We Remember Them

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Religious Education for children and youth happens during worship on Sundays. Children and youth arrive in the Sanctuary for the just a little bit and welcome in Sunday with a story and song. Then, they attend their own programs in the Education building. Learn more here!

If you don’t have a chalice, but want to light one, check out our Making a Chalice at Home page.

Both virtual and in person services are followed by coffee hour.

Sermon Audio

Sermon Text

​Cambia todo Cambia/Everything Changes
That which is superficial changes
Also that which is profound
the way of thinking changes
Everything in this world changes

The weather changes as the years go by
The shepherd changes his flock
and just as everything changes
the fact that I change it’s not in the least strange

The finest diamond changes its brightness
as it travels from hand to hand
the bird changes its nest
So does a lover change the way they feel

The traveler changes their path
even if it hurts them
and just as everything changes
the fact that I change it’s not in the least strange

Cambia todo cambia/Changes, everything changes

The sun changes its course
to give way to the night
The plant changes and gets dressed in green
during spring

The beast changes its fur
the hair of an old person changes
and just as everything changes
the fact that I change it’s not in the least strange

But my love doesn’t change
no matter how far away I find myself
neither the memory nor the pain
of my country and my people

What changed yesterday
will have to change tomorrow
Just as I change
in this foreign land

Cambia todo cambia/Changes, everything changes

But my love doesn’t change
no matter how far away I find myself
neither the memory nor the pain
of my country and my people

Cambia Todo Cambia

When we lose a loved one everything changes…even when we are prepared, even when we continue functioning and taking care of others…everything changes because we can no longer share the special moments, the ordinary moments made extraordinary because they are shared with a loved one…we miss them, we feel the void, we grieve. No matter what our cultural or religious background, grieving the loss of a loved one is something we humans have in common and what a blessing to be able to gather in community. Our church, our community, was created for times just like these. Being together to remember, to feel less alone, to celebrate the lives of those who loved us and to allow our hearts to expand with the memories that will live in us forever.

This morning we commemorate the Days of the Dead, All Souls/All Saints, and Samhain. It is believed to be a special time of the year when the veil separating us from our dearly departed is thinner enabling us to experience their loving presence through remembrance.

Who are you remembering today? How is your heart? If you have experienced a loss recently, we are glad you are here. You are not alone. For all who have experienced loss, no matter how long ago, we are glad you are with us. You are not alone. Death: It is said that the very word burns the lips; and yet in some cultures people dance with it, make fun of it, and swallow it whole in the shape of a sugar skull… Ritual helps to hold us together when we fall apart, when we feel that the grief is so deep that we can’t imagine a tomorrow or even the next breath… From the Byzantine chants of the Greek Orthodox Funeral Sacraments focusing of the Resurrection, to Buddhist rituals of Samsara, crossing over, practicing breathing into your own death, to the colorful celebration of the Days of the Dead in Mexico and other parts of Latin America, rituals are designed to open us up to another reality; Mourning Rituals in community motivate us to reflect not only on our relationship to the departed, but also place us at the crossroads where we contemplate our own mortality; Rituals are designed to make meaning of death, of loss, of the thief that steals from us the spark of life, the simple joys, the companion, our reference point to that which we know is true and solid and is part of us…

Today we pause to reflect on the fragility of life as reflected in the candlelight and the ephemeral nature of the paper flowers and banners adorning the altar. Rituals give us another chance to open up, to connect, and to share our sorrows with our community because we always carry our loved ones with us. But what do these rituals have to do with us? With Unitarian Universalism?

I have been building altars all my life and learned by watching my grandmother Rosario, a teacher who became a young widow raising four children, strengthened by her faith and devotion to Mother Mary. Today I remember her hands lighting candles and arranging fragrant flowers at the feet of Mary, I remember her quiet and sweet demeanor, now so present in my son, the clickety noise of her rosary, her lips whispering the hymn Oh Maria Madre Mia o Consuelo inmortal amparadnos y guiadnos a la patria celestial/Oh Mary my mother, immortal consolation, protect us and guide us towards our celestial homeland… Every year on All Souls Day this ritual would bring family and friends together, to remember, to light candles, to pray, to sing…

We build and rebuild our days, piece by piece, with the help of family and friends, music, animal companions, comfort food, gardening, journaling, praying, making art, spiritual practices that offer us a chance to transform, to heal and find meaning in serving others. These life giving rituals nourish and liberate our spirits as they connect us to our best selves and to each other. Community is born of life and death, as we celebrate the joys and mourn the losses together. 

The celebration of All Souls Day/the Days of the Dead/Samhain are about community. Unitarian Universalism is about community. This is what I have learned so far about being a Unitarian Universalist: We do not preach about individual salvation. We need one another to save this broken hurting world. We need one another to heal and find purpose and meaning in our days. We need the love and support of the community to grow and nourish our souls. We create rituals and ceremonies to affirm our interconnectedness. Our 
liberal religion offers us a community of faith that encourages liberation and transformation, both individual and shared. We
may not be seen as offering much in terms of comfort in the afterlife. But this we know: we have the opportunity to renew
and recreate life right here right now, we are called to honor our  loved ones by healing ourselves and our communities. Our children are watching. They are watching us in the act of offering each other comfort, of remembering our loved ones, of expanding our hearts to keep on loving even in the midst of heartache.

Dear Ones,
May we make meaning of death not by asking Why? Why me? But rather, How? How will we encourage our hearts to break open a thousand times again in in order to experience compassion and loving kindness? How will we return to life those parts of our soul that have been locked away with grief or anger? How will we answer when asked if we are willing and open to love and be loved beyond measure? How will we honor this one precious life we were given? Let us begin with Presente! Here I am! 

Presente! In the work of building the Beloved Community
Presente! In the everyday kindness and solidarity we express to  one another
Presente! In loving our imperfect selves beyond measure
Presente! Here in this moment, in this breath, among these good people
Let us now call out the names of our loved ones and answer
Presente! They are here, and we remember them!

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