I HOPE YOU DANCE
Order of Service for
PRELUDE The Feeling Music Brings Jeannie Daniels Band
OPENING WORDS & CHALICE LIGHTING Sandra
Our opening words come from Wendell Berry. Thanks to Joanne Connolly for sharing this with me (and the other women in Voices From The Heart). This is titled “The Peace of Wild Things”
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
This morning our chalice is being lit by the “remaining” members of the
Please rise in body and/or in spirit and join in singing another one of my favorite hymns, #118, This Little Light of Mine. Please remain standing after the hymn.
Hymn #118 This Little Light of Mine
After a while you learn the subtle difference between
holding a hand and chaining a soul.
And you learn that love doesn’t mean leaning and
company doesn’t mean security.
And you learn kisses aren’t contracts and presents aren’t promises.
And you learn to accept your defeats with your head up
and your eyes open.
And you learn to build all your roads on today because
tomorrow’s ground is too uncertain.
For plans and futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.
After a while you learn that sunshine burns if you get too much.
So you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul
instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.
And you learn that you really can endure….
that you really are strong…..
and you really do have worth….
and you learn….and learn.
With every good-bye, you learn.
Musical Interlude I Hope You Dance Jeannie, et. al.
Sermon I Hope You Dance Sandra
(Turn to Jeannie and the band)
Thank you so much. That was fabulous. As Albus Dumbledore would say: “Ah, music. A magic beyond all we do here!”
I hardly know where to begin this morning; how to gather up these past seven years into a single moment of transformation, gratitude and inspiration. I’m having a hard time finding all the right words.
Maybe I am in shock. I really am leaving. I remember once being frozen in place when something so huge happened my mind couldn’t process it fast enough.
I was 14 years old and at work in my first job. Some of you know this about me, my first job was working in a dog grooming salon: Poodle Chateau. It’s true! It was my job to paint the poodles’ toe nails. And to be sure they had matching bows for their hair. Easter time was my favorite with pink, yellow, green and orange polish and bows! There was way more polish on me most days than on those toe nails.
I also brushed and bathed the dogs and helped the groomers. We groomed poodles, schnauzers, cock-a-poos, and other mixed breeds. For the most part I loved my job, except for the few vicious dogs. One day we had a very mean schnauzer in the shop. It took several people to brush and bathe him. One of the groomers asked for my help when it came time for him to get his hair trimmed. Great, I thought! Let’s take this mad dog and put a pair of buzzing trimmers on him! Which is exactly what they did. My job was to hold him, without hurting him. I had the end without the teeth, but no less a dangerous end.
He kept backing up to the edge of the table. I kept holding him firmly without hurting him. I kept holding, he kept backing up.
And in an instant, he took one large leap backwards off the table and into the huge barrel of dog hair at the end of the table. He literally disappeared into the pile, sucked into the fluff – like a vortex!
And I just stood there – completely frozen. Part of me was relieved, he was so mean. There was a part of me that just wondered what it was like in there for the dog. And there was a part of me that said, “I am NOT sticking my hands in there to get that dog!”
I really was in shock. My boss yelled – shook me out of my shock – and insisted I get the gnarly beast out.
Don’t ask me how I figured this out – there was a simple solution – and despite my numbness, my shock, I saw the answer.
“Tip the barrel over so the dog can walk out on his own”
Brilliant! That is what I did. (just so you know, the dog was fine. And I was so grateful that schnauzers didn’t get their toe nails painted).
I am like that right now. Kind of in shock. Not sure what to do. Or more accurately, not sure what is going to happen next. There is so much risk, dare I say DANGER?, and yet, I know, somehow, I must act.
I must say something to you. I need a stroke of brilliance.
Or maybe I need that driving force called WONDER. So I am calling forth a natural strength our children have – an innate force I call WONDER.
Many of us in religious education have a secret which we have been hesitant to share. We look like we have been sharing it when we invited you to teach or be a youth leader, or when we told stories of our adventures in
But since I am leaving, it is time to reveal the secret: You see, we know where to find the path to immortality, the fountain of youth. We know where to find our own sense of spirit and all the truths, big and small. We know where to find the strongest and bravest people in this church. And we are living off of them!
You’ve guessed the answer I’m sure: our children and youth, and the source of their bravery? WONDER! AND AWE! AND LOVE!
Developmental theorists tell us that we mature cognitively, morally, psychologically, and socially when we move from concrete thinking to the higher form of abstract thinking. Theorists such as Piaget, Kohlberg, and Erikson put us into hierarchical stages where success is marked by moving away from magical thinking and towards the higher functioning part of the brain. However, Fowler’s theory of faith development says reaching the sixth spiritual developmental stage is exceedingly rare, because you have to accept that life is to be both loved and to be held loosely. I think kids are born at the sixth stage. And we train it out of them.
Ask any one of us who has been involved with our children and we will tell you:
You cannot learn anything by yourself or by sitting still. You have to be engaged, have eternal hope and wonder, and you have to give faith a fighting chance.
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small
When you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I brought Droopy with me today. On my first Sunday I introduced you to him. He’s seven years droopier, and scruffier, and hugged. I had to put a scarf on his neck so his stuffing wouldn’t fall out! For some reason I can’t bring myself to putting a needle in his fur.
He’s my Velveteen Rabbit, my Winnie the Pooh, my Raggedy Ann, my Jesus. Droopy came into my life the Christmas I was 8 years old. My grandmother and my four-year-old brother died that year. I had three other siblings at that time. Droopy was the only one who could answer an 8-year-old’s theological questions about death, in a way our Baptist minister failed to do. Droopy gave me permission to grieve and be sad.
Years later, Droopy helped to bring spirit and faith back into my life after I discarded the way adults “do” religion. Droopy reminds me that it is not just the facts, or the “things” we are taught but the way we go about transformation, the way we discover revelation, and the way we gain wisdom that are the cornerstones of faith.
Here’s how children and teens do religion, and if any of the children or teen here have done any of these – stand up for each.
They play kickball!
They sleep on the floor of the Ladies’ Parlor
They worship right here on this chancel, at
They have snacks DURING church, and AFTER church
They make and eat weird food
They light our chalices using a battery-operated flame
They paint their own chalices
They share joys and concerns at Chapel
They become Dedicated at any age
They wear costumes and take part in the Christmas Eve story, This Is The Star
Now, here’s how the adults in RE “do” religion, and please do stand up if you’ve ever done any of these.
We play kickball!
We sleep on the floor of the Ladies’ Parlor
We worship right here on this chancel, at
We have snacks DURING church, not just AFTER church
We make and eat weird food
We light our chalices using a battery-operated flame
We paint our own chalices
We share joys and concerns at Chapel
We Dedicated our children at any age
We wear costumes and take part in the Christmas Eve story, This Is The Star
Oh, and we laugh and we laugh and we laugh. Sometimes we even take field trips to the local establishments. And we laugh, and we laugh, and we laugh.
And we wonder: What Would Sandra do?
But mostly, we learn from each other and we take chances, lots of chances. Cause we want to dance!
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances
But they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake
But it's worth making
Don't let some hell bent heart
Leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out
Reconsider
Give the heavens above
More than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I come from a long line of religious educators here at
I’ve worked with several ministers, some settled, some interim. It is a personal gift to leave this church having worked with Roberta.
I’ve worked with several Religious Education Committees, Committee now turned Council. Mike McGrail, Maureen Donnelly, Meghan Harris, Barney Hoop, Susan Remillard, Bryan Campbell and Jon Prichard are your current RE leaders. They would like to share a few words before we leave the Sanctuary this morning.
(Mike McGrail)
This is my last Sunday with you and my last Sunday as a religious educator. I do not know all the details of my future other than I will be living in
But that is what is so remarkable about our connection. You too have many details of your future that are unknown. You do know who your next interim minister will be, you do know who your acting DRE will be. You know who is in lay leadership for a while.
But there are many unknowns for you as well.
Even though the Twilight books are the latest rage, I remember when we were all reading Harry Potter. Dumbledore said a lot of profound, important things. One wisdom in particular has stayed with me:
“The consequences of our actions are so complicated, so diverse, that predicting the future is a very difficult business indeed.”
Promise me you will let love conquer fear, you will acknowledge your fears to yourself and to each other, you will learn all you can about Unitarian Universalism, and you will covenant with each other for mutual respect, your local mission, and your work of faith in the world, no matter what your age.
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small
When you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
Blessed be.
Please rise in body or in spirit to join in singing our final hymn, hymn #311, Love Will Guide Us.
Hymn #131 Love Will Guide Us Sandra intro.
BENEDICTION Sandra
Many of you have heard me say this hundreds of time: “I live to serve.” It has been a privilege to be a witness to all the times of your lives. I truly have lived to serve. Thank you for letting me share your journey with you for just a little while. I do love you.
Sandra stay in front for Postlude!
Postlude