RIDING THE CREST (JC)

I am so pleased and thankful to have been given the opportunity to be the Sunday morning preacher at this year's General Assembly in Phoenix, Arizona.  For those who missed the worship service , you missed a treat!  There were 192 voices in the choir, a large house band, and over 4,000 people in attendance singing along jubilantly to hymns and choir songs. Your ministers were all participants in the service and by the number of comments we received after worship ended, we could all conclude that the service was a success.

I want to personally thank Marty Day for making the lovely stoles you see in the photo.  As I said in the sermon, "We looked marvelous!"  I also want to say "thank you" to those UUCA members who came all the way to Phoenix to support us.

For me, this powerful service marks the end of my church year and the beginning of summer.  As I go into the month of July, I plan to take time for study.  I am looking forward to reading several books.  I have a few I'd like to recommend to you, as these books more than likely will influence my ministry here with you in the coming months.

• The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander (She was one of the worship leaders at GA)
• The Persistence of the Color Line by Randall Kennedy (Fred's recommendation)
• How We Decide by John Lehrer
• It Was on Fire When I Lay Down on It by Robert Fulghum
• Voice from the Margins by Jacqui James and Mark Morrison-Reed
• The New Species: A Vision of the Evolution of The Human Being by Dr. Cherie Carter-Scott
• Guns, Germs, and Steel:  The Fates of Human Societies, by Jared Diamond

I am so thankful to you, UUCA, for allowing me the spiritual time needed to continue the vibrant ministry we have together.  We have had a great church-year!  We have lived boldly and compassionately.  I look forward to continuing the journey with you soon.

In the name of Love,

Rev. John

 

The 8th Principle (C)

In the Unitarian Universalist tradition, you hear a lot about the “7 Principles”. These are the backbone of our covenant with one another, the agreement we have made to walk together in right relationship and right action. We affirm and promote, through our Principles, respect for all people and our environment, free inquiry, use of conscience and democratic process, and justice for all.

What many Unitarian Universalists, especially those who are new to our religion, do not realize, is that these were simply drafted and voted upon by a group of delegates at a General Assembly a few decades ago. These were not handed down on Mount Sinai, they are not etched in stone, and they are not from God. They were just written, and voted upon.  They can be changed! In fact, they should be changed! According the UUA bylaws, a review should be undertaken regularly of the Principles, and changes should be made accordingly.

I'd like to propose an 8th Principle (This could be a suggested principle for our own hearts, even if it's never officially on paper) … "We affirm and promote these Principles, and honor our Sources of Inspiration, with a spirit of openness, gratitude, and humility."

Sources of Inspiration? These are the items that immediately follow the 7 Principles any time they're printed! You can find them in our gray hymnal or on the back of our Orders of Service. They describe the multiple ways Unitarian Universalists are inspired in their path, including one's own experiences and conscience, Judeo-Christian tradition and world religions, wisdom teachings of prophetic men and women, Earth-centered traditions, and science and reason. The beautiful thing about these sources is that they are ALL available to us for inspiration. One or two might speak more loudly to you than the others, but they come together. They are not a menu from which to pick and choose.

A Spirit of Openness?  We pride ourselves on our open-minded approach to theology, but when it comes down to it, we can be as fundamentalist as any religious zealot. It is good to know your truth, and to speak it, but when you do that to the exclusion of other possibilities, or other ways of life, you have abandoned the true Unitarian Universalist path.

Gratitude? Most newcomers to our churches, when I first speak to them, say something like this: "I am so grateful to have found a place where I can truly be myself, believe what I have known all my life, and ask questions!" At what point do we begin to take all of that for granted? Let's remember the gift this faith has offered us, and receive it with gratitude over and over again.

Humility?  Humility is the fruit of gratitude. When I first attended a Unitarian Universalist church, I remember the minister opening her prayer with the phrase "God of many names, whose mystery is beyond all our naming…" and I remember feeling so humble in that moment. We don't know God's name. We don't know much of anything, as humans. We strive to learn and grow each day, but we are still small, and we are still a piece of this grand universe. Fred told the story last Sunday of the blind wise people and the elephant. Each held a piece of the truth, but they could not grasp the whole thing, and so they misunderstood each other. Let's remember to be humble in our dealings with each other, with others we might not understand, or those with whom we disagree.

Our 7 Principles are a covenant, not a statement of belief. A covenant is a promise we make to each other, about how we are going to live our lives and create the beloved community. I would like us to think about not just WHAT we are going to do, but HOW we are going to do it. With openness, gratitude, and humility!

Blessings… -Rev. Christina

Running as a Spiritual Practice (AZ)

In eighth grade, I started running X-Country.   I think I initially joined because, like many 13-year olds, several older classmen that I most admired ran X-Country.  They exuded joy, pride, and enthusiasm; I wanted those things.  I imagined that I too would have boastful tales of how many miles I ran that week, and would be able to commiserate over how many hills or flights of stairs I tackled that day.  In short, I was young, and wanted to have my own experiences and stories.

So from late August through early December, I ran roughly 20 - 30 miles a week, skipping Sundays.  Here are a few things that I learned through this practice:

1)      It always helps to have a “restart” button to any day.  I loved that no matter how badly my day was going – no matter the grade in Math or French – I was able to start again with X-Country in the afternoon, and there, try to accomplish something.  I discovered that a day’s fate is never sealed.

2)      It isn’t about beating the competition; it is about doing your best.  Because people have different bodies and differing levels of running experience, it quickly seems impractical to simply compare runner to runner.  But every runner knows what it means to chase their PB or BT – their “personal best” or “best time.”  That is the kind of challenge I want to face every day.

3)      Only rarely do we reach our maximum potential.  Sometimes, I would find myself making excuses, or holding back.  It is easy to think that “Well, I will push it on the straight away,” or “I am so tired today.”  During my final race in eighth grade, I really wanted to do my best, so I decided to set my pace to another runner – Elaine – who was a stronger runner than I was.  I stayed with her for the first third of the race, until her contact fell out and she had to stop.  She encouraged me on, into the hills, but I felt demoralized.  How could I do my best without Elaine?  I ended up walking off and on through those hills until I recognized that I was the one running, that I had been keeping up with Elaine, and that I still felt strong.  I pushed it in for my season’s PB.  When I hear such thoughts now, and at other times of the day, I am better able to recognize that I likely have capabilities that I am not allowing myself to tap into. 

4)      It helps to have a place where everyone knows your name.  During X-Country practice, I got to share of myself and hear others’ stories in return.  We would talk – even sing – as we ran, which helped build up our lung capacity, but which also built a spirit of community.  Because we were runners, we knew what it meant to feel empowered and to respect our bodies.  I would turn to these wise young women for advice, support and commiseration.  With them, I always knew I would be welcome.

5)      I don’t run; I am a runner.  Many people can run, but not all of them will love it.  For not all of them will it become part of their identity.  I run because it is who I am.  I run because when I run I feel incredibly myself – honest and aware of where I am, and how I am living my life.  I am forced to acknowledge any anxiety I bring, or anger, or fear, or hurt.  I run to discover, and to know myself more deeply.  I run to meditate and reach that state where I am simply being and not processing.  Through running I discover a sense of easy companionship with myself.

I identify running as a spiritual practice for me, because it helps me become more grounded, more aware, and less self-focused.  I am grateful for all the places I have run, for the people I have run with, and for my ability to return to this life-affirming practice.   I hope that your practice – whatever it may be – also provides valuable life lessons and that it becomes a meaningful part of your identity. 

- Anastassia