Sacred Celebrations and Life Transitions
Worship Leadership & Sermons
Religious & Spiritual Observances
Celebrations & Life Transitions
Sacred Celebrations and Life Transitions
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Worship Leadership
“While much of the spiritual journey is interior and, by nature, individual, there is a particular quality of spiritual experience made available when people come together in prayer, praise, and celebration. The form and expression of gatherings for worship services varies greatly…Still, the power and value of coming together to seek and celebrate the Divine has been recognized by every religious tradition… All worship is meant to help us connect and join with something beyond our egos, beyond our small, isolated sense of self.” (Rev. Diane Berke, One Spirit Founder and former Spiritual Director.)
Rev. Gary’s spiritual ministry also encompasses leadership of religious/spiritual worship and observances. Main activities include designing and facilitating worship services, creating and giving sermons, and leading observances and rituals from most major religious faiths. While Rev. Gary is not an ordained clergy of any specific religion, he is knowledgeable about a wide range of theologies and beliefs, and he is trained and practiced in the worship, ceremonies and rituals of most religious faiths and spiritual paths. He can work within them, and, from an inter-spiritual perspective, also between them. And, for people or groups who don’t identify with any particular faith or path, Rev. Gary creates worship forms that express a more universal and inclusive spiritual experience that can resonate with one’s unique connection to their source of meaning and strength, be it nature, love, family, humanism and other secular and social forms.
The root of the word Worship, according to Unitarian Universalist Rev. Paul S. Sawyer, means “to ascribe worth to something”, and can be defined as “giving attention, reverence, and thanksgiving to highest things.” A good worship service, he adds, “touches the emotions and spirits of the people in the congregation.”
To United Church of Christ Rev. Julie G. Olmsted, a meaningful worship service offers an opportunity for:
- Looking up (to one’s relationship with the Divine and the highest in oneself) – via worship service aspects such as songs of gratitude, inspirational readings and prayers, sacred dance
- Looking in (reflection on the strengths and vulnerabilities of one’s heart, mind, and soul, and recommitment to “living their highest and loving their deepest”) – via aspects such as sermon or reflection, call to mindfulness, meditation, music
- Looking out – (creating community, “connecting with one another in a real and loving way” that builds peace and understanding between people) – via aspects such as welcoming, candle lighting, share of joys and concern, passing the peace.
Building on these perspectives, Rev. Gary strives to create meaningful worship services where attendees experience much to think about and be grateful for, and that hopefully inspires them to grow.
Click here for Order of Service for worship service led by Rev. Gary
Sermons
Rev. Gary creates and gives sermons, (also known as a reflection, inspirational talk or homily), often as part of a worship service or sometimes stand alone. His sermons aim to serve listeners in three main ways:
- Illumination – education, shedding light on a spiritual principle or teaching, offer new or deeper perspective or understanding of some aspect of life, of spirit
- Illustration – stories or examples to help people connect what they are hearing to their own lives
- Inspiration– calling people to put into practice some aspect of what you have been sharing, to open themselves to new possibilities. (Diane Berke)
A sermon is primarily meant as an oral form of communication, which should be easily understood when it’s heard. It is a personal reflection that expresses the speaker’s own insights, learning, experiences and understanding of spirit and life, which are shared with others, to offer support, companionship and inspiration to the listeners on their journey. Whether the topic is selected by Rev. Gary or someone else, his goal is first to make his own authentic connection with it and then ensure that it connects personally with the listeners, like “arrows of faith shot from your heart to theirs.” Whatever the topic, adding humor helps those arrows to reach their target.
There is no limit to the possibilities for sermon topics, because there are so many themes related to life and spirit. To name just a few: love, faith, hope, grace, reverence, mercy, fear, compassion, gratitude, forgiveness, peace, wisdom, acceptance, death, family, friendship, betrayal, holiness, evil, the mysteries of life, the meaning of each season, water, air, earth, economic and racial justice, stereotyping and “othering”, community-building, honoring the Sabbath, connecting with animals, and the spiritual life of children. Building from these broad themes and ideas, Rev. Gary’s sermons pose a specific question, challenge or perspective. Here are some examples from his sermons:
- Piercing, Lovingly, the Thin Veil between the Worlds
- Let My People Come: Liberation, Journey, and Creating New Home in America
- Ode to Life – He Not Busy Being Born, Is Busy Dying
- A Time to Rest: Finding Renewal and Joy for the Soul
- St Patrick’s Day: “Joining Together the Sacred and the Profane – A Celebration of the Celtic Spirit”
- Valentine’s Day: Love – The Moving Sea Between the Shores of Our Souls
- Surviving the Election: Love is Stronger than Fear
- Loving and Letting Go: From My First Breath to Mom’s Last Breath, and Beyond
- Who’s Running the Show? – Discernment between Self and self
- Make America Kind Again
- Embrace the Gifts of Loss: When the Silver Door Closes, the Golden Door Opens
Click here for excerpts from Rev. Gary sermon about gratitude
Religious/Spiritual Observances
From a wide range of religious faiths and spiritual paths, Rev. Gary leads observances of sacred holidays and festivals. These include Passover (photo on left), Easter, Advent, Chanukah, Christmas, Bodhi Day, Lord Krishna Birthday, Solstice and Equinox, Beltane, and All Soul’s Day. The specific format and style of observance, and how the traditions are presented, takes into account what will most resonate with participants. And also challenging them to open to something new, beyond their mental and emotional comfort zones.
For more information and fee schedules on Rev. Gary’s leadership of religious and spiritual worship services, sermons, and observances, please click here.
Celebrations and Life Transitions
Events, Ceremonies, Rituals
Life is constantly in flux and each of us goes through many changes and significant events – sometimes joyous and desirable, sometimes painful and not wanted, and sometimes a bit of both. Honoring and celebrating our lives, whatever happens, helps create for us fulfillment, beauty, and meaning. It helps us to appreciate each moment, gives us strength and wisdom to accept life changes and to engage them creatively, rather than reject and resist them.
We celebrate through ceremonies containing ritual, which, according to Angeles Arrien, “supports the changes [we] are experiencing and creates a way to ‘fit things together” (the root meaning of the word ritual). Barbara Bijou says that “in every ritual, we connect to something larger than ourselves, evoking a higher force to be with us. Thus we are able to bring a sacred feeling to ordinary events, transforming them into times of quiet reflection and connection.” She also says that rituals “slow us down,… keep us centered in the present,… [and] allow us to deal with the past and envision our futures in a very healthy, directed way.”
As a celebrant, Rev. Gary helps people to fit things together and be more healthily engaged with their past, present, and future. Beginning ceremonies with the creating of sacred space and clear intention, he custom-designs and leads participatory rituals that contain one or more of the following: prayer, blessings, reflection, conscious breathing, guided visualization, stories, music, movement, and many symbolic objects. Objects include candles, food and drink, earth, precious stones, flowers, photographs, bowls, clothing, and much more.
Life transition events that Rev. Gary honors through ceremony and ritual:
Baby Blessing / Naming – Honoring the miracle of new life
“The purpose of a blessing ceremony for a newborn is to consciously sanctify the entrance of a soul into the world, that this soul might walk through their life remembering their true essence. It is to give thanks for the miracle of new life, to support the mother and father in stepping into parenthood consciously, with love and clarity. It is to acknowledge the sacred role of others in the child’s life – e.g. grandparents, godparents… and to acknowledge and honor the interconnectedness of the child and family with the larger community, and even with all creation.” (Rev. Miranda MacPherson).
Sampling of ritual aspects of Rev. Gary’s Baby Blessing/Naming Ceremonies
- Opening Reflections and Candle Lighting
- Meditation
- Honoring of grandparents and/or godparents
- Prayer for the parents
- The Naming
- Parents Reflections and Prayer for Child
- Honoring of any siblings
- Inspirational Songs (generally quiet music)
- Eating of orange and garlic
- Touching of baby’s foot with warm water
- Community blessing of the family
- Final blessing
Other Life Transition Events to Honor
- Getting Married ~ See Reverend Gary Weddings
- New Year ~ Click here for 12-31-15 Blog entry
- Partnership
– Renewal & Support
– Ending and Transformation (Spiritual Divorce)
Click here for “Marriage Ending and Transformation” ceremony - Birthdays
- Coming of Age
- Housewarming
- Empty Nest
- Reunions
- Healing an estranged relationship
- Loss of Job / Retirement
- Loss of Home
- Reaching Elderhood
Life Transitions Group
“From Grief to Gratitude – Honoring Loss and Deepening into Life”
In-person facilitated group, 6 weekly sessions, 2 hour each, up to 10 participants
Next in-person group begins on February 25 near Hendersonville, North Carolina
Check back for online groups coming soon
Rev. Gary will be facilitating a group for embracing the transitions and losses in our lives. This refers to losses of any kind – death of loved one, relationship, divorce, empty nest, health, job/retirement, physical or mental independence. These changes can bring on much grief, worry, fear, confusion, and a feeling of “stuck-ness.” Plus, it can be very hard to talk about any of this, even to those closest to us, who may not be there for us as we would like. And yet…
The bigger truth is that we are all in this together.
The Grief to Gratitude group is a shared journey of exploration, and a deepening of appreciation, joy, and understanding about that which is no longer in our lives, and that which is to come. In a safe and compassionate space, we can tell our story, and know we are listened to. We experience companionship and new connections.
Through rituals and practices such as celebration, forgiveness, guided visualization, meditation, prayer, inspirational reading, and expressive arts (journaling, movement, etc.), we begin to embrace loss and mystery. We discover that grief comes bearing gifts, not just pain, and that we can learn from loss. Little by little, we open to growth, change, and love. We begin to accept what has changed in our lives and are able to start to move toward a new vision of the future that calls us. In this way, we grow forward and can discover deeper purpose in our lives. We can live more fully, with greater balance, wisdom, integration and peace.
Join us
Suggested $25 per person donation each session
For more information on Rev Gary’s Celebrations, Life Transitions Events and Groups, and to sign up for upcoming groups, please click here
Celebrations Blog Posts
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