Hearth Lessons
Oh flame,
Like so many we have lit before you
In countless generations
We now extinguish you
But never the lessons we learn
By your light.
These we carry on with us.
31 October 2021
Touch What Is Timeless
We gather round this little flame
As we and our ancestors have so many times before.
We gather for love, for care, for joy, for connection.
We bring all these needs and more
Into our circle
As we light this chalice.
27 September 2024
Another Way of Being
We light our chalice in this hour
That in its glow,
As in the light of the morning sun
We may let our own perspectives change.
09 August 2020
The Space Between Moments
The world throws our lives into motion
As one year emerges from another
Spinning between what we leave behind and what awaits us.
We light this chalice for a moment
In this season of motion
To be with one another.
~~~
May this moment we have shared with one another
And the significance we have created here
Kindle our spirits
That our ways may be lit
Even after we extinguish this chalice.
17 January 2024
Morning Sun
We light our chalice in this hour
That in its glow,
As in the light of the morning sun
We may let our own perspectives change.
12 July 2020
Transfermation
As we go on our separate ways,
May we transform the work of our lives
And let our lives be transformed.
May we carry forth the lessons we have learned
By the light of this chalice.
01 August 2021
The Greater Light
To the light of this space, we say farewell
But we carry the greater light
Kindled by our care for each other
Out into our lives, together.
20 December 2020
The Longest Night
We gather, each of us, on the verge of the longest night
With a little flame in our hearts
Among the twilight
That together the flames of our hearts
May warm and bring light to each other.
May we welcome the light of this time together.
20 December 2020
On This Journey Together
From many places, faiths, worldviews, experiences
we come into this hour to be together.
As we light this chalice, symbol and beacon of our tradition,
may its light remind us of our journey
to find truth, meaning, and connection together.
~~~
We go from here on our many separate and interwoven ways.
Though we extinguish this chalice,
we cannot extinguish the meaning and connection
we have found in each other’s company.
May we carry these with us as we move through our lives.
02 May 2021
Spiritual Preparation
In the light and warmth of this circle
We have nurtured the bonds of our community.
As we extinguish this chalice and return to our wider lives
May the nurturance we have found here lead us.
September 2023
We Never Leave
Though we go from our time together
And from the light of this chalice
May we leave neither of these truly behind.
Let’s carry the light that was once before us, now within us.
12 July 2020
Good Works
This living, saving faith
Is a faith of good works.
As our values guide our actions,
May the light of this flame guide us through this hour.
23 July 2023
Responsible Risk
We light this chalice for everyone who has gone before us,
to make the world a more just place.
We light this chalice for everyone (ourselves included!)
who follows their example today.
And we light this chalice for everyone
who will see a just world after us.
March 2023
Into the Night
We extinguish this chalice,
cup its light to our hearts,
so that we may see the darkness more clearly.
Let us go forth into our lives this way.
29 November 2020
This was originally written to accompany "Embrace the Night" by Rev. Jennifer Gracen.
Leaving The Place Beyond Place
We cross a threshold as we extinguish this flame
And leave this space, with its wonder, hopes, and dreams.
But when we do so,
We carry these into the wider world
Our lives changed even a little.
09 August 2020
Led By Inner Light
Though we go from our time together
And from the light of this chalice
May we leave neither of these truly behind.
Let’s carry the light that was once before us, now within us.
12 July 2020
Longing For What Guides Us
Awe. Centering. Transcendence.
As each of these are flames within us
May we light our chalice in their spirit
And search for them in this holy place.
~~~
Transcendence. Centering. Awe.
None of these can be found in any one place, in any one word
As they have guided us this time,
by the light of this chalice,
May they guide us in our wider lives.
16 July 2023
On this Sunday we honor Vesak with our Buddhist siblings.
We light this chalice that in its glow
we may remember the Buddha’s own birth, death, and enlightenment.
In its glow may we remember all the ways of enlightenment we seek in our own lives.
~~~
We extinguish this chalice,
and remember that all things come to an end.
Our service today has ended,
and our paths toward Enlightenment unfold before us.
03 May 2020