I led a service in Cookeville this past Sunday. It went pretty well. These were some of the texts:

Opening words - Annie Dillard (SLT #420):
"We are here to abet creation and to witness to it, to notice each other's beautiful face and complex nature so that creation need not play to an empty house."

Chalice lighting - Eric A. Heller-Wagner:
"Blessed is the fire that burns deep in the soul. It is the flame of the human spirit touched into being by the mystery of life. It is the fire of reason; the fire of compassion; the fire of community; the fire of justice; the fire of faith. It is the fire of love burning deep in the human heart; the divine glow in every life."

Reading - by Harry Meserve, a great twentieth century UU minister (SLT #496):
"From arrogance, pompousness, and from thinking ourselves more important than we are, may (we be saved). For allowing ourselves to ridicule the faith of others, may we be forgiven.
"For making war and calling it peace, special privilege and calling it justice, indifference and calling it tolerance, pollution and calling it progress, may we be cured.
"For telling ourselves and others that evil is inevitable while good is impossible, may we stand corrected.
"God of our mixed up, tragic…doubting and insurgent lives, help us to be as good as in our hearts we have always wanted to be. Amen."

Responsive reading - by Robert T. Weston (SLT #650):

Cherish your doubts, for doubt is the handmaiden of truth.
Doubt is the key to the door of knowledge; it is the servant of discovery.
A belief which may not be questioned binds us to error,
for there is incompleteness and imperfection in every belief.
Doubt is the touchstone of truth; it is an acid which eats away the false.
Let no one fear for the truth, that doubt may consume it;
for doubt is a testing of belief.
The truth stands boldly and unafraid; it is not shaken by the testing;
For truth, if it be truth, arises from each testing stronger, more secure.
Those that would silence doubt are filled with fear;
their houses are built on shifting sands.
But those who fear not doubt, and knows its use, are founded on rock.
They shall walk in the light of growing knowledge;
the work of their hands shall endure.
Therefore let us not fear doubt, but let us rejoice in its help:
It is to the wise as a staff to the blind; doubt is the attendant of truth.

For the "Story for All Ages," Olivia Hutchison called upon various members of the congregation to encourage a closed door to open. (This was a door in the wall of the meeting house which is seldom (if ever) opened. The congregation's poster of UU principles and sources is affixed to it.) Their efforts included addressing it in English, Spanish, French, pig Latin, and baby-talk; reminding it of other great doors around Cookeville; informing it of the physics of doors in Bengali -- you probably had to be there. It was definitely a memorable lesson on stubbornness!

(And there was also a sermon. I'll post it in a separate entry.)