{"id":136302,"date":"2022-06-12T16:41:56","date_gmt":"2022-06-12T22:41:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/?p=136302"},"modified":"2022-06-12T16:41:57","modified_gmt":"2022-06-12T22:41:57","slug":"celebrating-blessings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/celebrating-blessings\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating Blessings"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_1215\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-136302-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"http:\/\/www.austinuuav.org\/audio\/2022-06-12_Celebrating_Blessings.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.austinuuav.org\/audio\/2022-06-12_Celebrating_Blessings.mp3\">http:\/\/www.austinuuav.org\/audio\/2022-06-12_Celebrating_Blessings.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.austinuuav.org\/audio\/2022-06-12_Celebrating_Blessings.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/?powerpress_pinw=136302-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.austinuuav.org\/audio\/2022-06-12_Celebrating_Blessings.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"2022-06-12_Celebrating_Blessings.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">Listen to the sermon by clicking the play button above.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">Rev. Chris Jimmerson<br \/>June 12, 2022<br \/>First UU Church of Austin<br \/>4700 Grover Ave., Austin, TX 78756<br \/>www.austinuu.org<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">How might we express a Unitarian Universalist concept of a blessing? How might we be blessings for one another? What are the blessings to be found in day-to-day living? We will explore these questions and more as we discover how me might celebrate our blessing that may be greater than we often realize.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<hr align=\"center\" noshade=\"noshade\" size=\"4\" width=\"300\" \/>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\"><b>Chalice Lighting<\/b><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\">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.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\"><b>Call to Worship<\/b><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\">So what, then, does it mean to offer a blessing, to be a blessing?<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">To bless something or someone is to invoke its wholeness, to help remind the person or thing you are blessing of its essence, its sacredness, its beauty, and to help remind yourself of that, too. Blessing does not fix anything. It is not a cure.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">A blessing does not fix us. It does not instill health or well-being or strength. Instead, it reminds us that those things are already there, within us.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">&#8211; Elea Kemler<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\"><b>Affirming Our Mission <\/b><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\">Together we nourish souls, transform lives, and do justice to build the Beloved Community.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><b>Meditation Reading<\/b><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\">BELOVED IS WHERE WE BEGIN<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">If you would enter <br \/>into the wilderness, <br \/>do not begin <br \/>without a blessing. <\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">Do not leave <br \/>without hearing <br \/>who you are: <br \/>Beloved,<br \/>named by the One <br \/>who has traveled this path <br \/>before you. <\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">Do not go<br \/>without letting it echo <br \/>in your ears, <br \/>and if you find <br \/>it is hard<br \/>to let it into your heart, <br \/>do not despair. <\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">That is what <br \/>this journey is for.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">I cannot promise <br \/>this blessing will free you <br \/>from danger, <br \/>from fear, <br \/>from hunger <br \/>or thirst, <br \/>from the scorching of sun <br \/>or the fall of the night. <\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">But I can tell you <br \/>that on this path <br \/>there will be help. <\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">I can tell you <br \/>that on this way <br \/>there will be rest. <\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">I can tell you <br \/>that you will know <br \/>the strange graces <br \/>that come to our aid <br \/>only on a road such as this, <br \/>that fly to meet us <br \/>bearing comfort and strength, <br \/>that come alongside us <br \/>for no other cause <br \/>than to lean themselves <br \/>toward our ear <br \/>and with their curious insistence <br \/>whisper our name: <\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">Beloved.<br \/>Beloved. <br \/>Beloved.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">&#8211; Jan Richardson <br \/>from Circle of Grace<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\"><b>Sermon<\/b><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\">BLESSING WHEN THE WORLD IS ENDING<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">Look, the world <br \/>is always ending <br \/>somewhere. <\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">Somewhere<br \/>the sun has come <br \/>crashing down.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">Somewhere <br \/>it has gone completely dark.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">Somewhere<br \/>it has ended with the gun, <br \/>the knife, <br \/>the fist.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">Somewhere <br \/>it has ended with <br \/>the slammed door, <br \/>the shattered hope.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">Somewhere<br \/>it has ended <br \/>with the utter quiet <br \/>that follows the news <br \/>from the phone, <br \/>the television, <br \/>the hospital room.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">Somewhere <br \/>it has ended <br \/>with a tenderness <br \/>that will break your heart. <\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">But, listen, <br \/>this blessing means <br \/>to be anything<br \/>but morose. <\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">It has not come <br \/>to cause despair.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">It is simply here <br \/>because there is nothing <br \/>a blessing <br \/>is better suited for <br \/>than an ending, <br \/>nothing that cries out more <br \/>for a blessing <br \/>than when a world <br \/>is falling apart. <\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">This blessing <br \/>will not fix you, <br \/>will not mend you, <br \/>will not give you <br \/>false comfort; <\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">it will not talk to you <br \/>about one door opening when another one closes. <br \/>It will simply sit itself beside you <br \/>among the shards <br \/>and gently turn your face <br \/>toward the direction <br \/>from which the light will come, <br \/>gathering itself <br \/>about you <br \/>as the world begins again.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">&#8211; Jan Richardson <br \/>from Circle of Grace: A Book of Blessings for the Seasons<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\">Text of this sermon is not yet available.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<hr align=\"center\" noshade=\"noshade\" size=\"4\" width=\"300\" \/>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><a href=\"http:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/category\/sermons\/indexes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>SERMON INDEX<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">Most sermons during the past 22 years are available online through this website. Click on the index link above to find tables of all sermons for each year listed by date (newest to oldest) with topic and speaker. Click on a topic to go to that sermon.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><a href=\"http:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/podcast\/first-unitarian-universalist\/id372427776\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>PODCASTS<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">Podcasts of this and other sermons are also available for free on iTunes. You can find them by clicking on the podcast link above or copying and pasting this link. https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/podcast\/first-unitarian-universalist\/id372427776<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Listen to the sermon by clicking the play button above. Rev. Chris JimmersonJune 12, 2022First UU Church of Austin4700 Grover Ave., Austin, TX 78756www.austinuu.org How might we express a Unitarian Universalist concept of a blessing? How might we be blessings for one another? What are the blessings to be found in day-to-day living? We will&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[19,27,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-136302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio-available","category-chris-jimmerson","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136302","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136302"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136302\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":136303,"href":"https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136302\/revisions\/136303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}