Meeting ID: 815 0755 1772
To connect by phone dial: +1 646 558 8656
Welcome and Theme: Listening Compassionately (Suzanne)
The way we can heal our own pain is turning to the pain of others. It is a virtuous cycle. The more we turn toward others, the more joy we experience, the more we can bring joy to others. The goal is not just to create joy for ourselves but, as Archbishop Tutu suggests, “to be a reservoir of joy, an oasis of peace, a pool of serenity that can ripple out to all those around you.” … joy is in fact quite contagious. As is love, compassion, and generosity.” From The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World. Dalai Lama XIV and Archbishop Desmond Tutu with Co-author Douglas Carlton Abrams (2016)
Opening Song: Come be in our Hearts by Sara Thomsen
https://youtu.be/gwxldz6oH2w?si=Hk85wimSN5JjtIgw
Opening Prayer: (Sharon)
Paul’s letter to the Philippians 2:1-5 Imitating Christ’s Humility – The Inclusive New Testament
If our life in Christ means anything to you – if love, or the Spirit that we have in common, or any tenderness or sympathy can persuade you at all – then be united in your convictions and united in your love, with a common purpose and a common mind. That is the one thing that would make me completely happy. There must be no competition among you, no conceit, but everyone is to be humble: value others over yourselves, each of you thinking of the interests of others before your own.
First Reading: (Kathy W)
A poem from Edwina Gateley’s book A Mystical Heart: 52 Weeks in the Presence of God (1998)
Rest your bones in silence,
still your racing heart,
close your tired and restless eyes,
and come awhile apart.
Leave everything behind you,
come naked and bereft,
you will receive a hundredfold
of all that you have left.
Rest with God, beloved,
who waits for you alone,
to pause upon your journey
and stay with God at home.
Come swiftly, loved, and precious one,
God longs to sit with you,
to absorb your lovely presence
as the flower holds the dew.
Second Reading: Wisdom from Lindy Sanford Martinez (Sharon)
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Darkness And Light
I learned a great deal from the Sacred Text I saw in Nature today. Sadness, disappointment, and loneliness touch each of us from time to time. Sometimes we don’t even notice our injured restlessness until a little thing happens… We forget that the Sun rises every morning! Even when situations encourage us to block our sight of Her. She is always near. Her warm rays reach through the darkness to remind us. That we are loved… just as we are. Today!!! That all She wants from us is to love and be loved. To Love one another with justice, equality, and compassion.
When we do, we can often feel those rays of love She spills over the mountains of our discouragement, disappointment, loneliness, and more…through our own darkness.
When we remember that Love is here, all around us…when we accept it with gratitude…we sometimes notice the seeds of Peace and Joy the Universe has placed in our minds, hearts, and souls. And sometimes scatter them on others. Those Seeds have always been there. Let's water them! I am feeding mine this morning by treasuring the little taste of Wisdom that brief darkness brought today!
Lindy Sanford-Martinez Sep 27, 2023
Thoughtful Action: Compassionate Listening Project suggested by a member of the Upper Room (Suzanne)
https://www.compassionatelistening.org/
The Compassionate Listening Project empowers individuals and communities to transform conflict and create cultures of peace and healing. We accomplish this through workshops, facilitator training, listening journeys and partnerships with humanitarian, social justice, and peace-building groups. Our offerings cultivate practices that hold courageous and generative space to bring people together across differences.
Guided by our commitment to listen and speak from the heart, we cultivate a living culture that grounds our vision, principles, practices, and values. This culture embraces human dignity, equity, and inclusivity, as we aspire to expand our ability to authentically see each other as human beings. We humbly believe that this journey is a continual process of learning and unlearning.
Intentions: Requests from those gathered – Led by Kathy W
Closing Blessing Song: by Jan Phillips
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