Behind the Music: Roots hold me close, wings set me free

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This morning Reverend Alex invited us to reflect on desire as a spiritual quality. How can we learn to recognize and trust the spiritual desires within ourselves? When we learn to notice how our spiritual longings take shape as well as to honor the spiritual desires of others, our lives and the lives of those around us will become richer with meaning and purpose.

Massenet’s famous Méditation from Thaïs has been played at weddings, funerals, and all manner of occasions that call for a moment of beauty, emotional depth, and reflection. The opera Thaïs is centered upon Thaïs, a hedonistic courtesan whose life is filled with shallow pleasures and transactional relationships. Thaïs is jaded and nihilistic, living for luxury and the moment, without any substantial meaning to her existance. The monk Athanaël – whose motives aren’t entirely altruistic – warns Thaïs that only focusing on the good life and other superficial indulgences is ultimately empty and destructive. Thaïs is resistant to Athanaël’s urging, but while the intention behind his words isn’t pure, his message forces her to take a look at herself and as the Méditation is performed, Thaïs comes to the realization that she wants something deeper and real. After this revelation, Thaïs abandons her old life and her soul feels fulfilled when she dies at the opera’s conclusion.

Carolyn McDade’s beloved UU hymn “Spirit of Life” carries an astonishing amount within its six brief lines and can be sung in connection with compassion, justice, community, freedom, nature, and the mystery of being. Today, it served as an expression of desire in the form of openness and receptivity, especially in light of Alex’s explanation that desire sometimes comes in a form that we don’t recognize. The original hymn is beautiful as written, but for this service I used slightly altered chords to evoke a stronger sense of yearning, along with an open-ended cadence that suggests hope and continuation rather than a neat and tidy conclusion.

Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” is such a wonderful example of really good song-writing. The melody is lovely and actually goes somewhere (rather than a repetitive phrase that depends on the lyrics or artist’s voice to make it enjoyable), the text is honest and vulnerable, the beautiful harmonic progressions underline the meaning of the lyrics, and the stark transparency of the accompaniment lets the well-crafted melody, words, and harmonies shine, rather than gilding the lily. I can think of no song that better expresses desires that are wistful and deeply human with this level of emotion and simplicity.

Norman Greenbaum’s “Spirit in the Sky” served as today’s postlude and while fast and fun, it still highlights a different facet of spiritual desire: a bright, declamatory longing for connection with something larger than ourselves. Greenbaum wrote this song after being inspired by a gospel music performance; he didn’t share the theology behind the music, but was profoundly moved by the joy and conviction he experienced. “Spirit in the Sky” captures a particular sort of desire so wonderfully – an energetic pull toward meaning, invigoration, and clarity – not to mention a wildly catchy guitar riff! May this postlude serve as a reminder to move toward hope, toward transformation, and toward whatever “sky” or horizon holds meaning for you.

November 23, 2025 – Spiritual Tools for Centering and Compassion

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There has never been a better time for us to dig into our spiritual toolbox to center our souls, engage in a practice of self love and self compassion, and connect to our souls so that we can engage with each other from a space of love and joy. Dr. Bird will talk about storytelling as an act of persistence and how we can walk the good road to support our community.

Dr. Melissa Bird will preach

Memorial Service for Ron Wrolstad, 11/15

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Memorial Service for Ron Wrolstad

Saturday, November 15th at 2 PM

at

the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis

Ron Wrolstad was a long time member of UUFC.  He and his wife Kathy raised their two daughters here.  Ron was known for his steady attendance, he played the piano, was a longtime member of a book club here, and contributed in many other ways. Ron died here in Corvallis on Saturday, October 11th, 2025 from complications related to Alzheimers disease. Members of the Fellowship have described him as leading an exceedingly meaningful life as a husband, father, grandfather, scientist, teacher, colleague, student mentor, bicyclist, story-teller, and good friend.

Recording

The recording of the service can be viewed below, or on YouTube at https://youtu.be/Zly12v7-73g. It will stay available on our UUFC website and UUFC YouTube page for future viewing.

UUFC Giving Tuesday, 12/2

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UUFC’s Giving Tuesday is an opportunity for us celebrate and put into practice our UU values of Generosity and Justice. For 2025, our contributions will benefit the South Corvallis Food Bank, where the need is greater than ever. Video: <https://kval.com/newsletter-daily/need-for-food-reaches-all-time-high-in-corvallis-food-bank-says>

You can contribute

  1. via Breeze by selecting Giving Tuesday from the Give To drop-down menu
  2. via check payable to UUFC with memo “Giving Tuesday”
  3. via cash in an envelope marked with your name and “Giving Tuesday”

Thank you.

Questions: treasurer@uucorvallis.org

Show Your True Colors

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“The highest virtue among church greeters is their willingness to express human kindness… suggest, lead, guide, or do anything that is an extension of the human smile.” – Leslie Parrott, author

UU’s live out our faith through our service to others. True spiritual growth, in ourselves and in our Fellowship, arises, in part, through our connectedness with others. You are the smiling, welcoming face of the UUFC.

If you would like to join this Team, please contact anyone at the Greeter desk or contact the Heather E. at this link. We can all use a helping hand. See you Sunday!

Evacuation Drill Followup

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Thank you to everyone who participated in the Evacuation Drill on November 2.
A number of issues were identified that need to be addressed to improve our overall plan.

Do you have expertise or interest in Emergency Preparedness at UUFC?
Please contact Wolfgang D. or Rev. Alex to join a team of 3-4 people to evaluate and revise the Evacuation Plan and address other important UUFC Safety Issues.

Grief and the Holidays

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Dear congregation:

We are approaching holidays. This means different things to different people. But what it likely means for all of us is memories of years gone past.

The memories may take a very sensory form: the scents of special foods, the sights of special lights, the sounds of special songs.

But sometimes the holidays can be tender if things have changed in painful ways.

It likely means memories with people who may not be here anymore. That could be family members. Friends. A beloved clergy person.

Part of our spiritual life is to honor our grief. In the midst of holiday festivities, I hope you can find time for quiet moments, for tears, for talking about the people you are missing right now.

Surely this Fellowship itself will have a different tenor because the minister of 11 years is not here. People are finding new ways to do things and stepping into new roles. It will look different, feel different, sound different. This is all a natural part of a grief and change process. I honor that.

May all of us find wholeness as we live into the fullness of all our emotions in all the chapters of our lives.

In peace
Alex

Rev. Alex McGee is serving this Fellowship as Interim Minister and is available to be contacted at rev.alex.mcgee@uucorvallis.org.

UU Advent Daily Email Series: Register by 11/27

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Rev. Ralph Roberts created a UU version of an Advent calendar, with little factoids about the influence that Unitarians and Universalists in history had on the winter holidays. We will once again be converting these tidbits into a daily Advent email series to land in your inbox every morning from December 1st through the 24th. You can register to be on that limited-run mailing list HERE by November 27th. Please note that, due to technological limitations, we will not be able to add any recipients to the list after the 27th.

Worship Web offers the following disclaimer about the Advent series: “Due to its temporal nature, many of the historic milestones in this Advent calendar aren’t necessarily recognized on the precise day that they’re celebrated (for example, Kwanzaa is recognized here on December 2nd instead of December 26th, and the December 12 image recognizes Clara Barton’s birthday (December 25, 1821). More than perfect historic accuracy, then, this Advent calendar is offered in the spirit of holding up and delighting in the ways that our Unitarian and Universalist ancestors had a foundational role in many of the winter holidays and the innumerable ways they’re celebrated by people everywhere.”