 Desi one to check check check check Desi one to check check I'd like to invite you to join me in a few moments of centering silence and now please remain seated and join us in singing our in-catering hymn found in your order of service or if you like to read music open to 10 58 good morning and welcome to the first Unitarian society this community is a place where curious seekers gather to explore spiritual ethical and social issues in an accepting and nurturing environment Unitarian Universalism supports the freedom of conscience of each individual as together we seek to become a force of good for the world my name is Carlos Moser and on behalf of the congregation I'd like to extend a special welcome to visitors I know some of your faces and those I don't may very well be visitors we're welcoming congregation to whoever you are and wherever you are on your life's journey we celebrate your presence among us newcomers are encouraged to stave for our fellowship after the service and to visit the library which is directly across the center doors of this auditorium bring your drinks and your questions members of our staff and lay ministry will be on hand to welcome you during our fellowship hour in the Commons look for people carrying teal colored stoneware mugs these are FUS members knowledgeable enough about our programs and community life and they look forward to the chance to speak with you this morning we welcome children to stay with us during the service but please remember that in this difficult environment a sudden disruption would not be welcome so we have a child haven over there in the northeast corner and the Commons are excellent places to go when anyone needs to talk or move about this would be a good time to turn off your electronic devices and digital devices you know where the buttons are use them experienced guides are available to give the building a tour to give a tour of the building after the service so if you'd like to learn more about us you can meet in this corner over here to your left and I believe the tour guide today is John Powell and I would like to announce the volunteers in addition to John Powell our tour guide we have today also in hospitality for your drinks afterwards Nancy Kossoff and the ushers are Marty Hollis and Ostrom and Nancy Daley our greeter is Kareem Perrin and the sound helper tucked away in the corner there under the balcony Peter Daley again welcome we hope that today's service will stimulate your thinking touch your heart expand your soul and stir your spirits I have some announcements please join us for a special parish meeting on Sunday March 19th the First Unitarian Society Board of Trustees ministers and staff urge you to join us at 12 30 on Sunday March 19th to explore the issue of becoming a sanctuary congregation the meeting will include a presentation by local sanctuary movement leaders rabbi Bonnie Margulis of the Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice Mario Garcia Sierra of Voces de la Frontera please come to discuss the issues and explore the recommended motion which will allow a task force to study the issues the other announcement is of course one I've heard about quite often from Steve Goldberg about the cabaret this year's cabaret is set for Friday May 12th this annual event is a fun and enjoyable occasion that members look forward to every year we need many volunteers to help plan organize and implement this festive event we count on party loving volunteers to make cabaret a big success does it sound like you I hope so please join the team to make this year's cabaret another memorable event for all of us at FUS contact Kelly Molly Kelly at Kelly Kay at FUS Madison dot org to volunteer or ask questions and remember it's only 59 days or a thousand four hundred and seventy five hours until cabaret so don't delay I got mixed up in my order and I want to go back to the list of volunteers there were three reasons I mentioned the volunteers one is to honor them and thank them the second is to remind you that there are parts of our community and if you don't know their names yet you should and you should get to know them if I tell you the names John Powell Nancy Kosoff Marty Hollis and Ostrom Nancy Daley Corinne Perrin Peter Daley do you remember who does what maybe not but that takes me to my third point you also can become a volunteer there is much to do to help in this society besides just give money so if you have been sitting around and enjoying everybody else's work join us some time so I finish with what I have already said before that I hope the service will stimulate your mind touch your heart and stir your spirit bring it here to the altar of life don't leave your anger behind it has high standards and the world needs your vision bring them with you and your joy and your passion bring your loving and your courage and your conviction bring your need for healing and your power to heal there is work to do and you have all that you need to do it right here in this room and if you will rise now in body or spirit to join together in the words of affirmation as we light our chalice in the flame of this chalice we find the light of faith the glow of hope and the warmth of service may we ever grow in faith hope and service as we kindle our own lights from its bark and before we join together in song you'll turn and take a moment to greet your neighbor be seated and I invite anyone who would like to come forward and join me around the campfire we've never done this before huh well not that I can remember so let's see if we can make a big circle come sit up here next to me let's see if we can make a big circle and see if we could get everybody in around our campfire can we do it we might need to move and have the first row of chairs removed so that we could make a big circle around our campfire everybody scoot on back and see if we can get all our friends in we can't scoot back anymore can we were up against the wall somebody could come sit up here scoot on over come on you want to come sit up here you can it's not real there's lesson number one never really put your hand in a fire are those what those are sticks from my front yard yes and that's paper and felt and I don't know what you all do on your Saturdays but in my family we make campfires I made it yesterday today's Pinewood Derby ours was a couple weeks ago so yours is today too you have a nightgown on can I be honest with you I wish I had a nightgown on that is awesome guys all right well let's get to our campfire story here that looks really comfortable I wonder if it comes in my size I would totally wear that put the campfire in the middle somebody yesterday at the Saturday service asked me where the marshmallows were and I said good idea hey I didn't even bring marshmallows what was I thinking it's cool isn't it Ellie I know I'd have to bring a gazillion marshmallows so what do you think you want a story I know it's just really exciting isn't it chocolate and okay I'm with you yeah so I'm just gonna have s'mores tonight for dinner I think that's okay how about you guys okay a next week bring you s'mores all right come on back so today we're gonna tell a story about a farm there was an it needs your help at some point so get ready there was a farm in a valley that was practically perfect in every way except that it had no rooster to crow with the crack of dawn so everyone was always late getting out of bed the dog never woke up in time to fetch the newspaper for the farmer the farmer never woke up in time to milk the cows before the sun came up the cows never woke up in time to eat the grass when it was still wet with the morning dew which in case you didn't know is when grass is tastiest just in case you ever needed to know that everyone was always late on the farm and so everyone was always cranky in the morning and sometimes the crankiness lasted all day long until one day a chicken arrived at the farm everyone was excited because she had four little balls of fluff peeping along behind her um pardon me said the pig who was exceedingly polite but would one of your chicks there um well would one of your chicks happen to be a he why yes answered Mrs. chicken and she pointed with the tip of her wing to the last chicken line and she said that one there that's my son a rooster chicken squealed the lambs we won't be late anymore we're have a rooster on the farm how did you know that's what was coming next you guys but they didn't have one yet right because what did the little chick need to do grow up into a rooster chicken and the chicks grew up from little yellow balls of fluff with legs to bigger yellow fluffs of ball of balls with legs and as the days passed the young chickens grew fine white feathers and bright yellow feet and then finally young mr. rooster crow he began to have long swooping feathers on his tail a tail squealed the lambs soon you're gonna be old enough to crow you look very handsome today said mr. pig who was if you remember always exceedingly polite a fine-looking foul all if I may say thank you said mr. rooster with a bob of his head but he walked away with his tail feathers drooping what's wrong asked his friend the gray and white cat on nothing well something's wrong said the yellow duck who swam in the pond and the pig came over to listen well said the young rooster here's the problem everybody's waiting for me to grow up and crow and I am growing up but but what said the cat well I don't know how to crow I've never even heard a rooster how am I supposed to know what to do well we can help said the pig we will said the cat how are we gonna do that um yeah how asked the duck well we'll teach him said the pig you've heard a rooster crow before haven't you Mrs. duck yes I have said the duck I can show you okay so everybody we got to be Mrs. duck are you ready so she's gonna climb to the top of the chicken coop folded her wings back so fold your wings back you ready and then she tilts her bill up high into the air and then she crows but how would a duck crow quack quack quack quack everybody be a duck does that sound like a rooster the cat the cat covered his ears and the pig said well thank you Mrs. duck but that's not perhaps that's not quite right and the rooster said oh thank goodness well all right let me demonstrate said the pig so the pig climbed to the top everybody climbed like a pig climbed to the top of a manure pile oh and he sat down and tilted his snout up into the air you ready and crow like a pig what good job now the cat closed his eyes and shook his head huh said Mrs. duck because she wasn't impressed at all yes well the pig climbed down that's not well that's not quite well it sounds a bit different you understand oh dear said the rooster maybe another chicken so they went and fetched another chicken but how does a chicken crow so the cat said let me try how would the cat do it so the dog said I'll try right exactly and then finally the lambs came over and the lambs said we'll do it and the rooster just shook his head I am never gonna learn how to crow I'm not gonna be good at waking people up and nobody's gonna like me anymore they maybe they just need an alarm clock on this farm right and said so we will still like you said the cat I like you right now and you've never crowed a day in your life besides said the cat I like sleeping in late me too I wish I was in my jammies you're gonna like me then said the rooster because I'm never gonna figure this out well wait a minute said the pig have you actually ever tried to crow me said the rooster well said Mrs. duck you're certainly more of a rooster than any of us are so we'll like you no matter what you sound like said the pig even if no sound comes out at all so the rooster decided to try he flew up to the top of the coop are you ready folded his wings back tilted his head and he tried to make some of those noises that the other animals made and what came out and after that no one had any doubt that young Mr. Rooster knew how to crow not even young Mr. Rooster himself now there's a farm in a valley that is practically perfect in every way it even has a fine young rooster who crows at the crack of dawn so everyone always gets out of bed exactly on time the dog always wakes up in time to fetch the newspaper for the farmer the farmer wakes up in time to milk the cows before the sun rises the cows get up in time to eat the grass when it's still wet with the morning dew which is when it is the the tastiest that's right everyone's always wide awake on the farm because they have a rooster whose friends helped him learn how to crow just like this everybody give me your best cockadoodle do thank you guys for being such great participants in our campfire today uh-oh I'll fix it I'll fix it thank you all right we are gonna rise and body your spirit and sing you guys out to class who max did you write a book can I hang on to it and give it back to you or do you want to take it please be seated just reading this morning a poem the bugs of childhood don't you remember them the furred legs of a caterpillar moving along your arm each follicle prickling beneath their touch the crumpling of the lady bugs under wings as it tucked them back beneath its glossy shell the butterfly on your finger unfurling its long spiral tongue rows and rows of ants hefting their white eggs the flies head bowed antennae bent under the careful work of four legs as it bathed its large composite eye one no bigger than a speck left tufts of foam in your palm another a pool of green some rolled themselves into a pill shaped ball at the slightest touch while others no matter how you tried refused what was it about the workings of their small bodies the click of the mandibles or the steady pulse of the thorax so nipped at the center it seemed tied with a string almost electric the way they zipped through the grass sunlight caught in iridescence remember how the dirt glinted and shimmered how the blind earth once writhe alive in your hand and this second a memory from a man named Manish Nandi I never felt closer to dad than when our family was on vacation we always stayed with his sister who lived and taught school in a small town in central India there was nothing to see there and nothing to do except to walk so that is what he and I did each day before the sun rose and the streets became busy with bicycles and bullet carts and buses dad would bend down next to my bed and touch my hand to wake me not wanting to disturb the other sleep by speaking once we were outside he would let me choose which road to take there were only two sometimes he'd confirm my choice by saying well done this side of town is definitely quieter today we would pass the vegetable vendors and the newspaper seller on his decrepit bicycle and the tiny farmers cooperative once we were outside of town the air was fresher and dad and I would walk briskly by the light of the rising sun a few huts the occasional stream and in emaciated cow or two were the only scenery but dad would always find something of interest look he might whisper and draw my attention with a forefinger to a blue fly catcher perched on a twig or a modest garden with a flaming red teak in full bloom we would walk three miles to the river and along the straggly shoreline a bit then turn around and go back by the time we return the town would be waking and dad would say as if the idea had just suddenly struck him at that moment do you think we should stop for some tea I would nod and we'd visit a street side stall where an old man served tea to passing laborers we would sit on a rough bench next to a rickety table and the man would place two steaming cups of over sweetened Darjeeling in front of us I love dad's expression of satisfaction as he took his first sip after the third sip he would turn convivial so he would ask what do you think of this town unlike our conversations at home these discussions made me feel as if we were equals dad has been gone some 30 years I live on the other side of the world I have nothing to remind me of him except a handful of old photographs but in the Washington DC suburb where I live I walk every morning with my aging husky and I remember the quiet loving man who walked with me and made me feel his equal beautiful music this morning and thank you just for playing all the hymns too on my honor I will try to serve God and my country to help people at all times and to live by the Girl Scout law these words the Girl Scout promise were committed to memory and childhood and I believe helped shape me into the person I am today I grew up proud to be a Girl Scout earning badges learning new skills giving back to my community earning the highest award for a Girl Scout the Gold Award and selling and consuming a lot of cookies I always imagined my transition into leadership as an adult troop leader as I worked with my own daughters in scouting never did I imagine that I would now spend two Monday nights a month saying this instead and join in you know you know it on my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout law to help other people at all times to keep myself physically strong mentally awake and morally straight a Scout is trustworthy loyal helpful friendly courteous kind obedient cheerful thrifty brave clean and referent I know many of you could have joined me in those words the oath and the law of the Boy Scouts of America yesterday the Saturday congregation did join right in when Brent and Dale Haglund who won the sermon of their choice at last year's cabaret suggested the theme of scouting I immediately thought of my many years as a Girl Scout and of all the wonderful experiences that my own son is having in Cub Scouts and I want to say thank you to Brent for putting together the nice display by the doors when you came in and this is also a fantastic photo of Brent meeting President Johnson as a Scout so after service please come on up and take a look I will tell you that I worried quite a bit when sons were born over what I call the scouting question I know some of you share this question and you may be ambivalent about whether or not your own children will join the history of the Boy Scouts of America has been rife with moral concerns over their discriminatory policies against gay Scouts and leaders transgender Scouts and those who struggle professing a duty to God having spent my growing up with the Girl Scouts an organization that has been welcoming and non discriminatory from the beginning that has an asterisk next to serve God which later tells you that you can interpret the word God according to your own spiritual beliefs having grown up with this inclusivity I worried about what I would do if and when my own children became interested in scouting so I did my homework and I talked to many parents both those who chose to involve their kids and those who did not there were many reasons to say yes the skills taught in meetings or camp out stay with kids forever from life-saving to citizenship Scouts gain a deeper understanding of skills that will affect them for the rest of their lives and in the case of some skills like first aid emergency preparedness scouting is a unique opportunity to gain knowledge that could save their own life or someone else's in the days to come from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts stories abound of those who saved the lives of others simply because they knew how to be prepared scouting places of very high value on civic engagement and community involvement and Scouts take that commitment very seriously volunteering for a wide range of projects improving public lands and properties serving food banks learning environmental responsibility all of it adding up to nearly a hundred million service hours across the United States every year Peter Applebaum and editor of the New York Times wrote that as an adult volunteer involved with his son scouting he observed that the core values are wonderful building blocks for a movement and a life scouting's genuinely egalitarian goals and instincts are more important now than they have ever been it is one of the only things that kids do that is genuinely cooperative and not competitive so when Sam said I'm all in for Cub Scouts I reluctantly agreed I watched as he put on his uniform and instantly felt a part of something larger than himself he loves being outside and experiencing things that he doesn't find anywhere else he enjoys the friendship and earning the pins the sense of accomplishment that comes with racing a car that you carved out of nothing but a block of wood I visited the website of scouts for equality an organization created in 2012 by current scouts and lifelong Eagle scouts who wish to see a change in these policies and want to create a stronger and more inclusive boy scouts they offer an inclusive scouting award for packs and troops who welcome all they have run multiple campaigns to end the discriminatory bands and they've been the champion of scouts and parents who were removed from scouting on their website they ask should I enroll my child in scouting and this is their answer absolutely all of us can point to scouting is instrumental in shaping who we are scouting combines leadership survival and teamwork with basic skills such as time management first aid and planning it is up to all of us to get involved to help ensure that the pro-equality voice within scouting is heard this alone is the best way to pave the path toward an even brighter and more inclusive future we encourage you to enroll your child speak up and lead by example and this brings me to what I believe is the first lesson in scouting change comes from within several major councils openly defied the national policy with the prospect of a number of others following in their steps technically their charters could have been revoked but the national organization stated that they would not revoke charters because it would deny the lifelong benefits of scouting to tens of thousands of boys and young men and countless more in the future the 37 year battle for the inclusion of lesbian gay and bisexual scouts employees and troop leaders ended with the inclusion of scouts in 2014 and the inclusion of lgb adult leaders in 2015 because of the work of those who were involved speaking up speaking out bringing about change this past January the Boy Scouts of America began accepting members based on their gender identity not based on their birth certificates opening the door for transgender youth to join now this occurred not over 37 years but over a few months because of an 8 year old transgender boy from New Jersey whose expulsion ignited the controversy and whose courage helped the organization to see in their own words the harm that was being caused to this child and his family and the distraction it caused from doing what we do best supporting and honoring and respecting the worth and individuality of all children in their words is what I see as the second lesson the importance of creating relationships of equality and mutual respect across the generations Lord Robert Baden Powell founder of the Boy Scouts once said a boy is supremely confident of his own power and dislikes being treated as a child when a boy finds someone who takes an interest in him he responds the sport in scouting is to find the good in every child and develop it the spirit is there in every child it just needs to be discovered and brought to light Baden Powell created the scouts out of his empathy for children and his belief that childhood needs to be a time of adventure self-development and good clean fun Juliet low founder of the Girl Scouts learned about scouting from Baden Powell at the age of 51 a widowed woman from an estranged marriage she was trying to figure out what to do with the rest of her life Baden Powell shared the idea of getting young people into a different environment where they could learn resourcefulness and self reliance had I had a bigger view she later wrote a different view a larger view of the world than the narrow upper-class life I was given in Savannah Georgia would I have used those first 51 years in a way that would have made me feel more effective low returned to the United States and threw herself into the creation and leadership of the Girl Scouts now Girl Scouts we have to admit has always been a bit edgy they were part of the women's liberation movement low founded a troop for girls with disabilities and Girl Scouts dove early into the movement for racial integration today their slogan is discover connect and take action instructing girls to learn about a problem connect to other people and learn how to help the ambassador handbook states Girl Scouts exists so you and millions of others can make a commitment to change the world save the earth and create a more peaceful planet which brings me to our third lesson instilling a love of nature and a sense of reverence and responsibility for its care by and large our society has come to regard nature as separate from normal daily life as little more than a passing dream on the other side of the windshield visits to natural parks have dropped 25% and we recognize that we have a growing disconnect between children and nature study after study indicates that time outdoors in a natural setting is a vital element for healthy childhood development more than a hundred studies of adults and children show that spending time in nature reduces stress while others show that contact with the natural world significantly reduces symptoms of childhood depression and attention deficit disorder along with the personal benefits of being in the natural world comes the growth of reverence if you'll remember a scout is reverent reverence is a feeling inside us that we are part of something greater than ourselves and not only are we a part of it we depend on it and it depends on us whether you call it God or the starry heavens or the creator or family or humanity we stand in awe before something that is larger than we are and therefore we offer it and everything around us respect we are all part of this so everything deserves our consideration and our thoughtfulness in Robert Gates final speech as Boy Scouts of America president he said America needs scouting because what other organization takes boys into the wilderness to find adventure to learn about our priceless natural heritage and to develop the inner strength and confidence that we need to overcome challenges and adversity listen to the words of Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas if throughout time the youth of our nation accept the challenge the mountains offer they will help keep alive in our people the spirit of adventure that spirit is a measure of the vitality of a nation a people who climb the ridges and sleep under the stars in high mountain meadows who enter the forest and scale the peaks who explore glaciers and walk ridges buried deep in snow these people will give their country some of the indomitable spirit of the mountains and it is this spirit of the mountains that gives us the ability to seek out and find the good it takes no special talent these days to look around our world and point out things that are numbing depressing or death dealing but becoming keenly and consistently aware of what is good and what is true and what is beautiful demands a discipline we must open our eyes minds and our hearts and keep them open as we open up we begin to see beauty everywhere not only in nature but in human nature there's a lot of bad news but there's good news as well as we hear in this poem by Mary Oliver every day I see or hear something that kills me with delight that leaves me like a needle in a haystack of light it is what I was born for to look to listen to lose myself inside this soft world to instruct myself over and over again in joy I am not talking about the exceptional the fearful the dreadful the very extravagant but of the ordinary the common the very drab the daily presentations oh good scholar I say to myself how can you help but grow wise with such teachings as these the untrimmable light of the world the oceans shine the prayers that are made out of grass the final lesson I'll mention has been one of the most remarkable aspects of scouting for my family and that is find your pack in a world that separates compares and divides scouting has brought us community friendships and connection at Sam's first den meeting his leader told the boys here in scouts we're going to really think about how we are together who we are together here we support one another we lift each other up and we stick together there are no heroes here because heroes work out there on their own and in this den no one will ever be left on their own starhawk once said we are all longing to go home to some place we've never been a place half remembered and half envisioned we can only catch glimpses of from time to time community somewhere there are people to whom we can speak with passion without having the words catching our throats somewhere a circle of hands will open to receive us eyes will light up as we enter voices will celebrate with us whenever we come into our own power community means strength that joins our strength to do the work that must be done arms to hold us when we falter a circle of healing a circle of friends some place where we can be free so whether or not you or someone you love chooses to be involved in a scouting organization these lessons still apply fight for change in organizations and communities that matter to you speak your truth and help bring them to their unimaginable heights our world today needs the spirit of the mountains it needs your spirit your vision create relationships across the generations be a mentor help someone else discover the spirit and the light within them help them shine get out into nature and remind yourself of the beauty and the good feel the reverence and finally find your pack find those who bring you healing and strength for no one can get through this life alone so I'll leave you with the words that closed out many of my Girl Scout days day is done gone the sun from the lake from the hills from the sky all is well safely rest God is nigh and I now invite you into the giving and receiving of the morning's offering you'll see in your order of service that this week our offering is shared with sale you can find out more about their work in your order of service and we thank you for your generosity playing together each week a community who gathers with joys and sorrows written on our hearts in this place we come to find strength and common purpose turning our hearts and our minds toward one another seeking to bring into our circle of concern all who need our love and support this week we send our prayers and healing thoughts to rosemary friend of Marty Hollis who is struggling post-surgery for pancreatic cancer and we also send our thoughts of healing to Neil Lowney father of Robin Lowney Langton who had a stroke on Tuesday and is recovering at home in the Twin Cities we also hold all the joys and all those sorrows that are too tender to share that live in the fullness of our hearts may we remember that we are part of a web of life that makes us one with all humanity one with the universe may we be grateful for the miracle of life that we share the hope that gives us the power to care to remember and to love blessed be and if you will rise in body or spirit are closing him in the teal hymnal number 1064 may the peace of the flowing waters be with us may the beauty of the starry skies be with us may the blessing of companionship give us strength for the work that must be done and may the miracle of this day and this life together continue to amaze us each and every day blessed be go in peace and please be seated for the postlude