September 2017 Worship Theme: Unlocked

Our worship theme this month was the brain child of Follen member Andrea Paquette, who is a member of the Worship and Music Action Team (WMAT). “Unlocked” can mean so mean things: freedom, liberty, a new beginning, an achievement reached, a new possibility uncovered. Locks are symbols of promises and commitments—and control and servitude. An open or broken lock can be a symbol of freedom and possibility—or the loss of something we thought we’d have forever. At Follen are bound to each other, compelled through our commitments to this community to treat each other with respect and love. And yet our religious community is free, a place where many theologies are welcome, a place whose doors are always open to new members. How can we help each other unlock our potential—and the potential of the Follen community?

The task of creating a society in which none are oppressed and all are liberated—unlocked!—is demanding and often discouraging work. The author and activist Alice Walker knows this work well: for 40 years she has been “standing on the frontlines of healing America’s own violent history.” She shares seven steps for how to remain a Love Activist without getting dragged down or burnt out:

1) Recommit Every Day

2) Protect What Matters Most

3) Embrace Your Joy

4) Stand for Truth

5) Be Courageous

6) Spread Forgiveness

7) Love the Earth

Alice Walker’s 7 steps are our spiritual exercise for the month. Read through the list and choose the one that calls to you the most. What do you need to liberate from within you in order to remain engaged in the wider work of liberation? Once you have your answer, take some time this month to enact that step.

See slightly longer descriptions of Alice Walker’s 7 steps.  

Thank you for unlocking your Sunday mornings and freeing your spirit to worship with us. It is always a joy to see your faces.

With love,

Rev. Claire