 UU Fellowship of Lafayette Greetings fellow UUs and supporters! We are meeting IN PERSON and on Zoom until further notice. Our theme for January is Renewal. It is said that the one constant in the universe is change. Our bodies renew themselves physically by replacing cells of most organs with new cells. Our minds begin life as empty vessels which grow and change with our life experiences. The elements of which we are made were once created in the hearts of stars which formed from gas and dust -- then exploded -- spreading those elements throughout the universe to come together as beings alive and able to contemplate their own natures and the natures of their universe only to be dispersed again and again in a never-ending cycle of renewal. Sunday, January 23rd Service:  Economist Juliet Schor has documented the increase in time spent working over a 20 year period for Americans has shown a decrease in leisure time even though the technology revolution was expected to increase it. Instead, that time was used to get more work done. This tendency to overwork and have less vacation and leisure time is based on the "work ethic" that would suggest that our worth is linked to the quality and quantity of what we accomplish -- we are what we do. In contrast, UU's affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person -- which would suggest that our work does not define us. Although work may be worthy and good in and of itself it is not a means to justify our existence. As the Christian Bible suggests, the first six days of creation were very good, and the seventh day of rest was holy. Let's not forget that rest is holy! The sermon will be read by Rebekah Perkins! Thanks, Rebekah! Join us in person or on Zoom for Fellowship from 10:30 am until the service from 11 am until 12 noon with lunch afterward at a local restaurant. You may view the interactive service slides or read the sermon. If you will be visiting us and are on Facebook, please mark yourself going in the event Last Sunday's service recap: Rev. James Ishmael Ford recalls the gift of a concrete statue from his congregation which had developed a crack and would probably be left behind when he and his wife moved at retirement age although he had grown fond of it. He remembered a story about a meditation master who was asked about how we can be happy in a world of illness and death. The master explained that he had been given a water glass that he cherished and that it certainly one day would break, so he made certain he would enjoy using it in the meantime! -- Much of life is fleeting and we should take time to enjoy it while we can. Visit us for fellowship in person or on zoom beginning at 10:30 am and 11 am for the service. You can also view the interactive service slides and read the sermon. ---- |
