Reading and Sermon. May 15, Rev. Dr. Richard Speck. Reading. Pay It Forward

Transcription

1 Reading and Sermon Reading Pay It Forward It was a dark night in the dead of winter in Sussex County. A recent snow and cold temperatures made the body shiver, especially when the heater in your truck was on its last legs. Joe had been out searching for work all day and was heading back home. Each place he visited said they would get back to him. It seemed they never did. Joe had worked as a mechanic at the nylon plant in Seaford, but since it had closed he had struggled to find work. The economy had been terrible with many others also looking for work in an area where few manufacturing jobs were left. As he was on one of the many back roads heading home, he came upon a late model Mercedes on the side of the road. It had its emergency lights blinking and he could see in his headlights that a woman was in the driver s seat. He pulled in behind her and got out of the car and approached the car. The occupant was an older woman who showed a look of fear when he walked up. Through a small crack in the window Joe said to her, Don t be afraid. I live in this area and I want to help you if I can. The woman replied, I was driving down to a resort near the coast and I took a wrong turn. I was trying to find the main road when my rear tire went flat. I had left my phone charger where I was staying and my cell phone battery is dead. I was afraid that I was going to have to spend the night in the car when you showed up. Can you change the tire? Of course, said Joe. Stay in the car where it is warm and pop the trunk. He worked quickly due to the outside temperature and because he didn t have a good coat to ward off the chill. When he finished he put the old tire in the trunk, put away the tools, and closed it. Going back to the window, he said, You are fine now. Keep on this road for five more miles and you ll reach the main road. Turn right and you should be fine. How much do I owe you? Nothing. Just pay it forward. She left and Joe got back into his truck and headed home. The old woman, as she was heading back to her condo, passed a diner and stopped for some coffee and pastry. She was met by an obviously pregnant waitress. As she sat down, she asked the waitress, How many more weeks? Just a few before the baby comes. It was apparent that this young woman was very tired and probably had to work to make ends meet. After finishing her coffee and pie, she quietly slipped out and left. When the waitress came to pick up the check, she found a note written on a napkin. Someone did something nice for me today and said to pay it forward. I hope this helps. Under the note the waitress found a one hundred dollar bill for a five dollar tab. Later that night the young waitress climbed quietly into bed next to her husband. He stirred slightly. She said to him, I had a wonderful night. I think we are going to be alright now. I got a great tip, but the woman left a note with the phrase pay it forward. Maybe I can do it someday. I love you Joe. 1

2 A Sermon for the Unitarian Universalists of Southern Delaware It is good to be back with you on a Sunday morning. I still get your newsletter and read about all the great things that are happening here at the Unitarian Universalists of Southern Delaware. You have come a long way since those early days of meeting in the school gymnasium with the blue whale on the wall. Since your founding in 1999 you have grown and prospered until here you are in your own home after less than seventeen years. A Unitarian preacher was getting really enthusiastic in his preaching to an interfaith group all gathered at one location, when he said It s great to see so many Unitarians here today. A voice from near the front said I m C of E. Seeing an interesting discussion there he turned to the man and said Why are you C of E? Because my father was, and my father was because his grandfather was. This wasn t quite what the Unitarian had been aiming for so he tried a different way: What if your grandfather had been mad? What if your father had been mad as well? Well, came the reply I guess I would be a Unitarian. It has been a while since I was here to preach. I might be a little rusty. I ll try and keep the sermon to a reasonable time frame. I am reminded of a woman by the name of Gladys Dunne who was visiting a church for the first time. After the service, as the congregation was exchanging greetings, she extended her hand to a parishioner and said, Hi, I m Gladys Dunn. The parishioner says, I m glad he s done, too! You may know that First Unitarian Church of Wilmington is celebrating its 150 th year since starting. I have a copy of our just published history book for your library that lists you as one of the eight congregations that First Unitarian in Wilmington has helped to start. Some of you may not know that First Unitarian Church gave a Grant for Growth of $15,000 in 1999 to help you with the early years of growth. To date, my congregation has provided over $25,000 in support of your congregation. 2

3 When men and women gathered in Wilmington in early 1866 and decided to form a new church, they didn t do it alone. They received a gift from the First Unitarian Church of Baltimore for $1,000 and a loan of $5,000 from the American Unitarian Association to build the first sanctuary. The gift from First Unitarian of Baltimore would be worth $14, in today s dollars. That is strikingly close to what you received from the Wilmington church to help you get started. The AUA loan would be worth $71, today. You were part of the fast start program of the Unitarian Universalist Association when you began. This program supplied and supported your first minister for three years and provided guidance for you from people with expertise in growing new congregations. As the District Executive, I assisted you in the transitions in ministers. The Growth Committee of First Unitarian paid regular visits to let you know you had a big brother/sister that you could lean on for help. The Joseph Priestley District has a program called Chalice Lighters which pools small gifts from individuals together to provide grants to congregations that assist them with staffing, land, and buildings. In a brief review of my files, I discovered that the Unitarian Universalists of Southern Delaware had received at least seven grants over your existence and the amounts probably run somewhere over $100,000. You had grants to start up, obtain your minister, your religious education leader, your music director, to purchase land, and help in the construction of this facility. I hope that many of you are members of the Chalice Lighters program. By participating in this vital operation, you are paying it forward for other men, women, and children who seek a religious community such as you have established in this corner of Sussex County and beyond. Should you want more information on the Chalice Lighter program, I am sure that any of the board will be happy to sign you up. So now that you know what has been given to you as a congregation, how do you want to pass it on both corporately and individually? What kind of legacy do you want to leave? I found numerous examples of what an individual could do to pay it forward. Some of them surprised me with both their simplicity and their profound impact upon others. Laura Roosevelt, age 15, is participating in a program called Be Love-Pass It On. Their mission is to inspire everyone to question for themselves: What does it mean to Be Love in the world? She writes, For me, BE LOVE - Pass It On is about the connection that occurs between two people. The first time I received a wristband, it was placed on a chair that I was to sit in. When I received the wristband, I didn t really know what it was, but soon I realized that it was a movement that was starting up. The mission - to Be Love. After that, I received wristbands from people. They looked in my eyes, and we made a connection. I could feel their heart 3

4 and appreciated that they recognized me Being Love. When I give wristbands to people I do the same. I look into their eyes and see their good. I make a connection with that person, because I recognize that they are Being Love or need a little Love in their life. Passing it on is one of the most important parts. On one occasion, I passed on a Be Love wristband to a homeless man while doing charitable work in Downtown Denver. When I presented this wristband to him, his eyes literally lit up. His face seemed to express his gratitude that somebody had recognized the good in him. I gave this wristband to him, because I figured he needed a little love. Who doesn't every now and then? I discovered that there is an international Pay It Forward movement that started in 2007 in Australia. The inspiration for the movement is contained in a book. This is what the Pay It Forward website says about it. Catherine Ryan Hyde s Pay It Forward takes as its premise the bumper-sticker phrase Think Globally, Act Locally and builds a novel around it. The hero of her story is young Trevor McKinney, a 12-year-old whose imagination is sparked by an extra-credit assignment in Social Studies: Think of an idea for world change, and put it into action. Trevor s idea is deceptively simple: Do a good deed for three people, and in exchange, ask each of them to pay it forward to three more. So nine people get helped. Then those people have to do twenty-seven. Then it sort of spreads out. Trevor s early attempts to get his project off the ground seem to end in failure: a junkie he befriends ends up back in jail; an elderly woman whose garden he tends dies unexpectedly. But even after the boy has given up on his plan, his acts of kindness bear unexpected fruit, and soon an entire movement is underway and spreading across America. So any one of us could do three good deeds for others and ask them to pay it forward. The movement even has cards that could be printed and given out. They have many examples such as: At a drive through, pay for the car behind s meal and give the cashier a Pay it Forward card to pass on You could do this at the train station, at a coffee shop anywhere you like. If it is raining, give your umbrella together with a card to someone who does not have one. (It might be worth taking a spare one with you.) Visit an elderly neighbor s house and ask them if they need to have anything repaired. Donate some money to your favorite charity perhaps collect some donation money from people at work. Tell the manager of a restaurant how great your waiter/waitress was. This can happen in any store / business you visit. Aim at brightening someone else s day. They call for the last Thursday in April to be Pay It Forward Day around the world. Perhaps as a congregation you could organize that day in Lewes and Rehoboth Beach. You could pass out the cards to everyone you meet and make three people happier by what you do for them. People could pay for the meters in 4

5 Lewes before they expire and leave a card under the wipers. You could hand out lemonade at the beach. Use your imagination. What else could you do as a congregation to pay it forward? Is there another Unitarian Universalist congregation that could use your help? What services or skills could you offer to them? Could you share your experience in what you did to reach this point in your history? Is there an area where you could plant a new congregation yourself? Perhaps you might create another grant for growth program like First Unitarian did and raise funds to help other congregations afford needed items. The story of Joe helping the old woman stranded on the side of the road shows what paying it forward can do. His pregnant wife was the recipient of the old woman paying it forward for his act of kindness. You never know how doing such an act will reward you beyond the immediate act of kindness. Several years ago I learned a song that reminds me to pay it forward. Listen to its words. Verse 1 When I'm resting in my grave, There s nothing more to be said; Verse 2 May the life I live speak for me. May the life I live speak for me. When I m resting in my grave, There s nothing more to be said; I feel that many of the works I have done will speak to the acts of love and kindness that I have done in my life. I m now 67 years old. While I would like to think that I will live to a ripe old age, there is nothing definite in this life. I scan the obituaries on occasion and note how much closer I am to the average age of those listed. If I am lucky, I might have another twenty to thirty years to continue paying it forward. 5

6 Congregations can last a lot longer if they try. I would like to think that the Unitarian Universalists of Southern Delaware will be around for many decades to come. What will be your legacy? What are the wells that you dig now that will quench the spiritual thirst of those seeking a religious home like this one in decades to come? Which trees will you plant that will provide nourishing fruit for liberals in other parts of this county? When you are celebrating your 150 th anniversary, what will be written about what this congregation did with its talents? Will it be great services to others, starting new congregations, or something less inspiring as your legacy? You who are here in this room are the ones that will write that history, year by year. My dream for you is that you tend this oasis of religious liberalism with care and love. I hope that you inspire yourselves and others to be love and pass it on to others. Find the many ways that you can pay it forward for those who hunger and thirst for the sheltering food and drink of a liberal faith that you offer to any who will enter. And through these acts of love and kindness, a great legacy will be built that will stand the test of time. Amen. 6