To Infinity and Beyond

To Infinity and Beyond

Sonja Lamicela, DRE

Sermon at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo

January 2, 2010

It was Zane's first day in Sunday School. This wiry little fifth grader arrived with his two moms and two older step siblings. It was also my first day of using the Spirit Play curriculum. Spirit Play is a Story-Based Curriculum for U.U. children that is taught using the Montessori method. The storyteller sits on the floor with the children gathered around in a big circle and uses enticing props to anchor the story. The lesson was about “who can be a Unitarian Universalist?” There was a large golden circle; in the center of the circle was a flaming chalice, lit with a real flame. Surrounding that flame were laminated paper cutouts of all kinds of people: Young, old, skinny, fat, dark-skinned, Caucasian, Asian, Latino, those who used wheel chairs, and those who skipped rope. Each part has a purpose.

At the end of the telling, the story was followed by wondering questions. (At Spirit Play teacher training we are taught to never answer our own questions, but to leave it with the children to wonder.) I had left one of the cutout people outside the circle in order to ask a wondering question about how it feels to enter the circle, but before I could get that far, one of the children said “What about that person, can't he come in?” The child was already attuned to the need to be inclusive. As I got to the flaming chalice I said “I wonder what the flame represents.” Zane answered in hushed reverent tones “I think,” he said, “I think the flame is our spirit.” Just then a breeze from the doorway made the candle sputter, struggling to stay lit, then it stabilized and burned clearly again. “Sometimes,” Zane went on, “our flame almost goes out, and we feel like we're going to die, but it doesn't and by being with people who love us it gets stronger again and grows!” These are the teachable moments, steeped in synchronicity, that I live for as a religious educator.

In many Unitarian Universalist Churches, it is not uncommon for over half of our members to be what the lifers call “come-inners.” (That is people who have come into this church after the childhood years.) Sometimes they come in like Buzz Lightyear with “all the answers,” sometimes they come in with more curiosity and humility. But let's not forget about our “Woodys”—the lifers, who look out for everyone and make sure that no one gets left behind. I myself am a come-inner. I found Unitarian Universalism sixteen years ago when I was in my mid 20's. I was pregnant for my second child. At the time, I was a dabbling pagan who had been through the gamut of Christian experiences. I had also explored some Eastern religions, and was now married to an atheist. We wanted a spiritual community that we could agree upon in which to raise our children. I found Unitarian Universalism and knew I was home.

We U.U.s are excited to be a church that welcomes people of diverse backgrounds—from the un-churched, to those with rich happy backgrounds in other faiths, to those who have come with wounds from religious institutions that ground them down with shame and fear.

We are often asked: “What do Unitarian Universalists believe?” Often, at best, we have our “elevator speech” practiced to answer that question in a few sentences; at worst we “Um” and “Ah,” and then go on to define ourselves in terms of what we are NOT! And no, we are NOT, as many might think, the “church where you can believe whatever you want.” Nor are we “the anti-church.” While there is a great deal of flexibility in our personal theologies, we do have some guidelines in our Principles and Sources. (These are printed in the front of your hymnal, about 5 pages from the front cover.)

Our Third Principle: “Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations,” and our Fourth: “A free and responsible search for truth and meaning,” are paramount to our development—both as individuals and as a faith community.

It is important that we accept one another at this present step along our faith journeys, but we need to go beyond that to encourage growth and deepening of our spiritual practices and theologies.

I am frequently surprised by the number of U.U.s who have been around for several years that may know about our Principles, but are completely unaware of our Sources. One summer, some friends and I did a morning program for Unirondack Camp entirely based on the UU Sources. It was a surprise for us to see how thirsty the children were to understand how the Bible works and how deeply they connected with Earth-Centered Spirituality. The fact that we quote Mary Oliver and Ghandi more often than Jesus is justified by our raising up of “prophetic men and women,” and a healthy stream of humanist rationalism under-girds our entire outlook. But we must never let go of that pull toward “the direct experience of that transcendent mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and openness to the forces that create and uphold life.”

Attending UU denominational events, such as District Assembly, UULTI, General Assembly or a UU camp for families, are great ways to expand your concept of Unitarian Universalism. It is profoundly enriching to step outside the walls of one UU church to see how rich and varied current day practices are among other UU churches.

Because of their tendency to attend camps and district youth conferences, our Youth are often on the leading edge of Unitarian Universalist evolution. And there is much that we can learn from them.

Attending a Youth Conference is a stretching experience for adult advisors as well as Youth. We begin to challenge our concepts of how things have always been end explore what they can be. Watching Youth work through issues like stolen property and broken lights is an opportunity to hold up a mirror to our adult communities and how we handle conflict. And watching as shy freshmen turn into outspoken social justice advocates by their senior year can be astonishing.

One tool that Youth programs use is “The Six Elements of a Balanced Youth Program” which includes:

1. Worship
2. Youth and Adult Relationships
3. Leadership
4. Community Building
5. Social Action
6. Learning

I put forth that these same six elements define a well-rounded relationship for adults with their congregation.

Worship: Most of us experience worship on a regular basis (at least those of you who are in the room today), though some of our teachers rarely get that experience.

Youth and Adult Relationships: By teaching or volunteering for overnight sleepovers and field trips, you can connect with our children and Youth. Leadership is something that everyone can bring at some point or another.

Leadership: A small proportion of our congregation does a bulk of the work. This is true in most congregations, and is as it should be if we nurture new leaders, give younger adults an opportunity to claim a sense of ownership in the community, and “pass the torch” often enough to keep things fresh and avoid burnout or “fiefdoms”. For a large congregation, our volunteer base seems low. In a church of 135 members I had 40 volunteers in the RE program for 40 children. In this church we run on about 25 volunteers for over 3 times as many children. Part of that is due to the fact that our teachers commit to teaching for the full year. However, fatigue strikes when there are no relief teachers on the team. We could really use a good half dozen to a dozen more teachers—each committed to a specific RE class—so that those who teach can also worship once or twice per month. Last week and this morning I have had the joy of listening to our phenomenal choir. Here we have some 60 people dedicated to coming to church twice a week. Once to practice, and once to sing for Sunday service! What amazing work they do!

Imagine what our RE program could do with volunteer support like that!

Community Building: Community building happens at pot lucks, picnics, Souper Sunday and the like. We do that pretty well, but there is more that we can do to build relationships. If you have creative ideas, let’s make them happen!

Social Action: Social action can be a whole community project. When I went to New Orleans this Fall, I learned a lot that I could bring back to our Youth Group who are ramping up to do mission trips. At the moment, we don't have any volunteers who bring their passion for social action to the young children’s Religious Education Program. I look forward to working together with the Social Justice Committee to incorporate children in meaningful social action work. Family Promise is a huge stride in that direction. I am looking forward to watching that bloom as a whole community project in the years ahead.

Learning: And last but not least is Learning. Unitarian Universalism has a rich history, full of Heretics, Martyrs, Mystics, Transcendentalist, Political Activists, Scientists, Innovators and Healers. Many free-thinking folks are stunned to discover that our faith has evolved out of the Calvinist movement. Or that as recently as the 1960s some of our churches still said the Lord’s Prayer every week; or that our form of church governance is a throwback to the Congregationalist Movement. One way to deepen your faith as a Unitarian Universalist would be to read biographies of people like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Sophia Lyon Fahs, Clara Barton, Susan B. Anthony, Theodore Parker, William Ellery Channing, Olympia Brown, and the list goes on and on.

As the New Year Rings in, I ask you (whether you are new to UU or a “lifer”) to consider adding to your New Year’s Resolutions how you will deepen or renew your faith this year. Our Children and Youth can teach us a lot. But, if we want to teach our children, we need to explore our own hearts first. The first minister I worked with as a DRE, Martha Munson, was fond of saying “you can't give what you ain't got!” This spring, I plan to offer a class called “Building Your Own Theology”. It is a good way to move beyond the rejection of old faith or to create a theology for yourself if you have never been to church. Rev. Joel, Rev. Michele, and I host small group ministries where you can deepen and explore with a few people at a time. And we always welcome more teachers in the RE program. And I also have portfolios to fill on the Religious Education Committee. There is so much more we could do with more volunteers. Our Long Range Plan has some very worthy, but ambitious ideas of how to make this a stronger, more vibrant community. The more of us who engage deeply in an active pursuit of our relationship to Unitarian Universalism, the more vibrant this community will be.

The Possibilities are Endless. Like Buzz and Woody, we can reconcile the old and the new and create a church that is compelling for the next generation. Do you have that Fire of Commitment that will make it happen? If so, we can take this church “To Infinity and Beyond!”