WELCOME!
Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church
Unitarian Universalist
Weekly Worship 10 am during Summer
PREPARATION …
SOUNDING THE CHIME
WELCOME
EXCHANGE OF GREETINGS
INVITING THE SACRED INTO THIS SPACE
Whoever you are, Whomever you love, However you express your identity; Whatever your situation in life, Whatever your experience of the holy, As you come seeking love, Your presence here is a gift. Whether you are filled with sadness, Overflowing with joy, Needing to be alone with yourself, Or eager to engage with others, All who welcome all are welcome here.
PRELUDE
LIGHTING THE CHALICE
We light this chalice as a symbol of reunion.
We reunite in this sanctuary to share the flow of our hearts with one another.
We gather together in ritual
to celebrate our fountains of joy
to hold each other through storms of grief
to guide one another through rapids of transformation
to rest together on ponds of stillness.
Together, we honor the spirit of water, its many forms, and its life-giving essence.
Katie Gelfand
ENTERING IN …
OPENING HYMN: #347, “Gather the Spirit”
STORY The Brave Little Parrot (a Jataka Tale)
HYMN #38, “Morning Has Broken”
REFLECTION
A MOMENT OF SILENCE
CHORAL RESPONSE The Water Remembers
OFFERTORY
DEDICATION OF THE OFFERING
As the ushers come forward, we'll sing together -
“From you I receive, to you I give;
together we share, and by this we live.”
“We accept these gifts with gratitude.
May we use them wisely and for the highest good.”
GOING DEEPER …
A CEREMONY OF WATER AND LIGHT
At this time you are invited to form a line in the center aisle and come forward to pour the water you have brought with you into the common bowl. Feel free to think on where and when this water came from and what it means to you, and to offer a silent hope or prayer for the year to come. This is also the time to light a Candle of Hope & Remembrance or write in the Sands of Forgiveness & Atonement.
BLESSING THE WATER
The young and young at heart are now invited to come forward to bless the water with these words: “With all of our hope, with all of our courage, with all of our love … and in the name of all that is Good we bless this water.”
MEDITATION HYMN
“We’ve Got the Whole World in Our Hands”
We’ve got the whole world in our hands (4x)
We’ve got the rivers and the seas in our hands (3x)
We’ve got the whole world in our hands.
We’ve got the skies and the clouds in our hands (3x)
We’ve got the whole world in our hands.
We’ve got the mountains and the valleys in our lands (3x)
We’ve got the whole world in our hands.
We've got the rivers and the oceans, in our hands
We've got the trees and the flowers, in our hands
We've got the air we breathe, in our hands
We’ve got the whole world in our hands.
Dream your bright dream - then do all that you can (repeat 3x)
We’ve got the whole world in our hands
We’ve got the whole world in our hands (4x)
PASTORAL PRAYER
MUSICAL MEDITATION
RETURNING …
CLOSING WORDS
HYMN OF GOING FORTH: Hymn #1064, “Blue Boat Home”
BENEDICTION & EXTINGUISHING THE CHALICE
Go out into the world in peace. Have courage. Hold on to what is good. Return to no person evil for evil. Strengthen the fainthearted. Support the weak. Help the suffering, and honor all persons. Return often to let your cup be refilled. The chalice is extinguished but the flame of hope, truth and love goes with us.
POSTLUDE
The altar was created by the Contemplative Worship Team