{"id":138668,"date":"2023-11-13T16:51:47","date_gmt":"2023-11-13T22:51:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/?p=138668"},"modified":"2023-11-13T16:51:47","modified_gmt":"2023-11-13T22:51:47","slug":"centered-relationships-are-key","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/centered-relationships-are-key\/","title":{"rendered":"Centered Relationships are Key"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_1258\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-138668-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"http:\/\/www.austinuuav.org\/audio\/2023-11-12_Centered_Relationships.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.austinuuav.org\/audio\/2023-11-12_Centered_Relationships.mp3\">http:\/\/www.austinuuav.org\/audio\/2023-11-12_Centered_Relationships.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.austinuuav.org\/audio\/2023-11-12_Centered_Relationships.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/?powerpress_pinw=138668-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.austinuuav.org\/audio\/2023-11-12_Centered_Relationships.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"2023-11-12_Centered_Relationships.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">Listen to the sermon by clicking the play button above.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">Rev. Carrie Holley-Hurt<br \/>November 12, 2023<br \/>First UU Church of Austin<br \/>4700 Grover Ave., Austin, TX 78756<br \/>www.austinuu.org<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">As Unitarian Universalists, we work towards building the Beloved Community, a community in which everyone&#8217;s needs are centered and met and where equity is enshrined in all we do. As we work towards this larger and universal goal we also do the work of practicing the Beloved Community in our own space. Let&#8217;s explore the role of relationships in our practice of the Beloved Community and how those relationships have the power to transform us both individually and collectively.<\/p>\n<hr align=\"center\" noshade=\"noshade\" size=\"4\" width=\"300\" \/>\n<p align=\"left\"><b>Chalice Lighting<\/b><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\">As we kindle this the flame, we honor and remember<br \/>Those who have passed into the mystery.<br \/>Their brightness lives on in our vision;<br \/>their courage lives on in our commitments;<br \/>and their love continues to bless the world through us.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\"><b>Call to Worship<\/b><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\">ANYONE&#8217;S MINISTRY<br \/>Rev. Gordon McKeeman<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">Ministry is<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>a quality of relationship between and among human beings that beckons forth hidden possibilities;<\/li>\n<li>inviting people into deeper, more constant, more reverent relationship with the world and with one another;<\/li>\n<li>carrying forward a long heritage of hope and liberation that has dignified and informed the human venture over many centuries;<\/li>\n<li>being present with, to, and for others in their terrors and torments; in their grief, misery and pain; knowing that those feelings are our feelings, too;<\/li>\n<li>celebrating the triumphs of the human spirit, the miracles of birth and life, the wonders of devotion and sacrifice;<\/li>\n<li>witnessing to life-enhancing values;<\/li>\n<li>speaking truth to power;<\/li>\n<li>speaking for human dignity and equity, for compassion and aspiration;<\/li>\n<li>believing in life in the presence of death;<\/li>\n<li>struggling for human responsibility against principalities and structures that ignore humaneness and become instruments of death.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">It is all these and much, much more than all of them, present in the wordless, the unspoken, the ineffable.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">It is speaking and living the highest we know and living with the knowledge that it is never as deep, or as wide or a high as we wish. Whenever there is a meeting that summons us to our better selves, wherever<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>our lostness is found,<\/li>\n<li>our fragments are united,<\/li>\n<li>our wounds begin healing,<\/li>\n<li>our spines stiffen and<\/li>\n<li>our muscles grow strong for the task,<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nthere is ministry.\n<p>\u00a0<\/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>Reading<\/b><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\">ONE LOVE<br \/>Rev. Dr. Hope Johnson<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">We are one, <br \/>A diverse group <br \/>Of proudly kindred spirits<br \/>Here not by coincidence&#8211; <br \/>But because we choose to journey-together.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">We are active and proactive <br \/>We care deeply <br \/>We live our love, as best we can.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">We ARE one <br \/>Working, Eating, Laughing, <br \/>Playing, Singing, Storytelling, Sharing and Rejoicing. <br \/>Getting to know each other, <br \/>Taking risks <br \/>Opening up. <br \/>Questioning, Seeking, Searching&#8230; <br \/>Trying to understand&#8230; <br \/>Struggling&#8230; <br \/>Making Mistakes <br \/>Paying Attention&#8230; <br \/>Asking Questions <br \/>Listening&#8230; <br \/>Living our Answers <br \/>Learning to love our neighbors <br \/>Learning to love ourselves.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">Apologizing and forgiving with humility <br \/>Being forgiven, through Grace.<\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">Creating the Beloved Community-Together <br \/>We are ONE.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p align=\"left\"><b>Sermon<\/b><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\">Text of this sermon is not yet available.<\/p>\n<hr align=\"center\" noshade=\"noshade\" size=\"4\" width=\"300\" \/>\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 23 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. Carrie Holley-HurtNovember 12, 2023First UU Church of Austin4700 Grover Ave., Austin, TX 78756www.austinuu.org As Unitarian Universalists, we work towards building the Beloved Community, a community in which everyone&#8217;s needs are centered and met and where equity is enshrined in all we do. As we&#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":[19,18,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-138668","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio-available","category-guest-speakers","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138668","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=138668"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138668\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":138669,"href":"https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138668\/revisions\/138669"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138668"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=138668"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/austinuu.org\/wp2013\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=138668"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}