Seasons of our Living – 21/8/22

Opening Music: ‘Spring’ from Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons

Opening Words: ‘Call from Beyond’ by Susan Maginn (adapted) read by Heidi

From beyond the playful summer clouds,
beyond the earth’s thin blue line,
from beyond the bright full moon and the meteor showers,
we hear the call to look and listen carefully,
to turn away from a world that thinks it can buy and sell happiness,
to fully experience the luring whisper of our heart’s truth.
Why not today, why not now?
We are here and together at home in this evolving place,
home in this ever changing breath and body,
home in this summer’s morning, even as the earth tilts imperceptibly towards autumn.
We hear the call from far beyond and deep within and we do not hear it alone.
Come, let us worship together.

Welcome and Chalice Lighting

Thank you Heidi for those opening words, written by Susan Maginn, welcoming all of us who have gathered this morning for our Kensington Unitarians Sunday service. Welcome to those of you who are here in-person at Essex Church in London and welcome to all who are joining in via Zoom from your homes, far and wide. For those of you I’ve not met before, I’m Sarah Tinker, at one time minister with this congregation. Now happily retired and also happy to still connect with you all like this from time to time.

If you are new to this community, we’re especially glad to have you with us, and do stay for a chat after the service if you want, or come to one of our small groups to get to know us better. And if you’re a regular here– thank you for all you do to build this community and to spread our Unitarian message of equality and oneness.

So whoever you are, however you’re feeling today, wherever you’re heading, know you are welcome here with us, just as you are. And that welcome also applies to any of you watching this service at later date, or listening to our podcast or reading this as a script – thanks to those of you who get in touch and let us know that you appreciate these ways of connecting. It’s good to hear from you.

Today’s service is titled ‘Seasons of our Living’ and Heidi Ferid and I will be exploring how life’s ups and downs, its sunny days and stormy days, are reflected in the seasons we know so well here in northern lands. We reckon we won’t be the only ones to have our favourite seasons, nor the only ones who sometimes feel as if our lives are bringing us far too many seasons in one day. This being human can be a turbulent experience for some of us at times, can’t it.

So let’s take a moment now to arrive here fully – whatever your levels of calm or turbulence, however life is treating you at present, whatever challenges we’re facing, let’s create this next hour together as a sacred space in which to rest and let go. You might like if you want to take a few of those lovely calming breaths, slowly breathing down into the core of our being and as we breathe out we can awaken to the beauty of this moment, here in this gathered community – be that in person or connected through the digital realm, it’s helpful to be together, it’s helpful to make time and space for connection – connection with ourselves, connection with one another, and connection with that which we hold to be of greatest worth.

And our chalice flame is lit, its one light connecting us with the worldwide Unitarian and Unitarian and Universalist community, this progressive religious path.

This simple chalice flame bears witness to the humanity we all share.
One people, one planet, one shared life.
May we find courage for the journey.
May we seek support when we are in need.
May we share love, wherever we may be.

Candles of Joy and Concern

Each week when we gather together, we share a simple ritual of candles of joy and concern, an opportunity to light a candle and share something that is in our heart with the community. So we’ve an opportunity now, for anyone who would like to do so, to light a candle and say a few words about what it represents. To make it easier for the technical team we’ll ask people in the building first, and take all of those in one go, and then I’ll call on the people on Zoom to come forward.

So I invite some of you here in person to come and light a candle and then if you wish to tell us briefly who or what you light your candle for – do use the microphone so everyone can hear you and get nice and close in so it picks you up properly – I’ll switch that on in a moment. We’re asking people to keep their masks on for this candle lighting, but please do speak up, because we want to hear what you’re telling us. Thanks all of you for taking care of one another.

(in person candles)

Now those of you joining us on Zoom, we invite you to light a real or imaginary candle and tell us who or what you’re lighting your candle for – and you might like to switch to gallery view at this stage – just unmute yourselves when you are ready and speak out – and we should be able to hear you and see you up on the big screen here in the church.

(zoom candles)

Let’s take a moment to focus on these candles and the voices we’ve heard, and the glimpses of human life that we share, our joys and sorrows weaving us together like a tapestry of community life. And I’m going to light one more candle, as we often do, to represent all those matters of the heart that we hold this day. (light candle)

Time of Reflection and Prayer – including a simple body prayer

We’re moving now to a time of prayer and reflection now and this prayer has some simple body movements to help us focus. Feel free to join in or not as you wish. I’ll demonstrate the movements before we start – reaching upwards, touching our heart centre, touching our foreheads, giving ourselves a hug, touching our bellies, reaching down towards the earth. And this prayer repeats these movements two times. And there’ll be pauses between each bit. Space for your own thoughts.

So let’s settle ourselves now for prayer, we who are so often distracted by the world we live in or by the busy, churning thoughts inside our heads. Let’s enjoy this opportunity for stilling ourselves, making time to tend to our inner life, aligning ourselves with the spirit of life and love in which all is held. …

We create this as a sacred time and space by our presence here together, grateful for the gift of life itself, yet knowing that we each carry our own particular burdens or concerns, we each cherish our special hopes and dreams.

And as we now reach upwards to the skies above let us remember and give thanks for the magnificence of the universe of which we are individually a tiny spark ….. and as we bring our hands towards our heart centre we recognise that those universal elements reside in each and every one of us. We know ourselves to be part of the whole, not separate, not alone. In our hearts we can comprehend the interconnectedness of all that is….

As we now bring our gentle touch to our foreheads we can give thanks for the remarkable intelligence of our minds ….. and also acknowledge how many of our troubles may stem from our thinking ….. let us through our touch soothe our busy thoughts – if soothing is what we need …. If the terminology of forgiveness works for you, let’s forgive ourselves and others for thoughts that are alienating, separating, divisive ….. and commit ourselves to kindness and inclusion.

And as we give ourselves a comforting hug let us pray for greater comfort for all beings this day, that none might feel isolated or alone….. Let us pray for all who find themselves amidst life’s storms and wintry blasts that they may feel a warm embrace of protection around them…..

And as we move our hands down to rest upon our bellies, let us breathe down into that area, the centre of our being, and imagine at our core a centre of calm repose, available to us whatever the weather of our emotional life blows our way. Let’s rest in that centre of calm for a while ….. before moving our hands down towards the floor as far as it feels comfortable to reach ….. and as we reach down towards mother earth herself, towards the soil where life’s elements are broken down and re-worked to create new life, greater fertility, fresh shoots, let us pray that our world community will be inspired by the creativity of the natural world to find new and more positive solutions to our human made dilemmas – to hunger and soil depletion, drought and the climate emergency threatening all living beings.

And as we return to an upright position, let us use this cycle of movements once more – our body prayer, taking a settling breath between each element.

Reaching upwards, we are part of the universe – we breathe in and out; touching our heart centre, we acknowledge the interconnectedness of all that is; touching our foreheads, we release all thoughts that are divisive, we embrace the oneness of us all; giving ourselves a hug we seek comfort for all beings; touching our bellies, we appreciate the calm centre at the core of our being – always available to us however fierce the rage of life’s storms; reaching down towards the earth, we recognise earth’s remarkable creativity and fertility, giving thanks.

And returning to our upright position with the ancient affirmation on our lips – amen – so indeed may it be.

Reading: ‘Thanks Be for These’ by Richard S. Gilbert – alternate verses read by Sarah and Heidi

For the sound of bow on string,
Of breath over reed,
Of touch on keyboard;
For slants of sunlight through windows,
For shimmering shadows on snow,
For the whisper of wind on my face;
For the smooth skin of an apple,
For the caress of a collar on my neck;
For the prickling of my skin when I am deeply moved,
For the pounding of my heart when I run,
For the peace of soul at day’s end;
For familiar voices in family rites,
For the faces of friends in laughter and tears,
For the tender human arms that hold me;
For the flashes of memories that linger,
For the mysterious moments that beckon,
For the particularity of this instant;
For the silence of moon-lit nights,
For the sound of rain on my roof,
Of wind in dry leaves,
Of waves caressing the shore;
For the softness of summer breezes,
For the crispness of autumn air,
For dark shadows on white snow,
For the resurrection of spring,
For the faithful turning of the seasons;
For angular, leafless trees,
For gentle hills rolling in the distance,
For meandering streams seeking an unseen sea;
For cornstalks at stiff attention,
And brittle plants bristling past their prime,
For unharvested gardens returning plants to enrich the soil;
For the sight of familiar faces,
The sound of our spoken names,
The welcoming embrace of outstretched arms;
For the ritual of friendship,
Reminding us we matter:
Thanks be for these.#

Hymn: ‘The Joy of Living’

Let’s sing together now. Our first hymn today is an old favourite ‘we sing the joy of living’. For those of you present at the church in-person you’ll find the words on your hymn sheet and for those joining via Zoom they’ll be up on your screen. Please feel free to stand or sit, as you prefer, sing or simply sit back and enjoy the words.

We sing the joy of living,
We sing the mystery,
Of knowledge, lore and science,
Of truth that is to be;
Of searching, doubting, testing,
Of deeper insights gained,
Of freedom claimed and honoured,
Of minds that are unchained.

We sing the joy of living,
We sing of harmony,
Of textures, sounds and colours,
To touch, to hear, to see;
Of order, rhythm, meaning,
Of chaos and of strife,
Of richness of sensation,
Of the creating life.

We sing the joy of living,
We sing of ecstasy,
Of warmth, of love, of passion,
Of flights of fantasy.
We sing of joy of living,
The dear, the known, the strange,
The moving, pulsing throbbing –
A universe of change.

Some Thoughts on Seasons – Sarah Tinker

I was delighted when Heidi suggested this theme of seasons for our joint service today – because – well that’s a topic I have strong opinions about. I have my most favourite and least favourite seasons – and 2 in between. And I don’t want to influence you in any way but when I changed our seasonal wall hangings here in church this morning I noticed with a smile that I was moving us from my least favourite season to my most favourite season – just like that! And I look forward to an in-depth conversation over a cuppa later – so that you can all disagree with me.

Now in truth what does please me about all seasons is that they do change – I’d struggle to settle in the tropics and have to limit my weather conversations to monsoons and scarily high winds. Put me at a bus stop and I’ll happily engage anyone in a conversation about the nights drawing in, or how we’ll be needing our warm jumpers again soon. And I’ve embraced wholeheartedly the way that our meteorological seasonal changes can mirror our own inner emotional processes, how weather can also help us express our relatedness with the wider world in which we live – those new shoots of possibility, that sense of well-being when a gentle sun warms us, the inevitability of letting go, and the cold wintry winds that sometimes must be endured in all lives. The seasons help remind us that all life is change, this too shall pass.

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn to not judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.

The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.

When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.

The first son said that the tree was dark, bent and twisted.

The second son said no – it was covered with green buds and full of promise.

The third son disagreed, he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.

The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfilment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but one season in the tree’s life.

He told them that we cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who we are – and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life – can only be measured by an understanding of the whole – and this takes time.

Each season exists in relation to the others, each aspect of life is but one part of the whole. Stay aware of the journey in life, he said, and remember that when it comes to human lives their seasons can be changed by a smile, a helping hand, a gentle suggestion of a potentially altered way of being.

One very short story now for anyone who, like me, has kicked against our repeated heatwaves here in London this summer. Even I’ve become bored of my complaining! So this story from Jesuit priest called Accept All Weather as Weather We Like could have been written for all us moaners. It’s a story of how best to deal with scorching hot weather.
A Traveller asked a shepherd: ‘What kind of weather are we going to have today?’
Shepherd: ‘The kind of weather I like.’
Traveller: ‘How do you know it will be the kind of weather you like?’
Shepherd: ‘Having found out, sir, I cannot always get what I like, I have learned always to like what I get. So I am quite sure we will have the kind of weather I like.’

Words for meditation: ‘Avowal’ by Denise Levertov followed by Silence

We’re moving to a meditative time now where I’ll start by reading a short poem to lead into silence. This poem is by the American poet Denise Levertov and she’s describing our human need, our yearning even, to surrender to the grace of the Creator Spirit that holds us all. It’s another take on the shepherd’s approach of liking all weather – accepting what is and therefore being at peace. Denise Levertov likens this to lying back when swimming and allowing the water to hold us, floating, no effort required. Many of us live such effort-full lives don’t we. Existence can seem such a struggle. In this meditation we invite you to experience an unearned grace instead, an acceptance of that which is. So I invite you to settle yourself, maybe soften your gaze or close your eyes on focus on these candles, whatever helps you turn inwards for a while and let’s imagine if we wish being held safely, without effort, surrendering to this moment. And I’ll read our short poem twice and that will be followed by three minutes of silence which will end with a chime from our bell. And then unannounced Sandra and Margaret will play and sing Handel’s song Spring for us. And as always if this poem or these suggestions aren’t what you need today, please ignore them and stay with what works best for you right now.

As swimmers dare
to lie face to the sky
and water bears them,
as hawks rest upon air
and air sustains them,
so would I learn to attain
freefall, and float
into Creator Spirit’s deep embrace,
knowing no effort earns
that all-surrounding grace.

(silence ends with bell)

Music: ‘Spring’ by Handel

Address: Creative Responses to the Seasons – Heidi Ferid

Heidi will share four of her paintings with us and a recent sculpture.

Hymn: ‘A World Transfigured’

And time now for our second hymn today, a rousing tune and a rousing message reminding us of humanity’s ability to transform our ways of being, a challenge to keep sowing the seeds of a word we can be proud to live in. And looking around our congregation today both in person and online I see faces of people who are doing just that – sowing seeds that are making a difference. Let’s sing together if we so wish.

Wonders still the world shall witness
Never known in days of old,
Never dreamed by ancient sages,
Howsoever free and bold.
Sons and daughters shall inherit
Wondrous arts to us unknown,
When the dawn of peace its splendour
Over all the world has thrown.

They shall rule with wingèd freedom
Worlds of health and human good,
Worlds of commerce, worlds of science,
All made one and understood.
They shall know a world transfigured,
Which our eyes but dimly see;
They shall make its towns and woodlands
Beautiful from sea to sea.

For a spirit then shall move them
We but vaguely apprehend —
Aims magnificent and holy,
Making joy and labour friend.
Then shall bloom in song and fragrance
Harmony of thought and deed,
Fruits of peace and love and justice —
Where today we plant the seed.

Announcements

My thanks go to Heidi for inspiring today’s service, to Jeannene and Jane for their technical wizardry and support and to Margaret and Sandra for delighting us with seasonal music. Thank you to Charlotte who is Zoom hosting today, Juliet for being our greeter here at church and Liz who is serving refreshments. All of you much appreciated.

This congregation has plenty going on beyond these Sunday services and you can find out more in the weekly congregational email – so do sign up for that if you’re not receiving it already. There’s the regular Wednesday at 10.30am online coffee morning coming up this week.

Do make a note of the date of the congregational meeting on 8th Sept to talk about how we maintain congregational connections and encourage engagement – on zoom but if people are unable to access zoom we can arrange a ‘watch party’ type arrangement for you to join in from church.

And the congregational service on 11th Sept will be the lovely, annual gathering the waters ceremony – symbolising our reconnection with the community – please bring water (or have it to hand even if at home) or we’ll have a jug of water here for you to use.

And a national Unitarian event runs from this coming Monday evening, tomorrow, online for 5 evenings – our annual Hucklow Summer School is again online this year and will feature 5 pairs of speakers exploring the theme of Right Relationship: Practicing Love, Peace and Justice in Everyday Life. Jane and I are the first speakers on Monday evening. So ask us how to sign up for these talks which will be on Zoom. 7pm each evening. Do come and join us.

And if you are here in person today we’ll be serving drinks after the service including a glass of something sparkling in memory of Diana Ward whose funeral was held here on Thursday. We have Diana’s friends to thank for the flowers here. And if you’re joining us online do stay for a chat after the service with your host Charlotte.

Closing Blessing: ‘Our Heart’s Seasons’ Andrew Pakula

Let’s ready ourselves now for our closing blessing, with words written by my Unitarian ministry colleague Andy Pakula – called ‘our heart’s seasons’. And then do stay and enjoy our closing music when Margaret will sing that old Gershwin favourite Summertime – and she may even invite us to singalong at the end.

May you know fully and deeply the blessings of each of your heart’s seasons
The inward turning of Winter
Springtime’s lush renewal
The effortless, steady growth of summer
And autumn’s rich harvest
May your passage from season to season be blessed—
Eased by hands to hold, and by the light of love to guide you on.
Amen, go well everyone and blessed be.

Music: ‘Summertime’ by George Gershwin

Rev. Sarah Tinker and Heidi Ferid

21st August 2022