02/06/11--"Ours to Do" by Rev. Sharon Dittmar

Bodhicitta is analogous to the broken heart--always seeking, but not quite achieving.  And Saint Exupery's Little Prince reminds us that "what is essential is invisible to the eye."  What does this have to do with our recently adopted vision statement which reads:

We will be a liberal religious haven
Sustained by tradition,
Boldly seeking justice,
Gently transforming lives.

Our discussions regarding our vision were meticulously tracked by the Strategic Planning Committee and posted for all of us to consider.  An ad hoc committee took those comments and produced a draft.  The draft was offered for comment and revision and the final vision statement was produced and shared.   Soon, it will be made into song by Shelly Denham Jackson, a member here in years past. 

Rightly, our minister noticed that our emphasis was on our social justice outreach.  Our work in Avondale, Cease Fire, the Pride Parade, and Interfaith Hospitality Network are just a few examples of the good we do for others.  She also noticed that we didn't make much mention of our own faith development.  That is just like us.  In the years I've been a member, I notice that we are practical and proud as opposed to amateur and servile.  We enjoy the social justice work because it's for others and it produces a quantifiable effect.  We play down our personal faith development because it requires us to sit, as Sharon would say, in our "soft spot."

We are not tender with ourselves.  We, as a society and perhaps a congregation, have a low tolerance for discomfort.   When we are not tender with ourselves, we cannot have the truly spiritual experiences that are possible for us.

Jihad is a word that many have stolen for their own uses but Sharon reminds us that in its original sense it means "the struggle to know self." We are involved in this jihad every day.  Sharon reminds us "Live in your soft spot.  Let yourself make mistakes.  Boldly be tender.  People who spontaneously break into song cannot worry about who is singing in tune."

Meditation teaches us how to live with the pain of our lives.  It is bold to be tender.  Letting go of hurts and addictions that harden or mask our true self is probably one of the most difficult things we could do.  We have to love ourselves enough. 

I am glad to report that after Sharon's sermon we sang "Standing on the Side of Love" boldly together.  And, indeed, some of us were singing out of tune, but boldly and beautifully. 



Go out into the world,
G.

01/09/11 "The Sacred, The Holy, The Divine" by Rev. Annie Foerster

Fifteen new members and their children joined us on this morning.  It is a joy to see our community growing.

According to the poet Allen Ginsberg, spirituality should be like singing in the bathtub.  I loved this image.  Unpracticed, not for an audience, and purely for its own joy.  I would do well to remember this.

Rev. Foerster asked us what altars we have in our home.  Where is the sacred center of your home?  There are places where I like things to be "just so" because I think they're beautiful.  She talked about the junk that is precious to children--sea shells, gold paper, pretty buttons--that they collect and hold sacred.  I have some of these kinds of things collected on top of my dresser.  I have always held these small items in high regard but I would have never called it my altar until today. 

Many of us have rejected the deity or practices of our previous religions.   "If I've rejected the deity, haven't I rejected the sacredness?" Annie reminds us that there is joy in all.  She describes some of her own altars--quilts she made, a collection of bulls, Buddha, and Guanyin.  "When I notice them, they are holy.  When I look at them, I remember." 

Annie mentioned the book by Linda Sexson, Ordinarily Sacred.  And the poet Anne Sexton's "Welcome Morning."  There is joy in all.

Go out into the world,
G.