Last weekend I visited my step-father. He’s 93 and about to make the significant move from independent living to assisted living. On Sunday, we made time to sit down with the minister of his church to talk about the transition and his next steps in life. During this conversation I said to him, “I encourage you to lean into this church community. I can see that you have connections here, and my sense is that there is more love and support for you that you haven’t tapped into yet.”
I guess that’s what you get when your step-son is a minister himself.
I may have been out of line in promising love and support from a community that I’m not even part of (I live in a different state from my step-father), but I felt pretty secure in doing so. What I know about congregations, and other loving communities, is that they don’t run out of love. It’s not a scarce resource, it’s an abundant one. Love multiplies and grows the more it is shared.
I would say the same thing, to anyone reading this column, about the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Michigan: there is more love and support here that you haven’t tapped into yet. If you’re already part of this religious community, or if you are thinking of joining us, we have love and support for you. And heaven knows we need it these days. The daily news from the Ukraine is draining and demoralizing. The state and national news reveals alarming attacks on our democracy, on transgender kids and their families, and on public school teachers. We need one another in these difficult times.
May love grow and multiply as we offer love and support to one another.
PRAYER:
Mother Father God, as the good people of United Church of Christ call you…
Spirit of Life and Love, as we Unitarian Universalists like to say…
Allah, Jesus Christ, Brahman…
Divine Energy of many names and no name at all…Hear our prayer:
May the elders find their way forward into old age with dignity and with the support of family, friends, and community.
May the people of Ukraine be relieved of the horrors of the war they did not choose and do not deserve.
May divine grace shield transgender youth and their families from the atrocious legal attacks that state legislatures are levelling against them.
May the sacred right of voting be upheld and strengthened.
May school teachers be honored for their work, not scrutinized for the political correctness of their lesson plans.
In the name of all that is holy we pray.
Amen.
Rev. Andrew Frantz
March 10, 2022
I guess that’s what you get when your step-son is a minister himself.
I may have been out of line in promising love and support from a community that I’m not even part of (I live in a different state from my step-father), but I felt pretty secure in doing so. What I know about congregations, and other loving communities, is that they don’t run out of love. It’s not a scarce resource, it’s an abundant one. Love multiplies and grows the more it is shared.
I would say the same thing, to anyone reading this column, about the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Michigan: there is more love and support here that you haven’t tapped into yet. If you’re already part of this religious community, or if you are thinking of joining us, we have love and support for you. And heaven knows we need it these days. The daily news from the Ukraine is draining and demoralizing. The state and national news reveals alarming attacks on our democracy, on transgender kids and their families, and on public school teachers. We need one another in these difficult times.
May love grow and multiply as we offer love and support to one another.
PRAYER:
Mother Father God, as the good people of United Church of Christ call you…
Spirit of Life and Love, as we Unitarian Universalists like to say…
Allah, Jesus Christ, Brahman…
Divine Energy of many names and no name at all…Hear our prayer:
May the elders find their way forward into old age with dignity and with the support of family, friends, and community.
May the people of Ukraine be relieved of the horrors of the war they did not choose and do not deserve.
May divine grace shield transgender youth and their families from the atrocious legal attacks that state legislatures are levelling against them.
May the sacred right of voting be upheld and strengthened.
May school teachers be honored for their work, not scrutinized for the political correctness of their lesson plans.
In the name of all that is holy we pray.
Amen.
Rev. Andrew Frantz
March 10, 2022
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