Each week my intention is to bring you an update on something that is of interest to many of you. This week I am excited to let you know that we have done an upgrade in the men’s restroom. It has a few more finishing touches needed and it will be complete.

This week the women’s restroom will begin its makeover. Pictures will follow as they become available.

We are blessed to have the generosity of the community to support us through these challenging times when we are unable to meet in person. We continue to count on you and have no doubt you will see us through.

One last note before moving into the highlights from Sunday’s service. In a recent letter from the Board of Trustees there was mention of a possible soft opening in January. With the rise of COVID cases in Maine, that will not be happening. We are monitoring the situation and now with a vaccine on the way we will put out another communication in mid-January with our latest thinking as we see what is happening. Please stay safe, wear masks and don’t gather in groups… help is on the way and hopefully we can gather together once again in 2021.

As we continue through the Sundays of Advent, I am offering a different series of talks. I am focusing on an inner journey that is totally aligned with Advent and using different translations of the Lord’s Prayer as the theme.

This Sunday the translation comes from Neil Douglas-Klotz book, Prayers of the Cosmos: Meditation on the Aramaic Words of Jesus.

Here is the translation:

O Birther! Father – Mother of the Cosmos
Focus your light within us – make it useful.
Create your reign of unity now –
through our fiery hearts and willing hands
Help us love beyond our ideals
and sprout acts of compassion for all creatures.
Animate the earth within us: we then
feel the Wisdom underneath supporting all.
Untangle the knots within
so that we can mend our hearts’ simple ties to each other.
Don’t let surface things delude us,
But free us from what holds us back from our true purpose.
Out of you, the astonishing fire,
Returning light and sound to the cosmos.
Amen.

In the message, I break down the prayer into three sections, each one having profound meaning for us personally. The first section focuses on our inner light and letting that light shine bright. The second section focuses on our passion, commitment, and work in the world. The third section is on forgiveness, release of resentment, hurt and anger.

I share with you a Buddhist forgiveness prayer that you can use to release resentment, hurt, and anger:

If I have harmed any one in any way,
either knowingly or unknowingly
through my own confusions,
I ask their forgiveness.

If anyone has harmed me in any way,
either knowingly or unknowingly
through their own confusions,
I forgive them.

And if there is a situation
I am not yet ready to forgive,
I forgive myself for that.
For all the ways that I harm myself,
negate, doubt, belittle myself,
judge or be unkind to myself,
through my own confusions,
I forgive myself.

As always, if you missed the service on Sunday or want to review again you can watch it above.

Take precious care of yourself this week. Next Sunday will be the continuation of the translations with the most familiar to us… The Lord’s Prayer.

You are a blessing in my life,
Rev. Patricia Bessey

P.S. On December 21 you can see a spectacularly rare “Christmas Star.” Jupiter and Saturn will come so close to each other they almost appear to collide to become one super-bright point of light. This is the first time this has happened since the Middle Ages. Don’t miss it!