 the First Unitarian Society of Madison. This is a community where curious seekers gather to explore spiritual in an accepting and nurturing environment. Unitarian universalism supports the freedom of conscience of each individual, as together we seek to be a force for good in the world. My name is Karen Rose Grebler, and on behalf of the congregation, I extend a special welcome to everyone here, including visitors. We are welcoming congregations. So whoever you are and wherever you are on your life's journey, we celebrate your presence among us. We trust the spoken word and spirited music we share today will touch your heart, stimulate your mind and stir your spirit. We will now sound the gong leading us into a time of silence as we catch up with ourselves, slow down and breathe and come fully into this time together. Please remain standing for the opening words in the chalice lighting. As we gather on this rainy May morning, may we take the time to recognize and to affirm the pieces of possibility, the elements of goodness and beauty that we have brought here with us. From our individual gifts, we create a multi-hued patchwork, a fabric richly blue with sensitivity and understanding, crimson with creativity, white with the heat of strong conviction, green with the delicacy of new growth, and golden with the glow of love. Each of us is beautiful, invaluable, and together in all of our glorious diversity, we are a wonder to behold. It is good to be who we are, and it's good to be on this journey together. I invite you to turn in your programs now to the chalice lighting words. Please join with me. May we each bring our best selves to this celebration, our ideals, dreams, and noble aspirations. May the flame we kindle symbolize our desire for committed, compassionate, and constructive lives. May this gathered community inspire us to pursue life's worthiest goals. And now I do invite you to turn to your neighbor exchange with them a warm and friendly greeting. Good morning. Are you signed up for announcements one more time? Mostly because you have a special announcement. Please be seated. And we ask a blessing on these beautiful flowers that were brought forward with these words from Norbert Chopek. Infinite spirit of life. We ask thy blessing on these messengers of fellowship and love. May they remind us amid diversities of knowledge and gifts to be one in desire and affection and devotion to compassionate living. May they also remind us of the need for sharing and for understanding, for cooperation and peace in our common quest. May we cherish friendship and community as one of life's most precious gifts. May we not let awareness of another's talents discourage or separate us. May we realize that the efforts of all of us, the goodwill of all of us, are needed to heal and transform our troubled world. May we be strengthened by the knowledge that one spirit, the spirit of love unites us. And may we endeavor together for a more joyful life for all. Amen. And now I invite anyone who'd like to come forward for our story to come on up. Hi. Morning. Hello. Hi. Yow, Kian, here he comes. Whoa, you did it, Kian. Hi, Finn. Hi. How are you guys? Hello. Hey everybody. Our story today is called Wanda's Roses. It is one of my favorite flower stories and there'll be some pictures. What do you think of that picture there? Does that look like a rose bush? No? Yeah. What happened to the cat's head? I don't know. What do you think happened to it? That's just its head. What's wrong with its head? You think it ate too much? Does its head look too big? I don't know. I think the cat's in every picture. You'll have to see. Maybe the cat's in every picture. Maybe that's a different book. I don't remember. You tell me. Yeah, it could be. So one morning in May, on the way to school, a girl named Wanda noticed a bush growing in the empty corner lot at Fillmore and Hudson Streets. It must have been growing for a while because it was about two feet tall. And Wanda was surprised she hadn't noticed it before. But there it was, bare and thorny. And Wanda, who loved beautiful things, felt her heart beat faster. A rose bush, my very own rose bush. Now, the rose bush didn't really belong to Wanda, but since nobody seemed to own that lot or the heaps of junk that were piled there, she decided that she'd care for the bush and make it her own. All during school, she thought about her rose bush. During art, she drew pictures of what it would look like in bloom. During libraries, she borrowed books on arranging flowers. During science, she asked so many questions about how to take care of it that finally her teacher said she really had to stop asking questions about roses and start thinking about electricity, which was what the lesson was about. After school, she rushed to the rose bush. It was still bare and thorny. Maybe it needs some more sun, Sun thought Wanda. So she put down her bag and she began dragging some of the trash out to the curb. Mrs. Turner, who was on her way to the store, stopped to help her move a broken chair. Are you cleaning up the neighborhood, Wanda? That's a nice project. Oh, I'm not cleaning. I'm helping my rose bush get more sun, so it'll bloom. Your rose bush, Mrs. Turner asked, what rose bush? That went over there, Wanda said. Oh, Wanda, I don't think that's a rose bush. Sure it is. I've seen rose bushes in books. This is exactly what they look like before they bloom. You just wait. In a few weeks, this lot is gonna be full of roses. Well, perhaps, said Mrs. Turner, good luck, Wanda. And as she walked away, Mrs. Turner thought to herself, if that thing is a rose bush, then I'm the queen of England. The next day after school, Wanda hurried to the rose bush, which was still bare and thorny. Maybe it needs more air, thought Wanda. So she put down her bag and began taking more trash to the curb. Once I get all this trash out of here, nothing's gonna block the air from getting to my roses. Mr. Claudel was on his way home from work and he saw Wanda trying to drag an old door. So he stopped to help. Are you cleaning up the neighborhood, Wanda? I'm not just cleaning, Mr. Claudel. I'm getting rid of the trash so my rose bush will get more air. A rose bush here? So Wanda showed him the bush. I don't know much about gardening, Wanda, but I don't think that's a rose bush. Sure it is. And in a few weeks, this lot will be filled with the sweetest smelling roses you've ever seen. She thanked Mr. Claudel for his help and went off to drag away more trash. Mr. Claudel shook his head, if that's a rose bush, then I'm the king of France. Every day after school, that week and the next, Wanda worked in the empty lot. Mrs. Giamani, who lived in the apartment next door, gave her trash bags for the old shoes and cans and bottles and broken toys and bits of glass that she was picking up. You have done a great job cleaning up this lot, Wanda. I'm not just cleaning. I gotta get rid of the trash so my rose bush will get enough sun and fresh air to bloom. What rose bush? Mrs. Giamani put her hand on Wanda's shoulder and spoke softly to her. Wanda, this is not a rose bush. Oh, but it is, said Wanda. And in a few weeks, this lot's gonna be filled with the most beautiful roses you've ever seen. That would be nice, said Mrs. Giamani, but I don't want you to be disappointed if this bush doesn't bloom. Don't worry, I won't be disappointed. The next week, when the rose bush still wasn't blooming, Wanda talked to the school librarian. I need books about getting roses to bloom. Do you have a rose bush, Wanda? Ms. Jones asked. Yes, but it doesn't have flowers yet. It has sun, it has air. Does it have water? Oh, water, Wanda said. Of course, that will make it bloom. So that afternoon, she hurried home to the rose bush. It was still bare and thorny, but she noticed the dry ground. Don't worry, little bush, I'm gonna get some water, and then you'll be able to grow flowers. So she went to the butcher shop across the street and said, Mr. Sanchez, can I have water for my rose bush? Rose bush? Is that what I see you taking care of over there? Are you sure that's a rose bush? Oh yes, I'm sure, but it can't bloom because it needs water. Mr. Sanchez gave her a plastic bucket full of water. I hope that is a rose bush, Wanda, he said. You'll see, Wanda told him. And as she carried the water to a rose bush, Mr. Sanchez muttered, in a few weeks, the thorn bush is still gonna be a thorn bush. Now every day, Wanda ran to her rose bush after school, but every day it was bare and thorny. Mr. Claudel stopped on his way home from work. Mrs. Turner stopped on the way to the butcher shop. Mrs. Giamani, seeing Wanda in the lot, called down and asked her if there were any flowers. And when Wanda went to the library, Ms. Jones asked her about her roses. And every day, Wanda would say the same thing. Just you wait. Pretty soon this whole lot's gonna be full of roses. And then one day in June, Wanda had an idea. Looking at the bare thorny bush, she said, if my rose bush won't give roses to me, I'm gonna give roses to my rose bush. And when she saw Mrs. Turner, Mr. Claudel, Mrs. Giamani, Mr. Jones and Mr. Sanchez, she gave each of them an invitation that said, please come for tea and muffins in Wanda's rose garden. Saturday morning at nine. Oh dear, said Mrs. Turner. Oh no, said Mr. Claudel. Oh my, said Mrs. Giamani. Oh shoot, said Mr. Sanchez. Oh good, said Ms. Jones, who'd only heard about the bush from Wanda and hadn't seen it for herself. I'll bring the muffins. So the night before the tea party, everyone was very busy. The next morning at nine, everyone was surprised to see Wanda's rose bush covered with roses. Paper roses she had made herself and carefully tied to each bare thorny branch. But more surprising yet, everyone who came to the party had brought along a rose bush to plant near Wanda's, except Miss Jones, who brought delicious blueberry muffins. After they'd eaten their muffins and drunk their tea, they all got busy planting the rose bushes. They dug the holes, held the bushes in place, filled in around the roots, and Mr. Sanchez kept bringing water from his shop to water them all in. When the work was finished, Mr. Claudel said, Wanda, this is gonna be a rose garden fit for a king or a queen, said Mrs. Turner. And later that summer, the whole lot was filled with the biggest, most beautiful, sweetest smelling roses that anyone had ever seen, just as Wanda had always said it would be. So we are gonna stay here and listen to the choir sing, and when they're done singing, then you can leave for classes. Reading is from Adley Stevenson, and for those who are too young to remember Adley Stevenson, he was at one time the governor of the state of Illinois. He was twice the Democratic candidate for the president of the United States, having the misfortune to run against a war hero. And then during the Kennedy administration, he served as our representative to the United Nations. He was also a Unitarian Universalist from Bloomington, Illinois. He writes, I think that one of our most important tasks as Unitarians is to convince ourselves and others that there is nothing to fear indifference, that difference is in fact one of the healthiest, one of the most invigorating of human characteristics without which life would become lifeless. Here lies the power of the liberal way, not in making the whole world Unitarian, but in helping ourselves and others to see something of the possibilities inherent in viewpoints other than one's own, in encouraging the free interchange of ideas, in welcoming fresh approaches to the problems of life. It urges the fullest, most vigorous use of critical self-examination, and thus we can learn to grow together, to unite in our common search for the key to creating a better and a happier world. And in much the same spirit, this reading from the Reverend Richard Gilbert who served our congregation in Rochester, New York for many years. We are all more human than otherwise. The human race, white and black, red, yellow, brown, the vast rainbow bursting into view. And yet for all of us, blood is red, the sky is blue, the earth is brown, the night is dark. We are all more human than otherwise. In size and in shape, a varied assortment of tall and short, slim and stout, fine and coarse featured. And yet for all of us, there are fingers to touch, hearts to break, eyes to cry, ears to hear, and mouths to speak. Our tongues are many, a great tower of babble, a jumble of voices grasping for words, groping for ways to say peace and love and pity and hope. We are more human than otherwise. Fades compete, claiming the one true way. Saviors abound, pointing their route to salvation. Not all of them can be right, not one. They unify only in the urge to keep on searching. Boundaries divide us, lines drawn to demarcate our diversity. Maps are created to separate the human race from itself. And yet a mother's grief, the father's love, child's happy cry, a musician's sound, an artist's stroke. These batter the boundaries, these shatter the walls. Strength and weakness, arrogance and humility, confidence and fear live together in each one of us, reminding us of our freedom and our finitude. And these we all share in our common humanity, we are all more human than otherwise. I invite you to join me now in the spirit of meditation. Coming through these doors this morning, coming into this inspiring space, a few of us were here for the first time. For others, this was a return visit. While for most, the meeting house is familiar enough to feel like an old friend. But why are we here? Why on this mild May morning did any of us opt for this place, for this particular occasion? Well, it's not because we all worship the same God, honor the same prophets, observe the same solemnities. It's not because we are all inspired by the same myths and legends. In outlook and in predilection, we are indeed a mixed spiritual bag, a pietistical polyglot. And so among us, you will find metaphysicians and materialists, mystical seekers, as well as hard-nosed scientists. You will find people who like their sermons straight up and others who appreciate a little more liturgy. And yet for all of that, we are a community, one body of unsettled souls who, oddly enough, feel a kinship with one another. What is the attraction? What draws us, like barnyard cats to the dinner bell, into this charmed circle of support and friendship? Well, if it is not a common creed, it is at least a common need. The need to meditate upon life's mysteries, to learn to accept its tragedies, to recognize and to praise life's glories and to come to grips with its inequities. So it was not to venerate the one true God. It was not to practice the one true religion that brought us here today. It was to find others who, like us, are muddling through this one true life. People who yearn to feel a little less lost, a little less confused, and not quite so spiritually isolated. So come, come, whoever you are. Come and experience this communion of free souls. Come, yet again, come. And in the spirit of those concluding lines, I invite you now to rise in body or in spirit as we sing him number 188. And your program indicates that we will sing this as a round and to avoid too much complexity, we will divide into simply two parts, you and the balcony, and this side could be part one, all of you down here, and everybody, your part two. But we will sing it all together through the first time and then three more times as a two-part round. It is an annual celebration that, as far as I know, is pretty much unique to our faith tradition. And it's not a terribly old convention, dating back to only about the 1930s, and it really didn't come into vogue as a part of regular UU worship until the 1970s. But because it does give colorful expression to this spirit of inclusion, it aligns perfectly with the sentiments of both the third of our seven UU principles and our own FUS bond of union. So for its part, the third principle enjoins us to accept one another and to offer encouragement for further spiritual growth within the context of our congregations. The bond of union, composed and put into practice in 1879, that bond obliges us to invite into membership those of whatever theological opinion who wish to unite with us in the promotion of truth, righteousness, reverence, and charity for all. And so in both of these declarations, the operative term is acceptance. Unitarian universalism holds that it is possible for people to enjoy genuine religious community despite the absence of doctrinal uniformity. Or as the 16th century Transylvanian Unitarian, Francis David once put it, we need not think alike to level like. Now the scope of our theological welcome has expanded over the centuries. And originally, it really did only apply to those within the Christian orbit, the Christian communion. Early on, Unitarianism and universalism eschewed cretal tests for membership in favor of the sanctity of individual conscience. And yet it was assumed that our congregations would be comprised exclusively of professing Christians. And those who fell outside of those parameters were, if so facto, excludable. But that began to change. It began to change as some rather prominent Unitarians aligned themselves with the American romantic movement, better known as Transcendentalism. And so open-minded, original thinkers like Ralph Emerson and Margaret Fuller, they became very favorably disposed toward the wisdom teachings contained in newly translated Hindu and Buddhist texts. They thought that these should be included in the Unitarian canon. And while the more traditional Unitarians and universalists initially scoffed at the whole idea that such foreign ideas had any place in our movement, well, history was on the side of Ralph Waldo Emerson and the Transcendentalists. And once the camel had snuck its nose under the tent, there was nothing to stop that camel from crawling all the way in. And so in the wake of Charles Darwin's on the origin of species, some people began to broach the possibility of a non-metaphysical Unitarianism. A Unitarianism that focused on ethics that was friendly towards science and in which a supreme being was utterly dispensable. Again, it took time for this new naturalistic humanism to gain acceptance. But by the 1930s, one of Universalism's most prominent spokesmen and scholars, Clarence Skinner of Tufts University, he could write, "'Universalism is the largest thought "'that the world has ever known. "'It is the most revolutionary doctrine "'that has ever been proclaimed. "'It is the most expansive hope "'that has ever been dreamed.'" So henceforth, Skinner wrote, "'Our minds shall become more inclusive. "'Our spirits more democratic. "'Our intuitions more cosmic. "'Larger views of life shall make the prison house "'of ancient creeds become abhorrent.'" This trend toward a more comprehensive and inclusionary spiritual fellowship has continued apace as people harboring birth-centered perspectives. Pagans, Wiccans, Deep Ecologists have been welcomed into our communities. But for all of that, unitary Universalism is not and cannot be all things to all people. And there will always be those for whom we are just not a comfortable fit. So in thinking about this, in thinking about who's in and who's out, it may be helpful at the outset to highlight the difference between two historical expressions of Universalism, the Hellenic and the Roman. So after Alexander the Great had conquered much of the Near East and the Mediterranean world, his successors took on the project of Hellenizing the people that they now controlled. And putting into effect a policy of cultural imperialism, these rulers sought to impose Greek beliefs, the Greek language, Greek manners, Greek morangs onto their subjects. So here then, Universalism stood for the creation of a virtual model culture in which unwanted elements were steadily weeded out. The world would become a Greek world. In much the same sense, the Roman Catholic Church has historically tried to put a universal stamp on its doctrines along succession of popes and councils, insisted that this was the only true religion outside of which redemption was simply not possible. And the Church's ongoing campaign to achieve worldwide hegemony through crusades and through missionary efforts, that's another manifestation of what I call imperialistic Universalism. By contrast, Roman Universalism allows for certain religious and cultural differences. And as they built their empire, the Romans expected obedience, they expected tribute from their vassal states, but with rare exceptions, and unless they smelled disloyalty, they followed a policy of live and let live. People were allowed to retain their culture, their gods, their ways of worship. The Romans having correctly surmised that this lessened the possibility of insurrection. And in most cases, they were correct. So there is this inherent tension between these two flavors of Universalism. And although the parallel isn't precise, it does help to explain why our own contemporary Unitarian Universalist movement cannot accommodate, cannot accommodate those for whom a pluralistic religious culture is anathema. So folks who argue that the United States was founded as a Christian nation and must become a Christian nation again. Those who disparage Islam as an incorrigible, jihadist faith. Those who equate pagans and wickens with devil worshipers. Those who dismiss historical and scientific scholarship while insisting that the Bible is a font of irrefutable truth. These are all expressions of imperialistic Universalism. And as such, they are essentially incompatible with the Universalist principles that we uphold. As the Universalist poet Edward Markham once put it, he drew a circle that shut me out. Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout. But love and I had the wit to win. We drew a circle that took him in. It's also important to note here that both Unitarian Universalism's third principle and our own society's bond of union contain certain qualifiers as to what and who we can accommodate. So the first of these statements reminds us that we don't have all the answers, none of us do. And so we must always be open to the possibility of further spiritual growth. In the words of one of our classic hymns, revelation is not sealed. Truth and right are still revealed. And so knowing that we still have a great deal to learn from each other, we welcome diversity as the gift that keeps on giving. But because they don't entertain any doctrinal doubts, diversity hardly commends itself to those imperialistic Universalists. That being said, it's important to point out that the third principle, like the other six, is not meant to be a description of our lived reality as a community. That reality that we inhabit is always going to be less than perfect. And so the third principle and the other six are better understood as aspirational statements, calling us to be aware of our biases and in touch with our resistances. The third principle is a call to mindfulness, to honesty, to a good faith effort to become more open and more accepting than we already are. The bond of union, that also contains a conditional clause limiting those who would unite with us to people who are willing to promote truth, righteousness, reverence, and charity for all. Now there are, quite frankly, people with views that do not square with that particular agenda because they are convinced that some people are more deserving of consideration than others and that reverence and charity ought to be reserved for the elect. In other words, the implied egalitarianism of our bond of union is not consistent with what some think it means to be properly religious. This spirit of inclusiveness has informed our collective life in ways other than the theological. Very early on and before any other denomination, unitarian universalism passed resolutions that supported gays, lesbians, and transgendered people and welcomed them into our congregations and into the ranks of our clergy. First Unitarian Society achieved official welcoming congregation status a quarter of a century ago. And we adopted this position because it is consistent with our first principle that affirms the inherent worth and dignity of all human souls, but also, also we adopted this position because we do not take the Bible's scurrilous statements about same-sex relationships at face value as do so many others. So given the foregoing, is it conceivable that this movement, unitarian universalism could be an agent of reconciliation in this deeply divided country and culture of ours? The answer to that is, I'm afraid, mixed. Despite the emphasis that we have historically placed on diversity in certain respects, as we all know, unitarian universalism is a monoculture. We are a solidly middle class for the most part. We are comprised of mostly white, well-educated knowledge workers. And as our intern T.K. Browning pointed out several weeks ago, not several years, several weeks, surveys have indicated that 92% of adult UUs routinely vote for Democratic candidates. 92%. So are we part of the solution or are we part of the problem? Nine out of 10 unitarian universalists probably voted for someone other than Donald Trump in the last presidential election. On the other hand, a comparable percentage of evangelical Christians did precisely the opposite. Unitarian clergy, we gladly perform same-sex weddings. Evangelical county clerks gladly refuse to issue marriage licenses to the same couples. We generally support the Black Lives Matter movement. Those holding more conservative religious views are more sympathetic to law enforcement. We wring our hands over global climate change while the more devout insist that the weather is nobody's business but God's. So in terms of some of these hot-button issues that we as Americans are currently grappling with, we UUs are not exactly neutral parties, are we? So what then do we bring to the table that might make it easier to communicate across the Great Divide? Well, to answer that, we first have to allow that it takes at least two willing agents to have a constructive conversation, both of whom must be willing to position themselves to listen as well as to advocate for their own beliefs. And too often in recent times, this is simply not been the case. And some have assigned the blame for that to us. Indeed, ever since the 2016 election, numerous commentators have suggested that liberals and progressives should be doing more to engage with the angry, alienated disillusioned voters who made Donald Trump their choice. Perhaps there's some merit in that argument, but I don't think it tells the whole story. Shortly after the presidential election, Amanda Marcotte, who is a columnist for the online journal Salon, she evinced a lot of frustration about these charges, about liberals and progressives. Now, she allowed that more communication across partisan lines would indeed be a good thing. But then she also observed, such efforts are almost always one-sided. Liberals are instructed to reach out to conservatives and to practice empathy toward them. And the irony in all this is that the reason that pundits ask liberals and not conservatives is because they know liberals are more likely to listen. While liberals certainly say nasty things about conservatives, the level of dehumanization that goes the other way simply is not there. Marcotte continues, decades of right-wing media have taught its audience that liberals are subhuman scum and that hating liberals is far more important than those minor concerns, like preventing war or economic destruction. Despite its indignant tone, I think this complaint doesn't fly all that wide of the mark. Consider again, the unshakable popularity that Donald Trump enjoys among conservative Christians. A lot of us wonder, what would it take for these folks to question their commitment to this decidedly un-Christian character? For many, the answer is nothing, because they firmly believe that the president is God's anointed, and that for all of his imperfections, he is the instrument that the good Lord has chosen to advance the divine agenda. Now by contrast, Mr. Trump's predecessor in the White House was routinely labeled the anti-Christ by these same evangelical true believers, despite Obama's unsullied, scandal-free private life. These are individuals whose convictions are grounded in a manachian mindset that sorts people out into the saved and the damned, the agents of darkness and the apostles of light. One can make overtures to them, but you are not likely to get very far. I should know. I've got some in my own family, as I'm sure you do as well. As Parker Palmer noted in his book, Healing the Heart of Democracy, there are people on the far right, and for that matter, the far left, who cannot join, simply cannot join, in a creative dialogue about our differences. But then Parker Palmer reminds us that outside of those people on the edges, the unreachable dogmatists, there is 60 to 70% of the population that can be engaged in some kind of productive conversation, given the right conditions. And as Unitarian Universalists, I think that we are attitudinally well positioned to undertake just this kind of work, at least among those who have not already written us off as lost souls. So what do we have going for us in this regard? Curiosity, for one thing. A contemporary Unitarian Universalist, him ends with the line to question truly is an answer. And because our faith tradition is informed and guided by a questioning, questioning spirit, rather than by some body of unalterable truths, we are able to entertain a wider variety of viewpoints than the average person. And most of the UUs I know are genuinely curious about how and why people think the way that they do. Like everyone else, we've got our biases. We've got our biases. But I think generally we're able to recognize them as such, as biases, not objective truths. And Unitarian Universalism also manifests a higher tolerance for ambiguity than most other faith traditions. As our late music director, Ellsworth Snyder, was fond of saying, life is not simple. Indeed it is not. And recognition of life's inherent contradictions, life's inherent messiness makes it possible for us to listen more closely and more respectfully to opposing points of view. The fact that Unitarian Universalism has over time become ever more inclusive attests to our spirit of openness and ongoing curiosity. And then finally, as a movement grounded in democratic principles and processes, we'll be exercising those after the second service today, we understand the need for compromise. Life is not a zero sum game. It's not a winner take all contest in which the losing party is vanquished by the triumphant monopolizing victors. Too often today, this whole notion of a loyal opposition, a concept that is so crucial to a healthy civic culture and a well functioning democracy, this whole idea has given way to a no holds barred struggle in which no quarter is either expected or given. Now my experience has been that Unitarian Universalism, generally speaking, are pretty good losers and pretty gracious winners. We may rue the outcome of a policy debate or an election, but we are not willing to upset the democratic apple cart in order to get our own way. By contrast, in October 2016, the Trump surrogate Roger Stone warned that there will be a bloodbath if the democrats steal this election. For convicted partisans like Roger Stone winning, it's the only thing that matters, even at the cost of our precious and precarious democratic system. So rather than throw down the gauntlet when in the company of our ideological opposites, let's see what it feels like to enter into a conversation. Demonstrate to others that we are, in fact, curious people. And that being said, perhaps even persuadable. It's not the easiest thing to do, but I do believe it's the right thing to do. And as my late colleague, Forrest Church, once said, I define the word sin simply. It is anything that divides us within ourselves, against our neighbors, from the ground of being itself. Salvation, then, he says, is about reconciliation. It is that rare, blessed moment when we make full peace with ourselves and with our neighbors. Blessed be, and amen. And now, as is our custom, we gather each week as a community of memory and hope, and to this time we bring our whole, and at times our broken selves. We carry with us the joys and the sorrows of the recent past, and we seek here a place where they might be received and celebrated and shared. Today, I would like to note that one of our long-time members, William Hackton, Bill Hackton, passed away this last week at the age of 93. He was a member of the journalism school faculty for many, many years, well-published, and we do miss him, and we wish his daughters well, as they prepare for his memorial service, which will take place at the Oakwood West Chapel on the 29th of May at 1.30 p.m. And in addition to that sorrow just mentioned, we would acknowledge any unspoken joys or sorrows that remain among us. As a community of caring and concerned people, we hold them in our hearts as well. Let us sit silently for just a moment or two in the spirit of empathy and of hope. And so by virtue of our brief time together today, may our burdens be lightened and our joys expanded. And now I see that our offering is already being gathered and we will continue on with the giving and the receiving of the offering. Please be generous. Official gifts and also for the gifts of service from those who help our service run smoothly today. Sound operator is Mary Manoring. Our greeter was Claire Box. Usher's are Ken Gage, Dan Bradley, and Mary Savage. Jean Sears is back making coffee for us. Our pulpit palms are being maintained by Joan and Alan Hightman. And our tour guide following this service will be John Powell. And now I have a special announcement. TK Browning will be ending his internship with us next weekend. He is off graduating this week in Texas. And in June, we celebrate Michael Schuler's 30 years as our minister. We are gathering farewell messages for Michael and Trina and for TK and his family in the commons after the service. Please see the red floors for more information. And now please rise as you are able for our closing hymn number 78 and our flower recessional. Now as we prepare to leave this place, I invite you to take a flower. If by chance you did not bring one with you, take one anyway, for here we believe in abundance. Take a different one than the flower you brought. Take a flower as a symbol of gratitude for the beauty we did not create. Gratitude for the blessings we do not deserve. Gratitude for joy which comes when unexpected. Enter with joyful hearts into this communion of flowers. It has taken long months beneath cold ground for these flowers to prepare their blooming. It has taken each of us long times of growth through sorrow and joy to prepare for our living now. The blooming season is short. The flowers stay only a brief time. We are travelers upon this earth, travelers through all to brief a time. Therefore let our moments be bountiful. Let us rejoice in our unique colors, aromas and sounds. Let us celebrate together in love that as we travel away, we take with us this memory of golden hours together here among the flowers. And our closing words from Walt Whitman. My spirit has passed in compassion and determination around the whole earth. I have looked for equals and lovers and found them ready for me in all lands. I think some divine rapport has equalized me with them. I see cities of the earth and make myself a random part of them. I see ranks, colors, civilizations. I go among them, I mix indiscriminately and I salute all the inhabitants of the earth. Our time in service together here has ended and our service to the world begins again.