“Let My Life Speak…. Or Not”

I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to share the “Simple Gifts” painting with you.  Today seemed like the right time because we have celebrated membership in this wonderful liberal religious tradition. I use the world liberal intentionally, perhaps because the word has fallen so out of favor for the time being in American public life -  But we are proudly,  a liberal religion.  Let me read you a bit of the definition of liberal from the Oxford English Dictionary…. 

“Free from bigotry or unreasonable prejudice in favour of traditional opinions or established institutions; open to the reception of new ideas or proposals of reform.

   Hence often applied as a party designation  to those members of a church or religious sect who hold opinions ‘broader’ or more ‘advanced’ than those in accordance with its commonly accepted standard of orthodoxy, e.g. in Liberal Catholic. Liberal Christian:  in the U.S. chiefly applied to the Unitarians and the Universalists.”

The painting ‘Simple Gifts’ offers a useful visual method to help us remember some key liberal Unitarian Universalist values – and it references some of our history, as well.  When I mentioned that we would be honoring a fifty and 70 year member today, someone from outside the church expressed surprise that our faith was that old.  Our openness to new ideas makes us seem newer than we are.  Universalist L.B. Fisher  said:  "Universalists are often asked to tell where they stand.  The only true answer to this question is that we do not stand at all, we move."  There is humor in his reply – but there’s some truth there, too. Ours is an evolving faith. This picture is particularly useful because Unitarian Universalism is hard to explain. [We could make our own picture]  I think we should find some good place in the church to hang it.

 Lived religion is more than a set of ideas or deeply held values. Religion lives when values are made manifest in the world. I’ve always loved  our symbol of the chalice here in the Middleboro church because it’s made of hands. This is appropriate because whatever truth or love or compassion we are able to achieve in here (head) or in here (heart) are conceptions only until we are able to birth them – make them reality – through our work  - through the exertion of our hands in the world.

 We want to be more than inclined toward love, kindness, caring and compassion.  We want to be able to manifest these healing and productive qualities. But you know as I do that it is possible to care deeply about the world and yet fail to be a healing presence from moment to moment. Life’s pressures and demands are real, intense and can be harmful. They can chip away at our ideals, leaving us in real life feeling hurried, task oriented and short-tempered. Our lives do not speak our values.

 There are many reasons to join a church. I suspect that, among other things, one reason is to be taught or encouraged to find practical methods on how to bring one’s lives into closer harmony with ones highest values. We want to be more spiritually integrated. This is a quality that is hard to define but we know it when we see it.

  Recently I watched a film about Kofi Annan. The title of the film is called “KofiAnnan - Center of the Storm.”  I don’t believe there have been any more difficult times for the United States then these past few years when Annan has been at the helm. And yet, Annan, during that film had a calming presence such that, when the camera was on him caused me to feel slowed down, pulled into engagement at a different level. Annan is courteous and attentive in a way that feeds those around him. His life is as pressured as it can possibly be, and yet he seems to be able to manifest kindness and compassion  in even the most mundane exchanges – even in the hardest of time his behavior seems deeply consistent with his ideals. I don’t know Annan’s religion, but his demeanor suggests that he has a strong and fruitful spiritual practice.  He comes across as spiritually integrated. (You will have an opportunity to see that film on November 30^th after church. A viewing is being sponsored by the Social Action Committee.)

Spirituality has to do  with how our various parts—our emotions, our reason and physicality—work together in making us aware that we are alive. But it’s more than that. It has to do with feeling our connection to the larger world – to other human beings, to all other living things, and the earth.  And beyond that, it is the portal through which we experience our connection to the sacred mystery of life, a mystery which some call God or the Holy. 

Spiritual practice helps us to get in touch with who we are and who we would like to be. It is a kind of listening and attentiveness that can take many forms – prayer, meditation, tai chi, spiritual reading and reflection – painting, music and jogging. It is not only for the Kofi Annans or Dalai Lamas of the world.  Hard times will come to all of us. I would hope that developing a spiritual practice is part of the commitment each of us makes to ourselves.  It can help us remain steady in the center of the storm.

Studies have shown that extroverts tend to seek renewal more often in relational practices while introverts are more apt to seek opportunities for quiet and reflection.  All spiritual endeavors, if they are to lead to change and growth, require effort, improve with consistency, and yield growth if you are faithful. This listening and attentiveness feeds the soul.

Parker Palmer, and educator who is also a Quaker, has a wonderful quote about the soul:

The soul is like a wild animal -- tough, resilient, savvy, self- sufficient, and yet exceedingly shy. If we want to see a wild animal, the last thing we should do is to go crashing through the woods, shouting for the creature to come out. But if we are willing to walk quietly into the woods and sit silently for an hour or two at the base of a tree, the creature we are waiting for may well merge, and out of the corner of an eye we will catch a glimpse of the precious wildness we seek.” 

Belonging to a church does not constitute a spiritual practice. Attending church regularly is the beginning of one. I mentioned to you earlier that Unitarian Universalism moves.  Back when Darragh and Celia joined the church 50 and 70 years ago, the Unitarian church concerned itself with freedom, reason and tolerance – it had moved away from the traditional religious acceptance of miracles and embraced a new form of religion that made room for science. There may have been little recognition of soul back then. There was a strong movement toward humanism.

Until recently in our history there has been no particular emphasis on developing a spiritual practice. But we continue to move. Spiritual practice is one item that is absent from the “Simple Gifts” painting that I would like to see added. (although I’m not sure what the right symbol would be.)  and I believe the body of the church is moving in that direction. Because we draw from the world’s diverse religions, there is much we can and are learning from others and this is one area of Unitarian Universalist life where I believe there is a lot of activity.

Many of you already have a spiritual practice. Many of you pursue meditation, tai chi or other practices at home. The covenant of UU Pagans that meets monthly here – individuals together trying to live in greater harmony with the cycle of the seasons. The First Monday Transitions Group operates in the form of small group ministry, – we have the Spirituality Group which meets on Thursday nights and the Saturday morning 12-step group. If these activities are mainly social for you, then they don’t constitute spiritual practice.  But to the extent that you engage them for growth they are.  If you don’t have a spiritual practice of any kind, I would encourage you to develop one.  Challenge yourself to deepen and grow. Try to make sense of your values in relation to the world. Then you will be better able to let your life speak. If you are spiritually integrated it is possible to remain steady when your whole world is shaken.

I am so moved by the presence of a fifty year member and a seventy year member here this morning, sharing the same space with newcomers. As we have noted, Unitarian Universalism understands religion differently now than it did when you first signed the membership book, and the church has changed and will continue to change. Able to embrace science, open to the spirit, open to the insights of every generation, this is a precious legacy that we pass down through the ages.