whom we can pray, and who created all homo sapiens in God’s own image.  And there are so many more such “truths”.   Peggy noted that these faith truths do not meet the scientific requirements for objective truths.  Yet these faith truths have dominated world religions for millennia, have caused, and are continuing to cause, great death and destruction by their true believers.   Faith truths are powerful . 6.           The critic in the review – Spinoza: Freedom’s Messiah  – wrote, “Intellectual freedom has once again become an important issue, even in countries, such as the United States, that pride themselves on being uniquely free.”  Our First Amendment says we can think what we want and say what we think  – a paraphrasing from Spinoza. I was hooked after reading the review.  Got the book.  Got another for our Book Cart in the lobby – please borrow it.  Let us know your thoughts.  Got a lot more books from libraries.  Got a lot off the internet.  All since reading the February book review. More about why Spinoza is now one of my heroes. 7. It helps us to know the hard world of Spinoza  in order to appreciate his astounding insights.  His Jewish family lived in Spain until Catholics took it over about 1492.  Remember the Spanish Inquisition!   They moved to Portugal, but the Spanish Inquisition followed them.  The family had to convert to Catholicism or be burned at the stake.  Their choice was to flee to a more tolerant place.  Spinoza’s family took the name of a Spanish town, Espinoza, and fled to France.  In 1615 the French expelled them and they moved again to the Netherlands.  There the Spinoza family brought Baruch Spinoza into the World on November 4, 1632, nearly 400 years ago.  The Netherlands were then the least intolerant  land in Europe.  Calvinists with their new dogma were in charge.  But they also allowed people of other faiths to live there. The Spinoza family prospered.  The Jewish community thrived in the Netherlands despite not being allowed citizenship, and not bending much to the Calvinists.  Jewish traditions could be followed.  One was a focus on education.  Baruch Spinoza was an apt student, but asked too many questions.  His Talmud and Bible teachers thought him the most troublesome.              Spinoza thought, and said, the Bible stories were supernatural fiction by incompetent writers.  Also, the supernatural does not exist, there is no immortal human soul, angels do not exist, there was no divine creation by a God.  A God did not chose the Jewish people! Christians were angry with Baruch and his friends.   The Jews were angry with him.   The rabbis and other Jewish leaders were concerned about staying on the good side of the powers that be.  The rabbis tried to silence Baruch.  They offered him money to be quiet.  He refused it.   In 1655 a man with a knife attached Baruch.  He blamed leaders of his synagogue. The synagogue’s leaders ruled that Baruch Spinoza was a non-person , and no longer a Jew.  They excommunicated him in 1656; age 23 .  No chance to repent.  His family dropped him from their homes and business.  He had no support. He said this was all the better.  He was now free . He devoted the rest of his life to philosophy.  He supported himself by grinding and polishing lenses for scientists using microscopes and telescopes.   (The glass dust ruined his lungs leading to his death February 21, 1677 at the age of 44.) However, his thought poured from him until his death. He signed his writings as Benedictus de Spinoza, and printed them in Latin.  Friends printed in the local vernacular.  They became targets.  An angry mob seized two of his friends, and savagely killed them. Baruch kept a low profile.  He published in Latin.  Often anonymously.  The mass of people could not read him.   8. What are some of those thoughts of Benedictus de Spinoza from the 1600s that struck such a chord in me? I read English translations of his major works – Tractatus  and, posthumously, Ethics .  Thick stuff.  But I began to catch his style.  Please look at the page  available to you when we are done – on a table as you leave.  It has some of his statements – those that struck me.  Particularly those in which he explained his ideas of God. How did the World of Europe react to Spinoza?  He helped launch the Enlightenment Period (roughly 1685 – 1815).   Spinoza’s writings spread over Europe during the Enlightenment.  However, they were often attacked.  Even in the relatively tolerant Netherlands, the Tractatus was officially banned in 1674.  His friends did not publish his Ethics until after he died in 1677.  Yet his writings persisted.  He was a most attacked thinker for centuries after.  The critics are much less caustic today.  Books keep coming out about Spinoza and his thoughts.  My favorite now is this one.  HOLD UP BOOK !  Most readable. The Enlightenment carried many of Spinoza’s conclusions, particularly those about freedom.  The best policy in religious matters, he wrote, is “…allowing every man to think what he likes, and say what he thinks.”  How much more UU can one get! 9. That last clear statement told me why I was reacting so well to Spinoza’s writings.  When I first walked into a Unitarian Universalist fellowship meeting in Cheyenne Wyoming in 1965, I sensed that I could freely speak my mind.  And people listened politely.  And the people there also spoke their minds - freely .   Respectfully! It has been the same here at UUSE for the last 55 years.  People here speak their minds freely and we listen.   We are brave people.  We face the mysteries of Life, the Universe, and Everything.   We do not accept anyone’s subjective truths – Take it on Faith! Truths - no matter where they come from. My deep dive into the writings of Spinoza pleased me.  Yes, I am still suffering some unrest over the UUA removal of the 7 Principles.  However, I breathe easier now.  Spinoza has assured me I can keep thinking freely.  In fact, he tells me that I cannot stop thinking freely. My credo was stuck for years in the “agnostic” mode:  I now welcome Spinoza’s definition of God.  He writes in his Ethics :  By God, I mean a being absolutely infinite…eternal and infinite…Whatsoever is, is in God, and without God nothing can be, or be conceived.  As that thought seeps into my being, I cannot get too upset with whatever goes on at the UUA.  Also, I cannot get too upset with whatever may change at this Society.  So far, we have kept our Principles.  The phrase “Life Goes On” has new meaning for me.  That does not mean I will stop urging revisions in our UUSE Constitution that ease the apparent grip of the UUA on our minister and our assets.  UUSE must remain an independent entity - affiliated with the UUA, but never subordinate.  By remaining independent, free thought can flow.  I can remain happy here. My take on Spinoza?   I welcomed all that I read, and could understand, from his writings.  His definition of God strikes a chord with me.  Spinoza’s God  is everything.  Given his service to astronomers of his day, he grasped the concept of a universe extending far beyond Amsterdam.  (Gallileo died 10 years after Spinoza’s birth.)  His view of God allows Spinoza to be at ease wherever he found himself.  I sense that if I keep on considering God in Spinoza’s way, I will be more at ease with myself.  Everyone I meet has been created by this God.  They are part of God.  The laws of science and objective truths are immutable, even if we do not yet know a fraction of those truths.  It is comforting to think that the unknown truths can someday be known.  Think DNA! As to us in this Meeting House, all one with God:  I am more ready than ever to call you all friends, to listen to your thinking, and to freely share with you mine. Some closing words to this talk, an echo from Spinoza, from our own Cyndi Krupa: May peace, light, and love infuse all beings  with a feeling of connection and the knowing we are one . Delivered live with a fair amount of ad-libbing and expansion on points.  Designed to take 20 minutes more or less.  As delivered, took almost twice that time. Additional Spinoza Quotes here

Gathering Music Welcome & Announcements Centering Prelude "God is All, All is God" by Mary Bopp Chalice Lighting Opening Hymn #155 "Circle Round for Freedom" by Linda Hirschhorn Circle 'round for freedom, circle 'round for peace, for all of us imprisoned, circle for release, circle for the planet, circle for each soul, for the children of our children, keep the circle whole. Reading From the 1836 essay "Nature" by Ralph Waldo Emerson Read by Susan Barlow Introductions, Joys and Concerns Musical Response Offering Continuing our practice of sharing our gifts with the community beyond our walls, fifty percent of our Sunday plate collections for the month of July will be split among three area food pantries--East of the River Mutual Aid in East Hartford, Hockanum Valley Food Pantry in Vernon, and Manchester Area Conference of Churches in Manchester. Offering Music "Lawful Harmony of the World" by Mary Bopp Homily : Spinoza's God" Closing Hymn #1064 "Blue Boat Home" by Peter Mayer Though below me, I feel no motion standing on these mountains and plains. Far away from the rolling ocean still my dry land heart can say: I've been sailing all my life now, never harbor or port have I known. The wide universe is the ocean I travel, and the earth is my blue boat home. Sun my sail and moon my rudder as I ply the starry sea, leaning over the edge in wonder, casting questions into the deep. Drifting here with my ship's companions, all we kindred pilgrim souls, making our way by the lights of the heavens in our beautiful blue boat home. I give thanks to the waves upholding me, hail the great winds urging me on, greet the infinite sea before me, sing the sky my sailor's song: I was born up on the fathoms, never harbor or port have I known. The wide universe is the ocean I travel, and the earth is my blue boat home. Closing Words "The Outermost House" by Henry Beston Read by Susan Barlow 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.