Prayer Without Dogma

person sitting on dock by lake
Rev. Ren will lead an exploration of Prayer as a way Unitarian Universalists can connect and reconnect to themselves, and to that which is life-giving. Prayer can take many forms, from the quiet cultivation of stillness, to invoking a silent cry for help, to deliberately naming that which we’re grateful for. Regardless of form, prayer helps create an internal shift. Theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr, observed, “Prayer does not change things; prayer changes people, and people change things.”

Join the Service with Zoom

>> Connect to the service via Zoom

Order of Service

Centering Thought

“Prayer is the contemplation of the facts of life from the highest point of view. Is not prayer a study of truth? A venture of the soul into the unfound infinite? No one ever prayed heartily without learning something.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Centering Music

“Solace” by Scott Joplin

Welcome

Marian Siemens

Gathering Hymn

#123 “Spirit of Life”

Chalice Lighting

“Many of the Past Generations and Many of Today,” by Sophia Lyon Fahs. adapted by Marian Siemens

Opening Words

“Let our lives be a prayer” by Joel Miller

That waters dry souls

Mends broken hearts

Refuses to be terrorized

Seeks this world’s beauty

And carries us through its storms.

Affirmation

Love Is The Spirit

Story Wisdom

“Amelia and Her Super Magical Powers” by Grace Sphar, read by Marian Siemens

Stone Dropping

Marian Siemens

Hymn

#34 “Though I May Speak with Bravest Fire”

Reading

“Praying” by Mary Oliver, read by Rev Ren

It doesn’t have to be

the blue iris, it could be

weeds in a vacant lot, or a few

small stones; just

pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don’t try

to make them elaborate, this isn’t

a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which

another voice may speak.

Anthem

“Woyoya,” Lea Morris with the Silver Spring UUC

Meditation

“Listening with the Heart” by Gary Kowalski

The sound of the bell and two minutes of silence will follow the spoken meditation.

Offering

Marian Siemens

Thank you  for supporting the church with your funds, time, talent and energy.  Direct deposit or post-dated cheques simplify giving.  You may use a donation envelope, which is located at the back of the grey hymnal, to receive a tax receipt for accumulated cash gifts over $10.  Please ask an usher for details if you do not find an envelope.

Offertory

“The Gift of Love” adapted by Hal Hopson, arr. By John Carter

Sermon

“Prayer without Dogma” by Rev. Ren Rohe McFadyen

Hymn

#118 “This Little Light of Mine”

Announcements

Marian Siemens

Closing Words

“Prayer for Travellers” by Angela Herrera, read by Rev Ren

This is a prayer for all the travelers.

For the ones who start out in beauty,

who fall from grace,

who step gingerly,

looking for the way back.

And for those who are born into the margins,

who travel from one liminal space to another,

crossing boundaries in search of center.

This is a prayer for the ones whose births

are a passing from darkness to darkness,

who all their lives are drawn toward the light,

and keep moving,

and for those whose journeys

are a winding road that begins

and ends in the same place,

though only when the journey is completed

do they finally know where they are.

For all the travelers, young and old,

aching and joyful,

weary and full of life;

the ones who are here, and the ones who are not here;

the ones who are like you (and they’re all like you)

and the ones who are different (for in some ways, we each travel alone).

This is a prayer for traveling mercies,

And surefootedness,

for clear vision,

for bread

for your body and spirit,

for water,

for your safe arrival

and for everyone you see along the way.

Blessing Forth

Rev Ren

Chalice Extinguishing

“Carry the Flame”

Postlude

“The Entertainer” by Scott Joplin

Gratitude

Gratitude for our staff and our lay leaders who made this service happen:

  • Leaders: Rev. Ren Rohe McFadyen
  • Coordinator: Marian Siemens
  • Tech Host:, Ashlyn Noble, Arthur Burstow, Christian Swindells-Nader
  • Music Accompanist: Daniel Clark
  • Music for Affirmation: written by P.J. Buchan
  • Ushers:  Krishna Nimmagadda, Norm Cobb, Jim Gardiner and others
  • Greeter: Paula Keirstead
  • Set Up and Maintenance: , Michael Thiessen, Jim Gardiner and others
  • Hospitality:, Shar Lynn, Adina Lyon, Cheryl Simmonds and others
  • Chalice Sculptor: Jo’Anne Kelly
  • First UU Church of Winnipeg Chalice Logo Designer: Nancy Gilbert
  • Webmaster: Karin Carlson
  • Communicator Editor: Marjorie Doyle
  • All-Church Email Bulletin: Lorie Battershill

To contact the Sunday Services Team, please email worship@uuwinnipeg.mb.ca.