ICUU Global Chalice Lighting

[Alex]

https://icuu.net/category/resources/chalice-lighting

Congregations worldwide are invited to participate.

All International Council of Unitarians and Universalists (ICUU)-affiliated groups have been asked to submit brief chalice lightings for the project. Every month, a reading will be distributed to Unitarian and Universalist congregations around the world. We ask each congregation to use the reading for at least one worship service in the designated month, identifying it as the "Global Chalice Lighting" for that month and naming the group which submitted it. Readings will be circulated in English and, where different, in their original language.

It is hoped that the ICUU Global Chalice Lighting Project will enhance the worship experience in our congregations and raise awareness of the international dimensions of our religious movement.

[Alex]

This Global Chalice Lighting is to be used during October 2009.


The light of life shines through the eyes of each and every person.
 
The light of truth shines through each life.

May the light of this chalice remind us that our search for truth and light is ongoing, and is enhanced and nurtured by every person we meet.  

May we honor the light in each other.

Rev. Jill McAllister
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations (UUA)
www.uua.org
 

[Alex]

This Global Chalice Lighting, in English and French, is to be used during November 2009.


You are welcome here visitor, friend or long time member.
You are welcome here.

With your family or partner
Or lover or alone
We joyfully welcome you here.

You are welcome here as believer
Or doubter, as joiner or loner.

You are welcome here feeling a part of us or not,
Full of energy or plain tired, seeking a vision or a rest.

You are welcome to join us as you are.


Que vous soyez visiteur, ami ou membre de langue date,
Vous êtes le bienvenu.

Que vous soyez avec votre famille
Ou avec votre conjoint, avec votre amant ou amante ou seul,
Nous vous accueillons avec joie.

Vous êtes le bienvenu ici, que vous soyez croyant ou cherchant,
Que vous partagiez facilement la vie de la groupe
Ou que vous préfériez la solitude.

Vous êtes le bienvenu ici, que vous vous sentiez, ou non, à l’aise chez nous,
Plein d’énergie ou fatigue, cherchant un défi ou le repos.

Tel que vous êtes, vous êtes le bienvenu chez nous.


Rev. Ray Drennan
Canadian Unitarian Council
www.cuc.ca  

[Alex]

This Global Chalice Lighting is to be used during December 2009.


Knowing we must die, we question what life means.
Final answers may elude us, but by living the questions, we create and discover meaning where we can.

Rev. Forrest Church (1948-2009)
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
www.uua.org

[Alex]

This Global Chalice Lighting is to be used during January 2010.


As one small flame
fills a whole room with light,
So may we radiate
hope, courage and good cheer
in our homes, in our worship
and in all the corners
of our world.

Celia Midgley
British General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches
www.unitarian.org.uk

[Alex]

This Global Chalice Lighting, in Hungarian and English, is to be used during February 2010.

 
Ti vagytok a világ világossága. Nem rejtethetik el a hegyen épített város. Gyertyát sem azért gyújtanak, hogy a véka alá, hanem hogy a gyertyatartóba tegyék és fényljék mindazoknak, a kik a házban vannak. Úgy fényljék a ti világosságtok az emberek előtt, hogy lássák a ti jó cselekedeteiteket, és dicsőítsék a ti mennyei Atyátokat.
 
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
 
Matthew 5:14-16

Transylvanian Unitarian Church
www.unitarius.ro

[Alex]

This Global Chalice Lighting, in Yoruba and English, is to be used during March 2010.


Gbogbo Eda Dapo,
E Jo Yin Oluwa.
E  Pa  Ohun  nyin po,
Lati Fe Oro Na;
K’ ife da orin ope nla,
Ki  gbogbo  eda  k’o si  gbe.
 
Let all nations live together in unison
And praise GOD together.
Speak with one voice
To LOVE and accept the Word.
Let LOVE create great songs of praise
For all living souls to sing together.
 
Olufemi Matimoju
First Unitarian Church of Nigeria

[Alex]

This Global Chalice Lighting, in French and English, is to be used during April 2010.


Au nom de la Miséricorde et de la Compassion :
Suivant les traces d’Ibn Arabi, maître soufi, nous laissons se dilater nos coeurs,
afin de les rendre capables d'étreindre toute forme spirituelle ou existentielle.
Notre cœur, pour celles et ceux qui cherchent, est devenu une église, un temple, une synagogue, une mosquée, un sanctuaire,
une citadelle pour les humbles, les souffrants et les minorités d'où qu'elles viennent.
Nous croyons en la religion de l'Amour, qui n'a pas de genre, vers laquelle se dirigent les histoires personnelles.
Car l'Amour est notre religion et notre foi.
 
In the name of compassion and loving-kindness :
Following the paths of Ibn Arabi, a Sufi master,
we let our hearts dilate to enable them to fit all spiritual or existential kinds.
For those who seek, our hearts have become church, temple, synagogue, mosque, sanctuary;
stronghold for the poor, for those who are suffering, for minorities wherever they come from.
We believe in the religion of Love, which has no gender, and to which all personal stories are leading.
Because Love is our religion and our faith.

Yohann Amal
Conseil des Unitariens et Universalistes Français (CUUF)
http://unitariens.francais.over-blog.fr

[Alex]

This Global Chalice Lighting, in Yoruba and English, is to be used during May 2010.

Alafia mbe l’okan ti
Ife nse Oluto;
Ife dara julo l’ebun
O nmu ‘wa rere pe.

Peace reigns in the heart that
Love co-ordinates and directs.
Unrestrained love is the greatest gift,
As it prolongs good behaviors and attitudes,

Olafemi Matimoju
First Unitarian Church of Nigeria

[Alex]

This Global Chalice Lighting is to be used during June 2010.


We light our chalice in celebration of the life of Norbert Fabián Čapek, deeply religious figure endowed with unusual courage, pioneer of Czech Unitarianism and martyr for what we value, embodying the best of our faith in the worst of times.

Born one hundred forty years ago this month, his spirit is still among religious liberals the world over when we re-create his creation the flower communion.

May the rekindled flame of our chalice, rekindle our appreciation of all the women and men whose dedication to their personal visions paved the path on which we walk together on our own spiritual journeys

Rev. Steve Dick
ICUU Executive Secretary

[Alex]

This Global Chalice Lighting is to be used during July 2010.


We light this Chalice, a living symbol of
the one Life that animates and sustains all things and all persons,
the one Life in which we all live and move and have our being, and
the one Life which perpetually gives of itself to itself so as to become the many.

By means of the light of truth and reason,
and the warmth of fellowship and compassion,
may the many come to know themselves to be not only
interconnected with each other but also
indivisible emanations of that one great Light which enlightens all Life and which can never be extinguished.

Rev. Dr. Ian Ellis-Jones
Australian and New Zealand Unitarian Universalist Association
http://www.anzuua.org

[Alex]

August 2010
 
What words tell the truth?
What balms heal?
What proverbs kindle the fires and passion of joy?
What spirituality stirs the hunger for justice?
We seek answers to these questions—
not only for ourselves, but for our communities and our society.
What are the ways of being with one another that enable life to flourish, rich with meaning?
When violence has fractured communities, isolated people, and broken hearts,
how can life be repaired?
We ask these questions not to arrive at final answers,
but because asking them is fundamental to living.
 
Rita Nakashima Brock & Rebecca Ann Parker
Unitarian Universalist Association
www.uua.org

[Alex]

Global Chalice Lighting for September 2010
 
Vanity is all human Wisdom.                                        
Vanity is our Fear;                                                
Sin will continue to reign in our Heart,                    
If LOVE is Absent.                                                
 
Asan ni gbogbo imo je,
Asan n’ iberu wa;
Ese y’o joba l’okan wa,
B’ ife ko si nibe.
 
Olufemi Matimoju
First Unitarian Church of Nigeria

[Alex]

This Global Chalice Lighting is submitted in Czech and English by the Religious Society of Czech Unitarians. It is to be used during October 2010.


Vše, co mělo svůj počátek, má i svůj konec.

Tak jako den přechází do noci,
tak jako noc přechází do dne,
tak i jedna epocha přechází do epochy další.

Začal život tvůj, začal život můj;
jednoho dne skončí život tvůj,
skončí život můj.
Vše končí, vše se mění,
vše z jedné podoby
do jiné podoby přechází.

V průběhu změn, které jsou tak příznačné pro život světa, je přece něco stálého.
Je něco, co se nemění,
co zůstává nedotčeno všemi změnami
a všemi zvraty vesmírných dějů.
Je to Bytí, Jsoucno,
je to nehybný, netčený Zdroj toho, co je.

Vprostřed změti změn,
když se cítíme nejisti,
ohroženi nebo osamoceni,
ztišme svou mysl a useberme se,
a ponořme se v duchu
do Zdroje toho, co je, kde pramení Bytí.

Zůstaňme v tichu v tom místě.
To je naše zázemí, pevný bod.

Plamen kalicha, který teď zapalujeme,
v sobě odráží tento proces usebrání,
a také sdílený posvátný prostor
tohoto našeho společenství.

Pohlédni do plamene
a vnímej tichou radost ve svém srdci.

                               
Everything that has begun will end.

Like the day changes into night,
Like the night changes into day,
In the same way,
One stage changes into another.

Your life began
And so did mine;
One day your life will end
And so will mine.

Everything will end,
Everything changes,
Everything transforms
From one shape into another.

In the course of changes so characteristic of life in this world,
There is, however, Something constant:
Something which remains untouched
By all the changes and twists.

We may call it Being, Existence;
It is the untouched Source of all that is.

In the midst of changes,
When we feel insecure,
Threatened or isolated,
Let us calm our minds and
Move deep into our hearts
Into the Source of all that is,
Where the Being rises.

Let us stay in that place
For a moment.
It is our foundation,
It is our stable point.

The flame of the chalice we light now
Reflects this process of centering,
As well as the shared sacred space of
Our community.

Look into the flame and
Feel this quiet joy in your heart.
               

Rev. Dr. Petr Samojsky
Religious Society of Czech Unitarians

[Alex]

This Global Chalice Lighting is submitted in Portuguese and English by Liberal and Unitarian Christians of Portugal. It is to be used during November 2010.

O Sopro da Vida, apesar de nós;
O Sopro da Vida que os crentes chamam Deus;
O Sopro da liberdade e do perdão;
És Tu que nos fazes viver e lutar na nossa vida;
És Tu que dás sentido à nossa existência;
És Tu que nos permites viver e orar juntos apesar das nossas diferenças e singularidades;
Obrigado, Sopro da liberdade e do perdão, porque é em Ti e através de Ti que o respeito e o amor podem existir, sempre apesar de nós;
É sempre em Ti e através de Ti que, apesar de nós, podemos sonhar e trabalhar por um mundo novo, um mundo de liberdade, de amor e de perdão.
 
Breath of Life, in spite of us;
Breath of Life that believers call God;
Breath of freedom and forgiveness;
You give us life and sustain us in our life's struggles;
You give meaning to our existence;
You make it possible for us to live and pray together, in spite of our differences and singularities;
We thank You, Breath of freedom and forgiveness, for in You and through
You respect and love can exist, always in spite of us;
In You and through You always, in spite of us, we have the power to dream and to work for a new world, a world of freedom, love and forgiveness.

Paulo Renato Garrochinho
Liberal and Unitarian Christians of Portugal

[Alex]

This Global Chalice Lighting is submitted in by the British General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches. It is to be used during December 2010.


As we light our chalice
at the ending of one year
and the beginning of another year,
we affirm…
 
The radiant joy and beauty
of the world in which we live
 
The unity of all life and our interdependence
with the rest of creation
 
Our responsibility to care for and sustain
all forms of life on the planet for future generations
 
        The uniqueness and equal dignity of every person
 
        The power of unconditional love to transform lives
 
        The importance of constantly seeking truth and wisdom
 
Our commitment to support each other
in the task of building the Kingdom of Heaven,
based on peace, justice and love
 
The divine ground of our being
that connects us with each other and the infinite
and which replenishes and heals us
 
-Roger Courtney
All Souls Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church
Belfast, N. Ireland

[Alex]

This Global Chalice Lighting is submitted by the founding President of the ICUU in honor of the organisation’s fifteenth year. It is to be used during January 2011.


All around the world, the light of honest thought shines, showing people the path to their own authentic faith.
All around the world, the warmth of community glows, drawing people in from loneliness and estrangement.
All around the world, the flame of justice burns, inspiring people to acts of faith-filled courage.
 
Here, too, may the light and warmth of this chalice be to us a beacon of truth, generosity and compassion, that we may learn the ways of faith and love.

-Rev. David Usher
First ICUU President

[Alex]

Global Chalice Lighting for February 2011

The International Council of Unitarians and Universalists announces the 90th in its monthly series of global chalice lighting readings. Congregations worldwide are invited to participate.

All ICUU-affiliated groups have been asked to submit brief chalice lightings for the project. Every month, a reading will be distributed to Unitarian and Universalist congregations around the world. We ask each congregation to use the reading for at least one worship service in the designated month, identifying it as the “Global Chalice Lighting” for that month and naming the group which submitted it. Readings will be circulated in English and, where different, in their original language.

It is hoped that the ICUU Global Chalice Lighting Project will enhance the worship experience in our congregations and raise awareness of the international dimensions of our religious movement.

This Global Chalice Lighting is submitted by the Scottish Unitarian Association. It is to be used during February 2011.

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To celebrate our gathering together this morning we light our chalice
as we do each time we meet for worship.

It is good to embrace this familiar ritual.

It is good to know that through this action we are united with Unitarian and Universalist sisters and brothers throughout the world.

But let us try to ensure that our understanding of this familiar and comforting ritual does not become dulled through repetition.

The symbol of a flaming chalice stood initially for a life of service.

Its designer had never seen a Unitarian church or heard a sermon.

What he had seen was faith in action in the form of the Unitarian Service Committee.

As we reflect upon our flaming chalice let us remember this commitment to service – which comes in many forms.

But let us also remember that the flaming chalice, like our faith, stands open to receive new truths that pass the tests of reason, justice, and compassion.

Let us take a moment to call to mind what special meaning this symbol of fire, of light and of warmth might have for each of us this morning, and for our lives in the week ahead.

-Rev. Maud Robinson
Scottish Unitarian Association

[Alex]

Below is the 91st in the monthly series of Global Chalice Lightings from the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists, for use during March 2011. It comes to us in German and English from the Unitarian Universalist Forum of Vienna, Austria.
 

Wir leben in einer Zeit der Wissenschaft, wir versuchen angestrengt die Welt um uns herum zu verstehen und so das Rätsel an der Wurzel unserer Existenz zu lösen. Jetzt, wo die Menschheit nach den fernsten Sternen greift, sollten wir da nicht auch nach etwas greifen, das uns so nahe scheint und doch in unseren Leben oft ferner ist als der fernste Fleck am Firmament: nach den Herzen unserer Mitmenschen? Die Flamme, die wir nun entzünden, soll uns ein Leuchtfeuer sein in der Dunkelheit, die uns trennt. Es soll uns nicht nur unterstützen in der weltweiten Vereinigung der Unitarier und Universalisten sondern das wertvolle, wundervolle Band stärken, das alle Menschen von jeher verbindet.
 
We live in a time of science, we try very hard to understand the world around us and think that by doing so we can solve the miracle at the root of our existence. As humanity reaches out for the farthest stars should we not reach out as well for something very near and still in our life often farther than the farthest speck on the firmament: to the heart of our fellow human beings? The flame we are lighting now shall be a beacon in the darkness that separates us. It shall not only help us in uniting Unitarian-Universalists across the world but strengthen the treasured, miraculous bond between all people that exists since the beginning of time.
 
Andreas Bolhar-Nordenkampf
Unitarisch-Universalistisches Forum
http://unitarier.at

[Alex]

Attached and below is the 92nd in the monthly series of Global Chalice Lightings from the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists, for use during April 2011. It is distributed by the ICUU in response to the recent Japanese earthquake and its aftermath. Please see that this Global Chalice Lighting is translated, if necessary, and distributed as widely as possible within your group.

In faith,
Lorella Thomas Hess
editor, The Global Chalice
ICUU newsletter
www.icuu.net

 
AFTER THE GREAT WAVE
For Japan, March 2011
 
Namazu, the Great Fish, stirs
and the earth quakes.
Tsunami, the Great Wave, races
to the shore.
Harbours are engulfed, and towns
and villages and farmlands.
The fragile, perilous works of humankind
are assailed and shaken.
Nature’s power and human folly have
combined.
People are filled with fear. They suffer
ruin, devastation, and death.
Human weakness is exposed. We feel
helpless in the face of so much grief,
so much suffering.
And yet we cannot afford ourselves
the luxury of despair.
We are here to say that, in us, the
universe cares for its children.
We are here to reach out in love
to the people of Japan;
to unite our spirits with theirs in an affirmation
of  hope beyond apocalypse.
        And to do what we can.
And so we kindle our sacred flame.
 
-Rev. Cliff Reed
16th March 2011