The seasons are literally a manifestation of the earth revolving around the sun, with no starting or ending point. Our local pattern of the seasons is unlike any other place on the planet, Even with a changing climate, this ever-renewing pattern is pretty much the same as what the first settlers, or the Kanza tribe, or the hunter-gatherers who lived in this area for thousands of years knew. To know and observe these cycles connects us to the past and to the future as we choose how to live in ways that nurture or threaten the plants and animals of this area.

Today as we celebrate Flower Communion, Rev. Nori will take a look at the life of Norbert Capek, the Unitarian minister who created Flower Communion as a way to celebrate our diversity. He was an outspoken prophet against the fascist regime of his time, as was German minister and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In this time of political divisiveness, Rev. Rost will take a look at the lives of these ministers and other faith leaders who have spoken boldly against injustices being done to marginalized groups. What is our role as people of faith? What is the church’s role? How can these flowers we bring come as close to the truth of their original meaning as possible?