Removing the Obstacles to Joy

Join us for this service via an on-line Zoom Meeting

“Why is it so hard to access Joy?” This is the question I was asked by a nurse recently at the Children’s Hospital where I serve as a Chaplain. Why is it important to access joy and what are the obstacles we face in searching for it? In “The Book of Joy” by Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama, the two wise men share their answers about the importance of joy and why we struggle to access it. We will join together on a journey to finding joy and eliminating hurdles in the search.

Rev. Laura Shennum currently serves as a Chaplain Resident at University of San Francisco Medical Center in California. Before her chaplain residency, she served nine years as Parish Minister at Cascade Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Wenatchee, WA. She is a member of the UU Ministers Association Good Officer Coordinating Team. She lives in California with her husband, Don, and youngest daughter, Bree.

Share the Plate

  • Our Share the Plate this week Catalyst for Change.

    Catalyst for Change serves individuals and families experiencing homelessness in Dane County. They provide street outreach and mediation to assist people with community services. They are also working with the encampment at Reindahl Park where they can disperse used tents, sleeping bags and other winter survival gear that you may no longer need.


Order of Service

  • Gathering Song: #188 “Come, Come, Whoever You Are”
  • Centering Sound
  • Welcome
  • Prelude: “Joy to the World,” by Hoyt Axton
  • Call to Worship
  • Opening Hymn: #361 “Enter, Rejoice, and Come In”
  • Lighting the Chalice
  • Musical Response
  • Time for All Ages: “Yes Mikey, Santa Does Shave,” Recess
  • Hymn: “Sacred Circle” by Heather Pierson
  • Wisdom from the World’s Traditions from the Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer, and Saoirse Mcclory
  • Reflection: “Removing the Obstacles to Joy” with Rev. Laura Shennum
  • Offering: “Furniture,” Upward Spirals
  • Joys and Sorrows
  • Closing Hymn: #368 “Now Let Us Sing”
  • Extinguishing the Chalice and Benediction
  • Postlude: “Chinese White,” by Mike Heron

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