Caveat, please note— Sermons are written to be spoken in a religious communal setting. They are not written to be published, polished, written works of art. They are also written within the context of chosen music and readings. For those that rely on readings, the readings are either self contained in the document or in a separate file adjacent to it.
With that in mind, I hope you find something helpful here.
The summer was filled with lessons of all kinds, but on
this weekend, the focus turned to the legacy of Senator
Edward M. Kennedy and the future of health care in this
country.
Finding meaning in the Easter story is often a
challenge for those of us who do not believe that the
resurrection of Jesus is the basis of our faith. There
is, though, meaning to be found in the story itself.
Joseph Priestley, scientist, philosopher, theologian,
and political activist was an interesting character in
our history. He also founded the very first Unitarian
congregation in the nation in Philadelphia. A new book,
The Invention of Air, sheds light on this fascinating
and important character from the Enlightenment.
On the eve of a very unique "holiday" that helps us
mark time, there was a mvie that, for all of its humor,
has some interesting lessons embedded within it.
On my favorite TV show of all time, The West Wing, when
President Bartlet finished one task, he hardly took a
breath before asking "what's next?" Holding an election
is one thing, the aftermath and the real work lies
ahead.
This weekend ushers in a brief window of "liminal" time
where the boundaries between the spirit world and the
"real" world are almost permeable. As we face a fateful
election, what would the souls of our past Unitarian
and Universalist leaders have to say to us if they
could join us?
In the midst of crisis intervention in the financial
world, things stopped in Congress (at least publicly)
for 48 hours in observance of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish
New Year, allowing the several members of congress who
are Jewish to attend to their spiritual lives. It is a
good reminder that even when—or especially
when—we are over stressed, frantic, afraid or
even in a state of panic, it is good to have an
opportunity to find your spiritual center and look
deeply into your core values.
We begin de-constructing the vocabulary of faith,
looking at words in a way that we can understand them
and not have them defined for us by others.
A few of the basics about who we are. Just a few. It
doesn't do us a service to try to reduce it to a sound
bite.
The Constitution is the Backbone of this country.
Without it we would not have the freedom to worship as
we please. There is reason to fear for it's integrity
and it calls out for action.
As we begin the new near, we ask ourselves what we will
do to make this a year that makes a difference not only
in our lives but in the world around us. How will our
lives be a blessing to the world?
The Rev. Martin Luther King left a leagcy not only in
regard to his civil rights work. He left a legacy of
activism against war. On the anniversary of his birth
we call those words and ideas forth.
We need not be afraid to use language that others
misuse. It is important to know what words mean beyond
the interpretation ascribed to them by people other
than ourselves. Prayer is one of those words.
On Sunday mornings (and at other gatherings during the
week) congregations around the continent light a
candle, an oil lamp, a vessel containing a flame. There
is a history behind the act. It is part of our
heritage. Knowing that history helps us describe who we
are to those who ask.
Unitarian Universallism has often been on the leading
edge of theological thought in this country. Religious
Humanism has been a part of our contribution to the
dialogue. Does it need to be a divisive influence in
our congregations? Surely I hope not.