Any re-publication would be in the hands of the UUA, since they hold copyright. That’s one of the reasons I’ve shown more interested in even older liturgies; they’re in the public domain.

I wonder Roger, if the awkwardness comes from the unfamiliarity of the Morning Prayer format, which needs to be taught but has few helps in print anywhere. Yes, the language is a bit must, too, but I daresay it holds up better than the liberal liturgical works of the 1960s and 70s.

Y’all out there: get a copy if you can. Ask around at older Unitarian Universalist churches; there may be a box lying about. Or check eBay, but I wouldn’t pay more than $10 for a copy in very good condition. Make sure it has the “Services of Religion” in the front, too.

Hi Victoria. What an important discussion your funeral has produced. I was in Washington/Fairfax recently and worshiped at Universalist National Memorial Church, a place that I really treasure. They used a hymnal from 1961. It was a tad awkward, I think. But the service was lovely–Lily preached on the Gospel of Judas. The important thing, though, is that I had a dream that Sunday night that the UUA had put red Xs all over the inside cover, to indicate that this was no longer acceptable for UU congregations. I have no particular grievance with the UUA. I like the new hymnal supplement! But it was something about being confronted by our past, and the complexity and nuance of the selections in that hymnal, and finding our current language inadequate to the task. Well, this post has little, I suspect, to do with your funeral scenario. I just thought it an interesting dream.
Yours in Davenport,
Roger Butts