Sunday 29th March 2020 Devotional Worship
Invocation
We have joined together to worship, physically separate but deeply connected in heart, mind, spirit and soul. Our branches may not be touching, but are roots and intertwined. In this spirit of mutual love I invite us to still ourselves in silence…To prepare ourselves for worship…Let us be still and let us be silent together…Let us invite a loving presence to be amongst us and to awaken within us…
Chalice Lighting
I invite us to light our chalice flame and speak the following words…
At this time, in our individual homes, but connected in mutual love we have lit our individual chalice flames.
As we do so let us remember that we are part of a community of love, acceptance and faith.
May our dancing flame inspire us to fill our lives with our traditions ideal of love, justice, truth, compassion and hope.
May we find the courage to live these ideals.
Prayer
I invite you now to join together in a time of prayer...these word’s of prayer will be followed by the prayer that Jesus taught, the Lord’s prayer, which I invite us to say together, if we wish to.
Let us pray
God of love, Divine Spirit of compassion be present here with us this day.
Help us to attune ourselves to the great mysteries of creation, to the wonder of the moment.
Awaken our senses to life itself, to what is both beautiful and holy.
Help us to experience your spirit as it flows through all of life
That is present in our hearts and souls and those of our brothers and sisters.
Help us to let down those barriers that separate us from one another and from our true being. Help us not to deny our weaknesses or to become enslaved by the fear of imperfection.
Bring us into harmony oh God show us how to be all that were born to be
Deliver us from impatience, intolerance and most of all hate
Bring us to that place of compassionate self giving and self liberating love.
Show us the way oh God...show us the way
Amen
Lords’s Prayer
“A message from past President Rev Celia Cartwright”
I thought you might like this little reflection from our past President of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches, the Rev Celia Cartwright
“Rumination on being isolated from C19”
I am a fixer of things. A maker of ways to achieve things. I will turn myself inside out to make my family’s life easier.
This virus has changed that.
Today all I can do is let my daughter’s dog out and, well and ........
I cannot look after my granddaughter full time, I cannot make my daughter’s burden any lighter.
I cannot do anything to help my son.
I cannot aid the sick.
I cannot keep a friend company.
I cannot hold a hand.
I cannot do very much.
But
I can stay cheerful and phone my friends
I can spend uninterrupted hours playing with a complicated crochet pattern
I can read my book without interruption
I can stay well in isolation and cause my son and daughter no worry
I can face-time with my granddaughter every day.
I can talk to my daughter and my son on the phone
I can play 60’s music and pretend I’m a teenager again
I am lucky I can walk out of my door into open country.
I can go for a walk
I can write
I can rearrange the furniture
I can be creative
I can make bread
I can stay well.
Maybe this can be not all fear and trepidation but a time to re-engage with things I never get time for.
Story
I thought you might like a little bit of wisdom from my favourite Nasrudin, perhaps the holiest fool around. I wonder what he’d be doing right now.
"The Missed Appointment"
A philosopher made an appointment with Nasrudin to have a scholarly discussion. When the day came, the philosopher dropped by Nasrudin's house as planned. However, Nasrudin wasn't home. The philosopher angrily took his pencil out of his pocket, wrote "Asshole" on Nasrudin's door, and then left
Nasrudin finally came home later and saw this. He quickly realized that he had missed his appointment, and he darted off to the philosopher's house.
"Forgive my error," Nasrudin told the philosopher when he got there. "I totally forgot about our appointment today. But when I got home and saw that you had written your name on my door, I came here as fast as I could."
"Man is Stuck in Tree"
One day, a local man climbed up a rather tall tree.
Shortly thereafter, however, as he tried to make his way back down, he soon discovered that the trip down might not be as easy as the trip up. In fact, try as he might, he simply could not figure out a way to get down the tree without putting his body at great risk of falling to the ground.
He asked a few passers-by for help, but no one knew what to do.
A few local people gathered near him and tried to help, but he remained stuck.
Then Nasrudin walked by and devised a plan. He threw a rope up to the man and said, "Tie this around your waist."
The people nearby wondered about what Nasrudin was doing. They asked him his plan, but he calmly replied, "Just trust me--this works."
When the man had the rope tied around his waist, Nasrudin pulled on the rope. Upon his doing this, the man fell from the tree and hurt himself. The bystanders, horrified to see this happen, remarked, "What kind of a plan was that?"
"Well," Nasrudin replied, "I once saved someone's life doing the exact same thing."
"Are you sure," one man asked.
"Yes," Nasrudin replied. "The only thing I'm not sure about is whether I saved him from a well or from a tree."
"Man Searches for Joy"
One day, Nasrudin began talking to a man from another town. The man lamented, "I am rich, but I am also sad and miserable. I have taken my money and gone traveling in search of joy-but alas, I have yet to find it."
As the man continued speaking, Nasrudin grabbed the man's bag and ran off with it. The man chased him, and Nasrudin soon ran out of the man's sight. He hid behind a tree, and put the bag in the open road for the man to see.
When the man caught up, he located the bag, and his facial expression immediately turned from distress to joy. As the man danced in celebration of finding his bag, Nasrudin thought to himself, "That's one way to bring joy to a sad man."
Inspirational Readings
Here are a couple of readings on solitude and what it can teach us.
“The Great Failure: A Bartender, A Monk, and My Unlikely Path to Truth” by Natalie Goldberg
Natalie Goldberg on her Zen teacher's thoughts about ways to deal with loneliness.
" 'Roshi, now that I am divorced, it is very lonely.'
" 'Tell me. What do you do when you are alone in the house?'
"I'd never thought of that. I became interested. 'Well, I water the plants,' I faltered, then continued, 'I wash a few dishes, call a friend.' The momentum built. 'I sit on the couch for hours and stare at the bare branches out the window. I play over and over Paul Simon's new album about New Mexico — I miss it there.'
"His attention encouraged me: 'Lately, I've been sitting at my dining-room table and painting little pictures.' I looked at him. Suddenly my solitary life had a texture.
" 'Is there anything wrong with loneliness?' he asked in a low voice. I shook my head. All at once I saw it was a natural condition of life, like sadness, grief, even joy. When I was sitting with him, it didn't feel ominous or unbearable.
" 'Anyone who wants to go to the source is lonely. There are many people at Zen Center. Those who practice deeply are only with themselves.
" 'Are you lonely?' I entreated.
" 'Yes,' he nodded. 'But I don't let it toss me away. It's just loneliness.'
" 'Do you ever get over it?'
" 'I take an ice-cold shower every morning. I never get used to it. It shocks me each time, but I've learned to stand up to it.' He pointed at me. 'Can you stand up in loneliness?'
"He continued, 'Being alone is the terminal abode. You can't go any deeper in your practice if you run from it.'
"He spoke to me evenly, honestly. My hunger was satisfied — the ignored little girl still inside me and the adult seeker — both were nourished.”
“SOLITUDE” by John O’Donohue
Solitude is one of the most precious things in the human spirit. It is different from loneliness. When you are lonely, you become acutely conscious of your own separation. Solitude can be a homecoming to your own deepest belonging. One of the lovely things about us as individuals is the incommensurable in us. In each person, there is a point of absolute nonconnection with everything else and with everyone. This is fascinating and frightening. It means that we cannot continue to seek outside ourselves for things we need from within. The blessings for which we hunger are not to be found in other places or people. These gifts can only be given to you by yourself. They are at home at the hearth of your soul.
Excerpt from ANAM CARA
Time for Personal reflection
I invite us to join in time of quiet reflection and meditation. A personal time, a private time, but a time we share together, even though we are physically apart, we are still worshipping together. To lead us into this time please share aloud the following verses from Matthew’s Gospel Chapter 5, known as “The Beatitudes”. Following the words there will a time for shared silence. I would suggest between five and ten minutes, but whatever feels comfortable for you. I suggest that you break the silence with a favourite piece of music. I would suggest perhaps the hymn “Be Still my Souls”, or maybe Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” or anything of your own choice
Let us still our minds, quieten our thoughts, connect to our bodies, to our breathing, to the breath of all life, let us be still and silent together…
Matthew chapter 5 vv 1-10
5When Jesus* saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
3 ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8 ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
SILENCE (Suggest we take 5-10 minutes to sit in complete silence
MUSIC FOR MEDITATION
Music of own choice or perhaps "Sounds of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkle
"The Sounds of Silence"
Address
Spring is a time of new life. The buds are appearing on all the trees. This became particularly clear as Sue and I walked the dogs along the canal bank on Monday morning. The dogs were full of beans and adventure too, awakening to the new life all around. Unfortunately we cannot fully engage and experience the new life that is budding in this awakening seasons, as we would normally do, we are being asked to isolate, to protect each other. This seems unnatural, but we must spend time in physical isolation, alone. We have to hibernate, to go against nature and our natural instincts at this time of year. We must spend time alone.
As I sat my desk and spoke with Sue about material to explore with you, to offer you spiritual sustenance, she suggested something about going inward to slowing down and being in. so I thought solitude, being alone and feeling lonely. I then remembered a phrase I love “Lonely but not alone: Alone but not lonely”.
Solitude and loneliness are not the same. There is a great gulf between solitude and loneliness. One can experience solitude without being lonely and yet can we miserably lonely and be surrounded by people. Solitude is a physical state; where as loneliness is an emotional, psychological and spiritual one.
The difference between loneliness and solitude can be monumental and yet subtle. They may look alike,but aren’t experienced alike. It is comparative to seeing a body as naked, rather than a person being a nude. Naked is stripped and vulnerable, naked is lacking clothes; whereas a nude is a beautiful bare body, it is art. Loneliness describes all that is lost, when we are alone; whereas solitude describes all that is gained in our physical isolation.
The Unitarian poet May Sarton, in her book “Journal of a Solitude” claimed that her time alone was her real time. She felt that life meant nothing, unless it could be reflected upon. She discovered her true self, in this time. This is when she discovered who she really was, what she cared about and what she believed. This enabled her to bring that fuller richer self back into her relationships and the world.
Ann Morrow Lindbergh felt that the difference between chosen solitude and loneliness lies in self awareness. She claimed that “when one is a stranger to oneself then one is estranged from others too. If one is out of touch with oneself, then one cannot touch others…Only when one is connected to one’s own core is one connected to others. ”
It would appear that loneliness is really all about lack of connection. And this loneliness can occur because of physical, emotional or spiritual disconnection. T.S. Elliott wrote that “Hell is a place where nothing connects”. Loneliness is hell.
There have been times in my life when I have been surrounded by everyone I could wished to be around and yet felt utterly alone. There have been other times when I have been physically alone and yet I experienced not one semblance of loneliness. Being alone and experiencing loneliness may look similar, but they could not be more different. One is about connection and the other disconnection.
This Spring is going to be difficult for us all, as we are going to have to live more like we would in winter. This time of isolation may well feel like a long winter. We are all going to experience feelings of loneliness, as we isolate physically from one another. It will feel like we are in the midst of the longest winter of our lives at times. If we use this time wisely this does not have to be the case; if we utilise this time in the right way, it can actually help us to connect to those deeper harder to reach parts that can come to life when all of this is over. I was thinking of this as Sue pointed the new spring buds, the light tint of green appearing on the still barren trees. They are creating life, ready to fully sprout again. Like all life they need time time to come fully to life, just like we do. Those trees have never known the ache of loneliness that we human feels.
Loneliness is something that everyone experiences at some time in their life. We need not fear it, I suspect it just a part of the human condition. That said it’s not something that you ever get used to. When it comes, it does not mean that there is something wrong with us and it is not a terminal condition. Just talk and listen with any and you will find that they have felt like this and many times too. Share your feelings over the phone with friends and family, or make full use of social media and the internet if you have access. You will find that these are feelings that we all share.
There can be many causes for our loneliness. If we lose someone we love dearly, a spouse, a partner, a parent, a dear friend, that loss can lead to a deep sense of loneliness. We feel like something is missing in our lives, which of course there is, our loved one. If we suffer a debilitating illness we can often become cut off from social contacts, this can lead to a sense of isolation. When we move house or change jobs a loneliness can set in too, we feel like a fish out of water. Even the seemingly self-confident can feel lonely at such times. When these things happen the mistake we can often make is to isolate even more, thus increasing this sense of loneliness. This can be a danger to some of us in the current situation that we all find ourselves in when all normal social ties have been removed. We all need to make effort to stay connected in new ways. We need to get creative.
Having said all that, this experience of loneliness may not be as negative as we might realise, for it can lead to new opportunities. It offers a chance to connect to those often untouched parts within ourselves, to connect to those inner resources and of course it can help us to understand the loneliness that others suffer too. It can help us develop empathy and thus help us to connect with others in deeper more meaningful ways.
Loneliness is not the end of anything. It can actually be the beginning. It is an opportunity to see and experience life in new ways. It can become a call to ourselves to help alleviate the loneliness and suffering in others. It has the capacity to transform our lives. Loneliness need not be seen as an affliction, instead it can become an opportunity to transform both our own lives and that of others; our experiences of loneliness can become a gift that can transform our lives and the lives of others.
The Epistle Paul had something interesting to say on loneliness in his timeless first letter to the Corinthians chapter 13. He wrote 'For now we see in a mirror, dimly (as through a glass, darkly), but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood.' He is contrasting how we view life now with the life that he believed will be enjoyed in what is called “God’s Kingdom, yet to come”. Suggesting that in our current state we do not see things clearly and that this is a cause of loneliness. Thus suggesting that the problem is that we do not see God, each other or life fully (‘face to face’) and thus we feel cut off, separate and alone. He is suggesting that only after death will we see fully. Paul is of course drawing on the Jewish tradition here, that no one can ever see the face of God, that it is always partially hidden behind a veil.
In the “Sermon on the Mount”, Jesus says that, 'Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.' Suggesting a way to see clearly the face of God and thus one another. Could this be the bridge that relieves ours and others loneliness? To live purely by our own vulnerable human hearts. I think that maybe it is. In so doing we begin to create the Kingdom of God, what I prefer to name the “kin-dom of Love” right here right now. I have come to believe that this is what it means to live spiritually alive; this is what it means to remove from our being the veils that separate us from the Divine, from life and the people around us, thus relieving the ache of one another's loneliness.
The problem is, of course, that so few of us want to go there. How many of us want to experience what it means to be alone, we fear it so much. We need not fear being alone. You can be “Lonely but not alone” and you can be, “alone but not lonely”.
Being alone, surrendering to physical isolation can help us surrender to the power of the moment we all find ourselves in. This brings to my mind some favourite words by David Whyte. “Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet confinement of your aloneness…”
So many people fear these two things, "darkness and the confinement of our aloneness." The truth is that we need to experience them in order to truly connect with what is at the core of all being and to fully connect with life itself and the people we share our lives with. In so doing we see life as it really is and we begin to build that kin-dom of love, we live together one and all.
It is quite possible to be, “lonely but not alone” and you can find yourself completely “alone but not lonely”. The key is connection, connection to ourselves, to life, to the people around us and to whatever we believe is at the core of all life, what I call God. Sometimes it takes an experience of deep loneliness to allow us to know this, to see clearly.
Loneliness is something we will all experience in our lives. I bet we have all felt it at some time in the last week. The problem isn’t the feeling itself, but how we respond to it. It may well be an opportunity to connect. To connect to those deep places within us, to connect to the core of all life and to truly connect to one another. The problem is not the feeling of isolation and loneliness, but how respond to this experience.
We all feel lonely at times. Loneliness is the one thing that you are not alone in, feeling. May our shared loneliness lead us all to deeper connections.
Amen
Prayer followed by time of silent Reflection
I invite us once more to come together in prayer. Please say these words of prayer out loud and then follow the prayer with another time of reflective silence, again five to ten minutes or whatever feels comfortable. You could break the silence with more music for reflection, perhaps the hymn “We shall overcome”, or “Enjoy the Silence” by Depeche Mode or even sing the hymn “Spirit of Life” yourself. I will leave a copy of the words for you below.
Prayer
I invite us to once again join together in a time of prayerful silence. I will lead us lead ourselves into this time of silence by saying aloud the following blessing “Choose to bless the world” by Rebecca Parker
Your gifts—whatever you discover them to be—
can be used to bless or curse the world.
The mind's power,
the strength of the hands,
the reaches of the heart,
the gift of speaking, listening, imagining, seeing, waiting
Any of these can serve to feed the hungry,
bind up wounds,
welcome the stranger,
praise what is sacred,
do the work of justice
or offer love.
Any of these can draw down the prison door,
hoard bread,
abandon the poor,
obscure what is holy,
comply with injustice
or withhold love.
You must answer this question:
What will you do with your gifts?
Choose to bless the world.
The choice to bless the world is more than an act of will,
a moving forward into the world
with the intention to do good.
It is an act of recognition,
a confession of surprise,
a grateful acknowledgment
that in the midst of a broken world
unspeakable beauty, grace and mystery abide.
There is an embrace of kindness
that encompasses all life, even yours.
And while there is injustice, anesthetization, or evil
there moves a holy disturbance,
a benevolent rage,
a revolutionary love,
protesting, urging, insisting
that which is sacred will not be defiled.
Those who bless the world live their life
as a gesture of thanks
for this beauty
and this rage.
The choice to bless the world can take you into solitude
to search for the sources
of power and grace;
native wisdom, healing, and liberation.
More, the choice will draw you into community,
the endeavor shared,
the heritage passed on,
the companionship of struggle,
the importance of keeping faith,
the life of ritual and praise,
the comfort of human friendship,
the company of earth
the chorus of life welcoming you.
None of us alone can save the world.
Together—that is another possibility, waiting.
Music Of personal choice or sing the following verse twice
"Enjoy the Silence"
"Spirit of Life"
“Spirit of Life” by Carolyne McDade
Spirit of Life, come unto me.
Sing in my heart all the stirrings of compassion.
Blow in the wind, rise in the sea;
Move in the hand, giving life the shape of justice.
Roots hold me close; wings set me free;
Spirit of Life, come to me, come to me.
Blessing
Let us return to our lives in peace.
Let us endeavour to deeply regard each other and all life.
To listen to all as they speak, including the promptings of our own hearts and minds.
To speak what each of us must speak, in truth and love.
And to be ready in any moment to disarm our own hearts,
And to always live as if a realm of love had begun.
And may the blessings of God be with us in all that we feel and all that we think say and all that we do.
Amen
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