Uncapped Conversations, our open small group, meets on Tuesday in the private room at Java Vino, with 11 spots available around the table. Please RSVP me to save your spot. I have promised to publish the list of guiding questions to give you a sense of the direction of our conversation and time for those who wish to prepare their thoughts. Our theme is “Making Promises, Breaking Promises, Remaking Promises.” Here they are:
1. While a contract has the force of law, a covenant has the force of love. What are some of the covenants or promises that you have made whether implicit or explicit? What was behind your decision to make this promise?
2. Gretchen Haley says that making promises requires trust, trust of ourselves and trust of others, which is a challenge in a culture which encourages us to distrust each other. What does it take for you to experience trust?
3. Think of a time when you have experienced a broken promise, either a promise made to you that was broken or a promise you made that was broken by you. How did this affect you? What helped you to get through the brokenness and back into a place of love?
4. Unitarian Universalism is a faith of the covenant. We are not bound by a set of common beliefs about the divine, but by the promises that we make to ourselves, to our community and to life. We speak one of these covenants at the beginning of every service and at the beginning of every Uncapped Conversation. What does it mean to you that you are, even if just for this evening, connecting to a faith of covenant rather than a faith of belief? Does this feel more free or more vulnerable? Or both?
5. Are there promises that you are considering making in your life now? Either to yourself or to another person? What does this say about who you are becoming?