Music: Sun Dec 10

The popular music of Andalusia, Spain’s southernmost region, reflects the cultural melting pot that distinguishes its history. In the Middle Ages, the area saw the peaceful co-existence of the three great Semitic faiths. In later centuries, Andalusia’s gypsy population would develop a musical style which transmogrified the more regular, four-square rhythms of Castilian folk music into a deeply personal, expressively wrought musical genre widely known as Flamenco. In the early twentieth century, the legendary Spanish poet and playwright Federico Garcia Lorca collected examples of this popular musical and poetic tradition, several examples of which are featured in this morning’s music, as performed by master Flamenco cantaor Fernando Barros, who hails from Granada. Read more about Fernando and his brilliant educational initiatives at http://studyflamenco.com/.

CUUC’s Choir is also on hand with radiant expressions of joy from both classical and popular traditions.

Read on for programming details.

Music for All Ages: Fernando Barros Lirola, vocals; Adam Kent, piano
Canciones españolas antiguas

            Los Mozos de Monleón

             En el café de Chinitas

Anda Jaleo, Jaleo

            Traditional Andalusian collected and arranged by Federico Garcia Lorca

Anthem:
Gloria  from Gloria   

                                                Antonio Vivaldi

       

 Offertory:
 You Are the New Day 

John David, arr. by Peter Knight  

Interlude:
Zorongo

                                                Garcia Lorca

Postlude:
La tarara

                                                Garcia Lorca

RE News: Sun Dec 3

Lifespan Religious Education

We begin December with the full activity of the season - Advent and Hanukkah lessons, Deck the Halls, Craft Fair, holiday singing, wreath sale, and holiday donations - but also with the intention of being a respite from holiday busyness. As you need to, just be present in the sanctuary or the RE wing. Embodying the spirit of the season means focusing on the connections we have with the people in this community and the peace we find here. I invite you to participate in all the fun and find moments of pause.

Please see the following six (6) announcements:

1) This Sun Dec 3
Children's Choir rehearsal before RE at 9:30 in the sanctuary. Everyone invited.
K-5th start in Fellowship Hall for Children’s Worship with special book project.
6th-12th start in classrooms.

Classes
Pre-K - Chalice Children
K-1 - Creating Home: Home in Nature
2nd-3rd - Passport to Spirituality: Germany (Christianity)
4th-5th - Bibleodeon: Hanukkah
6th-7th – Islam Intro
8th-9th – Coming of Age: God
10th-12th – Youth Group

To view the Religious Education Google calendar, CLICK HERE.
To view a spreadsheet version of the RE Calendar, CLICK HERE.

2) Bring a Gently Used Children’s Book to Donate This Sun
K-5th grade children are asked to bring a book that was or is special to them to share during Children’s Worship and then donate to the Ecumenical Food Pantry for families who do not have gifts for the holidays.

Gently used toys and new/like-new stuffed animals are also needed.

Thank you for bringing joy to families in need this season.

Contact Mary Cavallero marycava4@gmail.com for information or to help with this project.

3) Children's Choir This Sun at 9:30 and 11:30
All children are invited to participate in Children's Choir this Sun to rehearse for a performance at the Holiday Concert on Dec 17 and the Christmas Eve Service.

Please join Lisa and Lyra in Fellowship Hall at 9:30 and 11:30.

4) Deck the Halls This Sun after RE
Join us in the sanctuary after RE to create and hang decorations. Fun for all ages and something families can do together!

Special goodies at Coffee hour provided by the RE Council.

4) Wisdom Reading & Study Group This Sun at 11:40
An opportunity for spiritual growth.

Join us to discuss Becoming Wise, by Krista Tippett, and related topics.
“...This is brilliant thinking, beautiful storytelling and practical insight.” - Brené Brown

“The enduring question of what it means to be human has become inextricable from the challenge of who we are to one another.”

Related podcast and other related materials, CLICK HERE. Bring a related reading of your own.

For questions or further information, please contact Sabrina Cleary at clearytheory@gmail.com.

5) Wreaths for Sale This Sun
As part of a Boy Scout project, Will Zisson will be selling wreaths outside the main doors at CUUC after the service this Sun. Will is ready to help you decorate your door.

6) The Mitten Tree Is Coming Dec 10
Please bring mittens, hats, gloves, and scarves of all sizes into the sanctuary. They will be placed on the Mitten Tree as part of the Wonder Box story.

These items are for men, women, and children of local shelters: The Coachman Family Center, Open Arms, and Samaritan House.

Sincerely,
Perry
Director of Lifespan Religious Education and Faith Development

From the Minister, Thu Nov 30

Being a Unitarian Universalist means something. It's different from not being one. Whether you were born into this tradition, or "married into" it (discovered and joined as an adult), UU and you are now a part of each other. That means something. And what it means is constantly changing.

Like every tradition -- and, indeed, every family -- we have some things to be proud of and some things to be ashamed of. We're proud of the prominent Unitarians who worked for the abolition of slavery in the 19th century. One of them was Rev. William Furness, who served First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia. Another was Rev. Octavius Frothingham. We might prefer to forget, however, that when Rev. Furness preached against slavery in 1836, roughly half his congregation was outraged and incensed, and in 1855 Rev. Frothingham's congregation in Salem, MA pushed him out for his ardent support of Abolition. We're proud of our support of women's suffrage, and that Susan B. Anthony, Olympia Brown, and other prominent Suffragettes were Unitarian. We'd prefer to forget that for the most part these Suffragettes did not have the support of their congregations. In fact, the prominent Rev. Frothingham -- a hero among Unitarian Abolitionists -- wrote influential essays over the course of a quarter-century arguing against letting women vote.

We were, and are, proud of our presence and support in Selma in 1965. Five hundred Unitarian Universalists participated with Dr. King in that march from Selma to Montgomery, including over 140 Unitarian Universalist clergy -- 20 percent of all UU ministers in final fellowship at that time. Then, 1967-1969, we tore ourselves apart with in-fighting known among us as "the black empowerment controversy." (I gave a very brief sketch of it HERE.)

The world keeps changing. New understandings of what justice and respect require continue to emerge. Being UU has never been a guarantee of being on the right side of any social issue. The most powerful tool of our heritage, though, is a commitment to the possibility of learning and adapting.

Yours in the faith we share,
Meredith

• The December issue of On the Journey explores Embodiment. Pick up a copy at CUUC, or view it HERE.
  
• Check out the two Common Reads for 2017-18: HERE

Let's Chat

I'll be out of town on Tue Dec 5. The Tuesday coffee chat resumes on Dec 12, 3-5pm -- for anyone who might find that a convenient way to get together with their minister.

• Dec 12 & 19: Starbucks in Vernon Hills Shopping Center, 684 White Plains Rd, Scarsdale

Drop by if you can! You can also make an appointment to see me at CUUC, or invite me to visit your home. Call Pam at the church office (914-946-1660) to schedule either.

Practice of the Week

Get Into Your Body.
James Joyce tells us in his short story, “A Painful Case,” that the story’s protagonist, a Mr. James Duffy, “lived at a little distance from his body.” Maybe you know the feeling. We all have bodies, but we might seek to distance ourselves from them. We might live in our heads, “at a little distance from” our bodies. This exercise is for reducing that distance. READ MORE

Your Moment of Zen

Death. "At the point of death." Oh, is not right now that point? Are you not giving everything away? Are you not, continuously, 24/7, giving it all away?

Aitken's Case (Zen Master Raven)

Mole came to Raven privately and said, "We haven't talked about death very much. I'm not concerned about where I will go, but watching so many family members die, I'm wondering what happens at the point of death?"
Raven sat silently for a while, then said, "I give away my belongings."

Hotetsu's Verse

Bride of Christ, or of Frankenstein, or Groom of Gaia, or something --
We are all someways wedded to a large complexity
to whom our faithfulness will one day expire.
It, or She or He, will then remarry, eventually or soon,
and won't need our permission,
So I give it now, every day,
You may remarry, you may remarry, you may remarry.

Previous Moment of Zen
Saturday Zen Practice at CUUC: HERE

Get Into Your Body

Practice of the Week
Get Into Your Body

Category: Occasional. These are practices suggested for "every once in a while." Some of them are responses to a particular need that may arise; others are simply enriching occasional enhancements to the spiritual life. All of them are worth a try at least once. And any of them might become a regular and central part of your spiritual practice.

James Joyce tells us in his short story, “A Painful Case,” that the story’s protagonist, a Mr. James Duffy, “lived at a little distance from his body.” Maybe you know the feeling. We all have bodies, but we might seek to distance ourselves from them. We might live in our heads, “at a little distance from” our bodies. This exercise is for reducing that distance.

First

Do a "Body Scan Meditation." About 10 mins. Lying down or sitting comfortably:

(a) Lower your eyelids – almost but not quite closing your eyes.

(b) Bring awareness to the body breathing in and out, noticing touch and pressure where it makes
contact with the seat or floor.

(c) When you’re ready (no rush), begin by bringing attention to the bottoms of your feet. Spend a
minute or two exploring what sensations you’re having on the bottoms of your feet. Sensations
might include buzzing, or tingling, pressure, tightness or temperature, or anything else you notice. If
you don’t notice any strong sensations or things feel neutral, simply notice that. Just tune in to
what’s present, as best you can, without judgement. The main point is being curious and open to
what you are noticing, investigating the sensations as fully as possible, and then intentionally
releasing the focus of attention before shifting to the next area to explore.

(d) Move to the tops and sides of the feet, and repeat (c). Then to the ankles, shins, calves, knees,
things, and so on all the way up your body.

(e) Each time your attention wanders, simply notice that this is happening, then gently and kindly
direct your attention back to exploring sensations in the body.

(f) After you’ve reached the top of your head and spent a minute exploring the sensations there,
take a few moments to expand your attention to feeling your entire body breathing freely.

(g) When you’re ready, raise your eyelids and move gently back into the rest of your day.

Second

Do a Movement Exercise. About 5 mins. Find a suitable spot and “move in a way that feels expansive to
you. Open your arms wide, or raise your hand in a high five, or mimic Steve Martin doing his ‘wild and
crazy guy’ shoulder shimmy. Sync that movement with your breathing and notice how that changes
your mood. How did that feel? Do you notice a change in your thinking or energy level?” (Steve
Sisgold)

Third

Bodily Connect to Your Roots. 10-15 mins. (From Steve Sisgold, Whole Body Intelligence). The aim
of this exercise is to discover unconscious movement patterns – increasing self-awareness, and
affording you with choice to change those patterns (which you can’t do if you aren’t aware of them.)
Have your journal handy. Put it to the side, within reach. Sitting comfortably:

(a) Bring to mind the primary person who took care of you – Mom, Dad, Grandma – when you were
small. Choose whoever influenced you the most before age 6.

(b) Close your eyes and, in your mind’s eye, visualize how that person moves or moved through life.
Take a deep breath in and out as you do this, then open your eyes.

(c) Mimic any gestures you recall that person making. She may have swung her hands, scrunched her
nose, or exhaled with a puff when she was frustrated. As you do this, notice what sensations and
emotions you feel.

(d) Get up and walk the way you remember that person walked. After you walk like that, take a
moment to pause and reflect. You are beginning to piece together your movement history.

(e) Write down in your journal: What sensations, emotions, and discoveries do you notice when you
take on the movements of that person? Which of these discoveries are still present in the way you
move through life today? What movement patters or trains did you learn from your parents or
primary caretakers that you would like to change?

From the Ministerial Intern, Thu Nov 30

Waiting by candlelight 

December brings a month’s worth of different holiday celebrations, with their varied activities and traditions. Hanukkah, Christmas, the Winter Solstice, and Kwanzaa are the ones most familiar to me. 

Candles and candlelight are a shared characteristic of these different winter holidays, each with its own symbolism and meaning. They spread their light and dispel the darkness as they burn in the menorah, the advent wreath, and the Kwanzaa kinara, or are lit from the Yule log. 

This Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent, the four-week period of waiting and expectancy in the Christian tradition that precedes Christmas. For those who celebrate Christmas, advent wreaths help mark the passage of the four weeks with candles that signify hope, love, joy and peace. These themes provide a focal point for reflection and contemplation on the larger meaning of the holiday.

It’s easy to lose the larger meaning of any holiday when we become wrapped up in the stress, busyness and expenses of gift giving, entertaining, travel, and visits with family and friends. Rather than trying to “survive” the Christmas season, Rev. Jake Morrill, who identifies as a Christian UU, asks us to consider,

What if it wasn’t only a choice between misery or merry? What about a third option: an adequate Christmas. An adequate Christmas would have you calm and open, taking it in, accepting whatever is.

 … Treat the holidays as sacred time. Turn your attention toward tradition, toward spiritual practice, toward encouraging and welcoming God like you haven’t before. Slow it all down like you might be, in some way, attuned to the pace of the Eternal.                                                                                                                            (An Adequate Christmas, UUA Braver/Wiser blog)

In recent years, I’ve reclaimed the advent wreath tradition of my childhood church. Lighting those candles in my home in the evening is a different spiritual practice from my usual. Those candles do slow me down and invite reflection and contemplation on hope, then love, joy and peace. The warm glow of candlelight takes the chill out of the air and sheds light on what really matters.

May you, too, find an adequate holiday, whatever your tradition or spiritual practice, and the calmness and openness to embrace what is most important and meaningful to you.

Music: Sun Dec 3

Music suggestive of hope is featured in this morning’s Centering Music. Colombian composer Adolfo Mejia’s delicate Prelude, subtitled “Luminosidad de aguas”, was originally a harp solo, but works effectively in this piano transcription. American composer William Bolcom’s “Waitin’” is a tender hymn, which offers spiritual solace to all who toil in faith. The morning’s Offertory, Chopin’s so-called “Raindrop” Prelude, also holds forth the hope of transfiguration as its serene opening material returns after a turbulent central section. CUUC’s Choir is also on hand with a celebratory Alleluia as well as a timeless expression of love from The Beatles. Read on for programming details.

Centering Music: Kim Force, soprano; Adam Kent, piano

Preludio “Luminosidad de Aguas”

                                    Adolfo Mejia

Waitin’

                                                William Bolcom

Anthem: CUUC Choir directed by Lisa N. Meyer and accompanied by Georgianna Pappas

I Will 

John Lennon and Paul McCartney, arr. by Roger Emerson 

                       

Offertory:
Prelude in D-flat Major, Op. 28, No. 15 “Raindrop”

                                    Frederic Chopin

Anthem:

A Festive Alleluia 

Mary Lynn Lightfoot

Begin the Ecospiritual Path

Practice of the Week
Begin the Ecospiritual Path

Category: Ecospiritual. These practices are oriented toward developing our spirituality through our connection with our planet home and our responsibility to care for it.

Adapted from Rebecca James Hecking, The Sustainable Soul: Eco-Spiritual Reflections and Practices

Awakening is a challenging path. We who live in the industrialized West may find it uncomfortable to face the painful reality of the damage our culture has inflicted upon other people and the Earth itself, as well as dysfunctional aspects of our culture such as consumerism. We may even feel guilty and ashamed. Nevertheless, it is critical that we walk this path since its truth is often glossed over and ignored in favor of business as usual. To continue with things as they are is a recipe for global suffering, destruction and death. Sooner or later, our culture will change. The only question is whether we will change voluntarily and preserve a livable Earth for future generations, or keep our blinders firmly in place and ensure catastrophic ecological collapse in the lifetimes of our children and grandchildren.

In his masterwork, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, renowned mythologist Joseph Campbell describes the hero's journey as a process of leaving the normal world behind, journeying into a symbolic wilderness or underworld, confronting the demons or monsters that reside there, and then returning victorious with wisdom to share with others. You are embarking on such a journey. The monsters you will confront are real. Facing the reality of the state of the natural world is daunting. Leaving behind the mindless consumerism that passes for genuine culture in our day and age, you may feel as though you are quite alone in the wilderness without ever leaving home. You will be transformed and changed in ways you might not be able to imagine here at the beginning.

You will also find joy in unexpected places, and discover that you are a member of Earth's family in ways you might never have realized. You will find that you are a part of a larger community of heroes who dare to imagine and create a different sort of world. You will claim your birthright as a being who embodies the consciousness of the planet, and embrace your part in healing the Earth.

The Ecospiritual path roughly parallels Campbell's concept of a hero's journey:

1. We separate ourselves from the paradigms of the everyday world, and confront the hidden realities of business as usual.
2. We shed the dysfunctional mindsets that keep us trapped. Like the ancient Babylonian goddess Inanna, who shed the trappings of her power and status as she journeyed to the underworld, we too will let go of the illusory ideas that keep us bound to an unsustainable cultural paradigm. We move to the depths, and in so doing we break free.
3. We face a turning point. We have confronted the demons and lived to tell the tale. We find ourselves on the cusp of transformation, ripe for rebirth, and begin to ground ourselves in the deep wisdom of the Earth.
4. Finally, we emerge with a new vision, ready to recreate our culture from the inside out.

Now it's time to begin. These first exercises are designed to create a little psychological space for the inward journey to come. They are ways to honor your own process and bless your own story. Choose one or more of these practices and make a beginning. You are embarking on a her's journey of the spirit. Give yourself a hero's sendoff. Huzzah!

Practices

1. Start a Journal. Start a new one. The Ecospiritual Path will offer you many journaling prompts and questions for reflection. When you're ready, make your first entry by taking a look at your world at this moment in time. Go outside. Make a note of the date and time. Observe the world around you. What is the weather like? What flowers are in bloom? From which direction is the wind blowing? Do you see any birds? Insects? Write it all down. Sketch a little if you're so inclined. Capture this moment, right here and right now, at the beginning. Check in with yourself, and reflect on your feelings about the path ahead.

2. A Mindful Walk. Step outside your front door. Take a deep breath. Now go. Walk at least fifteen minutes away, and then back again. This is not an exercise walk. Don't go at a fast clip. Don't disconnect by listening to music. Take the world as it is. Meander. Walk at a sow to moderate pace, and actively observe the world around you. What do you see? What do you hear? How much of what you sense is natural, and how much is human-made? Do you like all you see? If you could change part of it, what would you change? Think, observe, and walk. When you arrive home again, take another deep breath and come back into your normal world.

3. An Opening Ceremony. Mark this beginning in some small but significant way by creating a meaningful and unique ceremony. Offer a prayer. Recite a poem aloud. Make a small offering out in the world. A handful of birdseed laid at the foot of a tree could represent a gift to the Earth. A small bouquet of flowers tossed into a stream could symbolize the beginning of your spiritual journey. What resonates with your soul? Keep it simple, and make it personal. Perhaps write about it when you're done.

Group Activity

Get 3 or more people together. Grab some trash bags and head out to a public area that could use a little TLC. Maybe it's a neighborhood in your town with abandoned houses. Maybe it's a park that's seen better days. Don't make a big deal of it; just go. Pick up litter for an hour, and then come back to your meeting place and have some refreshments and group reflection:

• What does the word "environmentalism" mean to you? Does it have positive or negative connotations? Or both? How about the word "Earth"? Doe the meanings vary a lot among the group members?
• When in your life have you experienced an opening ceremony of any sort? What was it like? How does this compare to your previous experience?
• Offer a prayer or a wish for a healed and restored Earth. Each participant can share her own wish such as, "I wish the oceans overflowed with fish again," or "I wish more trees would be planted for those that have been cut down." Don't force participation from shy members; just keep the prayers or wishes flowing. 
• Wrap it all up with one big group wish or closing blessing.

* * *

PRACTICES INDEX

Next Ecospiritual Practice: Face Ecological Reality