Sermon by Rev. Shawn Newton.
Let other mornings honor the miraculous.
Eternity has festivals enough.
This is the feast of our mortality,
The most mundane and human holiday…
The new year always brings us what we want
Simply by bringing us along—to see
A calendar with every day uncrossed,
A field of snow without a single footprint.
– Dana Gioia
For many of us, we’ve never been so glad to see the arrival of a new year. 2020 was truly a year that tried our souls. We all hope the year ahead, especially with the arrival of the vaccines, will be a much better year than the one we’ve just come through.
This Sunday, we will mark the turning of the year with our annual Fire Communion ritual. It will of course be different, given that we won’t be able to gather around the flame of our communal chalice for the burning ceremony. Instead, we’ll adapt the ritual and invite you to improvise at home in whatever way makes sense for your situation—with a candle and small piece of paper for burning, or without. My sermon will be a reflection on the meaning of rituals and how adaptable they can be.
In faith and love,
Shawn
Gaby Byrnes singing Let Go, Let Go
