“It is not enough that we are wounded
“It is not enough that we care
“We are called to practice loving
“With a skill we hardly knew was there.”
The above lyrics are written by singer/songwriter Judy Fjell, and serve as an introduction to the theme for this Sunday’s service at Pagosa Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. The sermon, entitled “Near Enemies,” delivered by the Rev. Elaine Aron-Tenbrink, will be streamed along with added worship elements by lay leaders of the fellowship.
Aron-Tenbrink served the Peace Corps in West Africa, was a hospital chaplain and served the First Universalist Church of Minneapolis until 2019. She now serves as assistant minister of Foothills Unitarian Church in Fort Collins.
She is passionate about creating spaces that invite us to discern movements of spirit and cultivate compassion, which will be the focus of her sharing.
She states compassion is where love meets suffering and, yet, sometimes confusion about what it means to practice compassion gets in our way and we end up doing the opposite. These behaviors are a phenomenon that Buddhist psychology call “near enemies” of our actual values.
Through personal experience and stories, Aron-Tenbrink helps us understand how it creates separation instead of connection to one another.
This sermon is fourth in the series “What the World Needs Now: Universalism in a Polarized Age.”
Through the generous offering of Foothills Unitarian, we are able to stream these sermons and offer small-group discussion, deepening our understand and practice of putting love at the center and living into our values in concrete ways. We welcome you as we build community, grow in spirit and do good.
Our fellowship meets the first and third Sundays at 10:30 a.m. You can find us at Unit B-15 of the Greenbriar Plaza, 301 N. Pagosa Blvd. on the north side facing Pagosa Peak. Joining us through our offered Zoom services is also an option using the following meeting link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8991941305.
On alternate Sundays, in-person meditation practice is offered on the second and fourth Sundays from 9 to 10:30 a.m.
Visit our website, www.PagosaUU.org, to find our current newsletter. Those interested in receiving our monthly newsletter can email PagosaUUF@gmail.com to be informed of the programming schedule for meditation group. All are welcome.
