Logan Jacob Jarmulowicz. Ceremony of Dedication. January 3, First Parish Unitarian Universalist Northborough, MA

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1 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

2 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

3 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

4 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,

5 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,

6 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

7 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. Grass, selected -Walt Whitman, (1891) from the Leaves of Thought for Contemplation: Love generously, praise loudly, live fully. 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, Elias Porter

8 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 books- Anne 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 Walt Whitman, the Leaves of Grass 2 Walt Whitman, the Leaves of Grass

9 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

10 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

11 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

12 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