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First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church
Order of Worship
November 8, 2026
Centering Thought
“About seventy thousand years ago, Homo sapiens began displaying an unprecedented capacity to cooperate with one another…(because) evolutionary changes in brain structure and linguistic abilities apparently gave Sapiens the aptitude to tell and believe fictional stories and be deeply moved by them…
In order to cooperate, Sapiens no longer had to know each other personally; they just had to know the same story. And the same story can be familiar to billions of people.”
– Yuval Noah Harari, Nexus
Ingathering Chimes
Welcome & Announcements: Deirdre Heck, Welcoming Congregation Committee
Prelude: Aria from Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 – Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Chalice Lighting: Colleen Leary
Call to Worship: “Blessing the Story” by Jan Richardson, How the Stars Get in Your Bones: A Book of Blessings
– Rev. Ellen Rowse Spero
Hymn #298 in Singing the Living Tradition: “Wake, Now, My Senses” (vv. 1, 3, 5)
For All Ages: Lifespan Faith Formation RECouncil
Song: Please join in singing “This Little Light of Mine” as members of our
Lifespan Faith Formation program leave for their activities:
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine (x3)
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
First Parish Covenant: Led by Diana Keohane
We, the members of First Parish of Chelmsford, covenant together
to sustain and strengthen our beloved community by:
Honoring and celebrating the Spirit of Life
Nurturing all souls in our search for truth and the sacred
Caring and being present to one another in our joys and sorrows
Bearing witness through service to justice and peace
And being good stewards of our congregation, our heritage, our Unitarian Universalist principles, and our Earth.
Offertory: God Bless the Child by Billy Holiday and Arthor Herzog
Ancient Reading: Excerpt from “Unfold Your Own Myth” – Rumi (trans. Coleman Barks, The Essential Rumi)
Modern Reading: Bishop Mariann Budde, Excerpt from the Ware Lecture delivered June 2026 to the Unitarian Universalist General Assembly
Readers: Ami Hughes and Deirdre Heck
Anthem: “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall,” w/m by Bob Dylan – Brian Judd and Frances Killam
Soul Matters Reflection on Healing: “The Story Can Begin Again” – Rev. Ellen Rowse Spero
Hymn #168 in Singing the Living Tradition: “One More Step”
Joys and Sorrows
A Time for Meditation and Prayer
Congregational Response: “Spirit of Life” w/m by Carolyn McDade
Spirit of Life, come unto me
Sing in my heart all the stirrings of compassion
Blow in the wind, rise in the sea
Move in the hand, giving life the shape of justice.
Roots hold me close, wings set me free
Spirit of Life, come to me, come to me.
Benediction & Extinguishing the Chalice: “Ours is a Story of Faith” from Evening Tide: Meditations by Elizabeth Tarbox
Postlude: Improvisation on “Autumn Leaves” – Joseph Kosma (1905–1969)
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Many Thanks to this Sunday’s Volunteers:
Greeter: Rose Lerer
Building Usher: Josh Spero
Sanctuary Ushers: John Fisher & Dave Kaffine
Worship Tech: Diana Keohane
Online Chat Host: Joan Coyne
Flowers: The Flower Fairy
Social Hour: Nancy Kaelin & Eliot Mayer