Re-Viewing the Stories We Eat

Re-Viewing the Stories We Eat: A Call to Eco-Critical Awakening

This service reimagines familiar tales through an eco-critical lens, drawing out warnings about human excess, cruelty, and the suppression of empathy. Through dramatic storytelling and thoughtful reflection, we are invited to see beyond whimsy and into the heart of cultural narratives that shape our relationship to the earth and one another. With hope and reverence, we consider how reclaiming child-like wisdom can help us retune our lives to the interdependent web of existence.

Themes and UU Principles Addressed:

Respect for the Interdependent Web of All Existence: At the heart of this service is a call to awaken to our place within the living world and respond with humility, stewardship, and care.

The Inherent Worth and Dignity of Every Person (and Being): We reflect on how the stories we tell can either honor or erase the sacred value of all life, and how our actions must reflect inclusive compassion.

Justice, Equity, and Compassion in Human Relations: This service challenges us to name injustice—whether social, ecological, or emotional—and to respond with deliberate care and community commitment.

A Free and Responsible Search for Truth and Meaning: Through re-interpretation of beloved texts, we explore deeper truths and cultivate a critical awareness that leads to personal and collective transformation.

Acceptance of One Another and Encouragement to Spiritual Growth: Embracing the child-like wisdom within and honoring stories as tools for empathy and moral courage.

This service is both a mirror and a map—inviting us to see clearly and to choose a more compassionate path forward.