Invocation for Orlando City Council

Several weeks ago, I joyfully accepted an invitation to offer the invocation at Orlando City Council today, Earth Day. I did not know at the time that it would be a more complicated day. Here are my words:

Invocation for Orlando City Council
April 22, 2013
Rev. Kathy Schmitz, First Unitarian Church of Orlando

Mr. Mayor, Commissioners, Guests,

I invite you to join me in a spirit of prayer and reflection.

Spirit of Life & Love, Spirit of Peace & Justice,

As we gather today at the beginning of a new week, we look back on the week now past,
a week that has been challenging for many, if not all, of us.

We review the constellation of emotions that have weighed on our hearts
and been expressed by our lips… horror and outrage, grief and bewilderment.

The explosion of bombs at the Boston Marathon made us look at many things in new ways.

Those who serve and lead in any city, asked ourselves, “what if,”
… and we allowed our hearts to break open with compassion.

We are reminded once again of how very much we need one another.

We saw the courage of first responders… the commitment and skill of law enforcement and of medical staff …  We saw the strength of a community. We saw a city, and commonwealth, a country, and a world, look for, and find, the best in each other.

And we were reminded once again of how very tender and yet powerful is the human spirit.

May we remember this well as we move into the days and weeks ahead.
… a time of healing and new understanding.

May we resist the urge to imagine that we know more than we really do.
May we keep our hearts and our minds open.
May we remember that across our city and around our world,
there are people of peace, justice, and good will to be found in every faith tradition.

And on this Earth Day, especially, may we remember
that we are one human community on this beautiful blue-green planet that we share.

Let us look into the eyes of our family and friends, our coworkers and neighbors
… those who we know well and those who are still strangers to us. May we know our common humanity.

And with this knowing,
may our service to this community helps us always to be better citizens of the world
and may we, and the city we serve, be a gift to residents and guests alike and a blessing to the world.

Let us pause now in silence so that each may add the prayers of their hearts in accordance with their own custom.

(Silence)

Spirit of Life & Love, Spirit of Peace & Justice,
Be with us in all we do.
Blessed Be, Namaste, Asalam Alaikum, Ashe, Shalom, Amen

Brahma-Vihara or Heavenly Abodes

In worship last Sunday, I talked about equanimity,  one of the 4 Brahma-Vihara in the Buddhist tradition. Several questions after the service made me think that more than one person would appreciate having the list. Here it is, with descriptions of each, from American Buddhist teacher Sharon Salzberg.

Brahma-Vihara is Pali (original language of the Buddha) meaning “heavenly abode” or “best home.” The Buddha taught that practicing these four qualities leads to the “liberation of the heart which is love.” The Brahma-Viharas are:

Metta (lovingkindness) translates both as friendship and also gentle, as in a gentle rain that falls indiscriminately upon everything. Metta practice is a steady, unconditional sense of connection that touches all beings without exception, including ourselves. The Buddha first taught it as an antidote to fear.

Compassion is our caring human response to suffering.  A compassionate heart is non-judgmental and recognizes all suffering—our own and that of others—as deserving of tenderness.

Sympathetic Joy is the realization that others’ happiness is inseparable from our own. We rejoice in the joy of others and are not threatened by another’s success.

Equanimity is the spacious stillness of mind that provides the ground for the boundless nature of the other three qualities. This radiant calm enables us to ride the waves of our experience without getting lost in our reactions.

The service was on this year’s theme of “Who is our Neighbor?” and focused on this month’s Unitarian Universalist Association Principle that says that we affirm and promote acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations.

This week’s audio recording includes the 3 reflections that made up the service, as well as the meditation on equanimity between reflections 1 & 2. The 3 reflections are Equanimity,  Just as You Are (on acceptance), and Not Done Yet (on encouragement to spiritual growth.) You can listen to the recording by clicking on the March 3 entry (Reflections on Equanimity) here.

I wish you well in your practice of these 4 lovely qualities!

Our 30 Days of Love 2013

The Congregation has Left the Building

First Unitarian Church of Orlando (1U) joined the Standing on the Side of Love campaign in the celebration of 30 Days of Love  from Martin Luther King Day to Valentine’s Day (though our calendar ran a little longer than just 30 days!) A number of 1U and community events highlighted our commitment to standing on the side of love, justice, and full equality. Here’s what happened!

The Love Tree

The children in the religious education program created a Love Tree with hanging heart tags. Each tag listed an item that could be purchased and returned to the tree for later delivery to the New Image Youth Center.

City of Orlando’s MLK Vigil and Interfaith Service

A strong contingent from 1U joined the “candlelight” vigil and march from City Hall to First United Methodist Church where we celebrated the life and legacy of The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. in a service coordinated by the Interfaith Council of Central Florida and the Mayor’s MLK Commission.  A highlight was seeing 3 of our 1U children sing in the interfaith children’s choir called “Everyone’s Children.”

Weekend of Service

1U members headed out into the community for a weekend of service at Community Food & Outreach Center. It was great to learn about the good work of this organization and to put our hands to work on their behalf.

Spaghetti Dinner  & MLK Day Concert  at 1U

Yummy, delightful, and inspiring… words that describe our evening with UU singer/song writer David Roth. We look forward to bringing other such talent to our community.

Rock n’ Roe: Planned Parenthood Benefit Concert

A vibrant crowd including 1U members and friends, celebrated the 40th anniversary (01-22-73) of Roe v. Wade with keynote speaker, Honorable Patricia Schroeder. Joyce Hamilton Henry, ALCU Mid-FL Director and Rev. Kathy also addressed the group which gathered at The Venue and was entertained by three local bands.

Interfaith Action & CIW Workshop at 1U

Our workshop at 1U gave us and our community partners a chance to learn more about the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and their fair Food Campaign. The day culminated with farm workers from Immokalee joining us at the downtown Publix for a vibrant public witness event. Picket lines of 30 people each circulated on either side of Central Blvd as a delegation asked Publix managers to become partners in the Fair Food Program. Foot traffic from Lake Eola gave us many opportunities to share information about this cause with the curious folks passing by. Participants committed to supporting the CIW on their upcoming March for Right, Respect, and Fair Food. For details see here.

Human Heart 

The 5th annual “Human Heart: An OUTright Love-in” on Valentine’s Day left the rain-drenched park and headed to the site of the after party, “The Venue,” and there we created our human heart. We celebrated the progress made toward equal rights in the past year and committed ourselves to the on-going work!

Healing Our World and Ourselves Conference

at 1U but co-Sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brevard, Florida and the Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry of Florida. With Unitarian Universalists from around the state, we had a chance to consider the intersection of several contemporary issues: democracy, environmentalism, and addiction.

Yuuth on the Side of Love Concert

A fabulous evening of magic, comedy, improv, music, and theater by our teens wrapped up our 30 Days and benefited the Standing on the Side of Love campaign. The talent and enthusiasm was enjoyed by an appreciative crowd.

Feeling the energy build throughout the 30 Days, it was awesome to realize the growing potential the congregation has to be a force for Love every day of the year.

Let’s Show the CIW some UU Love on Sunday, March 17

Unitarian Universalists are organizing to support the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) on their upcoming March for Rights, Respect and Fair Food. First Unitarian Church of Orlando is encouraging UU congregations statewide to send delegations to Lakeland, FL on March 17. Logistical information on how to participate is evolving and the most up-to-date information will be posted here.

I’ll be there with other 1U members and Unitarian Universalists from around the state, as well as folks from other faith and community groups. Hope you can join us!

Background:

The CIW and allies will march 150 miles to Lakeland, FL in a two-week March for Rights, Respect, and Fair Food! The march, which begins in Ft Myers, FL on Sunday, March 3, will end at the Publix headquarters in Lakeland on Sunday, March 17.

Recently, UUs from several central Florida congregations gathered with community partners to learn more about the CIW’s Fair Food program.  The day culminated with a picket at the Publix in downtown Orlando where they were joined by farm workers and their families. A delegation from the group met with store managers to encourage Publix to sign on to the program which increases wages and improves working conditions for tomato pickers. To read about the day, click here. (Scroll down to find links to news stories at the bottom of the report.)

Participants committed to helping to swell the ranks of the upcoming march as it approaches the Publix headquarters on March 17. Volunteers from First Unitarian Church of Orlando are working closely with the CIW and Interfaith Action to be able to provide UUs statewide with logistical information for involvement for that day.

From the Orlando area: A caravan will transport marchers from 1U to Lakeland following the second worship service on March 17. So that we have space for everyone, please sign up to participate by completing our CIW March Registration Form or contact CIWeventinfo@orlandouu.org for more information.

Well, Hello Blog!

Sorry I have been away so long. Life has been full, and rich, and, well, busy.  Fortunately for me, I have been mostly occupied with things I love, so I don’t mean to complain. Still, I would like to find more time for writing. As I had not made any formal New Year’s resolutions, perhaps this will be one – to be more attentive to you. This is not just for the sake of writing, though that can be both therapeutic and clarifying, but because I know there is more I am supposed (by which I mean it would be helpful) to be sharing with people.  So let’s give it a go and see what happens.

Health & Abundance

My favorite Thanksgiving image is the cornucopia. For me, it is a beautiful symbol of health and abundance. One of the things that I love about it is that it is simple, just a wicker cone overflowing with vegetables and fruits in their natural form.

Life can so easily become overcomplicated. As we take time to express our gratitude this year, I hope that we will look beyond the noise and clutter, the commercialism and hype, that too often crowd our days. I hope that we will remember that many of the things that matter most are really quite simple.

Many of us wrestle daily with life’s challenges such as health, finances, or relationship concerns. Whether these are issues in our own lives or in the lives of those we care about, they can dampen our spirits and make it hard to get in touch with joy and gratitude. And yet, getting in touch with joy and gratitude may be just what we need to lighten our spirits and to give us the hope and courage to go on.

In spite of tendencies toward sentimentality, a national holiday of giving thanks is a good reminder to count our blessings. At its best, its effects will not last for just one day, but rather will serve as a sort of reset to our spirits, calling us back again to the practice of gratitude. My wish would be that we would each make touching joy and gratitude a daily practice, as important to our well-being as eating and sleeping.

However you celebrate, and wherever, and with whomever, may your hearts be lifted by an awareness of life’s simplest and more enduring gifts.

Much Love,

Rev. Kathy

Was it a ‘Spiritual Experience?’

I happened across one of the short reflections I wrote after my 2006 sabbatical in India. It seemed to fit with the focus for worship this Sunday, which is the goal of world community as articulated in our 6th Unitarian Universalist Association Principle, so I share it here.

Was it a ‘spiritual experience?’ This is what many people want to know about my six week journey to India. After all, I’m a religious professional and India is full of religions.

It was a spiritual experience, but not in the way people are usually thinking when they ask the question. They want to know if I studied with a guru, meditated at an ashram, or made a certain pilgrimage. I did not.  

I went as a tourist. I went to see India – all of India – or at least as much as I could soak up in my meager visit. I needed the overview, the broad strokes, the highs and the lows, the everyday flow of life in this subcontinent nation of over a billion people.

And so I saw the things that one must see – The Taj Mahal, The River Ganges. I walked through crowded cities and rode camels through beautiful countryside. I visited natural parks and technology museums. I slept on trains and talked with children. I wandered the foothills of the Himalayas and floated on the backwaters of the tropical coast.

I argued with rickshaw drivers and wondered at street sweepers. I choked on the filthy air and shook my head at the piles of garbage. Still, breathtaking views of the natural world stopped me in my tracks and the grandeur of the achievements of humankind throughout millennium stretched my imagination to its edges.

And you want t to know if it was a spiritual experience?

All I can tell you is that the invisible threads that connect the world became more visible – not just visible – but shiny and clear in an intricate pattern beyond my understanding. My world is richer, deeper, more complicated and more connected.

Though its meaning continues to swirl through my being and has yet to take shape, and though the words to express it escape me – it is no less real. That my heart is filled with awe and wonder – I would call that a spiritual experience.