From ichurch to a New Community

Transcription

1 From ichurch to a New Community Sunday, April 7, 2013 Rev. Bruce Southworth, Senior Minister The Community Church of New York Unitarian Universalist Reading Our first reading comes from the Rev. Fred Muir who addressed Unitarian Universalist Ministers last June during the Berry Street Essay just prior to the UU General Assembly meeting in Phoenix. My colleague and friend, Fred Muir, was a student minister and ordained here in He titled his essay, From ichurch to Beloved Community: Ecclesiology and Justice and contemplated issues of congregational life, denominational growth, social justice and theology. He writes, Fundamental to our survival [as a denomination] is a paradigm shift, [that] goes to the essence of how we understand and see ourselves. Fundamental to our future is recognizing that our way of faith - from its ministry to its members - has been supported and nurtured by a trinity of errors leading not only to ineffectiveness but an inability to share our liberating message; which is to say, while Unitarian Universalism s gospel is good news it is losing its vitality and relevance. The trinity of which I speak is: First, we are being held back and stymied - really, we are being held captive - by a persistent, pervasive, disturbing and disruptive commitment to individualism that misguides our ability to engage the changing times; Second, we cling to a Unitarian Universalist exceptionalism that is often insulting to others and undermines our good news; Third, we refuse to acknowledge and treat our allergy to authority and power, though all the symptoms compromise a healthy future. (2) The Rev. Shirley Strong elaborates on Dr. King s vision and explains what he meant by Beloved Community: "I understand the term Beloved Community to mean an inclusive, interrelated society based on love, compassion, responsibility, shared power and a respect for all people, places, and things a society that radically transforms individuals and restructures institutions, which is to say Beloved Community is shaped by what we know and feel as justice. (in Muir, p. 9) 1

2 From ichurch to a New Community Rev. Bruce Southworth, Senior Minister On Friday morning, just before 11 a.m., while looking at our pulpit area, I took a moment to move the bust of Martin Luther King, Jr. to where you see it now. It had been on the other side of the organ a little out of the way and not as prominent as I wished for the meeting at hand. It was my privilege to be welcoming the leaders of the New York State Interfaith Network on Immigration Reform, several immigrant speakers, three members of Congress, a dozen or more religious leaders, members of the press and others fifty or so altogether. We were gathered to declare again the need for comprehensive immigration reform that provides for o keeping families intact, o opportunities for work, o paths to citizenship, and o just and humane legislation. The press conference was to highlight a rally next Wednesday in Washington, DC when immigration legislation is to be introduced in Congress. In my welcome, I noted our Vision statement that calls us to help build the Beloved Community Dr. King s prophetic vision for a just society and the privilege for us of co-sponsoring the event. A little over a hundred years, in 1907, our congregation was known as The Church of the Messiah, having been founded in 1825 as the Second Congregational Unitarian Society in the City of New York. I am reminded that our new Minister John Haynes Holmes had asked the Board of Trustees that year or perhaps 1908, if he might open the parlor to have classes, discussions or a community group meeting. The Board declined to open the church other than on Sundays, emphasizing the morning worship as the focus of the church. Yet, our Mission began to expand over the next decade. In 1919, for a host of reasons, we became the Community Church of New York with a vision of serving and embracing the community at large around and beyond us, expanding from serving only our previously all-white, privileged, Unitarian, Anglo- Eurocentric congregation. 2

3 On this past Friday, we gathered with a diverse group: religious, community and political leaders from Buddhist, Roman Catholic, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Protestant, Sikh and Unitarian Universalist traditions female and male clergy participants of African, Asian, Caribbean, English, European, Indian, Irish, Pakistani, Latin American, Middle Eastern and North American heritages. While not routine across our nation, such gatherings with such diversity are growing as the unfolding of the Beloved Community takes wider and deeper root. Notwithstanding the World Parliament of Religions in 1893, such a gathering, 100 years ago, such a brief time ago, would not have been possible on a local scale. The good news is that the Community Church ideal envisioned in 1919 continues to bear fruit. This vision has blessed our larger Unitarian Universalist movement, as Harvard Divinity School Professor Dr. Daniel McKanan reminded us last fall when he was here with us. This morning I return to not only our own Vision and health, but also the challenges facing our wider movement. Much provocation and inspiration come from the Rev. Fred Muir who addressed Unitarian Universalist Ministers last June during the Berry Street Essay just prior to the UU General Assembly meeting in Phoenix. As I noted in the reading, he titled his essay, From ichurch to Beloved Community and contemplated issues of denominational growth, social justice and theology. He began by noting the near demise of Unitarianism in Great Britain with its total membership something less than 4000 members. And is that to be our future in North America? With increasing secularization in our nation, o with more and more who are unaffiliated religiously those who respond saying, None when asked their religion o with more and more who identify as spiritual but not church-going, and o with our stagnant numbers nationally in recent years, he stressed that a storm was coming Demographics are shifting away from our traditional, primary constituency white, affluent, largely mono-cultural, highly privileged and extremely well-educated suburbanites. While we have no control over these demographic shifts, he asks us to look at our ecclesiology, that is, the practices of our congregations. Looking at who we have been historically and where we seem to be, Fred writes, in our reading: 3

4 Fundamental to our survival is a paradigm shift, [Because of] a trinity of errors, Unitarian Universalism is losing its vitality and relevance. The trinity consists of First, a persistent, pervasive, disturbing and disruptive commitment to individualism. Second, a Unitarian Universalist exceptionalism [which] is often insulting to others and third, our allergy to authority and power. Individualism Rev. Muir traces much of our individualism to the liberating influence of Ralph Waldo Emerson our saint from the 1830s, o who embraced the divine within each person, and within nature o who welcomed a robust naturalism and personal religious experience o who advocated the sanctity of each person who could grow in spirit and soul o who embraced nonconformity o who in welcoming universal, transcendent values declared that the truth in Jesus ethic of love was true, not because Jesus said it, but because it is true in and of itself for us and for all persons. Like many in high school or college, reading Emerson s essays, for example Self-Reliance, is an entry point to honor the individual truth of your life. The problem is that by idolizing the individual, we inadvertently ignored or at least diminished much of institutional religion: the matters of community, fellowship, our needs for one another, and our deep kinship with all persons. Lifting up the meanings of i in the Apple-speak of iphones, or I Pads, Fred identified two origins one referring to the internet. The other explanation of i referred to the individual one of the intended and clear marketing messages of Apple. Thus, in our individualistic religious approach, he identifies us as the ichurch. He continues noting that this same individualism is endemic to our national character as well, and concludes, There is little-to-nothing about the ideology and theology of individualism that encourages people to work and live together, to create and support institutions that serve common aspirations and beloved principles. [Church historians of our own faith and sociologists like Robert Bellah have noted this tendency, flaw, or some would say poison. Bellah speaks of religious 4

5 communities that become like clubs, or what he calls life-style enclaves privileged self-congratulatory, isolated from others, and unwelcoming.] Fortunately, there are counter-trends in our midst the side of Emerson who writes of mutual obligation this way: We are not born free, we are born with a mortgage. That mortgage is a debt, a debt that we owe to the past and to the future. While we live, we pay interest and then pass it on to the next generation. That s how churches, communities, and nations survive; by accepting what has been bequeathed and passing it on to those that come after them. This ritual of receiving and giving is an act of Thanksgiving. Similarly, in spirit, among the so-called seven principles, which our congregations covenant to affirm and promote, is respect for the interdependent web of existence of which we are a part : The larger picture of creation and Creativity, within in and around us that we fail to honor at our peril. So, that s the first danger: extreme individualism beyond individuality, and while we may encounter some of those troublesome souls at times, we are blessed with our name - Community, that helps remind us that we are human. We grow, become human beings, change, are able to live only because of relationships, and true community can heal, comfort and transform us and the world all of which we know when are awake! Fred acknowledges that waking up not only is hard but also more often than not requires extra effort. In addition to extreme individualism, two other flaws, challenges, distractions: Exceptionalism The first is a sense of exceptionalism. For many of us, we once were lost, perhaps in childhood faiths of dogma, or fundamentalism, or bigotry, or exclusion. Then we sometimes become so enamored of our path with its Freedom and Vision and Reason, and inclusive Universalism that sometimes we may gloat, or despise others or believe at the very least that we are uniquely virtuous or uniquely destined to accomplish great things. (Randall Kennedy on American Exceptionalism as quoted by Muir.) The ichurch, the individualistic church, then may come across as elitist, insulting, degrading, isolating, and even humiliating of others. Whenever that seeps in, we fail our principles and faith. 5

6 Unitarian Universalists demographically are highly credentialed academically as an in-group. However, our core dynamic as members with broad appeal is deeper than that. We attract thoughtful people, and thoughtfulness is a trait that cuts across all classes and does not require a string of degrees. We know that here. And along the way, here, in exploring world religions, we learn that our faith, as exceptionally good as it is for us, is not necessarily the only option for everyone else, as much you or I may love the spiritual approach and community we shape. Our Allergy to Authoritarianism and Power The third poison is our allergy to power and authority, which often results in misuse and abuse. Some of us as UUs across our faith, and even here, show sincere disregard and even disdain for congregational decisions, or Board decisions, or appropriately delegated committee or ministerial decisions. It seems almost a pandemic in UU land nationally. The alternative is, Agreeing to disagree a warm, respectful honoring of each other which is necessary at times. Agreeing to disagree honoring majority decisions sometimes evaporates. We are rightly concerned about authoritarian structures in our world, and abuse of power, but we have our principles of respect for one another and passion for justice and democracy that can right us when we fail and fall. UUA President Peter Morales in listing these three idolatries of individualism, exceptionalism, and adolescent anti-authoritarianism reports that he has an idea for a new UU t-shirt: Unitarian Universalism: it s not about you. Beloved Community Looking at these three warnings, I am reminded of one of those small items in the Metropolitan Diary section of the New York Times from a few years ago. David Rigano writes: Dear Diary: I reached the subway station at East 51st Street just as a packed No. 6 train arrived at the already crowded platform. Just like all of the people around me, I was in a big hurry. Not many people got off, and as many as could do so squeezed their way in. By this point, I was running from car to car, door to door, looking for the smallest opening before the bells tolled and the train shut its doors to me. As I reached one of the doors, dejectedly about to resign myself to wait for the next train, [an imposing] woman standing in the doorway 6

7 took a slight step back, leaving just enough room for me to fit. Come on in, honey, she called. We re all family here! Who could say no to an offer like that! Here at Community, we can say that too Come on in - all you sweet delights of creation We re all family here! It is pretty simple a vision of inclusion not quite the most segregated hour in America on Sunday mornings at worship banners of religious and spiritual wisdom from around the world young and old ethnic heritages from around the world. We re all family here audaciously believing we can build the Beloved Community with courage and daring. Going back to Fred Muir s essay, he offers an antidote to his/our trinity of poisons. Against them, we can covenant with one another in seeking to create the Beloved Community Dr. King s prophetic vision. A new member asked about that at an orientation class what that means. Among other things, Dr. King offered it as a 20 th century alternative to speaking about the kingdom of God on earth a potentially more inclusive updating. It derives from Josiah Royce a philosopher of religion at the turn of the 20 th century, about whom King would have learned in the course of doctoral studies in systematic theology at Boston University. King wrote: There is no graded scale of essential worth; there is no divine right of one race which differs from the divine right of another. Every human being has etched in his personality the indelible stamp of the [sacred.] [We are tied] in an inescapable network of mutuality. So, Fred asks, I ask, how are we doing with building the Beloved Community? We miss the mark at times; even so, we are going deeper and getting better. Most of us, at some conscious or unconscious, level know that we are here to be a community of compassion, humility, awe, reverence, gratitude, forgiveness, mindfulness, and curiosity. Most of us most of the time a spiritual community! Fred Muir s description of the ichurch has resonated widely across our Association, and his invocation of the Beloved Community is summoning a warm response. Just maybe, we shall be Shaping a New Story away from the ichurch to Beloved Community. Maybe you recall a story titled, Are You Heavy Laden? and tells of a small boy trying very hard to lift a heavy object. A parent comes along into the room, notices the son s struggle, and then asks, Are you using all your strength? Yes, of course, I am, the child impatiently exclaimed. No, you are not, the parent answered. You haven t asked me to help you. 7

8 The poet Marge Piercy puts it this way: Strong is what we make/each other. Such is the Beloved Community that helps us connect with each other and Life itself, rather than the ichurch that isolates us. Our UU proclivity for engaging in social justice work is integral to building the Beloved Community, which is a profound part of our history even as that may have its seasons. One of the blessings on Friday with the press conference and interfaith colleagues was the shout-out given to us to us at Community by Imam Talib Abdur-Rashid of the Mosque of the Islamic Brotherhood. It was more than 15 years ago that he and I shared leadership with others in the Interfaith Coalition Against Police Brutality, which included challenging stop and frisk policies of the NYPD... with much of that coalition s work being curtailed after 9/11 and the circumstances of those tragic times. The ichurch with its individualism, exceptionalism, and adolescent antiauthoritarianism? Or the Beloved Community with a spiritual center of reverence, humility, [connection,] compassion, community, [justice] and commitment? (Rev. P. Morales response to Muir). Those strengths always await our hearts and hands. These are the fruits of the spirit that our faith invites us to live and share. Gratitude and Praise Amid the Muck In the face of demographic shifts and our sometimes unhelpful distractions, my friend Fred Muir exhorts, challenges and blesses. He warns this work may seem to need a miracle, and offers a story from Rabbi Lawrence Kushner. Jewish tradition says that the splitting of the Red Sea was the greatest miracle ever performed. It was so extraordinary that on that day even a common servant beheld more than all the miracles beheld by Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel combined. And yet, we have one Midrash that mentions two Israelites, Reuven and Shimon, who had a different experience. Apparently, the bottom of the sea, though safe to walk on, was not completely dry but a little muddy, like a beach at low tide. Reuven stepped into it and curled his lip. What is this muck? Shimon scowled, There's mud all over the place! This is just like the slime pits of Egypt! replied Reuven. 8

9 "What s the difference! complained Shimon. Mud here, mud there: It s all the same. And so it went for the two of them, grumbling all the way across the bottom of the sea. And because they never once looked up, they never understood why on the distant shore everyone else was singing songs of praise. For Reuven and Shimon the miracle never happened. Fred concludes, For Reuven and Shimon, they simply couldn t get past the muck on their feet. We all have some kind of muck on our feet, don t we? All of those issues and challenges that get in the way of moving forward; some of them are personal, others may be part of your congregation s history, some are in the Association. They were not able to keep their eyes on the prize. so they enjoyed their grumpiness, rather than praise for Life, Creation, Spirit, Creativity, God. Spirit of Life In our hearts and souls, we know something deeper, wider, more sustaining, as we embrace the Spirit of Life. In this journey from the ichurch to the Beloved Community, I learned about Carolyn McDade and the circumstances around her writing the hymn, the anthem of our faith, titled Spirit of Life. In a letter, she explained: "During a time of intense social justice activism, I drove a friend home from yet another meeting. As I stopped to let her out, I confided to her how dry I felt - like cardboard years in an attic: The slightest motion of air, and I would disintegrate into dust. Even now, I remember the despair that image conveys. Finally, at home, I moved to the piano. In the dark, I sat... [and] in singing, my heart was freed. There was no plan or expectation in that moment, only a deep and immediate plea by a despairing soul. My ardent desire was to stay faithful to the movements I loved, to the people of these movements, their tally of goodness toward a world healthy and just for all... (quoted by Muir) Which is to say, she yearned, she ached for the holy and wholesome essence of beloved community. It was from that posture that "Spirit of Life was prayed; a deep desire, a soul-filled expression for her spirit to be free and healed for the work of justice. Music Spirit of Life 9