Welcome
Welcome to this online worship service. While we are apart, may we remember to be kind to ourselves.
Prelude Be Kind to Yourself by Andrew Peterson
Call To Worship by Susan David
Discomfort, stress, disappointment, loss and pain are all part of the human journey. If we are not able to enter into a space of kindness to ourselves, we’re putting ourselves at odds with the reality of life. Another hallmark of humanity is imperfection: To be human is to be imperfect and to make mistakes. Self-compassion is a necessary part of our journey; it’s about recognizing that you are doing the best you can — with who you are, with what you’ve got, and with the resources that you’ve been given.
Kindling of the Chalice Flame “For Every Time We Make a Mistake” by Maureen Killoran
For every time we make a mistake and we decide to start again:
We light this chalice.
For every time we are lonely and we let someone be our friend:
We light this chalice.
For every time we are disappointed and we choose to hope:
We light this chalice.
Love be with you and all living things.
Gesture of Friendship: Heart Sign with hands
Message For All Ages “Be King” by Pat Zietlow Miller
Children’s Benediction
We are…
We are blessed…
We are blessed by being…
We are blessed by being here…
We are blessed by being here together.
Meditation “Loving Kindness Meditation” by Kathleen Grace-Bishop
Invitation to Thought by Susan David
“When we experience a challenging emotion like sadness or disappointment, many of us respond by telling ourselves: “This is bad; I shouldn’t be feeling this. Why can’t I be more positive?!?” And then we follow up this judgement with more judgement — we berate ourselves for not being self-compassionate. Next time that happens, try saying to yourself, “I’m feeling sad. What is this sadness a signpost of? What is it pointing to that’s important to me? What is it teaching me?””
Joys and Concerns
While we are apart, use this moment as a time of introspection, meditation, thought, or prayer, and send your joys and concerns into the spirit of life.
Offertory Music “You Are A Part of Everything” by Josh Kelley
Closing Words exerpt from Be Kind to Yourself: The wisdom of self-compassion. by Marianna Pogosyan Ph.D.
As a concept derived from Buddhist psychology, self-compassion entails treating oneself with kindness and care, like we would treat a dear friend. Kristin Neff, one of the leading self-compassion researchers, has identified three main components of self-compassion: self-kindness, feelings of common humanity, and mindfulness.
Self-kindness refers to acting in kind and understanding ways towards ourselves. For example, instead of being critical (I’m so disorganized! I’ll never be successful!), our inner voice is supportive and warm (It’s OK that I missed the deadline. I worked hard and I’ll make it next time). A sense of common humanity is the recognition that everyone makes mistakes and no one is without their weaknesses. Accepting that we are not alone in our suffering comforts us with feelings of inclusivity rather than alienation. Finally, mindfulness offers a “meta-perspective” on our hardships, helping us to not exaggerate our distress and become engulfed by it.
A wealth of research has shown the positive consequences of self-compassion on numerous aspects of our well-being, including a greater life satisfaction, emotional intelligence, interconnectedness with others, wisdom, curiosity, happiness, and optimism. Self-compassion is also associated with less self-criticism, depression, anxiety, fear of failure, and perfectionism (Neff, 2009). Importantly, to reap the benefits of self-compassion, we don’t need to compare ourselves to others or inflate our egos. Thus, self-compassion can lead to greater emotional resilience, since unlike self-esteem, our heightened feelings of self-worth will not be contingent on our successes.
Postlude “A Safe Place to Land” by Sara Bareilles ft. John Legend
“Be the hand of a hopeful stranger
A little scared but you’re strong enough
Be the light in the dark of this danger
‘Til the sun comes up”