It is an honor of ministry to celebrate Rites of Passage with others. These Rites of passage include naming a baby and dedicating them into a congregation, honoring the transition of youth to adult, celebrating marriage, and memorializing those who have died. These are the rituals that provide meaning in the lives of those my ministry serves. I see each of these opportunities as a gift, an honor, to be in the pulpit or to lead a rite of passage.
As a youth in a Unitarian Universalist congregation, I remember being moved by the rhythm and the flow of the worship services. The sermons, along with the combination of the worship elements including the music, the readings, the prayer, and especially the shared silence, captivated my attention. By the age of 17, I was called to ministry and I would sit in the pew on Sundays and imagine what kind of worship services I would create as a minister.
Throughout the years, I came to understand an arc of worship in a congregation’s annual calendar and to love the deeper role of ritual in a worshiping community. I am also able to understand the role of ritual in rites of passage for the participants and the community as a whole. In the role of minister, I become a curator of holy space and time. The holy is present when people gather and imbue the time with the sacred.
Rev. Christina Branum-Martin 