First UU Church of Nashville Covenant Group Session Plan #144
Meghann Robern, Intern Minister
April Worship Theme: Letting Go
Opening Words: Lifting Our Voices #124, adapted from Derek Walcott
The time will come
When, with elation,
You will greet yourself arriving
At your own door, in your own mirror,
And each will smile at the other’s welcome,
And say, sit here. Eat.
You will live again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
To itself, to the stranger who has loved you
All your life, whom you ignored
For another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
The photographs, the desperate notes,
Peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.
Chalice Lighting and Covenant
Check-In and Sharing
Topic:
The path from childhood to adulthood is about creating identity, about creating a “self”. And yet, we must do such creation in the larger context of our existing families, cultures and traditions, which can often constrict us as much as they support and guide us.
How does your “self” now differ from the self you envisioned being as a child?
What lessons were you taught as you grew up that changed how you saw yourself? Which of these lessons helped you flourish? Which have possibly held you back?
What, if anything, would you like to consider letting go of in order to better your “self”? What would turning that into a learning, growing experience look like for you?
Closing Check-Out and Chalice Extinguishing
Closing Words: Lifting Our Voices #110, adapted from Angela Herrera
Don’t leave you broken heart at the door;
Bring it to the altar of life.
Don’t leave your anger behind;
It has high standards and the world needs vision.
Bring them with you,
And your joy and you passion.
Bring your loving,
And your courage and your conviction.
Bring your need for healing,
And your powers to heal.
There is work to do
And you have all that you need to do it right here in this room.
