Water Communion and Renewal in Covid Times ~
The rhythm of the church year ‘begins’ for most UUs with Water Communion (which some congregations call Homecoming Sunday) on the Sunday after Labor Day. And as Covid Time has no clear ending yet in sight, we continue to transfer treasured community rituals and remembrances on-line.
- In keeping with these rhythms, our theme for September is Renewal.
- Though the season is fall and the year is waning, there is a sense of renewal and new beginnings…
- Though this is the end of a summer like no other, and the beginning of a school year like no other…
- We still gather anew and recommit to our community and to our ideals and to the promises we make to each other and the world. We renew our energy for another year of journeying together.
And it will be a momentous year!
We begin a new church year with our Water Communion ritual in a service for All Generations this Sunday, September 13 at 10 am.
I don’t want to give it all away, though I will say we’ll be pouring waters, taking some refreshing sips, and blowing some bubbles.
Here’s what you need for Water Communion:
- A bowl of water water mixed with dish soap.
- A straw for each member of the family.
- A glass of water and an empty cup for each family member.
- You can substitute the empty cups with a single larger bowl for the whole family.
These times are still swirling, spinning and spiraling into eddies and whirlpools, predictable only in being so unpredictable, reminding us over and over of how little in our lives we can control.
This is a great time to hold up the great questions – the old standards about the meaning of life, and new ones for a new time. Here are a few questions created by the folks at Soul Matters who give us monthly themes for worship:
- Are you sure it’s your body that’s tired, or could it be your soul?
- What if “time away” isn’t about restoring ourselves in order to return to our work, but instead about making space to decide if it’s time to reconfigure ourselves and re-imagine what our true “work” is?
- Is it time to renew your responsibility to those who will come after you?
- Is it time to renew your commitment to carry on the work of those who came before us?
- What if you saw your daily living and loving as an opportunity (even a calling) to renew others’ faith in humanity?
- Could it be that continual self-improvement is not the path to renewal but instead compassionate acceptance of who you already are, warts and all?
- What if renewing our common future isn’t just about moving forward, but instead requires a return to an honest telling of the past?
These times are still swirling, spinning and spiraling into eddies and whirlpools, predictable only in being so unpredictable. Let us continue to gather, continue to wonder, be open to what it possible.
Knowing that we are still in this together.
With Anticipation,
Rev. Dana