Text for the Service:
Essential Elements of the Luminescence Service
(Updated Mar 5, 2017 -- RK)
The following script is available for you to use for your congregation’s Luminescence service. These are the unique elements of a Luminescence service. If you have other parts of your regular service you would like to include, you can place them before and/or between the lighting of the candles. Please note that the [italicized text] that appears in brackets are instructions for the presenters and participants of the service and are not intended to be read aloud with the rest of the text.
Worship Host to do the actual candle lightings (to prevent the lull from readers going to the candelabrum and back)
WELCOME & INTRODUCTION
Welcome, everyone, as we celebrate our annual Luminescence Service, a holiday that members of this congregation created to celebrate that which makes Unitarian Universalism distinctive. We are delighted you have chosen to be here today. May you find nourishment and inspiration for your journey.
In this holiday, we celebrate the light that shines within each of us. We honor our Unitarian Universalist faith for allowing us to pursue spirit with reason. We express our commitment to the principles that guide us and to actions that transform the world. And we celebrate the freedom our faith provides toward seeking our own personal truths.
Later in today’s service we will be lighting five ceremonial candles, each reminding us of a spiritual concept for ourselves and the world.
We celebrate that which makes this faith our home.
CHALICE LIGHTING
Today, as every Sunday, we light the chalice, the symbol of our Unitarian Universalist faith. [Light match from starter candle and light the CENTER candle] The flaming chalice reminds us of the values, principles, and ideals that make Unitarian Universalism our home. This week, the flame will also kindle the five candles of Luminescence, each one in turn, each representing an affirmation of our faith. By the end of the service, the flame from this chalice will be shared among every person here today, reminding us to rejoice in the light which resides within each of us and within all that is.
[Other items from your normal service]
LIGHTING OF THE FIRST CANDLE - The Light Within Ourselves
[Worship Host:] I would like to invite [First Candle Reader] to introduce the theme of the first candle -- the light within ourselves.
We light the first candle, which represents the light within ourselves. We kindle this candle from our common chalice.
[Worship Host lights the first candle from the chalice.]
This first of the five candles represents the Source of light, both the awesome light of the sun that powers all that we know on Earth, and the light that resides within ourselves.
The light within gives us spirit. It touches others. It shows in our creativity and love that radiates from our family and from within our congregation. It is the Spirit of Life, the essence behind all things.
Together we now offer the Prayer found in your Order of Service. Please join with me [wait a moment for everyone to find it]:
[Together:] “In this season and in all to come, may I honor the Source of light, which resides within me and within all that is.”
LIGHTING OF THE SECOND CANDLE - The Light Within All That Is: Recognition of Diversity
[Worship Host:] I'd like to invite invite [second candle reader] to tell us about the second candle.
[Candle Reader:] We light the second candle, which is for the Light Within All. It is the Recognition and Appreciation of Diversity. We symbolically light the second candle from the first.
[Worship Host lights the second candle from the first.]
When light shines through a prism, it reveals all the individual colors that make up the entirety of light.
This candle represents the diversity—sometimes seen, sometimes not—in all that we experience. We affirm that it is precisely this diversity which gives strength to the totality; to the single integrated community of all life.
Together we now offer the Prayer for Recognition found in your Order of Service.
[Together:] “In this season and in all to come, may I discern and celebrate the nuances of color, shape, and perspective that comprise the light, which resides within me and within all that is.”
LIGHTING OF THE THIRD CANDLE - Reflection
[Worship Host:] [Third Candle Reader] will introduce the third candle.
We light the third candle, which is for reflection.
[Worship Host lights the third candle from the first.]
This third candle represents light's reflection, as from a mirror. We look into the mirror and see ourselves revealed.
We are reminded to take an inventory of ourselves, to shine light on who we are, and who we'd like to be. We take joy in all that we have accomplished. We put our disappointments and mistakes behind us. We look at our spiritual growth. We remind ourselves to periodically cast our gaze on the important things that we are sometimes just too busy to look at. This candle calls us to reflect deeply on our very being.
Moving outward, this candle reminds us of our ongoing need to explore and study and try our best to understand the nature of the world, and our place in it.
Together we now offer the Prayer for Reflection found in your Order of Service.
[Together:] “In this season and in all to come, may I reflect deeply upon all that is, growing in understanding of the light, which resides within me and within all that is.”
LIGHTING OF THE FOURTH CANDLE - Refocus
[Worship Host:] I now invite [FourthCandle Reader] to tell us about the theme of the third candle.
We light the fourth candle, which is for Refocus.
[Worchip Host lights the fourth candle from the first candle.]
We light the fourth candle, which is for Refocus.
[Light the candle from the first (center) candle.]
This fourth candle represents light being focused, as through a lens. The focusing of light represents our ability to transform things, to bend the arc of the light toward the direction of justice. Through our Refocusing of our light, we work toward creating transformation at all levels.
We can change ourselves for the better. We can improve the lives of others. We can make the world a better place.
So, the fourth candle reminds us that through Refocusing our light we can uplift ourselves, enhance our communities, and transform the world.
Together we now offer the Prayer for Refocus found in your Order of Service: “In this season and in all to come, may I be moved to redirect that which is, through conscious refocusing of the light, which resides within me and within all that is.”
LIGHTING OF THE FIFTH CANDLE - Renewal
[Worship Host:] Our fifth and final candle read is by [Fifth Candle Reader]
We light the fifth candle, which is for Recommitment.
[Worship Host lights the fifth candle from the first candle.]
This fifth candle signifies the Recommitment that leads to Renewal.
We’ve honored the light in ourselves, as well as the light of others. We understand the need to look within, as well as to refocus on transforming our world. Now, the fifth candle symbolizes our Recommitment to achieving the results that embody our ideals. In this rededication, we create what we want to become and what we want our world to become.
We strive to attain our ideals. We know that our efforts are supported on the shoulders of those who have come before us, and we hope that it will be supported by those who will come after. This candle is the high standard we set. It is also the legacy that outlasts us.
Together we now offer the Prayer for Renewal found in your Order of Service.
[Together:] “In this season and in all to come, may I be ever faithful to the highest good that may be, in honor of the source of light, which resides within me and within all that is.”
THE MANY PATHS
The candles we’ve lit today represent concepts that we Unitarian Universalists hold dear. They express the pathways we may follow toward our own spiritual fulfillment. They symbolize the goodness we want to encompass within ourselves, the decency which we want to promote within our communities and the world, and what we want to pass along to future generations. They consecrate the key components of our identity.
All of us encompass each of these spiritual concepts in our lives to some degree, but interestingly, they occur in different balances. We appreciate and celebrate that as individuals, each of us tends to focus our attention and interests on that which speaks most deeply to our heart.
There are those who are oriented toward the nature of the Divine, of looking at that flame through prayer and meditation. There are those who focus more on knowledge and understanding of scientific and scholarly pursuits. There are those – more of us than ever -- who are called to turn our principles into social action, making our world a better place through individual action and/or through collective social movements.
We honor all of these lights, as we do for all callings.
In the radiant light, let us honor the paths that lead to higher ideals. Let today remind us to let our character illuminate those around us. May each individual candle -- and the totality -- remind us of the light that is inside of each of us, of the need to appreciate the diverse individuals. Of the importance of reflection, and of our desire to live with intention by focusing our light with mindfulness and purpose.
SHARING THE LIGHT
[Sharing the Light should come toward the end of your service to wrap things up. The suggestion is to use flameless candles for this part, but they could be narrow vigil candles with a "bobesh" (drip guard) to protect the facility against dripping wax.)
We will now hand out candles so that all of us will be able to hold the Luminescence light in our own hands. This year we are using flameless candles for this part. Please do not yet light your candles when you receive them.
[Volunteers hand out the candles]
Could we ask those who lit each of the five luminescence candles and the chalice today to now come forward and illuminate their candles. And then touch someone else’s candle as they illuminate theirs. We would like everyone to pass the light along to the next person in this symbolic manner until everyone has symbolically lit their candle from the source. Continue touching someone else’s candle, allowing everyone to illuminate their candles. Until all candles are lit.
[Meditative music, but don’t start singing. When Our Spirits Unite Our Light Shines Bright - Instrumental]
While we light everyone’s candle, remember that we celebrate the principles of Unitarian Universalism during each of our Sunday services, in our religious education classes, in prayer, while sharing ideas, in caring for those in need, through volunteer work, in social and environmental action work, and in all the wondrous activities we do as Unitarian Universalists, big and small. Let us re-entrust ourselves to our faith. Let us take this opportunity to appreciate the radiance of the extraordinary principles, values, and actions that illuminate our lives.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Within each life pulses the light of love, of wisdom and truth - radiating these qualities into the world.
Sharing this light with one another, we illuminate the gifts of life and reveal those places in our hearts and in the world yet obscured by shadows of fear, of wounds unhealed, and futures undreamed.
Sharing this light with one another, we reveal strength and vulnerability, joy and sorrow, the need to give and the need to receive.
May it be tended well, nurtured and fed. May it inspire hope, courage and compassion, as we journey together the blessed path of our seasons. May the light of these candles remind us that even though we may be diverse in our beliefs, we share a common light, we share common goals, and we share common community.
In this season and in all to come, may we rejoice in the light which resides within each of us and within all that is.
[Sharing the Light song is When Our Spirits Unite (permission granted to sing during celebration of Luminescence)]
May love and wisdom be in your mind.
May love and courage be in your heart.
May love and strength be in your hands.
May Spirit walk with you and through you
Today and all your days.
May the light of ALL these flames that illuminated this hour, continue to shine in our hearts and minds.
Go in peace, walk in love, and be a light unto the world!
The service is now over.
Essential Elements of the Luminescence Service
(Updated Mar 5, 2017 -- RK)
The following script is available for you to use for your congregation’s Luminescence service. These are the unique elements of a Luminescence service. If you have other parts of your regular service you would like to include, you can place them before and/or between the lighting of the candles. Please note that the [italicized text] that appears in brackets are instructions for the presenters and participants of the service and are not intended to be read aloud with the rest of the text.
- Chalice Lighting (read by Chalice Lighter)
- Lighting of the First Candle -- The Light Within Ourselves (read by First Candle Reader)
- Lighting of the Second Candle -- Recognition of Diversity (read by Second Candle Reader)
- Lighting of the Third Candle -- Reflection (read by Third Candle Reader)
- Lighting of the Fourth Candle -- Refocus (read by Fourth Candle Reader)
- Lighting of the Fifth Candle -- Renewal (read by Fifth Candle Reader)
- The Many Paths (read by Worship Host)
- Sharing the Light (read by Worship Host and song)
- Concluding Prayer (read by Concluding Prayer reader)
Worship Host to do the actual candle lightings (to prevent the lull from readers going to the candelabrum and back)
WELCOME & INTRODUCTION
Welcome, everyone, as we celebrate our annual Luminescence Service, a holiday that members of this congregation created to celebrate that which makes Unitarian Universalism distinctive. We are delighted you have chosen to be here today. May you find nourishment and inspiration for your journey.
In this holiday, we celebrate the light that shines within each of us. We honor our Unitarian Universalist faith for allowing us to pursue spirit with reason. We express our commitment to the principles that guide us and to actions that transform the world. And we celebrate the freedom our faith provides toward seeking our own personal truths.
Later in today’s service we will be lighting five ceremonial candles, each reminding us of a spiritual concept for ourselves and the world.
We celebrate that which makes this faith our home.
CHALICE LIGHTING
Today, as every Sunday, we light the chalice, the symbol of our Unitarian Universalist faith. [Light match from starter candle and light the CENTER candle] The flaming chalice reminds us of the values, principles, and ideals that make Unitarian Universalism our home. This week, the flame will also kindle the five candles of Luminescence, each one in turn, each representing an affirmation of our faith. By the end of the service, the flame from this chalice will be shared among every person here today, reminding us to rejoice in the light which resides within each of us and within all that is.
[Other items from your normal service]
LIGHTING OF THE FIRST CANDLE - The Light Within Ourselves
[Worship Host:] I would like to invite [First Candle Reader] to introduce the theme of the first candle -- the light within ourselves.
We light the first candle, which represents the light within ourselves. We kindle this candle from our common chalice.
[Worship Host lights the first candle from the chalice.]
This first of the five candles represents the Source of light, both the awesome light of the sun that powers all that we know on Earth, and the light that resides within ourselves.
The light within gives us spirit. It touches others. It shows in our creativity and love that radiates from our family and from within our congregation. It is the Spirit of Life, the essence behind all things.
Together we now offer the Prayer found in your Order of Service. Please join with me [wait a moment for everyone to find it]:
[Together:] “In this season and in all to come, may I honor the Source of light, which resides within me and within all that is.”
LIGHTING OF THE SECOND CANDLE - The Light Within All That Is: Recognition of Diversity
[Worship Host:] I'd like to invite invite [second candle reader] to tell us about the second candle.
[Candle Reader:] We light the second candle, which is for the Light Within All. It is the Recognition and Appreciation of Diversity. We symbolically light the second candle from the first.
[Worship Host lights the second candle from the first.]
When light shines through a prism, it reveals all the individual colors that make up the entirety of light.
This candle represents the diversity—sometimes seen, sometimes not—in all that we experience. We affirm that it is precisely this diversity which gives strength to the totality; to the single integrated community of all life.
Together we now offer the Prayer for Recognition found in your Order of Service.
[Together:] “In this season and in all to come, may I discern and celebrate the nuances of color, shape, and perspective that comprise the light, which resides within me and within all that is.”
LIGHTING OF THE THIRD CANDLE - Reflection
[Worship Host:] [Third Candle Reader] will introduce the third candle.
We light the third candle, which is for reflection.
[Worship Host lights the third candle from the first.]
This third candle represents light's reflection, as from a mirror. We look into the mirror and see ourselves revealed.
We are reminded to take an inventory of ourselves, to shine light on who we are, and who we'd like to be. We take joy in all that we have accomplished. We put our disappointments and mistakes behind us. We look at our spiritual growth. We remind ourselves to periodically cast our gaze on the important things that we are sometimes just too busy to look at. This candle calls us to reflect deeply on our very being.
Moving outward, this candle reminds us of our ongoing need to explore and study and try our best to understand the nature of the world, and our place in it.
Together we now offer the Prayer for Reflection found in your Order of Service.
[Together:] “In this season and in all to come, may I reflect deeply upon all that is, growing in understanding of the light, which resides within me and within all that is.”
LIGHTING OF THE FOURTH CANDLE - Refocus
[Worship Host:] I now invite [FourthCandle Reader] to tell us about the theme of the third candle.
We light the fourth candle, which is for Refocus.
[Worchip Host lights the fourth candle from the first candle.]
We light the fourth candle, which is for Refocus.
[Light the candle from the first (center) candle.]
This fourth candle represents light being focused, as through a lens. The focusing of light represents our ability to transform things, to bend the arc of the light toward the direction of justice. Through our Refocusing of our light, we work toward creating transformation at all levels.
We can change ourselves for the better. We can improve the lives of others. We can make the world a better place.
So, the fourth candle reminds us that through Refocusing our light we can uplift ourselves, enhance our communities, and transform the world.
Together we now offer the Prayer for Refocus found in your Order of Service: “In this season and in all to come, may I be moved to redirect that which is, through conscious refocusing of the light, which resides within me and within all that is.”
LIGHTING OF THE FIFTH CANDLE - Renewal
[Worship Host:] Our fifth and final candle read is by [Fifth Candle Reader]
We light the fifth candle, which is for Recommitment.
[Worship Host lights the fifth candle from the first candle.]
This fifth candle signifies the Recommitment that leads to Renewal.
We’ve honored the light in ourselves, as well as the light of others. We understand the need to look within, as well as to refocus on transforming our world. Now, the fifth candle symbolizes our Recommitment to achieving the results that embody our ideals. In this rededication, we create what we want to become and what we want our world to become.
We strive to attain our ideals. We know that our efforts are supported on the shoulders of those who have come before us, and we hope that it will be supported by those who will come after. This candle is the high standard we set. It is also the legacy that outlasts us.
Together we now offer the Prayer for Renewal found in your Order of Service.
[Together:] “In this season and in all to come, may I be ever faithful to the highest good that may be, in honor of the source of light, which resides within me and within all that is.”
THE MANY PATHS
The candles we’ve lit today represent concepts that we Unitarian Universalists hold dear. They express the pathways we may follow toward our own spiritual fulfillment. They symbolize the goodness we want to encompass within ourselves, the decency which we want to promote within our communities and the world, and what we want to pass along to future generations. They consecrate the key components of our identity.
All of us encompass each of these spiritual concepts in our lives to some degree, but interestingly, they occur in different balances. We appreciate and celebrate that as individuals, each of us tends to focus our attention and interests on that which speaks most deeply to our heart.
There are those who are oriented toward the nature of the Divine, of looking at that flame through prayer and meditation. There are those who focus more on knowledge and understanding of scientific and scholarly pursuits. There are those – more of us than ever -- who are called to turn our principles into social action, making our world a better place through individual action and/or through collective social movements.
We honor all of these lights, as we do for all callings.
In the radiant light, let us honor the paths that lead to higher ideals. Let today remind us to let our character illuminate those around us. May each individual candle -- and the totality -- remind us of the light that is inside of each of us, of the need to appreciate the diverse individuals. Of the importance of reflection, and of our desire to live with intention by focusing our light with mindfulness and purpose.
SHARING THE LIGHT
[Sharing the Light should come toward the end of your service to wrap things up. The suggestion is to use flameless candles for this part, but they could be narrow vigil candles with a "bobesh" (drip guard) to protect the facility against dripping wax.)
We will now hand out candles so that all of us will be able to hold the Luminescence light in our own hands. This year we are using flameless candles for this part. Please do not yet light your candles when you receive them.
[Volunteers hand out the candles]
Could we ask those who lit each of the five luminescence candles and the chalice today to now come forward and illuminate their candles. And then touch someone else’s candle as they illuminate theirs. We would like everyone to pass the light along to the next person in this symbolic manner until everyone has symbolically lit their candle from the source. Continue touching someone else’s candle, allowing everyone to illuminate their candles. Until all candles are lit.
[Meditative music, but don’t start singing. When Our Spirits Unite Our Light Shines Bright - Instrumental]
While we light everyone’s candle, remember that we celebrate the principles of Unitarian Universalism during each of our Sunday services, in our religious education classes, in prayer, while sharing ideas, in caring for those in need, through volunteer work, in social and environmental action work, and in all the wondrous activities we do as Unitarian Universalists, big and small. Let us re-entrust ourselves to our faith. Let us take this opportunity to appreciate the radiance of the extraordinary principles, values, and actions that illuminate our lives.
CONCLUDING PRAYER
Within each life pulses the light of love, of wisdom and truth - radiating these qualities into the world.
Sharing this light with one another, we illuminate the gifts of life and reveal those places in our hearts and in the world yet obscured by shadows of fear, of wounds unhealed, and futures undreamed.
Sharing this light with one another, we reveal strength and vulnerability, joy and sorrow, the need to give and the need to receive.
May it be tended well, nurtured and fed. May it inspire hope, courage and compassion, as we journey together the blessed path of our seasons. May the light of these candles remind us that even though we may be diverse in our beliefs, we share a common light, we share common goals, and we share common community.
In this season and in all to come, may we rejoice in the light which resides within each of us and within all that is.
[Sharing the Light song is When Our Spirits Unite (permission granted to sing during celebration of Luminescence)]
May love and wisdom be in your mind.
May love and courage be in your heart.
May love and strength be in your hands.
May Spirit walk with you and through you
Today and all your days.
May the light of ALL these flames that illuminated this hour, continue to shine in our hearts and minds.
Go in peace, walk in love, and be a light unto the world!
The service is now over.
