 Please join me in a moment of centering silence. Are you ready to sing? Yeah, let's sing. Join us in the in-gathering hymn, which is in your hymnals. It's 396. I know this rose will open. Good morning. Welcome to the First Unitarian Society of Madison. This is a place where curious seekers gather to explore spiritual, ethical, and social issues in a safe and accepting environment. Unitarian Universalism supports the freedom of conscience of each individual as together we seek to be a force of good in the world. I'm Maureen Friend, and on behalf of the congregation, I'd like to extend a special welcome to visitors. We are a welcoming congregation, so whoever you are, we celebrate your presence among us. New comers are encouraged to stay for our fellowship hour. After the service, please visit the library, which is directly across from 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. This would be a good time to turn off your electronics. Experience guides are generally available to give a building tour after each service. So if you'd like to learn more about the sustainably designed auditorium or our National Landmark Meeting House, please meet near the large glass windows on the left side of this auditorium. We welcome children to stay with us during the service. Please remember that it often becomes difficult for those in attendance to hear in this very lively, acoustic environment. And our child haven, which is off to my right, and the commons are excellent places to go when you or your child needs to talk or move around. The service can still be seen and heard from those areas. I'd now like to acknowledge those individuals who keep our services running smoothly. Our greeter was Carol Angel. Our ushers are Karen Hill and Melinda Carr. Hospitality is provided by Jeannie Hill. The lay minister is Ann Smiley, and running the sound is Mark Schultz. Please note the announcements on the red floor insert in your order of service, which will describe upcoming events of the society and provide more information about today's activities. Again, welcome. We hope today's service will stimulate your mind, touch your heart, and stir your spirit. Gertz of poppies lifting over Buttercup and Daisy. I'm in the face of such abundance. There is nothing to compare, no need for beauty to compete. The voluptuous Rhododendron and the plain grass are equally filled with themselves, equally declare the miracles of color and form. This is what community looks like. This vibrant jostle, stem by stem, declaring the marvelous joining. This is the face of communion. The incarnation once more gracefully resurrected from winter. Hold these things together in your sight. Purple, crimson, magenta, blue. You will be feasting on this long after the flowers are gone. And if you will rise now in body or spirit to join together for our chalice lighting, the words are printed in your order of service. In the mystery of life about us, there is light. It gives us a place to be, to grow, to rejoice together. It opens the pathways to love. In this place of friendship, there is freedom. Let the light we kindle go before us, strong in hope, wide in good will, inviting the days to come. And before we join together in song, if you'll take a moment to turn and greet your neighbor. Let us ask a blessing for these flowers in the words of Norbert Chopek. Infinite spirit, 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 good and beauty. May they also remind us of the need for sharing and cooperation in our common quest for understanding. 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 good will of all of us, are needed to heal and transform this 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 if anyone would like to come up and join me for the story, please come on up. You can get a closer look at the flowers, too. Hello. Hello, James. All right, you're going to have to come closer. I'm all... The two of us are alone over here. What's up, Eleanor? There's a few people, huh? Just a few. Well, I have a... Hi, Henry. I have a somewhat ridiculous story for you all today. This is... You might be kind of familiar with it, but maybe not. It's the story of the three little wolves and the big bad pig. Is that right? Yeah? All right, you're going to go with it. The nine o'clock people were worried about me, but you're just going to go with it, right? All right, well, once upon a time, there were three cuddly little wolves with soft fur and fluffy tails who lived with their mother. The first was black, the second was gray, and the third was white. One day, the mother called the three little wolves around her and said, my children, it is time for you to go out into the world. Go and build a house for yourselves, but beware of the big bad pig. Don't worry, mother. We'll watch out for him, said the three little wolves, and they set off. I have a feeling... There they are. I just want you to notice that the mother is painting her claws and she's got curlers in her tail. Wolves aren't so frightening when they've got curlers in their tails. Soon, they met a kangaroo who was pushing a wheelbarrow full of red and yellow bricks. Please, will you give us some of your bricks? Asked the three little wolves. Certainly, said the kangaroo, and she gave them lots of red and yellow bricks, so the three little wolves built themselves a house of bricks. A big bad pig came prowling down the road and saw the house of bricks that the little wolves had built. The three little wolves were playing croquet in the garden. These are very civilized wolves, you'll find out. When they saw the big bad pig coming, they ran inside the house and locked the door. The pig knocked on the door and grunted, little wolves, little wolves, let me come in. No, no, no, said the three little wolves. Knot by the hair of our chinny-chin-chins, we will not let you win knot for all the tea leaves in our china teapot. Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down, said the pig. So he huffed and he puffed and he huffed and he puffed, but what do you think happened? It's a house of brick. What do you think happened when he huffed and puffed on it? It didn't fall down, but the pig wasn't called big and bad for nothing. Went and fetched his sledgehammer and he knocked the house down. All right, I know. Okay, this story has unnecessary violence. It may not be appropriate for a church setting. That was the official disclaimer. The three little wolves only just managed to escape before the bricks crumbled and they were very frightened indeed. We shall have to build a stronger house, they said. Just then they saw a beaver who was mixing concrete in a concrete mixer. Of course he was, right? Why not? Your concrete asked the three little wolves. Certainly said the beaver and he gave them buckets and buckets full of messy sloppy concrete. So the three little wolves built themselves a house of concrete. No sooner had they finished than the big bad pig came prowling down the road and saw the house of concrete that the little wolves had built. They were playing badminton in the garden and when they saw the big bad pig coming they ran inside their house and shut the door. The pig rang the bell as any sensible pig would and said, little frightened wolves, let me come in. No, no, no, said the three little wolves, not by the hair in our chinny chin chins, we will not let you in, not for all the tea leaves in our china teapot. Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down, said the pig. So we huffed and he puffed and he huffed and he puffed. Now this that I'm sitting on is concrete. Does anybody want to huff and puff on it? Go ahead, try to blow it down. Try. What's happening? Nothing. The house did not fall down but the pig wasn't called big and bad for nothing. He went and fetched his pneumatic drill and smashed the house down. The three little wolves managed to escape but their chinny chin chins were trembling and trembling. We shall build an even stronger house, they said because they were very determined. Just then they saw a truck coming along the road carrying barbed wire, iron bars, armor plates and heavy metal padlocks. Give us some of your barbed wire, a few iron bars and armor plates and some heavy metal padlocks. They said to the rhinoceros they were driving the truck. Sure, said the rhinoceros and he gave them plenty of barbed wire, iron bars, armor plates and heavy metal padlocks. He also gave them some plexiglass and some reinforced steel chains because he was a generous and kind-hearted rhinoceros. Little wolves built themselves an extremely strong house. It was the strongest, secure house one could possibly imagine. They felt absolutely safe. The next day, the big bad pig came prowling along the road as usual. The three little wolves were playing hopscotch in the garden. When they saw the big bad pig coming they ran inside their house, bolted the door and locked all 37 padlocks. The pig dialed the video entrance phone and said, all right, and wolves with the trembling chins let me in. No, no, no, said the wolves, not by the hair on our chinny chin chins, we will not let you in, not for all the tea leaves in our china teapot. Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down, said the pig. So we huffed and he puffed and he huffed and he puffed, but of course, as you know, the house did not fall down. But the pig wasn't called big and bad for nothing. Uh-oh, you see it. He brought some dynamite, laid it against the house, lit the fuse and the house blew up. I know. Oh, yeah, you see them running away. The three little wolves just managed to escape with their fluffy tails scorched. Something must be wrong with our building materials, they said. We have to try something different. But what? At that moment, they saw a flamingo coming along, pushing a wheelbarrow full of flowers. Will you give us some flowers? Asked the little wolves. With pleasure, said the flamingo, and he gave them lots of flowers. So the three little wolves built themselves a house of flowers. One wall was of marigolds, one daffodils, one pink roses, three blossoms. The ceiling was made of sunflowers and the floor was a carpet of daisies. They had water lilies in their bathtub and butter cups in their refrigerator. It was a rather fragile house and it swayed in the wind, but it was very beautiful. Next day, the big, bad pig came prowling down the road and saw the house of flowers that the three little wolves had built. They rang the blue bell at the door and said, little frightened wolves with the trembling chins and scorched tails, let me come in. No, no, no, said the three little wolves by the hair on our chinny chin chins, we will not let you in, not for all the tea leaves in our China teapot. Then I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down, said the pig. What's gonna happen if he blows on a house of flowers? It's gonna go down. You think? It's gonna be fragile, aren't they? Well, as he took a deep breath ready to huff and puff, he smelled the soft scent of the flowers. It was fantastic. And because the scent was so lovely, the pig took another breath and then another, and instead of huffing and puffing, he began to sniff. He sniffed deeper and deeper and was quite filled with the fragrant scent. His heart grew tender and he realized just how mean he had been. Right then, he decided to become a big, good pig. He started to sing and to dance the tarantella. As you know, all pigs do when they've had a change of heart. At first, the three little wolves were a bit worried. It might be a trick, but soon they realized that the pig had truly changed so they came running out of the house. They started playing games with him. They played pig-pog and piggy in the middle. And when they were all tired, they invited him into the house. They offered him tea and strawberries and wolfberries and asked him to stay with them as long as he wanted. The pig accepted and they all lived happily ever after. All right. Well, thanks for hanging in there. We're going to stay right here together. Our choir is going to sing for us. And this is the last time that they're going to sing for us this year. So when they are all done, we want to show them that we are really, really grateful for getting up super early on Sunday mornings and coming here and for coming every Wednesday night to practice and rehearse with Heather. So when they're done singing, if you'll give them a big round of applause as our small way to say thank you. Magazine, she wrote this 10 years after the events of September 11th. Mostly related to open-mindedness, but deeper and harder to practice is spiritual humility. In the aftermath of the Holocaust and World War II, in response to liberal religions inflated estimation of human nature, Reinhold Niebuhr, a progressive Christian theologian, argued that the problem with people is the tension between our creaturely and divine sides. We are animals, he said, but we are conscious and spiritual. The problem, he argued, is that we consistently overestimate ourselves. This leads us to harm one another and to create, support, or not resist systems of oppression. If we are spiritually humble, we can call out evil without pretending we don't have to be on guard for it within ourselves. This is where religious liberalism, even though it has underestimated humankind's capacity for evil in the past, has something important to say. We are called to balance the naming of evil in the world with the need to be humble and on guard for it, not as the dangerous other that would try to trick us, but mingled right here with the best of ourselves. And we must call it when we see it. If we are in touch with reality, we must be willing to use the word evil. We need the word to describe parts of the human experience out of respect for the people who have been harmed and also because only after we name it can we ask the theological question where is God or grace in this? And then if we listen, we'll hear the answer because it's implicit in the next question what can we do? And if you will rise now in body or spirit for our next hymn, which is hymn number one. It marks the 93rd anniversary of the creation of the flower communion that we celebrate today. Norbert and Maya Chopec, Unitarian ministers in Prague, first celebrated this ritual with their congregation on June 24, 1923. Chopec's goal was to create a form of communion that was relevant to his people and their experience. He knew that many carried baggage with traditional forms of communion as he himself did. He opted to bring together two foundational principles of his ministry, love for God's creation and what it offers to the spirit and the power of community. He asked that everyone bring a flower. These were collected by the door from the children of the congregation. They were brought ceremoniously to the altar where they were blessed using the words that we used today. Then in a special ritual, each member of the congregation solemnly approached the altar and took a flower different from the one that they had brought. It was in this way by seeing the bright and beautiful arrangement made by the collecting of the flowers and the gift of beauty in receiving a flower and the power of community was brought forward. Community Chopec said is created by the gifts each person brings to the table and we are each sustained by what we receive from one another. It was a tremendous success. And when Maya Chopec came to tour and speak in the U.S. in 1939, she brought the flower ceremony with her. In 1939, Hitler's armies began their occupation of Czechoslovakia. In 1940, the Gestapo began monitoring the services at Chopec's church not long before his 70th birthday. The American Unitarian Association and its President Frederick May Elliott offered Chopec and an associate passage and an assurance of work in the ministry here. This promise of support would have assured their safety. Chopec and his associate refused preferring to stay with their parishioners and the church Chopec had founded so that he could concentrate his efforts on encouraging his parishioners in these troubling times. When would his people need him more? On March 28, 1941, Chopec and his youngest daughter Zora were arrested. Zora was charged with listening to foreign broadcasts, a serious offense. Chopec was charged with the same, but also with high treason, with several of his recent sermons quoted as evidence. Before his death in 1942 at Dachau, Dr. Chopec's courage in the face of torture and starvation was a source of inspiration to his fellow prisoners. While in the camp, he led the prisoners in worship, using the flower communion ceremony as their ritual. Each prisoner brought what flowers they could find in the camp to a service. At the end, they took with them a different flower than the one they had brought, symbolizing their sense of community. Fortified by his words, they held together despite the grim rigors of the camp. After the war, survivors testified that this humble Unitarian minister could not have been sent to a place where he was more needed. As I reflect on the life of Norbert Chopec, I wonder what he would have thought of the hymn that we just sung. There are many images I adore in this hymn. By faith made strong, the rafters will withstand the battering of the storm. This hearth, though all the world grow chill, will keep you warm. I love the idea that our faith, our belief in the goodness of life, the goodness of one another, the belief that we can work together to create peace and justice. That this faith keeps our community together, keeps us coming back, time and again, and together we can face the evils and the wrongs of the world and hold tight to the hope that it and we can change. It's the last line of the hymn that has always troubled me, and I wonder if it troubled you as well. With laughter drawn, the raucous shout, and though these sheltering walls are thin, may they be strong to keep hate out and hold love in. Norbert Chopek knew that he couldn't, he wouldn't, he didn't, keep hate out, and he most certainly did not live a life that held love in. May nothing evil cross this door. Evil is not a concept that we bring up often in our congregations. Years ago I led a discussion group on the topic of evil and I have to tell you it was a tough night. We realized we couldn't come up with a working definition for the word that we would all agree upon. We weren't ready or able to name anything or anyone as evil, and we were incredibly reluctant to consider using that word on ourselves or any of our own actions. At one point someone said, well, this was good in theory, but honestly, I come here because you don't make me think about it. The daughter of the great Unitarian religious educator, Sophia Lyon Fawze, once criticized her own religious education for failing to address the reality of evil, for wanting to keep hate out even out of our discussions. We spent 95% of our time studying good people doing good things and skipped very lightly over the dreadful parts of humanity. I was taught not to be judgmental, not to observe or register the negative behaviors of others. Consequently, I grew up uninformed about destructive human behavior, very incompetent to observe it accurately and unskilled in how to respond to it, even ashamed to talk about it. She wasn't the only one who questioned our liberal theology's ability to deal with the more unpleasant side of human nature. Rosemary Bray McNat, current president of our Star King School for the Ministry, tells the story of when she met Coretta Scott King. Rosemary was being considered to co-write King's autobiography, and she met with her in the editor's office. During an hour of wide-ranging conversation, Rosemary mentioned that she was in seminary to become a Unitarian Universalist minister. King gave her a look of respect and delight. Oh, I went to Unitarian churches for years even before I met Martin, she said, explaining that she had been since college a member of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, which was popular among Unitarians and Universalists. And Martin and I went to Unitarian churches every time we were in Boston. What surprised and saddened Rosemary most was what came next. The gist of it was something like, we gave a lot of thought to becoming Unitarian at one time, but Martin and I realized we could never build a mass movement of people if we were Unitarian. Rosemary shares that this statement pierced her heart and troubled her mind then and now. It caused her to question her own faith and what this faith might have been like if Dr. King decided to cast his lot with ours. Though from the very start of his theological training, he revealed a decided bent toward liberal religion. By the time his faith had been tried by the civil rights movement, King had said no to the sunny optimism of liberal faith, an optimism frankly untested in the heat of the battle for liberty and dignity for all people. In his famous essay, Pilgrimage to Nonviolence, published in 1960, he wrote, there is one phase of liberalism that I hope to cherish always and that is its devotion to the search for truth, its refusal to abandon the best light of reason. It was the liberal doctrine that I began to question. The more I observed the tragedies of history and our shameful inclination to take the low road, the more I came to see the depths of evil and the strength of sin. I came to feel that liberalism had been all too sentimental concerning human nature and it leaned toward a false idealism. I came to see that this superficial optimism concerning human nature caused it to overlook the fact that human nature and reason are darkened by evil. Now, a lot has happened in our communities and in our world since King wrote those words and I believe that he might find a shift in our awareness and our acknowledgement of the harsh realities. He may find that our sunny optimism has dimmed just a bit. Whereas 50 plus years ago, it was commonly believed that evil and sin were very un-unitarian concepts. Today the world looks different. Our children are being raised in a world of Columbine and Newtown, a post-September 11th world. We can no longer teach them to turn away and ignore the destructive sides of our human nature. We have lost some of our innocence but I do not believe that we have given up our hope. We liberal religious people who believe in the inherent goodness, the worth and dignity of each and every person have to grapple again and again with the realities of this life. May nothing evil cross this door. In our world today, no matter how hard we may try, evil does indeed cross our doors. We know it is present in our world. We know it when we encounter it because it contradicts everything we love about humanity. And what is our response? I find wisdom in our somewhat ridiculous story today of the three little wolves in the Big Bad Pig. What was the first way the wolves tried to keep the danger away? Build walls, strong, sturdy walls of brick and concrete, barbed wire, iron bars. But did that keep the danger away? No. The wolves learned, as we have learned, that you can't keep the dangers out. You can't keep hate out, no matter how hard you may try. When we build those strong walls to keep others out, they are often walls made of fear, alienation, mistrust, doubt, and dread. And we know they don't work. These are not the walls we want to surround our community. The wolves built a house of flowers, a permeable house, a house of beauty that allowed the breezes and the bees and could have been easily destroyed. Yet when they met their danger, the Big Bad Pig, when they met him with that openness, that willingness to trust, that willingness to risk, they were all transformed. I know that this story is way too simplistic for our real-world problems. Houses of flowers are not going to lead to happily ever after. Maybe there is no happily ever after. But I want to believe that we are the people who will try. What is the alternative to building more thick walls of hate, alienation, and polarization? Martin Luther King once said that hatred and bitterness can never cure the disease of fear. Only love can do that. The alternative is digging deep, finding our original wholeness, which is kindness, and living from that place of openness, opening our minds, our lives, and our hearts to one another. My colleague that many of you know and love, Mary Ann Macklin, says that Unitarian Universalism is a blessing to this world because it demands hope, saves lives, and has the audacity to care. Here, in this Unitarian Universalist community, we know we cannot keep hate out, and we will not hold our love in. We will be the people who meet the hate with love. We stand on the side of love. We are the love people. In 2008, when a man walked into the Tennessee Valley UU congregation and opened fire because those liberals were ruining our country, then UUA President Bill Sinkford said, inspired by the UUs of Knoxville, Tennessee, we are rededicating ourselves to the mission of this faith, which is to welcome the stranger, to love our neighbor, to work for justice, to nurture the spirits of all who seek a religious home, and to help heal this wounded world. We will not give in to fear. We will meet hatred with love. We will continue to work for justice. Our hearts and our doors are open. Unitarian Universalists today and always stand on the side of love. Today, as we celebrate another flower communion, created by a man who stood on the side of justice and love, who faced his fear with opening his heart to those around him and bringing comfort and hope until his final days. We remember that our Unitarian Universalist faith tells us that the face of evil is the face of alienation, of separation, of us and them. And our faith tells us that the only response in the face of evil and hate is to look deep within, connect with the best in each of us, opening the door of compassion and remembering our place in the common family. Or as Norbert Chopec would tell us, may we realize that the efforts of all of us, the goodwill of all of us, is needed to heal and transform our troubled world. The message is clear. Over and over and sometimes against great odds, we are part of a love that compels us to create peace, seek truth, unite with those who look and sound like us and those who don't. Heal creation, hold one another in compassion, demand hope, save lives and have the audacity to care. So today and always, may our hearts be open, may our arms be strong and may our voices be clear, as together we let our love out as far and as wide as it may go. I now invite you into the giving and receiving of the morning's offering. You'll see that it's dedicated in its entirety to our partner church council. Our partner church program continues our 24-year relationship with a congregation in a rural village of Transylvania called Nadjojta. It goes to support our high school students in that village. It also supports a high school student in the village of Can Leon Bay in the Philippines. There's a table in the commons about partner church. We invite you to stop by and talk with us, and we thank you for your generosity. Good afternoon. My name is Tim Conroy and I'm a member of the personnel committee, and I have the privilege of recognizing five FUS staff members today on our Years of Service Awards. Dan Carnes is a member of our facility staff and serving as a weekend custodian. In his role, he is a perpetual mover, a master of transitions, moving tables, chairs, and other equipment to the appropriate location for the next FUS event. He cleans up after us and troubleshoots for us. He sometimes films special events, helps with live streaming our services when needed, and makes sure the audio and visual equipment is ready and working for services and special events. Dan grew up at FUS as the youngest son of Harry Carnes and Ann Gullickson. He loves to cook and hopes to become a chef or a filmmaker, or both in the future. Thomas Skelly serves as Dan's supervisor. His comments about Dan include the following. The weekend custodians at FUS are vitally important to the smooth functioning of the events that occur here. The personal pride Dan takes in his work is obvious every day, reliable and completely dependable. Dan expertly works behind the scenes, making all the logistical and technical stuff work. Thank you, Dan. Janet Swanson taught children's religious education classes for 10 years prior to taking over the summer fund program in 2005. Janet also participated in the first offering of Quest, which is our two-year adult faith development program. In 2007, she was asked to join the Quest Planning Group and was hired as the Quest Spiritual Program Director in 2008. Her current position is Director of Adult Spiritual Programs, which includes Quest, Adult Religious Education, and Campus Ministry. In this position, she is responsible for developing, coordinating, and facilitating adult programming for FUS. Kelly Crocker serves as Janet's supervisor and has this to say about Janet. Janet is a great gift to our adult spiritual development programs. She has a creative mind that is able to bring new and vital programming to this community, programs that inspire, that bring forth healing, that cause us to question and always want to learn just a little bit more. Her kindness permeates all her work and brings deep connections and strong relationships among our members. Thank you, Janet. Congratulations. Linda Warren joined the staff of FUS as Assistant Music Director in 2005, the latest position in a church music career that began when she was in college. Along with playing hymns for SUS worship services, Linda accompanies the Society Choir, the Meeting House Chorus, and the Children's Choirs. She also works with other church music ensembles such as the Chime Choir, the Recorder Quartet, and the String Band. We are blessed whenever we get to hear her perform on the harp. Dan Bronner is Linda's supervisor and shared this information about Linda. Linda is a consummate professional. She is always prepared, always on time. Linda brings a lifetime of experience to her work here at FUS and is a great team player. I am honored to be her colleague. Congratulations. The fourth staff person we are recognizing today has been with us for the past 16 years. Leslie Ross serves as the Director of Religious Education. This position requires her to provide leadership, coordination, and program development for our children and youth from infants through high schoolers. Leslie recruits, trains, and supports our 100-plus volunteers and selects and develops curricula for their church school classes. Each year she organizes our annual Art in the Right Place fundraiser as well as our teen's Habitat for Humanity work trip. Kelly Crocker serves as Leslie's supervisor. She states that Leslie brings a passionate commitment to the spiritual guidance of our children and infuses all of her work with dedication, integrity, and joy. She is creative and resourceful, amazingly well-organized and innovative, and brings this program to life year after year with her generous and compassionate spirit. Congratulations, Leslie. The final person we are recognizing today is Heather Thorpe. Heather has been the Children's and Youth Choir Director at FUS for the past 20 years. The numbers in the three choirs have grown over the years with membership now approaching 80 young core stores ranging in ages from 4 to 18. We are lucky to be enjoying their music on this Flower Communion weekend. Heather also blesses us with her beautiful voice as a featured soloist during the year. A parent of children who have participated in the choirs noted that Heather's involvement as Children's Choir Director has added depth to their families' experiences of the FUS community. Her non-judgmental teaching style welcomes singers of all abilities creating confident young singers. And these children and youth have a special intergenerational connection to the congregation as a result of their participation in FUS services. Another tells us Heather has invested her Wednesday evenings for 20 years in the music education of children and youth of FUS. She has taught them not only music but focus, pride, and professionalism in the community of choir. For many, she has become a mentor and over time a valued friend to the young adults of our congregation. Thank you and congrats. Those people honored today received a gift from the congregation at the 90th service. On behalf of the FUS personnel committee and all the members and staff of FUS, we thank Dan, Linda, Janet, Leslie, and Heather for their dedication, commitment, and hard work on behalf of the first Unitarian society. Now as we prepare to leave this place, I invite you to take one of these flowers. Take a different one than the flower you brought. Take it not to keep forever and ever. Nothing is forever. Take a flower as a symbol of gratitude for the beauty we did not create. Of gratitude for blessings we do not deserve. Of gratitude for joys which come when unexpected. Take a flower as a symbol of your participation in the community of this congregation, in the community of humankind, in the community of all living things, in the universal community. If by chance you did not bring a flower, take one anyway. Take a flower as a symbol that beauty and grace and joy and love are not matters of reciprocity. Our ushers will bring the vases of flowers out into the commons. And as you leave, please take a flower from the bouquets we have created together, knowing that in this spirit we share in the long history of religious freedom and the power of our faith. Remember that the flower you hold in your hand is a gift from a friend. Broadened good faith to this community and a reminder of the history we inherit as we walk the paths of our own journey. May these earthly symbols remind us of a deeper truth that in the days of our joys and in the days of our struggles, we are never truly alone. And if you will rise now in body or spirit for our closing hymn, number 163. May ever thankful for the persistence of flowers and open ourselves to their long wisdom. Often they grow in spite of terrible winters and miserable summers. May we remember that strange beauty greets us in unexpected places as if there is a particular grace stronger than indifference. When we tend our gardens with love and care, the reward will be greater than the effort. May the flowers ever speak to us of wonders and glories yet to be, of hopes fulfilled if we remember to tend our gardens and our homes with patience, wisdom, and love. Blessed be, go in peace. Please be seated for the postlude or if the spirit moves you, dance in the postlude. You'll see what I mean.