The Birth of Jesus, A Story from Palestine
NEARLY TWO THOUSAND years ago Jesus was born in Palestine far across the sea. Many wonder stories have been told about his birthday. This is the oldest of them all.
Mary, the young Jewish woman who became Jesus’ mother, was beautiful to look at, and a favorite among her neighbors. If someone had hunted the world over, it is believed that he could not have found a finer woman than Mary — one whose mind was so empty of ugly and mean thoughts and whose heart was so full of kindness for everyone.
Late one afternoon, as Mary sat in her garden dreaming of the time when she would become a mother, she thought she saw someone, unlike anyone she had ever seen before. He had flown like a bird with wings down into her garden and was standing before her. A light beamed about his face and his garments shone with the beautiful colors of the rainbow.
“Happy woman! Happy woman!” said the angel softly. He even called her by her name. “Mary,” he said, “You will soon have a child. He shall be a boy. You shall call his name Jesus. When he is grown he shall be a King. His kingdom shall never be destroyed or come to an end.”
When these soft words had been said, the shining angel disappeared, and Mary was left alone, trembling with wonder at this thing which was to happen to her.
Months passed by. The baby that rested in Mary’s body had grown almost, but not quite, large enough to be born. Just at this time an order came from the governor saying that Mary and Joseph, her husband, would have to go to the town of Bethlehem to take care of their taxes. This meant a journey of three or four days. Most of the time Mary could ride their little donkey. That would help, but Joseph would have to walk all the long way.
At last, late one evening, the hard journey was almost over. Mary and Joseph were nearing the town of Bethlehem. As they climbed the hill up to the town, they were happy in the thought that soon they would be able to wash their dusty hands and feet and lie down in a quiet room to sleep.
Without delay, they went to the well-known Bethlehem Inn and asked for a room. But the inn was already crowded with people. There was not a single empty room. Even the courtyard was jammed with camels, donkeys, bundles and a noisy crowd of people. Where could Mary and Joseph go? Joseph walked about exploring every nook and corner and asking from house to house. He knew that Mary was even more tired than he, and that she must have some place where she might lie down.
At last, he found a small place that was but half a room built against a hillside and open to the road. In it were two cows munching hay from the mangers in front of them. Could the travelers make use of this place and sleep with the animals? It would give them at least some cover and protection from the cold wind. They would try it.
So, Mary lighted a couple of small oil lamps and placed them in niches in the wall so that she and her husband might see what they were doing. With the flickering light from the tiny lamps, the young couple made beds of straw on the hard mud door. And tired as they could be, they lay down, covered themselves with a sheepskin blanket and tried to sleep.
Alongside them lay the cows, peacefully chewing the cud. Outside, high in the dark sky, thousands of bright stars beamed down upon them.
But the night was not far-gone when Mary was awakened. She knew the time had come for her baby to be born. Joseph arose and busied himself at once to make her as comfortable as possible. But where would he put the new baby when it came? There was no time to spare. Joseph was thinking fast. He looked at one of the cows’ mangers on the door near Mary’s bed. This would have to be the crib.
Joseph smoothed the hay still left in the manger. On top he spread out a soft piece of sheepskin for a blanket. When the new baby was born, Joseph wrapped it up and laid it gently in this manger crib. Before long the babe was sleeping snug and warm under the soft blanket, while Mary, his Mother, lay beside him, her heart brimful of peace.
THE VISIT OF THE SHEPHERDS
Now, that very night, in an open field out on a hillside a mile or so from the town, a few shepherds were sitting around a blazing fire. Some were sleeping while others kept sharp watch of every moving thing on the hillside lest a wolf or a bear sneak up in the dark and climb the wall into the sheepfold.
But it was not a wolf or a bear that surprised these shepherds that night. A shining angel suddenly flew down from the sky and lighted on the ground beside them. On seeing him, the shepherds screamed with fright.
“Be not afraid,” said the angel softly, “for I have come to bring you good news that will make glad all the peoples of the world. This night a child has been born in Bethlehem, who is going to be that great person you have all been hoping would some day free your nation and bring you peace. This child shall be your King.”
While the angel was still speaking to the shepherds, the sky began to glow with light. Instead of one angel, there appeared high in the sky many angels and all began singing together. The beautiful chorus seemed to fill the whole wide sky. And the words of the angels’ song sounded clear and strong.
“Glory to God in the highest! Glory to God in the highest!” the angels sang. “And on Earth peace and goodwill among men.”
As soon as the song was ended, the angels disappeared just as suddenly as they had come. The shepherds were once more left sitting alone in the darkness around the fire. Nothing else seemed important to them now except to go at once and see this thing that the angels had said had happened. The child must be somewhere in Bethlehem. They must find him.
Forgetting everything else–even their sheep and the wild beasts that might break into the fold–the shepherds hurried off to Bethlehem. Nor was it difficult, when once they were in the town, to find the little half-room on the hillside opening onto the road. Perhaps it was the flickering lights from the two small lamps that pointed the way. Perhaps it was the sight of Joseph moving about doing this and that for Mary and the babe. Perhaps it was the thin little cry of the newborn babe that gave them the hint.
But how surprised they were to find cows and the mother side by side and the baby lying in a manger crib! Could this really be the babe who would some day be a King! It seemed impossible, yet they felt it was true.
The shepherds told Joseph and Mary the whole story of what had happened to them as they were keeping watch over their sheep. The two listened and wondered at the things the shepherds said.
When at last the men were satisfied that they had really seen the wonder child, they left to go back to the hillside and to their sheep. When once outside the quiet, sleeping town, they sang their hearts out for joy.
Long after the shepherds had gone, Mary kept thinking again and again of the story they had told. Over and over she said to herself the words: “Peace on Earth and good will among men.” Would her little boy some day really make these things come true?
THE STAR IN THE SKY
In a country far off, three wise men were sitting together upon the roof of their house, looking up at the stars in the sky. Night after night for years, they had been studying the skies in this same way. Many of the stars were like old friends to them. These wise men knew all the stars that always stayed in clusters and they knew equally well those other stars (or planets, as we call them) that move more quickly and alone across the sky.
In times long ago it was thought to be very important to study the stars, because people believed that God put the stars in their places in the sky in order to tell people on the Earth about important things that were going to happen. If a new star appeared in the sky, one that the wise men had never seen before, they immediately thought that something new and important had just happened or was about to happen on the Earth.
That night, as these three wise men were sitting on the roof watching the sky, they saw a new bright star where they had never seen such a star before.
“What can this star mean?” they asked. “Something important has just happened somewhere on the Earth. What can it be? Where has it happened?”
“I know,” said one of the three wise men finally. “A child has been born who is going to be a very great and good man.”
“But who can the child be? And where has he been born?” The three wise men talked about it long into the night. At last they came to this conclusion. “The child who has been born is going to become the King of the Jews. He will be that greatest of all Kings for whom the Jews have long been hoping–the King who will bring peace everywhere.”
Now when once the men felt sure, their next thought was that they must go at once to Palestine and search for this child until they found him. That very night each one of the three men decided on the kind of present he would take to give to the new baby.
The next morning, they filled many bundles with food and supplies for a long journey. Toward evening; they saddled their camels, hoisted their bundles and themselves upon the camels’ backs and off they went, toward the west in the direction of the land of Palestine. It was no short or easy journey across miles of hot desert sands. During the heat of the daytime they set up a tent and rested under its shade. During the coolness of the night they rode forward with the bright stars to give them light.
Every night they watched for the special new star they had seen from their own rooftop. And every night the star came out, like a cheerful companion on their long and lonely journey. The strange thing about that star was that each night it seemed to move along just a little ahead of them as if it were pointing in the direction in which they should go. So the three men rode along on their camels, believing the star was leading them.
Finally, strange as it seems, when the men reached the town of Bethlehem, the star seemed to stop moving, and to hang still in the sky just over the little town. And, stranger still, the star seemed to hang directly over a certain house on a certain street. The three wise men believed they had found the right place, knocked on the door, and Joseph welcomed them in.
Immediately on seeing the little babe lying in his mother’s arms, the three men fell on their knees before them and began to thank God. One by one, each pulled from a bag hanging to his belt the gift, which he had brought. The first gave the baby a piece of gold. The second pulled out a package of incense that would make a sweet smell when it burned. And the third gave the babe some perfume. Mary and Joseph could scarcely believe what their eyes saw. They could not find the words they felt like saying. All they could do was to ask:
“Who are you? Where have you come from? Why are you doing these things?” Then Mary and Joseph heard the wonderful story of the new star that the men had seen in the sky and how it had guided them all the way to Bethlehem.
Although the strangers had much to tell, their visit seemed very short. Mary and Joseph were still in a daze as they stood in the doorway and watched the three men on their three camels pass down the street and out of sight.
When indoor and alone with their babe, the two could talk again. Did not the strangers know that Joseph was just a poor carpenter? And that Mary was only the daughter of a village farmer? How could their baby ever be a King?
This, then, is the old, old wonder tale about the birth of Jesus. What really happened no one can now know.
We do know, however, that this child of Mary and Joseph never became a King. Nor did he ever wish to be made a King. Jesus was a poor man by choice. When he was grown, he did not even have a home he could call his own. He was a teacher who traveled from town to town, teaching people how to live and what being good and doing right ought to mean.
Most of those who lived in that long-ago time have been forgotten, but Jesus is still remembered. Millions of people the world over still talk about Jesus. There are a great many people who even think about Jesus every single day. Stories that Jesus told almost two thousand years ago are still being told, both to grownups and to children. There are a great many people who think that Jesus was greater than any King who ever lived. They think Jesus was great and good–even as good as God. Jesus’ birthday is still celebrated. It is called Christmas Day, which means the birthday of the King.
A Musician and His Trumpet: A Story from India
From Long Ago and Many Lands
In order to answer the soldier’s question, Kassapa told this story.
In olden times a certain musician, carrying his trumpet under his arm, stopped to rest on a bench in the market place of a small village. He laid his trumpet down on the ground beside him. Nobody else seemed to be anywhere around, for all the villagers were at home having supper.
Being lonely, the musician picked up his trumpet and began to play. He blew it three times, and then set it on the ground again beside him.
When the villagers heard the trumpet blowing, they were puzzled, for none of them had ever seen or heard a trumpet before. They said to one another:
“What is it that is making that charming and delightful sound?”
They rushed out of their houses and gathered in the market place. There they found the musician. They asked him :
“Sir, what was it that made that charming and delightful sound?”
“Friends, it was this trumpet that you see lying on the ground here beside me that made that sound.”
One of the villagers then picked up the strange instrument which had been called a trumpet. He looked it all over. He put it down on the ground again so that it stood up on its large round end. He called to it:
“Speak, O Trumpet! Speak, O Trumpet!” But the trumpet did not make a sound. Another villager turned the trumpet over and put it down on its side. He also called:
“Speak, O Trumpet! Speak, O Trumpet!” But the trumpet did not make a sound. Another man put the trumpet down on its other side and spoke to it. Another shook it this way and that way and called. The crowd began calling too:
“Speak, O Trumpet! Speak, O Trumpet!”
But no! The trumpet did not make a sound! The trumpeter smiled and thought to himself:
“How foolish these villagers are! How can they hope to hear the sound of the trumpet by trying other ways to play it than the right way?”
Finally, with the villagers watching him, the musician picked up the trumpet and again blew it three times. After this he walked off with the trumpet under his arm, and disappeared down the path.
The villagers were left to think things through for themselves. Everyone began talking at once. Finally, they agreed on the right answer to their puzzling. This is the way one of the men explained it:
“When the trumpet was connected with a person who blew his breath into it, it made a sound! But when the trumpet was not connected with a person and no breath was blown into it, then the trumpet made no sound at all.”
Kassapa then turned to the soldier and said:
“It is precisely so with us and our bodies. When the body is not connected with Life then it can not walk forward or walk backward. It can not stand or sit or lie down. Then, too, it can not see things with its eyes, or smell things with its nose, or taste flavors with its tongue, or touch things with its hands. Then it can not understand with its mind. We say the person is dead.
Conversation and Story for Sabbath
Tell the children,"The Sabbath is a very old Jewish celebration. Long, long ago, when the Jewish people worked hard for many hours everyday planting in the fields and caring for their farm animals, the seventh day of the week was set aside so they could rest from their work and worship their god. For the Jews, the seventh day was their day of worship and they called it Shabbat. Do you know what day of the week Jewish people worship’" Pause for answers and comments.
Continue by saying, "Yes, the Jewish Shabbat began at sundown on Friday and ended at sun-down on Saturday. Today Jews celebrate Shabbat in many different ways. Some customs include setting the Friday evening Shabbat table in the home with the best dishes, with wine, with sweet braided bread called challot and with candle-sticks. A blessing, or special words, is spoken to mark this time as holy before the meal is eaten.On Shabbat morning, the family attends services in the synagogue. On Saturday evening a special blessing is said thanking God for the Sabbath and a new week has started.
"But others observe Sunday as their Sabbath,their day to rest and worship their god. Who are these people! What is their religion called?" Pause and invite responses.
Introduce the story, The Creation. Say, "Making the seventh day of the week a day of rest and worship comes from an old, old story of how the world was made. We think that when this story says a ‘day,’ it is really talking about a long period of time–maybe even thousands and thousands of years! This is the story."
Read the story, The Creation.
Background for "What is Advent?"
The word Advent, which means "coming," was originally used for the Coming of the Christ, and applied only to that day. After the sixth century, its meaning was expanded to include the whole period of preparation for this day–as it is now.
The Advent season marks the beginning of the Christian church year. The orthodox Christian church year is based on the three main incidents in the life of Jesus–Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost–which form the framework of the Christian year. Each of these great festivals was preceded by a period of preparation to enable Christians to meditate on the spiritual significance of these events in the life of Jesus.
Although the birth of Jesus, or the Nativity, is the major holy day, the four Sundays of Advent are recognized as the Advent season, a time of expectation and quiet reflection. Advent begins on the Sunday nearest November 30, St. Andrew’s Day. For Unitarian Universalists, Advent means less than it does for more traditional Christians. However, Advent can provide an opportunity to deepen our awareness of the spiritual values inherent in the winter festival season.
The use of the Advent wreath originated a few hundred years ago among Lutherans in Germany. The wreaths are made of evergreens and are either suspended from the ceiling or placed on a table. Four candles are fastened in holders to the wreath, representing the four weeks of Advent.
On the first Sunday of Advent one candle is lit and allowed to burn during a ceremony of readings, prayers, and songs. On each of the following Sundays an additional candle is lit at the beginning of the ceremony until the fourth Sunday when all four are lit. Candle colors have varied over the years: some churches use white liturgical candles, others use three purple candles signifying repentance and one pink signifying joy (third Sunday). Sometimes on Christmas Eve a large candle is lit in the center of the wreath to symbolize Christ, the light of the world.
For children in our culture, the weeks approaching Christmas are often fraught with stress, as the media, the retail sector, and even the schools build up an ever-increasing sense of anticipation and excitement. Some families observe both Hannukah and Christmas, which can create even more excitement. We can help children deal more constructively with these pressures by focusing on an attitude of quiet preparation and patience. Also, these activities help them to see that they can play an active and cooperative role in getting ready for Christmas.
The Children’s Crusade
"What are we going to do?" Martin Luther King asked his friends. He was worried; it looked like they were going to fail in their mission. Martin Luther King was trying to lead the black people in Birmingham in a struggle to end segregation.
In King’s day, segregation meant that black people were not allowed to do the same things or go to the same places as white people: Black people couldn’t go to most amusement parks, swimming pools, parks, hotels, or restaurants.They had to go to different schools that weren’t as nice as the schools for white kids.They had to use separate drinking fountains, and they could get in big trouble for drinking out of fountains marked for white people. They weren’t allowed to use the same bathrooms; many times, there was no bathroom at all that they could use. They weren’t allowed to try on clothes before they bought them.
Black people didn’t think that was fair; there were white people who agreed with them. But in many, many places, especially in the southern part of the United States, segregation was the law–and if black people tried to go someplace they weren’t supposed to go, they could get arrested, beaten, and even killed.
Many thousands of people were working in the 1950s and 1960s to end segregation. But one spring, Martin Luther King was in one of the largest and strictest segregated cities in the south–Birmingham, Alabama. There he could find only a few people who would help. At night they would have big meetings at a church; they would talk about segregation and ways to change things. Four hundred people would show up for the meeting, but only thirty-five or so would volunteer to protest; and not all of these volunteers would show up the next day for the protest march. Those who did would gather downtown, parade through the streets, carry signs, chant, and sing, sending the message that segregation had to end.
You see, the people were very scared. The sherif in Birmingham was a man named Bull Conner. And black people didnt know what Bull Conner might do to them if he caught them protesting. Martin Luther King had already been in jail once, and others were afraid to follow him. Besides, they werent sure protesting would do any good.
So things were bad. Very bad. Martin Luther King had run out of ideas. He was about ready to give up. And then that night, at a meeting, something surprising happened. When King asked who would demonstrate with him and be ready to go to jail, if necessary, a whole group of people stood up, and everyone’s mouth dropped wide open. The people who had stood up were children. The adults told them to sit down. Martin Luther King thanked them and told them he appreciated their offer but that he couldn’t ask them to go to jail. But they wouldn’t sit down. They wanted to help.
That night, Martin Luther King talked with his friends. "What are we going to do?" he asked. "The only volunteers we got were children. We can’t have a protest with children." Everyone nodded, except Jim Bevel. "Wait a minute," said Jim. "If they want to do it, I say bring on the children." "But they are too young!" the others said. Then Jim asked, "Are they too young to go to segregated schools?" "No! "Are they too young to be kept out of amusement parks?" "No! "Are they too young to be refused a hamburger in a restaurant?" "No!" said the others. "Then they are not too young to want their freedom. That night, they decided that any child old enough to join a church was old enough to march.
The children heard about this decision and told their friends. When the time came for the march, there were a thousand children, teenagers, and college students. And the sheriff arrested them and put them in jail. The next day even more kids showed up-and some of their parents and relatives too–and even more the next day and the next day. Soon lots of adults joined in. Finally, a thousand children were in jail, and there was no more room for anyone else.
Sheriff Conner had done awful things to try to get the children and the other protesters to turn back. He had turned loose big police dogs and allowed them to bite people. He had turned on fire hoses that were so strong, the force of the water could strip the bark off trees. He had ordered the firemen to point the hoses at the little kids and roll them right down the street. People all over the country and all over the world saw the pictures of the dogs, the fire hoses,and the children, and they were furious.
Now the white people of Birmingham began to worry. All over the world people were saying bad things about their town. Even worse, everyone was afraid to go downtown to shop because of the fire hoses and the dogs. So they decided they might have to change things. A short time later, the black people and the white people of Birmingham made an agreement to desegregate the city and let everyone go to the same places.
Today, when people tell this story, many talk about Martin Luther King. But we should also remember the thousands of brave children and teenagers whose courage defeated Bull Conner and helped end segregation in Birmingham, Alabama and the rest of the United States.
Free to Believe
"Hey Dad," called Raychel," is it okay if I go over to Heather’s house for dinner tonight?"
"Didn’t you go over there twice already this week, honey?"
"But tonight is special. There’s a meeting of a club from Heather’s church called the Handmaidens. She asked me to join. They play games and go on camping trips and they do good stuff like helping poor people. She said there are some things club members have to believe and some things they have to promise to do-but it’s no big deal. I think it sounds cool."
"Wait a minute here, my dear," Raychel’s dad liked rhyming words when he could. "What church is Handmaidens connected to? You already have a church."
"I don’t know much about the church," said Raychel, "All I know is that they have a girls’ group called the Handmaidens and a boys’ group called the Soldiers. Heather’s brother, John Peter, has asked Tony to join that one. Sometimes the two groups do things together. It sounds really neat."
"I think we should know more about what you are supposed to believe and what you are supposed to do to be a member of this club before you decide to join," said her dad.
"But Dad," argued Raychel, "We’re Unitarian Universalists. Didn’t you tell us we’re free to believe anything we want? What if I decide to believe the things the Handmaidens believe? That’s okay isn’t it?"
"It might be okay, but only after you have done a lot of hard thinking about it. Unitarian Universalists don’t just believe anything. We ask lots of questions and make sure that the beliefs –and the things people do because of them — are things that make this world a better place," explained Raychel’s dad.
"Tell you what though, you go to your friend’s tonight and tomorrow we’ll all talk about it. Then, if you still want to, you can join them."
The next day, Tony and his parents joined Raychel’s family for dinner. At the dinner table, as usual, everybody was talking at once. Raychel’s dad, Val, stood up and banged his spoon on the table to get everyone’s attention. In a big, booming voice he said, "Hear ye, hear ye, the dining table will come to order.
"Raychel Morgan, will you tell us about your visit to the Handmaidens?"
"It was boring," sighed Raychel. "First they read from the Bible, and everyone recited the Handmaiden’s Creed, which was all about obedience to authority and the leaders — whoever they are. Then we played a game with words from the Bible. Heather’s mother talked to us about how important it was to be a Handmaiden and how we had to try and get more kids to be Handmaidens so more people would get the message and be saved. I wanted to ask, "What message?" and, "Saved from what?" but nobody else was asking questions. Anyway, I didn’t like it."
"Sounds a little different from our church," said Raychel’s dad.
"It was really different from our church and our youth group," Raychel continued. "But when they asked me about our church I couldn’t think of anything to say. They knew exactly what to say about their church and what they believed. But what do UUs believe?"
"Raychel has asked a very important question," said her dad, "Can anyone here sitting give answer to that question?" He was having fun talking like a real judge.
"Well, what about the words we say at the beginning of church," Tony offered, "you know" love is the doctrine of this church, the quest of truth is its sacrament and service is its prayer…?"
"I can say the words, but I don’t get what they mean," said Raychel.
"Those words are a perfect place to begin," said Raychel’s father. "We believe that love is the strongest power in the world–stronger than hate and stronger than fear. I like to call this power God, because that’s the best word I know for a power that is so much bigger and stronger than any person. Your mom doesn’t like to use the word God, because it makes her think of an old man sitting up on a cloud. But even though she doesn’t use the same word to describe this power of love, she believes in it the same way I do. And ‘doctrine’ simply means something that is taught. So the first line means that we teach love."
"What about the next line, ‘the quest for truth is its sacrament?’ What does that mean?" asked Raychel.
"Well," continued Raychel’s dad, "a sacrament is an object or an act that is considered very, very special in a religion. Other words used to describe these things are ‘sacred’ or ‘holy.’ A quest is a journey to find something. So the second line means that we consider searching for truth to be a very special and important part of our religion. And to us, searching for truth means more than never telling a lie."
"Like what?" asked Raychel, getting confused again.
"For one thing, it means that what might be true for us today might not be true tomorrow if we learn something new."
"You mean like when people used to think the world was flat until someone noticed it was really round?" asked Tony.
"Or that only birds could fly until someone invented an airplane?" added Raychel.
"That’s it," answered Raychel’s dad.
"Or that someone named God invented the world in seven days even though the study of science has given us different facts to believe," added Raychel’s mom. "You see, some people believe that God told the truth many years ago to men who then wrote it down in a book like the Hebrew or Christian Bible or the Islamic holy book, the Koran. They believe that this one truth is the only truth they need to know to live a good life. So they don’t question it."
"Other people, like Unitarian Universalists," she continued, "keep asking questions because we believe there is always more to know, always new ways of thinking and acting that can make the world a better place."
"So what does ‘and service is our prayer’ mean?" asked Raychel, "How can service be a prayer?"
"Most Unitarian Universalists believe words alone aren’t enough. We have to work to make a better world, not just talk about it," said Raychel’s mom.
And for a moment, strange as it seems, everybody in this noisy wonderful family was quiet.
"So," said Raychel’s dad, "what do you think?"
"I think Unitarian Universalism is a hard religion to explain," answered Raychel. "But from now on, when I’m asked, I’m going to say, "we believe in love, we believe in searching for truth, and we believe in making the world a better place."
"I think that’s a very good answer Raychel," said her dad. "It says a lot about how we think in just a few words. And in this family, anything said in just a few words is amazing indeed!
"So, Raychel. Do you think you’ll be joining the Handmaidens next week?"
"Well, dad," said Raychel, "I think I ask too many questions to make a good handmaiden."
Marlene’s Stamp Album
Did you know that there are 43 famous American Unitarian Universalists and at least 4 Canadian UUs who are honored on postage stamps? In The UU Kids Book, by Brotman Marshfield, CLFer Marlene Powell learned about these stamps and decided to start her own collection. But she had an idea to make the collection even more interesting. On each page of her album Marlene wrote a paragraph or two describing the person on the stamp — what she or he believed in and did that made them famous. Here is an example from Marlene’s album.
There are several ways to start a collection. Each stamp ever issued has an official number. You can find the numbers for the famous UU stamps in the UU Kids Book or write me at CLF and I’ll send you the list. Once you know a stamp’s number you can order it from the Scott Catalogue,(usually found in libraries), or from a local dealer. Have fun!
What makes something religious?
Goal:
To understand shared components of different religions and make a comparative analysis of local churches, temples, other places of worship.
Activities:
1. Design your own religion
Give each family member a copy of "If I Were a Founder." If you have a large group, you could break into two smaller groups and create 2 religions. If not, answer them as a whole group.
On a separate sheet of paper make three columns. Title them: Beliefs, Values, Practices. Present at least 2 examples of how beliefs, values and practices are related. For instance, if I say “I value the earth as the source of life,” the earth is an example of something I value. (Write “the earth” in the value column.) Is it also an example of a belief? Yes, a belief in the earth as the source of life. (Write “earth is the source of life” in the belief column.) What are some things I might do as a person who believes the earth is a source of life and who values the earth? I might plant a garden, or help at the recycle center. (Write “planting” in the practices column.) In other words, “I believe the earth is the source of life; I value the earth, therefore I practice care of the earth.” Here’s another example: I believe that God is a loving force in the world. I value love. I practice loving myself and others by being kind, honest and caring. A belief often points to a value. A practice often reveals both a value and a belief.
All religions have these 3 components. Look at the religion your family “founded.” What are some of the beliefs, values and practices of your newly created religion?
2. Compare area churches
Find a list of churches, temples, and synagogues in your area. (The Yellow Pages are a good place to start.) Decide which ones you’d like to visit and learn more about. Using a chart like the Sample Comparative Faiths Chart make a graph with the churches you want to visit on the vertical axis and the things you want to look for on the horizontal axis. Fill in the graph as you visit different places of worship. A good source book for visiting other churches is How To Be a Perfect Stranger. Look for it in your local library.
What do UUs believe?
Borrow the following Dr. Seuss books from your local library. Discuss UU values and principles as they appear in the stories.
Horton Hears a Who
Lesson/UU value: Every person counts, every person has the same rights. Cooperation gets things done.
Questions for discussion:
Did you ever have someone give you a hard time because you were smaller than that person?
Did you ever have to help someone who is smaller than you?
Have you ever accomplished something big because you cooperated with someone else?
The Sneetches
Lesson/UU value: Everyone is valuable; our differences are valuable. Be yourself. Don’t try to change to copy others—it won’t work.
Questions for discussion:
What made Star-Belly Sneetches better than Plain-Belly Sneetches? (Only their belief that it was so.)
Imagine a situation in which people think peole with curly hari are better than those with straight hair. How would you feel if you had straight hair? Would you really be different if you got a perm?
Is trying to look like other peole a good way to get along with them and make them like you?
What is a good way to be a friend? What do you like about your friends?
The Lorax
Lesson/UU value: We are all responsible for caring for the environment. We are part of an interdependent web of all existence.
Questions for discussion:
Why did the Lorax leave a pile of rocks with the world “Unless?” What can be done? What do you do to help take care of the world we live in?
Discussion Questions
The Fall of Freddy the Leaf by Leo Buscaglia
• How does Freddie know that summer is coming to an end?
• How do the leaves feel as the wind begins to tug at their stems?
• Why do you think Freddie doesn’t get scared when spring passes into summer, or summer into
fall?
• How do you feel when Daniel lets go?
• When you look at the pictures in this book, what signs indicate that the seasons are changing?
• What happens to the leaves once they fall to the ground?
• What is the meaning of the last two words of the story?
• How does this story relate to the UU principle that says "We need to take care of the earth, the
home we share with all living things"?
Lifetimes by Bryan Mellonie and Robert Ingpen
• People have at least one thing in common with any living object. What is it?
• What do we call the period between birth and death?
• Why is the lifetime of a bird different from the lifetime of a tree?
• What else affects how long something or somebody will live?
• What happens when an insect dies? A field mouse? A family pet?
• How does this story relate to the UU principle that says "We need to take care of the earth, the
home we share with all living things"?
Annie and the Old One by Miska Miles
• What does the Grandmother mean by "I will go to Mother Earth."
• How does she know this?
• How does Annie feel about her grandmother’s death?
• Why doesn’t she talk to her grandmother or mother about this?
• What does she do to prevent her grandmother’s death?
• What eventually happens?
• How does this conversation help Annie to accept her grandmother’s death?
