All Ye Beings of Stardust,

Amid so much that is off-kilter, the earth just keeps on spinning. We are tilted away from the sun now, and winter has come upon us, bringing with it festivals and celebrations. Yes, our celebrations are different for many of us this year, but massive change and difference is not a new December trend. From military victory by underdogs, to the longest night, to a royal caravan following a poor, refugee babe, the sacred stories tied to this time of year point to nothing less than transformation. And as the “Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming” reminds us, although these plentiful winter holidays may have some common themes and hopes, it does us no good to erase the truth and beauty of their diversity. 

Right now, many of us are finding more light and more joy and more celebration, and many of us are mourning deep, personal losses and the ongoing trauma of isolation. Most of us are doing both. One truth does not erode the other. Our ability to hold paradox and to know that spiritual wholeness is aided by the experiences of others is at the heart of our faith. The pluralism of Unitarian Universalism does not seek to settle for our lowest common denominator, but instead invites us to our highest common calling. Nowhere is this more true than in December. 
At home and in smaller groups, our First Unitarian family marks a great number of commemorations including Hanukkah, Advent, Kwanzaa, distinctly UU traditions, and many ways of marking change in the seasons and our lives. In our shared worship life, we have three major December holidays: Greater Good, Solstice, and Christmas. I’m writing now about the first of these: coming up this Sunday, December 13, is Greater Good.

Our Greater Good tradition here at church invites us to tap out of mindless consumerism that drains our energy and attention and tap into a deeper purpose. We’re asked to examine our holiday spending (gifts, food, decorations, etc.) and cut that in half. We invite you to take the other half that you would have spent and pool it together with the rest of us. For some, it’s hard to cut a single simple meal in half; for others, this has become the annual tradition that forms the bulk of their financial generosity for the year. I encourage you to be generous.  

Together, we are going to make some magic happen. No one donation, no matter how big, can change everything, but together we can play our part in the work of justice by resourcing community organizations to continue their powerful work in our wider community. Our youth have selected two great organizations: City Roots, which focuses on affordable housing, and the Mujeres Divinas project of the Worker Justice Center of NY, an organizing and advocacy collective for migrant women farmworkers. 

You can read more about these organizations here and the training skills and leadership development programs that will be funded by our Greater Good offering, split evenly between them. 

So is pooling together our money to make a real difference in the lives of others our highest common calling? Yes and no. That we can do powerful things together to help improve our little corner of the world is both true and important. There is an additional promise here, though: this spiritual practice of generosity also makes a real difference in our own lives. This is an invitation to reflect on our values and our power--how does the use of our money reflect the communities and world that we most want to see? Greater Good aims to change the way you live. To make our lives more simple and more free, not smaller. To find our deepest joy and meaning-making not in the arrival of an Amazon Prime order that you don’t remember placing but instead the savoring and saving of the world and life that is truly yours. Our highest common calling is nothing less than this.  

See you Sunday!

With love and in faith, 
Rev. Shari

P.S. Speaking of unexpected arrivals, you should receive a small gift bag by Sunday if you’re local. Packages will be mailed to those further away. Inside, you’ll find a few Greater Good cards, homemade cookies, a candle for joining in our evening Christmas Eve services, and a jingle bell for the family Christmas Eve service. Hang it in your home as a tiny reminder of dispelling fear with UU love, hope, and joy! If we missed you, let us know. Thank you to the 50+ volunteers and staff who made this possible!


P.P.S. If you plan to make a Greater Good donation as a gift to someone else, download the card here (or click on the photo & download) so that you can send digitally to your friends and family to let them know that a gift has been made in their honor. The gift bags have a few cards to mail, but if you need more, email us and we’ll mail you some more!
Upcoming holiday worship schedule at First Unitarian - all online!

  • Sunday, December 13: Greater Good Service at 10:00 AM
  • Saturday, December 19: Solstice Service at 7:00 PM
  • Sunday, December 20: Worship Service at 10:00 AM
  • Thursday, December 24: Christmas Eve services:
  • 4:30 PM (For families with young children)
  • 6:00 PM & 10:00 PM (Candlelight Rock with Orange Sky)
  • 7:00 PM & 9:00 PM (Traditional candlelight service)
  • Sunday, December 27 and beyond: Worship Service at 10:00 AM

Phone access: 646-876-9923, Meeting ID is 5852719070
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