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Rev. Chris Jimmerson
July 4, 2021
First UU Church of Austin
4700 Grover Ave., Austin, TX 78756
www.austinuu.org
For over a year and a half, we have all been on an often challenging journey together, but we are still here as a religious community. As we contemplate an upcoming return to in-person church activities, our journey will change course again. What might we need to consider to smooth the potential bumps and avoid potential roadblocks when we begin that new journey?
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
WE TRAVEL THIS ROAD TOGETHER
By Tess BaumbergerFrom the busy-ness of everyday we gather once a week to remember who we are, to dream of who we might become.
We travel this road together.
As companions on this journey, we share the milestones we meet along the way. Individual moments of joy and sorrow become shared moments of comfort and celebration.
We travel this road together.
We share this journey across differences of belief and opinion Because we value diversity and because care for one another.
We travel this road together.
Today as we take the next steps, let us notice our fellow travelers: The burdens that they carry, the songs that inspire their hearts.
We travel this road together.
As we gather in beloved community, let us open the holy havens of our hearts, Let us share the sacred places of our souls For we are pilgrims who share a common path.
We travel this road together.
Affirming Our Mission
Together we nourish souls, transform lives, and do justice to build the Beloved Community.
Learn more about Beloved Community at this link. – The King Center
Meditation Reading
A BLESSING FOR TRAVELING IN THE DARK
By Jan RichardsonGo slow
if you can.
Slower.
More slowly still.
Friendly dark
or fearsome,
this is no place
to break your neck
by rushing,
by running,
by crashing into
what you cannot see.
Then again,
it is true:
different darks
have different tasks,
and if you
have arrived here unawares,
if you have come
in peril
or in pain,
this might be no place
you should dawdle.
I do not know
what these shadows
ask of you,
what they might hold
that means you good
or ill.
It is not for me
to reckon
whether you should linger
or you should leave.
But this is what
I can ask for you:
That in the darkness
there be a blessing.
That in the shadows
there be a welcome.
That in the night
you be encompassed
by the Love that knows
your name.from Jan Richardson’s blog, The Advent Door
© Jan Richardson, janrichardson.com
Sermon
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