UUFSMA: “Something Like a Star”

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Online Service

“Something Like a Star”

Speaker: Reverend Tom Rosiello

Sunday, January 3, 2021

10:30 am

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

Password: 294513

By Joseph Plummer

UUF Secretary

This Sunday the UU Fellowship of San Miguel de Allende will conclude its six-week series of online services devoted to “The Season of Light” with a celebration of the Epiphany. Known as “Three Kings Day” in Mexico, the Epiphany celebrates the arrival of the Magi to present gifts to Jesus, the Newborn King of St. Matthew’s testament.

In that story, the travelers from the East follow a star in the heavens guiding them to a stable in Bethlehem where they find the Christ Child. Like these ancient wise men, travelers throughout history, particularly sailors far from land, used stars in the night sky to find their way.

Drawing upon this account from antiquity, UUFSMA Minister Rev. Tom Rosiello brings the story into our current era, where travelers rely upon GPS systems to guide us. For the journey of one’s entire life, he says, we need something other than clear skies and cellphones. For this, he turns to Pulitzer Prize-winning Poet Robert Frost, who instructs us in metaphor to “choose something like a star to stay our minds and be staid.”  What is the star you have chosen?

Reverend Rosiello asks if it “shines brightly in your life or do clouds block its light?”  Musicians Malcolm Halliday will perform on pipe organs of San Miguel and Paula Peace will play seasonal music on the piano.

A graduate of Harvard Divinity School, Rev. Tom Rosiello is an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister. He retired as minister of the First Parish of Stow and Acton in Massachusetts in 2017.  He became Minister of UUFSMA two years ago after many years as a guest preacher. His UU leadership positions include President of a District Minister’s Association and board member of the Unitarian Universalist Urban Ministry, the oldest social service agency in the United States.  He also taught at Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts, and, helping to train future UU ministers, served as field education supervisor for Harvard Divinity Schools.  Prior to entering the ministry, Rev. Rosiello was a trial lawyer for nearly 20 years, eight years of which he served as an Assistant District Attorney in Massachusetts.

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 from anywhere Sunday mornings between 10:15-10:25 am CST.

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.