Today at sunset, the Jewish Holiday of Yom Kippur, or the day of atonement, begins. It is a time to forgive and be forgiven. But what if forgiveness doesn’t just redeem another, but also marks the renewal of life for the forgiver? Forgiveness is one of the most powerful offerings we can make in life. Today we explore how forgiveness can give us the gift of renewing our own lives.
In June 2020, the UUA’s Commission on Institutional Change released a report suggesting ways in which we can remake our faith to live into the essential promises and ideals of Unitarian Universalism. Our Chalice Board of Trustees will be studying their report “Widening the Circle of Concern” throughout this year. Today we begin exploring some of themes and recommendations for systemic change to renew our journey in creating an equitable world.
Normally Ingathering marks the time when we all come together again after our summers, to celebrate our community and renew our commitment to each other and our faith. Today, though we continue to be physically distant due to Covid 19, we gather from near and far to renew our connections to Chalice and one another. During today’s Zoom service we will invite you to share a wish or blessing for Chalice which we will post in our Sanctuary. After today’s service, you are invited to a drive-by ritual in which you may bring a sacred object to Reverend Nica and our Worship Team to leave on our Sanctuary altar until we meet again in person. In these ways, your intention, blessing and commitment will be held in our Sanctuary until we are together again physically. And you will have renewed our community.
Moving together through these challenging times, we find ourselves, perhaps on a daily basis, reassessing our priorities. UCLA Oncology Chaplain and popular guest speaker Michael Eselun shares reflections on the question, “What Matters?”
We at Chalice are like one big village. We support one another from birth through death, going through life’s ups and downs together. Today, we celebrate all the many volunteers that make our community thrive. Chalice could not exist without all of you. If you are involved in any activity at Chalice, please come this Sunday to be honored and celebrated. It takes a village to build and maintain a wonderful community like this.
In March, we were told this lockdown would likely last 2 – 3 weeks. Here we are at the end of August, with the pandemic still raging and our lives continuing to be socially distanced. If this new way of living continues for a while longer, what strategies could we embrace to make it through as individuals and a community? Join us to explore strategies for the long haul.
Acknowledging the existence of white privilege is not an admission of individual racism. Chalice Board of Trustees President Jason Hall shares his personal journey from ignorance to awareness and action.
The Black Lives Matter movement came to national prominence in 2016. While the phrase is used as a rallying cry for those working for change in our society, it can also be looked at from a more personal perspective. Worship Associate Ayanna Gaines examines what happens when someone forgets that their own minority racial identity matters. If Black Lives don’t Matter, then what of the lives of those living them?
Today we will be blessing the animals in our lives. Please have them present with you in service, or bring their photo, if you would like to have them blessed. Please bring photos of any beloved animals who have passed and whom you wish to memorialize. We look forward to celebrating the difference animals make in our lives.
Czech dissident and President, Vaclav Havel, wrote in “The Power of the Powerless” that: “Hope is not a prognostication – it’s an orientation of the spirit….” How do we orient our spirit towards hope when there is so much in our world right now that feels hopeless and scary? What resources do we need to draw on to orient our spirit towards hope? In this service, Rev Nica will explore how to turn our internal compass in the direction of hope.
