Photo Credit: Kala Wilkins
“Return to Innocence"
Sunday, October 9, 2022, 10:00am, in person at South Church and via Zoom
Prelude A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood by F. Rogers
Welcome and Announcements Denise Woodin, Board Member of the Week
Chalice Lighting and Opening Words Robin Reichert
Let us worship with our eyes and ears and fingertips;
Let us love the world through heart and mind and body.
We feed our eyes upon the mystery and revelation in the faces of our brothers and sisters.
We seek to know the wistfulness of the very young and the very old, the wistfulness of people in all times of life.
We seek to understand the shyness behind arrogance, the fear behind pride, the tenderness behind clumsy strength, and the anguish behind cruelty.
All life flows into a great common life, if we will only open the eyes of our hearts to our companions.
Let us worship, not in bowing down, not with closed eyes and stopped ears.
Let us worship with the opening of all the windows of our beings, with the full outstretching of our spirits.
Life comes with singing and laughter, with tears and confiding, with a rising wave too great to be held in the mind and heart and body, to those who have fallen in love with life.
Let us worship, and let us learn to love.
*Hymn Let It Be a Dance (#311)
*Candles of Joy and Concern This is a time for a brief sharing of personal joys and concerns.
Silent Candles and Musical Meditation
Offering Lyric Piece by E. Grieg
If you are online and wish to give to FUSW, after the service please
go to https://www.fusw.org/giving.html. A link will also be placed in the chat at the end of the service.
Reading A poem by Robin Reichert read by Susan Greenberg
Do you know the truth of you,
The depth and breadth and soul of you,
Before the scolding and molding and shaping of you?
Your gift is the dreaming, the scheming, the wish of you,
The hope, the imagine, the prayer of you.
That part you think missing is the hop, the skip, and the carefree of you.
The spark of you knows the seed, the bud, and the flower of you!
The heart of you sees the promise, the ocean, and star of you.
The spirit of you sings, and twirls, and dances you.
How do you awaken the lost memory of you?
Stand at the mirror,
Look into the eager eyes of you, and wait…
Until you touch the wonder, the awe, and the magic of you,
Until you fathom the gold, the silver, the gem of you,
Until you draw out the art, the music, the flair of you,
Until you embrace the love, the peace, and the fire of you!
Sermon “Return to Innocence” – Robin Reichert
*Hymn ‘Tis a Gift to Be Simple (#16)
*Personal Reflections
This is a time for sharing about the ways in which today’s worship has made a difference for you.
Closing Words and Chalice Extinguishing Robin Reichert
How short the daylight hours have now become. How gray the skies, how barren seem the trees.
A damp and chilling wind has gripped my mind and made me gloomy, too.
But there is that in me which reaches up toward light and laughter, and singing,
And knows that my religious myth and dream of reborn joy and goodness must be true,
Because it speaks the truths of older myths;
That the light returns to balance darkness, life surges in the evergreen - and us,
And babes are hope, and saviors of the world, as miracles abound in common things.
Rejoice! And join in the gladness of life!
*First, we will hear from the people seated in-person, then we will hear from people joining us on Zoom via video, and then we will hear from the people on audio only. This will be explained in greater detail during the service.
Welcome and Announcements Denise Woodin, Board Member of the Week
Chalice Lighting and Opening Words Robin Reichert
Let us worship with our eyes and ears and fingertips;
Let us love the world through heart and mind and body.
We feed our eyes upon the mystery and revelation in the faces of our brothers and sisters.
We seek to know the wistfulness of the very young and the very old, the wistfulness of people in all times of life.
We seek to understand the shyness behind arrogance, the fear behind pride, the tenderness behind clumsy strength, and the anguish behind cruelty.
All life flows into a great common life, if we will only open the eyes of our hearts to our companions.
Let us worship, not in bowing down, not with closed eyes and stopped ears.
Let us worship with the opening of all the windows of our beings, with the full outstretching of our spirits.
Life comes with singing and laughter, with tears and confiding, with a rising wave too great to be held in the mind and heart and body, to those who have fallen in love with life.
Let us worship, and let us learn to love.
*Hymn Let It Be a Dance (#311)
*Candles of Joy and Concern This is a time for a brief sharing of personal joys and concerns.
Silent Candles and Musical Meditation
Offering Lyric Piece by E. Grieg
If you are online and wish to give to FUSW, after the service please
go to https://www.fusw.org/giving.html. A link will also be placed in the chat at the end of the service.
Reading A poem by Robin Reichert read by Susan Greenberg
Do you know the truth of you,
The depth and breadth and soul of you,
Before the scolding and molding and shaping of you?
Your gift is the dreaming, the scheming, the wish of you,
The hope, the imagine, the prayer of you.
That part you think missing is the hop, the skip, and the carefree of you.
The spark of you knows the seed, the bud, and the flower of you!
The heart of you sees the promise, the ocean, and star of you.
The spirit of you sings, and twirls, and dances you.
How do you awaken the lost memory of you?
Stand at the mirror,
Look into the eager eyes of you, and wait…
Until you touch the wonder, the awe, and the magic of you,
Until you fathom the gold, the silver, the gem of you,
Until you draw out the art, the music, the flair of you,
Until you embrace the love, the peace, and the fire of you!
Sermon “Return to Innocence” – Robin Reichert
*Hymn ‘Tis a Gift to Be Simple (#16)
*Personal Reflections
This is a time for sharing about the ways in which today’s worship has made a difference for you.
Closing Words and Chalice Extinguishing Robin Reichert
How short the daylight hours have now become. How gray the skies, how barren seem the trees.
A damp and chilling wind has gripped my mind and made me gloomy, too.
But there is that in me which reaches up toward light and laughter, and singing,
And knows that my religious myth and dream of reborn joy and goodness must be true,
Because it speaks the truths of older myths;
That the light returns to balance darkness, life surges in the evergreen - and us,
And babes are hope, and saviors of the world, as miracles abound in common things.
Rejoice! And join in the gladness of life!
*First, we will hear from the people seated in-person, then we will hear from people joining us on Zoom via video, and then we will hear from the people on audio only. This will be explained in greater detail during the service.
* * *
Thank you to everyone who helped with today’s service!
Robin Reichert
Music: Alan Murray
Remote Tech: Matthew Clowney
Worship Associate: Susan Greenberg
Greeter: Ken Perry
_________________________________________________________
Robin Reichert is an author, storyteller, speaker, artist, and mystic. She implements her professional storytelling skills as a lay liturgist and Sunday service presenter for Unitarian Universalist and other non-denominational churches. She creates impactful, interactive keynote presentations on the topics of creating a peaceful world, interconnectedness, personal growth, spirituality, mysticism, interpersonal relationship, and Earth advocacy. She also does storytelling for all ages at museums, schools, libraries, and wherever the wind takes her.
Robin is a retired massage therapist. In 2002 she was certified in Rubenfeld Synergy Method, body-centered psychotherapy and learned modalities from several different indigenous healers. She combined her expertise in the body/mind/spirit/emotional realms and developed a work called Shaman’s Way – a work that guides others on the way to wholeness.
In 2011 Robin was one of 40 interfaith pilgrims who traversed the mountains and valleys on foot from La Verna monastery in Umbria to participate in ceremonies, observances, and festivities at the 25th anniversary of the World Interfaith Summit for Peace and Justice in Assisi, Italy.
Her most recent book, Diary of a Man Called Jesus - His Life and Missing Years, A NOVEL, offers a surprising new slant on a 2000-year-old story. She also authored Earth Divine – Adventures of an Everyday Mystic, Feather Gifts for All Ages, and has one storytelling CD “Mystic – Stories of Wonder and Magic” (most enjoyed by adults).
We respectfully acknowledge that the Rivertowns stand on the unceded territory of the Munsee, Lenape, and Wappinger peoples.
Let It Be a Dance (#311)
(Chorus)
Let it be a dance we do.
May I have this dance with you?
Through the good times and the bad times, too,
let it be a dance.
Let a dancing song be heard.
Play the music, say the words,
and fill the sky with sailing birds.
Let it be a dance.
Let it be a dance. Let it be a dance.
Learn to follow, learn to lead,
feel the rhythm, fill the need
to reap the harvest, plant the seed.
Let it be a dance.
(Chorus)
Everybody turn and spin,
let your body learn to bend,
and, like a willow with the wind,
let it be a dance.
Let it be a dance. Let it be a dance.
A child is born, the old must die;
a time for joy, a time to cry.
Take it as it passes by.
Let it be a dance.
(Chorus)
Morning star comes out at night,
without the dark there is no light.
If nothing’s wrong, then nothing’s right.
Let it be a dance.
Let it be a dance. Let it be a dance.
Let the sun shine, let it rain;
share the laughter, bear* the pain,
and round and round we go again.
Let it be a dance.
‘Tis a Gift to Be Simple (#16)
‘Tis a gift to be simple, ‘tis a gift to be free,
‘tis a gift to come down where we ought to be,
and when we find ourselves in the place just right,
‘twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gained,
to bow and to bend we shan’t be ashamed.
To turn, turn will be our delight,
‘till by turning, turning we come ‘round right.
(Chorus)
Let it be a dance we do.
May I have this dance with you?
Through the good times and the bad times, too,
let it be a dance.
Let a dancing song be heard.
Play the music, say the words,
and fill the sky with sailing birds.
Let it be a dance.
Let it be a dance. Let it be a dance.
Learn to follow, learn to lead,
feel the rhythm, fill the need
to reap the harvest, plant the seed.
Let it be a dance.
(Chorus)
Everybody turn and spin,
let your body learn to bend,
and, like a willow with the wind,
let it be a dance.
Let it be a dance. Let it be a dance.
A child is born, the old must die;
a time for joy, a time to cry.
Take it as it passes by.
Let it be a dance.
(Chorus)
Morning star comes out at night,
without the dark there is no light.
If nothing’s wrong, then nothing’s right.
Let it be a dance.
Let it be a dance. Let it be a dance.
Let the sun shine, let it rain;
share the laughter, bear* the pain,
and round and round we go again.
Let it be a dance.
‘Tis a Gift to Be Simple (#16)
‘Tis a gift to be simple, ‘tis a gift to be free,
‘tis a gift to come down where we ought to be,
and when we find ourselves in the place just right,
‘twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gained,
to bow and to bend we shan’t be ashamed.
To turn, turn will be our delight,
‘till by turning, turning we come ‘round right.
* * *
Please refrain from using the “to: Everyone” chat feature during our virtual worship, just as you would not talk aloud during an in-person worship. We invite you to share during our Personal Reflections time or at coffee hour afterward. You may virtually "whisper" to an individual by selecting their name in the chat and typing to them directly.
Our Zoom session will stay open for after service conversation until 12:00pm
To join our Sunday online worship service,
click https://zoom.us/j/92139564302?pwd=TWxGa3d0bTI3WXlOeER2SmFhc2ZGQT09
or call 646-558-8656 and enter Meeting ID 921 3956 4302, Password 266397.
______________________________________________________
Please refrain from using the “to: Everyone” chat feature during our virtual worship, just as you would not talk aloud during an in-person worship. We invite you to share during our Personal Reflections time or at coffee hour afterward. You may virtually "whisper" to an individual by selecting their name in the chat and typing to them directly.
Our Zoom session will stay open for after service conversation until 12:00pm
To join our Sunday online worship service,
click https://zoom.us/j/92139564302?pwd=TWxGa3d0bTI3WXlOeER2SmFhc2ZGQT09
or call 646-558-8656 and enter Meeting ID 921 3956 4302, Password 266397.
______________________________________________________
