January 2007 Worship Services

“Destiny is two days, one for you and one against you, so Ministerial Cogitations when it is for you, do not be proud or reckless, and when it is against you then be patient."

What do you think about as you begin a new calendar year? Do you make resolutions? Do you expect or hope to have a better year than last year? Do you let go of regrets, make amends, try to wipe the slate clean as you begin the New Year? Well, I was looking at this passage from the traditional father of Sufism, Hadrat ‘Ali, and I began to wonder, if it might not be better to consider changing how we see the New Year, not what we expect from it.

I believe that generally speaking one year is not much better or worse than another. Now certainly there are exceptions, Hurricanes Rita and Katrina are good examples of how situations beyond our control could make life considerably more difficult and complicated than normal. And I have met many people who have had some pretty horrendous things happen to them in their lives—abuse, rape, deaths, many things.

But what helps people cope with life is not that life is calm, wonderful, easy all the time, but it is the attitude that people have about how to cope with life on life’s terms that can make life better.

We cannot change life, as Hadrat ‘Ali says: “Destiny is two days, one for you and one against you.” We have little control over whether today will be for us or against us. We all certainly hope for more days that are for us, but we cannot live our lives hoping that destiny treats us kindly or even fairly. We have to face destiny on destiny’s terms.

We will have good days, weeks, months, years, and we will have bad days, weeks, months, years. What we can do, regardless of whether destiny appears for us or against us, is to look inside ourselves and change our attitude about life/destiny. We have to change our expectations about what we think we deserve, what is fair, even what is right. Life may not always be just, kind, or for us in any way sometimes. But we still have to be patient, compassionate, and loving to ourselves and others. We have to treat ourselves and others with respect; we have to be fair; and we have to live our lives as fully as we can. We have to look for the blessings and graces in our lives, and not dwell on the curses or pains. We can change how we face life. And this is what we can change as we approach the New Year.

“…When it is for you, do not be proud or reckless, and when it is against you then be patient.” May we all hold these words close to our heart as we move into 2007.

Blessings,
Rev. Tom

Worship Services:

January 7

Joy and/or Happiness to the World by Reverend Tom Capo

We are beginning 2007, a new calendar year. Are we holding joy or happiness in our heart as we approach this New Year? And by the way what is the difference between joy and happiness anyway? We may not always be happy about everything that happens in our life, but can we still hold the flame of joy somewhere inside to keep us hopeful and kind as we move through our lives.

January 14

Universalism from Origen to the Present by Reverend Tom Capo

No, I did not misspell Origen—he was an ancient 6th century Christian Theologian who believed in Universal salvation; the first recorded Universalist. Universalism has gone through many changes over these thousands of years, and most recently many Unitarian Universalist have a wholly new concept of Universalism—a concept that Origen might not even recognize.

January 21

Unitarianism from Arianism to the Present by Reverend Tom Capo

The Arians were early Christians who believed that Jesus was not one with God, but lesser than God. Thus they were truly Christian monotheists. Some Unitarian Universalists today believe in a Unitarianism that is very similar to what the Arians thousands of years ago believed, and some UU’s believe Unitarianism is something very different.

Potluck - Noon

January 28

To Be Announced by member Laura Polich