It was great to see and hear our youth on Sunday - they are
a passionate, creative and energetic group!
At one point in the service, one of the speakers made a slip which she
caught immediately: She referenced Unitarian Universalism’s seven
“commandments,” paused and said, “I can’t believe I just said that. I mean our seven Principles.” It was a moment of lightness and transparency
and everyone chuckled, in part I think, because we understand that the
Principles may be the closest thing we UUs have to a creed, or to
commandments. But, of course, they are
not.
The Unitarian
Universalist Principles state our faith’s vision of the Beloved
Community. I’m sure that you have heard
me – and the other UUCA ministers – speak about Beloved Community, an idea authored
by Josiah Royce, but popularized by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Shirley Strong writes that the term Beloved Community means “an inclusive,
interrelated society based on love, justice, compassion, responsibility, shared
power and a respect for all people, places, and things—a society that radically
transforms individuals and restructures institutions.” Our Principles describe what living as (or
into) the Beloved Community means. I
love the way our UUCA Board has incorporated Beloved Community into their
work. They have written: “The Unitarian
Universalist Church of Annapolis exists to create the Beloved Community by
inspiring and empowering all souls to lead bold and compassionate lives.”
Unitarian Universalism is a
covenantal faith, not a creedal one. If you “clicked” on the link above and
read the Principles and then kept going, through the “Sources” section (that
begins with “The living tradition which we share draws from many sources …”)
and then to the final paragraph where in the last sentence you finally get to
the language of covenant: “As free congregations we enter into this covenant, promising to one another our mutual trust
and support.” (emphasis added)
If it had been up to me, I would have begun this vital and vibrant piece –
our Principles – with these words: “Promising to one another our mutual trust
and support, we covenant to affirm and promote …” This says it clearly: We are
a covenantal faith, a way of religion that places our relationships at the
center of our vision of the Beloved Community; the Beloved Community is our
relationships and we exist to inspire and empower bold and compassionate
living. Living in covenant, being in
relationship, making promises of trust and support – these are not for the
faint of heart; it’s hard work. It can be challenging “to stay at the table”
when we don’t agree with what’s being said, when conversations get prickly, when
we’re confused.
We experienced the promise of
covenant following the youth’s service when we held our Annual Meeting and we
had a glimpse of what working in the spirit of covenant looks like. The meeting was filled with thorough
presentations, animated discussion following good questions and while there was
room for deepening and broadening the experience, it was good. Some of you noted that there
must have been many hours of planning and conversation that went into shaping
our time together – and yes there were!
Having strict and unchanging rules – having creeds – might have made the
meeting move faster and more efficiently (perhaps there would have been no need
for a meeting!), but this is not the way we follow in Unitarian Universalism.
Creeds
and commandants would be so much clearer and easier. As Unitarian Universalists we have chosen a
challenging way of shaping and living our religion. And I love it!
Take care and see you soon,
Fred
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