“Be Who You Are, and May You Be Blessed in All That You Are” Intergenerational Service

The following is a text version of my last service, "Be Who you Are, and May you be blessed in all that you are."

The service was intergenerational and hands on/interactive. Scroll down for a congregational book making activity celebrating the diversity found in our congregations. The activity was very successful, and is still a conversation piece on our information table.

“Be Who You Are, and May You Be Blessed in All That You Are”

Gathering Music & Story What I be by Michael Franti

Welcome & Introductions

Good morning! Today’s service title is, Be Who You Are, and May you Be Blessed in All That You Are." I am hoping we can take the time this morning to step back and honor each other for what we bring to our fellowship as individuals, and as a collective spirit. Unitarian Universalism affirms the inherent worth and dignity of every life, we value the individual spirit and personality, and we remind our children regularly of the first principle in children’s language, Each person is important.

As we have struggled to both create and maintain this fellowship community, the lesson we have learned over and over again is that we are only as strong as our commitment to each other. We are a religious community made up of unique individuals who have a wide variety of skills and passions that help us be who we are. Today, we take the time to look each other in the eyes and say thank you for being here, thank you for helping our fellowship thrive, and thank you for just being you. Indulge me for a moment as I ask you to please turn to the people near you at this time and say simply this, “Thank You for Being Here.”

We end many of our services with the statement, "Be Who You Are, and may you be blessed in all that you are." I hope as our service proceeds today, we will all keep the spirit of these words in mind as we reflect on the ideas of Being who we are, understanding ourselves and how we fit into this world, this community, our smaller circles of friends and families, and in the end, how we fit into our own hearts and minds.

Today’s Service is intergenerational in nature, so everyone is encouraged to stay upstairs this morning as long as they can, I’ll do my best to keep it interesting and I hope we can all share a little patience and indulgence towards the younger people in our congregation.

If you are a visitor to our fellowship today, I want to give you a special welcome and say thank you for joining us, and I hope you feel as welcome as you could possibly feel this morning. We are glad you are here.

Unitarian Universalism claims no statement of doctrine, but offers instead a list of generally accepted principles and purposes in which we can look to for guidance if we so desire. We value each individual spiritual journey, and believe that there are many ways one can lead a religious and spiritual life.

Our fellowship affirms these principles, and strives to become a welcoming place for all who seek fellowship in their spiritual journey. We are a lay led congregation, in which our religious services are planned and coordinated by the members of our congregation. We do not pass an offering plate during our services. If you would like to contribute to the work of our fellowship, offerings can be made in the wooden bowl at the sanctuary entrance. If you are a visitor to our fellowship, we welcome you to sign the registry at the back table as well.

At this time, I have asked ________ to step forward as we light the chalice, the symbol of our faith and living tradition.

Open Words & Kindling the Chalice #435 We Come Together

We come together this morning to remind one another
to rest for a moment on the forming edge of our lives,
to resist the headlong tumble into the next moment,
until we claim for ourselves
awareness and gratitude,
taking the time to look into one another’s faces
and see there communion: the reflection of our own eyes.

This house of laughter and silence,
memory and hope,
is hallowed by our presence together.

Joys, Sorrows, Thoughts, and Concerns
Moment of Silence

Responsive Reading #652 The Great End in Religious Instruction

Musical Interlude: Time and Space by The Accidental

Lyrics:
Time and space stretch out before you
And the universe implores you
To take your place
Amongst all things
And to see what the morning brings
To your own self be true
There's nothing more to do

You are young and the world is open
So many words you've never spoken
Don't be afraid to stand your ground
When your time it comes around
To your own self be true
There's nothing more to do

You are part of everything
Find your voice and start to sing

Time and space stretch out before you
And the universe implores you
To take your place
Amongst all things
And to see what the morning brings
You are part of everything
You are part of everything

Reading: First Principles by Mark Belletini

Book Making & Reading: I am Unitarian Universalist.

Introductions and Instructions:

These are the words we have heard this morning:

Be who you are,

affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every life,

to your own self be true,

you are part of everything.

I am simply me. Others are who they are.

All of us are together, different.

What I be is what I be.

But what do these words mean? How do we know who we are? What questions do we ask ourselves? Who are we? Who am I? What am I? What do I love? What do I reject? What do I believe? How do I know?

These are important questions because being who you are means knowing who you are. We cannot know who we are until we take the time to think about who we are.

Instructions for Book Making

1. Begin by making enough cards for each person in your congregation ahead of time. I used a method introduced to me by Montessori Mama to make water color papers, but any heavy card stock will do.
2. Ask each person to write a statement about themselves beginning with the words, "I AM."
3. Bind the pages together with a title page. We used the title "I AM UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST"
   
4. Keep this book on display in your fellowship or church for others to enjoy!
   

Musical Interlude: La Marche Du Caméléon by Madou Djembé

Book Reading: Read aloud the book pages that you just made. In our congregation, we shuffled the pages and redistributed so that each person read someone else's page.


(Announce significance of this weekend in GLBT Community, National coming out day on October 11th, and October 12 as the marking of ten years passed since the murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay man who was brutally killed for nothing less than being who he was.)

Candle Lighting & Memoriam to Matthew Shepard
Music: Song for Matthew by Arjuna Greist
Hymn: #118 This Little Light of Mine

Closing Words & Extinguishing the Chalice:

#679 Be ye lamps unto yourselves; be your own confidence. Hold to the truth within yourselves as to the only lamp.

Closing Music: A Little Help From My Friends played on piano by I. Green

Please, turn now and greet each other with the words. "Be who you are and may you be blessed in all that you are." Thank You.