First Parish Unitarian UniversalistDia De Los Muertos 2006
A service led by the Reverend Diane Teichert
First Parish Unitarian Universalist - Canton, MA
November 5, 2006
OPENING WORDS
Have you seen yet the early morning frost? Winter etches the edges of the fallen oak leaves with a fine lacey trim, a brief hint of the white blankets to come.
At this time of year, we notice passing of time, the passing of autumn. Autumn passes before our eyes as leaves falling from the trees.
We notice the passing of time, the passing of autumn, and the passing away of those we love.
Each day there is beauty to behold, around us, within us, and between us and those we love—this morning, let us notice, let us praise, let us rejoice in beauty, let us rejoice in love which never dies.
In a moment, the choir will sing of the ways that love never dies. While they are coming forward, please remain seated as you find #1001 in the songbook, so that you can join them in singing the refrain.
MEDIATION FOR DIA DE LOS MUERTOS
I invite you now into a time of meditation and prayer. Sit with your body relaxed, legs uncrossed, feet on the floor or a stool. Close your eyes if you wish and feel your breath, the breath of life, enter and then leave your body. Listen to your breath…
At this time of year, we are conscious of the passing of time, the passing of autumn. Last weekend we turned back the clocks and gained morning time. Autumn passes before our eyes as leaves falling from the trees.
We are conscious of the passing of time, the passing of autumn, and the passing away of those we love.
These days, the autumn air is hazy, mist hangs over the fields in the morning and shrouds the streetlights at night. Autumn's hazy air reminds us of the thin veil between life and death. How the presence of a deceased loved one can sometimes be felt in an empty room or in a song on the radio or in an encounter with someone who bears a strong resemblance. We feel a moment of joy. And then the presence fades.
In the passing of time and the passing of autumn, something in the air reminds us of the ultimate passing. How death can come momentarily without notice…or come ever so slowly over many months or even years. How it can come early in life or late in life… but of course, whenever it comes, whether early or late, it will be the end of our bodily life.
Thoughts of our own mortality and that of those we love flicker in and out of our consciousness. Loved ones now gone are missed.
Our sorrows and losses– past, current and future– resonate deeply within us.
And, so it is fitting to pause in this dying time of year to honor our ancestors, whose voices, as we sang earlier, are in the sounds of the fire and of the waters.
During the Offertory which will begin in a moment, let us dwell in shared silence together, to honor our ancestors, to remember the dead, to call upon our memories of loved ones—pets as well as people, family and friends, mentors, heroes and heroines. In remembering those who dwell with us no more in mortal form, let our memories call to mind with happiness those of their best qualities that live on in we who still love them.
And now, during this time of shared silent remembering, the offerings you bring to First Parish will be gratefully and graciously received. If this is your first visit with us, please consider yourself our guest and pass the offering box along the pew. We hope you will return again, and become one of us before long. After the offertory boxes have returned to the front table, there will be an opportunity to place a memento on the altar or light a candle in honor of a loved one.
HOMILY Star Death to Star Dust
Have you ever wondered why so many ancient people thought that Heaven was in the sky? And that that is where we go when we die? Why is Heaven in the heavens?
I hadn’t wondered about this, myself. At least not for a long, long time.
But, recently, at a retreat for UU ministers, I was asked to wonder why Heaven was in the sky. And now I know the answer. Or, I know the answer given by at least one person, the science writer (not to be confused with science fiction writer) Connie Barlow who, with her husband Michael Dowd, created and proselytize a creation myth based on scientific knowledge. They call it The Great Story and they call themselves “evolutionary evangelists.”
I thought it a good question to pose to you, too, on this Dia de los Muertos, when the spirits of those we love are said to return to earth. From Heaven, of course, where they will then return.
So, what is this answer to why Heaven is in the heavens?
She says it’s because it’s the one place the ancient people could look to and not see death. On earth, they had long observed, every living thing dies. Even their loved ones. But in the skies, nothing dies. Yes, they could see the array of heavenly bodies change over the seasons of the year. But, they saw no signs of death. Which made it the Good place, the place where we earthlings could go when we die, and live there forever. That’s why Heaven is in the sky.
But, as you may know, the ancients were wrong. Modern science has shown that our very existence is due to death in the heavens: the death of a supernova star, to be exact. All the complex atoms in your body and in everything around us, and in everything that came before us, all these complex atoms were at one time stardust streaming away from just such a dying star.
So, even in the heavens, there was, and continues to be, death. There had to be, for us to exist. In so many ways and on so many levels, it is so true: without death, there can be no life.
And so, on this Dia de los Muertos when we celebrate loved ones who are dead, we would be right to celebrate star death, too, for it gave us the very life that we live today.
From star death… to star dust.
From star dust… to life itself!