“Let them then solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means whereby the great human family can live in peace, each bearing after their own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar, but of God.”  In 1872, it finally came to pass.

Betty read a poem by James Whitcomb Riley.  Savanna read one by Eugene Fields.  We all had an opportunity to tell stories on our mothers.  Some of the story tellers had their mothers actually in the room.  Thurman read “Let me Grow Lovely” by Karle Wilson Baker.

We lit candles for the Nuns in Catholic orders everywhere who obviously need our support since they aren’t getting support from other denominations.  We lit a candle for Jan’s mother who has shingles.  Thanks to Becca for arranging for the grass cutting.

Next week we are having the annual Church meeting.  June 1 starts our new fiscal year.

Let Me Grow Lovely

Karle Wilson Baker         

Anyway, Buddha knew that the mind has an unlimited ability to think things.  During meditation, we have to learn to recognize that and let it go.  Sit in a dignified way, sit up straight, take a deep breath, raise up your chest, tuck in your chin, and set a timer.  OK, it is more complicated than that.  The instructor gave us all a booklet to take home.  Joy pointed out that there is a “Meditation for Dummies” book available.

Our story was Mindful Monkey and Happy Panda.

Don’t forget to register your Kroger card for Kroger rewards for the church.  Yes, again.  We have to do it every year. No, it doesn’t affect your discounts or fuel points.  It is designed for you to shop more often at Kroger so that UUCE gets our extra financing.  Any more questions?  find Kroger Community Rewards on the internet.  Click on Columbus (for some reason they do this by geography) Our reg number is “80237″  You can check your fuel points while you are there.

Volunteerism.  Church members cleared the way for spring lawn mowing today.  Next week Rick will roto-till the meadow for wildflower planting.  The Three Cranes Grove planted trees yesterday in the park.  Oak and Dogwood.  Betty thanks everyone for being so generous in sharing food following services.  Joy’s joy is that everything at her work has gone smoothly recently.  We lit candles for Betty’s son who is looking for a job and Sylvia who’s newborn babies died suddenly.    Also we lit candles for the Ohio Nat Guard members killed recently and for a successful resolution to the middle east conflict… such a small candle for such a big task.

Peace,

Rick

In human traditions, we eat some animals, but decide that it would be cruel to others to eat them.  For some people goats are pets, for some people goats are BBQ.  Dogs have the same dilemma… pets and menu items both depending on who you ask.  Some people who report themselves to be vegetarians will also eat meat, but they justify it depending on who they are.  For some it is OK to eat fish because they don’t have cute fuzzy faces.  For others, they can’t bear the thought of eating an octopus because they are so incredibly intelligent.  For some, chicken is ok for whatever reason… lack of a cute face seems to come up a lot.  But for some people who profess to be vegetarians by conviction, just the smell of a good taco can be enough to temporarily set aside their convictions.

The conclusion is that humans are full of failings and just not good at convictions… whether it be about the relationship humans have with their animals or the relationship humans have with their god.  Not only is it easy for humans to fall off the vegetarian wagon at the smell of a tuna sandwich, but look at the rules that Judeo Christians have to follow in the bible…   No matter how many times the bible says it is an abomination to eat pork, we convince ourselves that it is OK to eat pork.  But, when the bible even suggests that it might be a problem to be gay… well… humans can create hugely organized movements around being anti-gay because, well the bible instructs them to do that.  And Judeo-Christian humans also readily convince ourselves that it is OK to refrain from stoning adulterers as well.

News:  Not so much this week because my reporting skills were compromised on Sunday.  Many people need remembrances in your thoughts this week, so think about some of them.  Church board meeting next week.  The church “Earth day” is going to be Sunday April 22… please consider staying on to help clean up the grounds.  Hopefully we will finally till the soil and create Shirley’s dream of a wild flower meadow down near the river.

Peace,

Rick

The spring equinox is March 20.  The light and the dark will be in balance, but for the first time in 6 months, the light will be increasingly more strong than the darkness.  The sun rises in the East and sets in the West.

Many ancient cultures noticed the balance of light and darkness, and marked the day as a special holiday. The goddess “Eostar” was the patron of spring, and this holiday came to be known as “Ostara.”  Bonfires were a frequent marker of the spring equinox. Jumping the fire sometimes a part of this ritual (ed. note:  see the movie Dancing at Lughnasa with Meryl Streep (1998))

In the natural world the heather and the crocus are in bloom.  The flowering trees rush to bloom in the unusually warm spring, the ancient trees are more wise and hold back.  Hibernation is ending and it is the mating season for much Ohio wildlife.

St Patrick’s day is coming with its sympathetic green coloring.  Everyone suddenly wants to think GREEN.

Things to do to honor the spring:

Appreciate nature.  Lean against a tree.  Watch a daffodil.  Take a walk and watch for buds on the trees.  Make a mud pie.  Put away the snow shovel.  Clean the windows.  Clean the light fixtures.  Clean the crystal.  Change from quilts to lighter blankets.  Make a sculpture of three twigs.  Go buy pansies.  Volunteer to babysit for neighbors and relatives.  Start a new project.  Memorize a poem.  Make a new friend.  Forgive an old grudge.  Make a new hat.  Honor the wind.  Celebrate Earth Day.  Celebrate Arbor Day.  Organize an egg hunt.

Announcements;  Next weekend is the church pot luck – St Patrick’s day pot luck, so bring something green (Betty requests that this dish not involve green jello.)   The Three Cranes Grove is having an Equinox celebration next Sunday.  Ohio Interfaith power and light are hosting an Earth Keeping Summit here in Columbus on March 31.  http://www.ohipl.org/?q=node/230.

We lit a candle for Betty’s daughter, Susan, for the kindness of neighbors, and for Emily J. who’s birthday is tomorrow.

The children’s story was :

Did You Hear Wind Sing Your Name?: An Oneida Song of Spring

And finally, Shawn read the lyrics to the song “Now the green blade riseth from the buried grain”

(Ed. note:  treat yourself to something glorious and go experience this song here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27p98aLPZPI)

Now the green blade riseth from the buried grain,
Wheat that in dark earth many days has lain;
Love lives again, that with the dead has been:
Love is come again, like wheat that springeth green.

In the grave they laid him, love whom men had slain,
Thinking that never he would wake again.
Laid in the earth like grain that sleeps unseen:
Love is come again, like wheat that springeth green,

Forth he came at Easter, like the risen grain,
He that for three days in the grave had lain.
Quick from the dead my risen Lord is seen:
Love is come again, like wheat that springeth green.

When our hearts are wintry, grieving, or in pain,
Thy touch can call us back to life again;
Fields of our hearts that dead and bare have been:
Love is come again, like wheat that springeth green.

Spring's simplicity: Larkin's Twig

“I think we can all look forward to the time when these three theories are given equal time in our science classrooms across the country, and eventually the world; one third time for Intelligent Design, one third time for Flying Spaghetti Monsterism, and one third time for logical conjecture based on overwhelming observable evidence.”

The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, then, is an aid in keeping some form of intellectual honesty alive in the attempt to teach intelligent design.  If the argument to include intelligent design is so bereft of logic that it is written in such a way as to allow the teaching of the Spaghetti Monster, then Mr. Henderson is quick to insist on the rights of the Pastafarians.  In Polk County Florida, an attempt to allow intelligent design to be taught in schools was abandon when they could not determine that they could write language that included the Christian’s intelligent design while excluding Pastafarianism.

Intellectual honesty is further attacked by the Pastafarians when they attempt to mimic Christian rhetoric of correlation science.  Henderson asserts that the steady decline in the number of pirates over the years has resulted in global warming.  There is a clear inverse relationship between in increase in global warming and the decrease in the number of pirates.

Girl Scout Cookies are in.

We lit a candle for the victims of tornadoes this week.  We lit one for Thurman’s former sister in law, and one for Betty’s daughter,  Susan.

The Ohio interfaith power and light is having an earth keeping summit on Mar 31.  See http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=c5vggpcab&oeidk=a07e5hv302q581233b5

This was particularly unfortunate because many (most?) of the non-Christian religions were (are?) closely associated with nature and the natural world.  In the duality paradigm, Christians (emphasis in the spiritual world) = “good” and NonChristians (emphasis in the natural world)  = “evil.”  When Christians own the best weaponry, this is not going to turn out well for the religions who glorify the natural world.  Twas ever thus… at least since the 17th century.

Shawn told us about the modern Druidism movement.  It is way more interesting than you ever thought.  Their worship days are all tied to the seasons and the cycle of the year is the cycle of life.

Becca told us about the modern Eco-spiritual movement.  Much of which is a movement to save our precious little planet from the destruction of it by those who do not appreciate the spiritual world.  (one bit of hope, however, springs from the evangelical movement which is beginning to take note of the problem presented by God… who encouraged humanity to assert dominion over the created world, which probably did not include destroying it.

Thurmon talked to us about native American spirituality.  Native Americans have the distinction of practicing the only set of religions that the United States Government has ever declared to be outlawed.  It turns out that Americans are very bad at reading the Constitution.  George W. Bush tried to get the armed forces to declare Wicca as a non-religion, but the courts intervened.  The courts declared that Christians do not get to define other people’s religion as an evil non-religion.  I guess someone does know how to read the Constitution after all.

Imbolc is being celebrated by the Three Cranes Grove this afternoon.  See http://www.threecranes.org/ for details.

Peace,

Rick

Elizabeth told us about Evangeline Booth and the founding of the Salvation Army.  Booth arranged for the Salvationists to accompany the U.S. Troops into France in WWI.  They provided the army with much needed care, comfort, food and even entertainment… which the War Department had not seen fit to provide.  Clara Barton founded the Red Cross.  She started by caring for the wounded in the American Civil War.  Interestingly, she never took a side in any debate on politics or morality.  She saw suffering, and she tried to relieve suffering, whether brought on by war or by human error or deficiency.

Betty told us about John Lennon and his struggle to bring the idea of peace to the world.  She read several rememberances  about John Lennon from some very famous people.

The Three Cranes Grove is celebrating Imbolc on Jan 29 at Blacklick Park.  Come at 5:30 with Ceremony at 6:30.  They are at the heated shelter so don’t worry about the weather.

Next Saturday is the third Saturday (Jan 21) and that means our oun pot luck will be happening at the church.  It is National Hug Day, so that is the theme.

Shawn’s birthday is Saturday.  Jan’s birthday is the 17th.

Lars is walking now… hold on to your hats.

The children’s story was “One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish” read in Jamaican Patois.

Announcements:  The Ohio Meadville Assembly and the Central Ohio Cluster is meeting next weekend and there is no one to represent our little UUCE congregation.  If you have the time, we have the driving directions.  We are looking for a volunteer.  It is mostly a Saturday event with a few niceties on Friday and a service Sunday morning.

There is a new chore list for everyone to sign up for.  We don’t want the same people to do all the work.  Share the fun.

Remember the potluck is the third Saturday.  This month’s after dinner movie was the modern remake of Homer’s Odyssey:  Oh Brother Where Art Thou.

Joys and Sorrows:  We lit a candle because the U.S. launched cruise missiles into Libya and we are lighting a candle in the hope that some sanity will come out of this.  … although all of us recognize the incongruity of hoping for sanity out of a situation that starts off with the launching of cruise missiles.  Barbara is in Westley Glen rehab center and we all wish her the best.  A card is always appreciated.  We lit a candle in hopes that the fallout from the Japanese nuclear reactors will disburse without doing harm.