After months of quarantining we are being pushed to return to “normal”. But should we? Could we use this lesson as a way to change destructive habits? And what is the cost to the front-line workers in returning to the previous habits? Let’s look at this closer. [Recording opens with “We Are Not in the Same Boat” by an unknown author.]
Some of the hardest work we do is healing the broken world. And so, we give and we share what we have. What does the next step look like? Our prophets (not our Biblical, but our Social prophets) call us into relationship with others. That means moving closer, becoming proximate to those most broken.
This week, the Kirkland area is living with the presence of coronavirus in our community. We worry about over-reacting… we wonder if we should just go on about our lives as usual, knowing that for many people this virus only causes a mild illness. We worry about under-reacting. If we don’t change our behaviors, and keep going out in the world and interacting as we always do, could we increase the spread of the disease, putting many others at risk. In the spirit of compassion, and honoring the interconnectedness of all beings, we try to find a middle way.
This is an important election year. We must be involved and use this year to promote our values in the world if we truly believe we are part of the interconnected web, dedicated to healing the world. At the same time we must learn resiliency, how we maintain our core integrity, when the political situation feels threatening. (Opens with a reading from Clarissa Pinkola Estes.)
Recording of the Christmas Eve Services at Northlake UU in Kirkland, WA: Christmas Carol Medley, played by Maria (0 – 8:20); Joy to the World, Candle Lighting, O Come… (8:20 – 14:30); The No Rehearsal Xmas pageant (14:30 – 31:20); Carols, Readings and Offering (31:20 – 44); Homily by Rev. Nancy Reid-McKee – Take Time for Awe (44 – 50:40); Carols and Readings (50:40 – 1:00).
In this season of cold and wet, we honor the light and warmth of fire and the blessings of community in this multigenerational service, which includes story, song, and a fire communion ceremony. (In Unitarian Universalist traditions, we often do a flower communion in the spring and a water communion in the fall. This service included Rev. Nancy’s creation of a fire communion.)
Reverend Nancy McKee’s description of her message: “Instead of dying and going to heaven, our work is to recognize that we are already in heaven and to act accordingly. We will explore what we expect from heaven.” Recording opens with a reading “Prophets of a Future Not Our Own” by Bishop Ken Untener, followed by the Northlake choir performing “Look Around”, an original composition by our Music Director David Duvall.
