St. Paul, I think, took a wrong turn when he cast Christianity as fundamentally about what one believed. For us Unitarian Universalists the question is not what shall we believe, but how shall we live? Who shall we live with in community? And, those moments we’ve had of mystery and wonder, glimpses of eternal goodness, transcendent oneness, what shall we make of those? How can the power of such radically nonsensical flashes be integrated with our daily life? Those are our questions.
The answer isn’t one that can be spoken or written down but must be lived out. So we come here, come together once a week to light some candles, share of ourselves, sing some songs, hear and consider a sermon, center ourselves on what is important, worship in the sense of worth-shape, give shape to what has deepest worth in our lives.
Since it is in our relationships that we find who and what we are in the vast web of reality, we come here to live by a covenant for how we relate to each other. Within our relationships as Unitarian Universalists, we can come to spiritual depth and wisdom and find the grace to walk on this planet fruitfully rather than destructively. We mutually agree to strive for authenticity and honesty together amidst mutual respect and care. We share not a belief, but an attitude, a faith that life is good, that justice is attainable, that caring redeems us, and that joy is one another’s company.
In love,
Meredith
In case you missed it . . .
Here's the sermon of Sun Apr 1:
This week's posts on "The Liberal Pulpit":
"An April Fool's Easter"
Index of past sermons: HERE. Index of other reflections: HERE.
Practice of the Week. Notice You're All Right Right Now. Look again at the thin slice of time that is the present. In this moment: Are you basically okay? Is breathing okay? Is the heart beating? Is the mind working? The answers are almost certainly yes. In daily life, it's possible to access this fundamental sense of all-rightness even while getting things done. You're not ignoring real threats or issues, or pretending that everything is perfect. It's not. But in the middle of everything, you can usually see that you're actually all right right now.
Your Moment of Zen. Zazen in the Forest. It had been stormy for several days, and the community did not meet. Finally, the winds calmed, the rains stopped, and the meetings resumed. Owl obviously wanted to speak, so the others deferred. "I've been told," she said, "that long ago, folks could devote themselves full-time to the practice, and enlightened masters emerged. Nowadays here in the forest, folks are so busy hunting and gleaning and protecting themselves that they have very little time for zazen. How can we hope to attain the level of realization the old masters attained?" Raven said, "They saw plum blossoms; we hear the robin." READ MORE...
Zen Practice at CUUC: Sat Apr 7
Minister's Tuesday Coffee Chat. I'm at a coffee shop (almost) every Tuesday from 3-5pm. I invite you to drop by and chat.
Apr: Barnes and Noble Cafe, Vernon Hills Shopping Center, Eastchester
May: Red Mango, 1924 Palmer Ave, Larchmont. (A departure from coffee -- let's try a fruit smoothie!)
NOTES
- The two Common Reads for 2017-18: HERE
- On the Journey, March: Wandering. HERE.
- Sun Apr 29. A SPECIAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING HAS BEEN CALLED to vote on the proposal that Community Unitarian Universalist Congregation takes the following Position on Escalating Economic Inequity . . . read the position HERE -- it's about a 10-minute read.
Or, if you like, you can listen to me read it out loud. (About 19 minutes, out loud.)
This Week's e-Communitarian
R.E. News: Apr 8
Music: Apr 8
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