Beautiful Questions

Sunday Service, 1st June 2025

Led by Rev. Dr. Jane Blackall

Musical Prelude: Nocturno - Franz Strauss (performed by Georgia Dawson and Andrew Robinson)  

Opening Words: ‘We Lay Down Our Burdens’ by Kate Steinberg

Beloved companions – here we are again.

We arrive in this place where all we have to do is breathe.

We don’t have to impress or convince or win over.

We don’t have to know the words.

It’s okay we didn’t read the book,

Or get the qualification,

Or carry that title,

Or meet that mark.

We don’t have to be anything but who we are.

Here we rest in essence together.

And to move into this communal rest,

we lay down our burdens:

Our longing, our craving, our unmet need.

Our error, our regret, our sudden disappointment.

Our anxiety, our shame, our sheer exhaustion.

Our bewilderment, our bafflement, our burgeoning terror.

All of this—all of this we lay down together today.

As we do this,

May we be filled instead with presence.

May we feel held in the comfort of our community.

May we discover new compassion for ourselves and others.

May we meet this moment with gentleness, ease,

and gratitude—

for this air we breathe together

for these questions we ask together

for the justice we seek together

for the songs we sing together.

We are here, together, now.

Let us bring our whole selves to this hour of worship. (pause)

Words of Welcome and Introduction: 

These words from Kate Steinberg welcome all who have gathered this morning for our Sunday service. Welcome to those who have gathered in-person at Essex Church, to all who are joining us via Zoom, and anyone tuning in at a later date via YouTube or the podcast.  For anyone who doesn’t know me, I’m Jane Blackall, and I’m minister with Kensington Unitarians. I’m glad to be back.

Today’s service is titled ‘Beautiful Questions’. We’re going to take some time to reflect on the power of questions – the questions we might ask of ourselves, or other people, or society, or even God. Today’s theme is in part inspired the work of the poet David Whyte – we’ll hear some more from him later in the service – and partly by some words by Sam Keen which are on the front of your order of service (also on the website where we post the full service text, and in fact an abbreviated version has been on our ‘wayside pulpit’ for a while). He said: ‘Our minds, bodies, feelings, relationships are all informed by our questions. What you ask is who you are. What you find depends on what you search for. And what shapes our lives are the questions we ask, refuse to ask, or never think of asking.’

Chalice Lighting: ‘May Your Call Be Awakened’ by Michelle LaGrave (adapted)

Let’s light our chalice flame now, as we do each week. It’s a moment for us to stop and take a breath, settle ourselves down, put aside any preoccupations we came in carrying. This simple ritual connects us in solidarity with Unitarians and Unitarian Universalists the world over, and reminds us of the proud and historic progressive religious tradition of which this gathering is part.

(light chalice) 

We come to religious community from many paths and with diverse needs:

If you have come here seeking comfort, may your pain be soothed.

If you have come here looking for answers, may you find new questions.

If you have come here seeking purpose, may your call be awakened.

If you have come here hoping to build a new way, may the path open before you.

And may this chalice flame remind us that we are held together in one beloved community.

Hymn (on sheet): ‘Come and Find the Quiet Centre’

Our first hymn this morning is on your hymn sheet: ‘Come and Find the Quiet Centre. For those on zoom the words will be up on screen (as they will for all hymns). Feel free to stand or sit as you prefer.

Come and find the quiet centre

in the crowded life we lead,

find the room for hope to enter,

find the space where we are freed:

clear the chaos and the clutter,

clear our eyes, that we can see

all the things that really matter,

be at peace, and simply be.

Silence is a friend who claims us,

cools the heat and slows the pace;

God it is who speaks and names us,

knows our being, touches base,

making space within our thinking,

lifting shades to show the sun,

raising courage when we’re shrinking,

finding scope for faith begun.

In the Spirit let us travel,

open to each other’s pain;

let our lives and fears unravel,

celebrate the space we gain:

there’s a place for deepest dreaming,

there’s a time for heart to care;

in the Spirit’s lively scheming

there is always room to spare.

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. We’ll go to the people in the building first, then to Zoom.

So I invite some of you here in person to come and light a candle and then if you wish to tell us who or what you light your candle for – please keep it brief – be considerate of others. I’m going to ask you to come to the lectern to speak, as we want people to be able to hear you. 

(in person candles)  

And if that’s everyone in the room we’ll go over to the people on Zoom next – 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)  

And I’m going to light one more candle, as we often do, to represent all those joys and concerns that we hold in our hearts this day, but which we don’t feel able to speak out loud. (light candle)

Time of Prayer & Reflection: based on words by Carter Smith

Let’s take those joys and concerns into an extended time of prayer. This prayer is based on some words by Carter Smith. You might want to adjust your position for comfort, close your eyes, or soften your gaze. There might be a posture that helps you feel more prayerful. Whatever works for you. Do whatever you need to do to get into the right state of body and mind for us to pray together – to be fully present here and now, in this sacred time and space – with ourselves, with each other, and with that which is both within us and beyond us. (pause)

Spirit of Life, God of All Love, in whom we live and move and have our being,

   we turn our full attention to you, the light within and without,

      as we tune in to the depths of this life, and the greater wisdom

         to which – and through which – we are all intimately connected.

      Be with us now as we allow ourselves to drop into the

         silence and stillness at the very centre of our being. (pause)

This morning, let us honour our interconnectedness,

within our own circles, within this community,

and radiating ever further to all those with whom

we share this city, this country, this continent, this world…

And further – to all who have gone before us – and all who are yet to be.

When we witness suffering and turmoil,

in ourselves, in our loved ones, our community,

and in the world around us, may we know compassion.

When we are at a loss for words,

when we're unsure of the path ahead,

may we be guided by this compassion to be witnesses still:

To know and to feel that our human family is broken, in so many ways,

and that it is further wounded with every life lost,

each estrangement and fracture of relationship,

with each time someone’s inherent worth and dignity is denied.

When we find ourselves exhausted and defeated,

and unsure of where to go, may we keep witnessing,

turning ever further toward your still, small voice. Towards Love.

And, remind us too that the experience of suffering

does not, need not, close us off from the possibility of joy.

May we know that our interconnectedness is a miracle,

and may it be a refuge for us, felt in the voice of a friend,

the momentary kindness of a stranger, in the touch of a loved one,

in the comforting memories of days spent in good company.

May we remain grateful for the goodness

we’ve witnessed and enacted in the world,

and may the warmth of our lives together hold us in love

even as we move into a future that is as uncertain as ever.

Help us to truly know your presence, that it may

remind us of what is sacred in each precious moment.

And may you teach us that sacred presence too,

that we might know ourselves here and now,

that we may be present for each other,

and for this one precious life we share. (pause)

And in a few moments of shared silence and stillness now,

may we speak inwardly some of those deepest prayers of our hearts —

the joys and sorrows we came in carrying –

in our own lives and the lives of the wider world.

Let us each lift up whatever is on our heart this day,

and ask for what we most need. (long pause)  

Spirit of Life – God of all Love – as this time of prayer comes to a close, we offer up

   our joys and concerns, our hopes and fears, our beauty and brokenness,

      and we call on you for insight, healing, and renewal.

As we look forward now to the coming week,

     help us to live well each day and be our best selves;

     using our unique gifts in the service of love, justice and peace. Amen.

Hymn 42 (green): ‘A Dream of Widening Love

Let’s sing again now – our second hymn is number 42 in your green hymn books – ‘A Dream of Widening Love’.

We rest awhile in quietness,

The world not to forget,

But rather shape the silence

And words and thoughts we've met

To nobler ways of living,

To hope-filled truth, above

Our narrow selves, to seek one

Great dream of widening love.

We share a world where sorrow

And poverty and greed

Live side by side with privilege

Of wealth beyond true need;

Yet though we cannot alter

All ways of humankind,

We ask a strength within us

To right the wrongs we find.

We know that strength is weakened

By narrow truths and fears,

That still we claim true knowledge,

Deny the changing years:

Yet here, within the silence,

We question what we know,

That through more honest persons

All humankind may grow.

To find Eternal Meaning

Deep in each passing hour,

To seek beyond the confines

Of our small powers, one Power.

Strength deep within our being,

Arise as hope and will:

Come, silent living Spirit,

With peace our spirits fill.

Reading: ‘Sometimes’ by David Whyte (read by Julia)

Sometimes, if you move carefully

through the forest,

breathing like the ones

in the old stories,

who could cross

a shimmering bed of leaves

without a sound,

you come to a place

whose only task

is to trouble you with tiny

but frightening requests,

conceived out of nowhere

but in this place

beginning to lead everywhere.

Requests to stop what

you are doing right now, and

to stop what you are becoming

while you do it,

questions

that can make

or unmake

a life,

questions

that have patiently

waited for you,

questions

that have no right

to go away.

(pause)

David Whyte has since spoken about this poem. He says:

The marvellous thing about a good question is that it shapes our identity as much by the asking as it does by the answering. Nine years ago, I wrote a poem called "Sometimes" in which I talked about the "questions that can make or unmake a life ... questions that have no right to go away."

I still work with this idea. Questions that “have no right to go away” are those that have to do with the person we are about to become; they are conversations that will happen with or without our conscious participation. They almost always have something to do with how we might be more generous, more courageous, more present, more dedicated, and they also have something to do with timing: when we might step through the doorway into something bigger, better—both beyond ourselves and yet more of ourselves at the same time.

If we are sincere in asking, the eventual answer will give us both a sense of coming home to something we already know as well a sense of surprise—not unlike returning from a long journey to find an old friend sitting unexpectedly on the front step, as if she'd known, without ever being told, not only the exact time and date of your arrival but also your need to be welcomed back,

Words for Meditation: ‘Some Questions You Might Ask’ by Mary Oliver

Thanks Julia. We’re moving into a time of meditation now. To take us into stillness I’m going to share another poem, this one from Mary Oliver, titled ‘Some Questions You Might Ask’ – another one that speaks of deeper questions about the soul. Her words will take us into a few minutes of shared silence which will end with the sound of a bell. Then we’ll hear some music for meditation from our quartet. So let’s do what we need to do to get comfortable – adjust your position if you need to – perhaps put your feet flat on the floor to ground yourself – maybe close your eyes. As we always say, the words are just an offering, so feel free to use this time to meditate in your own way.

‘Some Questions You Might Ask’ by Mary Oliver

Is the soul solid, like iron?

Or is it tender and breakable, like

the wings of a moth in the beak of the owl?

Who has it, and who doesn’t?

I keep looking around me.

The face of the moose is as sad

as the face of Jesus.

The swan opens her white wings slowly.

In the fall, the black bear carries leaves into the darkness.

One question leads to another.

Does it have a shape? Like an iceberg?

Like the eye of a hummingbird?

Does it have one lung, like the snake and the scallop?

Why should I have it, and not the anteater

who loves her children?

Why should I have it, and not the camel?

Come to think of it, what about the maple trees?

What about the blue iris?

What about all the little stones, sitting alone in the moonlight?

What about roses, and lemons, and their shining leaves?

What about the grass?

Period of Silence and Stillness (~3 minutes) – end with a bell  

Interlude: Concerto Movement 2 - Franz Strauss (performed by Georgia Dawson and Andrew Robinson) 

Reading: ‘How to Ask Beautiful Questions’ by Andjelka Jankovic (excerpts, adapted) (Antony to read)

I was having lunch with my friend Ande a while ago, and the first thing she asked me when she sat down was: “What is a revelation you have had lately?”

I was blown away. I had not been asked such an imaginative question in a while. Around this time, my life had become a quest for the most beautiful question in the world. It is now a day-to-day practice and discipline of mine to ask more thoughtful, provoking and invitational questions. This all started with a poet – David Whyte – asking me the most beautiful questions I’d ever heard, and me realising that I had missed many opportunities to do so myself.

A beautiful question always enlarges the context in which you’re living – deepening the horizon – and taking you out of yourself and into yourself at the same time. How you ask a question is important. And, if you’re going to ask a beautiful question, be prepared to actually listen to the answer. The job is only half done otherwise.

There’s a brilliant video by Alan Watts where he asks: ‘What would you like to do if money were no object? How would you really enjoy spending your life?’ Alan Watts tells you to do that and forget the money. There is something so satisfying about a really good question like this. It awakens you, shaking off the sleepiness and inviting you to reveal something new.

A real question is beautiful and a beautiful question is real. We’re all just waiting to be asked.  A real conversation, built from beautiful questions, is noticeably different to the humdrum of other ones. It will bring you to a new frontier of understanding yourself, and others as well. As David Whyte has said: ‘A real conversation always contains an invitation. You are inviting another person to reveal themselves to you, to tell you who they are or what they want. To do this requires vulnerability. Now we tend to think that vulnerability is associated with weakness, but there’s a kind of robust vulnerability that can create a certain form of strength and presence too.’

I have noticed we often don’t have time or space in a conversation to pause, and really be present with what question wants to be asked. When I overhear myself asking the same boring thing to a friend mid-sentence; I try to stop and recalibrate. Often I even say out loud, ‘Wait, let me ask a more beautiful question’ and then I try to. You have to practice the ability to ask beautiful questions on a daily basis. To know how to ask such a question, this is where the real power is. And it is so delicious when it happens!

Finally, a beautiful question is your question. If you’re absolutely fresh to the idea of a beautiful question, start with noticing what is not being said or acknowledged in your own life. Ask: What question has no right to go away in my life right now? Journal it, walk it out, or bring it up with a friend. Each epoch of our life has a beautiful question attached to it. Asking yourself a new kind of question is a doorway to a richer inner you that is then capable of asking it to others.

Reflection: ‘Beautiful Questions’ by Rev. Dr. Jane Blackall  

Questions, questions! We Unitarians tend to think of ourselves as people who love the questions – people who like to question everything – perhaps people who aren’t satisfied with easy answers. So I don’t imagine I’m going to have to do a particularly hard-sell on the virtue of asking questions! But our service today is focused on beautiful questions. What makes a question beautiful, I wonder?

We just heard from Andjelka Jankovic, who said: ‘A beautiful question always enlarges the context in which you’re living – deepening the horizon – and taking you out of yourself and into yourself at the same time.’ She goes further, saying this: ‘A beautiful question is a gamechanger; a question that calls you to take notice. It opens a door to articulate your deepest longings and truths and wakes you up in a sea of how are yous? Bringing you to a frontier where deeper intimacy is possible with yourself, the person asking, and the world.’

Here’s another take, from another contemplative blogger, Kim Manley Ort, who says: ‘A beautiful question is ambitious [that is, it’s challenging] and actionable [that is, it’s doable].

It has the potential to shift our perceptions [and serves as a catalyst] to bring about change.’

The premise of our service today is pretty simple: it’s to encourage us all to intentionally develop this practice of asking beautiful questions. It’s a practice – a skill and a habit – which can help us to grow in self-awareness, to cultivate deeper and more authentic relationships with others, and ultimately to bring about social change, and help build a better and more beautiful world. As such, I’d say that beautiful questions are an important element of a life well-lived. And as the poet David Whyte has said: ‘If you want a beautiful life, start asking beautiful questions.’

There are four different domains I want to highlight, in which we can ask beautiful questions (and of course we can also respond to those questions if we find ourselves on the receiving end of them). We can ask ourselves; we can ask other people (both friends and strangers); we can ask them of the groups we belong to (from particular communities, or institutions, to the wider society or even the nation we are part of); and we can ask them of God (or you might ask the Universe if you prefer).

So, let’s take each of those domains in turn, starting with the questions we ask of ourselves. We already heard from Sam Keen at the start of the service; he said: ‘Our minds, bodies, feelings, relationships are all informed by our questions. What you ask is who you are. What you find depends on what you search for. And what shapes our lives are the questions we ask, refuse to ask, or never think of asking. The question is the helmsman of the consciousness.’ He goes on: ‘The first questions we must ask ourselves are "What's my life about?" and "What gives me meaning?" Only after that should we ask "How do I make a living?" and "How do I provide for myself?"… And we all have great mythic questions to answer… "Where did I come from?" "Where am I going?" "What is of value?" "How am I wounded?" "How am I healed?" "Who are my people?" "What is my place?"’

I wonder how often you take time to stop and ask these sorts of questions of yourself? These are big questions – quite challenging questions – but they can enable us to zoom out from all those day-to-day concerns and responsibilities that tend to occupy our brain space – such questions can help us to take an overview of our life, where we’ve been, and where we might be headed. They can provoke us into life-changing insights and perhaps even liberate us from self-limiting stories.

One question I return to regularly is: ‘what one thing can I do today to make my life a little bit better?’ (or sometimes ‘what one thing can I do this year to make my life a little bit better?’). I find that helpful in moments where I’m feeling stuck, or overwhelmed, it helps me to move forward. Sometimes the answer I settle on is mundane – it might be ‘tidy your room’ or ‘deal with that admin task you’ve been putting off for months’ – but I remember a time some years ago (when I’d left my old job, didn’t have a clue what I was going to do next, and was in a bit of a state about it all) when I asked myself that question and it led me to come up with a speculative ten-year plan for all the courses I wanted to go on which would culminate in me putting myself forward for ministry. There’s something in asking these questions of ourselves which can invite us to think brand new thoughts. For some people the way to do this is through journalling; others don’t get on with writing as a practice so they might take the question for a walk, or use some form of artistic expression.

There’s another form of self-questioning that various wise people have encouraged me to practice down the years. When I’m telling a story about myself, or others, or the world, it is important to pause every now and then to check: ‘is that true?’, ‘is there something I’m not acknowledging?’, ‘might I be wrong?’ David Whyte has also spoken about this, he says: ‘One of the most beautifully disturbing questions we can ask, is whether a given story we tell about our lives is actually true, and whether the opinions we go over every day have any foundation, or are things we repeat to ourselves simply so that we will continue to play the game. It can be quite disorienting to find that a story we have relied on is not only not true – it actually never was true – not now, not ever… [but] one of the interesting mercies of this kind of questioning is that it is hard to lose by asking: if the story is still true, we will soon find out and can go back to telling it. If it is not we have turned the key, worked the hinges and walked out into the clear air again with a simple swing of the door.’

If you like the idea of working with such questions but you’re stuck for inspiration there are plenty of prompts out there. Andjelka Jankovic has collected loads of beautiful questions from David Whyte, I’ve put just a few in the order of service, and I’ve linked to her original article on the website too, but as I read them out see if one leaps out as a question you could respond to in the week ahead.

What’s the question you don’t want to ask?

What’s on the other side of the question you’ve refused to ask?

What helped you to get here that you need to give away?

What small thing can you do today that your future self will come back and thank you for?

What is on your to-do list that was put together by the person you were yesterday?

What promise did you make sincerely that you now need to let go of?

How can you be friends with your longings? With what you want?

In whose presence do you come alive?

What is your particular way of loving?

What is your next coming of age?

Maybe one of these questions speaks to your condition – you can sit with it in the week ahead – or perhaps another beautiful question has bubbled up, one that is more meaningful, and all your own.

It’s not all about asking questions of yourself, of course; asking questions of others is a wonderful way to get to know and understand other people better, and to nurture meaningful connections. When I’m trying to get to know people – and be known by them – I don’t want us to stay on the surface too long. I’m not that all that interested in small talk, exchanging run-of-the-mill opinions, and idle chit-chat. Those beautiful questions get us into the depths, talking about what’s real, the stuff that really matters. They’re an invitation to share something of our personal story. And, as Andjelka Jankovic said, sometimes we have to actively stop the flow of a conversation to interrupt it with a beautiful question – even if that feels a bit awkward or eccentric – if we want to take things to a deeper level. Like she said, ‘we often don’t have time or space in a conversation to pause and really be present with what question wants to be asked. When I overhear myself asking the same boring thing to a friend mid-sentence; I try to stop and recalibrate. Often I even say out loud, ‘Wait, let me ask a more beautiful question’ and then I try to [do so].’ And we can do that too. Asking such questions of others, with care, can draw out the heart and strengthen connection. Though of course we need to give similar care and attention to listening to the response.

There’s another category of beautiful question we mustn’t overlook: those questions that we address to the wider society – at the level of the state, or the institutions or groups we belong to – questions which arise out of critical thinking, a willingness to challenge authority, a refusal to take things at face value – and all in the service of truth and justice. Questions of ‘why?’ and ‘why not?’, ‘How could we do things differently?’, ‘Whose interest is this in?’ I was interested to recently hear of an organisation called ‘The Right Question Institute’ which aims to promote ‘microdemocracy’ and civic engagement by coaching young people to ask better questions. On their website it says: ‘The transformational skill of asking questions enhances learning, promotes empowerment, and strengthens democracy. People—including those furthest from power—can use this skill to think and learn independently, participate meaningfully in decisions that affect them, and advocate on behalf of themselves, their families, and their communities.’

There’s one more domain I want to mention. We can ask beautiful questions of God, in prayer. Or you can think of it as casting questions out into the Universe if God-language doesn’t work for you. We might ask for guidance or direction – maybe in the spirit of ‘help! What do I do now?’ – maybe moral guidance in a thorny situation – or seeking direction regarding our calling and purpose in life. I’m in the habit of praying in bed for five minutes or so after the alarm goes off and before I get up, and my prayers often include something along the lines of, ‘right then God, what are we doing today?’ Or sometimes ‘What am I meant to be doing?’, or ‘What’s the right thing to do in this situation?’, or sometimes looking at the bigger picture and the longer term, ‘Where are you calling me next?’ Articulating these questions helps me to discern where best to put my energy, what my priorities should be, and also what burdens I can lay down and let go of (or at least park for another day).

I want to close by returning to those words of Sam Keen (which, by the way, have been up on our Wayside Pulpit outside the church for quite a while): ‘What shapes our lives are the questions we ask, refuse to ask, or never think of asking.’ I really believe that to be true. And I’ll share just a few more words of wisdom from David Whyte to encourage us in adopting this practice: ‘The ability to ask beautiful questions, often in very unbeautiful moments, is one of the great disciplines of a human life. And a beautiful question starts to shape your identity as much by asking it, as it does by having it answered. You just have to keep asking. And before you know it, you will find yourself actually shaping a different life, meeting different people, finding conversations that are leading you in those directions that you wouldn’t even have seen before.’ So let’s keep asking those beautiful questions, for the greater good of all. Amen.

Hymn (on sheet): ‘We Belong to One Another’

Let’s sing again. Our final hymn is on your hymn sheet: ‘We Belong to One Another’. I’m not sure we’re totally familiar with this tune so let’s hear it through once in full before we sing.

We belong to one another. To each other we are bound

As we build a world together full of joy that we have found.

What we are we owe to others. When they need us, we respond.

We belong to one another and we hold a common bond.

We rely on one another at the dawning of our days

When we learn from those around us how to live in loving ways.

As we grow, we need each other and the gifts that we can share.

As our lives come to their ending, how we need each other’s care.

We give thanks for one another, for each heart and hand and face.

We are grateful for the blessings that infuse our lives with grace.

May we offer our abundance. As we’re given, may we give.

In our thanks for one another, may we help each other live.

Announcements:

Thanks to Ramona for tech-hosting and Shari for co-hosting. Thanks to Georgia and Toby for lovely music, to Andrew for accompanying our hymns, and Edwin for supporting our singing. Thanks to Julia and Antony for reading. Thanks to Patricia for greeting and David for making coffee. For those of you who are here in-person – we’ve got apple and sultana cake today.

We’ve got Yoga with Hannah today, back here in the church, at 12.30pm. Have a word with Hannah if you want to know more and make sure you fill in a health form if you haven’t yet.

Tonight and Friday at 7pm we’ve got our ‘Heart and Soul’ online contemplative spiritual gathering – this week we’re considering ‘Growing Up’ – email me if you want to join us and I’ll share the link.

The poetry group is on this Wednesday, and Brian is leading that, so let him know if you plan to come (and let him have a copy of your poems in advance so he can print them out for everyone).

This month’s Better World Book Club is on ‘They’ by Sarfraz Manzoor. We’ve got a few copies to lend out. Let me know if you want to join and I’ll send the link nearer the time. And all the titles for the rest of the year have now been announced so take a flyer if you want all the information.

Details of all our various activities are printed on the back of the order of service, for you to take away, and also in the Friday email.  Or why not take home a copy of our summer newsletter? That’s hot off the press. If you do take a copy please put your name on the list to let us know so that we don’t send a copy in the post as well. They’re not cheap to produce, so we don’t to give them out willy-nilly to people who aren’t interested, but if you do know someone who might be interested in what we do then feel free to take an extra to give to them. As well as containing details and dates of upcoming events we include a few recent sermons to give a flavour of what our services are like.

The congregation very much has a life beyond Sunday mornings; we encourage you to keep in touch, look out for each other, and do what you can to nurture supportive connections.

Time for our closing words and closing music now.  

Benediction: based on words by Sarah Lammert

The worship of this gathered community is now ended.

Go in peace, embraced by the light and warmth of our gathering.

Go in love, ready to make your way in this messy and complex world.

Go in beauty, shining forth through the struggle, like a lamp for liberation.

And let us share in the ongoing worship of the community in dispersion,

taking what we have found here back out into the world,

and passing it on, for the greater good of all. Amen.

Closing Music: As Time Goes By - Herman Hupfeld (performed by Georgia Dawson and Andrew Robinson) 

Rev. Dr. Jane Blackall

1st June 2025