Solstice Sunday service brought 30 persons from Arlington, Somerville, Belmont and Cambridge to the Reservation to give honor and celebration to the 130 acre urban wild we call Alewife.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Interfaith Winter Solstice
A Service of Celebration
Elke Jhene plays Indian flute music
Right: Arlene Olivero, Mara Vorhees
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Diana Elliott - First Parish clergy
Rev. Kerrie Harthan - First Congregational Somerville
Alewife neighbor reads from the Koran
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WELCOME
Ellen Mass & Friends of Alewife Reservation
Greeting and Passing of the Peace Rev. Kerrie Harthan
Leader: Peace to you all.
All: And also to you.
In-gathering and Invocation Elke Jahns, Cherokee Flute
Bringing Forth the Solstice Flames
Reading from the Qu'ran 6.1;7.56;15:19 Mostafa Elmaghraby
Praise be to Allah who created the heavens and the earth and made light and darkness.
SONG and DANCE The Holly and the Ivy
1
The Holly and the Ivy
When they are both full grown
Of all the trees that are in the wood
The Holly bears the crown
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Chorus:
Oh, the rising of the Sun
and the running of the deer
he turning of the winter season
sweet singing all may hear
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2
The Holly bears a berry
As red as any blood
And the ivy grows upon the rock
Evergreen throughout the wood
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Chorus:
Oh, the rising of the Sun
and the running of the deer
the hand upon the harp string
sweet singing in the choir
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3
The Holly bears a blossom
White as the lily's flower
And the Goddess bears the Sun again
To bring us strength and power
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Chorus:
Oh, the rising of the Sun
and the running of the deer
the playing of the merry pipes
sweet singing in the shire
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4
The Holly bears a prickle
As sharp as any thorn
And the Goddess in her ivy gown
Greets the winter sun each morn
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Chorus:
Oh, the rising of the Sun
and the running of the deer
the playing of the merry organ
sweet singing in the choir
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5
The Holly ever bears a bark
Bitter as any gall
And the ivy weaves within our lives
Like the Goddess in us all
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Chorus:
Oh, the rising of the Sun
and the running of the deer
the turning of the winter season
sweet singing all may hear
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A Call to Action Ellen Mass a Friend of Alewife Reservation
UNISON PRAYER (by StarHawk)
Earth mother, star mother,
You who are called by
A thousand names,
May all remember
we are cells in your body
and dance together
You are the grain and the loaf
that sustains us each day,
And as you are patient
with our struggles to learn
So shall we be patient
with ourselves and each other.
We are radiant lightq
and sacred dark- the balance-
You are the embrace that heartens
And the freedom beyond fear.
Within you we are born,
We grow, live and die-
You bring us around the circle to rebirth,
Within us you dance Forever
BENEDICTION Rev. Kerrie Harthan & Diane Ellliott
Friends, we gather to mark the upcoming winter solstice, when the longest night of the year gives way to more light. We take this occasion to also honor the Belmont Uplands Silver Maple Forest, a tiny vestige of once glorious wilderness and wetlands that then became productive farmland. It now teeters at the brink of total destruction with impending building development that abbreviates the Alewife Reservation, compromises wetlands and destroys the habitat of birds, coyote, fox and fish. We gather today to open our hearts to the light of wisdom, to the more excellent way of love, and to draw attention to the plight of this urban wild in our backyards.
Bringing Forth the Solstice Flames
Once again the wheel turns and the winter solstice is here.
May the warmth of this fire we light
Reignite the fire of commitment that sets our minds and hearts ablaze pushing us to work for change and transformation.
Blessed Be
Responsive Reading: From the U.N. Environmental Sabbath Program
We Have Forgotten Who We Are Diane Elliott
We have forgotten who we are.
We have alienated ourselves from the unfolding of the cosmos
We have become estranged from the movements of the earth
We have turned our backs on the cycles of life.
We have forgotten who we are.
We have sought only our own security
We have exploited simply for our own ends
We have distorted our knowledge
We have abused our power.
We have forgotten who we are.
Now the land is barren
And the waters are poisoned
And the air is polluted
We have forgotten who we are.
Now the forests are dying
And the creatures are disappearing
And the humans are despairing
We have forgotten who we are.
We ask forgiveness
We ask for the gift of remembering
We ask for the strength to change.
May we remember who we are.
A Reading from Genesis 2:8-9, 15 Rev. James Rowe Adams
Reflection: To Till and to Tend . . . In Good Balance Rev. Kerrie Harthan
We Share Our Stories and the Light
Our stories are our prayers! All are invited to "step into the light" we share, light a candle if you would like, and tell a story about your relationship to nature and wildlife, to this urban wild, to water or to the darkness of winter. Stories, poems, prayers, whatever it is that stirs your heart, please give voice to it.
Closing Song: Fly, Fly, Fly by Peter Erdely
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