with Rev. Clay Nelson

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Clay Nelson © 28 November 2021

We are hearing a lot about freedom these days. Brian Tamaki holding “freedom” rallies in the Domain, violating his bail conditions in the name of personal freedom. Protestors marching down Queen Street in Auckland and gathering on the steps around Parliament in Wellington, angry about lockdowns and vaccine mandates. Farmers clogging motorways from Auckland to Dunedin with their tractors “howling” their objections to the government’s electric vehicle rebate policy. And that is just in New Zealand. Major protests throughout Europe against the reintroduction of restrictions in response to another wave of Covid. Even in the “Land of the free,” Trump encouraged insurrection against Congress in the name of “freedom.” Then there is the debate over whether people have the freedom to spread misinformation about Covid and vaccines on social media.

with Rev. Clay Nelson

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Clay Nelson © 21 November 2021

As your minister one of the riskier things I do is to offer choosing a sermon title to bid on at the Service Auction. Perhaps one of the more challenging ones I have been given was concocted by Paul Henriques. He wants me to muse on “Unitarian Universalism and Philanthropy: Past, Present and Future.” I confess I would never have come up with this topic on my own. Even if it had crossed my mind I would have quickly discovered very little has been written about it, and what has been written is in scholarly articles I am unable to access without enrolling in an academic institution. So thanks Paul for a mission impossible.

with Rev. Clay Nelson

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Clay Nelson © 14 November 2021

After some of my recent musings confronting the disintegration of social cohesion due to Delta and how little COP26 in Glasgow will achieve in reducing greenhouse gases, you might think I’m channelling Henny Penny AKA Chicken Little. You remember the story. After an acorn falls on her head, she panics, running around the barnyard yelling, “The sky is falling! The sky is falling.” Of course, Henny is mistaken, much to the amusement of the other farm animals as they point out the sky is fine.

In my defence, I can’t be a Unitarian Universalist and channel Henny Penny.

with Rev. Clay Nelson

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Clay Nelson © 31 October 2021

When I read the Centre for Informed Futures’ summary of Social Cohesion in a post-covid world I wondered how they could get it so wrong. It did not describe the Aotearoa New Zealand I was experiencing. Then I noticed the date of publication. A lot has happened in the 17 months since its publication. Remembering back, its description of the high level of social cohesion was accurate. The team of five million seemed to be a fair description. Our Prime Minister was trusted. When her 1.00pm briefings were aired on Facebook the country had her back against the few trolls who dared to malign Auntie Jacinda. The comments were a flurry of hearts, smiley faces and thumbs up. Her party was elected in numbers not seen since MMP was introduced. The vast majority followed the rules and we were well on our way to eliminating Covid from the community.

– social divisions on issues like the vaccine and te reo…

with Derek Handley

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Derek Handley © 24th October 2021.

No text this week.

Meditation / Conversation starter:

When division confronts us and we are ready to quickly judge or react:-

• How can each of us serve to unite rather than divide,
• in our conversations,
• in our deeds,
• in our acts,
• and in our thoughts?

Links

First Reading from “The Importance Of Living” by Lin YuTang

Chalice Lighting is from “Chalice Lighting for Challenging Times” By Lisa Doege

and from “Chalice Lighting” By Oberlin UU Fellowship, OH, USA

Second Reading:- “Uriel” by Ralph Waldo Emerson – 1803-1882

Third Reading features wise words from Marcus Aurelius, Heraclitus

Closing words include:- “As We Go Forward” By Cheryl Block

with John DiLeo

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John DiLeo © 17th October 2021.

Well, it finally happened. On the 17^th of August, New Zealand joined the rest of the world in dealing with an outbreak of the Delta COVID variant in the community. Our government’s “short, sharp” response announced that afternoon turned out not to be all that short…and, recently, has lost a great deal of its sharpness, as well.

with David Hines,

Sally Mabelle, Nina Khouri.

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David Hines © 10th October 2021.

Intro

When I agreed to preach at this service a couple of weeks ago, I had to pick a topic off the cuff, so I said I’d talk about how we can help people who are especially hard hit by the lockdown. In our Prime Minister’s words “Be kind”.

But eight days ago that story was overtaken by Brian Tamaki running his protest against the lockdown ….

So I’ve changed the topic a little: Be kind, most of the time.