UUFSMA: “Finding the Blessing”

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Online Service

“Finding the Blessing”

Speaker: Tom Rosiello

Sunday, August 2, 2020
10:30 am

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

Password: 294513

By Joseph Plummer

UUF Secretary

Irish poet William Butler Yeats wrote that “the voyage of discovery lies not in seeking new vistas but in having new eyes.” In this Sunday’s online service, Rev. Tom Rosiello pulls on that thread of wisdom to remind us that these days may not be the time to venture to discover new vistas, yet this is a time to have new eyes. “Now is the time to see things differently and find in difficult times and personal struggles that blessings wait for us there,” he says.

Recalling the story from Genesis, chapter 32, of Jacob wrestling with an angel and other stories from his life and the lives of others he admires, Rev. Rosiello will guide his online audience on the journey of finding blessings in difficult times – even blessings big enough to fundamentally change us. He will share stories of struggles with the loss of loved ones, being gay, and facing serious illness, plus how people in those struggles found a profound blessing.

As sociologist Robert Lynd said, “I can hardly recognize a blessing in disguise except when it is bestowed upon someone else.” Rev. Rosiello will delve deeper into “disguised blessings” that on the surface do not appear to be blessings at all.

“We must talk about more than turning lemons into lemonade,” he says. “We can come to terms with things as they are. However, after a difficult time, we must find the blessing in the struggle before we can move on with our lives.”

As always, the UU service will be full of memorable music, hymns, gospel songs and even bell ringing. Organist Malcolm Halliday will perform on the impressive 81-stop Aeolian Skinner organ at the First Unitarian Church in Worcester MA.

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 fifty percent of all income it receives 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’s Donate button. Now more than ever, your support is essential.

Due to the arrival of the coronavirus in San Miguel de Allende, UUFSMA has indefinitely suspended in-person Sunday services and other gatherings. We advise members and friends to follow the advice of reputable public health authorities, such as the Centers for Disease Control, and to contact our Minister or Care Team for needed assistance. The UU Fellowship welcomes people of all ages, races, religions, sexual orientation, and gender identity.