In UU worship services and religious exploration (RE) classes, we light a chalice, and that’s often accompanied by a responsive reading
“We light this chalice to remind ourselves to treat all people kindly because they are our siblings in spirit; To take good care of the earth because it is our home; And to try to live lives filled with justice and love because that is how we will become the best people we can be.”
Let’s learn some more now about what a chalice is and how to bring the object and practice of chalice lighting into our lives and homes.
History of the Chalice
A flame within a chalice (a cup with a stem and foot) is a primary symbol of the Unitarian Universalist faith tradition. Many of our congregations kindle a flaming chalice in gatherings and worships and feature the chalice symbol prominently. Hans Deutsch, an Austrian artist, first brought together the chalice and the flame as a Unitarian symbol during his work with the Unitarian Service Committee during World War II. To Deutsch, the image had connotations of sacrifice and love. Unitarian Universalists today have many different interpretations of the flaming chalice, including the light of reason, the warmth of community, and the flame of hope. It also is a symbol of our living tradition, changing and growing just as we are changing and growing. What might the Flaming Chalice represent to you?
The Value of a Chalice at Home
Some religions use objects, and many use symbols, to act as a metaphor for their values, faith, and beliefs. Symbols are reminders of our collective identity and history and can serve as a more personal object as well. The flaming chalice is one of our Unitarian Universalist symbolic objects. Can you think of any others? Having a chalice in your home might offer a chance to recall and reflect on your Unitarian Universalist faith. The chalice symbol is an artifact of our faith, an image that helps us to recall the UU tradition we practice together at church. Does having a chalice at home offer an invitation to create more Unitarian Universalist practices and traditions at home – with your family or by yourself?
Making a Found Object Chalice at Home
Making a chalice out of every day objects is quite simple and fun! This week, I invite you to gather yourself, with a friend, a sibling, a kid. Give yourself twenty to thirty minutes for this activity. Take a couple of minutes at the beginning of this activity to just imagine things around your house. See what objects pop into mind that might resemble a flame, a cup, a foot, and a chalice. Start walking around your house, like a scavenger hunt. You can collect a lot of things, even if you don’t end up using them all. Look for things that can serve as the flame, and other objects that can serve as the chalice. Flame objects can be things like an LED candle, a beeswax candle, a votive tea light, a flashlight, a headlamp, some red and orange tissue paper, or construction paper cut out like a flame. Get creative! Next, start looking for chalices. Now, a chalice can be one piece, that has a cup to hold the flame and a stem beneath it. Or, it can be two objects-a cups placed atop a stem. At my house, I was able to find many objects to combine into a chalice, but only a couple that were chalices themselves. The kitchen is a great place to start-bowls, cups, teacups, saucers. Also, don’t forget to check outside or in your pile of art supplies-you may find some hidden chalices out there, too!
At Home Chalice Challenge
Our East Shore UU kids invite you to join in an at home Chalice Challenge. See how creative you can be with a bowl, a base, and a flame!
Send Photos of Your Found-Object and Lego Chalices!
Making a chalice out of everyday objects is quite simple and fun! This week, I invite you to gather yourself, with a friend, a sibling, a kid. Give yourself twenty to thirty minutes for this activity. Take a couple of minutes at the beginning of this activity to just imagine things around your house. See what objects pop into mind that might resemble a flame, a cup, a foot, and a chalice. Start walking around your house, like a scavenger hunt. You can collect a lot of things, even if you don’t end up using them all.
Look for things that can serve as the flame, and other objects that can serve as the chalice. Flame objects can be things like an LED candle, a beeswax candle, a votive tea light, a flashlight, a headlamp, some red and orange tissue paper, or construction paper cut out like a flame. Get creative! Next, start looking for chalices. Now, a chalice can be one piece, that has a cup to hold the flame and a stem beneath it. Or, it can be two objects-a cups placed atop a stem. At my house, I was able to find many objects to combine into a chalice, but only a couple that were chalices themselves. The kitchen is a great place to start-bowls, cups, teacups, saucers. Also, don’t forget to check outside or in your pile of art supplies-you may find some hidden chalices out there, too!
How BIG can you make your chalice? How little of chalice can you make? What about colorful. Or, what about just one color? Can you make a chalice that lights up on it’s own? What about one that plays a song, or dances? What about a chalice made from soil, or water, or Legos?
Send in a picture of your chalice and tell me why it is important to you and what you learned by making it. You’ll receive a copy of the book “A Cup of Light” by Pamela Baxter, all about the flaming chalice! We’ll also have a copy at the church to learn more about this time-honored tradition of our faith.
Where do you put your Flaming Chalice?
Chalices are often placed on an altar among other important memorabilia and artifacts. In our Sanctuary, there’s a very large chalice. In our classrooms, we always have a chalice at the center of the room for story time or check in.
By Amanda Uluhan