It's become glaringly clear that the nation cannot look to the Oval Office for emotional and spiritual support through the COVID-19 crisis. That means it needs to become a DIY operation. So how do we do it ourselves?
Our lives are a "cone of uncertainty" by definition. And the times in which we're living seem especially uncertain to many of us, on a whole host of levels. How can we live creatively and joyfully in the face of uncertainty?
In the words of a Thai Buddhist monk, Ahahn Brahm, “who ordered this truckload of dung?” However it got here, it's here. In my previous sermon, I marshalled institutional memory and the sense of “that's who we are” (at our best). This Sunday, I will invite us to consider how we can care for ourselves and each other as we shovel our way out of the situation we're in.
Why? Because that’s who we are.
April brings with it a focus on both child abuse and sexual assault awareness and prevention. Today’s sermon will look specifically at the spiritual harm these kinds of violence do to their survivors, and what can facilitate spiritual healing. I will tell some survivor stories, although not graphically. Be aware, however, that some things in this sermon may trigger you. Be aware of how you’re feeling and do what you need to do to stay safe. I’m always available to talk, as are our Pastoral Associates and our Sabbatical Minister, Joel Tishken.
Each of us, and life itself, is paradoxically both broken and whole. Come explore what key Buddhist teachings may mean for how we understand and live out this paradox. What does this mean for each of us, and what does it mean for how we approach guiding beloved community and our world toward greater wholeness?
The Reverend Erika Hewitt writes, “We who are Unitarian Universalist affirm the inherent wholeness of every being—despite brokenness, real or apparent…because of the great, unnamable, sometimes inconceivable Love in which we live.” We can also affirm the wholeness of every situation, even those that seem hopelessly broken.
Our principles call on us to work toward making our beloved community fully inclusive for all persons. Join me as we reflect on both why and how we might do so.
I’m not giving away too much in this description. No last names; I don’t want to send you off on an Internet search! Let’s just say that Ashton and Jo Ann have something to say to us as individuals and to our culture that I think is very important to have said, and to hear. A prophet is often a “whistle-blower,” calling out things that are amiss. Prophetic people identify injustices, issues, and inequalities and then move to solutions. I will tell you this. They are, as one of them says, blowing the whistle on “an ism that affects every one of us.” Come hear about two inspiring people and what they have to say.
The “condensed books” version of how and why I became a UU is fairly straightforward. The reality is more complicated. Come reflect with me as I weave together several voices that nourished my jagged journey to this place. I expect similar voices have nourished many of our journeys as well. Our support for a “free and responsible search for truth and meaning” and “encouragement to spiritual growth” provides an excellent setting in which each of us can create a spirituality that is our own and that responds to who we are as growing, changing human beings. Trigger warning: My spiritual journey has been shaped in part by my childhood experiences of abuse. I will mention this, although not in detail, in the sermon.
