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Celebrant’s Script
Settling-In
Music: (Play a CD of peaceful music, starting at about 10:20. Don’t sweat it – this is optional. Bring your own, or get one from the Worship
Cabinet. The combination for the lock on
the Worship Cabinet is 500)
GATHERING TOGETHER
(obviously, only do this
if there’s a musician who is going to do a Prelude!)
(ring chime)
Our service begins with our
Prelude.
Please give your kind
attention to [Sally/our musician].
Prelude Music
Opening Hymn: (Smile!)
Good morning! Welcome to Skagit
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
(Introduce hymn with one
of the following):
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Please rise in body or
spirit, and join in singing Hymn # _________, [title].
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Please stand, as you are
able, and join in Hymn # ____________, [title].
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Opening Words
(Use one of the
following, OR opening words from the hymnal, OR from the Worship Web, OR words
of your own choosing!)
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Welcome, friends,
To a day of hope and
promise,
To a place of peace and
comfort,
To a journey toward truth
and justice,
And to a community of love
and courage
that will help us along the
way.
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From the dailiness of our
lives we come seeking transcendence.
Beyond time, beyond our physical selves, and yet within the context of
this very
moment, we seek to touch --
and be touched by -- the spirit of creation and hope. In this hour of worship, may we be open to
the power of the Spirit of Life.
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Come in.
Come into this place which
we make happy by our presence.
Come in with all your
vulnerabilities and strengths, fears and anxieties, loves and hopes.
For here you need not hide,
nor pretend, nor be anything other than who you are and are called to be.
Come into this place where
we can touch and be touched, heal and be healed, forgive and be forgiven.
Come into this place, where
the ordinary is sanctified, the human is celebrated, the compassionate is
expected.
Come into this place.
Together we make it holy.
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Come, let us worship
together --
Let us open our minds to the challenge
of Reason,
open our hearts to the healing of
Love,
open our lives to the calling of
Conscience,
open our souls to the comfort of Joy
--
Astonished by the miracle of life,
grateful for the gift of fellowship,
confident in the power of living faith,
we are here gathered --
Come, let us worship
together.
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Gathering together this
morning from many directions, we give thanks for the
beauty of this day, the
warmth of this gathered company, and the breadth of the magnificent Spirit
that calls us to worship.
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From all the diversity of
our lives,
From all our working and
our caring,
We gather seeking a deeper
unity in spirit and our lives -- empowered anew for truth and for love.
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OPENING WORDS
CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
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Into this house of sacred
community may we come
to share, to learn,
to speak, to listen;
to grow together in the
spirit of peace and harmony and love.
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We come eager to know and
to grow, to face the mysteries,
and to confront the hard questions.
We come to rejoice and be glad.
We come to be changed.
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We come now to this house of worship.
Spirit calls to spirit.
Hand reaches out to hand.
Heart joins with heart.
Voice lifts with voice a song of praise.
Come, let us worship together.
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Welcome: (Smile!)
Once again, a very warm
welcome to Skagit Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
My name is _____ (and say anything about yourself that you wish...)
(and one of the
following):
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This is a
free church.
Whether you
are theist or humanist,
Christian,
pagan, or nature mystic;
Whether you
are gay, straight, transgender, or bisexual;
Whether you
are disabled or temporarily abled;
Whether you
are young, old, or in-between,
we are so
glad you are here today.
You make our
circle complete.
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The Mission of Skagit Unitarian Universalist
Fellowship is to
create a welcoming and loving religious community
that cares for our planet and its inhabitants, inspires
spiritual growth,
promotes
justice, and encourages lives of integrity, joy and service.
All who are
in sympathy with this Mission
are more than welcome! We are so glad
you’re here today.
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If you’re visiting with us,
or returning after a long absence, an especially warm welcome to you.
Welcome to our liberal
religious fellowship, where your beliefs are embraced, your values
are respected, and your priorities are important.
If you’re new here and would
feel comfortable doing so, you are invited to stand, if you are able, telling
us your name and where you are from, so we can give you a warm SUUF welcome.
--
(If people introduced
themselves):
Thank you. We look forward to talking with you at coffee
hour after the service.
(If no one was
introduced):
I guess no one is here for
the first time. Nevertheless, at coffee
hour, try to talk to several people you haven’t yet gotten to know well. Extend the web!
Announcements: (read any that have been
given to you in writing, then ask if there are any announcements from the
floor. Encourage people to use the
microphone for these!)
Introduce Speaker
Our minister, Amanda Aikman,
is with us on the first and third Sundays.
On the other Sundays, we
have a wide variety of speakers, both members of our own congregation and
guests.
This year, all our speakers
are reflecting on some aspect of the theme, Right Relations: how we practice relating to our neighbors and
our world in the most peaceful and life-giving ways.
(If guest speaker):
Today, our guest speaker is
_________.
FIRST SUNDAYS ONLY: Please include the following as “CRE Update with Kelly Graham" CRE UPDATE with Kelly Now our Director of Children’s Religious Education, Kelly Graham, will give us the monthly CRE UPDATE. Kelly comes up to speak and then invites anyone with a Birthday this month to come up. They say their name and birthdate and we sing “Happy Birthday, you’re wonderful” to them. Then Kelly asks all the kids to come up and we give them a lighted LCD candle to carry out as the congregation makes a hand bridge and everyone sings “This Little Light of Mine” as the kids go out to their classes.
DRAWING CLOSER
Chalice Lighting:
We
light the chalice of our living tradition with these words: (choose from hymnal, or from the UU Worship Web, or one of the
following. Say the words first, then
light the chalice.):
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To face the
world's shadows, a chalice of light.
To face the world's coldness, a chalice of
warmth.
To face the world's terrors, a chalice of
courage.
To face the world's turmoil, a chalice of peace.
May its glow fill our spirits, our hearts, and
our lives.
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In
this free church, we come together without creed, focusing instead on the
core values of justice, equity and compassion.
We
come together in mutual acceptance of our diverse ways of being.
We
come together in the stubborn belief that community is possible and that
peace is more than a dream.
We
light this chalice as a beacon of hope for those who have gathered here this
day;
For all who have ever walked through our
doors; for those who may yet find this spiritual home; and for those whose
paths will never come our way, but with whom we are ever connected in spirit.
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The chalice
lit amongst us is a beacon --
A beacon of hope, in a world in crisis;
A beacon of possibility, made manifest in
community; A beacon of warmth through
our interconnections; A beacon of
light illuminating our shared wisdom;
A beacon of connection by our being together.
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May this flame,
eternal symbol of transformation,
fire our
curiosity,
strengthen our wills,
and sustain our courage
as we seek what is good within and around us.
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Deep calls
unto deep, joy calls unto joy, light calls unto light. Let the kindling of
this flame rekindle in us the inner light of love, of peace, of hope. And
"as one flame lights another, nor grows the less," we pledge
ourselves to be bearers of the light, wherever we are.
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We light
this chalice for all who are here, and all who are not; for all who have ever
walked through our doors; for those who may yet find this spiritual home; and
for those we can’t even yet imagine. For each of us and for us all, may this
flame burn warm and bright.
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Joys and Sorrows:
This Fellowship is a
community of caring. This is the time in
our service when you are invited to share a personal joy or sorrow with those
gathered here. If you wish to share a joy or a sorrow, please come forward, say
your name into the microphone, drop a pebble into the water, and share your
personal joy or sorrow.
---
One last pebble, for all these
joys and sorrows, as well as for those that are too deep for words. We will
carry all these joys and these sorrows in our hearts.
Offering: (Choose one of these, or
get from hymnal):
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The purpose
of the church is to encourage all who gather there to grow more generous in
spirit and in action. This is the great end of all the world's faith
traditions: to bring the human being closer to the divine by acts of creation
and compassion. We now take an offering that allows us to exercise that
all-important generosity of spirit, an offering that will support this
self-supporting church and its ministries. The gifts of the congregation will
be most gratefully received
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An offering will be
gratefully received for the work of this Fellowship.
|
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If you are
proud of this church, become its advocate.
If you are concerned for its future, share its
message.
If its values resonate deep within you, give it
a measure of your devotion.
This church cannot survive without your faith,
your confidence, your enthusiasm.
Its destiny, the larger hope, rests in your
hands.
The
morning offering will be gratefully received.
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This
Congregation is a theologically diverse religious community with membership open
to all who are in accord with our principles and mission. We are an
independent member congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association, an
association of approximately 1000 congregations in this country and elsewhere
in the world. Our congregation is entirely self-governed and financially
supported by the voluntary generosity of our members and friends. To this
end, let there be an offering to sustain the work of this beloved community.
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Meditation (choose from the hymnal
or from the Worship Web): Please join in a quiet time of
meditation. (Read poem or meditation.
Then sit and allow a minute or so of silence at the end. It’s good to end with a chime.)
Hymn for Meditation:
Our hymn is number
___________. Please stay seated and join
in if you wish, or else just let the music wash over you.
THE MESSAGE
And now, our guest speaker.
OPENING
OUTWARD
Hymn: Please rise, as you are
able, for our closing hymn, number ______.
Closing Words: Thanks so
much to everyone who contributed to our service today. (name them). Please be sure to join us next week, when
___________ will be speaking on ______________.
(get info from website or newsletter.)
We extinguish the chalice of
our living tradition. May its light and warmth continue to
accompany us, until we are together again.
(extinguish it.)
(Choose closing words
from the hymnal, or one of these):
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There is,
finally, only one thing required of us: that is, to take life whole, the
sunlight and shadows together; to live the life that is given us with courage and
humor and truth.
We have such a little moment out of the
vastness of time for all our wondering and loving. Therefore let there be no
half-heartedness; rather, let the soul be ardent in its pain, in its
yearning, in its praise. Then shall
peace enfold our days, and glory shall not fade from our lives.
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Walk
softly.
Speak truthfully.
Love gently.
Breathe deeply.
Live wisely.
Go in peace.
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Go now in
peace.
Deeply regard each other.
Truly listen to each other.
Speak what each of you must speak.
Be ready in any moment to disarm your own heart,
and always live as if a realm of love had begun. So be it. Blessed be.
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May we
leave this place
Seeking an uncharted and freely chosen way to
wholeness,
Knowing we have companions along the way.
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Before we
gather here again--
may each of us bring
happiness into another's life;
may we each be
surprised by the gifts that surround us;
may each of us be
enlivened by constant curiosity --
And may we remain together in spirit
til the hour we meet
again.
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As you
prepare to leave this sacred space --pack away a piece of this Fellowship
in your heart. Wrap it carefully like
a precious gem. Carry it with you
through the joys and sorrows of your days.
Let its gentle glow strengthen you, warm you,
remind you of all that is good and true
Until we gather here again in this place of
love.
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CLOSING WORDS CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
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With faith
in the creative powers of life,
With hope for the future of life in this world,
With love for all others who share this life
with us,
Let us go forward together in peace.
Our meeting has ended; let our service begin.
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We receive
fragments of holiness, glimpses of eternity, brief moments of insight. Let us
gather them up for the precious gifts that they are, and, renewed by their
grace, move boldly into the unknown.
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Mindful of
our highest aspirations,
Bound by common faith and purpose,
And, yet, beginning with ourselves as we are,
Let us take one more step, together,
in our unending quest
for dignity, justice and love
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And now may
we go forth
in the certainty of
faith,
in the knowledge of
love,
and in the vision of
hope.
And in our going, may we be blessed
with all good things --
on this day
and forevermore
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Closing Song: Let’s
form a circle as we sing our closing song.
The words are on the wall. We’ll
sing this twice. And please stay for
coffee and conversation afterwards.
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ĉ ď Amanda Aikman, Apr 19, 2011 1:13 PM
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