The Unitarian Universalist covenant on the wall includes:
the goal of world community, with peace, liberty and justice for all.
but there is a conflict there: If there’s justice for all, doesn’t that mean some people will have to be punished, with a bottom line punishment of jail. But if some have to go to jail that means that there would not be liberty for all. And our goal would be nonsense? Continue reading Does New Zealand put too many people into jail?→
I recently finished a fantasy novel. I used to think the genre met my needs for escape literature. Sometimes it does but often it invites me into nearly obsessive theological reflection. This particular novel did the latter. It had the prerequisite number of dragons, warlocks, mythical characters to capture my imagination. There were super villains and great heroes. As the novelist is a woman, there were at least as many women heroes as men — a refreshing change. There was another unexpected feature to the characters. The heroes were flawed and some had done horrible deeds in their past. The villains, on the other hand, were at times unexpectedly noble and self-sacrificing. Continue reading Seeking Shalom: An ancient spiritual quest→
In 1964 I was 15, living in a remote community high in the Colorado Rockies. It had a been a tough year. We were still in grief over the assassination of JFK. We were beginning to grow more concerned about our increasing involvement in Vietnam’s civil war. But we had our diversions. The Beatles had just taken the US by storm. We just wanted to hold their hand and forget our troubles. Where I lived we were pretty isolated. We could almost ignore the rest of the world. But as we were preparing to get ready for the local fall college and high school football seasons, even our two TV channels couldn’t leave us in peace. September 1, we began getting news reports of student unrest at the University of California, Berkeley. This was something new. As both my parents had attended Berkeley, it caught our attention. News media and general public opinion were not positive. The students were demanding free speech. Of all the nerve! They must be unpatriotic trouble-making communists. General support was with the university’s efforts to stop their efforts to organise political demonstrations outside the gates of the university. They were accused of irresponsible free speech and not following the rules of those in power.
I read recently that 96% of Unitarians in America now identify as Democrats. I’m not sure how reliable that figure is, but it sounds about right, especially after the last election. Those who were repelled by candidate Trump were stunned that he was now their president. They sought to make sense of this outcome and to find comfort with others wanting to live in denial of the reality of a President Trump. So, attendance at Unitarian churches shot up in the aftermath of the election. I blame their shock on their Facebook newsfeeds. All their friends agreed with them that Americans would never elect him. The people who supported him weren’t numbered amongst their Facebook friends. How could they take seriously anyone who watched Fox News and quoted Sean Hannity?
When Clay asked me to take this service back in July I had just had a heart attack, and like many others who’ve been through this kind of event, it made me re-think where my life was heading.
But I had also just been on a holiday on the Great Barrier Reef …. And that also made me rethink … in a more positive kind… so I thought good events can be life-changing. Continue reading Life-changing events you didn’t ask for→
In preparing for this Sunday I made the mistake of looking at what I said the last time we welcomed new members. It was a mistake because I pride myself in never using a sermon a second time, but I have decided that much of it bears repeating. (Apparently pride goeth before the fall.) The reason being, declaring yourself a Unitarian comes with a problem. Friends and relatives, or just about anyone in New Zealand you meet who learns you are a Unitarian will ask you what is that and what do they believe. While other religions evolve over time, they consider that the revelations that began them as fixed and final in the past, never changing. But oh no, not Unitarians. We consider ours to be a living tradition. The truths we pursue are continuing to unfold. So, how to answer the question, “What is a Unitarian?” requires acknowledging the answer is constantly changing. Continue reading Passing the Flame 2.0→
‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
“Beware the Jabberwock, my son
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”
He took his vorpal sword in hand;
Long time the manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.
And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.
‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
Many observers of the Age of Trump liken it to an Orwellian dystopia—a perfectly sound metaphor, I agree. However, I prefer another author. My father was a lover of words. The complete Oxford English Dictionary or OED was at his fingertips whenever he was writing articles, a book or a lecture. But also, readily at hand, were the works of Lewis Carroll. Continue reading Down the Rabbit Hole→
It is pretty difficult to escape having difficult people in our lives who drive us to distraction, from simple annoyance to outright fury. These are often people we have to live with because they are our boss or co-workers, a neighbour, family members, and sometimes, even life-long friends who are enmeshed within our lives. Seeking ways to respond appropriately or effectively to their behaviour we find objectionable is often the cause of many a sleepless night.
Considering the title of this sermon I’m half surprised to see anyone here this morning. Esoteric Greek words haven’t had much power drawing crowds in my experience since Aristotle was a boy. Perhaps you failed to read the newsletter or maybe you were a wee bit curious. Whatever the reason I am glad I have someone to tell about the only two memorable events that came of my studying Greek in seminary.
Are you living the life you chose or the life that chose you? Definitely a tricky question that raises mixed emotions within us. How might we know? Does your stomach sink at the idea that you chose your life and do you despair at poor choices made along the way, or give thanks that you did not settle for the life offered? Or do you give thanks for the life that chose you or find yourself resentful and unsatisfied? Continue reading Are you living the life you chose or the life that chose you?→