Blessings to you these days dear friends.
We have had a beautiful year together. For this I am grateful. The state of the country and world has my heart in a constant state of breaking. No one of us can claim immunity to the madness, nor have we had time to properly process much of anything. But amid all this we have held tight to our faith and values, and we have come home to one another week after week–to worship, to pray, to share joys and sorrows, to make coffee, to tidy, to tend to the business of the church, to host events, to make music, to feed the hungry, to lead workshops, to learn, to speak truth to power, to play with our kids, to mentor our youth, to break bread, to sign our membership book…the list goes on. We have been kind to one another. We have extended grace and mercy to our leaders and staff. We have made new friends. We have been moved to action. We have given what we can and asked for what we needed. We have not just survived the year, but, in so many ways, thrived. Together.
All of this is a testament to the magnificence of this community, for the First Parish of Watertown was made for these times. This month we will be thinking about and speaking words of blessing and appreciation to honor those who make this magnificence possible. If you think that you are outside of this circle, you are wrong. Giftedness arrives in a multitude of forms–sometimes in obvious ways, but most of the time, quietly. The truth is that Beloved Communities are made manifest when we are offered places of freedom to be our whole selves. Together, in all our wholeness and in all our brokenness, through our gifts and our needs, we weave a tapestry of technicolor beauty. Something to wrap ourselves and the world up in…
I hope that you will come to church this month. We are shifting into a different rhythm for summer, and the rituals we have planned in the coming weeks will help mark these exits and entrances well.
Mainly, it’s the coming home to one another, week after week, just as we are, that is the holy antidote to the madness. Where here we are reminded about love and hope and humanity–all the good that make the fight worth fighting.
Together,
Rev. Sophia
Reverend Sophia Lyons
Rev. Sophia is committed to radical welcome and spreading the good news that is our bold Unitarian Universalist faith. Some of her areas of interest include interfaith partnerships, addictions ministry, spiritual direction, and working towards collective liberation for all. Rev. Sophia aspires to live her life and fulfill her ministry guided by spiritual seeking, big love, and the seven principles of Unitarian Universalism.