 Check, check, destiny one two, check, check. Just one more minute. So it's all in the last 20 minutes. Okay. Yeah. I was a bit of a sassy. I wish. I'm not a true politician. I am. Yeah. Just like any kind of a real world. It's like going in. That's all right. Okay. Oh, you're the president. So it's just the devil. Yeah. What's the name of this? What's that name? David Long. You know what I'm saying? They're rockin' the site. They're the singers for the set name. That's a brand new group. Oh, yeah. Yeah, they're sparrows. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. In a few moments, please remain seated while we all sing our in-gathering hymn, words in your order of service. And for those of you who care about music, it's on page 1058. Words are religion which like sunshine goes everywhere in temple all space. Good morning and welcome to the First Unitarian Society of Madison. This community is a place where curious seekers gather to explore spiritual, ethical and social issues in an accepting and nurturing environment. Unitarian Universalists aspire to sport the freedom of conscience of each individual as together we seek to become a force for good in the world. My name is Carlos Moser and on behalf of the congregation I'd like to extend a special welcome to visitors. We consider ourselves a welcoming congregation so that whoever you are and wherever you happen to be on your life journey we celebrate your presence among us. Newcomers are encouraged to stay for our fellowship hour after the service and visit the library which is directly behind you through the center doors of this auditorium. Bring your drinks. We have a hospitality center Bring your drinks and your questions and members of our staff and lay ministry will be on hand to welcome you. You may also look for persons holding teal colored earthenware mugs. These are FUS members knowledgeable about our faith community who would love to visit with you. We welcome children to stay for the duration of the service but if a child needs to walk around the child haven of the commons are good places to retire down there to your left behind you and speaking of noise please turn off your electronic and digital devices you know where the buttons are you've done it often do it again I'd like to acknowledge those individuals who help our service run smoothly in hospitality which I've mentioned we will have Jean Hills our ushers our hand smiley Wally Brinkman Douglas Hill our greeter is Penny Maury and on sound we have Mark Schultz there are three reasons I mentioned these people first to thank them and to acknowledge them secondly for you to think about them and get to know them their members of your community Jean, Anne, Wally, Douglas Penny, Mark do you remember who does who see them afterwards and thank them and thirdly you might become a volunteer also it's easy you get good training and it helps the spirit of the congregation now I'd like to make a few announcements in addition to the announcements made in your red floors the FUS part of trustees ministers and staff urge you to join us at 12.30 on Sunday, March 19 to explore the issue of becoming a sanctuary congregation much in the news these days the meeting will include a presentation by local sanctuary movement leaders Rabbi Bane Margulis of the Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice Mario Garcia of Voices de la Frontera please come to discuss the issues and explore the recommended motion which will follow which will allow a task force to study the issues and secondly a reminder of the cabaret coming up on Friday, May 12 this annual event is fun an enjoyable occasion to 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 success does this sound like you? please join the team to make this year's cabaret another memorable event for all of us at FUS contact Molly Kelly you can find her through the link at the FUS website to volunteer or to ask questions and remember it's only 59 days away 1,433 hours so with that behind us we welcome you again we hope that today's service will stimulate your thinking touch your heart expand your soul and stir your spirit broken hearts at the door bring them 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 your courage 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 as we 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 may we ever grow in faith, hope and service as we kindle our own lights from its spark and before we join together in song if you'll take a moment to turn and greet your neighbor please be seated and I'd like to invite anyone who would like to come forward for our campfire because I need help too at some point in this story there are parts and I need help so why don't we back up a little bit and see if we can make a big wide circle hey everybody good morning have any of you ever told stories around a campfire yeah what kinds of stories go spooky stories go spooky stories our story this morning is not a spooky story because I didn't want to scare the grown ups so we're going to keep it non-spooky and it is a pretend campfire because I would get in trouble if I started a real one right here so this is our pretend campfire so our story this morning those are real sticks aren't they that's the one real part is the real sticks I am allowed, yep I'm okay with the real sticks it was just the real fire that would get me in trouble yeah and we don't want that yeah there's a lot of wood in here yeah that's right well our story today is about a farm that was practically perfect in every way except it was missing one thing it had no rooster what's a rooster's job on the farm to crow and to wake people up so without a rooster the dog never woke up in time to fetch the newspaper for the farmer so the farmer didn't wake up in time to milk the cows before the sun rose and the cows never woke up in time to eat the grass when it was still wet with morning dew which if you didn't know is when grass is the tastiest so in case you ever need to know that I hope not so everybody was always late on this farm and everybody was always cranky in the morning and sometimes the crankiness lasted all day long until one day a chicken arrived at the farm and everyone was excited because walking behind the chicken were four little yellow balls of fluff and pardon me said the pig who was always very polite would one of those chicks happen to be would one of them happen to be a he why yes answered Mrs. Chicken and she pointed with the tip of her wing to the last one in line and said that's my son a rooster chicken squealed the lambs we're not going to be late anymore we have a rooster on the farm but they didn't well not yet because they had to wait yeah but they had to wait for these little chicks to grow up and they did grow up from little yellow balls of fluff with legs to bigger yellow balls of fluff with legs and the days passed and the young chickens grew and they had fine white feathers and bright yellow feet and then finally Mr. Rooster Chicken began to grow long swooping feathers on his tail squealed the lambs a tail soon you'll be old enough to crow well you look very handsome today Mr. Rooster said the pig a very fine looking foul if I may say thank you said Mr. Rooster but he walked away and his tail feathers were drooping what's wrong asked his friend the cat ah 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 everybody's waiting for me to grow up and learn how to crow now I'm doing the growing up part just fine but but what asked the cat well I don't know how to crow I've never heard a rooster how am I supposed to know what to do well we will help you said the pig who was not only exceedingly polite he was also very helpful we will ask the cat how are we gonna do that um yeah how asked the duck well we'll teach him said the pig haven't you ever heard a rooster crow Mrs. Duck well I have she said let me show you she flew to the top of the chicken coop and she folded her wings back are you ready everybody fold your wings back tilt your bill way up high to the sky and crow like a duck quack quack quack the cat covered his ears the pig said well thank you Mrs. Duck though that's not perhaps quite what we're looking for I hope not rooster let me demonstrate said the pig first you've got to climb to a high point so everybody climb up we're climbing to the top of the manure pile ugh and then tilt your snout high up into the air and everybody crow like a pig quack quack the cat closed his eyes and shook his head huh said Mrs. Duck not impressed well said the pig that's not quite how it works but you understand with a real rooster oh let me show you said the cat so the cat jumped up on the top of the fence curled his tail around his toes washed with one paw everybody washed with one paw look up at the sky and crow like a cat meow ah said the pig oh dear said the rooster he looked really alarmed at this point maybe another chicken so they ran and grabbed one of the little chicks and the chicken said how do we do it like a chicken quack quack quack quack that's getting closer so the dog tried what does the dog say woof woof the lambs came and what did the lambs say so the rooster shook his head and he said I'm never gonna learn how to crow I'm not gonna be good at waking people up and nobody's gonna like me anymore sure we will said the cat I like you right now you've never crowed a day in your life besides I like to sleep in late I wonder said the pig have you ever tried to crow me said the rooster but yeah well you are more of a rooster than any of us said mrs duck and will like you no matter what you sound like said the pig even if you don't make any sound at all so the rooster decided to try he flew up to the top of the chicken coop are you ready to be a rooster folded his wings back folded your wings back tilted his head in the air folded him back folded those wings back and he tried to make those noises that his friends make but what came out be a rooster what came out and after that nobody had any doubt that mr rooster could crow not even mr rooster himself so now there's a farm in a valley that's practically perfect in every way it even has a fine young rooster who crows at the crack of dawn and everyone gets out of bed exactly on time the dog wakes up to fetch the newspaper for the farmer the farmer wakes up to milk the cows the cows go out to eat the grass when it's still wet because it is the the tastiest in the morning do everyone is wide awake on that farm because they have a rooster whose friends helped him learn how to crow just like this give it your best rooster cockatoodle do do thank you for being such good thanks for sitting around our campfire we are going to rise in spirit and sing you out to your classes thanks everybody please be seated this morning a poem called 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 ladybug's 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 writhed alive in your hands and this second a memory from Manish Nandi I never felt closer to my 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 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 seems much quieter today we would pass by 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 dad and I would walk briskly by the light of the rising sun a few huts the occasional stream and an 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 scraggly 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 suddenly struck him for the very first time 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 on a rickety table and the man would place two steaming cups of over sweetened Darjeeling before us I love dad's expression of satisfaction as he took that first sip after the third sip he would turn convivial so he might ask what do you think of this town unlike our conversations at home our 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 D.C. suburb where I live I walk every morning with my aging husky and I remember the quiet loving man who walked with me made me feel like his equal thank you for bringing so much beauty this morning and Jess is even playing all the hymns so I think he gets extra points for that 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 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 evenings a month saying this instead 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 reverent can you tell that the mom stressed one of those words two Mondays a month I know many of you could and did join me in saying those words the oath and the law of the Boy Scouts of America when Brent and Dale Haglund who won the sermon of their choice at last year's cabaret auction suggested the theme of scouting I immediately thought of my many years as a Girl Scout and of all the wonderful experiences my own son is currently having in Cub Scouts and thanks to Brent for providing the beautiful photos outside the auditorium and this one up here is Brent earning his Eagle Award meeting President Johnson in Washington so please after the service come up and take a look I will admit that when sons were born I did worry over what I call the scouting question I know some of you with boys share this question and maybe ambivalent about whether or not your own children would ever 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 lets you know that the word God interpreted according to one's own spiritual beliefs having grown up with this inclusivity I worried about what I would do if and when my boys became interested in scouting so I did my homework I talked to many parents both those who chose to involve their children and those who did not there were many reasons to say yes the skills taught in meetings or campouts 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 and emergency preparedness scouting is a unique opportunity to gain knowledge that could save their own life or someone else's from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts stories abound of those who saved the lives of family or friends simply because they knew how to be prepared scouting places of very high value on civic engagement and community involvement 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 this adding up to nearly a hundred million service hours across the United States every year Peter Appelbaum an editor of the New York Times wrote that as an adult volunteer involved with his son scouting he observed that scouting's core values are wonderful building blocks for a movement and a life scouting's genuinely egalitarian goals and instincts are more important now than ever it's one of the only things that kids do that is genuinely cooperative not competitive when my son decided he wanted to try 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 experiencing things 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 of America they offer an inclusive scouting award for packs and troops who welcome all they have run multiple campaigns to end the discriminatory bans and they have been the champion of Scouts and parents who were removed from Scouting on their website they ask should I enroll my child in Scouts is their answer absolutely all of us can point to Scouting as instrumental in shaping who we are Scouting combines leadership survival 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 LGBT adult leaders in 2015 because of the work of those who were involved speaking up and out and bringing about change this past January the Boy Scouts of America began accepting members based on their gender identity not on what's listed on their birth certificates opening the door for transgender youth to join now this occurred not over 37 years but in a matter of 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 now 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 everyone it has to be discovered and brought to light Baden Powell created Boy Scouts out of his empathy for children and his belief that childhood is a time of adventure self development and good clean fun Juliet Lowe 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 from 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 Lowe returned to the United States and threw herself into the creation and leadership of the Girl Scouts now we got to say Girl Scouts has always been a bit edgy they were part of the women's liberation movement Lowe founded a troop for girls with disabilities they 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 the 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 and we recognize 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 nature comes the growth of reverence 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 thoughtfulness in his final speech as Boy Scouts of America president Robert Gates said that America needs scouting because what other organization takes boys into the wilderness to find adventure to learn about our priceless natural heritage to develop the inner strength and confidence 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 and 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 this spirit of the mountains gives us the ability to seek out and find the good it takes no special talent to look around our world and point out things that are numbing depressing but becoming consistently and keenly aware of what is good true what is beautiful demands a discipline we must open our eyes, minds and hearts and keep them open as we open up we will begin to see that beauty is everywhere in nature and in human nature in the face of a lot of bad news these days we need ways to remember that there is as well as we hear in this poem by Mary Oliver every day I see or hear something that more or less kills me with delight that leaves me like a needle in the 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 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 this 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 we stick together there are no heroes because heroes work out there on their own and in this den no one will ever be left on their own starhawk once wrote that we are all longing to go home to some place we have never been a place half remembered and half envisioned that we only catch glimpses of from time to time community somewhere people to whom we can speak without having the words catching our throats somewhere where there's a circle of hands to open and receive us eyes that light up as we enter voices who celebrate 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 someplace where we can be free so whether or not you or a loved one chooses to be involved in any kind of 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 and your vision create relationships across the generations be a mentor help someone else discover the spirit and light within help them shine get outside into nature remember the goodness see the beauty 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 ended many of my days as a girl scout 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 today's offering it is an outreach offering to be shared with sale you can find out more about them in your order of service and we thank you for your generosity playing together each week a community who gathers joys and sorrows written on our hearts in this place we come together to find strength and common purpose turning our minds and hearts 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 thoughts to Rose Marie a friend of Marty Hollis visiting after surgery for pancreatic cancer we also send our love and our prayers for healing to Neil Launey father of Robin Launey Langton he had a stroke on Tuesday and is recovering at home in the Twin Cities we also lift up the joys and the 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 and one with all the universe may we be grateful for the miracle of life that we share and the hope that gives us the power to care to remember and to love blessed be and I now invite you to rise in body your spirit for our closing hymn for 1064 may the peace of the flowing waters be with us may the beauty of the starry skies be with us may the blessings of companionship give us strength for the work that must be done and may the miracle of this world and this life together continue to amaze us each and every day blessed be and go in peace and please be seated for the postlude