UUCL: At-Home Chalice Lightings Week of March 22 – 29: 7 p.m.

Sunday March 22
“During our Darkest Moments,” by Nadine McSpadden
During our darkest moments, still, there is hope.
When facing our biggest challenges, still, there is hope.
When all we can do is put one foot in front of the other, still, there is hope.
When we can’t find the way out, still, there is hope.
When all we can do to help is hold someone’s hand as they cry, still, there is hope.
We are the hope—for ourselves and for one another.
Always, there is hope.

Monday March 23
“Let us Look First to the Response of Love,” by Maureen Killoran
In these hard times, let us look first to the response of love.
In the midst of challenge, may our chalice flame bear witness to the inherent worth and dignity of every human being.
In the midst of uncertainty, may our chalice be a beacon of encouragement, that our values may guide our choices.
Let us look first to the response of love.

Tuesday March 24
“Let there be light!” by Gordon B. McKeeman
“Let there be light!”
Let it shine in dark places,
in moments of pain,
in times of grief,
in the darkness of hatred,
violence,
oppression,
where there is discouragement and despair.
Wherever darkness is to be put to flight,
“Let there be light!”

Wednesday March 25
“Come in Now,” by Annie Foerster
Come we now out of the darkness of our unknowing
and the dusk of our dreaming;
Come we now from far places.
Come we now into the twilight of our awakening
and the reflection of our gathering.
Come we now all together.
We bring, unilluminated, our dark caves of doubting;
We seek, unbedazzled, the clear light of understanding.
May the sparks of our joining kindle our resolve,
brighten our spirits, reflect our love, and unshadow our days.
Come we now; enter the dawning.

Thursday March 26
The Light of Jewish Wisdom: David. A. Johnson

In the darkness we light a candle of hope;
In pain we light a candle of forgiveness;
In loneliness we light a candle of warmth;
In wonder we light a candle of thanks;
Our separate lights become one
That we may be nourished by its glow.

This light is only a flickering flame
Yet the flames illumine
Our uncertain steps.
Flames purify and renew
Soften and refine.
They brighten and make warm.
Flames remind us of Sabbaths long past
The memory of those who have gone before us
That their beauty and wisdom may be remembered
in our hearts.
May they inspire us to continue the work for the
Great Sabbath of Peace.

Friday March 27
The Wisdom Within: Rev. Scott Tayler

We gather
not to acquire wisdom
but to remember it,
to peel away the voices
that leave us lost,
and return again to
that wisdom within,
which senses and signals
when wholeness is near.
May that wisdom be found,
and guide us on our way.

Saturday March 28
“Prayer for a Pandemic,” Cameron Wiggins Bellm

May those who are merely inconvenienced
Remember those whose lives are at stake.
May those who have no risk factors
Remember those most vulnerable.

May those who have the history of working from home
Remember those who must choose between
Preserving their health or making their rent.

May those who have the flexibility to care for their children
When the schools close
Remember those who have no options.

May those who have to cancel their trips
Remember those that have no safe place to go.

May those who are losing our margin money
In the tumult of the economic market
Remember those who have no margin at all.

May those who are settling in for a quarantine at home
Remember those who have no home.
As fear grips our country,
Let us choose love.
During this time when we cannot physically
Wrap our arms around each other,
Let us yet find ways to be the loving embrace of God for our neighbors.