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We are here, as spiritual beings on a human journey, traveling through the highs and the lows, the glorious and the tragic. We have created rituals- references of time, seasons and shifts in our experience, to feel grounded and participatory in this life. Meanwhile, many physicists are telling us that it's very possible and likely that time is merely a figment of our imagination and that we are actually living in parallel dimensions with it all occurring at once. With such an expansive awareness of our universe and our place in it, it is necessary to pause and honor the corners we turn, the milestones, the past and the present. But meaning is lost when the words are irrelevant, when language is outdated, and practices are dogmatic and un-evolving. As progressive Christians, we are called to walk into the mystery of change, while at the same time keeping close to our hearts the timeless teachings of our tradition. Our life celebrations and rituals must then reflect this call, this necessary aspect of our path. Sacred community is a space to explore these traditions and to create new ones. We invite you to seek out or create community that is inclusive, compassionate, meaningful, and supportive. And our goal is to help you do so...
I hope you enjoy this eBulletin as much as I did!
~Deshna
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Ritual - It's in our DNA
Fred Plumer
Apparently the Neanderthals lived as a human species somewhere between 300,000 to 400,000 years ago. Some scholars have recently concluded that many of us may have some genetic connection to these truly ancient people. As a result there has been more interest in trying to understand the culture and traditions of these ancestors. It appears they may have had burial practices. Anthropologist have also discovered what is believed to be the caves of these prehistoric people. The artwork suggests they did have some specific rituals they practiced. Some scholars have concluded they were far more sophisticated as a society than we may have previously believed. For one thing it appears they practiced repetitive sacred rituals and ceremonies. I think we can conclude from this the need for sacred rituals just seems to be part of our DNA. I have come to believe that we humans cannot be fully satisfied or feel complete without some kind of tribal or spiritual ritual in our lives.
READ ON....
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Mindful Christianity
Jim Burklo
I invite you to join me in an experience of mindful Christianity.
Let us begin with a time of silence with eyes closed. In the quiet, observe whatever arises to take your attention. Just watch it, letting it be. Don’t try to change it or fix it. But if you have the urge to change or fix it, observe that desire! The object of your observation can be anything at all. A thought. An idea. A sensation – something your body feels, something you hear. It can be an urge – a desire – a sense of needing to do something. Just watch the urge. Let it be. Observe and watch with loving, non-judgmental, caring attention. Be a quiet presence, like a friend who stays close in silence with a loving attitude, toward your own inner experience. (5 minutes)
Who are you? The observer, or the one whom the observer observed? Or both? In my own experience of mindfulness practice, I get to a point where I identify myself more with the observer than with the observed.
Meister Eckhart, a mystical German Catholic Christian priest of the 14th century, said that “the eye with which I see God is the eye with which God sees me.”
READ ON....
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Celebrating God’s Light: A Progressive Christian Solstice
Rev. Bruce Epperly Ph. D.
We affirmed that the Christian tradition is also creation-oriented and that although God transcends the physical universe, God permeates all creation, bringing innovation, creativity, order, and beauty to this good Earth. God is in all things, and all things are in God!
As we envisioned our seasonal worship services, we wanted to present a complementary vision to the pagan-oriented equinox and solstice services to respond to the needs of seekers in our community as well as to remind ourselves of God’s abundant life and our responsibility to gardeners of creation. Following the vision of certain early Christian teachers, often referred to as the Logos theologians, we affirm that wherever truth is present, God is its source. As a seaside congregation, facing Nantucket Sound on the Atlantic, we also have an affinity with the rugged and earth-affirming spirituality of the Celtic tradition. This led to us sponsoring a Celtic morning prayer service at the outdoor tabernacle in the picturesque Craigville community, a mile from the church.
READ ON....
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In A Country Well Governed – Sermon Video
Dr. Roger L. Ray, Community Christian Church
"As we gather to celebrate Thanksgiving this week in the USA we should not forget that our “well governed” nation has reason to be ashamed of our tolerance of poverty.
Our tradition tells us that Moses described the promised land as:
(Deuteronomy 8:7-14) For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with flowing streams, with springs and underground waters welling up in valleys and hills, 8a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, 9a land where you may eat bread without scarcity, where you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron and from whose hills you may mine copper. 10You shall eat your fill and bless the Lord your God for the good land that he has given you."
Watch this Sermon Video here
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War/No More Trouble
Music Video
Playing for Change
"As we made our way around the world we encountered love, hate, rich and poor, black and white, and many different religious groups and ideologies. It became very clear that as a human race we need to transcend from the darkness to the light and music is our weapon of the future. This song around the world features musicians who have seen and overcome conflict and hatred with love and perseverance. We dont need more trouble, what we need is love. The spirit of Bob Marley always lives on. This unforgetable track was performed by musicians around the world adding their part to the song as it traveled the globe."
WATCH HERE!
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Who IS God? – Not One, Not Two – a sermon for Thanksgiving Sunday
Rev. Dawn Hutchings
YAHWEH. I AM WHO AM. I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE. I AM WHO I AM The God of our ancestors, of Sarah, Abraham, Hagar, of Moses and Miriam. Who in the wilderness sent manna, the bread of heaven. The God of our ancestors. The God of Mary and Joseph, the God of Jesus of Nazareth, the God of the disciples, the apostles, Peter and Paul, Mary and Joanna, Eunice and Lois, Thomas and John, Mary and Martha, Persila and Aquilla, “I AM the bread of life. Jesus explained to them, I am the bread of life, no one who comes to me will ever be hungry: no one who believes in me will be thirsty.
READ ON...
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A Joyful Path, Children's Curriculum
Lesson 35 from Year One: Experiencing God as Joy
“The Lonely Shepherd”
We know true joy when we experience the reality of God’s presence within.
The word joy is used at Christmastime so often that it is almost synonymous with the season. When we have an inner awareness of the presence of God, we experience joy. When we celebrate the birth of Christ, we celebrate that living presence born on earth. Joyful day! God’s presence can be experienced in every moment of our lives when we become aware that the reality of God never changes; it is not dependent on circumstance or season.
SPIRITUAL AFFIRMATION: My joy is complete when I experience God’s living presence within.
Read On... or purchase lesson here
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Past Weekly Liturgy - Milestones
The milestones in our lives — births and baptisms, marriages, funerals and life celebrations — need new words to fit our new understandings. Even for people without a church community, the milestones matter. And so the words matter.
READ ON...
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A Cosmic Silent Night
Music Video
The Great Story
"Silent night, holy night is a perennial favourite! T’is the season for nostalgia. But what if we are serious about providing more than nostalgia in our worship? Can we, or do we even dare to offer worshippers new images that endeavour to engage our reality? Can we touch the spiritual but not religious crowds that wander into our sanctuaries seeking an encounter with the Mystery we call God, with a hint of our unknowing. Or are we content to address only the nostalgia seekers with safe images designed only to warm and not excite the imagination? Dare we beckon the nostalgia seekers beyond their memories toward the future? I wonder? Maybe we can summon up the courage to compromise by simply adding a few new verses? The challenge belongs to all of us to write new words to enable us to sing our praise with integrity." ~Rev. Dawn Hutchings
Here is a great example of just that...
WATCH HERE...
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