To be human at all, is to celebrate and commemorate, to laugh and weep, to worry and rejoice. When we do these things in thoughtful community they become full and sacred. This is because the holy itself is composed of the commonplace of each life.
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Let us come together: tall and short, old and young, rich and poor, men, women, children, all in between. It is not despite our differences, it is precisely because of our differences that, gathered in mutuality, we become a religious community.
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No life is all of one piece. Each of us carries a basket of bits: a tender moment here, a joyous memory there, a parcel of love, a parcel of grief. Together, we reflect and celebrate. We enjoy one another’s company, challenge and are challenged, comfort and are comforted. This is what it means to be a religious community.
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The human body is frail and our time on earth is brief. Yet our minds seek the stars of the heavens and assay their magnitude. Our hearts feel awe at the expanse of the sky and the bloom of life. We write into poetry the wonders of the world about us. All these things flavor the goodness by which we draw near to one another, share our thoughts, and show our love and appreciation.
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The waters of strife may roar, the mountains may tremble, and violence may stalk the land. Still, people of faith and goodwill find refuge in one another. Wintery silence may blanket the hills or warm breezes summon spring. But in all times a community of mutual seekers reflects and listens. Life’s most precious moments come when we look into one another’s eyes and realize that we are life itself. We are the cosmos itself in all its wonder and all its horror. Let us be humble. Let us be appreciative.
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Viewed by a lone traveler, the rising moon is a thing of beauty, noted and then forgotten. Admired by a pair of lovers, it imparts warmth and desire as a beacon of love. But considered by a gathering of the reverent, it tells about the mysteries of the universe, imparts awe, and nudges us toward the Divine. For we are social creatures, achieving in community a condition beyond our grasp as individuals.
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