In What Spirit Do We Light Our Chalices?

Many newcomers to Unitarian Universalism want to know more about our flaming chalice.  They ask, “What does it mean?” and “Where did it come from?”  The second question is more easily answered than the first.  The image of the flaming chalice was born out of a need for us to have a logo for our humanitarian efforts during WWII.  (Read more here).  But its meaning has clearly been transformed into something richer and more vibrant.  We brought it to life through ritual.  The vast majority of Unitarian Universalist congregations open their worship services by lighting a chalice and by speaking some words that match the spirit of the occasion.

But what does this action really signify – other than the fact that we are UUs?  What fascinates me the most, and I think represents our faith so well, is our ability to keep the meaning of this ritual action open and flexible.  The meaning of any specific chalice lighting depends on the words we use for the lighting – nothing else.  The words are intentionally different from lighting to lighting – and so is what we are honoring.


Recently, I was honored with the opportunity to do the chalice lighting at the Sunday worship service at our UU General Assembly in Phoenix.  For this occasion, I wrote the following words:

We light this chalice today as a justice-seeking people, who face a bleak and desolate midnight of cruelty and exploitation. Our eyes are open; our souls cry "Enough." Sailing upon an ocean of injustice, we seek a compass, a true course to a land where love reigns and justice prevails. We are not alone in this journey. There is a light from that distant shore that beckons us, "Come, come." It is the light of our faith and the call of peoples from around the world. "Come, come," we hear as we head into the bright and glittering daybreak of freedom and to a place we all call home. 

Several sources informed this brief invocation – the reading by Martin Luther King, Jr. that was used later in the service, the love of sailing that is held by so many within our Annapolis congregation, by one of our hymns, “Come, Come, Whoever You Are,” by my own personal theology, and by the theme of justice that permeated the worship service and the entire GA.  The creative process continues – I even painted a small chalice to reflect the words that I had written and to commemorate this event.

I invite you to be creative too.  All it takes to have a chalice lighting is for one to express, simply and elegantly, the spirit in which the chalice is being lit.  Ask: “What are you honoring?” Or, “What task are we engaging in as we gather here?” Even, “What should we remember as we share this time together?”  For example, are we seeking to build community, honor our ancestors, tackle some church business, eat a meal, or stand up to injustice?  Each occasion would call for its own words.  Once you identify this intention, just speak from the heart, and in doing so you have set the stage for peacefully and purposely engaging in the work ahead.  Try it out.  Let us know how it goes.

-          Anastassia