How much can things change and still remain the same? And how do we maintain our personal identities when we need to adapt to the changing world around us?
It is always a pleasure to welcome Dorothy back to LUUC, even when it is on Zoom! She will give us much to think about today….
You are jolted awake from a deep sleep by the sight of a man plunging down past row after row of windows, the windows of a gleaming sky-scraper, to his death.
In our service today, we’ll be reflecting on the mystical, the uncanny, the confounding, the troublesome, sometimes frightening, sometimes joy-filled experiences that many would prefer to keep to themselves.
With the arrival of truly spring-like weather, it is a good moment to let our hearts sing and be filled with poetry. Lakeshore members will contribute their presence and talents in this service given over entirely to songs and poems.
Clifford Lincoln writes: As we gather in peace to celebrate love for one another and understanding among all peoples, we cannot but turn our thoughts towards those countless innocent fellow human-beings who, at this very hour, are the victims of the indescribable savagery and senseless brutality of war. And I could not help thinking of an episode in my own life’s experience involving Russia in another autocratic era of oppression and cruelty, and a remarkable Russian citizen, Vera Parnes, who defying the injustice of an all-powerful regime, became a living symbol of freedom and liberty for oppressed peoples.
Steve Sim’s, a new resident of Lachine In this presentation, Steve will explore themes that focus on growth in self-knowledge, and the wisdom of personal transformation. For each of us, an epic journey of learning and loving unfolds out of life’s endless summons to transformation – the invitation to live more consciously, more creatively, more compassionately.
Wisdom guides us into the unknown – a quality of attention and intention marks out a journey to find the hidden self. The way is often dark: moving beyond illusion and isolation, composting muddy emotions, deconstructing the ego, transforming fear into loving kindness. The soul fire of the universe is love. As we give and receive love, we connect with the whole of life – its beauty, its intelligence, its purpose, its timeless harmony.
Dr. Wheatcroft says: As I gain in years, I find temporal things less valued, yet often more respected. Many of them are quite necessary for quality of life and so they are deeply intrenched in our memory and psyche, holding subjective and objective value. The great … read more.
Richard Gilbert writes: ‘Sometimes I am so busy trying to repair a broken world that I leave my soul untended. Therefore, I will reflect on some soulful words from Unitarian poet e. e. cummings. It helps me remember that at 85 I need to ponder what this long life really means.’
Clifford Lincoln writes: Watching President Putin this week, as he delivered his frighteningly-negative decision about Ukraine, I could not help thinking about the immense good he could have done instead, by directing the billions in military hardware and preparations, towards the common good, and the welfare of his people.
I also thought of Russia, which I have visited on several occasions, and of a very special Russian individual who used the power of her indomitable human spirit towards the common good and the cause of the oppressed.
One feature of pandemic time is our continually shifting social landscape. Activities, events, appointments and gatherings are cancelled and endlessly rescheduled; schools and businesses close and reopen repeatedly. It used to be the snowy weather.
For one constant in today’s world, we need look no further than the timeless theme of love. Call it Universalism writ large — together let’s re-imagine what love looks like in our time.
It is always a joy to welcome Scott MacLeod back to our congregation. In the past, he has shared his animated early immigrant stories from three of Canada’s largest cultural communities as well as the heartbreaking tale of one of Canada’s indigenous peoples, the Abenaki.
Scott will now share with us his own story. He has created a series of self-portraits examined via grounded theory in an art-based research exploration of his identity and past, present and future. He collected nine cultural myths/gods of his predecessors that best reflect his own life history – what Joseph Campbell called the “hero’s journey.”
