“Always the seer is a sayer.  Somehow his dream is told; somehow he publishes it with solemn joy; sometimes with pencil on canvas; sometimes with chisel on stone; sometimes in towers and aisles of granite, his soul’s worship is built; sometimes in anthems of indefinite music; but clearest and most permanent, in words.”   Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Divinity School Address, 1858

A Christmas Letter from Rev. Susan

Dear First Universalist Members and Friends,

In 1849 the Christmas Carol, It Came Upon A Midnight Clear, written by Unitarian minister Edmund Sears, was first sung.  Over the years it has become one of the most beloved carols, but it was written in a dark time.  Sears was serving as part time preacher at the First Parish Church of Wayland, where he had served before going to a larger church and experiencing a breakdown.   Back in Wayland now, he was feeling melancholy, perhaps for personal reasons, but, surely, if the song is any indication, because the world could not hear the angels’ song of  “Peace on earth and good will to all.”

The country, you see,  had just been engaged in the Mexican American War.   Moreover,  the population was deeply and passionately divided about slavery.  Civil War would, of course, break out just over a decade later.  Sears, who would go on to become an ardent abolitionist, could see the disastrous effect of such inhumanity.  And so his song is a beautiful tribute to living in peace and acceptance.

Perhaps this year, when there has been so much national turbulence and all the loss and grief of the pandemic, we can appreciate the lifting of spirits we find in messages of hope and caring and justice.  I hope you share with me the deep conviction that hope is born into the world again and again.  It comes in acts of compassion and mercy; in insistence on justice; in the determination to create a better world.  There have been so many voices bringing that hope even in this heavy year.   Whenever they appear, wherever they come, at any moment of transformation, they are indeed angelic songs we hear.

You often sound that song for me with your hope and your caring.  For that I thank you.  And in Christmas Season of 2020, I wish you moments of peace and joy in the days ahead.  May strains of angel songs come unbidden when you least expect them and most need them.

Know that you are loved.  Know that better times will come.   Know that you have a spiritual home at First Universalist Church.

Blessings and all good wishes,

Rev. Susan

A Thanksgiving Letter from Rev. Susan

Dear First Universalist Church Members and Friends,

I know many of you are having a different Thanksgiving than usual this year,

and that can be hard. I am glad, however, if you are keeping yourselves and

your loved ones safe.. And I know that you join me in the fervent hope that better

days are ahead. Perhaps next year we will be able to resume our usual

gatherings and traditions.

In the meantime, anything you can do or contribute to make someone else’s life a

little easier matters. Whether it’s a donation to AIO so that others will at least

have enough to eat during this holiday season, or a kind word or text to friends

to let them know they are loved – all makes a difference.

If you find yourself particularly lonely today or tomorrow, and just need to talk

to someone, do not hesitate to send me an email (minister@uurockland.org) with

your number, and I will give you a call. Whether you need to reach out or not,

know that I am wishing you well. My husband Terry Sweetser joins me in

hoping that no matter how you are spending Thanksgiving, it may bring some

peace, rest, gratitude.

With love and blessings,

Rev. Susan

An e-letter column following Fourth Universalist Society’s recent successful call of its new minister: What’s New at 4th U 5:5:16