The Rev. Dr. Anita Farber-Robertson
First Parish UU Northborough, MA 01/03/16 1
Call to Worship
What a day is today!
Miracle of miracles.
We have gathered here, to be together.
From homes of peace and comfort
From homes of strife and struggle,
From homes where hearts are filled with joy and those where hearts
have known deep sorrow
From places of wonder and of weariness,
Of bubbling hope and anxious worry
We have come to be together,
To remember, to celebrate and to rejoice together.
Welcome to this day!
©Anita Farber-Robertson
Opening Hymn Allelu, Allelu
#367
Logan Jacob Jarmulowicz
Ceremony of Dedication
January 3, 2015
First Parish Unitarian Universalist
Northborough, MA
the Rev. Dr. Anita Farber-Robertson officiating
Opening Reading
by William B. Rice
Many of us, as parents, live with children from day to day. In a real
The Rev. Dr. Anita Farber-Robertson
First Parish UU Northborough, MA 01/03/16 2
sense this is an awesome fact. The clay of us is the clay of them, and the
spirit of us, the holy, the sound, becomes the spirit of them as they look
to us directly and subtly for shaping and guidance. The clay is all
shaped but the holy is still being born.
Our of our deep need for guidance and inspiration we pray for beauty
and tenderness, for strength and integrity, for courage to face life strong
and true, for joy to seize the delight of life and make it ever ring with
laughter in the memories which shape the future.
Congregational Commitment
We will care for this child, Logan, devoting ourselves to his nurture. We
will accept responsibility for providing an environment to promote in
him a sense of worth, respect for others, and the courage to question
even while we teach him the ideals toward which we strive. We bind
ourselves to the ongoing support of Jessica and Mike in their struggle to
do their very best. In so doing, we reaffirm the commitments we have
made to them and others at previous times of dedication, to the children
and families in our care.
Parental Commitment Jessica and Mike
We will nurture Logan in the support of this community. With you we
will promote in him a sense of worth, respect for others, and a cherishing
of his own uniqueness. We accept with gratitude the support of this
community and pledge to the church our ongoing participation and
commitment.
Godparents Commitment Shayna Garlisi and Patrick Belliveau
Shayna and Patrick, in the event that the parents of this child, Logan, are
prevented from discharging their responsibilities for his spiritual nurture,
will you, the wider family in which Jessica, Mike, and Logan are held,
endeavor, to the best of your ability, to instruct him by your teaching and
The Rev. Dr. Anita Farber-Robertson
First Parish UU Northborough, MA 01/03/16 3
example, in the way of reverence, service and love?
Response: We will
Extended Family Commitment
And you, the extended wider family in which Logan and his family are
held, in the event that the parents of this child, Logan, are prevented
from discharging their responsibilities for his spiritual nurture, will you,
with his godparents, endeavor, to the best of your ability, to instruct him
by your teaching and example, in the way of reverence, service and
love?
Response: We will
Alphabet Song Judy Bottomley
& Children
Introduction of Symbols
We use two ancient symbols in this dedication. We use water, the primal
source of life, a symbol of our bonding with all of creation, and of
participation in community which transcends time and place. We use a
flower, symbol of unfolding life. Each flower is beautiful, unique,
unfolding in its own way, as will Logan, surprising and delighting us.
Act of Dedication
Logan Jacob Jarmulowicz, with this water and this flower as visible
signs, I dedicate you into the love and care of God and this faith
community in the good hope that with the support and love of your
family, your godparents and this congregation you will grow to know the
fullness of life.
Affirming Logan’s Sister and Brother
The Rev. Dr. Anita Farber-Robertson
First Parish UU Northborough, MA 01/03/16 4
Juliette, you have become Logan’s big sister; he will look up to you and
learn from you. You will be his teacher and a person he wants to be like.
I give you this flower, Juliette, as a sign of the promise we make to be
here for you as you take on the role of big sister.
Robby, you have become Logan’s big brother; he will look up to you
and learn from you. You will be his teacher and a person he wants to be
like. I give you this flower, Robby, as a sign of the promise we make to
be here for you as you take on the role of big brother.
Walking Logan around the meeting house
Beautiful Boy
John Lennon, arr. by Justine Sullivan
Judy Bottomley
Jennifer Bottomley, Deborah Bottomley
and the choir
Unison Affirmation
For the gift of childhood, whose innocence and laughter keep the world
young, we lift up thankful hearts. May Logan, whom we have accepted
into our community of faith receive abundantly of the blessings of
health, love and wisdom, and render back richly into our common
heritage.
Remembering that those who come after us inherit their world from us,
we dedicate ourselves to our part in the building of a kinder, more just
and happier human order.
Anthem
You Raise Me Up choir
Brenan Graham/Rolf Lovland,
The Rev. Dr. Anita Farber-Robertson
First Parish UU Northborough, MA 01/03/16 5
arr. by Roger Emerson
Blessing
Logan, surrounded by those who love you and would share their wisdom
and comfort, may you be blessed with the capacity to receive. May you
grow and thrive. We wish you courage and good fortune, and the
opportunity to share what blessings come your way, with others. Amen.
Singing out the children
Joys and Sorrows
Meditation and Prayer
Offertory
Reading
There was a Child went Forth
There was a child went forth every day;
And the first object he look’d upon, that object he became;
And that object became part of him for the day, or a certain part of the
day, or for many years, or stretching cycles of years.
The early lilacs became part of this child,
And grass, and white and red morning-glories, and white and red clover,
and the song of the phoebe-bird,
…
And the noisy brood of the barn-yard, or by the mire of the pond-side,
And the fish suspending themselves so curiously below there—and the
beautiful curious liquid,
The Rev. Dr. Anita Farber-Robertson
First Parish UU Northborough, MA 01/03/16 6
And the water-plants with their graceful flat heads—all became part of
him.
The field-sprouts of Fourth-month and Fifth-month became part of him;
Winter-grain sprouts, and those of the light-yellow corn, and the esculent
roots of the garden,
And the apple-trees cover’d with blossoms, and the fruit afterward, and
wood-berries, and the commonest weeds by the road;
And the old drunkard staggering home…
And the school-mistress that pass’d on her way to the school,
And the friendly boys that pass’d—and the quarrelsome boys,
And the tidy and fresh-cheek’d girls—and the barefoot …boys and girls,
And all the changes of city and country, wherever he went.
His own parents,
He that had father’d him, and she that had conceiv’d him in her womb,
and birth’d him,
They gave this child more of themselves than that;
They gave him afterward every day—they became part of him.
…The family usages, the language, the company, the furniture—the
yearning and swelling heart,
Affection that will not be gainsay’d—the sense of what is real—the
thought if, after all, it should prove unreal,
The doubts of day-time and the doubts of night-time—the curious
The Rev. Dr. Anita Farber-Robertson
First Parish UU Northborough, MA 01/03/16 7
whether and how,
Whether that which appears so is so, or is it all flashes and specks?
Men and women crowding fast in the streets—…
The streets themselves, and the façades of houses, and goods in the
windows,…
The village on the highland, seen from afar at sunset—the river between,
Shadows, aureola and mist, the light falling on roofs and gables of white
or brown, three miles off,…
The strata of color’d clouds,…
The horizon’s edge, the flying sea-crow, the fragrance of salt marsh and
shore mud;
These became part of that child who went forth every day, and who now
goes, and will always go forth every day.
-Walt Whitman, (1891)
from the Leaves of
Grass, selected
Thought for Contemplation: “Love generously, praise loudly, live
fully.”
-Elias Porter
“Our Children, Our Present”
The Rev. Dr. Anita Farber-Robertson
First Parish in Northborough
Preached on the occasion of
the Dedication of Logan Jacob Jarmulowicz
January 3, 2016
The Rev. Dr. Anita Farber-Robertson
First Parish UU Northborough, MA 01/03/16 8
Reading: There was a child went forth every day, Walt Whitman
There was a child went forth every day;
And the first object he look’d upon, that object he became;
And that object became part of him for the day, or a certain part of
the day, or for many years, or stretching cycles of years.1
You know what that’s like. You, adults. Each one of us was once a
child. Each one of us has memories that have become a part of us.
Memories for good or ill. Memories of things that moved and shaped
us.
I have a memory of spending a summer up in a tree reading booksAnne of Green Gables in particular. I don’t know how true a memory it
is. After all, I lived in New York City, in Manhattan, where the only
trees were in the public parks, where I would not have been permitted to
climb. Could it have been a week of family camping, where I had been
allowed to separate for a while, climbing a tree and reading a book? I
don’t know. What I do know is that the memory of sitting in the crook
of a tree reading is a wonderful and powerful memory for me, capturing
the magic of books and the world that opened up to me through them,
and of the magic of trees, the wonder of a sanctuary in their judgementless embrace.
There was a child went forth every day;
And the first object he look’d upon, that object he became;
And that object became part of him for the day, or a certain part of
the day, or for many years, or stretching cycles of years.2
1
2
Walt Whitman, the Leaves of Grass
Walt Whitman, the Leaves of Grass
The Rev. Dr. Anita Farber-Robertson
First Parish UU Northborough, MA 01/03/16 9
You could have been that child.
I remember walking down to the corner store and on the way
stopping at the tailor’s. He had a stool on which a person would stand,
someone who wanted their dress or slacks hemmed, and he had a
machine, a little pumper which spewed out chalk. The customer would
walk in a circle on the stool and the tailor would press the pedal with his
foot, creating a circle of chalk all around the garment where the hem
should be. Not only was I fascinated with the whole operation, I was
aware of and grateful for the tailor’s kindness and patience, for not
shooing away a little girl standing in the door watching him work with
his mouth full of pins and his foot on the pedal.
And the school-mistress that pass’d on her way to the school,
And the friendly boys that pass’d—and the quarrelsome boys,
And the tidy and fresh-cheek’d girls—and the barefoot …boys and
girls,
And all the changes of city and country, wherever he went….
These became part of that child who went forth every day….3
I remember my mother going into the bakery with my sisters
and me. The bakeshop smelled so good, and behind the glass case
were cakes and pies and what seemed like hundreds of beautiful
fancy cookies. After my mother placed her order, the shop keeper
would reach into the display case of fancy cookies and hand one to
each of my sisters and one to me. It was a tension moment, in my
child heart. Would she do it this time? Would she give us cookies
this time? Would she remember? And always she did. While we
ate our cookies, the lady behind the counter would take my
mother’s selections, put them in a white cardboard box that she had
magically folded together before our eyes. Then she’d wrap it and
tie it with red and white string from a tall spool overhead. When
3
Ibid
The Rev. Dr. Anita Farber-Robertson
First Parish UU Northborough, MA 01/03/16 10
she was finished with this amazing feat of wonder and magic, and I
had finished my cookie, she would reach over the counter and hand
me the precious box. “Would you like to carry this for Mommy?”
she’d ask. And I, all solemn, important and proud would nod,
“yes,” take it carefully in my hands, and walk the two blocks home
as though I were carrying fragile jewels,
The doubts of day-time and the doubts of night-time—the
curious whether and how,…
Men and women crowding fast in the streets—…
The streets themselves, and the façades of houses, and goods
in the windows,…
These became part of that child who went forth every day…4
I remember my parents fighting, and I remember my parents’
affection toward one another. I remember them wanting to create good
times for us, and I remember them seeming to forget us altogether.
His own parents,
He that had father’d him, and she that had conceiv’d him in her
womb, and birth’d him,
They gave this child more of themselves than that;
They gave him afterward every day—they became part of him.
…The family usages, the language, the company, the furniture—
the yearning and swelling heart….
These became part of that child who went forth every day, and who
4
Ibid
The Rev. Dr. Anita Farber-Robertson
First Parish UU Northborough, MA 01/03/16 11
now goes, and will always go forth every day.5
We have often heard it said, and maybe even have said it ourselves,
that our children are our future. We should care about the children
because they are our future. We should attend to the children because
the children are our future. We want this church, this congregation to
include children because children are our future.
I think that is a mistake. It misunderstands children, and it
misunderstands why we need to pay attention to them. If you have spent
time with children, especially young children, and attended to them, you
would have noticed, children are not future oriented. They are grounded
in the present. The present tense is the language of children. We struggle
to teach them the future tense, to inculcate a capacity for planning, but it
is not the natural language of children. Children are not our future.
They are our present.
They stand there before us in all their messy glory, fully real, fully
human, fully present. They are short and there is stuff they don’t know,
but they are 100% people, with a full set of feelings, and how we know
them or don’t, happens in the present.
Maya Angelou observed that people will forget what you said,
people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you
made them feel.
And children are people, people who stand poised to have very
long memories, memories of how we made them feel, in the present,
right here, right now.
Logan is about to go forth every day, as are Juliette and Robby, as
are the many children who grace our community, some here for a short
visit with grandparents, some here Sunday after Sunday, observing and
5
Ibid
The Rev. Dr. Anita Farber-Robertson
First Parish UU Northborough, MA 01/03/16 12
absorbing all we say, all we do, and how, in the being together, we make
them feel.
Can we help these children feel wonder? Can we help them feel
awe? Can we help them feel important? Can we help them feel worthy?
Can we help them feel the arms of love around them, even when life is
difficult, and bad things happen? Can we help these children, the ones
who dwell within ourselves, and the ones who dwell among us, go forth
to engage the world, curious and wonder filled, for surely there is
enough wonder in this world, for everyone.
And isn’t that the perfect way to start the New Year? Curious,
sharing the wonder. May it be so. Amen.
Hymn #1053 How Could Anyone?
Closing Words
We receive fragments of holiness,
Glimpses of eternity, brief moments
Of insight. Let us gather them up for
The precious gifts that they are and,
Renewed by their grace, move boldly
Into the unknown
-Sarah Moores Campbell York
#710 Singing the Living Tradition
Benediction
Extinguishing the Chalice
Postlude