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Congregation of Unitarian Universalists

Principle 3: Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations

Principle 5: The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large

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Prelude:

This study and guide to the short list of moral values we live by is the third in a suite of four sessions that calls for an in-depth examination of what we think about, and how we live out, our Unitarian Universalist principles. Our approach combines the principles into pairs and asks us to look not only at each one, but how they might conflict with and/or complement each other.

Opening Words:

How rare it is, how lovely, this fellowship of those who meet together.       Psalm 133

Lighting the Chalice:

We come to this time and this place
To rediscover the wondrous gift of free religious community;
To renew our faith in the holiness, goodness, and beauty of life;
To reaffirm the way of the open mind and full heart;
To rekindle the flame of memory and hope; and
To reclaim the vision of earth made fair, with all her people one.

* Hymn: SLT #346, "Come, Sing a Song with Me"

Come, sing a song with me,
Come, sing a song with me,
Come, sing a song with me,
That I might know your mind.

chorus:

And I'll give you hope,

When hope is hard to find,
And I'll bring a song of love
And a rose in the wintertime.

Come, dream a dream with me…

(chorus)

Come, walk in rain with me…

(chorus)

Come, share a rose with me…

(chorus)

Joys and Concerns: (We throw a small stone into this bowl filled with water, to symbolize our thoughts, which move in circular rings eternally, like concentric waves.)

We invite you to share your joys and concerns since our last meeting.

Prayer: ( followed by a moment of silent meditation)

In the quietness of this place and in the Spirit of this Community in which we share and find strength let us pray. Prayer cannot bring water to parched land, not stop a roaring flood, nor mend a broken bridge, nor rebuild a ruined city, but prayer can water an arid soul, change the tide toward righteousness , mend a broken heart and rebuild a weaken will. Let us pray.

Story for All Ages:  (the children go to Religious Education at the end of the story and the adults sing "Spirit of Life" )

Hymn::    # 123  (STLT)   "Spirit of Life"   by Carolyn McDade (adapted)

Spirit of Life, come unto us,
Sing in our hearts all the stirrings of compassion.
Blow in the wind, rise in the sea;
Move in our hands, giving life the shape of justice.
Roots hold us close; wings set us free;
Spirit of Life, come to us, come to me.

First Reading: To be read responsively: by Olympia Brown

Stand by this faith. Work for it and sacrifice for it.

There is nothing in all the world so important as to be loyal to this faith which has placed before us the loftiest ideals.

Which has comforted us in sorrow, strengthened us for noble duty and made the world beautiful

Do not demand immediate results, but rejoice that we are worthy to be entrusted with this great message.

That you are strong enough to work for a great true principle without counting the cost

Go on finding ever new applications of these truths and new enjoyments in their contemplation, always trusting in the one God which ever lives and loves.

Second Reading: From the Fragmented World

From the fragmented world of our every day lives we gather to- gether in search of wholeness.

By many cares and preoccupations, by diverse and selfish aims are we separated from one another and divided within ourselves. Yet we know that no branch is utterlly severed from the Tree of Life that sustains us all. We cherish our oneness with those around us and the countless generations that have gone before us. We would hold fast to all of the good we inherit even as we would leave behind us the outworn and the false. We would escape from bondage to the ideas of our own day and from the delusions of our own fancy. Let us labor in hope for the dawning of a new day with our hatred, violence, and injustice. Let us nuture the growth in our own lives of the love that has shone in the lives of greatest of women and men, the rays of whose lamps still illumine our way.

Discussion Theme: (copyright: First Unitarian Church San José)

For four consecutive sessions, we are discussing the seven Unitarian Universalist principles. This is the third of these sessions. Our approach was taken from an essay by Rev. Frances Manley. A long quote from that essay is included in this preparation. If you would like to read the entire essay, it is included in the book Essex Conversations, which is available from the UUA bookstore.

The Priciples are valuable guidelines and if we look at them as a single statement then the sum of its seven parts and each principle derives an important layer of meaning from its relationship to the whole.

The overall structure of the Principles reflects the fact that as human beings we are always in dynamic tension between separateness and connection, between individualism and community, between autonomy and interdependence. The poles of this tension are represented by the first and seventh Principles: the inherent worth and dignity of every person and the interdependent web of all existence. As we move from the ends toward the center, paired Principles balance one another, expressing related concepts but reflecting a different point on the continuum from separateness to connection, a different resolution of the tension between the two poles. The second and sixth Principles we discussed last time both address the issue of justice; but one sees it from the more individualistic perspective of justice, equity and compassion for each person, while the other offers the perspective of community, affirming peace, liberty, and justice for all. A similar balance exists between the third and the fifth Principles, where acceptance of one another as individuals corresponds to the right of each person to speak and act publicly – in the context of community – according to their conscience; and the encouragement to individual spiritual growth corresponds to the affirmation of democratic process as the means by which the community itself can grow toward its greatest potential. How do we determine moral acts and human action for a single person or for the community when they conflict?

In the center of the Principles, at the point where individualism and interdependence meet, is the "free and responsible search for truth and meaning." The Principles not only affirm the search for meaning as central to the human enterprise, but also suggest that the very meaning we search for, the meaning of human existence itself, is to be found in the fact that we are at once separate individuals of worth and dignity and interdependent parts of an indivisible whole. Moreover, that same structure also suggests that a "free and responsible" search for truth and meaning does not mean a purely individual search because none of us is a purely individual being. Rather, it is inherently something we carry out both in the privacy of our own souls and in community with others

Manley writes: "A similar, though less obvious balance exists between the third and the fifth Principles, where acceptance of one another as individuals corresponds to the right of each person to speak and act publicly – that is, in the context of community – according to his or her conscience; and the encouragement to individual spiritual growth corresponds to the affirmation of democratic process as the means by which the community itself can grow toward its greatest potential."

We say that we want everyone to have the right to speak their own truth; at the same time, we want our congregations to be a safe place for everyone. Have there been times when you have seen these two desires come into conflict, when one person speaking his or her truth might make another person feel unsafe? How have you felt about those issues?

Unitarian Universalists tend to have very similar views when it comes to politics and social justice. To what extent is our congregation a safe place for those whose political or social justice views might be different? Is it important for us to make the congregation a safe place for dissenting views? To what extent have you felt safe expressing a dissenting view?

These principles call for "acceptance of one another." To what extent does that require that we listen to one another, including to those people with whom we disagree? Do you think there are views that cannot be accepted in a Unitarian Universalist congregation? What does this principle mean when it comes to working with people we don't like, or whose behavior offends us?

The democratic action of congregational meetings can be quite a challenge. How do you feel when a vote has been taken, and you find yourself in the minority? Would you feel safe standing out as a minority of one, or would you abstain from voting? How do you feel towards someone else who stands out as a minority of one? How might keeping these two principles in mind change your attitude or behavior in congregational meetings?

How can we best use these principles to inform and empower our lives?

* Closing circle of hands: (Holding hands or link arms as you read the closing words together)

If we agree in love, there is no disagreement that can do us
any injury, but if we do not, no other agreement can do us
any good. Let us endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit in the
bonds of peace.

*Hymn:    Go now in Peace     

Go now in Peace, Go now in Peace,
May the Love of God surround you
Everywhere, everywhere, You may go

*Stand as you are willing and able

More Unitarian Universalist Principles





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