Chalice Lighting Readings

Mindful of truth ever exceeding our knowledge

And community ever exceeding our practice,

Reverently we covenant together,

Beginning with ourselves as we are,

To share the strength of integrity

And the heritage of the spirit

In the unending quest for wisdom and love.

 

 

We light this chalice to celebrate Unitarian

  Universalism

This is the church of the open mind;

This is the church of the helping hands;

This is the church of the loving heart.

 

 

As we kindle this flaming chalice, the lamp of our

  heritage,

We celebrate the powerful flame of youth.

We welcome the warmth of your strong feelings.

We welcome the light of your questioning minds.

We welcome the fire of your imaginations.

This community of memory and hope is strengthened by your presence.

 

 

May the light we now kindle

Inspire us to use our powers

To heal and not to harm,

To help and not to hinder,

To bless and not to curse,

To serve you, Spirit of Freedom!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flame of fire, spark of the universe

That warmed our ancestral hearth-

Agent of life and death,

Symbol of truth and freedom.

We strive to understand ourselves

And our earthly home.

 

 

At times our own light goes out

and is rekindled by a spark from

another person.

Each of us has cuase to think with

deep gratitude of those who have

lighted the flame within us.

                      Albert Schweitzer

 

 

We gather this hour as people of faith

With joys and sorrows, gifts and needs.

We light this beacon of hope, sign of our quest

For truth and meaning,

In celebration of the life we share together.

 

 

We light this chalice to celebrate

  our church of the liberal religious tradition,

  one of ancient and deep roots.

We celebrate our diverse community which encourages

  spiritual growth in our embers through the

  practice of our beliefs through active

  involvement in the church and in the world at 

  large.

And we celebrate our common faith experessed by our

  commitment to the Unitarian Universalist

  Principles and Purposes.