Meeting ID: 815 0755 1772
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Leader: A geode is a hollow rock lined with an inside layer of sparkling crystals. On the outside, geodes appear nondescript and are easily overlooked. Like a fingerprint, every geode is unique, because each geode has a unique composition that is different from every other geode.
This evening I invite us to look deeper and rediscover awe at the beauty in others and in ourselves too. In the midst of the strife and busyness of the world, it is often expedient to categorize others as “them and us” thereby further insulating ourselves in our own silos. Under the shades of skin, political and theological ideologies, cultures and genders, lies a surprising beauty common to each of us; our True selves, reflecting the One who calls us Beloved.
Song: Geodes by Carrie Newcomer
https://youtu.be/PUHdDe9El3o?si=ZCipIikDw5EU4JI-
No, you can't always tell one from another
And it's best not to judge a book by its tattered cover
I have found when I tried or looked deeper inside
What appears unadorned might be wondrously formed
You can't always tell but sometimes you just know
'Round here we throw geodes in our gardens
They're as common as the rain or corn silk in July
Unpretentious browns and grays the stain of Indiana clay
They're what's left of shallow seas, glacial rock and mystery
And inside their shines a secret bright as promise
All these things that we call familiar
Are just miracles clothed in the commonplace
And you’ll see it if you try in the next stranger's eyes
God walks around in muddy boots, sometimes rags and that's the truth
You can't always tell, but sometimes you just know
Some say geodes were made from pockets of tears
Trapped away in small places for years upon years
Pressed down and transformed, 'til the true self was born
And the whole world moved on like the last notes of a song
A love letter sent without return address
No, you can't always tell one from another
And it's best not to judge a book by its tattered cover
I have found when I tried or looked deeper inside
What appears unadorned might be wondrously formed
You can't always tell but sometimes you just know
You can't always tell but sometimes you just know
We pray, with a pause for moments of reflection between each verse:
1.May you be dazzled by the hidden Light dwelling within each individual, including the crankiest, most irritable or repugnant-acting person.
2.May you greet every new day amazed that once again the darkness of the night has been dispelled with the strengthening beams of daylight.
3.May you be gob-smacked as you look into the mirror of your life and see how much unforeseen beauty and happiness occupied the decades that have been yours.
4.May you be amazed at the inner guidance you receive when you are uncertain about what to do with unwelcome transitions pressing upon you.
5.May you be wonder-struck at the miraculous way precious life develops, whether in the dark womb of humans and creatures, or in the permeable particles of earth’s soil.
6.May you be astounded at how you’ve not only lived to be the age you are now, but have also known persons who’ve supported and invigorated your ability to enjoy life.
7.May you be surprised by the unexpected kindness and caring gestures of people who generously assist you without their being asked or expected to do so.
8.May your ability to engage with wonder be activated by using your physical senses of seeing, hearing, tasting, touching and smelling in order to notice remarkable details.
9.May the scientific findings of an expanding universe and the complexity of the cosmos lead you to be stunned with your existence on our beautiful planet moving in vast space.
10.May you be overjoyed with the wonder of a loving, Divine presence accompanying you whether in sickness or in health, in abundance or in depletion, in joy or in sorrow.
(From the Circle of Life: Joyce Rupp & Macrina Wiederkehr)
Leader: Let’s take a few minutes of silence to ponder any moment of unexpected beauty you experienced in yourself, in someone else or in nature, today.
Shared prayer: Let us briefly share any moments of awe, gratitude or prayers of petition.
Closing Prayer: One With Every Other by Annie Besant
O hidden life, vibrant in every atom;
O hidden life, shining in every creature;
O hidden love, embracing all in oneness;
May all who feel themselves as one with You, know they are therefore one with every other.*
As the evening turns to night, may we continue to surrender to gratitude and awe.
May the morning find us open to new ways of growing in courage, faith and awe.
I Will Surrender Karen Drucker
*(god has no religion; blending traditions for prayer. Frances Sheridan Goulart pg 181)
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