January 25, 2023

Beloveds,

During last Sunday’s service I had a poem for which we didn’t have time, so I am sharing it here, as promised. Parallel to my sermon’s message that dark and light are both important parts of life, each holding gifts and opportunities for us, this poem speaks (to me, anyway) of the intermingled realities of relationship and loss, which together render us “empty and full at once”.

HOLES
by Lillian Morrison

Strangest of gaps
their goneness-
mother, father, loved friends

the black holes
of the astronomer
are not more mysterious

this kind of hole
will not be filled
with candle flames
or even a thousand thoughts

the hole is inside us
it brims over
is empty and full at once.

Yours in the dark and the light, in love and in loss,

Rev. Denise
RevDenise@gnuuc.org

January 18, 2023

“Love is the power that holds us together and is at the center of our shared values.”
–UUA, Proposed Revision of Article II

Hello, Friends,

Just a quick note today, with some recommended reading. 

If you joined us for worship the last Sunday in November, you may recall that we talked about the work being done to update the Bylaws of the Unitarian Universalist Association (of which we are a member congregation). Over the last few years, our association has been reviewing the section of the bylaws that includes the statement of our Principles, Purpose, and Sources, with an eye to recommending changes and updates. Last fall, we talked about some draft language for some changes. Now, the Article 2 Study Commission has released their final report, including proposed revisions to Article II, to the Board of the UUA. I encourage you to read this if you’re interested in understanding Unitarian Universalism as an evolving tradition: 

Report to the UUA Board of Trustees from the Article II Study Commission (PDF)

If you’re really, really interested, you can register to attend the UUA’s January Board meeting this Friday and Saturday as an observer. Note that registration is required and should be done before 9 am CT (meetings start at 10 am CT).

One of the things that many of us noticed and discussed back in November was the inclusion of “evolution” as one of our core UU values. Well, that word has been replaced; go see! Also, the graphic representation of love and our values has been redesigned–more color and flair. (Check page 20.) 

Yours in love and transformation,

Rev. Denise
RevDenise@gnuuc.org

“I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year.”

–Scrooge, A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens

Dear Ones,

I have been thinking that I should probably take the wreath off my front door now, well before Valentine’s Day is upon us…but although I enjoyed holiday time spent with family, I’m feeling a distinct shortage of community celebration and merriment this year. Perhaps you are, too. (Or maybe not. If your holiday season was full of festivity, I am very happy for you!)

If you need or would enjoy a party in this dark, blustery month of January–good news: the Trans Affirming Collective at First UU (on Woodmont Blvd) is hosting a karaoke party on Friday evening (1/13 from 6-10 pm), and they’ve invited us! I am planning to be there, and I hope some of you will, too. Our invitation describes this as “a free, all-ages sober evening of fun and community”, with snacks and soft drinks provided. I’m looking forward to seeing familiar faces (both old and newer) and having some fun. 

You can read more here. RSVP at that link or by emailing transaffirming@thefuun.org. 

Yours in the newness of 2023 and in finding the joy that will sustain us,

Rev. Denise
RevDenise@gnuuc.org

January 4, 2023

Beloveds,

Merry 11th Day of Christmas, and Happy New Year! 

I’m not quite ready, myself, to let go of the holiday season, but I’m also starting to look ahead: How will 2023 be different from the years before? What new adventures await? What can we be and do together this year? What seeds are quietly resting underground, waiting to germinate and perhaps flower? 

In the midst of the longing for new things, or the resolute determination to enact newness in our lives, we’re really just now settling into the winter season, which can seem like nothing more than a long wait for spring. But this season has its own beauty and its own work, as articulated years ago by Howard Thurman:

When the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,
when the shepherds are back with their flocks,
the work of Christmas begins:
to find the lost,
to heal the broken,
to feed the hungry,
to release the prisoner,
to rebuild the nations,
to bring peace among the people,
to make music in the heart.

In the last days of the winter holidays, as we settle into winter and the newness of 2023, I hope you will cultivate in your own heart the peace and the music that will sustain you and those around you in the work ahead of us.  

Yours in the work of the season and the possibilities of a new year,

Rev. Denise
RevDenise@gnuuc.org

Dec 28, 2022

“Nothing can be more useful … than a determination not to be hurried.”
–Henry David Thoreau 

Dear Ones,

Happy 4th Day of Christmas!

Even more than in a “normal” year (what is that anyway? I’m having trouble remembering…), I’m feeling a need to embrace the season of the winter holidays this year. 

Celebrating a single moment like a solstice, or a day like the appointed anniversary of a birth can be profound and glorious and uplifting, but it also oversimplifies the reality that our lives are complicated and rich with emotional states that don’t consistently align with planetary and celestial movements or with our desires, any more than our planet’s meteorological phenomenon align with our plans for celebration. 

It seems wise to me to stretch out important celebrations that call for joy and merriment–like having eight days of Hanukkah or seven days of Kwanzaa or twelve days of Christmas in the Western European tradition. (In case the marketers have confused you, the Twelve Days of Christmas start on Dec. 25 and run through Jan. 6, the feast of the Epiphany, when the kings/magi/wise guys found Jesus). Larger containers leave space for all sorts of things besides feeling deliriously happy or even moderately merry: reflection, grief, quiet contentment, disappointment, work (always in the background of any good celebration), rest, boredom, restlessness, excitement, and … oh, what else? 

What are you experiencing this week between Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve? Whatever it is, it is absolutely and most assuredly part of being human and, as such, welcome and worthy of notice and holding well–with gentleness, appreciation, and wonder. 

Yours in merrymaking and rest and all the feels,

Rev. Denise
RevDenise@gnuuc.org

P.S. If you haven’t yet seen this year’s Holiday Message from the UUA, featuring UUA President Rev. Dr. Susan Frederick-Gray, I recommend it!

“Make a vow when solstice comes, to find the light in everyone.”

–Mary Chapin Carpenter

Beloveds,

It is the winter solstice–Yule in the old, old (older than Christianity) calendars of European peoples–the shortest day/longest night of the year. This year, that long night coincides with the fourth night of Hanukkah, so there are lots of reasons to light candles! Here’s one of my favorite modern solstice songs: Mary Chapin Carpenter’s “The Longest Night of the Year”.  (Or try this just-Mary-Chapin-and-her-guitar version, from December 2020.)

I hope you have a chance to enjoy the sunlight today, and luxuriate in the long darkness that will follow. Maybe light a candle, but definitely notice the “light” and the “dark.” We need them both. 

Important Note: I hope to see you at our Christmas Eve service at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. As you may have heard, we have interesting weather heading our way, bringing very cold temperatures that will stick around for a few days. Please stay safe and warm, and plan to check our website (nashvilleuu.org) on Saturday after 10:30 a.m. to confirm whether the service will be (as we hope) a hybrid service (in the sanctuary and on Zoom) or on Zoom only. 

Our Christmas Eve service will start at 3:30, but we will be enjoying holiday music together starting around 3:10, so please arrive/log in early, if you can.

Yours in light and dark and winter storms,

Rev. Denise
RevDenise@gnuuc.org

“I will light candles…”
–Howard Thurman

Friends,

I woke up this morning needing to take a nap. I’ll bet you have days like this sometimes, too. I was overbusy yesterday, stayed busy until late in the evening, and didn’t sleep enough. It doesn’t help that today is a dark, drizzly day, so I’m lighting a candle to keep me company as I do a few things that must get done, and then …

I am going to take a nap. In the middle of the day.  

Because I’ll be busy again this evening, and I’ll be much more use to everyone else in my life rested than I would be if I pushed through a pile of tasks on caffeine.

Because I am fortunate enough in this season of my life to have significant control over how I spend my time.

Because “Rest is Resistance” to capitalism and white supremacy culture and other dehumanizing forces in our world. (Have you heard of Tricia Hersey’s Nap Ministry?  You’re welcome.)

I hope you are not overbusy this season, but if or, more realistically, when you are, maybe just stop for a bit and rest however and wherever you can. Even just a few moments of silence and stillness can shift your day and change the world. 

Yours in candlelight and napping (but not at the same time!),

Rev. Denise
RevDenise@gnuuc.org

P.S. I do hope you are planning to join us on Christmas Eve at 3:30 p.m. (in the sanctuary or on Zoom) for a celebration of light, with music and readings and candles for all!

“Ooooo, I wonder…”
MaMuse

Dear Ones,

This week is unseasonably warm, but dark, rainy, and, well, very Nashville-in-winter-y. I’m not quite feeling the up side of the winter holidays right this moment, but I am thinking about our Soul Matters monthly theme of Wonder. This is good weather for wondering–will we be able to see the full moon this evening? Will I be able to get my errand done before it starts raining again? Which jacket is just the right weight for this strange weather? 

Beyond my tiny, daily wonderings, this last month of the calendar year is a good season for wondering all sorts of things:

-I wonder if our Christmas Eve service will be as special this year as it was last year (when we were still brand new to being out in public during pandemic season). And I wonder if the traditional dinner to follow at a local restaurant will be as fun as I hear it has always been!

-I wonder how our nation will fare under the newly-elected Congress.

-I wonder what’s ahead for Greater Nashville UU: What will we learn together in the new year? What new projects will we start? Who will we serve? What adventures will we share? 

-I wonder how you are: How is it with your spirit? Your body? Your heart? I wonder if you know how honored I feel when you share your life, thoughts, feelings with me and how grateful I am that you share with and support each other. 

-I wonder what we, individually and collectively, most need and want in the coming months and how we can help each other to recognize, ask for, and experience what we yearn for and whatever we need most to thrive. 

As the duo MaMuse sings, “Ooooooo, I am filled with wonder!”  

If you are too, or if perhaps you’re looking for space to encounter or reflect on wonder in your own life, please see the announcements below and consider joining our affiliate minister Rev. Dr. Michelle Pederson in the new year for an adult religious education series exploring a variety of spiritual practices. 

Yours in the dark or the light, but always in wonder,

Rev. Denise

Rev. Denise Gyauch
RevDenise@gnuuc.org

“There must be always remaining in every life, 
some place for the singing of angels, 
some place for that which in itself 
is breathless and beautiful.”

–Howard Thurman

Beloveds–

We have officially entered the winter holiday season! That can mean so many different things and elicit so many different experiences, expressions, and emotions. Wherever and however you experience this season, I hope you will treat yourselves and those around you with compassion and gentleness as often as you can. It’s been an extraordinary past couple of years, and we’re all out of practice in many ways and not sure where we are right now. 

And yet, there can be luxury in the long darkness and sparks of joy and light in our celebrations. In this season, more perhaps than in others, it is good to be human together, and I want to make sure you know you are invited into the following opportunities to celebrate this holiday season with Greater Nashville UU or to reflect deeply on the collective community we are (always, but especially this year) envisioning with our Unitarian Universalist siblings far & wide: 

1. This Saturday, December 3, starting at 5:30 pm, we will “hang the greens” (i.e., decorate) at church, and share dinner and entertain each other–see details below.

2. Our Christmas Eve service will start at 3:30 pm (on December 24, of course). Watch for more details about the service and festivities following it. For now, if you have a song (or a voice to add to the choir) or a reading or another offering to share during the service–especially on the theme of Light–please be in touch with me. (You don’t have to volunteer to participate in the service; good ideas alone are welcome!) 

3. The UUA (Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, of which we are a member congregation) is in the process of rewriting its statement of purpose and guiding values, contained in Article II of the UUA Bylaws. The Article II Study Commission is inviting your reflection and feedback. You can read about the commission's work here and study the current draft here. A revised draft is in progress, and a feedback process will be available in December. I will do my best to keep you posted, and Nathanel R. is heading up an Article II Task Force to guide our local conversations. Please let me or Nathanael know if you have questions!

Yours in hope and light and dark, as well as general holiday merriment,

Rev. Denise

Rev. Denise Gyauch
RevDenise@gnuuc.org