Bellingham Unitarian
Fellowship
Chalice Circle topic for March, 2015
Forgiveness
Adapted from Janeane
Weprin, Countryside Church UU, Palatine, IL (2009) and from The Community
Church of Chapel Hill Unitarian Universalist, Rev. Maj-Britt Johnson, March
2010
Note: See the Circle
Ministry Session Sequence for process guidelines.
Gathering, Welcoming
(2 minutes)
Opening words and
Chalice lighting
“Forgiveness is not always easy. At times, it feels more
painful than the wound we suffered, to forgive the one that inflicted it. And
yet, there is no peace without forgiveness.” - Marianne Williamson
Check-in/Sharing (3-4
minutes@ - 30-40 minutes)
Discussion (60
minutes)
[See Circle Ministry Session Sequence as a reminder of the
structure of this segment.]
First response
Cross-conversation
Concluding statements
Transition Meditation
Help the group move
from check-in preliminaries to silence with directed deep breathing, soft
words, music, or other meditative techniques.
(See love meditation below)
Meditation: Peace
Take a moment to make sure you are comfortable
Uncross your legs and arms
Place both feet flat on the floor
Close your eyes and
Take a deep breath in and let it go
Take another deep breath and let it go
Breathe-in slowly.
Breathe-out gently.
As you breathe, allow your body to just let go.
Allow your mind to be peaceful and relaxed.
Now I am going to give you some simple instructions
Breathe in and on the out breath,
Say silently - Peace to my thoughts
Breathe in and on the out breath,
Say silently - Peace to my heart
So it goes like this
Breathe in Breathe out - Peace to my thoughts
Breathe in Breathe out - Peace to my heart
Breathe in Breathe out - Peace to my thoughts
Breathe in Breathe out - Peace to my heart
Breathe in Peace to my thoughts
Breathe in Peace to my heart
Breathe in Peace to my thoughts
Breathe in Peace to my heart
Now let’s simplify it
Breathe in peace
Breathe out love
Breathe in peace
Breathe out love
Breathe in peace
Breathe out love
Feel peace enter and fill you completely
Feel love flow through you and from you
Become peace
Become love
Become
Breathe in
Breathe out
Take a deep breath in and let it go.
Come gently back into this room
Bringing the love and peace with you
as you slowly open your eyes
Topic: Forgiveness
On Forgiveness by Murray Kennedy
Let me say how I see it. When one is holding a grudge; feeling
victimized, and hurt, and entertaining blame, and resentment, the soul
contracts. That’s the consequence. And who wants to go around in life with a
contracted, hurt, bitter, soul? Many
people do this because they don’t know any other way. It’s a great human tragedy. They perpetuate and multiply some original
pain. They stay victims for life. Being
for - giving; is the key to freedom from the terrible burden of what happened
in the past. But it isn’t easy. When you are for - giving what are you
giving? You are giving up your claim to
being the injured party. You are giving up your grievance. You are for - moving
on. You are saying “they are no longer
in debt to me”… which means you are no longer keeping that old relationship
going, you are no longer keeping them in jail.
You are no longer holding on. You are letting go. It is a matter of what you are for. If you are for holding on - to grievance and
hurt; if you are for being right and
getting revenge, you remain the prisoner of the past. That’s how it works.
Deep Sharing/Deep Listening
We are going to share about forgiveness. This is very open to whatever
you want to share. Here are some ideas…
- What is forgiveness?
- What does forgiveness
mean to you?
- Should we
forgive? Is it necessary?
- Are some
things unforgivable?
- What is the
difference between forgiveness and reconciliation?
- How does
forgiveness happen?
- Do you have a
story you want to share about forgiveness?
- Has
forgiveness (or lack of forgiveness) affected your life? In what ways?
- Has giving or
receiving forgiveness changed you?
Feedback (15 minutes)
Thank the group…. Ask
what they liked and what variations they would hope for.
Closing (1 minute)
To
pass the peace by Clarke Dewey Wells
To pass the peace is a revolutionary act. It
means to trust the outsider we fear, to wish well those who have hurt us; and
to forgive at last ourselves. To offer the blessing to those around you is to
love your neighbor and yourself and to be at peace with God. Pax vobiscum.
Peace. Peace.
