Flower Communion: It Takes a Village
- 6 days ago
- 21 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Sunday Service, 19 July 2026
Led by Rev. Dr. Jane Blackall
Musical Prelude: Wildflower March and The Green Fields of Glentown, March and Reel (performed by Caitlin Mannion, Tara McCarthy, and Tara Viscardi)
Opening Words: ‘Being Human’ by Erika Hewitt (adapted)
Welcome to this morning, this day,
this opportunity to be together in community—
which is a time of joy, comfort, and sometimes challenge.
This congregation is a place where we come to learn more about being human.
We’re not here because we’ve figured out life’s questions,
or because we think we’ve got it right.
We come here to learn more about being in relationship together:
how to listen, how to forgive, how to be vulnerable,
and how to create trust and compassion in one another.
Let us move into worship, willing to be authentic with each other,
honest within ourselves, and opening up to connection in all its forms. (pause)
Words of Welcome and Introduction:
These words from Erika Hewitt 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.
This morning’s service is our annual flower communion – a uniquely Unitarian tradition which celebrates our human diversity – and also the give and take that is required to live in community – the vital importance of contributing according to our abilities and receiving according to our needs. Norbert Čapek, the Czech Unitarian minister who first devised this ritual 103 years ago, described this uniquely Unitarian ritual as ‘a new experiment in symbolizing our liberty and unity... in which participants confess that we accept each other as brothers and sisters without regard to class, race, or other distinction, acknowledging everybody as our friend who is a human and wants to be good.’
Each year we try and explore a different slant on this tradition so this year I’ve given our service the sub-title ‘It Takes a Village’. I expect most of us are familiar with that phrase ‘it takes a village to raise a child’? Well, the premise of this morning’s service is that it takes a village for each and every one of us to flourish – not just children, but all of us, for our whole lifespan – we all need to be embedded in a diverse community of people, living alongside each other, and helping each other along the way.
Chalice Lighting: ‘Our Connection and Uniqueness’ by Adam Slate
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 gather this morning as one community,
A community united by common ideals:
Love, justice, diversity, freedom, equity, mutual care.
Yet look around; think about who is gathered here.
Become aware of the beloved souls all around you.
Each an individual; every one of us with our own
particular story, needs, strengths, and faults.
We light our chalice today honouring our common connection
And also the uniqueness that lives within each of us. (pause)
Hymn 13 (purple): ‘Bring Flowers to Our Altar’
Our first hymn this morning is number 13 in your purple books, ‘Bring Flowers to Our Altar’. For those on zoom the words will be up on screen. Feel free to stand or sit as you prefer.
Bring flowers to our altar to show nature’s beauty,
the harvest of goodness in earth, sky and sea.
Bring light to our altar to guide every nation
from hatred to love and to humanity.
Bring a dove to our altar its wings ever flying
in permanent quest for the peace all may share.
Bring bread to our altar the hungry supplying
and feeding the poor who depend on our care.
Bring hope to our altar in your gentle dreaming
of all the good things that will make your heart glad.
Bring love to our altar, a bright witness beaming
to all who are burdened, or lonely or sad.
Bring work to our altar to help every nation
and celebrate all that’s already achieved.
Come yourself to our altar in true dedication
to all the ideals we in common believe.
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 Laura Dobson
Let’s take those joys and concerns into an extended time of prayer. This prayer is based on some words by Laura Dobson. 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)
Ground of all Being, Our Mother and Father,
Who are throughout the whole cosmos
Holy are All Your Names;
Holy are we, whoever and however we are.
Your realm of love and justice come
Through the actions of our hands
And the desires of our hearts.
Open our hearts to those who live at the edges, in the shadows.
Let us welcome them in love
And practise compassion towards all beings.
Give us what will nourish us today.
Let us be grateful for everything we have.
Forgive us when we miss the mark
As we forgive those who cross our boundaries.
Give us the strength to be honest with ourselves.
In trying times, guide us on the right paths
As we learn to trust our inner wisdom
And in times of joy and sorrow
May we keep turning towards the Light of Love.
For You are the Source of all that has been, is now and will be,
Let us honour your Indwelling Presence for evermore. (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,
give thanks for all the blessings we have been given,
and ask for whatever it is that we most need to flourish. (long pause – 45 seconds)
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.
In-Person Reading: ‘The Flowers that we Bring’ by Sarah Movius Schurr (adapted) (read by Hannah)
These flowers that we bring and share,
They come in many shades and colours.
They come in many sizes and shapes.
They carry different scents.
Yet all were created by the same miracle.
The miracle, that these blossoms grow every year
Out of the divine mixing of water, soil, and sunshine.
And let us not forget: our lives are miracles as well.
Despite all the trials and disappointments we may face,
We come together every year to celebrate Flower Communion.
To be reminded that all of us have value
And all have a place in the beauty of the world.
To be reminded that where we came from
Is not as important as the fact that we are here now.
To be reminded that all are truly welcome,
And all may receive at the table of this church.
We all come to be a part of something greater than ourselves.
So may we each gladly and boldly play our part
in the flourishing of this world we share.
Hymn (on sheet): ‘Bring a Flower’
Thanks Hannah. Let’s sing again now – our second hymn is on your hymn sheet – ‘Bring a Flower’. If you want to follow the music that’s in the middle or you have large print words-only on the front. It’s very short, and it’s got a simple tune, but we only sing it once a year so I’m going to ask Andrew to play it once before we sing, and I’m going to suggest we sing it twice so that we have a chance to take in the meaning of the words, and of this flower communion ceremony.
Bring a flower. Take a flower.
There are flowers here for all,
Full of beauty for our senses,
Round and narrow, large and small.
Share your blessings. Lean on others.
Help your neighbour, then receive.
Feed the hungry. Tend the hurting.
We’ll be with you when you grieve.
As we labour, as we wonder,
As we heed the justice call,
Bring a flower. Take a flower.
There are flowers here for all.
Bring a flower. Take a flower.
There are flowers here for all,
Full of beauty for our senses,
Round and narrow, large and small.
Share your blessings. Lean on others.
Help your neighbour, then receive.
Feed the hungry. Tend the hurting.
We’ll be with you when you grieve.
As we labour, as we wonder,
As we heed the justice call,
Bring a flower. Take a flower.
There are flowers here for all.
In-Person Reading: ‘A Short History of Flower Communion’ by Evan Keely (adapted) (read by John)
This year marks the 103rd anniversary of the founding of the Religious Society of Czech Unitarians. Its first minister, the Rev. Dr. Norbert Čapek, created a ritual that is celebrated by Unitarians and Unitarian Universalists all over the world to this day: Flower Communion. Čapek described the ceremony in a 1923 letter to Samuel Atkins Eliot II, president of the American Unitarian Association:
‘We have made a new experiment in symbolizing our Liberty and Brotherhood in a service which was so powerful and impressive that I never experienced anything like it… On that very Sunday… everybody was supposed to bring with him a flower. In the middle of the big hall was a suitable table with a big vase where everybody put his flower… in my sermon I put emphasis on the individual character of each “member-flower,” on our liberty as a foundation of our fellowship. Then I emphasized our common cause, our belonging together as one spiritual community… And when they go home, each is to take one flower just as it comes without making any distinction where it came from and whom it represents, to confess that we accept each other as brothers and sisters without regard to class, race, or other distinction, acknowledging everybody as our friend who is a human and wants to be good.’
The marvellous natural beauty of the flowers that are brought to these ceremonies is certainly inspiring, but it is of the utmost importance that we continue to learn the broader and deeper lesson this rite teaches. The idea that we should accept one another, with all our differences, and that we should even celebrate one another’s uniqueness, is a radical notion in any age, but in Europe in the 1920s it was downright dangerous; it became ever more so, of course, in the decades that followed, especially as Czechoslovakia found itself among the first nations to succumb to the opportunistic infection that was Nazism. The Nazis, of course, represent the polar opposite of Čapek’s ideals. Flower Communion is a defiant No! in the face of the brutal racism of Hitler and of the fascists’ craving to erect towering, horrific empires upon pediments of subjugation and terror, and it is a joyous Yes! to diversity, equality, and liberty.
As Unitarians and Unitarian Universalists all over the world celebrate Flower Communion, as so many of us do at this season of the year, we do well to consider what it is that we are saying No! to, and where our joyous Yes! is. Do we continue to defy the forces of intolerance that seek to deny equal rights to all; which persecute minority groups, and make scapegoats of ‘outsiders’, in order to ‘divide and conquer’? Do we stand together clutching bouquets of righteousness and justice in our hearts as we persevere in demanding compassion for immigrants, for labourers, and for the poor? Do we say Yes! to a future for our planet in which we will coexist with all life harmoniously?
Arrested by the Nazis for the “crime” of listening to foreign radio broadcasts, Čapek spent fourteen weeks at Dachau before being martyred in October of 1942 in a Nazi gas chamber. He is remembered around the world for how he died, but more so for what died for — and what he lived for.
Offering and Consecration of the Flowers
Thanks John. Now that we’ve heard about the origins and the meaning of the flower communion it’s time for us to enact the ritual once again. Hopefully everyone who’s in the church will have either brought a flower from home or picked one up from the table on your way in. And in a moment I will invite you to silently come up and add the flower you have chosen to our common vase. The flower you offer represents you in all your uniqueness – the particular bundle of gifts and needs that you bring to this community and to the world – at the very end of the service you’ll be invited to choose a different flower to take away with you – to reflect the way in which we each engage in the flow of give and take with each other in community. I’m going to repeat Norbert Čapek’s words: ‘each is to take one flower just as it comes without making any distinction as to where it came from and whom it represents, to confess that we accept each other as brothers and sisters without regard to class, race, or other distinction, acknowledging everybody as our friend who is a human and wants to be good.’
So let us proceed in a prayerful spirit, and as Andrew plays some gentle music for us, I invite you to come up and silently, reverently, place your flower into this vase. If you’re online and you have a flower, or a picture of a flower, please hold it up while the music is playing (and if you don’t have one write the flower you would have brought in the chat). And when the flowers are all gathered in I will offer some words of consecration from Norbert Čapek himself to take us into a time of meditation.
(people to come up and put their flowers in vase while Andrew plays)
So we move into a time of meditation with some words to bless the flowers from Norbert Čapek. Those words will lead us into three minutes of silence which will end with the sound of a bell. And in the time of silence I invite you to focus on the flowers as a symbol of our diverse gifts and needs.
Infinite Spirit of Life, we ask thy blessing on these, thy messengers of fellowship and love.
May they remind us, amid diversities of knowledge and of gifts,
to be one in desire and affection, and devotion to thy holy will.
May they also remind us of the value of comradeship, of doing and sharing alike.
May we cherish friendship as one of thy most precious gifts.
May we not let awareness of another's talents discourage us,
or sully our relationship, but may we realize that, whatever we can do,
great or small, the efforts of all of us are needed to do thy work in this world.
Period of Silence and Stillness (~3 minutes) – end with a bell
Interlude: The Fairest Rose, Hornpipe (performed by Caitlin Mannion, Tara McCarthy, and Tara Viscardi)
In-Person Reading: ‘It Takes a Village to Raise an Adult’ by Cari Jenkins (adapted) (read by Patricia)
Some years ago, Hillary Clinton popularised a saying that’d been around for a while: “it takes a village.” (more typically: “it takes a village to raise a child” – suggesting that it needs multiple people to support a child to grow and thrive – more than a nuclear family). I have come to know that it takes a village for all of us.
I know I need a village. I need someone who is a good listener. I need a question asker. I need the sceptic and the intuitive. I need a co-dreamer, a dream framer, a filter, a provider, and someone to hand me a box of tissues. I need someone to listen to my ideas and cheer me on. I need the person to listen to my ideas and ask questions to reframe, help me keep from jumping into yet another project, or ask how the new idea fits into the vision I talked about the day before.
I have a friend who is incredibly organized. It takes her 15 minutes to do what it would take me 2 hours. I used to beat myself up for not being able to be organized in such a manner, now I am thankful that I know someone who I can invite into my life who is willing to share her gift of organization with me.
I have a friend who jumps on every dream and idea I have like it’s the best things she’s ever heard. Sometimes I need friends like this and she fills my love tank.
I have a friend who asks profound framing questions. He will listen over time and give honest feedback from his perspective and challenge and speak truth as needed.
I have a friend who immediately prays when I call, another who reads everything I every write, another who is generous and another who challenges me to work out.
(I told you. I need a village.)
I could keep going with this list of individuals who help me navigate life with health and wholeness… but it could well exceed your level of patience. And, honestly, even admitting that I have and need a village prompts feelings of vulnerability and insecurity. I just thought to myself, “wait make sure those who read this know you’re resourceful, capable, and can do things on your own too!” How deep the lie is that we are to be perfect at everything on our own. Today I come out as person who needs people… and I need a lot of them.
Though culturally this idea is not celebrated in practice, I believe deeply that we were created to need others. When Paul, a follower of the way of Jesus, wrote about the followers of Jesus, and how that collective best functions, he noted how every person has a role to play and that every role is crucial. Each role plays a part that the others need. Somehow I think we’ve lost touch with the importance of that concept. All of us, everywhere, need people. We need others who have gifts we do not. We need others who celebrate us. We need others to join us. We need a village.
Hymn (on sheet): ‘Who Is My Neighbour?’
Let’s sing again. Our next hymn is on your hymn sheet: ‘Who is My Neighbour?’
Who is my neighbour? Every soul who lives upon the earth.
I have been called to treat each one with dignity and worth,
Working for justice, seeking peace and cultivating care,
Offering hope to those whose lives are laden with despair.
When I can ease another’s pain, I know I’ll do my part.
When I can bring another joy, I’ll open up my heart.
When I have more than someone else, I’ll share the things I can.
When I am tempted to be cruel, I’ll strive to understand.
Who is my neighbour? Earth itself and all the beings there:
Flora and fauna, fish and fowl, the trees that graze the air.
River and prairie, sea and sky I honour and respect.
These are my neighbours. These I vow to cherish and protect.
Oh, may we build a world where all have everything they need.
May we be free from hate and fear, from violence and from greed.
May our lives be tributes to compassion, love, and trust
Till we are kin to all the world and all are kin to us.
Mini-Reflection: ‘It Takes a Village’ by Rev. Dr. Jane Blackall
I want to share some happy news. Many of you will have met my friend Rachel Sparks – indeed a few of you will have danced with her – I first met Rachel when she taught me ballroom dancing and she has run lots of tea dances for us here at the church. We haven’t had one for quite a while – we had one planned for last December – but we cancelled it and I couldn’t tell you at the time this was because Rachel was pregnant. Now any of you who are good with mental arithmetic may have realised that the happy news I want to share is that Rachel’s baby was born a couple of weeks ago! I understand that mother and baby are doing well. And the little one is named Eden (it’s nice that she has a garden-related name on the day of our flower communion). Indeed Eden will be having her naming ceremony at Essex Church later in the year.
In the first days and weeks of Eden’s life it has become very clear that she has got what is shaping up to be a very solid ‘village’ to help raise her. As well as her lovely supportive parents, Rachel has an extended ‘chosen family’ of friends in the queer community, who are all pitching in to support the two of them in any way they can. Of course, when you’ve got a newborn, it’s a pretty intense time. And, hopefully, your people (your ‘village’) will be attentive to your needs, and use their gifts and resources to help out. As the months and years pass, the level of support might well fade a bit, but throughout childhood it is accepted that adults should proactively help to meet the child’s needs. Indeed, Wikipedia interprets the saying ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ as meaning that ‘an entire community of people must provide for and interact positively with children for those children to experience and grow in a safe and healthy environment.’
I don’t think that level of care should stop when we turn sixteen! That’s why I wanted to share that last reading: ‘It Takes a Village to Raise an Adult’. I found a few articles exploring a similar theme, and I want to share an extended extract from Kate Martignier, who writes: ‘No one person can meet all of another person's needs. We need a village not just to raise a child but also to raise ourselves, be ourselves, heal ourselves, and see into the depths of ourselves. My definition of a healthy "village" in a modern context is a group of people who work together to meet each other's psychological needs. Ideally, our village would consist of families - parents and children, and also uncles, aunties, grandparents, and friends - all the diversity and treasure of the human experience.
In various times and places, our village members would also work together to meet each other's needs for food, shelter, and so on, in reciprocal ways that build and cement relationships. Sadly, a village now rarely includes of all these different age groups. And the growth economy has replaced the need for us to rely on one another for our practical needs. So, we just have to build our villages with what we have.’
She continues: ‘A healthy village can nourish the hungriest of hearts. In simple terms, this is possible because different members of the village can be available unconditionally by turns. When one person is offline or needy or temporarily dysfunctional because their own shadow material - their own unmet needs - have been triggered, somewhere else in the village there is another person who is fully present in this moment and able to step into the gap. When there are enough stable and resourced adults in a community to meet the practical needs (childcare, logistics, and so on) and the mental / emotional / spiritual support that people need from each other, everything gets so much easier…’
She concludes: ‘I assumed that once I found a village - tadah! all my problems would be solved. Alas, it doesn't work like that. The reason that good villages are hard to find is because actually you don't find them, so much as build them. And you build them from the inside out… The function of a village in caring for babies and children is to meet their needs, no strings attached and no debt accrued. But adults both receive from and give to the village. We need a village in order to experience the connection that all humans need to thrive, and, as adults, we are the village.’ Words from Kate Martignier.
Our flower communion is a wonderful symbol of the ‘village’ we are building here. Each offering our gifts, receiving the gifts of others, a community of give-and take. It depends on us being present to each other – showing up and making time to get to know each other – going beyond the surface, being attentive, and being real. But if we do put in the time, and effort, and care, then the rewards – for all of us – are immense.
So let us celebrate the diversity of gifts and needs we bring. And in the year ahead - until our next flower communion - let us keep on showing up for one another, remembering that ‘we are the village’, and it takes a village to raise us all. Amen.
Hymn 32 (purple): ‘Earth Was Given as a Garden’
Let’s sing one last time. Our final hymn is number 32: ‘Earth was Given as a Garden’.
Earth was given as a garden,
cradle for humanity;
tree of life and tree of knowledge
placed for our discovery.
Here was home for all your creatures
born of land and sky and sea;
all created in your image,
all to live in harmony.
Show to us again the garden
where all life flows fresh and free.
Gently guide your sons and daughters
into full maturity.
Teach us how to trust each other,
how to use for good our power,
how to touch the earth with reverence.
Then once more will Eden flower.
Bless the earth and all your children.
One creation, make us whole,
interwoven, all connected,
planet wide and inmost soul.
Holy mother, life bestowing,
bid our waste and warfare cease.
Fill us all with grace o'erflowing.
Teach us how to live in peace.
Announcements:
Thanks to Ramona for hosting and Shari for co-hosting. Thanks to our Tara, Tara and Caitlin for lovely music, thanks to Andrew for accompanying us and Edwin for singing support. Thanks to Hannah, John and Patricia for reading. Thanks to Patricia for greeting and David for making coffee. If you are here in-person – we’ve got apple and sultana cake – and Jamaican ginger loaf.
Once you’ve had your tea and cake there are all sorts of activities for you to stay behind for! You can do yoga with Hannah back here in the church from 12.30pm. Or next door in the hall we’ll have both the Crafternoon – just a very chilled afternoon hangout to work on art and craft projects – we have boxes of materials you can rummage in or you can do some colouring. In parallel to that we have the ‘Each Child a Light’ memorial quilt project for the Children of Gaza. Have a chat with Patricia if you want to know more about that.
Tonight and Friday at 7pm we’ve got our ‘Heart and Soul’ online contemplative spiritual gathering – this week the theme is ‘Slow Down’ – email me if you want to join us and I’ll share the link.
In case you haven’t already heard, this month’s Better World Book Club has been called off, as too many regulars are going to be away; we’ll reschedule that book for early next year. Our next book club session will be on 30th August when we’re reading ‘Upstream’ by Dan Heath and I’ll bring some copies along next week to loan out.
Next Sunday we’ll be back at 11am as usual when our service will be on ‘Words of Wisdom’ and it’ll include some reflections from Pat, John, and David. That’ll be followed by our congregational lunch and Liz is coordinating the sign ups for that so do drop her a line to tell her what you’ll bring and share (or if you don’t have Liz’s contact details you can let me know and I’ll pass the message along).
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. 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.
Just time for our closing words and closing music now. And at the end of the closing music I invite you to come up and choose a flower to take away with you (if you’re online let us know which flower you would choose and tell us about it in the chat).
Benediction: based on words by William Sinkford
These flowers we have shared are
signs of creation's profound beauty,
diverse and unique, but related and interdependent.
They come to us as gifts from we know not where,
and we, in turn, have brought them
to our common altar, as gifts to one another.
May they remind us of the grace we have known in this community:
Forgiveness we have been granted, and provided.
Love, unearned and freely shared.
Recovery, begun and established.
Generosity, unforeseen and most sacred.
And may they inspire us now, and in days to come:
To seek, to notice, to embrace and, to re-create beauty.
To give unto the world as exuberantly as these lovely flowers.
May the meaning and message of Flower Communion be alive in our hearts,
as we leave this gathering, inviting us to be faithful partners
in the creation of beloved community, and guiding us
towards right relationship with all of our neighbours, near and far.
May it be so, for the greater good of all. Amen.
Closing Music: The Green Groves of Eireann and The Flowers of Red Hill, Reels (performed by Caitlin Mannion, Tara McCarthy, and Tara Viscardi)
Rev. Dr. Jane Blackall
19th July 2026