Advent 2

 

If last week I felt immersed in the colours and symbols of Advent, this Sunday was the other extreme.  I worshipped at a Unitarian Universalist congregation, where the only reference to the season was to the weather. The theme of the service was Winter Tears, so for me it was also very effective as an Advent theme. It reminded me of Blue Christmas/Longest Night services where we acknowledge that not everyone feels merry at this time of year, and it is good for faith communities to make space for the grief that comes with the celebration. There were a few warnings/explanations at the beginning of the service, so I think it was a particular focus for this week.

I attended a few Unitarian services with a friend when I was a young adult (very intellectual, almost debatey) but found this service very different. Still a questioning, justice-seeking community, but in a more spiritual atmosphere. In part because of this particular theme, the music, and the minister's reflection, it was a vulnerable and powerful space to be in. 

I missed the scripture readings and prayers I am accustomed to in worship. Rather than prayers of the people, the minister led a ritual where joys and sorrows were symbolized by stones dropped in two water bowls.  Because this was the Sunday closest to December 6, the 14 women killed at Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal were remembered, as 14 men from the men's breakfast each dropped a heart-shaped stone into the water when the women's names were read.  Then the congregation was invited to come forward and drop stones into the water for their own joys and concerns. I think they do this weekly, as many people came forward - it is a wonderful alternative to a spoken prayer.

The music was beautiful, with two Carolyn McDade songs and O Come Emmanuel sung by the congregation, and two excellent choirs performing anthems that fit the Sunday theme. One of the hymns was the African American spiritual "Sometimes I feel like a motherless child..." and the music leader read a story of a mother being separated from her four young children in enslavement to bring context to the words. I would say everything in that service was very mindful, carefully planned and befitting the preparation of our hearts for a deeper connection with spirit and the world.