“Why The Caged Bird Sings”© Mattatuck Unitarian Universalist Society, Woodbury, CT The Rev. Jeanne Lloyd, Settled Minister February 1, 2015 “I know why the caged bird sings, ah me, when his wing is bruised and his bosom sore, when he beats his bars and would be free. It is not a carol of joy or glee. But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core. But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings – I know why the caged bird sings. ~ Paul Laurence Dunbar SOUNDING THE GONG WELCOME Welcome to Mattatuck Unitarian Universalist Society. We are grateful for your presence here this morning. I am the Rev. Jeanne Lloyd, settled minister of this congregation. If you are new to MUUS, we invite you to tell us who you are after the service, during announcements. If you have children with you today, they are invited to stay in the service or leave when our children leave for religious education. The principles by which we try to live our lives are seen on the wall. Fundamentally, we strive to be a people of reason, faith and acceptance; love, respect and compassion, not only for one another but for people we do not yet know. No matter who you are, no matter whom you love, we welcome you here, we welcome you into this place made more sacred by your presence in this, our religious home. CHALICE LIGHTING (The flaming chalice is the symbol of our free faith) CENTERING WORDS Maya Angelo “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” *HYMN SLT #347 “Gather the Spirit” COVENANT (adopted 1997) Love is the spirit of this society. ©2015. All notes, research, sermons and other products are the sole intellectual property of Rev. Lloyd, unless otherwise noted as the intellectual property of another. Sermons may be copied for individual use, only. If quoted, appropriate attribution to Rev. Lloyd is expected.
“Why The Caged Bird Sings” Rev. Jeanne Lloyd, 2-­‐1-­‐15 Page 2 of 12 Dwelling together in peace, Seeking truth, helping one another, Serving human needs, Honoring the earth and all that is. This is our covenant. Farewell to DRE, Denise Pedane Though we may not often think about it, we know that “the life of our religious community is fluid, ever changing with new lives, new visions, new possibilities and new ministries.” (Kayle Rice) Many years ago Denise Pedane came to Mattatuck in hopes of finding a religious community for her family. Here, she found a spiritual home, stepped into volunteer positions, and later felt drawn to step into the professional role of Director of Religious Education. Today, we honor Denise for all the ways she has touched the life of this congregation over the past 7 years. As she steps out of her role as our Director of Religious Education, we want to thank her for the many gifts she shared with us, including her wisdom, her patience, and her kindness. She has taught us to listen and learn from others, and to be sensitive to the needs of those in our midst. Denise and her family are not going anywhere. Her membership in our community will continue, and though this new phase of her relationship with MUUS will be different from her role as our Director of Religious Education, we are grateful for her continued presence, and her family’s. Denise, we are grateful for your ministry as our Religious Education. For your time, and energy, for your wisdom and kindness. Will the congregation join me in saying “thank you”? Thank you, Denise! Before our children leave us for classes, let us sing together the song Peace Salaam Shalom . . . SONG (seated) ) “Peace Salaam Shalom” Peace Salaam Shalom, Peace Salaam Shalom, Peace Salaam Shalom, Peace Salaam Shalom CHILDREN’S BLESSING & PARTING “Go with our love.” ©2015. All notes, research, sermons and other products are the sole intellectual property of Rev. Lloyd, unless otherwise noted as the intellectual property of another. Sermons may be copied for individual use, only. If quoted, appropriate attribution to Rev. Lloyd is expected.
“Why The Caged Bird Sings” Rev. Jeanne Lloyd, 2-­‐1-­‐15 Page 3 of 12 HONORING OUR JOYS AND SORROWS Each Sunday we take time with one another to share our personal joys, sorrows, and challenges. There are many ways to honor our joys and sorrows. Sometimes we share words, sometimes we share silence. We do this in the sanctuary, the safe container, of a covenantal community. In a moment, I will invite you to acknowledge a joy or sorrow that you are feeling right now. As you center yourself on what is in your heart, you may come forward to light a candle . . . or . . . remain seated, lighting a candle in your heart or mind, for someone or something resonating deeply for you in this moment. [RING SINGING BOWL] And, now, relax your body, bring your mind and your heart into this space of community, faith, reason and love. Take these moments to center yourself . . . breathe deeply. PAUSE PAUSE PAUSE “If you wish, you may now come forward to light a candle.” PRAYER AND MEDITATION In words Pastoral Concerns I share with you these words from Wayne Arnason: Prayer for MLK Sunday1 I invite you now into a quiet time, a time for spoken and silent prayer, meditation, or contemplations, as is your practice. These words by Wayne Arnason . . . Spirit of Life, we have come into each other's presence this day seeking a part of ourselves, knowing that we do not live alone, and knowing we cannot live fully if we are for ourselves alone . . . We gather with full knowledge of our shortcomings. Our lives set before us many tasks and often we are not equal to them. We fall short of our own expectations. We find we do not know enough, we are not always patient, we fall into anger, we cannot find the strength, we lack the vision, we wait in vain for wisdom. It is painful to acknowledge our shortcomings. 1
http://www.uua.org/worship/words/meditations/19564.shtml 1/17/15 ©2015. All notes, research, sermons and other products are the sole intellectual property of Rev. Lloyd, unless otherwise noted as the intellectual property of another. Sermons may be copied for individual use, only. If quoted, appropriate attribution to Rev. Lloyd is expected.
“Why The Caged Bird Sings” Rev. Jeanne Lloyd, 2-­‐1-­‐15 Page 4 of 12 Yet we are here, Spirit of Life, we are here-­‐not always perfect, not always wise, not always just, but wonderfully and mysteriously human and alive. We dedicate this time together to renewing our hope. May the stories we share give us courage. May the songs we sing give us hope. May the words we speak give us wisdom. And most of all, may the touch of hands, the sight of faces, the sound of voices lifted in song and affirmation restore in us faith, [faith] that this world may be made whole, [and] its people one. We pause in silence, honoring these hopes and aspirations. Amen. In silence In song: Spirit of Life #123 “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.” SERMON “Why The Caged Bird Sings” Rev. Lloyd Dr. Maya Angelou, born Marguerite Annie Johnson2, was a friend, a colleague, a compatriot, of The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. She was born on April 4, 1928. He was born on January 15, 1929. He died at age 39. She at 86. Though she lived twice as long 2
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/24569/Maya-­‐Angelou January 17, 2015 ©2015. All notes, research, sermons and other products are the sole intellectual property of Rev. Lloyd, unless otherwise noted as the intellectual property of another. Sermons may be copied for individual use, only. If quoted, appropriate attribution to Rev. Lloyd is expected.
“Why The Caged Bird Sings” Rev. Jeanne Lloyd, 2-­‐1-­‐15 Page 5 of 12 as he did, they shared many things in common. One, in particular. He died on her 40th birthday, April 4, 1968. She had joined “King in the 60’s to work as the Northern Coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Before his death, in March of 1968, King asked her to travel the country to raise money to send civil rights supporters to Washington, DC. She promised King she would go, after her birthday on April 4. His assassination on that day left her devastated . . . She didn’t speak or leave her apartment in New York City for two weeks. She said, “I was absent from myself.” Shortly after that, she began work on what would become the critically acclaimed [book] “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.”3 She said, later, “That book saved my life. While I was writing it, I thought about Dr. Martin Luther King’s ability to forgive and I began to forgive others and myself.” Of King’s life, Angelou describes his legacy as the power to give the world hope. “Hope that we will come through this.”4 One of the things that Angelou says is that “ignorance [is] inherited . . . [that] sometimes it’s just in the air . . . [She says,] We have to work hard to scrape it off.”5 (emphasis added) Today I want to elaborate on that thought . . . to suggest that if ignorance is inherited, if our identities are shaped by our family relations and culture (as they surely are), then our personal and cultural identities can also be shaped by the experiences of those who came before us. And, those experiences, those stories passed down from one generation to another, those life and death survival mechanisms we learn in childhood, and perhaps even before, often lead us to react to certain situations without thought. They can lead us to viscerally and emotionally pre-­‐judge and size–up a situation along pre-­‐formed notions of right and wrong, long before we have inconvenient truths that would otherwise suggest alternative ways to react. It is so much easier to act without thinking. In thinking specifically about racial identity, the stories Maya Angelou offers us in her book “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” shaped her identity and those of many others. This book is what’s called a fictional autobiography that weaves various perceptions and cultural mores into the linear story of young Maya’s life. It is about a young girl growing up in Arkansas, St. Louis, and San Francisco, living sometimes with her grandmother in Arkansas (known as Momma), other times with her divorced parents in Missouri and California. Here are a few glimpses of her life before she had her only child, at age 17. Her immediate family included Momma, her younger brother, Bailey, and her Uncle 3
http://www.wfu.edu/wowf/2010/20100199.mlk.php January 17, 2015 http://www.wfu.edu/wowf/2010/20100199.mlk.php January 17, 2015 5
http://www.wfu.edu/wowf/2010/20100199.mlk.php January 17, 2015 4
©2015. All notes, research, sermons and other products are the sole intellectual property of Rev. Lloyd, unless otherwise noted as the intellectual property of another. Sermons may be copied for individual use, only. If quoted, appropriate attribution to Rev. Lloyd is expected.
“Why The Caged Bird Sings” Rev. Jeanne Lloyd, 2-­‐1-­‐15 Page 6 of 12 Willie. Woven in the warp and weft of their lives was struggle and fun, faith and violence.6 PAUSE An early memory: “The used-­‐to-­‐be sheriff sat rakishly astraddle his horse. His nonchalance was meant to convey his authority and power over even dumb animals. How much more capable he would be with Negroes. It went without saying . . . From the side of the Store, Bailey and I heard him say to Momma, ‘Annie, tell Willie he better lay low tonight. [Someone] messed with a white lady today. Some of the boys’ll be coming over here later.’ . . . Immediately, while his horse’s hoofs were still loudly thudding the ground, Momma blew out the . . . lamps . . . We were told to take the potatoes and onions out of their bins and knock out the dividing walls that kept them apart. Then with a tedious and fearful slowness Uncle Willie gave me his rubber-­‐tipped cane and bent down to get into that now-­‐enlarged empty bin. It took forever before he lay down flat, and then we covered him with potatoes and onions, layer upon layer, like a casserole. [Momma] knelt praying in the darkened Store.”7 PAUSE Another night, her younger brother Bailey, did not get home by dark. He was missing for several hours. Angelou describes those moments saying . . . “The Black woman in the South who raises sons, grandsons and nephews [has] her heartstrings tied to a hanging noose. Any break from routine may herald for them unbearable news.”8 PAUSE Another story: “A light shade had been pulled down between the Black community and all things white, but one could see through it enough to develop a fear-­‐admiration-­‐
contempt for white “things” – whitefolks’ cars and white glistening houses and their children and their women. But above all, their wealth that allowed them to waste was the most enviable. They had so many clothes they were able to give perfectly good dresses [away]. Although there was always generosity in the Negro neighborhood, it 6
Note: She writes, “[We] bragged often about the binding quality of [family] blood. Uncle Tommy said that even the children felt it before they were old enough to be taught. They reminisced over Bailey’s teaching me to walk when he was less than three. Displeased at my stumbling motions, he was supposed to have said, ‘This is my sister. I have to teach her to walk.’” Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (New York, Random House Trade Paperbacks, 1997) Kindle, page 72, Loc 807 of 3563. 7
Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (New York, Random House Trade Paperbacks, 1997) Kindle, page 19, Loc 222 of 3563. 8
Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (New York, Random House Trade Paperbacks, 1997) Kindle, page 123, Loc 1360 of 3563. ©2015. All notes, research, sermons and other products are the sole intellectual property of Rev. Lloyd, unless otherwise noted as the intellectual property of another. Sermons may be copied for individual use, only. If quoted, appropriate attribution to Rev. Lloyd is expected.
“Why The Caged Bird Sings” Rev. Jeanne Lloyd, 2-­‐1-­‐15 Page 7 of 12 was indulged on pain of sacrifice. Whatever was given by Black people to other Blacks was most probably needed as desperately by the donor as by the receiver. A fact which made the giving or receiving a rich exchange . . . I couldn’t understand whites and where they got the right to spend money so lavishly . . . each day Bailey and I were cautioned, ‘Waste not, want not.’”9 PAUSE When she was eight, Angelou suffered the trauma of violence forced on her by a man who was later murdered. It was a deep trauma that left her basically speechless for several years. Angelou writes the story of a woman, named Mrs. Flowers, who helped draw her out from that time of silence. One day, she was invited to the home of Mrs. Flowers for tea. She says, “[Mrs. Flowers] . . . acted just as refined as whitefolks in the movies and books and she was more beautiful, for none of them could have come near that warm color without looking gray by comparison.”10 As Maya ate the homemade cookies, they began Maya’s “lessons in living.” Mrs. Flowers said, “[We] must always be intolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy . . . some people, unable to go to school, [are] more educated and even more intelligent than college professors.”11 [Maya was] encouraged . . . to listen carefully to what country people called mother wit[, . . . for] in those homely sayings was couched the collective wisdom of generations.”12 Mrs. Flowers loaned her a book of poems, saying, “Take this book of poems and memorize one for me. Next time you pay me a visit, I want you to recite.”13 Angelou remarks, “I have tried often to search behind the sophistication of years for the enchantment I so easily found in [her] gifts [to me]. The essence escapes but its aura remains. To be allowed, no, invited, into the private lives of strangers, and to share their joys and fears, was a chance to exchange Southern bitter wormwood for a cup of mead with Beowulf [Baowulf] or a hot cup of tea and milk with Oliver Twist.”14 . . . “I didn’t question why Mrs. Flowers had singled me out for attention, nor did it occur to me that Momma might have asked her to give me a little talking to. All I cared about 9
Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (New York, Random House Trade Paperbacks, 1997) Kindle, page 53-­‐54, Loc 595 of 3563. 10
Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (New York, Random House Trade Paperbacks, 1997) Kindle, page 102, Loc 1129 of 3563. 11
Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (New York, Random House Trade Paperbacks, 1997) Kindle, page 107, Loc 1188 of 3563. 12
Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (New York, Random House Trade Paperbacks, 1997) Kindle, page 107, Loc 1188 of 3563. 13
Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (New York, Random House Trade Paperbacks, 1997) Kindle, page 108, Loc 1200 of 3563. 14
Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (New York, Random House Trade Paperbacks, 1997) Kindle, page 109, Loc 1212 of 3563. ©2015. All notes, research, sermons and other products are the sole intellectual property of Rev. Lloyd, unless otherwise noted as the intellectual property of another. Sermons may be copied for individual use, only. If quoted, appropriate attribution to Rev. Lloyd is expected.
“Why The Caged Bird Sings” Rev. Jeanne Lloyd, 2-­‐1-­‐15 Page 8 of 12 was that she had made tea cookies for me and read to me from her favorite book. It was enough to prove that she liked me.”15 (original emphasis) PAUSE Reflecting on her religious upbringing, as a child, she remembers church services, where after hours of good revival preaching . . . “the congregation lowed with satisfaction. Even if they were society’s pariahs, they were going to be angels in a marble white heaven and sit on the right hand of Jesus, the son of God. The Lord loved the poor and hated those cast high in the world . . . They were assured that they were going to be the only inhabitants of that land of milk and honey [with few exceptions]. All the Negroes had to do generally . . . was bear up under this life of toil and cares, because a blessed home awaited them in the far-­‐off by and by.”16 “They basked in the righteousnes of the poor and the exclusiveness of the downtrodden. Let the whitefolks have their money and power and segregation and sarcasm and big houses and schools and lawns like carpets, and books, and mostly – mostly – let them have their whiteness. It was better to be meek and lowly, spat upon and abused for this little time than to spend eternity in the fires of hell . . . they were needy and hungry and despised and disposed, and sinners the world over were in the driver’s seat. // [But,] all asked the same [question]. How long, oh God? How long?”17 She says, “We didn’t breathe. We didn’t hope. We waited.”18 PAUSE Her mother called for her, and Maya moved to San Francisco. She enrolled in George Washington High School. Of all her teachers, there was only one she remembered: Miss Kirwin. Miss Kirwin was that rare educator who was in love with information. [Angelou writes] Miss Kirwin . . . taught civics and current events. She greeted each class with ‘Good day, ladies and gentlemen.’ . . . [Angelo says] I had never heard an adult speak with such respect to teenagers. There were no favorite students. No teacher’s pets . . . Each day she faced us with a clean slate and acted as if ours were clean as well . . . Where some of the other teachers went out of their way to be nice to me – to be a 15
Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (New York, Random House Trade Paperbacks, 1997) Kindle, page 109, Loc 1212 of 3563. 16
Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (New York, Random House Trade Paperbacks, 1997) Kindle, page 139, Loc 1554 of 3563. 17
Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (New York, Random House Trade Paperbacks, 1997) Kindle, page 141-­‐143, Loc 1585-­‐1591 of 3563. 18
Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (New York, Random House Trade Paperbacks, 1997) Kindle, page 146, Loc 1630 of 3563. ©2015. All notes, research, sermons and other products are the sole intellectual property of Rev. Lloyd, unless otherwise noted as the intellectual property of another. Sermons may be copied for individual use, only. If quoted, appropriate attribution to Rev. Lloyd is expected.
“Why The Caged Bird Sings” Rev. Jeanne Lloyd, 2-­‐1-­‐15 Page 9 of 12 ‘liberal’ with me – and others ignored me completely, Miss Kirwin never seemed to notice that I was Black and therefore different. I was Miss Johnson.”19 PAUSE Angelou writes, “The needs of society determine its ethics, and in the Black American ghettos the hero is that man who is offered only crumbs from his country’s table but by ingenuity and courage is able to take for himself a [lavish] feast. Hence the janitor who lives in one room but sports a robin’s-­‐egg-­‐blue Cadillac is not laughed at but admired, and the domestic who buys [expensive] shoes is not criticized but is appreciated. We know that they have put to use their full mental and physical powers. Each single gain feeds into the gains of the body collective.”20 “Stories of law violations are weighed on a different set of scales in the Black mind than in the white. Petty crimes embarrass the community and many people wistfully wonder why Negroes don’t rob more banks, embezzle more funds and employ graft in the unions. [They say] ‘We are the victims of the world’s most comprehensive robbery. Life demands a balance. It’s all right if we do a little robbing now.’ This belief appeals particularly to [those] who [are] unable to compete legally with his fellow citizens.”21 PAUSE Speaking to the place of women in her life, she says, “The Black female is assaulted in her tender years by all those common forces of nature [,] at the same time that she is caught in the tripartite crossfire of masculine prejudice, white illogical hate and Black lack of power. The fact that the adult American Negro female emerges [as] a formidable character is often met with amazement, distaste and even belligerence. It is seldom accepted as an inevitable outcome of the struggle won by survivors . . . [deserving] respect . . .”22 PAUSE And, so we have been talking about identity. Specifically, the shaping of identity by experiences that effect generations of people who look a particular way. On other Sundays, we will talk about the challenges that people face when they experience far-­‐
19
Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (New York, Random House Trade Paperbacks, 1997) Kindle, page 230-­‐231, Loc 2608-­‐2620 of 3563. 20
Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (New York, Random House Trade Paperbacks, 1997) Kindle, page 240, Loc 2714 of 3563. 21
Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (New York, Random House Trade Paperbacks, 1997) Kindle, page 240, Loc 2714 of 3563. 22
Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (New York, Random House Trade Paperbacks, 1997) Kindle, page 291, Loc 3289 of 3563. ©2015. All notes, research, sermons and other products are the sole intellectual property of Rev. Lloyd, unless otherwise noted as the intellectual property of another. Sermons may be copied for individual use, only. If quoted, appropriate attribution to Rev. Lloyd is expected.
“Why The Caged Bird Sings” Rev. Jeanne Lloyd, 2-­‐1-­‐15 Page 10 of 12 reaching prejudice based on gender preference or disability or age or something else. Today, we talk about identity that is shaped by centuries of cruel abuse, at the hands of a system, largely created by people who are white, to benefit people who are white. And, yet, in these times of increasing integration, people whose skin color is not white are increasingly able to break through barriers that had kept them from jobs and lives with more money and prestige. A person of “so called” color, can become President, can become wealthy in some cases, can become a teacher, can become a policeman. Yet, even as they do so, they are still judged by some, by the color of their skin, instead of the quality and promise of their character. A personal story: My father’s mother died before I was born. I therefore knew only my mother’s mother as I was growing up, and did not see her often due to our many assignments. She was quiet, and shy. She was a farmer’s wife who laid out huge meals, even years after granddaddy retired. I know very little about what she believed, and what was important to her. I really know only one thing about her character, but that one thing is enough. She would say to someone, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” In these times, we seem to make sport of judging one another harshly, from frames of reference that are bereft of true knowledge and facts. Too often it seems, as human beings, that we act violently or rudely on those quick judgments, based on experiences that have shaped our identity. In Deuteronomy these words are offered as biblical wisdom, “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” We as a society have long been suffering its meaning and effect. If we (as a society) continue to act with ignorant prejudice, pre-­‐judging without respecting the complexities of the human character, we will become a blind and toothless world. What are the needs of this society? I submit that it is for wholeness and healing for all of society – not just once segment of society. I submit that each of us, no matter how we are judged, need to be treated with respect. Each of us is somebody, worthy of respect. To meet these needs of society, reason, justice, compassion, and hope must prevail. They can only prevail, if together (no matter what our skin color) we work hard to scrape off the scales of ignorance that we have inherited. So may it be. OFFERTORY "There's A River Flowin' In My Soul" We invite you to contribute to the health and well being of this congregation and its work in the world. Please give generously, so that we may continue to work to eradicate the ignorance of racism and other forms of oppression. ©2015. All notes, research, sermons and other products are the sole intellectual property of Rev. Lloyd, unless otherwise noted as the intellectual property of another. Sermons may be copied for individual use, only. If quoted, appropriate attribution to Rev. Lloyd is expected.
“Why The Caged Bird Sings” Rev. Jeanne Lloyd, 2-­‐1-­‐15 Page 11 of 12 REFLECTION In a moment, you will be listening to the poem, “Caged Bird,” by Maya Angelou. Though our topic today is the issue of racism and oppression, each of us has had moments where we felt trapped in a cage not of our own making. Moments when we longed for freedom. I invite you to find a common point of reference in this poem, with those who seek, as a people, freedom. Caged Bird23 By Maya Angelou A free bird leaps on the back of the wind and floats downstream till the current ends and dips his wing in the orange sun rays and dares to claim the sky. But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage can seldom see through his bars of rage his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing. The caged bird sings with a fearful trill of things unknown but longed for still and his tune is heard on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom. The free bird thinks of another breeze and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees and the fat worms waiting on a dawn bright lawn and he names the sky his own But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing. 23
Maya Angelou, “Caged Bird” from Shaker, Why Don't You Sing? Copyright © 1983 by Maya Angelou.
Used by permission of Random House, Inc. http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/178948 1/17/15
©2015. All notes, research, sermons and other products are the sole intellectual property of Rev. Lloyd, unless otherwise noted as the intellectual property of another. Sermons may be copied for individual use, only. If quoted, appropriate attribution to Rev. Lloyd is expected.
“Why The Caged Bird Sings” Rev. Jeanne Lloyd, 2-­‐1-­‐15 Page 12 of 12 The caged bird sings with a fearful trill of things unknown but longed for still and his tune is heard on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom. *HYMN STJ #1018 “Come and Go With Me” *EXTINGUISHING OF THE CHALICE (please join hands) “Please join hands for the extinguishing of the chalice.” “We extinguish this flame, but not the light of truth, the warmth of community, or the fire of commitment. We extinguish this flame, but not the power and meaning of our covenant, calling us to our highest ideals and ways of being with one another. These we carry in our hearts until we are together again. Let the congregation say: AMEN” !!! WELCOMING NEWCOMERS and VISITORS ANNOUNCEMENTS and FELLOWSHIP Settled Minister: Rev. Jeanne Lloyd Director of Religious Education: Denise Pedane Music Director: Robert Werme 1
As a courtesy to all gathered here today, please silence your cell phone. * Please rise in body or spirit. Please reserve applause for very special responses only. Rev. 10.14 ©2015. All notes, research, sermons and other products are the sole intellectual property of Rev. Lloyd, unless otherwise noted as the intellectual property of another. Sermons may be copied for individual use, only. If quoted, appropriate attribution to Rev. Lloyd is expected.