Intimacy with the sacred

While singing shape note music, the Rev. Dan Harper notices a facial expression he’s never seen during a UU Sunday service.

[The] leader’s facial expression caught my eye—eyes rolled slightly upward, lids slightly lowered, cheeks slack, head tilted slightly back—it was subtle, but I recognized that facial expression. It was the expression that comes at peak experiences, at moments of religious ecstasy. (Yet Another Unitarian Universalist, April 23)

The Rev. Sam Trumbore wonders what UUs can learn from an evangelical approach to developing a personal relationship with God.

Our constructed sense of self and of God as separated from each other and in conflict with each other interfere with the direct experience of the unity of being. Imagining oneness and unity create the possibility for experiencing that reality. (Rev. Sam Trumbore, April 21)

Celebrating Earth Day

Jason Pitzl-Waters offers a Pagan perspective on Earth Day.

Modern Pagan and Heathen faiths, whether they identify as “nature religions” or not, have a special sacral relationship with the natural world. Our gods and goddesses can be found in oceans, rivers, forests, and mountains. . . . Our rites often mark the changing seasons, and once tracked the progress of crops essential to our survival. . . . So it isn’t surprising that many Pagans feel a special urging to advocate for the environment and the protection of the natural world. (The Wild Hunt, April 22)

The Rev. Tony Lorenzen celebrates a Franciscan Earth Day.

I celebrated Earth Day by picking up large rocks, hauling bricks in a wheelbarrow, shoveling and spreading loam, shoveling and spreading mulch, hauling rocks to line the herb and strawberry spiral, and ripping open and pouring bags of concrete into post holes for the posts of bird houses. . . . I preached the gospel all day long Saturday and rarely did I use any words. I worked with about four dozen brothers and sisters and we preached by our deeds. (Sunflower Chalice, April 22)

The shape of justice

The Rev. Susan Karlson participates in a “Jericho Walk,” a vigil for immigration justice outside the Supreme Court as it considers Arizona’s SB1070.

After the seventh circle around the Supreme Court, we raised our arms again and Father Fabian read the Jericho Prayer in Spanish while I read it in English. And then we began the lament—the shout of all the sorrow and pain accompanying those who came from Arizona, those who have long been working to bring greater justice, love, fairness and dignity to people’s lives. Without words, the cry continued, bursting from our hearts and lungs, spilling onto the steps. (Minister’s Musings, April 25)

The Rev. Jude Geiger explores the “white rage” that fuels violence and prejudice.

I believe it’s in part sourced in the crossroads between the myth of the American Dream, and the pain we feel when things that used to go our way stop seeming to go our way. . . . The American Dream says that if you work hard enough, you’ll achieve financial success, a house, and 2-point-something children. For some people that’s still true. But it seems like it’s true for less and less of us. (Rev. G. Jude Geiger, April 25)

The Rev. Fred Hammond responds to Alabama’s anti-immigration HB658.

Rep. Micky Hammon stated before voting to move the revision bill HB 658 out of committee that “Churches need something written in crayon because they exaggerate.” Exaggerate? . . . It is also not an exaggeration to state that Rep. Micky Hammon’s statement reflects a disdain for religious values that guide humane behavior. (A Unitarian Universalist Minister in the South, April 24)

Speaking from her own experience, the Rev. Elz Curtiss weighs in on the issue of providing payment for caregivers.

Money is how we demonstrate that something has value, how we honor an action or output across different subcultures, languages, races, even state boundaries. . . . Unless I’m a total freak, I believe that paying other caregivers as I am paid will release huge waves of tension throughout our national body politic. (Politywonk, April 25)

Access, worth, and dignity

Theresa Ines draws attention to gap between our commitment to inherent worth and dignity, and the reality of physically inaccessible spaces.

If I start with the premise that a place that is not accessible to me is tacitly refusing my patronage, I arrive at the conclusion that all the places that are not accessible are places I am not welcome or wanted: the platform at the chapel of my church; the supply room of the religious education wing; seminaries with inaccessible facilities. (Inexplicable Beauty, March 26)

In her series of posts about the recent UUA Board meeting, trustee Linda Laskowski notes that accessibility is among the reasons for UUA headquarters to leave Beacon Hill.

Last week the UUA Board cleared the UUA Administration to sell [25 Beacon Street], plus two other buildings on Beacon Hill, and move to another location. . . . Over the past year the Board and Administration have been looking at whether or not these properties fit our values. . . . First there is the issue of accessibility: there is an elevator, but there are also ramps that are very difficult for physically challenged people to navigate. . . . Between the cost to maintain and do significant (needed) repairs to old buildings, and the difference between what we could get for selling the building and moving to a different one that fit our values around people and our environment, we could add a significant amount of money for programming each year––programming that goes directly to supporting our congregations. (UUA View from Berkeley, April 26)

Around the blogosphere

Christine Slocum admits that she is no longer a strict vegetarian, and is, instead, a “conflicted, relaxed, maybe-not-a-vegetarian.”

I am torn up over this choice. It is not that my beliefs changed. I do not believe it is ethical to kill needlessly. I do believe that the best course of action is to minimize harm. My country eats too much meat, and suffers for it. Unfortunately, I have been suffering from health issues that I highly suspect are diet-related. The conflict is that I have an ethical imperative which I can no longer maintain without cost to my body. (Seattleite from Syracuse, April 23)

Searching for a new religious home, Hafidha Sofia visits another Seattle UU congregation.

My initial impression . . . is that it is down-to-earth, a good balance of intellect and heart, youth friendly (youth have voting rights, and some actually attend services, adults spoke of them as fellow congregants), and possesses a strong spirit of fellowship. There seems to be a tight-knit community, but it didn’t feel exclusive. There was a prevailing sense of expansion and openness. As I looked around the sanctuary and the grounds . . . it felt like there was space for me and Kidlet there. (Never Say Never to Your Traveling Self, April 23)

The Rev. Brian Kiely looks for a happy medium that combines online community with face-to-face meetings.

Lots of people like to talk about “on-line communities” and sing their praises. Just about as many people like to disparage them for not being “real.” Like a lot of things, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle—and perhaps involves a more fluid concept of ‘community.’ (Divining the Digital Reformation, April 23)

The Rev. Peter Boullata reviews—and recommends—Dan McKanan’s book, Prophetic Encounters: Religion and the American Radical Tradition.

Prophetic Encounters is a good antidote to contemporary progressive activists’ antipathy toward organized religion and spiritual movements. Anyone whose view is that religion’s role in public life is necessarily conservative needs to read this book. (Held in the Light, April 25)

A litany of wholeheartedness

The Rev. Dawn Cooley shares a “Litany of Wholeheartedness,” based on the work of Brené Brown and inspired by Rev. Rob Eller Isaac’s “Litany of Atonement.”

Because there have been times when shame has crushed our ability to be wholehearted
We let go of who we ought to be and embrace who we are. . . .
Because we have struggled to have compassion for ourselves or others
We let go of who we ought to be and embrace who we are. (Speaking of, April 14)

Responding to changing times

The Rev. Dan Harper considers the “disruptive forces” affecting Unitarian Universalism—and what we should do about them.

Instead of succumbing to nostalgia or fantasy, I’d prefer to look at how we might innovate. What can we adopt and adapt from the disruptive forces that are destroying our current business model? How might we become a disruptive force ourselves? Are there theological advantages to new and innovative business models? Or, to use a traditional metaphor, what are the new wineskins into which we will put our new wine? (Yet Another Unitarian Universalist, April 16)

Liz James objects to the argument that “our congregations have to adopt social media, or they won’t survive.”

“We must change to survive” is just not a good enough reason to make deep changes in how we do religious community. Institutional survival, after all, is not an end—it’s a means to an end. If adopting Social Media leads to survival but undermines what makes Church valuable, then we shouldn’t do it. The only good reason for a religious institution to change, in my mind, is to better serve its purpose. I believe that Social Media can help us better serve our purpose. (Sacred Lego, April 18)

Plaidshoes’ religious education committee has been discussing the pros and cons of having large, flat-screen monitors in each classroom.

I am torn on this. . . . We are also not a wealthy congregation and I am reluctant to use much of our RE budget towards this expense. I have heard, though, many UU congregations are jumping on the high-tech multi-media bandwagon and have some pretty snazzy RE rooms. I have also heard that a lot of UUA curriculum will be in this format. I would love to hear some of your thoughts on this. (Everyday Unitarian, April 18)

The Rev. Sean Dennison serves a congregation that gives its minister significant decision-making authority.

At my current congregation, we’ve done a lot of work to clarify who has the power to make decisions about particular things. For instance, under policy-style governance we use, the minister has the power to make decisions about almost everything that falls under “ministry.” Are we going to start a book group? I can decide. Is a program losing momentum and taking up a lot of resources? I can decide to end it. Are we going to add another service? Up to me. Do we need to hire a few singers to help round out the choir? Done. (ministrare, April 19)

In response to this trust, Dennison has developed a mnemonic that reminds him when to slow down and consult others.

When will you stand up?

When residents of his hometown protest a proposed mosque, Nicolas Cable asks, “When will you stand up?”

It is important that we help give voice to the other side of the debate by helping our brothers and sisters be heard. Islam is a religion of peace just as imperfectly as Christianity, Judaism, and the rest have been throughout history. . . . This is not an isolated event. These struggles are happening all over the country. Reach out to your congregations to look deep within their hearts and ask, “how can we be advocates of peace and freedom, this day?” (Spiritual RevolUUtions, April 17)

Kathleen McGregor is concerned about developments in her home state of Arizona, where Mexican and Native American history classes are being eliminated.

Only since the 1970s has the program to send Native American children off to boarding schools to “kill the Indian and save the man” discontinued. Many of those affected are are still living. I hope that the youth of today are not doomed to repeat history on the ordinary brown skinned men, the Vatos, as well as the women and children of the state who deserve respect because of their inherent worth. (Both/And: A Peculiar Mix, April 19)

Learning from Sabbath and sabbaticals

For the Rev. Naomi King, keeping a Sabbath helps her come to terms with “being without doing.”

For much of my life, I have connected being without doing as the state of being ill, trapped in bed, unable to participate in life. Sabbath gives me the gift of a different way of appreciating and understanding being without doing, a vibrant participation in life, access to a well of gratitude in dwelling in present blessing. (The Wonderment, April 13)

A sabbatical allows the Rev. Cynthia Cain to re-examine and reclaim her introversion.

It was not until this sabbatical that I truly accepted that I would always be “shy” (now I am reclaiming that word which has such a negative connotation) and realized that many of the challenges I faced came from my own and others’ unwillingness to adapt and accept that. I know that ministry was the “right” career choice for me because I could pursue the intellectual, spiritual and environmental goals about which I feel passionate. Still, it has been a challenge (the dominant personality type for clergy is ENFJ) because of the expectations of outgoingness and charisma that can create enormous stress for an introvert. (A Jersey Girl in Kentucky, April 16)

The Rev. Krista Taves’ sabbatical church-hopping leads her to All Souls in New York City, where she wrestles with feeling small in a large space.

Maybe it’s good to feel lost sometimes. Maybe it’s good to sing with a pipe organ and not be able to hear your own voice. Maybe my own voice needs to be drowned out once in a while. Maybe the truth needs to echo and I should struggle to hear it. Because really, it’s not all about us. (And the stones shall cry, April 14)

Around the blogosphere

For the Rev. Tess Baumberger, contra dancing provides a metaphor for a minister’s work

Ministry is a weighty profession. You need the people you serve to hold and give weight that counter-balances yours. In my tradition lay people and ministers need to connect in appropriate ways, then lean back a little so there’s some space between them. The space establishes a center of gravity you can both move around safely, and in ways that can be really fun. These are things I have learned from contra dancing. (Transformation Tree, April 16)

John Beckett suggests a few “defenses against the proselytizing arts” for Pagans and other members of minority religions.

The purpose of Defense Against the Proselytizing Arts is defensive—it’s not for winning arguments with fundamentalists and it’s certainly not for aggressively promoting your own religion. Its goal is to help you and your family stay safely and comfortably on the path to which you’ve been called. Its goal isn’t to change someone else’s mind—its goal is to keep someone else from changing your mind. (Under the Ancient Oaks, April 17)

The Rev. Andrew Pakula provides a series of testimonials from the Unitarian General Assembly meetings in Britain.

We’re living now on yesteryear’s fat—the legacy of the past
If we don’t increase our numbers, our movement will not last

So I implore you, delegates, to yourselves this aim apply
Because otherwise our movement will eventually die

We are the ones with power and the responsibility
There’s no one else can make us grow—only you and me.

So let’s make a pledge today—the focus of our lives
To ensure through our efforts Unitarianism thrives. (Throw Yourself Like Seed, April 17)

UUs living with military deployment

Bridget Rainey, whose husband Dallas is stationed in Afghanistan, lets us know “how deployment feels.”

We had our first casualty this week. . . . I did not know this Soldier. He was part of another Battalion within our Brigade. . . . When I heard we had a casualty I cried. I went to my room, closed the door, and sobbed for a long time. I cried for him and for his family, for his fellow Soldiers, and for the others injured in the incident. But mostly, I cried for me. Because my husband is over there too and all of a sudden the possibility that it could have been him became all too real. (Twinisms, April 6)

Experiencing Easter

In a series of posts, the Rev. Meredith Garmon explores differences in the four stories of Easter—and what they mean for us.

The resurrection is about you. Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John give four different stories: four metaphors for what each of us encounters. In these metaphors, Mary Magdalene is you. Jesus is also you. Jesus is the part of you that you thought was dead. You mourn its loss. But these stories are here to tell you: it’s not dead.

It’s not dead.

Easter is the time for soul-searching. Go, as Mary, and look. Look to find your self. (Lake Chalice, April 11)

“Fausto” considers the parallels between Passover and Easter, which happen to coincide this year.

The parallels between Passover and Easter are far deeper than the mere fact that the Last Supper happened to be a seder meal. They also share a common theme of deliverance and liberation: deliverance from worldly bondage to the Pharaoh in Egypt, deliverance from spiritual bondage to sin and death at Calvary; liberation first for the nation of Jacob at the Red Sea, liberation next for all the other nations at the empty tomb. . . . Indeed, in all languages except English and German, the Christian festival of the Resurrection is known by some variant of the Greek word Pascha, which in turn is a translation of the Hebrew Pesach, or Passover. (the Socinian, April 8)

For Christine Slocum, a potluck with friends was the best way to celebrate an agnostic’s Easter.

Will and I skipped church and hosted a potluck for Easter in our new home. Most of those who came were friends from church; most had also skipped today’s service. Reasons cited: busy, Easter service is awkward, too bad we don’t do the flower communion then, and trying to avoid “Easter Only” Unitarians. (Seattleite from Syracuse, April 9)

Crystal St. Marie Lewis encounters the sacred when she leaves Easter services to answer a cell phone call from her mother.

As I descended into the subway, I realized that I’d experienced a momentary encounter with the Divine. I had heard the still, small voice of God in the wind and it sounded like everything around me. It sounded like my mother, and it sounded like wind rustling in the trees and the laughter of a child. Truly, everything was new in that moment… I took a deep breath and said inside my heart without wavering: God lives. (Diary of a Christian Universagnosticostal, April 8)

John Beckett provides a Pagan perspective on Easter.

Jesus didn’t die for your sins or for anyone else’s sins—the doctrine of substitutionary atonement is a relic of a hierarchical, barbaric worldview that persists in our time in honor killings. Nor is Easter a triumph of life over death. Death is not the enemy—it’s a part of life. Birth is the gateway from the Otherworld into this world and death is the gateway from this world back into the Otherworld. (Under the Ancient Oaks, April 6)

Making sense of liberal religion

The Rev. Robin Tanner doesn’t believe in intercessory prayer—but does it anyway.

I used to feel embarrassed in my rational religion to be caught . . . praying to anyone as an intercession let alone a saint! But . . . I’ve come to learn the world is a lot more complicated than I can ever understand. I’ve learned that the earliest things we experience about religion and spirituality can create grooves of sort in our minds and even bodies. (Piedmont Preacher, April 11)

A “cool kid” in a pub asked the Rev. Dr. Victoria Weinstein, “Why should I go to church? Are they offering lap dances and handing out free $50 bills?”

I have thought for some time that the way to witness to people like that is to match them sarcastic comment for sarcastic comment, let them poke fun at me and the Church (and God), and stay around being cool with them. . . . But now I think that there must be some middle way between sheer mutual goofing around (after all, would I so casually tolerate that level of disrespectful teasing about any other important aspect of my identity?) and over-earnest evangelizing. However I do it, I want to keep it light, friendly and inviting, but I also want it to be real and courageous. (PeaceBang, April 11)

The Rev. Tom Schade responds to Andrew Sullivan’s “Christianity in Crisis.”

Sullivan is a Catholic, and so he seems to see his only choice as the hierarchy or the mendicant monk. He doesn’t quite get Protestantism as a viable reform movement in Christianity, especially the fruits of the Radical Reformation, which persist today in the radically inclusive sects like Quakerism and the Unitarian Universalism I serve, and which influenced Jefferson.

Sullivan starts with Jefferson’s Bible, but does not follow that historical thread. Jefferson had contemporaries and together they all have heirs, in that many others have pursued the project of an institutionalized “pure Christianity.” (the lively tradition, April 10)

Around the blogosphere

David G. Markham asks, “What is the popularity of The Hunger Games telling us about ourselves?”

The Hunger Games is not some dystopian fictionalized account of the future, it is being enacted daily in our lives, and our children know this and consume the “fiction” which mirrors their daily truth. It takes a novel and movie to tell them the truth that they are mere objects in political games that their parents and grandparents play for their own benefit and amusement. (UU A Way of Life, April 7)

Sara from The Curriculum of Love reviews Tending the Flame: The Art of Unitarian Universalist Parenting, a new book by Michelle Richards, author of the UU Parenting Blog at UU World. (The Curriculum of Love, April 12)

The Rev. Bill Sinkford is inspired by 108-year-old Alice Herz Sommer, a survivor of the Nazi concentration camps and the cancer she was diagnosed with twenty-five years ago.

[She] talks about what has sustained her through so much adversity. Gratitude for “a smile, a kind word, the sun” is her first response. She has learned that “hatred eats the soul of the hater, not the hated.” But it was another of her responses that lifted my spirit: “I know about the bad, but I look where it is good.” (Rev. Sinkford’s Blog, April 12)