Here We Gather in Divine
Unity,
With Aspirations of Belovedness
A Sermon for Prairie Crossing Unitarian
Universalist Congregation
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Laura Hebert
CALL TO WORSHIP:
Responsive Reading
For our community gathered here, for the spirit that called us together and drew us to this place:
We give thanks this day.
For moments we have shared with others; for times when we have reached out across barriers of distance and fear; for times when others have reached out to us; for moments when we have discovered another along our path:
We give thanks this day.
For this community of celebration and growth, introspection and solitude, and for those moments of "that peace which passes all understanding":
We give thanks this day.
For our gathering together out of distant places; for our weaving together out of many separate selves this hour of celebration and worship:
We give thanks this day.
PRAYER:
O divine source of love, we thank you for the countless ways you make yourself
known to us.
O deep lap, we feel supported by your firm strength under us. Yielding yet solid, you are utterly reliable; you will never let us down.
O all-embracing arms, you hold us warmly against your comforting self. In the rhythmic cycles of your body we feel the steady heartbeat of everlasting life.
O sweet breath, you lift our hair and caress our skin. Yours is the breath of kindness; you dry our tears, you whisper solace in the night.
Praise and thanks to you, divine source of
comfort, of pleasure, of knowledge and of peace. May we always remember, with
every breath and gesture, that we are loved, we are loved, we are loved. Amen.
WATER COMMUNION:
Fall is a special time in which we come
together, literally and symbolically, as a faith community. We have asked you to
bring water from an ordinary or special summer place. Our faith is one that
welcomes us with our diverse experiences and paths. The water that we are about
to combine is a symbol of our connection through diversity as well as the
variety of sources from which we draw upon for knowledge and sustenance. Just as
water dances through our world in many different forms, so do we bring our own
individual gifts and needs to this Beloved Community.
I invite each of you to come forward to add your water to our bowl. As you do, please share your name and why this water is special to you. If you have forgotten your water this morning, or were unaware, I have extra water in a pitcher. Feel free to pour a small amount and share where it would have come from.
SERMON:
As most of you probably know, Prairie
Circle is rather new, we are about three and a half years old. We are considered
an emerging congregation, ever taking baby-steps toward becoming a mature and
evolved church community. As a Unitarian Universalist Church, we are sovereign.
This means that we get to make our own decisions to a large extent, everything
from our form of internal governance to what we teach our children on Sunday
mornings. Our own children, and the kids can back me up here, probably wish they
had as much freedom in their own lives. I know if given a choice, my own kids
would decide to enjoy ice cream for breakfast more times than not. It's great to
have choices, but it can also feel a little overwhelming. How do we know we're
making the right choices as we grow? How do any of us, in our own lives?
Sometimes it helps to have some guidance.
A term that you'll hear thrown around a lot in UU congregations is, "Beloved Community". Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. coined this phrase after the Montgomery bus boycott, which was organized to oppose the city's racial segregation of its public transit system. Dr. King said, "The end is reconciliation, the end is redemption, the end is the creation of the Beloved Community." In a book titled "Growing a Beloved Community, Twelve Hallmarks of a Healthy Congregation", Tom Owen-Towle states that the Beloved Community extends beyond any particular parish, society, or nation to the very edges of the cosmos, welcoming all of God's creatures into its compassionate embrace. Dr. King used Beloved Community as a metaphor for a transcendent social order. It represents an unrealized potential here on Earth as well as Heaven itself. UUs strive to create Beloved Faith Communities, with the knowledge that the ideal may never fully be realized, but is no less an important motivation.
So, how do we grow toward creating a Beloved Community here, at Prairie Circle? I think we already are in many different ways. Throughout our communal church life, we acknowledge the importance of the 'holy'. In Owen-Towle's words we "create an environment where minds are stimulated, hearts fortified, souls plumbed, consciences goaded, bodies embraced, and spirits restored... we seek to serve whole human beings, acknowledging that the hallowed is present amid the ordinary and commonplace." Bridging the holy to the day-to-day work involved in running the church is important. Remembering our greater purpose and mission helps align us to our own highest collective self.
We are a welcoming faith. We welcome all who enter our fold. We believe in radical hospitality, in which the beauty of each individual soul is recognized and cherished. One of our famous UU ancestors, Theodore Parker, reminds us to "dare to be a wide place as well as a warm one." And in the words of Owen-Towle, "we're accepted as we are, even as we're challenged to grow toward whom we might become." We all have the same potential for both greatness and its opposite.
We are also a caring congregation. We light a candle of concern when one of us has fallen ill, we offer prayer and rides to chemotherapy treatments. When I gave birth my fourth child, I had delicious meals for nearly a month. Thank you.
As Unitarian Universalists, we hold strong to the
ideal of democracy. We each have a voice within our church. Too few people
leading is one dilemma, too many in charge is another. There is a balance that
must be reached for our church to function. Part of creating a healthy balance
is sharing the ministry of leadership. Owen-Towle suggests that: The liberal
church is too important to be left in the hands of the laity.
The church is too important to be left in the hands of the clergy (or the board,
or committees I might add). Our progressive faith is simply too important to be
left behind, and will always require the collaborative gifts of both pulpit and
pew. He reminds us to embody shared ministry at every level of church existence.
This can be achieved through transparency, sharing information, and the
responsibility we all have to ask questions and keep abreast of church business.
This my plug for reading our monthly newsletter.
It's also important to remember what unites us, even though we are extremely diverse. We have our seven principles we all hold dear. We light the chalice every Sunday. We have common UU ancestors whom we honor. We share Prairie Circle's mission statement. We come together for worship, religious education, and social functions. This is the glue that holds us together.
A balance of both justice and joy are important in a Beloved Community. We seek justice in the world in many ways and on many levels, both collectively and individually. We also remember to bring our own sense of joy to our activism. The joy we receive from being a part of this church community can sustain us in our efforts to make the world a better place.
Where does conflict fit within a healthy congregation? When we practice respect, conflict can create tremendous growth within our church. It may be tempting to think that when there is no conflict, all is great. I disagree, this can mean that issues are being swept under the rug and that people are walking on eggshells. Just as discussing a touchy subject with a loved one can bring you closer, airing concerns or disagreement can bring our church closer together and create a greater level of heath. There are a few caveats. It is important that we remember our allegiance to our common goals, mission and vision. The health of the greater institution, our church, needs to be placed above individual ego or opinion. Creative compromise goes a long way. And please remember that the person you're arguing with is a divine being, the same light you see in them resides in you.
Another important aspect in creating a Beloved Community is the requirement of stewardship. This is the backbone of any church, generous spirits that give of themselves. We can all give more, to create something truly wonderful. In our opening for our children's religious education classes we say (kids join in):
We are Unitarian Universalists.
We are the church of the open mind.
We are the church of the helping hands.
We are the church of the loving heart.
We can best teach our children the importance of helping hands by demonstrating through our own actions. I hope you will explore opportunities to help at the committee fair after service today. Financial support is another side to the coin, pun intended, and is just as important to our congregational health. It is only by giving that we receive.
We all have the responsibility and power to
create a healthy, vibrant church community here at Prairie Circle. We have so
much to look forward to as we grow together in faith. I invite you to awaken to
the possibilities. As we begin another year together, let us celebrate how far
this little church has come, while we find the courage to face the inevitable
challenges we will encounter. Let us aspire to embody the concept of Beloved
Community here and now. Blessed be.
BENEDICTION:
This is the home that love made.
It is full of the love of all who have worshipped here; those who have celebrated and grieved here; the babies dedicated, couples married, and family members mourned here.
This is the home that love made.
It is full of the love of our children, as they learn and laugh together, and our youth, as they grow into their own sense of purpose and meaning.
This is the home that love made.
It is full of the love of the staff and volunteers who have served it, full of their hopes for this congregation, their hard work and their acts of dedication.
This is the home that love made.
It is full of the love of the choir, the love made so clear in the voices lifted here on Sunday morning.
This is the home that love made.
It is full of our love, the love of this community, despite our differences and our disagreements, the love that holds us together as a people.
This is the home that love made. Our home is our communal spirit, which transcends these walls. Can you feel it?
May the love be with us always.
Blessed be.