Sep 8, 2019 - Jun 7, 2020
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First Parish in Lexington

These groups have been moved for the moment to a virtual format, please contact the facilitator of your group for more information

 

A great way to connect with others at First Parish is through our small group ministry­ – Soul Matters. In groups of 10, we meet with a facilitator once a month to explore spirituality and personal growth using a monthly UU theme which Rev. Anne also speaks about in her sermons. Please contact her if you’re interested in joining a Soul Matters group.

The theme for March is:WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A PEOPLE OF WISDOM?

In our materials this month we are reminded  that  “the math of wisdom is often the opposite of what we think. It’s more a game of subtraction than addition. Often, accumulation of knowledge doesn’t get us closer to wisdom; it’s just in the way.  There’s a sorting, simplifying and stripping away that needs to occur. It’s about unknowing as much as knowing.”

 

Knowledge is a process of piling up facts; wisdom lies in their simplification.

– Martin H. Fischer

 

This month’s Soul Matters topic is:  WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A PEOPLE OF WISDOM?

Just think about how deeply we get tangled up in those cultural messages about money and success. Or the way degrees, IQs tests and SAT numbers get mixed up with status rather than the pursuit of truth. Or the way political parties, religions and even science claim to have all the answers. Maybe this is why the Sufi poet Hafiz wrote:

 

The Beloved sometimes wants 

To do us a great favor: 

Hold us upside down 

And shake all the nonsense out. 

 

And with all the nonsense shaken out and stripped away, maybe what we notice most is not so much the pearls of wisdom themselves, but the sources of wisdom we’ve forgotten.