Opening WordsChristmas Childrenby Edward Frost I suspect that the Christmas Spirit is Memory–Personal, yet universal,Shared collections of shards of other daysPieced together in this season by common consent,making the otherwise commercial venture religious,Communal,making it Holy as,by Memory we are re-created,Born again.So the bittersweet of this time,Since Memory and that recalled are, at best,Mixed blessings.I sit before our Christmas treeWith years of former…

Second reading:  “O Simplicitas” by Madeleine L’Engle; hymn — “What Child Is This” An angel came to meAnd I was unpreparedTo be what God was using.Mother was I to be.A moment I despaired,Thought briefly of refusing.The angel knew I heard.According to God’s WordI bowed to this strange choosing. A palace should have beenThe birthplace of a king(I had no way of knowing).We…

It seemed appropriate to use our favorite UU folksinger, Pete Seeger’s adaptation of Ecclesiastes in his song, ‘Turn, Turn, Turn.’: I always read from Ecclesiastes when I lead memorial services, and always point out something not usually addressed. But this passage ends with a question: ‘What gain has the worker from his or her toil?’ What is not usually included in funerals…

A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse. “But why,” they asked, as they moved off. “Because”, he said, “I can’t stand chess-nuts boasting in an open foyer.” Two young boys were walking home…

A mother tells a story of Xmas stress. Preparing for a large Christmas Eve family gathering, she had been giving orders like a drill sergeant: ‘pick up your things! Don’t get your clothes dirty! Put away those toys.’ Her four year old daughter had been underfoot, so she sent her to the next room to play with the Nativity set. As she…