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Greetings CYM Families & Friends! Our lovely choir director, Jenn Richard, has prepared a phenomenal array of musical pieces perfect for kicking off the holiday season! Do not miss this Sunday’s annual Holiday Music Service for all ages. Children & Youth Ministry (CYM) classes will not be held this Sunday, and we hope that families will enjoy this festive service together in the Sanctuary. The exceptions are that the Nursery will be open and our High School Youth Group programming will run, including Affirmation after the program hour. (Don’t forget to pack a lunch Affirmation youth!) And everyone don’t forget to bring cash or card to purchase some goods at the HSYG Bake Sale being offered after both the 9 and 11am services this Sunday! Proceeds will be split between the HSYG activity fund and UUSE. Children’s Chapel will resume in January. Nursery : Childcare will be available in our nursery at 11 AM for children age 3 and under. Sunday Service : “Where the Light Begins” - This Sunday, we celebrate the holidays with our annual, all-congregational music service. Let us welcome the solstice; let us welcome Hanukkah; let us welcome Christmas in this season where the light begins. Coordinators: Mary Bopp, Rev. Josh Pawelek, Emmy Galbraith Next High School Youth Group Meeting: Saturday, December 13th 1-3pm at UUSE for baking and Sunday, December 14th for regular HSYG meeting and Bake Sale Next Affirmation Meeting: December 14th at 1pm (pack a lunch) See you Sunday! Seasonal Happenings : Sun, Dec 14: Holiday Music Service @ 9&11am Sun, Dec 21: CYM Winter Holiday Party @ 12pm (outdoors!) Wed, Dec 24: Christmas Eve Service @ 5pm Sun, Dec 28: No CYM Programming - Winter Break Sat, Jan 3: 6PM Talent Show for children and youth in collaboration with the monthly Coffee House. Bring dinner for the family and enjoy the many talents of our community! Children and youth are invited to perform a song, poem, skit, magic tricks, trivia, or any other talent! RSVP to Emmy or Dan Thompson Sat, Jan 24 - Sun, Jan 25: Overnight Con for 7th-12th graders! Located at USH (Unitarian Society of Hartford) with UUSE support. Arrive at 6pm on Saturday and stay for games, movies, video games, foosball, and zoom with other youth! Rise and shine Sunday morning to participate in USH’s long standing tradition of “Soup Sunday!” Sat, Jan 31: UUSE Annual Cook-off and Live Auction Event - fun for the whole family! Sat, Feb 21: 8AM Mount Southington Ski Trip in partnership with USH (Unitarian Society of Hartford) Open to skiers of all ages! Sun, Feb 22: 3pm Kirtan at UUSE Sat, Mar 28: Nightlight Mission in partnership with USH (Unitarian Society of Hartford): Families with children/youth meet @ 2PM to sort clothes & prepare soup, coffee and sandwiches; @8PM distribute clothing and food to the unhoused. With Gratitude, Emmy Galbraith Director of Children & Youth Ministry dcym@uuse.org Office: (860)646-5151 Cell: (860)576-7889 CYM Committee Members: Sudha, co-chair Michelle Spadaccini, co-chair Desiree Holian-Borgnis Paula Baker Kaitlyn Guilmette Committee email: uusecym@uuse.org Angela Attardo, CYM Program Assistant CYMAsst@uuse.org Molly Vigeant, Nursery Coordinator

Gathering Music (Mary Bopp) Welcome and Announcements Introit "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" (Trad. English carol, arr. by BNL) the Gonzalez family, vocals Jennifer Richard, guitar Centering Prelude "Joy on Christmas Morning" by Audrey Snyder UUSE Choir Chalice Lighting and Opening Words "A Joyful Noise" by Rev. Josh Pawelek Opening Hymn #253 "O Come, All Ye Faithful" by John Francis Wade O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye, to Bethlehem. Come and behold him, born the King of angels: Chorus: venite, adoremus venite, adoremus, venite, adoremus, Dominum. Lo humble shepherds, hasting to his cradle, leaving their flocks in the fields, draw near. We, too, with gladness, thither bend our footsteps; venite, adoremus, venite, adoremus, venite, adoremus, Dominum. Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation, O sing, all ye citizens of heaven above! Glory to God, all glory in the highest; venite, adoremus, venite, adoremus, venite, adoremus, Dominum. Story "Yitzi and the Giant Menorah" by Richard Ungar Children's Choir "O Hannukah, O Hannukah" Traditional Joys and Concerns Music "Sarabande and Corrente" from Sonata in g minor by Henry Eccles Elliot Vadas, Cello Offering "We do not gather our gifts only for ourselves, but to share with the larger community" Continuing our practice of sharing our gifts with the community beyond our walls, fifty percent of our Sunday plate collections for the month of December will go to three area shelters: McKinney Men's Shelter (Hartford), East Hartford Community Shelter, Cornerstone Shelter (Rockville). Offering Music Music "I Believe" by Mark Miller "Where the Light Begins" by Susan Labarr Homily "Where the Light Begins" Rev. Josh Pawelek Music "Night of Silence" by Daniel Kantor Closing Hymn #388 "Dona Nobis Pacem" words: traditional Latin music: traditional canon Dona nobis pacem, pacem dona nobis pacem. 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.

Welcome (Stacey Musulin) Centering (Martha Larson) Prelude : Improvisation on steel tongue drum performed by Kristen Dockendorff Chalice Lighting and Opening Words Excerpt from "We Gather" by Pat Uribe-Lichty We gather to find New ways of loving. New ways of thinking. New ways of being. We gather - yes, always we gather, for it is in gathering that we find our hope. Opening Hymn #118 "This Little Light of Mine" Words and music: African American spiritual, c. 1750-1875 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. Everywhere I go, I'm gonna let it shine. Everywhere I go, I'm gonna let it shine. Everywhere 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. Time for All Ages Excerpts from "Hope" by Corrine Averiss Children depart to "This Little Light of Mine." Announcements Joys and Concerns and Welcoming Visitors Musical Response Prayer adapted from "A Prayer for Hope and Justice" by Rev. Michelle Collins Offering Words Offering Music "When You Believe" by Stephen Schwartz Gerald Dillenbeck, vocals Two Reflections on Hope Closing Hymn #95 "There Is More Love Somewhere" Words and music: African American hymn There is more love somewhere. There is more love somewhere. I'm gonna keep on, till I find it. There is more love somewhere. There is more hope somewhere ... There is more peace somewhere ... There is more joy somewhere ... Extinguishing the Chalice and Closing Words (by Rev. Michelle Collins) Go from this place knowing that hope is not a certainty but rather a choice. When the world offers you despair, choose possibility. When cynicism seems reasonable, choose engagement. May our hope be grounded in love and expressed through action. 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.

In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die / And where you invest your love, you invest your life / Awake my soul / Awake my soul / Awake my soul – w ords from the British folk-rock band Mumford and Sons. [1]  I’m not deeply familiar with their music. My colleague, the Rev. Carolyn Patierno, mentioned back in October she was using the song in a worship service. I liked it, so I asked Jenn (Richards) if she could play it for us this morning. She already knew the song and really liked it, so she was pleased that I asked. Check out a beautiful version of the song here . Awake my soul / Awake my soul / Awake my soul.             There are many reasons why it is beneficial to participate in or belong to a spiritual community—congregation, church, synagogue, temple, masjid, sangha, coven, etc.—but there’s one reason that stands out to me especially at this time of year—this waning time, this light-is-less time, this advent time—and that is soul work. Spiritual communities provide opportunities for human beings to engage in soul work. They invite us first to recognize the soul—our own souls and the souls of others. They invite us to center the soul in our living: how do we live in ways that are soul-affirming as opposed to soul-crushing? They invite us to intentionally nurture, grow and expand the soul. And when our souls fall asleep, which they do from time to time, spiritual communities invite us to wake them up. Awake my soul!          What is a soul? I am aware that for some of you, soul is one of those haunting religious words that you don’t find useful, but which won’t go entirely away. We inherit it from the ancient Christian church, but it’s not actually a Biblical concept. That is, you won’t find a highly developed concept of soul in either the Hebrew scriptures or the Christian New Testament. Soul was a concept in ancient Greek philosophy which later Christian theologians wove into church teachings as a spiritual entity, unique and essential to each human being, that survives physical death. [2]  But of course the post-death dispersal of the soul—where it ultimately goes—is fraught. Does it go up? Or does it go … down? For many of us, the first multi-sentence prayer we learned as children was: “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.” That was supposed to help us fall asleep. But there’s something terrifying about it, especially for four-year old concrete thinkers, especially if said four-year-olds were simultaneously learning about the agonies of hellfire. When I talk about the soul, I don’t situate myself in the Christian tradition. If anything, I situate myself in that space where spirituality and mystical experience meet psychology. For the last ten years I’ve been taking my cues from the one-time Catholic monk turned psychotherapist, Thomas Moore . Some of you will be familiar with his ground-breaking, 1992 book Care of the Soul . Others took my class on his 2014 book, A Religion of One’s Own. Moore doesn’t define the soul in precise terms. He gestures toward it. He invites us to notice it as a sacred dimension of our lives. He says “Soul is the unreachable depth, felt vitality, and full presence of a person…. [It] is the invisible, mysterious, and softly radiant element that infuses your being and makes you human. It gives you a sense of meaning, feeling, connection, and depth.” [3]  This is one way to begin contemplating what the soul is. Earlier I shared Israeli poet and journalist Michal Snunit’s 1985 children’s book (which is really for adults), The Soul Bird . [4] Her view of the soul differs from Moore’s in the way she emphasizes emotion and gives the soul a quasi-mind of its own. I’m drawn to the simplicity of her language—the spaces between the words. I’m drawn to the simplicity and playfulness of the illustrations—the dancing spaces between the lines. And I’m drawn to the soft blue color of the pages. She writes of an invisible depth that is always present. “Deep down, inside, lives the soul,” she writes. “No one has ever seen it, but we all know it’s there. Never, never has a person been born who didn’t have a soul. It sparks the moment we are born and never leaves us—not even once—for as long as we live.” [5]  This is another way to contemplate what the soul is. The older I get, the longer I practice ministry, the more I gravitate toward the word “pantheism” to describe my personal theology. For me, pantheism suggests that all existence is infused with divinity, that everything is connected though an indwelling, animating spirit, that “ everything is holy now ,” as the UU singer-songwriter Peter Mayer says. [6]  I hear the language of our seventh Unitarian Universalist principle, “The interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part,” as an affirmation of pantheism. For me, as a pantheist, the soul is the part of us that opens up to and experiences that connecting, animating, indwelling spirit. The soul is the part of us that experiences its magic, power and dynamism. The soul is the part of us that apprehends our interdependence with other people and creatures, with the planet and, ultimately, with the entire cosmos. Well, at least on our good days. And, spiritually speaking, we don’t have very many good days. Our apprehensions of our interdependence are infrequent at best, and fleeting when they do come, if they come at all. There are many reasons for this. First and foremost, we don’t live in a society that truly values the experience of genuine connection with other people and the wider world. We don’t live in a society that cares about interdependence. There are certainly societies that do care about and center these things, but United States society isn’t one of them. There are so many reasons for this, so many layers and constructs and United States life-ways that stand between us and our souls: capitalism, reliance on industries of extraction, authoritarianism, societal toleration of extreme poverty, the commodification of virtually everything, the Protestant work ethic, social media (which really should be called social isolation media). I’m only scratching the surface, but I also don’t want to dwell on any of this. Not this morning. Mumford and Sons describe the results after all these forces put our souls to sleep: How fickle my heart and how woozy my eyes / I struggle to find any truth in your lies / And now my heart stumbles on things I don't know / My weakness I feel I must finally show. Or as Michal Snunit puts it, “sometimes [the soul bird] calls us and we don’t hear it. This is a shame—it wants to tell us about ourselves.” Bottom line: our society is not very soul-friendly. I said soul work stands out to me especially at this time of year. I know why that is. Soul work requires us to strip away all the layers I’ve just alluded to, so we can get to the essence of ourselves. And right now, in our part of the world, at our particular latitude on the planet (which I know you all know is 41.78° North) the earth itself is doing exactly that. This stripping away is what the Rev. Mary Wellemeyer described in our opening words entitled “Late November.” Listen to them again. Listen for how the earth very naturally strips away layers and layers. One day it happens— / often it comes after rain. / Suddenly the leaves are gone / from the trees of the hillsides; / only some oak and beech trees / cling to curled brown souvenirs / of summer. / Now comes a special time / of seeing into the depths of woods, / discerning shapes of hills, / locations of boulders and cliffs, / pathways and streams. / Now comes a time for stone walls, / for cellar holes and ruined barns / to tell their tales of farms now gone, / of lives lived out in open fields/ now covered again in forest. / The underlying shape of Earth, / the hints of stories from the past— / these offer themselves to eye and mind, / now, between the falling of leaves / and the coming of snow. / Looking deep and seeing what was hidden / opens a secret doorway / for seeing deep within ourselves. [7] My prayer for us this morning, as we move now more deeply into the holiday season (which brings its own layers, distractions and stresses) is that we can find time and space to let the natural world’s late autumn emptiness serve as a mirror for us. I pray that the earth’s grayness, barrenness, calmness, stillness, darkness, and its simple spaciousness will prompt us to strip away our own layers, to find the spaciousness in ourselves, so our souls can awaken.  Here’s what I envision: As you strip away your layers, as that secret doorway opens, as the soul bird opens its various drawers—choose your metaphor—perhaps a creative spark is kindled in you, and the song you want to compose, the poem, short story or the novel you want to write, the painting you want to paint, the dance you want to dance, the statue you want to sculpt comes flowing in, and you create, because your soul has come awake. Perhaps that secret doorway opens, and there are the people you love most in the world—except you haven’t expressed your love for them recently, or you owe someone an apology, or there’s someone you need to forgive, so you go do it, you tell them you love them, our you say you’re sorry, or you offer forgiveness, because your soul has come awake. Or perhaps the layers peel away, and you suddenly realize there’s a change you need to make—some role you’ve been playing for too long and it’s time to let go; or some work you want to do before you retire; or some new way in which you want to volunteer or spend your time; some new way in which you can make a difference in the lives of others, so you go do it, you make the change, because your soul has come awake. Or perhaps you notice the squirrels preparing for winter rest, and you realize “I need rest.” That’s what this season, this time of year, is supposed to be about: easing up, slowing down, pausing, being still, turning inward, resting. So, with intention, you rest, because your soul has come awake. Or perhaps the bird opens the sadness drawer, and you realize you haven’t fully grieved the death of someone dear to you, it’s time to really say goodbye so they can take their place among your ancestors and play the role in your life that they actually want to play. So, you cry an ocean of tears you’ve been holding back, you welcome the tears, because your soul has come awake. Or perhaps you gaze out at dark branches, swaying gently against the backdrop of the barren gray sky, and their motion speaks to you of that indwelling, animating, magical spirit that flows through everything, gives power and grace to everything, connects everything; and suddenly there are no boundaries between you and the rest of reality. For a brief moment there is no you, and there is no not-you. Then you feel the energy of blessed oneness traveling up and down your spine, bringing you back into your body, and you are happy, because your soul has come awake. Or perhaps the last leaves fall from your favorite tree outside your kitchen window, spinning gently in the breeze, eventually landing on the cold, barren earth, and you recognize, as if for the first time, your own mortality, and it does not frighten you. You understand that it is the way of all life. You understand as the song says, in these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die / And where you invest your love, you invest your life. So, you resolve to live the remainder of your life with all the grace, compassion, kindness and love for yourself, for others and the earth that you can muster, because your soul has come awake. Friends: as we move into this season of stripping down, of peeling back, of settling in, I pray that secret doors will open for you. I pray that your souls will come awake. Amen and blessed be. [1]  Mumford and Sons, “Awake My Soul.” I’m recommending the live version with Jon Batiste at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjM6Jbd__Qc . [2]  For a very brief history of the soul in the west, see Harvey, Van. A, “Soul” in A Handbook of Theological Terms (New York: Touchstone / Simon and Schuster, 1997 edition) pp. 226-227. [3]  Moore, Thomas, A Religion of One’s Own (New York: Avery, 2014) p. 2. [4]  Learn more about Michal Snunit at https://kids.kiddle.co/Michal_Snunit . [5]  Snunit, Michal, The Soul Bird (New York: Hyperion, 1999). [6]  Mayer, Peter, “Holy Now.” See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiypaURysz4 .  [7]  Wellemeyer, Mary, “Late November” Admire the Moon: Meditations (Boston: Skinner House Books, 2005) p. 2.

Gathering Music "Someday at Christmas" by Ron Miller and Bryan Wells "Calling on Mary" by Aimee Mann Jenn Richard, guitar and vocals Welcome and Announcements (Rev. Josh Pawelek) Centering Prelude "Astral Plane" by Valerie June Jenn Richad, guitar and vocals Chalice Lighting and Opening Words "Late November" by the Rev. Mary Wellemeyer adapted ever-so-slightly by Rev. Josh Pawelek Opening Hymn #15 "The Lone, Wild Bird" words by H. R. MacFayden music from William Walker's Southern Harmony , 1835 The lone, wild bird in lofty flight is still with thee, nor leaves thy sight. And I am thine! I rest in thee. Great spirit come and rest in me. The ends of earth are in thy hand, the sea's dark deep and far-off land. And I am thine! I rest in thee. Great spirit come and rest in me. Time for All Ages The Soul Bird by Michal Snunit Musical Meditation Joys and Concerns Offering The recipient of our November Community Outreach offering is Manchester Senior, Adult and Family Services which provides social work and conservator services to any Manchester resident over age 18. Social work services can include providing information, guidance, assistance completing applications, advocacy, referrals, and outreach/wellness checks. Services are provided in person (office, home, community) by phone, email or Zoom. Offering Music "Awake My Soul" by Mumford and Sons Jenn Richard, guitar and vocals Sermon "Awake My Soul" Rev. Josh Pawelek Closing Hymn #89 "Come, My Way, My Truth, My Life" words by George Herbet music by Ralph Vaughan Williams Come, my way, my truth, my life: such a way as gives us breath, such a truth as ends all strife such a life as killeth death. Come, my light my feast my strength: such a light as shows a feast, such a feast as mends in length, such a strength as makes a guest. Come, my joy, my love, my heart: such a joy as none can move, such a love as none can part, such a heart as joys 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.

Photo of King's Chapel from a recent UUSE Affirmation class trip to Boston I’m about to take you on a whirlwind tour of 1,840 years of Unitarian, Universalist, and Unitarian Universalist history. (I’ll be covering, on average, about 92 years every minute of this sermon). Please know everything I say is a generalization, and I am leaving out many important people, events, and trends. I’m offering primarily a theological history—Unitarian and Universalist are, after all, theological terms. I am doing this because my mother-in-law, Elaine, purchased a sermon at our goods and services auction last winter; when I asked her what she wanted me to preach on, she said, “I just want to know what Unitarian and Universalist mean. Like, where did you come from?” I interpreted this as a request for some historical information, which I am now presenting to you.             Ready?             We begin with the early Christian Church. For approximately three centuries after the execution of Jesus, the early Church Fathers [1] (which is how they are known in the historiography, and which of course makes women’s contributions invisible) debated a variety of questions about who Jesus was and the nature of his divinity; and who God was, what God’s intentions for the world were, and the role Jesus played in fulfilling those intentions.             An orthodox theology emerged slowly and was eventually codified at the First Council of Nicaea in the year 325 AD. The Nicene Creed, as it came to be known, articulated the doctrine of the Trinity—the idea that three eternal entities, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, comprise one God, and all three are begotten of the same substance. Before and after 325, those who expressed opposing views were branded as heretics, punished, exiled, even executed, their books banned and burned. One heretic, Arius, a priest from Alexandria, Egypt, born in 256 AD, was a distant forerunner of modern Unitarianism. He argued that God and Jesus were not begotten of the same substance, that Jesus was not co-eternal with God, and that God made Jesus, presumably out of a less eternal substance. For Arius, Jesus was divine, but subordinate to God, closer to human. This may not sound like a big deal, but the Arian Controversy, as it came to be known, threatened to split the church. In fact, the Council of Nicaea was convened to put an end to Arianism. The final paragraph of the original Nicene Creed reads: “Those who … assert that the Son of God is of a different … substance, or created, or subject to alteration or change — these the Catholic and Apostolic Church anathematizes.” [2] To anathematize is to condemn. That paragraph, which doesn’t appear in later versions of the creed, was referring to Arius, whom Emperor Constantine promptly exiled.             A second early church figure important to our history is Origen, born in 185 AD, also in Alexandria. During his life he was regarded as a brilliant theologian. However, at the Second Council of Constantinople in 543 AD, almost 300 years after his death, some of his teachings were anathematized—deemed heretical. These included “subordinationism,” the idea that Jesus is subordinate to God, which overlapped with Arius’ heresy; and, most importantly for us, Apokatastasis, or   universal salvation, the notion that eventually all beings would be restored to harmony with God. He was the first Christian Universalist to leave a written record.             Throughout the history of European Christianity, Arianism and Universalism continued to pop up from time to time and get summarily squashed. During the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s, a more extreme form of Arianism emerged, Unitarianism.  Unitarians rejected the doctrine of the trinity outright, arguing that God is one, not three, and that Jesus was human, not divine. They called for the use of reason in religion, specifically in Biblical interpretation. Three notable figures are: Michael Servetus, a Spanish physician and theologian whom the Calvinists burned at the stake in Geneva in 1553; Faustus Socinus, an Italian Unitarian theologian who fled Italy to escape the Roman Inquisition, and ultimately settled in Poland where his writings influenced a Protestant sect known as the Polish Brethren; and King John Sigismund of Transylvania, who adopted Unitarianism under the guidance of the Catholic-priest-turned-reformed-minister, Francis David. In 1568 Sigismund issued the first edict of religious toleration in European history. (That’s 1,383 years if you’re tracking.)              Next, we turn to Britain’s American colonies, specifically Massachusetts, where Puritan immigrants established a network of local, parish-based Calvinist theocracies beginning in the early 1600s. They mixed their staunch Trinitarianism with a variety of orthodox ideas, including the doctrine of total human depravity: human nature is sinful and cannot be redeemed without God’s grace; and unconditional election: God has predestined certain individuals for salvation, and everyone else is bound for hell with no recourse. It gets worse. I’ll stop there.             Despite everything we find abhorrent about their theology, the Puritans did bring the practice of congregational polity, meaning essentially that each congregation governs itself (which James Luther Adams referenced in our opening words, “I call that church free.” [3] ) We inherit and still practice that tradition. The Puritans also brought the idea of covenantal relations among congregations. Each congregation is independent, yet all congregations work together and support each other. We inherit and still practice that tradition.             We do not inherit Puritan theology. Over time, various colonial religious leaders began rejecting that theology. They objected to its negative view of humanity and its utter hopelessness. They objected to God’s abject cruelty. Imagine hearing for your entire life the message that you’re a sinner in the hands of an angry God and you’re destined for eternal punishment.  You might live with some anxiety.             Or you might start to think, maybe there’s another way . The European Enlightenment was having a liberalizing impact on European thought and society, and many colonists were paying attention. They put an increasing emphasis on using reason and science in the search for truth. They began questioning received doctrine and dogma. They began reading the Bible critically, as a historical document. They began doubting the miracles. They embraced natural religion, basing their beliefs more on observation of the natural world than on Biblical revelation. Some clergy began preaching openly about the right of private judgement: The dictates of my heart matter. My own conclusions about what is true matter. They increasingly rejected the Trinity as unscriptural. They increasingly spoke of Jesus more as a moral example, and less as a God. And they preached a more hopeful, universalist theology. Throughout the 1700s, the orthodox Congregationalists had a name for them: Arians! Heretics! Eventually they had an even worse name for them: Unitarians! Heretics! (They actually weren't direct followers of Arius. If anything, they were taking some cues from the late 16th- and early 17th-century Dutch theologian, Jacob Arminius, whose attempts to reform Calvinism featured both Universalist and Unitarian ideas.) Despite its orthodox critics, this liberal religious movement was growing. In 1805 the Unitarians took control of Harvard Divinity School with the appointment of the Rev. Henry Ware, Sr. as the Hollis Professor of Divinity. [4] In 1819, the Rev. William Ellery Channing preached his Baltimore sermon, entitled “Unitarian Christianity,” in which he identified the foundational principles of Unitarianism. The congregational churches split, some remaining orthodox, others becoming Unitarian. 1825 witnessed the founding of the American Unitarian Association. Universalism emerged as a denomination in the late 1700s, though not as a schism within the congregational churches. Often it was Baptists, Methodists or former Congregationalists who had gravitated to Universal Salvation and they founded churches to preach its profoundly hopeful message. As the early preacher John Murray put it, “give them not hell, but hope.” Universalists began organizing congregations and larger denominational structures in the 1780s and 1790s. They founded the Universalist Church of America in Massachusetts in 1793. Both the Unitarians and Universalists were hopeful. Both trusted that God was good, benevolent and just, not for an elect few, but for all. Both had positive views of human nature and believed human beings could work to improve themselves, following the example of Jesus. They both sought to apply reason to their religious lives and the reading of scripture. And, in the aftermath of the Revolutionary War, amidst the excitement and the promise that came with the founding of a new nation, both denominations seemed to capture and convey the new American spirit—its optimism, its focus on liberty, its humanism. They were not relics of old Europe. They had come of age with the young American republic and saw their destinies as intertwined with the nation’s destiny. I will add that, just as the nation continues to deal with the legacies of white supremacy, colonization and slavery, our denomination continues to confront those legacies as well. [5] Both denominations were liberal Christian sects with theologies traditionally regarded as heretical. Unitarians tended to be urban, merchant class, elites. Universalists tended to be rural, farmers, working class. Both denominations were white, though there have always been people of color among us. Throughout the 1800s and the first half of the 1900s, both denominations slowly departed form formal Christianity. Among Unitarians, the rise of the Transcendentalist movement in the 1830s, while initially unwelcome in the congregations, eventually had a profound impact. Transcendentalists saw the natural world as an ongoing source of revelation, and argued that no scripture contains the final word on truth. For them, Christianity was one among many path to God; other religions had valuable wisdom to teach. They preached self-reliance, and called for an unfettering of the human spirit. They learned to trust human intuition. They were mystical. They were idealists. Some created utopian communities. Others worked for social reform. Later on, Unitarians were heavily influenced by Charles Darwin’s On The Origin of Species , which called into question the notion that God created everything in six days about 5,000 years ago. Many Unitarians eventually adopted theologies that aligned with the theory of evolution and other scientific discoveries. Some became atheists. A robust Humanist-Theist debate marked Unitarian congregations in the early 20 th  century. By mid-century, religious humanism was the dominant theology within Unitarianism. The Universalist departure from Christian identity took longer. By the early 20 th century many leaders spoke less about an eternity in Heaven, and more about creating heaven on earth through good works and social reforms. [6] By the mid-20 th  century, Universalists were preaching about one universal religion, contending that all religions ultimately preach the same, basic golden rule message of ‘love for neighbor.’  They argued after peeling away the outer husk of any religion, one eventually arrives at this universal moral kernel, a core spiritual wisdom that transcends cultures, time periods, and dogmas. [7] The American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of America were both headquartered in Boston. The Unitarians were at 25 Beason St. The Universalists were a block away at 16 Beacon St. (If I have my facts correct, the Universalists were renting from the Unitarians!) The leaders knew each other and often spoke about merging. They published a joint hymnal in the 1930s. Their respective youth organizations merged in 1954, becoming Liberal Religious Youth. The denominations formally merged in 1961. (We’re now at 1,780 years!)   Today, 65 years later, we are Unitarian Universalists. We are eclectic in our theology. We are Pagans, Buddhists, Christians, Humanists, Atheists, Agnostics, Jews. Muslims, Hindus and Taoists, and many others join us on occasion. Some of us are scientific in our faith. Others are mystical. We are searchers, mixing and matching, experimenting and playing. We gather around our congregations not around a shared theology, but rather around a set of seven principles and six values, all emerging from love at the center. We are the spiritual descendants of early Christian heretics, Arius and Origen, whose spirit lives on in us.   We are the spiritual cousins of radical European reformers, some, like Servetus, who paid with their lives; others like King John Sigismund who called on people of differing faiths and theologies to to live together in peace. Their spirit of protest against dogma, theocracy and inquisitions lives on in us. We are the spiritual grandchildren of the Puritans, from whom we inherit the New England Congregational Way. As much as we may not want to admit it, their spirit lives on in us. We are the spiritual children of American Unitarians who brought reason to religion, proclaimed that God is one, and that we human beings are good. Their spirit lives on in us. We are the spiritual children of American Universalists, who taught that God is good.  Their vision not only of Heaven, but of a current world in which all are welcomed, valued, included and loved, lives on in us. May we continue to nurture and proclaim these great legacies that live on in us. Amen and blessed be. [1]  They are sometimes called the Apostolic Fathers. [2]  I’ve edited the text for ease. Here’s the actual text (translated into modern English): “But as for those who say, There was when He was not, and, before being born He was not, and that He came into existence out of nothing, or who assert that the Son of God is from a different hypostasis or substance, or is created, or is subject to alteraEon or change – these the Catholic Church anathematizes.” See: https://christthesavioroca.org/files/2020-Resurrection-Classes/The-Nicene-Creed-of-325.pdf . [3]  Adams, James Luther, “I Call That Church Free,” Singing the Living Tradition (Boston: Beacon Press and the UUA, 1993) #591. [4]  Harvard Divinity School became the nation’s premier liberal seminary and, in response, Yale Divinity School became the orthodox seminary. [5]  In the preached version of this sermon, I mention a recent youth group trip to Boston, which included a stop at King’s Chapel (the first Unitarian congregation in the country), where they are conducting research into the congregation’s various connections to slavery, including more than 200 enslaved people who have been identified as part of the congregation in the years when slavery was legal. See: https://www.memorial.kings-chapel.org/ . [6]  An example is Clarence Russell Skinner’s 1915 book. The Social Implications of Universalism. [7] This view is sometimes known as the perennial philosophy.

Gathering Music Welcome and Announcements Centering Prelude "Rainbow Connection" by Paul Williams Chalice Lighting and Opening Words "The Abundance of Our Lives Together" by Katie Sivani Gelfand We light our chalice as a symbol of gratitude... In this sanctuary we harvest bushels of strength for one another ... we cultivate a simple sweetness to brighten our spirits ... May we be grateful for the ways we nourish and uplift each other, For it is the sharing of this hallowed time together that sustains us. Opening 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 we share with love and care, Oh, we give thanks for this precious day. Oh, we give thanks for this precious day, for all gather'd here, and those far away; For this food we share with love and care, Oh, we give thanks for this precious day. Time for All Ages "The Thank You Letter" by Jane Cabrera Read by Sam Taylor Musical Interlude Introduction to the Service Reflections from Deb Gould Joys and Concerns Musical Interlude Reflections from Desiree Holian-Borgnis Offering The recipient of our November Community Outreach offering is Manchester Senior, Adult and Family Services, which provides social work and conservator services to any Manchester resident over age 18. Social work services can include providing information, guidance, assistance completing applications, advocacy, referrals, and outreach/wellness checks. Services are provided in-person (office, home, community), by phone, email or Zoom. Offering Music "A Musical Thank You Gift for UUSE" from Mary Bopp Reflections from Sam Taylor Closing Hymn #128 "For All That Is Our Life" Words: Bruce Findlow Music: Patrick L. Rickey For all that is our life we sing our thanks and praise; for all life is a gift which we are called to use to build the common good and make our own days glad. For needs which others serve, for services we give, for work and its rewards, for hours of rest and love; we come with praise and thanks for all that is our life. For sorrow we must bear, for failures, pain, and loss, for each new thing we learn, for fearful hours that pass: we come with praise and thanks for all that is our life. For all that is our life we sing our thanks and praise; for all life is a gift which we are called to use to build the common good and make our own days glad. Extinguishing the Chalice and Closing Words "May We Go Forth From This Place" by Charles A. Howe May we go forth from this place thankful for the life that sustains and renews us, and open to the grace that surrounds and surprises us. May we go forth from this place with openness and with thanksgiving. 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 and Announcements (Rev. Josh Pawelek)    Centering   Prelude “Gather the Spirit” by Jim Scott adapted by Mary Bopp   Chalice Lighting and Opening Words Excerpt from “I Call That Church Free” by James Luther Adams     Opening Hymn #145 “As Tranquil Streams” lyrics by Marion Franklin Ham music: Musicalisches Hand-buch , Hamburg, 1690, adapt.   As tranquil streams that meet and merge and flow as one to seek the sea, our kindred hearts and minds unite to build a church that shall be free-- Free from the bonds that bind the mind to narrow thought and lifeless creed; free from a social code that fails to serve the cause of human need: A freedom that reveres the past, but trusts the dawning future more; and bids the soul, in search of truth, adventure boldly and explore. Prophetic church, the future waits your liberating ministry; go forward in the power of love, proclaim the truth that makes us free. Time for All Ages Parting Hymn #352 "Find a Stillness" words by Carl G. Seaburg music: Transylvanian hymn tune Find a stillness, hold a stillness, let the stillness carry me. Find the silence, hold the silence, let the silence carry me. In the spirit, by the spirit, with the spirit giving power. I will find true harmony. Seek the essence, hold the essence, let the essence carry me. Let me flower; help me flower, watch me flower; carry me. In the spirit, by the spirit, with the spirit giving power, I will find true harmony. Joys and Concerns Musical Meditation Offering The recipient of our November Community Outreach offering is Manchester Senior, Adult and Family Services, which provides social work and conservator services to any Manchester resident over age 18. Social work services can include providing information, guidance, assistance completing applications, advocacy, referrals, and outreach/wellness checks. Services are provided in-person (office, home, community), by phone, email or Zoom. Offering Music "Spirit of Life" by Carolyn McDade adapted by Mary Bopp Sermon "Do UU Know Your History?" Rev. Josh Pawelek Closing Hymn #287 "Faith of the Larger Liberty" Lyrics by "Vincent B. Silliman" Music: Bohemian Brethren, Kirchengesang , 1566 Faith of the larger liberty, source of the light expanding, law of the church that is to be, old bondage notwithstanding: faith of the free! By thee we live -- by all thou givest and shalt give our loyalty commanding . Heroes of faith in every age, far-seeing, self-denying, wrought an increasing heritage, monarch and creed defying. Faith of the free! In thy dear name the costly heritage we claim: their living and their dying. Faith for the people everywhere, whatever their oppression, of all who make the world more fair, living their faith's confession: faith of the free! Whate'er our plight, thy law, thy liberty, thy light shall be our blest possession. 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 Chalice Lighting & Opening Words "Chalice Lighting Words" by Albert Schweitzer At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. In the glow of that gratitude, let our worship begin. Opening Hymn STJ #1008 "When Our Heart Is in a Holy Place" When our heart is in a holy place, When our heart is in a holy place, We are bless'd with love and amazing grace, When our heart is in a holy place. When we trust the wisdom in each of us, Ev'ry color ev'ry creed and kind, And we see our faces in each other's eyes, Then our heart is in a holy place. Chorus When we tell our story from deep inside, And we listen with a loving mind, And we hear our voices in each other's words, Then our heart is in a holy place. Chorus When we share the silence of sacred space, And the God of our Heart stirs within, And we feel the power of each other's faith, Then our heart is in a holy place. Time for All Ages The Next Place Written and illustrated by Warren Hanson Ready by Sam Taylor Musical Interlude Joys and Concerns Musical Interlude Offering The recipient of our November Community Outreach offering is Manchester Senior, Adult and Family Services, which provides social work and conservator services to any Manchester resident over age 18. Social work services can include providing information, guidance, assistance completing applications, advocacy, referrals, and outreach/wellness checks. Services are provided in-person (office, home, community), by phone, email or Zoom. Offering Music Reading "Otherwise" by Jane Kenyon" I got out of bed on two strong legs. It might have been otherwise. I ate cereal, sweet milk, ripe, flawless peach. It might have been otherwise. I took the dog uphill to the birch wood. All morning I did the work I love. At noon I lay down with my mate. It might have been otherwise. We ate dinner together at a table with silver candlesticks. It might have been otherwise. I slept in a bed in a room with paintings on the walls, and planned another day just like this day. But one day, I know, it will be otherwise. Introduction to the Service and Speakers Musical Interlude Reflections by Nancy Madar, a Hospice Volunteer Musical Interlude Reflections by Peter Marotto: "Lost Recipes: What We Lose and What We Gain When Caring for a Loved One in Their Final Days" Closing Hymn STJ #1002 "Comfort Me" Comfort me, comfort me comfort me, oh my soul. Comfort me, comfort me, comfort me, oh my soul. Sing with me, sing with me ... Speak for me, speak for me ... Dance with me, dance with me ... Closing Words Wiccan Burial Prayer This is a place which is not a place in a time which is not a time halfway between the worlds of the Gods and of mortals. As the sun sets So our friend has left us The water of our tears like the salt water of the sea, and like the water of our mothers' womb, blesses this Circle. As life is a day So our friend has passed into the night The fire of our life, the memories and courage, the strength given to us by our friend blesses this Circle. As all that falls shall rise again So our friend will be reborn The air we breathe, this treasure of our life, the compassionate caring we give each other blesses this Circle. As the Earth forms us So our friend shall return to the earth Our Mother feeds us, and clothes us. She gives us everything and in the end she takes our bodies back. And earth blesses this Circle. We all come from the Goddess and to Her we shall return like a drop of rain falling to the ocean We all come from the Horned One and through Him we are reborn corn and grain, corn and grain all that falls shall rise again. 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.

Our November ministry theme is nurturing gratitude , which aligns very obviously with the Thanksgiving holiday later this month; though for me, it’s not the holiday that gives us the theme. For me it’s all the features of autumn—changing, falling leaves, dropping temperatures, decreasing daylight hours, increasing darkness—and perhaps most importantly, the conclusion of the growing season in these northern latitudes—the harvest, the reaping, the preparations for winter—all of it ancient, all of it familiar to human beings for millennia. All of it gives rise to feelings of gratitude, if we let it. All of it gives rise to our collective instinct to acknowledge and celebrate the blessings of our lives, to give thanks.             Over the years I’ve come back again and again to a meditation entitled “Thanksgiving” by my colleague, the Rev. Lynn Ungar, originally published in 1996 in her Skinner House book entitled Blessing the Bread . I shared it in my newsletter column this month. I love how, for her, seasonal changes in the land speak to gratitude deeply ingrained in our hearts: I have been trying to read / the script cut in these hills— / a language carved in the shimmer of stubble / and the solid lines of soil, spoken / in the thud of apples falling and the rasp of corn stalks finally bare. / The pheasants shout it with a rusty creak / as they gather in the fallen grain, / the blackbirds sing it / over their shoulders in parting, / and gold leaf illuminates the manuscript / where it is written in the trees. / Transcribed onto my human tongue / I believe it might sound like a lullaby, / or the simplest grace at table. / Across the gathering stillness / simply this: “For all that we have received, / dear God, make us truly grateful.”             In the end, the patterns of this autumn season give rise to a very simply prayer: May I be grateful. ****             I assume that feeling gratitude is good for us. I assume the practice of rituals that center our gratitude is good for us. I assume expressing our gratitude out loud to others is good for us psychologically, emotionally, physically, spiritually. There’s solid data to support these assumptions, including a landmark 2003 study entitled “Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life,” published in the  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology . [1] The authors are Robert A Emmons at the University of California Davis (also editor in chief at the Journal of Positive Psychology) and Michael E McCullough at the University of California San Diego. The study’s abstract explains how participants in three separate studies were randomly assigned to various experimental conditions and asked to keep records of their moods, coping behaviors, health behaviors, physical symptoms, and overall life appraisals. Participants in what they called the “gratitude-outlook” groups exhibited heightened well-being across several, though not all, of the outcome measures relative to the comparison groups. “The effect on positive affect appeared to be the most robust finding. Results suggest that a conscious focus on blessings may have emotional and interpersonal benefits.” [2]             I found a 2023 New York Times article entitled “Gratitude Really is Good for You: Here’s What the Science Shows,” by the journalist Christina Caron. She mentions the Emmons-McCullough study and sums up the results of numerous other studies over the past two decades. She finds substantial evidence that gratitude practices have a positive impact on mental health, reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety, increasing self-esteem and improving satisfaction with daily life. Gratitude is also known to improve sleep and lower blood pressure. “Multiple studies have shown,” she writes, quoting Sara Algoe, a psychologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, “that expressing gratitude to acquaintances, co-workers, friends or romantic partners can offer a relationship ‘ boost ’ and ‘helps bind us more closely.’” [3]               If you’re skeptical or weary of all the talk about gratitude in this season or at any time of year, I’m simply pointing out that scientists have run peer-reviewed experiments on the ways gratitude practices impact our lives; these studies have been repeated and expanded upon over the years; and there is solid data to support the claim that gratitude is good for us.             And yes, in addition to the science, there is a lot of talk about gratitude and, at least for some, it is wearying. I used to get annoyed at how ubiquitous the admonition to be grateful is in our wider culture. Of the tens of millions of self-help and personal wellness books on brick-and-mortar and virtual shelves, I wouldn’t be surprised if half of them either have the words “gratitude,” “thankfulness,” or “blessings” in the title or subtitle or, minimally, feature a chapter about gratitude, thankfulness or blessings. I notice Dr. Emmons has published many books in this genre: The Little Book of Gratitude: Create a Life of Happiness and Well-Being by Giving Thanks , Thanks: How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier , Gratitude Works , and Words of Gratitude for Mind, Body and Soul , with an introduction by the Benedictine monk, Br. David Steindl-Rast, who has a wonderful website, “Grateful Living,” [4]  and an excellent Ted Talk, “Want to be Happy? Be Grateful,” which has been viewed over 10 million times. [5]  Which reminds me that in addition to all the books, the virtual and online worlds are overflowing with articles, blogs, podcasts, day-time talk shows, Pinterest Boards and Ted Talks. Some of it is really good. Some of it less so. Some of it comes from multi-millionaire pop psychologists and pseudo-spiritual gurus just trying to cash in. I used to roll my eyes, smugly—not only because so much of this content—like so much of the self-help genre in general—seems so corny—platitudes with no real substance—but also because it always made me feel, as an ordained clergy-person, that anytime I wanted to talk about gratitude, I couldn’t do it without sounding like a self-help book. Nurturing gratitude is one of the purposes of religion. Nurturing gratitude requires deep spiritual engagement. Get out of our lane you self-help hucksters! Leave gratitude to the clergy and the psychologists!             I don’t roll my eyes anymore. I’m no longer annoyed. The prayer is really very simple: May I be grateful. If any message ought to be ubiquitous, the message that there are benefits to nurturing gratitude in ourselves and our communities is certainly one of them regardless of where it comes from. How better to counter in our own lives the many negative health and wellness impacts of the daily authoritarian onslaught emanating from our nation’s capitol? How better to fortify ourselves, to build up our resilience, to stay calm and focused, to stay hopeful? It really doesn’t matter where the message comes from, as long as we learn to say our version of the prayer: May I be grateful. ****             Last weekend a number of you forwarded me a link to a piece published in “The Morning” newsletter of the New York Times  titled “Personal History,” subtitled “The good things in our lives are the result of fantastic webs of interconnected prerequisites.” [6]  The author, Melissa Kirsch, who writes “The Morning” newsletter and describes her beat as “broadly about how to live a meaningful life,” is also a bit skeptical and weary of all the talk of gratitude. She’s sharing her gratitude practice, but she says “I get a little uncomfortable talking about it because I’ve seen the same hashtags and semi-smug social media posts that you have, the same living-room art with cursive script on distressed wood about the ‘attitude of gratitude.’ The concept has been so commodified, overprocessed, merched-up, that it seems as if there’s little else to say about it — call it the platitude of gratitude.” So, she rolls her eyes too! But I really like her practice and I want to commend it to you.             She describes her practice as more ornate than the typical gratitude journal or jar. She says “I will think of something small — say, this weird little deck of “wisdom cards” that I draw from each morning as a sort of daily fortune cookie. Then I think about how my friend Melanie gave me the deck and how generous and playful she is, and how lucky I am to know her. But I wouldn’t know her if I hadn’t taught creative writing with her in a summer program in the 1990s. I wouldn’t have had that job if my friend Alden hadn’t recommended me for it, and I wouldn’t know Alden if I hadn’t gone to graduate school with her, and I wouldn’t have gone to graduate school without the encouragement of my undergraduate writing professor, and I wouldn’t have taken her class if not for … you get the picture." She continues: "It’s almost a game, tracing the present-day gratitude back through all the causes and conditions that gave rise to it. It’s also immensely satisfying, and mystifying — look how many things had to transpire in order to bring this deck of cards into my life. Simple gratitude is focused on a one-to-one relationship: These cards make me happy. Thinking through this circuit of prerequisites amplifies the gratitude, scales it, brings me into contact with the multiple interdependent factors necessary to bring these cards into my life.” I invite you to take a moment and contemplate something in your life that offers a simple pleasure. For Kirsch it was her deck of wisdom cards. Maybe it’s a favorite coffee mug, a bird feeder, a particular song or piece of music you love to listen to, a special recipe, a neighbor you spend time with, a lamp in the corner, a favorite book—a simple pleasure. How did it come into your life? What was the source? And then ask again, what was the source of the source? And then ask again. Follow the path back as far as you can. Notice the connections, the relationships, the dependencies. Notice the precariousness of it all: If I hadn’t gone on my walk that day, I never would have met that person…. If I hadn’t been in that accident, I never would have gotten that gift…. If that total stranger didn’t track me down to return my wallet…. Kirsch says “We’re all connected, related, dependent on one another, but of course we forget this all the time. We forget that every action we take has a whole cascade of unintended consequences. We forget that we’re a factor in someone else’s circuit of gratitude, a link in innumerable chains. And so often we feel separate, lonely, disconnected. One way to challenge that feeling is to start with one small thing you’re grateful for. Then trace the gorgeous, improbable but very real sequence of variables that brought you the object of your gratitude. It may seem a little corny at first, but it works.” [7] Again, I commend this practice to you. I suspect, if you can trace back far enough, you’ll come eventually to the script cut into the hills, the thud of falling apples, the pheasants’ rusty creak, the departing blackbirds’ song, the trees’ gold-leaf illuminated manuscript. I suspect you’ll come in time to that ancient human insight that it is good and right to acknowledge and celebrate the blessings of our lives. If you can trace back far enough, I suspect you’ll come in time to the plainest of utterances: a lullaby or a simple grace at table . And across the gathering stillness, I suspect you’ll come to Rev. Ungar’s prayer: “For all that we have received, dear God, make us truly grateful.” Amen and blessed be.   [1] Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life.  Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84 (2), 377–389.  https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.84.2.377   [2]  Read the abstract at https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2003-01140-012 . [3]  Caron, Christina, “Gratitude Really Is Good for You. Here’s What the Science Shows,” New York Times , June 8, 2023. See: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/08/well/mind/gratitude-health-benefits.html . [4]  Visit Grateful Living at https://grateful.org/brother-david/ . [5]  View Brother Steindl-Rast’s Ted Talk at https://grateful.org/resource/want-to-be-happy-be-grateful/ . [6]  Kirsch, Melissa, “Personal History: The good things in our lives are the result of fantastic webs of interconnected prerequisites,” New York Times, The Morning Newsletter, October 25, 2025. See: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/25/briefing/personal-history.html . [7]  Kirsch, Melissa, “Personal History: The good things in our lives are the result of fantastic webs of interconnected prerequisites,” New York Times, The Morning Newsletter, October 25, 2025. See: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/25/briefing/personal-history.html .

Gathering Music Welcome and Announcements Centering Prelude "Vivace" from Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor by J. S. Bach Sharon Gunderson and Anhared Stowe, violin Ryan Ford, bass Mary Bopp, piano Chalice Lighting and Opening Words "Languages of Gratitude" Rev. Michelle Collins Opening Hymn #18 "What Wondrous Love" American Folk hymn adapted by Connie Campbell Hart Music from the Southern Harmony , 1835 What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul, what wondrous love is this, O my soul? What wondrous love is this that brings my heart such bliss, and takes away the pain of my soul, of my soul, and takes away the pain of my soul. When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down, when I was sinking down, sinking down, When I was sinking down beneath my sorrow ground, friends to me gather'd round, O my soul, O my soul, friends to me gather'd round, O my soul. To love and to all friends I will sing, I will sing, to love and to all friends I will sing. To love and to all friends who pain and sorrow mend, with thanks unto the end I will sing, I will sing, with thanks unto the end I will sing. Time for All Ages Musical Meditation Joys and Concerns Responsorial "Prayer for Connection" Words by Cyndi Krupa Music by Mary Bopp May peace, love and light Infuse all living beings With a feeling of connection And knowing we are one. Offering The recipient of our November Community Outreach offering is Manchester Senior, Adult and Family Services, which provides social work and conservator services to any Manchester resident over age 18. Social work services can include providing information, guidance, assistance completing applications, advocacy, referrals, and outreach/wellness checks. Services are provided in-person (office, home, community) by phone, email or Zoom. Offering Music "Largo ma non Tanto" from Concert for Two Violins in D Minor by J. S. Bach Sharon Gunderson and Anhared Stowe, violin Ryan Ford, bass Mary Bopp, piano Sermon "On Gratitude" Rev. Josh Pawelek Closing Music "Allegro" Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor by J. S. Bach Sharon Gunderson and Anhared Stowe, violin Ryan Ford, bass Mary Bopp, piano Extinguishing the Chalice Closing Circle May faith in the spirit of lie 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 (Emmy Galbraith) Prelude and Calling the Directions "To the Four Directions" Music by Mary Bopp Words adapted from Joan Goodwin's "To the Four Directions" Sandy Johnson, vocals Chalice Lighting and Opening Words Excerpt from "The Art of Living" by Thich Nhat Han Bill Graver, Alex and Wesley Bernier (11:00 AM) Opening Hymn #387 "The Earth, Water, Fire, Air" anonymous The earth, the water, the fire, the air, return, return, return, return Building the Altar of Remembrance "Breaths" by Ysaye Maria Barnwell Performed by UUSE choir members Body Prayer "Reaching Back" by Emmy Galbraith Musical Interlude Joys and Concerns Musical Interlude Offering MARC, Inc. provides the opportunity for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live meaningful lives of independence, choice, inclusion, and continuous personal growth. MARC, Inc. was founded in 1952 by seven families who were working together to support their children who were living with disabilities. Today, they have a campus on Sheldon Road in Manchester where they provide multiple services and programs, in addition to managing eleven residential homes. MARC supports almost three hundred individuals from twenty-seven towns in the Greater Hartford area. UR Community Cares mission is to keep older and disabled neighbors supported in their homes and active in their communities. Their programs include: "Neighbors Helping Neighbors," which provides volunteer support so that older adults and people with physical disabilities can live safely at home; "Cycling Without Age Manchester," which deploys an e-bike rickshaw to provide free recreational rides for older and disabled residents in Charter Oak Park and along the East Coast Greenway; the UR Community Tech Center, which offers free technology support and volunteers to answer questions about smartphones, tablets, laptops; and UR Vision Resources, a 100-page printed Blind/Vision Impaired Directory to ensure more people know what services are available. Offering Music "Meditation on Breathing" Adapted with permission from Sarah Dan Jones by the UUSE Elementary School Classes and Mary Bopp When I breath in... I breathe in Hope When I breathe out... I breathe out Peace When I breathe in... I breathe in Peace When I breathe out... I breathe out Love When I breathe in... I breathe in Love When I breathe out... I breathe out Joy When I breathe in... I breathe in Joy When I breathe out... I breathe out Flame When I breathe in... I breathe in Flame When I breathe out... I breathe out Warmth Story Remembering our deceased UUSE members and friends Remembrances Closing Hymn #83 "Winds Be Still" Words by Richard S. Kimball Music by Samuel Sebastian Wesley Winds be still Storm clouds pass and silence come. Peace grace this time with harmony. Fly, bird of hope, and shine, light of love, and in calm let all find tranquility. Bird fly high. Lift our gaze toward distance view. Help us to sense life's mystery. Fly high and far, and lead us each to see how we move through the winds of eternity. Light shine in. Luminate our inward view. Help us to see with clarity. Shine bright and true so we may join our songs in new sounds that become full symphony. Closing Words Excerpt from "Braiding Sweetgrass" By Robin Wall Kimmerer 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.