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Rev. Erin Walter
August 28, 2022
First UU Church of Austin
4700 Grover Ave., Austin, TX 78756
www.austinuu.org
In her first service as part of our interim ministry team, Rev. Erin Walter will share two cherished texts — one from scripture and one from our hymnal — and reflect on the relationship between joy, justice, and interim ministry.
Chalice Lighting
This is the flame we hold in our hearts as we strive for justice for everyone. This is the light we shine upon systems of oppression until they are no more. This is the warmth that we share with one another as our struggle becomes our salvation.
Call to Worship
I can feel the change coming
Like growing pains
I feel the change in my bones
Pulling me
Stretching me
Forming me
Into the true I am
Can you feel it?
The change in our bodies
As we adapt
Grow
Change
The weight shifting and molding to fit
This evolving body that we are in
Guided by faith that this too will pass
We can survive this because our ancestors survived
Can you feel them in your DNA?
You, a mixture of their particles that was molded to
fit your spirit
Change and shift
Mold and grow
Yet in some ways
we stay the same– Matthew P Taylor
Affirming Our Mission
Together we nourish souls, transform lives, and do justice to build the Beloved Community.
Meditation Reading
MIRIAM’S DAUGHTER
By Mandie McGlynnI am the daughter of Miriam
she taught me how to dance
over my freedom
without stepping on the bodies
of my would-be captors.
She taught me to walk headlong
into impossible waters,
to lead the crowd through the narrow place
with utter faith that it will hold
long enough for us to get free.
She taught me how to tie my sandals
for a long, unknown journey.
And most of all, she taught me
-by doing, more than telling-
how to quietly pack tambourines
in the terrifying dark of night
when we barely have space to carry
sufficient food, water, and blankets
to last us through the miles ahead.
She taught me that it’s not enough
to scrape by and survive-
we must also be willing and prepared
to dance with joy when liberation arrives.
We must believe so deeply in our souls
in the arrival of that time
that we place those timbrels in our packs
and pray to the Holy One to send us food.
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