UUFSMA: “Waiting with Expectation and Hope”

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Online Service

“Waiting with Expectation and Hope”

Speaker: Reverend Tom Rosiello

Sunday, December 6, 2020

10:30 am

Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/414604040 

Password: 294513

By Joseph Plummer

UUF Secretary

The American theologian and writer Frederick Buechner offered this thought about Advent, the theme of this Sunday’s online UUFSMA service. “The extraordinary thing that is about to happen is matched only by the extraordinary moment just before it happens. Advent is the name of that moment.”

In the UUFSMA’s continuing, month-long celebration of the cultural and spiritual diversity of the Season of Light, the Reverend Tom Rosiello explores the Christian season of Advent, the four-week period leading up to Christmas. Like many of these holidays that illuminate the darkest days of the old year and the transit to the new year of longer, brighter days, Advent is a time for lighting candles and anticipating the warmth and brightness ahead of us.

Or, as Rev. Rosiello says, “Advent is a time of expectation that something wonderful is yet to come. It is a time of hope and becoming ready for that experience.” Advent is about waiting, he says, a practice that does not come easily to most people, especially children waiting to unwrap gifts under the Christmas tree. Nonetheless, the practice of slowing down to appreciate the time beforehand enables us to appreciate the event to come. Waiting is a spiritual practice that the French philosopher and mystic Simone Weil described in this way: “Waiting in expectation is the foundation of the spiritual life.”

In our service we will light an Advent wreath and, through words of reflection and beautiful music, explore the meaning we can draw from the celebration of Advent. Each Season of Light service focuses on a unique tradition radiating light as a metaphor to convey a beautiful message. Join us and invite others to participate in this rich opportunity to learn about and celebrate the many different traditions that brighten this season.

To participate in our online Sunday Service, visit the Fellowship’s website at www.uufsma.org and click on the Zoom Service button displayed on the home page. If requested, enter password: 294513. Sign-in between 10:15-10:25 am.

Through grants and awards, UUFSMA donates at least fifty percent of its budget to support nonprofit organizations that provide health, educational, and environmental services for underserved communities in the San Miguel region. Please support this work by clicking on the website home page Donate button. Now more than ever, your support is essential.

Due to the coronavirus, UUFSMA has suspended in-person Sunday services and other gatherings. A growing collection of previous online services can be found on the UUFSMA’s YouTube channel. Go to https://www.youtube.com/ and enter UUFSMA in the search box. The UU Fellowship welcomes people of all ages, races, religions, sexual orientation, and gender identity.