“Beginning Anew. Gradually. Part Two

Ponderings of the Spiritual Life Director

Bless the LORD, O my soul…who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Last week, I talked about renewal as a gradual process, just as an eagle gradually renews her feathers, and is able to stay aflight while doing so.  But, what does it mean to return to the vigor of our youth?  For me, it means a couple of different things.  First is the excitement of vision and the enthusiasm to journey towards that vision.  It’s invigorating to come up with new ideas and share them with others.  Often, the end result doesn’t look exactly like our original vision, but often enough, it’s even better if we’ve worked at it with love and allowed for the creative force of change.  It can be anything from a painting to opening a restaurant to engineering a spacecraft!  Our visions are our lifelines- they put the life into being alive and provide the meaning between birth and death.  I felt truly blessed to be able to hear Richard’s vision for the church during last Sunday’s service, especially this: “We all have gifts that contribute to the vitality and magic of this congregation, and we have the power to co-create a church which is inspiring, energizing, and which burns bright in our hearts and minds every day – not just on Sundays.”  This lines up with my aspirations, too- that all of our visions are embraced and we live our faith daily, touching the world with the magic of love.  What’s your vision?  I’d love to hear it.

 

Second, returning to our youth means returning to a way of experiencing the holy that is experiential and sensory.  In the book of Matthew 18:3, Jesus says, “assuredly, I say to you, unless you change and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”  If we, as Unitarian Universalists, aspire to create heaven here on earth, then it stands to reason that we should widen our avenues of experiencing what we come to church for- connection, peace, justice, the beloved community, and to wonder together about the sacred mysteries of life.  That being said, I hope you will join us for our monthly multigenerational worship service this Sunday and open yourself up to different ways of worshipping and knowing the holy that will renew “the vigor of thy youth”.  Together, our visions for the future can be created and our living will be invigorated and renewed.

Namaste,

Heather