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2022-04-08
Religious Education: April 10, 2022
Minister's Post, Fri Apr 8
Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem -- where he was found to be a criminal and executed within a week. It's a story that asks us to reflect on whether other people we think of as criminals might actually be living out of a deep and authentic wisdom. Here's how Casey Overton reflected on Palm Sunday:
What would it mean if, instead of chastising rule-breakers among us, we press charges against the rules themselves which have made liberation untenable? What would it mean if we began to hallow not just the political prisoner but the disenfranchised dealer benefiting from an alternative economy and heterodox heretics and other revolutionaries who dare to hold the law in the lowest regard? So here’s to the misfits and miscreants. Here’s to all the people who break the rules because they know those rules break the people. May we reject the colonial category of the “criminal” in governments as well as our interpersonal dealings with the “outlaws” in our communities. May we begin to honor you misunderstood messengers for the wells of wisdom that you are. May our houses of worship be a refuge for you when the empire retaliates.What do you think?
Yours in the faith we share,
Meredith
Join a Journey Group: http://cucwp.org/journey-groups
I.C.Y.M.I. (In Case You Missed It)
The Mar 27 worship service, "Biology and Spirituality":
PRACTICE OF THE WEEK: Be Determined
From Norman Fischer’ Training in Compassion. Trainings #15-20 are "Grow the Five Virtues." Specifically, #15 is "Determination."
Yes, it’s good advice not to take yourself too seriously. But do take yourself seriously enough. Take yourself seriously as a dignified spiritual practitioner. You have within you a powerful energy to accomplish the spiritual path. Determination will reveal this to you. At our best we all have high purposes, noble goals, even if we are modest about them.
But we forget them. The daily grind takes us far from our reasons for doing what we do. We get lost in the details, absorbed in the problems.
To practice strong determination is to intentionally stay connected to our higher goals, remembering that we truly are spiritual practitioners. We can do what needs to be done to live a noble life. Don't be afraid to be forthright and resolute about it and to use bold language with yourself. You might say to yourself:
"I am a spiritual warrior, and though this may not be apparent to others, inside it is clear to me. I am a sage in the making. Maybe it will take a long time. Maybe I won't complete the job in the days I have. But there's no doubt that I am on a serious spiritual path."That's the spirit of strong determination. So compose a speech like that for yourself and repeat it to yourself from time to time – in meditation, on the commuter train, whenever you can.
See the full post: Be Determined
Here it is, your...
MOMENT OF ZEN
#115: Liberation
Unable to grasp the many kind explanations Raven has already given, Woodpecker now asks yet another variation on the same question. Raven, whose compassion knows no bounds, patiently explains.
Case
Helping Raven arrange the flowers before a meeting, Woodpecker asked, "What's liberation?"Verse
Raven said, "Another couple of daffodils on this side, I think."
Woodpecker said "You're not answering my question."
Raven said, "Daffodils."
The orange five-ball, rolling across the green felt,
Its vector determined by
angle and magnitude of the force that acted upon it:
So utterly free, so totally liberated.
I, watching, cue stick in hand:
Another matter.
Case by Robert Aitken; introduction and verse by Meredith Garmon
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2022-04-06
Music: Sun Apr 10
Perhaps Jesus sauntered into Jerusalem to the jaunty beat of a Rag, as Scott Joplin’s “Palm Leaf Rag” would seem to suggest. For a more traditional view of a triumphant procession, please see this morning’s other musical selections. Read on for programming details, and stay tuned for spoken introductions.
Gather in Music: Adam Kent, piano
Carnaval, Op. 9
Preambule
Robert Schumann
Polonaise in A Major, Op. 40, No. 1
Frederic Chopin
Offertory: CUUC Choir directed by Lisa N. Meyer and accompanied by Georgianna Pappas
Meditation:
Prelude in E Major, Op. 28, No. 9
Chopin
Interlude:
Palm Leaf Rag
Scott Joplin
Postlude:
Sailors’ Song, Op.68, No. 1
Edvard Grieg
Determination
Practice of the Week
Determination
Determination
Category: Slogans to Live By: Practices for everyone to keep in mind and pay attention to. These practices don't require setting aside a separate substantial chunk of time. Just have the intention to grow stronger in each of these areas as you go about your day, and sometimes make one of them the focus of your daily journaling. The titles of these practices are guiding slogans to live by.
Adapted from Norman Fischer, Training in Compassion
When you stop to think about it, what are you after in your life anyway? What is it that you most would like to accomplish or manifest with this one short, precious life you have been given? Of course you want to love and take care of your family and accomplish something in this world. You want to be someone, have some kind of identity in the world. We all need this and all it entails, in whatever way is possible for us to establish it. But why? Because we want to be good people, and we want to fulfill our highest human destiny.
At our best we all have high purposes, noble goals, even if we are modest about them. But we forget them. The daily grind takes us far from our reasons for doing what we do. We get lost in the details, absorbed in the problems. To practice strong determination is to intentionally stay connected to our higher goals and to remind us that we truly are spiritual practitioners; we are heroes; we can make effort; we can do what needs to be done to live a noble life.
To make this into a concrete practice, you could compose a short speech for yourself to this effect. Don't be afraid to be forthright and resolute about it and to use bold language.
"I might look like a merely ordinary person, but I am not. I am a spiritual warrior, a spiritual hero, and though this may not be apparent to others, inside it is clear to me. I definitely will be a sage! Maybe it will take a long time, maybe I won't complete the job in this lifetime. But there's no doubt about it whatsoever. I refuse to be stuck for good with my ordinary limited point of view; I'm leaving that behind. I'm going forward!"That's the spirit of strong determination. So compose a speech like this for yourself and repeat it to yourself from time to time -- in meditation, on the commuter train, whenever you can.
For Journaling
In your journal, write out your determination speech.
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For list of all weekly practices: "Spiritual Practice Directory"
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