From the ministry of Rev. Scott W. Alexander
OPENING WORDS
Rev. Scott W. Alexander
Well, dear friends, it’s official…
Says right here in the Washington Post… [SCOTT HOLDS UP NEWSPAPER ARTICLE]
Quote:
“Numerous recent studies have shown that people who ATTEND A HOUSE OF WORSHIP REGULARLY tend to be healthier [and happier] than those who don’t.”
Pity, then, all those sickly, unhappy souls who are languishing in bed this morning (with coffee and the Sunday paper) they just don’t know what’s good for them…
But you wise and healthy people do…you’re in the right place, and on the right track, for you have come to this house of worship to give thanks for the gift of life…to reflect on your lives…and to enjoy the company of one another.
Will you turn to those OTHER wise and healthy people near you this morning…greet them…say hello!
OPENING WORDS
DAYLIGHT SAVING’S SUNDAY 2006
REV. SCOTT W. ALEXANDER
Welcome, all you bright and clever folks (who remembered to set your clocks BACK an hour last night – “Fall back…Spring Forward” -- before you went to bed). Let’s all agree to try not look too smug or superior to those embarrassed souls who will show up for worship (this morning) while the rest of us are enjoying coffee hour!
You know…when you think about it…DAYLIGHT’S SAVINGS (while a very practical calendar thing we must pay attention to every Autumn and Spring) is really A SPIRITUAL MISNOMER! You can’t ever “SAVE” daylight…you can only “USE” it (as it flies by every day). Each day we awake, we only have a certain amount of daylight…daylight which allows us to work and play…to see the beauty of nature and one another…to touch life around us and make something meaningful of ourselves.
So welcome to this MOMENT OF DAYLIGHT. Don’t try to “SAVE” it…but rather USE IT…USE IT for something joyous and purposeful and good!
And let’s begin this process by turning to those around us this morning and extending a hand…and a warm hello…
OPENING WORDS
River Road Unitarian Church
Rev. Scott W. Alexander
July 6, 2002
GOOD MORNING AMERICA!
I was born to you decades ago, and you are what I call home.
I know you like the back of my own hand…you are my land…and you are where I am rooted…where I belong…
I feel your heartbeat in the pulse of the turbines that spin at the Grand Cooley Dam…
I see you majesty in the sunlight that glistens on the snow-covered peaks of the Rockies…
I smell you sweet aroma in the lush pine forests of Maine…
I hear your energy and enthusiasm in the cacophony of songbirds outside my Maryland bedroom…
I am filled with you muscular beauty every time I gaze across the Potomac…
GOOD MORNING AMERICA…
You are wondrous…
You are vast…
You are strong and mysterious and wild…
And you are mine!
GOOD MORNING AMERICA…GOOD MORNING .
CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY OPENING WORDS
Rev. Scott W. Alexander
River Road Unitarian Church
Well…I heard it this morning. The guy on the Radio said (in a breathless, almost panicked voice) that there were “Only 8 more shopping days until Christmas!”
And he was right, of course, Christmas is coming on fast, the calendar doesn’t lie, and we all have at least a little shopping yet to do.
But I know something deeper, something even MORE TRUE as we fly through this busy season.
We have fully 8 more days to move our hearts closer to the true spirit, beauty and joy of this holiday…
We have fully 8 more days to grow a more generous, charitable spirit, and open ourselves to the beauty and worth of persons (both strangers and friends) around us …
And we have fully 8 more days to pause in the gathering dark of evening and allow our hearts to be warmed by the brightly decorated buildings and trees (and the sounds of carols floating through the air)…
Yes, there are only 8 more shopping days, and everyone feels rushed…but even more importantly, we still have 8 days to bring this season of love and hope, compassion and peace quietly to birth in our hearts.
Use these coming days well, my friends, and why not begin by celebrating this season by turning to those persons around you and extending a warm holiday greeting to them!
OPENING WORDS, CHALICE LIGHTING AND GREETING OF ONE ANOTHER
River Road Unitarian Church
Sunday, October 15, 2006
In India (and other parts of South Asian) there is a special word people use when they greet (or say goodbye) to friends, family, neighbors and friends…
And that words is NAMASTE [Nah-mah-stay]
Namaste is a Hindi word, from the ancient Sanskrit, and a literal translation is a “reverential salutation to you,” and it is commonly accompanied by a slight bow, made with the hands pressed together, palms touching, in front of the chest…like this [Scott demonstrates…bowing and saying “Namaste”]
When you say “Namaste” to another person, you are saying: “I honor the holy…the sacred within you…I pay homage to the light within you.”
This morning, as I continue my sermon series on “Ten Commandments for the 21st Century” with a sermon on “Thou shalt Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You.” I would ask that you turn to those on either side of you this morning, put your hands together, and bow to them, saying “Namaste”…but first, let Amanda and I say it to all of you… [Scott and Amanda step to the center of the chancel, bow to the congregation and say ”NAMASTE”]
Please greet one another!
OPENING WORDS
Rev. Scott W. Alexander
Why, in god’s name, are we here in church this morning?
I mean…it’s a beautiful September day in Maryland.
And there are dozens of other wonderful things we could be doing with this hour:
-- Having a slow and delicious brunch with old friends on the patio…
-- Lazing in bed with a fresh cup of coffee and the Washington Post…
-- Lolling on the beach in Rehobeth or enjoying the green serenity of the towpath…
So why have we chosen to come here…to be together this hour in church?
Because church is all about setting aside some time each week to call ourselves back to our best and deepest selves.
It is here (and here alone) that we remind ourselves (in community) that it matters profoundly how we live…that it matters how we touch and treat ourselves, other life and persons.
It is here that we call ourselves back to full appreciation of the miracle of being alive…and speak our thanks from the heart for the stunning gift of it all.
It is here that we challenge ourselves to the hard demands of justice and human compassion…here that we recommit ourselves to be caring and responsible citizens of life…promising ourselves to do what we can to end the suffering and oppression of others.
It is here that we rediscover in our lives those purposeful pathways to full, joyous and responsible living – so that (in the days and weeks ahead) we can lead honorable, contented lives of engagement, service and compassion.
We are here for this hour (and not at brunch…and not in bed…and not at the beach) because church is the special place we have set aside to remind ourselves that life matters…and that we have the freedom and goodness and strength to make the holy, healthy choices that will make our lives works of purpose and joy.
It is good to be together in church this morning. Welcome! Relax! Enjoy! Pay attention! Use your hour well!
OPENING WORDS
Rev. Scott w. Alexander
Last Wednesday afternoon, on my last day of vacation, I was cycling alone in southern Maryland when I was caught in an absolute downpour. As I approached Chesapeake Bay still darkened by the storm, the sun broke out to the West and I said to myself, “Perfect rainbow conditions, I wonder if I will see one?” Sure enough, as the bay opened before me to the East, there was a perfect, full rainbow stretching 180 degrees across the sky, dipping into the bay at both ends…and then a complete secondary rainbow arching colorfully above that .
As I stopped to marvel at this most beautiful and rare gift of nature, I was reminded of what one scientist once said about rainbows, “Strictly speaking, everyone who looks at a rainbow sees a different bow. Rainbows don’t exist OUT THERE, like a tree or a star, to be seen alike by every observer. Rainbows exist only on the retina of an eye, and every observer’s eyes have a different posture with respect to sun and rain.” [Dr. Chet Raymo, Science columnist, Boston Globe]
One thing this scientific observation means to me is that rainbows require us to look before they can be! Without our eyes to observe, there are no rainbows, period. And what’s more, this also means that (both spiritually and scientifically speaking) if you don’t eagerly look up into the sun-lit sky after a summer rain shower, you will never see a rainbow…never! If you don’t regularly LOOK with the eyes that have been given you, you will never see anything worth seeing.
MOTHER’S DAY WELCOME AND GREETING OF ONE ANOTHER
Rev. Scott W. Alexander
Today, as everyone surely knows, is Mothers Day…
A day we set aside each year to honor and thank our own Mother’s
for all the things they have done for us, including the rather monumental act of giving birth to us!
Today is a very private holiday (a day just for you and your own Mother),
And I hope everyone here in this room does SOMETHING NICE FOR (or remember something nice about) that special person in your life.
But let us also (on this day) celebrate and affirm something MORE.
Today, let us pay homage to THE MOTHERING QUALITIES OF THE HUMAN SPIRIT,
(those qualities of nurturance, gentleness, acceptance and care which reside, naturally, in each one of us, regardless of our age or gender or family status.
Our troubled world needs a lot of things, but more than almost anything else it needs A WHOLE LOT MORE MOTHERING going on!
All of us need, in our daily living, to regularly contribute more of the positive human qualities we associate with Motherhood to life and people around us.
We need, each of us to strive TO BE A PRESENCE:
-- of gentleness and kindness…
-- of nurturance and acceptance…
-- of understanding and forgiveness…
-- of compassion and care…
May this Mother’s Day serve to remind us that our world needs much more mothering: Mothering from Mothers and Fathers…Mothering from sons and daughters…Mothering from brothers and sisters…Mothering from men and women alike who have learned the sacred art of human gentleness and care.
So let the mothering begin…and let it begin with us…here…now.
Will you please turn to those near you this morning, and extend a warm and kind Mother’s day greeting? Say hello!
SUMMER LITANY
Rev. Scott W. Alexander
Hey Russ, isn’t it just great? Here we all are smack-dab in the middle of another summer? Oh sweet summer…with its warm, gentle breezes…and cicadas singing us to sleep through open bedroom windows…and sandcastles and bright sails on the bay…and fresh tomatoes and cucumbers as big as your fist…what a wonderful season this is!
Well Scott, all that cheerful stuff may be true, but summer also means pushing reluctant lawn mowers in the sweaty sun…and poison ivy, mosquitoes and bees…and sticky ice cream running down your hands from the cone…and the bay bridge jammed for as far as the eye can see…and awful company picnics! Summer? Bah humbug! Who needs it?
Oh come on Russ, don’t be such a grump…you’re forgetting carefree and delicious backyard family barbeques…and lazy afternoons spent at the pool…and succulent strawberries…and warm afternoon rain on your face…and happy neighborhood kids on the wing!
Yea, and sand in your bathing suit…and bugs eating you alive…and sunburn…and burned hot dogs…and stupid neighbors mowing their lawns at 7 Am on Saturday…I hate summer!
Russ…isn’t there anything you like about summer?
Well, come to think of it, I do love stretching out on a beach in the warm sun watching the sparkling bright blue ocean…and I love the clear starry nights, and fireflies flashing out their friendly nocturnal greetings…and raspberries…and watermelon…and corn on the cob… and sailing, that’s the best part of summer…sailing…let me tell you about sailing…… [SCOTT INTERUPTS]
Hey Russ, don’t get too carried away, because now that I think about it, summer also means shirts stuck to your back in sweat…and thunderstorms that turn you into a drowned rat…and tedious family reunions…and airplanes jammed with smelly, ornery passengers…you’re right Summer leaves a lot to be desired!
Hey, c’mon Scott…you helped remind me that summer is the most scrumptious and hospitable of all the seasons…and we’re now right in the middle of this delightful season…Summer is just waiting to bless us all…all we have to do is open our hearts to it.
Amen, Russ Savage, Amen!
Will you rise as you are able and join with us in the singing of our opening hymn this morning, #66 “When the Summer Sun is Shining” ?
MEDITATIONS AND PRAYERS
Meditation
Rev. Scott W. Alexander
Let us come together in a spirit of prayer and meditation…[PAUSE…]
May us give thanks this day for the common, everyday miracles of this existence:
Let us give thanks first FOR BREATH…for the simple gift of life itself…notice now the simple act of your breathing…as life-sustaining air rushes in (and then leaves) your body…[PAUSE…]…feel how gentle and sure and faithful is this simple thing called breath.
Let us also give thanks FOR FOOD…for the simple pleasure of eating…I had sweet corn on the cob last night…and curried chicken salad…and juicy tomato slices and cucumbers drenched in sweet French dressing…what foods do you love at this time of year?…[PAUSE]… what a joy it is to eat, and to thus take into ourselves the bounty of this rich and flavorful world.
Let us give thanks FOR REST AND PLAY…for the luxury of a day at the beach…for the gift an afternoon nap in the backyard hammock…for the invigoration of a leisurely walk along the C and O Canal…for a delicious night’s sleep with all of summer’s gentle noises floating in through open window…this world has so many fun things for us to do...let us never fail to do them.
And finally, let us give thanks FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS…for those special people closest to us who know and care for us…for loved ones who gladly spend their days with us…and for all the everyday human companions (at home and work and church) who keep us from loneliness and fear…may we never take the gift that is one another for granted.
Let us give thanks this day for the common, everyday miracles of this existence, for it is (in truth) these ordinary things which save us…and make our days glad.
AMEN.
A PRAYER FOR CHRISTMAS EVE
Sunday, December 24th, 2000
River Road Unitarian Church
Rev. Scott W. Alexander
Let us come together now in a spirit of prayer and reflection this Christmas Eve.
This night is very much like that night more than 2000 years ago when a baby – who was named Jesus and wrapped in swaddling clothes – was born.
As it did then (on that cold night of uncertainty and hardship), tonight this little ball we call earth trembles beneath an infinite canopy of cool and indifferent stars -- filled with stunning holiness and deep wonder (yes) – but also creaking in abundant sorrow and persistent danger.
The old nativity story (of this tender little baby come to unlikely birth in a crude manger) reminds us that this world was not a terribly safe place for humanity 2000 years ago. And we know full well (when we pause to reflect on the complexities of our time) that it is not terribly safe for the whole of the human family now. As in those ancient days, there is much work to be done by people of good will before this earth truly becomes a safe and secure home for every man, woman and child who walks upon it. Now, as then, there is a deep and desperate need for people of love and hope, compassion and justice.
The message that always comes with Christmas is that (just as Jesus did in his short and visionary life), we must lend ourselves to the hard and holy task of helping to slowly bring to birth a better, finer, kinder world.
In the stillness of this Christmas Eve then -- in the year 2000 -- let us promise (quietly, yet with sure resolve…deep to the heart) that we will (in the days and years ahead) be on earth as good shepherds…shepherds carefully tending:
Tending love and justice…
Tending goodness and mercy…
Tending possibility and hope…
Tending (with open hands and hearts) the dream of a world transformed by our care.
This special night let us resolve to be as shepherds…shepherds of the Christmas spirit…gently bringing (through our daily living) more light, more hope, and more song to the face of old earth.
Amen.
PRAYER OF RECONCILIATION
YOM KIPPUR
SEPTEMBER 19, 1999
RIVER ROAD UNITARIAN CHURCH
Let us join in a spirit of prayerful reflection:
Tomorrow is Yom Kippur, the most solemn of Jewish religious holidays, the “day of atonement” the day each year when Jews (aware of the mistakes and missteps they have made during the past year) ask for (and hopefully receive) forgiveness from each other for past offenses and hurts.
In our Unitarian Universalist tradition, we have no such annual day set aside for the important work of reconciliation and forgiveness, and (I believe) we are both spiritually and emotionally poorer for it. To live in everyday relationships with others (at home and in our neighborhoods…in our families and with our friends…at work, church and at play) is to fall short of our best selves. We all know this about ourselves – everyone in this room this morning stands in need of forgiveness for both big and little hurts we have caused others…and others stand in need of our forgiveness for hurts (little and big) they have caused us. People regularly need to be reconciled, one to the other. Yom Kippur knows this, and so should we.
Forgiveness and reconciliation (when someone has been hurt) is hard. Sometimes it requires sincere apology. Sometimes it requires restitution and sacrifice. Sometimes it requires that we face our repeated human failings, and sincerely promise (and then work) to change our behavior and actions. Sometimes it requires that we let go of old wounded feelings we have been nursing against someone for a very long time.
This week, may we risk the work and wisdom of Yom Kippur. This week may we, like our Jewish neighbors and friends, be big and wise enough of heart to both ask for and give forgiveness…this week may we be big and wise enough of heart to do the hard (yet liberating) work of reconciliation with those from whom we have been torn asunder, or are at least in wounded relationship.
I know there are many persons in this room this very moment who need (right now…this week) to risk the work of forgiveness and reconciliation with some other person. I know there are many in this room who have old relational wounds that need healing. All forgiveness and reconciliation begins when one person takes the risk of reaching out to reconnect. Forgiveness and reconciliation never happen when no one takes the first step. It may begin with a simple “I’m sorry,” or a simple “I’ve been hurt” said to someone you live or work with…or it may begin with a phone call to a long estranged relative or friend which begins simply with the words, ”I don’t want us estranged like this anymore, what will it take for us to get back into relation?.” This Yom Kippur, may we risk the liberating work of forgiveness and reconciliation. Now is the day for us to begin end our estrangements…now is the day for us to dare to repair important relationships. Think about it. Where in your life is there Yom Kippur work to do? Who do you need to reach out to with open heart or hand?
ALL THE NEWS YOU DID NOT GET TODAY
Meditation on American Life
Rev. Scott W. Alexander
This morning, I want to quickly give you all the news about America you did not read about in the morning paper, I want to give you all the news about life in these United States you will not see on the evening news.
Today in America, millions upon millions of Americans rose from bed, enjoyed breakfast in the morning sunlight, and got about their daily occupations and habits pretty cheerfully and well. All across America most spouses and families got along, kids (safely!) enjoyed school, neighbors connected with and cared for one another, employees worked together cooperatively and hard, drivers allowed others to merge in front of them, and volunteers of all ages and backgrounds donated millions upon millions of hours for the good of their communities and one another. Tonight, most Americans will share a simple, satisfying supper with others they care about, watch a little television, play a little scrabble, surf the web for awhile, do a little homework and finally crawl into a nice warm bed from which they will arise to do it all again (in pleasant normalcy) tomorrow. Sure some will have a bad day with conflict, tragedy or difficulty – how could it be otherwise? -- but for the overwhelming majority of us, today (thanks in large part to the proper, decent ways in which most of us Americans think and behave) will be a pretty tolerable, decent, rewarding, and peaceable day in one of the most agreeable regions of the world.
Today in America, there were no plane crashes, no ship sinkings, no train wrecks or tidal waves or tornadoes. Millions upon millions of automobiles (in spite of the fact that they came within inches of each other on busy roads) rather miraculously sped safely past one another. Sure here and there in America there were accidents and deaths – how could it be otherwise? -- but all in all it was a remarkably safe and non-calamitous day for almost all of us.
Today in America, at every level of government – federal, state, county, city, town and neighborhood – men and women democratically chosen to lead by the rest of us did just that. All across this vast land today wise legislation was written, fair compromises negotiated, principles compassionately lobbied, tax money wisely used for the common good, and constituents were heard and helped. Sure there was some political underhandedness and governmental incompetence and foolishness – how could it be otherwise? – but all in all the people of today America democratically governed themselves with compassion and integrity.
Well, I could go on, but you probably all get the point. Despite all of America’s vexing difficulties, persistent dangers, injustices and idiocies…life in this land today was pretty safe, pretty sane, pretty harmonious and pretty good for almost everybody. If you rely solely on the morning newspaper or the evening news (full as they are of dire headlines, grizzly horror stories of isolated crimes and accidents, and fascination with every bizarre behavioral anomaly that occurs) if you allow this “stuff” to shape your perception of what life was really like in America today, then you will become jaded, imbalanced and fearful…emotionally and spiritually alienated from the real, normal life that is at hand. Yes, I know…I read the newspapers…there is always trouble in America, much of it of our own foolish human doing. But the overwhelming truth is, today in America life was really pretty good…pretty safe…pretty decent for millions upon millions upon millions of us. I just thought you should know.
Here ends the morning’s meditation.
Prayer for the Future
Sunday, September 16th, 2001
River Road Unitarian Church
Rev. Scott W. Alexander
Dear Spirit of Life and Love,
It has been a brutal and dark week…
Clouds of despair and death have been everywhere…
But we know you are here…still here…breathing gently and faithfully through all of creation just as you always do…
Help us now (in this dark time of so much sorrow and fear) to feel your holy presence, to trust your power, and to understand that you will never abandon us, and that we can live in and with you.
This week, forces of hate and death have tried to overpower your light, your goodness, your gentleness and hope…
Speak to our hearts,
remind us (through the countless continue to speak and breathe through all that is) that you are still here with us,
AND THAT WE ARE NOT POWERLESS – not today, not last Tuesday, not ever -- BEFORE THE FORCES OF NEGATION AND DESPAIR.
Help us – shaken and sad as we are -- to realize that we (by mobilizing the love and goodness in our hearts) that can become a part of your indefatigable power for love, for life, for justice and compassion in the world.
Speak to our trembling hearts, energize our quivering hands, and show us the many ways we now need to offer ourselves gently and bravely to the world that it might find healing and restoration.
Be with us now, great spirit, and let us be with you.
Amen.
SPECIAL CEREMONIES
RIGHT HAND OF FELLOWSHIP
On the Occasion of the Ordination of
Amanda Poppei
To the Unitarian Universalist Ministry
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Amanda, will you please join me up here? [AMANDA WALKS TO PULPIT] Amanda, I am so pleased and honored to be standing here with you on this, your ordination.
It is my role and privilege this hour to extend to you what (in our movement) is called The Right Hand of Fellowship. Now because of our decidedly Protestant roots, Unitarian Universalists do not believe in what our Catholic friends call Apostolic Succession, but we do have this meaningful ritual of symbolically passing on ministerial authority to our “newly minted” colleagues. I received the Right Hand of Fellowship almost 34 years ago -- on Sunday afternoon, April 26th in the year 1975 – to be precise -- in the small, dimly lit, Victorian sanctuary of the First Church of Houlton, Maine. While the hand that was extended to me (by one of my seasoned and experienced colleagues) probably cannot be directly physically linked all the way back to Jesus, I have every reason to believe that it did extend directly (both physically and spiritually) all the way back to the very foundations of our American faith tradition. This simple ritual of welcome and investiture has been a part of Unitarian, and Universalist, and Unitarian Universalist ordinations since the 18th Century, and so the hand I offer you this hour, Amanda, is not just symbolic of our proud heritage, it is literally part of AN UNBROKEN PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL CATINA that extends all the way back to the beginnings of our faith.
So the hand that I offer you this hour, Amanda, is far more than the (rather small) hand of Scott Alexander:
It is the hand Ralph Waldo Emerson and William Ellery Channing urging us to see the wholeness and beauty of our world…and of Henry Nelson Weiman and Charles Hartshorn reminding us of the same sacred truth nearly two centuries later…
It is the hand of Theodore Parker and Harriet Beecher Stowe crying out against slavery, and the hand of James Reeb dying in the streets of Selma in the same battle a century later…
It is the hand of Julia Ward Howe calling for an end to the insanity of war, and Clara Barton (who lived and worked not quite a mile from this place) tending the wounded of the Civil war, and countless Unitarian Universalists working for peace and justice ever since…
It’s the hand of Benjamin Rush decrying the brutality of American prisons, and Dorothea Dix pleading for humane treatment for the mentally ill, and of Horace Mann insisting on equal educational opportunity to all children…and Susan B. Anthony demanding equal rights women and men alike…and the hand of countless Unitarian Universalists working for humane and just social policies and practices in every generation since ….
It’s the hand of Thomas Starr King helping to keep California free, and of A. Powell Davies speaking up for freedom in the face of McCarthyism…and it’s the hands of members of this congregation standing up against our government’s state-sponsored torture in our time…
So the hand I now offer you this sacred hour, Amanda, is much more than my hand…it is the hand of justice and equality…it is the hand of peace and compassion…it is the hand of wisdom and thoughtfulness…it is the hand of love and decency…it is the hand of Unitarian Universalism. Amanda, may your ministry be infused and informed by the great and enduring spirit of our faith.
[With thanks to Rev. John Corrado who has also written about
the hand of fellowship in a similar way]
REDEDICATION OF THE CONGREGATION
On the Occasion of Our 50th Anniversary
River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Written by Rev. Scott W. Alexander
Rev. Robert Lewis:
50 years ago -- with a great deal of effort, investment and risk -- we founded this congregation to ensure that Unitarian Universalism and its people-centered values would have a strong, and sure voice in Montgomery County…
The Congregation:
We recommit ourselves now to that vision.
Mary Rose Curtis (for the Rev. James Curtis):
As a congregation, we have always strived to provide here a place of beauty, aesthetics and the arts, nurturing to the creativity and free expression of all persons, just as they come in all their wondrous diversity.
The congregation:
We recommit ourselves now to that vision.
Rev. Joyce Smith:
As a congregation, we have always strived to provide meaningful worship and beautiful music to inspire, challenge and heal all who come here to replenish and deepen their lives…
The Congregation:
We recommit ourselves now to that vision.
Rev. Bill Murry:
As a congregation, we have always strived to compassionately serve our wider community, and fight for the many causes of social justice and human decency…
The Congregation:
We recommit ourselves now to that vision.
Rev. John Burciaga:
As a congregation, we have always strived to care for one another, and to provide a safe and caring place for everyone who comes to our doors…
The Congregation:
We recommit ourselves now to that vision.
Rev. Lynn Strauss:
As a congregation, we have always strived to nurture and protect the human spirit, creating the kind of spiritual community which blesses people at their deepest and most sacred selves…
The Congregation:
We recommit ourselves now to that vision.
Rev. Russ Savage:
As a congregation, we have always strived to honor the life of the mind, cherishing reason, reflection, and dialogue as we seek the truth that will set our lives free, and serve the cause of human need.
The Congregation:
We recommit ourselves now to that vision.
Rev. Ginger Luke:
As a congregation, we have always strived to be a truly intergenerational community where all are encouraged to grow and develop into their truest and finest selves…and to be a place of laughter and fun where, together we unashamedly enjoy the dance of life!
The Congregation:
We recommit ourselves now to that vision.
Rev. Scott Alexander:
As a congregation, we have always strived to live out our Unitarian Universalist faith, in ways that not only shapes our lives into works of decency and joy, but also transforms our world in the ways of love and compassion.
The Congregation:
We recommit ourselves now to that vision…may together we keep this congregation strong, and our lives growing toward compassion and love.
TABLE GRACE
BEFORE RRUUC 2008 BUILDING DEDICATION
Rev. Scott W. Alexander
Let us be together now in a moment of silence and gratitude…
As we gather around these tables for the first meal ever served in our newly renovated and expanded facility,
Let our hearts be grateful for the bounty that is before us:
For the rich feast of persons seating around the table near us who will brighten our dinner with smiles, laughter and conversation…
For the deliciously prepared meal – harvested from Earth’s bounty -- that will be served us by caring hands…
For all those good people who worked so hard today to make this evening possible…our church staff, the many generous volunteers, and the catering crew who have done so much to make everything just right…
And for the legacy, passed on to us tonight, from all those persons who have made this wonderful facility possible: our founders who so lovingly build the original building…and the current members and friends of this congregation gave so generously so that we could be in this beautiful space tonight.
Let us be of good heart and cheer tonight as we baptize this building with the noise and busyness of our celebration!
AMEN.
REMARKS TO MARCIA EWING ALEXANDER
On the occasion of her son Scott’s installation
As the Minister of the River Road Unitarian Church
Sunday, November 1, 1998
Bethesda, Maryland
Mother, I wanted to tell you (and all these other people) about your important role in this special ceremony tonight, because without you this evening would never have happened.
You are a very special parent to me. When I was growing up, you instilled in me (and in your other sons George, Glen, and Erik – two of whom are here tonight) a sense of how important it is for a human being to serve others, and make a positive difference in the world. By example (through your compassionate involvement in issues of racial justice world peace, nuclear disarmament, women’s reproductive rights, environmental protection and service to the poor) you showed us what it means to be a caring and engaged citizen…you showed us what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist. You made a real difference to the quality of life in southeastern Wisconsin where you lived, and you modeled for us thoughtful, compassionate involvement in the great human drama. Without your example, I would have never entered the ministry. Without your example, I would not be here today daring to take up the challenges and duties of this ministry. I wanted to publicly thank you tonight for the great gifts of spirit and commitment you gave to me. I love you and honor you tonight for your shining example.
Wedding Night Remarks for John Burciaga and Linda Lu Schulz
Saturday, October 11, 2003
Rev. Scott W. Alexander
For both Collins and me, tonight’s event (this gathering to acknowledge and celebrate the marriage of our dear friends John Burciaga and Linda Lu Schulz) is both THE HAPPIEST of occasions and one with A WONDERFUL AND POWERFUL LOGIC.
It’s THE HAPPIEST of occasions because we have personally taken such vicarious joy from watching John and Linda Lu fall so hopelessly in love, and quickly move toward this moment of commitment and union. As a couple, we look forward with eager anticipation to the decades ahead, and to the opportunity we will have to share so many wonderful times with John and Linda Lu, our two dear friends who (now that they are moving together as one unit) are a lot easier to visit! We’re flying out to Phoenix on New Year’s Day, are you ready?
And this occasion also has a WONDERFUL AND POWERFUL LOGIC to it. If we don’t say so ourselves, Collins and I have EXQUISITE TASTE IN FRIENDS, and so it figures (by our logic any way) that two dear, wonderful, and interesting people we have enjoyed separately as friends would make a perfect couple!
We have known Linda Lu the longest (can it really be more than 20 years now?) and have always treasured her for her energy...her kindness…her loyalty…her intelligence…and for her playfulness and robust sense of humor. And when we got to know John six years ago, we took immediately to his energy…his kindness…his loyalty…his intelligence…and his playfulness and robust sense of humor. Now you two aren’t identical, of course, you are both wonderfully unique and distinctive individuals…but you do (I think) share several fundamental human qualities that make your marriage not only logical but strong as well.
When we turn to marriage (at whatever stage in our lives…no matter what other coupling relationships we have – or have not -- earlier experienced…regardless of how content or confident we have been as a “single” person) we do so because we know (at the deepest and most intuitive levels in the heart) that we need the companionship and love of one other special person to be our fullest and finest (and most enlivened and empowered self). In the case of this particular couple – the amazing Road show Burciaga and that cheerful whirlwind called Linda Lu – the SYNERGY of the union is easy to see. Yes, I know the word SYNERGY has been so over used in some contexts as to be bordering on useless jargon, but in the case of THIS coming together, SYNERGY IS WHAT RESULTS. As I have watched John and Linda Lu’s love and partnership take root over recent months, I have been struck by how their individual passions and personalities have melded together, and created a kind of spiraling, expanding, positive energy that is remarkable to behold. I know that your marriage to one another (your nurturing and caring for one another) will enrich you each abundantly, and spin out (positively and purposefully) to others beyond the boundaries of the life you two share.
John and Linda Lu, Collins and I love you both very much. We love the magic and energy of your coming together at this interesting stage in your lives. We rejoice that you will be together now as a couple, as a family, and as a dynamic duo like the world has never seen! This occasion fills us with joy, and we pray (with all our hearts) that your marriage brings you reckless joy, deep contentment, and a spiraling sense of being truly at home in the world. Bless you!
INFANT DEDICATION
River Road Unitarian Universalist congregation
SCOTT:
Will the [family/families] [___________________________________] participating in this morning’s [infant dedication/s] please come forward?
LYNN:
The poet ee cummings reminds us:
We can never be born enough
We are human beings;
For whom birth is a supremely welcome mystery,
the mystery of growing,
the mystery which happens only and whenever we are faithful to ourselves.
life for eternal us is now.
SCOTT:
ADDRESS TO THE CONGREGATION
The ceremony in which we now share is both ancient and timeless. In all parts of the earth—and from the earliest days of recorded history—parents have brought their children at an early age to places of worship, sharing their joy and dedication with those of the wider community. This is a public occasion – shared by parents, family, friends, and the wider community to mark the fact that we all have a responsibility for the care and nurture of every child that comes into the world.
GINGER:
TO THE PARENTS
Parents, as you already know, being parents is –at once—one of the greatest joys and one of the greatest challenges life brings. It is the source of some of the deepest satisfactions you will ever know, and possibly some of the greatest suffering as well. To carry out your task, you will need patience and perseverance, gentleness and firmness, wisdom and understanding. May you find all these in full measure.
LYNN:
Do you parents gratefully acknowledge the gift of life that has been entrusted to your care? Do you accept the challenge and responsibility of being parents and pledge to provide [this child…these children] with a safe and loving home? Do you promise to encourage [his/her…their] uniqueness and rejoice in [his/her…their] growing up? Do you promise to encourage [him/her…them] to live lives filled with love and dignity, and strive to help [him/her…them] become [person/s] whose [life…lives] will enhance the whole of the human community?
GINGER:
CHARGE TO THE SIBLINGS [If Applicable]
_________________________________________________ [call the children by name] your brothers and sisters will look up to you and learn from you and want to copy what you do. Do you promise to show [him/her…them] how to really look at the world, how to be kind and gentle; how to be patient and helpful; how to play and have fun? And do you promise to help your parents when they need it?
LYNN:
CHARGE TO GOD PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS OR OTHER SPECIAL FAMILY AND FRIENDS] [If Applicable]
[Grandparents, special friends and god-parents – name as applicable in each case], as close and loving adults yours is in important role of support and example. Do you promise to show [this child…these children] the ways of love, decency, compassion and service? Do you promise to help their parents. And do you promise to be there for both [this child…these children] and their parents when they need you?
SCOTT AND/OR LYNN:
DEDICATION OF EACH CHILD
By what full name is this child known?
___________ ____________ ___________
I touch your young brow with water from old nature’s infinite sky, water which touches every shore, and nourishes every race of people. In so doing, I welcome you to this earth, and dedicate your life and thought to the good of all human kind, and to your own fullest, truest growing.
I also give you this flower, unique in its natural shape and beauty, to symbolically express our hope that, for your whole life long, you will unfold and blossom and bloom just as you must, in all your unique and precious beauty.
SCOTT AND/OR LYNN :
[When Children are very young, one year or younger]
I would like to introduce _______ _______ _______ to all of you [Scott carries child up and down the center aisle, showing the baby to both sides, and folks in balcony]
SCOTT:
CHARGE TO THE CONGREGATION
Will the adult members and friends of this congregation please rise as you are able? [This child…These children] [is…are] now a part of our religious community. Will you welcome [him/her…them], and do all that is within your power to give [him/her…them] the kind of love and support [he/she…they] will need to enable [him/her…them] to find meaning, joy and satisfaction in life. . . and to become the kind of [person…people] who will make the world we live in a better place? [If so, say “WE WILL”] SO BE IT. . .
GINGER:
CHARGE TO THE CHILDREN OF THE CONGREGATION
Will the children and youth of the congregation please rise as you are able. [This child…These children] [is…are] now a part of our community. [He/She…They] will soon be joining you in our Sunday School. Will you make a place for [him/her…them], and help [him/her…them] to feel [he/she…they] are a valued and a special part of our church? [If so, say “WE WILL”] SO BE IT.
SCOTT:
Will all of you please then say with me the Words of Dedication found in your order of service:
WE, THE MEMBERS AND FRIENDS OF THE RIVER ROAD UNITARIAN CHURCH PLEDGE OUR AFFECTION, SUPPORT AND CONCERN FOR THE GROWTH OF [THIS CHILD…THESE CHILDREN] IN OUR COMMUNITY. WE AFFIRM OUR COMMITMENT TO PROVIDE A SUNDAY SCHOOL OF QUALITY, TO ENCOURAGE THE SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT OF PERSONS OF ALL AGES, AND TO ENGENDER HERE A RESPECT FOR THE WORTH AND DIGNITY OF EVERY HUMAN LIFE. MAY WE SHARE WITH THESE PARENTS A PART OF THEIR CHILD’S SEARCH FOR WIDENING KNOWLEDGE, GENUINE UNDERSTANDING AND UNFOLDING LOVE.
SCOTT:
CLOSING PRAYER
As we have dedicated [this child…these children], may we still more dedicate OURSELVES this day.
May this occasion work its miracle in our own hearts,
That we may mold our lives—more and more—in accordance with the beauty,
Truth, goodness and love we hope for [this child…these children].
AMEN.
BENEDICTIONS
BENEDICTION
Service of Remembrance and Prayer
September 11, 2002
River Road Unitarian Church
So go now from this place, dear friends,
Go…but go well…for the world needs your strong and positive presence.
Go with STRENGTH and ASSURANCE…yes the world remains a broken and dangerous and broken place, but the human family has everything we need to build a more just and habitable world together…
Go with HOPE and RESOLVE…yes, there is much work to do, but we are the ones creation has sent to build and dream and dare…
And go with PEACE and LOVE…these are the precious human gifts our world needs more of…and each of us has a vast storehouse in our hearts from which to transform our world, one gentle act at a time.
Go in peace and love, and God bless each and every one of us.
BENEDICTION
RRUUC BUILDING DEDICATION
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Rev. Scott W. Alexander
We have dedicated this beautiful building to the high purposes of our religion…
May we now, this hour, even more dedicate OURSELVES…to serve the ideals and dreams that we would have reside in these bricks, beams and windows…walls, ceilings and floors.
May we always be visionary architects…designing both self and society with more love, justice, and hope…
May we always be strong builders…constructing both self and society with more joy, compassion, and wisdom.…
May we always come gladly to this place, as together we journey toward our best selves and the common good.
Go in Peace…
Amen…