I remember the first time I heard a gun fired in anger. It was late one evening, and I was at a friend's house in Hyde Park. We heard two shots, immediately followed by a chorus of whistles. A few minutes later we saw a pool of blood on the sidewalk, and a young man's body lying inert on the grass. What had started as an armed robbery had very quickly escalated into a murder.
Violence is frightening.
Even talking about violence is frightening. Talking about violence can recall the past, including times when we were hurt or afraid. But at some point, we need to talk about these experiences, lest they continue to hold us in their power. Here in this sanctuary, here in this place of community, compassion, and safety, we have the resources that enable us to confront violence and consider it openly. It comes from the intentional juxtaposition of the book's title with the symbol of Unitarian Universalism, our flaming chalice.