Finding Our Center

It may seem predictable to start a new year with the theme of “Finding Our Center.” But I suppose a little predictability now and then can be comforting.

Finding our center is an important thing to focus on, too. A lot of things pull or push us off center. We often unconsciously center things which feel comfortable, even though our faith calls us to a more challenging way of being. Grounding ourselves in our deepest, life-affirming values is essential to our spiritual well-being.

Feeling centered is especially challenging when we’re anxious about something, whether we’re concerned for our own sense of safety and belonging, or fearful about the well-being of someone or something we care about. We’re wired to want those anxious feelings to go away. We often do things that have nothing to do with our deepest life-affirming values—our center—just to feel safe or in control.

So, it’s worth spending a month on finding our center, because it’s not such an easy question. We’re exploring both our personal center and our center as a spiritual community.

We began with a special ceremony inviting us to let go of whatever gets in the way of seeing ourselves through eyes of divine love. We continue this Sunday clarifying how our actions can be meaningfully connected to our center. And we’ll continue that conversation after the service with a shared meal together as we explore what covenantal promises will best reflect our collective values.

Also, remember this Sunday—right after the service—we’ll vote on whether to welcome Rev. Kristy Stuart as an additional Affiliated Community Minister!

On January 15, we’ll dig into how to remain centered in the midst of change, and January 22 will be a time to recognize how we need one another to find our center.

Worship on January 29 will be led by the participants of the Class Conscious course, as we consider how some of the things that center us might be very different, but equally meaningful.      

All of this coincides with our celebration of Chalica, which is a way we reconnect with our center as Unitarian Universalists. That center may not be the safe, easy answer we’d prefer it to be. More importantly, though, we are part of a faith tradition that encourages us to re-center ourselves when we discover that something doesn’t align with our vision of who we most want to be in the world.

I hope that you’ll embrace this theme and find it deeply meaningful as we begin a new calendar year together!