Water Ceremony 2009

Sunday, September 13, 2009
First Unitarian Universalist Church of New Orleans
led by Rev. Melanie Morel-Ensminger
(work by other authors used with permission)

Words for Chalice Lighting:
"Psalm for September" (adapted slightly from Dorothy Boroush)

Make a joyful noise unto the sky all ye who enter here.
Bring hearts filled with gladness.
Come into this building with thanksgiving,
for we who have been apart are come back together again.
We who have journeyed unto places far or near
are returned once more unto our homes.
We who have wielded a tennis racket,
or rested on sandy beaches,
or ascended unto mountain heights,
or wandered among forest trees,
are restored to our more usual employment.
We who have explored the mysteries of distant lands,
or delved more deeply into places close to home,
& worshiped at foreign shrines
are here again in our familiar temple.
The summer of our separation is spent.
Greet joyously all whose faces have been gone from sight these months.
Sing heartily of the coming year,
of the New Year of our meeting together.
Celebrate our re-entry into the house of our common good,
our recovenanting as a people of love,
sharing a sacred attitude toward truth,
& the covenant of this community endureth in our hearts forever.

Water Ceremony

This morning, we hold our Water Ceremony,
following a custom nearly 40 years old in this denomination,
& over 30 years old in this congregation.
In the mid-1970s, the first Women & Religion Convocation
was held at a retreat center in Grailville, Michigan.
The organizers asked that the participants --
UU women & a few men from all over the continent --
bring with them a small amount of water from their homes,
to be poured together into a common bowl at the opening worship service.
The water was to symbolize that although they came from different places,
they were all of one liberal heritage.
It was a powerful metaphor of unity in diversity,
of a community united across all the usual lines & categories
that serve to separate & divide,
and those who were there were greatly moved.
Many returned home and shared the ceremony with their congregations.
In the years since, the Water Ceremony has traveled all over our denomination,
from east to west, north to south,
in the U.S., to Canada, even to UU congregations in Australia & New Zealand.

We pour water into a common bowl, sharing our lives with each other,
adults & children alike.
Thus do we teach our heritage & instill connections in our young,
Thus do we pass along traditions that are dear to us.
Everyone present may participate,
whether you are a first-time visitor or a long-time member.
If you have not brought water with you, it does not matter;
a pitcher is provided on the table with the bowl.

Let us act out our sense of connection & relationship.
Whoever we are, wherever we come from, we belong to one another;
what affects one of us affects us all.

The winds of summer have blown us about,
& today we return to this liberal community of faith,
where we draw the sustenance to live out our faith in the world.
Among us, there have been many journeys this summer,
Some of them physical, some of them mental,
some of them emotional, some of them spiritual.
Some journeys have been a combination of some of the above.

Some of us here have had experiences in June, July, & August
That gave us respite from our hectic & busy lives,
Leaving us feeling rested & renewed,
Ready to face the rest of the year with energy & a sense of hope & optimism.
We have brought with us still waters of rest & renewal.

Some of us here were lucky to have had experiences in June, July, & August
that elated us, brought us times of gladness,
experiences that lifted our hearts.
We have brought with us shining waters of joy & happiness.

Some of us here have had experiences in June, July, & August
That came near to breaking our hearts,
Stormy experiences of such deep loss & pain
that we shed countless lonely tears.
We have brought with us storm waters of grief & sadness.

Some of us here have had experiences in June, July, & August
That portended large or small alterations in our lives, in our families,
in our work lives, in our relationships;
roiling changes that brought disruption or discomfort.
We have brought with us rushing waters of change & transition.

Let us take a few moments to reflect on our summer experiences,
& to decide when you wish to pour out the water you have.
You may want to divide your water & pour more than once.

I invite all of us to bring our respectful & compassionate attention
To all those who come forward as the water is shared –
Notice who shares at what point,
Let us make a point later to ask each other how we’re doing;
to care for one another.

Let us be together in a spirit of unity,
entering into a short time of reflection,
remembering the summer months,
& beginning our church year together.

Let us bring forth Still Waters of Rest & Renewal. (calm, serene music)
Let us bring forth Shining Waters of Joy & Happiness. (happy music)
Let us bring forth Storm Waters of Grief & Loss. (mournful music)
Let us bring forth Rushing Waters of Transition & Change. (music in a fast tempo)


"Blessing of the Waters" (adapted from Earl Holt)

In this familiar place made holy by our shared aspirations,
in the quiet of this hour made sacred by our presence,
here we have come, together once again,
to embark on yet another worship year.

Into this bowl we have poured water that represents all of us --
all our shared dreams, hopes, and values,
all our different journeys and backgrounds.
Our waters are joined as we are joined, different yet the same.

Beneath and beyond all that separates and divides us from one another,
here we become aware of a power which exists to heal and unite.
In this place, where we welcome life’s renewal in the children born to us,
where we nurture the spiritual lives of our young,
where we celebrate the relationships born of love,
where we deepen and develop our sense of inner mystery,
where we mourn those we love who are ill and who have died;
in this place, where we honor the traditions of the past,
and where we create the rituals that make our present meaningful,
in this place of memory and celebration and reverence and hope,
we see this gathering of waters as symbolic of our congregation:
for we are related to one another and joined to the wider human family.

Looking ahead, we cannot know what will come to us in the year to come.
We know that within the sacred circle of this community of faith
there will befall the full range and depth of experience --
there will be tragedy and triumph, pain and ecstasy, sorrow and joy,
which are the common lot of humanity,
and which, like the waters, reminds us of our link to others,
our part of the common destiny of all people everywhere.

In the year ahead, may this water serve to remind us
of these deep bonds that are so often hidden by our outward differences.
In the year ahead, may we recognize our kinship in spirit and in need,
and may we make this relationship actual in our words and deeds.
AMEN.

BENEDICTION -- “The Wellspring of Renewal” by Gary Smith

Like the sun needing a place to shine,
and the world needing to be so warmed,
we need one another.

Like the wind needing a place to blow,
and the earth needing to feel the air’s breath,
we need one another.

Like the snow needing a place to fall,
and the land needing to be quenched by moisture,
we need one another.

Like the ocean needing a shoreline,
and the coast needing to be touched by the rhythm of the water,
we [need one another.

Like each of the races of the world needing all the others,
black needing white needing red needing yellow needing brown,
we need one another.

We gather each week for this reason: to give and receive
what we have and what we need.

We gather each week for this reason: to say to each other
that like all that is living
we need one another.

We give thanks for the blessings of this community of faith;
we give thanks that once again we have come together.

Our service here is ended, but our service to the wider community is a continuing responsibility and joy. Go & make peace.