Why Do We Go to Church?
Goals:
To understand what religion is and why people go to church.
To become aware of what gives you good-to-be-alive feelings.
Materials:
Tubes from toilet paper or paper towel.
Red, orange and yellow tissue paper
Construction paper, colorful wrapping paper
Markers, crayons
Tape
Activities:
1. Make personal torches with the cardboard tubes. Tape crumpled tissue paper to the inside of one end of the tube. Decorate tubes with markers, construction paper, or wrapping paper.
2. While you’re making the torches, discuss what makes people “shine.” What gives you a “good-to-be-alive” feeling? Make a list, or just whip around the room calling out all the things you think of.
You can usually categorize the answers into the following categories:
Times when you feel loved and important
Times when you see you’ve made someone else feel good
Times when you feel you’ve done your best
Times when you feel you’ve done the right thing
Times when you listen to yourself and enjoy being yourself
Explain that people come to church to find the light inside them and keep it shining. Religion is the important things they believe in that make their lives feel good and right. Church is the place where grown-ups come to think about the things you named that make people feel good. It’s not always easy to keep the good feeling inside you—life is full of problems and obstacles, just like the game we’re about to play.
3. Obstacle Course:
If you have 4 or more people, you can make a human obstacle course in a large open area. Each person gets into a position and decides if the person running the course is to go over, around, or under them. As each person completes the course, he or she becomes an obstacle and another person runs the course. If you don’t have enough people, or you just prefer to use objects, you can use furniture and other objects to set up a course. Take turns running through the course, carrying your torch under, around, through and between the obstacles.
4. Read “The Grumps” or The Little Brute Family by Russell Hoban (It’s is out of print but may be available at your local library.)
Some Wonderings of Our Own
We have been asking very large questions. How did everything begin? We have asked, how did people begin? We have asked, how did our earth begin,how did our solar system begin, how did our galaxy begin? And we have even asked, how did all galaxies and all suns and all worlds begin?
We have read the answers given by different people from different lands and different times. We have asked both primitive people of long ago and the scientists of today. It has been a stirring adventure. We understand now how other people have felt. We see why they thought as they did, and we know why the scientists keep asking more and more questions. For like Kofi in Africa, we too can "go on thinking and thinking and never stop."
But let us come back to some of the smaller questions. How did you and I begin? How will we end, or will we ever end? These intimate questions about ourselves may have been waiting quietly all this time behind big questions.
When did you begin? Ten years ago? Fifteen years ago, did you say? Do you mean you began to be you the day you were born? How can that be? Did you not begin nine months before you were born? Doesn’t the thought start a wondering in your mind? Nine months before you were born, you were a small one-celled gelatin-like ball of life– not as big as the period at the end of this sentence. Was that speck you? How could you come out of that? It took the human race at least two billion years to evolve from one-celled protozoa into people. How is it you could make such a big change from a small one-celled animal into a human baby with billions and billions of cells in your body in so short a time as nine months?
The answer is that your one-celled beginning had in it something that the first protozoa did not have. It had already in it a much larger number of patterns to grow by. Those patterns were strung together in tiny strings inside your one-celled egg. The biologists call these patterns genes. Very wonderful microscopic pieces of life these genes are! For they had in them all the patterns your egg needed in order to grow into you. It is a mystery how these very tiny specks can hold such patterns and how they make the egg follow the patterns. It is as if these little genes could talk and say, "You are to be a boy with brown eyes and dark hair and dark skin," or just the opposite, whatever was needed to make you. Yet who ever heard of a one-celled living thing talking?
Probably in that long-ago time, when there were no living animals except the tiny one-celled protozoa, each of these tiny living things had at least one of those wondrous genes inside its cell. It needed something to show it how to be even just another protozoa. But your tiny egg, that began growing inside your mother’s body, needed thou- sands of patterns or genes to grow by if it was to know how to grow and grow in order to become you.
And where, we ask, did that little speck of life, that was your egg in the beginning, get those patterns to grow by? They came from two germ cells, one a male cell from your father’s body and the other a female cell from your mother’s body.When you were conceived (nine months before you were born), those two cells blended into one cell–into the beginning of you.
And where,we ask, did your father and mother get those small containers of life that could form together and make you? These thousands of special kinds of genes that were needed to make you had been kept alive ever since your father and your mother themselves were single cells inside their mothers. Again it is hard to imagine (but the scientists have good reason for believing it).
And how did your father and mother get their genes that told their eggs how to grow? From their four parents, that is, from your grandparents. And where did your grandparents get their genes to grow by? From their parents, that is from your great-grandparents. And where did your great-grandparents get their genes? How far back must we go to find your very first beglnnlng? We cannot stop, can we, until we have reached the very first living things that were in the beginning of time.Had not these living things lived in the long, long line of ancestors before you, the small egg that began to be you would never have known how to become you. For it was from them that your egg had slowly gathered the patterns for making you.It was because millions and millions of years ago male and female creatures began joining their dlfferent kind of germ cells together that you began, rather than an amoeba. Each new baby creature that was born was a little different from its parents, and some began trying out new ways of doing things. After a while these new ways became firm habits, so firm that new patterns were given to the new eggs to grow by.
The writers of the Hebrew Bible had an interesting way to report how persons have been connected with the people before them. They used a word that we seldom use now: begat. It means brought into being. For example, we read in the Bible, "Abraham begat Isaac, and Isaac begat Jacob, and Jacob begat Judah, etc." So we might describe your connections with those who have lived before you in this way. But we must think of large groups of living things as if they were one single living thing in order to keep your very long story short enough to tell. So this, we may say, is the story of the beginning of you.
The Protozoa begat the Volvox. The Volvox begat the Worm with Brains. The Worm with Brains begat the Fish. The Fish begat the Amphibian. The Amphibian begat the Reptile. The Reptile begat the Mammal. The Mammal begat the Ape. The Ape begat the Human. And the Human begat You.
These are the chapter titles in the long, long story of you. We feel the wonder of it, but who can explain it? In some way, something in all these kinds of living creatures is still living in you, and in every person now alive. You- or a part of you- are much, much older than you seem. You feel young. You look young. You have no memory of the ages before you were born. Yet you brought with you on your birthday some tell-tale signs that you already had inside you a number of patterns to grow by. The millions of cells in your baby body knew how to do thousands of things you have never consciously thought about. Their ancestor cells had gotten used to doing these things "without thinking" thousands of years before you were born. You belong in a living chain, a spiral millions of years old and millions of people and animals long.
And will some of these patterns-to-grow-by that are in you go on living in your children and in your children’s children after your body dies? Surely, we cannot imagine this living chain as ending with you. What kinds of patterns for growing will you and your mate be passing on to your children? Can you do anything about improving these patterns? How?
The past has been long. The future may be even longer. We began with questions. We continue with other and harder questions still unanswered.
Words and Motions for Chalice Lighting
We come together (Bring hands together and clasp them in front of you.) To remind ourselves (Touch your index and middle fingers to your temple.) To treat all people kindly (Spread arms wide, encircling.) Because they are our brothers and sisters, (Fold your arms across your chest, in a hug.) To take good care of the earth, (Raise your arms above your head, in a circle.) Because it is our home, (Fold your arms, holding your elbows, and motion as though rocking a baby.) To live lives full of goodness and love, (Put both hands over your heart.) Because that is how we will make our world (Raise your arms above your head, in a circle.) The best place it can be. (Clap your hands quietly.)
Advent List of Activities
1. Give your mom or dad a hug and kiss and say, "Happy December! "
2. Pick out a favorite book and share it with someone.
3. Give a smile to someone older than you.
4. Remember to hang up your jacket today.
5. Make your own bed today.
6. Help make dinner tonight.
7. Do something nice for someone younger than you.
8. Give a special smile to your teacher.
9. Sing one of your favorite songs with your family at dinner. You choose the song!
10. Put a note under each person’s pillow: "Dear, I like you because
11. Invite a friend to the library.
12. Try to fix something that is broken. You can ask for help!
13. How many things can you find that are red?
14. Make a holiday card for your teacher.
15. Draw a picture of your family and put it in a place where everyone can enjoy it.
16. Offer to set the table tonight and make a holiday centerpiece.
17. Ten days until Hanukkah! Find out all you can about it.
18. Find out how to say "Hello" in two different languages! Teach them to someone.
19. Be on the lookout for litter. Pick it up and throw it in the trash!
20. Talk to your family about your favorite holiday customs. Ask about theirs.
21. How many things can you find that are green!
22. Make some Christmas cookies with your family.
23. Take a walk around the neighborhood with a family member. Greet everyone you see!
24. Ask your family to read aloud with you a favorite Christmas story.
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.
What is Advent?
"An Advent Celebration" by Joan Goodwin
Goal:
To learn about this Christian tradition and develop one of your own.
Materials:
Advent Calendar Pattern—enlarged—one for each child
Cardboard or poster board
List of Activities—use these or make up your own!
Red construction paper cut into 24 1 _” squares. Number the squares 1 – 24 in bold numbers in the center of the square. Each calendar will need 24 squares
Crayons, markers, stickers for decorating.
Preparation:
Read Background from Special Times
Read through various advent activities and choose one or two to try.
Activities:
Daily Activities Advent Calendar:
Cut out the advent wreath pattern and glue it to cardboard or poster board. Color it green.
Give each child a set of 24 squares. Position the squares on the corresponding numbers on the advent calendar. Glue three sides of each square to form a pocket. After the pockets are dried, decorate them or the wreath with stickers.
Cut the list of activities into thin strips. Fold them so they’ll fit in the pockets. Insert them in the numbered pockets. (If you want the activities to be a surprise, you could do this part later.)
Each day of Advent, take an activity out of the pocket to do that day.
Celebrating Advent in Your Family
An Advent Celebration, by Joan Goodwin
An Advent Celebration
In many households around the world, the traditional advent wreath is part of the holiday season. Four candles are placed on the table in a wreath of evergreens, one to be lighted on each of the four Sndas preceding Christmas. Sometimes a central fifth candle is lighted on Christmas Day.
The tradition may well go back to the ancient firewheel, lighted in the darkest time of year to lure the sun back and ensure another spring. The placement of the candles at the four compass points of the wreath invokes the natural spirits of the North, East, South and West and the primal elements of earth, air, fire and water. The candles may also represent the seasons of the year and the seasons of our lives.
Lighting the advent candles, one at a time on each December Sunday, is a thoughtful and joyous way to prepare for Christmas, the winter solstice, and the turning of the year.
On the first Sunday, light the candle on the eastern side of the wreath and speak these words:
Spirit of the East, spirit of air, of morning and springtime: Be with us as the sun rises, in times of beginning, times of planting. Inspire us wth the fresh breath of courage as we go forth into new adventures.
On the second Sunday, relight the first candle and repeat the words above. Then light the candle on the southern side of the wreath and speak these words:
Spirit of the South, spirit of fire, of noontime and summer: Be with us through the heat of the day and help us to be ever growing. Warm us with strength and energy for th ework that awaits us.
On the third Sunday, relight the first two candles and repeat the appropriate words. Then light the candle on the western side of the wreath and speak these words:
Spirit of the West, spirit of water, of evening and autumn: Be with us as the sun sets and help us to enjoy a rich harvest.
Flow through us with a cooling, healing quietness and bring us peace.
On the fourth Sunday, relight the first three candles and repeat the appopriate words. Then light the candle on the northern side of the wreath and speak these words:
Spirit of the North, spirit of earth, of nighttime and winter: Be with us in the darkness, in the time of gestation. Ground us in the wisdom of the changing seasons as we celebrate the spiraling journey of our lives.
Blessed be!
Beatitudes of Jesus
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they know the unutterable beauty of simple things.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they have dared to risk their hearts by giving of their love.
Blessed are the meek, gentle earth shall embrace them and hallow them as its own.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall know the taste of noble thoughts and deeds.
Blessed are the merciful, for in return theirs is the gift of giving.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall be at one with themselves and the universe.
Blessed are the peacemakers for theirs is a kinship with everything that is holy.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for the truth will set them free.
Who tells UUs what to believe?
A Stepping Stone Year by Margaret Gooding, and We Believe by the UUA
Goal:
To understand our faith as one which encourages the use of reason and that is comfortable with changing, if our understanding changes.
Materials:
• A Bible
• “Bumper sticker” supplies (strips of paper, markers etc.)
• Story: “The Boy Who Collected Beetles”
• Exerpts from The Scopes Monkey Trial
• List of “Used-to-thinks”
Background:
The “search for truth,” one of our UU principles, often leads UUs to new and different beliefs. The emphasis on the use of reason and the willingness to change one’s beliefs based on new information are hallmarks of our liberal faith tradition.
Darwin’s theory of evolution provides a dramatic example of new information that changed the way people thought about how the world began. Although the majority of people today accept the theory of evolution, there are still voices advocating the teaching of creationism in public schools. This lesson may stimulate discussion of other “used to thinks” in your family.
Activities:
• Read the first couple chapters of Genesis in the Bible, in which the seven days are described.
• Read “The Boy Who Collected Beetles.”
• Introduce the Scopes Trial. Then, take turns reading aloud the excerpts from the Scopes Trial.
• Play Used-to-Thinks.
• Make a bumper sticker to express a belief of yours.
Discussion:
The use of reason is one of the most important beliefs in our faith. We understand that the story from the Bible is an ancient legend, over a thousand years old. Times were different then. We can accept that it’s a beautiful myth and it is poetry. But we are comfortable replacing it with a different understanding of creation, as scientific evidence suggests the theory of evolution.
Unitarian Universalists believe that change happens and is a natural consequence of searching for the truth. We know that our own experience causes us to change, and that sometimes we make mistakes and must change. If we had slogans about our beliefs they might be: “Change Happens,” or “Mystery is Beautiful.” If you were to make your own bumper sticker, what would it say?
Can you believe anything you want to as a UU?
Goal:
To think about what it means to you to be a UU and to learn a simple way to remember the UU principles.
Materials:
• Story: Free to Believe
• Copies of We Believe Poster to color: markers, colored pencils, crayons etc. for coloring.
• Pony beads in a variety of colors
• Sculpting clay (Fimo or Sculpy) to make special beads representing each of the 7 principles
• Cord and needle for stringing
• Pattern and instructions for UU Fortune Teller
Background:
A rosary is a string of beads used in the Catholic tradition as an aid in prayer. Each bead represents a prayer or a creed. It was invented in early medieval times by a monk to help his people, who couldn’t read. They used it to help them remember their prayers. Prayer beads are common in many faiths.
Activities:
Color a We Believe poster, one for each child.
Make your own rosary to help you remember the 7 UU principles. You can use this list of single words to help you think of a symbol for each principle. Then, make a bead to represent that idea; the shape itself could be the symbol, or you could draw a symbol on it. Here are the words and symbols in Traditions With a Wink. Use your own creativity!
• Equality: a bead with an equal sign
• love: a heart bead
• growth: a flower
• search: a horizontal bead, or a bead with an arrow
• vote: a small square box bead (like a ballot box)
• peace: bead with a peace sign on it
• earth: an earth or blue and green colored bead
String your special beads on a cord, placing your favorite color pony bead between each “principle bead.” Tie the ends together. Practice saying the principle as you finger each bead in the circle of beads you have created.
Make a UU Principles Fortune Teller
