Welcome to October! And welcome to all the many gifts of fall. It is so good to be on this journey together.    

Since Kristen’s message on Sunday, I keep thinking about blame, and how often I’ve tried to shift my own discomfort on to someone else, including those I love the most.  A lot of what she said reminded me of this video animating a talk Brené Brown gave on blame.

If you’re like me, this whole question around blame brings up a lot of really challenging feelings, and some big questions.  Because, while I don’t want to simply blame another person, I do believe we need to hold each other accountable for real wrongdoing.  And, I don’t think our good news that all of us are inherently worthy of love means that we should immediately or easily forgive every broken promise we come across.

Beyond blame or brushing aside, there is work for us to take up.  Work that helps us genuinely move through pain, and brokenness – to recovery and beginning again. 

This is what we’ll be exploring this Sunday in a service called “Over It,” as in, how do we get – or do we? ….get over pain and loss in relationships. 

We’ll consider where real healing and recovery come from after brokenness, loss, or pain, and the tools that help us move forward, and return to life in its fullness.  Especially as we near Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, we want to ask:  across all of our differences, what allows us to return to a deeper wholeness, and a more authentic unity?

I hope you’ll join us this Sunday as we continue to explore these questions, together. 

And, I hope you’ll stay (or return) for our 1:00 congregational meeting. 

We’ll be voting on moving forward with a capital campaign-  a topic that our religious ancestors would’ve imagined as directly related to the themes of Sinners and Saints…. The fact that we are democratically organized is an affirmation of humanity’s direct and equal access to Truth, and to the Good.  

Come continue the tradition – service at 8:30, 10, or 11:30 – and meeting at 1 pm.  See you then!

In partnership,
Rev. Gretchen 

PS Just one more chance to join a Focus Group! Tonight (Wednesday) at 6 pm.  In person – or! Join online by clicking this link and following the instructions. Hope to see you there.

PPS If you tried to join us online last Sunday – for the lack of sound!! We’ve been having some issues and are trying to get it back and running by next Sunday.  

Notes from Sinners & Saints: Week 2 – Blame Game 

 
Text / Readings 

 
Music

 
Practices 

  1. Lovingkindness Meditation. Here’s the lovingkindness meditation we offered in our third service.  If you’re looking for a meditative community of practice, join us on Monday nights.  
  2. Soul Collage. If you’re new to this practice, we’re offering a Soul Collage Workshop on October 12th – sign up here.  

 
Resources

  1. Foothills Covenant of Right Relations
  2. Brene Brown’s advice on Blame
  3. The 17th century families who practiced covenant (instead of blame)