We Are Not Alone

Rev. Peter A. Friedrichs

October 14, 2007

Readings

"We deceive ourselves if we think we can be grasped by life's meaning, or a sense of the holy, before we find and are found by our fellow human beings. There is no sense of the sacredness of life, no sense of the holiness of sheer existence that does not come first through another person. Human encounter is common: human acceptance is rare. Religious community is people reaching through all the facades people carefully place around them-people embracing people where they live and struggle, what Henry Nelson Wieman calls 'creative interchange.' The most radical contribution religion can make to human living is that it enables people to experience community as starkly as hunger…. Where life has a chance, we are in caring and in mutual need. When we are most alive, we are in the presence of someone or something intensely with us…. Nothing is experienced except in relation. It is participation in a religious community that stabs our consciousness into this awareness in the midst of a society that knows nothing about it."

Raymond Baughan

"Unitarian Universalists sometimes spend so much time and energy worrying about and praising the autonomy of the individual that we forget that individuals standing alone have about as much strength as a bunch of stones lying around on the ground. It is only when a mason picks up these stones and builds a wall that they become powerful. And that is how it is with communities. Alone, we're not much; together we have power."

From Ken W. Collier in Our Seven Principles in Story and Verse.

Sermon

In the Zen Buddhist tradition there is a famous koan that asks us to consider this question: "Two hands clap and there is a sound. What is the sound of one hand?" In common parlance we sometimes corrupt the question and ask, "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" Huh? One hand clapping? Isn't a clap, by definition, something that you do with two hands? This question doesn't make any sense, does it? If you think about it logically, you'd probably answer that the sound of one hand is no sound at all. Or perhaps that it's the sound of the hand slapping against something other than the other hand. A table, or perhaps a face. Or, I suppose, if you could move your hand at the speed of sound, one hand could cause a sonic boom.

But Zen koans aren't meant to be answered from the left side of our brains. They are not to be thought through and figured out with reason and logic. Rather, they are designed to stimulate our use of intuition and other non-linear thought processes. Koans are meditative exercises, a kind of spiritual push-up, if you will. They are riddles that are meant to be sat with, puzzled over and played with, where the correct answer is not as important as the consideration of the question itself. Koans are about the journey, and not about the destination. Perhaps that's why so many of us, myself included, are confounded or frustrated by them. Few of us take the time to sit with the questions and to contemplate their meaning. We're too busy. We've got places to go and things to do. Their mystery, their impenetrability and their apparent pointlessness don't conform to our desire to check items off our to-do list and to make things happen.

We Unitarian Universalists are about action aren't we? We like to confront situations head-on, to be problem solvers. We are results-oriented, outcome-driven people. We want to have an impact, to make a difference. When you look at our history, you find that it's nearly built into our DNA. Look at the Unitarians and the Universalists we hold up as role models. Theodore Parker, the ardent abolitionist minister who would sit in his study writing sermons with a loaded revolver on his desk. Olympia Brown, the pioneering woman who broke through the gender barrier when she became the first female minister of any organized denomination. Horace Greeley, the Universalist publisher and advocate for social reforms. Margaret Fuller, suffragette and human rights activist. These people and the causes they advocated for are our history. We are their legacy, and it's clear that we are called to carry their mantle of social responsibility and action. I am proud that our congregation is sponsoring the Forum on Gun Violence this evening and hosting homeless families as part of the Interfaith Hospitality Network. To be true to our traditions and our principles, it is vital that we engage the pressing issues of the day, bringing our liberal values and commitments to bear as effectively as we can.

It's somewhat curious, then, to realize that as a faith we are terrible at getting the word out about who we are and what we stand for. For decades we have been content to hold our doors open without leading people to them. We are the Ray Kinsella's of the religious world. You remember Ray, don't you? He was the character who built a baseball diamond in the middle of a cornfield in Iowa, believing the words of the disembodied voice that whispered to him in the night: "If you build it, they will come." We Unitarian Universalists have historically believed that by simply being present in the community, by doing the work that we do and by being the people we are, others will beat a path to our door. Unfortunately, history does not bear this out.

To put it bluntly, for all its dynamism and innovation, our faith is stuck. Stuck in a rut of irrelevance. Did you know that we claim roughly the same number of members today as we boasted at the time that the Unitarian and Universalist faiths consolidated in 1961? Think about that: as the population of the United States has grown by 56%, or more than 100 million people, we have remained essentially stagnant in our membership. This means that, as a percentage of the total population, we are losing ground at an alarming rate. Our two historic faiths joined forces in 1961 in part because both movements were dying out, and here we are today no larger than we were then. Unitarians and Universalists were more plentiful and more relevant in the 19th Century than they are in the 21st.

We have plenty of excuses-um, I mean reasons - for our resistance to self promotion. "Faith is a matter of individual choice," we say. And if there's one thing we value as Unitarian Universalists it's the sanctity of individual choice. "We don't proselytize," we say. And it's true that we don't want to browbeat people into joining us on this amazing journey that we're on. We don't hold ourselves out as being better than other faiths (although I would bet that, internally, we're a bit smug on that front). "Our faith isn't for everybody," we tell ourselves. I will grant you that our message is complex and, without a creed, not susceptible of sound bites or catchy slogans. When we're not sure what it is that we believe, and when what I believe is different from what you believe, admittedly it makes it difficult for us to tell others what we're all about. And then there is the argument that, if we invite others to join us, they might actually show up. And you know what that means: things are going to change! This won't be the same church I joined, where I knew everyone and it was comfortable and we all got along like one happy family. Yes, there are plenty of reasons that we aren't more actively engaged in evangelizing.

But here's the problem: we are withering away. We are dying on the vine. Although membership at this particular church is approaching an all-time high, as a movement we are just barely hanging on. I believe that if we don't do something to grow our faith in the very near future, we are going to be nothing more than a footnote in the religious history of the world, an anomaly, a brief and curious detour from the mainstream religious traditions of the world. And I don't want that. Do you? Think about what the world would lose, were we to blow away like so much dust on the winds of change. Really, take a minute right now, and consider what it is that we offer to this world. Let's play a little game of "It's a Wonderful Life." Unitarian Universalism is Jimmy Stewart, poised to jump from the bridge on a snowy winter night, wishing he'd never been born. And you're Clarence, angel third class, trying to earn your wings. You've got to show Unitarian Universalism how different this world would be were he to disappear from the earth. What would you name? Just shout it out and I'll repeat it into the microphone. [Repeat responses].

I've got a list of my own, some of which you've already named. A place where we accept you for who you are. A religion that fosters personal spiritual growth rather than adherence to a fixed set of beliefs. A faith that seeks to find unity within diversity, rather than conformance. A place that seeks the divine in all of us. An institution committed to living and working in harmony with others, devoted to finding common ground instead of controversy. A faith that drives us to be fully and wholly human, knowing that we are connected to all that was, all that is, and all that ever will be. A religion that seeks, through word and deed, to create heaven here on earth instead of holding it out as some kind of future reward. Yes, it is a wonderful life, this thing we call Unitarian Universalism, and it's worth keeping and nourishing and cherishing. And it's worth sharing and cultivating and spreading.

Today is "Association Sunday," the first of its kind for our faith. Today has been set aside by the Unitarian Universalist Association as a day on which our congregations recognize and celebrate their participation in our movement, and a day on which we affirm our commitment not just to our faith's survival, but to its thriving. Because we are an association of independent congregations, and not a denomination where a central authority has the power to dictate policy and practice, some Unitarian Universalist churches have elected not to participate in Association Sunday, and that's fine. I'll admit to some reluctance myself. Not because of the cause, mind you. You see, I'm not big on rules and edicts and authority, and I get uncomfortable with association-wide initiatives that flow out of Boston. The Unitarian Universalist Association exists not to tell congregations what to do or when to do it, but to serve those congregations. The Association exists at the pleasure of the congregations, not the other way around.

And so it was with a skeptical ear that I listened to the pitch that Rev. Stephan Papa, who is spearheading this effort for the UUA, made last spring at our minister's chapter meeting. Where was this initiative coming from? Who was in charge? What is the vision for the program? What was being asked of us? Would 25 Beacon listen to us through the process? As you can probably guess by the fact that we're one of hundreds of congregations celebrating Association Sunday today, I came away satisfied and supportive. This program is a response by the UUA to the urgings of member congregations to help them grow. As a result of more than three years of conversations with congregations nationwide, the UUA has developed a five-year, five-pronged program to promote the growth of our movement. The five areas of attention are: awareness; diversity; leadership; spirit; and witness. This first year the UUA will focus on increasing public awareness of and understanding about our faith. It will then assist congregations to develop broader diversity in both their leadership and their membership. The Association will next focus on the development of its lay and professional leadership and it will assist congregations in enhancing their programs for faith development. And finally it will support members' work in the public square, promoting issues of social witness and social action.

This campaign is comprehensive in its scope and its breadth. In the words of the Rev. Pappa, "We know that an authentic and sustained effort to grow our faith demands that we focus on all five areas of development. These are not stand-alone goals-each supports the other, and together we must attend to them all." In this first year of the campaign, funds will be used for a national advertising campaign in both print and electronic media. It will also include a targeted marketing program in several specific markets, including the San Francisco and Tampa Bay area churches. And the program will provide individual Unitarian Universalist congregations with financial grants to support their growth. The national advertising campaign has already begun, with the publication of an ad in this week's Time magazine.

All of this, of course, takes money. I am proud to say that this church has maintained an historic supportive relationship with the UUA. We have been a fair share congregation for many, many years. With a single exception, UUCDC has paid its "dues" to support the operating budget of the UUA since 1986. Over that time the members of this congregation have provided more than $180,000.00 toward the operating expenses of the Association, and this year once again, we have budgeted to pay our fair share. But the costs of this program are not within the UUA's normal operating budget, and the Association needs our help so that it can help us. That's why we're taking a special collection today. Your contribution today will go directly to the "Now's the Time" campaign, a five year campaign to raise $20 million to grow our faith. And I'm happy to report that the Association has received a pledge from a group of committed donors to match, dollar for dollar, every congregational contribution up to $500,000. So whatever you contribute today will be doubled.

I do not ask you to dig deep into your wallets and purses lightly. Our congregation has financial needs that are not insignificant, and I know that we asked you to stretch to reach the goal of our annual fund drive last spring. Our success in that effort was a tangible demonstration of your generosity. Your contribution to this current campaign is another tangible sign of your commitment to our movement. It creates a tangible connection between this church and our fellow congregations. It is a way to support not just this congregation, but the other churches throughout our country that are trying to do what we are attempting to do here.

I recently received emails from two colleagues of mine, both of whom are serving churches in areas where the advertising campaign has already begun. Chris Bell, minister of the congregation in Santa Rosa, California writes: "The outreach that we are doing in the Bay Area not only brings visitors to our congregation who might otherwise have missed the unique and wonderful message of our liberal tradition, it has also filled our current members with a healthy sense of pride. Receiving the full-color newspaper insert or seeing the TV ad during The Daily Show, we suddenly feel like we really can be a significant presence on the American religious landscape and that the best days of Unitarian Universalism are still ahead of us. We're not hiding our light under a bushel anymore, that's for sure!"

And Roger Peltier, minister of the Unitarian Universalist church in Sarasota, Florida writes: "Here in south Florida, the liberal light is desperately needed. Imagine my surprise when I arrived here (from good ol' democratic Massachusetts) to find fundamentalist religion so widely broadcast on television and radio, to find such a stifling and conservative way of life--one that is presently seeking to legally nullify the legal contracts I have with my partner, John! Oh, there is much here that needs our witness. There are dozens of churches here with big buildings and big congregations, but the UUCS remains the only liberal alternative, truly the oasis in the desert. I hope that together we can change that."

And so, I return to our koan. What is the sound of one hand? It is, I think, silence. What is the sound of two hands? A polite clapping. What we are seeking today is not the sound of one or two or four or fourteen or even four hundred hands clapping. Today we seek the sound of 400,000 hands raised in joyful celebration, affirming their commitment to the growth of our churches and the ever-widening reach of this liberal, life-giving, life-affirming, life-saving faith. I invite you to join the ovation.

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