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uudavispodcast_org

2017-06-04-Becoming_Brave-Curiosity.mp3?_=4

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from the unitarian universalist church of davis california website at www.sec.gov org-genius amation. Unitarian universalist church of davis. Station that strives to listen. And support one another with compassion. Church family strives to be seekers of knowledge. People of action. You are welcome here in all your grace and your brokenness. If you are here seeking safety and protection or strength. We welcome people of all races and embrace many. We welcome all sexual orientation. This is a church of inclusion. The cellist. Which symbolizes the unity of our unitarian universalist face. Originally the symbol of universalism was a circle. I went online and i saw that it was. Circle in the flame. And now the two circles have merged into one with many. This morning. Clearance. Do not try to save the whole world or do anything grandiose. Create a clearing in the dense forest of your life and waits here. Until the song that is your life. Frozen 2. And you recognized ingredient. You know how to give yourself to this world. So worthy of rescue. Opening words this morning, from words chosen for laura thompson's ordination which was just last weekend. Are opening words. Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. Not our darkness. You're playing small. The world. There is nothing enlightened. We are all meant. Shein. It is not just in some of us it is in. Everyone. And as we let our own lights. We unconsciously give other people permission. To do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear. Our presents. Liberates. Others. Okay. He's going to do is really important central. Flores ordination. Are these words. Knowing that ellie lived with him for the week. I asked her please read these every morning. Reflect on them in your life. What do they mean to you. Make your meditation. And she did. And i know it will show in her voice. This is a poem by john o'donohue. The wonderful irish. Mystic. Writer. Places of the heart. Has been quietly forming until you were ready to emerge. For a long time is what you desire. Feeling the emptiness growing yourself on. Still unable to leave what you had outgrown. Action of a promises that whispered. Heard the waves of turmoil rise and relent. Would you always live like this. The courage kindled. Newgrounds. So your destination is not clear. You can trust the promise of this opening. Yourself into the grace of beginning. That is one with your life's desire. Awaken your spirit to adventure. Learn to find used in risk. Will be home in a new rhythm. For your soul. This is the sermon that was given to. Minneapolis. And it's a small congregation. Ministers. This was given. Conversations with laura about. About life together. Written. Because of the readings that she chose. You have to understand that this is. To do the sermon. Because i couldn't fly yet. So i send my sermon. And someone else read it for me. So that was. Particularly. Wonderful and now i have a new relationship. The reverend kelly clement. At uucd. And to see who is here. Look slightly over. So that your peripheral vision. Prediction. Or the space between. Cicero said. Is a picture of the mind. I thought i asked you to. Of the people around you. It's actually. Such a simple request. And yet it's very. To do. Laura. Thompson shows for ordination refer to. Patient. Exist within us a power that we are not certain we understand. And ultimately there's a message. The process is rarely if ever. Something that feels really good. Disoriented. It is seems that we're not just changing an opinion. But changing assumptions. Identity. White supremacy in our society that is really uncomfortable and it was challenging. Fundamental building blocks of how we understand. Going off. An invitation to have your. The process of becoming. A weekend for adventure you're holding nothing back. Using risk. This feeling. Begin with a story it's a true story. The story that some of you been apart of. Others. Two-and-a-half years ago. Division of campus ministry. This beginning has developed. It was in 2014 that the university of california at davis established. 500 identified and. Identify. The center was the first of its kind in the country. A over a year the project between the centre and this church were very small. The start of this academic year we were given the opportunity to work direct the undocumented students and their allies as well as with the center. I asked the students. The answers were clear. For emergency grant. Ninja students. But they also needed relationships. Who is the students. That we would run a unitarian universalist crowdsourcing fundraiser. Coffee shop and talk about pictures stories. What stories would be present. The students were toward the end of our conversation but. The tight deadlines of our project is really odd. After over we heard from the planners. People doing a fundraiser. President. You know so that we knew who would be president. I received an email from them i hadn't heard from them it was seems like way too long. Would you meet with us and have some coffee outside the undocumented students. I'm just reading this email and i'm already blushing with embarrassment there's no one even there with me in the room. I thought about myself. Headband my life before ministry. International. The students. And their message was clear and direct. So skip. They avoided shaming me. First they said that there are undocumented students from countries all over the world. And their circumstances. Extremely buried. They let me know. Pictures too many pictures. Personal exposure. Disappeared. Relationship. Again. Trust. Just sit with me. Outside. The possibility. Judgment. But bringing your whole self to that relationship. All right now brave face. Play the judgement is less and you are willing. Talk about your mistakes like i am with you. Right now. An opportunity for this transformation. In our lives. Has experience in life when is our reality app on. Absolutely and completely fails. Just think about your own life. Becoming. Learning that sustains the results are repeating the information. It's offer more information than a person could possibly absorb. She gives the spirit. Thank you very much. Quick to make decisions. True becoming. Insist that we are present confusion. Just wait. Brave curiosity. What is truth for this time. Learning. But they were very effective in helping me feel overwhelmed. They recommended that training. Standing room only. University professors. Administrators. People from the community. We heard from immigration. That information was very important. The image is students description. What i thought of as a safe university. Walking in the shadows. And he would not be hurt. And that is why the undocumented is now facilitating. Safety. Classes. So people can know how to protect themselves. Life. Stay open and be present. I had information overload from hearing all that data. And my compassion was awake but weighed down with reese. Denied citizenship. And it was good. That i was overwhelmed. Understanding and this was exactly. What i needed to experience. If i had any hope. Becoming. One of the stories that laura developed for her came from her experiences in california. In her last week saying yes. Parish ministry. She visited monterey and learned about the monarch butterfly migration butterflies. Caterpillars embryos as laura said hide among the leaves to avoid. The process of transforming into a butterfly. Can be hurried. Read some more about them five times. And always on the 5th they spin a cocoon that turns into this. Chrysalis. Inside that chrysalis is programmed to self-destruct. Into a protein risks. Schedule. This butterfly making material. Antenna. The butterfly. Partially. Even the struggle of that beautiful butterfly. Protective chrysalis. Is important to strengthen its wings someone thinks butterflies. The butterfly will not fly. Because it needs to struggle. Moisture in. For strength. If we are lucky. Embrace it repeatedly in life. And those who are skilled at becoming are not lonely. Because they are in relationship with others. In the light of new evidence. Expect. Consistency. Could be accused of flip-flopping i suppose. They hope to always be changing. Crisis effaced have you ever had one of those. Or discover new values. When you graduate. We are so many opportunities. There is now a relationship between. And a student organizations. And administer. Not only did the students offer this minister and perhaps others in the congregation. Are also offering the students. An equal learning opportunity. Necessarily. We're not familiar with churches that would support. Diversity as an ideal. They were delighted. Define that there is a congregation. Is so interested in them. I'm so interested. Issues as well. In the space. We promise that every person who volunteers will it taken the under training. The image of a butterfly. How ironic is that. To display in some obvious place. Inform discovery is yielding a creative relationship with congregation. Before. Social justice. Anniversary celebration. Their anniversary. Cedar lane in maryland and the second is our congregation. Program that bridges campus and church popular. General assembly. Amazon sprint. And waiting for patterns. Listening and waiting. It's the time in which we live. Find ourselves. We're so much. Seems as if it has no form. That is there. Patterns. And we can has. Though our destination is not clear. Trust the promise. Of this opening. There is so much risk involved. Bring your whole self. To your relationships. Takes unintentional time. And look around this room. Espn. Who is keir. These are the people with whom you stand at this open. And if you are uncomfortable. Good. The mind. Where else can. In our society is not here. Worship associate said. What is very special. I think unique ways that we. Unknowns address. And if they see us. Brisket. Creating that kind of community. Time of meditation. I'm very good with my. This is a sacred time when we both at the same time. Steal your heart. Freezing. This time. To know your heart. I know your spirit. We can be present. Information too much heartache. Enjoy. Discovery. Surprise. If we quiet mind and heart. Spirit life. Present. In the mix. An energy. Call it wisdom or insight. God. If we present. The creative force of life. But the way is made clear. Will be made clear. The part of an intricate web of relationships. We are part of the earth. After the stars the pool at the sea. And all change. Amen. Recipe. Together.

uudavispodcast_org

2017-07-16-Choosing-to-Believe.mp3?_=3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from the unitarian universalist church of davis california website at w.w. org for further information. About here in a few minutes. Church. Seeking the comfort and the challenge of a community people who are friends. Or who may become friends. The first time. To this church. 42 ne church. Unitarian universalist we are a community. Play a society too often blind or prejudiced toward them. People who is see as different from ourselves. Sexual orientation or gender. Newcomers from far countries for generations. We aim to be stickers. We strive to be a compassionate people who help where help is needed and wanted. A reflection. Music. May you find a home here. Who describes herself. I can hardly wait living traditions in her ministry. She currently serves as chaplain resident at john muir health in concord. Community ministry church. She studied at union theological seminary where she focused on entry religious engagement. Riverrun westeros, steering committee. And revolutionary unitarian universalist multicultural ministries. Color. Hightower eastern and western traditions. Choice. Choice to believe choice to the church bulletin. Presents us with more than enough choices to help. On saturday august 12th september 9th. Information on the table. Religious education course on immigration justice. Temporary issues of immigration in the united states. Justice. One more notes for this morning that a celebration of life. 16. Is it courtyard healthcare center. Welcome cards. Which symbolizes the unity of our unitarian and universalist. To do that. She lived out her. What's humility and courage born of our common story. We are called as unitarian universalist community. With this vision in our hearts and minds alice. Mary jean.. I got up. To getting up and going. I like that. I shut down. Choice to believe. Like. And that's what is really important. Getting up and going. A couple of examples that might help me figure out. Each morning after i'm up andreas. I go to my gyro where pictures and various memento. I light a candle. Good morning to family and friends. It gives me comfort and sensimilla. Yes. Explain myself. If i put my mind to it but not right now. Here's another example. And my gut tells me that i support the undocumented students dreamers and their families experiencing. What is the belief. Mi5. Then i ask myself. Do i choose to believe in this principle and other. Because they give words to i believe. Beliefs on how to be in the world that's a very hard question when i search within myself. The guide my way. Where did they come from. My feeling is. Including my parents. And i suspect. They seem to have experiences including. Questioning. And puzzling. Just now. Did i choose. And do i always choose to follow their guide. My actions in my non actions do not always agree with what i say. Choice to believe. Choice to act. Good morning. Hightower's. Wonderful music. And i'm particularly grateful for her sharing of her song. Which i requested particularly because of the theme of this morning service. Phrase. Interpretations. The one that i grew up with. Is there is no god but god. It represents a core belief within the islamic traditions. In fact it's part of what is called the shahada. Essential statement of belief among many muslims. Accurately translated means. Bearing witness. The statements in the original arabic. Eyeshadow eyeliner. Eyeshadow. I bear no witness i bear witness that there is no god but god. And i bear witness that muhammad is the messenger of god. Sahara. His bearing witness so many aspects of islamic traditions. We often hear about the pillars of the islamic traditions. The shahada is often first and foremost. Is the phrase so powerful and importance that any person wishing to convert to islam can simply recite it and be considered muslim. It's a phrase so vital to the daily life of many muslims times a day as part of the call to prayer. And is recited as part of the prayers themselves. It's afraid foundational in nature. Austin whisper into the ears of their newborn children. I was one of those newborn children. Now this idea of bearing witness to no god but god it's important it is the emphasis of what of what are said to be the first verses of the conditions sacred text the quran. Revealed to the prophet muhammad. Versus. In the name of who created. God created humanity from a clinging form. Read. Lord is the most high the pain. Humanity. What they did not know. Later on additional versus is chapter known as allah allah for the cleaning form. Including. Humanity exceeds all bounds when they think they are self-sufficient. Prophets all over turn. Pr board. Lord is the most bountiful one. Humanity what they did not know. Humanity exceed sounds when they are self-sufficient. Practice one finds in many-faced predictions and spiritualities. Gratitude. Within the islamic traditions gratitude or. Is a deep and abiding awareness for all of the gifts we receive in life. Call that we are given. Even having to ask. Breath. The sun that is real warm today. The movement on this earth. Hearts. His web of existence. And all. Is a deeply humble gratitude. How much of our life creation was beyond our will. How much of our existence is dependent on forces and pattern. Still beyond our control. Is the realization that we are not sufficient. There is much that we can do. We do not do anything true. On our own. I could not have written this i received. The gift of coffee to keep me awake for the comforting presence of my three very loudly snoring cash. The revelation of these verses is especially honored during a time when many muslims are. Was just finished last. Miss mans often known as a time when muslims drink from sunrise to sunset. It's an opportunity to reconnect with our gratitude for the gifts that we receive. Not simply the food and water that tastes amazing after this 14-hour summer. What does basic kiss of life. Family. Community. Embrace both our humility and our strength. Is our connection to each other on the forces of life. Power. Our intentions and our actions. That we honor those connections. God created humanity. From a single. Cleaning. I love the many ways we can look at the content of this purse i have to admit the most exciting part for me and my family are the stories surrounding its revelation. See what happened was one day muhammad was meditating in a cave. Appeared in front of him. How much. I can't read. Read. I can't read. And upon being released muhammad to recite those first revealed verses of the quran. Beautiful story. Muhammad it was more of a traumatic one. Khadijah the whole time feeling as though he's being pursued by this angel who appears to be the whole sky. The story of what happened. At this moment he did not he could not believe that he was a prophet. She was convinced she was going insane. Partners in the room if your significant other. Are you sure you didn't have a bad dream or eat something funny. Husband being honest man. Was certain that his experience with real. Non-anxious presence that i imagine many ministers like myself. She took steps to assure him and support him. She took him to her cousin wodicka. What happened to him was real. Addition. The property was without adidas wisdom and support. You just support of muhammad wasn't limited to that first revelation. Even before they were married to buena with a generous supportive barrier-breaking women. A member of the powerful graystripe rhodesia had earned significant power and wealth through trading. Time when women were treated more like property than people khadija was the one who proposed the idea of marriage to muhammad. Earliest teaches these islamic tradition continued to support him and his work. At great cost. Providing emotional and financial support for status and power within her own tribe. He was abandoned. By her own community. Supporting his followers through years of persecution that they needed to support themselves. Shortly after it was ended. He supported muhammad at great cost. It's no surprise that mohammed was said. Devastated. Light of their struggles. We see in the model of muhammad relationship. Stop sugar. Versus. Their support of each other. The recognition that the difficulties of persecution and isolation without each other. Protecting others from violence consequences. They were bearing witness to their beliefs. That there is no god but god. Not just in their mind. You can be easy. Simplify that sprays there is no god. As just a matter of the mind. But the reality is in holding fast to that belief. Khadijah and mohammed knew it to be a matter of the heart. Social political and economic implications. The early years of muhammad prophet with the,. Many muslims at the house of god built by abraham. Turn into a place where anybody could bring in the idols of their gods. No the reason for this. Was purely economical. It was a way to increase the number and times of traitors that came into meca training practice and social power over others. Ism. Questioning the treatment of women as property. This system. Oppressor social and economic structures. Witness. They had made money status and pride their gods. They had forgotten that they had received. But they had begun seeing themselves as better than any other people. Believing that there is no god but god. Cultural way of being threatened and oppressive status quo. They chose the bear witness. Rooted in justice. And universal liberation. Difficult. The struggle. Dirty stories are more than 40 years ago they still have great importance for many muslims around the world today. Adidas steadfast courage and leadership inspired the journalist and author astronomy efforts to recognize women's rights within the traditions. In the bedroom. Looking for the difficult choices. And assertive ourselves. Ashley study the efforts of their social transformations and other social revolution revolution reform and rebirth. It is a simple yet demanding truth. Choose to believe has its greatest greatest impact. When we are steadfast in our choice. We choose to believe is made relevant. Bear witness. You might be wondering why does it matter to us. What are we supposed to do with their story. Reminder of what the unitarian educator administer sophie. It matters. In her 1952 essay about religious beliefs. Our religious beliefs t-rex are bound up with our most poignant memories greatest ecstasy. Our beliefs. Religious ethical philosophical scientific spiritual. To believe matters when we choose. Continue. Police are like pleasant gardens around them. Other beliefs. Are expensive. Some beliefs are divisive. Separating the saved from the unsaved. Friends. From enemies. Other beliefs. Are bonds in a universal brotherhood. We're sincere differences. It matters what we believe because it is least important. It is dee's beliefs that permeate the words and deeds of our lives. It matters what we believe because we bear witness beliefs about relationships. With each other. It is we feel connected to. It matters what we believe because god inevitably. We believe it. Our unitarian universalist tradition has bruce in the freedom to believe one's own connection to that spirit of life. The ways in which question. Understanding of interpretations of their traditions. Comes from the greek word. Which means. Able to choose. As a chosen space. Requiring no creator particular beliefs allowing individuals community. Within our principles for the acceptance of one another. Within our communities we are seeing an expansion of the theologies among our leaders mission community ministers. Free search for truth and meaning. Today. In a world where it seems freedom and choice are at risk. We're differences from our borders. We are called to recognize.. But the responsibility. This morning. As a community. We have chosen to believe that this is a space in which we are. Us. At the unitarian universalist in community we choose to believe that it is possible for all of us in our experiences and identities to come together. It is possible for us to worship together. It is possible for all of us in our differences universal siblings. Celebrate choices. Universalist. Because we have this morning. We believe there is important in our coming together together. We believe there's importance of being among people who think and believe differently. Importance in learning from others in building relationships. Of humanity. Is a holy time. We have chosen what we believe. I invite you to ask yourself. Impacts. Universalist. On your beliefs to change. How do our bodies our lives. Bear witness. How do you choose to act. On what you have chosen to believe. It matters what you. Believe. It matters because your experience. You're lived his board. Sarah's what we believe because we have seen. Humanize. Immigration laws. Apart. Buy those beliefs. So we have been given the chip. We have been given the gift and every moment believe that if we bear witness. We can bring healing injustice into this world. Unitarian universalist minister parker. Whatever you discover them to be. The gift of speaking. What is sacred. Benediction comes from the reverend dr. rebecca parker. The choice to bless the world is more than an act of will. I'm moving forward into the world with the intention to do good. It is an act of recognition a confession of surprise a grateful acknowledgment that in the midst of a broken world. Unspeakable beauty grace and mystery abide. Friends it matters what we believe it matters how we believe this world.

uudavispodcast_org

2013-08-11_Worship_To-Know-What-Kindness-Realy-Is-edited_10_00.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california www.org for further information. I think it's time to try to save a little kindness for later on kindly return to your seats. Had a good time doing that. Good morning my name is kirk ridgeway reverend beth banks is on retreat with the board members. And while she is gone she extends creative liberties to those who are put it on the service so i have taken a few liberties with today including changing some things in the order of service. Joining me in the leadership role is karen klusendorf and this is her last time. Obviously she's been of great value to us both with her words that she has spoken and also with her humor helping to make the surface service to the piano keys. And i work to do is hidden and guarantee you it's a lot of work. Sorry i appreciate you for that. The great time for you to sign for cell phones. And for full disclosure this. Service may be videotaped i say that because the techies are still working out some bugs we also do create weekly podcast for the service which get online about one to two weeks after the service depending on how busy i am and link to that is in your order of service. Karen and i welcome you as we gather to explore in a firm what it is to be human. And our relationships with others and the world we live in. Dennis place where knowledge and respect to diversity of spiritual pathways. The most multiplicity of social political religious sexual orientations. And addressed diverse physical and mental challenges we all encounter. Extend a warm welcome the first time and returning visitors. We hope that you find the people in this community support of challenging and encouraging. As you evolve in your social and spiritual journey. Is this your first time here please stop at the welcome desk out in the great hall after the service so we can answer any questions that you might have. And if you come to you today with a particular joy or sorrow we also offer the possibility of you riding your milestone down in the book in the back left corner here and light a candle if you so choose and honor that milestone. If you need a pastoral call script today please indicate that on the milestone sheet. Now as we settle into today's service maybe remember that in this place you are accepted just as you are. At the same time maybe you'll be open to the possibilities of change. Federal enhance your life and the life life of those around you. Perhaps a change will be simply a subtle change in conscious awareness. A willingness to take a small step in a new direction. For seeing the unseen. What are the change that may occur. Farthest place be a place of comfort and challenge. And the people around you be known as your companions on the journey. Are childless carries much symbolism. They can vary person to person or circumstance to circumstance. Much like the phrase. God whatever you perceive it to be their varied perceptions of the chalice. The flaming chalice did originated wwii. In some perceptions the chalice or the cuff. Symbolize giving a healing drink. Two others. The flame on top of the chalice was often used to represent a spirit of helpfulness. And sacrifice. This flaming chalice became the official symbol of the unitarian service committee during the second world war. And assurance that wherever you see the symbol of the flaming chalice. And universalists nearby. You know there will be kindness. Healing refuge. I was deeply moved by loving-kindness this past week. Fanta day yoga meditation and music festival in british columbia. You see mehta is the core of any decent yogi's practice. And meta translated from poly is loving kindness. The spirit of meta is unconditional. Open and unobstructed. Nature the very center of our being our bliss body. But it's not necessarily that easy to find. Tech i went to canada. I see true kindness is that essence in everything that one does. Like a river flowing through us. It cannot be separate from us. From our intentions are deeds are our duties. We might strive for that state. Not realizing we already have it. We already are it. We are unconditional love. Unconditional kindness. We need only be still. And settled deeply to access it. To unwrap it. We need look no further than within. Although canada was beautiful. Kindness is more about how we walk in the world than what we do in the world. I was moved deeply this past weekend meeting so many people. To walk in this kindness. Who keep it accessible. Keep it there. I found myself in the presence of expansive kindness the kind that runs like a river that emanates from eyes. From touch from words. Eras of loving-kindness all around. Some truly challenging yoga classes i found myself being loved. Into doing and to giving more than i thought i could. Again and again. I found myself in an emotional place. For cleansing tears wash away those crusty layers of too busy too tight too tired. Being in the presence of folks who live there yoga principles. And invite others to step in the flow and be blessed. I was blessed. Touched. I was loved. Tina's class was hip-hop and holy. Sean's felt prayerful. Amber's a dance. Remains class was thoughtful and his brother had such laughing eyes. I meant dear prudence from the beatles song. And there was more much more. And it was all there to connect us with that greatest teacher of all. Loving kindness. Wanderlust is a festival of more than 25,000 people attend each year it's a progressive. Its purpose is to help people find their true north. Connect with themselves and then with others. It's a cultural movement toward mindful living. Sure there were athletes and folks inexpensive yoga gear but mostly there was this loveliness. To reteach a thing its loveliness. Is a great phrase from a canal poem. To put a hand on the brow of a flower. In retail it in words and touch it is lovely. Until it flowers again from within. I believe we all have that loveliness. That bounded kindness. We just need to invited back in to be open and vulnerable. And joyful. Willing to step into that river of loving-kindness. And divine play. And in that spirit won't you sing with me. There's a river flowing through my soul number. 1007. A reading is a man of exceptional kindness. In an old eastern story god wants to read a man for his exceptional kindness and purity of intentions. And tells him to go to the man and ask him what he wants he will have whatever his heart desires the angel appears before the man and gives him the good news. And the kind man replies oh but i am already happy i have all that i want. The angel explains that with god to give you a gift. Well in that case i would like all who come into contact with me to feel well. But i want to know nothing about it from that moment. Wherever this kind man happens to be wilted plants bloom again. Sickly animals grow strong ill people are healed. Fight. Makepeace. And those beset by problems. Resolve them. And all this happens without a kind man knowing always in his way never in front of his eyes. There is never any pride. Nor expectation. Unknowing and content the kindly man walks the roads of the world spreading happiness to everybody. Naomi shihab nye. Wrote the poem kindness on her honeymoon in columbia. Choose driving late at night on a bus with her husband. In a world desolate area. Nebraska's robbed by highwaymen. The highwaymen. Stole all that money to passport anything of value of everybody on the bus. What are the colombian indians was murdered. Enough lying by the side of the road in a bloody white poncho. When they arrived at the next small equally desperate town. Who's excited. Great husband. Please hitchhike to a largest city which is dangerous. To get travelers checks. Travel documents. And that she would need to really remain behind. Without food shelter anything. Didn't say he was desperate. She looked around she saw this group of ragamuffin kids going through garbage cans clayton cans bottles to earn some food. She told him her plight. And they allowed her to join them. Until her husband came back. Subsequently shoe size in. Middle of a little town square. Pulled out a piece of paper. Pencil. I began to write. She said that the pain that landed on the page. Cindy be spoken to her by a great presence is simply flowed out of ran onto paper. This is her phone kindness. After which would have a short silent reflection. Reflection. To know kindness you must lose things. Kill the future dissolve in a moment like salt in a weakened broth. What you held in your hand. What you counted and carefully saved all this must go so that you know how desolate the landscape can be between the regions of kindness. To know the tender gravity of kindness. You must go to where the indian in the white poncho lies dead by the side of the road. You must see how this could be you. How can you too. Journey through the night with plans and the simple breath. I kept him alive. To know kindness at the deepest thing inside. You must know sorrow as the other deepest thing. You must wake up with sorrow. Speak to it till your voice catches the threat of all sorrows and you can see the side of a sloth. Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore only kindness the ties you shoes. I send you out into the day to mail letters. I purchase bread. Only kindness that raises his head above the crowd of the world to say it is i who have been looking for. Follows you everywhere. Like a shadow. Or friend. Things like salt in a weakened broth what you held in your hand what you counted and carefully saved all this must go so that you know or friend. It is not enough to know. It is not enough to follow the inwood road conversing and secret. It is not enough to here. It's hard enough to see straight ahead thinking the silence belongs to you. You must go to the place where everything weights. Bear when you finally rest. Even one word will do. One word for the palm of your hand turned out within the gesture of a gift. And now we are truly afraid to find the great silence asking for so little. One word. One word only. Over 20 years ago i counted this poem written by david white. Who is like a fierce zen master. Who's lesbian to the rich steps of the oral poetic tradition. For some subliminal reason this poem rock me back on my heels. Chris implications attic contain. I asked david what was the one word the great silence was asking for i had to know. Recently offered me a kind compassionate knowing smile. I knew then that i had to find my own one word. Over the years i have tried on many words and also thought this is the word. Going to realize that the fountain word was simply adore a gateway to the next word then the next the next. Forza courage integrity humility joy gratitude. Each word required my deep examination looking both inwardly and outwardly. Has my earlier life had been mostly defined by family and cultural roles i unconsciously took on. I was living an unexamined life. In recent years gratitude and wholeheartedness of jockey for that exalted number one position. I wish i could finally rest the one word in which i could finally rest. That is until recently when i stumbled and fell over the word kindness. Touch it to see the simple word. Cliche. Everyone knows our kindness is. Or do we. And if we do know what kindness really is how do we live the word. For how we live our one word is the acid test of whether the word qualifies to be the one word. Today i want to explore the word kindness to step into the shallows of its crate co significance. I hope that you might leave here today and dive deeper into the word. Going to greater depths and possible during our short time together. I provided for you in the order of service some references some resources. Do i choose to go beyond the cliche. And self-discovery with to unbound a kindness really is. Ultimately is our prime attic spiritual quest. Number of months ago when i was memorizing kindness something shifted inside me. As i work to embody the poem as my own. In subsequent months i was smitten. With sharp awareness of acts of kindness. Ping golf my consciousness consciousness like a tsunami a deeply personal tsunami. Subsequently a revisited. Many recent acts of ordinary kindness i had encountered. Like those who open the doors for me so i can get through on my crutches. For the man who ran over to my wife and costco to help her lift a heavy kitty litter onto the card. Like a 55 minute to mendocino woodlands men's retreat over this past memorial day weekend. Extended warrant kindness and indeed love to themselves and others. And also would way back in my life. To such things as migrate. Grandmother pharrell whitehair great-grandmother whose laugh i love to sit. Now looking back is easy to see that i am the product of a numeral acts of ordinary kindness. Many of which i took for granted. The reality is that for all of us regardless of how many acts of unkindness we have endured. It is your new apple and mostly forgotten acts of ordinary kindness. That is enabled us to survive and thrive. Then they are then there are the non-ordinary the extraordinary acts of kindness most of us will never be called upon to exercise. Responsive great sufferings many people have reported. I responded with non-ordinary acts of kindness. That amazes i call into question if we had the capacity for exceptional non-ordinary kindness. Think of all the stories of extraordinary kindness you have heard. By everyday people. Seen on tv or read about. Like the ones i feel the airways after the boston marathon bombing. The world trade center destruction. For newtown massacre. How would we respond. They're important teachers embedded in stories of non-ordinary acts of kindness. I'd like to tell you about one of those amazing stories of non-ordinary kindness has haunted me for over 20 years. A story that to this day i still have trouble fully fadiman. Young man killed another mother's son. At the trial. The mother of the murdered son lead over the rail at or the defendant and whispered in his ear. I'm going to kill you. Many years later. She adopted her son's killer. Eventually he asked her. Remember at my trial you said you were going to kill me. Cute plaid. I did. She killed the young man he used to be with kindness and compassion. How many of us would be capable of doing that could i do that. Could you. There are an incredible number of ordinary and non-ordinary acts of kindness occurring all the time that it seems would remotely ingesting attached to our stories and images of unkindness. Just look at our news imovies and very importantly our self-talk. Sadly we are constantly distracted in blinded to know and what kind is really is. But you know what kindness really is we need to be consciously aware and continuously say kindness in all its manifestations. The infinitely small acts of ordinary kindness. Turn on ordinary access tunnel into deep adulation. Then conspired with a possibility. We too can follow in the footsteps of kindness. Susan strasberg in her important highly acclaimed book loving kindness. Tells a story about a large group of people who are trapped on island. Punisher of a raging river. Their homes and lands are being flooded and destroyed their in great danger. Start angry frightened hopeless. Then one person comes along who has a courage strength and clarity. Is he a way to cross over the river to the safety of the other shore. If we're just ahead and does it. Just by saying that one person. Cross the safety. Everybody else developed the confidence. And the possibility that they to cross the raging river. So it is with crossing over the river of fear suffering and hate to the freedom of kindness. And i want to know how people such as murdered son's mother cross that river of suffering. I want to know what kindness really was. To do so i look deeply into ordinary and non-ordinary acts and stories are kindness. Can i look for people to follow appear to be exemplars of kindness people who rated some interior embodiment of unbounded kindness. I look at those with great names such as the dalai lama. Common folk like rabies sheet metal worker. And that look and i saw that all these people. Had endured the common suffering that we all suffer. As well as many of them greater suffering said we hoped never to suffer ever. Can you tell pandora that you are from within them the best. Expressing himself and in those they met on the road. Inn at the shore of other raging river of suffering. They were radiant with life. Even in the midst of adversity. What was the central support of thread of a radiance. What's my question. What was a satchel supportive. Thread. Are there radiance. Peterson lions when william stafford home. There is a thread you follow. Echoes among things that change but it doesn't change. While you hold on to it. You can't get lost. What i arrived at is that kindness is the great thread. Essential essential thredup. Of radius. For his kindness that ties your shoes and send you out into the day. To mail letters and purchase spread. And goes with you everywhere like a shadow. Boyfriend. No matter the circumstances. Even when we fall short of our own expectations. Kindness is the golden thread. But hold us together. Enables us to sustain a vibrant wholehearted life. And to become an exemplar of true unbounded kindness requires that we achieve a high level of equanimity. The evenness of mind. The ability to be constant. And to injure graciously and skillfully all the ups and downs of life. We need apathetic. Well examined mines. Classic statements to be sure. What can the average everyday person in our present culture of superficial personality narcissistic eagle inflation and addictive attachment fixations attain the sky for kindness. A kindness that is not sentimental kindness. kindness of obligation not kindness. With expectation of return not kindness of simply being polite or labor keurig courtesy. Not fake kindness out of fear of being seen as unkind. But a loving-kindness freely given without attachment to outcomes. A loving-kindness full of empathy compassion joy altruistic love in oneness of being a thief spiritual kindness unequivocal yes. Yes. The books i suggested in your order a service provider maps. Are the journey to true unbound a comp kindness. Fair complex and demanding maps get simple maps. Kindness rather being something we need to acquire. Is actually something we already possess. It is an innate biological imperative. And it is absolutely necessary. For our survival. Kindness already lives within us. We simply need to unveil it. If i'm looking for your house. Why you're sitting in your living room. When you first entertain the question of true unbounded kindness. We're often overwhelmed by all the terrible images and stories of the world. Quick question of kindness can really make a difference at all. Remember time for kindness was met with unkindness and we felt the bitter unwanted emotions. We even wonder if we are worthy of self kindness. This kind of thinking we can quickly defeat ourself in the search with kindness really is. I simply fought along living an unexamined and listen live and life. This is where the stories of those who have crossed the river of suffering become so vital. Had all those stories seem to start. With self-compassion. All the stories seem to start with self-compassion. Taper example to murdered. Let the mother of the murdered son. But he said to his son murders i'm going to kill you she spent years or 3 anger and an obsessive desire for revenge. Until she came to the point with her hate to become addictive. It was like she was drinking battery acid everyday. An emotional asset that was killing her and all those around her. She realize in order for her to live a life worth living. She had to change and move toward love. Looking back. To recognize their gradual compassion transformation to her son's killer with first born out of the necessity of self-compassion. This realization i heard in story after story. So self-compassion is the first step in the alchemical pathway leading from anger. I'd hate to kindness. So where do we start. On the true path to chew i'm down to kindness. The answer is right here. Within us. Telephone by david white. Start close in. Don't take the second step or the third start with the first thing closed in start with the ground you know. Pale ground beneath your feet start with your own question. Kristin neff in her book. Self-compassion. Cousin is starting out many people are resistant to self-compassion. Isn't really just a form of self-pity. Quadricep word for self indulgence. Her answer is that rather than self-indulgent narcissism. Self-compassion involves one in health and wellness for oneself. At least a proactive behaviors to better one situation. It doesn't mean i think my problems are more important than yours. It just means i think my problems are also important and worthy to attend to. Simply said. How can i be truly kind to others if i'm unkind to myself. I sent a message to for you today that self-compassion is the bud. Out of which flowers true kindness and compassion regardless of where we where we are in the world of sorrows. And all of us and they leave for zesta possibility to live a kinder. And general life i matter what our past might have been. We only need to take that first step. Close in. Step beneath our feet or true kindness and discovered that the great science is asking so little one word. One word only. And that's where it is. Kindness. This message of hope and possibility needs to be told and retold over and over. We need to reteach. To rediscover our loveliness. For we all hold within us. The nation fun-loving us a self flushing things even those things that don't flower for everything flowers from within of self blessing but sometimes it is necessary to put a hand and it touch it is lovely to its flowers again from within of self-lighting sometimes it is necessary to its flowers again from within self blessing. Remember is karen's reading about the man whom god granted a wish. He radiated kindness wherever he went in for this everyone and everything he encountered was a blast. This was the outcome of i have ended and examined life. As he was constantly aware of the joys and beauty otherworld as well as all the sufferings of the world. Here come to a place in his life. Or he could fully embrace with. Quit all life with abundant love. Compassion sympathetic joy and equanimity. Which translates into true unbounded kindness and evenness of mind and heart i wish i could bless and be blessed. My prayer for you today is that through the blessings of kindness. Play you stay forever young. Are you stay forever young in heart and spirit. Don't matter your age. For the swirling circumstances of your life. Please take hands around the room. It is only kindness that makes sense anymore. Only kindness a tie shoes. I sent you out into the day. To mail letters and purchase fred. Horny kindness. Erases his head above the crowd of the world to say it is i who have been looking for and follows you everywhere like a shadow. Our friend. Are you go for today in loving kindness.

uudavispodcast_org

2014-09-21-What-Happens-to-Me-When-Theres-an-Us_11_15.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. org for further information. Welcome i love this silence before the worship begins and i thought no i don't agree with him i mean i really love to hear your voice is in greeting. And being community this congregation comforts us when we know lost and celebrate our very best dream. We bring our differences and together we offer a fuller truth than anyone point of view this is a place of talent and it's a place of compassion. The holy is experienced here in many ways and is given many names. People of all sexual orientations and gender identities are celebrated. We welcome all races and classes and physical abilities we have much to learn from each other. This is a place of learning and howe. Weather because of the touch of a friend the words the music or a moment of silence i hope that you walk away from this hour together feeling more alive. Are opening we are opening words are a new beatitudes by reverend lindy ram ramsden your own assumptions and listen with an open mind you will receive beyond your imagining. Invited to a time of prayer meditation a time when you leave behind what is. Whatever it is that you've been carrying this week. And just look within and look to the support of this gathering. Just rest together. Spirit of life that moves the seasons. We enter this time of change. And autumn. When summer starts to lose its grasp in the night. And we waited to anu coolness in the morning. The fall equinox is here on this day. Each season brings its own beauty. Each season keeps life new. On this day we give thanks for those who reach beyond themselves. For those who planted the trees and the grounds and water them. From the pine trees to the pistache. For those among us who reach out to make injuring friendships finding the beauty in. Other people intern bringing out the beauty in ourselves for those who travel to new york city landing there today to show those with political power how many people see the changes and what is happening in our environment the numbers of people that are there cannot be ignored and their own local community and how it is teaching. For those who work for racial justice. And our own alex lee job who received yellow counties multicultural justice award for dedicating herself to issues of race in our county she is bringing beauty. Play invite you into the silence remembering all those changes in your own life. And all those who are reaching out. Beyond themselves. To you. And for you. Each of us is a part. Of an intricate web of relationships when one of us celebrate the joy or grieve the loss the web of life moves to a new shape we are apart of the turn of the earth shifted the stars the pull of the sea. And all change. Amen and blessed be. I'm going to read the first three verses out loud to you guys and then at the end of if you'll be seeing verse number 3. Wake now my senses and hear the earth's call feel the deep power of being in all keep with the web of creation your vowel giving receiving as love shows us how. Wake now my reason. Reach out to the new and join each pilgrim who quest for the true. Order the beauty and wisdom of time. And separate i limit. And praised the sublime. Wake now compassion give heed to the cry voices of suffering fill the wide sky. Take it your neighbor both stranger and friend. Praying and striving their hardship to end. Wake now my conscience with justice league guide. Join with people whose rights are denied. Take nothing for granted a privileged place. God's love embraces the whole human race. And you know you'll see that him coming around again. Cuz you're not done. It was 1994 and i was surrounded by. Fellow clergy. At the annual breakfast the local council of churches. I was one of the few women ministers in the room and i was one of the youngest but neither these things is what made me uncomfortable. The reason i was on my guard was that almost everyone around me was christian. With the exception of a jew a muslim and this unitarian universalist it felt like the beginning of a bad religion joke once it's you a muslim any unitarian universalist went to a christian breakfast. Always came before we attended to the brief business at hand and then ate breakfast and that moment is you can imagine was that moment when we would begin to pray. The prayer was always in jesus's name as god come to earth. And as a mystic human as to understood jesus to be human. I would screw my eyes shut and listen adding in my own name. In jesus's name. And mary. Abraham and sarah moses buddha confucius muhammad and in the brilliance of einstein and the beauty of the poet may sarton. And for the challenges of gandhi blessed be. With each passing year i sternly prepared my silent listing of the holy ones to add to their list unitarian universalist we're not accepted as a part of the council of churches on a national level and to eventually i stopped attending the breakfast meetings all together. I was quietly defiant. Not just a little self-righteous. But i also felt the loss. Who would be there to invoke even silently. Mary and moses and buddha and the great religious leaders of our century and the geniuses of science and the arts. Who else would feel defensive on behalf of the jewish rabbi. And the muslim imam. Or. Me. Years later i realized that the loss was greater than i imagined. For the local council of churches. For the congregation. And for myself. My church supported my decision and we started collaborating with organizations in our urban neighborhood it was very righteous it was very good. Fred mueller. The unitarian universalist minister from annapolis maryland with a speaker at the berry street lecture in 2012. The berry street lectures chosen. Our unitarian universalist colleagues because we believe that this person has a message at allen to offer clergy and therefore the whole denomination. Pan-fried choose to speak about the eye church. As if the unitarian universalist church with an apple product. I liked it. Michelle modern. He researched what. It you know the eye. Means when it's used with apple products. Any thought into explanations the i could mean internet or it could mean individual like in your own personal piece of technology. I thought no reason to like either one of these things loving my iphone and my ipad the way i do. Bittern culture by muir's definition. Is one with the church and its people make three commitments three commitment and these commitments are found deep within our you youth history and the history of our whole country. They are threefold here they are the importance of the individual. The belief that unitarian-universalism is insightful. Very insightful exceptionally insightful you can see where i'm going with this with the beliefs and practices that are truly superior to others we are just much more insightful. Add an allergy to authority. These three characteristics also reflect the attitude of our countries if you think about that. The value of the individual is the lone ranger. The belief that the american way is above reproach. And our nation's ambivalent issue with authority and leadership. Think about how we treat our elected officials. Or others. You are reminded the clergy that we are committed to a larger good. And that goes beyond what each person may want for themselves. We are committed to creating a unique kind of community and that means you. As a congregation is a gathering. And it means that you also get that by virtue of. Well me. We have the country. And the people of this denomination and i say this. With great love. Sometimes confuse individuality. With individualism. An individualism. Is when each person's individual need or conviction is the focus. And the only focus we see all of life through this focus. The person who can live without depending on another. I seen as independent and strong free virtuous. I know this i was i was born in new england. In the blood of new englanders. But there is nothing and individualism that supports the community that we value the very reason that we come together. Individualism means that we will be only a gathering of separate human beings imagine little silos are human beings. We downplay our need for others refuse to accept health. And see request for help is being weak maybe someone can ask once. Busy come back to the well and ask for help a few times then. Baby. Turn on it as well put together as we imagined they were. Individualism is found in the language of ultimatums if it is not my way. It is not acceptable. And it's almost. I'm miracle. If a group devoted to individualism find the common goal can you imagine how hard that would be. And as a minister for 26 years i have learned that in a community where individualism is the ideal. You will find many lonely people. Quaker teacher douglas steel reflects on ancient questions of identity when he says. The ancient question. What am i. Leads to a deeper one which is ku's mi. Because there is no identity outside of relationship think of that there's no identity outside of relationship. He said you can't be a person by yourself. To ask who's who's am i who's am i is to extend the question far beyond the little self-absorbed. In self. And i would have you wonder as i asked these questions answer these for yourself. Who needs you. You. Who loves you. To whom are you accountable to. To whom do you answer. Who is life is altered by your choices. With whose life. Whose lives. Is yours all bound up. Inextricably. It obvious. An invisible waze. Coos. Are you. The reverend sarah lammert was an intern for this congregation many years ago and who is a leader in our denomination at beacon street in boston now. Was confronted by this question when she lived in kenya. See another college students were making bricks for a schoolhouse in the countryside they were invited to an outdoor dinner with young messiah warriors. As a meat roasted over the fire one of the young men asked her. Who are your people. And sarah stumbled over her answer. Wondering. Was it her family. Her socioeconomic group. He paused for a long time. And then she spoke of an amorphous land of people that stretched from the north of our country to the. Proud of our country and she said. The people who live near the mississippi river. And it was clear that she was grasping for an answer. He looked at her with calm seriousness. And said. I know who i am. Pati medina who i am in community she wrote. I know who i am is a part of a natural world i know myself be a member of one tribal body therefore i belong therefore i am. Sarah admitted that she suddenly felt. Very lonely. She wrote i grew up in a culture. Where individualism. Is not only championed. But idolized. Individualism sibling. Is individuality. How to reverse those characters that make us different from all others. Whatever it is that makes us unique. Cherished by those who care about us respected. By those around us. Embracing individuality is a wonderful part of our theology it honors our diversity and creates such a rich community. We are not asked to accept a creed. In this denomination but rather to design our own. The unitarian universalist religious exploration course for adults called building your own theology helps each person identify their own theology it is strenuous or multiple assignments in 2 hours each time you need to of in class exercises you get two minutes to discuss this and transition and you move on 45 minutes of discussing the next thing and so it goes for 2 hours. I did my third year teaching this course. The whole class mutinied. I've never had that happen before you know someone might talk to me after the class but not the whole class mutinying. The content of this class is great they said. But we want fewer exercises and more time. To talk about it together. Risking telling someone our truth. And hearing someone else's thought that's the best part of coming together. And that is how is the class we discovered that one participant was a christian you had a personal relationship with jesus. And he was able to talk with the atheist. And the person who really believe in reincarnation. And was concerned about my next life. Listen carefully to the one who said. When your dad. Your dad. And at the end of the course each person shared accredo. A very carefully considered theological truth with the congregation in a worship service. Part of this work. It's a study and to reflect it's our responsibility. As people who understand themselves to beat unitarian-universalist and part of it is to have the courage to speak out loud and that is also a part of being a unitarian universalist so we are not having those conversations. Why are we here. But equally important part of this equation is being willing to make space. For the authentic. And well-considered beliefs of another. Especially if those beliefs are different from our own. Being receptive to this thoughtful unedited sharing create new community. It recognizes that me. The individual in the midst. Of the identity of an us. Mark stringer. The featured sunday preacher at are denominations recent general assembly said different views of the holy matter less. Then what those views lead us to do. If we value religious freedom. We have to be willing to accept and not be put off. By others practicing their religion. Does this have to be about us. This is a central concept allows individuality to flourish. In a community. When when are we practicing individualism and when are we supporting individuality. The ultimate test is our ability to be in relationship with people whose viewpoints are different from our own. Do we shut down relating or try to respond with curiosity that they try to because it's hard. Do we speak in ultimatums. Or do we look for common ground. After the misunderstanding are we willing to return to the table and try again. There's an interfaith group that is reviving among the religious group that uc-davis and we are at the table and i want you to know about that. Five liberal religious groups. There's a lutheran episcopal methodist muslim. Jewish. Catholic. Unitarian universalist and here's the surprise. 1 evangelical representative. And we all meet together we don't know how this is going to turn out exactly but we're going to try. We are dedicated. To encouraging the full expression of each face. Well being sensitive to each other and i will say there are 19 evangelical groups on campus. 90 but they don't necessarily agree among themselves. So we have one person who wishes to be at this table with us. And jeff lefkoff is a part of that with me and i'm grateful. This is the group that responds to hate crimes on campus. What provides interfaith opportunities to grieve tragedies this is the group that the police force on-campus came to things could you give us a chaplain. To be with our police force because we are under stress sometimes. Canoe. We are energized by the clarity. Abar purpose. And cherish. The individuality of each face tradition i just want to go on a little bit off-script which is always kind of fun to say that we had no idea that the police. They were ready to take one of our members and an outfit her with a police uniform that said chaplin on it and that they were ready for all of it they had a desk for her. You knowing that their little police station they wanted us there to just hang out with and they no idea that we had full-time jobs it's true. And to talk about what it is we do and what we can do with them possibly so it's really kind of wonderful. Instead of saying haha. We're backing away from this i think this is a group that's going to slowly step forward. No religious tradition that acts with respect for others will be ignored or silenced and i want to say. They must have respect for others. And we are concerned for the the well-being of all the religious groups. In retrospect i want to say here's what i learned about my younger self. Who has a person of an underrepresented population in 1994. Does the police calling. Wanted to find a place at the breakfast table we wanted to find a place at the breakfast table. I never really tested the appropriateness of my place at the table. Or made my discomfort clear. Perhaps there were others who were quietly adding their own holy names to that prayer. Maybe there were christian clergy who sincerely regretted excluding the religious leaders who understood jesus to be human and not divine. By not requesting that my voice be heard. As one of many. In public prayer. I was allowing my own individualism wanting everyone to use language that i was comfortable with. The cloud my belief. An individuality. Which is encouraging ways for all of us. To bring the fullness of our religious expression. May we hear. Invite the expression of opinions and respond with questions and curiosity may we have the strength to do that. And then we receive the same treatment in kind from others may it be so. And maybe all come to the table of life. Ready to name what is most precious to us with each other and trust that it will be hurt. In our homes. Among our friends. At work. In this congregation as the dream team works with us. We will find teachers at every turn. And life will be nothing less than fascinating. And an adventure. And we will find unexpected inspiration where we least. Expected. May we all. Be so blessed. And to that i say. Amen. Don't look for me in a police uniform anytime real soon.

uudavispodcast_org

2014-12-28_Just-Rest-A-Cushion-for-Your-Head_11_15.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california website at w.w. org for further information. Hello good morning wonderful place of worship and community a place that welcomes you regardless of sexual orientation gender expression racial identity. We light our chalice in community we light our chalice for community because together we're brighter stronger more effective we can take turns carrying the flame while others rest or perhaps now is our time to rest we can light our own play more have it kindled by another's kindness we light our chalice this morning for the new year for the beacon of hope it provides let our chalice bring clarity and illuminate possibilities we light our chalice for the departing year which all-in-all was good enough we light our chalice in community and this morning our senior minister reverend beth banks will light this chalice later we'll send her off on sabbatical sabbatical is a time to study explorer yes but also a time to rest and care for that flame that burns within her you have done enough today you can rest now i was drawn to this poster in a catalog you have done enough today you can rest now i was drawn to this poster because like so many of you i neglect my rest i could use a daily reminder that i have done enough today i know i'm in trouble when i see another surgery and study and myself and then and some soft words for my head i find stillness for a moment and don't do a thing just rest just rest. This room hafiz a cushion for your head just sit there right now don't do anything just rest just sit there right now don't do anything just rest for your separation from god the hardest work in this world. Thank you for turning with me on a review of what i can recall so far of my trip to turkey and she'll join me in a moment of prayer. And i would like to invite that to come forward and i would like to 62 are helping with this transition ritual to come and join me. We prayerfully hope that your sabbatical is a time of rest for your whole person physically emotionally intellectually and spiritually providing you space for intellectual and spiritual rejuvenation the cultivation of old friendships and the building of new ones and seeing sights you've never seen before we place a symbol upon you that you have personally selected a symbol of fun and beauty and relaxation and with a scarf we add our blessings for your sabbatical. Ranchester shows sarah that i was really listening. Take the hand people next to you decide you somehow connecting these are the people who offer community and unity and stillness in the whirling maybe go forward at community and unity and stillness and.

uudavispodcast_org

2018-07-29-Pearls-of-Wisdom.mp3?_=1

Unitarian universalist church of davis california at www.dav.org for further information. Patients were still so fully true scouts honor story is that this morning we sent someone to pick up roman gankin at palm gardens and there was a man waiting outside. Anamar walked up and said are you roman and then answer will yes i am and the man got into the van and they got here and i said. We are not roman but that man had a wonderful morning so now he's on his way back gardens you can't make this stuff up right so they're coming back but we'll get started and and roman and that and that manner have great story to tell everyone so let's get started singing guide my feet maybe we needed a little guidance this morning and. And give us a little introduction will get ready to sing. Thank you and i got the thumbs up roman has arrived and the joy of starting church 10 minutes late isn't everybody is here so would you stand and turn and greet your neighbor and say good morning. Welcome welcome again i'm reverend morgan mclain and it is wonderful to be together this morning. And i milly nora. Today we are joined by special guest music musicians. And also. Adding to the music. Is currently a rising senior at oberlin college in ohio. Studying mathematics and piano music. Welcome welcome. As unitarian universalist we believe that all people have inherent worth and dignity. You are welcome here. No matter how you identify or who you love. No matter the color of your skin or your political affiliation. You are welcome here. I'm out of your understanding of god or. Answers to life's big questions. You are welcome into this community of curious learners and compassionate listeners. We come into this place from our separate lives. If you have a joy or sorrow. Invited to light a small channel. Chalice. It can be a recognition of something in the silence of your own heart. Right in the milestone book if you would like to have a worship leader share your milestone in the service. 4 included in the weekly bulletin. By the people in this room. We like one pillar candle for the sorrows of the world. For the moments that we heavy on our hearts. And we like one pillar candles. For the moments of hope and celebration. Each sunday we light our chalice which symbolizes the unitarian universalist. Principles and how we live our lives. If he did a member of the church forever. We have all this time together of our heritage. Hi i'm dressed. I'm not sure where i was on august 10th 1988. But in our nation's capital and event was taking place between being significant to me. 19:45. That was a yearly return back to berkeley from exclusion. We scrambled to resume our lives. Strangely i've never talked i never talked about our days in the incarceration center. Not with friends or family. Even doing my many long chats with my auntie elizabeth who is quite the talker. Perhaps i wanted to pretend like it never happened. It was as if i had the proverbial elephant in the room. One of the readings was an opinion from a 1943 supreme court case. Gordon hirabayashi. Young japanese american quaker. Starting at the university of washington. In the spring of 1940 to gordon had defied the curfew and exclusion order issued by lieutenant general. Believing that the orders were unconstitutional. American of japanese ancestry. In district court. Gordon's father. Idaho and he brought him to the courtroom just be sure that he was japanese. Convicted and imprisoned without ruling on the constitutionality of the order. Reading this that you're in college i felt badly for gordon and somehow i felt humiliated for both of us. I was also shocked than anyone had dared they orders above lieutenant general. I think the professor expected me to say something bright. I don't want to talk about it in the classroom or anywhere. I wanted to hide under my chair. Fortunately the community began talking about the unconstitutionality of our incarceration. Encouraged by the civil rights movement of the 1960s. In washington. Prompted president carter. The commission on wartime relocation and internment of civilians. I'm one of my visits to her home. She advocated redress preparation and funding for public education. These kinds of testimonies and research recommendation. They concluded that the incarceration was based on racial prejudice and failure of leadership. The findings led to house resolution to me and to the other. Surviving detainees in reparations to each of us. There was also a request for educational fun. Exactly the recommendations that my on taylor swift had. Bill with number 442. Regimental combat team. Incarceration camps. On august 10th 1988. President reagan and congress passed hr 442. 1988 animation apology to the grave injustice done to me. We were real american. And my elephant went out the door. The time of remembrance education programs were established throughout the united states and the public about these dark times. Under the chair. In 1980 67. Is conviction. Barack obama awarded him a presidential medal of freedom. In 19 in 2012. In 1992 i received a letter of apology. From president george hw bush. And i received the check. I just wish that my parents in my own dear elizabeth we're still alive at that time. And that's a piece of it isn't every check i write support social justice. Church. When it was first. Put together. Our cover for the. I have a lot of memories. Watch. I always supposed to. And the energy. And a caiman. Where trees were. Everything. Everyone enjoyed. Thank you roman and thank you for the work that you did. Are you are you taking a pause to the interrupt you. Are you done. My name is elizabeth young. And i'd like to thank real men again. And the other founders of this church for the great work they did. And because much of what i am is because we are. Country was in turmoil in the early days of my life. From the depression to the. All eligible men were called into the military to camp from home. Operated families like mine looks for churches where they could find some community. And their children will be safe in sunday schools. Dad being a theologian. My family was one of those who moved with the military father's beginning before the ccc chaplain. Remember that civilian conservation corps president roosevelt. Her family relocated to the tiny town of marseilles illinois. In the trees christmas pageant ellen. And i figured out how to play silent night with three fingers on our piano our new piano. Little piano. In washington dc where dad in bed transferred next. We were sitting around the radio when president roosevelt read the declaration of war on december 7th 1942. 41. I started piano lessons there. And was dumped. In the northern baptist church. We followed him next to fresno where mother and i went to the mexican mission church. I practice to play the hymns for mother's children service. The thing out of the spanish and my best friend genie cruise. Finally answered. When i was in the middle of the 6th grade dad rejoin the family. Accepting a call to the first baptist church in bedford indiana. Churches. When i played for the sunday school wednesday night prayer meeting class of gospel songs. And sing in the choir. I left home after high school to go to indiana university school of music of course that was what i was groomed for. I joined the student christian movement. And i begin to make my own choices and then the world opened up for me. I married i graduated and i taught music and a country school. While directing a children's choir at my husband's family church back in bedford indiana. This time it was presbyterian. The babies came and after a few minutes after a few. Years the marriage in it was a long time the marriage ended. I went back to the university and a master's degree. Misled me in 1972. And i've been here ever since. I wasn't sure which i wasn't church interested anymore i was tired of taking things on faith. When evening my friend molly and i went to a t m that is transcendental meditation session. Can i enter the lights changing. of my life. Meditating and experiencing life in a different and greatly enhanced way. I love being in the altered states and the mountaintop experience. But i had to return to daily life her practical reason i had children and i had to go to work it was the real world real world. Needy. I found this church and i re-entered the world of church music. I became choir director and begin playing the services for pastor charles. And i meant bob here. Another life-changing event. And we've been married now for over 40 years. Mr2 became my entry into so many things native american traditions and chance. Can i talk and led rituals. I've been learning to be part of a community. And it's cute that i allowed myself to play my soul and my music. It's been a joy to be so supported and to be living in one place for so many years. Now i'm working to be more present in my body. Abadi. Need a body. Better late than never. I'm in body awareness classes i'm continuing training and reiki healing. And he was the uu friend barbara ashman to buy me back to that. No one of my greatest choice is to have a transcendent moment. Dealing with a special person. Wwe baby recently whose name with elizabeth and when she found my name is elizabeth she wanted me to pick her up. And we had a lovely moment. Appropriate siuu composer jason shelton with his latest song on the web. He said i've been trying to find a way to respond to the relentless news of the day. I think congregational music at its best called us back. To the best of what we know to be true and cast the vision for the world we hope to build. The song is taken from a zulu concept that we see each other into being when we really look at each other and our present for each other. Show me very simple and the words in english ricu the responses i am here. And the concept is. I am because we are and let's have the words on the. I need a screen and. I would like us to think it's together. And let's do a couple of times and it once. Be present. Thank you liz. We are because we are in community. Fannin community we share our lives and so i invite you to enter into a moment of prayer and reflection. Find yourself solidly in your seat with your feet on the ground. Close your eyes soften your gaze. Notice your breath. Enter into a time. Love and care. Time that we create together. Momentous. Sacred time. The time to look inward. What time's the name the sorrows and the joys of our lives. The nest place. We named those things that. Are hard for us. Those challenges we faced. We named those. Struggling relationships. Burdens we hold. We name. Our addictions. We name. All the times. Where we. Short. And we let them go just a little. Because of falling short. Perfection. Is humanity. We let them go a little bit. That we might make space for gratitude and. Celebration. Until we. Name those things to those places of joy. Those moments of connection. Those small smiles. We do not exist alone. So we turn our hearts and minds to the people in our lives. People who need our love our support. Her prayers. Call to mind the people we know who are. Morning today. Family and friends who are feeling the loss of a. We know that. And yet we know there is. To celebrate. Life is unexpected. We send our love to those. People fleeing their homes. Tires. Losing their belongings. We send our love. The places around the world who need. To need it. Maybe always come together. Each other. And celebrating all that we have. We are parked at the turn of the earth. And all change. And as we come to the end of this service. We acknowledge the sorrows that have been held in this room. And hope they are lighter. For having been shared. And the choice. Hoping there is even more happiness. Together. And we extinguish this chalice. Best beach in that has called us together. Stories the pearls of wisdom. We know there are so many more. Among us. May this flame go on in you. Until we come together. To rekindle it. Would you join hands for the benediction. Hear these words from reverend samuel tumblr. Goforth in simplicity. Find whatsapp. Welcome the stranger and open your heart to a world in need of healing. Be courageous before the forces of hate. Cold in embody of vision of the common good. Unless his congregation say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

2015-03-15-Be-Who-You-Are_11_15.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. org for further information. Welcome and i am donna sacs your worship associate for this morning i worship leader for today is our guest rev dr shandra kovacs are senior minister thanks is away on sabbatical and she'll be back with us in june june. We come to celebrate our lives and to be in community we bring our differences and together we offer a fuller truth. People of all sexual orientations and gentle ride gender identities are celebrated we welcome all political parties racist classes physical abilities. We have much to learn from each other. Are chalice is lit at the beginning of each service it is an image of a shared face as we come together in worship today i asked our guests the reverend doctor chandler kovacs to come forward and light the chalice. Reverend kovacs teaches church history and religion at the protestant theological seminary and cauliflower transylvania romania. He received his phd in early unitarian history from the prestigious university in hungary he keeps busy translating editing and writing books and scholarly articles he did his phd dissertation on english transylvanian connections in the 19th century. Reverend kovacs was one of the first fowler scholars epistar starting school in berkeley in 1995. We are happy that he has returned and is with us today. The reading for the morning is from. From the back of our hymnal the words are from francis david who founded the unitarian church of transylvania. In the 16th century. We call him david parents. In this world there have always been many opinions about faith and salvation to love alike. There must be knowledge in faith also. Sanctified reason is the lantern of faith. Religious reform can never be all at once but gradually stop by stop. If they offer something better i will gladly learn. The most important spiritual function is constance. The source of all spiritual joy and happiness. Conscience will not be quieted by anything less than truth and justice. We must accept god's rude in this lifetime. Salvation must be accomplished here on the earth. God is indivisible. Exhausting. God is one. Good morning everyone it is a great honor and a privilege to worship with you hearing davis this morning. Today is a special day. For march 15th is the national day for hungarians. No matter where in the world they are. This is the day of remembrance of the outbreak of the hungarian revolution. The 1848 not later 11. Powernation started her fight for independence from the austrian empire. Have you so many revolutions attendant with massive retaliation from the austrian and prussian soros army. The austrian school 2-13 generals. Lewis co shooter. The governor of hungary has to go in exile. Do unitarians in england and in the united states of armed recite him and his ex portrait comrades. Many of the 48 others as they are hold. Both on the union side in the american civil war. I do not know of any unitarians who emigrated to north america in 1848. About today or is an abundance of evidence that lewis goshute established connections. With the most important that you need tell young leaders of his day. Our hungarian unitarian. Relations date back prior to the 1848 revolution. It might be sad that the stage was already set up for quotient. When his start on the american ground. My first job as a young man. Was a car mechanic in a service center in the city of brussels. Boshell foreclosed.. I worked there for a year. And i want so fascinated with mechanics. I always always admired what wheels can do if balance properly connected on it was amazing to see how the power was distributed how motion accelerated. Horse loads according to the gay or change. I was mesmerised when i understood how gear wheel smashed with one another. 2 chainz meet the required force. This image of mashed wheels reminds me of the beginnings of hungarian and english-speaking unitarian connections. Until dawn. Of the 19th century. Our communities were not engaged. They acted courageously. Not snowing mark about each other. The wheels turning without being connected. No one can deny that i channing's baltimore address in 1819 received the congregational order in new england. Something similar happened in transylvania. Where an enlightened philosophy. Starting motion many congregations in transylvania right on the same time. Hungarian speaking nobleman. Named bologna for pasando or alexander bologna. Is to be credited. As one. All those unitarians who matched the gars. Give me the north american continent in 1831. Meeting with the most notable unitarians of boston. You wrote a very popular book about his voyage and titled journey in north america. It is worthwhile to note that the book was translated into english. And recently was reprinted by permission of the american philosophical society. John gibbons. American unitarian universalist minister from the east coast great friend of pennsylvania made edition possible. Hondalink the transformative power of pilgrimage. Alexander bologna experience for the first time. How constitutional democracy changed live. On the american continent. No wonder he highly admired his idols. Benjamin franklin. Thomas spine. Thomas jefferson. And george washington. A history fool of a crashing slowed the motion in transylvania. Montrose lost dogs in a car. Nevertheless. Assume the gayest were shifted by alexander cooney. Things started to change. Well no better fast. For my transylvanian fellows reply to a letter sent to them in 8031 by the american unitarians 37 years later. Had to gather all her strength in the 19th century. To match the demands of a hostile government. An enormous effort was made to save the public status. On the unitarian high school. Combined british-american and transylvanian generosity. Made this possible. Beginnings in the 1860s. Hungarian unitarian students were sent to study in england. English as a foreign language was stowed for the very first time. And the theological academy of colours by which is our seminary. An english conversation club was organized in the city. We do unitarians being the standard-bearers. The zealand commitment over former manchester new college students to spread english customs and culture in transylvania was truly a prophetic one. There is a letter from 1876. Reason to him his name is jonas coverage on the letter was written by an unknown person right after the english club was formed. A quote from the letter. They are sir. I heard from the papers that if you are to form an english club. I cannot read this idea as a very good one. And as in accordance of the spirit of the age. The superficial french-language. An dates of the demo realizing influence in this country must be dispossessed by the manly and beautiful english language and there are no better than to popularizing in bayou central claw and club as well in 1870s. Few years ago i wasn't the nederlands attending the conference and i so how dancewear open and close. With the help of geard wheels. The influence on hungarian unitarian scholarship. Was like opening a dam. As one of our former bishop's bay love august 8th. 200 years of oppression and isolation had corroded the damn. Not the ones open. The shape of unitarianism was on the open waters again. And transylvania unitarians but not afraid to explore new lands of biology. Social justice and addicts. The unitarian bishop flores and poet. Sent the letter in 1870s to the american unitarian association. In which among other things.. I can't thank you enough for your generosity. Which made me twitch made us much stronger. We feel we knew that the best way to express our gratitude. Is to make generally known here. In eastern countries. The brightest stars of us flag. Spiritual freedom. And pure ideas of religion and morality. No as3 moggy we who have seen you are stars. And we shall never saw respecting them. Sisters and brothers sayings. We seen you our stars. We experience. The transformative power of our mashed wheels. I will tell you a very recent story. As regards to 1 partnership can do. About a year-and-a-half ago. The romanian orthodox patriarch. Invited the chief leaders of every recognized face. The bucharest. The capital of romania. For a two-day conference. Our church representatives were brother and parents bolling been city. And i'll bertucci's counselor reverend david. It turned out that the conference was about the role of the family in the 21st century. As the conference was closing. Resolution was put forward for avvo. After long deliberation the assembly pronounced. The family is a spectre the union between a man and a woman. And this statement should be included their bottom. In the constitution of romania. All the other denominations. Orthodox catholic protestant. Jews and muslims. Voted for the resolution. With all of the smallest hesitation. The unitarian delegation did not. As former starting students and valor scholars. My async alex and i were very proud. For the courage and wisdom of our leaders. 4-day or bravery. To say no to discrimination. You should be aware that beginning the next day. The transylvanian unitarian church. How to face bitter attacks from every direction. And by every denomination. Our christian brothers and sisters with whom we share the same language culture and seminary. They are banned in video. And the road, tori at least from their perspective articles about us. Fraction of our own unitarian ministers fast a harsh judgment on the bishop. And david accusing them of undermining. Transylvania unitarian church. Some wanted them to recant publicly. However. They stood for. I daresay. That the legacy of inclusiveness that we got from you american unitarian universalist and strengthened off. Trudeau's difficult base. It is not easy. To cross the boundaries. As a jewish wisdom literature put into in the book of ecclesiastes 10:2. Whoever broke through a wall. May be bitten by a snake. Assuming the risk of being bitten by the snake. The dividing wall must be demolished. 1989 was the year. When the infamous berlin wall came down. Saints dan central eastern europe had witnessed many changes. Yep. There are still more walls to break through. In the last 25 years. Post-communist romania new dividing walls were built. There is the volvo of intolerance and homophobia. There is a vole. Dividing different ethnic communities. And there is an enormous wall of injustice. It will take several years. And many bones until we break through those walls. Andover call. We may be beaten many times. Yet i am convinced. That we will charm those snakes and put them where they belong on the coat of arms of our unitarian church unconscious. Cast a shadow over every attempt made by us to break through the walls. Automatically. We to you our engagement and moral support. We will overcome the boundaries of fair. And hayes. Former president of them. Unitarian universalist association john buren's affirmative. The unitarian universalist partner church project may we present the greatest unitarian universalist social activism since the civil rights movement. Antipope. I know how much we benefited from the engaging power of our interconnectedness. And i suspect and hope that it's you unitarian-universalist also have it transformed by it. There is a song in newark hymnal singing the living tradition love by many hungarians. Preparing my sermon. I realized water broadcasting career that song has half. It is the spirit of life. And one line face. Roots hold me close wings serebii free. Didi cruz. And free wings are the main characteristics of our relationship. You are wings. And our rules complete each other. Together. We can change the motion. Our society. Let us shake the gears. To overcome homophobia easter dividing walls between different ethnic groups. Let us make snakes. Adult style symbol. Flower true religion. Toby amin. This is a version of the lord's prayer from the new zealand prayer book. Eternal spirit maker. Baneberry life-giver. Source of all that is under scholbe. Father and mother of us all. Loving god in whom is heaven. The halloween viewer name eco to the universe. The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world. Your heavenly will be done by all created beings. Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our ho. And calm on earth. With the bread we need for today feed us. Endo hurts we absorb from one and other. Forgive us. In times of temptation and fasting strengthen us. From trials to grace to endure. They are us. From the green. Of all that is evil free us. For you rain in the glory of the power that is love. Now and forever. Call man. Can we hold hands please. Automatically issued is the mcgregor.

uudavispodcast_org

2013-02-03-Worship_Paradise-is-Here_11_15_ED.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california at www.dav.org for further information. I want to welcome everybody here to the face way and people are still coming in. We are here to celebrate the beauty of this earth and indian communities. This congregation comforters for me nova and it celebrates our very best dream. Celebrate our differences all of our differences in together before a full insurance at any one of us really could alone the holy is experienced in many ways is given many name of all sexual orientations and gender identity. There's so much to learn from each other. Brother because of the touch of a friend. The words to the music and you'll have some most unusual music today. Carmen is fine with that will come later. Baby alive. Food will be reading the opening words for s this morning. Sure you are at the unitarian universalist church of davis california this morning maybe not. Maybe i sad or lonely and worried about tomorrow maybe you're tired or angry or thinking about something you did wrong that's okay. There's room for in paradise, steaks. Bedroom in paradise for loss. Paradise doesn't have to mean things are perfect. But here you are. Noticeable people who are here. Go to see ssi outside the windows. Where there is beauty in love there is paradise. When we come together to care for each other there is paradise. When we come together to care. Colleges with music and dance there is paradise. This morning while you were here see if you catch a little bit of paradise. Fifth wheel. and supporting a group called stevie children that was chosen bad children youth and families. Defeated children are church in supporting a village called the god in northwest india. I'm really is helping them with the school medical clinic clean water in a community center. Without help the kids are gone can go to school. And be safer and healthier. Thanks for your support. I reading today. Is from the reference dr. jessica rebecca parker. A house for help. We come to know this world as paradise. When our hearts and souls are reborn. Through the arduous and tender task. I'm living right mate together. With one another and the earth. Lacity. Mutual care. Are the pathways. Paradise is here and now. This is losing its not utopian. Improvements to. Imagination of a better world. Embrace. A squirrel. 2 today. Cutest moments. And its possibilities. Looking for love. Morning has broken. Like the first morning. Blackbird has spoken. Like the first bird. Praise for the singing praise for the morning for incompleteness with god's feet pass. Decorate him. All about paradise. I returned to you for not week study of retreat. In paradise. You think about paradise is a place that is beautiful and. When we come to the end of the service and you leave that's what i would like to hear from you. Is what is paradise for you. Maybe there's a beautiful place. Drivers at the beach estate paid in florida last week. Pelicans flying tips with their wings just touching the surface of the water. Last week that was my moment of paradise in nature. And i know that you had your own. Asian paradise elijah surrounded by caring people. Imagine 450 ministers. Gathering for program called excellence in ministry. Estrella. Because miss your number i guess they just expand on garrison keillor's lynch's ministers and like bubikon. Countless gatherings. We look pretty deeply into your eyes and you may be comfortable and we shake hands he says. Unarticulated deal for your soul of my people in paradise to know all of us shaking hands and looking at each other. More like that now in a wonderful way. You have your own circle of friends and family. Ghost around you. Animation paradise. A talented people running with program said. Over and over again honestly and sincerely. A place where we are this kissing board at least not for me in my paradise i. Good morning from dan mccann. He's a senior lecturer at harvard has focus is the american radical tradition. If a hamster has a great deal to do with our efforts to create paradise on earth. No doubt. Have something to do. The john legend that if you were in paradise that's what you would be doing. I'm just gathering of 450 ministers i asked if you were my colleague what is paradise for you and someone has the audacity. Tell me they might be writing my sermon for me. Nice it is absolutely not true but they were going to get the honor of making a cameo appearance. When does it's a wonderful dinner with my sweetheart. And it's raining outside can i get personalizable sure. It's raining outside and we can hang out on the roof. We have close we are so close. It's so safe. A colleague said. It's knowing exactly who you are. Identity to the very edge of your being and still holding on to that authenticity of who you really are. That from a person who said that he had to hide. He was for much of his life. I'm here if it's being totally focus one person said in the romans. It's helpful if there's beauty there. Totally present. I don't hesitate to speak for all of us in this room. However i would have it hazard a guess that there are. Few of us. Very few of us here who think of paradise in the traditional sense. Replace it exist before. After death. Or in a far-off land above where the airplanes fly. Mutual likely to speaker paradise as we speak of heaven or hell. And words describe a way of being in this here and now placed and not in some far-off time. We made the choices with whatever it is that life offers us and if we live right. I forgive right. Create. Alliance of belonging. Play supermariologan. And lady balance. Paradise mount rainier paradise this morning i'm including the pelicans scamming over-the-water that i described the world of lovers for holding each other while the rain hits the window pane. I'm thinking of the game man with these paradise. Strength. And stepping into his identity completely. I'm also thinking of paradise for a whole society. 1800 churches like the unitarian universalist not exclusively us. But like us and including us. We are called to do everything possible. To live the golden rule. Any cheddar. We are part of a faith tradition didn't compel. The refill called. Extend the possibility of paradise others. Creating paradise for only those in the pew as it were. Who do the sweet spot. In life. Whenever unitarian universalist church. The rivera's who works for paradise. Papa pizza. A planet that is like eating where the first black bird sings. Society where the 1% in the 99% are closer together. These beans come up through history. Decade. There are also those who try to achieve paradise of inner peace community and both of those things are needed. Creating paradise out there and in here. Issues that are really big. We're creating a loving relationship that lasts or created a loving society. I really worth the long haul. Attention b. Invitations to spiritual exhaustion. Infinity divided use the word burnout that. Find dynabrade meaningful term. It just makes me think of people putting their fingers in a light socket you no answer. That's what it really is. Arrogance you labeled. And this. Is more of a deep feeling. If we're not careful. We can create. A paradise that is otherworldly. An unattainable as much as that traditional concept of paradise that we say we don't believe in. Ronis is social gospel. Was brought forward by a man named walter rauschenbusch and and it was before the 19:00 before 1900. May 18th. Cute like that word social gospel just said this is the gospel. And the purpose of what others called the social gospel. Is to make a more beautiful world. Where heaven is created on earth. And having is identified. Why people live together peacefully. Animals more equality. I got slanguage that was given to this movement by his son. Call vashon glacier was the huffington post. One page for religion. So in the family themes. This is not motivating force of equality for women. Prison reform. Martin luther king jr. studied ration bush. For his work. Economic justice. The things be. Cancel my trip.. What's the heaven is beyond his life is kind of paradise is also focused on the end result future. A future that is far more desirable than the world we live in today. And wherever it is that they are accomplishing right here. Is seen as lacking. There's always something more to be done for the future. And we are compatible for. Because i'm big and important issues. Work-related with me for this new world. Mrbeast gaming. Will the land wedding band at the broken. Where the design where the captives go free. We are glad he's involved all morning these words from isaiah. A real bring a promised land that can be. Do the land where sisters and brothers were all people. Anointed by god will then create peace. For justice showroom down like water the peas like an ever-flowing stream we love. This him. Technology building the world and finding the broken if rumah captives. And creating a better society for the future. Is the message of love for us so often. And we are in newington. By starting power greater than ourselves unless a anointed that means left. Orchards. To do work. Hello is also filled with images of beauty streams and waters flowing in. Get this grandmas. The power of justice making in paradise making. Solutions for what saves us from spiritual exhaustion. This world is imperfect. And paradise is right here. In the midst of it. I don't wait for paradise sometime in the future for another generation or after we are too tired to be in the trenches as they say. Of what is happening around us we just can't see it sometimes. Paradise in robstown when everything is resolved good luck with some of these issues you would be waiting. Forever. Is mixing with all of our efforts. Found along the way and then there's found in fit. A connection. And peace. Just handsome what is impossible. There's something beyond ourselves assist me as phase leaders here to say i. I haven't sensed that there is a god. The secret experience that happens when two people enter into a relationship fully. And it sounds somewhat awesome defies language and naming. Robert bly starts. In his poem called the third body. A man and a woman sit near each other. Until they are kind of talking or not talking. You know when you're done with someone long enough so we can talk or not talk. And it's okay. He writes how. Are breastfeed. Someone. Can we do not now. They obey a food body. Did they share in common. I promise to love that body right. Age may come. Parting maycomb. Will come. A man and a woman. Continue together. Desert breeze they feed someone we do not know. Turn on window off. We have never seen. Have you ever been. In love. Relationship or friendship relationship with someone. Where there is a third. Entity. It grows between you. Better than our language. The god that comes out of our creative interchange thought. Theological. Penny nelson going in at unitarian process the illusion is one of the most powerful forms of energy and support we can find. When did the world become safer. And we actually become more courageous. Why do the web of connection repeal. Exchange for a more grounded we are in all of life. We are anointed. God bless. By our connection. Each moment of feeling that third body. Bring the hand in paradise. Raceway weary and discourage rebecca parker said we are treating life. Here and now. As if we were in a barren wasteland. But we have profoundly misjudged our location. But you said you didn't there is work to be done. But that we are in a land where there's beauty. And it's really norman. Different wood but have eyes to see. And ears to hear. Last summer at general assembly rebecca parker. Toy story. In the starr king school for the ministry pet president's address. And she is giving me permission to share the story with you. Aspects of the personal. And the societal. Paradise. Peggy steinberg starting school for the ministry and she's filmed the unitarian universalist in arizona as they gathered together to protest. Arizona's senate bill 1070. Is july in phoenix. And it was a statement just to walk the streets. Summer heat in arizona and i was there in july in one of their protests and it was so hot. And so i can only imagine what tool i was like. Walking the streets in the daytime in this desert city is like walking in a sizzling. Frying pan. Unitarian universalist warden yellow standing on the side of love t-shirts for then as a group we could identify with each other and were rivers of these yellow t-shirts and softball team. Who test me to respond to the undocumented families. Broken out by roundups. The protesters against six-year-olds being detained. The protest was against. Private jails which benefit economically from the imprisonment of undocumented workers. Is a protest with an eye on creating paradise and a future and live paradise was in their midst. Katrina sinclair a unitarian universalist from tucson arizona was among those who were jailed for protesting. Orangutan katrina wasn't until close to a group of undocumented latina women. They were probably scheduled to be deported. Back to mexico or sent to prison. Play angel was wrong. The detainees had no water. The air conditioning with turn down to 50 degrees. There were no blankets. And no place to lie down except. Honest cement floor. Riceville campground. What time. Highbank the steel doors just to keep everyone awake. At all time. What's the distance between. Katrina and others in your yellow standing on the side of love t-shirts. Find a way to communicate their support to the detainees. There's one latino women in particular. She was just wanting to know that she is not invisible. She is not forgotten. She's allies. Respect her humanity and she is not alone. Katrina jesters to her. I. Cu. And she gestures i love you. Guys feeling tears. Cincinnati weather. Determined. Yes we can. The words back to her. Ticket weather. A chant of the protest. Morning times. Standing on the side of love protesters are released. They are relieved to say the least. To be free of the prison conditions. But their hearts are torn. The undocumented immigrants have little chance of release. That katrina is led away from the cell. She turns to keep eye contact with a woman still jail. She connected with the night before process or face. Typical last following katrina with her eyes. What is the distance between the two women coronavirus. Imprisoned women's signals through the glass to katrina. I see you. Love you. A tweener knows the words back echoing. Yes we can. Focus on the conditions of the jail and she certainly does tell the story. The coronavirus hitting the bars of the jail cells. Nobody know brian. Dimensions. What is worthy of a story. The story that is kept alive. And retool. Is the connection that she intentionally creates with another. Command poem. It happens between them. Two people. I don't know each other. 70th and this is my story becomes our reality. The beauty of that relationship that connection the presence of someone. Either of those two women. But yet another thing is created between them is the oil of gladness. It was in that ham. Is god energy. It has no name. He's a glimpse of paradise that washes through those two women and us as we hear their story and everytime i tell him. This is the beauty that surrounds us. Restaurants around us if we are going to work for paradise people. Disney jones friends beauty and joy around us. Stop and see if it is there and if he has forgotten how to identify it. Is not found. Then we should unhand yourselves we should release our souls from our commitment and look at the work we are doing and how we are doing and we fashion ourselves. Because we are on the way to spiritual exhaustion. Undermine the very thing that we love. Paradise rebecca parker road. Imagination of a better world. Become a profound embrace of this world. Today. Walnut. And as possibilities for a faithful love. Missing you. I believe it. And to that i say. Amen. Arizona what time is prayer and meditation. Personal prayer things. Allred wholesale. Tomorrow justice life. Verizon love regis thanks for prizes to my senses and your change that. Awake enough. First white blossoms that dust the branches of the almond trees. The authenticity to show to the world the person who is inside. Refresh tears that can be scrutinized unexpectedly can come from joy. I'm not always grief. Or anger. Prettiest surprises and more we live. Increase cholesterol. I support that comes from family members or choice. Perform to walk with us to the changes of our lives. Sometimes part ways with us and just walk for a time those friends who are so close they are family through rituals and trials. Online pleasures that surround them everyday the smell of that moved it comes off the orange rind and at first. Taste sweet and tart and cup your hand its smoothness and wait for this week if thanks. Each of us is a part of an intricate web of relationships agrees the loss of life moves to any shape shift of the stars of the sea. Amen. And blessed be. Kenny tenerelli is with us. We don't often have. Arrive journey but we are in the season especial season of thankfulness. For a generosity team and she's going to share a moment of inspiration with you. I first learned about generosity at my parents kitchen table. Imagine a miniature version of me about 56 years old. Long blonde hair hazel eyes. I pulled back the big wooden chair. Put myself into a chair and prop myself up on my knees. I was there to help my dad help. Well he paid the bills. Money was very tight for our young family. The kitchen table will be covered and bill-paying equipment. Cash checkbook calculator stamps envelopes. Renting utilities repaid with a check. My contribution was to seal and stamped envelope. All other spending was allocated with cash. There was an envelope for groceries for gas. Tiny rooms for family entertainment. But the most important envelopes. For the ones from our catholic church. I need a resume because they had our family name printed on the front. And they were the first envelopes every month to have cash put inside them. 19mm aaron hall tension at the kitchen table. Something needed to be repaired. And my dad had to figure out how to pay for it. I suggested take some money from the church envelope. Leveling and emphatically. Dad said. Church is important to our family we don't take money from the church envelope. This lasting impression on me that has remained to this day after college my faith journey expanded to include unitarian-universalism. I joined this church in november making this the fifth unitarian universalist congregation that i have been an active member in over the course of 20 years. Each month is eagerly await the arrival in this church is newsletter. I said a room with the newsletter to take in the monthly theme. I still got the invitation to read reflect. Listen. Watch a10. One thing that really stands out here related to the breath of my church experience. Is dwayne which the monthly seem is so effectively a moving lee wilson in to all aspects of the church service. Until the life and community of this of of our church. Worshiping in this congregation has been profound for me. Music and words and beans. I wasn't together in a way that moves. Grounds me. Nourishes my spirit. I appreciate being a part of a community that has so much to offer. Adult potlucks. Give me a chance to connect with people in my. A generation with whom i shared values and interests. You don't religious exploration classes nourishment intellect. The internship committee allows me to give back to the community. Special my experience in ministerial formation. Mine together and exploring small-group allows me to engage with important life themes. It is a place where i deeply listen and i am deeply listened to. A couple of weeks ago reverend death reminded us that our lives continually change. Awesome times in very unexpected ways. The temperature for me. I need a community and not just any community. I need a church community. Where i can navigate those unexpected life changes and reshape them into the building blocks of a new life. Several years ago my wife kelly and i. What is commitment to tithe. This is a spiritual practice for us. Earnings to the causes that mean most to us. Emily jordi while giving goes to our churches. Hurting the methodist church and minding this church. Legacy district is generosity campaign materials it was fitting that i would pull back a chair at my kitchen table have a seat and take a look. At what my giving is. I was asked to consider ways in which this church is important to me. Just like my dad said so many years ago this church is important to me. I will take up the challenge posed in the generosity materials. Neighbor crossing this depth chart. In your pledge packets. Because of the ways this church is important to me. I will be increasing my giving this year by one step. I invite you. Who backed the chair at your kitchen table. How to seat. Take a look at how this church is important to you. Please consider increasing your pledge. By 10% or more. If you did not pledge last year please join the team now supporting this amazing congregation by pledging this year during me. Please give generously. For the beauty of the earth for the splendor of the skies. For the love witch from our purse. Over and around us lies. 2d arrays. This our hymn. Grateful praise. But the scattering say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

2013-05-26_Worship_Peace-The-Soul-Repair-Project_10_00.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california website at www.ge.com org for further information. I hope you will hear in my opening comments in my welcome. The words from people in this congregation. The words from people in this congregation when i say how would you like to be changed i've asked people if you're interested in telling me about how you want to be changed. Email mana. Find a way to put it in. This morning. You are accepted just as you are and i like the and. At the same time. May you come here seeking change. Perhaps that change is to live with more trust. What you forgive others. To reach out to others we don't understand. It is our. Some of us here. Wish to be changed by the quiet time. A time when they focus on their own spirits. And how it connects to others. Perhaps. You want to make change happen in this beautiful and this hurting world. May this be a place of comfort and challenge for you. And the people around you known as your companions on that journey. And on that you're neither a people with a diversity of beliefs in god or whatever it is in which you place your ultimate trust. Is different for each one of us. On this journey. There are people of different sexual orientations and gender identities and those of different class and race and physical ability. Tom. Let us worship together let us search together. To become our best selves. Once again and every week. We have one more opportunity to remember what is possible for each one of us. If you have a milestone a sorrow or a joy. You are invited to light a chalice. In the back of the sanctuary. And let me know if this is a pastor emergency and if it is i'll be in contact with you before the end of today. On this memorial day sunday we turn our attention to the meetings of war and two-and-two honoring those soldiers who served. Symbol of the flaming chalice unitarian universalism originated in the depths of world war ii. It was designed by an austrian refugee artist on commission from the unitarian service committee. It was imprinted on passports for those escaping nazi germany. Memorial day sunday about the body of the chalice represent humanity in the sacred flame our hopes for peaceful coexistence of all peoples of the world. Memorial day was special in the new england town where i first grew up during world war ii. It was always a long parade with a military band and a final booming 30 rifle salute at the town cemetery. The regimental marches were proud veterans of the first world war. Inner 10 helmets. And they were followed the end by a frail old man waving to the crowd and is blue union army civil war uniform. The last local survivor of the grand army of the republic. How is imbued with patriotism and pride that my physician father was an officer in the us army medical corps somewhere in italy. I also feared he might never return like my friend sold your father. Who was killed in france soon after the d-day invasion. Years later i learned that my father had received the legion of merit medal for developing a way to separate soldiers with actual stomach ulcers. Convos with. Quote soldier stomach or combat fatigue when properly sent back to the front lines to fight again. Here's later. The newly trained physician. I found myself gazing in the bathroom mirror wondering why i had managed to escape the vietnam war doctors draft. By obtaining a safe us public health service appointment. After all my father and later my older brother had both faced dangers while serving our country as us army officers. Not only that my great-grandfather had been a lieutenant colonel and commander the first massachusetts cavalry regiment of the union army in the civil war and serve this distinction in the great battles of gettysburg and antietam. Was i a coward. I wasn't making the right conscientious choice not to be part of a war in vietnam. Wish i felt had no real justification. Weather good wars to risk your life for. Or bad wars the condemned. Certainly we can all be proud that several of our older congregants will lottery coppock. Need directions and the late ship northup. Wwii veterans. Expand dawson is also a veteran of the korean war. Trailer ray and milt hildebrand fought on the front lines during the liberation of europe from nazi germany. What about the atomic bombing of hiroshima hiroshima and nagasaki. Bushkill several thousands of civilian japanese to finally end the war. In the pacific in 1945. Was this resist justified. Some say that is saved many japanese lives in american soldiers should we have to invade the japanese japan instead. I'm preparing for this i reviewed the comments. And the crew of the enola gay the bomber which flew the hiroshima. Russian. After looking down in the mushroom cloud. The pilot robert lewis wrote in the official flight log. My god what have we done. 1960s. We learned of a atrocity at vlive vietnam. For entire village of peaceful women and children were gunned down by a platoon of us marines. Since they were all quote commies. Maurice italy of the atrocity and haditha iraq. 12 entire families from grandparents to children. Who shot and killed in their homes by two us soldier since they were quote terrorists. What is it that made american boys become watching killers in the name of these so-called just wars. And how am i sees men one who serve just a three-year jail term. And the others all gotten off without convictions. Never their consciences. These are extreme examples what about our present soldiers in afghanistan or trained to be killers of enemy insurgents. But all too often innocent villagers. And what about the men and women who sit in hidden underground bunkers near the pentagon and operate the computers that control the drones that we all know kill innocent families as well as those we call our enemies. These are all issues that we must all consider as citizens of conscience. So often on. Christian memorial day i read something. This little book. And it is. Something it was put out by the. Beacon press the unitarian universalist pressed and 1942. And i come from a long line of unitarianism. Third generation and this was my uncle's then he served in world war ii. And he served as a chaplain chaplain's assistant and this is what was given to every unitarian who went to war in world war ii. And it's a collection of readings in. Poems and. Prayers. That beacon press believed. Would bring solace to those who were in war so. I keep this. As one of the gifts that he gave me. What is much as i wanted to read from this and. We had carefully chosen a piece. Set my companion and worship. Was your name to read. I told him no. Because i would like to read from sole repair recovering from moral injury after war and its. The very first reading. In the book. And it just tied in closer to our theme. So it's written by kevin benjamin. Combat veteran us army. From soldiers of conscience. My father who fought in wwii tried to tell me war is not as glamorous as they make it out to be. But i was too stubborn and bullheaded to listen. When you're young you want to get that experience for yourself. And boy. I asked for it. I saw more than i ever wanted to see. You are seeing how war affect civilians in the area every house you look at has bomb craters are bullet holes in it. It makes them put their humanity as side to make it. In a warzone. You see all that stuff and you see how it affects you and everyone around you and say. Why are we doing this anymore. I found out. We were in the area of iraq. That was supposed to be the garden of eden. The cradle of civilization where mankind began. I had to ask myself. Why am i carrying around an m16 in the garden of eden. This ends the reading. Again it may seem a little strange to sing hush. In the service but. This is the service talking about people who are involved in war especially combat. And how they are haunted by what they have done sometime. Or maybe the ways that their government has acted against their moral beliefs. The deep wounds that torments the soul. And we can relay our sensitivity. To this. And i learning. So here it is this is one of those services where i was changed. But what i read. And changed by the many conversations i had as a result of what i read. Albert. Is 88 years old. His health is good. Excellent if you take his age into consideration. He has a supportive family who loves him and he loves them. His finances are secure. No one predicts it. It takes some research. To discover why albert. At 88 years old. With love firmly. Supporting him. Commit suicide. Shoots himself. Gabriella latini. And rita nakashima brock co-authored sole repair recovering from moral injury after war. They research their own families. An interview people who have experienced deep. Spiritual injury as a consequence of war. They learn. They learn about the human mind. The spirit. The soul. They start to understand society in a profoundly different way. They see their own families. With new compassion. Albert. Is gabriella's. Grandmother's brother. He's her family. Her kin. How much she hears about his suicide she thinks about all she knows about his life. And she knows that there is something missing. In what she knows because it doesn't add up. Sochi google his name. The great research. Vehicle of our time. And she finds that 1982 interview. He contributed to a collection of stories about the resistance. Against the nazis. In italy. After reading the transcripts she discovers a history of his life that albert never shared with his family he chose to never share these stories. With his family who could not understand. They heard him say that the that only the worst people survived the camps. But he never gave them specifics. I threw reading she learns more about those specifics. During the second world war. He is held in mouth thousand one of the concentration camp he's twenty years old when he is imprisoned. But he becomes aware of. The terrible thing. Some of them. The tip of the iceberg of what is happening in the can. And even the small things. Not small but in comparison to what he finds out later. He imagines running toward the gate. With a certain execution by the guards. And with his death. He imagines. Relief. Relief from the pain of what he knows. But suddenly he's possessed with the desire to survive at any cost. How do you tell the story of being willing to do anything. To get out of the concentration camp alive. Add my thoughts and he and others like him are valued because they are able-bodied workers. He is a tool. To strengthen the nazi effort and he knows it. When the allied forces start bombing closer to the concentration camp. The prisoners are told to hide themselves. To hide themselves in the trenches. I'm self down into the trench. I discover that they fall into ashes. The smell from the crematorium changers is all around them. She hides. From death. Surrounded by the death of thousands of his companions thousands of his companions every day. And he is haunted by this memory for his whole life. And gabriella imagines that it might be. This memory. The causes him to end his life. Might it be. This memory. Albert never had an active role in killing his companions and yet. He felt that he participated in this great scheme of evil. He was a man who lost a fundamental belief in his own goodness. He and many who returned from war find themselves isolated unable to express the depths of their anguish. Over what they have done. And if you read the newspaper now you know. That. We are alarmed. As a country. Alarmed at the number of young adults returning from war. Who are among the casualties. Here in our country. Because. Other war. They have participated in other lands. They are among those we recognized on memorial day. Their lives are lost here. Is gabriella and rita explained in their book. The war does not end when people return it simply comes home. It's simply comes home and in beds itself in civilian life. To suffer from what is called moral injury feel that they have betrayed their own deepest. Held convictions and no longer know themselves to be decent human beings and this is not everyone who returns but. Song. A significant number. And this. Feeling of despair can be true even if they believe what they did was unavoidable that they had to do what they did. And perhaps their deep-seated an invisible injury. Isn't even from their own actions. But from observing the unethical actions of others. Now they believe. But the world is no longer a reliable place. And it has lost its meaning. From nothing that they have done themselves. The concept of moral injury or soul damage is not my story. To reading sole repair i realize that i have been a part of the problem. Simply from my own ignorance. I am more aware of the many reasons that draw young people to the military and why there are families that serve for generations with great pride. And i found compassion. They will always be with me. On this holiday. Of memorial. In my own past. I remember stories of family members fighting in the second world war. Their stature in times of peace. Defined by their participation in war. My mother was mostly silent about the cost of war on her brothers. But my father. Spoke of the honor of serving the character-building of. Being in the military at times of war. But it didn't escape my notice that he had never been a part of the military in peace. Or in wartime. The vietnam war was fought during my formative years and i thought of jim as i was. Writing this. And even though every war has its critics this war with the beginning of mass demonstrations that shook. The country my parents were so uncomfortable that they would turn off the tv. When the news came on. Those who fought off and returned to feel the pain of condemnation. We do intellectually to separate the soldiers from those in power who sent them to war. But they were so often. Tainted. For having served. We knew that was so wrong. And yet. So often. It happened. The injuries of the vietnam war like every war came home with those who fought. I found my response to our military and those who served be very mix. And very confused. And that confusion followed me into my ministry. The product of a liberal culture of the 1960s and 1970s i carried within me stereotypes and assumptions. That i've been on learning. Adhering people stories within this congregation has been humbling. And has turned my own soul. The vietnam war was the beginning of a series of wars when for our soldiers the line was blurred between innocent civilian and. I disguised combatant. The moral injury the sense of doubt of self-worth because of the blurring of what is right and wrong. These decisions became more complex. I need to be made more immediately because of the training of our military and the amazing weapons that we possess. There are. Split seconds or less. The people have to make decisions. Is anguish. Of those decisions comes home when the war is done it keeps saying that it comes home it's not far away it's right here. I just so rarely told. To those who are civilians because how could we ever. Understand. There's a deep despair in a place it is very hard to reach. A despair that. Celebratory parade. Comments like thank you for serving our country. And the honour of early boarding on civilian airline flights will not touch. I just came back from being in the southeast on a flight and. I wondered how it felt. Whether it. Repair the heart. To say. And if you have been serving in combat you may. Board the plane. Early boarding. The people we honor on memorial day include those who have felt a part of themselves die too. As a consequence of their service. Jess goodall author of shade it black. Death and after in iraq. Enlisted in the marines if you can imagine his immediately upon graduating from high school in. 2001. In 2004 she volunteered to work in the marines first. Mortuary affairs unit. Recovering the bodies of fallen soldiers. Part of her work i couldn't even imagine that there is such a job. Party for work was to draw the outlines. Of where soldiers had fallen. And died. And is shade in black. The outline of the part of the soldier that was missing. What a job. 2/2. She writes about the struggle to keep her humanity as she does this day after day. She is one leg of the journey of those who died on the streets in iraq. That journey to flag-draped coffin coffin in the united states. Survivor guilt can bring emotional death. To the person who witnesses the loss of life on a daily basis on this memorial day. She represents those who take the death of others into themselves for the sake of others. The war does not end when people return. It simply comes home and embeds itself in civilian life. In 2009 the department of defense created a tool to measure spiritual fitness. Others preparing for military service. More than that the tool assesses a person's fitness for war. And by spiritual fitness are looking for something that i would actually wish for all of us so i started reading this section of the book with great enthusiasm thinking well maybe this could be an adult education program for all of us. Sort of. The department of defense says that these values come from our religious beliefs i thought a great that could belong here. Or philosophy of life. A set of beliefs principles or values that sustain a person beyond family institutional and societal sources of strength i thought great. This is a strong person. These are the qualities they say that help us be resilient when we experienced hard times i thought that's what i wish for my congregation is it when they come upon hard time they are resilient. The department of defense said those who are spiritually fit are able to understand the deep. Interconnectedness of life and i thought hold that sounds like the seventh principle to me. They're more willing to sacrifice for others or large issues method fabulous we're looking to make a difference in the world together this could really work. Assume the belief in something larger than oneself and don't even go where you might go and say we're talking about god knows they're talking about a group. Larger than just me. They were looking for people who will care for each other that yes. But in combat. I just stay with confrontations that seat seem insurmountable and. Still some of that is really good you know we have some difficult times in churches and you want people can stay at the table i'm not convinced that this is a bad idea yet. They want people who are willing to sacrifice themselves for a larger mission. I understand all of this i'm still thing yes yes. They want to find those who when they are told to be in the trench with those ashes. And during the condemnation of others which i described. Or drawing the shape of a human form on the pavement. Would overcome their personal. Pain. And then i say no. That's when i become conflicted about what it means to be spiritually fit. Because a person who is truly spiritually fit. Has a compass that is sensitive to moral. Justice. Sometimes we should be maladjusted. We should become unmoored by what we do and what we see around us. And that. Is a sign of great health. And the words of martin luther king jr. kept coming back to me as i was reading these ending chapters. Speech from the american psychological association in 1967 martin luther king jr who was assassinated. 7 months later said i am sure. Then we will recognize that there are some things in our society some things in our world. To which we should never. Be adjusted. There's some things concerning which we must always. Be maladjusted if we are to be people of goodwill. That. Is what it means to me to be spiritually fit. We should feel the pain. Rita and gabriella are humbled. By their research and the many interviews they had with veterans they found that some of their own liberal viewpoints. About those who serve in the military laughed real depth. Either thoughtful research and writing humbled me and opened my mind. To the invisible wounds of those who serve. Their countries and not just our own. Think of the hymn 159 that we started singing at our service. We have many opinions about war some of us believe that war can be just and necessary and some of us here in this room are pacifists. But one thing we can agree upon is that war changes those who are in combat. Those who pieced together the people and the worlds that have been shattered and the societies themselves denise levertov a road there is too much broken that must be mended. We can agree on what is broken. In the process of war. Rita and gabriela's research show that early christian churches require anyone. Who sheds human blood. Begin again. In studying the tenants of the face. With those who have not been baptized. They would spend a full year among those who are repairing their lives become full practicing christians. They learn to be people of values and spirit again. And the purpose was not to condemn the soldiers but a recognition that taking the life of another is so damaging to the web of relationships that we must start to learn again. How to be human. How to be compassionate. Towards others and ourselves again. To those who are maladjusted to should the consequences of war amen. To those who choose to dedicate themselves to peace through engagement in war and live with the consequences my heart aches. And for our country. For our current president who speaks. I'm getting a different footing. A different footing than doing the dance of war. Mancuso. Add amen. Add a mat. Amen. Invite you into a time of prayer and meditation. You go deep into yourself. You set aside your week. This to from the book. Set check and i worked from. When some of the soldiers read psalm 51. They asked the chaplain if it was a special bible. Prepared for the soldiers in combat or was it. Psalm 51 found in any bible. Express is a yearning for a person to be known with all of their failings. And even when they have acted against the good that they have been taught they ask for peace. And acceptance. He's spoken to a god presence that is within and in life itself around as it is a plea for help. And acceptance. Despite the wrongs. Could we have done. A plea to begin again and so i ask you. To be with me. Inspired by psalm 51. Spirit have mercy on me. In keeping with the steadfast love which is all that you are. Make me clear-minded and free from the heaviness of guilt. I know what i have done. I have acted against that which i know is true and good. The weight of my wrongs is invisible to others but it is always with me. When i wake and when i sleep. I know i deserve to be judged by some source of my highest ideals but in time let me be brought into the circle of care and acceptance let me know love for myself again. How i yearn for a clean heart and when that day comes. I will remind everyone. That's how we live the word and feeds of love. Each of us is a part of an intricate web of relationships when one of us celebrates a joy or grieves the loss the web of life moves to a new shape we are apart of the turn of the earth the shift of the stars the pull of the sea we are apart of all change. Invite you to take hands. And after all this words. About the pain of so many. About the many ways that love is shown. For our country and for each other. May i just say amen. Amen. Amethyst gathering say. Amen. Amen.

uudavispodcast_org

2013-04-28_Worship_Let-Me-Out-of-Here_ED_11_15.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons another recording from unitarian universalist church of davis california website www.org for further information. I'm not going to lie. I have a really hard time being myself. And resisting everyone else's expectations. I feel like everyone else has a set idea of what i should look like and act like and who i should be. Everyone has a boxes they want to put me in. And sometimes. I find myself bending over backwards. Try to fill up them. In sacrificing who i am. I got a job this week. Instructor for youth theater camps this summer. It's something i've always wanted to do i'm super excited. I can tell people my life don't approve visitation. I'm going to have a diploma from uc davis in june. And i'm spending my summer getting paid minimum wage to help facilitate acting games for 10 year olds. Ashley had a really. Tougher than the early in the week because one of my food science centers were telling you like what are you doing. Also. I keep promising myself that i'll call people out when they say stuff that bothers me. The half the time when i hear people say. That's so gay or that's retarded. I like slime. I want to speak up. But i don't want to be. That feminist chick to get offended by everything. I really think about it. I've let myself be put into boxes. Without even realizing it. I stopped painting. And playing piano because. I'm not particularly good at either and i realize it's only the good people keep doing hobbies like that in college. I have a lot of wacky weird t-shirts but. I don't really wear them because. I never feel like today is a good day for self-expression. Gradually. As i realized what boxes are holding me in. I can start to break out of them. I start having art days with my friends. Where we all get together and paint or sculpt. And nobody cares if you're going to not. I'm trying to dress her myself now. And not the expectations of others. I'm working on telling people how i feel when their words bother me. And not forcing myself to remain silent. It's not easy. But i realize how much better i feel but i'm truly myself. Gilmour live. And that. Tammy. It's freedom. Good morning. Before i begin today i just wanted to say a word of thanks to this community. And all that you have done for any gonzales and myself. This year we have been welcomed and held and supported by this community in such beautiful and wonderful ways. And i would just want to thank you. For for taking time with us. This year it's been wonderful. Harry houdini once allowed himself to be arrested for vagrancy. He figured. I can get into a jail so i can break out of a jail cell. Immediately it's pretty easy. And arresting officer knew that it was harry houdini so. He said he can get into jail so he can get out of jail so pretty easily. Enter reports harry houdini in the drunk tank and goes out to meet the press inside captured harry houdini. And eugenie. Fernandez should be the most easy of escapes. Takes so long. To get out of that jail cell. Cheap houses over it puzzles over it it is the hardest escape of his career. And the reason being. Is that when the jailer put houdini in the cell. He left the door of the cell unlocked. Enter houdini spend all of his time trying to pick this lock waiting for the pins to drop that you could hear and you never heard those pins drop. Until finally. He simply turned the handle of the door and walked out. Beth asked me to preach. She was looking for someone to fill the pulpit on this particular sunday. And someone i'm not certain who. Had mentioned to her that i enjoyed preaching. And it is so happens that i do enjoy preaching. I preached my first sermon to my grandparents when i was about 12. And as a member of the disciples of christ denomination preached in liberal christians in liberal christian churches for many years. And i was privileged to preach a couple of times and some of that chapel services that were. Held at union theological seminary. And i even gave me a nice little award for the graduation. I like preaching. I like to think i'm good at it. I like to think that it comes naturally to me. If i may say so i like to think that it is a gift with which i have been blessed by god. So i said to beth absolutely i will happily preach at the unitarian universalist church in davis. Sounds like a piece of cake. This was several months ago. When you get really arrogant about something. When when you get to the point that you're willing to publicly claim that god has given you a gift i mean really obnoxious lee arrogant. Well the rugs and come out for me pretty fast. What would you like me to preach on i asked beth. She said steam of the month is freedom. Still with that. I know how to preach. I have preached many times. But i have only preached in the context of liberal christian churches. And in the context of a liberal christian church if i were to ask. What would you like me to preach on. I might get rid of the response. Matthew five through seven. And i would go home and look up matthew five through seven and spend some time with it and come back with some kind of terminal. I would know where to start. The parameters of my sermon would be very clear. The challenges set out would be precise. I would know exactly how to go about the task of preparing a sermon for that congregation. I would know the exact progressive christian imagery and language to invoke. I would know exactly how to get people so wrapped up in my sermonizing that i could hear a pin drop. I would know exactly how to get out of the walls of that church with a sense of control and personal freedom by god i could unlock matthew five through seven. Did not ask me to preach on matthew five through seven. Best asked me to preach on the theme of the month. Which is freedom. And i didn't know where to begin. This is not what i expected. The parameters are different. I had no idea the challenges i'd be facing. I do not know the exact unitarian-universalist imagery and language to invoke. Because there isn't exact unitarian universalist imagery and language to invoke. There is no set of scripture within the unitarian universalist church. There is no dogma to pick through no brilliant space to release from the clutches of a strict ideology. There is no strict ideology. The face is already wide open. There were so many possibilities and opportunities laid out before me. So many ideas and stories and directions i could take. The boundaries of the writing process were so different. They were non-existent. There were no boundaries. I could go any direction i wanted the door was wide open it was abundantly three i hated it. I like the boundaries. I like knowing what the rules are. I like knowing how to apply them. How to make them effective. I like knowing exactly what direction i'm taking. What's going to happen next. How i'm supposed to approach any given situation. Especially when i'm asked to present myself. In front of other people. I like knowing exactly where the line is. How and when it can and should be crossed. I like knowing exactly how to pick a lock. And i like knowing exactly when. lock has been successfully picked. I like hearing pins drop. And because i like all of those things and i'm attached to all of those things this has been without question the most difficult sermon i've ever had to prepare. The parameters are different. The rules that shifted. I wasted a lot of time by approaching the writing of this sermon in the same manner that i approached the writing of other sermons. I kept aching for some profound christian scripture to unlock the challenge. The destroyermen was presenting. I kept imposing my history of sermonizing onto this particular moment. Each time i tried to do that i was left staring at directionless writing. On the wall of my computer screen. But eventually. I stopped trying to impose my process on a situation in which it would not work. I had to simply walk into the openness and inclusive nature of unitarian universalism. Without worrying about how it was supposed to come around. I stopped picking at a lock that needed no picking. I stopped trying to force my idea of a process. On to what i might speak about today. I stopped worrying about the way that sermons were supposed to be written and i simply wrote a sermon. And i'm grateful that i get to openly share it with you all today. It is a very freeing experience. But i have a feeling that this kind of experience is not unique to houdini in myself. How often do we find ourselves in a situation. That is simultaneously so incredibly familiar. And so overwhelmingly different. That we have no idea how to approach it. And so we approach it the same way we have always approached these kinds of things. We stopped really stick to it. Because it gives us some small feeling of control in a disorienting situation. We're here to the rules because the rules are how we maintain our understanding of the world around us. We know the way things are supposed to be done. We know how something works. We know how something can be fixed and we fixate on that certainty because there is some comfort in that. We want to control a process that may be entirely beyond our grasp. And if it is a process that we have performed countless times. Then all the more reason to adhere strongly to the rules around that process. But what happens when something has shifted. When the rules do not apply. And there is some significant factor that stops them from having any sway. How long do we stick by our rules and regulations because they give us some small feeling of control. Even when they are not working out. How much time do we waste waiting to hear something that we feel is so important so crucial. When in reality. This time. It has been rendered obsolete. How often do we work for so long and so hard to bring everything under our control that we possibly can. And then have to completely reassess our situation because something has shifted. How long do we spend trying to fulfill an equation with variables that simply do not fit. Only when x happens can i move onto why. Only when i hear the pins drop can i move out of this prison cell. How long does it take us to recognize but this time. X is insignificant. We have to reassess the situation if we are ever to move beyond it. I imagine houdini sitting in his jail cell puzzling and puzzling over the mystery of this lock. Suck. Because the rules have been broken and he had no idea what to do next. Despite the fact that the door was wide open. Unable to move because he became so fixated on an idea of what was supposed to happen. That he couldn't ship into the reality of what was actually happening. I wonder how often our assumptions of what is supposed to happen. Stop us from fully engaging in life. Those rules that we have held onto for so long they keep us staying in a jail cell. Despite the fact. That the door is unlocked. Those rules do not apply here. We have been here countless times before and we will be here countless times again. I'm going to still want to maintain control. But we may simply have to let those desires go. And walk out the door. Into our freedom. Here's some good news. That door is wide open. It was wide open when we got into that jail cell. And it is wide open the entire time we are there. We can stay in that jail cell as long as we need. As much time as it takes. No one will come by to lock the door on us while we are there. We can emerge from that cell. Anytime we want. Whenever we figure out that the door has been open this whole time. We can simply rise. And walk into the world. We may have to ship some things. We may have to completely alter our approach. But the door is wide open. Let us walkthrough. Would you join me in an attitude and spirit of prayer. To the source of our freedom. Who constantly leaves the door of our cells. Wide open. We often find ourselves in situations where. We simply do not know. How to respond. Where to begin. Because something around us has shifted. And we do not recognize it. We are bewildered and confused. When our assumptions about reality. I thrown into question. Play perhaps the smallest of acts. Help us to recognize those moments when we need to shift our approach. So that we may move forward. Instead of getting stuck in our assumptions of the way things are supposed to be. Help us to recognize that the door. Is wide open. And guide us each day towards opening it. Steppin out. Of all of the cages in which we find ourselves. I meant. We are. Indeed on our way. To the freedom land. Though it may look like we are in a jail cell. In truth the door is wide open. We just don't know it yet. May you go from this place knowing. That the door is wide open. May you walk through it. Even if you have to break some rules to do so. Go in peace. To the freedom land. I meant.

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2015-01-04_Resistance-is-Futile-Not_11_15.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california website at w.w. org for further information. Welcome to our unitarian universalist church of davis wear today and this entire month we look at resistance futile perhaps some of the time worthwhile some of the time necessary all of the time or senior parish minister reverend beth banks have begun and in fact. When we come here on sunday morning we bring the gifts and imperfections of who we are this is a community where we challenge each other encouraged each other support each other our work is to keep our site on the best that we can be in this place we are surrounded by a diversity of religious beliefs god or whatever it is sacred is different for each of us and comes from our life experience we celebrate those of all sexual orientations and political parties and we will continue to work. Hi my name is kira livorno and my name is jenny kobold and tiara and i are a mentor and use pair in this year's coming-of-age program this year are coming-of-age program is engaged and transformative learning what it means to buu to belong and to question. I have to admit i was excited about this month's theme of resistance this is a confessional of sorts of just widowed kooky ultimately optimistic uu geek i am and fantasy. Today's reading is from robert at kennedy and aspen ever-so-slightly modify for modern-day gender equality will have the greatness to bend history itself but each of us can work to change a small portion of events it is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped each time one up for an ideal or ask to improve the lives of others or strikes out against injustice they send forth any ripples of hope and each other from a million different those ripples build the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.

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2018-02-04-The-Promise-The-Practice.mp3?_=4

Sunday sermons from unitarian universalist church of davis california. org for further information. It's hard to focus and welcome people in. To our service format. Words were written by viola abbott and all the readings and the ritual today have been written prepared by black unitarian universalist. In our movement as a part of black lives uu. Viola road we are unitarian universalist. When they lift up our seven principles some of us think of them as a form of theology but they are more important to our collective than that. They tell us how we should be. They tell us how we should act in the larger world with each other. Open your heart. New ways of understanding. Relating to pillar candles this morning as we always do. One pillar candle for the sorrows in our personal lives and the sorrows in our world. And the second candle for the joys. We need to have living in our hearts. Words were written by adrian grande. We can do a flame of power. Illuminating the holy. Faces. Be recognized in the flame a passionate commitment to our shared fame. In the shining of the flame. We are brought together on the steak alton. All ages feel as if they can answer when i come to a question for you. Philosophy i don't want to call us theologians but a philosophy. About how to be with what is broken. Buddhist philosophy. The pottery. Steven italis. If it's precious to you. You find a way. Send it. There is a story about a shogun who lived in the late 30s so very very long time ago. Kidz bop. And he did not want to throw away the pieces. So he sent it to china within the late 1300. To do. And when he got it back he was horrified because it was. Stapled together. Beauty. So he gave it to his own practitioners. And he said please. Make it. Wonderful again. And when they gave it back to him they had taken resin. Kind of food. Precious beautiful gold in that glue. And. Extra-long every broken parts. Pieced it together. Not trying to hide. What was broken at all. Clear glue. This bright shimmering gold. So the idea being that you don't try to hide all of the imperfections but rather make him a part of a larger pattern and cherish. But something could be. Make it as good as new but maybe even better. Never hiding. The mistakes that have happened. So i wonder if you. Have ever had something in your life. That was broken. Idiot saying. Ideal relationship. Who knows what it is. You chose not to throw it away. Because you loved it so much she just decided you were going to. Work with it. And fix it somehow. With something that. Showed. How it had been broken you can still see it but it was better than ever before. See in your life. Monster anyting. Are you like that. And i'll just say that i had a teddy bear. That i shaved. Because i believed it was real and a buffer would grow back i have a very fine imagination it serves me well. My mother made that teddy bear better than ever before. And i still have it. Amazing. It is a simple example of something. But there are many things that you can imagine i'm and the icing. What might those things be. This is what we're talking about. In our relationship. And now the time when we are going to try again. Recognizing the things that went wrong. I'm not trying to hide from that but then how can we go forward. How can we build a new relationship. Welded together with what is precious. That is what we're talking about today. Toadies words of introduction continue what viola abbott. Road at the beginning of our service. We are brought here today. By the fact that unitarian-universalism has fallen short of the image that was presented to the world. And too many of those who embraced this religion. We are also brought here today by the truth. That unitarian-universalism is shifted course to move toward a place of wholeness. A place that perhaps never existed for us as a denomination. It has been a long and sometimes unforgiving road to today. But we are here. Today. Because we are mindful of that path. And because we have hope. For the future. We want the practice of this face. To be a fulfilling that promise. I just want to remind you that the readings and the ritual that we will participate in our from the black lives unitarian universalist. Members in our denomination. Not interpret their words or their experiences and. That. Toni morrison gave an interview that shed some light. On this for all of us. She works for random house publishing and was asked to edit the work of black authors sometime ago. Making the writing easier for white. Readers to accept. And she found this pretty. Hard to do she wanted the real voices to tell the real story that we wouldn't even know about that because. We're not we're just receiving the stories. But in the course of her. That at that time the abolitionists. Printing organization to print the materials from frederick douglass the language to hold that they held. They held the stories. From frederick douglass. And they adjusted those stories. So that the white abolitionist. Would be more comfortable. With the stories. That is what we're being asked to not. Here. So i ask that you listen to be stories with an open heart. And to let those stories fit. Enya. And if you're uncomfortable. Okay. And if you're curious. That's great. And if you want to talk about it after the service. I'll be in the same house room. So that you can do so. Carol thomas sizzle. Diverse multicultural inclusive welcoming. If i made a list of every single unitarian universalist congregation i have served visited or worship.. He would have a few things in common. Including the word use of these words. Order of service for scrolling across the homepage of their website. Maybe there can be there been. Emblazoned on a rainbow colored bear. Banner hanging in the sanctuary. Wherever they are more often than that the words are proud to another expression that has been embraced in every particular. Are welcome here. On my list i'll have one or more of these words probably are display. I know why they are used for freely. Initially i feel dumfries player. Carol continues. A sense of being acknowledged and valued moves for my heart to my head and then a smile settles on my lip. My heart blooms. All of this takes place in a measurable instant and then the next moment. What is tempered. I remember past experiences consciously recalculate and measure my response. The petals of my heart close protecting the delicate sigma and salmon inside. Fear of disappointment rises within me like the sun. What they promise. Disappointed. It is simply not enough and in order of service or in a newsletter they must have. At their core. A desire for multicultural worship is wonderful but it will not flower if that seed of yearning is not nurtured by a commitment and a plan. Longing for diversity of race gender or age is only a beginning. Because you're carrying a creative programming. Congregations are primarily white and over 60. If we are to serve into the future that was change. I bring that weekend and then the world. Injured repeatedly when we do not. When we used words just for the sake of eating them i am hurt. Measurable goals. I trust and hope are broken into. Why does it hurt. Terminating in the warm soil of spirit. I seen the transformation began to take place in washington state. Washington dc and california. Congregations in oklahoma continue to push our face forward. Yes i am. Weary. Too many occasions and in too many places these words in the ideals for steak carrier given the surface. Mater lift us up and shower us with possibilities when misused they hurt. In language. Words matter if you and your congregation are not ready to meet the promises he craft and then share the words scott publishing. Please don't invite me to sit at your table unless you have a warm and satisfying meal to serve. It doesn't have to be gourmet. Terrell thomas pistol in vibrating. That's okay i'm starving. What is. What is what you're feeling. Real made with love and ready to be eaten. Remember i believe what you saying right. Words matter. Oh i woke up this morning. And my mind is stayed on freedom. Thank you very much. Thank you adam. Rebecca savage. This moment and over again in my head. The day i heard of the thomas jefferson mall. Hosted by the unitarian universalist in 1993. As a person of color. Raised in a uu congregation. Don't the shiver. Down my spine as i learn something new. An unsettling about the face that i. Call home. You may be wondering why i just gathering of you use in 1993. Struck me as a profoundly memorial and painful moment. Beloved. This is why i attend he's encouraged to wear. . close to the ball celebration. Thomas jefferson unitarian churches. In the spirit of welcome. Those who conceived. Did not take into account. The splintering of whiteness. Asking people to attend in. dress. The organizers freaked out. Ignore the fact that in jefferson. Wii black and brown. What happens. Trey. Property to trade. Brutalize. Subjective. The matter was taken up at general assembly challenged the appropriate. During a plenary session. By reading a statement. In response the organizes and other leaders to consider how. And they came to a decision. Proceed ahead. As planned. Myself. What would i wear. Would i be a house slave. For my lighter skin and good hair. My skin is light brown that my daughter refers to. Cinnamon. A product of beautiful. Multiracial family history. When i could leverage any opportunity to take my body as his property. Rebecca. What would i wear. Would i have had shoes on my work worn feet. What i have stretch marks across my belly from babies that were taken from me to sell to other plantations. What i say to myself faithful mournful songs of liberation dreaming for the day when i can taste freedom for myself and my family. What would i wear. Baby allowed to come through the front entrance. Or directed to the back. Kitchen with the other slaves and servants. To drink from the same from the platters. What i sit with the other people of color in a separate room. Or at the back of the gathering. A white person. Even speak their name. What would i wear use. Tell me. What would i have worn to attend this ball. What. close would represent who i would have been in thomas jefferson's time. When we feel something deeply and are still finding the words. Ouch. Seriously ouch. Why do i raise this deeply wounding moment in our shared history. Rebecca savage continues. Because this isn't just about my experience. It's a chapter in the story of who we are as a people. Living in this country. Supported by. Greek history cause. I grieve for those communities because. Which broke. From the pervasive racism in our country. I grieve for those who at the time. I breathed that it is taking this long. To have this level of conversation. About people of color. Was conceived by well-meaning people. Only through the eyes of white privilege. Nature of. Personhood. And the god-given for all. And the god-given for all. To put privacy on whiteness as the default setting. How we see and experience our world. Means that we are being theologically inconsistent. Wii remote. Of which we are apart. We have devalue the inclusion of too many. Music. And readings for worship draw primarily. From anglo-european composers and writers. And the paintings hanging in our congregation proportionately represent our foremothers and forefathers. We see this trend when congregational leadership is cultivated without honoring the diversity in our midst as a rich source of inspiration and prophetic messaging. People of color have been a part of our living tradition. For centuries. But our voices have been overlooked. Silence or outright rejected with hostility. Rebecca savage right. Justice and shine a light on the star. Because the healing is not done. Dismantling white supremacy. Decentering whiteness from arbonne. From our congregation. From the ways in which we interact and support. Each other. We are the promised ones made in the name of faith. And proclaiming beloved community. We are called to match our words with our actions. Into our mist by truly. And without fear honoring. Inherent worth and dignity. Every person. This is a beautiful time of opportunity. Born of truly listening to people of color and beginning to repair. The fabric of community that has been torn. Ripped asunder by years of broken in empty promises. Words of intentions. Buy purposeful. I love being a unitarian universalist. I was burst into the whirlwind with the calling of service on my heart. I was shaped and molded in our congregation. I also know that as dr. cornel west shared. His on his 2015 where lecture. Assembly. If i have white supremacy in my heart because i was raised in this country. So do we all. While i agree i also have much reason to claim hope. I celebrate where we. Rsf people of faith. Because we are bravely facing. Devastation. An illness of other people. We are looking at ourselves in the mirror. And seeing a new way. Hold on. One more light. I celebrate that we have the moral and spiritual courage. To listen deeply to the voices that have been marginalized. I celebrate that beloved's are choosing to move back. To make space for an evolution in leadership and consciousness. The greatest good. Is seen in every moment of insight. As so many are waking up to our participation. Entering. Time to lead with love. And make right the ways i did nomination has fallen short of our shared principles. We are a powerful aspirational covenanted people. And we are being called to account for our historic moral and spiritual feelings. In order to move into authentic community. Now is our time to harness our ability to reflect inward in order to re-emerge with a power greater than ourselves that gives rise to a new day. And he's in our hearts may it be so. We do not often include. This kind of ritual in our service. One of the things that rachel can do is help us take these big concepts and embody them a bit more so we can continue to. Invite you to enter into a space. Of lamentation and intention. The tools we will use our simple but the results are not. We grieve what has been done. We honor and we lament and this is the past. Ourselves. Is now the present. What we choose to do tomorrow with intention is our future. There are two tables in this room each has two stations and each station has a purpose. Table one station is for lamentation allowing you to create tears of healing by mixing a dash of salt into a bowl of water while softly speaking aloud your sorrow. For all that has been squandered and lost. Another and it's on the far side. Provides a space to petition the universe to ask for help as we move forward together and the action there is to gently blow into a pinwheel. The third is a place to write down your hopes and fears and it's right here for the power of the written word cannot be denied i do want to add what we learned at the earlier services that this patient takes farm a than the others and so there are additional cards and pens here to help us move through that. And the final is a place to give voice to your intention it's on the far side. Say something aloud that you will do to move our face forward. Lending a pinch of black sand into white potential and gently stirring. When you're done take a stone. To mark your intention and take it home with you. Music will accompany us on this journey we asked that we focus on the the actions and not get into chatter and of course logistically there a lot of us so if we can work on coming down through the middle and returning out the sizes best as you're able. Thank you. Together we have shed tears and lamented the past. We have a petition the universe and ask for help. We have voiced and written down our hopes and fears. And we have spoken aloud and promise our intentions and into white. I work is not done. How much more is required. The journey ahead is steep and littered with crevasses and. Painful missteps of weight. We will make mistakes as we move forward and speak to serve each other we will make mistakes. We will hurt each other unintentionally with our words and our deeds. We will. Shine from the fiery truth needed to truly change. And when embraced. Flames of change. Scorch our hearts and in our hands. It will not be easy. But today we make a start a beginning we have set our intentions. And promised to move forward together. Blessed be. An amen. For the offering it is. A special offering. In the late 1960s was asked to take steps to address the silencing of marginalization of black unitarian universalist. Initial affirmation of this commitment. The commitment went unfulfilled. And the promise was broken. Millions of dollars that were promised. Two black unitarian universalist. Are not given. To them. More than 45 years later a board of trustees moved to fulfil those broken promises. With a financial commitment. Two black unitarian universalist. The board made this commitment with the understanding that it is for black. What is needed and how it will be accomplished. The board's actions also supports the 2015 general assembly's approval of an aspen of immediate witness entitled. Support the black lives matter movement. This commitment supports the work of bringing the face. $1000000 has been moved from the ua unrestricted endowment to begin the fulfillment of his promise. $1000000 have been pledged by a longtime unitarian-universalist couple. The goal for the congregational commitment. That is also a million dollars. We have been asked to give $10 per person minimum. We are hoping. Many close to all of our members can contribute $10 but. Some will not be able to. Our economic diversity is great in this congregation. If you are able to contribute more. That would be wonderful. Our part of that commitment of that million dollars is $3,000. And we hope to reach that as a congregation. Only with your help. Can we do it. The collection will be taken and gracefully received. We are going to be seeing the words up on the screen for a responsive reading. And there are leaders who will read one part and you will read the next. We are not we are the ones we have been waiting for. We are not perfect. We are not without fault. But we can be honest to face our past as we charge a new future. We are the ones we have been waiting for. May we have faith in the future. Let the gathering say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

2017-05-07-Flower-Communion.mp3?_=4

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from the unitarian universalist church of davis california website at w.w. org for further information. Welcome to the unitarian universalist church of davis the intern minister and campus minister we are a congregation that strives to listen and support one another with compassion we welcome people of all races and ethnicities we welcome the diversity of abilities shared among us we welcome people of all gender identities and sexual orientations we are glad that you are here on this flower communion sunday we welcomed members and friends frequent visitors and first-time guests and we're especially glad to welcome the others from celebration of abraham congregation we are glad to share our worship this morning with our jewish christian and muslims billings and neighbors who also traced the roots of their faith to the story of abraham in our community we believe that it's important to celebrate our joys and care for our difficult times. We begin our worship service this morning as we always do begin our worship services and our gatherings by lighting the flaming chalice the symbol of unitarian universalist you'll see our challenge has two circles around it one circle our unitarian tradition a tradition that holds god is one and a s circle are universalist tradition holding that god is all loving and all souls will come into everlasting love the cup is an ancient symbol of the cup of life and then we add a flame to it a beacon of our community and the work that we do together in the world lighting are childless this morning is john ashby who will also be helping leading our service today to the davis wide celebration of abraham is the flame of our community takes to hear these words from alice barry children of the earth and sky we are nurtured sustained given warmth and light from above and below supported by earth strong firm crust we build our homes till the fields plant our gardens and our orchards when we turn from self and seek to be aware we will find holy light in human faces in blossoms and birdsong and sky than earth is truly our home and we are one with all earth's creatures parents of earth's children yet to be. Try to tell you a short little story that john ashby is going to tell the ending to it starts in the year 1870 with and czechoslovakia with a man named norberg topic who was born then so if you were born in 1870 how old would you be now really really old thanks here and his mom was a devout catholic and he really embrace the catholic faith and he was very involved in church and he would help when there were special things to do like like all of you did this morning and he was was really interested in religion he loved church but he started to have some questions about the catholic faith particularly about the way that the priests seemed super duper special compared to everybody else and he said you know there's something going on here than just the priests are route to come together and say how do we experience the message of jesus this great human being and how might we share that with the world well at the time this was in the early nineteen-hundreds and world war looming in europe and the topic was happy to share his opinions but government wasn't always happy that he was sharing his opinions so he left and he came to the united states that jesus was fully human and meaning that we all fully human as we are could live an exemplary life too so he took and really started to change the religious landscape of czechoslovakia and by the 1930s wwii this time was looming and would be there quickly but chopping had a very important message in a time of difficult resistance which we're going to hear from john and just a little bit. As you hold this flower i asked you just to look at it for a moment to consider its unique beauty its color and form and sent consider its greenery and it's growing season thank you as we take part of this ceremony we know that we each have unique beauty you need to color and form and sent and we come together to make a beautiful bouquet just to lift your flower for a moment so we can see the way that our love and hope is distributed through this place in this community and offer a blessing that love & hope you brought with your flower is still here in your new flower that you might take it onto your day and remember the community that you're part of here. If you are willing to deliver flowers to those folks who are a part of our home congregation the table in the social hall has the information that you need these words are inspired by a famous prayer written by norbert capek it is worthwhile to live and speak and act courageously for sacred ideal.

uudavispodcast_org

2016-09-04-See-a-Penny-Pick-It-Up_10_00.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from the unitarian universalist church of davis california website at w.w. org for further information. Welcome to our unitarian universalist church of davis work today we look at maybe one penny maybe many pennies and how they add up and why it's important to us. Come here on sunday morning we bring the gifts and imperfections of who we are this is a community where we challenge each other encouraged each other support each other our work is to keep our site on the best that we can be in this place we are surrounded by a diversity of beliefs god or whatever it is each of us called sacred is different for each of us and comes from our own life experience we celebrate those of all sexual orientation and gender identity and political parties and cherish the living earth is our sacred home. So when i was a young man at the tender age of 17 from graduating from high school when i was suppose the company manufactured and construction. Aggregation take hands or benediction today atiana gains turner's words now let us set our sights on cutting party in half again and let's do it without messing up what is already working at the congregation say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

2017-10-08-Japanese-in-Calif_The-Courage-of-Gaman.mp3?_=4

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california at www.dav.org for further information. Play the roots in the branches and the trunk and the tree. Brown piece of paper that says. My name is tamara. Campus minister and intern here at unitarian universalist. You are welcome. You are encouraged to bring your whole self into this space. Assistance. You are encouraged to bring your whole heart a heart that might be aching or broken. You are encouraged to bring your whole heart. Celebrating with excitement. Bring your whole spirit might be so tired a spirit that might be frustrated. You are encouraged to bring your whole spirit. A spirit that might need cheese. Community. Community. Community of curious learners of compassionate listeners you are welcome here. This morning we like one pillar candle for the sorrows of the world. For the moment that weigh heavy on our hearts. We like a second pillar candle of the world the joys that continue in the middle. Now is our time to center in worship music. Are childless will be lit today by joyce takahashi. Joyce is a longtime member of the church friend since 1960. And has served on committees and the board of directors. Currently she is a member of the julie bees hand choir choir. Immigrated to the united states as newlyweds. Subsequent generations of the takahashi family american born and raised in the us. Are more actually referred to as japanese americans. Joyce's family was forcibly removed and incarcerated during wwii. They were first taken to tanforan assembly center in san bruno california and then transfer to the japanese american incarceration center in topaz. Japanese. There is an. Which is the way you started. Colored car river in china. Send it.. Riverhead. Give me the final challenge. It was more difficult than anything. I'm not going to try that. And they just turned around and slam.. And then they sell the river. And the other creatures that lived. That was even more impossible in maybe we know about that too. 400 years. And the. And this one fish especially. They turned it into. Encourage. And if it is a really important and large same. We will usually fail. It takes a lot of skill. And it takes a lot of patience. And it takes a lot of courage. Savage challenge. Is to try something that is very difficult might sale. To try again and again. Something that is very difficult for you. To speak to other people in this congregation. I just share the stories. Better so difficult. Did you fail. Again and again. And so we sing our children and used. To their groups. This reform poem. Are lyrics that come from the musical allegiance by jake well. The story. The musical is set during the japanese american internment. And was inspired by the personal experiences of george takei. Who starred in the musical. It follows the camorra family in the years following the attack on pearl harbor. The family was forced to leave their farm in salinas california and were sent to the heart mountain internment camp in the royal plains of wyoming. C'mon to be spoken. In this place for each face story of pain. I say we'll get through each day. Nightmare with a simple refrain. C'mon c'mon. Sturdy and strong. Cheap space. Hold your head high carry on. So, take my hand as together we stand. Squarely and playing. Our spirit restored. Shared fortitude. For we know what for go. Come on. If we hold together the nothing we lack. Forbetterorworse weather blessed or cursed. Together we'll remain. C'mon c'mon sturdy and shore. Cheap face and indoor. Pride as we stand side-by-side. Seems gone. Come on. Come on. Come on. Citrate known in the japanese culture as. The concept defies easy translation but broadly it means. Kanpur darren's perseverance and poise in the face of adversity vents beyond one's control. I had the privilege of studying the book. The book is a complement compilation of wondrous artwork. Japanese american internment camps in world. Under the circumstances that they had to work with were extremely sparse. They use things like cigarette rappers. To create intricate little origami. Tiny little origami unbrella. Skeleton. And they used a small lacquered chopsticks. The handle. Sunflower seeds and shells all go together on a milk bottle cap to create an elegant brooch from a distance actually looks like a sunflower. Wood was used to make delicate lifelike little replicas of tiny birds. Engrave detail. Complete. Made from leftover wood pieces. Ankita. Which i wouldn't stop clocks. Unforgettable memories that many former intern he's had was the sound of those pizza clogs. The public restrooms. Because the abrasive sand at the deserts in which most of these camps were located. The normal footwear was torn to bits almost immediately upon their arrival. Essential to the prisoners of the camps. Have i looked at some of the amazing works of arts i thought about what it must have been like for the individuals making these work. I imagine it was a part of a mental escape from the incredibly harsh surroundings of their environment. They were able to take and make it beautiful. This was the way the japanese american people in the internment camps had practiced. They showed persistence in the face of adversity resourcefulness. Spirit. 7 *. Presentation. The rama. It symbolizes getting knocked out. Recently i have felt defeated. Shooting at sandy hook elementary school. We would see a serious change in gun laws. We did not. The mass shootings kept taking place over and over and over again. I am choosing to practice. Persevering and calmly fighting for change. Doing and aggression will not change the gun control laws in the us voting for individuals. Signing petitions and calling our representatives. Persistence in the face of adversity. I would like to know the time that she devoted to speaking with. Really we started this. August. And what you see in front of me are the same. We don't have a system to decide who takes those chrysanthemums so i wish you good luck on that. On december 7th in 1941 forces bombed pearl harbor. And 2403. Powershot country quickly turned to rage. Within 48 hours i had arrested. Enemy aliens. Nice or japanese-americans. First they were required to register. Their freedom was curtailed by a curfew. Longer had access to their finances because their bank accounts were frozen human part. Listen to everything in this. This time for. Even another country. On february 19th in 1942 10 weeks after pearl harbor. Executive order. 9066 120,000 japanese-americans. They were tagged. That was there. I d. George takei talks about his mother. Sewing machine. Because she knew it would be needed. It was worth the risk she decided. Champs. Describe the camp. And now i've heard them referred to by japanese-americans as and incarceration camps. But never. Internment camps which is the word i have always used and i'm retraining myself now. The photo captures his despair as a forward looking down at the ground. Before he was forced to walk away from his farm and joined others being transported to a barbed wire enclosed incarceration camp. At the camps. At fairgrounds and other. Similar spaces equally as undesirable. Their living conditions incarceration camps. Clear. That their civil liberties. Because. It was an issue of national security. And whistles are going off for you. Identify this enemies. In our country. Destroyed reason. To swiftly and with public consent. Villas and imprison the japanese people. The swiftness of our country ready present. The documentary and then in japanese. At the time of world war i was sitting next to a japanese. Experience. This woman was learning about her parents by studying the experiences of japanese-americans at the time. On her spirit. She realized that her parents lives had given her a deep empathy. Who's civil civil liberty was at risk. And who could not speak for themselves. And she had become an attorney. Could not speak for themselves. In court. The trauma of wrongs committed against. They echo. Generations. Not only the generation. Visit in italy. In today's worship service we are focusing on the japanese california in the early years. Every columbus northern california i heard president trump's comments. On the news about how wonderful columbus was. To come and bring. We are doing the service today. The growing cities and available opportunities to practice the life skill. That persistence that resourceful missed in the face of adversity. They came for many reasons in the 80s. The statehood. In 1888. San francisco. Adesa church that's interested in students has a campus ministry. Written for student to america alone. Mysterious america. America is a veritable human paradise the number one mine in the world. If you can figure out a way to pick them up you'll become rich instantly. Students work during the day time you'll have time to attend a nice school in the evening. It's not far-fetched to think about graduating from a college. He made it sound so easy. The reality for students. And the differences. Student road. Even if it was a mystery to us. My friends tried to make a fire by burning. It was natural for him since he regarded his one set. Student labor is came without resources. Exploit. Receiving minimal pay. Wanted to do. We have never treated immigrants like that. The army in japan. Prostitutes. Who endured onto ships to see something special and then we're locked in their cabins. In the united states. They had no family they had no money they had no language. Sex trafficking. Is an internal issue. Chinese exclusion legislation barred chinese from entering the country but the need for labor still existed. This open the door for the japanese and within 20 years. Quite an increase. And in 20 more years than 145. Thousand. The majority of immigrants. This is our history. The jobs as well as. The yellow peril. And dog. This barber shop doesn't cut animals. Japanese. Barnes on japanese farms with targets for arson. Games for quick money. Intending to return to japan sojourners. Migratory work farm to another. What is labor's there was no opportunity to create community. For their lives. Wandering their pay on gambling and drinking and prostitution. Assimilate. Women immigrated. The sojourners. Became settlers. However this ends are harvested in. Baby in the family. And the family. Whiskey road. Vexed my strength. And then. Drying up all tears. It was clear evidence to everyone living in california. An increasing number of successful. Many of the immigrants in japan. A job as a potato picker. Successful. Labor contract. 15 acres of underdeveloped valley delta system of dykes. And the language they use. And the results. Farmland. And i love the story. He had ten thousand acres of potatoes. It was worth 1.2 million dollars but that would translate. And this is another good part. Belleria in berkeley. Ignoring the protest of white neighbors that japanese for not welcome. The san francisco newspaper headline read. Yellow peril. Common. He sent his children disaster. Harvard and stanford. The estate was worth 15 million. In 1926. Population in california. This is how a white supremacist culture functions there is no. If you are not white. Except if you choose to make yourself invisible. Business owner. The first generation. But if you put them together. You can't break them. That is why as a family and as a community we must stick together. California settlers fistful of chopsticks. They were strong. Persuade the second. Generation. Arrive in san francisco in 1885. Eastbay racine is committed to this country. Recent european immigrants were seen as belonging to the country. It would be the same for the japanese he stated on land they would be seen as equal. Pilgrims. Who settled. And so. To japan. California. Have you purchased. 3200 acres of desert land. Named. 40 acre lots for japanese. Bland. They planted grapes and fruit trees. This would show that they were dedicated and committed. 1 pioneer road in his diary that when they set up a colony the first thing they did. For the cemetery. It was a symbol of how they were literally planning to be one with this land how could you be. More. One with the land. In california. But the japanese isolationist this time. Someone road grassland. By tolerating insults. Once again. Commitment. This was it. Fresh produce. Transcontinental railroad. Refrigerator cars. And the product was able to that. Statistics. But you get a sense. Of what was happening. California. These numbers. Important because they're part of the reason why everything unfolded as it did. 1942. The japanese farmers produce 70% strawberries. Percent of california's 67% of the tomatoes. 44% of the 40% of the fresh green peas 5-19-20 the production of dollars. The japanese demonstrated their ability to succeed again and again in this new land and instead of this proof assuring the white residents and the government officials. Fear. Racism. In san francisco. Adoption of american customs. Made the dangerous. And the shinies. The preserve. Voices of labor leadership said labor. Shear. Repugnant. They were strangers from a different shore. Even if they had been here for decades. In 1906 legislation was passed that. Powerlessness. A year later. Legislators in sacramento. Introduced a bill that would deny ownership to japanese immigrants. Introduce. And listen to this language. Japanese. Keep california. A series of alien land law. Continue to be passed. Every other year until. This language. They were denied to acquire to possess. Enjoy. To use cultivate to occupy. Real property. How do you. What is real property. Japanese could no longer immigrate to the united states. Raise undesirable. The series of. The king of potatoes as he was known. Interest is ear. We have unconsciously adapted ourselves to the ideals the customs of our adopted country. Our sons our daughters. This is their home. Near the end. My reading for the sermon i found a passage a gift of serendipity. I choose the message without knowing that this paragraph later. Mexico. Which they admired for its inner strength and intrepid spirit the immigrants swim against the current still struggling upstream and climbing waterfall. They found themselves driven backward. With before 1942. Legislation i just mentioned. The end of the story with a carb and the golden dragon. This may be the end of the sermon. But we are not yet at the top of that waterfall. We still have difficult things. Be done. And this. Our history. In this state. This history. It happened again. Any. Part of it. The japanese internment. We've created another day. February 10th. And it will be shown here. And our social justice coordinators are working on developing. I programmed for that day. So mark your calendars. So we can understand it more completely. I say amen. Gratefulness for your presence here today. Invite you into a time of prayer. And a time of meditation. I will be asking us to sing together. The one line is in your order as soon as that i would not have. We need to find some quiet together. Rest. In a way that is comfortable to you. Together we are called into the silence. And together we will see us to return. Let's go into the silence together. Spirit of life. God that is known by many names. Our aching hearts. How can we make sense of the loss of 59 lives. Last sunday in las vegas. How do we explain that is. Anywhere. The ends lives faster. In the time it takes for an eye to focus. Explain complicated impossible for the spirit to take it will break her heart. Too many pieces. We need this time of grease. Anger that comes wrapped in helplessness. Can i do something. But helplessness in understanding. No matter what analysis is made by expert we know. We have witnessed the devastation of human psyche. Someone. Indiscriminately. Precision we pray for those who died may they be held in love. Peace. The parents who are living with. Mayday be surrounded by loving friends and family that yes. We do justice but that we connect with others around us everyday focus on our lofty ideals and. When our hearts are broken open by love together we staying a song of lamentation break our hearts open why. Cherished moments of stillness graceful blessings of our lives.

uudavispodcast_org

2017-12-10-Hope-That-Knows-How-to-Sing.mp3?_=2

Welcome to sunday sermons from unitarian universalist church of davis california at www.org for further information. One pillar candle for the sorrows of this world that happened this week and alignment second pillar candle for the new sources of joy and love to come to us. This morning comes from jordan spieth mckeeman. Joy called unto joy place called unto light of this plane rekindle in the inner light of peace. We pledge ourselves to be bearers of the light wherever we are the first four sundays of december this year honor the christian season of advent it is a season of waiting waiting for a time when we will exist. Let's try together the first candle is lit for the second candle is lit for the piece of peace. I met my partner matt extended family for the first time. Smith family is much larger than mine and i have been practicing names and relationship. Okay so tara is uncle randy's daughter and her kids are randy may and julian charlie is and tammy's son luke travis sam heart. When we arrived for dinner i begin to meet everyone. People i didn't know people i did not have in my chart started to arrive there is tim and mike and mike's friend and his friend and friend of a friend. I didn't know i had to add them to my chart ask matt angrily why didn't you tell me about these people that laugh. Dinner is always an open invitation. We never know who will be here long time family friends friends of friends anyone who doesn't have somewhere to go is invited to dinner at grandma castle house. I will always remember that feeling of being welcomed into this family welcomes with no questions asked. They always had a seat at their table. And the beginning of december the unitarian universalist service committee. That we make space for guests at our table. These aren't the kind of guests that are going to ask for a second helping of pie. Would rather there were these boxes pc here in front these boxes that were meant to represent stories of people who are doing great and important work around the world and how we can support them you'll see on the screen my cat simon & watson donating their guests at your table box. This year some of the money collected will go to burma to support young people like you see his photo on the screen. He belongs to a group of people called the rohingya. And they are treated differently and unfairly because their language and religion were different than the rest of those in burma. He started an organization called the center for social integrity community. Feels hopeful that when young people learn more about fairness and about how to get along with our differences and invite everyone to learn that together we are stronger and braver and happier we were able to invite to our table. And i donations today will help him and others like him make a difference in their communities. Fundraiser is ending we are inviting guests to our table in another way we will be hosting the interfaith rotating shelter here from january 28th until february 3rd. The interfaith rotating shelter help people who are experiencing homelessness. By striving to provide warm safe and non-judgmental shelter during the cold and rainy weather month. The dreamer for the shelter began in 2005. When they were only two. Emergency beds in davis. Meet the needs of approximately 120 people. And its first year of operation. The interface rotating shelter pad in nine congregations and communities involved. Over the next seven years. The shelter has grown to include over 60 groups and over 2,000 volunteers. Over the next few weeks we will be looking for volunteers to help invite guests to our table and into our church community for dinner and a safe warm place to stay. From helping with transportation to helping cook dinner and overnight support. There is a way for everyone involved. Matt's grandmother once told me the door is always open there is always a place for guests at our table. Christmas. The family arrives. Friends arrived friends of friends of friends of friends arrived. We're welcome. May our table at uucd. Always be big. But many of the overwhelming problems ever country. I was quite surprised when tasked with writing about 4 today i found myself thinking about meatloaf. This past week was my husband craig's birthday our birthday tradition is always a home-cooked meal with the family gathered around. My mom has been gone for two years. One of the last thing she did when her mind was still clear was put down some of the family recipes. I'm not much of a recipe follower but every now and then a request will send a paper rendered isabel by the care she took with this particular task. My mom cooked to feed her family but also to help others to serve them. For the record. And it was some meatloaf that got me thinking about hope. I grew up with it of course but there were times as an adult when a pan of it already cooked would miraculously show up at our doorstep. It was a kind offerings repeated numerous times over the years. And one of the things i find most helpful right now is that i'm at a point where i'm able to remember these good things my relationship with my mom was not always easy and i'm grateful beyond words for the good memories that are coming. I sometimes wonder if my mom knew that i think she knew the knife the meatloaf fairy visited were nights that i was stretched to the breaking point by mothering three closely spaced children and working a demanding job. My mom would tell me. The simple act of a hot and ready neeld did not have to cook. Thinking about this week. May we know the hope. It is not just for sunday. For this day here in this moment that opens to us. There is a thread that runs through the generations. My mom learned to cook from her favorite aunt and she passed along to me her love of cooking and of my three children it's my son nash who's taking up the mantle. Cookies by far one of the best things i've ever done well at least once a week. In this i signed hope renewed. He will be a good man said he will take care of himself and his loved ones and that he will cherish the simple goodness and sense of hope. That a home cooked meal can bring. So maybe you know the hope is not for the someday this thing here and now in this moment it open to us. Andy polite. When it's called for hope that knows how to sing when. There seems. It raises us from the dead not someday but this day everyday again and again and again. This is the season of advent and waiting. It's also the season of hope. In the midst of a month of darkness in this northern hemisphere we honor the coming of light. Holidays in. The motion lifting sunlight. Sometimes i wake up in the morning with all of my dream in color. I'm going to the farmers market actually. I can pay my favorites. Before i even pull off the covers. Before i'm at the market collecting produce from my favorite vendors. I was in a hurry. My feta and. Dial pasta fresh suites and the spider. You know the farmers market you know where i was standing. And he caught up with me by the fruit preserves and if you know the market you know they're on the other end. You're on a mission hear me i have been yelling your name. He was really animated. If i have been on a mission he was on an equally important one. Spirit weary this past week because of the tax bill passing in congress the ban on immigrants being upheld even for a temporary time the move of the embassy of the united states to jerusalem and. We are for equality and we have to get beyond our own little world. This week. He confided. I'm losing hope. I never thought i would say this. But i'm losing hope. The sacred moment it was. A confession. They're at the farmers market. The preserves. Shouted in the farmers market with a yell for connection a personal connection not another news story or even another rally as powerful as they was what he needed in that moment connection. Was going to be his turning point or at least what he hoped would be his turning point. The reverend william barber is an agitator. I heard him preach and i thought well i'm i'm done with preaching now i'll just sit down there were several preachers in the audience who heard him and we all kind of just looked at each other when he was done. He is really a visionary for this time and sons david william barber is picking up the unfinished work of the reverend martin luther king jr.. When i heard him martin luther king jr.. For some of the messages. William barber. Is spaying today. Keno's. He's giving dangerous messages. He refers to the first week. The second reconstruction is what we often refer to as the civil rights movement right now in the third reconstruction when we are being challenged. Strive to become a more perfect nation those phrases i hope our familiar to us. He's quick to mention that we shouldn't ever assume that we have accomplished perfection but to remember that we're always striving to be more of the people. He has a superhuman. Can i see where he is. A superhuman schedule speeches in our society. Detox about. The economic inequality of our time the lack of affordable housing the lack of environmental protection. The state of immigration and deportation from continuously. Speaking about them turning about them. When i lose. Ever. Lose hope in his messages. How is this possible. How does he find hope in his life and how does he continuously i tell you continuously to others. William barber grew up in rural north carolina remember sitting in his grandmother's kitchen dinner. And other sisters.. Apron to deliver the freshly cooked meal. We're going to hope to somebody. She would say. For many years grammar was incorrect. When you went to school he knew to never use the word hope in the way his grandmother did. He also knew better than to correct his grandmother when she said. I'm going to hope somebody. One day. He realize that she has said exactly what she meant. Her words kind of hope it was ongoing renewable more and durable than more injuring the hope it could be lost like we lose our keys. Or like when we talk about the troubles of the world so much. William barber grew up witnessing hope as a verb. And not. As a noun. Especially the kind of connection. If not and something is cereal. Indefinitely. Not static. And not something. We wait for. We don't have hope. Pakistan thing that we do. Hope is not the meatloaf that autumn's mother gave to the family action of receiving. And giving. People have been a present for me and helped me when i wasn't sure which way to turn in my life. To hope someone. Listen for your name being yelled in the market. And then to listen. Remind them that they are worthy and it shows them that they are not alone. When someone has come and hope you. Is born. In the moment. When we experience that injuring goodness in humanity because we. Feel it. If we want to expand we expand the circumstances we can say. We are going to hope. Somebody. 2016 the dominican american writer junot diaz. Read an article for the new yorker called radical hope as our best weapon. It is a tender person we are all going to have to get beyond. Trying to understand. The election results. However. But he has not been adequate source of hope. To those around him. The people he had been interacting with. We're devastated and waver in naming the reality of their fears. Students. We're crying. In their class and saying now what. Now what. He told them to bear witness to what they have lost. Dispensa safety. Their sense of belonging. Their shared vision for the countries. Easy. Think about. For the nation. Speak about his understanding of hope. I would ask that you think about the personal. Other people who may be sitting right next to you. Not. Where our nation goes what happens with our justice. But the help that is needed by people who are struggling. Financially now. Perhaps with their health. And perhaps. They need you. To help them. We are searching for hope. Because of a personal. Overwhelming fear that lack of purses that lack of purpose wise mentor is in our society tell us to choose to be together. Share food share our heart stories with each other. 4. When the undocumented students that uc-davis were afraid for themselves and their families as last year and there has been another wave of fear. Within the last couple of months. Retreat to get to know each other. Never openly the story of their families even to other undocumented. Their personal hope. Amplified. Buy 50 or 60 of them coming together and hearing each other's stories. Ready to discover safeway's. To advocate. And for their families. It all started with hoping each other. With listening and connecting to each other in that retreat. Junot diaz. You can allow yourself to be stunned. You better move on. Hope. He reminded them. I'm in history when he said. People from the dominican republic. People of color. Square bread. We had no choice we were owned. And those times are over. He spoke to the students about many times in history when they thought they had no reason to hope. Think of yourself. For the times that the people in our past. Change that. And we're apart. Pulling ourselves out of those situations think of those times. Junot diaz. Future of goodness that is above and beyond what is even recognized. It's radical hope demand what he called imaginative excellent to believe in what we have yet to experience but possible. Junot diaz believes that radical hope comes from accepting and seeking out the strong connections. In the spirit world. And she finds connection there. Long arc into history. And knowing about this times of loss and heartbreak. But more than anything. Feeling. They're a part of the progress made by those who change society and change their lives for the better. And he said we can do this again. And the people who will come after him. Which is why i love. The autumn talked about her son. And how that ability to connect your cooking. Going to go into the future. Radical hope is not something that you keep for yourself. I didn't this time and in this world. Is not strengthened in life that i restricted narrowly. And there are many in our country right now. Is lions are restricted very narrowly. But when there is an ever-widening basic connections breaking. A new day has come. He's telling us now this is a new day. Ever. Instead of imagining the arc of justice being above you and someone else. Very deep. Unsuccessful. And that no one can move it. Free time we make a connection to hope somebody. Where we framing reality when there is a chance to hope someone in your life not hesitate. He recommends this and unpredictably. Somebody who is unknown to you this is my favorite way to do it you would be astounded at what happens when someone does not anticipate that you are going to hope them. Maybe they have done absolutely nothing. To deserve. A reason to expect that you will hope them. Adapter going to hope somebody. Within yourself. I just see if you can accept. From others to. And then together. We can work on that arc of justice. Did i say amen. Recipe. Spirit of life. And love. We need. Hope in our lives. Within our homes. And as we care for each other. This world. Is so important. But let us remember. The individualized. It shine among us. And those who need. Us to bring home. For their health. Financially vulnerable. When one more thing then they can bear. When love. Is lost. May we have that excellence. An imagination. So that we can see what is needed. To touch the harding. He's the loneliness. To hold those. Who need our care. Baby dare to. Reach to those we know well. And especially to those least expected. Do not deserve it. Is our gift. The part of an intricate web of relationships. When one of us celebrate the troyer greaves allaso web of life moves to a new shape. We are apart of the turn of the earth the shift of the stars the pull of the sea. And all change. Extinguish pillar candles. I would like to invite you to take that will not keep quiet and polite. Give me hope. Maybe i'll find hope that raises us from the dead.

uudavispodcast_org

2018-02-25-Becoming-Our-Song.mp3?_=1

Welcome to sunday sermons from unitarian universalist church of davis california. org for further information. And i'm tamara range for worship associate this morning as unitarian universalist we believe all people have inherent worth and dignity. You are welcome here. No matter how you identify or who you love. The color of your skin or your political affiliation. You are welcome no matter your understanding of god. Or your answers to life's big questions. You. Are welcome into this community. Community of curious learners and compassionate listeners. People in this room of the world. Are opening words today are written by bob dylan it's the song from the song blowin in the wind how many years can a mountain exist. Before it's washed to the sea and how many years can people exist before they're allowed to be free and how many times can someone turn their head pretending that they just don't see the answer my friend is blowing in the wind the answer is blowing in the wind. Where is everyone. Beautiful that i have always wanted to play this morning. And when we all come together we sound just a little bit different and we make something beautiful one more time. Alright please join me everything our children and used to their classroom. The reading today is singing in the kitchen by carrie newcomer. My mother sang with full abandon with the kitchen radio when she was washing dishes. She likes water. Whispering into my dog's ear with sage five-year-old assurance. My mom has the voice of an angel. Every call my dog. Would agree. Nearest later standing side-by-side sunday morning i was horrified. Teenager can be horrified and confidently completely inconsistent. Interest in public in front of my friends. But now i understand that my mother was a cautious soul private and intentional. And so i'm grateful that she taught me how to hold my sister's hand and look both ways when we cross the street. Either she did or she did not care. That her voice was not smooth or perfectly pitched. Anyway. Because some things just have to be what they are. One way or the other. This home reminded me of my own mother. Her influence on me and the song of my life our present ever-present even snow her existence is no longer physical. Mini say i'm a lot lighter in my caring for others. A mic screen forgiveness. My mom can do is make every individual in her life feel like they were the most important someone to her. I heard from person after person when she passed that that was the case. They all thought they were her best friend. Can i make people feel so loved and cared for. That they feel like we're best friends. After she passed i heard so many stories about her relationships with people i wanted to try to emulate that. So i focused my memory on the things that she did to draw people and toward her. One of the ways was to love absolutely and unconditionally. My mom was the best attack. I rarely ever heard her pass any type of judgment on anyone. Even when they had wrong per. She had the natural ability to see the good in every person. So when you are around her she brought out everything that was good in you. I work very hard tomorrow back straight. By seeking out the beauty in each person i'm in relationship with. And use that. My mother was also very very forgiving person. People to make mistakes and gave them shelter from their guilt. I think about all of the times that i made mistakes and i was able to go to her and be comforted and even result of my mistakes and how good that left me feeling. Crispy fried. What's another one of her traits that i wanted to continue to get back to the world. This one was a real challenge for me though because i'm much more opinionated than my mom. Opportunity. And it felt. To give them the redemption that they needed to move forward and recover from their mistakes. When i have been personally wrong. I refer back to finding the good eats person the way that she did. When i remind myself of those qualities. And lastly the most precious gift that my mom gave her hugs. They were real. They were connected. Literally every time i had someone no matter who it is. I remember how it felt when my mom hug me. Memory is transferred to my own hug. So when you hug me. You're hugging my mom. Looking for ideas for the sermon this morning i had this book of poetry and found that poem that camera read so beautifully for us this morning and that is going to be in the service. No idea what the service would be about. Other than that poem. It reminded me so much of my own experience with my mother. Only differences for her it was culture club. And the song karma chameleon. Yeah we know it we know it karma karma karma karma chameleon. In front of my boyfriend. Singing. And then as i got older i realized how awesome. It is that my mom in culture club in 1983. Boy george. Define gender norms have his prime. Flowing hair that was covered in yarn and ribbon anywhere. Gender norms of the day. So what this song meant to my mother is different than what it might have meant to boy george or. Whoever wrote it if we're being honest. Rights and 3 years ago i am so grateful to say that my mother my middle sister and i went and saw culture club and boy george in canada yes if you didn't know they are touring again and we went and we disney. Wonderful memory with my mother. Karma karma karma karma karma chameleon you come and go. You come and go. A song must be sung. For my mother country club and boy george taught her that it was okay to be different it's okay to be who you are and to not be ashamed of it. Karma chameleon like the poem said this morning with a song that my mother needed to sing. As i said the creators of the song had their own meaning they wrote the lyrics with their own stories and ideas in mind. And to my mother it was defiance. That song is a connection to my mother. Connection to my mother at 16 you wanted to stand out. A feeling that i also had at 16. Connection to my mother now because i too. And it's a connection to that moment when we got to see them together when we danced in the isle things far too loudly. Adding our own voices into the auditorium. Our favorite songs have meaning all their own something different to us when we hear them. Let me claim them as favorites when we enter into relationship with the music. Replay just a little while ago when our children were spear. And we all came together our individual sound was still there and it was still hours. It was hated. It sounded just a little different when we all made our sounds at the same time. Together our song this morning. Different next week but we created our song today. One of us individually. And to all of us as a community. Each individual is connected to the whole. Millier doesn't. Little bit. The seventh principle right. The respect for the interconnected web of all existence of which we are apart. We remain fully individual and we connect to one another. We impact and are impacted by one another as a bath write so beautifully in the ending of her prayer. Each of us is part of an intricate web of relationships. When one of us celebrates a joy or a lost the web to a new shape. We are individuals we have our own choices our own concerns our own sorrows. We are individual notes. And as we celebrate as we are concerned or our sorrows. To a new shape. We feel each other's joys and losses. The tune of rs. We are all connected. Completely our own. Connected to each other. And our communities songs that must be heard. I think this process of being challenged shaped and changed by our relationship help us become who we are who we are meant to be. And who we hope to be. Part of becoming a unitarian universalist minister is clinical pastoral education. This is a chaplaincy course and the process includes two days of class each week. The rest of the time spent on the hospital floor. I was 104 summer choplin's. During one of our last classes we had an area minister named carol sue come and talk to us to there to help us process what has happened during the summer. I explained to her that i felt like every single person that i had visited with in the hospital and their families stayed with me in the room. She asked. Why i didn't let them go what was i afraid of. I told her i was afraid that i would forget them. I was afraid that i would forget their faces and their stories. She smiled and said. Of course i suck that way. I was still learning from them. Today we're still my teachers. But when it was time. And there would come a time. I would have to let them go. And trust that they are a part of who i am. I will always be that they are always with me as a part of my ministry. Just in a different way. I don't remember all of their faces anymore. But i know that i am different. Those relationships helped me become who i am the minister i am and the minister i hope to become. Theologian alfred white north head roach that every entity is only to be understood in the way in which it is interwoven with the rest of the universe. For me this means that i make meaning through my relationship to everything in life to my partner to my family tonight.. Everyone in this room to the earth my meaning comes from these relationships. To the patients and their families in the hospital i was being there chaplains. Understood as someone who would sit and talk hold their hand while loved one was in surgery share a joke or a smile. And because of my relationships cuz them. I understand myself as a chaplain. Because you all understand me your minister. I understand my role as because of my relationship to my younger sisters. These relationships challenge me encourage me and help me become who i am. A person all my own. That is interconnected to everything and everyone else around me. A song must be song. Only do our relationship to one another impact who we are but so do our relationships to the larger community. The stories we read the stories we hear. The organizations we support all become part of who we are in one way or another. Currently i am listening to the voices and the stories of the youth. The high school students in parkland florida who are using their voices to share their experience and to demand action. During the listening session with the president this past wednesday. Let's be strong for the fallen who don't have a voice to speak anymore. And let's never let this happen again. Please. Please. The youth are demanding action from over 20 schools in florida march to the florida state house. With signs that said protect kids not guns and shouted we will not be silenced. The same group that organized the women's march is supporting of march for our lives. National protest on march 24th. Centered on washington dc with over 60 marches planned in different cities across the united states. These markets are calling on congress to address gun issues and mass shootings in schools. High school students are leading change in a powerful and important way. They have a message that must be heard a song that must be sung. If as alfred noyes had said every entity is only to be understood in the way in which it is interval van with the rest of the universe. Stay in this moment matters. We are part of the web of all existence. And part of that web is hurting. Demanding we listen and demanding action. I understand myself as a minister as an older sister as someone who is fed up. Going to support our youth and our students in this march. How we learn who we are how we become who we are and who we hope to be is influenced by our relationship. Our relationships to family our relationships to each other in this room. Our relationship might not remember. But we know they impacted us. Our relationships with the campaigns we support black lives matter think she marry and so many others. We are in relationship with the youth who are leading change right now. We may not know them personally but we are connected to them and we can understand and make meaning in our own lives based on how we respond and how we engage with a larger work they are doing. Completely our cell. We are completely. Someone like no one else. We are challenged encouraged and changed by those with whom we enter into a relationship with. A song that must be signed. What we do with our relationship. How we understand ourselves based on those relationships. Heather into our world. Is entirely up to us. A song has meaning all its own and through its relationship to us its meaning changes. And through my relationship to you all. I am becoming i am meant to become. And a song must be sung. One way or another. I invite you all to join me in the spirit of prayer and meditation. Find yourself in a comfortable grounded position. Spirits of life and of love. We come into this face as individuals. Eastwood our own celebration. Our own joys. Our own concerns. And our own sorrows. When we share them into this face. They become part of our communities collective joyce. Concerns and sorrows. Old in love all of the sorrows in this room that have not been written or shared but that remain with us. Leading the way for change. And hold in love that need to hear their message. Every entity is only to be understood and the way in which it is interwoven with the rest of the universe. We are all connected. We are all in this together. Maybe be brave enough to sing our songs and even braver still to hear each other. Is happening now. And this congregations pledges support the congregational experience we receive no funds from any other entity. Congregational life support us as individuals here. They helped us build community around us and. Bring our message to the larger world. Social justice. If you have not pledged please do so. And if you have already played thank you so much. The opportunity is available. You'll find marty west and others at the table in the social hall waiting eagerly. To be with you so please do. Stretch a little. And meet marty. Quistis chalice and hear the voice of seventeen-year-old delaney tarr. What are the voices of the youth that will radically change our future. This movement created by students led by students is based in emotion. It is based in passion it is based in pain. We have nothing to lose. The only thing we have to gain at this point is our safety. We are doing it so that the legislators so that the lawmakers will make a change. Seriously. Dismisses any longer. Reschedule. Listen to another room as they dance around our questions. Because we came here prepared. And we're going to every single meeting with every single legislature prepared. We know what we want. We want reform. And the song is one that must be one way or another. May we carry her words. And our hope for the future with us. I would like to invite you to connect with one another in a way that feels most comfortable. That our hearts are always in the holy place for we are connected to one another down our hearts beat in 1 universal rhythm.

uudavispodcast_org

2013-10-20_Worship_Undocumented-Dreaming-the-Same-Dream_11_15.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. org for further information. Like we don't even need a service this morning actually we've had many changes in today's service over the week and my husband suggested i bring sock puppets just in case so i have them in my bag so if you know and we have two wonderful speakers from university of davis for sermon. And you'll appreciate what they have to say about social justice it's nelson gomez and jessica villanueva and they stepped in on very short notice. So i thank them for doing that and i think ramon urbano for. Hustling to get us some great speakers to our pianist liz who she knew she was coming but enough and we have guest musicians as well david campos and bill knox. You know a lot could go wrong but i don't think it will we did okay i'm reverend best banks will be here for the memorial service at 3 this afternoon it will start here in the sanctuary and then will lead out to the memorial wall and they're also refreshments after. I'm going to take the liberty this morning of changing our opening somewhat to share with you a poem by kathleen kathleen mctigue it's called this place is sanctuary. You who are broken hearted. To walk today with the winds of despair whistling through your mind. Come in. You who are brave but wounded limping through life hurting with every step. Come in. You who are fearful. Who live with shadows hovering over your shoulders. Come in. This place is sanctuary. And it is for you. You are filled with happiness who's abundance overflows. Come in. You who walk through the world with lightness and grace who awoke this morning with strength and hope you who have everything to give. Come in. This place is your calling. A riverbank to channel the sweet waters of your life a place for you are called by the world's need. Here we offer in love. Here we received ingratitude. Can we make a circle from the great gifts of breath. Attention. And purpose. Come in come in indy come into fellowship with us we have much to offer one another. Sacrifice as purification shows up in lawrence kohl's song. This fire. Sparks choir will be singing that song later this year. Is imagery is chalice appropriate. And the words are this fire is the power of love. And forgiveness. This fire is the power of kindness and gratitude. Burning away everything that stands in the way of love. Nelson and jessica will light our chalice today they're both uc-davis students and their activists in speak. Scholars promoting education awareness and knowledge. Their goal is to create a safe environment in school. To empower themselves and to help one another. You'll hear of their passion for social justice in a little bit. I can't say that i personally gave up a lot for social justice in my college days. I did a couple of peace marches and was involved in the gay and lesbian coalition at school but i can't say that i really sacrificed much. I didn't live in fear my rights weren't questioned. My citizenship. Wasn't in doubt. I did just feel busy getting by and getting along. I took a little time to look back at my life what have i sacrificed. And what did that get me. I think that i'm mostly sacrificed for self-reliance. This is a little bit of a unique service so you're getting a little life journey in with my opening words. I took some risks. And some risks were flat-out handed to me. There were times that i didn't belong. When i felt misunderstood or had to reinvent myself. At times i felt unprotected. Like no one was looking out for me. But my story isn't one of hardship. For fear it's rather one of becoming. A story of finding a home within myself of self-reliance. It took a little longer for me to become politically aware and socially responsible as our young speakers today. Sacrifice for comfort assurance sometimes safety. And self-reliance was what i was left with. I felt alienated a few times in my life. In grade school i lived in germany and although we lived on an army base my dad brother and i were the only americans in the heidelberg kayak club and the chess club. Learning the language through chess moves and ordering bar food sitting around campfires at night mumbling along with german drinking songs there was a sense of being in another world someone else's world. And i was like eight or nine. There was a time when the river in germany proved too much for my kayaking skills which were really quite impressive but i was sent to wait in our volkswagen on the side of the road for about 5 hours. Somewhere i never been in germany. But i was able to find my van. Define the guesthouse inn use the bathroom. There was likely a sense of vulnerability and aloneness. What was i doing there. What if. Well really. Imagine telling your eight or nine year old child after she nearly drowned three times just climb up the riverbank walk 20 or 30 minutes to the van and you'll find it. We'll be back in 45 hours and get something to eat well i did make it no what-ifs happened. I don't really even have the memory or sense that i was afraid. I just found what i was made of. So it was a few years earlier than that that the same father stopped are volkswagen van on the country road and pulled me out and drop me in a snowbank and wordless lee drove away. I believe he was going to keep driving. He did in fact stop a ways up. And it was up to me to make my way back into the van. I learned a little self-reliance that day. And to stop whining when my dad was driving when i was 10 my father retired from the army and we moved to civilian life first to summer on my uncle's dairy farm in southern wisconsin just my brother and i and these cousins that would met one time. One culture shock after another as we moved in time for the school year to start in a small central wisconsin town. Our family attracted a little bit of attention. And i remember being astounded that like everybody in my 5th grade class seem to know one another. Most of them and lived in the same houses all their lives. This was a strange place where did i fit in. F-14 i lived in australia with a family that i babysat for. I landed in the sydney airport and had to find my way to the suburbs with just a little address because you see the family mixed up the day i was going to arrive so nobody was there at the airport to meet me. Again somewhere perhaps i didn't belong. I was the only american in my school. Many opportunities to practice self reliance. Shortly after returning to the states my father died. I didn't know anyone my age who didn't have a father. To sell them saw their mother. I was basically told that i needed to raise myself the rest of the way. It was a good thing i had some skills. Traveling at those young ages independence and self-reliance learned pretty early on those sacrifices that allowed me to find a home of sorts. Within myself. So rather than social action i guess i learned tools for self action. The thing is this. To be able at any time to sacrifice what we are. For what we can become. The thing is this. To be willing at any time to sacrifice what we are. For what we can become. I'm going to ask you to help me on this one so i don't have to talk the whole time would you look in your gray hymnals for number 464 and then. I chose this word this poem inspired by the hope of our young activist. They make a difference in our world. We need them what they do matters. So if you would read the italics part. I would be most appreciative. And then all that has divided us will merge. And then and then softness will come to a world that is harsh and unkind. And i didn't know lol. And then both women and men will be strong. And then all will be rich and free and varied. And then all will share equally in the earth's abundance. Nourish the young. And then all will live in harmony with each other and the earth. And then everywhere will be called eden once again. Play my name is jessica vianova and i'm a second-year r uc-davis hello my name is nelson gomez here at uc davis and we're part of speak which stands for scholars promoting education awareness and knowledge and we're an organization on at the uc davis campus that advocates and supports a documented students for also known as ab540 student and we will talk about more about that in a moment. So what is ab540 it was a law signed by governor gray davis in october 12th 2001 and it basically gives undocumented students the ability to pay in-state tuition instead of out-of-state tuition. As if we didn't belong here. It does not a b540 does not give you a federal aid and just not a pathway to citizenship. So the only thing does he have attended a california accredited school for three years have a diploma or ged and being a credited higher form of education in california. So i will only share the the last one which is the university of california so for in-state tuition is 13000 per year and for out-of-state tuition which was before ab540 we would have to pay 38,000 4-year just for tuition. So besides ab540 which is already a great help for these students in 2011 the governor signed a law which is called the california dreamin and this dream act is only here in california. Other states still don't have a lot like this but with this la pretty much is it's divided into two different parts the first part is a b130 which allows maybe 540 students to apply to privately-funded scholarships that are either given by the university or the college and the requirements are all different for the according to each college. The second part is a b131 and now this part of the law actually allows abbab 540 students to apply to federal aid. They can apply to what is known as the cal grant or free community college it's the bog waiver which pays all their feast. And this law was came into effect just this year recently in 2000 january of 2013. And i'm it's important to note that with this law those who are citizens receive their financial aid first. And then. With whatever is left and then ab540 students can apply and then receive this aid. And this is a picture of us speak we lobbied at the capitol here in sacramento to meet with the governor of but we didn't have the opportunity so we actually met with his secretary and we were able to speak with her and just tell her our concerns so that later on she could pass it to him and little teddy bears with messages that students wanted to tell him. Just a little gift for him we thought it would be nice. And then i saw that that was that's one law and again maybe california dream it's only here in california like. And another law which is not a lot it's administrative relief that president obama actually signed last summer on june 15th. And this is a nationwide. So pretty much with this law. Does it say. It's a way to say that undocumented students or people within the range of 16 and 31 they will not get deported if they meet the requirements that. go or deferred action for childhood arrivals request. And. If once applied and approved then the person is able to receive a work permit a social security number and then i'll be able to get a driver's license and the requirements for daca it's it's basically what ab540 is for those who are students for. The community or the nation then they should be good. And there's aid requirements you have to they have to show proof of either attending high school or the high school diploma or. Some type of proof that showing that they completed that type of education. So what decade did for me was i actually just received my social security this past summer and last year i was not able to take any of the job offerings on-campus either if it was with like any student centers cuz i did not have a social and there is no way i was going to be able to work cited turn them down and but now i'm able to work with the social security and. India president obama can take it away whenever he wants or he could keep imposing it for however long he wants and but as of now is only for two years so in two years my social won't work anymore and i will have a diploma with no social to go into my. Major for two years and the application fee is $465 and this includes the biometrics which are fingerprints the application fee. So it's quieter. So every two years. You can reapply to it. And president obama cancer. Take this law or this relief away whenever he wants so it's not a lie it's just a relief that as for now and it allows those two to get those benefits mention. And if we want to apply again and we have to pay the fee once again in about 2 years. And also as singles for driver's license even though the dmv issues the driver's license for like 46 years as well. And. This is also not a pathway to citizenship in norway is just these benefits that allows us to be here documents were stolen documented but we have a form we can work. And pay taxes at the same time. Which country. For the whole year my mom kind of left us for shatter combine work. It was hard like not knowing english and you know being with all these other things i was actually lucky i'm from oakland california says a lot of latinos and a lot of parents that spoke spanish but. One side i grow old and i found out that i wasn't born here it was it was hard because i've been with all these students my whole life why can't why you do and get the do not get the same benefits. And for me because of the financial aid. i was not able to get until the locking the place actually skipped my fall quarter and david and i just worked at a fast-food place to save up money for school. And i just came in later and got a couple scholarships and was able to pay off the year but now that the cow grant came in a place they gave me some money so i'm able to stay the whole year and keep coming in school. Well i was i was also born in mexico but i cruise mexico and i was brought here when i was eight months old so i really do not remember much or anything and. But that was only five and that was the first time in my grandparents. I remember some things but it's not the same it's not like i spent my childhood over there anything i didn't my childhood my whole life has been here and when we first came to the stage we came to the central valley because my parents were looking for work they worked in the fields as some form workers and were there until for about 10 years then we decided to move to l.a.. And my parents started their own business. Growing up i would help him out during the weekends and just work there but once i became i turned my 15/16 i try to work a fine job elsewhere. Because i wanted to just make some of my own money because i want to get paid from my parents glad you're working give you everything okay. That was different and i probably wasn't going to receive. The benefits that all of my friends would be receiving like getting their driver's license and i'm going to trips. I don't even to another state it's hard to it was hard to travel without a proper id in her documentation. Once it came to applying to financial aid my senior year also indicate like my friends would. My classroom would go to the computer lab and fill out their fafsa but there i was just you know sitting pretty much couldn't do it. And. But, jessica said. A lot of these laws when in place back then 2009. To pay for tuition as well but scholarships was the main source of income for my tuition my first three years. And it wasn't until the california dream act passed that. I was finally able to receive financial aid and make the burden for my parents about this too because it's not me so much and appreciate. Thanks a lot more and what people go through. Friend. Activism husband. I really been partying and my college.. Also another big eye issue is different documents didn't we have to worry about everything else are we going to pay for the rest of the school or even going to have enough money to buy a book or even have to sit this quarter down like i did for me that she was like my mom how is she going to have enough money to pay her food if she sends me money for my book slit her food or my books. I think that's one of the biggest thing for document students having their families back home and then being a documented like whatever they get deported and then you never see them again so right now our fight is more with immigration status of the united states in the families are constantly being deported and breaking up. It's an organization throughout california it's called the california dreamin sorry and they work with organizations like ours and different campuses throughout california make it either bucs cal states are community colleges and we were working right now for comprehensive immigration reform which includes all of her family because even though we do we might receive we can get a driver's license with daca our parents are still there like they can receive they can't drive or they are driving there always. Sorry now we're working with god and. We just always done rallies we competitions just anything to grab. Attention so that people know what's going on and. And support hopefully it'll something will happen in the next 2 years. That's without everyone here must have the chance to. To show. We can do in this country. I think you have anything else i think we're done thank you for having us. 10 time for a little prayer and reflection. Carefully the leaves of autumn sprinkle down. The teeny sounds of little dying's. The bursts of color leaves pumpkins sunset. These will give way to gray and darkness. Now can be a time of the soul preparations for wintering now can be a time of the soul we may weatherproof or we may throw the windows open and breathe in and breathe in this is the season to practice gratitude gratitude that we have enough that we are enough gratitude for a loving community who holds us when we despair and our brokenhearted so gratitude for the relief when shadows hovering over our shoulders finally get some life gratitude for this beautiful morning to share our abundance our joy and our sorrows we feel gratitude for others who keep us to our highest ideals who move us into action each of us is part of an intricate web of relationship when one of us grieves the loss of web of life moves to a new shape we are apart of the turning of the earth the shift of the stars the pull of the sea and all change may we throw the windows open and breathe in my friends breathe in. Please take cans. The thing is this my friends. We must be willing at any time to give out who we are for who we can become. Amen.

uudavispodcast_org

2014-07-20-Come-Sail-Away_10_00.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. org for further information. This morning is this morning and you are accepted just as you are. And at the same time may you come here seeking. Change. Perhaps that change is to live with more trust. Or to forgive others. To reach out to others we don't understand. In this hours together some of us wish to be changed by the quiet time. A time when they focus on their own spirits and how it connects to others. Perhaps you wish to make change happen in our beautiful and hurting world. May this be a place of comfort. And challenge and the people around you being known as companions on the journey journey are people with the diversity of beliefs god or whatever it is in which you place altima trust. Is difference. For each of us. On this journey there are people of different sexual orientations and gender identities and expressions those of different class and race and ability. Come. Let us search together. And become our best selves once again every week one more opportunity to remember. What is possible. Fill out for good idle on yacht by walt whitman the anchor short. Raise mainsail and jib steerforth. Old little white holds loop now speed on really deep waters i will not call it our concluding voyage to the best mature assist in part the part from solid earth. Now on 4ir internet free venture wending spurning all yet tried these howser's densities gravitation sale out for good eidolon yacht of me. Every morning i have a practice that helps to remind me that i am part of the interdependent web of all existence are seventh principle and which leads me to a palpable awareness of our first principle that every person has inherent worth and dignity my sunflower or gratitude player prayer i start with the people in my life who are going through times of stress with health or change after asking god to hold them in her hands i focus on what each person is going through and how they may be feeling when i take the time to reflect on each person's situation i feel more aware of everyone's inherent worth and dignity i then moved to the rest of the people in my world like the pedals on a sunflower i name each individual asking god to guide them to wisdom courage kindness and love then i name the people who are in their lives asking that they beheld i go farther away from me and further into the community of each person asking for everyone to be held with love and care and example of this is when i start with my sweetie lee and then focus on his two sons their friends their mother per family and friends then i end with their communities. I asked for each one and everyone to be held by the time i've prayed for each person in my immediate family all four of them i have covered everyone that touches their lives as well as the communities that support those people. When i'm done praying i feel deeply the interconnected web of life i also feel grateful to have so much support in my life it is true that my well-being is dependent on the well-being of all. Since i have been praying every morning i feel my heart is lighter my mind more open somehow i now have the time to talk with people and listen to their stories i recognize them as someone in my prayers. And that we are all connected on this journey together. I grew up in the foothills. And why did green river valley of one of the most landlocked states in the country. And dreamed of the ocean. As a kid i read every book i could get my hands on about sailing. Books of adventures with sales the world alone novels of british children of a turn-of-the-century who spent their vacation sailing and camping books about pirates and vikings and explorers. I drew pictures of sailboats and put them up around my bedroom i collected little model sailing boats and piles them on the shelves. When i was a tween. A replica of the nina. One of columbus's ships sails up the tennessee river and docked near the fairgrounds. I touched. The weather derail. And i chatted with the crew and i promised. I made a promise to myself that one day. One day i too would go to see. There is something about the ocean. Something that calls to us. It is somehow comforting and exciting. And scary and welcoming. As a teenager. I managed to get to the seashore a number of times with my family or school around my own. But it wasn't until college. That i set foot on a real boat. Under sail. In 2007 i took a semester to live and work and study in the largest maritime museum in the world. Mystic seaport in mystic connecticut. I took sailing classes i hammered in a ship smith shop i climbed the rigging of the last remaining whaling ship i went out on a little whale and a little a motorboat to study kormos. The really smelly i spent hours and hours poring over old books in the library and writing papers about them. And i finally. Finally. Went to see. 410 glorious horrible days i was crew aboard the core with kramer 130ft brigantine rig tall ship. That sailed that winter out of key west. I got lots of things out of those 10 days. Many of them i expected. I expected the funny stories i collected about how seasick we all were. I expected the interesting fish and the dolphins and the birds. I didn't dare to predict the site of things like flying fish leaping through phosphorus and phytoplankton. But it was more of a thrill than a surprise. I wasn't surprised really either about all the little practical things i learned in that short time. Like how best to sort kitchen sponges or clean a water bottle. What i didn't expect. With the way my understanding of what it meant to be human to be in community and be part of our parent earth would change on that trip. No i unfortunately can't. Take all of you sailing with me. So it sure was fun to sing some shanties with you earlier in the service. And i hope you're feeling just a little bit salty so little bit salty because i want to share with you one moment that moment that shifted. How i saw things. So i invite you. To imagine with me. That you are standing at 3 in the morning. On the deck of a tall ship. The ship plowing through the bumpy waters of the florida straight and you got your raincoat on feel your raincoat on that vinyl protective sheets because the wet air is cold against your skin and that salt spray is harsh your face. You're only a few days out from shore so you don't really have your sea legs yet and you alert sandra lean. Search and lean against the movement of the ship. Beyond the safety lights of your vessel you can see the lights of cuba far off in the distance. And above you. Above you is some fast. Fast sweep of stars. More stars than could possibly be counted ten times the stars that shine through the haze of light that surrounds most towns and suburbs. Earlier that night you use those stars to help you guide the shift on her course lining the messed up with a couple of those balls of light in order to steer a straight course. Feeling the 270 ton chevy. Every movement in your hands against your fragile fingers. Now you are on bow watch. Purse as far forward as you can get on that ship without risking falling overboard into the standing rigging just in case. The ship moves under you like a giant surfboard as you appear out into the night alert. Alerts for anything unexpected that might threaten the safety of this vessel. You can hear. Another of the students on watch with you making the rounds checking the engine trucking the lifeboats making sure all is safe. Maybe you'll need to help trim sails help trim sail later on you're probably not right now. Right now it's just you and the wide ocean and the huge crash of the sea. And almost everyone else asleep in their bunks. It's a bit of a khalifa feeling. Being that far forward and a ship in the deep darkness feeling every wave at you ride that shift that's like a surfboard it's humbling. Tumbling how big the ocean before you is just how vast the sky. You can feel yourself apart of things in a moment like that. In a new way. Hell before we headed out on that ship. Are professors in the maritime studies program i was doing talk to us a lot about what it meant to be in the same boat together. What's an expression i'd heard and you just before and never really thought much about we're all in the same boat we're all in the same boat anyway mint. It means more though. When you're literally all in a boat together. I did not get along with everyone in my program i wish i could pretend i did. We all wanted different things came from different backgrounds different ways of thinking different personality we had different skill sets and beliefs and personality still on. We all loved the ocean. We all cared about where we were going. And we were all in that vote. Together. We had to work together. There is something. Different about being at sea together i think that may be why we think of cruises as being so romantic couples in love want to go for a sunset sail together. When you vote together. You really have to communicate. Really have to do your job. I know that the other person is doing theirs. The sea is a beautiful. And a dangerous place. Plenty of people have died on those open waters. It's kind of amazing that anyone ever goes to see knowing how dangerous it is. So i'm likely never going to see again because i was seasick the whole darn time. So i'm really glad. But this one time i got to experience the uniqueness of a community coming together to sail a ship together. And i'm certainly not the only one who thinks that shifts are special places. The philosopher and social theorist michelle cuoco. One of my favorites. He's a bit weird but still cool that wrote in 1967. Is a floating piece of space a place without a place that exists by itself that is closed in on itself and at the same time is given over to the infiniti of the sea. Annette from port to port from tact attack the boat. Has not only been for our civilization from the 16th century into the present the great instrument of economic development. Chrisman's claymill tediously the greatest reserve the imagination. And civilization without boats dreams dry up espionage takes the place of adventure and the police take the place of pirates. For him. Tips for the ultimate example of a tiny community full of possibilities. Exist elsewhere and yet. Was elsewhere basista. Thank you spend a lot of time writing about what exactly he meant by all that. A ship. Is a smaller version of the rest of our society. With a simpler organization. On a ship on a boat or vulnerabilities and our connection to each other are more obvious. In the face of the uncertainties and dangers of life on the open water kiss so very clear how we're connected and how we're working together. Boats as a reserve of our imagination places without place remind us of the possibilities that exist in asbury. Community. Going to see. Can be a way of stepping into possibility. Adventure and potential new understanding. That night. Unwatch. With a salt spray on my face. Things clicked into place for me. There were people in their bunks below sleeping soundly because they trusted those of us on deck to do what needed to be done. They trusted us to wake them up when it was their turn to go on watch. How to make sure everything was where it was where it should be. Steer the ship to safety not ramatan to anyting. And keep an eye out for any unexpected dangers. We didn't always like each other. We trusted. Each other. I don't need to go to see again. To be part of what i felt that night under the stars. A boat is only a small and simple version of our communities. The dangers. That we face together as a nation a world a town or a church. Are not always so simple. As a rock looming in front of a tall ship. But we do. Face dangers together. Dangers like climate change. Like racism and homophobia and corporate greed and gun violence and all the rest. And especially as a church community. We need. To trust each other. We need to work together to realize our mission. As a place of love and justice and equality. We may take turns having our hands on the wheel of the chef. Take turns looking out from the bowel or trimming the sails. For serving on committees. Footbrawl. Apart of this place. Part of its possibilities. And it's only with each other. That we will get safely where we need to go. Please. Join me now in the spirit of crap. Spirit. Of life and of love. Help us to see the possibilities in our lives. May we be adventurous and courageous wise and beautifully foolish to each other in the midst of the tragedies of our lives and of our larger world in the world each of us full of imagination and hope and a continuing sense of wonder each other as we look for truth and work together for justice we know. Our thoughts today are with the families of those who have been killed and so many horrible ways around the world may they find their way gently through the labyrinth of grief thoughts are with the children may they find sanctuary violence that we see unfolding and israel and gaza and elsewhere hurts our hearts we wish for peace for an end to this killing in that holy land and every holy land and we think of those in our community who celebrate and who mourn and who wait all of the beginnings and endings that mark the life of our community with all of this feeling our hearts i invite you to join me in a moment of silence. As you sail away into the rest of your week and your summer take the love and the trust of this community with you however you choose to bless the world know that you are important and needed and loved wereallinthistogether and the people say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

2013-11-10_Pilgrimage-to-Our-Partners_11_15.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons another recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. davis. org for further information. We come to this sanctuary to celebrate the beauty of the earth and to be and community this congregation comforts us when we know loss and celebrates our best dreams. We bring our differences together. We offer a fuller of you than anyone point of view. This is a place of challenge and compassion. The holy is experienced here and many ways and is given many names. People of all sexual orientations and gender identities are celebrated we welcome all races and classes and physical abilities. We have much to learn. From each other. This is a place of learning and hope. Weather because of the touch of a friend the words and music. Or moment of silence. May you feel more. Alive. Coronavirus when to transylvania how wide is when throwing on our commonality in unitarian church for tooth and open-mindedness we can question if we have. A common face what we found we shared values that we build our faith upon. John would like the chalice. And then resume several documents expressing reformation spot in transylvanian unitarianism the first reading is from the 1568 if you didn't order by decree of recognition choosing a decree of religious tolerance john 619. Second reading on god is one is attributed to francis david the first unitarian leader in transylvania. To this degree was. An accident 68 more than four centuries ago his majesty reaffirms that in every face of the preachers show preach and explain the gospel each according to his understanding of it. And then there is. Francis savage also four and a half centuries ago. And he wrote in this world order have always been many options before face and salvation. You need to know that things are like to love like. Chemistry knowledge in face also. Sanctified reason is the lantern of the face i like that reason is the lantern of the face. Religious reform can never be all at once with gregory step-by-step if they offer something better i will gladly learn. The most important spiritual function is conscience. The source of all spiritual joy and happiness. Countries will not be quieted by anything less than truth and justice. We must accept god's truth in this lifetime salvation must be accomplished here on earth. And god is indivisible. Edge of exhaustion and those words we saw inscribed above above the doorway of a most of the unitarian churches that feed visited in transylvania. Unitarianism in new england. North american in new england and england in contact with transylvanian unitarianism for centuries. More than two centuries after the. Victoria. Bologna farkas visited boston from transylvania in contacts group in that time. Which transylvania not unitarians attending american seminaries. Emotional wings francis polish study to starr king in the 1800's. Suddenly with his fall in nineteen sixty nineteen eighty-nine connections. Resulting in the uu8 harder to church council. For me in 1993 and 1994 beginning of the ball scholar program at star king in berkeley. With our partner tri-community we raise funds for darla to meetinghouse with transylvania handicraft sales and food events in 2002 ministers best banks and shundor shimo signed a partnership between our congregations fletching mutual engagement. Pilgrims travel to sacred places a shrine or center of shared religion mostly in groups which encourages something that's called communitas condition leading to come rodri and closeness. Otherwise he might be fond of his religious taurus or secular pilgrims seeking authenticity and remote and on modern places are cultures. I was a bit cynical about being a pilgrim so i asked my fellow travelers what they expected. Some wanted to have no expectations others wanted to learn more about unitarian history the roma and hungarian minority relations or see differences between unitarians in transylvania and the us my expectations to grow our partnership relationship we're beautifully fulfilled and for this i am grateful. Today there is sorrow and joy and despair great gladness and unanswerable anguish we gather here today as people connected to others as individuals and mashed in the interconnected web of life that stretches all around our beloved planet and beyond this week in the united states we celebrated wins for marriage equality in illinois young person set on fire on a bus for wearing a skirt and then of the community that rallied around him with support and solidarity them i should say we learned that the western black rhino was declared extinct and we learned new babies being born and tomorrow happy birthday across the pacific that is believed to have killed already over more than 10,000 people joy and sorrow and despair gladness together. Today's reading is from the transylvanian unitarian catechism which is included in confessions about ourselves. A book we pilgrims all received from our partner church minister shawn door. The first unitarian transylvanian catechism dates back to 1566. It is attributed to francis david. Much later versions were heavily influenced by american unitarian catechism by an american unitarian catechism written in 1813 by william ellery channing. This 1991 version contains 136 questions and answers. Each answer backed up with one or more quotations from the bible. The excerpts that i will read our from the section called the child of god. I'm omitting the bible verses. What are our god-given spiritual gifts. Our god-given spiritual gifts are as follows. Face. Reason. Free will. Conscience. And love. What is faith. Faith is confidence in god whereby we are able to create a childlike relationship with god our providential father. What is reason reason is that spiritual gift which helps us to gather knowledge to think informed opinions about god. Ourselves our neighbors and the world. In these activities reason is the lantern of faith as well. What is free will. Free will is that spiritual gift by which we decide freely for ourselves to follow the good and true or the false and evil. What is conscience. Conscience is that spiritual gift which considers our action and encourages us for good. And restrains us from evil. Conscience rewards us if we do good and accuses us if we do evil. What is love. Love is that spiritual gift which enables us to become trusted children of god. And to live in peace with our neighbors. Love is the crown of our spiritual gifts. How can we give thanks to god for our spiritual gifts. We thank our providential father for our spiritual gifts through love toward god and neighbor through creative work. And through unselfish service. What is our calling. Our calling is to build the kingdom of god in earthly life. With the spiritual gifts received from god. But i've never had an experience quite like this. I really didn't know what to expect. I never thought i would travel to eastern europe and really didn't know very much about it. What i found were breathtakingly beautiful landscapes and warm and generous people. I didn't really think about the disparity in circumstances until i was there. When we posted guess we knew that they were well off at least enough to have the time and the resources to travel. Or home is modest we have enough to easily afford a guest we have a guest room and could take the time to show them around the area. For this trip we were visiting a rural area toward the beginning of summer. There was work that needed to be done and yet they found time to take us in. There are a lot of us 10 of us. I need a places to sleep and food to eat. Do your partner church council does recompense host congregations that's what some of our trip fees covered. So we're missing a very small congregation in a very small village. The one elite lot of people to choose from with the means to take us in. Julie and i were fortunate in that we were hosted by family just up the road from the church. Chavez unitarian and kids are catholic. He innocent also do construction very nice work from judging from their house and their driveway. Do they have income other than just from farming or they do have pigs rabbits chickens in addition to a large garden in a small orchard. Their houses are narrow one room wide. And the room that julie and i stayed in which also has the formal dining table and a corner with a computer. Pick up about a third of their living space. Bathrooms perform the same function all over the world yet they can be terribly confusing how many ways are there to turn water on or i bathtub. And there's a clothes washer and a water heater in addition to the sink and toilet. So asking if it was okay to take a shower in the morning didn't really seem like a big deal. After we figured out what we were talking about thanks to google translate i was good to go. What i didn't understand until it was too late was it was a wood burning water heater someone had cut down a tree. And chop wood. And fed the wood into the water heater in order for me to have a hot shower that morning. And if i'd only known but didn't because of the language barrier i would have waited. That evening was when the rest of the family bathe. I was mortified and didn't ask for hot water for the rest of the time i was there. Probably did speak more english than we did hungarian since i can barely say thank you. I said thank you a lot. He didn't learn english in school though. I'm not sure how much schooling he had when he was a child they taught german and french in school as well as romanian. But the communists wouldn't teach english. Domestically hungarian spoken garion at home. He's learning english by watching television so it wasn't really enough to keep up a good conversation it was interesting first we had to figure out what we were talking about that was often the biggest challenge. There's a lot of smiling and gesturing that took place and there's often lots of agreement but i'm not sure that we were always agreeing about the same thing i think it took a lot of courage for them to host us. They were inviting strangers in their homes strangers that they couldn't really talk to. It wasn't the really the best time of year to get a visit from a big group of people get they found a way to do it. I think too that there was some concern about what we would think of them. But even if they gave all they could that we might not think it was good enough. Even if they haven't had the means to travel very far from home they see the outside world on computer screens and tv screens and they see what they have in comparison. Get what i saw was some of the most beautiful countryside in the world and some very generous people. Chaba neva warmly welcomed us into their home shared their delicious meals and gave us a safe comfortable place to sleep. I couldn't have asked for more. Because i would have had to do it in hungarian ps you should ask me about the tractor panorama sometime. So we were on a pilgrimage we tours historic sites and visited the prison where unitarian minister francis david died for centuries ago because he refused to stop the illogical innovations theological innovations. The minister's only speaker and he reads the same bible readings that unitarian ministers throughout transylvania reading the hymns are serious and traditional before we arrived her partner church i was having trouble reconciling the innovative origins of transylvanian unitarianism with the current time so the current time seeming quite stayed and conservative. Before we arrived at our partner church i also knew that until until 1989 the worst of the communist rulers ceausescu had ruled romania which includes transylvania. Inter partner church community i started to grasp how recent 1989 is and how unstable life had been for the unitarians in transylvania for hundreds of years and i started to appreciate the value of a firm footing a stable base traditions from which to embrace innovation. Sharon talked about the warrants generosity and courage of our host family chava and ava and their twenty-two-year-old special needs daughter know amy and 19 year old son tropico. I want to build on her ridge descriptions and speak about their resiliency and resourcefulness their optimism and good cheer sharing meals toast. Bathroom and home with them made me reflect on what life has been like for this particular family csaba and ava were born around 1970 so simply think of the life of a boy and a girl born in 1970 romania they were teenagers in the worst economy around the time of ceausescu's paul. They had the resourcefulness and resiliency and courage and optimism they have children and start a household. Caba is an entrepreneur with a small construction business instead of relying only on farming when i asked dave about working outside the home she said no she has to take care of their daughter plus as sharon noted the gardening the raising the pigs the rabbits the chickens bringing in the wood for all of the wood burning stoves for heat and hot water even if their daughter noemi had not needed. Additional care chavan davis still live in an economy where someone needs to be at home doing the homework sharon and i were privy to views that might not typically be shared with visitors from the us their daughter annoy me loves nothing better than showing us great handfuls of all of old family photos they gave us unexpected glimpses into their history and lives revealing how they party with gustul and imaginations and how they grieve with serious dignified men in dark suits walking behind the coffin up the hill towards the cemetery. To my good friends sherry and julie and we to him and his family community. The day before chava had announced brightly to sharon and me i am so happy to be a unitarian we don't know why the announcement at that moment that location but having witnessed for days and there lies i have a new appreciation for the unitarian traditions may provide a stability and strength that takes them forward in a world of speedy innovation. We returned home with many gifts formed in the chalice of expectations experiences and perceptions here i described seven of them. Give me the number one. Experiencing surprise. I'm surprised by the status of unitarianism in transylvania where it is strictly and ethnic religion. By this i mean it is practiced only by hungarian speakers. No romanian speaker. Ever becomes a unitarian. Except occasionally by marriage. This is in contrast stark contrast with unitarian universalism in the united states. Where is hitting a universalizing religion with adherence coming to it from diverse cultural backgrounds. The surprise is a gift because it causes me to question my assumptions about liberal religion. Gift number to feeling hope. I hope that unitarianism in transylvania will grow by welcoming the roma or gypsy population. The hungarian minority in romania is shrinking both absolutely and relatively. While the reverse is true of the romo. Some hungarian speaking roma are attending our partner congregation in.. 90% of the children in the darts congregation are roma. According to one person we talked with endurance the roma population is not segregated residentially nor in the schools. Isabella the unitarian congregations president. And hostess to my husband and me and doris. Employees roma workers on her farm. Her son-in-law george express sympathy for the terrible job prospects faced by the roma. We hope that the unitarians and the roma will continue to build bridges in doris in elsewhere. Gift number 3 appreciating beauty. Beauty makes me grateful to be alive. Transylvania is a beautiful place one of hills and valleys mountains and forests. Meadows and wildflowers. We enjoyed the splendid storks that are common sites in villages and fields architectural monuments in the villages and lovely carved wooden ceilings posts fixtures and furniture are characteristic. Decorative folk painting and staining embroidery in red or blue on white linen. Are common in these old churches. We saw many elements of the pre-industrial past still in use. While recognizing the dangers of nostalgia i feel gratitude for the traditional ways and the beauty they created. Give me the number for. Supporting appropriate development. At the same time that we appreciated many traditional things we saw the progress in greater freedom and prosperity have brought and will bring did aratan other places in transylvania. Better roads and car ownership make it possible for isabella's son peter to run his small window and door business in the city of farosh off on weekdays and to drive back. Two darts every weekend to do farm work. Isabella has two large flat screen tvs and internet service. Although rare and darts she has a full bathroom with hot water on demand she even has a dishwasher. Although it is rarely used. Still there's only one small shop and darts and most households do not have full indoor plumbing. Semi subsistence agriculture is common and there are few non-agricultural jobs available to darth residence. That's we look forward to appropriate economic development even though it will disturb old ways. Gif number five living with complexity and contradiction. We feel both strengthened to connection with our fellow unitarians and the significant differences between us. They share with us a high degree of tolerance for religious diversity. And ongoing religious evolution. Yeah that they believe in a much more traditional christian god. And look to the bible as their major source of insight and guidance. Some are skeptical of the social liberalism of american unitarians. And they feel uncomfortable with the fact that we do not appear to them to act from a set of clearly stated religious beliefs. Yet they are among the most liberal religionists in romania. As we are in america. They have women clergy. Their leaders speak out for human rights. They place a high value on education of the must be admitted that this is in part because of the need for hungarian language instruction as part of cultural survival. Car, nanty trinitarian routes. In the innovating radical edge of the protestant reformation. And our movements happy rediscovery of one another in the 19th century. Breakfast together in sometimes joyful sometimes awkward partnership. Rather like not fully compatible members of the same family. Yet complex and contradictory family relationships are some of the most profound of human connections. Give number 6 practicing patience. We were made aware that recovery from trauma takes time. After parting from the rest of our group walt and peggy and my husband dennis and i spent a few days traveling and some other regions of romania we visited the memorial of the victims of communism and of the resistance a museum housed in a former prison located in sigit a town near the ukrainian border. Display after display show the many dimensions of repression under the communists. Previously in doris we had had a discussion about why the use of horses is still common. The answer was that a tractor is too expensive for many households that have cold is not. We asked why farmers don't buy tractors and other farm equipment cooperatively. We were told that there is some resistance to that rooted in experiences of forced collectivization under the communists. Additional time will have to pass before that approach becomes more widely palatable. Patience is required. Gift number 7. Cultivating closeness. We experience closeness with our fellow travelers to transylvania our collective memories include many shared meals and toast and wonderful surroundings our enjoyment of the people we met the deepening of our understanding of our partner congregation and of transylvanian unitarianism. Our thanks for the care shown by others in our party when anyone was not feeling well and our shared commitment to nurture our friendships here. As we continue to support our partners in transylvania. Experiencing surprise. Feeling hope. Appreciating beauty. Supporting appropriate development. Living with complexity and contradiction. Practicing patience. Cultivating closeness. These are the gifts of our pilgrimage. These are other gifts await those of you who beat a path to transylvania or two other places around the world where unitarianism lives. Again from the unitarian transylvanian catechism what is our calling our calling is to build the kingdom of god in earthly life. With a spiritual gifts received from god go in peace.

uudavispodcast_org

Worship-2012_07_15-10a_ED-1.mp3

Look up to sunday sermons another recording from unitarian universalist church of davis california www.org for further information. As wife and daughter. I first learned as a child of ten an honest all dairy farm in the hudson valley. If a place people expect the rain and keep everything ordered and i haven't a clue as to what you do in a drought or can't even imagine it but asked summer in 1953. It rained early summer and then it stopped. Weeks went by. And our. Emily fell about 30 just up the hill from the farmhouse was handog. About 125 years earlier. And if it's only baby 35 40 ft. I will keep dropping and it went. It was most of the wells of our neighbors also went dry but there are four who had what was called an artesian well and if i understood correctly it was deep enough that the water was under pressure and it came up without a pump and he agreed to give each family. About an hour and a half 2 gallons of water. Per person. And they give us a week supply. Out of town of otter. Is about the same as 1/2 lift on for several weeks. It all came to appreciate groundwater. Our speaker today is papa's harder. A member of our congregation he's a hydrologist that experience in water. And he's also of weed scientists on a major study of i trade in order and. Apartments and talking ally. like mason answer phoenix palace. Aunt anna's report was published last spring. It. Became recognition across the country and and created quite a stir to answer any of your questions. you're welcome to come back and talk to him. When we like the chalice we remember that we are responsible to care for that light and all it represents. My responsibility to nurture the flame reminds me of this beautiful quote by reverend willie williams think for it. Our obligation, not because the earth is ours but because we are of the earth. Our responsibility is to care for our planet as our home. And its habitat to the creatures with which we share it. When you strive to see divinity in every living thing. As a source of your strength spirituality and inspiration. It transforms the very nature of stewardship. Are opening words this morning. The seventh principle of argue your covenant is to affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are apart. This principle may be used in many different ways. Sometimes we speak of the interdependent web with the connection of the human race. A zillion. No matter our color or origin as people we are all part of the interdependent web and need to help each other. Sometimes we think more broadly and include nature to. When we cause the extinction of animals and plants we too are diminished for we are all part of their interdependent web of all existence. And sometimes we emphasize a different interpretation. We speak of the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part and look with reverence and awe to the far stars for the very atoms of which we are made. Today. We're going to look more closely at a part of existence that is often invisible to us because it is out of sight. Groundwater. Groundwater is a part of the natural cycling of water between the atmosphere surface water living things and the oceans. It is a crucial resource that underpins much of california agriculture and many cities including davis. For that matter groundwater support directly or indirectly much of life on the continents. It is a critical part of the natural order. And we ignore it at our peril. As peter morales wrote we are all part of a natural order that sustains has and for which we are responsible. One good thing about california. If we have quite a broad-based economy. We provide more fruits and vegetables introduced to the united states than any other state so we have actually the single largest agricultural sector in the country. Meg whitman. Farm workers are involved in the planting and the cultivation and harvesting of the greatest abundance of food known in this society. They bringing so much food to feed you and me. In the whole country. In and out food to export to other places. The ironic thing and the tragic thing. Is that after they make all this tremendous contribution. They don't have any money or any food left for themselves. Charlie's. All of a sudden we got a bill for over $100. Now our wages are. Oh we are in $280 or at most $300 a week. If we have to pay a water bill of 280. Well that's a week's worth during which we can't eat. We won't have any money to buy food rebecca trujillo farmer worker and community member from twila monterey california. Good morning and thank you to the green sanctuary committee for putting on this wonderful service today. For me this is a completely new role i haven't worked like this haven't been in a service like this even though it touches on both. Well i hope y'all had a good coffee already this morning i love my t.i. more you maybe have had a cup of water. And i very much enjoyed my tea this morning. And i have enjoyed it as a healthy party. My diet. Now. If you don't live in the city of davis. Or in the city of dixon or in the city of woodland. Maybe out in the countryside. You most likely. Mate your tv or your coffee from bottled water i have mine from the tap. And i can pretty much trust that tap water. For being good water. But if you're out in the countryside you probably know or maybe you just suspect. That the well water that you have. Doesn't quite meet the drinking water quality standards. In fact around yolo county. Seed companies. Sports clips in the countryside. Even a golf course. A turkey farm at urge a few farms a couple of labor cams. They all have one thing in common. Those who work there. Orlok there. Or visit their. Are drinking water from a public water supply tap. That is likely drinking water exceeding the limit for nitrate. Nitrate. Is the most common man-made chemical found in drinking water. In yolo county. And in most other places around this valley where almost all of us. Rely on groundwater as our source of drinking water. Nitrate. Is a form of nitrogen. And nitrogen. It's essential. To all life. It is the key. Nutrient. It is the key ingredient to proteins. And many other building blocks. That make up life. Plant life. Animal life. Human life. It is also. What we use to create more. Plant life. To make the feed and then the food that we eat as a growing population on this planet. Various nitrogen compounds are key ingredients in synthetic fertilizer. But also. In everything. Badlife discharges. Inform of animal waste plant waste or human waste. In nature. An animal corral. Or in the bathroom. Most of nitrogen. Dad life consumes. And subtract on the same landscape. That feeds life. In that landscape. Much of any nitrogen. Derived from living beings ultimately converts. Tonight rate. Which is readily mobile. And washed into our rivers. 4 into groundwater that is being retard. Buy rain and irrigation. Bye-bye percolation from septic systems. And wastewater lagoons. When too much nitrate gets into our drinking water. It endangers the unborn life. And the young infant. Produces the ability to transport oxygen through its blood system. And an condition that's known as the blue baby syndrome or method globe anemia. In adults. Nitrate may cause thyroid dysfunction. And some studies have indicated that it may be carcinogenic. 2 years ago. The state water resources control board. The agency that oversees who gets how much water. And the quality of our water. Called me and proposed. Did we complete and poor performance study. For the legislature. They would answer the handful of critical questions. Who puts how much nitrate in groundwater. And what could be done to reduce. That groundwater loading. How much nitrate is already in groundwater and what could we do to remediate that. Emily comes out. In a drinking water well. How can be treated or what would be an alternative supply. To all those questions the state board asked if the answer the question how much does it cost how much does it cost to reduce nitrate loading to groundwater. How much does it cost to clean up the groundwater. How much does it cost to treated when it comes out on a drinking water while. Or to provide alternative supplies. And what would be policy options that the state or local government could implement to address this issue. The focus of our work. What's the southern central valley in the salinas valley. Comprising almost half of the agricultural lands in the state of california irrigated lands in california. And home to about two-and-a-half million people. Pulling data together. From a wide range of sources and making sense of many puzzle pieces. It became clear. They're almost half the population. In that area is indirectly affected by nitrate because your public water supplier. Invest in technology to address nitrate nitrates that may be found in the water supply wells. Like in the city of davis we're new wells have been drilled in the past two replies replace those that needed to be shut down because of too much nitrate. The problem affects both. Large communities like fresno in salinas. And many very small. Boston unincorporated communities in the countryside. The larger communities are able to comply with state and federal regulations. By investing into engineering solutions such as blending water or treating water. For customers like us. This is reflected in the cost of our monthly water bill. But there are many small and very small public water supply systems. That are unable to meet drinking water safety standards. Dismal systems. Lac du connemara of scales. They also lack the capacity to apply for state support. Define themselves sometimes ineligible. What states support because the community that they serve. It's too small to be incorporated. Or just not have any form of organization. Many of these small communities also happened to be economically disadvantaged communities. With a very weak tax base. Lack of education sometimes lack of interest. Sometimes a fervent distrust of anything to do with government at any level. And a difficult economic situation. Combined to activate the problem. As a result. One in ten people living in our project area. Are the risk of at least occasionally consuming nitrates. Nitrates painted tap water. So who puts all this nitrate in groundwater in the first place. I'll work looked at all possible sources. Some come from water retards in wastewater treatment plants. Some from wastewater lost on dairies for percolating from food processing waste lagoons. An unsecured area around major metropolitan areas. Household septic systems may contribute a significant blowed to groundwater. But most of it. What is 90%. Comes from our agricultural landscape. That landed receives fertilizer manure. Wastewater. Biosolids from our cds. An atmospheric deposition of nitrogen emissions. From cars in from animals. Synthetic fertilizer makes up about half. Of all the night agenda goes on our agricultural land. Komondor. Is another third. Bxm8. That nearly half of all of the nitrogen that gets applied to the agricultural landscape eventually transforms to nitrate and it's washed out of soils with irrigation water in the rain and after traveling downwards to the water table. Recharged. Angel groundwater. The cost. Of providing safe drinking water to the 250,000 affected people in our project area it somewhere between twenty and thirty six million dollars each year. That translates into. 300 to $500 per household. Affected household each year. Or $5 to $9 per irrigated acre in that area. 100-200 $80 per tonne of fertilizer which would be about equivalent to a sales tax on fertilizer. Some would argue. It is a small amount of money. Out of the 10 billion dollar water bonds that are available from the state. If you could only figure out a way to get it. And then. To apply it effectively to these communities. Which is a challenge by itself it is not only a matter. Of money. To make the select technical solutions happen it is also a matter. Of helping these small communities. Help themselves. Given the extent of the problem created by drinking water nitrate. Why doesn't someone just stop it. And why wouldn't the polluters. Pay for the problems they created. And what does this have to do with us here in the room other than being empathic about those affected. Well it turns out that even if we stopped all the pollution tomorrow today is sunday so we'll have to do it tomorrow. Decades of groundwater nitrate pollution are already on their way to our drinking water well. Those that are affected today and likely more in the future. Will be affected for years and decades to come. Whatever we do with the pollution source. So finding safe drinking water solutions for small communities and large ones is an essential task. As citizens of the state. You and i all have. Steak and devote. In the decision. Whether to have the affected water users pay for this directly. Weather at general feed2all water users should pay for this. Looters pay. Which means mostly agriculture. But i want to make. At least two points for you to take on your way as you may ponder how to move forward on this problem. First. You may think. Well let's just not do all this mess of agriculture that has become such a way of life for this valley. And most other coastal valleys in california that aren't already completely organized. But then consider this. For 7 billion people on this planet. In 40 years will be 10 billion people. The demand for food products. And fiber and fuel biofuel that is and feet. Is likely going to increase by somewhere between 70 and 100%. Globally. Irrigated agriculture. Such as in the central valley. While it makes up only about 20% of the agricultural land face. It produces. Almost half of all the food. That be consumed. Additional agricultural land to meet this demand. Our hearts to come by anywhere. On this club and at an enormous additional ecological cost. To argue. That agriculture be abandoned as a way of life in california. Is short-sighted. And doesn't address to key issue. Which is the cloverleaf. How to produce more food. Fiber. Feed and biofuels. With less impact to the environment. Somebody actually argued that california produces much more in agricultural product then be consumed. So why would we want to have all that that agriculture. Short-sighted argument because the flip side of that argument is then then he would have to have all those tiny's factories that produce all the plastic goods that he do consumed here in california. I don't know where that would solve any of the problems. Or any of the environmental any of the water quality problems or any of the other environmental problems that come with that. So i think. Badoo have to embrace agriculture. And figure out. How to do this. In a way that affects our groundwater less. We will have farmers. And agricultural and other experts to figure this out including myself and some of other people here in this room. But what can you and i do as members of this community and. Members of the city. Mikey roll. Other than being a technical expert. Is that i am a consumer. And at the consumer i do hold some. Tiny. But significant power. Power did i can use to support this change into the right direction. Unfortunately perhaps to date we do not have a system. That would allow me as a consumer to make choices. Based on the amount of nitrate. The food that i buy. Has cost to be leached into groundwater. For the carbon footprint that has cost or the water footprint it has cost for that matter. That goes for the food i buy in the store. At the supermarket farmers market. But i think. Or something like that. The time is ripe. And it's the time to develop something along those lines. But there's two things. But i do know will make a significant difference. Even without having a label to tell me some. Wasting less food. And eating less animal-based food products. Globally. One-third of agricultural products are wasted somewhere in the food chain and not an insignificant amount of it because of our high expectations. Good looking food. And animal-derived foods milk eggs teeth meat. Consume significantly more land. Water and energy resources with a much higher impact on water and air quality then plant roots. I don't like lee. Never be a vegetarian i have to confess. But i have become more conscientious. Of the animal foods that i consume. Can i make changes to my choices in my diet. Wasting less food. And making better diet choices. That is perhaps. What matters most today. For better. Insufficient water tomorrow. I'm ready for another company thank you. Ever since the apollo astronauts photographed earth from space. We've had the image of our home as a strikingly blue planet a place of great water well. But of all the water on earth only about 3.5% of freshwater. And two-thirds of that is locked up in glaciers and ice caps. What's been 100th of 1% of earth's water is fresh and renews each year by the solar powered hydraulic cycle. Sandra postel. We have lived our lives by the assumption that what was good for us would be good for the world. We have been wrong. We must change our lives so that it is possible. To live by the contrary assumption. It what is good for the world will be good for us. And that requires that we make the effort. To know the world and learn what it's what is good for it. Wendell berry. If all use u.s. residents reduce their consumption of animal products my half the nation's total dietary water requirement in 20-25 would drop by savings equal to the annual flow of 14 colorado rivers. Sandra postel director of the global water policy project. A stag a few outlets. Together in silence. Our personal. And worldwide responsibility or groundwater and or the earth in general. All the yo. Assholed. A prayer spoken north island. Answered or merely offered up. Make a difference in us. An app we make a difference in the world. It is possible to become discouraged about the injustice receipt everywhere. But no one ever promised us that the world would be humane and just. What we have is the gift of ice. And a chance to. We will use our limited time on this planet. It is an awesome opportunity. I am grateful for this earth. Backgrounds us spiritually. And provide a supportive community. Are we can work together. A positive difference. And i. And i've the fathers. And in the world. Around the room. Tick not han says. Water flows from high in the mountains. Water runs. Deep in the earth. Miraculously. Water comes to us. And sustains all life. Water and sun green disparities plans. When the rain of compassion falls even a desert becomes an immense. Green ocean. Lps amen and thank you.

uudavispodcast_org

2017-09-03-Labor-Day_Who-is-it-for.mp3?_=3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from the unitarian universalist church of davis california website at w.w. org for further information. Welcome to our unitarian universalist church of davis run this 3rd day of september labor day weekend we are unsurprisingly looking at labor for. When we come here on sunday morning we bring the gifts and imperfections of who we are this is a community where we challenge each other encouraged each other support each other our work is to keep our site on the best we can be in this place we are surrounded by a diversity of religious beliefs god or whatever it is and which we'd call sacred is different for each of us and comes from our life experience we celebrate those of all sexual orientations and gender identities we welcome people of all races classes and political parties and we will continue to work to build a world we dream about and cherish living earth is our sacred home. I would like to invite stacy frerichs up too late i challenge this morning she's been a member of uu church of davis for 8 years and is the executive director of the davis art center who we will be sharing the plate win today we light this chalice as a symbol of unitarian-universalism a flame of hope and of welcome to all come into this place of peace and let it silenced heal your soul come into this place of memory and let its history warm your soul come into this place of prophecy and of power and let its vision change your hearts we also have our pillar candles pillar candle to name the sorrow and the hardship that we all bring with us to worship today we like the second pillar candle to acknowledge the hope and the joy we also bring into this space this morning. I come from a small town in middle america a town with one stoplight one restaurant a single bar which is fine because no one would go anywhere else anyway and the entire town is asleep 9:30 or so families come every friday home game and the team also had a massive budget supported by the school and expected from the town this leads into one of the greatest injustice statuses of my adolescence my school threatens to cut my forensics team a team of around 10 students who competed in speech and theater events. The reading today is the parable of the laborers in the vineyard beginning one line before the laborers in the vineyard matthew 19:30 through chapter 20 verses 1 through 16 but many who are first will be last and the last will be first for the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard after agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage he sent them into his vineyard when he went out about 9 in the marketplace and you and i will pay you whatever is right and so they went he went out again about noon and did the same again at around 3 and did the same and he went out and found others standing idly by when they came each of them received the usual daily wage. Let the congregation take hands may we all find the wisdom we need as we live in action our precarious path winding amongst equity fairness and justice as we seek to be more like the vineyard owner let the congregation say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

Worship-2012_10_07-1115a_ED-1.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. org for further information. Tell me did you really where. Misguided separated waters above and below. Youtube the waters below the sky. Stay in one place. An ativan dryland. Control the earth to send out grilling things. And then need sun and moon and stars. Who made birds that fly and everything that swim and cattle and all creeping things. And every animal entertained. And then made man and woman and finally rested. Tell me how old is deval that building and frapping landscaping landscaping and all of that bursting forth of lee. Influence them. That have never known themselves before. Tommy. How could you possibly have rested. After seeing what no one had ever seen before. Beautique. Pebble. After losing yourself. In 1000 versions of blue water and sun sky against sky. The horizon where sky and water meet. How do you shut your eyes. Zachariah seats nothing. Benghazi couldn't sleep. Bedtime with finances schieffer. Florida member of this congregation. It was great to hear her words spoken. I'm very impressed that our animals are still woozy head. Do we have a message from saint francis. This is a holiday inn. From tradition. Camping francis of assisi. Long ago. Don't know how they know these things they said about 11 eating. 1226. Italian sea animals in the environment. And how they celebrate his birth. Is by blessing all the animals they just know their tremendous compassion to animals and that he'd be out of the woods and they would just come to him because he's so gentle and their mates. Eat the bird seed from. His hand. Right to bring in athena the barn owl athena is from the california raptor center uc davis and her handlers name is christina me a little prep work for for a raptor. Because when she's excited sometimes things happened.. Christina is going to bring this lovely by now and we actually have some of these on our grounds so this is not. She's very beautiful. She's checking you out. Does that make a difference okay. All right so athena has been at the raptor center. For almost seven years all raptors in captivity have their birthday on january 1st. To make paperwork easy. So she was found in the chico area she fell out of a tree as a little bitty bird probably her eyes were still closed it takes a week or two for the raptor eyes to open. Whatever they see feeding them that's what they think they are all right girl. okay sorry she doesn't know what this is. So the two rules from fish and game when is it illegal to possess any part of a raptor. Dead or alive including roadkill because you can't prove you didn't kill the bird. The other is that you have two days to get a raptor of any age to the proper people. So the person who found her kept her. Chapter 2 in office the good part is she knew what to feed the bird the problem with keeping the little birds is. People usually feed dog food hamburger river no calcium by day to the bone start to get misshapen so it really is very important that every animal really. Be kept quiet in a. Box. No no water no food people think giving animals water is okay it could kill them actually so nothing just get anything to the right people so darnell's are much beloved by the central valley farmers. They eat at least 2,000 mi sagir. Allison falcons do not make their own nestor cavity drillers so they love those barn owl boxes that are all over davis and that was a project from the raptor center many many years ago and they're needing replacing and john mcnerney is doing that gradually as money allows so. For her to be out in the daytime is not. What her natural environment is so she's a high-strung word she knows my voice and is well-traveled but always will be. The high-strung bird and she's probably wondering what is this pushy's nursing. It's okay so these birds are not very long-lived nature just 122 years they get hit by cars alot great horned owls will eat them. So these are in a category all by themselves they're the titanic by the screechers know who win. So if you see a bird that looks white underneath that night. And is making screeching sounds that's the bar now. So i think she's absolutely gorgeous love this girl. She broke three bones in this right-wing. So she wouldn't be able to fly and she's imprinted to people and it's it illegal for us to release imprinted birds cuz they identify people with food. So your safety and theirs. Would be an issue. She might live for 20 years our previous of barn owls live that long. And we could have used her this morning because we had a mouse that was captured in the dishwasher and it would have been in lovely breakfast for her. We are having our fall open house at the raptor center saturday october 20th we have two year between 9 and 2 if anybody would like to come and see all our taming birds we now have a golden eagle came to the glove and that's quite something so they'll all be out. Athena will be in the bridge house when our children and youth leave here they'll be spending more time with athena and athena will probably. Bo believe if she is more comfortable outside at this point but she certainly may stay. Featuring with me in a brief prayer. Animal catcher hearts and let us remember those who have died in this last year. Bring an animal up there love. But there are many. Can't wait for homes and shelters. Waiting for home. Embarrass we're not lucky enough to be in a shelter and may they find love. We honor and celebrate the animals of the field and the barn who find their way into our dishwasher in this church for forest and mountains and all animals who are grades in size and spirit. Forecast for model independence grace beauty and play. For dogs attention unconditional love. Four-footed animal for rodents even though one of them lives in my attic for they reminders that life smallest moments can bring those frustration and joy. Working on those who fly birds in them. Are mexicans and grace and freedom and blessings on all his slither through the grass or swim through the water where they teach us about the interior. And we need to close the doors. Thanks to all the great joy. Birthday express. Erica. I move into my service. Today's nice meeting you. My name is jack kenny. And i'm still a undergraduate student. Lost memory by campus ministry program. Recently i found myself and happy place. I lost a lot of kissing people. I want to play. I thought you fixed my whole support system and collapsed. Animal return. I felt. Like my life was spiraling out of control. I want no more long time. And pretending everything is fine. Sometimes. I find myself paralyzed. For the strength of fear and discomfort. Explain it. I'm so frustrated that i wasn't doing better work quickly. I didn't understand but he's blanks. Dim just go away. Why couldn't i just get boobs. Avative. Aspen irrational. A longing. I feel at peace with things again. Around this time. I was fortunate enough to receive the policeman scholarship. Okay world. I decided to take a trip to your. 50 cent. Get some distance effective. Vegetarians the trip. I did a lot of things writing. I tried to stop focusing on the negative. What will my emotions visited me to do. I realized i was meaning. Princesses control. I wanted. Voice of confidence. I was longing. For some evidence. People are good. I craved. Trust. Macaron. What really helps sleep with all that. Horror stories about the difficulties of traveling in a foreign country. Foreigners. And i was really scared to talk to people at first. I had broken my friend in spanish. Baby christian. I started to break out of my shell. Runaway by the thymus. Almost everyone that we met. I didn't need a single prisoner. What i'm sure i was picturing the french language. Indulging. Amanda anisimova. Alex's day speeches how to get around the city. Expensive knife. And took the time to clean up to go to. Before i left. I was afraid to pick hospitals. I couldn't imagine spending more than a week without internet. A few weeks later. Air conditioning because of metro stops in germany. French. Pictures of. Fresh. Ambitious. Pastries in france. Iverson braids to take control. Weedmaps. And if i were going to be for today. My friend reported me. Augusta me. Only had my faith in humanity restored. I came back. Be easier. My head higher. And arlington. Tore my heart was telling me i needed. Message. Hello baby. Taking care of my life. Give me the chance to make my life once more. Enjoy. Beginning with a poem by marilyn robinson. 2crave. If you have. Far as like. Everything and its shadow. So when does a berry break upon the tongue as sweetly. As when we long to taste it. And when is the taste refracted into so many shoes and favors of ripeness and earth. Where do i sent is noemi. So i'd only as when we lack it. And here again is foreshadowing marilynne robinson right. The world will be made whole. What you wish for a hand on one's hair. It's early but to feel it. So whatever we named who's. Are very craving. Music.. To ask. When do i send these know anything so utterly as when we lack it. Whatever we may lose. Are very crazy. Kids get back to us. Again. A friend of mine who works for the loss of a loving relationship. Dried her eyes. Quieted her song. And said what what. I almost expected which was i wish i could die. But at least. I know my heart is alive. That's what she said it means. I know i am alive. Movies that story that we are alive. And it draws us into life. The pain from recipe for the series of signal that something important. Something important history in something that may have been sleeping. It's now a wake. I discovered a ripe longing in the autumn season in upstate new york and has been awakened now that the temperatures have dropped below 100. In davis. My internship is taking me back to syracuse new york. And even that lovely town. With a thriving universalist convention. Congregation at a chaplaincy at syracuse university so you may notice a certain pattern with our church and its internship. I had no car all slow and found no reason to have one until the snow started to fly. And then i really found a reason to have it. But i walk stomach a to the evening meeting. At the church. Avoid the season of tart apple cider. We believe cover the sidewalks and a slough. Pungent. And as bright as the crimson leaves. Mdoc settled i'd walk in the twilight and a buttery golden light poured out of the windows. Family. Kennels in their home and put dinner on the table. Golden light drew like a moth to the flame. And i would urine. I would yearn to be settled. Done with the studies that kept me moving almost every year. Yet another staff. Toward completing. A degree. And ordination and annie was here at the 9:15 service and she was. Smiling. Kahil gibran. A poet influenced by christianity and islam and within that sufism. And hinduism what the prophet. A1932 with verses that are popular at weddings and. I'm usually when ministers receive a request for about the oak trees in the cypress and how they grown on each other shadow we saving. You want that one. Her dad is how you may know kahil gibran. But he hurt other books and one called sand and foam. A response to the positive force of longing. He writes. There is a space between a human imagination. Andara payment. It may only be traversed by allah meaning. He's telling us that longing is that thread that connects our dreams with the reality. The thing longing. Came to me as i walked the reef. Carpeted sidewalks of syracuse again years later. And another hotbed of universalism and i use the word universalism in two ways. For those of you who we're at our pasta membership class and we were fooled by the way. people looking at our church. Ready to know more. Universalism with the capital u at the faith of a loving god. Betsy's the beloved in all of us. And universalism with the value of faith and invites all faith traditions to the table. Both forms of universalism newer and are found at chautauqua institute. In western new york state. This utopian community was born from longing. Established in the mid-1800s as a methodist center for learning for sunday school teachers and teachers pick a steamboat up the lake pitched tents on platform to study the bible to sing and to learn about the arts. It came with the longing. Belonging to gain knowledge but more than anything to experience the spirit it's it's a kind of thing that are trending dentalis would have loved. But they couldn't have loved the methodist theology about the idea of being filled with the spirit they would have loved. Currently chautauqua is an interfaith community with nine weeks of programming throughout the summer each week there is a theme like water right or intensive for islam there's an outdoor amphitheater with a stage that hosts the most conservative and the most liberal speakers together on the same stage and they model civil discourse wouldn't that be nice. Ballet companies perform. Famous music university told intensive student summer programs for their students there's an art school and cars are parked in a big lot. Campus. Everyone. Rocks. Some homes are small victorian places built on an old tent platforms believe it or not. And they are old-fashioned rooming houses and i will tell you the story another time of how the bat came into my little rooming-house room and was confused and really excited about the ceiling fan. Itune with confusing excited. Chautauqua is a place where nature and the arts theology and politics. Intersect. And after the evening concert is always an evening concert. People putting rocking chairs and front porches a biscuit and outdoor restaurant on park benches and everybody. Eat ice cream i made it as no one whose lactose intolerant is allowed through the gate i don't know but everyone eats ice cream and walk. Antioch. And walking with narrow street. Conversations flow from one group to another so the idea is if you're on a porch you're off-limits you don't walk up on someone's porch and start to talk to them but if you walking down the street you can join any conversation. Some people do you can imagine that any conversation and usually they're talkin about. Whatever that's happened during that day. Entertainer that tall vases of gladiolus that are stretched across this vase. Usually just like a rainbow. White poured out of those porches and onto the sidewalks and here i am again with that lights that were awakened a longing in me that was really hard to define. Google filled with so much and i wanted how could they be ruined in a body. For more. I thought perhaps if we had special glasses we could see that we are all vessels. For the light that is shining out. I've asked human beings when we are filled with so much. When did your talk with that i heard a spooky story that has within it the role of longing in life. Intensive week of lectures given by islamic scholars from around the united states and is telling is inspired by one islamic scholar again nangi. Professor professor naji is no one was participation in a worldwide study of islam food in the west and in the muslim world. And he recently much tonight the right accepted visiting. Fellowship at stanford. One of the things that he said in a lecture i listen to on a podcast is that there is no one is wrong to be discovered. There is no-one islam to be discovered there are many. Because we drawn from hebrew scripture in the last few weeks this week withdrawal from islamic. Mystic sufi tradition. I didn't know he often tells the story of the conference of the birds in his lectures. And the story is traced back. The persian poet. Bodied. Medina tar. Who's in the 12th century. The conference of the birds is a story of a spiritual quest. And the birds of the world are all called together by the hoopoe bird. And this is a very small bird. Brilliantly colored with a crowd of yellow feathers that stretches from the bank to the back of the head think of someone who might have a mohawk. That kind of. And the cloak. Across. The wings in the back black and white beautiful. He tells them we are all very different birds. Paris and nightingales and herons and owls overall it taste of birds. And yet he continues there is something that unites us. Bullet current brightness. Amber. Something more. We have a common origin and now we have knowledge of how it all began. Southern from the great king of birds was dropped in the land of china. We must find that bird. Indesign a funeral. And ask about the meaning of life. 22 birds pacifically speak against going on the spiritual quest. You may recognize some of their voices. Perhaps in your life. In the modern retelling of the story the hoopoe tells the gathering birds. Look at the trouble is happening in our world is anarchy does discontented upheaval. Desperate fight over territory and water and food. Poisoned air unhappiness i say we are lost. We must do something. I must go and find the king. But in the ancient tell me where the modern they're searching for the mules life. Solving mysteries of their origin. And what may be appealing to us they search for how to bring paradise to this present time. The ios. Who can be better. Anna moore perfect monk. And what perfect religious leader than me. I'm moving to ruin. Renew other bird would live. I spend all my time and darkness. The hours of the night when you are asleep you birds. I'm awake. And pursuing. I am the fountainhead of wisdom. And why should i give up this wisdom to try to achieve something else tell me why. The nightingale sang i have a special relationship with the rose and the rose has a special love relationship with me. We had a perfect. A complete relationship and why should i give it up and go on a quest ruling that i might. Not be able to actually. Be. With this being. The peacock explained. I am overheated bird-of-paradise. Magnum najee actually did say this. I'm already the bird-of-paradise i already live in california. Why. Reticular even another place. Identify myself. Knowing that i have phone reception. I think she's afraid of the distant shores it won't have enough strength. Prefers the company of earthly kings. Poopoo challenges in and says you have limited yourself to one lifestyle. Who believed that everything can be known with you your framework. You close your mind to other forms of knowledge. They can be gained in other places. Who are you. Negotiates with all the break-ins finally 1000 of them agreed to travel with their beautiful leader. And i take flight together. Are on a journey. These are the birds they're willing to travel to new horizons. Following this morning that they feel to understand the meaning of life to create a better existence on earth. Never take flight hooper towson. When you feel empty. When you feel empty. You have to open your heart. And let the wind. Sweep through it. Refuel the call of longing. You have to open your heart. Let the wind. Sleep through it. Herbicide. Love. Love difficult things. And we're on our way. The first valley the very first valley that leads to moana's the valley of longing. In this place they linger with that ceiling and what it is to urine for whatever is calling them biondo's immediate needs. We might think that we want to travel and i want you to think back to what erica was saying that we want to travel. What we mean is alarm for is proof that people are open-hearted and generous. Have you read that. That there is goodwill in others. Maybe a longing is to realize that we can negotiate life and all that it's rosa. The one morning open to another and opens to another that's really underneath it all. What another religious stores. The jewish robinia tradition the teacher says turn it over 1,000 times and you will understand it on the 1030 east. Time. Stay with your yearning. We will find a richness that is there. Really bored. Listen to the story told by the read of being separated from its source. If i was cut from the bead bed i have made this crying sound. Apart from anyone. Anyone apart from someone he loves understands what i say. Everyone pulled from thesaurus longs to go back. Poetry teaches to be patient with that longing that is so painful. And don't rush to fix it. Longing is pointing us to the direction we need to move in life. The message is precious. So don't rush. The journey of the birds take some 26 valley's beyond longing there's love and spiritual attachment. And insight. I really love is. Bewilderment. A woman's it stay in a place. A shear bewilderment. East valley is a place of testing. Were they are asked to grow in maturity. If they grow until finder standing they fly with the poopoo to the next valley. I always left behind. And some always continue. Reviving each valley gives them a more complex notion about themselves. And we enderle 30 birds. 1015 and only thirty birds. I left. They fly to one place and wait for the monarch to come. Most of them are featherless. An ugly. Sort of bird. Group. Indiglo. Appears. Throughout the group. And they look at each other. Inclusion c. Is the word 4:30. And more. Is the word. Forbearance. Happy birthday jayden twenty or a hundred birds that would have been just the right number. The end of their journey is to discover. What do i needed individually and what they can do together. If they sit and wait for the kingbird to arrive. It becomes something more than the sum of their parts. And together in community they become that kingbird that they were seeking. Amor. Is not. Another land. It is what they create together. The golden knights doing me like a moth to a flame. And i yearn to be settled and done with the studies that kept me moving almost every year to another step. Another step. To complete a degree i didn't ordination. The warning was for more than completing a degree program it was been more than a hole with dinner on the table. It's a wrong a must to find the flaw. A fellow companions who would travel on a spiritual journey together. True value. Overlooking your particular. Celebrating their loves and admitting their misgiving. Sometimes. We can't understand it in the midst of arguing. Because it's hidden from us. But it is enough to know that i longing is a gift. I didn't know we are alive. What is your learning. If the teachers understand the process ask yourself that question 1000 times. And perhaps when you turn it over. The 1000. First time. You will come to understand. And to that i say. I drive should i join with me in prayer. I mean in chess piece. I pray to the one who holds us in the hollow of his hand. Darken the curve of her arms. 21 who's flash is a fresh appeal than hummingbirds and angleworm. Give me the color of an old black women. The young white man. Leopard and the grizzly bear and the green grass snake. Hair is like the aurora borealis. Rainbows. Nebula eye. Waterfalls. A spider's web. Is einstein like the evening star and then like fireflies and then again like an open wound. Touch is brought the touch of life. And the touch of death. Everyone. Mostly mine. And what shall we pray. And i say. But it's a thank you. Inside out looking for the solutions to are urinating and they are they are right within. These words by kahil gibran. When you are sorrowful. Look again in your heart. And you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. But the scattering say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

2016-08-28-Save-or-Savor_10_00.mp3?_=1

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from the unitarian universalist church of davis california website at www.sec.gov org for further information. Good morning everyone and greet one another or political party come to connect with community come to honor the earth come to claim your spirituality she is here for this weekend and then returns to san diego to complete her chaplaincy there and will be back in two weeks so elizabeth would you come forward and we had the pleasure of sharing the weekend with elizabeth in our worship associate training. I am ben i'm stacy and preparing for the service best us worship associates to lay down on a big piece of paper and the other associates tri-star silhouette and then in our heart we wrote our heart message which is essentially what we find in porton in life or kind of fraser motto to live life i some examples that we had work hard play hard love is all building community and i invite you to consider what your heart message maybe together a simple wondering and who is this person and how can i be present with them and in our hands we wrote what are heart message causes s to do pick up trash appreciation sympathy or thinks see things through my children's eyes takes you. I'm elizabeth essenza and i would gifted fence-sitter i often comfortably answer questions with yes and do i choose to save the world and i choose to savor it these two are linked i cannot separate them at times one may feature more prominently in the story of my life but they are always together that which is life-saving is also life-giving i spent over a decade of my most recently the supervision of children and the gathering of donations needed to make camp operate i fielded phone calls from parents. So you may wonder why you have no orders service today and it's because the associates created the service with me by 5 p.m. yesterday so a part of their training is to prepare the worship and then i listen to what's going on and i create something around it and so our av team and nancy they get special awards today because it is save or saver. I'm an ambitious person my natural tendency is to try to save the world to achieve to do things with a payout is so distance that the impact of my day today actions can seem infinitesimal if i purely follow my to save instincts i can become disheartened because clearly should be savored if only it could be done all at once come from the smallest things and happen in the most unexpected ways let me take you. Hard to follow that walking over here with my exercise for the day to help save and savor let me tell you the story in 1928 my grandparents marian and julia deal anderson i struggled whether to leave there in a minute and again with the passage of time my older sister died much too young my father died and the after some years my mother died and the land came to me my mother was year before her death in 1991 and i drove many trips between berkeley where i was living and the ranch and during that year i came to know it was time to go home i love the land and i even felt that it loved me i knew i didn't want to sell it and let it be developed into no in my mind this was sacred land and i wanted to keep it intact and healthy fortunately i found neighbors who felt the same way about land and open space and illegal and or outdoor education that's the second part of the story outdoor education in the mid-1990s to be introduced to the outdoors and its wonders and soon they became coming from preschool up through high school there's a really lively outdoor education every year i think. To save or to savor that is the question my thoughts around this question lead me to realize that i have a tendency to favor the world much more than i save it so it makes me feel a bit guilty to know that i feel selfish with this conclusion but it is who i am even the words are clear to me savoring invokes words like pleasure and happiness and nourishment and saving is work and conflict and discomfort i do think about things that i savour and realize that many of them i subconsciously work to save two for example i greatly favored my holiday tradition of being with my extended family at christmas time to relish in the love and the laughter of being together and to catch up with one another other but i must work very hard to maintain and save that tradition as well i have to take time off of work and me taking that time off of work creates a lot of conflict on the job i have to prepare an abundance of food with love of course but nonetheless that is work and then there are always those potentially hard conversations that i may have to have with people that sometimes make me feel uncomfortable because our viewpoints are so radically different from one another but all of these sacrifices are good christmas tree all of those smells i look forward to it i savor being present right then right there in that time no matter how much conflict how much work and how much potential discomfort it may have been. So this is the time of the prayer and supposed to come up here this what happens when there's no script for you i get to decide and i'm going to have you facing the congregation and kind of a semicircle my back and you're with me my friend because you are the interns who come with me and and i want you to eat them love the things they have to teach you may you have an easy time building friendships and may there be no difficulties the pull of the sea adult change laughing. Take hands around the room to say what we savor and isn't it true that we savour what we save campfires hiking in yosemite under giants of everything so much work to get a little icy saver land on the ranch that loves her sacred sacred land and extended family that you say save is it not the same thing that you savor let this gathering say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

2017-04-16-Easter.mp3?_=2

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. org for further information. Good morning. Internet. Universalist congregation. Our denomination by the merger of unitarianism. And universalism. Wichita whatever our ultimate destiny is. We will all share equally. We come together to support our shared and individual quest for meaning and purpose in life. And to bring more compassion. Justice and responsible. To our world. Your religious beliefs are. You are welcome. No matter the color of your skin or the country of your birth. You are welcome here. No matter what your sexual identity expression or orientation are. You. Are welcome here. If you are visiting for the first time this morning you are especially welcome we hope that after the service you'll join us for coffee and conversation in the social hall and stop by our visitors table for more information. Today is a special day and we're really happy to have our children and used with us are regular religious exploration programme during the 11:15 service. Through labor day church services. Today we welcome and noise in this room all ages are welcome and the thing house room there's toys and coloring if you get a little fidgety. And i'll say that for the people who are sitting on the back row could you guys give your feet a little kick. Thank you it's okay and, i'm so glad you're here and if we need some sundar effects i will let you know but i will ask you to be extra mindful of your seat because they do rumble through this space. There is much to rejoice when we are together. For worship and everytime we start planning at shallotte the symbol of unitarian universalism. The tough is our community and the flame that we liked is the love that we share. We like this chalice with these words dillman. For holy days on which we recall the old stories. We light the flame. For easter which reminds us that love is our greatest challenge. We light the flame touring today in this sacred space we light the flame. The opportunity to be together as a community. To remember the past. To plan for our future. To be alive in our presence. Renewal. We know that the earth centered religions of the world have observed vernal equinox. The first day of spring. Last month the time passed when the day and the night. For almost equal in length. And now we seem more and more like. The rainy days become fewer and farther between apparently not today instead by the wetness of winter. Now stand out. Seems as though something new balloons every time you turn around. This beautiful time of year when we are tired of darkness and long for the warmth of the sun. We expect news. To emerge again. We make it through the winter because we have hope. For the flowers. This time of year is perfect. For the christian celebration of easter. The easter story is a story of miracle. We learned that jesus a teacher with an important message. Who is persecuted for his welcoming ways. Is alive. She returns to the words to encourage them to spread the good news of the transforming power of love. Unitarian universalist. Have a long tradition of finding the metaphor in miracle stories. Rather than focusing on weather. Of course they can maybe not with you but. That can never be lost. The people we love always come back to us in the ways that we live our lives. In the compassion we show other people. Jesus story of resurrection. Even when we think all is lost we are reminded at the power of love. Transcend. Even death. Surely. Many christian traditions they celebrate this miracle by singing hallelujah on easter sunday. Used the word drink. Operation together with our hemlo the day of days is here. It's number 269 in your gray. Please rise in body or spirit to join in singing together. Unitarian universalist have long appreciated. Jesus's example. Other like sisters brothers and cousins. Then there's no room for hate. Terror. No room for bigotry. Jesus had one central teaching. To treat others with respect. Just as you want to be treated. He called it a new commandment and simplified it to. One another. We come into this community on easter sunday sunday to practice that great task. Another. To serve one another in the community. And to share our values with the world. Sometimes we shy away from this great. Let us remember. Deep inside. Deep inside others. For the blessings of community. For the ways that we. And the ways we might receive it. In here. And i'm wondering if anyone might help me look. And if you're closer to the ground it might be easier so could anyone that you will share with each other at the first service people started sticking them on themselves. It's okay sometimes but today we're going to share love peace and strength. Friendship inspiration. Balance compassion acceptance imagination comfort. And of course community a blessing in itself. Blessings on your sleeves today. To stand up and share. The speakers and passing down the row. Find your friends and your family find your blessings. Hi.. Hair. I get a lot of attention. Tell you about a few more is the time of year. Miracles are happening. You don't see them. The green snack. I'm reginald brewster. Assurance america. You just have to look for them. Miracles every day. A miracle. I couldn't see for the first time. Now with my guys together i can see nearly 360 degrees. Animals. Brothers and sisters. Yesterday. 6000. Materials to make a cozy home. Course. Ladybugs are a sign of good luck for farmers and gardeners because. One ladybug larvae thousand years. Israeli smelly. A baby until they're three weeks. If you think three weeks is a long time before opening your eyes. Squirrel. Squirrel leave the nest they never travel more than two miles from where they were born i thought squirrel runs across the street right past someone driving to church in the morning. Definitely a miracle. But i think we oughta saying. Benediction memory miracles are all around us the blessings of community colace to celebrate our unique gifts and create a world of radical welcome around us.

uudavispodcast_org

2013-02-24_Worship_Unique-Youth-Group_ED_11_15.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california www.org for further information. Titan welcome you to the uu church of davis where everyone here is welcome. I would also like to welcome you cuz this is a special service today put on by the unique group. Or as you probably know. Better as the high school group. Now today's topic of services like i said before the imagination. A powerful tool which all of us possess something that everyone uses and is different for everyone. Some people use in music other than. Like paintings or an art. Simon crafts. Sometimes in even in dreams. It helps us create. Feel and see things which are not possible in our world. As if it were a window to another realm. Emotion and experiences have a huge impact on our imagination. Sometimes. And sometimes not so good. The science behind imagination is a very complex one which we have yet to completely understand it but we are working on it and it is incredible. Please i would like to ask you to join us in our journey into the imagination. And my first job for you is to imagine that the church service that you most of your holding your hand. Is actually an order cuz we kind of grew up here and there so please bear with us there thank you. I'm lisa oakes i'm not a member of the high school group i am reading a poem from the imagination of virginia thigpen. A little bit of help from me. Toby the night before easter and all through the hall happy people be milling as if in a mall the bid sheets will fill up by people with schemes and visions of winning in their heads and their dreams. Dobby food dobby wine w music and more. Opportunities will abound for learning and lore. This fantastic event the best of the year will soon be all sold out the dates trying there so after the service stopped by the auction tabled and purchase your tickets before they're just a fable. March 30th here. Great auction that table is out in the social hall with hope to see you all there. I'm passing stratton cork. Today we're using a meditation that the junior high our whole lives group uses. Our whole lives is a in-depth sexuality education group. So this meditation stuck with all of us. We felt it changed a lot of our perception a lot of our perspective. On society and societal norms. The whole meditation relies on one's imagination and for this reason we felt that it was perfect for our service. For the purposes of this meditation. We must all consider ourselves to be heterosexual. Regardless of our actual sexual orientation. This meditation will take us to a world that does not exist. And that won't make sense. Just go with it without trying to make sense of it. Take a minute or two to get relaxed. Imagine that you were adopted as a baby by a homosexual couple. Try not to focus on how or why this might happen. But try to imagine how you would feel. If these people who cared for you since you were very young or either two lesbian women or two gay men. Pick one of the other couple. And try to imagine what that would be like. These people love you very much and i'm very proud of you. You love them too and want them to be proud of you. These men or women have taken care of you when you were sick. Taking you places taught you to read to play sports to ride a bike. What would that be like. What would it feel like if these gay people had other children to. Children who identify themselves as gay. Your older brother has a boyfriend and you've seen them holding hands. You seen your sister kiss her girlfriend goodnight. What would that feel like. What would it feel like. If all of your family members and friends thought you were gay too. Not only do they think that you're gay they expect you to be gay. In several small ways your parents have let you know. That if you want to make them proud and happy you'll soon start to date people of the same gender. They're counting on you to be gay. How do you feel. And who do you tell. Imagine leaving your house and heading to school. You're riding the bus to school sitting beside your best friend. The bus driver has turned up a song. On the radio that is very popular. Most of the kids on the bus have heard this song. And know the lyrics. The song is about 11 fair between two men. How'd it feel to be riding to school. On the bus next your best friend who is gay. Who also thinks you are gay listening to gay song that the gay bus driver has turned up loud. Which is being played on a radio station that only plays game music. What would it be like if all the songs that were popular. We're about being gay. What if every book you ever read. Every magazine and advertisement you ever saw was about gay people. How do you feel. And who do you tell. 1 things that you do know is it not every person in the world is a healthy happy homosexual. There's some people who are sexually attracted. The people of the other sex. These people are technically called heterosexuals but everyone just calls them breeders or heteros. Student center school. I've made up a club called sad which stands for students against breeders. Kids sometimes write essay be on their notebooks or desks in your classroom. There's one student in your grade that everyone suspects of being a breeder. People have written nasty things about him on the bathroom wall. No one sits with him at lunch and everyone teases him during pe. There's also a girl in your class suspected of being a breeder. Everyone jokes about her and makes fun of her too. In fact. When people want to put someone down or make fun of them. They always say. Oh shut up you love kelly smith. It's kind of the ultimate put down. Your homeroom teacher is gay the school principal is gay. Your guidance counselors gay and the librarian is gay. And everyone around you. Thinks you're gay too. When weekend you go over to your best friend's house where some of your other friends are hanging out. Mostly you're just sitting around and talking about school and life in general. Eventually however. The conversation drift towards dating and relationships. Your friends are talking about who they have crushes on and who they think is cute. All of your friends are talking about people of the same gender. There's some talk about two new students who just started dating katie and allison. You don't say much and eventually someone asks you hey. Who do you like. You don't know what to say so you kind of suck it off nervously and say. No one really. Everyone starts to laugh and someone else says we'll maybe the sabc should watch out for you. All of your friends have a big laugh at your expense. How do you feel. And who can you tell. Everyday at school is the same to be popular it's getting more and more important to have a steady boyfriend if your boy. Or girlfriend if you're a girl. Is expected that you pass notes to your boyfriend or girlfriend sit with them at lunch and go to movies and parties with them on the weekends. But what do you feel and who do you tell. Do you think there might be a book on being a brighter at the library in your school. And if there is are you willing to take it off the shelf and hand it to the gay librarian. Check it out in your name. And take it out in your name so that someone might find out. Until the whole school that you checked out the breeder book. Eventually you start becoming really close friends with someone named grade who's the other gender. At first you just hang out together after school. But now you spend as much time as you possibly can with this person. Here she is so much fun to be around and makes you feel so comfortable. You're beginning to realize that your feelings for this person are very serious. Enter enter more than just friendship. You don't know whether to tell this person how much you care but you think that they feel the same. Finally you tell your friend how you feel and to your joy. You find out that they do feel the same. You kissed him for the first time in your life. You know what everybody's been talking about. It feels wonderful. However. The two of you are very nervous when you're around other people so you pretend that you're just friends. This is very hard for you but you do it to keep from losing the love of your family and friends. In spite of the secrecy. This relationship continues to grow and so do your strong feelings. One day when you're walking home from school you passed someone from your grade who asks you. Hey is your friend going to be okay. It looked pretty bad for them. Suddenly you find out that the most important person in your life right now. Was hit by a car last night while riding their bike home from your house. No one calls you to tell what happened no one even thought you should be told. You had to hear about it from someone else at school. You walk straight to your friend's house there lots of cars there you guys are there many people inside checking on your friend. You want to rush into the house. To your friend's bedside and tell them that you're there. You want to tell them that you love them take a hold of it and take a hold of their hand. But you quickly remind yourself that your friends gay parents and relatives. Wouldn't understand why you felt so strongly. How could you care so much about their child when you're the other gender. Everyone assumes that you and your friend are gay. If you rush into the house you'll not only blow your cover but also your friends. You're tied up and not standing in front of the house. Do you go in. Can you call your gay parents and tell them what's happened. Can you ask them to come help you. How do you feel. And who do you tell. Thank you. Hi amir i know it's such an order of service and i'm going to be doing a reading but i decided to write a homily instead so here it goes. When we are little we can be anything. Do anything and nothing is unreachable. We imagine ourselves fighting fires are going into space. We don't worry about them out of school work it would take. Or the unlikeliness that we will ever actually reach the goals. As we grow older we see past the infinite possibilities and realize the dangers that go with that job. As well as the money and the time. It's sad but it's true. We decide to fall back onto a goal we know we can reach. Include inching our way through life until we realized that we have had no life. Oscar wilde to live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist. That is all. We learn about great people in school. Martin luther king rosa parks neil armstrong. All these people did amazing things. Martin luther king said i have a dream. And he did. Any acted on his dream instead of telling one of his friends and forgetting about it. These people the ones who act on their dreams and what they. To act on their dreams and what they imagine are the people who will succeed and live a life worth living. People see the stars when they are kid and fly into the stars when they are an adult. They will work to achieve their goal and they won't give up. Looking at the world today on the one hand we have an earth that is much warmer than it should be and an older generation begging a younger generation to fix it. On the other hand we see a younger generation whose enveloped in the drama of our everyday lives. And so engrossed with technology that it consumes are very short attention span. This may not be reassuring but i can tell you that i am sure everything will be okay. I believe our next martin luther king or rosa parks will see this world falling apart. Instead of just remembering to recycle their paper bag. They will begin to dream. Table dream of a world where there are cars that don't pollute the air. And where people won't be homeless on the streets without jobs. They will dream of a country people can live in happily without wearing a being deported. They will picture this world and they will fight for it. And i'm not saying it's you or me. But i do believe that there is a person out there willing to fight for their dream and win. Thank you. Hi my name is laura mills. All people are inherently imaginative and there is proof of this in our dreams. Oneirology the study of dreams is a branch of science that is only been around recently. This is because dreams aren't physical or reliable and they can only be experienced by the dreamer which made some very difficult to study. In addition satistics show that we forget about 95% of the dreams we have. There's still no definite understanding of what dreams are and why we have them but we have a good idea as to what they are. In 1952 there was a significant study at the university of chicago. They discovered that there is electrical activity in the brain as he sleep. This occurs pacifically during the rem cycle. Sleep is classified as the kind of sleep. With rapid eye movement and vivid dreams. During rem sleep the electrical pulses are almost identical to the electric pulses the wide awake bring. In fact more of the brain is being used during rem sleep the one the brain is awake. However there are few differences. First of all the production of certain chemicals are blocked. Some muscles are temporary temporarily paralyzed. Second of all the logic center of the frontal lobe of the brain is shut down completely. This is why i can dream about 4 ft long cucumbers growing on pine trees without seeing any error. Recall the recent dream. Now when your brain is functioning logically probably seems ridiculous and absurd. But at the time it seemed completely normal because there's no logic or physics. Mutrie many things can happen anything you imagine. What causes these dreams. During rem sleep the brain is organizing thoughts into things it needs to remember a minor details it doesn't need such as did you brush your teeth and put your pants on for some morning. This means rem sleep improved your ability to remember things. This organization of thoughts cuz it's strong brain waves and electrical pulses in the brain which are then detected by the cortex. The cortex is the only conscious part of the brain when you sleep. It doesn't know what it all means. So creates a story out of it. That's what a dream is. Dreams are the results of the cortex detecting disorganization process going on in the rest of the frame and interpreting it into a story. Alyssa dream is a dream in which one is aware that they are sleeping once one is aware that they are dreaming with practice they will be able to be in control of their dreams. For example if someone is dreaming and they realize they're asleep. They'll be able to tell them self let's go talk to that giant ladybug or on a flight with a flock of crows now. And they will be able to do this. But because there are no laws of logic anything you imagine can happen in your dreams. Many famous people get pregnant ideas through their dreams. For example leonardo davinci dreamed of flying machines andrew plans for them centuries before they existed. Einstein come up with his theory of relativity i've got a dream of sledding at the speed of light. Many famous stories authorized from james such as frankenstein in twilight. So many of us wish that dream did not occur because otherwise. So try to remember your dreams who knows he might come up with an x theory of relativity. I believe one day i will be tall enough to not have to use the stew. Music is one of the few things that every person on earth is familiar with. Every culture has its own song genre or even instruments. There's something very human about music that inspires all of us. A piece of music can change your views on an issue help us imagine a better future or even inspire us to make traumatic changes in our lives one of the many reasons i personally love play music it is that every piece tells a story. There can be many emotions and feelings expressed through music such as power sadness happiness or even just that a person is going crazy music composer is exercising his mind and imagination in ways that can only be matched by daydreaming there are so many key elements to music. the left side of the brain the side responsible for math organizing and categorizing is extremely busy keeping track of hundreds of fats. The pieces of information have to be passed between the left and right sides of the brain in order to create something that truly express is how the composer fields one of the reasons i love playing jazz music so much is that during those songs there's a section for improvised solo basically this is the time during the song when the player gets to be a composer for 15 to 45 seconds if you ever listen to jazz music for during an improvised all of the musician has to come up with something that is a new melody that fits the several criteria. Test. Going in the van of songs that. Inspire projected future. My sister and i are not going to sing a song called you and i. And it's basically about. China's picture. What. Good morning training undergraduate i hope you are all taking notes this will all be on your test on friday. And the previous presentations we've heard quite a bit about imagination but just what exactly is imagination from a strictly scientific point of view. Well as defined in two ways creativity and general such as she is such an imaginative artist. Or i can be defined as mental imagery without external stimuli. Texturing a scene and idea i thought an object. Or whatever within your own mind. This portion of the service focuses more on the second part as well as it's essential nest to creativity itself. Neurons. Know before we go anywhere before we go anywhere we first need a brief review of how everything works the most basic unit of your brain as well as the nervous system. They're roughly 100 billion to 100 trillion neurons in the average brain. Neurons communicate with each other by sending an electrical pulse down the axon to the axon terminal button. Crabmeat the small-cap from the ends of the first neuron called the presynaptic neuron. Anodyne drive of the second neuron. Call the postsynaptic neuron. The small gap is called the setup. The names of the two neurons. In order for the presynaptic neuron to transmit its electrical message across the synopsis to the postsynaptic neuron. It employs these organic chemicals called neurotransmitters. Disney our transmitters once released across the synopsis are absolved by the receptors on the dendrites. Adipose synoptic neuron. Please play. These neurotransmitters. If they trigger a certain threshold will fire another electrical pulse down the postsynaptic neuron and the cycle repeats itself. These messages transferred between presynaptic and postsynaptic neuron form the basis. For all cognition mentoplasty. Every idea you picture every memory you remember thought you think or emotion you feel are the results. Of neurons and interneuron communication. Friends. So now that we know.. So now that we know about the nervous tissue that makes up our brain is itself composed of neurons and all mental functioning is the result of these neurons intercommunication. The obvious question is simply what part of the brain is responsible for imagination. Well a lot of them. Imagination as a mental process is a conglomerate. No single one portion of the brain controls imagination judgment which is controlled by the frontal. For vision which is controlled mainly by the occipital lobe. No it is an assortment of different parts of the brain working in tandem to achieve. Imagination. And exactly which portions of the brain is involved depends on the subject of your imagination. So an example of how this would work is say you were imagining a musical note or melody. Then the parts of your brain involved would be the primary auditory cortex. Responsible for processing sound. The neocortex responsible for upper-level thought. Amazon which modulate sensory information and sends it to the cerebral cortex. Moreover there is also contributions made by your more basic reptilian brain structures. Namely the amygdala and the hippocampus. Which are part of the limbic system the system of the brain responsible for emotions and involved in memory formation. And that's imagination is deeply intertwined with our memories and emotion. So to summarize. All mental functioning and cognition is the result of communication between neurons. Nervous system. The object of our imagination. Be at the taste of baklava. The rhythm of a 16th note for a complex mathematical axiom. Determines the neural structures involved. More ever given imaginations involvement and entertainment with the structures of the limbic system. Remember the amygdala and hippocampus. It seems to support the hypothesis that a great deal of imagination is simply the reintegration of sensory information. Find my memories through our brains very structures. Which might explain such. Phenomenal as why people hit about blindness in their life are still able to dream and colors and images. Finally. Since imagination is so intrinsically related to the limbic system around by the neural system which controls emotion. Sm64 what kathy mentioned in her music theory for presentation. But imagination even when viewed from a strictly scientific point of view. Is part and parcel with feelings and passion. Hi i'm chloe and i apologize but i didn't do quite as much features as fret. So lately i've been hearing a lot about how much society corrupts this or that. Even if something else is clearly to blame society has been ingrained into my head is the ultimate scapegoat time after time. We as humans are always searching for flaws the real trouble with today is that instead of seeing problems with the world and thinking of solutions to those problems people simply resigned themselves to the assumption that society got that to and carry on with their lives. It rains our children to close their minds neglecting to allow imagination and therefore problem-solving skills to develop. But examine the situation we have put ourselves in more closely. Imagination may have become a bit more rare in the world but with standardized testing in very specific curriculums in school. I remember just last week my chemistry teacher specifically saying what he was teaching us would not help us in the world it was just going to be on the ap exam. Just because society doesn't have any imagination on a silver platter doesn't mean it isn't getting people everywhere in life. Consider some of the world's most successful individuals with the power of her imagination jk rowling not only became richer than the queen of england but also build a fanbase just as loving and adoring as it is huge. Take mark zuckerberg or bill gates or even meryl streep. They got where they are today with the power of their minds. From interpreting characters to coming up with ideas to turning those ideas into products imagination build 6s. And as an unknown speaker once said. Imagination is intelligence having fun. Perhaps transcripts and iqs aren't the only ways of measuring knowledge. If there are two people trapped in a school and a serial killer has cornered them and say a math classroom. The one with the a and algebra two isn't necessarily the one who thinks to throw a chair against the window to creating the skate. This evil beast that society is made out to be really isn't so bad after all it's providing living examples of how imagination and intelligence if they're even different things will bring people success in life. Thank you. Okay for you to blow the bubble starting this next song pure imagination. I was a fairy. Iceworld through the garden. Intoxi bright blossoms into my hair. I was a princess standing atop my plastic castle. Battling dragons alongside my invisible prince. I became a warrior. Surviving in the wilderness under the old trampoline. A child's imagination is a wondrous thing and mine happened to be spectacular without ipads or laptops i danced through my imaginary world presiding over my backyard kingdom. My siblings and i traveled so far in the safety of our imaginations. Mine off and carried me to faraway lands filled with magic and whimsy. A rarity among davis children my parents left a lot of my time unscheduled. Giving rise to my creativity and imagination. And i allowed my spirit run free and just be rowan. I was infinite. As children we live in a beautiful glass house full of magic and marvel. The glass is invisible to us. And we are able to see a magical world full of possibilities stretching for miles. We each see our own world. Perfect and limitless. As we age the harshness of reality begins to dirty those beautiful glass walls. We began to realize that the walls are there and that there are limitations on our lives. Some skeptics say imagination is for children. And as we mature we leave behind the lego castles the dress-up and the daydreams. We allow the glass to cloud and become limited to be a parent possibilities on our lives. I've had adults tell me that it's movies or books that provide that escaped into the realm of imagination. And that we apply it today today situations. What could happen if we spend a little time reflecting on the world as a whole. Imagining a world full of justice and no more hate. We can imagine a better life for all of us and work together to make it come true. They're no good ideas without a little bit of imagination behind them. A wise man once said it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living. It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of telescope. It enables you to last life's realities. That wise man was none other than dr. seuss. A writer who uses his imagination to create a whimsical worlds scattered with brightly colored truffula trees and whose words of stuff with me throughout my childhood and teenage years. She's not only wrote children's books but also dramatical political cartoons to bring awareness to wwii. Ti-nspire adults across the us to pay attention and a care. He opened his eyes to the world beyond the glass. What if you could take your sleeve up to the glass and wipe away some grime. Imagination is boundless. With it we create our own version of knowledge. We can travel to the farthest corner of the earth and the heavens while staying within the realm of reality. It is also malleable and encompasses all dreams and desires. In the world of imagination one can become infinite. Add window to the world this week i ordered you to become aware of your imagination and your creative spirit. Grab lil windex take a minute clean off the glass lookout into world of possibilities rediscover your imagination. Harness it and let yourself play lesson be. Imagine there's no heaven. May the congregation please rise and take hands with one another. As you leave this place today. We hope that you will always be able to. Take joy in a strong and vibrant imagination. That will remain with you throughout your entire life. An influence you. To take parts and making the world a better place. Go in peace. And live long and prosper.

uudavispodcast_org

2015-07-26_The-Importance-of-Having-a-Voice-10_00.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. org for further information. Welcome to our unitarian universalist church of davis for today we will hear about the importance of having a voice. A voice in society and passed one's quality of life. And sometimes even the ability to live. I seen your parish minister reverend beth banks is on her vacation and study leave and we'll be bad right here next sunday worship associate for today bleeder is amber harris. Are churches young adult group leader. When we come here on sunday morning we bring the gifts and imperfections of who we are. This is a community where we challenge each other. Encourage each other support each other our work is to keep our side on the best we can be. This is the place we are surrounded by diversity of religious beliefs. Whatever it is that you call sacred. Is different for each of us. And come to my life experience. We celebrating those of all sexual orientations and gender identities we welcome people of all races classes and political parties. And we will continue to work to build a world we dream about. And cherish the living earth is our sacred home. Breath of the divine light of flame of reflection in all we do breath of creation light of flame of connection in our circle of care. Breath of wonder. Light a flame of inspiration to cultivate participation. Breath of fear light of flame of a courage to be who we are. Sentient. Vulnerable and diverse. Breath of this moment. Light a flame of celebration. For our future unfolds the covenant of this day. That's from the kemetic canadian unitarian council. I want to begin by saying i asked to be the worship associate for this service usually best asked us not to fix services that are in our comfort zone so we can stretch and grow and explore different worship topics anyone remember ecotheology. And what do i say with my voice. And why would anyone want to hear what i have to say. First of all i have to say. That is a person of color in a predominantly white denomination having a voice is a way to bring a different perspective into our church. At the same time i also mistake that i do not claim to speak for all people of color. Yet i often finds that i do whole-heartedly agree with other you use of color. Such as uu world senior editor kenny wiley and reverence morales takahashi morris and erika mcnatt and morrison read. In 2013 after i heard about the brutal beating of mikey partida a latino man because he was gay. I felt devastated. What was his family going through. His mother. As a mother of two sons of color i wonder. What is that where my son. And what does this say about davis. Can i be proud to call this my home is hate crimes happened here. I felt that i had to do something. I believe in the old adage the only way to change things is to do it yourself not to wait for others. So i organized a meeting and invited community and church members. I also invited members of a group called not in our town. They are national groups in film and post. On their website how communities and the u.s. respond to crises heal and grow. I'm fat ass. Davis fina phoenix coalition is on their website and also the when the church in tennessee the gunman went in there that's also on their website. From that meaning the davis phoenix phoenix coalition was born. The coalition is made up of a committed an action-oriented group of people. We are diverse in terms of our ethnicities sexual orientations classes ages places places of employment and perspectives. But i think we're all filled with deep admiration and respect for each other. And that's what makes us effective. How effective. Well in this time the davis phoenix coalition is thriving. In just the past year we have done many amazing things. We became a nonprofit organization put on a vigil for the charleston nine put on the davis pride run for equity and the festival. Put on a chat with the chief. Event which address hate and davis. Sponsored drag queen bingo which was great raunchy fun and march. Tables at the davis farmers market sacramento pride and at the cesar chavez memorial celebration celebrated international peace day and raise funds for and attended a not in our town national gathering in montana. I believe in breaking down the barriers is create create an us. And of them. Being active in the phoenix coalition and uniting for racial justice. Are meaningful ways i do just that. At our last urj meeting we discussed displaying a black lives matter banner in archer. As several other churches have done. Most of us are in support of this. There will be more to come on that. So thanks for listening to me express my voice. Good morning i want to thank each of you for being here today it's so special for all of us to see your shining faces very special poem that is very dear to us and written by a good friend hakeem bellamy who is the first poet laureate of albuquerque new mexico. Michael i'm sorry it's not fair at least i got to meet my grandchildren before my people turned on me i should have told you that that's your hugs and hope will end in an embrace of gunpowder. Then 1 million people can beat 1 million bullets but all i will take his one bullet to be to michael we have more in common than our four children and our changed names more than nobel peace prize gossip cold gel cell floors and impressed underclass more than henry david thoreau and cowards who are too afraid to die for anyting calling us.. And flag and pistol one in the cradle and sends them off to war that we won't die of old age or tuberculosis like henry that nonviolent resistance ends differently for people with our color skin there should have been another chapter for us. Thank you that was lovely are you use this principle is the right of conscience and use of the democratic process within our congregations and society at large. I like that. What does that mean to unitarians. What does that mean to society. A lot of having a voice is wrapped up in power and influence. Just ask anyone not represented at our tables what it's like not to have one. Recently i was chatting online with a friend of mine and she had said i look a lot like my mother connie and i said thank you and i remembered that her mother had passed and i expressed my condolences saying i'm so sorry i heard dolores has passed away and she said yes she passed in 2010 at the age of 53. 53 that's so young. I messaged her and said please send my condolences to your older and younger brother who also must be hurting like yourself. I didn't receive a message back right away but the next day received an email that said amber i'm so sorry to have to tell you this way but keaton was murdered in 2005. And my heart dropped. Murdered he would have been 25. How could this have happened how could i not have heard. I grew up in the 80s and 90s and ithaca new york which is a small college town a lot like david's except a lot colder in the winter time this is where cornell university is and as a result of cornell's presents we have a large international population in my middle school in high school i made a lot of friends with people from different countries such as egypt south africa pakistan and japan and these are my friends my whole life's i maintain contact with many of them today. My parents divorced when i was 11 and my mom brother and i moved to a small apartment complex in the north side of town near the airport verbally called northwood apartments these apartments had many families like ours in fact downstairs was a single mother with three children also struggling to make ends meet and our mothers became fast friends dolores and connie would sit over coffee talkin about the massive challenges of raising children alone on limited incomes about their exes. But mostly about their hopes for our futures and how we would succeed. They chose those apartments because they were a little safer than the ones downtown and we could roam around at night without supervision without worrying that we would get hurt. Our mothers would stashaway ones and fives tens and 50s in little envelopes earmarked for rent and once rent was paid they could pay the electrical bill and once electricity was paid for we could go grocery shopping and once in awhile we could have something extra like new clothes or dessert or a bicycle if we were really lucky and that was called making ends meet only now when i'm an adult and i really understand how hard that must have been for mothers to struggle as they did. Well i became friends with the kid downstairs were of similar age and i was mystified by his voice he would like around the neighborhood at all hours of the day shouting out for his friends to join us come outside let's go. That is until i was chatting with his sister and found out that he'd been killed. I spend a lot of time thinking about this. You see. The only main difference between keaton's family and my family is his family is black. A my family as white. And i couldn't help but think about if the tables have been turned in my family were black that that could have been my family suffering those losses because my mom didn't get the preventive care she needed or. I was in the wrong neighborhood at the wrong time and somebody felt i looked dangerous. I might not be alive here today. If i was at a black church today people might be thinking who is this crazy little white girl talking about what she does not know about. And they would be right. You see. I don't know i don't know what it's like to go into retail store and be followed around because i look like i might be somebody who is going to steal something. I don't know what it's like to be stopped so often at the airport for security that i actually schedule an additional 30 minutes into my program of travel knowing that i may be pulled aside. I'm not pulled over so often for driving my own car because it looks a little fancier than the one that i should have and questioned whether i stole it. I don't have to deal with on a day-to-day basis. But i'm beginning to know what i don't know. And what i don't know is a lot. There is a stark over-representation of black people in prison and a stark under-representation of black people as ceos and in our congress. You see wife is still the color of money. And white is still the color of power. And we need to work on changing that. It makes a difference in who has a voice. In the way that lives are lived. And whether they are lived at all. It makes a difference in whether a child is pushed towards an athletic scholarship. Or whether they're encouraged to pursue math and science. I'm in a man recently who reminded me a lot of my friend keen he was jovial and weighty he cracks jokes and laugh at them so quickly we didn't even have a chance laugh of them with him but the main difference is. He's alive and keaton is not. He happens to be white and he's in a successful investment banker and i want to see more successful black investment bankers. And i want to see young black men and women live to become those bankers and leaders. I'm not saying that race is the only factor i'm saying it's often a big factor. There is no question in my mind that keaton had a voice after all you could hear it. any block away before he even arrived. But that's not really the question the question is that other people hear his voice and really listen. As unitarian universalist we like to think that we give everyone a voice. But i learned that our doors are open to everybody but is that really true. For example. We're mostly older academic congregation we're not really out in the street corners inviting conservative christian republicans into our congregations and maybe that's for us. It may be practical but we are also in a mostly older mostly white congregation and maybe that's intentional too and maybe that's okay if that's our goal but i've heard a lot of discussion lately. Even at their general assembly about the need to diversify or at least build bridges to other organizations who are diverse. If this is really our goal. And we want to be more diverse we want to build those bridges to other organizations then we need to do a lot of these thinking and not deep thoughts by jack handey from saturday night live but real actual deep analysis and asking about what don't we know what are we missing. Why are we not appealing to outsiders. What's stopping us from building those bridges that we need to build. Now when i was a graduate student at the university of new mexico in my policy and planning class we were given an assignment the seems simple enough at the time. Go out and be a minority among the group of people. Now i had friends that i've known for years and i've been at their home sharing meals with their family but this was a little different i had to go be the minority in a large group so i found a traditional hispanic catholic church in santa fe one of the oldest and i went to their early morning service and i was the only white person there and the service was all in spanish and latin and i didn't understand a word of it and there was a lot of sitting. Not really. I kind of just let them fend for themselves. Well how does that make that person feel do they feel welcome do they want to come back if they're being ignored. Maybe not. So to that point i encourage each of us to go out. And be the minority. There is a korean-american church here in davis there is a chinese-american church there is a mosque in sacramento there are many mostly black churches there a churches and spiritual gatherings for different backgrounds and i'm asking each of you. To go out called advanced they don't freak people out. Find out the protocol which door you need to go into what's going on when you need to be there. Mb. The minority. I want you to experience what that's like. Find out how did you feel we're people helpful did they not help you what would you like to see done differently and then bring that back here. I had an experience recently where i went to a meeting and one of our congregants now mind you have been coming here two years for those of you who don't know then. Was so happy to see me and say hey you remember her church that's amazing and i said yeah i've been going for two years now. But that's what happens when we are so comfort in our comfort zones that we don't take the time to reach out and get to know other people who might be a little different from us different from us. Think about that. We see this in our daily lives and censorship in false advertising and intimidation. And those little jokes that degrade people. And in those moments the loud are the powerful majority in the quiet are powerless. We need to change that. Now often when something changes people can feel friends and they might lash out. Or conversely they might turn inward. And silence themselves but change is necessary if we want to grow. And to me that means standing up and taking responsibility each of us. For the under-represented it means continuing to show up. I cannot emphasize that more showing up is 80% of the battle you don't do anything you're there that's amazing grace. It also means continuing to speak out. Even when it's hard. Even when it's hurtful. And we're stretching ourselves because guess what that one time when you're hurt. It can be amazing. Now for the over-represented and the privilege like myself. There's another task. It means listening. And asking what the other person needs. Those folks have different stories than us. We need to listen all the way through before we begin with our own straight away i did that 20 i went to mexico mexico so we need to ask what the other person needs and then. Stay around for the answer. Recently i heard a story about a young woman who is in a grocery store and she happens to be african-american and she just heard about the nine murders that happened in that church. She started crying and an older wealthy looking white women camp is simplest to matter you okay and she kind of said i'm okay i'm okay are you okay what's the matter can i help you and then when this young woman start to explain that she was feeling deep pain because people who are like her had been shot down. The way older women didn't know what to do she panics and she's okay okay cuz i got to go and then. Last woman crying there after offering to help her see if we have to stick around. To listen to what's needed and then try to help. Offer a hug. Ask for we can do. Now change husband. Significant recently we have our first black president and i felt a flood of relief when brock was elected but it has been too slow to arrive for many like my friend keaton and the many other. Black young men and women who have been murdered or imprisoned. It is up to each of us. To try to be the change in the world. And go out and listen. Asquith needed and stick around for the answer. And then share our own stories. In closing i encourage each of us to the go out. And be the minority visits the congregation or a spiritual gathering or any kind of group or where difference. And come back with what that was like and apply those answers and questions to our own congregation so that we can truly be the built bridge that we wants to be. Thank you. A prayer for emmanuel church. And the people's charleston. A prayer for us all. By sarah lambert. Dear god of sorrow and love. Are there no places of safety from hate. Are there no sanctuaries from racism. Are there no walls fortified with love that can withstand violence. We pray this day. For the nine members of emanuel african methodist episcopal church of charleston. Who were senselessly shut down in their house of worship. We pray for strength for those who have lost their loved ones. Have lost. Their pastor have lost the sanctity of religious community. Have lost. Their lives. So much sorrow. Pain and loss. So many tragic and violent acts. One following the next. So much grief. Please help us hold whole as a flickering flame. Help us to build solidarity. To witness. To grasp hands. To build courage. To do the right thing. In the name of love. I meant. Each of us is a part of an intricate web of relationships. When one of us celebrates a joy or grieve the loss. A web of life moves to a new shape. You're apart of the turn of the earth. The shift of the stars the pull of the sea and all change all men and blessed be. If everybody could take hands please i wish for all of us to go forth into the world and bring our lights with us to shine. I wish for us to be the voices and to listen to other voices so that we can build the bridges that need to be built goforth listen and let your voices be heard. Amen blessed be.

uudavispodcast_org

2015-05-17_Coming-of-Age-Celebration_09_303.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. org for further information. Good morning my name is cade raymond i'm the director of lifespan learning at this church and i am so happy to see you all here and to see so many nervous youth. Frigidaire right. So i want to welcome especially any newcomers who are here today. You are very welcome we hope you'll feel at home if you've been looking for a congregation where your doubts are respected. Grief's are comforted joys are celebrated. Your concerns are shared. Reason is honored. And you're need to serve others is fostered. If you have been looking for a congregation where your children are taught about others religions and invited to grow in faith leadership and service. Then perhaps you have found your home here. Welcome to the unitarian universalist church of davis we hope you will all not rush off after the service but stay and talk with the youth horse sharing their kratos this morning and perhaps meet a new friend or two. Blessings. Good morning and welcome to the coming-of-age celebration sunday in one of the leaders of the program this year along with kate and meghan i guess we're sort of the operations people to facilitate the conversations that occur between and among the youth in the mentors. Next hour. Will hear experiences and beliefs from the youth in our congregation fasten your seatbelts the ride continues program at many intellectually and physically challenging discussions and experiences both individually in pairs between the youth and dementors and as a larger group. Speaking of the mentors i do need to pause and recognize inspiring commitment of time and emotional energy that each mentor made this year to the cope program in the youth. Thank you to all of you. Program in the last eight months meeting. One two sundays a month in the afternoons down in the bridge house as well as going on three retreats to sonoma san francisco and east bay we discussed life death after life the guide you do or don't believe in. Social justice the meaning and practice of leadership. Denominational elevator speeches history including matching some famous you use with their most similar member of the beatles we had a lot of john lennon's goes to support davis community meals. And individually to sit quietly outside in nature for most of the day. I recall being about the same age as this coming-of-age group back when telephone said cords computers were mainframes there wasn't any internet tv with three networks. Are packing for a 10-day backpacking trip to them into mexico and i was watching richard nixon on tv announcing his resignation as president so everyone's doing the math how old is tammy to find our way. Now with technology we connect globally with handheld devices. A world of knowledge in the gadget smaller than most pilots. When we need to navigate gps. I still like using maps though i like to see beyond the next left turn dictated by the voice on the gadget. I like to understand the full context of the journey to see the options to the east to the west. Scripture on that side the east to the west. Understanding the less traveled backroads what the options are out there. I know that all the youth in this group are perfectly capable of navigating with gps. But i also believe that your experience in this church in the re-program and the koa program is giving you a map and a compass to see the broader context the back road options and the diverse orientations as you navigate your life journeys. I'm impressed with your intellect. Your energy and your intentions. Through this color program i found optimism. I look forward to the day when you and your generation are leaders and innovators living and sharing your beliefs and your values. Thank you. Please join jamie-lynn and i as we light our talis this morning. We call this light before us. And hope that we may always remain a strong community. Working together to make the world a better place. When we are grieving or sad. When we are challenged. When we need help. This plane guys us out of the darkness. When we are cheerful when we celebrate when we accomplish great pack we return to a place that makes us happy the cellist reminds us to share our happiness with others. When i started looking back at this year with the spectacular group of youth and mentors i tried to think of ways that i had seen the youth come of age. I found myself stuck. For the most part i could not think of any visible or explainable accomplishments i had seen them naked because of this program. At first this jaime disappointed. I was feeling that the other leaders and i had not done our jobs of providing ways for these youth to grow. Then i started to realize that really it was as this group as a whole was already very mature and connected to their inner thoughts and feelings. When i realize this. Examples of how the youth already were able to support themselves and more importantly support each other. Came flooding into my head. Here just a few. At our first coming-of-age event they as a group delivered a well-thought-out and eloquent argument to the leaders for why they should be able to stay up later and go play on the playground when we created and explained almost every portion to the adult mentors. Our meetings throughout the year were filled with thoughtful discussions about ideas brought forward by the youth not the adults. While at one of our weekend district retreats i saw you one use from our church looking sad. As i started walking towards them i saw that another use for my church was already there to comfort and support them. Two weeks ago when i heard our youth practice their kratos i found myself nodding in agreement with some of the statements they were sharing that i had never thought of before. I was unable to identify ways that we as adults. this group of youth. But i came up with a list of ways that they impressed and taught each other and myself. As a group you have had a lot of big life events happen this year. I haven't seen you handle them with poise and resiliency. As poet samuel allman rates maturity is the ability to think speak and act your feelings. Within the bounds of dignity. The measure of your maturity is how spiritual you become during the midst of your frustrations. Color participants. You have are all more mature. Thoughtful. Carrying an in tune with the needs around you than i think you realize. You did not need our teaching. Because you are fully capable a teaching yourselves and each other. Thank you for a wonderful year of learning. What do i believe. A complicated and confusing questions answer. But i'll give it my best shot. What do i believe. I believe in life. I believe in the light fire that burns in everything. The fire that drives us to stand for what we believe i believe in love. I believe in the love that pushes us to fight for our passions. The leviticus strength even to the weakest. I believe in my family. I believe in my sister mia's art career my father's choice to be a minister. My brother k pursuit of a job that he enjoys and my brother alex his ability to live a full life. I believe in my dreams. And i believe in my friends. I believe in their dreams and their ambitions. I believe in their music i believe in their arch i believe in them i believe in music i believe in dance i believe in theater. I believe in a lot of things i believe in the simple i believe in beauty weather comes from a place or from some random people from the internet on the screen of your laptop at 2 a.m.. I believe that a riot is the language of the unheard. This is what i believe. My mind is a strange confusing and sometimes scary place. Who knows maybe one day i'll decide that i believe in something completely different but for now that is what i believe. I believe that i work best under pressure i only finished this last night and what it is i believe because i believe so many things cuz i hold so much to be true the issues not knowing what i believe my issues knowing what words to use and what movements. No not scared to share my truth. But that does not help the words take shape. Yes yes i believe in fate and goes i believe all is sacred everything is an infinitely connected beyond our understanding. I believe that we should not ask them hates but the evil is only a prospective i believe that the blue from love is the objective the intentions we send out do eventually come around. I found to be true the gender is only as social constructs one that i'm not persuaded to conform to. Is there something else i discovered to be true. At least for me a bit squeamish to put it quite simply and spirituality. Does it take from different shapes but it's all the same. I believe though i know i'm constantly falling in love with everyone around me. Is everyone and everything is beautiful in some way. And no one is insignificant. All is sacred and all is equal and nothing is perfect. And i just can't help but find myself falling in love. I wouldn't cash. 20 and cookies and guitars and trees. And i believe in music. which is so wondrous. That which holds beauty and power beyond our comprehension. I believe that music speaks to the soul. I believe in the power of empathy and that of community that it is our duty not only serve others but not to forget ourselves in the process. We are on our own pods to wherever it is that we intend to be whatever it is we intend to find. Schedule fulfillment. Transcendence enlightenment or simply a good friend in a cup of dark coffee. It is of the utmost importance to truly look within each other. Beyond the label investments. Cuz then then we no longer have a need for violence. Then we can truly attain peace. I believe this is so much more. Because i'm a dreamer and i believe i'm not the only one with me thank you. For years i regarded our churches co program with great reverence and for that time i secretly wish to be chosen as a mentor i've never told anyone this before because i wanted to actually pick me as their mentor and not be talked into it so i was thrilled to be chosen this year by kira and it's been a great learning experience for me. Even the young adults some of him talk of wanting to be seen by the congregation as more mature have an unmistakable silliness inside that sometimes comes through it seems to me that today's youth however are being unnecessarily stressed out and forced to get serious about life way too fast at our sessions i've heard of countless tales of barely coping with massive amounts of uninspiring schoolwork relationship issues medical problems all leading me to believe that today's youth are being increasingly burdened and as an educator i hope to help change this sunday. I also hope that our church can be a place where you can unload their troubles through check-ins sharing and good friendships as we continue to learn and grow i hope to see them deepening their ties with the adults in our church and taking on leadership roles. I strongly feel that churches in general are going to have to evolve if they want to stay alive and although i believe church as we know it may be quite different in the future i'm comforted in my belief that the generation that includes these color use will be adequately equipped to run things well. Xxx me not be able to come up with a solution to a problem whether it is a math science english-french to justin everyday dilemma i don't know the solution to a problem i get an unpleasant feeling in my gut a sort of inner discontent. This discontent succeed and most things i felt stress alert us to do. Like school or training for sports. I've learned much about myself through that discontent as well. My inner discontent with failure has taught me that i want to succeed and everything that i do but that's no different than many other competitive people. What is different is how far i will go to achieve success. In all honesty i don't know or i'll go to succeed. I'm still trying to figure all that out. I think it all depends on how strongly i feel about whatever it is i'm doing but no matter what i'm doing. Whether i give it my all or not. If possible i will try my best to not give up. Honorhealth declared as much as possible i don't want on my behalf but even more i don't want to feel myself i feel the only way to truly feel is to quit on myself or others if i fail the win a game. Forget it and a test but i see it through. Learn i can work harder next time and i can learn from my mistakes. But when i quit i cheat myself out of succeeding and knowledge. Not quitting is difficult sometimes because i have to work against anxiety often i getting anxious when socializing with many other people are thinking about failure. And i often become quiet for very nervous. This can lead me to say something i regret very much at all. But when i'm playing sports is different the nervousness all goes away because i trust myself to succeed. I do that if i work hard enough. I can overcome any unemployment. I love being on the quarter. Or in the weight room or on the field because i don't have to worry. I can focus on myself i'm enjoy what i'm doing. Sometimes it is stressful to work hard but it's a different kind of stressed and when i get it from socializing for school. The stressful sports are is to achieve greatness and i enjoy that. It feels good to be motivated. It feels even better to see my hardware to pay off. I don't know where all that's going to leave me. But i know i will work hard to get there. So who am i. I'm a hard worker. I'm competitive. I'm athletic i love sports. I'm shy but that doesn't mean i'm not confident. But most of all. I care about myself my family and my friends most of all and i feel lucky and grateful to have them thank you. This may just be the teenage send me but i like to consider myself a pretty independent person. But when it comes down to it i'm controlled by nearly everything around me. Societal norms parents teachers the government. Which marks the question is anyone truly free. There's certainly moment when you feel free. Running through a field dancing in the rain and letting your hair and wild. But what is it in those moments that give you that other lieffring peace of mind. I was told by a friend that freedom is the absence of fear. But i don't know if that's necessarily true. There's always the fear in the back your mind that someone can take your freedom away. And. I want to know why it's so important to all of us and why we hold it so dear to her heart. We all crave freedom and we feel bad when other people don't have it that's why there's always has campaigns to free. Insert country and. And we also empathetic about it. But you can't really define what freedom is as a feeling. As of right. I wish i had the answer to this question but as i am not able to get out of bed some days i'm faxing. how the secrets of the universe searching for them is something i look forward to. Even if the thirst my curiosity is never quenched the adventure along the way it will keep me from being charged. Do the strangers in the room. It is clear that i have a head i have all of the usual facial features limbs fingers and toes that send a message to your brain telling you that this person is in fact a real human. Strangers print out your brains are reliable i am human female identify the unitarian universalist teen living in the small town of davis california even though you wonderful strangers have put so much together so fast is still a lot more to me than your mom's can put together. Hello my name is jamie lynn were to hubert i'm a girl who smiles a lot lots of lots and lots of life i see myself as someone who likes to solve problems someone who cares and someone who worries a little more than they should. To talk to your husband's house exciting hectic and filled with both tears and laughter it's been hard and good and bad ways but for my crazy life and quit combined in all of the savior i got the chance to test myself learn about myself and i also learned to love myself just a little bit more. I've been at this church since i was about six. I'm 40 now. This community of open minds hands and hearts has been a big part of my life. I've learned a lot not only about respect and what it means to buu but also a lot about myself. When we first came to the church i had noticed the skylight above our heads i noticed the wooden panels that reminded me of the balcony railing every sunday i came to service with my family i would look up at the skyline of ours and i believed that this was where god came to visit i believed that on sundays he would come down from the heavens leaned over the balcony and listen thoughts and our prayers that was held over the years of my beliefs about every sunday morning to check in but i do believe we have our own vision of god what did that mean maybe the man that leans over his railing every sunday morning or something different. For me we are god however you define it or connections our relationships are when keep us connected and quite frankly saying we depend so much on the support that others around us give we are not always aware we're thankful for it. I am thankful for this church which has been which has been a constant source of for support. Especially this year i had faced challenges regarding relationships relationships with family relationships with friends and even for the first time in my life a romantic relationship. Through the struggles i realize the importance of who you surround yourself with respect honor love laughter and support are the five most necessary qualities in any relationship family and i also discovered that when you surround yourself with people that have these qualities it's a form of self-care also makes hard times a little less hard over my past 8 years learning growing and celebrating here this church has felt like my home and his congregation at my family. Earlier i called you spader's and that's because individually many of you are indeed a strange there's nothing unfamiliar to me about my congregation as a whole that he find me as human i have all of the values that define me as a unitarian universalist and i am the thoughts ideas and beliefs that define me and shimmy lindsey word thank you. I am 8 years ago. From that time forward i was home i was not raised with religion institutionalized or otherwise it when i was 14 no one asked me what i thought for what i believed of course it didn't stop me from telling people. I was just sitting there i couldn't get up. So this is something. That we're excited about doing this year and we hope you'll be happy to be part of it it's called the community the congregational welcome and so the idea that is this. So after going through the year of meeting a series of challenges and learning more about life's big questions becoming a beige shoes. Obviously has shared with you much of what they hold most dear the sharing of their kratos which is not an easy thing to do isn't offering to you all to us all. A step toward connection a step towards being a mature member of this congregation. So how did you receive their offering. Did their kratos move you or stirrup questions perhaps you're filled with appreciation or inspiration. Here's the invitation for us for you. You are warmly invited. To me please use after today's service. To introduce yourself. And share how their kratos affected you the youth who smoke today will be in the social hall and looking forward to speaking with you. I want to invite now the coming-of-age youth to join me here at the front of the sanctuary together in a circle here in front of the pulpit can all come down. Nor does everyone enjoy the companionship that you've shared with one another along this coming-of-age pathway the journey of religious exploration and spiritual exercise and theological inquiry is of course an ending but today we mark with you an important threshold on the journey you've begun. Today is the last time you will be together as a coming-of-age group. As a part of this unitarian universalist community we want to surround you today blessing you on your journey celebrating your movement to a new stage and religious exploration and committing to you that we will continue the journey alongside you. So now invite the coming-of-age minter's to join us here and stand behind your coming-of-age you place your hands on their shoulders. We recognize the role of mentor as an especially important one and all of our lives. A roll of steady companionship. Of sharing in laughter and in tears. Of wisdom emerging from surprising places. Of mutual growth. Aziz mentor surround the youth with whom they've journeyed we celebrate with you the time you shared and thank you for the dedication and commitment you've made to the lives of these youth. The relationships you've nurtured together will contribute to the continued cultivation of our entire community here at the unitarian universalist church of davis. And for that we are all blessed. Now i'd like to invite the family of these coming-of-age use to come forward surrounding your youth and these mentor is placing your hands upon their shoulders and a touch of blessing. We are grateful that you have entrusted this congregation especially kate raymond and the coming-of-age leaders and these minters to companion your youth on the coming-of-age journey. We recognize this as a sacred task and we do not take the responsibility lightly. We celebrate with you the growth your you have experienced. And the congregation of uucd commits to continue alongside them and alongside you as the unending journey of inquiry and growth continues. As a blessing of the community we share here at uucd i now invite the entire congregation to reach out your hands to move forward if you can to place hands upon one another all the way to the front. Share with me in this benediction by eric williams. Blessed is the path on which you travel. Blessed is the body that carries you upon it. Blesses your heart that has heard the call. Blessed is your mind that discerns the way. Blessed is the gift that you will receive by going. Truly blessed is the gift that you will become on the journey. May you go forth in peace. I'm in.

uudavispodcast_org

2015-09-06_Costs-of-Living_10_00-3.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california website at www.sec.gov org for further information. Good morning welcome to the unitarian universalist church of davis i am leanne d'amato your worship associate. And we are lucky to have starting ministry student jessica clay with us today welcome jessica. You will hear more about jessica later in the service. When we come here on sunday mornings we bring the gifts and imperfections of who we are. This is a community where we challenge each other. Encourage each other and support each other. Our work is to keep our site on the best that we can be. In this place we are surrounded. Biodiversity of religious beliefs god or whatever it is in which we place our ultimate trust. Is different for each of us and comes from our life experience. We celebrate those of all sexual orientations and gender identities. We welcome people of all races. Classes and political parties. And we will continue to work to build a world we dream about. And cherish the living earth. As our sacred home. Lighting are childless today is jessica clay. She is entering into her last year seminary at starr king school for the ministry in berkeley california. And it's a candidate for fellowship. With the uua. During her time at star king she has been involved in student body leadership. Filling the role of vice president her first year and president this past year. She has her master's in occupational therapy from pacific university and comes to ministry as a second career. Her call to ministry came within the unitarian universalist community church of santa monica. She was a very active member prior to moving to berkeley teaching re serving on the nominating committee and co-chairing the green committee. Since moving to berkeley in 2013 she has immersed herself in school. Pulpit supply preaching traveling to transylvania and volunteering at san quentin. This chalice is a symbol of the light and love we carry within us. Let it inspire us to go out into the world. And make it a better place. Thank you. I work in information technology. It is a fascinating field with very few women. Some of the companies i have worked for or apple bank of america barringer and sutter health to name a few. In each successive job i have had increasing responsibilities. I started out in the data processing department of the b of a when i was 18. Later in my career i ran a team of desktop computer support people. And another job i was the sole network engineer for the san francisco giants healthcare provider at pac bell park. Now known as at&t park. And now i own my own small computer business. Each job has been varied and a true learning experience. But the one common denominator each of them. What's the fact that the men i worked with some of whom had much less experience than i did. We're paid substantially more. Or they had no experience and they were paid the same. For example my duties at the company where i ran the desktop team included supporting all of the us offices. I wrote the company it newsletter did network administration and i supervise numerous employees. I purchased all the software and hardware for the company. My office co-worker had only one location to support. And yet she made $25,000 a year more than i. I once worked as a contractor at an oil company and was eating lunch one day with a man who'd just been hired and was new to computers as a career. We worked in the same department and had the same job title. But i had 25 years more experience than he. He asked me how much i was making. The same agency have placed both of us in the job. When i told him i was making $35 an hour he replied that amount was exactly what he was getting. When i later asked my recruiter why he was making the same amount as i with no experience he wouldn't answer me. On monday the california state senate unanimously passed the fair pay act. The act of being described as tougher than any federal law on equal pay. The bill ensures that male and female employees who perform substantially similar work. Receive equal pay. Even if their job titles aren't the same or if they work in different offices for the same employer. In addition employees would be able to ask about and discuss co-workers wages without fear of retaliation from their employer. Under the fair pay act. Employers must prove that wage differentials are based on seniority merit and other measurable factors. In california women earn $0.84 to every dollar a man earns. Nationwide it's only $0.78. It just an even wider gap for women of color. And the field where the gap. Is the biggest. Information technology. Where women with the same degrees and amount of experience make 70% less than the men. It is gone tour governor to sign he has said that he will sign it. I am thrilled the california is leading the way in equal pay for women. I hope it inspires other states to pass similar legislation. Now we are daughters and future generations of women in california will get what they have earned. Farepay. Are reading this morning is the low road by marge. Piercing. What can they do to you. Whatever they want. They can set you up. They can bust you. They can break your fingers. They can burn your brain with electricity. Blurry with drugs till you can't walk can't remember they can take your child. Wall of your lover. They can do anything you can't stop them from doing. How can you stop them. Alone you can fight. You can refuse. You can take what revenge you can but they roll over you. But two people fighting. Back-to-back can cut through a mob. A snake dancing file can break a cordon. An army can meet an army. Two people can keep each other sane can give support. Conviction. Love massage. Sex. Three people are a delegation. A committee a wedge. With for you can play bridge and start an organization with six you can rent a whole house. Eat pie for dinner with no seconds and hold a fundraising party. A dozen make a demonstration. 104 lahaul. 1000 have solidarity and your own newsletter 10000 power and your own paper. 100000. Your own media. 10 million your own country. It goes on one at a time. It starts when you care to act. It starts when you do it again after they said no. It starts when you say we. I know you mean. You know i know who you mean and each day you mean one more. In the gospel of matthew chapter 20 verses 1 through 16 jesus tells the parable of the workers in the vineyard. It goes the kingdom from heaven is like a landowner. Who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. After agreeing to pay the workers one denarius a day he sent them into his vineyard. When you went out about 9 he saw others standing in the marketplace without work. He told them you going to the vineyard to and i'll pay you whatever is right. So off they went. He went out again at noon and it about 3 and did the same thing. About 5 he went out and found some others standing around he asked them why are you standing here all day long without work they told him because no one has hired us. He told them you go into the vineyard as well. When evening came the owner of the vineyard told his manager call the workers and give them their wages. Beginning with the last and ending with the first. Those who were hired at 5 came and each received a denarius. When the first came they said they would receive more. But each received a denarius as well. When they received it they began to complain to the landowner. These last fellows worked only one hour but you paid them the same as us and we've been working all day and during the scorching heat. But he told them. Friend i'm not treating you unfairly you did agree. To work for me for a denarius didn't you. Take what is yours and go. I want to give this last man as much as i gave you. I'm allowed to do what i want with my own money and minot. Or are you envious because i am generous. In the same way the last will be first. The first will be last because many are called. But few are chosen. No the first time i read this parable i was a bit flummoxed. A call to my attention around issues of fairness if i was working in that vineyard i would be pretty annoyed. Can you imagine working all day and being paid the same amount as someone who worked for 1 hour. For many americans this happens daily as we live in this country where the 1% make so many decisions that affect those working below the poverty line. This parable asks us to look at what it is to be generous. And how generosity is entangled with our own concepts of fairness and equity. A postulates that heaven is here and now it's one gives generously. For many years the message of the american work ethic is if you pull up your bootstraps and work hard enough. You will be successful. What this message doesn't take into account is that not every landover owner is as generous as the one in this parable. Not every person in power gives freely. As we gather here in this church this morning generosity fairness and equity are present even in our worship services. As the offering plate is passed around many people give and give generously. When we are out in the world though how can we continue that spirit of giving. Intent upon creating the kingdom of heaven here and now that jesus spoke of. This weekend being labor day i'm mindful that it was started as a day to honor the labor movement. A movement which started out of people joining together to fight for fairness in wages and work hours. Because their voices were stronger together than apart. In the early 1800s many court cases were fought establishing and re-establishing laws to decide whether unions could even enter into the conversation. The first union was founded in 1866 and today and 2015 unions are continuously being put further and further at risk due to right-to-work laws. The parables of jesus call us to look at the questions. To look at our lives and the reflections of the stories and see how our morals and actions are supporting and hindering all of the people we are connected to. In this web of life. For many labor day is not a day about unions it's a vacation weekend with a lot of sales americans love to buy things at a discount but our love of discounts is also the thorn in our sides as we struggle to live a life where the money that is spent supports our values. For many the option of buying locally sourced grass-fed cage free food and clothing is not an option. It is an option for the socially conscious upper-class but when the organic t-shirt cost $60 and the t-shirt made in sri lanka costs five. We pick up the three login t-shirt. As our hearts twinge with the sadness of knowing that in purchasing it. We are committing an act of continuing oppression. I'm going to the carwash that refuses to let their workers form a union. We are committing another act. And going through the drive-thru of the fast food restaurant that is actively fighting not to raise the minimum wage. Another act is committed. This is one of the complexities of being human making choices every day. Choices to feed our families and ourselves choices about the clothes we put on our bodies and choices about our environmental impact. For many it is a fleeting thought one that comes in and swiftly goes because if we dwell on it if we really just sit with it our hearts can drown from the sadness and overwhelming feelings that accompany. When i walked by the person who is homeless and i feel so guilty that i don't have a dollar or some food on me to give them so often times the easiest thing can be to look the other way. Gets off and when i'm doing that i'm ignoring humanity when ignored i'm ignoring a part of myself. In buddhism the story of indra's net is one that can remind us of our interconnectedness alan watts describes it as imagine a multi-dimensional a multi-dimensional spider's web in the early morning covered with dewdrops and every dewdrop contains the reflection of all the other dewdrops and in each reflected dewdrop the reflections of all the other dewdrops are in that reflection and so ad infinitum this is the buddhist conception of the universe in an image we are all connected which is at least stated in one of our principles respect for the inherent web of life for which we are all apart and respect and and to let our generosity fuel despite i think of unions as the structures that ensure the connectedness of the web that continuously bring people together so that no one person is alone one of the ways that unions help to support workers is through wage negotiations they help to ensure that all are paid a fair and equitable wage recommended an increase in the minimum wage to $12.50 by the year 2020 this is significantly lower than the is hard one each dewdrop is reflected in another when we show up to city council meetings when we put signs in our yards that support the fight for 15 when we call our legislators we are generous in our effort for fairness equity and compassion in human relations and working towards creating a more equitable society during this campaign 3,000 people camped out on the lawn in washington dc for six weeks to fight for basic human rights. He encouraged poor people in america to come to washington dc to show the people in power that they're not just statistics that they are people. To fight for an economic bill of rights get here we are almost 50 years later and the wealth gap in this country is staggering people of faith are joining together to support another poor people's campaign to mark the 50-year anniversary this is being supported by the chiro center for religion rights and social justice. I sent her that was formed out of the efforts of seminarians at union theological seminary in new york they aim to strengthen the relationship between the world's religions and the global struggle for human rights places like this and people like you are the ones that are going to make a difference. When we can look at the fruit or vegetable in the supermarket and wonder where it came from wonder whose hands held it and pulled it from it's fine where they live what kind of conditions they sleep in and how much they are paid for this work this is the work of religious community this is the work that sparks of curiosity not from a place of charity but from a place of generosity to give because it is right to help to create the kind of world we imagine this is the work that we are called to do as interdependent human beings to show up at the city council meetings to go door-to-door in your neighborhood this is the work that is sacred that is bringing the divine into our lives jesus's parables are stories to reflect on what it is to live what it is to be in human relationship with one another all of the complicated messiness that occurs. I would be remiss if i didn't also make mention of the great effort it takes to sustain activist work for me when i was first involved in the climate change movement i felt a great burst of energy to do the work to make a difference as time went on and i continue to see the plastic bottles littering the streets and cars idling in parking lots i felt a sense of hopelessness. In her book trauma stewardship laura vandernoot lipsky says taking care of ourselves while taking care of others allows us to contribute to our societies with such impact that we will leave a legacy informed by our deepest wisdom and greatest gifts instead of burdened with our struggles and despair therefore to do social justice work we need to first find the practices that sustain ourselves to have the barbecues with ones dear to our heart to nurture seedlings from the earth to treat ourselves to things that replenish our soul often when the invite for a rally or city council meeting comes to my email i feel this immediate sense of guilt that i cannot do it and in my not attending i am contributing to continuing oppression. Get what i have to remind myself of it is i'm just doing my best that it starts with taking care of me then i am able to show up at the meetings knock on the doors and show by my actions that i care this labor day weekend the fight for a $15 minimum wage is alive and well in this community in neighboring communities the state of california and within our nation. This is an alignment with martin luther king's vision of economic justice with the buddha's vision of interconnectedness and with jesus's vision of generosity and calling us to look at our own issues around it may we within the spiritual community sustain ourselves and each other in order to do the work in the world that matters may we know that however we show up what matters is showing up for each other for ourselves and for those we pass on the street or whose lives intersect with ours that we may never meet face-to-face as it goes one at a time it starts when you care to act it starts when you do it again and they said no it starts when you say we know who you mean and each day you mean one more maybe so please join me. Today we pray for so many things. We pray for the refugees in syria. May they find homes food and safety and security. Today we pray for the unions. Maybe feel supported and their fight for a fair wage for all. Today we pray for all of the people starting school this week and last week. May they find the knowledge that they seek. And community within. Today we pray for the parents feeling the loss inherent within the transitions of children and young adults transitioning into school and different phases in their lives. We pray for all of the losses spoken and unspoken. The grief that can weigh on our hearts. May we find love and community within this place and ear when we need to talk a hug when we need comfort and a smile when we need laughter this is our prayer amen. I invite you to join hands if you don't feel comfortable joining hands just placed a hand on your chest let's all take another breath together. Are benediction today is from laurel and bellamy. If here you have found freedom. Take it with you into the world. If you have found comfort go and share it with others. If you have dreamed dreams help one another so that they may come true. If you have known love give some back to a bruised and hurting world going piece.

uudavispodcast_org

2014-12-07_What-Wondrous-Love_11-15.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons another recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california website at w.w. org for further information. Welcome you are welcome here if you are filled with joy or lost in the depths of your being you are welcome here if you have a message to share or a need to be quiet and listen you are welcome and all your fullness your race and culture sexual orientation and gender identity religious views or political party to honor the earth come to claim your spirituality. We are waiting. Hi my name is allison mccandless micromentor betsy raymond and today we are dedicating the opening words to re teachers i spent my entire life learning things. A story of gratitude at this church this ministry there any moment and aliveness shine through and gratitude. Good morning and i'm the chair of the sabbatical committee i've had the pleasure of serving with joyce takahashi marty west carol corbett for brief time stephen harvey while we were talking about worship since this summer we've been planning for reverend best upcoming sabbatical which will be from january 1st through may 31st of 2015.

uudavispodcast_org

2017-11-26-Mawlid-The-Life-of-a-Prophet.mp3?_=1

Welcome to sunday sermons another recording from unitarian universalist church of davis california www.dav.org for further information. Welcome to the unitarian universalist church of davis i'm danny lindstrom the intern and campus minister we are so glad you're here with us this morning. Good morning i'm tamara range today's worship associate. Unitarian universalist we believe that all people are inherently worthy and dignified. You are welcome here no matter how you identify or who you love no matter the color of your skin or your personal circumstance. No matter if the right no matter your understanding of god or life's big questions this community. Acknowledge all that is being held by the people in this room. We like one pillar candle. Sorrows of the world. For the moments that weigh heavy on our hearts. We like one pillar candle for the joys of this world for the moments of hope. And celebration. Now let us enter ourselves. Worship music. Good morning. Salaam alaikum. Peace and blessings of god be with all of you. This is the piece in praise of the prophet muhammad peace be upon him and his son arabic but i'll tell you what i'm saying so you don't have to guess it just says all god's prophet muhammad and his. Unitarian universalist chalice is a symbol of light and hope. If we bring light and hope into the sanctuary. Are childless today is louis hightower. We're very honored to receive her gifts of music today. Are opening words this morning come from marjorie bowen's wheatley. Our first task in approaching another people. Another culture. Is to take off our shoes. For the place we are approaching is holy. Else we'd find ourselves treading on another's dream. More serious still. We may forget the god was there before our arrival. Lemon pepper with me to share their devotion to the message of islam. And trade with me many stories of the prophet muhammad peace be upon him life. Today we are honoring the holiday moffitt. Which is the observance of the day of the prophet's birth. Movie exact day of the birth is still debated. The majority believes that he was born on the 12th day. Of the islamic month of rabi awal. Golden state will change on a 12-month gregorian calendar this year malibu begin sundown on thursday november. 20th. And the evening friday december. Service this morning will be honoring his birth in the way recommended by the muslim tradition telling stories of his life. Of his life both as a man and as a prophet. We also recognize that this is a chance to learn from two of our sources of unitarian universalism. First of the words and deeds of prophetic people switch challenges to confront powers and structures of evil with justice compassion and the transforming power of love also learning wisdom from one of the world religions. A few things that you might hear during the service first allah and allah is god in arabic. We'll speak of the quran. And the quran is essential religious texts for the muslim people and is a revelation from god to muhammad peace be upon him after the prom the prophet's name is said you will hear a salutation. For example muhammad. Peace be upon him. The peace be upon him is the salutation and is recited out of respect. For the prophet. Given our time today the stories have been shortened from what. If you're interested in learning more please email me after the service and i am so happy to provide you with resources to continue learning. We come into this space to learn a bit more about the prophet muhammad peace be upon him and about the man we will hear stories from his life. We will care lessons he has learned and we. Can learn from him. Maybe remember to take off our shoes because the place we are in is holy. The celebration. And the life that we are learning about. Is coley. There is a building in the center of islam's most sacred site. It's called the kabob. Damaged in a flash flood in about 600 ce. Everyone in the neighboring clans agreed that the building needed to be rebuilt at that point. It was very time-consuming and labor-intensive but all the clans participated together in the hard work. Muhammad peace be upon him was part of the construction. The new kabob. When the work was about half completed mclambs decided that it was time to return the fabled. Blackstone. Traditional position on the eastern wall. This stone is very precious because. Around it it was a white meteorite that fell from the heavens. And it turn to black because of the sins of man. Blackstone was the one physical reminder of the deep ancestry of the makin's. So the clans off bot. Over who would have the honor of putting that blackstone. And its rightful place. It was a violent argument. With some of the clans promising blood war if another clan was to move that stone. One grave elders avoided civil war. Through the gate. Be the person that would help decide. Who would have the privilege of moving the stone place. It was muhammad peace be upon him. Kate. Clans versus co happy because muhammad peace be upon him. Was also known as alla i mean. Which means trustworthy. Muhammad peace be upon him. In his wise assessment of the situation. Decided to lay this play his robe on the ground. Benny picked up a stone and he said the stone. And then he said. Will the elders and each clan. Please come and grab a corner. Myro. Elder picked up a corner of the roach and they move the stone to the position. This way all plans can say that they. Had a part of moving the sacred blackstone. This particular story of muhammad peace be upon him wisdom. Solidified further his moral and to his followers. Author explains that there is a saying in the arabic language that means reward is proportionate to action. Not everything in his life had been so simple. His first wife often called the first believer believe him to be a prophet before he believed it himself. He had journeyed to tiny's to meet with the chiefs of the city. But none of the chiefs would listen to him. Only rejected his message. Animated show. 3 miles. They threw rocks. He was considered an outcast in his own city and abused at every turn. It was during this time that allah chose to reward him with what is known as i listened and my ha. The miraculous journey to jerusalem and ascension to the heavens. It started with a cleansing of the prophet heart to ready him for the journey. The angel gabriel the same messenger who spoke to abraham of his son isaac. The same messenger who spoke to mary of jesus. Jesus came to muhammad. The creature that was somewhere between a mule and a donkey and together the three traveled to jerusalem in one. When they arrived on the temple mount. He found himself face-to-face with the prophets of old. Abraham jesus and many others who have been on earth were there to greet him. Muhammad peace be upon him lead them in prayer. And then he remounted the barak. And ascended into heaven. A journey only a few before him had taken. Jesus. The prophet and the prophet elijah. He passed through each of the seven layers of paradise and again he saw the process. From adam to jesus greeted him and called him brother. When he was alone and all of the peasants 50 units. Five daily prayer for his for his nation people to pray 60 times per day. And the prophets descend from the heavens he passed by moses who was eager to hear what i like i told him. Requested 50 prayers a day. Moses asked muhammad peace be upon him to go back to allah and ask for fewer prayers. Moses's experience with the israelite that 50 prayers was too much to ask of any followers. He recommended that muhammad peace be upon him go back and ask allah for less. Discontinued this back-and-forth muhammad peace be upon him. 5 prayers every. The reward is proportionate to the action the prophet had suffered greatly for the message that he believed for the message that he was chairing and it was greatly rewarded. In their book the life and work of muhammad peace be upon him explained that it was this gift from allah this gift of seeing the next world that would give the prophet the spiritual stamina and conviction to carry his message forward. On earth in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. All the gifts of the ascension renewed muhammad peace be upon him spirit and his conviction. The muslim people were still facing persecution in mecca. Under his suggestion the muslim people begin to move to medina. Within the first year a pact of religious tolerance was agreed upon by the people of medina between the christians the jews and the muslims. According to author it was through this congress. Which occurred during the first year in medina that their views on god jesus and mohammed were discussed intensely. It was through these intense debate debate of muhammad it was through these discussions that the christians and muslims specifically entered into an agreement which would allow for their peaceful coexistence. Describe the medina charter. Which states that as soon as muhammad peace be upon him entered madina. Duties of muslims as well as jewish people as christians and pagans and proclaimed freedom of religion for everyone. They were united under one nation one houma. What you may recall from the second-story is how all of the scribe definition of. The medinatura firm to the following rights for all in medina. Specifically for non-muslims the security of god was equal for all groups. Non-muslim members had the same political and cultural rights. As muslims and freedom of religion. Non-muslims would take up arms against the enemy of the nation and the cost of war. Against the enemy of the nation. But they were not obliged to take part in any religious wars. Medina was just a city-states this party lasted until the beginning of the umayyad dynasty in 1661. Admittedly destroys curare simplification of the events of the congress of the three religions and the bendena charter but it is important to recognize that info freedom of dialogue freedom of religious belief and relief from persecution was what was important for each of these three groups. Leader in medina muhammad freedom. Together in one city in one. Each story has represented a time in the life of the prophet. The great wisdom he showed when he was young when rebuilding. Need for him to be reassured that being a profit isn't easy but that reward is appropriate. To the action. Finally that with new conviction and spiritual stamina he was able to continue to spread his message a message that included religious freedom. Maybe learn from the words and deeds of prophetic people who challenges to confront powers and structures of evil with justice. Compassion and the transforming power of love. Please join me in the spirit prayer and reflection. Spirits. Spirits of love. Heartache and celebration. Remind us that we need each other. The victim of sexual harassment and assault their stories choose whose stories are still painful to share. Egypt on friday in love their family and their community. In love. And sorrows. A today. And love situation and celebrations that we have brought with us. Space. Maybe remember to lean on others when we meet you. Remember to hold up when they meet us to. May we have the courage to do both. We are together this interconnected web of all existence. Together by love. And by hope. Spirit of life as we look to the flame of the challenge help us find what we need. I'm blessed. Please connect with one another in a way that feels comfortable. Are benediction comes from leslie takahashi morris. And that we have ever been stands with us on the brink of all that we aspire to create. A piece. Amore embracing home. Greater generosity of spirit. A deeper joy in this life we share. What does congress congregation say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

2018-05-06-From-You-I-Receive.mp3?_=4

Sunday sermons from unitarian universalist church of davis california. org for further information. Congregate. Oregon need to be quiet and she just listen. You're welcome. Sexual orientation or gender identity your religious views your political party. Connect to claim your spirituality. Come to build the world is possible. Transform your life. Good morning i'm lily roberts worship associate today. I would like to invite and hellman ted swift and their daughter grace down to help me with the chalice lighting. I've gotten to know ted through the tasty theology and he's also rav assistant often on sundays. This morning we joined congregations all across the united states and around the world. In a ritual that signifies that our worship begins. That we are to enter into this sacred hour with one another. Bringing with us. Into this space our joys. Our sorrows and our fears. We light our chalice the symbol of unitarian universalism. A flame of hope. The light of community. Flickering behind us. Reminding us that we are not alone. Our opening word. Are a poem written for flower communion by thomas rhodes. Sound familiar to some other poems in here. We've heard over the year. We come in a variety of colors shapes and sizes. As you can see here. Some of us grow alone. Some of us are cups in word. And some of us spread ourselves. Wyd. Some of us are all tired and tougher than we appear. Some of us are spilling. Some of us grow ground. And some of us stretch toward the sun. Sometimes. Some of us are prickly sometimes. And all of us are beautiful. What a bouquet of people we are. With the name like lily. It's a celebration of who i am. A unique member of a diverse community. And of course a lily is a flower like a calla lily. My first name is actually lily. I was named after my grandmother lillian and my godmother lila. But by the third grade i had dropped the lie. When writing my name at school. And became just plain lily. When i was young. Lily was not a common little girl's name. Like it is now. I was teased about my name. Another could say hurtful things like lily pad. These words made me feel like i did not belong. And maybe sad. Wants to feel alone. Heaven is a field of lilies and other flowers. A light breeze. And buzzing with honey bees. On a sunny day. I recall fondly when i was 5 years old. Lying on my back in the grass with my best friend angela hernandez. And we were staring up at a big blue bubble. In an unusually blue sky in fort lewis washington outside of seattle. I remember sharing with her that i felt like we were inside a big blue bubble. Angela taught me how to say words in spanish like azula for blue or amigo for friend. Mint. Angela and i would watch the bees. Sing around the clover. And then we would walk carefully. Sos not to step on them. We would chase away other kids who had glass jars trying to capture the bees. And then we would find abby free spot. And sit down. And my friend mi amiga. Would teach me more words in spanish. I don't know what happened to angela because we moved away when i was young but i think of her every now and then. Recalling our blue bubble friendship. My desire to study spanish and now it's hollian began with that young friendship. When an angel and a flower. In the grass. And imagining life inside a big blue bubble. No harmful words no biases just friends. We felt safe together. Fast forward to 18 years old. She was a mexican heritage like angela. And like me she was a first-generation college student. Summer. I met a diversity of students of color. Beginning their first. You're at the university. We were all in an educational opportunity program. I was there because of my low income status. Many of the students were minority first-time college students. I was a lily. Among the roses and orchids and irises and daisies. We had the occasional chrysanthemum. Try to stir up trouble. But our beautiful bouquet. What's a community bound together. Desire to receive a college degree. And improve our lives. And we felt safe together. Fast forward to today. And i have many friends. To like a field of flowers. Barbarian age and gender and race and ethnicity and even. And even in. Italy and sweden across the atlantic ocean. Here in the sanctuary. I am one flower. Among many today. I am not alone and i feel safe. The creator of the flower communion norbert capac said. Religion. Before all else. Provide that inner harmony. Which is the precondition of strong character. Good health. Joyful moves. And victorious creative life. Help me remember the inner peace and i enjoy i felt when i was five years old lying on the ground with my friend. Feeling safe inside a big blue bubble. Imagine if you will a teddy bear. That is always there when you need a hug. Inner harmony. Also reminded how important over the years. Crime in nature. Meditation or prayer. Or sharing special time with friends and family. We cannot be creative. Healthy joyous or victorious. If we are not able to feel safe. And be at peace. Dr. capac was creative in his life. Not only did he create the flower communion almost 100 years ago. Over 9000. And you'll see some of them in our old hymnal here. Like mother spirit father spirit. And color of fragrance. Who started a religious school. And a unitarian church in prague czechoslovakia. Which grew to be the largest unitarian church in the world by 1941. Sadly that ear doctor capac and his daughter were arrested. And later he was killed by the nazis. His legacy continues today. Because the flower communion takes place each spring. Churches around the world. The flower communion honors each individual's contribution. Community. While signifying the importance of community that supports enduring and meaningful relationships. We have norbert capac and his wife majah tradition. His life's work and sacrifice is honored as we celebrate the flower communion each spring. Let us say gracias mini thanks. Gracias. Many people to create a space where children can explore our shared values as they discover their place in this world. But today we're going to take a little time to recognize the teachers the advisers who dedicate their sunday morning to the next generation of unitarian universalist actually they are this generations unitarian universalist. Often because they are in the bridge palace in the library in the car exploring the grounds. Anyone who. Teacher this year a few people who helped out a no lily's here is really so i'm going to read everyone's name and lily's going to stand up here and represent everyone we had so many people who helped in the end many people came for one or two sundays to be with our children and youth but the folks who came really dedicated their time to being together diane evans louise conrad mary winger lisa oakes carter luck. Matt selke joe pickett series. Alison luff tiffany michael. Lily robert lisa britain staff is stratton cork corky cork. Jail. And tom jankowski shannon as a walla mark eschbach megyn kelly's new hernandez. Hiram jackson caitlin lego jacob stack alyssa mcguire and jenny kobold. And so at 11:30 morgan was over there our appreciation because you are so sweet. And also sometimes in sticky situations we have a little jar of honey and some honey recipes to connect with our b team. And show our appreciation. Thank you lily. And thank you to that list and to all of you who are going to volunteer next year. They are definitely thinking about that this morning when we recognize all the other teachers. Thank you sweetie another round of a paws plastibell looks like. This morning really introduced. Chile minister. Communion this morning. I want to tell you just a little bit more about how he came up with that saturday. Our story comes from janine grassmyer in her book lamp in every corner ruu storybook. The story begins in the city in czechoslovakia in the year 1923. There was a church. Looks like our church in the corner glass. Phoenix challis mountain behind us. I didn't handle and it didn't have flowers. Something. Had a ceiling floor. They had some wooden chairs. It was plain and it was simple. Also had a minister norbert topic. Minister of this plain and simple church for 2 years. One beautiful spring day and idea came to him. Clear and plain as day. That sunday he invited everyone. To bring a flower or a budding branch or even a twig the next week. What color what size. Maybe some of us felt like this this morning. Can you shoot. What you like. On the next sunday which was the first day of summer. The people came with flowers of all different colors and sizes and kind. They were yellow daisies and red roses. They were white lilies and blue ash. Dark eye candies and light green leaves. Add purple orange and imagine a little like ours this morning. Always filled all the faces and that church wasn't so plain and simple anymore. Minister to the people sitting quiet in those hard wooden chairs. These flowers are like ourselves. She said different colors different shapes different sizes. Each meeting different kinds of hair. Beautiful and important. Special in its own way. When he was done speaking the people talked a bit among themselves. And the easter the flower from the bases before they went home. And that was all. Was the ceremony. It was beautiful. Plain and simple at the day. Community service today. Everyone was invited to bring a flower that was special to you. Perhaps it was a flower from your garden perhaps at the flower in your favorite color. Or perhaps it's one of the flowers that were already sitting in a vase this morning because yours is still lying on your kitchen counter. Either way we have so many flowers this morning. Flowers together with what we bring into this community with what we bring into our community. Everyday. The flowers are tall and brakes and beautiful in their vases. Represent in this room. Experiences. Different. Beautiful. And hopefully everyone will leave with a difference. Reginald ossie author of the flower communion history explains that by exchanging flowers. We show our willingness to walk in our search for truth. Disregarding all that might divide us. Person takes home a flower brought by someone else. Symbolizing i shared celebration in community. Please join me in a spirit of blessing to you. Take a moment around the room. Look at the faces look around the room i can see you looking at. The faces you see this morning the faces you recognize. Maybe some faces you don't recognize yes. Take a moment to think about who isn't here. Send a little love their way. We come together to celebrate all that we are when we are together. Flowers represent. Completely an individual. Coming together to create something even more beautiful than we could alone. Creating our own uu church of davis. We each bring our gifts into this community to please take a moment to say out loud share some of what it is you bring with you whether it's music. Invite you to share now as we bless our flowers together. We bless these flowers with music. Suzy azzam. We have a new friend. We bless these flowers with all that you bring. We bless these flowers together this morning. Trying to take a flower with us. Anime our new flower be a reminder of all that we can be when we are together. We can do together. Reminder that we each offer something unique. Ensuring that with one another. This morning this flower communion is a time for celebration. One of reverend topic traditions he would invite children forward and the children would help us hand the flowers out and i know we have some this morning. But they're gone. Flowers this morning. And lilly's going to come and help us as well come on down. Play this amazing music. Astral prayer. Antifreeze. Just began our prayer by breathing. Maybe maybe. If it's really quiet. You can hear the breath of someone next to you or near you maybe. And this is from his. His concept his language. In the name of life. Which puts the future of the flower in the seed. And the desire for harmony in the heart of people. In the name of spirit. It makes the character of parents and siblings lovers and loners beautiful and strong. Are the name of those who study wisdom. Their lives by what they learn. Let us agree to be kind to each other especially because of our differences. We are one human family of different races classes colors theologies age. Different life perspectives different political ideology. The different gifts singing and. Play music dancing talking. Difference ability to make jokes. We are not. The same. There is a larger love that can bring us together. It's something that we hope will embrace dorothy ranky who's having back surgery this month. Bucyrus pause xbox great grandpa is very sick and he wanted us to know that. Janice nichols son is recovered from his heart attack and he can travel home. Let us be thankful for those we love and our friendship. Including the friendships we have not discovered yet. We are not the same but it's the choir thing. We are one. Is 1. Breeze about gratefulness gratefulness for all that surrounds us remembering the ways that we make life better for others and. Remembering the times when they do that for us too. Because we are one. Ar. Putting words of colors shapes and sizes. Are beautiful. What a bouquet of people we are. Alright here we go.

uudavispodcast_org

2013-04-14_Worship_Queering-Religious-Identity_11_15.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california website at w.w. org for further information. Welcome we come to this sanctuary. She celebrate the beauty of the earth. And to be in community. This congregation comforts us. When we know loss. And celebrates our best dreams. We bring our differences. Together we offer a fuller truth. Then anyone point of view. This is a place of challenge. And compassion. The holy is experienced here in many ways. Just giving many names. People of all sexual orientations and gender identities. I celebrated. We welcome all races. And classes and physical abilities. We have much to learn. From one another. This is a place of learning. And of hope. Together we can accomplish more than we believed possible alone. Weather because of the touch of a friend. The words and the music. Or moment of silence. May you feel more alive. In his famous sermon in the year 1819 in new england unitarian minister william ellery channing. Declare there is only one god and jesus was a human being. Separate from god as we are. Challenged the moral authority of a theology that was based on the execution of an innocent man. In order to obtain salvation. Until then unitarians had always been accepted as part of the protestant christianity that was dominant in the united states. Still on unitarian ancestors continue to profess their belief in the divine truth scripture. Until 1838 on a twenty-nine-year-old unitarian minister and a ralph waldo emerson. Explain the humanistic religion. And which one god resides equally within all souls. Complain that men should cast aside all conformity and acquaint themselves firsthand with the day it's he. These words emerson had crossed the significant boundary. By not only eliminating christ for my unitarian theology but moving god from his celestial heights to the spirit of life that resides within each of us. Following his address. Emerson spare his colleagues the task of shunning him. I promptly resigning his ministry. Become the leading light for the philosophy of transcendentalism that encompass many of the leading writers. And poets. Russian sage. Yet his words were not lost on another unitarian minister of a time theodore parker. Adopted emerson's teachings on the potential for divine morality and every person. And anna claire's at the end of christianity seems to be. To make all men one with god just as christ was with him. How to keep the law of god by living a life and love. Practice this belief by his active involvement in the abolition of slavery and support of human suffering switch for the pressing social issues in that day. I'm only next 100 years so i can change and controversy over the role of christ in our liturgy. The merger of universalism with unitarianism in 1961 seem to settle the issue. My adopting are seven principles as a guide for each individual search for spiritual growth. Acceptance that the ology is an individual decision and not obedience to an any authority aryan doctrine. We have two short readings today. The first is from a book called saint foucault. A gay hagiography. I hate geography being the life of a saint. And it's a book by david halperin. As the very word implies. Queer. Does not name some natural kind. Or refer to a determinant object. It acquires its meaning from its oppositional relation. To the norm. Queer is by definition what is at odds with the normal. The legitimate. And the dominant. There is nothing in particular to which it refers. It is an identity without an essence. Queer describes a horizon of possibility. Who's precise extent. Cannot in-principle biddy limited. In advance. The next meeting. It's from the book. I've been chosen faith by john behrens and forest church. Perhaps the best thing about being a unitarian universalist is that when we learn new things we are encouraged to update our point of view by neffex by definition ours is a non-doctrinal faith orthodoxy which literally means right teaching. Airplanes a single authorized set of answers. We celebrate instead of the open mind. I trust that our own thoughts and experiences can be as illuminating as a thoughts and experiences of those who came before us. Not that our answers will therefore be superior we simply whole that no single book. No revelation ancient or modern contains the whole truth. Since for us revelation is not sealed unitarian universalist. A free deranged broadly search for answers to age-old questions. Unitarian universalist. Can believe whatever we want. I would say. And shake my head. As i read another version of this statement. Written by the 8th and 9th graders who are going through coming-of-age. At the church in white plains new york where i was working. As their temporary religious education coordinator. I was in charge of overseeing the credo drafting processes they wrote out the belief statements they would share with the congregation. I was a little bit frustrated. This is what's wrong with unitarian-universalism i thought. We don't know who we are. We don't know what we stand for. We don't have a fix. Identity. Are you send up thinking it's just a big free-for-all. How are we going to make a difference. In this world. How are we going to grow and thrive as a progressive religious movement. I have to admit. I was feeling pretty jealous of my christian. Classmates at union theological seminary. They had a lot of disagreements about their beliefs but at least they had one central figure. 1 collection of tax. One word god. Then one day. I was preparing for my lgbtq ethics class. And i came across the text. But i just read. The passage by david david halperin. When i stopped. I never read it again. And identity. Without an essence. Defined by. Opposing certain norms. A horizon of infinite possibility. What sounds like unitarian-universalism i thought. Maybe. Maybe we're. Religiously. Queer. Now at this point in my life i already loved the word queer. So imagining you use as religiously queer brought me great joy. But i realized that that word is complicated. It has a complicated history. And it means a lot of different things. The word originally meant and can still mean odd. Like. Well that's a queer house it's. Painted bright green in the shape of a circle. However the word came to be used as an insult. Toward men who appeared effeminate. Maybe homosexual. It grew to be an insult used against all those who deviated from what society expected about gender and sexuality. But then. That very community the word had been used against begin to reclaim it. By the time i went to college the gay-straight alliance had become the queer union. And i love that term. Because. It's inclusive. And it can be used as an umbrella term. An overarching term that can replace. That alphabet soup of lesbian gay bisexual transgender questioning asexual intersex. That can all be kind of a mouthful. And i'm not arguing that those specific identities aren't important because i think they are important and it's good to have those words in our vocabulary. And it's also good to have. Amor broad term. And one that gets beyond the idea that everyone is either gay or straight. I also like the term queer. Because. It is a good fit for those who don't find themselves. Identifying with one of those particular words. People who find themselves on a spectrum. Between different categories. That have been set up by society. And i also like the word because i i really enjoyed the academic discipline. That is queer theory. It's a fascinating body of scholarship about power and love and gender and sexuality. And i find it very interesting. So i loved the way the term queer function. When it referred to gender and sexuality. And i was pretty excited about. How that word might function if we applied it to religion instead. And i was thinking this was a pretty unique idea. Until i met with my professor. Of that glass. She informed me that there was a group of students that were already planning a guided reading called queering religious identity. Further proof that i had chosen the right seminary for me. So i joined their guided reading and. I spent a semester. Learning with them about what it might mean. To queer religious identity. We came up with a couple ideas. Queering religious identity. Means blurring boundaries. Between categories. No chuck talk to us a little bit. About how are unitarian ancestor did this. They were messing with the categories of what was christian. And what was not. Christian. And we still do this. Some people might say that we are not a religion. Because we do not have a creed. But we blur boundaries between religion and not religion. By saying yes we are religious. We are committed. And covenanted. And we make meaning together. We help each other learn to live our deepest values. So yes we are religious. We're blurring those boundaries. Inquiring religious identity. Also means challenging norms. And chuck talk about this to. How do unitarian christians were challenging norms about. Theology. About society. And unitarian universalist some of us we just love to challenge norms. And we continue that work today. When society says be an individualist. Buy lots of things and then throw them away. We say. Come. Be in community. Give your money to worthy causes. Recycle and reuse. Those things that might be thrown out. Focus on feeling this world up with love. Queering religious identity. Brings freedom. Freedom to explore our own beliefs. Freedom to have new spiritual experiences. Freedom. To express our full humanity in community. And this does not mean we can believe whatever we want. We staying at him today that i enjoy quite a bit. We laugh we cry. He talks about what it means to be in religious community. However it ends with a statement. I'm not so sure about. 2 question. Truly is an answer. When i was a young teen. About the age of those coming-of-age youth. I had an order of service from my home church up on the wall in my bedroom. And it had the profile of a face and inside that head there was a?. When the brain would be. And it said to question is the answer. And i needed that. Surrounded by fundamentalist christians in central illinois. Who told me i did not have the right answer and that i was going to burn in hell for it. I needed that statement on my wall. From my church. Saying it's okay. That you don't know for sure and it's okay that you are confused. And. That wasn't the end of my spiritual journey. I certainly have not found the answer. But i found some answers. I have found some stories and some practices that really speak to my soul. And i hope that you have to. On your journeys. Found some answers. To question is not the answer. But questioning freely is crucial to finding some answers. In that way. Queering religious identity. Is not an end in itself. Justice being queer in a sexual orientation or gender identity is not an end in itself. Being queer in that sense. Allows for authentic expression of self. Allows from meaningful relationships. And so it is with religious queerness. We who are religiously queer. Kuebler those boundaries and challenge those norms. An approach that horizon a possibility. This christmas. Allows us to more authentically express ourselves. Doobie and meaningful relationship with one another. In diverse and loving communities. Still. As we know. The freedom queerness brings can be scary. Sometimes embracing queerness means redefining. Our sacred institutions. Like marriage. Like churches. Being religiously queer means we will continue to grow. And change. And sometimes it will be very uncomfortable. We will do a lot of questioning. And lately i have been hearing people in uu circles. Asking. What does it mean to be a part of a church. Does that mean that you have to go to the sunday morning worship service. And i have been hearing people and you use circle say. What does membership mean. Is our covenant model at our pledge model still working. These are big questions. About our religious identity and our sacred institutions. I know someone going into professional ministry they make me a little bit nervous. But i'm glad that we're asking them. The queering continues. And it did continue for those youth who were in the coming-of-age program in white plains new york. After i read those drafts. But said we can believe whatever we want. I began to follow up with the youth and the mentor and the parents. And i posed some other questions. Can you use really believe whatever we want. What if someone had a racist belief or a homophobic belief. Would that be okay. And i push them to write about their passions. How would they learn at church. Was reflected in their lives. And i began to see different responses. There was a quiet boy who. Didn't share much about himself with the group. And he wrote about how much he loved animals. And how the seventh principle supported his desire to become a veterinarian someday. There was an african american teen. Who is usually joking around and he wrote very seriously. About how this church supported his fight against racism. Other youth talked about how. They mediated conflict at school between people of different religions. Or how they stood up when someone was being bullied. The coming-of-age service we held on a saturday afternoon. With an incredibly moving experience for me. Yes some of the youth were hard to understand on the microphone. Some of them couldn't resist poking each other even though they were sitting up there on the chancel. But as i sat in that pew. Listening to those youth speak about what unitarian-universalism meant to them. I had hope. For our face and for our world. They spoke from the heart. And they showed that what they learned at church did affect their lives. They had experienced freedom. In our faith. Ifreedom born of our willingness. The blurred boundaries and challenge norms. To be religiously queer. And in this freedom. An in religious community. They were figuring out. Who they were as spiritual beings. And how to livwell. And it's crazy world. May all of us. Of every age and at every stage of life. Make this our project. 2. We are a people who have our minds stayed on freedom. A people who explore many different religious ideas in this community. And we also bring. The great joy sandeep sorrows. I'm our daily lives. We bring that too. Candice religious community. And so i invite you to join me in a spirit of prayerful meditation this morning. We are a people who celebrate. We celebrate. The many wonderful joys that life brings us. The beauty of the earth. That we see around us. New lives that come into being. Are new relationships. I come into our lives. We celebrate achievements. And we celebrate our own personal triumph. They invite you in this moment. To just sit. And hold in your heart something that you are grateful for today. Just one thing. And hold that gratitude. For just a moment. Source of creation it is good to rejoice. And those things. That we did not do alone those things which come into our lives. We also a people who mourn. We mourn. About the impending loss of loved ones. Or the losses we have recently experienced. Or the losses we have experienced long ago that still ache. We mourn when we are separated from those we love. Weather by conflict. By great distances. B incarceration. By illness. There is much that separates us from those we love. And it grieves us. And for a moment we will honor those grief to. And i invite you to just hold. In your heart. Something that you mourn. Tenderly. Spirit of life. We feel this grief. Andweknow. That we can also reach out. Can share our losses with others. That we can reach out and hold on to one another. But we may share these burdens that way is down. That we may hold on to one another and our times of sorrow. We are also a people of hope. We know that life is full of reasons to celebrate and reasons to mourn. And over and over again we hope. For what is good and just and loving and beautiful to come into this world. Filled with that hope. We move. Out of our space. A private prayer and into. Acting and living our prayer. In this world together. In community. We become the prayer. As we do what we can to bring those hopes into being. Maybe so. Diamond. It is so wonderful to seeing that beautiful song together. That in itself feels like a benediction. But let us join hands. We go out into this day. Knowing the freedom. That comes. From being in a religiously queer community. Knowing we can express ourselves. Polly. And that we can question many answers. We go out knowing that this community also. Holds us. But it is not. Absolutely anything and everything that it is what we make it together. In this sacred place. Maybe so. And i'm in.

uudavispodcast_org

Worship-2011_11_06-1115a_ED.mp3

Look up the sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california www.dav.org for further information. Life journey is something that we introduce every week. At the 9:15 service but on first sunday we also have it. At 11:15. And jamie lynn is going to share. Very. Graceful. Essay with us. Everybody has a sport that makes them feel like themselves. Whether it's baseball soccer dancing maybe even sitting on the couch watching tv. But for me water polo is my store and makes me feel who i am and what i am. There's no possible word to describe how i feel about water polo. But they're definitely actions. Play the way i feel when the water passes my sides as i spent for the ball. He got some competition when i push down on someone's shoulder trying to steal. Babies just the feeling of being in the water or shooting. All of these actions or feelings make the way i feel about water pillows so special to me. When i told the rest of my family about water polo. Like grandparents and such my grandfather told me about how he used to play in college and in his 30s. I was so amazed that i had somebody to look up to it a sport that means so much to me and my family. And that gives me more opportunities to make more friends. On the first day i went to the start of signing up for 8 weeks. There's a huge meeting where they started to talk about the different age groups and the basics. Send it was time to get into our groups and start practicing. I didn't have my swimming cap on yet and everybody had already started swimming and warming out. I was really nervous that day so i started to cry while i walked up to my mom. I told i just couldn't do it and i was like cuz i couldn't get my cap on on time. We left early and told my dad what had happened. We're all very disappointed. Then we all decided that i would continue in the next eight weeks and i didn't have to do the next eight weeks after that if i didn't want to. The next practice i went with putting my swimming cap on before practice has begun. And i had the best time ever. Now i've completed my eight weeks and my first game and i have loved every second of it. I'm very proud of myself for continuing keeping an open mind and doing the best i can and still can. Like i said everybody has a sport that makes them feel like themselves. Water polo makes me feel like i know who i am and what i am. I am grateful and grateful when i play. You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting. You only. Have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about despair yours. And i will tell you mine. Meanwhile the world goes on. Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of rain are moving across the landscapes over the prairies in the deep trees the mountains and the rivers. Meanwhile the wild geese. High in the clean. Blueair are heading home again. Whoever you are no matter how lonely. The world offers itself to you. Calls to you like the wild geese harsh and exciting. Over and over announcing your place in the family of things. For i begin the sermon people are have been worrying about the shoes. The girl wanted to know. If it was shoe day. And the sermon title is dancing backward in heels. And so we did a justice intervention in the spca stores and. Other thrift stores and found the spiked heels that. We're on the shelves and we'll keep women from wearing them by having purchased them as a display for this service. Several of us tried appear on just to see and they came off very quickly most of these shoes. I've barely been worn. Which tells us they may look good in the box but. You're not great on the feet. Dancing backward. Sometimes we need to know that there is peace. That we can receive effortlessly. Really effortlessly. We only need to love. What we were intended to love. Gracefully moving through all that life has to offer us dancing backwards in heels like ginger rogers. She did it so well she made it look effortless. Shut off and living a life gracefully full of grace is not this effortless. Two men walk side-by-side in a line of people. They're all clutching small american flags. Stand together and no one knows but the two of them. But although they are leading thousands. They are lonely men. They have admitted to each other. That they are lonely man. One is the image of an ancient jewish prophet. A yamaka on his head. Flowing white beard. And the other is a black prophet. And they are marching from selma to montgomery. And it is 1965. Jewish theologian and social activist. Abraham joshua heschel. And martin luther king jr.. They understand each other. They use and borrow each other's language. They protest for possibility. Not only protest. For outraged sake. Abraham heschel stays in the world of scholarship. But literally. Brings his theology to the street walking beside. Martin luther king jr.. And martin luther king jr.. Live to see ology on the streets. In prison. And the pulpit. But urine. He really urine. To stay in the world of academia. And these two men find companionship together. Each holding up a vision. That society is not really ready to hear. They are to luminaries. Whose words and live give us inspiration from judaism. And christianity. I read their writing to fill my coffers when they are empty. When i wonder. If i will be overcome by despair. Abraham heschel said. Just to be. Just to be is a blessing. Heschel is speaking about being present to the beauty that is all around us. He rides. There are marvelous things to behold look. At the sky. Look at the stars look at these trees. Beast on the wonder. All around you. In his appreciation of beauty. He is a kindred spirit. With mary oliver. We need to have beauty around us. Always. This is a time of turmoil in our country. Occupy wall street. The frustration of economic inequity. Rising college fees. Crushing debt. Here and abroad. Employment. Remaining at 9% which was supposed to be the very good news yesterday. Foreclosures continuing. The shrinking middle class. The risk. Of math despair is palpable. In the air. Citizen times like this one. When the writing of abraham heschel the man it's a man that we stay awake to the beauty in the world. The marvelous thing. The sky. The star. And the wonderful and inhumanity. He offers answers for what to do with profound grief. And disappointment. And aching fatigue that happens when lies are too full. Chipped away by little death of disappointment. When we are off. To bear. What seems unbearable. Some live through these times gracefully. Filled with grace. What do you think i'm that strength. Summer of 2005. Grace de paula stands on a dusty road in texas waiting for the president of the united states he wants to speak to him face-to-face. She is the co-founder of gold star mothers. 4 piece. I need her for the first time in a chapter written by rebecca parker. In a house for hope. How she lives her life story inspires me to encounter her again and again to get to know her through what she has said and what she has written. The woman i discover is gracefield she knows the truth of heschl's words. All it takes he rides. Is one person. And then another. Add another. Add another. Start a movement. It starts when she and her husband adopt a one-year-old child named sherwood. He was abused and abandoned. In their home. There are no toy gun. The children aren't allowed to play war games and i know many unitarian universalist families have. Decided to try to raise their children in this way. And the three boys are never encouraged to hit back. And by all reports this was very difficult for them within the family. Adolfo in the school system. And they live in a tough neighborhood. They are actually a family of pacifist. Winterwood is a young adult he enrolled in college. And at college he does volunteer flood relief work with members of the national guard. There's a strong sense of community as they do the service together. And against his parents wishes. He joined the national guard he sees his enlistment to the balance of non-violence. And service. Non-violence and service. And he tells his mom. Mom don't worry. The national guard doesn't go to foreign wars. They're just here for floods. Fires. Disasters. Riot. The worst thing that could happen is it i'd have to arrest you and dad. When you're protesting against our government. He also said that no pennsylvania national guard had been lost in combat since. 19:45. Sherwood graduate. Becomes a nursery school teacher and a social worker. Accept the job with mentally challenged adults. Like many helping professionals he doesn't make a lot of money. He marries. Have a son of his own. And wants to buy a home. One of the enticements of enlisting is that his student loans will be paid and he can pursue the dream. A purchasing a home. And then september 11th happen. Enter with national guard unit is called up. In a speech. But his mother gives in 2010. At new york's riverside church she remembers his letters home. And she writes we asked he wrote we are asked to practice driving tank. Over cardboard cutouts of children. He doesn't believe in the war. If parents don't believe in the war. And she writes back to him can we move to canada will you come with us to canada. And he refuses. And explains that he's made a promise is made a promise to serve. And if he left the country. He lose some of his freedom and the very thing that he wants to protect for others. His mother marches and protests against the war but he isn't there to arrest her. He's preparing to leave for iraq. He's deployed to baghdad. His assignment is to search the city for weapons of mass destruction that his mother does not believe exist. But he does not believe exist. It is a death mission. 7 weeks after arriving the building he is inspecting explodes. I do knew i would tell you this. People who move gracefully through the world are not given charmed live. They're not given a life of sweetness that is somehow different from ours. They know how to use the surprises of life. That's a good one like raising a beautiful young man who. And his mother's words is loud. Big wonderful. And it surprised the last received when the uniformed. Then knock on her screen door. And give her the news from baghdad in 2004. Heschel rice. I would say an individual die. When he ceases to be surprised. I am surprised every morning that i see the sun shine again. Heschel isn't speaking of lightweight. The prices like sunshine through the leaves. Because he continued. When i see an act of evil i don't accommodate. I don't accommodate myself to the violence that goes on everywhere. I am still surprised. We must learn how to be surprised. Not to adjust arthel. I am the most maladjusted person in society he claims. And that is the language of martin luther king jr.. Kids good friend. They share. That language. The person who lives gracefully full of grace is one who can figure out what to do. With the unexpected. Surprises. When that surprises heartwarming to share it with others. And when it is hard. Define comfort. And find something to do to transcend it in a way that serve. And honors. But it doesn't mean. To face the world with cynicism and doubt. But rather turn that into wondering and questioning. Even when we do have reason for despair. The question and the answer is lead to relationship and trust in a way that doubt and despair will never accomplish. And it is said that unitarian-universalist love. We are in love with doubting. We are in love. With doubting. But i would ask us to consider the power of wondering. Instead. When heschel demands that we admire the beauty. Of the world. The sky and the stars the next part of his demand that comes right after that. Is this. He says then go out there. And make sure that human beings are able to eat. And breathe. And fight off disease. And appreciate god's wonder. In the world. He saying go and make the world a better place with your appreciation and your pain. Miss de paula stands on a dusty hot road in texas with mothers. Cindy sheehan if a name that may mean something to you. She was in the news. They belong to the gold star mothers for peace. And with her grief she bills a movement to bring healing to many. Other people who have lost their children join her. She welcomes all those who have lost children to other wars in our history. And their numbers grow. Anguish. Enter anger fuel her questions of wondering. She wants answers. When will the president apologize for the mistake of sending our living. Youth. Are living used to search for weapons of mass destruction. That didn't exist. How many people will continue. Did i. The loss of her son's life is tragic. But it's her response that makes me research her speeches and interviews. It is the strength of her grace. Rebecca parker right that bringing hope to our world in the form of love and protest. Needs more it needs more than outraged and needs more than grief. It must be grounded in the celebration for life beauty. Affection for its goodness. At every step 252 grey. Live. With the gracefulness of the prophets of our time. And time passed. B1. Who finds the seed of wisdom. In the surprise. Amen. And blessed be. Invite you to take hands around the room may we know a life of beauty. Come rain. To wash the earth. Come cold knife. And turn the trees red and yellow and orange. Come. Darkness. Invite candlelight. And with trembling and courageous heart. Come. Surprise. But this gathering say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

2014-07-06-Whose-God-Is-It-Anyway_10_00.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. org for further information. Welcome today to whose god is it anyway we're going to look at this relatively new approach i know you might not think that but this is a relatively new approach to a church where you have multiple theologies under one roof we're going to look at little bit why it's important and how this might be the evolution of faith in the meantime greet one another and we'll have a couple minutes to say hello to people. Welcome to our worship service here at the unitarian universalist church of davis it takes a really huge team to make this happen i do want to point out that nancy are. Today's new music guru turn off a lot of effort to pick a whole bunch of different music since we're dealing with different theologies that comes from a lot of different lot of lot of different face and it's really good because i didn't help her at all so there was no no interference and we come to the sanctuary to celebrate the beauty of the earth into being community. This congregation comforts us will be no loss and celebrates our best dreams. We do bring our differences together we offer a fuller truth. Then anyone point of view this is a place of challenge and compassion. The holy is experienced in many ways. And is given many names. People both sexual orientations gender identities are celebrated we welcome all races classes. Physical abilities we have much to learn from each other. We have much to learn from the differences of each other this is a place of learning and hope weather because of the touch of a friend the words and music or moment of silence may you feel alive. Good morning today we light this chalice celebrating the variety of theologies we have within our church i even have different theologies within my own home. Part of being you is the inclusion of diverse ideas of the sacred within our community my father craig libera no will light our chalice today. A member of the church for the past 13 years he has spent countless hours working on our grounds. As well as serving as a teacher of religious exploration in the bridge house. He is an excellent example of diversity ologies in this community with his pagan and shamanic beliefs. He reminds me that unitarian-universalism has important roots in earth-based religion. Gray area is not something i am particularly fond of but it is undoubtedly something i'm rather familiar with. I cannot recount a time when i specifically identified with one theology or another. Nothing has ever made 100% sense to me. My range of gray's stretched from the earth-based traditions i was raised with strongly influenced by my father. Here i found elements accepted as my own. Such as an appreciation for earth and an understanding of some of the oldest traditions in roots the mainstream religion. Although i don't identify as pagan its tenants have shaped my personal philosophy. My family and i stretch 250 uu mold as we became more immersed in this church community. Which last room for questions of my personal belief even at a young age as i compared my questioning self to the seemingly solid catholicism of my two best childhood friends. Even though i still haven't defined my beliefs as a whole. I can start rolling out but i know i don't find to be true. I've grown into this world and become necessarily more aware of our society as a whole i recognized a trade-in myself that i am not entirely enamored of. I believe i've developed a slight aversion to particularly strong theologies. The god or gods we have created and allowed to shape our culture so often become excuses and then explanations for intolerance against fellow human beings. And when i see this my disbelief and my wall pushing me away from the idea of god hardens. It is when a few intolerant people using this excuse of god become millions it is when this concept of god becomes an ultimate rather than a foundation of how to live as a decent human being that i doubt more and more the existence of such a god. When i see that it is openly stated that there is no room for growth that science is rejected because this god only accepts specific types of explanations specific types of love with people my need to assign myself a god alongside the masses disappears. And then. I see the comfort this idea of god brings people by the millions. A god who is used as a reason and a motivator to inspire acceptance and connection between all humans. A god who becomes a line between a human and the sacred for them to lean on in times of need to blame to trust to pray to. To be honest. Both versions of this idea of god kind of terrify me. There are positives and negatives to any type of power but this power is so entirely universal and so widespread that it is arguably the biggest area of both conflict and connection between us as a species. That sheer amount of faith freaks me out. Because putting your faith and if something is an automatic risk and the more faith in the more time in the more life you put into something the more power you give it. And just what if. All of that was for nothing in the end. All that energy and self you put into that expanse of grey was wrong. And what if it was right. As a child in the gray area even then when asked what i thought would happen to people after they die i responded whatever they believe will happen. Because to me. Theology is an immensely personal thing. And personally i like the ology in limited doses with a lot of wiggle room. I would rather continually question then to put my faith into something that doesn't make all that much sense to me. All of this has left me and still leaves me with the question. During my time on earth with its endless expanse of gray areas. Between the white of a known or even indifferent. And the dense concentrate of black of what i label specific or chosen. Where do i fall and what do i believe. 3 franc. I'm a constant subject to change but here's where i stand. The idea of god or gods doesn't fit me perfectly but as a you you i find it hard to articulate that. In a way that is inclusive and respectful but also draws the line at what i find impossible. I know i believe in the strength of community and my lifetime in this church has solidified that. I know i believe in the connection and the power between people. And i believe that i might not figure the rest out just quite yet who knows. I am okay with breathing in the infinite truth of mystery. This reading is from the book polly doxy theology of multiplicity and relation edited by katherine keller and lawrence a schneider a 2011 collection of essays from prominent theologians around the world looking at the idea that there may be more than one way to look at the ology or theologies with an s really given the venerable pronouncements of the death of god theology at the start of the millennium should be worse off than it is the undeniable atrophy of those denominations that still support an educated clergy limit. So welcome to whose god is it anyway the sermon where the theologies are many in the choice does matter. The choice does of course matter. What the choice of specific theology is yours to make. And the options are very wide. Unitarian universalism allows us each to choose our theology and the range is huge from atheism through christianity which is where our faith comes from. Including theologies in-between and otherwise not fitting neatly within that spectrum. The art center pagan religion that roland spoke of maybe doesn't fit to neatly right in that little spectrum it's hard to describe succinctly. All the theologies that can fit within our church. What does the unitarian universalism does not have a specific creed with a specific theology that you must accept in order to be a uu. And creeds are the way most face function some more some less. As open as our theological options maybe. There are limits. Remember years ago getting trapped at this shanari teaching kids talking about how wide-open our theology is and then having to fight against what took hold in their heads was it you could have any theology you wanted well. Now you can't. Dar limits in the limit is basically if the theology fits. Within ruu principals if it doesn't. Then you probably don't want to be by you you. From here maybe newer tina turner universalist principles. Read them all for you. The inherent worth and dignity of every person. Justice equity and compassion in human relations. Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations. A free and responsible search for meaning. We're really dealing with that one quite a bit today. The right of conscience in the use of democratic process within our congregations and in society at large but gold world community with peace liberty and justice for all. Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are apart and i know i'm supposed to know him by hard enough that i shouldn't have to look at my paper to remind me but just to make sure i don't make a mistake. I wanted to read it perfectly. Different theologies. Religious pluralism under1roof. Religious pluralism used to mean. My townhouse a church or synagogue a buddhist temple and a mosque and we don't hardly ever fight with each other much at all. Unitarian universalism is becoming the faith that supports of full range of theologies under one roof. This is new. This is uncharted territory. We have not always been this way. The extent to which unitarian and universalist. Face have been way way more specific. The nest. Is a subject of. Another sermon. Some of you were saying oh boy i can't wait to hear that one some of you were saying oh boy this sermons little shorter than it could have been. What is his new face multiple face under one roof and beginning to learn how to do this. Discharge ruu church of davis is pretty good at it and within the dump denomination is known as being pretty good at it. Lots of other uu churches are not so far along where the shining example up on the hill even though there's no hills in davis so does this make sense. Because it's just seems to go against so much of human history. At least. If you look at a limited segment of history. And by limited segment of world history. I mean the entire part of history that is included human beings. Different theologies have been reason more. For war. Then community. But maybe this does make sense. And maybe this intolerant part of human history is something to be against. Maybe this is what we have been evolving towards. Does paula doxy. That katherine keller spoke of in the reading. Does paula. see that's beginning to permeate academic theology. But as more and more becoming the way we're treating each other in the world. It's paula. see that is a core of unitarian-universalism this free and responsible. Search. 4 meaning. Each of us is such a different individual. Why shouldn't we expect and welcome. That we tend to look at our place in the universe differently. Frankly i think it would be so boring. If we all wore the same color hair you look at it so many people that's like almost everybody so many people wore purple today it's almost boring that i wore purple. Comes right down to it. Why shouldn't it be boring. If we all had the same theology. Why should that even be a bad thing. It seems to have historically been so fundamental. The difference the ologies seem to require conflict. And all too often still searches the basis of it but we are building a new way and unitarian universalism. This does require a new and different perspective a different way of looking at our world to see differing theologies. As a natural part of our world that can actually unite us instead of divided us. Alfred north whitehead actually provided a newish way of looking at the world and our place in it when he quote invented. Unfollowed. Process theology in 1929 i know i know process theology can be intimidating but they only have to be scary but truthfully. Watch north whiteheads writings are frightening lee difficult read some whitehead and it becomes clear why it is often said of whitehead that he is the most quoted and least read philosopher of all time and why even one of his major proponent proponents of famous academic theologian henri nelson women said upon publication of whiteheads book and this is the guy who made it comprehensible for us. Not many people will read whiteheads recent book in this generation. Not many will read it in any generation. Part of this. Is so controversial because white has was looking at the world in such a different way. He was at the same time looking at the world philosophically. And scientifically. And the focus was contrary to most thinking mostly different. But if it turns out. Not actually so different from the way many mystics throughout history. Has seen the truth of our world. An even more interesting they perhaps not so differently from the way physicists are beginning to see our world. Okay now shut myself up i have to do what any student anywhere is terrified of i have to. Few words to try and get across what is process theology about. Well the basics is that what matters. And this is. Very difficult seems contrary to our everyday lives are not things. Arnot. What events. And happenings. Does it turns out. All this stuff is the result of events the result of the process not the other way around. This is actually the way physicists are starting to see our world they start with newton singing a big chunk of stuffed apple fall to the ground there's a stuff you can look at it. Does it go smaller and smaller there's less stuff. It's more process. And it's more connected everything in process theology is connected to everything else. And always has been everything that happens affects anything else any time anything happens that billiard ball hits another billiard ball and now that billiard ball is in a different place because of what happened before and everything is down at your place. Navigate to little more interesting. When he brings in that every entity. Only has a memory of all that has happened before this moment. But this memory actually forms and informs. The core of each person each plant. Each thing. This knowledge not only in some way it's limited the choices for that entity in the here-and-now what billiard balls over there now it's not here. Got to work from there. Limited choices. What does is also what enables the infinite variety of creativity that can be the next thing everything is interrelated to everything else everything has been affected by everything else that has ever occurred and the result is that everything. Has this now i got to wait for a minute i am bringing he invented a word. Which tries to describe this process that it's more than just the result of where the billiard ball hit you. To get you to a place but there's something at the core that you know about this this prehensive sense within itself. And dustin this view. The web. It's incredibly a discord linked as one. Does an inherent quality of the universe that why does called he had two names for it actually i'm sure skyler could come up with more with it too and it's interesting. Cuz one of them's radiological. I want a benz. He called it the initial aim. Or the divine lure. Set this initial a more divine lure actually provides a persuasion. Towards the right behavior. Or write process. As might be more appropriately termed in a process theology format. Pratama can call this a divine force but from an atheistic rhinoscopy perspective. It could just be the rules of science the physics the way the world is or any combination thereof there is this force that directs us towards provides a persuasive power. Towards acting right. Now it's just a persuasion. We can overcome this persuasive power for good and all too often do. But i like kind of like this idea i kind of think it might be there. Kind of think that without in some fashion however you want to describe it but you want to describe it as an innate inclination of human conscience to a gift from a supernatural god without it. I think we have pretty hard time of surviving and without the scientific principle without these forces and things holding atoms together and all the stuff without that part of the initial aim and the divine name being there. There'd be nothing here. I hinted earlier that perhaps let there be light. I hinted earlier that perhaps these ideas of whiteheads process theology this marrying of science physics. And the theology of. Of oneness weren't brand new. Katherine keller the feed theologian from the politics of reading that ron gave us wrote of a fascinating woman. From the early 1600s 1600 this is the 17th century. And conway she was a sick and frail genius who basically. Was writing about process theology and particle physics and how they relate and what it means about our world. And she wasn't trying to be a scientist this was just the way she saw the world. What's really fascinating when keller discovered these writings he's really weren't well known in this is quoting. Lady anne conway from the 1600 some comments of hers i hope it's clear enough what they are but this is conway directly. For however bodies or spirits may be divided or separated from one another in the whole universe. Yet they still remain united in this separation. Sing the whole creation is still but one substance or entity neither is there a vacuum in it. Calvin can anything. Be separated from itself. Keller come and get this non separabit guilty of each from the self that is its universe must not be misread. As only a relation of each part of the whole it is at this boundary of her thinking. That she plunges into an insight that should not have been possible in the 1600s. Conway again. I think a very great moment he'll all creatures from the highest to the lowest are inseparably united with one another by means of the subtler parts interceding we're coming in between. Which are the emanations of one creature into another by which also the act one upon another at the greatest distance. This is absolutely the current frontier of quantum physics right now this is where the controversy sarge's killer writing again if i'm not mistaken. Lady conway has just chanced upon the cosmic enigma that in our century physicist called non-locality the french quantum physicist on this cold at non separabit leti in the twenties stradinger name that entanglement. Einstein didn't like this at all trying to make it go away called it's spooky action-at-a-distance most physicists admit that they lack any intuitive grasp of this phenomenon this is the struggle now trying to make sense of this you can see this happen it can be measured in this they may be helped by considering conway's emanations of one creature into another. By which one creature participates interstitial into the becoming of another there is no boundary between us. Lady in conway says it's stunningly prophetic vision of the world. Really nailing the now observable physics of spooky entanglement as a natural conclusion of just pondering. The oneness of the universe and all within it is humbling. At the same time she talked about how there are no vacuums there is no place that has. Nothing in it. But she's not the only one that's by far not the only one. Two spoken like this. I think i have much to teach us. Even the great ecologist. Many consider him the first ecologist ever the one who invented the idea. A book that if you read it you just wouldn't believe it was written in 1864 and astonishing book written in 1864 he was fascinatingly aware of all this this is george marsh now writing in 1864. A quote that has gone almost. Unseen by anybody now because it's all hidden within all this great ecology that you just can't believe he talked about the world overheating haven't just astounding and now he ventures off into this. What are the sublimest in at the same time most fearful suggestions that have been prompted by the researches of modern science 1864. What's made by babbage in the ninth chapter of his ninth bridgewater treatise i have not the volume at hand but the following explanation will recall to the reader if it does not otherwise make intelligible. The suggestion i refer to. No atom can be disturbed in place or undergo any change of temperature. Electrical state. Or other material condition without affecting. Buy attraction or repulsion. Or other communication. The surrounding atoms. These again by the same or transmit the influence to other atoms and the impulses given. Extends through the whole material universe every human movement every organic act every volition passion or emotion every intellectual process is accompanied with atomic disturbance and hence every such movement. Every such act or process. Affects all the atoms of universal matter. Do action and reaction are equal. Reaction does not restore disturbed adams. But their former place and condition. And consequently the effects of the least material change are never canceled. But in some way perpetuated. So that no action. Can take place in physical. Moral. Or intellectual nature. Without leaving all matter in a different state from what hit would have been if such action has not occurred. Hence to use language. Which i have employed on another occasion. And a men's an example of a word that even in this church 10 or 15 years ago might not have been received so, we've made a lot of progress we can no do it now it's not a threat. If it's not for me it's okay. It can be for you it doesn't have to be for me. That's because. We live this not cramming what i think down your throat. But as you can see i'm more than willing to share conscience or in the omniscience of the creator but in external material nature on nfa cible imperishable record possibly legible even to created intelligence of every act done. Everywhere daughter day of every wish and purpose and thought conceived by mortal man. On the birth of our first parent to the final extinction of our race so that the physical traces of our most secret sins shall last until time shall be merged in that eternity of which not science but religion alone assumed to take. Cognizance. Should have saved your time and not tried to explain what process theology. Wash this is not pretty good exclamation of it. How in the world can a species as diverse as we humans not. Arrived at differing explanations of our existence in this is our free and responsible. Search for meaning. That i want for me. That we want for ourselves that we offer to others that are unitarian universalist faith can support that ruu church of davis leads as the example. Of nurturing different theologies under one roof that can support your atheism that can support your agnosticism support your version of christianity that can support paganism that can support different theological certainties that can support different theological uncertainties. Can support of faith pass that encounters even embraces. Does rollins current faith path does. I'm going to close. With the words of that great theologian. Rollin love a renault. I know i believe in the strength of a community in my lifetime in this church has solidified that i believe in the connection and the power between people and i believe that i might not figure the rest out just quite yet who knows. I'm okay with breathing in. The infinite. Mystery. And to rowland how to say bless you. And amen. So now to. Bring up a another word that might not have been so welcome 15 years ago. Please join me in prayer or meditation. At our core we trust people are born into original goodness the world is inherently good. We are all people animals nature rocks the universe one god the divine process theology humanism conscience that which each of us calls out as their name for the sacred is good we are not perfect and need help. We fall short from the perfections of the above but not because of original sin which we have to overcome but because we are inherently human in which we find joy. The world is not perfect we want the world to be a better place and we are willing to help we love our faith helps us to be more effective at bringing the world closer to its goodness. And bring such joy as we celebrate the progress we make individually and together we are looking for a community that can help us to see the beauty of creation when we lose sight of it that can help us to experience the oneness of creation when we find ourselves separated from us and that can help us to bring others closer to experiencing the oneness that they to deserve we are people who take pleasure joy and wisdom from being on the path with people who spiritual path and life has are different as we try to bring ourselves each other and the world closer to the oneness or community deal personal loss encourages us when we despair for the failings of the world and provides us a path as individuals to comfort others when they can benefit from us that's community requires much from us provides much for us and both are key to our strong religious community as we try to strive to better serve the world and bring ourselves each other and the rest of the world closer to the one that said called amen. Blessed day. Whose theology is it anyway. And this is a scientific concept of theology where theology can be no theo. Who's the ology is it anyway. It's mine and yours. And we are stronger for traveling. This path together. Let the congregation say amen blessed be.

uudavispodcast_org

Worship-2012_08_05-10am_ED-1.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons another recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. org for further information. Well i am particularly pleased. My mother died five years ago at age 99 in the old house in bed in cambridge massachusetts. Who's the voice of my father over 15 years ago with a live the rest of your life as an independent in her reflecting person. I just arrived at her bedside after a cross-country flight. Present her final journey was both will perform tribulation the newton mystery. Song called was my witness in his titles. Sports. Galavanting around. Yes i will pals long before your fan. How i wish my balls were more like yours no had many in my time. Hallucinating ranch the hospice nurse. Christmas movie last stage of dying. Ocean prime denver spirit friends and suicune. She's ready to go now to their constant partying in that space between the stars and the molecules of life. Nashua bedroom chris is her face softened. Her father's abandonment long forgiven marilyn forever greatest pleasure. Her presence is her breathing slowed to her friends state and peace. Is this your final end. What is winter solstice a human body to continuing an afterlife that we might call heaven. Real simple gift weight of that space between stars and join the multitude of other songs. It's raining here now i'm 2 months ago i have major elective surgery. Nutritional leaks all over the state. Zion in fear. Well i return my body completely over to my surgery when practice is still foreign and would have total control over my life for several hours. Alabama state of complete unconscious oblivion. Possibly real liking to lightning or possible journey into nothingness which i might never return. A preoperative memory in the morning of my surgery wasn't your messages pushing a sedative into my arm. I know this will be followed by a trip to the operating room where he would take charge of my bleeding and all our vital functions. What's a 5 hours of complete unconsciousness. Nairobi recovery room with absolutely no memory of the surgery not even a dream. Just a profound absence. Rhinoceros. How is the president's surgery was behind the middle school waiting line. Interstate relation to have cellular only for. Roman racing swelled up inside me in my first words to my wife companion in life handler. I know who god is. and my shoulder's sore when i was absent. We're here is rubidium present with all of us in the here and now. Profusely thinking recovery room nurse for her attentive care i asked her name she smiled and some rice. Who is my 17th century. But it seems to me not irrational tell it to believe that it is sorry. But what might happen after my death is not the basis of my religious faith anyway. I want to cultivate my spiritual health and wellness for the benefit of how i am in this world. But in order to gain a ticket of admission. To some possible. Futureworld. But this phone is not about what happens after we die as such it is about. Heaven. What is the mental picture. Which immediately came to your mind when i said the word. Heaven. Famous prayer of jesus. Our father who art in heaven. Is heaven a place. Is adipose word garb older dog's name. Mount olympus philadelphia place on high. From which the gods watch over us. Scrubbing amongst themselves come down and go to mother in our lives. Ravish maidens. Disco god-like powers upon their favorites. Is it a place to which we go. To become as gods. Well. It was my dear that 32 universe. With the firmament the earth and the underworld. Such ideas of heaven made sense that heaven was a place somewhere beyond. Have no idea of jesus which will ascension to heaven in the christian. Scriptures made some sense in pre-scientific times. When was the idea of the firmament and os and the underworld. It has become somewhat harder to sustain. In the range of space travel. Define just world this place up there might be. And there's the prospect again in hell by some of the rapture. What delightful prospect. Switch some igloo anticipate of being saved. A baby why is he up just at the last minute to enjoy the delightful spectacle. I'm watching the rest of us being annihilated. There are some people on my list i will gladly so you know i like it but this beautiful creation. Really. It seems an ideal not only intellectually untenable. But marley. Repugnant. But you don't have to entertain such more extreme ideas of what heaven might be to have. Adele concert. Of what heaven is. I remember many many many years ago i was home alone and those are milk on the door and when i answered it i was delighted to discover. Attractive young woman. My life is changed by phone. 888 knows that these two particularly attractive young women were jehovah's witnesses and because they were particularly attractive young woman i discovered to my surprise that i have no time on my hands and i'll only have one jehovah's witnesses come knocking at my door so we engaged in conversation for some time. And. Alpha bravo board out the latest issue of the watch time then use my phone which have enough cool about heaven. And she ate one of them opened it and there was a line drawing of a level gun with a lion and the lamb. That is what heaven is like so one of them i know i said something engraved u u fashion knows where i'll get out up to lovely metaphorical representation of what the visual images of having my day what do you mean she said that is what heaven is like it says in the bible. Lols about a wrap time would i suddenly remembered it myself throw was an engine made of. Consulting. And the conversation ended. Heaven a place for union. Suppose we have loved in life. There are certainly those who believe so. Is having a place of at 1. With the divine. The hats. Is it a reward for faithful goodness in this life or overboard for believing the right things on belonging to the right church. Is it a place for the scene with endless hallelujah to the accompaniment of the most tedious harp music wonderful wonderful. How people anticipated and eternity. I'll see alleluyas i'm run depressed reagan run out in church on a sunday would more than make a pension play and suddenly the idea of heaven has given rise to a great many jokes. And it is truly extraordinary. How often it happens. The diminishment a scotsman and an irishman arrived i don't tell me go tell me exactly the same time. I don't know what heaven is good i have a very poor idea of hell. Amanda wants to go to heaven. And have to spend all eternity. In the company in the exclusive company of those who in this way in this life. You're so convinced that heaven was exclusively. Reserved just for them. Weather imagine heaven. As a literal place. It quickly. Becomes upset. In any case the idea of eternal life the metaphorically of eternal life has absolutely nothing to do with living forever. It has absolutely nothing to do with not dying not now it never has. The weather for eternal life means living beyond time. Measuring your life according to its death not installation its quality. Matic quantity. Heaven. Is metal place metal cases embassies and comfort and joy. Federal state of mind a state of mind even in the midst of all that life is. Messi. Painful. Confused. And sometimes downright ugly. Heaven. State of endless mindless luxury and endurance. It is being fully immersed in the reality of life. But in such a way. As if we were in the world of thomas trahan as if we were. Among the angels. A man had died and when he came to. He discovered that he was in a most beautiful room lit with the most magical whitefly tomorrow at the foot of his bed was a man. Dressed in a blooming white suit. Welcome said the man we are very pleased to have you here. Here in this place you may have whatever you wish. In fact. You don't even need to ask for it. You need only two foods that you might wanted an able to supply to you in abundance. Fantastic. Florida man. Do you know i'm feeling just a tad hungry. I'm instantly spell before him was a board full of his most favorite foods and fruits and wine. And he ate. Until he was. Could eat no more. And i'm such a morning 4:20 so if you know. I could really do with a nap now probably this divine with cushions and covers was dead before him and he laid down and have the most wonderful night when he wrote he's. The feeling a little bit lonesome and whatever he said that but all of his boon companions with something there with him watch me dude i said let's watch i gain and instantly and 97 in high definition tv screen drop from the ceiling and roebucks the giants. Playing the red sox. The giants 125 mill. Now you know it's crazy it was just wonderful. Every thing he wanted was just that. What could be better except. Often little while. He started to realize. Getting rid of this great food. Wasn't so much fun if he wasn't actually hungry. Aurora iceland. The world's pressure with food. Western general. I'm also. What's better than that. If he was never tired. What hero is appreciated about enough it was at the end of the holidome work maybe of rigorous exercise run to west to west brom was great but if you untied. There was no value to it and even watching the giants beating the red sox 25 mil every time. Became boring then you knew what was going to happen but the real thrill of winning a game was the real possibility. I'm losing. And he started to be really irritated by the fact that everything was so easy until finally he couldn't stand it anymore and he cold as a man. In the white suit and subbed. I don't want you to think i am ungrateful you have been wonderful your hospitality is superb i will fill out the evaluation form. But you know. I don't think i can take this any longer. I'd like to go to hell. Eminem about suicide. Well what do you think you want now. Heaven is not the state. Evangelist. Mindless. Luxury. He's an indolence. It is being fully in must. In the reality of life. But in such a way as if we were. I'm alone jose. My idea of heaven. Is that at the close of my life. Whenever that might be. And in whatever circumstances. But i should die. At peace. With whom i have been in life. American alarms i've had the privilege to him given. And received. Ungrateful. For having been granted this miraculous gift of life. I'm reconciled to the fact that that gift is not forever. Indeed it is the very fact that life does not last forever. Which makes it so. So precious. And if pakistan. Why wait. Until the end of life. What everyday for example trinity to awake in heaven. To enjoy the word arrived. In the words of thomas trujillo and as if we were indeed. Among the angels. George eliot wrote. Go to move in heaven is to make the undying music of the world. By being the kind of strings to other souls and some great agony. Kendall jenner asada to feed pillow. Tubig at the smalls that have no cruelty. I'm thomas hardy wrote. Put the true goal of religion. Is not to get man into heaven. About to get heaven. Into man. When we have. The spirit of heaven. And i heart. We are. Already there. And the great news is. We don't have to die. To get that. Holland.

uudavispodcast_org

2015-08-09_How-Do-We-Heal-the-World_10_001.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons another recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. org for further information. No matter what path is brought you through these doors welcome we gather is people of diverse beliefs and we represent differing political views we are people of a diversity of sexual orientations and gender identities are ethnic and cultural roots come from the four directions of this living earth real. As robin has with the chalice now. I want you to pay attention to your breathing. And as you do take in the image of the flame with its warmth and energy. Feel the warmth and energy in your heart. And it taken the image of the chalice. The car that holds the flame we also embraced his car. Which is our beloved community. From an essay called conjectures of a guilty bystander of contemporary violence. To which the idealist most easily succumbs. Activism and overworld. The russian pressure of modern life are form perhaps the most common form of its innate violence. To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of a conflicting concerns to surrender to too many demands to commit oneself to too many projects to want to help everyone and everything is to succumb to violence. The frenzy of our activism neutralizes our work for peace it destroys our own inner capacity for peace. It destroys the fruitfulness of our own word because it kills the root of an inner wisdom which makes were fruitful. For all of us. The world challenges us everyday. All the pains the brokenness the problems and possibilities. How do we bury under the weight of all we know. Of all that comes in on us everyday. Our world is in trouble. So many tremors. It is certainly in need of healing. We have gone through a year of introspection and strategic planning we have collectively decided that the work of healing the world is a significant aspect of our vision and our intention and if you heard me earlier stephen and robin are going to head up much of this work that we hope to do. Inner bandhan we reach out into the wider world. At other times we pull our boundaries in close. I know that i did that when i was working and had family responsibilities and health issues there were days that i counted as successful when i could say everyone has had good food in the laundry is done i named this level of functioning survival gear sometimes even still i find comfort in the mantra we are all fed in the cold clothes are clean. 12 years since i joined with others in witnessing for peace. There have been years in my life when i could barely leave home due to sorrow for the world. Over the years i've done a lot of grief work and this is strengthens me. I have had to learn how to become acquainted with grief and to accept it as part of our wholeness. Grief loss death we do not love without them they are part of the wholeness of love. Success failure grief. Love lost. We don't have one without the others. Grief is a wound but it is much more than that it is indeed an essential human feeling that is natural response to losses and troubles in our lives and the world around us it is a vehicle of life and love and transformation we are changed by what we love and what happens to what we love. Conscious grieving is transformative and truly is spiritual work. And it is not simply in a world it leaves us out of ourselves and into connection remember each and every one of us has gifts to offer. As we were to bring wholeness to our lives and to the world. One question that motivated my study during the sabbatical began with a phone call with one of my sisters. We are talking about facebook. And our family. We have lots of different viewpoints she says. Aren't you afraid you'll offend someone i flash on all the things i had posted on facebook recently flowers from the garden sparkling spider's web cute animal videos i tried to resist posting but did it anyway my own annoyed dog wearing a bracelet to the us. Mexico border with clergy from the uu college as social justice where we were witnessing the human tragedy of our border policies and my participation and friends friends to sign petitions for gun control and when black lives matter ramped-up as a movement i posted and reposted. Her husband was a prison guard and he has a very different point of you my nephew. Is extremely conservative and is in the tea party but i told her. And after the call i found myself questioning my response. How we always responded to in justices of the times have our efforts have our efforts ever made a difference and then finally just question. Knowing that we are in this for the long haul actually it's a whole series a run-on question what gives us hope. What gives us strength feeling alive when we could easily carry the burden of many crises i had even more candles that could have been lit this morning little chalices that could have been. I did the ps4 sabbatical study i focused on universalist and unitarians in america the people's history by john buren i'd read it before but this time i had lots of time specifically for our theology and the responses of unitarian and universalist different to issues in our society. And my reading went beyond john's book using sources that describe our country's history from the minority and often silenced viewpoints. It may come as no surprise to you that unitarian-universalism rarely if ever held the same opinion. In retrospect. What we may choose to remember. Is what would make us look good in our own eyes today one example is the now much celebrated john haynes home minister of all souls church in york city. During the years of the first world war he was actually the founder of the aclu we like to remember that but because he proclaimed himself a pacifist he lost his standing. With a minister must speak the truth is they understand it if they are responsible. That is the right of the clergy so he was reinstated and could not have his fellowship taken from him. Because he spoke about. His views at the pacifist. That is also a part of our history. Unitarian universalist of had different levels of acceptance for issues of injustice being presented from the pulpit or being a major part of the identity of a congregation so that is different from congregation to congregation even in our own time but as it turns out mother response but i had to correct the issues of the time our theology. Followed a more-or-less kind of a pretty direct path actually. It's also true that many issues of injustice in society recurred. In a slightly different form with every generation. I'm going to ask her to stick with me as i. The preview a few of those. And there will be a discussion time after the service in the same classroom where where donna and i are willing to meet people to talk about your impression of this as well. One thing that reoccurs race as settlers came from northern europe specifically they brought with them a doctrine established in the 15th century called the doctrine of discovery christian explorers had the god-given right they believed to claim and exploit any discovered land discovered by in their eyes the attitude of supremacy and privilege of all those christian or white. And once were aware of this doctrine of discovery we start to see its imprint on this country's history from the first settlers to our international policies. Another issue is inequity of well which returns to haunt our country with every generation and when the division of wealth between those two have and have nots reaches a breaking point. Demonstrations erupt. Often labor practices and living conditions improve and just enough to dispel righteous anger of those who feel hopeless and then within a lifetime the hardship and frustration come to the foreground again. Immigration is another issue i read about as i walked through our history when our country needs labor the laws regulating incoming workers relax inviting workers into the country in different ways. But when economic times are difficult the workers who are not legal citizens. Define discriminative. And there's more. Our relationship with the land has a history of exploitation. Agriculture has become industrialized and the very earth itself revolves. Cloud prairies result in dust storms at dark in the sun at on sabbatical i spent an afternoon in the kitchen of an italian chef our small group of chef wannabes bit into tomatoes grown on a farm near florence. We were silent at the flavor exploded in our mouth. When juiced ran down our chins he said americans have destroyed the taste of their food by mistreatment of the land. They're saying this in italy. About all of our food. As we learned about the struggles in history even the shortlist i mentioned we need to know what gives us hope. What gives us strength what keeps is feeling alive when there are these reoccurring problems that could make it otherwise so easily could make it otherwise. I choose and this is my choice to believe that every time we addressed these painful problems we get closer to making it right. Consider the conditions in factories in our country at the turn of the century when people worked in those textile mills from sunup to sundown and beyond my own family. Young children as laborers. Terrible air quality within the factories fire hazards many death because of them. And others living truly high off the hog the robber barons at the time. And now with the establishment of child labor laws and social security and unemployment benefits it's better but the work of course of course is not done. We're looking at raising the minimum wage and addressing the salaries of those who work in the fast-food business nevermind that we even have a fast-food business. I believe there is a progression of how we care for humanity. And we are moving in one direction i'll be it slower than i would like. But i have hope. Am i home is grounded in experience and vision in virginia stafford gave me permission to read her poem by that title hope our mission is to plant ourselves at the gate of hope. People cannot hear us there they cannot pass through. Nor the cheerful flimsy garden gate of everything is going to be alright but a different sometimes lonely place truth-telling about your own soul's first of all. And it's condition. And the police of resistance and defiance the piece of ground from which you see. The world's both acid is. And as it could be. As it will be she rides. The place from which you glimpse not only struggle. But the joy of struggle. And we stand there. Beckoning and calling. Telling people what we are seeing. Asking people what they see. I'll admit. I'm impatient. With the reading. With thomas merton's message read by donna this morning. I'm chosen and i chase at its message. I learned more about myself on sabbatical. I learned that i am a person of action. I wanted to learn that i was a person of reflection but i learned otherwise that's the way it is sometimes isn't it i want to use my energy for visible change. But here's what i know. I know he is right about our obsession for action. It's an invitation to the heartbreak of being ineffective in the long-term at martin was riding for the 1960s that has came out of came out in the 1960s with the ferment of the civil rights movement women's rights economic rides the vietnam war he was addressing that specifically. Maybe we have come to a time when we can remember that the very people we raise up is examples of strengths in the 1950s and 1960s heather finger on some sia logical throughs that brought them into a community of love. Love with the big l. And that community and that love that goes beyond community gave them strength when they were beyond discouragement and discouragement with all around them. The reading we heard by thomas merton is often used by quaker activist parker palmer. He started resenting and workshops and broadcast he's in his mid-70s now with a courtney martin who is in her late twenties a young adult author of course i like this title do it anyway the new generation of activists. The theme of their friendship and their presentation comes from their mutual interest in helping people of all ages and she's particularly interested in young adults maintain stamina to address the injustice has that are large enough to reappear through history some of those things i mentioned. And. They came to the same conclusion separately and brought their work together the inner work of understanding our spiritual life and reflecting on our motivation are imperative. The transformation. And success. In our ongoing work of social change. The question becomes how can we live most effectively. Afraid from parker palmer that is resurfacing in unitarian universalism is living with faithfulness and off and iced tea. Unitarian universalist eyebrows pop up at the word faithfulness. Sound religious and it is. When parker uses this phrase it's an invitation to ask these questions. Good question am i being faithful to my own gift. Am i being faithful to the need icy around me within my reach. Am i being faithful to the point where my gifts intersect with the needs ic. And finally. Did i show up. As fully as i know how in meaningful ways. All showing up in the most meaningful way means that we have answered the important questions about our gifts and our reach. And the intersection of the gift. And what we see that needs to be done. But it's also about the rich spiritual life. It connects us to a strength beyond our own. This is that wrestling with our theology and finding the specific away. Peppa theology is hours. We need a connection beyond ourselves. My good people. I referred to you as my people my good people. Because despite our best work all that we can do. Racial injustice just may not end in our lifetime. I can say the earth will not be completely healed. A financial chasm between the wealthy and the poor is likely to still exist and immigration not just in the united states this issue is likely to remain a problem for the world. What can we do. About the work that remains unfinished when we have wholeheartedly given all we have to offer to the areas of life would we have been faithful we have given it all and what are we going to do. The challenging answered and it is hard for me yet i know it is true is found in this story. It is 1296 in florence italy. The construction of the cathedral of santa maria del fiore begins the center of the great minds and the birthplace of the renaissance. How to make way for it chris graves or exhumed buildings are raised and this with astounding to me all other cathedral heights are lowered how they did that i don't know the original design the problem is. Construction of the church itself takes 70 years with doesn't seem very long to me actually for such a large cathedral. But each year the architect stand in a central aisle and swear with their hand on a bible that they will be true to the original design they had a vision they are going to follow it. Finally they have built everything except for the dome itself. For the next 50 years. The area over where the altar will be perhaps the most sacred place in the whole church is left open to the rain and left open to the sun that is just a whole sitting there for fifty years. After 50 years. A competition to choose an architect to complete the sentence maria del fiore as hell. And an unlikely person is chosen. Brunelleschi. And a goldsmith he is not an architect at all in his design he considers both the inner life of the cathedral and the spiritual presents. And the dome that everyone else will see you look for answers from the construction of islamic mosques he studies ancient buildings and integrates all he has learned. Adding to his own innovation. Inconceivable in this culture. He had looked beyond beyond his own culture. There are two domes and inner one is resplendent with art and inspires the worshippers. And an outer one for the whole world to see equally. As beautiful. But here. Is the final message for us. These wonderful. Architects. Decided. Create something of beauty. And they didn't know how to get there. How to finish it they gave everything they had every skill. And then they trusted. That there would be someone who would come after their time. Who would have the answer. Who would have the gift. To complete the dream. Can we. Live with that kind of faithfulness. As unitarian universalist. What. A challenge. Can. We live. With that kind of trust. And to that i say. Anna. Invite you into a time of prayer after that challenge and a time of meditation. In this prayer it'll be times of silent times of singing. Awkward silence. Trust. Prayers for those who are in this congregation but are not here this morning. For those in this room with aching hearts or who needs strength. It is for all of us becomes from are universalists theology that says there is a love that holds and is a part of healing the weariness of the depths of our soul and this love is known as god be here and rest in the quiet with love i will not want for more love makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters restores my soul love leave me in right path even though i walk through the darkest valley i will fear no evil for love is always by my side to comfort me love remind me of the nourishment that surrounds me in the presence of those who would harm me god of love i am here. Man on the side of love into pink and with one another have these words a little bit from victoria stafford and a little bit from me this week. And will be let his congregation say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

2017-07-02-The-1st-Amendment-U-U-You.mp3?_=5

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. you you david. org for further information. On sunday morning. We bring the gifts and imperfections of who we are. This is a community where we. Our work is to keep our vision. On the best we can be. Religious beliefs. Call sacred different experience. We celebrate those of all sexual orientations and gender identities we welcome people of all races classes in political parties. And we will continue to work to build the world. As our sacred home. So you may be wondering who that mysterious. And the first amendment she gives them a passing grade. Her focus was on employment and gender discrimination the first amendment is a distinguishing feature of our democracy. It gives us the freedom to dissent. Thanks marty. Is a pretty thing. Some ways it works. It's a privilege we have. Freedom of speech when i was young. As i understood. We have the first amendment. Eluded me. Actually i did get punished for my words so what exactly. Free speech. This is a free country. Freedom to be rude. Criticism of the government. Okay. Threats against yourself and especially president. Liberty. And you can be combined against your will. Publicly bad-mouthing an individual or a corporation person. It's not really allowed either. No speech is protected from social recourse. The wrong words. Expanding. It's a place where it's proper to be apolitical. Asexual humorous. Call receive. Keep on punishing waze. I know a friend being threatened with exile from a community. Perceived disrespect. Doesn't matter. Community. Emotional ramifications. Freedom to be spiteful. I work with many chinese nationals. The government's anti-government. Protesters demonstrate resisted institutions of power. Pepper spray. Open the most part. This is rare speaking. System. Westboro baptist church. You're freed. Text meredith. These actions. Even protected. So much so that even the police would come out physically protect the westboro baptist church. Freedom to speech. The first reading. The part of the first amendment dealing with freedom of the press. The bill includes the first amendment. Almost. Did it took nearly 150 years after the adoption of the constitution. Bill of rights. Precision focused on the freedom of the press. Minnesota. A legal prohibition on the presses ability to publish information in its possession. Heinous. Violate the first amendment. This is from the supreme court case. Near versus minnesota 1931. Madison. Who was the leading spirit in the preparation of the first amendment of the practice a sentiment which led to the guarantees of liberty of the press in state constitution. This is now the supreme court decision quoting james madison. In every state in the union. Canvassing. The merits and measures of public man of every description which has not been consigned to the strict limits of the common-law the freedom of the press. Has stood. Just putting it yet stands. Degree of abuse is inseparable. From the proper use of everything and in no instance is this more true than in that of the press. It has accordingly been decided. By the practice of the states that it is better to leave a few of its noxious branches. Luxurious. Then by pruning them away. And can the wisdom of this policy be doubted by any. As it is with abusive. Reflect that to the same beneficent stores. The united states. Much of the white witch conducted of a free and independent nation. In which their political system. To what shape so auspicious to their happiness. Unquote. From the supreme court decision in the case of near versus minnesota. The second reading is a quote from rodger williams. 130 or so years before the constitution. Williams here speaking to the source of power for a government. An idea that was. And it's a bit of an indicator of williams. Was so influential on the enlightenment philosophers pacifically john locke. And john milton. Whose works were greatly influential for thomas jefferson and james madison and the other architects of our constitution. The sovereign. Original foundation of civil power lies in the people. Governments have no more power for no longer time. Then the civil power or people consenting and a green shelby trust with them. Does rodger williams. First amendment. Muhammad. The first amendment is both powerful. And troublesome. It certainly is troublesome. Best of how this can be. Especially in freedom of speech for then the other parts of the first amendment as well. Especially nowadays. Another sermon. Powerful amazing ways. First amendment. I think this is probably so. With somebody who is an actual constitutional scholar. The first amendment. What the rest of the constitution. The linchpin of the constitution. Falls park. Become so weak and without. And the first amendment falls apart as even one of the five parts of the first amendment. Weekend. And then begin to understand what these five parts mean. The world. Amendments. First amendment first amendment. It did find us. Found its way to us. Beginning of the story. The founding of the massachusetts bay colony in 1630. Yes the knighted states. Weather england's only official religion. Would be catholicism the church of england's version of protestantism. And by waffling back and forth i mean eastside killing the other side whenever they got the chance. And some ways the puritans were target. How much average was prevailing in england. So they came to massachusetts for religious freedom. Well the contrary. I mean ways contrary. Religious freedom at all. In fact. History as in fact eager. Connected. Minister williams. Williams connected to massachusetts. Connected to the educated in england. In fact was a well-known writer. Mc illusion in england and the massachusetts bay colony. Yappy powerfully felt that the church in massachusetts. Highest enough. It was placed him in a church in salem massachusetts. But they kicked him out. And banished him to england. And if he didn't go they were going to execute. Nice kind of. England. Again for being differently religious never mind which side was prevailing in england at the moment. I'm out of the picture. He was too charismatic. Two influential. First amendment. First amendment to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. The first amendment. Protesters. Religions traditionally dominant in the us. But the truth is this just means we need the first amendment even more. The first amendment. Is what protects us. Conscience. Relation to the cosmos is. Universalist church. The first amendment is what protects us. Found rhode island for a shelter for persons distressed for conscience. Distressed for conscience unquote williams was meaning having difficulty fitting their conscience into the religion that was being forced upon them. Play gimme shelter for persons. Just stressed for conscience conscience. Williams form of puritanism for himself. Thailand. That was pretty much on her. instead of founding rhode island. Religion. Practice. This was not well-received by almost anyone in power in the us. And his enemies were very right. Persuasive and so connected remember specifically. John milton. Actually able to get england. Basically wanted to execute them. Rhode island. To be a colony based upon this freedom. Distressed. Conscience. To execute a legacy of rhode island. Jefferson and james madison. And the rest of the founding fathers and consequently the constitution. Alice's restaurant. Forever. Through the song. The first amendment. The jefferson. No more directly to james madison. Our constitution and bill of rights. So they give us this constitution. Again. Really the constitution was originally designed. Temperature. England. Governments could be big threat to them and did not want a government that became that powerful. Constitution slavery. It wasn't perfect. And yes the documents themselves did contain the sea. It was because the enlightenment time released to the issues of right say schumann. Hat and this is how the constitution was formed. And word. Kiss principle in the declaration. Created equal. And this was in the context of rebelling against. Citizens. Unless held in check. And this is where the bill of rights. Comes in. Pretty much immediately after writing the constitution. Especially justin and madison but others to the constitution ways that citizens could keep governments in shack. Individual still have the personal freedoms. Spoke about. Let madison and jefferson learn from the likes of john milton and john locke. Rock and milton. Williams. Madison specifically designed to strip trucker powers away. Maintaining these rights for people. Free speech. Benson. The right of freedom of religion. Thank you rodger williams. Message delivered to the populist. To protest in public. The right to petition your government to do things differently. Which kind of sound. Into the heads of jefferson and madison. The result of radical. Government 150-plus years. Williams katt. Completely. So the people of faith could practice their faith. As well. On religious tolerance. And she broke. Best fight trays. Rodger williams. Does carefully reasoned argument. For the complete to sociation of church and state. The most important contribution made during the century in this significant area of political fraud. Unquote. Was williams introducing the idea. The way to guarantee. Is to guarantee the religious. Instead of the english. Chilling. The principal of rodger williams can be stated as the way to guarantee the rights. Translate this into a. Popular philosophy. Basis of society. Principle of a bunch of that i can be until you are all that you can be. Constitution. I can't have all my right until you have your rights are as important as my price. Showing this way was rodger williams so we have the same for madison and jefferson creating our system. The signpost. For the past. Every person even if we fall short. A faction of this. And the work remains hours to do. Sabaton the art of the universe. Closer towards justice. Bending the other way. To get us closer towards which the constitution the bill of rights. The now. Meditation. Contemplation. Are we trust people are born into original goodness. The world is inherently good. People animals nature's rocks. The divine process theology humanism. Each of us calls out to their name for the sacred is good. Perfect. From the perfections of the above but not because of original sandwich we have to overcome but because we are inherently schumann in which we find joy the world is not perfect. Individually and together. This week celebrated his 75th birthday. Three-quarters of a century. Community they can help us to see the beauty of creation. And that can help us to bring others closer to experiencing the one this late. Especially important right now. Please help us to all see the beauty of creation when we temporarily lose sight of it. Pleasure joy and wisdom from being on the path with people different. And the world closer to the oneness of the above we thank rodger williams for. Opening the door. Accepting one another space instead of fighting over the differences. Encourages oxford me to spare for failings of the world and provides us a path as individuals to comfort others when they can benefit from us such community require as much from us and provides much and both our religious community and the rest of the world. We are part of the shift of the stars the pull of the sea and all change i invite you into a brief moment of silence with nancy playing in the background for whatever passed in our lives past week. Your concern your gratefulness for this life. Leprechaun.

uudavispodcast_org

2014-10-05_Imperfect-Forgiveness_09_30.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. org for further information. Welcome to this place. We come to the sanctuary to celebrate the beauty of the earth and to be in community this congregation comforts us when we know loss and celebrates our best dreams we bring our differences together and together we offer a fuller truth in any one person could offer alone if the place of challenge and it's a place of compassion the holy is experienced here in many ways and is given many dames and this weekend is a special weekend for that. In judaism this last weekend we ended the jewish high holy days with yom kippur and islam celebrated one of its most important holidays. Eid al hada. Please show with a time when when abraham showed his devotion to god. And the christians honor saint francis say francis the patron saint of animals which will be honored here in the 11:15 service. People in this congregation of all sexual orientations and gender identities are celebrated and we welcome all classes and races and physical abilities. We still much to learn from each other. This is a place of learning and it's a place of hope. And whether because of the touch of a friend the words the music or moment of silence may you feel more alive in this place. Keep sunday we life is flaming chalice to remind us of what is important the chalice is a beacon of hope and a reminder of our collective strength and keeping with this month's theme i offer these words. We take this moment to draw a breast to sit in silence to give thanks for this day may we open ourselves to the process of giving and forgiving more freely in hopes of understanding each other more deeply. When i think of contemporary spiritual buzzwords forgiveness tops the list. These days it seems we're in treated to embrace forgiveness and to practice it at every turn. Did you know amazon.com list 100 pages of books on the subject forgiveness 21 days to forgive everyone for everything and one day my soul just opened up 40 days to forgiveness can we just start small place. While i do occasionally utter invective in conversation with myself about the careless drivers i encounter it goes something like this. I see what you did there think the laws don't apply to you we'll just let that go i forgive you and hope you pay more attention next time. Beyond not contributing to the culture of road rage i feel calmer and less stress by focusing on the small forgiveness. It is sometimes the little things. I wonder how many of you might also practice forgiveness and i hope you'll share in the social hall with me afterwards if you do. Musing on imperfect forgiveness this month's theme i woke up a few mornings ago and wrote down this poem. Forgive my daily annoyances as i forgive those who annoy me the hair left in the shower drain the dishwasher and properly loaded the harsh words landing on a tired ear the thing i said i wish i hadn't. Know that i can be healed of these easily breathing in forgiveness breathing out kindness the small transgressions evaporating making room for bigger more tender mercies. Forgive the gossip carelessly stone. The promise to be kept cheryl asleep shamed shamelessly shared the promotion wrongfully denied the love not shared the complete betrayal by a friend a world gone mad with war. Imperfect being that i am how can i begrudge others their imperfections. If i'm to make a meal of forgiveness let it be a moveable feast unfolding gently. I'm a motor bono and i'm the chair of your bored. We have been looking forward to this day since 2009. And it finally has arrived. Reverend sanders has vast experience our pastoral care minister. He has experience incarnation center churches. Chaplaincy here's a nationally certified counselor he's trained and pastoral counseling center in dallas has trained caregivers a narrative. Therapy techniques. Now if i told you all his experience and accomplishments i would be here till noon and you can take me out to lunch i would like to share a story from cody which illustrates his dedication to the ministry from an early age and the creativity which we might expect from him and being our pastoral care minister. Cody store. When i was six years old. I started a year-long campaign of persistently begging my father and grandfather to build my own church. In our backyard. Both of them contractors they finally relented and built a small chapel for me in the backyard. It was large enough to see six or eight congregants comfortably. The front wall featured a large stained glass window that we found tucked away in the basement of our real church. Just like you damaged. And with imperfect imperfect pains. It was perfect in my backyard church. Bathing the altar with razor pale blue and purple light. Bianca was fashioned from the big old wooden office desk. The roof is adorned with a bright pipes people built by my grandfather. I've been shopping around town for the perfect people and pointed out a nearby church steeple i served as a model of my own. I'll try the door there was a bell to ring in the faithful. Which consisted mostly of my grandfather and a neighbor friend. My grandmother showed a tiny rope for my six-year-old frame. Complete with my first minister and stole. My grandfather would peace while i let the music and numerous services each week. What's the story of my childhood church ran on the front page of the spartanburg herald journal a woman in a neighboring town contacted us to sell us the old electronic organ in her basement was she no longer was using. Need i say more we are truly blessed to have him with us. Can i have the honour the pleasure of introducing you to the reverend cody saunders. Thank you and if you don't believe the story i brought the newspaper article for you to see after chris in this room just outside the hall here i didn't want to leave we had such a wonderful conversation about this congregation about our dreams and our imagination for what pastoral care ministry might look like here you ucd so eventually and katrina said we had to stop and end the meeting. I'm so glad to finally be here with you in the service and look forward to getting to know you and hearing your stories and knowing more about who you are and who you imagine yourself becoming and hoot what you imagined this congregation becoming as a community of care i'm excited to be on this journey with you and thank you for your warm welcome. Her reading this morning rami m shapiro spells out how we can interpret the ten commandments as val's on daily affirmations of spiritual intent in a chapter on watching our speech he writes the following. There is a hasidic story about a town gossip. This fellow thoughtlessly told and retold stories about others that brought them shame. The town's rabbi met with a man and confronted him with his words. The man was stunned he had no idea he was spreading such hurt he broke into tears and beg the rabbi for help. There must be something i can do to atone for the wickedness i have done. The rabbi instructed the man to take for pillows out into a field once there he was to slice open each pillow with a knife and shake its feathers into the wind. Samantha the rabbi and rushed off to do as he was told. He purchased for fine feather pillows and cut them open in the field watching as the feathers scattered in every direction. He returned to the rabbi to let him know he had completed his task. Not quite said the rabbi now go back into the field and retrieve the feathers but that is impossible said the man the winds have taken them everywhere. It is the same with your words said the rabbi gravely just as you cannot retrieve the feathers once spilled so you cannot withdraw words once spoken. No matter how sincerely you desire to undo what you have done the harm caused by thoughtless speech cannot be rectified. This sunday if all the mediately after the 10 days of all of the jewish high holy days throughout this holiday the jewish religious tradition reminds us that our relationships with each other and the earth are imperfect. They're always in need of mending. In this holy time. There's an emphasis on the importance of asking for forgiveness and offering it. If it is possible. Some don't wait for a year to pass to ask for forgiveness. Rabbi and elimelech was an eighteenth-century rabbi and every week he would ask for forgiveness from everyone in his household household every friday. Has a sabbath begin. He would ask forgiveness of his children. His wife. The servant in their home. He recognized that we live with good intentions. Get me often stumble we often heard another. At autumn's poem. Includes forgiving those who annoy. Leave hair in the drain. The dishwasher incorrectly. And forgiveness for things said things unsaid. Harsh words that spill out of us in a moment assateague. Working on these small transgressions. Can help us practice for the times when we really feel deeply hurt. First such a spiritual discipline a regular forgiveness protects us from a backlog of needing to do so. I can be very practical i'd hate to wait for a whole year i'd have such a long list. As it makes us able to live through those times. They could leave as twisted and anger for a whole lifetime. Canton oberon has a new book and in that he says forgiveness is a habit of the heart. An inclination. A spirit. A way of living in an homage to all the good choices and decisions that we make everyday. This world of ours is always being broken. And we can often. Dying. An unfolding moveable feast of forgiveness as we heard. From autumn. That all sounds so wonderful. And i do believe in the power of forgiveness. But there are times when the forgiveness may not be. Possible. At least not the forgiveness that we read about in the stories of reconciliation. We are inspired. By israeli and palestinian mothers who have each lost children to the ongoing unrest in the middle east and somehow they come together. With reconciliation. And serve as a model. Are the amish. And nickel pines pennsylvania hugging and offering food and flowers to a gunman's widow. Who killed young girls. The article said when the blood was barely dry on the schoolhouse floor within an hour. Nelson mandela. Has the new president of south africa working with those who imprisoned him. Those who imprisoned him for 27 years. Hearing this on the radio. Word church reading stories online or in a book we might say. Look at this. Amazing. Inspirational. And then we go away unsatisfied with ourselves. When we cannot forgive in our everyday lives. Zach. Ibrahim. Is 7 years old when his. Father and uncles take him to a shooting range in pittsburgh pennsylvania. His father helps zach hold the rifle to the shoulder. And aim at the target 30 yards away. Find his last shot. Zach hits the small orange light sitting on top of the target. And everyone's surprise. The light and the whole target burst into flame. Eddie stand in stunned silence. His father and his uncle's laugh. Like father like son. Attack is puzzled why does this mean like father. Mike's son. Bassoon zack learns to judge people by their raise their nationality and religion he learns of violence as a means to pursue religious power. Now an adult that explains i am the son of a terrorist. His father was an engineer from egypt. His mother was a loving american school teacher first grade. Zach says and every religion you find a small population who believe that their religion must rules the world. And recounts how his father started to show him a sighted islam that most muslims never see. It is no more the reality of islam than violence is apart of mainline christianity. Zack's family moved 20 times in the first 19 years of his life. Giving him few friends and leaving him very awkward socially and bullied always the new kid never learning to fit in. With no social life. There was no in the world lessons to balance the hatred. That he learned at home. Zack's father. Is all sad nocera. Back in 1993 zack's father was responsible. For arranging the detonation of 1500 pounds of explosives in the garage. Other world trade center. Six people were killed 1,000 were injured. There are many levels of the story where healing is wanted where healing is needed. For each of the thousand people who were hurt and their families. For the six lies that ended. For the fear that spun out through the country. For the prejudice against muslims. That such as violence helps to fuel. For harassment of the new kid. The kid with a different look. An unusual name. For parents planting the seed of hatred in young minds. So many acts of destruction and harm. To do undo all of this damage would be like chasing those feathers flying in the wind. How can no stairs actions ever. Be forgiven. When they have unleashed. Setting in motion ripples of harm over the years. Over the years. Last week i invited people to respond to a question on facebook. And i put it on our churches monthly theme. Journal. Are there times when you have not been able to offer forgiveness. The response has mentioned emotional injuries by family and friends. Often comment made in haste or thought listeners. And too often what is unforgivable is abuse and a betrayal of trust by someone who knows us well someone we trusted to use their powers to protect us and not to harm us. Zach's injury. His abused by his father. Was being schooled. In hatred and fear. Learning to see the world through a lens of anger and prejudice. C.s. lewis said if we really want to learn to forgive. Perhaps we'd better start with something easier. Then the gestapo. Perhaps if we want to learn about forgiveness we should start with something more confined than terrorism in what happened with that first attack. Before the much-larger attacks. On the world trade center. We can begin with the relationship between the father. And his son. I think there is a middle way of approaching forgiveness. Or thinking about it. Forgiveness may be a stepping-stone to reconciliation or it may become an ending point that proves to be. Good enough. Even this. Good enough. Healing. The greek word for forgiveness is release. The release of yourself and the other person the release that is found when the one who has harmed makes a conscious effort not to acting revenge to do no harm. When we decide that anger resentment guilt will not be given center stage in the way that we live. When we refused to retaliate. And play evils game. 17. Zach started to silently disagree with his father's ideology. At a national youth convention he chose to study youth violence because of the bullying he received at his family moved around the country. In the course of the we he became close to one particular student. And at the end of the program he discovers that his friend is jewish. This is the first challenge to his father's teaching that there is. A natural animosity between his family and all those who are jewish. 1 hatred. Feliway. And then one summer. He worked at an entertainment facility that put him at the intersection of all kinds of people. He been taught that homosexuality was a sin. And yet has he worked with gay men lesbian women he found among the kindest people i've ever known. Because he had injured bullying he discovered an empathy for the suffering of others another building block of hatred broke. And then he started watching the daily show. With jon stewart. He recognized but this jewish comedian. He said actually became a second father to him on the media. Do jon stewart cutting humor. His father's views were dismantled. He found his own assumptions were. Challenged. The wall that had been built between himself and so many people of the world cracked and crumbled. Is that tells the story of his life he never says that he forgave his father that he even desired reconciliation. After encounters with people his father had taught him to fear and hate. Zach bravely confesses to his mother that he no longer agrees with his father. And his mother responded with a voice as weary as he felt. I am tired. Of hating people. I'm so tired. Of hating. He realize how much energy it takes to hold grudges and resentment inside. From what i can understand zach found that middle stepping-stone to forgiveness that is viable for those who cannot reconcile themselves with the one with hurt them. Perhaps this too is a kind of forgiveness. That active choice to do no harm. Define some compassion for himself. Zach abraham is not the original name. Of the son of the terrorist it's his chosen name. The family distanced itself from their in prison father. And zack is now 31 years old and. His life is as passionate as his father's. But the issues for which they are passionate are worlds apart. That travels around the country speaking to groups of all kind. Starting out his story. I am the sun. I'm a terrorist. How do you ask. Why do i put myself in such danger by telling my story when i could be silent. And safe. He explains that if there is someone who is drawn to violence. Perhaps they will see that there's a better way. Eddie wants to openly condemn his father's actions. I just say that is fun. Does not need to follow in the ways of his father. There is no reconciliation with his father. And ideal that is not available to him because of his father's persisting unbending patriots. But zack is found compassion. Within himself. For himself. And indeed has been transformed. He chooses to use his story to create opportunities for others to experience healing and perhaps even forgiveness. In their relationships. Sometimes. And i'm thinking about this week. For our community to. There's compassion for perpetrators. But even without that. Perhaps the middle steppingstone is good enough. Perhaps it is enough. For the compassion to be directed within the person who has been hurt. Unfortunate grow. And spread. From the healing heart of that person. I believe that within each person's heart there is a way to find peace and healing. And i believe. Is worth living with this face. As an ordinary. Daily practice of compassion and kindness. For ourselves and others. And in this whole world that we share. Invite you into a time of prayer. And meditation. With me. Setting aside. The struggles that you may have had this week. And trying to find that place of peace within. This year the high holy days were unique. It is the seventh year in a cycle. In biblical times it is the year of reflection when the farmer. Did not harvest the feels. Gave the crops to the hungry. It is a year of reflection. To take stock of how we are living our lives. And this is the time. To ask if we are relating well to others. This year this seventh year. We look to see if the foundation upon which we have built. Life. Is the right foundation. Sometimes we need to take this kind of time and look at the very the very structure. How we live our lives. Spirit of life that is love that is known as god. Maybe find time. Live with courage. Being present to what we hear within. The strength to act. Parcells and for others. Knowing that we are held by a community in a presents larger than language can name. Carenow this benediction through song and prayer and spoken-word we've heard a call beckoning us toward one of the most difficult one of the most of the versiv one of the most potent acts of human relationship still unsure that we can muster the strength to forgive because we wonder really all shall be well now we must go striving and perfectly but together toward the difficult the subversive the potent practice of unforgiveness believing this to be the way we may once again say and hopeful defiance against the status quo and all manner of things shall be well let the whole congregation say man.

uudavispodcast_org

2017-11-12-Veterans-Day.mp3?_=3

Welcome to sunday sermons another recording from unitarian universalist church of davis california www.dav.org for further information. Good morning i'm stacy for the worship leader today. We welcome those who want to make a difference to celebrate and those who need to heal you can find what you need here for years of any kind. Morning. 12 represent. And one. Celebrations. Veterans day weekend remember. Now the two circles have merged into one and have many different interpretations. And the flame of hope. Those who have served. And those who continue to serve. Called to build bridges between our divisions and to find people who need our help. To listen for the people who are asking for it. Sometimes in life we have to act in desperate time and ellie already mentioned that the unitarian service committee now the unitarian universalist service committee was started in desperate times and. There were a minister and his wife wait till and martha sharp they were from massachusetts and they were called by the american unitarian association as it was called at that time to go to europe. To help rescue specially children who were fleeing the nazis. They went over there as official representatives of american unitarianism and discovered that they needed to be official and they needed an official stamp on their letterhead. And so that's where this chalice came in. Sam came this symbol for the letterhead. Rescued people. Universalist service committee was born and has been really great works so every year it comes around to get that your table program and so you have a box and we asked you to put it out during your holidays and if you can put as much as it would cost to feed one more person in this box for every meal. Maybe learn about the need that unitarian universalist service committee's there's lots of information on their website there's lots of good work that they do and they are supported by congregations like that. When i was a little girl. I know there's some people in here who remember that. It marked the official ending of world. The war to end all wars. I can still see myself on main street in porterville tulare county. California. I was excited as i watch the floats and marching bands and veterans march down the street. The sidewalks were packed. Everybody dressed up as if for church. I think from the town fire station. The parade stop. And we all turn to face the east. Men remove their hats. And we stood in silence for a moment until the sirens blared again. The 11th. In 1918 when the armistice was signed between victors and vanquished. I imagine this happening america whenever 11 a.m. arrived. I was proud to be part of that event. Not long after we entered world war. And i was proud of my first cousin to see his parents before he shipped out. Unknown territory territory. Spaceman came home. But i don't know if they ever told their stories. And i was thrilled after the war ended that one of my high school teachers. My feelings begin to shift as we entered. This was the first television war. Vietnam. For anti-war demonstrators students. By national guardsmen. Naked. Burned by napalm running screaming toward the tv screen. Toward me. The fall of saigon and waiting to hear if a friend of civilian working there got out in time. This was the war that underlines the growing crowds of demonstrators and don't trust anybody over 30. And my question and my gut. Grow stronger. This feeling carried over to armistice day now called veterans day. I didn't want to participate in anything that might show support for war. My feelings. November 11th. Shall i attempt. I have met many you are siri and the korean war. Only 21 years old when he piloted one of those huge bombers that flew from england to europe. Today i know that i do want to honor walt and betty. My cousin. I honor the conscientious objector i know what you are seeing who gave of himself by living by his convictions. And i honor all the men and women who serve. I may not understand. And i definitely question the causes for their service. But i do respect them for. For doing what. Maybe i come home safe. May we celebrate peace. Not war. This past year. Has been a time of reflection and sorrow for my family is both my grandfather and grandmother passed away just seven months apart. 94-95 they both lives full lives and influence me greatly. But i'm finding out how little i knew of my grandfather's. Disturbing in world war ii. But he only talked about it and abstractly. Princeton instance he said taylor was evil i'm glad that i knew french. I need the general outline of his military service. Then he was stationed in europe and he set up communication lines and text emily machines. The history french-canadian background and french language skills came in handy and then he stayed on. I never remember him talking about going to a veteran center and i don't remember him talking about anybody he served with. He never wanted to talk about death or how he wanted to be buried. But in the last. After he died he found a few photos. From these photos my research and caption but he wrote on them i have pieced together together this story. Is my interpretation of these events. And the thing that permeates the story for me is my grandfather's silence about the time his time serving in wwii as a young man. One quick note about the photos i'm sharing. Almost all of the words on the slides. Are transcribed from his writing on the back of the photos because he was a keen observer he sometimes let us know what you thought was interesting. His story begins in north attleboro massachusetts about an hour outside of boston in a french-canadian catholic community in a family of 7 children my grandfather was the second youngest born in 1921 and came of age during the great depression i remember him sharing stories of working at a gas station. Not only did it but people who had money would offer him an extra few dollars to drive their car to a different state and take a bus back i believe. His father napoleon works in a factory making jewelry as many of the working-class men in north attleboro did. His mother in the household. I don't know which zachary his father worked in when world war 2 started but later in life one of his daughters work in the whiting davis jewelry. As a working-class family. How to take photographs and keep a scrapbook. Gas station that you worked at wrote him a letter of recommendation for military service. I don't know if it's french language was thought of as an asset when he enlisted but it surely helped him in france. The army air corps in february 1942 after pearl harbor was bombed and completed training in various sites around the u.s.. During this training diesel parts of the country that were up until then only in his imagination. A postcard sent home from chicago say hello sister when you grow up to be. Your brother albert. Journal entry explaining that you traveled to the south for the first time. Various technical training schools in the us. With large numbers of men enlisting in the armed services the army air corps. High skill level jobs did the great depression in 1941. About 100,000 students were intrigued. But after pearl harbor 650,000 rent rain per year. Hotels warehouses theaters convention hold any structure of space. Technical training command was established in 450 other locations jackson mississippi and main. The training based on the job. Journal entry after he found out that he would be attending photography school this was included in his journal in march 1942. It is 9 p.m. the whistle just blew for lights out. I am in the mailroom now and have finished about six letters my hand is tired but i think i will write another letter after tonight's entry yesterday i saw my name on the list for straight trade school specialist photography. I am thankful to have this opportunity. This i realize will change my whole future. I hereby promise i will study of school to the best of my ability. Local photography club in north attleboro and when newspaper cutout in his scrapbook announced that he first and third prize in the annual photo contest so photography was not new to al but through the war he honed his skills and afters of war photography school in california. More importantly and have access to dark rooms. His actual job title and description is stored. Assembly technician. Installs inspects services and repairs facsimile equipment. Must have a comprehensive understanding of the operation and construction of sending and receiving text emily equipment. Photographic darkroom procedure operation. First i want to make sure everybody understands a little bit about the facsimile machine. And many of. In the early 1900s the first major users of baxter was transmitted and received photographs from around the world. The next major users where the weather service has the tax weather charts. Leading up to world war 2 fax services were also used by the military to transmit orders and weather chart. After he finished his basic command and technical training. He was stationed in london arriving in april 1944 behind. To set up fax networks in communication. They also maintain the fax machines in england and continental europe. He works for the weather service of the us army corps. She helped pioneer the use of radioshack simile. For the transmission of weathermaster over transmission lines. An army corps newsletter had an article featuring owl. He described the facts as an instrument. Weather map out of thin air. These are some of his photos from england. This one was interesting there's a person sitting on top of that theater and. So they were alerting if there was going to be a bombing raid. He wrote a letter home from england on d-day. Today june 6th the anglo-american invasion of the continent has taken place. Just about 9 this morning we heard the british broadcasting german report that the allies have made several landings in france. At noon high command confirmed this. And i begin to wonder what is like out there where it is all happening. This noon i listen to the american broadcast in french to the people in france. Telling them what to do to prevent them from being killed. I wonder how these people must feel knowing that a powerful army has landed. The radio announcer told them that he had a message of great importance for them from the supreme allied commander. Then proceeded to tell them they should get away from the coast. The cities and the highways. They should go to the country inn in the quickest possible time they should travel on foot. And not expose their lies foolishly attempting to fight the enemy. Dj of the organized groups advice. He told them to wait for the word before striking and bid them good luck. It was all very dramatic yet so real and sincere. We must do so many things we wish we did not have to endure that sometimes i wonder how the people will accept us after we have conquered their land. We who are free believe it is rice and the only way of the future of free peoples and of peace. May god help us to accomplish just that. The only indication that a large operation is taking place from where i am now is the continuous roar of airplane motors flying overhead. I wish everyone could see them. Camila cabello out victory. For i feel it will come but when only god knows albert. Then flew between france and england. During this time a newsletter reported his most vivid memory during the time during the war. What is the tiny food to granville france. Part of his job is to carry a camera. And there are few photos of dark rooms. Opportunities to photograph general patton at orly field. He was in paris on ve day. He was discharged and stayed on as a civilian through fall of 1946. He finished setting up facsimile networks and during this time to travel to france germany and switzerland. His father had died during the war and with a taste of adventure in photography. He moved to california to attend photography school. This ignited a lifelong passion in photography that led him to stay on the leading edge of photography. My grandmother bernice in los angeles and they were married on november 25th 1948. This month they would have celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary. My brother was born two years later. Professional photography didn't work out financially so he sold bread door-to-door. And then me and my grandmother opened up the electronic stores where she was the bookkeeper and he was the purchaser and salesman. Photography continue to play a role in his life photos of family members and their adventures. He even took a video of his first meeting with his hospice nurse just a few days before he died. We found these photos in a corner of a very full garage after he died. Neither of my parents remember him mentioning that he was in europe on ve day. Silence. But hinted at his early life in early experience. Early influences. His concern for the world his love of family and a lifelong interest in photography we're all things we knew about him but now through his early photographs we have a hint of where these interest started. She was cyrus in life about world war with his photographs tell his story. Prayer for the world saying. For all who died in war. For all who live in suffering. Aftermath the violin. For all who gave their lives and smoke and flames. For all who go in honor of the dead. For all who have served. For our country and our world. Planet that will find peace. For the young and the innocent and the weary and those more tour. Human prey and for those too angry to cry for all of us for the many names of god we lift up our hearts. And would you join your hand for our benediction. Living. Pacing around any corner. Help us to embrace those. Maybe never hunger. May they never thirst. May there always be. They receive care in abundance. Grateful tears of a nation built on the idea of liberty base faithful to pursuing that dream in our own lives and actions. May it be so. And made his congregation say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

2013-10-06_Worship_What-Will-You-Give_11_15.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. org for further information. Can we have some animals here but i want to say that i'm 24 of our junior high use who are amazing animal lovers they are on a retreat for our whole lives curriculum and they are grieving but they are not here and your name for their own animal blessing so you're probably - about 40 pets because we have 24 kids gun however today oh we give thanks. So what to say welcome to the sanctuary to celebrate the beauty of the earth and we hear the sound of animals and kitties and dogs it's all wrong i'm not in the right place we bring our differences to this place and we are right this minute together we offer fuller truth and anyone point review this is a place of healing in a place of compassion and acceptance for the wide diversity of creatures in this earth with all of our sexual orientations are gender identities races and classes physical abilities. This is a place of learning and of hope. Tell me did you really rest you who made day and night and the sky but separated waters above and below you who told the waters below the sky to stay in one place and out of them asked to dryland who told the earth to send out growing things and then made sun and moon and star who made birds. Tell me how in the midst of all that fussing and slapping and slithering and stepping all that bursting forth of leaf and fruit and steph and then that had never known themselves before tell me how could you possibly have rested after seeing what no one had ever seen before the hoof pebble after losing yourself in 1000 versions of blue water and some sky and water me. Unitarian universalist poet nancy schaefer. So today is close to the feast of saint francis of assisi and his holidays actually on the 4th of october and here we are in a 64 this is why the animal blessing is today and not another day. And he loved to be out in the woods and out in nature and some say that he would preach to the birds. He out there to preaching in nature i hear people who in it's like i have no you are not the birds to the animals and the children and youth. It's an address of bird on one of these hands. So this is the man that we honor today as we honor all animals and caitlin will take it from here i'll get the blessing water. I once saw two snakes. Northern racers hurrying through the woods. Their bodies like to blackweb listing and dashing forward in perfect concert. They held their heads high and swim forward on their sleek bellies. Under the trees through vines branches over stones through fields of flowers they traveled. Like a mash team. Like a dance. Like a love affair. Mary oliver. We read that poem today as an introduction to our two guests the two sarah's come here from explorer which is a hands-on museum here in davis on 5th street they also go around yolo county during programs in schools and other places and today they have brought two particular friends for us to meet. And fighting the bearded dragon for the kids or going to be in your classroom in a little bit and you'll get to meet so i can connie i'm up close but we do like caitlin said we do hands-on science programs for kids all over northern california not just in yolo county we have a big van and will take science anywhere that they'll have us so i'm if you haven't heard of us we've actually been in the davis community for 32 years so if you don't know what explorer it is please take a second to look at. So connie over here she's a ball python she's her she's over 4 feet long she's very big she's is probably about 7 or 8 years old and she's very very strong source probably since she is from the jungles of africa she usually climb some trees and so cheap right now to hang on we've had her at the science center for a long time and we just love her people kind of concrete or fear of snakes. Good morning my name is jeff stratton and my two twin boys sean and jaden this morning they're excited to be here with her stuffed animal friends cyre committee and also which is for our religious education for our youth and children i'm also on the social service committee and for religious education and every year we ask the youth and their families 2. Trotter's located between davison woodland and it's a program that supports. Rescuing retired racehorses. And hiding. Set up a new career for those horses. And also finding abused and abandoned horses they also have a few donkeys and other things like that they rescue also their other big part of their program besides the animals is to retrain them as therapeutic for therapeutic riding program so there a place that children with disabilities can go and also they also reach out to disadvantaged youth in our area that don't get those kind of opportunities to be around animals and the therapeutic benefit of that and some of the some individuals with mental health issues and so they get an opportunity to bond to these animals and and develop confidence and so we look forward to this year having them come speak at our we're going to do things like. So the time of the blessings and we have two people to help us give these out to ben and ryan so been hearing ryan you're going to go over here. You will be invited to bring forward your pest there is one way here. There is one way on the ramp and then you can go back out this way so that we have plenty of room for our cats and dogs and all creatures that may be here today they will receive a little sprinkle of water and this water in particular has already been blessed and then a treat and we have cat treat dog treats and critter treats and that's a combination of a number things including some bits of zucchini cuz you never know there might be some animals that like zucchini we actually have some rats here today that love zucchini. And if you the the boys will ask you if they can give your dog the treat if you would like to give it yourself and you know your pet please say i will give it to him or my animals but if you would like them to give the 32-year especially your dog they have been told to hold their fingers in and offer their palm so that they know how to give a dog a treat so you are invited to bring your pets down the rim and also to line up here and we'll wait till. And while they are taking their treats and being blessed i'll pray for all the animals to touch your heart because they come into our lives as a trusted companion we remember all the animals to find homes and we wish for them to find love and we honor and celebrate the animals of the field and barn the forest and mountains all animals that are great in size and spirits for cats who model independence and gray raised and beauty for dogs as we have seen who teach unconditional love and for all the four-footed freedom and grace they all teaches of beauty and love. All animals great and small we bless them all. Go may i be an instrument of peace the saint francis prayer and with this. Children you see you're off to see the bearded dragon and the african. Ball python. Connie. Today i sacrificed my martyrdom. Today i cleanse my soul release the past and reach for the new. I look for the life i'm entitled to. I rise above my delusions pettiness and jealousy flea. I banished the painful illusions that for so long have imprison me. I am now free and unencumbered. Today i reach for the stars. A life of joy and circles and uplift me erasing all the painful scars. I will live this day. Truly live it as if it were my very last. So engulfed by meaningless fears i'm no longer a prisoner of my past. I now face my shrinking terror. Today i stepped toward the light there's nothing to run from a no more snarling powerless demons in the night i take my life into my hands. Breathe deeply and universal breath. Every thought every person place and thing now rings with divine significance. I know the divinity dwells within my spirit. Today god smiles behind my eyes. And looks upon the new birth to world with mirth. With pity with joy and expensive life. Today i will live. The poet chula fleming. Says that she will sacrifice martyrdom. Turn away from the past and. Reach for something new. To look for a life that she believes she is entitled to. Experience. The story i will tell you is one about sacrifice. It starts on a porch. With two sturdy adirondack chairs facing out to the road. It ends on that road that leads to the porch two years later. Their three lives. That weave in and out. Avicii other in the months in between. Almost as far as the eye can see on either side of the road. Are fields of rich soil. I remember so much about that view from the porch even though it wasn't my home. I can smell the air before the storms come through. I can see the color of the ripening wheat. I remember the kitchen. And that big table built to bear the weight of the serving bowls of food for this farming family. The farm was more than breaking even but the small farmers are always looking over their shoulders at the bank. In a way they were wealthy. Because some say that in eastern washington state north of the palouse. That's the richest soil in the world. All that would let what's left of this family three men. 2 signs and their father. Are the three of them planted the seed. Tended to the crops and brought in the harvest. And one morning the youngest said. I don't want to be a farmer. Give me. The money. To get started on my own. I want to begin my own life. I want my portion. My portion of the words of this farm. The family hadn't planned on talking about how the assets of the farm would be divided until after the father's death. The youngest son was basically treating his father as if his father had already passed. But the father gave a third of the assets of the farm to this youngest son. And i'm doing this jeopardize the well-being of the farm. And all three lives. The youngest son left home with enough money to start up his own business. And that's what he had wanted. How do you felt the freedom of having what seems like limitless well. Was none of the limit of. The farm. This is a story of risk and a sacrifice. Not only of the father in the remaining son who now support the farm with two-thirds of the labor force and 2/3 of the finances. The younger son also risked sacrificing the love of his family and you can imagine how that might be. With a two people laughed. And it also sacrifices how he will understand himself in the future. His choice to leave. He sacrificed his future. On this ritual and in favor for some unknown. And perhaps wonderful possibilities. The force of life. And we can also call that god. And our own free will work hand-in-hand together we are not born to unlimited. Possibilities. But within each moment we have many options and we humans make a choice. And as a consequence of making one decision one way opens and another way closes. Each moment is unique and worthy of our care. Will we choose to attend a community college or 4-year school another state. Take a job with a known corporation or work for a risky and exciting new small company. Choose to relocate to be near grandchildren or stay with established relationships in the community you've known for decades. Chooses stay in a relationship. For leave. Sometimes the choices are clear but other times were really frozen with indecision. Have a question through this. Which decision will give us unfolding life the one that we want to live. What will bring the most meaningful future. And what will strengthen the force of love in the world. With two men running the farm life with different now. And this is what i remember seeing from the porch one night when i went to cook for the father and the son. Rain was predicted in two days and the weed was still in the field. The two men were out on the tractors long into the night. And i sat. And one of those adirondack chairs watching the headlights of those big machines shining back and forth in straight line that the men rushed to bring in the harvest. When they would come in for a few hours of sleep. It would lean on one arm at the table and mechanically just eat the food not tasting it at all. And then they would return to the field and race against the rain again. They're only two of them. For once they had been 3. There's a way to understand god as a force. A never-ending energy. And this dynamic force yearns. Have an understanding that maybe get your errands. For human beings to live in a fearless relationship with the world. Imagine believing that there was some porsche willing that for you. The old universe list of the 1800s believe in a god of love they wanted humanity that wanted humanity to experience meaning and connection god was witness in interactions between human beings. And it translates well today. When one person lives with curiosity and engagement in the world. And they encourage others to do so as well we witnessed this love 4th call it whatever you want to call it. And now we are wise enough to know that this never-ending energy is found in the web of all life. That our human lives are reflected in all of nature. Before human beings. We are unique. Because we have more choices within our control and our sacrifices are a part of our meaning-making. Imagine that. The younger son takes his part of the family's money and heads to seattle. That's where everyone goes when they're in a you know in washington state having lived in spokane washington you know you always look to the coast as your mecca. She finds an apartment in a neighborhood that is alive all night. And instead of riding on a tractor with his headlights in the field he's mixing with the crowds. And then with his financial freedom he starts gambling on the internet. And in moments of expansive generosity he buys drinks for everyone in the bar. And it doesn't take long for his nest egg to disappear. His new friends introduced him to drugs and before long he finds himself living under the freeway he eats what's thrown away in store garbage bins. He stakes out a corner. In a neighborhood to ask for money but it's also where a gang hangs out in. He's infringing on their space. So they rough him up a bit. Leaving down by the river. That naughty looks for his wallet and it's gone. Maybe under the bushes maybe even gang member has it he doesn't know. I didn't it here is the sound of rats skittering through the leaves the orange orange rhymes and the paper wrappers and he starts to think about the farm. Even the animals and the cats behind the bar and live better than this. Need two sides to go home. He feels like a failure but but he's facing his fears and remember the poet sheila fleming from our reading. But she stepped toward the light. And the fears and yet we demons are gone. And life claims it. As hers. The demons of his night on the streets that even the demons that may the farming life seem meaningless. Have lost their power. Eddie heads east to the rolling hills of the weeds in the palouse. In life journey. We can never turn back the hands of time. Turi make some decision. We are not the same person. The life that we have led has made us different. And made us see the world differently. So even if we return to the same home and the same friends the same life circumstance. Irreversible changes have happened within. Ourself. 2 years have passed since the younger son left. With two late summer crops of wheat harvested. I've been with a family off-and-on cooking for them at times when it's needed. There has been no news. From the sun. For one full year. The eldest son. Behind the barn. Feeding the pigs. Are the father and i sit on the porch looking out over the fields. The road to the house. Sneaking through the acreage. The father. She's the young man's shape coming down the road first. Long before i see anything. He knows the gate. He slowly gets to his feet and runs down the road breathless. I am standing in the shadows of the porch my story will never be known. But i see it all. The way the older man wraps his arms around a thin body of his youngest son. The way he moves his arm around his son waste. And leads him to the house. His face shine with surprise and relief. He takes off his coat and lays it over the shoulders of the shivering. Young man. Who seems like a boy to him. Patios back to me. Double the bill for this evening call the neighbors and invite them over. Bring out everything we say for thanksgiving this day is our thanksgiving. Coming out of the bar in the older son sees his father. And here's the instructions for the celebration. His face changes as he takes in the scene. He feels me a cup 2 years. Alone brother doing the work. For the one who abandoned them. His eyes burn. To his father he says. I've been here through everything. And when have you ever met me on the road. With such joy. Would you ever take off your coat and cover me. When in our lives working have you ever called for a celebration. And the father looks helpless torn in that moment between his two son and he said. I thought your brother was dead i thought he was dead and now i see that he's alive. His older son. Stand still for a moment and it's. It's chilling really. Eddy turns. Eddie goes back into the barn. Like the story of the prodigal son in the christian scriptures i won't tell the ending to this story. Believe it is a parable. A story with a complex perplexing lesson that could be turned over in should be like a puzzle with many possible meanings. But this much i know. One of the lessons of the story is that a sacrifice. Every moment. We are opening one way to be in this life. And turning away from another. Sometimes we don't know the rightness of our decisions until we encounter the fruit that they bring somewhere in the future. We could only choose to respond. To that moment. That one moment. Let our choices be the ones that we believe will create the largest love. The love that extends beyond ourselves. And when we do this. We know that everything will ring sacred. That others will see god or love shining from behind our eyes. And to that i say. Amen. I invite you into a time of prayer and meditation. Leaving behind. What you carry with you during the week. Spirit of life we saying come unto me. Spirit of life the force that draws us into connections. With a staff. And illness. Idaho that comes with birth. Rest in the stillness. And remember our connections. There is death among us. And those who were their life companions tenderly relive memories. That we cannot. No. Each of us is a part of an intricate web of relationships when one of us celebrates its joy degruy zalost the web of life moved to a new shape we are apart of the turn of the earth with the stars. Pull up the sea. An oil change. Invite you to take hands and some of that story that you heard today was true and some of it was terrible and it's all mixed up. I know. That love dwells. With my spirit. I did a love shine behind my eyes. And looks upon the new birth world with mirth and pity and joy and expensive life. And today i will live. I will live. In love. But this gathering say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

2015-01-25_Foundation-for-our-Future.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california website at w.w. davis. org for further information. The chair of the dream team church's strategic planning team and we are presenting the service this morning our consultants the bay area organizing committee and we have here with us today the 40 of you who trained as small group leaders and 110 of you who came to at least one of the small group conversations and there were more than 20 of those you shared with us how much this church means to you to look into our churches future and see what part you have. He's opening words are by reverend walter royal jones jr. mindful of truth ever exceeding our knowledge and community ever exceeding our practice reverently we can covenant together beginning with ourselves as we are to share the strength of integrity and the heritage of the spirit in the unending wisdom or quest for wisdom and love these opening words can also be found in the back of our gray him though as number for 58 my name is tamara range and it has been my great pleasure to get to know more deeply many of you here through my experiences in leading the small group conversations i have laughed with some of you connected with many of you where i didn't maybe know there was a connection in the past and i've even cried with some of you i would like to share with you the conversations that i had with my dear friend this morning i'm sharing her story with you because we have found that it resonates throughout our congregation and our work so far we have found that her story is much like many of your stories her words move several of us in our cyre committee to tears away from church because of a difference of opinion she felt concerned that she might go to hell for not going to church so she attended many different churches and even explored several different belief systems but none seemed to fit she eventually took a break for nine years and then visited our church and realize that this was her fit the emotional part came when she she was asked when she felt most connected or engaged in our community the love of these people radiated through through in her sincerity as she spoke thank you so much for being vulnerable to me and for allowing me to share in your friendship i have learned much from you and i'm thankful for your courage and your unending care you have made a difference in my life and her life. My name's george hubert i got this reading from john today oh she's a uu minister in georgia unitarian universalist step out into the unknown all the time we embark on our spiritual adventures we go searching for new ways to make meaning of our lives to create a more just and loving world and to answer questions of ultimacy together we see creative ways to raise our children with inquiring minds and loving hearts and to provide them with the tools to navigate and unpredictable future we cross bridges and borders as we learn to navigate the multicultural world around us the challenges us to expand our worldviews and embrace new ways of engaging a changing world. Invite you into a time of prayer and meditation i encourage everyone to close their eyes and take a full deep breath and let go of all the cares that you've experienced before you walked in here this morning spirit of life the force that moves among us you are found in the friendship and support we can give each other you are in the community and love we show each other in the sorrow and healing spirit of love we open our hearts to you and ask that you guide us in our journey to grow our beloved church we ask for wisdom love and patience as we worked together we asked you to hold in the light all of the people of the world especially those who are victims of poverty mental illness violence and injustice and those in our congregation who are in need of healing who are struggling with issues that they hold close to their hearts grant them peace spirit of life light the way for the parents and the grandparents who died their families with wisdom and love for the children who bless us with their joy their love and their eagerness to learn we ask for blessings on the people of our congregation especially those who work so hard to make our church flourish the often unsung heroes the volunteers who give of our most valuable resource themselves relationships when one of us celebrate to joy or grieves the loss the web of life moves to a new shape we are apart of the turn of the earth the shift of the stars the pull of the sea and all change our men and blessed be. Please take a handsome one near you hand-in-hand stone by stone we've built ourselves a much-appreciated sacred home now we're poised to look into the beyond and imagine what more we could all do together what will be your part.

uudavispodcast_org

2014-03-16_The-Search-for-Common-Ground_11_15.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. org for further information. So i want to say to you this morning welcome to the sanctuary to celebrate the beauty of this earth and to be in community together. And this congregation comforts us when we know loss. And maybe celebrate our very best dream this is a place of encouragement and it's also a place of compassion. The holiest experienced here in many ways and is given many names. People of all sexual orientations and gender identities are celebrated. And we welcome all races and classes and physical abilities. We have much to learn from each other. This is a place and a time of learning and of hope. And whether because if a touch of a friend. The words the music for a moment of silence may you feel more alive because of the time you've spent here. I just a minute i'm going to ask terry parker to come up and light the chalice terry was one of the people who went to transylvania last summer with a group and she did not have the opportunity to participate in that service and november when people are presented what their experiences had been like but i would like to share what terry wrote and if you want to read what everyone wrote about their experience they submitted just short paragraph short sentences. Including visiting romania country that i otherwise would not have travel to and learning about the important history of unitarians live live there for several centuries. I enjoy spending time at our sister congregation in a tiny village of dots and meeting unitarian families who have lived in transylvania for many generations. They demonstrate enormous strength perseverance and community in following their faith. Even under a variety of very trying experiences and situations and so terry would you come up in late artelice this morning the symbol of american unitarian universalism. These words are from carlene awake and if you can imagine someday we're going to have another hymnal it happens about every ten years or so and i would like to think that these words would find their way into. A new hymnal. So hear what she said. When you gather and ignite this flame something is born in us. And in the hush-hush that follows we feel one more present than was counted crossing the threshold for so gathered we create a body for this church. And each of us in the company of others provides the living breath. And beating heart. About being bent toward goodness. We offer and receive its sanctuary cold out and are held in its arm. And when we leave. We do not leave alone. I do i want to say that in our worship. Today when it ends. We will not leave. Alone. We will leave with a piece of kathi with us and his message and he will leave with a part. Our goodness as well. Cotijas. The visiting balash scholar. At the starr king school for the ministry for this year and you'll hear more about him as the service continues. So in a way you know this is our gift to each other and also our gift to kathi. So he can see. What is developed for this congregation and how we welcome. A child. In a child naming an apparent dedication service we dedicate ourselves to support the family. Panda baby. And is unitarian universalist we believe that children come into this world with this huge potential for good. And they're influenced by. The lies that they see around them. And therefore their presence among us. Is a challenge. That we will be. The very best that we can be. Because we know that. What surrounds the child. It's what influences. How they will grow. So as we do the service i would have you hold that in your heart. So i'm inviting laura with it and the whole family to come forward. Belinda and jack. And. Baby's father. The godparents. Pr2 letters. And one is open for you to read the message to alice. When. You think she needs to read it. I could be anytime. Anytime in her life you know maybe when she's. 16 do like these seem like these don't you make it better. Maybe it's when she's 18 maybe it's when she chooses a partner maybe 20 as a child of her own. Other envelope is open. Kiwanis field and one is open. And the one that's open is so you can read it whenever you need to remember how much you love her. And how much you loved her at this time. They're rather me to give these to you just because. Laura has a baby in her arms. And we need a microphone let me see. I'd like you to read this message that you have for alice. You are strength you are grace. You can overcome any tribulation because you are made from the universe and the universe is made from you i hope you know you're worth every day to me you could never be replaced or substituted i feel as you feel i bleed as you bleed because you are a part of my heart my soul soul is my great-grandmother and my grandmother's first and middle names. I've got the precious stick now the magic stick that makes your voice really big. You'll be the one who gives it its unique meaning and. How people will come to know you. And i hope that you will wear this name in honor and peace and courage. I will look upon your name and you and know those to be blessed. As a mom to alice you are interested for the decades ahead and ross u2. With a sacred obligation of loving this daughter. With all her budding possibilities are you ready with the health. Of this family and the godparents and his congregation. And belinda and jack. Your life has been blessed and changed by alice's presents. You love her and this is your wish. Alice we wish that whatever challenges life gives you you can handle them with with a positive attitude. Simply may you be happy. And as you grow may you come to know the nature of reality you can't guess who wrote this as the mystics have explained it over thousands of years and lastly know that your family will always always love you. Blind and jack are you prepared to love this child. And tony you are here as a godfather and rebecca lloyd was not able to be present but is the godmother. Your ass to promise your guidance love and support are you ready to accept this loving responsibility into the future. Another congregation you look in your green sheet and there's actually something for you to read to is going to start at the left and move to the right and if you join me and dedicating yourself to this family as a congregation we will care for you and help you to know the ways of truth love and compassion we will be open to the things that we will learn from you as you grow in our beds in this way we dedicate ourselves. May alice's dreams be as sweet as possible with this quilt that will cover her and her days and her nights. Yeah there's something here something better than the talking stick ever highschool students graduate they receive a rose with thorn and with gardening gloves right. But in this ceremony we give the rose and i'm not going to give it to alice exactly. With no thorns. Because we are here to support and nurture her so that. Florence do not come her way. At this time in her life right. Bye. May your life unfold like the petals of this rose nurtured. By the love of all of us who will surround you. May all of our hearts be open to this beautiful child ellis. And mavis family all know our support and our love. Blessed be. And amen. Before we go on i want to say that this stole was made for me when i was in transylvania by our partnership church so it is a special gift and it's an honor to wear it on this day. And now i have that delight to introduce cuddly he finished his fee logical studies in 2010 and has been serving as an assistant minister in his home congregation of st.george transylvania while completing a master's degree in theology before committing to ministry he studied economics. Committee in this church and they thought about his wife and they'd gifts for her and i'd gifts for the children and they had locally-grown things even today more delicious herbs came in for him to take home with him to his family so the gift from our congregation was wonderful and just embraced his entire family and the people who did that i just want to name them robin battle and peg and welch wayne and leann freedmen and karen and ramon or bono jones deck terry parker. They mentioned julie trailer so all of those people really made that happen and if you want to be a part of their work in the future and they're also in the kitchen cooking right now for this delicious lunch that you will be able to eat if you are interested in what khaadi will be speaking with you about. They are the ones too. To think and also to buy to engage with for the future so kathi thank you so much for being here. Good morning. As a tradition in transylvanian unitarian church today i will be reading for you from the bible. And. I will. Beam. Using the name of god as we always use its in transylvania. There are diversities of gifts but the same spirit. There are differences of ministries by the same lord. And there are diversity is effectively fees. But it is the same gods. Who works all in all. But the manifestation of the spirit is given to each one for the profit of all. 41 is given the words of wisdom to the spirit. To another the board of knowledge to the same spirit. To another face by the same spirit. To another gift appealing spy the same spirits. To another the working of miracles to another prophecy. Do another discerning of spirits spirits to another different kind of songs. To another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same spirit works all these things distributing to each one individually as he wills amen. I'm so glad to be here with you yesterday i had a wonderful. Day we went around the city saw. Preschools. My wife is interested in preschools. We saw. Manny. Thanks i'm davis and. The evening we had dinner with wonderful people and those you mentioned they gave her wonderful basket down in that i can take home. And i felt a real connection. When we sat down at the table. Shared. The foods. Shared our experiences our thoughts. Talking about transylvanian talking talking about davis about daughters and davis young baldwin davis so i felt really good and i'm happy to be today in this congregation and i'm very happy that i saw a child naming. Service celebration so to see how is done. In the uu tradition. Do balayage school are has. The opportunity to visit many congregations uu congregations in in the us and what is wonderful about it. Is dad. Many of the congregations are very different from each other. So if i go let saying davis since i compare it to. The service with berkeley uc berkeley and kensington. Dan. I can find the richness everywhere i can find. What defines you as you use although it is very hard sometimes. But it is wonderful it is wonderful for the boss squad to learn. From the lives of your congregations to learn from you personally to see the work that you put in to the congregation and to see how you take out in the streets your religion this is very important for me to do learn how you live. Your religious life in. You are everyday. And i'm not just learning as subbulakshmi school are when i travel i try to teach some about transylvanian unitarians. Try to teach people that transylvania is not only about dracula i had i have people coming to me touching me are you real well yes i'm real. Who was in transylvania or who read about transylvania had experience connection with transylvania. Noah's dad. Dracula the vampires are just let's say a fairytale and their realities. Much more peaceful i would say. I think that every sermon. As a basic requirement. The common grounds the common language between the preacher and the people who are listening so. That's. They can realize the realities they face and can form a vision about the future about where 1/2 head. And they can. Have together the willingness. Poor fool poor young feeling that vision i hope that's today if we will be able to find together that's common grounds. Common language. To take a step forward and. The search of true partnership between you use in the united states and unitarians in transylvania i feel today that i have. A really hard job. You're on the pulpit. Because i have to speak about partner church relationships. And you use. And unitarians. Have many things in common. One of these things are that they like to speak about spirituality. They don't experience spirituality so much. So. It is hard to talk about partner church relationships. In order to fully understand it. I think. They would have to experience it. Cuz i was struggling with that question. What to say about the partner church movement relationships in order to make it. Unexperienced. I found a good analogy i think that's analogy is actually there on your wall. On an artwork i just observed. When i went out after the morning service i think that the relationship is like a deep river it is on the wall on your wall there. Everybody has seen a reverse so it should be easy for everybody to imagine. Imagine it. Analogies completed the first place because a river has a very simple beginning. The mississippi river raft for the instant prizes and the northern parts of the united states that bike for pro tools snows. At its source it's unpretentious it's simple. If it pleases in momentum in-depth in turbo and makes its journey down the board expense of americas. Until it lasts empties itself. In the gulf of mexico which. Innocence. It is the triumph. Afeez obing. The partner church relationships to partner church movement. Comes game. From a very basic needs to reach out to people who share cherish the same wishon. The same dreams. Same faith that we have. How many a few. Know your neighbors. Hey. Good. How about your neighbor's neighbor. Okay great how about the people in the next neighborhood to share the same faith share the same wizard dreams as you do. Not too many hands how about. The next state. The next continent. How about transylvania do you know people in transylvania. Yes great. What i'm talking about. The starting point of partner church relationships. I'm not just talking about historical. Moment. And this movement started to grow. I'm also talking about. Moments. When personal relationships. Connected. The two continents connected you use wouldn't unitarians in transylvania. I think. That's. This partner church. Movement relationship. Wouldn't be possible. Is there. Wouldn't that be any personal connections. Between hughes and hughes. Unitarians in transylvania. It is in the nature of the river to flow. It is always moving. Always in progress always on its way. Long ago heraclitus reminded us that no man bass twice in the same route stream. There seems to be an infinite urgency that keeps the waters on its business band. They may be caught here and there by swirling pools for temporarily failed behind them. Water. But not for long. Once again they will take off. March to fulfill their destiny. To keep their first to the sea. I think the partner church movement is the same. It has changed a lot since. It started in the early 1990s. The first trip to transylvania was made by a couple of folks who found dead. The connection between hughes and unitarians should be cherished should be made. A connection. Dad's will feed our souls. That's will. Connect our dreams are visions they came back. And. Congregations you use to form partnerships relationships with transylvanian unitarian churches. Iuu congregation adopting the transylvania unitarian congregation. You have the money. Take it in to transylvania. Make things happen. Transylvanian unitarian churches yes they needed the money. And they are grateful for your money. What i think. That's. 2 time. Institutionalized. Relationship. Became very personal. Whenever. An american walks in. To my church my in my hometown. Answer used member i was wondering. Why do they come. My answer was relatively simple. They are looking for their roots. Yes. And they have a surplus of funny which they want to give it to us. Yes indeed you had the surpluses are plenty and we are grateful for it but as i was thinking. I told to myself. This can't be the only reason. Okay people might travel. Thousands of miles. Because of finding historical who's but there should be something more involved and the taste is his i can see on the faces of people walking in my church. Personally. In that connection i don't care about the history when they enter the church they care about the people who they need austeridad okay when they have a conversation they talk about history roots religion yes but the first spark is best personal. They share and dad is wonderful. So i think that the relationship between you use and unitarians. Pads changed to these times to these decades. And it became more personal enemies to do small. Turn on pews on the river now. What we can tell about a river. It has a start. There are two bags. Third. Some kind of soil under the river. There is floating something on the river. What is the temperature of the river. And every river has a man.. Translate this into the language of partnership. The hot spring. We know some of the history. Hope.. Starting codes a partner church. Movement. But we also know. Deb personal history the personal moment when we get into the partnership. Is very important. The two bass should we define it. Yes the people sitting here in this sanctuary the people do you use from davis are standing on one side of the banks. And the people in them. Bottles home alone. they are on the other side of the banks. A dirtybird the river touches you. No. When you entered you have never heard about transylvania you are touched by this river. And so. Are touch the people in norwood sandy angst. Unitarian send transylvania. Butts. It's enough the only thing. The river touches us but we also touch 30 birth we also save the river it is about us. Creeper takes its path. We greatly influenced the river. It is upon us if we take a step backwards and we say no we don't want to. Be part of this. We would like others to do this or we want to take a step forward. And engage ourselves. In this very personal partnership. There is the soil under the river do we see it. Many times many occasions we don't see it it is the great unknown. I would say that the soil. I need the river. And holding the two banks i would say. Dennis oil is god. We cannot. But we know but we feel that the spirit that the god that the universe is there and holding. Also on its palms and it's holding this partnership. Haunted farms. This is. Beautiful this is a. Good feeling to have. What is floating on the river. What is. The partner church-river. Taking 22 borders. You name it. I can't name it for you. You must know it if you got engage with it. And every river has an end. I hope that this refer this partnership. Graber will not have an end but it will always. Make us take us on fields. Where we can find. Similar visions similar dreams weekend find. Common grounds. 4. Our fate. Amen. Let's join ourselves. In prayer. Our father. Smother. Guiding spirit. We came with the hope of a tired traveler with finding rest and refreshment. We came here with open the ice. To try to see the beauty soap toward. To see the light beam in our lives. We came here with the hope of warm love and compassion. We came with thirst for fellowship brotherhood wisdom. And power to act injustice. Here. The sanctuary. We can feel that we are i've to save g. We can feel that you have been waiting for us. You were not waiting to see us boeing before you to humble ourselves before you. But you were waiting for us as a father. Mother waits for the returning child. Thank you for the certitude to have to believe. That we are your sons and daughters. And we thank you that we don't have to struggle to find the right words in the prayer. But who can address you in our most natural way. Because you can hear. Feel. And understand our whole being. We are in this community. Calling for you to make the community stronger. You can see who we are. You can see what we brought with ourselves sorrows or joyce. And you can see what we need to take from here. Fred wildlife sarno standing next to each other. Waiting for you to collect our souls as a lens in a flame of fire. And bless this flame so it can grow in a fire of hope and love. A fire dept can give light and warm to everybody. We need this flame. We need the flame with the community housing your hands. Because without it. We would lose our paths. Blue star shine. Without it. We would get cold. It is so good to feel that you can collect everybody's playing. And you don't make a difference between hardly shining and fondant flame. But everyday you let us know. That we have to embrace each other in order to really live. Really shine. Please forgive us if sometimes we want to see only our own shine. Forgive us if you're if our flame in a selfish way. Wants to extinguish the flames of our fellow ones. Please always let us know that we shine. To help our fellow ones too big to bring their own claims in your kingdom. Guards this community embraces. Bless our lives and the lives of who we love. Amen. Thank you for being here today. I would like to share that there is a memory book that you can. Signed when we go out. And. Guess if you have questions or want to talk with me i will be happily to do that thank you. This is the time for the offering and i'm going to give an extended introduction to it so that you understand what it is that you're giving to almost every year program has brought a unitarian transilvanian minister to study at starr king school for the ministry the program was named after a young unitarian transylvania became the minister of. You invited to take hands to be the shore every member of this congregation be blessed by with glove plains confession power to act injustice may your loved ones be embraced by god's megan's the spirit hold your lives on its palms guide you to this wonderful life on earth amen.

uudavispodcast_org

2018-05-20-Creative-Truths.mp3?_=2

Another recording from unitarian universalist church of davis california. org for further information. Palace this morning this symbol is chaired by unitarian universalist hit bring ancient symbols into our modern being. And alan and ellen share their time with the napa. Congregation and we're so grateful to have them with us and their voices in the choir and so much more. May this flame that we can do today hold the hope of our community. And serve as a beacon. Even on our darkest days. I pride myself in telling the truth. Some would even say that i am honest to a fault. When thinking about the topic for my reflection there are two occasions untruth. For what we might call the greater good. First is an untruth that many of us here in this room may have told. But it is one that still sits very uncomfortably with me. It is the story that we tell our kids about that mythical creatures mythical creatures called santa claus and the tooth fairy and the easter bunny. I began telling my children he's well let's just kind of called and what they are lies. Child. Gracie was old enough to start asking questions i began to feel guilty for lying to her. Possibility when they found out the truth they will question my honesty and other things. Dismayed and still makes me very uncomfortable. How do i explain my reasoning for telling these lies to my children. No matter what i say. It will still be a lie in the end. It's hard to win balance the benefits and the drawbacks of such a lie i still see april and billy get so enamored at christmastime at the prospect. When they go to sleep on christmas eve this cheery older gentleman is going to. It's magic. And sometimes just need magic. The 2nd and troost i told was to my mother when she was ailing. It's partially her fault though. Through her long battle with cancer i got the surprise of my lifetime. I was pregnant with baby april. April is named after my mom so it seems kind of weird to say her name and not make the reference the baby april. Anyway i told my mom that she was over and she was absolutely over-the-top excited it was the only happiness that any of us saw in her everything centered around the birth of my baby. She was consumed with it because the alternative was to be consumed by the cancer that was eating her alive. So my grandmother my mother's mother decided that we would be in my mom's bedroom which i shared with her three nights a week. They bought a cradle and my grandmother stitch by hand the bedding and she had april's little name monogrammed in the pillows. We knew it was a girl because under the circumstances kelly and i wanted my mom to be a part of his much as we possibly could so we decided for the first time ever to find out what the sex of our child was. My mom would make it long enough to see her be born and we wanted her to know that if it was a girl that we would honor her by giving her my mother's name. This is actually a good segue into the lie. My mom would gently take my hand in hers. And with her other hand sweetly touch my baby inside my stomach. And look me in the eye. And make me promise her. But you would be the first person that would get to hold april. What do you do with that. I quickly ran through all the scenarios in my head i knew the likelihood of her making it that long was not a good one. I smiled and i said of course he will mom. My mom needed the help and a confidence to continue to stay positive. And in my mind i justified my lie by saying to myself well. If she passes. She will hold my baby in spirit. Before she is born to us. So she will still have been the first person to hold my baby. I made very special arrangements to accommodate my wheelchair-bound mom in the delivery room. Even had to have the head of anesthesiology be the one to administer my anesthesia my anesthesia aryan. But unfortunately my mom passed 72 days before april is born. But i know that we received an extra four and a half months of life for my mom because she wanted to see april coming to the world. This is not a lie i regret because ultimately. It was cool for the greater good. There are many religious and philosophical traditions that. Have said a cultural moral code which tells us it's never okay to lie. Fables and stories of both liars and truth tellers. And ultimately teach us to have a sense of what's right and wrong. To prepare for this sermon i googled types of lies. And while i'm not one to encourage quoting wikipedia. I was amused to find that the entry on lies defined 23 distinct classifications. Including bluffing. White lies. Economy with the truth. Fabrication and perjury. I think that we do understand some distinctions in those words. In virtue ethics with roots in ancient greeks like aristotle. There is an understanding of such distinctions. Virtue ethics focuses on moral character rather than a set of ethical rules. Generally lying is considered wrong because it opposes the virtue of honesty. There is some debate whether a lie told in pursuit of another virtue like compassion or safety. Is right or wrong. According to the stanford encyclopedia of philosophy modern deficits understand that this apparent conflict between virtues is managed by most. As most assets through a concept called the unity of the virtues. This doctrine states that the virtuous person the ideal person we continuously strive to be. Cannot achieve one virtue without achieving them all. Therefore when facing a seeming conflict between virtues such as. Compassionate lie. Virtue ethics charges us to imagine what some ideal individual would do. And act accordingly. That's making me ideal person's virtue our own. In extant virtue ethics find line immoral when it is a step away and not toward the process of becoming the best persons we can be. Virtue ethics wouldn't condone you calling in sick from work if you weren't really sick. But if you called in sick to help another person say go to the doctor. This might be a move. Toward the best person you can be. Virtue ethics also might give us some insight into whistleblowing. Whistleblowers are truth-tellers. The expense of breaking a promise. Flying in one scenario to tell a wider truth. In 2002 whistleblowers became popular on the cover of time magazine as people of the year there were three people including sharon watkins of enron. She didn't blow the whistle to the media but instead to herself and her superiors. Highlighting the company's questionable and certainly doomed accounting practices. Truth-telling and lying there are. Two sides of the same coin. Truth-telling is sometimes harder because it forces us to look. And ourselves. And to be honest about our own motivations. There are many ways to be less than truthful. And these. We can seem to distinguish from being less than truthful from a complete and potentially harmful lie like in the case of. Committing perjury. Cecilia bach is a swedish-born american sss who wrote. The book called lion. She literally wrote the book on. Line that is accepted in the circles. In it she discusses the noble lie. Throughout history and certainly today there have been political rulers diplomats military leaders who are. Stretching the truth to inspire hope. Even prevent international conflicts. This approach weighs the benefits and harms of allies consequences. And so in this view when lying is necessary to maximize benefit or minimize harm. It may be immoral not to lie. Still it's not easy to accurately predict the consequences of our actions even if our intention is to protect ourselves or people we love or our country. Medieval lawyer and philosopher grotius argued that a falsehood is ally in the strict sense of the word. Only if it conflicted with the right of the person to whom it addresses. A robber for instance. A robber for instance has no rights to the information he tries to extort. To speak falsely to him is therefore not a lie in the strict sense of the word. Lying to protect yourself or others from harm is morally acceptable to most people. If someone came to your door looking for someone you knew with the intention of causing that person harm. It would be okay to lie about that person's whereabouts. Superman and clark kent have never been seen in the same place at the same time. Because if enemies like lex luthor new. The secret of superman's identity his loved ones like lois lane would be in danger. His secret identity is portrayed by storytellers as part of the burden he must bear in order to maintain his life. Sacrificing his ability to be an authentic person for the greater good. The story is such a familiar one and so part of our culture that we may all consider ourselves. Superman or women sometimes. Stealing secrets from our loved ones. For a higher purpose. Noble buys for a greater purpose. Sometimes okay. German philosopher immanuel kant wouldn't say so he didn't wouldn't have liked the superman story and didn't agree with the noble lie. He held human dignity as most important. He saw that all lies are morally wrong because it robs the dignity of the liar. And the dignity of the person being told a lie. Is each person is free to make rational choices then lying corrupt an individual's moral worse. Light takes away another person's rational choice. Their human dignity and ability to make rational choices has been taken away. Value in ourselves and others with console. And line. Would not get human. That point. We know that many lies do hurt others. Mostly the selfish lies. That do not build human dignity. Benjamin disraeli was a prime minister of great britain during the 19th century and an infamous liar. He built a life based on what some could interpret fairly as a series of deceptions and betrayals. As a young man he incurred today's equivalent of $300,000 in debt. From bad investments. Britain provided immunity. Imprisonment for debt to their politicians. Israeli saw his opportunity and entered service in parliament. So he got out of his $300,000 of debt. By becoming a politician. He apparently developed this philosophy and parliamentary debates of selective argumentation and he is the one who coined the phrase there are three types of lies. Lies damn lies and statistics. Lying and deception became a state of mind for him a way of life away of. Working. In our social culture today lying to some extent has become a way of life for us. Can i say. Fake news. Not all lies are intended to save oneself. Or to save the world. What about minor and misleading the truth. That we like to call little white lies. Sometimes lies are intended. To be polite or socially proper thing to do. These are accepted lies seen as different from elaborate stories or hurtful scenarios. Popular psychotherapists doctor robi ludwig identifies four different scenarios when telling a white lie every once in awhile might actually be healthy. When it comes to managing our relationships. The first is when the whole truth. Tear someone down and makes them feel horrible about themselves. Rather than building them up. Brutal honesty. Can be used as a toxic weapon. We are not obligated to tell the whole truth. If it hurts someone's feelings. The second time is when a little white lie protects a child's innocence or creative imagination. Like leaving carrots for santa's reindeers. Or looking for leprechauns at the end of a rainbow. How can you argue with that. The third canario is offering offering passing pleasantries like. It's no trouble at all or i'm fine thanks for asking. That's okay sometimes sometimes in social settings we just need to move along to manage our relationships. And the 4th is when we're complimenting someone but. Perhaps taking it a little too far like saying your cookies are the best i've ever had. Baby sometimes that's okay. Mild post-truth make it easier for people to get along. And they're pretty much harmless. So when we're protecting someone else or making someone else. Feel good. Little white lies okay. Did anyone see the 2009 film the intention of lying the invention of lying. But with ricky gervais. So this film creates a world that has never introduced itself to the concept of lying. And there are many odd unexpected consequences. It's a world mostly like ours with subtle differences. I hear the innermost thoughts of their friends and family and co-workers and no one lies no one lies to spare others feelings or to make them feel good. There's a line cheese that haircut makes you look terrible. In this world there's no fiction. There's no stories until hollywood films consist of documentaries and actors reading history books. The heartwarming part of this film takes place when the protagonist figures out how to lie. At first of course he speaks security for himself. Then he begins telling everyone he meets on the street. What they want to hear. Begins telling them things that make other people feel good about themselves about their lives. So he developed this philosophy. Balancing his lies where he lies in moderation but not about the important things in life. Play love. And what he tells her. Picture book when i was a kid of the boy who. Cried wolf. I think that maybe this demonstrates a lack of balance i don't know the big takeaway of course in the story is. Is mostly that the. Little boy lied. But also that. When you lie people are less likely to believe you when you do impact tell the truth. I would say the little boy who cried wolf took away his dignity and the dignity of others. And in that picture books a most memorable. Picture to me is the distressed woman who comes running out. Yeah like there's a wolf. At to help the boy whenever he cries she just she has this face and end i can just picture it so clearly. It made me kind of. It made me laugh but maybe uncomfortably. Because what i got from that picture from that message. Is that she was hurt. By his lying. In fact caused her. Great distress. And so lying has consequences. Of course then there's that great childhood story of poor pinocchio. Can never lie. Because his nose grows when he does. Everyone knows whether or not pinocchio is being honest. What would it be like. To live with a public. Lai m like that. How would you change what you say. If someone knew you were lying. Is there a way you can compliments the new haircut. Cookies in a more honest way. It doesn't have to be the best cookies i've ever had. Because that's so easy to say. We might actually appreciate things more if we were a little more honest with ourselves. About things so bananas cookies. You might say instead. I really like that you added walnut to those cookies. Is that we can be. More reflective more honest with ourselves and with others about what we really do appreciate. Nra unitarian universalist tradition. We know and acknowledge and embrace that we are all imperfect human beings. And that life is more complex than. Bright red lines and commands telling us what to do and when to do it. We deeply respect the inherent worth and dignity of each person. And we know that that means relying and trusting on other people. For being relying reliable and trustworthy are cell. We know that we have to trust our own capacity for thought and emotion to guide us. And to tell us the difference between right and wrong. We have a responsibility to act morally. And according to our own values. As for the question of. When to lie for the greater good. Or if need be for our own good. Or when is it irresponsible and unnecessary or simply immoral to neglect the truth. Those answers. I believe are already in each of us. It might not be so simple. But we simply must start. By being honest with ourselves. And then we can find. Around m. And how to tell the truth. May it be so. One way that we do begin to tell the truth is to sit in reflection. So we take time now. The spirit of. Prayer. Meditation a time. Sacred silence. To listen deeply. To our inner truths. So i invite you to century yourselves into this time. Might find your feet settled on the ground you might close your eyes if you like. Noticed your breast. Open your hearts and minds through this time that we create. Together. Today we begin our reflection by looking inwards. In the sacred time we named the waze. That we are less than our best selves. We acknowledge the insecurities. The seers we hold. And the waves that in protecting ourselves. We might turn others away. We name our hopes to. The things we strive to have in to accomplish. We come into this space into this time. To be held in community. And love. And we staying you don't have to open your eyes there is a love holding me. There are so many people. In our circles. So many people we love and care about. And still this world is big. And we are connected in precious community to every living being around globe. Today met our hopes and our prayers. Lead us to action. As we strive for. Space school. For peaceful communities. For full bellies. For world community. Filled with love. People maceo what we do. Each of us is part of an intricate web of relationships. When one of us celebrates a joy or grieves of loss. The weather wise moves to a new shape. We are part of the turn of the earth the shift of the stars the pull of the sea. And all changed. Thank you. Thank you all for your. In the world. Service we extinguish here are. Candles. Quizlet for the joys. And one that was lit for the sorrows. Maybe leave this room a little lighter because they have been shared. And we extinguish this flame of our chalice. But not the light of truth. Which burns in each of us until we are together again. May you find the deep piece of creation flowing in your spirit. May your senses awake to the creative spark that lives in you. May you walk in beauty and seek to create beauty wherever you go. The risk of discovering the divine within you and around you. And may the spirit of life bless you with courage and hope. Creatively with others. Fireside. Let this congregation say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

2013-10-13_Worship_Messages-from-the-Delta_11_15.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. org for further information. You are welcome here. With your certainties and your doubts with your strength in your imperfections we come. Care to be together to know that we're part of something larger than ourselves. I have the sense that there is a place where we belong. You are welcome here and all your fullness your race and culture sexual orientation or gender identity religious views or political party. Come to connect with community come to honor the earth come to claim your spirituality. Come to build the world that we dream is possible. And if you are new you may not know that i am the reverend beth banks and this is kate raymond who i just love working with and i know can we have it for kate raymond can i said. Good morning please take a look today service is focusing on the issue of water we are standing at a threshold in davis how much have you read or not read in the newspaper about water or standing on the threshold in the delta which you will hear more of and few moments we're standing in the threshold in our nation and in fact the whole world. We need to wake up around the issue of water. And the question that i see is how do we do that how do we make. This water that we drink that makes up a larger part of our bodies than practically anything else that nurtures the plants that sustains the whole environment we're in how do we wake up and transform our consciousness so that this is not just something we turn on the top. We let it run down the drain we over water our gardens are whatever we do all the excessive how do we wake up so that that's no longer the case how do we have local national world policies that rediscover that water is precious. In january i was given a gift of a trip with the universal unitarian unitarian universalist legislative ministry to the delta to take a look at all i'm not all been many of the issues of the delta and it was sort of shocking and taking in all the pieces that were facing that are a major challenge to us and not just in northern california but to southern california also. And i've been living with that reading far and wide in the meantime i've been meditating about it i'm turning off the water when i take a shower between soakings and rinsing i'm watching when i turn on the top i'm sure there are people in this room who are much more careful than i but how do we transform our consciousness from having water as just this. Assumption to each drop is precious. 13 principles in ecology i think that we can call on it number one. Everything counts. Number two. Everything is connected and number three at least from my perspective in when i listen to the hymns we've been singing this morning is everything is sacred. And the transformation has to be in all of us mostly me waking up to the fact that it is all sacred and this water belongs to everyone. So that when we go about deciding these enormously complex issues that we would include. All the plants. Agriculture not sure of natural plants things living where they need to be and ourselves that we include all of them. In a loving proportionate way that's huge. The. One of the darkest pieces that i fear is that water will become owned by people it will be a commodity like some company recently tried to patent jeans can you imagine it patent jeans this feels so crazy to me but people really tried it. Same issue with water how do we make sure that water is held and belongs to all of us this is what the delta raised in me and challenges me in terms of it how do i transfer my consciousness. What came in this morning. Jack woodson was walking now then after greeting i buy saw his t-shirt and you in the uu congregation here have a saying that i think is perfect grounding for transformation of consciousness. Stand on the side. How to love. The sacramento and san joaquin river is share a common delta where they come together and flow into the greater san francisco bay a delta is a meeting place between a river and a body of water the word comes from where the nile river fans out to meet the mediterranean this spot resemble some triangular greek letter delta r delta is california. Floway angelica island subside mini. Over 15 ft and i'll lie up to. 20 ft below sea level. Upstream dams provide electricity and flood control but their existence sacrifices cinnamon bound for the delta and contributes to delta subsidence. Delta levees help prevent encroachment of seawater into the delta but active strands of the san andreas fault system in and near the delta threaten the integrity of delta levees. Great valley and delta agriculture is now being sacrificed to urban development rich rominger tells me that some 30,000 acres per year of agricultural land in the great valley and delta go under for example a couple of weeks ago the delta town of lathrop approved development of over 6,000 acres on a delta island that last flooded in 1997. The nineteenth-century explorer and geologist john wesley powell of colorado thing that westerners should live sustainably. We haven't done so. Is it any wonder that the delta is the focus of so many problems and conflicting interests. Albert einstein once said. We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them this insight applies to the delta. So every bit of technology failed me this morning except for this phone so excuse me as i refer to it for my nerves so i was on the water justice tour that happened in january nearly a year ago and it had. That tour actually changed me because it helped me get to meet the people the stakeholders in this problem that we have the challenge around water so i'm not an expert on water issues certainly not before going on the water justice trip and not after. I'm one of the millions of californians who know a bit but probably not enough about this complex issue before the trip i knew california had a history of water use challenges and i knew vaguely that are delta was being impacted and things weren't looking good during the water just to strip my eyes heart and brain were opened to the problems and i was immersed if you will in the details. A glimpse of those details were meeting many of these people that had. Competing interest in the use of our water. We spoke with people who have the biggest steaks and how we manage our water the dairy farmers. Farmers have been farming for generations. People who are concerned about the wildlife in the delta. People who are concerned about not having safe drinking water for their communities. Scientists including uu church of davis member thomas harter who's in groundwater hydrologist at uc davis he came to talk to our group. And actually blew us away with the clarity of his understanding and his ability to present the context of what was going on in california water use. There was a naturalist who explained how the habit in migration patterns of the threatened central valley sandhill cranes were being affected. He loved the sandhill cranes and his passion for them affected all of us. We worship together rebecca's together and talk for hours. I personally felt humbled by the passion and commitment so many of my companions had. For doing what they could to protect the california delta to care for our environment. To stop global warming. We discussed how rising water around the globe with affect our communities we spoke about the efforts we already knew were happening to stop this course we are on. And despite the barrage of dismaying statistics that we heard everyday. I was deeply impressed that our group. Even those who are most in the know. We're not immobilized. It takes great heart i think to persevere despite overwhelming odds. I was humbled and deeply touched by these caring people around me and promised myself. But i would do what i could to keep learning. Keep open keep engaged in the process of being a caring citizen. In california. And of this planet thank you. The delta is unique and special place and truly an ecological treasure is the largest estuary on the west coast of south in north america and it's also stopped way on the pacific flyway or millions of birds migrate every year in the spring and the fall. The delta supports the iconic salmon runs of california as they travel upstream to spawn in their birthing grounds and then it nourishes the juvenile samanas as they make their way back to the ocean. The delta also supports a vibrant agricultural community and contained some of most fertile soils that we have in the state. The waters that flow through the delta are diverted to irrigate these farms as well as far as throughout the central valley and also provides drinking water with a majority of california is receiving some portion of their drinking water from the delta. And the delta we know today is vastly different than it was a couple hundred years ago and it's in trouble. Once this region was covered in tidal marsh. With winding channels waterways that were connected to the ocean tides. The northern delta was dominated by a wide floodplain that had naturally-occurring levies with abroad riparian forest on top of them. In the 1800 the delta was reclaimed marshes were drained levies were constructed and islands were formed those rich soils that form from decaying vegetation and the moderating influence of the ocean temperatures created a really unique condition for agriculture to thrive and now we have this rich generations of arms that have been passed down through families and a culture has been established there in the delta. The one consequence we heard about earlier farming these rich soils is that they oxidize and consequently the ground surface has been lowered. And it puts pressure on the levees have been built to protect these islands and we know that levees can and do found. And this is one way that our delta is quite vulnerable. For their many factors that stress levies. And if there were to be a catastrophic catastrophic failure of these levies on multiple islands the saltwater from the bay would intrude into the delta and render this water for drinking water and agriculture useless. And in addition to the potential loss of life in the delta and loss of property the impact our state and national economy could be devastating. But humans are not the only ones that rely on our vulnerable delta. As we've changed the delta to meet our human needs. Other forms of life that depend upon the delta are also in decline. A portion of the water that are agates are farms eventually flows back into the delta and can pick up contaminants along the way that is dangerous to our ecosystem. The powerful pumps that move water south trout fish. The loss of this habitat for agriculture invasive species. Changes in the quantity and the quality of water that moves through the delta has push some native species to the brink of extinction. So how do we reconcile these competing needs for water. Is a conflict as simple as farmer against fish. North versus south. It's not that simple. Food produced in the california feed the world's food supply. Are we to manage. Do we continue to export water south. Recognizing that our population is growing and needs to be fed. How are we to manage our natural resources as they continue to become scarce er. I think the first epics is nala gene that humans are stewards of the earth and we have an obligation to consider the needs of all life on this planet. And a few years we recognize this north 7th principal. Respect for the independent web. Of all existence of which we are apart. In my daily work with the state on delta issues i don't always ponder these different questions as they can seem insurmountable at times. I focus on what little positive steps i can make each day. And in the quagmire of multiple layers of bureaucracy and the numerous stakeholders advocating on opposing sides even a small steps can seem quite challenging. And then eclipse rays of hope. Is the farmers and the scientists that are working together in the yellow bypass to farm rice while providing habitat for samons and preserving our floodplains. It's the work in the central delta where they're constructing wetlands that help build up soil and reverse of sightings while sequestering carbon and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. And it's the many talented individuals that i work alongside with everyday that are dedicated to preserving the health of our delta. Progeria hair and kate raymond and stephen harvey and i went on that unitarian universalist legislative ministry trip. With instructor thomas harder who would be with us but he's on sabbatical and sends amazing facebook pictures of beaches and places to bring us to a point of envy. And we realized that we had such expertise in this congregation two of those people being crystal and eldridge and there are more people. Today's service comes. Many months after when it was planned because it was intended. For the spring. And then our congregation are town experienced a tragedy into speak about messages from the delta was not going to be appropriate. So that's why you're receiving it now in october. Invite you in your time of prayer and meditation. The chinese poet tc lang. Edward said to music. We heard. Played by the bells this morning. And one of the verses says this. As the spinning globe rolls away the night. Nature wears a robe spun of morning light. Dawn breaks in me to. Adding skies above. Teach me to be true. Feel my heart. With love. If you have ever had a sleepless night and watch the dawn come up in the sky when night and unknowing. Well up in your heart. Few are open. And wait. What you need to know is revealed. The ways of nature. Have much to show. The waves of nature. Has so much to show and i-22 a time of thoughtfulness when you can look within and remember the voices you have heard this morning and be aware. And in time. The dawn breaks within the human heart. And there is space. For love. On that. And i invited you to take hands and stand if you are able and if you're seated next to someone who can understand just be with them take their hand maybe come to a place. Did we are filled with curiosity. And humbleness. And please. Let us be filled with hope. But this gathering say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

2016-08-21-A-Box-of-Ministry_10_00.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from the unitarian universalist church of davis california at www.dav.org for further information. Good morning we come to the sanctuary to celebrate the beauty of the earth and to be in community this congregation comfort us when we know loss and celebrate we bring our differences together we offer our view this is a place of challenge and compassion. Sometimes when you are a worship associate with reverend beth your ass to do things like write free verse on ministry. Today's reading is the demands of the age on the ministry written by reverend william ellery channing from the ordination of reverend ezra stiles gannett as the associate minister at channing's federal street church in boston 1824. Invite you now into a time of reflection a time of prayer a time for listening deep inside ourselves listening for worries and burdens for hopes and joys so invite you to settle yourselves into this moment into yours and your feet firmly on the ground and noticed that life-giving breath that moved in and threw us here surrounded by the spirit of life and love we enter into this time of reflection that we might listen to the fears and the truths inside ourselves we enter into this time that we might live stop our concerns into the love and support of this community we look inward this morning knowing we are each vulnerable to the hertz of this world in different ways today we hope to forgive ourselves for our imperfections that is to say forgive ourselves for being human we can only live one day at a time and we hope that as we forgive ourselves we may find the courage to forgive others and in doing so we will open ourselves to more beauty and gratitude may we always trust that when we reach out a hand for help someone in in this community will embrace it we have so much to be thankful for in our lives and so in this sacred place we give thanks for our successes for our new beginnings for the joys in our lives may we rest in the love that we share we do not exist alone but in precious balance with others and today we turn our hearts and minds to those people in our lives to our friends and family the people who we love who need our support the people who are struggling or morning the people who are ill who are dying may we rest in the love that we share as our prayers our good intentions fill this room imagine our hopes and dreams extending to the wider communities that support us and to the places around the world that need our hope and our action for peace and justice while we rest in this love we grow stronger together and we transform our world let us sit in a moment of silence each in our own ways name the sorrows and the joys of our being. These words are by david bowie david bowie the last universalist minister to be ordained as a universalist behind all our diversity there is a unity that binds us forever together in spite of time and death and the space between the stars in silent witness to that unity at this gathering say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

2014-11-30_Gratitude-with-Grace-Grace-with-Gratitude_11_15.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons another recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at www.sec.gov or further information. Welcome to our unitarian universalist church of davis for today we look at gratitude. Grace. Both play an enzyme john ashby here with your worship associate today alexandra lee job. Welcome to the unitarian universalist church of davis my name is alexandra lijo and i am your worship associate for today when we come here on sunday morning we bring the gifts and imperfections of who we are this is a community where we encourage each other support each other to keep farsight on the best we can be in this place you are surrounded by a diversity of religious beliefs or whatever it is in which replace ultimate trust is different for each of us and comes from a life experience we celebrate those of all sexual orientations and gender identities and cherish the living earth as our sacred home. Today i would like to dedicate this service. 33 of my unitarian-universalist heroes. These are three people whom i greatly respect and admire. They are jim reeves. Viola liuzzo and mark morrison reed. I am grateful for the courageous decisions that led them to lead lives of grace. Reverend jim reeves was a uu minister whose death strongly influenced president johnson to introduce the voting rights bill. Jim died after being clubbed to death while in selma alabama. He had traveled there. In response to dr. king's call for clergy to join him for a minister's march. He made this decision against his wife's wishes. I find it upsetting that lbj who called jim a man of god. Was moved by the death of a white man. Not the countless death of african-americans to move the bill forward. I also i also honor viola luiso. Until reading about her in the current uu world. She was a layperson a mother-of-five. And a college student. Who came from detroit. Her husband also discouraged her. From going she did anyways. She helped out by transporting people from montgomery to selma. One night after dropping off a group of people she was brutally shot and killed. The third person is reverend mark morrison reed. And he is alive i first heard of him when uniting for racial justice chose to read his book. In between. In it i found it he was born in the same university of chicago hospital in the same year as i was the book also speaks about his experiences of being biracial. Being one of the few you african american ministers in the 70s and the difficult challenges he faced he spoke the truth about being a person of color and a mostly white denomination. Hazard suit. Said i heard clearly. From me meeting him. Which i did at at district assembly was like meeting a movie star i look forward to reading his new book. The selma awakening how the civil rights movement and changed unitarian universalism. So these three unitarian universalist are heroes to me the east lived and still live as with the reverend read our principles. I aspire to live my life in the same way as a work to create. I'm more just world. Today i reading comes from alicia keys alicia keys reflected on why she wrote the song we are here the day i wrote the song it was sitting in a circle of people of all ages and we were at y are you here. Grace is a word of many meanings. Asian grace. From the scouts circa 1965. Prayer. God. Salvation. Christ. Holy. These words. Originally wrote these words down into different order because i realized. Change it. Inextricably. Both of derived from the latin word gratis for pleasing. And even this sanskrit meaning to praise. And although word of many meetings the type of grace i'm speaking about today is the more theological meaning of something received wasn't necessarily work for or deserved. Get specific christian theological meaning. Become difficult. Heaven this case god's grace is referring specifically to god's graceful a redeeming us from original granting us from the hell that original sin otherwise condemns us to. Well it's pretty wide range of original. We don't blame the troubles of the world original sin original. Philosophy. Humans manifesto version or will be. Let us together for a humane world by means commensurate with humane ends. This is one way to use look at this world. Destroyed some of us warm to is a myth that explains or at least provides. It's chica nolan. Tikun olam has many interpretations. The virgin of how the world got broken in the first place. Circles by the jewish mystic. Rabbi isaac lorien the mid-sixteenth century in this story of the creation of the world god provided agnes to this world was in creation by putting a lot of the sacred goddess into several vessels. And the world could draw upon this.. Sending sparks of divine all over everywhere fixing the world our finding all these pieces scattered throughout this is why we are here. According to this vessel's to do the good work of creating one some visions of recreating this world. Even in this imperfect world it's still a wonderful world with many gifts. And this leaves us unitarian universalist with our own theologically relevant version of the word grace. The unearned gifts. Wherever they come from. We've all received grace's wonderful unearned gifts receiving grace with gratitude. Sometimes we're facing extreme hardships in these dark times we just may not have the strength to respond with gratitude for what we do have the able to see. Where we can see the grace's in the world again one thing i do in these darker moments is to remind myself others. Typical situations managed to see a way back to the graces to respond with gratitude even when the graces are few and perhaps rather far off to be inspired by alex lee job recently recognized building bridges in difficult situations of a justice leadership award by our very own diane evans. Who said i'm alex. You may not know what an everyday leader looks like an axe like alexander lee job of the unitarian universalist church. Like many multicultural she was called to the ranks by the blunt force of racial slurs violence. And social alienation called by her culture's invisibility in the media and books. Such people in difficult circumstances find pieces of the vessel that others may not be able to see and managed to repair some parts of the world in the presence of significant obstacles. And pieced back together is a step in the right direction and that these steps ad. Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. Martin luther king jr.. I'm also inspired and very much aware of some of the graces that i have received in my life. Hey significant grace i received was the parents i happen to have. This was an unearned. Do i wish i had different parents. Was i a perfect son well as a teenager or a kind of fox did they wish they had a different son. If i'm running away from the police. I am 21 times less likely to be shot to death because of the skin color of my parents graced me with. This has given me other advantages as well. But this one's particularly relevant at this time does respond to such a grace. With gratitude. Not 21%. 21. Now i know there's a few scientists out there. To make a statement. That shows 95% significance you have to say somewhere between 10 * + 40 *. The data is clear. How does one respond to such a grace with gratitude. Well i have to find some path forward from this. The world is not perfect. The good news. Is that this issue of race-based violence. It's really. Public now it's getting more on the table every single day. Asteria just referenced is not. The only study on this it just is one of the most recent and one of the most. Shocking and one of the most statistically verifiable. That study game statistics. Can you book on the run fugitive life in an american city by dr. alice cotman brings the story to the personal lives of individuals. Spent almost seven years living in a poor dangerous section of philadelphia. And while getting her ph.d. The day-to-day destruction she witnessed upon the residence. Is horrific. Pinellas trail. From. In the end. I had to write a dissertation and get a job by then it didn't feel like i was leaving the 6th street boys as much as the sixth grade boys had left me or rather. But the group as we had known it had ceased to exist. Bye 2008. Steve committed suicide the following year a tragedy that's from attributed to his growing addiction to pcp. And others to his inability to keep going without shortening. Mike went to federal prison in 2011. Prison upstate along beds anthony served a three to five-year sentence in state prison and was shot to death by police shortly after his return to 6th street in 2013. These instances that she could find in this neighborhood during his 72. To keep working. Umac in chris johnstone from their book active give one way. Higher level of commitment myself achieving but certainly inspiring. Play gold on the bodhisattvas the hero figures have such strong vote of cheetah the desire for the welfare of all beans. But even when they reach the gates of nirvana. Having earned the right to disappear into eternal bliss they turn around every time and choose to come back. They choose to return to samsara. Does realm of suffering. Because i bought a cheetah called him to serve life on earth and act to the welfare of all beings. Pink vanilla sky. I'm going back to philadelphia. We're on any given day she could have met the same fate as any other friends. Able to dissolve boundaries between sacred and profane. Really big things small ones. Bring things back down to earth little bit. But i think it's a miracle. Is not to walk either on water or in thin air. Everyday we are engaged in a miracle. Which we don't even recognize a blue sky white clouds green leaves the black curious eyes of a child our own two eyes. No matter how small. Every piece of the vessel collected as a miracle is a way to avoid feeling paralyzed by not being able to fix the whole problem all at once this blending of the spiritual. Is not new. But maybe recognising this academic wish. The reverend professor harvey cox from harvard seminary of course be very first and originally specifically. At the same time to be religious frequently exhibit patently secular purposes. There seems to be a growing recognition that the world needs help. And that our philosophies and our faiths. Call us to be an active part of the solution. Rabbi david saperstein the director of the religious action center of reform judaism as he testified to congress. On this call to heal the world. Is it not evident that we can fulfill our destiny to be a light to the nations that we cannot respond to god central call to us to be a holy people there from peace. An equality. In our nation in our world. Simply because it is right. And god calls us. To that task of righteousness unquote. We are here for each other. Simply because. Amen compositae. Show me in the spirit of prayer meditation contemplation. Guitar chord. People are born into original. The world is inherently good we are all people animals nature frogs the universe one god the divine my sociology humanism conscience that which each of us calls out as their name for the sacred is good. Why are we here we are here for each other to celebrate the graces liatris.

uudavispodcast_org

2015-05-31_Play-The-Desire-for-Oneness_10_00.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from the unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. org for further information. Welcome to summer. Gathering. Start today reading from federal. office dr. seuss. The sun did not shine. In the house. Weather cold cold wet day. How i wish we had something to do. We did nothing at all. The hat. I got a problem. You're muted. Obviously. I need it now when the cat in the hat comes to your house so you must let him in that he's in so. We look that we saw him step in on the macra looked and we saw him the cat in the hat. And he said why do you sit there like that. I noticed wet in the sun is not sunny but we can have lots of good fun that is funny. I know some good games we could play set the cat. I know some new tricks at the cat in the hat a lot of good games i will show them to you your mother will not mind at all if i do. Italian i did not know what to say our mother was out of the house for the day. But our fish said no no make that cat go away until that cat in the hat you do not want to play. You should not be here he should not be out about you should not be here he should not be about you should not be here when your mother is out. Well. Compare the volume down a little bit i'm getting a lot of feedback. There we go. Sofa. Our mother so to speak. Is out of the house for the day. Not that is our reverend beth banks is on sabbatical. At least she will be until tomorrow. Do this what about last chance before she comes back to play. And before she comes back to help us with us back into shape so i thought we play a little bit today and then we can do with the repercussions later on. The theme for today is play we can be joyous and also serious both elements will be present in this today service. Different now we calling the spirit of joyful play and imagination. And non-ordinary behavior. We will start off with a reverse offering before we do our usual meet and greet. Archers. Please take one of what they're offering you. And play with it irreverently. As you received this offer become again the imaginit uninhibited young child how would you play with it. We just stick it on your finger and make it a pain making a microphone. Would you squeeze it to strengthen your hand we just stick it in your mouth and pretend that you have had the mumps or perhaps a tooth taken out. Maybe you could toss it around juggle it juggle it for play catch with it. Or you might just want to talk to it. As you would a dear friend. But whatever you do do not throw it. Ask yourself. What is your capacity for imagination silliness and play. I invite you now. To deal with these two women have done as you meet and greet each other. Please be mindful please be mindful that some make want a quiet gentle greeting. And just as others might want to meet you with overwhelming frivolity. Meet and greet each other for a few mama come back when you hear the piano. Wonderful. How to see what i see. Tribute to service. As we as we await the return of our reverend beth backswimmer sabbatical we welcome you into this playground of the spirit. My name is kirk ridgeway and joining me today's leadership role is suzanne kimmel. Helping us to make this service happen is a host of volunteers and we are ever grateful to their ongoing service to this community. Suzanne and i welcome you as we gather to explore and a firm what it is to be human. In a relationship with others. And the world we live in. In this place we acknowledge and respect the diversity of spiritual. Alex. No voice sounds. Okay. Sorry. In this place where knowledge and respect the diversity of spiritual pathways and the multiplicity of personhood the makeup are dynamic and ever-changing world. We embrace all who come here this equal compassionate and loving connection which each with each other our community and the greater world community. Extend a warm welcome to first-time visitors and returning visitors. I hope that you find the people of this community support of challenging encouraging as you involved in your social and spiritual journey. If this is your first time here please stop by the welcome desk in the great hall so we can offer you more information about who we are and answer any questions you may have. If you have come here today with the particular joy or sorrow we invite you to write your that joy or sorrow. Honor milestone page at the back of the sanctuary over here if you choose you may light a chalice candle marking your milestone please indicate if you would like to receive a pass. Has recital interested a service are you remember that in this place. You're accepted just as you are. At the same time may be open to changes that will enhance your life and the life of those around you. Perhaps that change will simply be a subtle change in conscious awareness. A willingness to take a small step in a new direction or seeing the unseen. Whatever the change that may occur. May this be a place of comfort and challenge. May the people around you be known as your companions on your journey. Whether that be in joyous play. Or during times of deep sorrow. Both are ever present in our life. So now we are at our chalice lighting. And i asked don student to come down to later chalice. Please. She is a teacher who actually loves to have yard duty so that she can play with the children whether it's tetherball or dodgeball or any other game. Did they enjoy playing. She plays right with them. Life is a gift. For which we are grateful. We gather in community to celebrate the glories and the mysteries of this great gift. Play marjorie. O2 imaginative play. Avalanche key only child. Imaginative play in reading. What type of imaginative play i believe. Remind me forms of entertainment. We live in a house that had a full-length porch with white railing. It was at the top of some stairs and was surrounded by hedges so it was secluded. I would play from one end of the other one into the other creating lb being animals being a doctor of animals whatever my mood. On one side of the porch with a little space of dirt hidden from the road by trees where i would do my baking. I would make mud pies for tea parties with decorations of leaves berries and blossoms. It was such a lovely peaceful time. On weekend nights my parents used to play bridge regularly with another couple that also had an only child. The grown-ups played in the dining room while it's two kids had the living room. It also was the full length of the house and contained the most wonderful toy ever. An ottoman with wheels. Man we roll that thing up and down the living room getting each other rides pretending it was a tractor and animal home boat. Are play with limited only by our imagination. No store-bought toy ever gave me as many hours of entertainment is at ottoman. Well i have never stopped my reading. I had forgotten about all of my imaginative play until i came across the poem recently that brought back those feelings as happy exploration. Here's an excerpt. Rolls-royce dreams by ginger andrews. Using cilantro leaves for money. My youngest sister and i paid an older sister to taxi and abandoned car in our backyard. Our sister knew how to shift gears. Turn smoothie with a hand signal and make perfect. Screeching stop sounds. We drove to the beach. To the market. Sunday school. Past our would-be boyfriend's houses. Anytime anywhere. We shopped for expenses clothes everywhere. Our sister would open our doors and say m running ladies but take your time. Well i did not have a broken car to play with. I like the girls in the poem used whatever was around to act out dreams and stories. I no longer do much direct imaginative play but i still read a lot. And now when i pick out my nextbook. I will remember my childhood pastime and know that i am still doing. My favorite form. This reading is an excerpt adapted from the book gifts of crows. By mars with an angel. Clean crows innovate. Practice in perfect skills and manners that are necessary adaptations. The flexible social lifestyles. By testing their world and sensing the response. A plain crow is. Shaping it's developing neural circuits. Forming new synapses. Strengthening useful ones. And losing others that are unnecessary. By so doing the young crows brain creates expectations to which it will compare new experiences. Play build memories that allow an older bird to live and breed better than a bird that does not play. This is what scientists call the ultimate value of a behavior is natural selection. Favors playful young animals because they serve them survive to reproduce later in life. This force causes play to evolve in some species. And not in others. Crows play ultimately because natural selection favors players. But not very direct way they also play because of the brain of a playful crow rewards the bird with pleasurable comforting chemicals. In other words. Without invoking conscious comprehension. Crows play for the same reason a child place. Because it is fun. This is me at age 4. I love playing outdoors romping through field with my bow and arrow and my trusty throwing knife. I would often lie in the fields for a long time watching the clouds birds insects and other critters. Those are the innocent days of my childhood. I was most fortunate to have lots of freedom for imaginative play. I like the crows play was just playing fun. The impetus for the stock comes to my 36 years of working as a physical therapist. I repeatedly talked with people have lost their ability to play and the things they love to do as a result. How to change in the physical well-being. It could have been simplest as a runner sustaining an ankle injury. So they could no longer run. The onset of back pain so they could no longer garden. The amputation of a hand. So they can no longer play the guitar or net. The list is endless. Then there are those dealing with chronic illness with a natural changes of agent that inhibit them from doing what they had loved to do. The question of now what. Costly rose before them at the great challenge. All of us if we live long enough. Will have to confront the question of now what. I certainly had to. Until about 10 years ago so much of what i identified as fun. Had a strong physical component. At that time the late effects of radiation for cancer in 1988. Started taking its toll with progressive loss of function of my legs. Along the way i struggled with. Now what. How will i have fun. What is fun. And finally the central question for today. What is play. I came to realize that the question was complicated though hiddeninplainsight. My understanding my understanding of play was simply too small. Today i will speak of some of my discoveries the most important to me is that play is an intrinsic and natural self-actualizing force within us. Intrinsic. And natural self-actualizing force. Within us. A fortune-telling us towards love and oneness. With one that's being the unity of all our potentiality. While embracing the mysteries of the universe. I'll start with the premise set of birth we are torn from oneness. Weather being torn from the oneness of attachment to our mother. I'll be in turin from the oneness of who we were before even our parents were born. Regardless of the source of our oneness. Afterbirth request becomes a desire to reconnect with one that's biologically psychologically or spiritually. Instinctive impulse is to once again become fully integrated and in unity with all being. Torn from oneness with our first breath. We are impelled to develop a separate cell. A personality and ego. And in doing so we go through stages of development included individuation. Which is further away from our connectedness with oneness. Is individuation the psychological impulse to become a separate self. Seems to be a necessary stage of human development. Before we can again we connect to the oneness of all things. The pathway back to oneness is it evolutionary journey. I'm going from egocentric worldview. To an ethnocentric worldview. Two worlds interview. And even to a cosmo centric way of being. Essential premise of this talk is that play is absolutely critical and necessary. Revolving longest human path of reconnecting with oneness. So that said. Let's take a look at what is play. I watch that doesn't the time. Between this video and the reading about crows all the elements of play are self-evident. Still fussy construct a few of the elements of play. If you open a dictionary you will find many ways of describing play. The defining play is like trying to find a one-size-fits-all definition of love or god. For the purpose of today i want to utilize three attributes. But i have been using to decide. For myself if i am playing. I found that i'm involved in any activity. Of any type. And i have. Experiencing these three attributes. Then i'm experiencing freeplay. Free play. Uninhibited spirit of exploration and doing and being force own pure joy. The uninhibited. Spirit of exploration. Doing and being for the own pure joy. Here are the three attributes of freeplay that i use. The activity is apparently purposeless. Activities done for its own sake free of expected outcomes. Does dissolution of self of the ego. Hear the sense of time and who i think i am. Diminishes or disappears. The activity is restorative. This is a feeling of being in live and lightens refreshed. Joyful. In the video the father in the baby ripping paper serves no apparent purpose. Neither of focus on yourself wants or needs. Afterwards both are fused with a sense of joyful fullness. They exude the attributes of freeplay. Likewise playing with the red foam balls. At the beginning of the service. Was apparently purposeless. It interactions social interactions occurred fostering community. If you wore the phone ball at the clown. Looks like you experienced them self dissolution. Acting in ways that you would have normally act. And they're certainly restored of energy in the room express in the laughter and enliven behaviors. If you apply the 3 freeplay attributes to your past and current play activities. When was the last time and under what circumstances did you experience this level of freeplay. The answer may be a disturbing the subsequent question servicing. Why not. Or why so really. There are many other play elements to be aware of including the dark side of play. Time for clues it discussion. They're well worth knowing and i strongly suggest you read the books listed in the order of service. And if you are a parent or grandparent especially the book simply titled. Play. Have they talked about play today is important to remember. That play is all contextual. Does not what we do. But how we do it. It is an attitude we bring to any activity. Will there be on the sports field at work or at home. So why play. Let us return to the crows. In the reading you heard that the crows play. Play crows are innovative. They practice and perfect skills developing the neural circuits needed to live and breed. They play tug-of-war games with sticks. Swing upside down on branches. Play log-roll game games in which i stand on a cup and roll it down a hill over and over again. And they're known to slide down snowy hills on your back. Over and over again. These are all apparently purposeless activities. If what is happening is they are exploring testing the limits are there potentiality. Against the environment they live in. More proximate reason that crows play because of rewards a crow. Pleasurable comforting chemicals. They get an endorphin high. Crows are highly social animals in large flocks crows are known for take insurance entering up dress. Where they surf the air return against the back of the line to wait their turn to do it again. Groups of crows justin pebbles play catch with each other. And how many stories are crows playing with humans. At animals. With play the social brain network. Census interprets and shapes complex social interactions. It tailors their emotions like aggression appeasement and courtship. Basically play orioles them to their social situation. The code of conduct needed. To belong to the flock. And doing so. They're developing a play history that will provide the foundation for healthy survival. I'll take the word crow out of what i have just said. Insert human. And you have some of the very same reasons why humans fly. Perhaps we're more like a crows then we want to admit. Tell the why a play. Is that play is a cerebral workout as we coordinate emotional and physical responses to our environment. Play allows us to safely explore our world while minimalizing risk. Play enables our flexibility to adjust creatively under dynamic circumstances. A play is an active learning strategy that continues throughout life. To inform us about the complexities of the world. Here's one human example of the creativity that comes out of a very beautiful play history. I read an essay by malcolm gladwell. He talked about the invention of the computer mouse. He wrote that steve jobs went to xerox. I saw the computer mouse at xerox had developed. It cost me $300 to build. Was cumbersome and prone to breakdown. Job saw its potential went back to apple and called in his. Industrial design engineer tv14lv. And told paul hobie the specifications of the mouse movie was to build. The specifications for that it was to cost no more than $15 to build. Woodwork on formica or on steve jobs blue jeans. I would work and would work for a couple of years. Hope you went to walmart. Bought a butter dish. At all the roll-on deodorant take it fine because they had a ball in them. That's what the beginning of the computer mouse as we know it today. That creativity that inventiveness could only come out of an adult who had a dynamic imaginative play history. There are many such stories of this creative inventiveness. I begin to enrich play history. What is your play history. Especially your earliest play. Ask yourself. How was it that you absolutely love to play. How has that play. History. Influenced or enrich your life. Have you embraced. Or denied. Your play history. After this point that mostly focused on the freeplay instincts for survival physical development and social development. There's a play necessary for building a self a personality ego. A play that is necessary for traversing the eagle centric and the ethnocentric stages of human development. I want to turn out what diane ackerman call steve play in a book of the same title. The play in the play is it a static from a play that moves into the world centric and cosmo center. Ways of being. Ed moses back towards connectedness with the oneness we were separated from at birth. Entry in tuesday play is through the doorway of freeplay. Involve self dissolution a disappearing of stepping outside of ourselves while being ourselves. This is paradoxical paradoxical to be ourselves yet not ourselves. The play occurs at times of intense absorption. When you're fully in the experience when you become what you are doing. It is a mood. A mood rather than a specific activity. Time. Is suspended. The world reduces to a small variance space. Scattered energy seems pulled into a center. At this center. We experience a sense of a great opening allowing something else to rise. What surprised some new awareness. The play is an occasion of delight. Clarity acceptance of self and other life-affirming feeling. A non ordinary experience that has a creative flow. If a nominal officer unitive experience of oneness. I'll bring it harder and adult dirty joke skills and experience. Enter union. With our childlike imagination and playful awareness. In doing so we become attuned to transcendence. Creativity and the need for the sacred. Itself dissolution. Its disappearance in her car anytime at anywhere through the activities of fully embodied freeplay. Those play activities that grabs your soul captures your imagination or prices your dreams. Is by doing what you love to do with full-bodied intention. Attention. At wholeheartedness. The play can happen at any stage of life and at any moment in life. As long as to be open and vulnerable as long as we are open and vulnerable. To our experiences. Thoughts. And emotions. After looking back at our play history what you love to do and her early. Deers. Does it means provide clues. After what path we might take to access dplay. Like to give you an example of. Soft dissolution of deep clay that i had some 20 years ago. Warehouse experience absolute wellness. The death of this wondrous experience still resonates with me today. Is a blessing i gave to myself. To falling through free play in 2d play. I mentioned that as a boy in the picture i would play in the open field and lie down in the grass to watch the clouds. Birds and other critters. Some 44 years later i was walking down the sidewalk of a busy street much like covell boulevard during rush hour. I found a hawk feather. I continue to walk with it for many minutes. I held my arm out straight like a wing and felt the way the feather responded to the breeze that they tilted it. Sound of a traffic disappeared. That became the skybound hawk. A few weeks later i was hiking the hills original bay area park. Why stockton shutdown on log. For longtime i watch the clouds move across the sky. I saw saw saw hawk. Soaring high above me. I watched it for a long time remembering that experience of walking down that street with the hawks feather. Eventually took out my journal which i always carried with me. And wrote this phone would simply float out of my hand. As if someone else was writing it. Inviting this phone. I sense that my word as my consciousness and expanded for my small egocentric attachments. 2a waterworld center at even cosmo center can brace. I had indeed entered into deep play. Walk with a feather. I found the feather of a hawk and i walked with it. I felt its weight become weightless when the pitch was just right and the wind flows smoothly. For an hour i played it became the bird sensing exchange of now responding to each new movement feeling the pleasure of feathers. Now i watch the hawk. Circling swooping body. I watch them adjust its wings black to change its course float on wind. Because i walked with a feather. I know the feeling of flight. The hawk. The wind. Because i sit on this log. Silently watching. And at peace. I know these things. I found the feather of a hawk and i walked with it i felt its weight become weightless when the pitch was just right and the wind flowed smoothly for an hour i played and became the bird sensing each change of now responding to each new movement feeling the pleasure of feathers now i watch the hawk circling swooping lighting i watch it adjust its wings flap to change its course float on wind because because i walked with a feather i know the feeling of flight the hawk the wind because i sit on this log silently watching and at peace and a peace and at peace i know these things. Play is our inheritance. Essential part of our life as much as freezing is. It is a blessing which must be cherished and nurtured throughout life. The plastic fruits of play can be experienced as balance. He's. Joyfulness humor creativity and love. With the play. Which is available to all of us. Reconnect we can reconnect the oneness. Expansive life at 4. Experience of oneness. And i believe that one of the roles of the spiritual community is to foster freeplay and deeply by helping ourselves and others to fully realize our blessed in a potential. And intern better serve the world we live in. Each one of us. Each one of us has a part. Play. Ennis playground. Other spirit. But these thoughts in mind please join me. In words of quiet reflection. And blessing. As we sit here today i mysterious life force flows ever onward to us drawing of staley into new territories of being. Acknowledging the secret flow of being i offer you this blessing. Blessed be the time you give yourself to play. With what you love. Old is jet li. Has a blessing. Blessed be the innocence of your childhood play. That you that you may rediscover that playfulness. And bring it back into your life. Blessed be the lessons. You learned through play. That you made make. Work your play. And your play your work. Blessed be your creative imagination ignited in play. That you may evolved and see beyond the constrictions of your life. Nothing for your capacity for life long-play. That you may know the oneness of a fully lived life. Blessed be the joy that flows through you indie play. That you may engage your expanding world with love. A compassion. And as you invite play into your life may you also remember those who can play at this time in their life. It's difficult. May their life soon become peaceful and open. Once again open to the restore.. Spirit of play. And the gift of oneness. With these blessings. Maybe remember at all times that each of us. Each of us. Is a part. Intricate web of relationships. When one of us celebrate our joy. Hargreaves a loss. The web of life movie. Into a new shape. We are parked. Are the turn of the earth. The shift the stars. The pull of the sea and all and all change. I'm in. And blessed be. Please join hands. And community and in play in the spirit of play. May you may you play well this summer with childlike innocence filling your heart with joy. At the cat in the hat knocks on your door. Welcome mn. He will bless you with happiness and wild possibilities. Have a blessed summer and that we all say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

2016-04-10-Radical-Hope_11_15.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from the unitarian universalist church of davis california website at w.w. org for further information. I know that many of you were here last night for the music some if you were not. The people who are still tapping their feet. Are clearly the ones who were here last night. I think. I want to begin this morning by introducing fred to you just right up front this month's team is compassion and indeed we are dressing that today with his service. Fred comes to us from cambridge massachusetts and he is here for the whole weekend he's previously an attorney. Who became. More serious musician. And his music is known for messages of political and ethical. Statements. I would say i started to write was but still is many of the people who are here at last night with saoi i listen to your songs of twenty years ago which was cause for some reflection on between the two of us about that he currently works as a director of faith outreach for a nonprofit called climatexchange with an exchanged and he is a powerful voice between it within unitarian-universalism for environmental issues. And i first saw fred this is one of those stories when i was in my internship. In syracuse new york working at syracuse university as a chaplain and working at first universalist church in syracuse which might be a structure for an internship that you would recognize here and fred was playing at the first unitarian church in syracuse and i went to hear him and thought this is pretty amazing. So now he is working at large bringing our faith to the world so fred i just want to say welcome right up front right now so everyone knows who you are. And. And how important i think that you are with us. In this community. We. Challenge each other and you will hear that this morning. We encourage each other we support each other. And our work is to keep sight of the very best that we can be. And that we can become. In this place we are surrounded by a diversity of religious beliefs god or whatever it is in which we played ultimate trust is different for each one of us and comes from our life experience. We celebrate those of all sexual orientations and gender identities. And we welcome people of all races classes political parties and we will continue to work to build the world that we dream about that we dream is possible. And to cherish this living earth. That we call home. By maya angelou adapted from her words. Because we need this message of love. We are weaned from our timidity. In the flesh of love light we dare to be brave. And suddenly we see that love cos all we are and will ever be. Get it is only love. Which sets us free. Fred would you like artelice. Know him is more inspiring. The wind rustling the leaves of the deep forest. No sanctuary more hallowed than the snow touched mountains. No prayer of praise more glorious than a sweep of birds before the morning sun. The holy lives all around us. Sacred grows beneath our feet. Creation writes its own testimony of faith. For sending us each day with a reason to believe. And a mission to fulfill. Here on this brilliant blue planet. On this emerald ball dancing before the stars. Is our temple. Our place of worship. Our spiritual home. Our once and future. Kevin. I think it's. Fair to say that. Pope francis is. The unitarian universalist favorite pope and sometime i which is not to say that he has attained enlightenment in all things but certainly my impression is that he's doing his best to guide and turn a. A large unwieldy tradition laden institution in a positive direction so i i certainly wish him well last year was published an extraordinary encyclical by pope francis entitles laudato c4 care of our common home. And i'd like to share some excerpts. From that people encyclical. The earth is a shared inheritance. Whose fruits are meant to benefit everyone. The entire material universe. Soil water mountains everything is as it were a caress of god. There is a mystical meaning. To be found in a leaf. In a mountain trail. In a dewdrop. In a poor person's face. As part of the universe all of us are linked by unseen bonds. And together form a kind of universal family. A sublime communion which fills us with a sacred affectionate and humble respect. Our goal is to become painfully aware. Today return what is happening to the world into our own personal suffering. And just to discover what each of us can do about it. We cannot presume to heal our relationship with nature and the environment without healing all fundamental human relationships. How to read a logical approach always becomes a social approach. It must integrate questions of justice. So as to hear both the cry of the earth. And the cry of the poor. We should be particularly indignant. At the enormous inequalities in our midst. Whereby we continue to tolerate some considering themselves more worthy than others. Ecological crisis is also a summons to profound interior conversion. We must regain the conviction. That we need one another. Did we have a shared responsibility for others and the world hasn't been good and decent. Are worth it. Love. Overflowing with small gestures of mutual care. He's also civic and political headed makes itself fell in every action that seeks to build a better world. Human beings. While capable of the worst. Are also capable of rising above themselves. Choosing again what is good. I'm making a new start. The spirit of god has filled the universe with possibilities and therefore. From the very heart of things. Something new. Can always. Emerge. The house where i grew up stood on a quiet corner. In plainfield new jersey. Surrounded by a hitch. My sister and me as children are hedge was a source of security and magic. Like a year-round christmas tree. In autumn the windwood sweet fallen leaves into its lower branches trapped in their embrace until my dad raped them out into great piles for burning. One fall afternoon when i was about four years old i thought it might be fun to light a match and burn some of the leaves caught in the hedge. They were dry as paper. And the flame spread surprisingly quickly. I rushed inside to fetch a glass of water but by the time i returned the blaze was beyond my power to extinguish. I ran to my mother who called the fire department. Who put out the fire before it spread more than a few yards along the hedge. Soon afterward. I was a guest of the fire department. Why was given a comic book about fire safety and a badge making me an official junior deputy fire chief. Where did burn the hedge never really recovered. Stunted forever by my shortsightedness and self-absorption. But i was just four years old. Today the world is on fire. And no one knows. How to put it out. Since 2001 the earth has enjoyed 15 of the 16 warmest years on record the odds of that happening without greenhouse emissions are approximately one in 13,000. Just last month for the prestigious science journal nature warned that melting antarctic ice could raise sea levels more than six feet by the end of this century. Twice what was previously predicted. With devastating consequences for coastal populations. Of course climate change is not just about warming and sea-level rise. It also increases the frequency and destructiveness of extreme weather. Like winter storm jonas which pounded the atlantic coast in january. Dumping 42 inches of snow on west virginia. Canceling 11000 airline flights. Causing a 3 billion dollars in economic loss. And killing at least 49 people. Then there's the zika virus transmitted by mosquitoes that fries and warmer temperatures and heavy rains. The virus is associated with a dramatic rise in the birth of babies with abnormally small heads and in gion beret syndrome. The world health organization expects as many as 3 million people. Will be infected. In the turkana region of kenya. Rising temperatures have ravaged livestock fishing and drinking water. I don't know what climate change is. Desmond elder. But i know from all the changes the constant the constant droughts the season. Aren't the seasons are gone. These are changes happening in our land. Our life is becoming hard. We can't do anything. I'll die anytime but. What are my grandchildren. I want them to have a future. But what are their lives going to be. His wife adds. Maybe god knows. I will survive. Any sermon on climate change. Is necessarily. A meditation on hope. Great unitarian preacher and abolitionist theodore parker once asked what is transient in christianity. And what is permanent. We must ask. What is transient in human life on earth. And what is permanent. What is transient. The snows of kilimanjaro. Glaciers in glacier national park. Polar bears in the in the wild. Ancient forests. Vermont maple syrup. Cheap gasoline. Shopping malls. Cape cod. Boston. San francisco airport. Oakland airport. Stable food supply. Stable government. And much much more. Yet beyond. Our comprehension. What is permanent. Love. As for prophecies they will come to an end. As for tongues they will cease. As for knowledge. It will come to an end. But love never ends. Love and its attendance. Faith and hope. Meditation on hope. Every faith tradition forbids theft. Climate change is theft. From our own children can from the most vulnerable people on the planet most of them poor and of color. Every faith tradition commands us to care for creation climate-change desecrates creation. Every faith tradition calls us to care for the weak and helpless among us climate change devastates the weak and helpless among us. I'm going to tatian on hope. We know that the whole creation has been groaning and labor pains until now. Road saint paul to the romans and not only creation but we ourselves groan inwardly. In hope we are saved. Now hope that is seen. Is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen. But if we hope for what we do not say. We wait for it. With patience. Meditation on hope. Given the threat we face isn't whole just pie-in-the-sky. No. Given the threats we face hope is a necessity. Everything that is done in the world dr. king told us. Is done by hope. Who is the catalyst. Explains nick wojcik. A thirty-three-year-old australian-born with no arms and no legs. It can move obstacles that steam immovable nexcess. When you keep pushing refusing to give up you create momentum who creates opportunities you never might have anticipated helpful people are drawn to you. Doors open pads are cleared defeat happens only to those who refuse to try again. Do i have no idea how challenging. Life. Must be. With no arms and no legs. Climate change poses global challenges of a different magnitude entirely. What kind of hope. Can companions through the perilous decades. To come. Last great chief of the crow nation. Was a man named alicia. Also known as plenty coup. Who led his people has white conquest turned their world upside down. In the 1850s when he was a boy the crow or a powerful tribe of nomadic hunters. As an old man plenty coora called. When the buffalo went away. The hearts of my people. Fell. The ground. And they could not lift them up again. After this. Nothing happened. There was little singing. Anywhere. Under plenty coups leadership the crow allied themselves with the united states against the crows traditional enemies the cheyenne and sioux. When the wars ended plenty coup took up farming and urges people to do the same he encouraged young crow to educate themselves in the white schools and to be open to the white religion. This strategy preserved his people. Their best land. And the essence of who they were. In the face of disaster. Where some might understandably see and plenty coups strategy a craven the collaboration. Philosopher jonathan lear. Cease courage. In their most desperate hour lyrics suggest perhaps what the crow needed most was not another warchief to fall in glorious battle. But a new fro poet. How creative maker of meaningful space of a new field of possibilities. Embodied what earlier calls radical hope. A commitment to a goodness that transcends one's current understanding of the good. A commitment to the bare idea that something good will emerge it is basically the hope for revival. We're coming back to life uniform that is not yet intelligible. The hulk is held in the face of the recognition that given the abyss. One cannot really know. What survival. Means. Climate change is a certainty. With profound consequences both predictable and unpredictable. Is impossible. Responding to it is inescapable radical hope offers a faithful courageous and creative way. To respond. We did not choose this call. No more than did plenty coup. We would not choose it. That's why it's called a calling. And not a choice. Moses marry paul muhammad scripture is filled with stories of people just going about their lives. When god calls them to a very different purpose. I was a minister for 16 years. Blast 7 is senior minister first parish in cambridge massachusetts. Class fall i left parish ministry to devote my energies to climate advocacy especially among people of faith. Not all of us are called to quit our jobs. But all of us are called. To act. It's no longer enough to shrink our personal carbon footprint or to green our congregation. These are good things to do. But many of us have been doing them for decades and the earth has only grown hotter. We got to do more. Climate change we need national and state policies and international treaty that will keep carbon in the ground and transition as rapidly as possible to save carbon-free renewable energy. This will require a political insurrection. And we need to start it now. Listen to this joint statement by religious leaders. Global warming is predicted to increase temperatures worldwide changing climate patterns increasing drought threatening agriculture and creating millions of environmental refugees we reaffirm in the strongest possible terms the indivisibility of social justice and ecological integrity. Economic equity racial justice gender equality and environmental well-being are interconnected and all are essential to peace. To help ensure these we pledged mobilize public opinion and to appeal to elected officials we dare not let our resolve falter. The statement was signed by the heads of major christian denominations and prominent ministers priests and rabbis. Inspiring. Inspiring words. And they would be even more inspiring had they not been published in 1991 nearly a quarter-century. Ago. Pope francis is also inspiring but as pope francis himself understands self-executing. It must be leveraged into political change. Unless citizens control political power pope francis declares national regional and municipal it will not be possible to control damage to the environment. Changing a light bulb is good. Changing a senator is better. Do you like to explore these questions in. Further doubts i invite you to join me for the workshop this afternoon at 1 it'll be very. Contemplatively and interactive. Not by any means our election. From me. And now i invite you to imagine that. You and i are passengers. On the great ship titanic. Honest maiden crossing of the north atlantic. Suddenlink. The huge vessel shutters. Gradually with agonizing slowness we come to realize. First. That the ship has been struck. Then that it has been breached. Then. Can it be possible. And finally. 3d sinking. Edith stage we might feel shocked. Disbelief. Outrage. How could this be happening how could those in charge have been so reckless. Will i get a refund for my ticket. But eventually some of us. Cross the threshold from shock. Disbelief and outrage. Into. An acceptance of our circumstance. Not an acceptance that it's acceptable. Or just or fair about an acceptance that it is. And then. If we are wise enough and brave enough. Return from complaint. To commitment. How do i live my life. For the rest of my life. To what purpose am i faithful. How courageously and creatively can i respond to this catastrophe. How can i serve. How can i sacrifice. And in that turning. There is a moment. When we find ourselves standing on the tilting deck. Lashed by wind and spray. And gripped by a while. Extravagant. Even fearless. Troy. Life without meaning says nick wojcik. Has no hope. Life without hope has no faith if you find a way to contribute you will find your meaning. And hope and faith will naturally follow and accompany you into your future. Against our will. But with our face. We are called into a future. Beyond our dreams. Beyond our nightmares. Beyond. Our comprehension. We are called to build a new world of safe and sustainable energy of justice and compassion of care for the sacred web of life. We are called to courage. And sacrifice. And imagination. We are called. 2 radical hope. I invite you into a time of prayer. Kind of meditation. We will begin with silence. So you can take in all that you have heard. And turn it over in your mind. Leave behind. What you have carried this week. And enter this time of quiet. And what you've heard. The book of matthew inspired. Parker palmer to write this. Heavenly father. Heavenly mother. Mysterious one. Holy and blessed is your true name. We pray for a time of peace to come. That you are good will be done. Would heaven and earth be one. Give us this day the bread we need. Give it to those who have none. My forgiveness flow like a river between us. From each. 2 each. To each one. Lita's to holy innocents beyond the evil of our days come swiftly. Mother father mystery come. For yours is the power and the glory and the mercy. Wherever you are named. Is all-in-one. For each of us. Is a part of an intricate web of relationships when one of us celebrate the julia grieves the loss the web of life moves to a new shape we are apart of the turn of the earth the shift of the stars and the pull of the sea. And all change. Love all of god's creation. Pole and every grain of sand in it of every leaf every ray of god's light. Love the animals love the plants love everything. If you love everything you will perceive the divine mystery and things. And you will come at last to love the whole world. With an all-embracing love. And that the congregation say.

uudavispodcast_org

2014-08-03-The-Road-of-Surprises_10_00.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. org for further information. So if you see cuchurch that values open mind helping hands. And loving heart. If your lives spiritual journey has brought you to a place of questions and wonder. If you're seeking an open-minded community of individuals connected to love. If you want to be part of a faith community that strives to bring justice to the world. Then you have come home. You are in the right place. Today i would like to extend a special welcome to frankie hernandez and i was lucky enough to see him last night at the the woodland fireman's. Fundraiser i have trouble getting all of that out for a new flagpole and he he agreed to come and be one of their they're great musicians and it really was a pleasure to to hear his music and and he's going to be playing for us throughout the service today. So i've asked frankie 2br chalice lighter for today the music to bring joy laughter tears stimulating thought and improve self-esteem. Thing is i honestly don't think we ever truly know where the road will lead. As they say the one thing in life that is constant is change most of the time the changes are subtle and slow-moving you take a dance class. I really like it and you take some more classes if i bid your interest in it grows and becomes a more important and larger part of your life with hardly knowing it your life is now much different than it was before you took that first dance class other changes or mark are more smarter and are easily recognizable as turning points. Within these changes are often a mixture of both joy and sorrow. Heading off to college full of possibility and anticipation can be so exciting and at the same time your heart can be breaking inside because you're leaving behind the family and community that you know and love and perhaps a high-school sweetheart likewise when the road of life takes a turn and you are living it down again as a song earlier in the service said there can be moments when the pain and fear about what's happening almost completely blocked out everything else that even in the midst of the most painful changes. There are those moments when beauty and hope break through the darkness. This happens in moments of presents when we were in the here-and-now not catastrophizing about what the change means for a future but just being present in the now perhaps in a moment of grief you look up and you noticed the way the attendant in the convalescent hospital where your grandmother is dying. So carefully moves the bed sheets and your grandmother's frail body while changing her diaper. And the way his care honors her and allows her to maintain a certain dignity but you know it's important to her. Perhaps in the depths of your sorrow you drive to the yolo basin wildlife sanctuary to watch the sunrise over the rice fields and the beauty of this world and that moment is a soothing balm to your broken heart. You may also find yourself noticing in the midst of despair that other show up for you with acts of surprising kindness and generosity. The text messages checking in on you the casseroles to sleep on so you don't have to be alone instead of free falling through the darkness suddenly you realize that you were held in the interconnected web of life and that you will find a way through the dark time. You will find in yourself and in the world around you the research resources to survive and even eventually to thrive in the new life that is being born in the midst of all that pain. What is that road that held no surprises these many years decided not to go home after all. What if it could turn left or right. With no more ado than a kite tail. What if it's terry skin would like a long. Shuffle folk of cloth that is shaken and ruled out and takes a new shape from the concours beneath. Hannaford's chose to lay itself down. In a new way. Around a blind corner. Across those hills you must climb without knowing what's on the other side. Who would not hanker to be going. At all risks. Who wants to know a story's end. Or where the road will go. What is that road. It has helped no surprises these many years. Decided not to go home after all. What if it could turn. Left or right. With no more ado than a kite tail. And what if it's terry skin we're like a long couple bolt of cloth that is shaken. And we ruled out. And takes a new shape from the contours beanie. Around a blind corner across the hills you must climb without knowing what's on the other side. Who would not hanker. To be going. At all risks. A story's end. 4 ware road will go. And rolled out and take the new shape from the contours beneath and if it chose to lay itself down and a new way in a new way. Spirit of life. For the changes in our lives for all the generations from. Children. Two adults who are stretched beyond their limits by many demands. Your elders who hold the history of many years. We all have within us strength. And they need to give and receive tenderness. For the children and their families who are struggling to overcome drug and alcohol addiction. And those children with special needs physically mentally and when we draw the circle of our care why do we think of children and adults of all ages who are living in the midst of violence in fleeing for their safety traveling to unknown places with unknown futures remembering the violence this week against children in a un facility in gaza may we have courage and wisdom and hope it all the lives and may they feel the gentle support of a force larger than community family as friends or spirit or god made be present for you each of us is a part of an intricate web of relationships when one of us celebrates a joy or grieve the loss of web of life moves to a new shape we are apart of the turn of the earth stars the pull of the sea and all change. I was in my early twenties in graduate school when our professor asked us to imagine our lives five years into the future. I confidently listed at the age of 21. That one. I would be completed with my graduate degree the only graduate degree i would ever need or desire. I would be a guidance counselor in a high school. I would be married with one child. 4. I would have a house in the suburbs with a two-car garage garage sticks in my mind maybe it's an image of being really financially stable but at 21 that seems like the right thing to wish for. And i think there was one more thing but i can't quite remember it maybe one was being married and one was having a child. I'd every reason to believe that these accomplishments it happen. My fiance was a law student by dave and a rock and roll drummer at night so why not why wouldn't you know that happens school with really satisfying and graduation was right on the horizon just a few months away. I really enjoyed high school students and why wouldn't i be employed in my chosen field. And i would not this is a double car garage thing i would not continue to live the student life. Eating a dinner of free appetizers at a bar. Well nursing one drink for the whole happy hour. Five years later none of the things on my list of certainties was a reality not one. Only one married couple made it through law school and are entering class is kind of like boot camp they tried to see what you could deal with emotionally it was not good for any of us only. The economy made a steve turned south and there were no jobs for the graduates in my field. I ended up working for the state of washington helping political refugees. I was living in a cute urban apartment with a garage so small that my one-car a little one of those early honda civics barely fit. So much for the double car garage. My life had so many changes that it was almost not recognizable and yet i. Was clearly recognizable. Wiser. I was now looking at a different set of expectations it had been terrible to let go of those early dreams yet it became a more wonderful life than i ever could have imagined. Weather by los or from opportunities to wonderful to resist life continue to give me richard experiences years in northern asia. Summer traveling down the yellow river of china on a flat houseboat in heat like we had been experiencing this week. The possibility of ministry. Or changing how i relate to those closest to me and it's a consequence. How i relate to all others. My life became. So much richer. Then i imagined. At that twenty-one-year-old. The various books by consultants on series of change recommend smooth transitions changing slowly. Well excuse me. That may work when we choose when we choose the change. But when change happens. It's usually anything but smooth and slow. All it takes. Is a phone call. An email. Or text with some unexpected news and life as we know it. Pivots in a new direction. Maybe someone for claims their love for you. Or there's news of a death. A routine check-up leads to a doctor's request to come in for a few more tests. It could happen. In the moment when we hear we're forgiven. Ever given an opportunity to live. Guilt-free. Account list large and small junctures the ground shifts under us. And life as we knew it. Completely drops away. How often is change. Slow and smooth. I get change is inevitable. Contemporary buddhist michael jeffries road life is change. Two words for suffering are. Resisting change. Joi ito cell jo ijoin studies the role of the internet in transforming society. Palace at mit media lab tries to steer around the corner i love how they described the sea around the corner and imagined responses to questions before societies even. Asking for those answers. He was in the united states but his family was in japan on march 11th. 2011. When a magnitude-9 earthquake hit there and we remember the damaged nuclear reactors spinning radioactivity out into the land and the atmosphere and our oceans. The country struggled with a mass destruction flooding lost lives. And the spreading radiation into the earth the ocean the atmosphere. Joyce family was a few hundred kilometers from. The reactors. And he wanted to know if they were safe. Press conferences didn't tell him what he needed to know. His anxiety and his fear in his frustration increased. How do you turn to the internet. And discovered others who were asking the same questions. Join others formed. A team through the internet to get information about their loved ones. Though they were amateurs at understanding radiation. Together they had what they needed. Joining their efforts they developed as great new community science project and he said probably. The best one he doesn't have any investment saying that of course the best one in history. They designed a mobile phone application to measure radiation. And with broad international participation of people using this phone app. They created the math to measure and show radiation levels in specific areas of japan. And thanks to that project there is now a radiation map of the whole world that is continually being updated. 1 news flash for joy ethos life pivoted him. Into entirely unexpected journey. Before the internet and he calls that vi. Before the internet ito says things were far more predictable and now change is coming to us not at us i would say but coming to us in literally every. Every direction. One of the largest struggles for me. Is to become conversant with the technology at my fingertips i don't know if you have that problem and i can start with my telephone my phone. 4 months what i would bring my iphone up to my ear to make a call. An automated voice of siri. With shay. How can i help you invited her into this conversation. And it seems that the only way to get rid of her i tried all kinds of thing was to say. Goodbye in like very forceful and cheerful. And she would say okay see you next time. And sometimes i express my frustration more heatedly and she reply no need to be rude. It took me months to figure out that siri was automatically ready to serve every time i picked up the phone with a certain amount of speed. Until i learn to change her setting. Instead of reading. I printed owners manual that wants came with our phone we can go online and have our questions answered. I like to ask people around me what's the neatest thing you do with your phone and you'd be amazed at what i have learned about my phone. I have had to see learning about technology is as an adventure. Instead of seeing it as a challenge this change my whole my sensei. Get sally this is great i can't wait to find out what i can learn about my phone today. Once we created once in our in our history we created a life plan strategy we were told to create a strategy. Imagining like a life mat for a future. Where we could anticipate challenges and measure our accomplishments through benchmark and what we realize now is it life is change. As buddhism has understood since long before cell phones and google searches. In life. In the real live life. Maps work best when we are looking to see where we've been. And not where we're going. Rather than a map joy says. We need a trustworthy compass. We set our goals informed by our ideals and our principles. An end goal may have been a meaningful loved filled life. And along the way there could be desired markers for us stable intimate relationships perhaps children or kind of job. But any point. Those markers along the way may change to be replaced by something new. Yet our life goal is still a meaningful life. It is rich with love. Even though the pathway is new to us we they headed in the same direction as before. This summer at the chautauqua institute i had the opportunity to study with national geographic journalists and researchers and photographers. For their theme feeding a hungry planet. Barton seaver is a shaft one of the speakers their teacher and a conservationist his specific area of concern is the ocean. Life held in the ocean. The people who make their living from the ocean. Are the two billion people who rely on the oceans for the majority of their protein. But i looked for his publications at the chautauqua bookstore with authors are always presented i found cookbooks. One was called where there was smoke. And that must be for those who love to grill and the other in this was fourth of july weekend was for cod and country. Pickled spicy cabbage kimchi ginger tortillas. Food with a physical exploration of pace as well as a cultural exploration of the friends he played with during the day. Another child in the summer he would fish for crabs and he caught all kinds of hell kinds of fish on his line and in his traps. Barton seaver is a perfect example of someone who relies on a compass and not a map to negotiate the changes in his life. His goal his life goal that northern star that he. Has every directions send everything in his life to is restoring the resiliency of the ocean matched with his love of food. That's the true north in his compass. He became a professional cook at the age of 25. And the other responsibilities to create a menu for a restaurant. The first thing you did was to ask the local fisheries for striped bass and so many other fish that he caught as a child. He discovered that the fish that were plentiful. When he was a young man. Fishing. We're no longer available because. They have been depleted. He started to study how our choices affect our planet and its creatures as well as the future of our food. And joining with others he discovered that when the fishing boats throw out their nests. The full bounty of the sea. Comes up in those nets. But only a fraction. Only a fraction is kept for the consumer. And the rest is thrown away to die. Well 60% of the fish consumed in this country are from three species. Shrimp. Can tuna. And salmon. A metric ton of less less desired fish are discarded every year by our country alone and 60 tons worldwide. Helping no people. And harming the seas balance. So barton seaver knows what he wants his life to be about. His past changed in many ways. Many ways that he could not have anticipated and what was his response. With the information about americans and our narrow choice of food. He started a restaurant. He made an agreement with the captains of the fishing boats. They would give him whatever came up in their daily cash. And he would prepare it for his customers that night. He was fresh. Often unheard of fish he had more audubon books in the kitchen to identify the fish received. Then cookbooks. His restaurant served. Up to 78 kinds of seafood from the fish that were usually tossed overboard. The restaurant gained quite a clientele. The people knew the underlying reason for the selections on the menu in the crowd grew and grew and they trusted that they would taste some new flavor and it would be a physical and maybe a cultural exploration much like he had as a child. 19th 700 restaurant reservations. And his box of mystery fish had not arrived on time he waited. And he waited. And finally he nervously called the captain of the fishing boat and asked. Where am i fish. Well we had a bad day at sea. I don't have much to send you but what i have is on its way. When the box arrived barton seaver pried open the lid and then got out his audubon book. And there are no matches for what he saw in the butt. What's this. Well we actually didn't catch anything. So i sent you our leftover bait. Barton seaver head. 1500 lb of. Flying fish. The bait. Every kitchen staff person their job change that knife filleting the bones from these tiny winged fish at every table the waitstaff openly recommended. A main course of baked entree for $24 a plate. So here is what he served. Flying fish. Marinated and meyer lemon. With zest. Paragon. Olive oil. And he praised it with a caramelized sauce smoked on apple wood skewers. Who would have ordered it. A few more the kind of like hands like this or not so sure we'll eat chocolate when he told us that the bait was sold out by 7 p.m. 7. P.m.. The night was a bit anxiety-producing but it wasn't adventure. For everyone involved everyone was in that adventure. And it became a successful night to remember. He asked us to change. To participate more deliciously. In the bounty of our oceans. Adidas save it. If we were willing to be so adventurous there would be food. For our world. And this is one of the many ways there would be food for our world. The pace of change is not going to slow down. To how it was bi. Before the internet. I trying to control or deny those changes will only make our personal world. Smaller. Billy more things that we cannot do. Or ideas that are not available to us. Relationships. They're not available to us. Who knows what awaits us in our personal lives. In our congregation or in our world. Each one of us has a focus direction for our personal compass. And the path will have servants surprises and shifts. But if we stay true to what is important to us. Our losses and our opportunities will all become a part of this very creative. Rich. Deep. Story. That we would not trade. Annie. Jl. In the world. I saw it when life gives me baked. I'd like to be able to make it into a savory. Adventure and skewer it. On rosemary. Dick's in. Roasted over a fire. Amen. Blessed day. Join together.

uudavispodcast_org

2015-11-08-Lost-Found_9_30.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from the unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. org for further information. Good morning welcome to the unitarian universalist church of davis and the ministerial intern here joining me today as worship associate is amethyst mckay. We are placing caring and compassion of encouragement and challenge how can i participate in relationships of meaning where do i find the sacred in everyday life how can i make a difference for myself my family as well as the beautiful living earth we come together to create a unique community for this 1-hour the issues that surround us are sometimes overwhelming but in this case we center ourselves and come to know again that we are not alone we might have a burden but here it becomes life if you're a visitor today. And our chalice lighting words come from dale hudson. This is a house of reflection and contemplation. Of joy and sorrow. Friendship sharing and laughter. We like this chalice in remembrance of what we have what we have been. And in the hope of what we may become. And our opening words come from reverend tet gallardo the first openly lesbian ordained uu minister from the philippines. Let us reach the place itself. The place that is not alien to truth. Let us watch over with peace and serenity. With fierce longing for life and heart. With living strength flowing in our veins. Bring yourselves into fearlessness and trust. Contacts. Play george mckinnon. I stretched forth my hands. Not knowing what i will touch. A tender spot. An open wound. Worms. Pulsating life. Fragile blossoms. Arrived. Ice. I am tentative. Trembling. Wishing to avoid hertz. Wanting to link my life. With life. Lonely i desired companions. Naked. I long for the fenders. Lost. I want to find. To be found. Will i touch. Strangers. Or enemies. Or nothing. My hand is withdrawn. But still it touches. My vulnerable skin. My furrowed brow. My empty pocket my full heart. Do others reach tremble withdrawal. Do they desire long seek. Are they lonely fearful lost. Will they grasp a tentative. Trembling hands. I stretched forth my hand. Knowing not what i shall touch. But hoping. When i was 3 years old i decided i wanted to be a ballerina. At the time i was more interested in pink tutus and satin pointe shoes then dance itself. But as the years went by i continued attending saturday morning classes in the busy east sacramento studio. And dance became a part of me. With each play and grand battement i fell deeper in love. I grew up in that studio transitioning from the toddler in the pink leotard to the teenager who spends five days a week at the studio instead of hanging out with friends after school throughout my tumultuous coming-of-age ballet has been a welcome constant. More and more my relationship with dance has turned from a loving fondness to a deep need. I don't know what my life would be like without it. Sometimes i think i would be a completely different person if i had never had the chance to sign up for that first ballet class 14 years ago and i wonder how i got so lucky to have something so wonderful within my reach. I feel like i don't deserve it at all. Now i'm known as a dancer wherever i go. Belly has built itself into my identity. And it's a part of myself that i love. But now i'm also getting close to the end of my high school days and i have to make decisions about life moving forward. There's so many things to consider that lady ballet has been fading into the background. I'm not planning on dancing professionally but i still want bailey to be a part of my life. And there are plenty of colleges with great dance programs they're going to school for dance doesn't seem like the right path for me it was all the sats and college applications that have been the main focus of my life in recent months dance seems like less and less of a priority. I feel like i'm losing a part of myself that has always been there. Looking back my entire life has been framed around ballet and prioritizing other things seem strange and unfamiliar. I find myself asking how i can balance my need to dance with all the other important aspects of my life. But i'm starting to understand that maybe it's just not possible. It seems obvious but it's taking awhile for me to learn that i can't have it all but the underlying worry is still there. My biggest fear is that my motivation to keep dancing will one day peter out and i will no longer have the energy to keep up with ballet on a regular basis. I know that if i give in to my lazy tendencies i could lose dancehall together. And i'm scared. As i move through life thus far dances help me find myself. This is a part of my identity even in this congregation. Who would i be if that'd be up there. Who will i be when dancing longer makes me who i am. Well i have to find myself all over again maybe i will and maybe that's okay. But as for now i'm trying to hang on to these last few months when dance will still to find me. Last week i was with a campus ministry and we went to the corn maze in dixon this is the world's largest corn maze i don't know if you've been there but they are not exaggerating its large and a little daunting and when you purchase the ticket to go in they give you this map. And it's crazy how much detail they fit on this 18 by 10 piece of paper but they fit it on there and i was a little overwhelmed then i said you guys how do you do this to maldive the amount out a route first is that is that what you do and they said yeah that's what we do and i said okay so i took my pencil and i did it like i did when i was in grade school. And i said well here we go we just have to do these do you know. 87 turns or whatever it was and what is true. And so we had our map and we had flashlights cuz it wouldn't be any fun to do. And we're going and we're going. We're going up we're all over the place this maze is huge and there's twists and there's turns and we're wandering all around. And we're doing really great and we're making incredible time lila honeck was there and she said we didn't make this kind of time before laura your map is working really well we're going to beat our record. And then we get to the sport platform they have these different platforms where you can kind of see over the whole maze we walk up the stairs when we're doing so good we can see the finish we just have to do these 12 more turns and we're out. Right turn. And there wasn't turn. And i said. This isn't right bobby's it's not right something something's amiss. Like you guys forgot to go back to the ford 500 start from there. Because that's where i know we were rides what's go back their needs were a lot of quick turns and it's dark and maybe we missed it so we go back we do this again we go all the way around. Just keep following me in there following me. Hold on. Smap what are we missing what are we doing wrong now i look at them at sephora platform has stairs going up and stairs going down so logical laura says. Well we're not coming back in the same way we went and we must go down the other stairs right but the map shows. Four paths leading out of the ford platform even though they're only two sets of stairs. Online platform from where there's not there's. Walk around pushing through this corn to get to the front side of the lake we need to be on that side of the platform according to my map to leave with stairs leading up to it. This must be something they got the stairs there's a light at the end of the tunnel literally. Stairs leading out. I found our way out of meds. So. Where are we lost and how are we found. We can be lost in many ways. Lost that identities that we held and then transitions to new identities. Amethyst was talking a little bit about the i can be lost in addictions we can be lost in depression lost in our own tired and difference we can be losses individuals we can be lost as a community. We can be last assassination or any kind of social system. And in that space was feeling lost we often experience confusion frustration and fear or vulnerable and we don't know how. Or when we're going to become on lost. How do we find ourselves when we're lost. Honey i called my wife. I don't know where i left my keys we've all did that right. My wife. Sweet calls back there probably right where you left them. So that's what we do but before we even begin retracing our steps are looking for a new way out. A have to admit that we're lost. This is really challenging sometime soon let that were lost especially when we're lost emotionally or lost spiritually. We don't want to have to go back. For the root of our pain we don't want to trudge through that. Lock. The ruler of our suffering we don't want to give their we don't want to find where our indifference started. So we keep wandering around lost for days months years. Generations. Maybe hall. Eros centuries. We can become so lost that our last message becomes part of our identity and. When this was going to play on a systemic level in justice and equality and oppression are likely to follow oppression is not about the oppressed. Being lost its about the oppressor being lost the oppressed aren't lost they're trapped and that's a different sermon for a different day. Call esther firm the inherent worth and dignity of every person and we see this at all to work for the equality of others but sometimes we forget about our own worth and dignity. Is my dignity and worth not lost if i reap the benefits of racism am i also not lost and what racism deprives with him that is the fullest. Realization of our humanity i would say that i'm lost them and i would say that we're all a little austin this kind of white racial framework that we've been given we don't want to be here. But we don't have a choice history has placed us here now in this maze this place we here and i'm lost i'm lost in my privilege i'm lost in my social location that i'm lost in my worldview sometimes and i've seen the maps of twists and turns that got me here but the mat bleeding out is not so clear. A back home i'm engaged with my colleagues were black leaders in the black lives matter movement. And yes i have been. Train and taken coursework about anti-racism work and yes i'm a liberal you you who fights for equality and justice. And a fierce queer woman on all those things complicated relationship with privilege and sometimes what's sometimes the wrong way i say the wrong thing i make the wrong comment i don't show up when i should i show up maybe when i shouldn't i try to put myself in there like i'm right there with my black friends but i'm not. I don't have their experience. My friends are my grace they give me grace i catch myself and i say i'm sorry and i say i think i've learned something from this when i say let me try again and they do. Other times the way is mcdonald's when i'm supposed to do but it's scary it's. Tulsa black lives matter banner or wear a button or wear a black lives matter t-shirt those are scary things i know i'm going to run into conversations if i do those things conversations that are hard to have conversations where i'm going to say the wrong thing. And i'm going to need some of that grace again conversations where there's a big learning curve sometimes the map out is showing up to protest and witness and again i find myself lost am i going to go am i not going to go actually ran your former director asked me to go to one right before i came here and i said i can't i can't because i can't get arrested right now cuz i'm going to california and i can't afford to come back to minnesota if i get arrested privilege. The song was written by an english man his name is john newton and he lives in the mid-eighteenth century and he had some rough early years of his life and in his young adulthood he was pressed into naval service she didn't like so much so he tried to desert and he got caught eventually he convinced them to let him go work somewhere else but he ended up working for the abusive slave trader in sierra leone. So like wasn't much better for him there than it was. Odyssey. But then another englishman should happen came and rescued him when he was 23 pokemon the ship back to england. Now the trip back to england for john was not a good trip. Not a good trip at all she got very sick there were lots of storms. And in the midst of all of this thunder and lightning and in the midst of his fever he cried out to god for mercy. Well he made it back to england not only safely but having felt saved by god's mercy. Through many dangers toils and snares grace and kept him safe and let him home and he considered this experience to be a religious conversion. Unconventionally went on to study ministry and become ordained and right lovely hymns and the rest is history. But not so fast. Shannon salvation and experience of grace came in 1848 but right after that he became a captain of his own slave ship. And he profited. From a slave trade for years and years to come. In the 1770s who wrote the words to amazing grace i once was lost. But now i'm found was blind but now i see. And these words spoke of some of his journey some of the hardship he had experienced. But he still had a long way to go in terms of finding grace. For himself fully. For the things that he had seen for the things that he had done. And in order to find himself. He has to go back to that place where he was lost so that place of pain. Just like we had to go back in the corn maze the same spot that we were lost just like my keys are in that same spot where i left and he had to go back to that same spot where he was lost. In 1788 34 years after he retired from the slave trade newton went back to the place where he was lost and he wrote and publicize the pamphlet titled thoughts upon the slave trade. And when she described the atrocities in which he participated and profited. In his writing he remorsefully remorsefully apologize for quotes a confession which comes to lay eggs. It will always be a subject of humiliating reflection to me that i once was an active instrument in a business at which my heart now shutters. The pamphlet was widely distributed and red. In 1807 newton blind and dying rejoice. When the actor abolish the slave trade in england became a law. He done the hard work of finding where he had been lost so that grace might. Be found four others lost and found grace called him home. Today this same grace is calling us. Calling us home to beloved community. Calling us they're honest messy and unclear path. President of the unitarian universalist association and i might add a former monastery lantern if davis. Peter morales opposed to these words on the association's website the other day in regards to the black lives matter movement. Today we are called to be present to listen deeply to follow to bear witness to practice humility. Today's salma is everywhere. He went on to say that our work in this movement does not diminish our working other movements. Rather the lessons that we learn in this movement will become guidepost. Salitos in other places. Of justice. We must realize he says that the same spiritual failing that feeds anti-black racism is the same spiritual disease that marginalizes any group or person. Power. Systemic spiritual feeling is where we are lost. And we will not be found as a system until we're all making the right turns together. And the shame is not. And being lost the shame is in not doing anything about it. We must keep putting ourselves back into the maze we must keep going back to that spot. Back to every wrong turn and try again another time another 10 times another thousand times another million times. Because it sure is there was a way in there. There is a way out. And that is a sweet sound of grace that is calling us home. I want to invite you know into a time of. Meditation and prayer. I don't like this wireless my pitkin water. So just sit back in your seat. Everybody be. Relaxed. Focus on the sound of your breath. Let your heart be open. Just take a moment to find any places in your life. You might feel lost. Where is it. Play along to go. What is calling to you. Imagine the lion of the spirit. Guiding you to where you want to be. What do you see there. How does a. Feel better. With your heart still open invite that. Feeling. Deep within you. Invited to be a light that guides you. When you've lost your way. Mayan join me now in prayer. Spirit of love and life light of our hearts illuminated for us the way towards peace and beloved community comfort us with your warm on the cold days to come be with us when we face hardship illness and the end of our days. Teach us to be co-creators of our own light and warm so that we might died and comfort others. We hold in this warmth and light those among us who are feeling lost. I can feel well soon so many things. Austin loneliness lost and confusion lost in our own tired and difference we pray for light to see us through we may also be grieving for things in relationships that we have lost along the way last jobs lost dreams lost relationships and lost loved ones. bring us warmth and comfort in these times we know that each of us is part of an intricate web of relationships when one of us celebrate the july or greece allows the web of life moves to a new shape we are part of the eternally earn the shift of the stars the pull of the sea and all change this is the ultimate grace that is longing for us let us heed the call of grace and fill our lost broken and open hearts with a light that illuminates all. In the spirit of community please join hands reach across the aisle. May we have the awareness to know where we are lost. Maybe have. Courage to go back to our last places and forge ahead on new paths. And may this community serve as a guiding light. Anna voice reminding us that grace is calling us home. Let the congregation say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

12-6-15-What-are-you-waiting-for_09_30.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from the unitarian universalist church of davis california website at w.w. org for further information. Once again welcome this is a community where we challenge each other encouraged each other. Support each other. In this place we are surrounded by a diversity of religious beliefs god or whatever it is we place our ultimate trust is different for each one of us. And comes from our own life experience. We celebrate those of all sexual orientations and gender identities we welcome people of all races classes and political parties and we will continue to work. The bills a world we dream about. And cherish the living earth as our sacred home. If. You have a milestone today or joy or sorrow you're invited to light a chalice and the back of the sanctuary. If you'd like your milestone to be sure with a congregation there are some little milestone pages you can fill that out. If your. Concern requires attention please note that on there and bath. Our senior minister or i will get back to you by the days end. These words are from a book called the soul of the world. By bruce chaplin not the book but the words. A white explorer in africa anxious to press ahead with his journey paid his supporters for a series of forced marches. But they almost within reach their destination set down their bundles and refused to budge. No amount of extra payment would convince them otherwise. They said they had to wait for their souls to catch up. The chalice is left. And we are gathered. Let us welcome to get the sanctuary and here in this quiet light wait for our souls. Come. Let us worship together. This is also the second week of advent so we didn't light the candles last week because we were doing alternative services but we're catching up this. This week. For the season of advent i'm going to have carlino lighter advent candles. This is the season of anticipation of expecting. Of hoping of waiting. This is the time of expecting the arrival of something or someone. What or who are you waiting for. This is the time of living in. Darkness. A being quiet on reflecting on a year almost passed. Waiting for a new beginning for a closing or an end. This is the time for the digesting of lessons. Of days gone past and anticipating the future. What are you waiting for. We light the first candle for hope. And the second candle today is lit for peace. For these things we are waiting. This is from a christmas letter written in 2012. For some people ghosts appear at halloween. For me they wait until christmas and then they come as surely as jacob marley and his pals. Is december behroozan in the holiday looms waving the last page of the current calendar. Igrow contemplatively. The ghost of christmas past haunt me and i put revelry before revelry. Rifling through cherished cards letters and pictures. Wishes runyon long-ago provide a kind of advent calendar. On the first day of december i begin inviting are phantoms in to celebrate the love. The blessings that have been received over half a century. I think your saved cards. And letters from christmas has gone to memory spread them out in a kind of holiday still life. Invoking. And i should have put a. after life. Invoking the yellowing hopes for peace on earth of those who have left it i stir their good tidings like currents into the upcoming celebration. The specter of christmas present arrives about mid steps december and we begin to shop2ship and to write this letter. Boxes in the attic labeled christmas are retrieved and we select and display the most cherished items reminiscing over the special providence of each. Emphasis ships. Shifts. And the current contents of the mailbox become the focus to celebration. Finally house ready to menus plan we indulge in a kind of childlike excitement as a day is march like toy soldiers for the upcoming celebration. A visit from christmas future is inevitable lately. She breezes in white hair waving to remind us that each life. Like each year. Has but four seasons. Christmas seems especially poignant in the winter of one's life and we experience it largely as a pageant observed like a holiday parade. Although we turned in our santa hats long ago we still hold on to the thought of angels and the hope for miracles. The angels drift inn on foggy feet here in central california. Stress under lamplight and we are grateful for their quiet reminder that the holiday is at every age a state of mind. And in the world gone suddenly said where it seems sometimes that bad news has a grinch come to steal joy. We align ourselves with those whose down in whoville who sing fossil who ramas donohue damas christmas day is in our grasp so long as we have hands to class. Then we whisper. I believe. This year we would have old sentiment bring out like a clarion call taking us beyond hope and into action. This year dear friends and loved ones it is our hope that we might with all of our differences open our hearts and do more than wish for peace on earth. That's created. And may god bless us everyone. I have a reading here. In the middle by barbara crooker. In the middle of a life that says complicated as everyone else's struggling for balance juggling time. The mantel clocks that was my grandfather's has stopped at 9:20 we haven't had time to get it repaired. The brass pendulum is still the chimes don't ring. One day i look out the window green summer. The next the leaves have already fallen and a gray sky lowers the horizon. Are children almost grown. Our parents gone. It happened so fast. Each day we must learn again how to love between mornings quick coffee in the evening slow return. Steam from a pot of soup rises mixing with the yeasty smell of baking bread. Our bodies twine and the big black dog pushes his great head between his tail. A metronome three-quarter time. We'll never get there. Time is always ahead of us running down the beach urging us on faster and faster. But sometimes. Sometimes we take off our watches. Sometimes we lie in the hammock. Caught between the measure broke and the nether stars suspended. Tangled up. In love. Running out of time. I. I had a originally a different sermon prepared. For today really busy. Weak for me. I'm popping with deck the halls and we had deaf cafe yesterday and it was last week with the students and i'm preaching so i kindly. Ask beth. If i could maybe rehash something that i had. And she begrudgingly said well maybe if you reach week it since you're so busy i guess that would be okay. What's a great sermon. I've done it a couple of times in the in the circuits. Approaching and fellowships in minnesota got this great quote from reverend meg reilly of the church of the larger fellowship and i just want to share that with you cuz i know it's going to resonate with some of you right now. She says in this season of. Waiting. She is so busy with shopping and decorating and getting letters and preparing services and doing all of the holiday hustle and bustle that if she's going to wait. She's going to have to schedule that on our calendar. Good sermon but not for today. Because today my waiting is. Not filled with that kind of profundity and it's not filled with deeply learned life lessons of that sort. Today my wedding called me somewhere else. Play my waiting is filled with. Frustration. And anger. And maybe even a little. Disgust. My facebook wall the last few weeks has been nothing but a constant stream of posts about racism. Islamophobia. And mass shooting after mass shooting after mass shooting. And i i dread even turning on the tv. Weather radio to hear. What might be next. I i fear. That's rhetoric. And fear is. Growing. And it's tiring. And this waiting i'm tired. S tire. Tired of looking for words to comfort. A world full of self-inflicted wounds. I'm tired of sending my thoughts and prayers. The victims who suffer again and again and the name of senseless violence i'm really tired of lighting chalices for this every single week. I'm tired of. My social media. Conversations being a place of constant vigil. So where is the season of peace and where is the season of hope. Where is this season of love that supposed to be here it's supposed to be coming. But it sure doesn't feel like it to me right now. They say this is our time of waiting. But i'm. Tired of waiting. Because it feels like we're waiting for the same empty promises of peace and love and joy and all we find instead is indifference and grief and fear. And so much of it seems like it's beyond our control and it can lead you to feeling helpless. Feeling tired. So i try to tell myself in this difficult time that if one more such and such bad thing happens that's it i'm going to move to canada. Where's other island somewhere anywhere but being here where feels like the hopes and dreams that i'm waiting for keep being bulldozed rather than being revealed. But. I don't want to live in canada. I was close to canada. I want to live in canada i want to live. At home i want to be at home in my home in my racially-divided. Twin cities of minnesota. The black lives matter movement there has now adopted a tale of two cities one black and one white. And they're waiting back home they're waiting for justice. So early in the morning. On november 15th and unarmed black man named jamal clark was shot and killed by the police. The police claimed that mr clarke struggle with them and reached for the gun but eyewitnesses. Say. But mr clarke was handcuffed and on the ground when he was shot. By mid-afternoon the day of the shooting hundreds of protesters. We're on the street in front of the 4th precinct. In north minneapolis. Demanding the names of the officers demanding that the investigation be led by an outside organization. And that the department released the video tape footage from a local business which allegedly captured the event. The crowds continue to swell. And they set up camp at the precinct and they chanted and they held up signs justice for jamar. Black lives matter. Release the tapes. And we ain't going nowhere. And they stay there. Waiting. Waiting for answers waiting for justice waiting to be seen and heard. Waiting all their lives they've been waiting but this time they were waiting on their terms. And when i say they set up camp i mean they literally set up camp. Tents and heaters went up. Food and first aid stations were set up people donated money for portable toilets people brought snacks and pizza and blankets and cases of water. Warmed by the fire and fed by the community and support it on mask by those both near and far. They persevered. Day in and day out they kept waiting holding vigil. And not giving in for 18 days. 18 days outside camp. In minnesota. In november. People came day. And nights round-the-clock. They held blacks giving their. Hundreds showed up to share food prayer and gratitude i saw a table. That was. 8 ft long lines with pies and turkeys and it was a beautiful thing to see. They began holding trainings for non-violent resisting they held daily community meetings they danced in the street at night they held prayer vigils they held church services there. On sunday. Butts. The system. Was waiting to. Waiting for the right moment to bring things back into order. On december 3rd in the wee hours of the morning hundreds of officers came in and took over the camp. They came in arms against the few dozen tired protesters who were still on the overnight shift. They arrested more than half a dozen of them and then they came in with bulldozers and swept everything away. Since then. The movement has been holding protests in minneapolis city hall daily. And they are still waiting. What are they waiting for. Justice. Would be the response you know how this goes right. I say. What do you want and you say. And when do we want it. Doesn't sound like anybody really wants to wait. We don't want to wait. Nobody who likes the weight. We want it now. Do the dictionary defines weight as a verb. It says to wait is to stay where one is or delay action until a particular time or until something else happens so it's a verb but it's defined as a verb of. An action. Which is a little bit confusing for me because. I mean the definition of a verb is that it's an action. So. Waiting is an action baby. French author jules bernard wright everything you want is out there waiting for you to ask. Everything you want also wants you. But you have to take action to get it. So maybe our lives aren't defined by the events were waiting for it may be rather they're defined by the waiting at sub because the reality is that the waiting is all that there really is. The mile markers of the events of our lives are just that they're just markers. There are things that we're waiting for some things that are personal some things that are systematic. But they do not exist out of thin air or on their own. Good bad or otherwise events are created by the moments leading up to them. They're defined by our action that is in our waiting. You know yesterday my roommate told me about a proposed ballot initiative for the 2016 california election called the safety for all act i don't know how many of you have heard of this. Definition of supposed to have borders take on the nra. In california. Gun safety measures which would prohibit the possession of large-capacity ammunition weapons regulate the sale of ammunition and require a nationwide stricter screening and database of gun owners. This is an example of how our time of waiting. Can be a time of action. In in lighting advent candles today we're reminded that this is a season of anticipation of expecting. A hope of wanting. We sing songs of the season o'come o'come emmanuel give us relief and comfort us in our hardship. Emmanuel. Emanuel is hebrew for god is with us. Oh that's important to understand god is with us. Humanist an atheist stay with me for a minute. Substitute a word that works for you there. Love community. Because this concept is universal. We're not waiting for someone or something to come and save us because it's already here o'come o'come god is already with us love is with us hope is with us. Peace is with us to comfort us and guide us it's already here longing for us waiting for us. Pieces waiting for our action. We are animated beings. Our whole lives are lived in action. Our heart does not wait to beat our lungs do not wait to breathe. There is no pause there is only movements from this moment to the next. We do not wait for peace at waits for us. So what. Will you do. Occupiers of the 4th precinct. Emily apolis her justice. And peace calling them and they felt deeply it's longing for them. And they stood in the cold and they stood in the dark and they grew tired and they got maced and they even got shot at. They got spit on they got mocked. But they still knew that justice was waiting for them and they still stood their ground even when they got pushed. And bulldoze. Moment-by-moment movement by movement they just moved to another place and continued to sing and chant and hear that call a piece waiting for them. And in that space. They revealed a sense of love and community that had not been known there before. We occupy. The space of waiting just like the protesters occupied the 4th precinct and now city hall. And is 1 young black activist their roads. When you occupy something you transformance. Friends we. Are the change we seek we are the ones we're waiting for. Peace is waiting for us. Justice is waiting for us. God is with us. Love is with us. Blessed be. Andaman. I wanted to take a minute to mention the chalices that we have. Went in the back. Today and lift up. Those milestones. Some among us are experiencing. Matt pagels uncle henry passed away on thursday november 26th. Cars can be sent to matt his address is in the directory it's probably in the caring corner on the order of service as well. Her head meets mother a mine had a stroke and he is traveling to turkey to be with her. Cards can be sent to him as well. We light a chalice for the work that our senior minister beth. Space has been touring she was at the salem. I'm sorry salam mosque and community center along with worship associate amanda cottle to worship this last friday. We're beginning to build bridges of friendship with this local progressive islamic mosque and we life is candle and hope for peace and a difficult time. We continue to have a chalice with. Fratellos free stand his family dentist unexpectedly died. On november 23rd. Cards to receive. By his wife karen and his brother jerry. There will be a memorial service. In sutter creek at the methodist church on saturday december 12th. Mlb a second service on sunday december 13th at 12 p.m.. At the amador high school gymnasium which will be more reveled celebration of his life i believe. More information about both of those services can be found in the bulletin and the family is asking that you rsvp on their facebook page for dennis to celebration of life so they can get a good count for about how many people might be coming to those events. And we have a chalice list for. San bernardino colorado springs paris. Beirut in all of those places. Where peace is still waiting for us. And i ask now. 3 latinos up that you would also. Join me. In a quiet moment of prayer. Beloved. Our. Emmanuel. In this time of challenge and waiting made me find comfort in one another. Let us hear the call of love. That longs for us. Let us hear the call to comfort the afflicted. And where it is needed let us hear the call of afflicting the comfortable in the name of justice. Break open our hearts to the needs of the world. Important to us. The fire of commitments and the warm of this community that holds us. Inspire us. What generosity to reach out to those in need. And impart us. With wisdom to know. When's reach out ourselves. Remind us that each of us is part of an intricate web of relationships. When one of us celebrates of joy or grieve the loss the web of life moves to a new shape. We are apart of the turn of the earth the shift of the stars. The pearl of the sea and all change. Peace is waiting for us justice is waiting for us. God is with us. Love is with us. Plus abby and simon. They invite you to grab hands reach crossing the isles. Is where is from. Henry van dyke. Time is too slow for those who wait. Time is too swift. For those who fear too long for those who grieve. Too short. For those who rejoice. But for those who love. Time is eternity. By the congregation say amen. Heyman.

uudavispodcast_org

2012-12-09-Worship-11_15-ED.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california at www.dav.org for further information. And now in the words of christine robinson we gather in this hour as people of faith with joys and sorrows. And needs. And we like the speaking of hope sign of our quest for truth and meaning in celebration of the life we share together and preparation for celebrating jesus's birth at christmas. Unitarian universalist. Advent can be a time to focus on some of our sacred values. During the season that is often busy and distracting. We like these candles to remind us to take the time and reflect on our ideals. Last week we let the first candle of advent wreath for peace. It encourages us to look at the conflicts in our own lives and practice. Listening and observing. This sunday we like the second candle of advent wreath. For wisdom. Life odyssey series in our church where elders share their stories from their lives. A blessed us with wisdom. So often our friends family and fellow church members. Can be sources of unexpected wisdom gained from their life experiences. Prince royce. Do you need to hear. What wisdom. Does your life. Offer to share with others. That's when you read today's sermon topic and saw science and religion marry again you fought. That's got to be a bumpy marriage so frequently religion and science are portrayed as adversaries. I'm sure that like me many of you have encountered people who have told you. They don't believe in religion. Because they believe in science. Likewise you would probably also encountered those. Who reject scientific theories and discoveries that can flicked with a deeply held. Religious beliefs. Perhaps even your own life experience align true with 1/2 of this marital partnership or the other. Maybe you didn't like taking math and science. Perhaps your internalized. Joshua internalized implicit. And sometimes not so important very explicit messages from our larger culture that these were not appropriate for suits for your gender. Pressure grew up in a more conservative face tradition. More conservative community before coming to this unitarian universalist church. And you're fiercely inquisitive mind always chafed against the encouragement to have faith and answers. Just weren't rational. Today though. I'm encouraging you not to choose which side of the aisle to sit on at the wedding of science and religion. Perception of science and religions as adversaries has been fueled by number of famous historical battles between scientist and religious authorities. It can be argued the two have worked more frequently in tandem. Santa cross-purposes. For centuries. Throughout europe and the middle east. Almost all institutions of learning were religiously-affiliated. Science particularly geometry in astronomy were linked directly to the divine and foremost medieval scholars. It was a belief that if god created the universe after geometric and harmonic principles. Fantastic beasts principles. Worcester seek and worship god. Scientific inquiry was a form of devotional practice. Many scientists like copernicus who theorized that the sun rather than the earth was the center of our universe. Orto yishun a tree who first proposed what became known as the big bang theory. We'll also priests. In a long tradition as unitarian universalist there was a rich history of scientific inquiry. Including the first female american astronomer. Maria mitchell. Every physicist robert millikan. Received the nobel prize for his measurement of the charge of the electron. Science and religion both provide important opportunities. Wire about and make meaning of our existence. And as i've been gathering song urges. To wonder. At this miraculous life. So i invite you to join me at the wedding banquet. And open yourselves to the gifts this wondrous union may bring to you today. Invite you into a place where you can go deeper and you can be soon. Are you contagious still for chest just a little while. Conversion to return of quiet a ton of reflection. Just. And the blood of a human being how artificial. Many kinds of love. The stuff that came from fire carried around in bodies we live with that billions of knowledge but with the connection we make. And all change. In the summers edition of the unitarian universalist world kendall gibbons writes about primal. Reverence. She writes. Somewhere this planet has a showstopper for you that takes your breath away and makes you tug on other people's sleeves to make them see what you see. The whirling autumn leaves with their wedding song of death and beauty. The heartbreaking call a balloon. With a wolf or the whale. The nestling of newborn creatures after the labor of birth. For the struggle of the monarch out of the chrysalis. Into unfamiliar wings. It is your job. Decide how you will respond. That breathtaking beauty. Which consist partly in the recognition that you. And the world around you. And the creative energy of the whole universe. Are embedded in the same source. And are in some way. The same thing. Over the 4th of july weekend this summer. Announcement. There had been much anticipated. His family evidence beyond elegant mathematical equations. There's something called the god particle exists. Actually the god particle was originally named the goddamn particle it's true because although his existence proves was elusive. Proof was so elusive. What you hear today is the result of conversations with max tradoc. The physics department of uc davis school is very generous with his time i recorded our interview on my cell phone and then transcribe my notes. When i actually listen to my questions i realize that i asked almost the same question over and over again as i try to understand his careful explanation he was patience as the day is long. Even wrong on a summer's day i should say. And answered really isn't smoothing is this. He answered as if he was hitting the question for the very first time. And i tried to be like that npr interviewer terry gross on fresh air an hour-long conversation i had with evan. Jerry friesen 70 closest son who spoke with me from switzerland where he is working. At the high collision accelerators turn and just in case you're wondering he has a 530 phone number so it wasn't as if i was really calling long distance to switzerland for an hour you're worth it but you know that might be going over the top. Understanding of siri. Valuable insights from the perspective of someone who's actually working on location there in switzerland at cern. John young guru's book guided me and he was kind enough to speak with me briefly about his understanding of science and god and this small painting here is actually it actually encapsulates that so you'll have to speak with john about that. Payton mark meals but i'm not going to explain that in this sermon you have to speak with john. None of these people are responsible if i am often mark i just want to get them off the hook. All of them have enthusiastically and earnestly giving me their best. And i am grateful to each and everyone in some religious traditions you begin every sermon. Thanks. For those who have brought you to this moment. And so today i take from that tradition. I want you to imagine it's thanksgiving and i and tell my physics loving family and this is true i have physics physics loving family. About my plan to speak about particle physics on this sunday and my brother-in-law and brother simply laugh. They laughed. His two brothers when was the chair of the physics department at cornell. And the other ended his career working at the. Accelerator at stanford working on there magnets. Fruity tag-teaming each other and explaining subatomic particles to me over the appetizers. What i learned as a result of listening to these two brothers. Is what it takes to be a scientist. As kids as used. They created explosions in the basement this is what it takes. Imagine. Their mother was a single mom and. She would apparently small-town ainsworth nebraska. And down. Come out to the hospital where she was working as a nurse and saying. Apple. There's another fire your house today. What they have and what other scientist and religious people have to. Is it curiosity for what makes things work. I'd like jen i invite that curiosity in you. To be present this morning. 1998 the wall street journal published an article about a conference. Accomplished scientist and religious scholars of many traditions. Christian and jewish and muslim. Medical centers on one phrase that loose science and religion transparent rational beauty. Science and religion share a love of beautiful language and for science that equates to elegant. Equations and i spoke with so many scientists as you've heard and i talked to adam and he talked about this. Had a warrant like someone who is just falling in love you know when they start talking about their beloved that's the way he spoke the word. Elegant. Is like oh my. No answer to this article made. The behavior of structures both dick and that's galaxies. And small corks indians. Can be described by elegant. Mathematical formulas. Is the universal tennis together only as a matter of happenstance why should it be transfused with transparent rational beauty. Popular culture the article continues. Buddhist but as science has progressed beyond the newtonian view it has become more compatible with religious beliefs. Lot less. Every scientific discovery there is a religious perspective to companion it. With his explanation of gravity describe the world that was predictable and is predictable everyday things like an apple falling from a tree. Could happen. He also showed how they play out in the movement of stars and planets. Geology of his time had got winding-up creation like a clock. And then becoming absent. Evidence rules. Later. Darwin was a deeply religious man cause all kinds of controversy within the religious world that truly was a very religious man reveal the guy that was in the midst of life. All the time. Species of plants and animals. The word acting to their environment. English time god was a part of the process of choosing and selecting. Feinstein but forward the theory of general relativity gravity affect space and time. He showed how things can be different. From relative perspectives. General relativity was a key part of reviewing the explosion of the big bang. The prediction of black holes. And the expansion of space. Einstein his contemporaries came the knowledge that light was not wave. But particles. And a study of particles review building blocks of matter and how they interact. Geology their marriages as a result the partner. Except science. Is cold process theology. Alfred north whitehead is the initials the illusion or philosopher and lily theologians expand on his work including unitarian universalist. Movietube then offers an understanding of a force. 10gym close to the ground of being. It is the energy of the world. The force behind what seems like chaos. In a slice of time. Beautiful pattern. Women and men scope of time and space are taken into consideration. God is not the exception to rice process i want to say this is this is alfred north whitehead channel to john youngerman god is not the exception to life process but it is chief exemplification. It is the connection. Between us. Anamana. What is a verb. You can get your mind around that. And not a noun. It is the ultimate. Becoming. What is the many questions that confounded the scientist and religious going through life with what existed before the universe as we know it. And i actually think i. John devin a little bit by asking him this and he said that's a very good question. Know that the universe was one incredibly small and hot and dense. And then 14 billion years ago there was an explosion so great. But the force of it continues to move the stars. It continues to move the planet. He continues to move the boundary of the universe itself. In space. Is expanding out in more dimensions not just directions. In a curves ark. Defeated again the universe matter itself is expanding and the arc continues to move outward. Telescope scan the sky and can measure how fast things are moving and does things move away from us they appear more red. And when they move toward us. They become blue. This man as the redshift. It is the scientists. Measuring. What you read. The stars in their flight. Physicists are also measuring with more accuracy the smallest particles in their flight. This is the work done at where protons travel a 17 mile tube and slash together at magnificently. High speeds. When scientific miracle that max. Insisted that i mentioned was how 10,000 scientists from where than 100 countries have worked together for 20 years. Created an accelerator that they hope will unlock the mystery of particles as yet unseen. And within a year of his creation they discovered evidence of the god. Damn particle more appropriately named the higgs boson particle. I don't know what other church in town is preaching about this this morning and one of my unitarian-universalist colleagues is preaching on fun. I think this is fun anyway when this happened this discovery happened in july. I wondered. How our understanding of. Our ground of being. Might change again to partner. Discovery. Beginning of quantum physics scientists contagious feel certain. Expanding universe and the subatomic particles follow the same rules. A grand unified theory. Trying to unlock the mystery of how the smallest particles function. The funny about worked. But it was far too complicated and arbitrary. And i was seeing an unproven particle hand to exist. If the formulas were to become. Elegance. Say it in the right way. Elegant. And simplify. And everything pointed. Did the existence of the higgs boson particle. What 10,000 scientists from over 100 countries discovered is this and i asked you to stay with me as i try to explain this is what i needed to check with evan this is what i asked. Maximus physics department about over and over again. These particles. Electrons and protons and quarks. Have no nap. Inferences 212 know how they can have weight. When they have no dimension. I asked about this so many times poor max. The evening without mass. They spend in what is called an angular motion they lose and the speed of their motion is how they are identified. It's when we interact with other particles that they are given mass and something else is created. And i think this is also true with human beings are laws are given meaning. Turn our interactions with others. What scientists have discovered is that the particles are moving through a field of space that is not empty although we assumed it was empty before. He's filled with matter that has been invisible to us. This is the shades rosenfield. Frozen particles. Described by different positions as an ocean of molasses which is not a pleasing image to me. Warfield of snow through which a skier moves and creates resistance. Its existence allows equations to be so simplified. The bacon sit on the t-shirt. They consider with t-shirt of a small child. Even now the basin field isn't seen by our technology. But if he knows protons are smashed together if it happens at a high and their ferocity a small piece is chipped away. And stay with 202. Can witness it. It's like listening one person said. To a whisper. Adam nascar race. A small particle in unstable and quickly becomes invisible again. You can't take one snapshot and just see it. It appears as something that looks a little different than everything else in the data extra stuff that doesn't fit in an overall pattern. It's y3000 of the 10,000 physicist. They're at their computers watching. Data. And i believe that. And where evan is. He's one of those 3000. David evans said. If you are understanding of how the universe works is more profound and simple. We can look for other forms of energy to be understood. And scientists wonder if is one unifying equation. Will continue to embrace all of the energy patterns of existence. Did something simultaneously so complex can be so very simple. The song from religion have in common is that they look for discoveries that transform the social issues of anytime. They look for patterns of what really holds life together and gives life meaning. I am especially interested in his grand unification theory that wears the patterns of expansion of the universe what we observe and subatomic particles. Chuck-e-cheese scientific understanding ultimately. Definitions with lime. With one simple elegant equation. Other understanding of religion followers and partners. The discovery of the application of this grand unification theory. I do wonder. We will find that we too. As human beings. Have answered to that same question. In our interactions. And when we come to understand those interactions of particles of matter. An expanding universe. We will come to understand the workings. Of our spirit. Of our soul. And the workings of our interactions with each other and. With the earth. I wonder. If we two will be apart. Of that energy source. Did that i say. Amen. And thanks to the many people who contributed to this sermon. And he's quoting rebecca parker. We are not alone. In the universe there moves a wild one. Chris gestures alter the earth's axis toward love. The immense darkness everything spins with joy. Let this be the time we wait to life. Explain weeks. In the moment of winter solstice reckless gathering say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

2016-12-11-Prophet-Mohammed.mp3?_=3

Welcome to sunday sermons another recording from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. org for further information. Journey of learning. This is a community. Heather sacred home. The presence of hightower. God is underneath this chant i just find that it makes it. Thank you. Hesitant. Children for an hour. We come just as we are. The join our brothers and sisters as members of one family hands and hearts out stressed. We come yet again,. In the early years. Christians in the region. They honored. Distance to man. People could come in peace. Muhammad. About a specific stories about muhammad. It was under ask stars. Disease. Usually fat and the donkey. Muhammad peace be upon him. Sky is it appeared with stars and. Image. Between the boys shoulder blades and he was convinced he said this is the last prophet. Muhammad peace be upon him more carefully. Before his wife. Of her son for his wife. 15 years your junior. Soft-spoken personality and gentleness. Woman proposed to him. Generosity and ambition. Four daughters. Especially. Muslim widows and their children of rights and status of women. Open the door. And was preparing to send them away. Women as you heard or equal to equal to their owners. The slaves like this message very much. Competed with them singing songs of praise. Pray with others. And a handful of jewish twins. Jesus abraham. Christians. Property churches. Islam islam growing holes. A321. What does distinction. Muslim army. Slater. Peace for few years. Islam grew stronger and stronger. Screen all the muslim together in solidarity. Already.

uudavispodcast_org

2017-10-29-Dia-de-los-Muertos.mp3?_=1

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from the unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. org for further information. Please stop. Together for worship you're invited to share a milestone. Connect with a minister. Each week by lighting at two candles recognize the milestones in this room the first represent. Celebration. Smile at it it's a celebration of our interested. Explains ganado arizona central magazine. A celebration that would invite in the land of living per year music. Is a complicated mixture at the same time. Each one to celebrate the life of someone who had died. Eschews for the place we are approaching is holy. Good friends and support of another culture. We can purchase. Thanksgiving day 2009 my sisters and i ran into my grandparents house. The scalloped potatoes my mother yelled. How did grandma and grandpa ran over to their massive entertainment stand. Cast from his chair. Yes annual tradition. Has the youngest grandpa. Seven-year-old sister. Ever so slightly grandpa laugh. I guess that's. My sisters and i snuck into the kitchen. Grandma was working on the gravy started the dishes. Grandma. Everyone does the dishes at our house. My sister's kitchen. Assisi in grandmother had made her cinnamon applesauce jello it was a great danes my sisters and i went into the kitchen. The dishes or get out of here. Don't worry. Frigerator. As always. Time for dinner. Grandpa's last thanksgiving with us. Tears in my eyes i looked over at my grandmother. Family tradition. Family storytelling. And listen to my uncle's highschool stories. Grandma. And often say. Is only my grandpa passed away. following march my grandma passed away this last march. I believe that when we remember those who have passed they are living on. A specific memory of her something of her life. Something specific. If you want to get to know northeast. Who is always there for you. Think about someone who loves you unconditionally. Spilling. Is the memory of my grandma. Thanksgiving dinner. Bear in the background there with a smile and nod. He was always at school played. Always reassuring smile conditional. Step-grandparents something that even i forget. Visit with dorsey and james freeman. Entertainment center serving of jell-o. Just like all the grandchildren. Grandchildren. To celebrate her memory. I think about my family and my friend my partner. Recipes. Talking about. Very important in my life. Liberating. Consecrate the earth forever amen. This is a university. At this time in their history. These people established. Although i'm not sure it happened what happened before this time in the 1970s. Information about the pipe organ. And a recipe. The spirit. Public. First ingredient. Second ingredient.. 15 minutes. This casserole did not take 15 minutes to prepare. Late in the morning. The restaurant. Newspaper. Slice the joint membranes and efficiently. Conversation. 4 hours. The newspapers. To every. It always happened. And burn. With a lobster. Hamburgers or hotdogs. Our work together never existed. The sign that i am deeply happy. It's as if my mother is with me. I can feel her presence. I can be doing anything like cooking. For the freezer. As a welcome companion we are at the table with a newspapers spread out. A celebration. So it is with food. Prayer. Time of meditation memory. Quiet. 2 steps. We turn our hearts. Stanley. With her husband. We send our support. Neighbor. To experiencing seizures. He asks that we send our care. Ryan wessels. We pray. Has witnesses that surrounds us. His presence is with us. Because of their songs. Everyday. Determination. Defiance. Supported our lives welcome in our memories for life.

uudavispodcast_org

2018-05-27-Love-Democracy_Think-Creatively-Like-a-Fox.mp3?_=1

Universalist church of davis california. org for further information. Unitarian universalist we believe in the inherent worth and dignity of all people. You are welcome here. You are welcome here. No matter the color of your skin or your political affiliation. You are welcome no questions. Community of curious learners and compassionate listeners. And celebration. The symbol of our unitarian universalist. Community. I read words by katherine callahan. We have created. Is a place for quiet reflection. Or a pause in our lives. For breathing into our true selves. Dimensions of our lives and spiritual practices. We share the experience of being human. Karaoke into the world. You know that icebreaker where the wholesaler. Tell us one thing about yourself. Here's one about me. I started out first on a high school paper. My teachers and guides after college newspapers. The oakland tribune san francisco chronicle. We all shared space in the county courthouse. I suspect it started with my dad's passion for the news. When i was a girl we listened to the news on the radio. 7 a.m. noon 6 p.m. 10 p.m.. But i was hooked. Important. I believe that the press was important. We learned what was going on in the world. It was depressed but shine the light of truth on corruption and other. I learned. It kept watch over the three branches of government. Executive legislative and judicial. Chrissy. Darkness. Today i believe this all the more. I believe it passionately. Snooze. I'm truly frightened when i read that the sinclair broadcast group. Requires that it's local stations. A recent new york times article reported. Which race is often used by the president when criticizing mainstream news organizations. Good for them. As somebody who said. Democracy is not a spectator sport. Neither is being an informed citizen. Today. To be a discerning consumer of the news. And a discerning choice maker of what actions to take. A tall order. Isn't democracy worth it. Friends everyday do something that won't compute. Love the lord. And before. And embrace the flag. Freerepublic. For which expands. Understand. Ignorance. Invest in the millennium. That you will not harvest. Joyful. For power more than men. Go with your love to the fields. In the shade. Rest your head in her lap. Allegiance. Necessary. Resurrection. When i wrote the description for this tournament all i could imagine was a wisdom. Of the fox in wendell berry's poem. The president of this country. It's difficult to know if there is. An intentional underlying design. Or if we are simply witnessing chaos. But there are more tracks left than one can follow. When the beginning date for the poor people campaign was approaching. On may 14th. We received ongoing news brief encouraged to join protests happening in 30 state capitals across the country. We couldn't find. Many details. Shortly before the may 14th event we learned why. Directions had been distributed. It wasn't the result of chaos. Or the lack of organization on the rollout. Design. By not revealing everything in the plan for the rally. It was less likely that the message would be undermined. And discredited. Who would be distressed by the focus on poverty. Or the commitment. To use peaceful means of protest. Infiltrators. The damage their message. Or the process. Protest action until june 18th. They're always being revealed immediately before they happen. Far from being chaotic. The step-by-step training given for non-violent arrest increases people's ability to remain safe. The protest signs. Our uniform. Focusing on specific messages. This is how we have learned. That sucks. In response to a political administration. Change direction. Reframe stories. And redefine the meaning of truth. These rallies are a people of our country. To remember the purpose of democracy. To create a thriving country. It has an open process and cares for all. Other countries people. Democracy is not about. Having the same point of view. And the conflict agreement. Super do something that no one entity. Could envision alone. Compromise. Leaders are giving us an experience of disc democratic process. Actually we have rarely if ever experience. But we dream about it. President. Told us in 1990. Thomas people are people. Democracy will always remain an ideal. One may approach democracy is glenwood a horizon. Better or worse. Never be fully attained. He reminded congress. Nearly approaching democracy. Terry tempest williams describes the questions that it existed the center of our government. She writes the human heart is the first home of democracy. It's where we embrace our questions. Generous. Do we have enough resolve in our hearts to act courageously relentlessly without giving up ever trusting our fellow citizens to join us. Pursuit. About living. Democracy. And i think one of the most important word in. But she said was that word trust. It is the job of the people to challenge our leaders to create a more ideal democracy realizing that we may never get there. And our leaders get distracted from that idea. Call to it again. And i'm going to be focusing on one-story today but truly there are many. Many stories that could be told. For this sermon. There will be an opportunity for a. Discussion following a service. The richest is your 1 minute. Body of the sermon to show a video so we're going to have an experiment. You know. The freedom of the press is one of the fundamental cornerstones of democracy. 1835. Alexis de tocqueville. Describe the power of the free press to be the chief democratic instrument of freedom. One of the important roles the media office for the honesty of our government. In her reflection ellie mention the sinclair news in the number of new stations they have quietly purchased over four decades. Sinclair is buying all the time so i'm not sure who has the most up-to-date numbers but the company. But i want i found the article said they owned 173 tv stations across the country both in large cities. The federal communications commission established. Community but under this current administration the commission has ease the restrictions. And if claire's pending purchases go through with what they're purchased hoping hoping to purchase an la it will then own 233 tv stations and to give you an idea this reaches. 75% of the households in our country. Monopoly on tv news. Tv stations owned by sinclair. Required to present package reports. That reflect the conservative political and social views of the owners. Terrorism alert. The high level of urgency. Keeping the viewer aware of dangers around the world focusing on specific religion. And races. Sometimes in a form of quiet protest the new stations with very these required news packages and show them at 2 a.m.. Occasionally. But recently the stakes have changed and it's been difficult. To refuse. People who watch the local tv stations are accustomed to learning about issues that are close to home usually without many references to national politics. The station's anchors. Who are sometimes local resident. Very least. The local anchors are seen as having the interest of the community. At heart. Sinclair and ethical line if they hadn't already for the employees in march of this year. And cause. Importance alarm to go off. News anchors who worked for sinclair tv stations across the nation. That used much of the same language. As the president of the united states. When describing news resources. That we're not owned by sinclair those cube remaining. The well-known national media. It might be interesting for you to see if we can run it. A composite. Of those voices. We don't want to silence. And one thing that i should be clear as that. View of sinclair not at my point of view and i. Billy. Stand against them. Flipping their message into news without people realizing what's going on. That is the real issue here. Elite dangerous. Exactly the same script. Mandated by one country one company. This is extremely dangerous. To our democracy. In january of this year. Elliot cowan. Contributing writer to the atlantic magazine. Acknowledge that we are living in a political storm. And the damage to our democracy will be lasting. However he reminds us. The country has whether times that were equally challenging. The efforts to dismantle the. And the insistence of. Over telling the truth. Maybe balance by the response of the american people to this. And what he calls. A clarifying moment. In history. Taking democracy for granted. Tubular to those who do not care. The people. And the healing hearts. Kitten healing the heart of democracy quaker parker palmer. Refers to the citizens of this country. As the trust holders. Of democracy. When democracy is working as it should. Complex and confusing. Good. It is a teener where we experience the creative conflict instead of ideas. We may not agree on the definition of the common good. But for a democracy to function all parties must comprehend the common good. Includes the interest beyond our own interest. You are not. This person. Disillusioned many who are broken hearted. But parker palmer challenges us not to allow ourselves to be shattered. Debris broken apart. Become inactive. To become powerless. Our heart to be broken open. Human experience. We wished for has come apart. We may find solutions in the complex and confusing mess. We had not noticed before. We may have overlooked important opinions. Important possible solutions. And co-author adam ican authors of daring democracy emphasized that it isn't a huge challenge that kills the spirit. What is feeling useless. Count. These are the first words in the first chapter of the book. It is far too late. Are too bad. For pessimism. More latte. And i can believe that there is a movement to revitalize democracy because people are seeing that democracy is essential. Then it is possible. And there is a role for each one of us to make it real. We must be in their word. Canopy. Of hope. On mondays. The poor people's campaign in sacramento. For those who bring the benefits of an ideal democracy to more people strength. For the american people and believe that the reader will discern the truth. I hope you continue to believe in people. If you give direct service to those in need preparing for the time when our country's distant will be more perfect. May you continue to have resources and give wisely. Final stories for you. With a quaker who lived in new jersey in the mid-70s. He struggled with the contradiction of the quaker beliefs in the spark of the divine presence. Well some of them. Phone slave. A person of faith. He shared his struggle with the local quaker community and ask them to buy. Freeing their slaves. The quaker gathering couldn't come to consensus. But they respect. And they agreed to support him as he pursued his concern if they pay him a salary. That is unknown in the story. To be clear this questioning is not in decisions nor is it in action. The contradiction. And to bring about change. Visiting quakers in their shops and their farms and church gatherings and in their homes. If they owned slaves. He respectfully mentioned the conflict between the quaker beliefs. And i can only imagine. He wore a white clothing because from the labor of slaves. I just traveled he would fast at meals prepared or served by slaves. If he learned he had benefited from the labor of a slave he would find a way to pay that person without anyone noticing. For the quaker faith despite the pain of witnessing. And it as it undermined the humanity of those who were enslaved. Add in the process undermined their own sense of dignity. 8070 paid a great price. For those 20 years. Of bearing witness. And asking the hard questions. To be clear he was not banished from the gathering that the quakers. And he was welcomed into people's homes. And 1783. 80 years before the civil war. The quakers. Send a message to congress asking congress to end the enslavement of human beings. And starting an 1827. The quakers were leaders in the underground railroad. Freedom. Their decision was not made quickly. Is it. In time a more effective response came from the quakers and could ever have come from a vote from one congregation. This is not an easy in our country's history. Our democracy is messy. Beyond parker palmer's. Description. The system itself. Very system itself is being challenged. And respect. Is at an all-time low. But it is the work of we the people. To insist on a system that shaped the life of our country. People to support their worse. Words for the democracy. The democracy that we have been given. Deserve deserve this dedication. Every person here. And everyone in our country. Let us find our strength. Especially if we are broken hearted. Continue. Together. In strength. Enter that i say amen. Invite you into time of prayer. Meditation. Quiet. We are not searching for silence. Spirit of life. We have called by many names. Thanksgiving and in english. Bless the poet. Warren. For the soldiers. Who did not make the wars. Consumed by then. Let strong trees grow above graves far from home. The arms of their branches. The earth will swallow your tears while the dead sing. No more. Never again. Remember me. To receive them back. Someone ready. When the memories come. When the stars. And the buried metal moves. For those of us who were not there. For our ignorance. Veterans in a forest. Of 1,000 fallen promises. Protest. Give us the courage to answer the cry of humanity spain. And with our bare hands. Are so hearts. With all our intelligence. Let us. Create. Spirit. Commitment. Actions based on respectful conversation receptive listening and open-hearted presents.

uudavispodcast_org

2014-02-09_With-This-Love-Anything-Can-Be-Made_11_15.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at www.sec.gov or further information. Welcome to this space on this precious morning welcome to you blessed and imperfect ones you come here with your grief and your joy your hopes and your fears your damn socks and your otherworldly concerns we come together across our differences of age and ability political beliefs and class background ethnicity sexuality and gender presentation we bring many different understandings of the sacred. Many perspectives on the divine welcome to this hour this sunday morning. Lighting are childless for the service symbol of unitarian universalism is jeff zatkoff jeff is part of my internship committee and will be reading a poem with me today jeff would you come forward and we light this chalice in gladness for all that nurtures us and gratitude for all. Lids in the midst of this welcome weekend of rain. Fernandys shove us as we step together into this glorious day general assembly or ga as we sometimes call our unitarian universalist association attendees according to the website witness learn connect. And make policy for the association through democratic process for the first time in 2011 when general assembly was held in charlotte north carolina close enough to my parents house that i can just load up a car for the weekend and go it was amazing i've never experienced anything quite like the first morning. I wasn't quite sure where to go i parked my car i got out and i realized i could just follow the people wearing the yellow shirt like this one pretty cool the feeling of being among so many other people who share my religion of singing beloved hymn. Was phenomenal it wasn't just the workshops i attended for the amazing worship it was the conversations with ministers i met while waiting in line for food during breaks and the hospitality i was offered by people i had never met before i wandered around the exhibit hall and the past of the convention center with my heart full of excitement and wonder and a fierce sense of belonging. I sat in that crowd and thought yes. This is my religion a place that welcomes that cares that stands off. For what we believe in. Bob yang a longtime member of our congregation is here this morning. To talk about some of the interns and the intern program this conversation is had for so many years before i welcome him up i wanted to take this opportunity to mention briefly. What a fabulous thing it is that this congregation has committed itself to being a learning and a teaching congregation. And reverend baths commitment. To being a teaching minister and how extraordinary that is. This gift you give. Of taking in young ministers and helping them to grow. Is a precious and much-needed one. Now the level of attention and guidance reverend beth gives is unusual and exemplary. Her intern for her are never cheap labor i don't think you know how unusual that is we aren't cheap labor we are colleagues coming into our ministry and she is guiding us and preparing for that long art. Of ministry that learning that never stops. She helps us and gaining skills and confidence helps us to learn from our successes and our mistakes. The welcome responsiveness and useful feedback she offers to us are rare and precious gifts. I am lucky to be here. And all of us are lucky to have such an amazing religious leader and educator as our senior minister. Thank you caitlin. You said most of what. I'm going to say it a minute and i love will guide us and sometimes. So you don't listen to the words or let him building. If you cannot speak before thousands of lives and i have been members for 40 years and are pleased to be able to support the board's decision to go forward. With new initiatives needed to implement our vision liz and i are increasing our pledge $50 per month. Representing a 10% increase. Reverend beth asked me to showcase our internet campus ministry program this morning. We have had 20 interns over the last 40 years i was personally involved with the interns as i was a bookkeeper for over 15 years. You might wonder why our program continues to work. My answer is simple. We love our interns. And in turn they have been very appreciative in developing this talk i was able to reach out to a few of our former interns for feedback i asked them to provide a few words expressing their feelings about the time spent with us i asked for a few words well the poster the social hall has their full response the words on the slides at you'll see in a minute have the postcard edition. Sarah lambert was r19 92-93 intern and was ordained by us in september 93. And i'm not there because she served as parish minister in ogden utah and in ridgewood new jersey and is now director of ministry of uua. Reverend tom disher road whether 93-94 intern in ordained by us in may 1995 reverend issued continues. To be the associate minister at the first unitarian church in portland oregon. And here are his brief words. Serving alongside of reverend marilyn sewall until she retired and now serves with reverend bill sinkford past uua president tom also serves as a director at starr king school of ministry. And now the drum roll we have rev peter morales our current uua president. After being interned in 1997 98 he was served as parish minister at the jefferson. He served as a minister of the jefferson unitarian church in golden colorado. So i want. Read this. Dining in 2004 and 5 and was ordained by us in october 2005 greg pursued his campus ministry working. They're serving as director of religious studies and spiritual life at oberlin college. And is now the university chaplain at tufts university. Brevard cape kennedy or 2005-6 intern and ordained b. Well. Reverend elena ron are 2006-7 intern in ordained by us in 2007. Does a minister of membership and out all ministries at the first universalist church in minneapolis and her words a little longer. And now for annie soon-to-be reverend and catherine gonzales was there entered a campus minister last year she will be with us next month march 22nd and i have a poster about her ordination and social hall. Pano's or her short words. And the picture of a bath with lara campus ministry program and i think he is in that picture. Our own reverend brother banks is a significant factor in our successful internet campus ministry program. Not only has she provided her time and energy to our program but has extended her skills to other congregations by developing an intern guideline handbook. 7 banks continues i'm selflessly to share pulpit with our interns and to provide invaluable consultation. And provide and continue to provide invaluable consultation. She totally embraces our shared ministry program. Thank you for the opportunity. To show off our insurance with you. I hope you'll consider this program along with our other successful programs when considering your pledge this year. Thank you. Each day we go about our business walking past each other. Touching each other's eyes are not about to speak or speaking. All about us is noise all about us is noise and bramble thorn and den. Each one of our ancestors on our tongues. Someone is stitching up a ham. Darning a hole in the uniform patching a tire. Repairing the things in need of repair. Someone is trying to make music somewhere. With a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum with a cello boombox harmonica. Voice. A woman and her son wait for the bus. A farmer considers the changing sky. A teacher says take out your pencils begin. We encounter each other and words words spiny or smooth whispered or declaimed words to consider. Reconsider. We cross dirt roads and highways that mark. The wheel of someone and then others who said. I need to see what's on the other side. I know there's something better. Down the road. We need to find a place where we are safe. We walk into that which we cannot yet. See. Staying clean. And many have died for this day. Sing the names of the dead who brought us here. Play the train tracks raise the bridges and the lettuce built brick-by-brick the glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside. Praise song for struggle. Praise song for the day. Pray song for every hand-lettered sign. Figuring it out at kitchen tables. Some live by love thy neighbor as thyself. Others by first do no harm or take no more than you need. What if. The mightiest word. Is love. Love beyond marital filial national. Love the cast of whiting pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance. And today is sharp sparkle. This winter air. Anything can be made any sentence begun on the bring. On the brim. On the cusp. Praise song for walking forward in that light. What is the mightiest word is love. Not the love of passionate partners. Not the love of parents. A family. Not even the love for a nation. But something far wider. Love that can manage even through misunderstanding. Aggrievance. What is the mightiest word is love. Love beyond marital filial national. Love the cast of widening pool of light love with no need to preempt grievance. I turn this poem over in my mind like a smooth and precious stone. Since i heard it at. President barack obama's inauguration. And 2009. The poet elizabeth alexander. Is a professor of african american studies at yale university. And when she was 1 year old. She was with her parents on a hot. August day in 1963 listening to martin luther king junior's i have a dream speech. And in january of 2009 she's stood not very far from where she had been with her parents. To read the poem. That she had written for this occasion she called it an occasional poem and i thought was sure pulling that long you're only going to write occasionally. But she found herself in that place. The poem speaks from many people many kinds of people. We walked past each other. I hear you were here last week and you heard josh speak. Here's the same message again we walked past each other seeing and yet not seeing each other. And in that there is storyful stories that walk past us. And each line of the poem speaks of live that she wants to raised up for us to acknowledge. The ones who have a needle. And thread. The skills to patch a tire. To maybe fix a faucet or a fence. The ones who make music not necessarily music found in the concert hall although that is wonderful music. But the music where two or more are gathered. Keeping a rhythm. Or voice singing maybe just in the backseat of the car. That kind of music the everyday music. Elizabeth alexander shows us the dedication of waiting for. A child to step off the bus someone appearances sibling someone who cares for that child just waiting. She raises up that dedication. Each word atraes was chosen to represent a people and this is a poem honoring the fact that a black man is president of the united states. Arduino. Who picked the cotton. What more does she need to say. The very next phrases about picking the lettuce. And she chose lettuce intentionally but she didn't realize how carefully people listen to her spiny and smooth and whispered and declaimed words. After hearing praise song for the day at the inaugural. The head of the united farm workers sent her a union farmworkers flag and a thanks. Thank you for choosing the word lettuce. He wrote. With one word. She brought to mine those who have been oppressed. And died. And those who continue to struggle for fair wage. And those who now put food on our table lettuce did that. The word lettuce. May you not listen to my sermon that carefully but just let it be known that i have already said the word lettuce several times. Elizabeth alexander referred to our nation. Has ever evolving. A nation fueled by hope and freedom and perseverance and a kind of love that is not lost in struggle and in disagreement. It is a love i can imagine. And it is larger than the love i think i live. On a daily basis. But maybe something to which i aspire. In the uu world magazine tom shade wrote an article that i found very compelling he wrote about the stages of our internal church and in those stages of specific moment in specific kinds of love are funded he doesn't use the word love in his article but i am applying it to his article. You may find yourself in one of these stages and if you do don't stop listening with that keep listening. Keep listening. The church of the 1950s and in the decades to follow was a response to the message from our society to return to the years before world war ii. You know what the family looks like. Are you your churches were havens for the liberals who wanted some alternative to the dominant conservative culture and this was the uu church of my childhood i know this churchwell. But starting in the 1980s the unitarian universalist church understood its purpose is bringing in the marginalized. And during those years we talked about a radical hospitality i cannot tell you how many sermons i wrote on radical hospitality mini. Redefining the term continually. In the early 1990s i was running a class called building your own theology and it did just what that says. Encouraging people to build a theology. Of their own. I work for the author of the curriculum did gilbert i was co ministering with him and he offered the class every other year and i want you to imagine your life the way i described what it was like for us then this classement twice-a-month on sunday evenings which means you would have your sunday evenings always free. From september through june. And he ran a really tight ship. They started on time they ended on time there was homework there was reading they learned about philosophers and theologians it went on and on. And of course when i let the class in my own church later i followed his example exactly. When i taught my class they were however much less compliant i do not know why there was a difference i don't even go there they usually did their assignments but sometimes they claim their children kept them awake at night they said they were tired they didn't want to speak for only one point five minutes that was in the curriculum and then stop at the ringing of a bell they occasionally mutinied and they insisted on getting to know each other imagine. And in his class gym. A young public school teacher. Started to come late to every evening session as you can imagine wanting to run a tight ship. Well this was not okay with me and then he start to miss some meetings and i was ready to make the call. Like. Do you really want to be in this class. Behind that is. There's a waiting list you know. Do you really want to be in this class. But that's when his friend called me. Have they said somehow he got to the hospital in a cab. He was so weak they couldn't walk. He had hidden the fact that he had aids from almost everyone. A small group of his friends went into action and i was so grateful they included me. His family would be flying into town soon and they had never ever. Accepted that he was gay. At the hospital. I lied without blinking to the hospital staff. These men who are with me. Yes. They're all his brothers. The nurse muse they don't look like him or. Or anything like each other. And i did not blink and i said. Interesting how that happens in families isn't it and i was thinking how chosen families look very different. From each other. Have you stayed with him. Singing. Who's one of the first times i was brave enough to just start singing in a hospital room. Holding hands. And telling memories in. Actually laughing around the hospital bed. It was the first time ever i did a laying on of hands in a blessing. Because he's so yearned to be touched. Our hands. His body. Genesis family came and the doctor spoke with them in a small tight circle and. They continue to deny that he was gay and it was one of the first times i received the. Have white hot blast of anger. Standing in front of someone else. They were furious that he was dying. Any did died just a few days later. He really had waited so long. And we resented them and we resented their anger. We acted welcoming and peaceful. But we were feeling so righteously hostel. We drew the circle of welcome wide but our hearts were not in it. Inner rage they moved quickly to remove any evidence of his life his brother changed the locks on jim's home and the house was on the market within a couple of days. Within a couple of days and all of his belongings in a dumpster out behind the house and his friends waiting for twilight to go dumpster-diving and pull out things christmas ornaments things that they could. Hey coman. So they could remember him. We have the service and the family reluctantly guardedly attended. The church was absolutely filled with receded 400. His students came as fellow teachers and lots and lots of friends were amazed how many men were in the congregation. But a family. And although the family didn't want us to reveal that he was gay. We created a fund for donations to create a children's library at the church specifically celebrating the diversity of sexual orientation and and we announced this at the service. Invited everyone to give. So we didn't say it exactly. But we hoped people could. Connect the dots and would give so generously and they did. Jim's parents. Heather last word literally. Tajima taught joey to make sounds inappropriate for a public company i didn't respond to a q we never discovered. The bird would begin to warble. And then he would launch into his amazing repertoire. The family certainly didn't want joey. And even the pet store. Couldn't accept him. Friends were allowed to keep the bird. And they did struggle with his language. The church gladly opened its doors and warmly welcomed gay men we were safe haven we were placed where the memorial service is honored their whole lives. Some services were somber and i still remember one with an amazing amount of glitter that had us vacuuming for weeks some with families and others with no families. As a whole denomination we moved. We had moved from loving the comfort of being with like-minded people to wanting to bring in people. From. Our own margins people with mental illness people of color those who are disabled those were chemically sensitive and by that i mean can't sit next to people with perfumes. And children. And children. Children who had long ago been separated out from the heart of the church were brought into its center children's art adorned church sanctuary while they were brought into worship and staff professional staff were hired to shipshape the programming. Directors of religious education ministers of religious education. Being inclusive with hard work for a church's and we did it in perfectly i say that. Has a truth. We stumble and sometimes we fought over issues we were hurt. And the work right now is far from done. We learned and continue to learn sensitivity but every step brought is closer to a community that was more beloved. And we live closer to the kind of love that elizabeth alexander's poem is trying to describe the love that goes beyond grievance. It wasn't as easy as just opening the doors and say come on and come into this great place. When do groups came in the congregation was forced to look at their own assumptions and that was really painful. Word reached me through the grapevine that i smiled differently at certain people. You can imagine me the tracking my brains and thinking about how many different ways i smiled and who had i smile differently. For we. Is focus unsmiling exactly the same at every person i want you to try that sometime it's really challenging and there was a spoof on catalogs because catalogs becoming very popular at that time really goofy goofy somebody had a great imagination and they created. They didn't really exist but it was really tiring to do that and it was truly impossible. And in the end we discovered that some longtime church members thought i smiled. At the gay men more than i smiled at them. Welcoming people who have been at the margins meant that we had to change even small things like how many smiles came to each person. And change. Is hard. This church. Of the we are all one people. Is the way of being a community that i really love. With all its trials and tribulations it's affirmations and the feeling of unity i love it. And maybe it's why you attend church if you were to think about why do you come to church. I want to listen to the anthem at the choir will sing. This is the message of that anthem. I love this anthem. And laura talked the choir that what this anthem means. But in this emerging time. The church has as additional challenge to answer. Which actually harkens back to a much earlier time in our history which i will not walk you through the history right now. Tom shade right of an era beyond the 1980s. I just described. A time that asked new things of our churches. And the purpose of this emerging church is to be a moral voice outside our doors. To create a human culture that has stains all people. It is to develop human beings again to develop human beings. Who feel the strength to act in small and large ways. About issues that are of importance to them. And to be clear. I just want to say i thought i knew right where he was going with his article and he went in a different direction always my favorite. Kind of story to read. To be clear. He is not only talking about social justice. I thought that's what he was talking about totally. Tom asked that we take what we hear in our sunday morning services our workshops small group ministries the message and the feel of the music all of that the environmental issues and activities the service projects that are children. And see how they have changed our lives in the course of our week. Is there anyway that we are different because of what we have received. From this place from the music from the children from a conversation here. How have we been changed. Part of the responsibility is basically offering you something to think about that swarthy. But part of it is a discipline of spiritual discipline of what happens when you leave. Turn ourselves inside out. That is what we are asked. To do. To take what is inside of ourselves because of this community and appliance someplace in our lives. In some real way. The purpose of church is to cultivate who we are as people. And we had 24 people. At a workshop. Yesterday and friday night about love and enriching your love. That's all about cultivating who we are as people. But not. Don't stop. With this. The purpose is to awaken this inner life and ice to the spiritual practice group so that we can find ways to put our collective shoulders to the rim. To the edge of society. Had to move that mighty and ponders will and to do it together not just separately. To maintain joy and courage and strength and do it again together. To create a society that sustains all people. Add to complete tom's phrase to turn ourselves. Inside out to turn the world. Upside down. And that can happen and how we live the message and how we greet each other and the time we take with a loving relationship we learn that. Often with the people we care about most we spend 10 minutes a day. Only 10 minutes a day. Really in conversation with them. Do you happen to be in a loving relationship you can imagine that. How might your life be changed if you. Devoted 20 minutes a day. How we lose that message could be. How we give our money. How we wait for the child is getting off the bus and how we make make music not whether we do or not, how do we do it what do we bring. It's when we bring religious. Our religion and our public values together. Growing and love here. Within this community and then giving it away. It's a both aunt. Yesterday hundreds of unitarian universalist gathered in raleigh north carolina as a response to an invitation from the president of our denomination peter morales former intern as you know. They marched for equal rights for voters. Fair wages labor rights disparities in the criminal justice system and so much more. Today we will be taking a collection for this cause because this is what we can do from this sanctuary and caitlin will speak with you more about that. Next sunday is give yourself away day and we will come together after doing service projects. Country to city as the love church and i know that maddie done thought this sounded a little risque to say that we are the love church pleasant trust me they can explain this to people i'm hoping you can gather pledges for our own budget next week. We are also giving a special collection to an agency. For those with autism. We are giving and giving but we have to do the work. Inside our congregation give ourselves away and return to do it again. What if our spiritual practice. Community creating in self understanding with the phyllis and heal the broken the broken parts in ourselves. So that we will have the strength. To live the love. Anne elizabeth alexander's poem. This is a great great love. What is the mightiest word is love. Beyond marital filial national. Cast of widening pool of light with this love. Anyting. Anything can be made. I did that i say amen. Amen. Invite you into a time of prayer and reflection with me. To know that there are many in our congregation who are struggling. They may not show it. They may not dare to show it but let us be kind to each other always. How to hear the rain. It's prayer. Honest day when we go about our business there are those among us who have heavy hearts. Those who await surgery. And the waiting is a heavy burden. For the 24 people this weekend who chose to enrich their love. Open themselves courageously with curiosity. Wondering if there was something better they could discover. Walking with their love to a place they could not see. For friends who support us when we doubt ourselves the most. I do support goes to those who were present at the mass moral march yesterday in raleigh north carolina for the support they brought to each other and they're yellow t-shirts among so many others. For the statement they made by their presents and the strength that they bring back to our congregations each of us when one of us celebrate the joy or grieve the loss of web of life moves to a new shape we are apart of the turn of the earth the shift of the stars the pull of the sea and oil change. As reverend beth mentioned. This weekend thousands hundreds of thousands marched and raleigh north carolina tens of thousands in raleigh north carolina they estimate between 80 and 100000 it to be specific this was the largest such march in the south since selma. Who is a huge and hugely diverse crowd of carrying folk. Union leaders and medical doctors joined ministers and gay-rights activists and ministers who are gay rights activists on the stage and those of all ages classes races and class backgrounds marched together. I am proud to report that there were a lot of unitarian universalist there yesterday. The president of north carolina's n-double-acp sent out a call to plant america on higher ground. And the huge marsh this weekend mark to the biggest event in over a year of moral monday protests held in that state and across the south. This movement calls for quality sustainability support of education voting rights and so much more and the face of sweeping legislation and redistricting by the far-right. The rev leslie takahashi morris was in attendance yesterday and wrote on her facebook wall. If we are leftist than the bible and the magna carta our subversive documents justice is what love looks like in public. You do not have enough money if to buy us away. We. Are on the way to higher ground. Photographer and seminarian susie spangenberg. To expand into a lot of protests reported that singing we shall overcome with tens of thousands of others yesterday was one of the most powerful experiences of her life. You can imagine what that meant. All of our offering today is going to this movement. Maybe we couldn't be there in person but we can still take part in this work through the gifts of our treasure. Please. Give generously to the work of this movement. Just coming at a crucial time. In our nation's history. And let us take hands with our neighbors unless we be suffering from the flu and then offer your elbows please as you go out into this soggy wonderful precious day take with you the love of this congregation. And this challenge to love and transform our world and the people say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

2013-05-05_Worship_Ingredients-for-Inner-Peace_11_15.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons another recording from unitarian universalist church of davis california please who's it a website at www.ge.com for further information. Good morning. So where the campus ministry group so today we will be joining you asking you to join us in a slightly different kind of greeting. We acknowledge that this might feel uncomfortable for some folks. We also want to acknowledge that the standard greeting is also uncomfortable for some folks. I'm one of those people. I like this better. Today you'll be hearing about some of our joys. And that is one of our ingredients for inner peace. And so we're going to ask you as your greeting one another to find something else that shares a joy that you do. So we will be demonstrating this first. And then we invite you to greet one another. Hi hi megan nice to meet you. I recognize your face. You're usually in re in the bridgehouse right that you like kids i do me too. Are you a food science major that i am i love food do you love food oh my god i love food. Hi i'm lila i'm rose. Are you part of the david do you also love me as i do excellent. Welcome. Becomes the sanctuary to celebrate. The beauty of the earth. And to be in community. This commendation comforts us. Camino los. And celebrates our best dreams. We bring our differences. Together we offer a fuller truth than anyone point-of-view. This is a place of challenge. Impassion. The holy has experience here in many ways. Has given many names. People of all sexual orientations and gender identities are celebrated. We welcome all races and classes and physical abilities. You've much to learn from one another. The place of learning. Help. Together we accomplish more than we dreamed possible alone. This. Is a place of change. Weather because of the touch of a friend. The words and music. Or moment of silence. May you feel more alive. Just in case you're wondering it's just as good the second time. I grew up unitarian universalist. There were a lot of candles around my house and at my church. However i knew even from a young age that the chalice was more important. I was. So excited the first time that i got to light the chalice in a service. I think i was about 6. And i knew that the chalice wasn't just a candle but that it represented uu communities around the world. Another community that i felt that church was important. Today we get to share iuu service and its importance with one of our newest members rose beth. Wedding arch alice. This is the first year your service she's ever been to well now the second. She began attending ru college group earlier this year. Chile's music craft children and is majoring in communications and social science at sacramento city college. She plans to pursue a career in disability law. We are so glad to be able to share this with her today. Invite anyone that like to help leave the spirited worship palace lighting to come forward. So today's service is called ingredients for inner peace. We brought a mixing bowl. And throughout the service you'll see us placing visual representations of our ingredients in the bowl. There are five mean gradients that we will be talking about for inner peace. Lila will talk about the importance of joy with the help of a book called art dog. Ben will discuss the importance of simplicity and utilizing a distressing toolbox. He will also share his practice of meditation with us. Sophie will contribute the powerful words of siddhartha and the value of awareness. Erica will delve into her belief of the importance of bit-by-bit acceptance. You'll see each of them at their ingredient after they speak. Play encourage you to think about your visual ingredients and what they might be. Whether these are ingredients for inner peace. Or for something else in your life. Personally inner peace is a hard concept for me to put words to. In my life i feel that inner peace is something that i find at some points and not so much at others. However i've never felt like i was searching for it. I've never made a conscious effort to find it. Acquire it or gain more of it in any way. It's kind of like. A+ by-product. It's a silent friend that i don't really notice. I find joy and contentment. An inner peace follows. I act in ways that align with my beliefs. An inner peace follows. And i spend time with those that i love. And inner peace follows. Inner peace has many different meanings. Those are mine. At least for now there are many paths. The wind their way towards inner peace. And what happened could linus way towards inner peace. Is the struggle and healing. For welcoming him calls to light situations in which before we can find inner peace. We need to open the window and let the doves fly in. So as megan said our story today is about the ingredients joy and specifically joy and doing what you love. Art dog by thatcher hurd. Arthur dog was a guard at the dog opolis museum of art. What does job. You like guarding the painting by vincent van dog and pablo poodle. Leonardo da vinci was arthur's favorite painter henri matisse. Arthur can't decide. A night arthur came home to his little apartment on west 17th street. Made himself dinner and rad until it was time for bed. Arthur letter quiet life. You seldom went out. Except for when the moon was full. On those nights. Arthur's eyes group right in his first-team to glisan. You take out a box he kept in his closet. Put on a hat and mask. And tiptoe down the back stairs into the streets of dog opolis. He crept down an alley. And when he was sure no one was around. He unlocked the box and took out. Paints and brushes. He painted the slash of lightning splash of sunshine and dozens of glowing lights in the night. He painted monsters 10 ft tall. Fish with tails the size of houses. Frogs ready to hop over skyscrapers. When he was finished he crept home a dog alone. Wondering if anyone ever noticed his paintings. No one saw him paint or sign his paintings with the splat of his tail and the name our dog. No one knew who our dog really was. Until one night the museum. Crash a window was broken a door was busted. The alarm went off and footsteps clattered down the alley behind the museum. The police screech to the scene of the crime. The director of the museum was not far behind. The mother wolf has gone by the museum director. Look what they left instead of leonardo da vinci. Is this art. Moana lulu to me so the chief of police. The paint still wet. So the museum director. Find me the corporate park the chief of police. Then i'm the first dog they found in the alley cuz i said a certain glow to them as first-team to glisten in the moonlight. He also had a paintbrush in his paw. Bucking the chief of police. They threw him in jail but. When no one was looking he pulled out a brush and a tube of paint. And painted the ladder. He climbed up the ladder. And whether we're bars he painted a window and jumped out. Back onto the streets of dog opolis. Then he put his nose in the air. What was he sniffing. Suddenly he took out his brush and paint. Zip splash smoosh. He painted himself a brush mobile with his name on the side. He went over to the acme paint factory to fill up his tank. Then he rode off into the night. Over highways and bridges through the park and passed the ballet. Leaving a trail of paint behind him as he went. He slammed on the brakes in front of a deserted warehouse. He sniff. He tiptoed. He looked inside. 3 nasty-looking mutts we're getting ready to ship something to distant port. He took a closer look it was the mona likes. The mutts turned around hey what are you doing here so the biggest mutt. Gosh. Must have made a wrong turn that art dog you can say that again so the mutts. It looks like big trouble for art dog there's only one thing left to do. Paint. So he takes them into a prison basically. Mr. p. Wow so the chief of police is he arrived at the museum director. How did you know where the mona was. Hot dog wiggle his nose i can smell art a mile away. The director of the museum said i don't know how to thank you mister. Art dog said our dog pointing to his brush mobile. I like the way you paint. About a show with museum. Sure thing that our dog is he sped away and his brush mobile. Soon it was the night for art dog show at the dog opolis museum of art. Everyone stood around and sip root beer as they waited to meet art dog and see his paintings. Where was he where were his paintings. And for that matter wonder the museum director where's arthur he should be on the job tonight. Suddenly there was a sound everyone rushed outside just in time to see. Art dog high in the sky. Finishing his masterpiece. City rhapsody. Everyone was amazed and speechless. Then suddenly he was gone. Who is art dog who is the painter in a brush mobile catcher of crew crooks bringer of lights to the dog opolis night. No one knew. I will pay place a paintbrush into a mixing bowl to represent doing what you love and finding joy. Are there are children and youth have been collecting money for free the children. 50 shades of story of this group and we have told you about the village in india that are churches helping. Craig kilborn it was 12 years old when he started for the children. Christmas 12000 of times that he was too young to make a difference. I love you should wait until he was older. Luckily she ignored this advice. Announce encourages other goose not tweet to fix the world. Vide. Is feed the children's. Way to celebrate youth. Who wants to make a difference now. We day is an all-day event with singers dancers performers and speakers. There are three speakers that we days that change the way i think. The first was j.r. martinez. Community think about the definition of normal. Martinez was brandon iraq while serving for the u.s. marines. He talks about how normal is about accepting yourself. You still feeling self-conscious about the way he looks. When he was in. The grocery store and felt someone staring at him. He turned around and saw this guy's jaw just dropped. Jerry martinez asked if he could help the guy. Can i help you. Spinosaurus. You don't look normal. Martinez responded by saying funny i was thinking the same thing about you. The guy walked away but sound later and apologized. I thought that was kind of cool if they are not test i mean that was kind of cool jared to stand up for himself and not walk away. This is michael michael chicken wing is from the democratic republic republic of congo. When he was five he was playing soccer with his best friends. When rebel soldiers came and kidnapped them. They kidnap them to train them to become child soldiers. Swim day michelle was. Sorry it's michelle. michael. Michelle is blindfolded and handed a gun. They wrapped his finger around the trigger and told them to pull it. And so he did. Afraid they would torture him if he didn't. When you take off the blindfold they saw his best friend on the ground dead. That forced him to kill his best friend. He later found a way to escape. He survived and now he is telling his story so that we may know that these horrible things happen. Molly burke was another speaker at vide. She spoke about how she was tormented by bullies. She's 14 and had a broken ankle. The popular girls invited her to go for a walk. They led her to a forest. I took her crutches pretending to be nice. But when they took her crutches they didn't set them down. They smacked them against the tree and broke them. Then they ran away. She was left alone in the woods with broken crutches. The inability to walk. Horsey. She couldn't see because she's blind. Jenna way to stand up for herself. Suicide silence by bullies. After sometime molly burke came up with a campaign called we are silenced. Some of us were silent on april 18th as a fundraising event for free the children. They were selling to honor children who are silenced by poverty hunger and bullying. I sent 22 and a half hours being silent. No it's hard. It helped me realize how difficult it was not to be heard. How do you say it was to feel ignored. Overall it was a good experience and it helped me raise money for families in forgot india. I continue to be grateful for the community this church. For supporting causes that are important to all of us. Hello everyone. What's up. I'd like to tell you guys a story how are you simplicity to help find my inner peace. So last year my first year of college was a x. Pretty stressful i was taking 18 units of engineering classes. And for those who don't know. 18 units is a lot. Engineering some has some of the hardest courses. And like any normal college student i was trying to maintain an active social life these two alone. Not that bad. Not that bad. But it's when i tried to adopt a bizarre sleeping schedule join the rowing team and maintain a horrible habit of spending hours on the internet everyday. That is starting to get bad. I was starting to be crushed by what i was doing it was pretty stressful. For good reason i just didn't have enough hours in the day to do everything i was trying to do. I tried to steal those hours for my sleep. And that's you could imagine that didn't turn out so well. So. Pretty much everyday what would happen is i would fall asleep in class because i was exhausted. Then at nice i would use caffeine to drive a late-night study session in order to make up for everything i missed. Men. I would go to practice at 4:30 a.m.. And then i'll start the cycle over again. And during the weekend i'll sleep about 16 hours just to recover. And. I can feel the toll on my body my lifestyle was taking. I was kind of thinking my grades started to drop. It wasn't good. Had to seriously reconsider how it spending my time. It was almost as if i had a serious inversion to having any free time whatsoever. Then i came across some literature of the minimalist zen philosophy. Strikingly obvious and simple solution. Simplify. Do less. So i did. I left the rowing team. I kicked my internet addiction and i just i decided that i would just sleep like a normal person. And immediately got my energy back. I can stay awake in class. And i had several more hours a day to do what i wanted to. I have time enough to relax. My stress level is cut down to size. I was on easy street. I have plenty of time to do all my reading all my assignments. Not even had time to put my feet up. Elaine sun. No worries. Those are good time. Then. Always have been. My parents asked. Forcefully i might add. That i should get a job. As a dutiful son i applied to them and got a job. I was working 12 hours a week 12 hours a week. It's not that bad. But when coupled with 18 units of engineering classes. So. That that gobbled up a good portion of my time. The stress started to return. And i looked in my distressing toolbox. And i had my. Simplify you less. When i thought about it. Well i spend most of my time at work doing school work with my girlfriend. These are things i didn't want to eliminate for my life. How could i do less. Course i thought about it and i'm like. I think there's more to this simplicity thing than just doing less. I look back in the literature i saw that it was only one side of the simplicity coin. The other side. Have another. Fundamental truth to it. That. If you do one thing at a time just do one thing. Is much more simple. You can find peace eyewear. So whenever i used to. Sit down and do homework. I'd list everything i had to do. But it's a lot of this star. He got kind of intimidating. I would have papers. Problem set. Reading. But this new aspect of simplicity was there to help. There's a subtle but important difference. Between doing each individual problem. Or trying to do. All the homework at once. When i focus that taking one step after another is trying to get the whole thing done. Process became much more natural. At the end of each study session. I told invigorated rather than discouraged. Something rather strange was happening. I was starting to enjoy my homework. So then i started to dabble with the strategy at work. Stop thinking about all the things i had to do and what i had to get done. I tried to just think about the thing i was doing at the moment. The difference was striking. The greenhouse i work in. Instead of being a row of endless plants that i have to take care of. Oh no no it became my private oasis. Raikou take care of each bean plant yes i know you enjoy that waterbean. The time that i used to consider stressful work became relaxing and even fun. Now implementing these strategies wasn't always easy and took some work. It's been over a year and i'm still learning to really simplify. But doing less. I'm trying to do just one thing at a time. Has been critical for me for finding my own inner peace. And i'll add my crystal ball to be a symbol of simplicity. Good morning. I'll be reading from siddhartha which is a book that i've read many many times. And it has helped me become more aware and find inner peace. So where i'm starting siddhartha has just left a life of a rich merchant. Which is how he lived for many years and he's come across a river which he wants out in his past. I will remain by this river. siddhartha. It is the same river which i crossed on my way to the town. A friendly ferryman took me across. I will go to him my path once led from his hut. To new life. What is now old and dead. Me my present. My new life. Start from there. He was lovingly into the flowing water. Into the transparent green. Into the crystal lines of its wonderful design. He saw bright pearls. Rise from the depths. Bubbles swimming on the mirror. Skyblue reflected in them. The river looked at him with a thousand eyes. Green white. Crystal. Sky blue. How do you love this river enchanted him. How grateful he was to it. In his heart. He heard the newly awakened boys speak. And it said to him. Love this river. Stay by it learn from it. Yes. He wanted to learn from it. He wanted to listen to it. It seemed to him. That whoever understood this river and its secrets. Would understand much more. Many secrets. All secrets. But today. He only saw one of the river secrets. One that gripped his soul. She saw the water continually flowed and flowed. And yet it was always there. It was always the same and yet every moment it was new. Who could understand. To see this. She did not understand it. He was only aware of a dim suspicion a faint memory. Divine voices. Siddhartha rose. The pangs of hunger we're becoming unbearable. He wandered painfully along the riverbank. Listening to the rippling of the water. Listening to the 900 his body. When he reached the fairy the boat was already there and the ferryman could once taken the young some on a cross. Stood in the boat. Siddhartha recognized him. He had also aged very much. A few pages later. Siddhartha is talking to the ferryman. Whose name is beso deva. Investor davis speaks about the river. The river has taught me to listen. You will learn from it too. The river knows everything. One can learn everything from it. You have already learned from the river that is that it is good to strive downwards. Twosync. To see the ducks. The rich and distinguished siddhartha will become a rapper. Siddhartha the learned brahman will become a ferryman. You have also you have also learned from this river. You will learn the other thing too. After a long pause siddhartha said. What other thing yesterday by. Vasudhaiva rose. It has grown late she said let us go to bed. I cannot tell you what the other thing is my friend. You will find out. Perhaps you already know. I am not a learned man. I do not know how to talk or think. I only know how to listen and to be devout. Otherwise i have learned nothing. If i could talk and teach i would perhaps be a teacher. But as it is. I'm only a theremin and it is mine.. To take people across the river. I have taken thousands of people across. Into all of them by a river has been nothing but a congruence on their dirty. They've travelled for money and business. Two weddings and untold images. The river has been in their way and the ferryman was there to take them quickly across the obstacle. However. Almost 1,000 there have been a few. Four or five. To whom the river was not an obstacle. They haven't heard it's voice. And listen to it. And the river has become wholly to them as it has to me. Let us now go to bed siddhartha. So i'm now going to place this book in our mixing-bowl to be a symbol of our ingredients awareness. How i achieved inner peace through acceptance. Baraga county. It wasn't easy. I don't really like. Accepting things. For how they are. I want to change them. All of them. I don't like people making assumptions about people who are different from them. I don't like racism. Sexism and homophobia. I also don't like to see people be depressed. I'm lonely. I won't accept these things. And so. I try to make a positive influence on the lives of others. Bit by bed. I do. acacian. Outreach. I try to be there for my friends. I smile at people. And i do what i can to make things better. So. One day. I overheard my friend talking to a guy thought that using the word retarded to mean stupid was just fine and so. I came up then i came out to them. And told him a story about my special needs sister. How. She didn't know who to trust. And she lost a lot of money to some people. How much it hurt my family. I showed something deeply personal. In hopes that you empathize with me. And realize how much that would hurt me. And stop using it. He told me i should grow thicker skin and get over it. Because words don't matter. It hurt. It hurt a lot more than it should have maybe. Because. I've always believed i could connect with people and change them. And. And that situation. I couldn't. I have a friend named tony. Where is the trinity prayer. As a bracelet. God grant me the serenity to accept the things i cannot change. Courage. Change the things i can. And wisdom. Another difference. Tony inspires me. She's gone to the 12-step program. Thundermans probably sober. Tony speaks about her life experiences calmly. I've never met someone. So good at knowing herself. And accepting where she's at. I was talking to her. But all the work i do with the creek community. And. You must she likes girls. She isn't particularly concerned with social activism the way i am. I was shocked. She said the chief was much more interested in people. And accepting all people for being the way that they were. She doesn't really care. If i do people think the way the same way that she does. What you much rather make a good connection with them. This idea was mind-blowing to me. Except people even if they think totally different differently from you or do things you don't like. What. I decided. Give it a try. I started out. Little things. I accepted the people who don't recycle or compost. Might not be awful people. I accepted people who take a really really long time the self-checkout at the grocery store. I even accept the professor who makes me feel like an idiot every time i go to office hours. And then. I moved on to the biggest challenge. I accept you. Man i met that thinks that words don't matter. I don't agree with you. I've decided to stop plotting the revenge i will take upon you if i see you again on campus. I accept you. Not because i want you in my life. Or because i think it's okay to be like you. But because. I feel a lot better. When i accept the things i cannot change. I feel lighter. Comer. Happier. Little more peace. And now i'll add the serenity prayer to a mixing bowl symbolize acceptance. It's fitting that erica just shared a prayer with us i asked you now. Did you join me in a spirit of prayer. Spirit of peace. Source that grounds are being. Force of connection that holds us fast in difficulty. We gather here as seekers of peace. As lovers of life. As people in need. And as people who celebrate. We bring our joys. To this community and to you. We rejoice in all of our achievements. Our connections. The way we improve our world. And our communities. And ourselves. And we send our healing to all those in our lives. Who face illness or injury. Seen and unseen. Each of us here has reasons to celebrate. Reasons to be grateful. Reasons to seek healing. And support. And reasons to mourn. We hold on to one another. And we leaned into that which we hold ultimate. Or secret or holy. Each of us. Is parts of an intricate web of relationships. When one of us celebrates a joy or grieves a loss. The web of life moves to a new shape. We are part of the turn of the earth. The shift of the stars and the pull of the sea. And all change. Amen and blessed be. So we have one last ingredient for inner peace. And that is practice. And it's a special ingredient because it's highs all the other ingredients together. It has a special power to turn intention. Just the desire for something into reality. It's going from wanting to accept people more to actually doing the act of accepting or wanting to follow your joy. 2. Following your joy. And i would like to welcome you all into a particular practice that i do daily and that's meditation. For this meditation. I said everyone close their eyes. Breathe deeply. And listen to the bowl. And so we only do this meditation for 1 minute. But i want everyone to be aware of the power of one minute to be to take a step back. Out of the busyness of our lives and just to focus on some of the simple realities of the moment. Like your breath. And the sounds around you. Now leaving the bull wants to start the meditation and holding it twice to call you back. And now i'll add the mallets as a symbol of practice to our mixing bowl. And as a reminder. That we should take our ideals and turn them into reality. Peace is the first condition without which nothing is stable. Recipe and almond.

uudavispodcast_org

2012-10-21-Worship-11-15_ED.mp3?_=2

Look up the sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california www.dav.org for further information. No the interfaith rotating winter shelter is a shelter that rotates from church to church through the winter months. I promise to use the lutheran church on 8th and b needed help posting their week. They had a great space to use. Just known enough volunteers. Honestly hawaiian are. A century minister two years ago birds just to get involved. She could be persuasive. I said yes. What is ostarine chance that i could work with people on a kind of blueface solitary in an action that i've been wanting for. Providing compassionate and responsible shelter for people when it gets cold. A welcome guest oriented us to their kitchen. Speakers host the entire intake process throughout the winter the davis community church host multiple weeks. Morning pick up everybody in the morning. Big halloween fields volunteers for intake and overnight stays. Including dave burns steveson. The catholics have figured out that groups richard grew closer. I cooking the meals together. A sentence greet and receive the gifts every night. Each other and depend on each other to make it happen. Volunteered and i drove frequently that first winter. Sometimes dropping gifts next door at the baptist church. And if i drove past patwin. I found myself longing for. I want to have a space that we could use to join in the effort. Driving takes me back to my 5 years bus driving in oakland. I meant to say i've missed the driving. If not the east bay traffic. I have controlled nice as a rookie. The only ones left it's fine up. Lions are scary to drive at night with the end of the line and my break. Handsome dark isolated side street. I remember a homeless woman the other drivers new is annie. A large black women who usually could defend downtown. Maybe sorting through the trash bins. Always wearing a hard helmet. Like to keep to herself. But his mom for looking after others. She got on my bus one night. I casually offered her the warren bus to drive to ride around in all night if she wanted. I like to think i was being generous but to be honest. I knew i'd feel safer in your company at the end of the line. She did not say a word. She did not meet my eyes. I don't know if she knew i was asking for help. If she was tired of being seen stereotypically is the strong black woman. Christopherson pretty good on a cold night. She did ride round-trip with me that night. Now driving guess to shelters reminds me of any. Especially when i meet women who want to keep to themselves. I now have a chance to offer what is truly wanted. Transport to shelter they signed up for. I look forward this year. More interactions with the other volunteers in the guests of the shelter. They are community reach other well. They agreed to the rules of the shelter for everyone's safety including morning cleanup chores. Annoyingly talkative. The storytellers. Song talking to the air. Or maybe just falling into their caught curling up to sleep right away. The movie like regina woods bayonne. Clarinet on the street earlier this month. I told me she had served time for stealing food. Lumos. Now has shelter. Who's winning poems of gratitude for the help such as the rotating shelter. Cheapest plan. Birds making love in the birch tree. Roseanne in the window nearby. Who's rhythm saying. And i saw them fly. Do you feel blessed by whomever you may need at the shelter. Pinehurst elementary time. Approved. Meditation. Find recent arrests. There's so much for us to do in this world and we never completed all. The for this short time let someone else carry it for you. Just be open. Just receive. Beauty that will give us life. And there is an abundance of it. All around us. And people. And in nature. The chris taint smell of leaves first falling. Frustrating. Soon. Greenhill. Returning. The bright path to fall apple. Pumpkins in the field. May we be awake. To the beauty of this season. Beauty salon games at the memorial while this afternoon as we remember members who died. Maybe be awake to the beauty that nature and human hands have created. This is a part of an intricate web of relationships. Industries lost boy. The world of life moves to miss shape. Part of the turn of the earth the shift of the stars the pull of the sea. Adult change i advise you to sing spirit of life. So i want you to imagine. Imagine a small town in rural conservative oregon. Silverton oregon. It looks as if it's been stuck in the 1940s or 1950s america in a norman rockwell prints and i'm not even sure that that kind of world ever really existed but that's what it. Looks like from the outside. The center of town is a 1935 movie theater. With red velvet seats. Can you feel them. Gold marquise. It harkens back to the early days of movies. The magnificent jam. This is a story of doing the thing that you can do. You'll hear that phrase over and over again in this sermon doing the thing that you can do. The central character is stu rasmussen. To have lived in this town all of his life. He is the person who sets up the cable tv in homes. He's very important. And apparently lies on him to fix their computers. So she has been in just about every home. In town. He also inherited the movie theater. And the theater is the main form of entertainment in this small town. The cable tv. Computers. And the movie theater. He is central. He cares about the quality of life in silverton. He served on the library board and volunteered in countless capacities. When npr's radiolab asked you to imagine the storyline of his life done in a movie. Henry prize now that. Is a boring story. But that really isn't true. He's life like all of ours is a series of changes. His first change being in 1975 when he is 27 years old. He is in the projection booths of the movie theater showing the rocky horror picture show. He has never seen a man in drag. He is never heard about transvestites or transgender people. And he watches the film countless times after everyone else has gone home. The change for stew starts with his fingernails. First he has them buffed. And polished. And then they're painted. Natural colors only. Just natural. But seeing edgy colors like blue and purple and black. I'm finally he has red. Hot pink. Acrylic nails. There he is in the ticket booth handing out the movie tickets and a plaid shirt jean and hot red acrylic nails. And if they're talk. Oh yeah. This is a small town. There's a lot of talk. But then stew started dressing in a costume to create a character. From. weeks upcoming movie to sell tickets. Advertise for my big fat greek wedding. He wears a wedding dress and a veil all through town. Everyone in silverton starts asking. Hey. Do you want to go to the movies and see what stupid wearing. But then there are those who stopped going to the movies too. Soon he starts going to the lumberyard. Wearing padding. Creating a distinctively female form. And then come. Except when he makes a more permanent physical change. To present. As a woman. Houston plane like. Himself better. When he dresses as a woman and when we can actually carry himself physically. As a woman. It matches his mental image of himself. Are people comfortable with stu's changes. Not. Usually. At the same table people are heard saying look at stew. With another person saying at the same time who didn't look at stew. Some people think it's morally wrong. And stu presses the envelope quite honestly by wearing low-cut sweaters. 4 inch heels and tight pencil skirts. Some people actually just don't like his choice of fashion. The famous to do something that really surprises the town. He runs for mayor. One man who doesn't support dues changes but i just don't think we should have someone as me or who. Look that way. The majority of people agree. And say. He's a good man. And he cares about the town. Which is probably why he wins the election. Monster made choices and i believe that they were the ones he needed to make to feel like a whole person. But they do the thing you can do phrases for what happens next. In 2008 news of stew becoming the first transgender mayor's sweeps the country. Virginia beach murray's office approaches and the town is besieged. With demonstrators filled with hate. God hates your mirror bishop. It's an abomination for a man to wear a women clothing women's clothing in for a woman to wear men's clothes and that was the voice of a young woman who voiced shaking. Shaking with anger. To show how much. Demonstrators hate the outcome of this town election so that there is no doubt in anyone's mind. The demonstrator taken american flag. Put it out on the street and stand on it. But here's the thing. The response of the town. Two or three man stage a counter-protest by standing across from the demonstrators. And then they get a great idea. Pickle home. And they return dressed in women's clothing. Voices of the guys who wouldn't be seeing anything other than a very conservative plaid flannel shirt say in the interview. We did it. It was a little strange. But we did it. Word spread through town and hundreds of people line up facing the hate-filled protesters all the men are wearing women's clothes. And the women are wearing men's suits and such. I want to know what did they do. To bring this about so quickly did they go through the closets are friends lovers wise. Do the stores donate to make this happen. Maybe the moon has been inspired by steers. Example latin. I don't know. But all ages joined in. Children grandmother's grandfather can you picture at the street lined. Lioness way. I'm still had asked them just to be quiet and to not respond at all don't give these people the time of day he said. But alongside their vote for stew as mayor. It was the thing that they could do. That was the town he said not me. This voice fills with tears. On january 9th 2009 a town turns out to watch him swear. To lead. Silverton oregon. The release of a dress code to help raining his love for low-cut sweaters and high heels. The last thing heard on the interview it's 24 inch heels on linoleum floors of the town hall. I want to talk to you about those four-inch heels and say honey. The bad for your feet. But without knowing it. The townspeople of silverton oregon are living what is known as the social gospel. For liberal christian. Which compels us to take each other by the hand and to do the thing that we can do. To do to help us know. The beauty that lives within us. And makes the world a place where hate. Cannot survive. Social gospel is the reason churches and religious leaders stood on the side of love before we use that phrase. Inspired ministers become. For the leaders of our country for established a safety net for social programs after the great depression. Is what we hear. And the language of martin luther king jr.. And the courageous actions of the many leaders of the civil rights movement. Is a part of the foundation of the catholic church liberation theology that supported the pool in central america and gave him the courage to stand up against their oppressors. If you already have this social gospel cause us to action working for clean water for all people it's the hands-on social service and the social justice that is found in changing policies and legislation during the things that you. Can do. Social gospel are attributed to walter rauschenbusch. His book was recently reissued. After his 100th anniversary of its first publication in 1907 and majan are seminarians today are reading something from 1907 and it still sticks. The girlfriend paul russian versus the editor of the religion paid on the online newspaper the huffington post. At the turn of the century walter rauschenbusch was fresh out of seminary and young. Filled with idealism. He starts his ministerial career in a church on the edge of what's called hell's kitchen. In manhattan. He went there to bring them hope. But when he found with the despair that changed him. After the civil war hell's kitchen during the reputation as the most dangerous area. On the american continent. They were packed tenement building violence from gang crushing poverty. Catteries employed the local residents at poverty wages. And they don't their chemical into the rivers and the oceans. Surrounding where everyone lived. The decades. Games rules the last of the residence hell's kitchen. With a basis for the culture not the storyline but the culture presented in west side story. It becomes clear to walter rauschenbusch. That he needed to deal with a body. Beer with the body of these live. The ideals. What was happening to them. I just kept burying. Too many babies. Beauty boxes. Little boxes they just broke my heart. 30 princesses message that i hope you take away today the first is something that is not news to us. And is not unique to us as unitarian universalist and we sell others short if we think it is our message alone. Read messages that heaven is a quality. Existence. In this world. Not a place we go to it is the quality of existence in this world and we are the hands that can bring heaven. In collaboration with others and facing something that is larger. And our numbers. Gathered together in phone. We call that amazing thing that happened in silverton ohio when more than three people were wearing dresses. Only wearing dresses and many were wearing ties. Movie. It was something happening that was larger than any individual there. Others might call that god. Washing dish. Focused on the fries norwell ma. By kingdom come on earth and he was so rare we get beyond that free by kingdom come on earth right here. The second awakening that russian bruce experience also comes to him as a result of serving these people in hell's kitchen. He notices that the word starvation is used so many times in christian scripture any wondered what does that word really mean. The word that makes us. Kind of nervous. As unitarian universalist. Yet universalist. Lincoln salvation for all. Which is back to judaism because he understands jesus. To be a jew. And christian scripture relies on the jewish scripture. He discovered. The translation of the word salvation in hebrew is victory. Not the victory for one person before a whole people. His life work. Would be to save a people. The people of hell's kitchen and more. Pictures about a jesus who continually challenges people and make them terribly uncomfortable think about the people in silverton oregon they are very uncomfortable with stu. But there's something about living in a small town. You're forced to see the whole person. It's hard to condense condense someone when you experience their caring and witness their sense of responsibility for the whole of the society that you live within. Russian bush. Jesus statue. The salvation is creating personal centers of renewal and i love that phrase as i go to kind of a science-fiction kind of image of these people encapsulated in light walking around. I heard and result is a whole society. Filled with countless. Personal centers of renewal. Polar region is to actually offered a vision of what is more than me. What is more than my needs and more than my goals. The other stories of the thing that you can do there so many when you start looking for them. And several will be. Told on wednesday evening at that we're lecture discussion. Furniture store in silverton oregon. Because it doesn't have a utopian ending. At the time of this writing steve's email partner is comfortable with his changes. But many of the townspeople continue to be very uneasy. But here's the thing. Something changed for them. When they voted for stew. And accepted the whole package. Including comfort. Discomfort. That was the first step. The really took message literally to the streets. They became personal centers of renewal. Making a wider statement. For everyone. Washing brushes jesus would have loved it. Washing brush with ashley the person who came up with the language what would jesus do. It was. I bet they resurrected later. That flowing robe that we always seemed picture dante's as well maybe they would be a snappy little red belt. Maybe some heels. The saying about walking a mile in other shoes. Robert overton residence. Steven service having a different size hartman i ever had before and after stepping into someone else's shoes or. Store suit. People never see each other in the same way either. When you see the guy at the lumber store. Knowing that if really scared is not really his start wearing one. That memory sticks with you for what he's trying to do. You know what i mean. You do the thing that you can do. Things change in the world. This church is such a place of personal centers of renewal. In some ways i see you. Has people walking around closed. In that light. With that potential. He personal centers of renewal. That will change. The world. I am done with. A prayer a portion of the prayer that walter rauschenbusch would always stay at his thanksgiving meal. What is family. Grand theft the heart wide open. To all this beauty. And savory food from being so blind. Get my pass on seeing even when the common thornbush is a flame. With your glory. And to that i say. Amen. And blessed be. Hands around the room. These words again by walter rauschenbusch. Grandpa's heart wide open to all this beauty. Instead our souls from being so blind that we passed on seeing even when the common foolish the flu would you all glory let this gathering say ellen.

uudavispodcast_org

2013-02-17_Worship_When-the-half-gods-go_ED_11_15.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california at www.dav.org for further information. So welcome welcome to the sanctuary. Where we celebrate the beauty of this earth and we come together here to be in community this congregation comforts us when we know loss and it celebrates our very best dreams. We bring our differences and together we offer a fuller truth in any of us. Could cherry alone. This is a place of challenge and if the place of compassion. The holiest experienced here in many ways and is given many different names. And people of all sexual orientations and gender identities are celebrated in this congregation. We welcome all races and classes. And physical abilities. Because we learn from one another. And whether because of the touch of a friend. The words. The music. Or a moment of silence and just being in this face. May you go away from this hour. Feeling more alive. David richo the author of daring to trust opening ourselves to real love and intimacy speaks of the importance of not relying upon a partner to meet more than 25% of our emotional needs. Rico explains that infants we rely upon our caregivers to fulfill 100% of our needs in early life. Including our needs for safety and security. As we mature though. We learn to find fulfillment in ourselves. In our friendships. And our partners. And our families. Their pets. In her career and in our spiritual practices. If we don't develop our capacity to care for ourselves we come to our relationships. From a place of need and desperation rather than open to true intimacy and trust. Throw spoke of this when he wrote. I will come to you my friend when i no longer need you. Then you will find a palace. Not a nom house. Usually go in my early twenties i remember cheerfully calling my mother from zimbabwe. To talk about the end of my romance with a woman who was at the time the great love of my life. We had been star-crossed lovers and had traveled the world to be together and our love had proved to be a safe holding container for me. The trouble was that my partner's world grew bigger and mine didn't and after a while she grew weary of having to fill so many of my emotional needs and end of the relationship at the time far away from family and friends. I had looked to her to fulfill nearly all of my emotional needs. On the other end of that telephone line my mother's advice. Well-timed is that my mother calling. On the end of that telephone line my mother's advice was. Plant your own garden jennifer. Bad advice. Plant your own garden. Turned out over the years to be both good. For recovering. From significant emotional loss. And and laying a foundation for successful relationships in the future. The rico's only speaks about not seeking more than a quarter of your emotional fulfillment from a. Primary relationship. I would also argue that this rule of thumb is valuable when contemplating how much we emotionally invest in the other aspects of our lives. How much have you emotionally invested in your career. How will it feel for how did it feel to be fired. Downsized. Or retire. These are all forms of lost that can have a significant impact on our psyche. How well we recover from these losses is largely shaped by how well we have developed other resources trustworthy friends family. Fulfilling partnership. Faith in ourselves. A rewarding spiritual life. Of course finding the right balance is easy to talk about and much harder to achieve. As we suffer life's inevitable gains and losses. Changes to how we divide our emotional pie are inevitable. Yet like the rebalancing of a retirement investment portfolio when the balance of different funds and they counts change due to different levels of growth and loss and each. We must regularly audit. How are emotional investments. Are balanced. And if necessary rebalance how we invest our time energy. And heart. I invite you into a time of prayer. And meditation. Where you can breathe deeply. Into yourself in a way you may not. Remember to do. In the busyness of the week. And to be still. Spirit of love. This is an expression of gratefulness. For the love. And the kindness that surround us. And here is a moment spirit. To create the love we hope to receive back from the world. May we be surrounded by people who know are shining attributes. Receive our gifts. And encourage us. They are the same people. Who have also seen us when we slip. An act from our self-interest. We asked. Four strong and secure love. To give and receive it. Can hold a mirror up for us to see both. With love. May we be trustworthy no matter what we receive in life taking our choice and sorrows as learning. For how to have a life of meaning our lives are always rich always shifting and growing. A balance of troy. And sorrow exuberance and grief. Always making a web of life stronger and our place in the world more understood. With this. We have an abundance of care to give. And may we be held in a love that goes beyond the hands we can touch. And the words of a prayer. Or even the music we make. A sense of being held by the balanced force of this universe it's some know as god. Each of us is a part of an intricate web of relationships when one of us celebrate such oil kriesel off the web of life moves to a new shape we are apart of the turn of the earth the shift of the stars the pull of the sea and all change. Blessed be. An amen. A reading today comes from the poet thomas r smith and it's titled trust. It's like so many other things in life to which you must say no or yes. So you take the car to the new mechanic. Sometimes the best thing to do is trust. The package left with a disreputable looking clerk. The check gulped by the night deposit. The envelope passed by dozens of strangers. I'll show up at their intended destinations. The best i could have happened doesn't. Wind finally gets where it's going through the snowy trees. And the river even when frozen arrives at the right place. And sometimes. You sense how faithfully your life is delivered. Even though you can't read the address. Before i begin with a sermon there were sixteen of us who signed up and went to the david rico workshop in walnut creek yesterday. And so we were probably the second largest. Number from a congregation that ended up there the first being walnut creek's congregation itself and so in some ways the sermon has been informed by an anyways has been informed by that. That day that many of us spent together. So on this love weekend. When we honor those we love. We look at the beauty and the complexity of relationships. I want us to start to look at how we wish to grow. Our love. Whatever form that love takes. For you. I finished with my first degrees in psychology and education. I tested my skills my new skills. By volunteering as a counselor at planned parenthood. And i met women. Who were frightened. Because they were pregnant. Or grieving because they were not pregnant. And i learn to wait. For the response. Because i never really knew. What was in the heart. Of that woman in front of me. Some women came with partners. Others of all ages came with parents. But i'll say that most came alone. And meeting all of these women. Was an experience that changed my life as a 21 year old. I met a diversity of race. And class and understanding of family. That i had never experienced before in my life. But the relationship of trust that i share with you this morning that i begin with this morning isn't about the women i met in those interviews. As interesting as that was. In that planned parenthood office. It's about the relationship that built over time. Among the team the staff. Who worked at planned parenthood. The most seasoned and senior staff treated the newest and the youngest. With respect for the particular perspective. That we brought. Trust grew as we debriefed at the end of the day and in those casual conversations on our way out to the cars. In the parking lot at night. And we're always watching. Because there have always been. Demonstrators. For those. Who were. At planned parenthood. So we were always watching out for each other. But this is a snapshot of how those relationships played out. In a midsummer staff party. At a lake home. A little. Lighter situation than what we would often find in the parking lots at night. The doctors and nurses the technicians and counselors came together for a full day of relaxing. Hello morning. I watched as the host. Who was the skipper of a to hold sailboat a catamaran to people out on the lake. Attacked back and forth across the water going out of sight with a very big lake in a zigzag patterns. And by mid-afternoon the breeze had formed choppy waves. Is white cats. And it was time for just one more run. On the boat and i have been watching all day my typical stylus pen. Trying to figure out what this was about and if it was really worthy of trust. One more time and of course each time it got more difficult because the waves got higher and higher but i climbed on board. And the trip started smoothly enough but midway across the lake the wind was really pulling the sale. Heart. This was pretty exciting. But i was keeping a careful eye you know not that trusting of this. On the angle of the boat. And we always seem to be right on that edge. Where common sense told me safety was about to end. This leaning vote only made the skipper's eyes shine brighter however and he explained that he could catch more of the wind. And go faster if someone. Would become the ballast for the catamaran and stand out on one of those calls. And hang over the water in a harness it gets better created just for this purpose. Now remember i was 21 so all eyes turn to me. And i slipped into that harness. And it's a boat caught the wind and picked up speed. I tentatively member i know i'm not really putting myself out there is incredibly brave person i tentatively edged along one of the holes into position. And i felt as if i was nestled into a sling like a slingshot in a poised to be shot across his boat and a high-speed into the choppy lake i really felt that. It looks like it too. But there is this moment when the wind and the sail and the rudder. And the weight of the boat. Work together. At that moment came for this small crew. At the signal of the skipper. I followed his instructions and made this incredible commitment. Talene counter-intuitively away from the boat. An arch out over the water and if i didn't arch far enough he was there to encourage me. And i chose. In that moment to trust his skill. To trust this amazing equipment that i was in to trust my ability to swim and i was a very good swimmer so it's not like i'm completely crazy and doing this. Antitrust the convergence of all these things. That would come together. And if i hadn't. Decided to trust. Nothing bad would have happened. But we would never have been poised on that knife edge. With the wind. And the freshwater spraying us all. With that hoop of joy that we all yelled. That feeling of being very singular. Dropping away. Nothing awful would have happened. But we never would have had that moment. To have that feeling of merging we have to choose to trust. With a human team like what i had it planned parenthood. With nature when we're in nature. In friendship. In love. And even in moments. On a sailboat. Making. Taking apart. Of making. This. Experience. A flipping along. On a knife's edge. To the water. The trust didn't start on the catamaran which is what i want to share with you. It began in the everyday interactions in the offices of planned parenthood. Where i watch. The trustworthy interactions of people around me. Where i knew that people would never ask each other to do truly dangerous. Thanks. And where there was always. Always support for each other. Trust takes time to build. Mba gather evidence of who is trustworthy in many ways. And how they fulfill promises made to others. And how they fulfill promises to themselves. And how closely they live out their ideas. And even everything equally as important. How they react when others fail them. And when they fail themselves. How do they react. In those moments these are all the ways that we decide is somebody. Trustworthy. Am i going to put myself out. On that catamaran over-the-water am i going to give them my heart. Trust is not always reward us with this kind of experience that i had on that catamaran. Our partners. Organizations. Our own bodies. Will almost always. Petraeus. At some point. A couple is living in a relationship of commitment. In each other they have discovered someone they choose to share their innermost thoughts. A soulmate. Emerson rights. We mark with light. In the memory the few interviews we've had with souls that made our souls wise. It spoke of what we thought. They told us what we knew. That gave us leave to be who we in lee r. Cuy animal er. Overtime we trust. So deeply. That we show the soul undress. Unadorned we dare to be authentic. When is vulnerability is abused or rejected. Trust is broken. And the moment of a relationship ending. That is not the most painful part. It's the moment. When we know. That trust has been broken. And then how can we know when to trust either this person again. Or another. And how do we know when we can trust our own perception. Who is trustworthy. Our bodies betray us. At some point. In life. And you never could have convinced me of that when i was 21. And hanging off the edge of that catamaran. It was three months after 9/11. And i was still a relatively newly settled minister here. I want evening before i got into bed i had some very disturbing symptoms. And i ended up in sutter emergency for a stress-related heart attack. There was no permanent damage to my body but i remember asking someone who had experienced a heart attack. How do you stop worrying. At every moment. Of exertion. When do you start to trust your own body again. And his congregation was. Know better about that. Everyone worried if i would walk up a flight of stairs. We were all wondering the same question. When the natural trust of a child is broken. When there is abuse. Or violence. The safety of that child's world. Has disappeared. When and how. Will the parents. And the children. Of newtown. A columbine. How many other places. When and how. Will they trust. That the river will arrive at the right place. Your faith your life faithfully delivered. Will be delivered even though you can't read the address when will they trust. That way again. And society. Can betray us. In the weeks ahead we will hear more about the unitarians in transylvania from a scholars will be in our pulpit. Their history includes the occupation of romania and hungary by the nazis. Bystolic. And romania experience the brutal and repressive regime of communism. Under chaushesku. From 1967 to 1989. That's a lot. Of pain. Repeatedly through those horrible years of oppression relationships that had been established for generations were generations in the same neighborhoods. We're torn apart. People were jailed and tortured they just disappeared. Families with lived as neighbors reported on each other. And sometimes children reported on their parents. And we are still uncovering. What happened during those years but. When i visited in 2007 families farm these narrow strips of land. When working together could have yielded much higher profits. And it was such a strong reaction against a cooperative dairy farm established in the valley where our partnership church exist. And when i asked about this obvious solution of sharing resources. I learned that there was. Such terrible. Trust betrayed. During those decades. The people. We're still getting used to. Considering. Trusting each other sharing information about income their vulnerability secrets with each other. It was so painful to witness i never lived in a society like that. There are many reasons. To choose. To not. Give the world our trust. Or our love. But the human spirit. The human spirit is designed. To yearn. For the emerging that i described on the water. The wind. The speed of that catamaran we yearn for the loss of self flowing into something a community a cause. Sense of selflessness it's larger than ourselves. We want live of meaning. It go deeper than what we can measure. Trust. Is at the core of a meaningful life. Even when we experience loss and betrayal of trust we will try again as human beings to find someone. Or something. Worthy of this deep connection we will try again. And again. The connection where we can bring in emerson's words. What we in ali are we will. Try to find that. The person who is worthy of our trust. Is the one who encourages this inly person. Such a strange word but i really understand what emerson was saying. Encourages is only person to live to full potential even sometimes if that means leaving us. To live. An authentic self. This person finds joy in observing and encouraging the human spiritual growth of the beloved. And yet this person cannot promise it says the hard part is person cannot promise. That the relationship will not change. Or will not end. Because it will. And. But. They can promise. Depressant. And respectful and loving and to walk through the changes. That life will offer. And to learn together that. It's what they can promise. You heard about david rico he wrote no relationship can be made entirely safe and secure this means we need to trust our own ability to use consequences including betrayal. As a new means for waking up waking up. The buddhist idea of waking up. Out of the pain of betrayal. And so although there is a kind of person who is worthy of our trust. The final responsibility for creating relationships of trust. Comes down not to some other person. But to ourselves. No relationship comes with guarantees. And we are the ones who ensure that we are safe and secure in this world of love. And commitment. David rico would have us accept the capriciousness of humanity and life. Our work. Is to build our ability to be truthful. With ourselves. And with others. Our work is to become resilient. And self accepting. Enough not to shatter when disappointed. Or hurt. Our spiritual practice. To have confidence in ourselves so that we can mend the failures. That inevitably happen and to make something new. Of those failures. That is our spiritual practice. Because of the influence. Of the buddhist tradition on david rico's writing. I returned to a pivotal moment in the story of siddhartha. The man who became buddha. This is that very moment of enlightenment. He wants to become the awakened one who can end suffering in the world. And he has tried everything. Everything to purify his mind and to gain understanding and finally he is done. He is finished. With all the searching and all the extreme efforts. But he is made. Honey just sits under a grand a magnificent tree. And he has decided that he will not move until his mind is clear and he has found this answer for how to end suffering. While he is deep in meditation. Mara. The killer of virtue and life. Comes to convince siddhartha to give up on this quest. And mara brings rain and hail. And terrible visions and there's wonderful art. In the tradition that comes out of thailand that shows. A snake a grand the naga snake. The forms itself under the buddha and as the reins. Poor down and the rivers rise. The snake. Hold up. Siddhartha. Above the water too beautiful image. And mara taunts him and basically asked who do you think you are. And what makes you think that you can be a mender of failures not in those words exactly but that is what mod is asking. I didn't respond siddhartha. Who is on his way to becoming the buddha. Reaches down to the ground and touches the earth and if you see the statues of the buddha. With one hand reaching down. This is that image. He asked for all of life to bear witness to his ability is character his wisdom. And the earth. Shakes. And some stories tell of all the creatures all the living beings on earth coming before buddha. And saying yes. I affirm. Fleas in the face of this tremendous support. But then. The story usually ends. But given all that i have learned about trust. Having read david rico's work. I was drunk. By how this mythological leader and teacher takes those affirmations of others. Those who affirmed who he most certainly was. He takes our affirmations into himself. And with this sense of trustworthiness others. Others are drawn to him. And the meaning. Petite meaning that he brings to the world. We are not asked to be the buddha. But i took note. That this affirmation for who he was was taken into himself where it became a part of. The steep grounding of who. Key west. And this became what he then presented to the world and what drew others to trust. But he was strong enough. To be in relationship with whatever. They brought. To him. But he was a person of trust. Maybe come to our relationship. Looking for these characteristics of trust. It would have us say yes. Yes to flying over the water. And yes to touching the earth. For its witness. Yes. And to that i say. Anna. He's closing words by emerson. The title of a sermon. When the half gods go the things that we're not really important. The gods arrive. The things that are truly important to us. Let us be awake to those who are most important in our lives and know them. When they are right before us. But this congregation say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

Worship-2012_09_02-10a_ED-1.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. do you davis. org for further information. Good morning. And i actually asked dolly parton to come if you fart do the singing forest service but you couldn't get her hair done before 12 however flora could. The lord will help you happiness with the music in the start off with. And gathering as we come marching marching number 109. Welcome to this gathering of carrying and acquiring unitarian universalist. My name is kirk ridgway that's worship associates for today i will be leading the service with the assistance of laura sandidge and then flour. For musical direction. They work hard to make the musical selections in tune with the same as a service. And like backup players in a band there are many other workers have make today possible. Pacific readers coffee makers flower rangers sound takis. I'm grateful for all the work all these people do whose labor is for the benefit of us all. Our reverend bank is out of town. This opens the opportunity for us to invite a guest speaker who has extensive knowledge and experience in matters related to labor. This is the time of propria theme. Since tomorrow is labor day. Is my pleasure to welcome back bill camp. Bill has a 50 plus year history as a leader and advocate of workers rights and unionization. Is executive secretary of the sacramento. Central labor council afl-cio. Which represents 160,000 union families in the sacramento area. As vice-chair of sacramento works incorporated he also guides policy for directing millions of dollars of job training for critical job growth industries in sacramento county. Phil is an elected member of the sacramento county democratic central committee. Born in the cotton mill town of anderson south carolina. He now lives in sacramento with his wife catherine retired lavia was it her this morning actually up and reading. I read an article about phil. It said the 1980s 9018 93 his mother's father got to run out of georgia because he organized the black church. 1954 bills mother loss of school board election because she ran on a platform of integration. A 1962 bill said jackson mississippi after being targeted for assassination. By the mississippi white citizens council. For his involvement with the civil rights movement. This seems to me to be a strong with this seems to me to be a strongly developed activist organizing gene in his family tree. Bill we're pleased to have you back this year to speak on this labor day weekend. Barge blazing success to active participation in hard work. And she loves those who do the work of the world. She wrote this famous poem. To be of use. The people the people i love the best jump into work headfirst without dallying in the shallows. And swim off with short stroke almost out of sight. They seemed to become natives of that element. Become like a sleep blackheads afield bouncing like half-submerged bald. The people i love. Harness themselves. As if an ox to a heavy car. Football like water buffalo with massive patients. Strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward to do what has to be done again and again. I want to be with people. I want to be with people who submerged in the task. Who fell into the field. To work. In a row and pasta bags along. The stand-in in the line. And hall in their places. You are not. Do i not. Parlor generals. What feels deserves. But move in a common rhythm. When the food must come in. Or the fire you put out. This is labor day weekend tomorrow is a holiday for most people a time out from your nine-to-five jobs. For many the three-day holiday weekend mostly represents the end-of-summer a final vacation back-to-school sales in the beginning a football widow season. So often lost is the meaning of labor day. Is a day our nation has set aside for paying tribute to the contributions of work that the contributions of workers have made and are making the strength prosperity and well-being of our country. This holiday tribute includes a labor of your hands. Fiat in childcare. What building skyscrapers. Historically the pullman strike of 1894 with a powder keg event that spawned this holiday is federal holiday. During that strike 34 workers were killed in 57 injured when president grover cleveland sent twelve thousand troops and us marshals in strip lake up the strike. The turbulent labor history that followed unionization of workers has led to many economic and social reforms. I protect the average working family. Ranging from the 8-hour workday. To the family and medical leave act. The americans with disability act. Perhaps the best way to appreciate organized labor. The sea is to see that it is a union at its core. And it is a worker driven organization taking to defend the dignity and livelihood of working men women and their families. Have unions when at their best. Sleep for the powerless invisible and forgotten low-wage workers as well as a more fortunate middle-income workers. In today's highly charged political and economic turmoil many of us are conflicted and confused about the role of unions in the current united states society. Benefits of the uu congregation i just actually have many many points of you. Yippee carlos of our individual point of view as you use we need to ask. What is a role in relationship to organized labor. You you missed a rabbit aaron mchenry row to a guide to supporting workers justice which i thought extremely helpful in answering this question i provide the link to that article in your order of service. Time for foods by saying very much about what he wrote very briefly he affirmed edwin groups come together in a spirit of mutual support. Respect and love this is our union. Burn injury to one is an injury to all. Working buy one is a game for all. He says there are many people fighting for economic justice inside and outside of organized labor unions. Our unitarian universalist association is an example of an outside. I organized labor. Organization. That's a support adjust you and your cause. Is a role of the individual or group and could be as simple as a way we vote was complex was joining the picket line. The office many pragmatic suggestions of how we can be supportive. In a primary task. Is really stand for independent workers rights while leaving the leadership and organized into the workers themselves. We are to be champions of economic justice and ally ourselves with any community or workers group whose goals are noble just and better the lives of workers and their families. We are submerged in the task. We have to stand in the line. And hall in our places. We gotta move in a common rhythm. When the food must come in. In the fire you put out. I moved to sacramento to work for the service employees international union the fall of 2006. Not more than a few months after i arrived the word went out to the union that the houston justice for janitors campaign. Needed volunteers to engage in nonviolent civil disobedience. In support of the effort there to win union representation and the first contract for over 5,000 low-wage immigrant workers. At a meeting of our local the president asked for volunteers and somehow or another. My hand went up. I'd like to talk to you about that decision. Why did i volunteer. The answer to that goes to the heart of why i dedicated the last two decades of my working life. To the us labor movement. You often hear people remark that they do understood understand why once upon a time there was a need for a labor movement in the united states. Back in the first half of the twentieth century when bosses were really bad and people worked in poverty. Live in slums. Dying on the job under unsafe working conditions. But not now they believe. But the wrong those conditions still exist. And like a century ago securing better conditions for work especially unskilled work. Pet supplies. And that's why i want to be a part of. And it so happens that the justice for janitors campaign has also been around for around two decades with the first one in los angeles. In 1990 successfully organizing janitors many of them immigrant workers. The people who work in the high-rise office buildings in our major cities. One city at a time the campaign's succeeded over the years. Washington d.c. sacramento. Philadelphia boston cincinnati 29 studies and all. Success depended in part on coalitions with the face communities in those cities. And a tactic of shaming the powerful building owners and lessees. In 2006 that movement was moving into the big bad anti-union fast. And i climbed on boring. On november 16th 46 of us 8 from sacramento. Entered one of the busiest intersections in houston's downtown banking district. A handcuff ourselves together in the circle sitting down in the intersection. In response the houston police on horseback road into the line with resulting injuries as people's hands and wrists broke from the pressure. A three-day ordeal followed in the harris county jail. Under overcrowded conditions and without adequate medical care while lawyers finally got our bill lowered from the 889 thousand dollars per person. Originally sat. And we were released. But you know we had not gone down there expecting that things would be easy. And it worked. The public outcry against the police actions forced the company's back to the bargaining table for the first time in over six weeks. After three days of marathon negotiations an agreement was reached. We heard the news just as we were finally released from jail what an amazing moment. The agreement lifted wages over a three-year.. From $6,000 a year. To $12,000 a year on average. Lengthen shift from four to six hours a day and offered basic health coverage for the first time. When i went back to houston a few weeks later for a court date. I decided i wanted to try to see if i could find any you use to connect with while i was there. I made a call to first unitarian fuston. I asked if there were any of their congregation on their social justice committee that have been doing support work for this campaign. And sure enough there were. Play i got a call back from some wonderful people in that church who arranged to meet me at the airport. Take me out to dinner with her friends and host me in their home. It was wonderful to feel so connected. And to know that you use were involved. But it's not so surprising really as unitarian universalist we believe in the inherent worth and dignity of human life. So how could we not. Support the struggle for economic justice. Workers rights are after all human rights. This was just one fight in a broader struggle to lift people out of poverty so they can lift lives of dignity and opportunity and passed those on for their children. And that's why i was there. Kahil gibran. The prophet speaks of the worth of work. And by extension of harm. The absence of meaningful and life-sustaining work has on a worker. The work is family in the community. This is an excerpt from nitriding. Unemployment said then a plow man said. Speak to us of work-master. Hey answered saying. You work that you may keep pace with yours. I would have so loved the earth. For the idol is to become. Stranger unto the season. The step out of life's procession that marches in majesty. And proud submission towards the internet. When you were. You are flute. To whose heart. The whispering of h turns to music. Which of you would be a read dumb and silent when all else sings in unison together. Always you have been told. Network is a laborer. How was your control. At work is a curse and a laborer by misfortune. But i say to you that when you work you fulfill a part of the earth's for the stream. Assign to you when that dream was born. And in keeping yourself with labor you are truth loving life. Add & loving life to labor. Is to be intimate with life most innermost secret. Life's most innermost secret. Work. Is love. Made visible. Work. Is love. Made. You know you're a very classy crowd let's get that straight. i don't know if i. Good enough to be here in this house and i guess i'm going to have to be here i don't know. Well i can stand up to the. Amazing spirit. And the. Dragon. That you live your life that but less so at least least take a shot. It is. Those fundamental. That who you are. Is your work. It is your connection. To the commune. Your work. Is a way in which you build your relationship. With a community. So when we talk about work. We talked about the men. That's who we are. This human being. Everyone of us. Watch the find some sense. Abalone. Then we connect. Then which included. And if we create an environment. At work. Will you feel that boss. That connection. It's help. But also. Everyone of us. Drive to make a contribution. Unimportant cartridges. Without a work. And as we find the opportunity. To make our contribution whatever it is. It's help. And thirdly. Everyone of us strive for an opportunity. To do what we're capable. Fort worth carpet. And as we find the opportunity. To work it away. Which bills have since in your dress. So you are capable. That you're confident. It's help. So what we're talking about. It's where do we find that sense of belonging this. That's it for contribution. And that's it for copper. Talk about the perils. And the opportunity so let me first start with a. Incase. Nobody said this lately. Werewolf. And it's a war about a wages. It's a war about a healthcare. It's a war about our pensions. It's a war on working people. And as we say in the labor movement and elsewhere. The question is which side are we on. The koch brothers. Have played seven. Hundred. Million-dollar. To stop workers. From having a voice. In politics in california. And their bread. Their financing a campaign. This says we're going to clean up house. We're going to take that vested interest for destroying the legislature and just doing stuff for themselves. Except for the. Hedge fund operator. The real estate developers the insurance company. The bed in there. And the corporate. What are the guys that pay $0.50 a month. Henrico fun. Dispute. So prompt 32. Will eliminate making it legal for workers. To contribute anything out of their wages. So not only tell you what's going on politics like i'm doing today. Or. About the rome. Makes it illegal. If you're a union from she can't even contribute money to our unit until other union there. What's going on politically. Meg whitman new just ran for governor a couple years ago. Spent more money 143 million dollars than bill clinton. 700 million dollars making it illegal for workers to have a voice. This says you cannot contribute money. Do a political campaign through payroll deduction which is the only way we got the money. But it exempts all of them. Financed by billionaires and corporate ceos. It will wipe out the labor movement. I'm having a boy. And then next year. Will have those taxes wages. You know what the minimum wage in texas is. $3.35. $3.35. So they don't have. A break in the middle of the day they don't have 8 hours of work and then you get overtime. They don't have any other protections it creates. A viable community where you can have a sense of belonging this a sense of confidence and a sense of contribution. So we're talking about the barracks. Nature. Omaha sod. The very nature of this country. Do we promote people. To give them away to work. So they can build community. So we can have a place. Where people can. B-connected. So they can have a voice. So they can do the things that help build strength. Neighborhoods in our city. But we will wipe all that out. That'll be on the ballot november. And i'm not going to be here. Suggest how you vote i'm just going to be here to tell you what side i'm on. Now there's a couple of other things on the ballot november. The labor movement afl-cio supports proposition 34 what does that do. Rogers 34 says. We eliminate sandestin. If you do something that you should have. Little traditionally been executed for will put you in life of prison put you in prison for life. Without any possibility of parole. I don't think the government should go rent county. I don't like to go policy i don't think it makes sense i don't think it's good that. Show prop 34 but the only way the way. We got our business killing them. We can't tell you that when prop 32 passes. That's a lie. We will pay too much taxes. The millionaires don't pay their check. But the point is 30 says the people make more than $500,000 a year and i don't want to offend anybody for somebody making 15 or $1,000 yet i think i'll pay a little more. Think i'll take a little more. school system. Think i'll make sure i rose get repaired i think we ought to make sure we have a state government to worse. And if we do that we will. So they're critical issues with face with. They're waiting workers need to have a boyfriend. 32 passes. None of that. We won't have public school system. So that's a crisis. Dog will be on the ballot november. And for the labor movement we got to reach out and talk to thousands and thousands. Three and a half million people. That's not that easy. But that's what we going to do. I will have the picnic tomorrow. And i want to make sure about here somebody come down have a hot dog. Warhammer. Little bit. Southland park on the corner of soda building. And freeport if you're familiar with sacramento. And we'll have some music we'll have a few. Electrofishing said we'll sing engine made we'll have a good time. If you got kids out to get face painted. Jump fence. We'll also talk a little bit. It'll start at 3:30. Don't go to 7:30 3:30 pants. So we love to have everybody's by there's no charge for. Oportun. So what is it we're going to do different how do we get back to bread roses. How about more than just wages pensions and healthcare. How do we get off the defense. What is it we're going to do. In this. Bonded world of ours. To build a different world because we're losing our democracy. I don't know what you get bothered by what you see on tv it's driving me crazy. So what are we doing. Both interfaith community. Community. To take up. This broader struggle. Beyond just let's hold onto what little we got. And hope that you know we come back another day. I want to talk about three different initials you would take it. Afl-cio created. I don't know much about. Investment funds. Because when we pass this bill last. 2 years ago the frankville dodd-frank bill. It said that for the first time. Those people who come into a meeting with a corporate have an absolute right and every corporate meeting to vote on the wages of the ceos. I'll imitate we got a problem. Ernie to times as much as an average worker that average ceo and united's corporation. Corporation united states. Makes 81 and 82 times the average wage of the workers. And that's nuts. It's just nuts. So we now have a law. And a granite they fought it tooth and nail it says. Yeah you have an absolute right to vote on the wage of the ceo for your company. When you go in as a stockholder. And by a vote at your stock me. So we're building. A 2 billion dollar for a final we hope to make it a 200 billion dollar fun. To create. Hello this is nobody to work for liberty going to have abortion policy. So that's one thing we do it. And i'm not big expert on that but if you want to find more information this and flcl website. You can track that down and say what is this thing how's it working is it any good. He knows it's something we need to tell other people about. Secondly. Another initiative not opportunity. It's how do we fundamentally change the way people learn about a democracy in school. We got a huge problem. We educate people everyday and united states. And they don't know anything about democracy. They have no idea. About the responsible exercise of authority they have no idea about negotiating a difference is we just got school board members. Over in sacramento natomas board member. We should we have a problem with the way your lawyer operate she said. He just one side that's it well as you accept the rights of those people you make a decision over. And you negotiate your differences based on logic and evidence has he done that. Well know yet what would you do about it. Did you buy the guys. You know i did. What are you doing it's an elected official. Don't you understand that the democracy demands certain principles. How do we teach people. What apocracy is. Because we fail. I don't have an answer for that. But i do know one thing. For the big urban school districts in the state of california we need to change the way people get their teaching credential. What we say today is. Golden state university of uc system. Bar all the money you need to use $100,000 or so. And get a teacher credentialing go out the classroom see how you like it. And what we know. Look up all the people to get a teaching credential in the california state university system in the state of california going to the classroom. 50% of those people leave in 5 years. 50%. Besides being a huge waste. A resources. Well i think. And they sure as hell don't like teaching kids to come from a different class. A different acting experience in a different environment. And so late. I respect that. So we need to change the way in which you become a teacher in a zarbon scooter. So we're starting an experiment. In which we say to somebody if you want to be a teacher. Why don't you go to work in the school. As a teacher rate. And why we get to stay university of sacramento to have the school of education professors come to your school district. And teach the courses of the teacher to the detroit about how to get the teaching credential and if you pass the class. And you demonstrate that these kids if you're working will start to learn will give you a raise. And some more course. And you do demonstrate your capacities do better will give you another raise until we're cautious do you get your teacher today. Know what i can tell you is we got a little idea of this bill passed when i worked for david to bernie and 92% of the teacher aide to get your teaching credentials through this. Shelbyville program list. Nicer person. And they're people who worked as a teacher aide that you what they're getting into and they can hit it well and they got a pretty difficult system. So we have to come together. But i understand we may not do that in davis. What we have to do that in sacramento and oakland and san bernardino in fresno los angeles and san diego. And we have to come together to faith community in the labor community to do something different. I got ahold of my healthcare. Don't let him steal my pension. We got to teach people about a democracy we need to change who's teaching in these urban school district. We actually do that in construction we calling apprenticeship program. The difference is we're bringing the community college and state university to the work site to teach cohorts of teacher. A little different ethnically. They probably reflect the ethnic makeup of those students are in those classrooms a probably reflected economic status of those students in this classroom and i probably those students would see them as somebody they want to hang out with. And learn from it be interested in and have a sense of who they are. So we have to change as a laborer move in the faith community. How we approach. Teaching people to be a teacher in the urban district good news is this. The 20 largest school districts in state of california. A majority of every single one of those districts with one exception. Wranglers the teachers. And in every single one of 19 of the 20 districts of margiotti of the kids are not english. Do we have the estimate. But those 20 large school district. Dishware majority. Are the democrats come from. So we can build a bayesian. And a model and demonstrate that the kids learn better. With this new idea. Closes. To succeed we have a basis to go to. The people that represent those school districts in the legislation say we want you to find this program they say why. And destroy talking about treating people for democracy and start educating kids about what it means to be in democracy with the principles of democracy are. I'm not just a philosophical thing about voting for the. Assembly and assembly but teaching people the principal. Call demarcus. We have a chance to change the nature of culture. Guy. When everybody's trying to get ahead of everybody else and they all compete with each other health care about anybody else no just trying to move up. I don't have an answer. But i do have an understanding. Then we have to create a sense of connection. Of a lioness. A sense of competence. I sent a contribution. If we're going to create a healthier environment for people to work in. A people living. So we have to struggle with you. And i do believe we have to build a. System that teaches young people. These principles. It helps us having tomorrow. I got a third maybe it's not often i was not with you tonight but this is something i think we need to work on. To talk about a labor movement that's different than just wages pensions and healthcare. We know today that capital flows across international boundaries of the speed of electricity. Do we live in one world economy. You know we think everybody are buy food from is closest possible. But the truth is that sells grapes are from chile that we're eating in the safeway store. So we have a problem. And that we live in a world economy. So how do we hear davis. What sacramento. Have any impact on all the other stuff going on. This terrible. Well i wish i had a. I don't have a slick answer but i haven't experienced this year. That the people of cuba. I've created an amazing medical school the latin american school of medicine. And i'm praying 24,000. none of which iq. From all over the world. And i have sent those doctors at back to the home country cuz he's a working-class people and told him to provide medical care but people have no money now the truth is my experience has been in honduras i don't know if you read much. They've had a few there and. Has the highest murder rate in the. World in. Is it 80% of the cocaine come united states comes to honduras. It's a tough life. They kill anybody. How you can be 10 years old who got the tattoos. They got grandma pops tell everybody. Regardless. Please find you on the street for the church. Find you in church with tattoos. 12 years old. So what's up that temporarily will see how long is. Virginia side young people tattoo. Do we had one of these. Black doctors who from honduras and went to mexico and cuban came back and set up a little clinic. Based on this model these people don't have any money need help here. Healthcare so i'm everybody has to have to have. You don't have any money got to find it from people that can give it to you without charging me for. And who treated 550,000 patient list. That's pretty good. Got started nobody ever paid a penny. The first thing is a medical society. The word gets out. People talk about it in a pretty soon work exactly this guy you know they going to arrest you put you in prison. They call me on the phone. Hey bill. Arresting footmen prison. He's a friend. I've been here a couple times. Anna. So i got on the phone and discovered something interesting piece of leverage and power you have here in this church. And that is. Did every democrat in congress. No somebody works. Because when hillary clinton was upon sector state all the people she hired came out of the us house. Are the democrats. So i got on the phone and called every labor time to put an email after your labor council countries. Call whoever you doing state department of the man that just got not be killed. Two weeks later i got two phones my phone rings at the office. This 100 damage i didn't know this guy he didn't know me said who is this. I said his name is lupin harry we don't want to murder took what is this. So i don't know hold on. We got the message. I didn't know. Virginia pick up the phone call the democrat it represents davis or wherever you're from. And every. House number who's the democratic state department and if we had every city call whoever. So they had a coup. Military abducted the president who was working with this guy. What about a plane ticket costa rica. Atlanta kick him out his pajamas. Blue back on doors. Stepmother country for a while. Butterfly was a coup that picked up the phone a month ago and call my guy who they're going to kill. Enter we want to meet with you. I talked about how to setup a primary care delivery system for people have no money. Refrain just dyed my guys been running all the demonstrations against this guy he's been leading all the marches and. This report that guy. 6.5 hours for this guidance and i want you to. Set up this we going to free 1558 clinics. Throughout the country. Nobody's going to pay anything. I'm going to bring your cuban doctors over here cuz we'll be shorthanded we cannabis.. Will bring all of guys from honduras have been going to miss school cuba that we've been. Threatened to kill when you come back. Wouldn't work. But i don't know where that would happen. he actually signed the document had i got sounded like they had his cabinet sounded mercedes going to set up these plants. My point is. That we have leverage. To change the world. What we're talking about. Teachers in the school system mother would call my co-pay whether we come out internationally. We have these options which we will not have when pop 32 pack. That'll go away. Besides everything else. So we have a huge. Christ. And we have huge opportunities. Because we have to do things different. And we're doing those things. Did you say please stop i got 5 minutes. Thank you very much for your time. I'd actually reach out and join hands with your neighbors and across miles is michigan. Tiffany include everybody in one big union. Today we dive into today's dive into your work head first. Moving in a common rhythm. Today submerge yourself in your life tasks in unison with all others. Today to your vacations and applications ready yourself for greater usefulness. Today during all other workers in the quest for equality and opportunity. For today's labor is a.c. time for the harvest up tomorrow. Is that we say. Amon and let it be.

uudavispodcast_org

2015-12-27_End-of-Innocence_11_15.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from the unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. org for further information. But good morning again and welcome to the unitarian universalist church of davis my name is laura thompson i'm the ministerial intern here joining me today is our guest daniella de la cruz. Also helping out with the service today again alex is going to help us with some song leading and again any choir members out there or anybody who aspires to be a choir member please. We welcome you we welcome you if you have come hurting or celebrating. Welcome this morning if you are a long-time member or if this is your first time here. May every time we come to this place be a time of discovery when we are chosen to heed the call of wisdom that comes from around and within us. Come let us search together and become our best selves again. Every week one more opportunity. To remember what's possible. In 2013 and 2014 i volunteered for the rotating winter shelter helping to cook a meal and then eating with the guests and those who cooked with me. It was great to build community by working alongside fellow you use and then have conversations over a meal with the guests. In 2014 i met a woman who has recently homeless and has seen her around since then. She is still at risk of being homeless but has a more permanent housing situation and seems to be doing well when i see her. In 2015 i volunteered for a different role i stayed overnight. The role was more significant and more scary but my insights were deeper. After the experience i went home and wrote a list of things i learned while staying overnight at the rotating winter shelter. Here is an excerpt from that list. 1 although we label them homeless each person's issues and needs are different. To mental illness and drug addiction made the common cold that many of them had c minor. 3. The shelter fits into a gap between freezing to death on the streets any more permanent living situation. It is not meant to be a place to live but a place to keep you alive. 4. They have formed their own community but the capability of a caring for each other. 5 i acted as a nighttime supervisor for several people whom have i have been physically scared of bull walking around davis. 6. I gave out my sleep so that they could catch a few hours of rest before being turned out into the cold at 6 a.m.. 7. I develop respect for the students who intern at the rotating winter shelter for their support of fellow humans at a time when many and davis criticized the students for drunk and disrespectful behavior. Aids. I realize that the support network that i have would keep me from a shelter for a long time. 9. I admire the family members and supporters of someone who is mentally ill or addicted to advocate for and believe in that person to keep them healthy. And one night of observation is not enough to even partially comprehend the problem. And 11 it is important to find and celebrate the inherent worth in all people. I encourage you to find the time to volunteer for the shelter. I feel that is an honor that we as you use have a safe space to be able to share with a guest. If you can't volunteer you can donate money and if you can't do either i hope that you are able to hold all people of the world 4 without homes in your heart especially during these winter months. Please visit the table in the social hall for more information and to sign up to volunteer thank you. Search alice later this morning is daniela de la cruz. Daniela is a mentorship coordinator at the ab540 undocumented student center at uc davis. She graduated from uc davis this past june with a double bachelor's degree in economics and communication. She identified identifies herself as a former undocumented student and today feels fortunate to tell you a little bit about her own personal story. She's grateful for our listening. And this will be the first time that she's told her story from start to finish to such a welcoming audience. So we light this chalice to affirm the new lights. That is ever waiting to break through and enlighten our ways. That new truth is ever waiting to break through to illuminate our minds. And that new love is ever waiting to break through to warm our hearts. And we be open to this light and to the rich possibilities that it brings us. Please opening words today are home from julia hamilton. They say i am illegal. But so is anyone who ever rolled through a stop sign. Jwoww. Or trash on the ground. Not having a visa is a civil infraction not a federal crime. They say i'm here to take your jobs. But the jobs are often backbreaking and underpaid. And we are exploited by those who could never find a us citizen to work under such conditions. They say that i bring drugs and crime with me. But it is us consumers buying the drugs. And us weapons in the hands of the desperate. They say i am here to live off the system but i pay taxes to. And that i live in a shadow economy that denies me the benefits of a secure old age and medical care if i get hurt on the job. They say that english is the only language worth speaking. But the true heritage of the united states is diversity. And i add my words and my traditions to the culture that enriches us all. They say that i'm here just to have my baby. But can you remember another mother who braved hardship and danger to bring her baby safely into the world. Can you deny mary or maria the right to fight for a better life for her child. They say that you will know i'm illegal by my work boots and by myself speed jeans. But what about the student who overstays her visa. The artist who cannot marry his american boyfriends or the grandmother who cares for the baby while her mother works. We may not all wear boots. We may have come from many countries and yet we are all alike. They said the more i have the less you have. But you are not diminished if i am raised. Humanity is enriched when we climb together. Towards the lights. So i reading today comes from matthew chapter 2 verses 13 through 23 it's a continuation of the story that we left off. The other night christmas eve so we're picking up. After the scholars were gone god's angels showed up and joseph stream and commanded get a take the child and his mother and flee to egypt and stay there until further notice harris is on the hunt for this child and wants to kill him. Joseph obeyed. She got up took the child and his mother under the cover of darkness. They were out of town and well on their way by daylight. They lived in egypt until herod's death. This egyptian exile fulfilled what jose i had preached i called my son out of egypt. Now herod when he realize the scholars had tricked him flew into a rage. He commanded the murder of every little boy two years old and under who lived in bethlehem and its surrounding hills and he determined this information from the information he got from the scholars as to when jesus's birth was. And that's when jeremiah sermon was fulfilled. A sound was heard in ramah. Weeping and such laments. Rachel weeping for her children rachel refusing all solace. Her children gone dead and buried. Later. When herod died. God appeared in a dream to joseph in egypt. Take the child and his mother and returned to israel. All those out to murder the child are dead. Joseph obeyed. He got a. Just a child and his mother and re-entered israel. When he heard though that our kalea's had succeeded his father herod as king in judea he was afraid to go there. But then justice was directed in a dream to go to the hills of galilee. On arrival and he's settled in the village of nazareth. And this move was the fulfillment of the prophetic prophetic words he shall be called a nazarene. Hello everyone can you can you hear me. Okay perfect. I see you already know my name is daniela delacruz and i work at the university of california-davis and. I'll be telling you a little bit about myself i was born and raised in guadalajara jalisco mexico until i moved to the bay area at the age of 15 to be honest i did not want to come to the united states my life my friends and everything i knew was in mexico in the plane by telling me that we were going to go to disneyland and indication when they don't recognize no fairly rewarded in the united states. I don't know what's in mexico no never told us that people will look down on me and my family because of my place of origin but they will make fun of my accent but no one really expected me to go to college because deep down they did not think i was good enough or smart enough. To go through it. But that was okay because no matter what people thought of me my friends believe in me i don't want to possibly i believe in myself. I finished high school in 3 years made it to the top 3% of my graduating class. I'm going to need an into all 9 uses. I'm loving to light if you felt really good to show other people in high school that undocumented mexican people like me. We're capable of doing more than just physical labor and at the same time i finally struggled because i was deeply ashamed of who i was. All i really wanted was to have a simple american life. Speak english with an accent. Have a car to drive myself to school just like all my other friends. Instead of having to work at the pizza place where my friends worked because i was the only place i would take us when we did not have a work permit. When i came to college things got a little bit harder because unlike some of my classmates i did not qualify for any type of aslan aid or private loans to finance my education and without a social security number i was limited to jobs wedding of a very well but it didn't matter i get moving forward hoping that one day all the hard work will pay off. Instead of living in the residence halls i stayed at home i will take the amtrak train at 6 a.m. everyday to make it to my 8 a.m. classes i was still living in the bay area like then at the age of 18 and i first year college student i found myself working over 40 hours a week to help finance my education and even though i was exactly doing what i was what i always wanted it was not how i pictured it i thought that if i applied myself. But that was not always the case surely after the start of my second year of college my parents lost both of her job out there and after continuously being rejected from prestigious scholarships research programs. Internship opportunities opportunities because status and despite the fact that i had a 3.8 gpa it became harder and harder to keep on going i was doing it for myself before my family that i was not able to be there when they needed me. I was always out stunning always out working. I'm even though we were leaving in the same house. I will never receive them i felt selfish and almost guilty seeing all of my money on my pants money just wait for my probation and not having enough left over to buy nice clothes. I was tired i'm not enjoying being a student and so i don't got a college because i bought for people like me. Three years later i was able to come back to college tomorrow under much different circumstances political climate around immigration had changed and now i was able to go back to school with all the tools that i wish i had had the first time i went to college. Thanks to assembly bill 540i qualify for resident tuition thanks to the fridge house food for deferred action for childhood arrivals i was granted a social security number at work permit a protection against deportation through the california dream act i now qualified for student aid and benefits from the state of california. The ab540 and undocumented student center open on campus giving me the opportunity to find community and start finding finding my identity. During my last two years of college i decided to build doors for those who struggle to have access to the educational opportunities very different and so. I ended up becoming. The personal campus i always wished i have had as a friend and a line by when i did not have the courage to tell anyone i was from documented for the pier. That they would think that's on myself. However. Listening to the star-spangled banner for the very first time in my life. I felt worth it for being american. I know because i had $1000000. Or because i need the lyrics to the song. Listen to because i finally felt like i was leaving most of my personnel sanders my friends dreams and i finally after all those years. Wanting to be seen for who i was. I was finally on my pool. Honest. Astounding. Thank you. So are. Reading earlier today continue the story of. Jesus in his family that we began telling on christmas eve. And as a member call joseph and mary had to travel to bethlehem in order to pay taxes and be counted in the census as ordered by the occupying roman government in judea. They'd already had a rough journey. Only to arrive in a city that was full to the brim no doubt with others who are also traveling to bethlehem to pay taxes and be counted. Of course there's no room at the end. There were certainly others there who were also sleeping and majors and caves. There was just not enough room for everyone who had come to pay taxes and be counted by their oppressors. And i would imagine your face for not complying and not going and paying your taxes and being counted would and you up in jail or indentured servitude. The empire or maybe something worse. In this environment. There would be those. Who offered indifference to the challenge of all those extra people coming into their town. And there would be those who would take advantage of it. Pilfering and overcharging wary visitors for food and a place to stay. But. As we know from the story. There were also kind folks who made room for the strangers in any way they could. The innkeeper in our story had there were he had no rooms available but he still found space for mary and joseph. And i would imagine that other citizens and bethlehem seen so many tired travelers and their myths. Would have done what they could do to help as well opening their homes and sharing food with these strangers in need. And so we come to bethlehem. Joseph and mary. And they're expecting a child and they are biting by the rules of their occupiers to ensure the safety of their family. But there's something different about this family. The stars and the prophets. And matthew who has gone to such hard work to make sure he gets every single prophecy fulfilled in that one piece of scripture in case you didn't notice how matthew does that got them all in there. The stars and the prophets have proclaimed that the child that they are bringing into the world will be a deliverer of hope. She will be a messiah. A savior. She will be a redeemer. His birth and his wife will bring new life. To all and that's a very. Tall order. But not everything about that. Is unusual. Many uu congregations including my home church when they dedicate children proclaim that our faith believes that every child born is a new redeemer into the world. Every child holds the promise of hope revealed of joy and love revealed every child holds the promise of peace. And i certainly believe that. At this point i just want to remind us all that yes we were those children. Dedicated. Or maybe not dedicated i was baptized.. We are we are those redeemers. These promises of hope and love and joy and peace they don't reside in a detached future they reside in us that's where they've always been. So jesus was not special in that he held these promises he was not special in that he was born anew redeemer into the world he was not special in that he could offer salvation because we all have that within us. He was special in that he revealed this. To us. He was special in that he revealed that we were the key to peace. These things that made him special also made him. Very dangerous to the established governing powers of judea. If we hold the promise to peace and joy and love. For all within us what happens to those political structures that exist and feed off the power and profit of some over others. What happens is that they feel threatened. And conflict in su's. Now we have three instincts that kick in when we feel threatened. Fight. Flight. Or fries. When threatened existing governing powers fight. Because they're enabled to do so they have the upper hand with political power. And everything that comes with it they control the institutions of military and commerce and education and governance and immigration. Either big huge weapons to use to fight with. Weapons that you and i don't have. Individuals and families cannot fight against these things so they often have to respond to threats with the freeze or flight options to freeze. Is to endure the pain and suffering that is caused by the threats. The requires that those who faced oppression suspend their birthright of promised hope and redemption. In favor of often deceitful promises of safety from their oppressor. And the other option is flight. In this story today we find. Joseph up against the threat so large that he has no choice but. To take flight. Herod has declared that he's going to kill all the dude and baby boys under the age of 2 to quell any threat to his established power. The story is most horrific and perhaps reminiscent of the killing of the babes by the pharaoh in egypt the time of moses also. Find where there was a threat to established power. Continue imagine what that must be like. We have you ever had a dream in the middle of the night that told you to flee. Where you were for the safety of your family. Dreams aside have you ever had a situation. We can set the medicine the angels aside for a second let's talk reality have you ever had a reality. That required you to leave everything behind to ensure your safety. Leaving your livelihood your extended family your friends. Leaving the comfort of familiarity leaving your place of community. The place of development leaving the only place. But you know and that knows you. Leaving home for exile and another place. A foreign place a strange place. You leave out of fear. For survival and search of a new land that holds the promises of safety and peace. Can you imagine. Daniella's story speaks to the experience. Fix the some of these fears the fear and hardship of coming to new land seeking safety in a better future. Common fears of fitting in as a child that are complicated for undocumented children by the fear of being found out. It seems like a great challenge to understand the fullness of your identity under such. Pressure. And then there is the core part of our identity the one that gets so easily lost. We are all. Born redeemers. We how can you be a redeemer in a society that refuses to fully acknowledge that you can and should be there. How do you do that. Daniella's parents. Lived into their own promise of redemption by fleeing the corruption crime and despair that often play mexico's social and economic institutions to give a better life to their children. But what happens when they get here. Then it gets really complicated. Their lives become safer but they're always under the threat of being sent back. They're giving a place where their hard work can provide a better life for their families but their hard work is exploited at the same time. The hospitality labor and agricultural industries thrive on the sweat of undocumented workers and take advantage of them by not giving them the same workers rights that we demand for a documented citizens. I've seen this i worked in restaurants for a long time. The privateers profit the stockholders profit the consumers save money and prophets. But at what cost. How many doctors engineers how many nurses and social workers are scientist how many technical innovators and teachers have we lost to the confines of dish rooms and factories and fields. Now. Don't get me wrong i come from the working class and i have great respect for those jobs. But they cannot exist at the cost of robbing us of an entire populations first-rate to be redeemers of the world. We as a political power of undocumented citizens are. Oppressors. We are denying the undocumented oppressed people of. This country. There. Powers of redemption. This action denies. Feel pressed their full humanity and because of its. Very diminished. Nature. Diminish compassion it's a nice. The oppressors their fullest humanity as well. So i'll redemption is kind of put on hold. In his groundbreaking work the pedagogy of the oppressed educator and philosopher paulo freire. Lays out this broken relationship between the oppressor and oppressed. Aliexpress. As one where the power of redemption is held not by the oppressor but by the oppressed. She says that it is the oppressed that must free themselves and they must free the oppressor. Not the other way around. As our power entrenched privilege might suggest. Babying the oppressor. The oppressor not only diminishes the humanity in potential of others. But. I press the fullest realization of my own humanity by undertaking such action. Therefore. The oppressor is broken. They are broken because they are trying to break others so vicious cycle. And we become so lost. In the system of perpetual oppressing. Of others politically economically and socially that we don't even realize the harm that were causing. And for some reason we think that we can fix everything but we can't because we're broken so how can i fix something when we are broken. We fool ourselves into thinking that we can do better but we can't. Not today i'd woman a stories together. Of undocumented americans and the flight of joseph and mary to see where we might find ourselves in this picture. Are we joseph. Forced to flee out of danger. I'll certainly the undocumented folks. In this country can relate to the hardship of joseph mary and jesus and i'm sure many of our ancestors have had this experience when they came to this country. This experience of fleeing and exile but most of us that are sitting here today that's not our experience so i would hesitate to say that we are joseph in this story. Are we herod. The cruel leader. No. I don't think so i think that. Many of the places that people are fleeing from our like parents kingdom where corruption and deceit rule. But there aren't too many people fleeing from california. Far from the united states. So i don't think we're herod. So where are we. Herod. Was not a king of his own doing. He was chosen and placed by a higher power and empirical power called rome. I would say we're bro. We placed and displace governments all over latin america. Or the empire that funds corruption and arms drug cartels. We are the empire's a-10x trade agreements which favorite corporations and profits over people. Especially people that are just in from our own core people. And we're slick we're really really slick. Kind of like rome. Because our political and economic policies they lead to the oppression of many others but we brand her selves as the land of dreams and opportunity so when they oppressed leave their countries they flee right here right to the very heart of where the power of the oppression actually lies. So here they come here. To the land of the oppressor. And this is where the redemption. Might begin. Because the oppressed. They bring with them hope. Huge huge amounts of hope. Hope that the likes of the oppressor too broken to see cannot even imagine. They. Our our redeemers. When we open our eyes and ears and hearts to take in stories like we did today. We awaken our own call to redemption. They are our guides our saviors. Our redeemers. And listening to the stories of those oppressed we are reminded of their humanity. And hours. And this would not be possible if they did not sleep. Right into our arms. So where. Is your heart. Is it an exile. Or is it. Waiting to be saved. In this season of hope. Let us be reminded of the promise of a new year. And that we are. Alborn redeemers unto ourselves. And to one another. Merry christmas. Happy new year. Blessed be. And almond. We're a community which holds all the joy and sorrow that every season brings so may we continue to be a community whose center is love and care for one another and i'm going to ask you to join me in the spirit of prayer here in a minute but before i do that she's playing that we're going to come back to that very end of this very short prayer and i know you're already so if you please join me in the spirit of prayer. Source of life who is unnamed and known by many names redeemer and illuminator of our hearts we gather with gratitude for the earth and all who journey in it. We give thanks for the interconnectedness of all creation we pray the stay for support for those in need for the hungry for the cold for the lonely and the lost for the stranger among us may our hands and hearts be a resource to those in need we pray for those who are fleeing harm's way to guide them to safety and may we co-create with them a home and community which saves us all from fear oppression and indifference we are each and everyone born a redeemer. Unto the world not knowing how when or why we will save the world staring us that belief which like a children's song will bring us all comfort peace and joy in this and every season blessed be and amin. There we go. Everybody has gathered hands icy. Around the congregation. I leave you with these words today. And now may we go forth in the certainty of faith. And the knowledge of love. And in the vision of hope. And then are going maybe be blessed. With all good things on this. And everyday. Let the congregation say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

Worship-2012_05_27-1115a_ED.mp3

Look up the sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california www.dav.org for further information. I'm going to ask that you listen to these lyrics. The lyrics. Are the precursor to our prelude which is record it. He'll be very important for you to hear on before i go on one more thing. There is a link on the bottom of your order service on the front. That is an excellent excellent resource for what you're going to hear us talk about today. It was supposed to be on the back. Page and it got cut off we really want you to know about it this is highly recommended. For now. For the prelude. We're going to be hearing something by peter mayer and peter is the person who wrote blue boat home so. I'm he is the composer and songwriter. He brought us that wonderful favorite. This song is called charlie porter. And i'm going to read the lyrics because sometimes they go by so quickly. When you're listening to the music. The unitarian universalist. My name is charlie porter. I was a union soldier. In 61 i signed up to fight. And it was a great adventure. But i have to tell you not the fairytale i had in mind. And when general lee surrendered. And victory finally arrived. I heard no one hoot or holler. No hip hooray for the stars and stripes. Back when it started. Proud and foolish hearted. I thought i had a taste for rebel blood. But we were only children they killed us and we killed them. And the misery and the dying made us numb. By then holding back the sorrow with kind of like holding back the tide. I heard no one hoot. Or holler. No hip hooray for the stars and stripes. We only cry. I know victory seems hollow. At the price of half a million live. A cold and weary stillness follows. You hear no hip hooray for stars and stripes. You only cry. This morning we invite jerry free july our chalice. Jerry griffin kingsburg near fresno before coming to uc-davis. Subsequently he moved around a bit. Finally landed back here in davison 1976. Jerry open golden west class in woodland. A 1979's income. By marrying stephanie who is a teacher. And he has a son living in geneva who is doing dazzling work and high-energy physics. And jerry's 23 years as a member of this church has been involved in many support functions. His first love is landscaping. You can often see him tending our grounds. At this stage of a lot at this stage of his life. You sliding toward retirement. By practicing the art of becoming less and less complicated. Living is calm and simple life is possible. Jerry we thank you for letting today's chalice. And the beauty you have brought to our surroundings. As we like the chalice on this memorial day weekend. We stopped to recognize the gifts and sacrifices of the men and women who have died in the military service. To our country. Those who have served since our nation's first struggle for independence. These men and women are worthy of our blessings are compassion. And our grief for the wars in which they ordered to fight in. Is our sincere hope that we may be worthy of their memory. As we become expressions of peace in our divided into moltres world. World where we know wars terrible cost. And the toll it takes on the human heart. I know the truth. I know the truth. All of the truth are through. People on this earth do not have to fight one another. Come. Look at the evening, look. Soon it will be night. What is the problem. What is the problem poet lover's generals. Already the wind is quiet. Already the earth is dressed in do. The storm of stars in the sky will still will soon be still. And we will all sleep together under the earth. We would never let each other sleep above it. Hurry of septa liva a great russian poet wrote that poem in 1970 in the midst of the russian revolution. Is a striking call a yield are yearning for peace. In the midst of war. Now nearly 100 years later the world is still. Yearning for peace and there was still striking calls by individuals. Raise our voices calling for peace. One of these voices is embedded in the voice of the conscientious objector. Why speak of conscientious objection. Sister united states in the united states we no longer have the draft. First. There has been a long unrecognized understanding of the role of conscientious objectors in the history of our country. And a failure to appreciate that peace contributions. All too often the current and past conscientious objectors have been marginalized. Facing criticism in scoring. 2. As unitarian universalist we have a role in advocating for compliance with universal human rights and international law. This includes the right of conscience. Has affirmed by the united nations do unitarian universalist association. The world council of churches. Us law and military law. 3. All males. All males. It's 18 to 25 must register with the selective service. That's a draft could be reinstituted at any time. And indeed there has been ongoing attempts. For legislation to require everyone to perform two years of national service. A system is set in place. That should draft be reinstituted men would be inducted within 10 to 14 days. There would be no opportunity to acquire conscientious objection status. If that is a person's inclination. 4. We are currently active duty men and women seek and conscientious objection status. Strong moral and ethical convictions. That evolved out of direct confrontation with war. Many of these have sustained severe moral and spiritual injuries. I asked you. Is this country suddenly declared a national emergency. Arie instituted a draft. How would you respond if you received the draft notice. If our son grandson or neighbor received a draft notice. Or perhaps someone you know. Orlov now serving on active duty. Has a change of conscience. What's the status of moral injury and wants to apply for conscientious objection status. Would you even know where to begin the conversation with them. How to respond. I said i suggest these are questions that we need to consider long before there's a need to answer them. Let's begin the conversation. For soon it will be night. And we will all sleep together. Under the earth. Jesus loves the little children all the children of the world. Red and yellow black and white they are precious in his sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world. Song. There you have it in a nutshell with a little background on just who this jesus person was you have the basics of my theology. I was raised in the methodist church and christianity was the name of the game in my little town and that of my relatives and friends so that's what came to me and that's what stuck. With a little hedging on the literal interpretation of some of the particulars like miracles and the virgin birth. The tenets of what jesus taught as the voice of god and love. Still hold true in my heart. But the time i really had to put to test my faith and belief and what was right according to these teachings came when i was a junior at the university here at davis. After two-and-a-half years of struggling as a student i finally realized that academia was just not what i was cut out for. So in the spring of 1968 i withdrew mid-quarter. One of the first things i had to do after explaining my position to my parents and taking responsibility for my life and support. Was to inform my draft board that i no longer qualified for a student deferment from the draft. And apply for status as a conscientious objector. I truly and in good faith could not accept becoming a part of the military. This was during a time when it was clearly evident what the purpose of the military was. Killing some of god's little children in the name of national interest. So i filled the forms and answered the questions gathered letters of support from friends and family. Interesting lee the minister at the methodist church in my hometown would not provide a letter of support for my application. I don't know if that or the fact that i should have made my position known at the time i registered for the draft or wattage zactly brought my draft board to the conclusion that i did not qualify for a co status. So i was given a 1a classification. I was allowed to appeal their decision and was rejected again and was told to report for induction. Rather than flee to canada as some did at that time to avoid the draft i chose to stay where i felt it was my right and duty to take a stand for my belief. And refuse induction. So that is what i did. I reported to the oakland induction center as instructed and made my intentions known at the outset. I am a few other refusers were separated from those who would be joining. I suppose so that our refusal to step forward could be easily seen. And the admonition that we were committing a serious crime for which there would severe penalties could be given. And a second chance to join be allowed. This also serve to keep the many who were stepping forward from witnessing our action. After a brief interview i was allowed to leave and ponder my fate. I did not know what was going to happen next. I was prepared to be prosecuted and sent to prison. So the thought of it terrified me. Several weeks later for reasons unexplained i was sent a letter for my draft board informing me that i have been granted is co status. And that i was obligated to perform alternative service as soon as it could be arranged. A booklet with a listing of mini suitable alternative jobs force provided and i arranged to work for uc berkeley's nutrition department. As a subject for nutrition studies for the next 2 years. I served my country in that capacity. And was relieved in my duty after that time. John f kennedy wants said war will exist until the distant day. When the conscientious objector enjoys the same reputation and prestige the warrior does today. Thank you jerry. I invite you into a time of prayer. A kind of meditation. Knowing it prayer. Is holding people and ideas. In the center of your mind. Turning all your attention. But it's join from moment in shared silence. Something we so rarely get to do. There are those who asked us to hold them and community. Bryan food who completed his first year of seminary. And says he only has two and a half more remaining. Are those among us who face illness or surgery. And the equally vulnerable role of those who love them. In our larger world. In egypt where there are free elections for the first time in their history. And with our own elections coming up. Reminding active. Power of voting. That we can indeed give our country direction. For gratefulness to those who give us evidence of hope in our world it n-double-acp who endorsed same-sex marriage. Showing at self persistence can bring justice. Before this. Holy day this national holiday. Of memorial. These words by barbara pesce. Spirit of life. Him we have called by many names. And thanksgiving and in anguish. Bless the poet. And those who mourn. Send peace for the soldiers who did not make the wars. But whose lives were consumed by them. And let strong trees grow above the grave far from home. Breathe through the arms of their branches. The earth will swallow their years. Well the good thing. No more. Never again. Remember me. For the wounded ones and those who receive them back. Let there be someone ready when the memories come. Minus cars pull. And buried metal moves. Unforgiveness. For those of us who were not there. For our ignorance. Spirit of life. Bless those who served our country through non-violent. Their service. More different fruit. And continues to be with us. And in a. In a forest of 1,000 fallen promises. But new leaves of protest grow on our stumps. Give us the courage. To answer the cry of humanity's pain. And with our bare hands. Out of full heart. With all of our intelligence. Let us create. Amen. And blessed be. The reading this morning is by kurt. Vonnegut. And it's from slaughterhouse-five. Billy pilgrim could not sleep. He got out of bed in the moonlight. He felt spooky. And luminous. He went into the living room turned on the television. He came flight leon stuck in time. Saw the late movie backwards. Then forward again. It was a movie about american bombers in the second world war and the gallant men who flew them over england over france to bomb germany then back again. Theme backwards by billy the story went like this. American planes full of holes and wounded men and corpses. Took off backwards from an airfield in england. Over france. A few german fighters flute at them backwards. Search bullets and shell fragments from some of the plains in crewman. It is the same for wrecked american bombers on the ground. And those planes flew up backwards to join the formation. Deformation flew backwards over german city that was inflamed. The bombers opened their bomb bay doors. Exerted a miraculous magnetism which shrunk the fires. Gather them into cylindrical steel containers. And lifted the containers into the bellies of the planes. The containers were stored neatly in racks. The germans bulow have miraculous devices of their own. Witcher long steel tubes. They use them to suck more fragments from the crewmen and planes. But there were still a few wounded americans and some of the bombers were in bad repair. Over france. German fighters came up again made everything and everybody as good as new. When the bombers got back to their base. The steel cylinders were taken from the racks. And shipped back to the united states of america. Where factories were operating night. And day. Dismantling the cylinders. Separated the dangerous contents into mineral. Touchingly it was mainly women who did this work. The minerals were then shipped to specialist in remote areas. It was their business to put them in the ground and hide them cleverly. So they would never hurt anyone ever again. The american flyers turned in the uniforms and became high school kids. And hitler turned into a baby. Everybody turned into a baby. At all humanity without exception conspired biologically to produce two perfect people. And adam and eve. Kirk and i imagine doing the service on conscientious objectors that memorial day a full year ago. We finished the service last year and we thought. Very satisfying. And then we decided there was so much more to be said. And so is planted like a seed a full year ago. We felt that the role. A conscientious objectors continues to be overlooked. The love for our country is underestimated. The reason for not fighting is often understood. The long-term consequences that unfolded from their stand have rarely been recognized. The traditional peace churches the mennonites the quakers and the church of the brethren. Are built on a theological foundation of peace. Unitarian universalist are often active in peace demonstration. We passed resolutions against pacific wars. We have a denominational statements that support the right to be a conscientious objector. But we are not at peace church. We are not happy easter. Actually neither one of us are pacifists and so we came to that realization in the process of. I've creating the surface. 1 biblical quote. That is foundational for the peace churches is found in romans chapter 12. Peanuts. Conforms to the world. But be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Which is also the mind and soul work of unitarian universalist. We are charged to find a reason truth. For all matters. Our theology. Charges each of us. To discern how and why we would engage in violence against others. Rather than following the ways of the world can we give. An alternative example of right living. Can we see both fighting. And a refusal to fight in war. In a different way. When preparing for the service i realize how thoughtless i mean like not thinking thoughtless i have been concerning conscientious objectors. Enterprise at the reading and listening my mind was transformed and you hear that in her to. May you also find something this morning that surprises you. Makes you curious. Bores you to look at these resources that kirk has. Gathered. For you. May you be open to learning more. Throughout our history as a country there have always been those who refuse to go to war because of their religious or their secular beliefs. There is evidence of their presence sometimes how they are supported but more often how they are condemned. In 1776 george washington acknowledge exception. For those whose values would not allow them to go to war. And in the civil war in 1863. There are records of pacifist quakers. Forced to sit on the battlefield. After skirmishes as a punishment. Enjoying the presence of the dead. And the painfully wounded crying out. In 1918 17 who refused to fight in world war ii died in alcatraz from mistreatment of punishments. For many years there were two options. You could join the armed services or go to jail. But in wwii the peace church has negotiated with our government to have a third option offered. Pacifist could join the civilian public service do work of national importance and. At first it was not of much national importance that seem to be taking dirt from one hole and putting it in another so they felt grossly. Underused. The camps were run by the churches and supervised by them. They were stop brokers they said ballet dancers atheists. Fundamentalist. Fulbright scholars. And those with a third-grade education altogether all kinds of people with one thing in common. But unified them was that they could not kill another human being. During wwii the ceos wanted to prove that they were willing to risk their lives for the good of the citizens of the country. They put their lives in jeopardy by volunteering to be but not the forest fire fighters but smokejumpers being dropped behind the lines. Oven active fire. Troops were dying in battle and they were also dying from disease. The conscientious objectors offer their lives for medical experimentation. We know about medical experimentation in germany. But we didn't know. It was happening here too. The co has volunteered to be infected with typhoid and hepatitis viruses and then to have their livers. Biopsied. As doctors tried to find new treatments. For those who were. On the battlefront. The young man had no idea. The danger to their lives. Really. And some of them died from the disease and also from the procedures. 3000. Conscientious objectors replaced the mental health institution caregivers. I had volunteered to fight in the war. Brutality and neglect were acceptable treatment for the mentally ill at this time. The conscientious objectors made a promise that they would not use. He would not use violence when caring for the patients. They refuse to beat. The mentally ill into compliance. They went further than non-compliance with disciplining or controlling their patience. The conscientious objector is documented the abuses that they witness. And contacted the press. The institutions were closed down cleaned up. And reopened with far more compassionate care. My mother's brother entered world war immediately before the battle of the bulge when our government drafted every eligible and previously ineligible man. It had been deemed that he was not. Eligible to go to war. Perhaps. After the war when he returned. He entered a veterans hospital as a resident and for the rest of his life he was a resident of a mental health. Care facility. Perhaps he was the recipient of more humane care. Thanks to the ceos addressing violence against the vulnerable population of the mentally ill i watch these films and i thought. Is the kind of place that my family member had been. And what does theo's have done. So that he would have a better life. Conscientious objectors began the process of integration for our country. The first institution to be integrated being the jail. 7000 men were jailed for being pacifist during world war ii. In a danbury prison the men went on strike to force the jail to allow them to eat in an integrated dining hall. Both white and black inmates went on strike. And there were so many participating but there weren't enough rooms for solitary confinement for punishment and the only solution was to put them together. So without knowing that they would overwhelm the prison system by their nonviolent protest. Conscientious objectors unwittingly forced integration. They were. Even though they were in prison. Word spread about the technique to other prisons which overtime also became integrated. And1 warden wearily confided to an inmate. I'll be relieved when this war is over. There are murderers in bank robbers here and i understand them. But i do not understand you are mine. Dave dellinger with a participant of this particular strikes that there are worse things than death. There are worse things than getting beaten up. The worst thing is if you can't respect yourself. Because you can't express the love you feel for other human being. Including the impressed. And including the oppressor. When soldiers returned to the united states at the end of world war ii it was the country insist objectors who returned to europe. Helping people rebuild their countries. As a face decisions. Of which starving person to give bread. The child. Or the person suffering from disease. Their protests against war with reinforced. What a terrible price humanity pays for war. All lose. Even those who are considered winners. Often cannot speak of what they seen. Or what they have done. They are changed by physical and psychological trauma. In the decades that followed wwii the non-violent method of dealing with conflict brought waves of justice. Not without loss and not without pain. The theo's methods were applied to the nuclear disarmament movement. The non-violence of martin luther king jr. and the civil rights movement. Theo's courage they know with firm resolve. Despite tremendous pressure. The second world war provided the seeds for that massive nonviolent movement against the vietnam war. Response that swung to the other extreme to such an extent. That those who fought. Unfortunately were vilified. Remember these words. I know the truth. All other truths are through. People on this earth don't have to fight one another. Come look at the evening. Come look. Soon it will be night. What is the problem. It was 1970. I was in my early twenties and about to graduate from college. The vietnam war was in full swing. The lottery drawing for the draft was looming and i was in it. One of my close friends join the airforce. A few others look to the national guard. One declared himself a conscientious objector. I joined the navy taking some control of my future. None of us really talked very much about our choices there are no deep philosophical conversations religious or moral discussions. Food just young kids wet-behind-the-ears. Living out the cultural and family values we are inherited. Yekta fully develop her own moral conscience. I threw your obligation turned you into a 20-year career as a naval officer. Working stateside in hospitals as a physical therapist. And that time i saw firsthand the consequences of war. When i work with injured vietnam vets and pows. I marveled at what they had sacrificed suffered and endured. I question if i could have done what they did. Play never had to truly test my courage or moral convictions. Because of these soldiers and others i came to know. I have the greatest admiration and respect for those serving in the military. Simply some of the strongest supporters of non-violent. Serve or have served in the military. During my military career conscientious objectors kept visiting my thinking. They were mysteries to me and oddity. I will admit to being negatively critical of them. There was simply draft dodgers. Bri was also in all of their courage and their conviction. They're committed stance evoke a sense of guilt in me for choosing their relatively be relatively safe of a medical career. Rather than becoming a conscientious objector for combat soldier. This feeling has been unresolved for over 40 years until i've delved deeply into the research for this service. Besides articles movies and internet searches. I talked with young and old conscientious objectors. War veterans and those without military experience. This process radically shapeshifter. By understanding and consciousness about conscientious objectors. I learned that deeply committed conscience of objectors have been and are defenders of the right of conscience. And you are and our nation's democracy as much as our soldiers are. That they are unsung heroes of social change. Steppy on specific actions they have taken to promote peace. Disturbed the critical function of challenging our natures conscience. Especially when the fervor of national nationalism grips us by the throat. And we come flying to nonviolence options. These statements i would have never made. Prior to this past month. A discussion and research. I now realize i had a simplistic dualistic view of conscientious objectors. That there is a wide range of beliefs within the domain of conscientious objectors. I know simple all-inclusive statement can be made about. Conscientious objectors. That they experienced the same sharp conflicts of moral conscience that i do. I like life struggle with their decisions. That they deeply love and value this country. Just knowing requires me to be thoughtful. Rather than thought less. Of how i view those who espouse non-violence and stick reception for military obligations. Today i spect i suspect most of us give no serious consideration to conscientious objection. As there's no military draft end in the united states. And therefore no apparent need to think about conscientious objection. I believe this is a mistake for two reasons. 1. Set a draft. Of 18 to 25 year-old could be instituted in as little as two weeks after congress declares war. This could happen suddenly for the change of world events. Isn't too late for the drafty to make a conscientious choice. 2. There are many on active duty right now. That have had a change of conscience. What sustained a moral injury. That makes it impossible for them to fulfill their military obligations. These are two important realities with great implications that require. Partners detention. Moral and spiritual injuries. The most disturbing part of my investigation. More injuries occur from events that transgressed deeply. Held moral beliefs and expectations. Offense that transgress. Deeply held moral beliefs and expectations. War is a perfect breeding ground. Pretty spiritual. And moral injuries. Today we are creating a whole new generation of men and women. With devastating seoul-based injuries. Injuries at severe a10e. Physical wound. And these wounds will impact our community our families and future generations as these people struggle with depression anger hostility appeal. And suicide. A person sustaining a moral injury in the military has few options. When is the go awol. Absent without leave. Result is criminal charges and often imprisonment. For those who act upon active-duty who seek conscious objection status. They really succeed. Because of the complexity of the application process. And the clause that says that they when they sign on a listening. Saying that they are not conscientious objectors. Data can be done with your assistance of such others as a center of conscience in war. If you want a vicarious experience what moral and spiritual injury is about and its consequences. I recommend watching the hbo series the pacific. And i encourage you to take a look at some of the links i provided on the handout. If i want to watch the two movie trailers listed at the bottom of the page. ,. Come look at the evening come look at conscientious objection. Come look. Soon it will be night. And we will all sleep together under the earth. We will never let each other sleep above it. And we will sleep together under the earth. We who never let each other sleep above it. Kirk spoke of conscientious objectors who also experienced sharp conflicts of moral conscience. They look deeply love and value this country. As much as anyone who takes up arms. They too have served. This country and as we discovered are the unsung heroes of social change. Those who are deeply committed to finding an alternative to war will be the one who do not just avoid violence. I will redesign how we reach the goal of pee. They have demonstrated that courage is shown on the battlefield yes. And in building relationships to end oppression. How they live their values made headway in other wars. During the civil right. Progress on the ongoing battle for racial justice. They brought light to the mistreatment of vulnerable populations. And they are the ones who perceive. And name the violence that others may not see. The challenge for us as unitarian universalist is to look beyond the categories. Respect. An admiration belong. To the many. The ones who returned from the battle now come home. Join together. In social service. To heal their hearts and minds and souls. And social situations in our country. And the conscientious objector is the one who showed the power of relationship to heal. Brokenness. And if the end of war is the goal. Of our young warriors death. And you have heard these words from jerry and you hear them again. Words written by john kennedy. War will exist until that distant days. When the conscientious objector enjoys the same prestige. At the warrior does today. And to that i say. Amen. And blessed. And take hands around the room. And remember to give generously to the scholarships for students and also the anti-racism task team with alison mcdonald and i chose these words for that. That workshop because. It called at the unnatural monument alone at the canadian border. By william stafford. This is the field where the battle did not happen. Where the unknown soldier did not die. This is the field where grass joined hands. Renault monument dan. And only the only heroic thing at the sky. Birds fly here without a sound. Unfolding their wings across the ocean. No people killed or were killed on this ground hollywood by neglect. And are so tame. The people celebrated by forgetting its name. But this gathering say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

2013-08-25_Worship_Open-to-the-Mystery_10_00.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons another recording from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at www.ge.com for further information. I want to invite you to greet one another be sure to look for those who. May not come to church all the time which means all of us actually myself included. But also those who maybe new among us. The please meet-and-greet and. Nancy will help bring you back she'll play something on the piano and that's your cue. That's your part to come back. So you are welcome here and. I hope you know that. With all of your certainties. And all of your doubts with your strength and your imperfections. Become together. To know that we are a part of something larger than ourselves. I do know that there is a place where we belong. You are welcome here and all your fullness. You're raised your culture your sexual orientation or gender identity. Your religious views. Or your political party. And i do have more than one political party represented here i sometimes like to remind us of that. Come here to connect with community. To honor the earth and to claim your spirituality. Come to build this world that we dream is possible. This service today is about music. But this coming week is a very important week. And it's something that i hope that we will remember to address whether it's around the dinner table on the way to school or. Talking with friends that you watch a program or remember that this is the 50th anniversary. At the civil rights march on washington. This is a very important week. So take some time to reflect on that and to take advantage of the things that are in our public media right now remembering those times and i know that john ashby will be recognizing this more next week in a service that he is leading and we will have a guest speaker as well and labor issues. And hosting the stranger. Justice issues again. And pot of gold. It's happening here. It's a perfect example of how we're using our new building to fulfill our dreams of sharing it with others and bringing about learning. On saturday september 7th two weekends from now they'll be a conference that will bring together the reverend michelle fibro from starr king school for the ministry and she is the keynote speaker. And her focus and starr king is worship and liturgy and living the message in worship. Our new district executive joss josh cyril white will also be there and he is a master storyteller and he'll be doing to workshop. Kate raymond will be working with the reverend dan harper minister of religious exploration and palo alto bringing their experiences of organizing social justice trips and you know we have a great example of that i'll be doing a workshop that exemplifies michelle keynote speech and we many others here presenting it is right here. And you do need to register but what a great opportunity to meet people from all around the district and i just want to say that kate raymond if you don't know this already. Is a leader in life and learning in our district and as well. Respected for her creativity and her leadership so we have her right in our midst and when you see her i hope you will check. Beam on her. You know what i mean. She will wonder what. Has happened but you'll just be like. Make her wonder. We're going to. Sing together. The three of us. And. And invite you into the song also. A lot of times this point in the service is just a performance but we're going to sing give yourself to love. The song by kate wolf. That was sung this weekend. Together with our presenters. If you don't know the chorus already the words are give yourself to love. If love is what you're after. Open up your hearts. To the tears and laughter and give yourself to love. Give yourself to love we're running this service. Without much paper. These people teaching the oral tradition we had a whole weekend of singing with them the way you sang for the ingathering song sinking i have no words but i guess i'll just listen and sing so i invite you into that experience. And and promise you that this particular song will will come back around and we will all know it well by the end of this year. I have one. Love is born in fire. Planted like a seed. The flaming chalice we have here. Is a seed of love and hope. In the uu tradition. Today i will be inviting our guest artist michael and carrie klein. The lidar chalice. Their passion for the songs and stories and humanity of west virginia. Is the light that they have carried. Across the country to us and we are blessed. And we will celebrate the chalice this morning. As they are lighting it with a new song by joyce pulley that is actually on your bulletin. This joyce is a uu composer living composer from canada who was with. Beth and me at the u umn conference where we went this summer and this was one of the songs that we brought back from that conference. We will sing for verses of it love hope. Truth. And peace. Nancy will play it a little bit to get us started while michael and carry. Come on up. The music. Of beauty. Excerpts from john o'donohue. Beauty. With music adapted by nancy lauer from she-ra cayman's music of waters. No other art distills. Feeling the way music does. This is how it cannot early. Play mus. Despite the complexity of its content or structure. The tonality of music. Invades the heart. You claiming the hard so swiftly and totally the beauty of music crosses all psychological and cultural frontiers there's a profound sense in which music opens a secret door. In time. And reaches into the eternal this is the authority and grace of music it evokes or creates an atmosphere for presents awakes to its eternal depth in our everyday experience the quality of presence is generally limited in broken music can transform this fragmentation it brings you back to the mystery of who you are then lover or friend it is as though music instinctively knows where you dwell and what you need music and touch the entire physical of intimacy is irresistible it takes you before you can hold it. It reminds us that we are children of the eternal and that our time on earth is meant to be a pilgrimage of growth and creativity. This is what music does it evokes a world where that ancient beauty can resonate within us again. And now michael and carry. Will give us. Flight. I think we will all give us light. Comes from ella baker the civil rights movement shiro's so that. Is fitting for this weekend for always in it. Comes from. The duo magpie. Who made the song give light and people will find a way. People will fly away. Give hope. My story this morning. Is also one about light. And people coming together. To do music. I have a dream. About music and congregational life. I've had that dream for a long time. I love the music. Of a pipe organ. Perhaps because i'm from the family of. Professional church musician. And also. Everyday congregational. Singing church musicians. I grew up and worked in sanctuaries where the space was one. With the instrumented. we want to feel one. With the music. Sometimes with a fig. Powerful pipe organ. The homebuilding. Shakes. With a vibrations of that organ and you are living inside the music. It's pretty amazing. But i also love the voices that make music. And that has become my strongest love of all. Have a tear each other's voices. And it do something together that the breathing and the humming and the singing and the clapping and the holding hands and the listening. Something. But has us all creating some experience together we so rarely have that kind of experience. It represents something to me it gets us out of our aloneness. In an embodied way. My understanding is not. Is that we are all the choir every one of you sitting here is the choir and i don't care if somebody in third grade told you you could not sing that is not true they were lying. To you. July that really resonated with some people here maybe it was first grade third grade. Sixth grade. We are all in the choir when you come into this room. But some of us here have chosen to make that a spiritual practice. And those people might be here on thursday night to sing in the choir they're dedicating a certain portion of their life to thing this is my life my spiritual practice all of us on sunday morning we are all a part of the choir i think i've made that clear. We are the pipe organ. With all its read. I despise. And it's air blowing and i no longer envy that went a long time ago a long time ago i no longer envy congregation. That has pipe organ. And when people. Say would you like an organ you do my mother died and i have a small pipe organ i just like no thank you we have lots of them right. Here hundreds of them. I love the sound of your voices together. Especially when you sing songs you know and love. And you don't need. The book. Okay but you are different when you're looking at each other. And looking up you are different. And so i wasn't looking for. This when i'm going to describe to you and show you. But this spring i found a physical space. A concert hall in barcelona spain and embodied much of what i believe about music and all of us. It is a place of beauty with exquisite detail it isn't the theater. Although it has a stage. Addison to church. Although. It has an organ that is so powerful that it can be heard outside the building which when you have an organ is no big deal but it's also her down the street. And theology if this building had a theology. It would be taken. The funders of the project. Built it specifically for the human voice to be heard the song human voice to be heard so you can see i started to get really excited about this. And the construction started in 1905 to give you an idea that time frame and the artist worked very quickly it only took three years to complete. A2200 seat concert hall. And the architect had a most unusual philosophy about the arts. And they had the money to build their dream. First this concert hall was intentionally built in the industrial quarter of a city. In a very poor neighborhood. The tall dark buildings surrounding this chosen site they could have built it in this very. Spell artistic area town where gaudi and everyone else was. Pudding. Beautiful buildings but. They chose. To build in this very industrial. Neighborhood. Everything in the design was planned to be reminiscent of nature with. Flowers and trees. Sing beauty. To a place where none would normally exist. They were intensely aware of how the industry took. The beauty out of the lives of all the workers and anyone who lived in that. Quarter of the city and indeed. Life they felt that way about life. The way we might sometimes feel about technology sometimes. The architect. Was. Louis dominique. Montaner. A senior colleague of anton gotti. Both were known for ornate buildings with bold designs. This building is ordained or adorned ordained and or doran with mosaics. From the ticket booth which is this beautiful thing. To the stained glass windows. To the collins all designed to look like trees in a forest. The hall is magnificent. There it is. In three years. This was built. There was a problem with how to bring light into the concert hall remember they're surrounded by. Industrial building. Everglass artisan designed a stained glass window of the sun. That literally draws light down into the room you can see the very tip of it there it is. And so the sun and it would feel honestly would almost feel this room. It's so large. And in the daytime the entire room is filled with natural light. No expense was spared to create what they called a jewel box of. Beauty. For all to witness 4. All to witness. 19 muses are arranged around a semicircle of the stage they are not. Totally visible to the audience. Anywhere you sit you can see a few. The muses were built. Enter the stage. For the performers. Not the audience. For the performer. One artist did the lower bodies that are all mosaic and what artist did the upper body's that lean out. One modern-day dancer commented said he thought he would be distracted like people are watching him. But for him it was as if he had companions with him as he performed for the audience they became his friends. How wonderful that is i just talked to the worship associates and i said you can place your family's pictures up here if you think you need friends. While you're doing your words. Saudis were. The friends. The final result of course is this concert hall. With amazing acoustics. Because of all the glass and hard surfaces and those who come to listen to the music were and our our right now surrounded by by beauty. And famous musicians came from all over europe. To offer their music. But the part that was the best for me. The one that made me set this story aside to bring back to you it's how the hell squire. Was created. The choir members came from the neighborhood. The everyday people around the palace of music which is what this is called. They couldn't read music. They hadn't received vocal training. The music they sang it first was very simple. Slowly the choir was todd had to sing how to read music and had to blend their voices and in time it did become a famous choir which is not the purpose. Of all. Choirs although i would love for you all to become famous. And they could say come to the unitarian universalist church of davis where you can sing. But my love. Is that it was a choir of people who came together to create something beautiful. And to beautify the world. The importance of beauty and how we can all. Be a part of creating it indeed we have a responsibility. To be a part of creating that beauty. Parcells. And for others. It gives us hope doesn't it. And it makes us think about what is possible. And now for more beauty. See the beauty everyday. I'm so sick and tired. Pencil. That's by lawrence cole. Our choir has performed that. Several times last year and probably will again. Tucker was our guest conductor at the umn conference. He had three. Pieces to teach to acquire about 250 music directors. In two or three rehearsals. What did he spend the most. Time on. Surprisingly it was articulation. Just what happens. In between the notes. He didn't want. This is one of the excerpt from one of the songs. Cool. Android that's not how we wanted it. He wanted. Cool. End. Annabelle. The style. The dance of it the very music. Is in the articulation. Food matters. What happens in between. It matters how i care for the beginnings. And the endings. Of each note. Maybe it matters what i do when i think no one notices. When i'm in between activities. Maybe it matters. Who i am when i'm doing nothing at all. Huffies rights. How should those who know of god meet and part. The way an old musician greets her beloved instrument. And will take special care. As a great artist always does. To enhance. The final note. Of each performance. Maybe all the notes deserve special care as we greet them. And part from them. Is there any melody. Any theme in your life. That is not worth treating as the beloved. How can additional presence and care. Make your good life. Great art. Are you a life artist. If you don't perform your life. To the utmost. Taking special care as a great artist always does. Who will. Most of our time in the un conference sessions was spent. Sitting in a block. Facing forward like you are now. I found myself becoming a bit exhausted and restless with it. At the end. The very last. Moment of the conference. We stood in a closing circle. Very large. 200 +. Circle. And held hands. That was an ending that enhanced the final note. It's stirred me like a great performance. It feels different to look around and see all the faces. How many faces can you see right now from where you are. It feels different to hold hands and be all connected. To the entire circle. We weren't quite in a circle but didn't it feel different. When the song that carrie and michael sang invited us to stand. And invited us to connect. And we sang. More together. Which it just feels. Different. To be in a circle. And when we're in that holding hands circle it feels obvious to me. What to do next. Which is. Pray. Horsing. Or both. And sometimes they are the same thing. And when we sing together. A voices. Can hold hands with each other as well as our bodies. Our ears. Can look around the circle and listen across. To each other. So we can enter. In song into a kind of ceremonial time. For the singing is not right or wrong or good or bad. It is. Presence. So i hope we'll see many of you back at 1 p.m.. And bring your friends. For the concert and thank you for these kiss. So go to the belfry and ultimately supports. Our campus ministry. Invite you to. Stand and take hands as i corral this money that wants to run away and to let me get to the back. Let me come on through. Until all of you i say. This week. May you go shining. Go shining into this world. And if you found a piece of beauty here or a piece of inspiration take that with you. Psycho. Shining. And let this gathering say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

2018-04-29-Who-Am-I-Really.mp3?_=1

Sunday sermons from unitarian universalist church of davis california. org for further information. Good morning our ministers are away and i'm your worship leader this morning autumn. As unitarian universalist we believe all people have inherent worth and dignity. You are welcome here. No matter how you identify or who you love. You're welcome in this community curious learners and compassionate listeners. If this is your first time here. Here we are. And this place of transformation and changed quieter now is our readiness. Voices hoping stressing for the emergence of many things. Poor connection for communion for inspiration and information. For healing for wholeness. Four words for music. For celebration and consolation. Come into the space bringing all of who we are. Let us be willing however we are changed. Each week we light to pillar candles. The first to acknowledge in this room. We light the candle for the sorrows of the world for the moments that weigh heavily on our hearts. And sometimes must stay there. And we light the second candle for the joys of the world for moments of hope and celebration. And lighting our chalice today is our guest rabbi seth castleman. Castleman is a teacher writer and storyteller. He lectures and writes about religion and houses of worship. Meditation centers the university and nonprofit organizations. Trained as a dharma teacher by jack kornfield. Also teaches mindfulness classes and retreat. Currently works with the catholic diocese of sacramento on supporting the spiritual and worldly needs a people recently released from jail. President of the sacramento board of rabbis. And he is married to rev elizabeth griswold a minister in the united church of christ making them perhaps only a couple in the united states. Elizabeth sears parkside community church in sacramento and they live in davis with their children lila and abraham. Good morning. Plenty of room.. I do have a story. No. Apple tree. Branches reaching up. And everything was good. Small. Have you ever felt small and insignificant. I work at the adults more than the kids. That is the sun went down. Gabba gabba. Branches. After the darkness of the sky. It could have been a owl. R-truth. Charge. We thought we have red apples. Juicy. On the inside. Children and youth are invited to go to their groups and we will sing them out. Has-been emergence. And i'm someone who falls in love with words that word of coming into being or of becoming important or prominence. And as i thought about this month's theme of emergency. And i thought about. Sermon who am i really. Images of all sorts of things emergency. Butterflies. Babies plants. Clarity. I didn't expect to find martial arts expert bruce lee on that list but there you have it. I found an essay in a 2015 blog called brain pickings from a writer named maria papa and she shared. Leon self-actualization and how our true selves emerge. To become different. From what we are we must have some awareness of what we are. Self-satisfied and crave most for a new identity. Have the least self-awareness. They turned away from their unwanted self and hence never really got a good look at it. The result is that lowe's. Cannot really attain a true change of heart. Transparent and their unwanted qualities persists attempts at self-transformation. And again the writer maria pop of asserts that learning not to do that is one of our big tasks in this life it's a really important lesson to learn. But we consider such perilous yet profoundly impulse for conformity. Human impulse for conformity. We have more faith in what we imitate than and what we originate. We cannot drive a sense of absolute certainty. The most poignant sense of insecurity comes from standing alone and we're not alone when we imitate someone else. So we are what other people say we are. And we know ourselves chiefly by pierce bay. A rice that we acquire a true sense of self-worth by examining ourselves in order to identify our talents and then working hard to realize them. Actualization is the true wellspring of self-esteem. Whatever is emerging in each of you. Community. Good morning. Our house for the sabbath dinner. Yesterday a man was walking in the woods. And over the cliff. He looks out of a lion. I was liking the story. But another lie. Red. Strawberry. Strawberries. A little. Taste. It connects us all. Perhaps in that moment. Deeply meaningful. Most spiritual traditions. Largely stems from our identification. Me. Mine. My job my car. My marriage. My my my my my. I was. In marin california which was a perfect i may not be much but i'm all i think about. Philosopher. Because 99.99%. Isn't one. What could that possibly mean. On the one hand that i am here and you are there you don't. Antibodies are solid. As far as i know none of us here can walk through walls. On another level. On another level. This thing that i call steph. A conglomeration. Different aspects. I'm different. If you will. That is helpful. As it seems. What is a car. So.. Car. Call the car. Because it serves us. Think of the concept as as one whole something that functions and takes us from point a to point b. Is rom.. If you don't have the concept of car. Pourhouse. Or room. We call this a room. Makes it a room. The walls before the ceiling the chairs the lights. What is the space we use. The empty space inside. Space. And floor and ceiling and chair. From the day we were born. We have a five-year-old seven-month-old abraham. Abraham. Abraham abraham. When i spent about a year in india. Give me meditation practice and traveling around. Decatur. Your name. Your body or your body. Sure i guess so which party at. I guess so. I'm confused she said. Who are you again. From the other side of the classroom yelled out. She said. Is it your mind what's in your mind. The teacher asked. Are they. Which one. And the boy called out the ones about me. And we are not there. Trying so hard in our lives. Alone in the first place. When we stop trying to be connected. Define love. Humanity. Pills with love and connection. In fact from this perspective it is quite clear. The wanting. Which separated us from us from the feeling of connectedness. It was only the one thing which stood between us. We wanted. I miss him dearly. The seven days of mourning. People cayman share stories. I miss him. But i've also come to see that the most painful aspect of it for me. Is the longing. Is the one thing it to be different. Is the wanting him not to be gone. Annapolis. Is it desirable east. A hoe. Can i can control things. The things can be different from the way they are. Offering. Washington's other. Ar. While we were together me and my family my sister. With my dad's wife linda into the house in san francisco for a week. I reminded my sister of a story that she likes to forget. We went for thanksgiving to visit orlando. It was a bit much i got sick in the car so let alone the roller coasters i was getting nauseous all over the place. And. And jenny is i reminded her a few weeks ago had a constipated look on her face and i said. She said yes but it was hard. She said yes. Am i. And of course was enjoying not telling her. Isn't that how it is in our lives. We feel like we have control because. That we are in control. Disillusionment. Is not a terrible thing. It reminds me a bit of one of my teachers joseph goldstein describes. Skydiving. Heading the first stage when you first begin the spiritual path. But then you get to the second stain. But there's no cell. Realizing you don't have a parachute. And it's terrifying. But he says not to worry because. There's no ground. If i. And yet somehow. And there is something. Makes us all one. Nothing. Love tells me i'm everything. In between these two my life flows. When the continents divided. Once the earth was all one piece of mud floating in water. No longer when we all in this together. Is the creation story. The story of the uncreated. Of one becoming many. What was whole became parts. It became man and woman up and down. It became separate dependent entities. And bothered by one another over that fence. Occasionally over the fence irritated by being needed. This was the beginning of dualism. Not me. But you didn't like that name. Before they were separated. The name. And this all happened when the continents parted. Now we can explore and discover in conquer and kill. Now we can fall in love and make love and feed each other and pickle and wonder and wine. And some of us are white and some of us are brown. And some are small and some are strange and broken. But just imagine if the continents and never split. As one. We couldn't. Even better we would come to see there's nothing other. The walls of separation or distinction. Because all these things. Occur in the mind. And your mind my mind in our collective minds. Just as an airplane from an airplane. Only in our mind is through that person. country. culture. As long as you and i are separate. In my mind and heart i'm capable of hurting you. My friend my enemy my lover are capable of being hurt. How would i treat you. As it says in the hole. Love your neighbor. And this is the more literal translation. Your neighbor for they are none other. It's like the beggar reluctantly letting go of this pattern blankets and crust of bread. In order to receive a chest of precious jewels. We get pasted it. Denouement. Falling in love. Sunset on top of the mountain. I had a taste of it then i'll tell you about it as my final story. I was leading a passover seder california. Freedom. Life with no chance of parole. After the ritual aspects. Matzo ball soup and chicken and this and that and the other they piled their place their trays high with food. There was a woman like my grandmother i thought. Spork. Remember those from elementary school. She started eating. Finally she realized what she was doing and she stopped. How much time do we have to. Look at my watch and i should. She said no rush. And the woman next door. 10 minutes meal. How long is that. I don't know how to eat slowly. She took another bite. She chewed and swallowed it and another. And then the woman to her right reached over and grabbed her wrists. And somehow everyone. And the woman. Woman shoes. Swallow. She had the sportback. She took another. And for the next 15 minutes that's four in forth between those two hands. It's hard to break the habit of identification. But perhaps. Perhaps a short moment. Perhaps the moments when we're about ourselves and caring more about someone else. We can get that tweets. One take. Strawberry. Common prayer. Silent prayers of our hearts. And the spoken prayers to our community. We pray for the sorrows of the first. Candle. The sorrows of loved ones lost. Pictures of mind and body. We pray for our own hardships. Open the hardships of ones we love. We pray for the hardships. Throughout the world. We pray for the oppressed. Pray for the oppressors. Pray for those in zones of war and hate. Syria. I don't swear. For the children. Abused. Frawley stars with gray. The second candle. We pray with gratitude. For good things into our lives and into the world. Springs arrived here in davis. New opportunities. Graduations in jobs. Relationships. We pray for peace for it is broken out somewhere continues to thrive. Ingratitude. For the oneness. The one mr2oc universe. From the innards of our heart. The expanse theme. Of the outer reaches. Have on mind. Divinity still all of us. Within. Without. Our prayers will continue. We all emerged from. Well we are transformed by and are called back to love. Before this mystery. And may the congregation say.

uudavispodcast_org

2018-02-18-Celebrate_We-Are-UUCD.mp3?_=2

Sunday sermons from unitarian universalist church of davis california. org for further information. And campus minister. As unitarian universalist we believe that all people have inherent worth and dignity. You are welcome here no matter how you identify the color of your skin matter your understanding of god or of life's big question. You are welcome into this community of curious learners and compassionate listeners you are welcome here. In the church and in our lives and certainly in our personal lives when we come into this to space. Knowledge all that is being held by the people in this room we lied to pillar candles. 1. Candles for the sorrows of the world. For the moments that weigh heavy on our hearts. For the joys of the world. 4 moments of hope. And celebration. There are many symbols. Of our community and the first is the flaming chalice that we light when we come together. The flame. Of our love our hope. Our togetherness. Next symbol is to be revealed right now you might remember that last year we worked on. Are covenants together. This banner will hang in front of the entry to our sanctuary a reminder. That we affirm our commitment to creating and living within a spiritual community. With actions based on respectful conversation. Receptive listening and open-hearted present. Do we have something very important to tell you and maggie is going to come up here and take us to little in this community we have lots going on behind the scenes one of those things is our caring council a group that keeps tabs on what's going on does visits to homes and hospitals bring meals gives rides and helps make connections. And we have our re-program that is happening over in the bridge house every sunday and also in the library and in the cottage a lot going on behind the scenes and maggie is going to tell us a little bit more about how they're connected. In our class this year we are using the new principals in the magical world of harry potter to learn about social justice. You can come. Together we fight. dark magic like hunger poverty in child slavery and sickness. Last month we learned that children are often forced to harvest chocolate and companies like hershey's use chocolate from such farms. We row of. Petition asking you. Asking them to use fair trade chocolate and got lots of signatures from you. Last week. Perry and carol from using. Mccarran can't counsel cook. We made these jars of magical soup. Tickets to the people in this church when they're sick. We hope that when they eat the soup they will know that we care about them. Today grill jankowski is coming to help our in our for biology lesson. Explore the magic of plants. It's lots of fun in our chest. Thank you maggie for telling us so much about your class and thanks to all of you so just a reminder if you do want to learn about the magic of harry potter and the uu principles you can put your name on that son in the table or there's so many more classes that are going on. As you may notice i am not willy robert. We believe that you get back what you put into something and often he receive much more in return. When i look back on the many hardships of my early years. I wonder how i developed such a belief. A belief that represents and eternal optimism. With perseverance and resilience. No doubt he's a tribute sorrow to the many caring adults i encountered. In december 2015 i joined my husband robert bacci pictured above in retirement. I was not sure i could let go of the important work that i was doing. Relinquished my inbox. I could focus on whatever i wanted to. I don't have time for our bucket list of travel and other adventures. The one thing i had neglected in my high-powered work life was my spiritual journey. And family and friendship we're still and balance. My spirit of life had not abandoned me. But i certainly had put her on the back burner. Her present echoed in my ears as we walked through the many churches in northern italy in 2016. I have been raised catholic but that faith experience did not bring me closer to god or to an understanding of god's that made sense to me. Robert and i returned from italy to face the presidential election of 2016. And to have our hopes for a brighter future for our grandson shuttered by the results. Consequently we decided to come to the uucd church in search of like-minded community. We were drawn to this congregations focus on goodness and positivity even in dark times. We became members because we found a church that was not selling religious doctrine or preaching dogma. Instead we found a community that cares deeply for the environment. And uniting for racial justice. And focuses on social justice issues that impact the most vulnerable in our society. As newcomers we have enjoyed circle dinners. We have learned about the history of uucd stories about the people who have and continue to enrich this congregation. During services we have learned as much from the elders as we have from our youth. About what it means to be a uu. By the diversity of ways to pray and worship. Ways that honor each individual's unique. Spiritual journey. Robert believe what we put into this community. Including acceptance. Friendship love. Care and support. We have benefited by participating in and supporting various church activities. This year i am assisting in the children's religious exploration program. Only to serve this congregation but also to learn from our youth and our children. Contributing his skills to the finance committee. Together we are engaging in small ministries. I'm so excited to be contributing as a worship associate. In this capacity i have developed a trusting relationship. With the worship leaders best morgan and danny. Explore topics and written intimate reflections. Not all of which have come to light during service. Or even made into drafts with the worship associate leaders. I receive constructive feedback and suggestions but never judgement. Other experience worship associate associates. Ali and tamara have been resources to me this year. I admire their stories and value their perspectives. I cannot imagine a richer way to continue on one spiritual journey than building close ties with others in this congregation. Environmentalist wendell berry and in change is true. Robert and i were married 35 years ago by a unitarian minister. We will renew our vows as unitarian universalist in this sanctuary. As i stated in early january it is our intention that we focus on the coming years as a. of balanced reflection and peace. I renewed covenant will be an extension of our spiritual journey together. And if you use we have embraced the spiritual community and its covenant to converse respectfully. Receptively and to be present open heartedly. Thank you for this reflection lily. Congregation is in part. A community of giving within. These walls. And in part a community of giving to the larger society. But we start with a recognition of our giving within this church in all the ways that we care for each other. The board of trustees enthusiastically approved a job change for allison skinner. She will be our music director overseeing our music program not only the choir and the being a choir director so congratulations to alison congratulations and she oversees our music program and the second part is that we are more than happy to give me some other words more than happy excited. In november. We had a service on the importance of receiving and giving and i intentionally say. Receiving and giving because when we give. What we just did was received from our own giving. Forget that idea that it's more blessed as they say to give than receive i actually. Really just like that phrase. Because without a gracious and willing recipient there is no connection between people. There is no connection between people unless someone is really willing. To graciously. And happily accept the gifts of others. No relationship of depth is ever created. Without someone understanding that received. Is a blessed and wonderful thing. By receiving. We are blessing the one who gives by affirming that their gifts has value that they have value. And allowing them to understand themselves as kind and generous. An able. To be about change. Changing someone else's life. Today is done with the intention to return to that topic of receiving and giving. Because this is indeed our stewardship. And a weekend when there was phenomenal giving. Receiving. Lyrics that were sewn on sunday in november when you will reap what you sow and sow what you reap. What you plant in your life. You will surely grow. Will surely bloom. And the fruit of your labor will come back to you. The lyrics refer to 2nd corinthians verse 96. Which reads like this. The point of this. Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly and whoever's bountifully will also reap. Bountifully. It really makes sense. What'd you bring. That's what you get. In return. If we want to be in relationship. Then we should practice receiving with confidence and grace and that also means that we are giving. In the same way. One of my favorite inspirational books. The read that i will do right before falling asleep. About money. Money twist. Truthfully the book isn't only about money. She writes about accepting all the resources that are available to us including moneytree. And i need to remember. How to empower myself. How to feel that i have the ability to change the world. Open up. One or two of her chapters. And that will help me. Twist work with the hunger project. The hunger games but that's a totally different thing the hunger project and organization whose goal is to end world hunger. Ending world hunger was truly possible and she still believes that today. He was committed to that cause. One of her primary responsibilities was fundraising from corporate gifts to receiving collections from gatherings of working-class people who came to listen to her speak after their days. To give. Because it was not given. With heart. Was not given out of a sense of abundance. Sparkling high-rises in our largest cities. The backstreets of india which he found inspiration from gandhi's adopted son. A sign of a very wealthy person in india. And gandhi adopted that son to teach him. A different way of being with money and wealth. Spend time with mother teresa. Strength and purpose for her life by asking three questions that are really central to what we do in this congregation until i share them with you. The first is who do i need to be. To fulfill what i am committed to. Who do i need to be. Turn up my sound a little bit because i. 2m afflicted with whatever was going around. The second what kind of human being do i need to forge myself into do i need to learn to be. To make this happen. What resources do i need to be willing to bring out in myself. My friends and the world. Who do i need to be. What kind of human being do i need. Forge myself into becoming. And what resources. Am i willing to bring out in myself and my friends and the world. Berlin twist asking people to look at what they value. Their ideas for themselves as human beings. And the resources that were within their reach. Is it her wake word a way for people to engage with their greatness that is how i understand. It's not singing for our supper as it were it's asking a group of people. To live into their greatness. Anyway. They can't do this. In any way of. So when we talk about giving in this church we're talking about working toward value of caring. Caringforeachother. Supporting giving hope. When needed. Each person ass. Who do i need to be to create a caring community i hope you're asking yourself that when you come to this place who do i need to be to create. A caring community what kind of human being do i need to be. What resources do i have to make. Those ideals happen. Islami ask a question that we can feel empowered. Connect it. Not lonely. Women consider those same questions as individuals and as a congregation of the news last week. Are there issues that we need to address yes. Who do we need to be to create a society that is just. What kind of community of human beings do we need to be. And what resources do we have to make this happen. Weather. Not isolated and alone. Together we can make a difference. We each have different ways that we can give. And last night at that talent show if you weren't there i will just tell you that there was a shakespeare edgar allan poe. Jazz being played by people i didn't even know they knew their fingers on a keyboard. They were all throwing beer cans. There was movement by children. Raging grannies singing songs about the political life of our country. Ukulele strumming and we learned how to spell ukulele. Excellent we really do learn. 2nd corinthians. The point is this. Whoever so sparingly will also reap sparingly and whoever says bountifully will also reap bountifully. Go to engage the community with a deep sense of belonging. Then we will need to give and receive abundance giving to the people within this community as well as giving the need in our society. As well as in the community. This is the time when we consider what we do have to give and yes. What we need to receive from this place and actually we usually pledged to what we believe we need to receive so it's all tied together. It's very very rare that i have ever regretted giving. Giving to a point where. Sort of on the edge. Never compromising my own safety in any way of giving. Giving. Really giving what i had to offer. Giving money giving time getting laughter giving friendship or kindness. And yes my financial. My financial contributions as well. I have almost always i actually can't think of a time. When i have not received more. Then i have given. Receive. And i do take it into the world but without this place. Do it. What is it that you have to give in always. To this place. And how can we take that. Amplify it in the world. Enclosing last weekend i was invited to a church to a picnic. Abby undocumented students at uc davis. And they were about 25 of them around a circle. And they were going over there covenant. But they were making in that moment and they make a new covenant every time. They gather together. They had some wonderful things which we do sandwich we don't. They go like this if someone can't hear. Like this because. If you say excuse me i didn't hear what you said you're interrupting someone. And you've lost what they said to all around the circle sometimes they would do this and people would say it again. Speak louder. They also had all these chants and cheers. Who is outside the knowledge of what was. Their customs for showing joy. Saying don't throw shadow on my sparkle. We all know what that might mean i like anything's sparkle so i was really drunk to that. Their biggest commitment they said was to make sure they know they are outsiders. Outside. But no one in that group. From the moment they approached the circle did not belong. That was their bottom-line for their covenant. Impress. Celtic. I was the only person there over about 21 years old. But i was a part of that group. When we were all our names. Yeah they made me go first which was great remember. Even the animal. Completely. Is amazing so we just saying can we bring that kind of energy. And that kind of giving to each other in this place and we do it. We can even do it more. So let's go there together. And so we sing. So one of our announcements of july for today was on february 4th we had a worship service for a congregation to learn about black lives unitarian universalist. We were given the opportunity to join other congregations in our denomination replace the promised fun that was not fulfilled in the 1960s. Is $3,000. We received this is pretty amazing 2300 on that sunday in february 4th. And over the last two weeks we've received several gifts that allowed us to reach our goal of $3,000 for black lives do you including god in memory of carrie dataland dory tattle so we have done it we nailed it. Please join me in a moment of pastoral prayer. For our congregation and for our world. Invite you to settle your mind and your heart and your spirit. To know that we will and prayer. Heart open wide. Because. This last week. We heard the voices of teenagers in florida. Demanding action by the country. Make this country safe for us. They say. Make our schools pay for us. No more shooting. We are children. We are children. And even in the midst of that sorrow. There are time. Happy birthday. Celebrate. Tomorrow. So even though we have. Struggles. In our lives there are joys woven in. These words from the blessing to the border. In november. But they apply to all of us as we live. Everyday. May i be open. Are heart softened. To feel experiences our minds ready to learn. And our spirits prepared to be troubled. Maybe accept it we will not understand everything. We be willing to experience. Confusion. May we be safe. And even when confused. Or troubled. May we know joy. Maybe find new friendships as we learned together. May we be blessed. And may we bless others. As we think about giving and receiving i would like to share my gratitude. All of you. What are the things that i was told before coming here is that this is a congregation that loves their intern ministers. From the very beginning as soon as i walked into the sanctuary and awkwardly lick the chalice for the first time with my partner. I have felt love. You have shown me this love through your commitment to my growth as a minister. Shared on a sunday morning to a lovingly offered critique of a sermon. To agreeing to take part in my small group ministry or acting in the upcoming history mystery. I think giving love guidance and support as a teaching congregation are some of the gifts you all have to offer. As well as making a financial commitment. To support your interns statement stipend. Additional funds so that i could be part of the life-changing arizona-mexico border trip. Because of your generosity your gift of love and support. I know that i am learning and growing experiencing all that you have to offer. Anna becoming a minister that will make you all proud. Thank you for your support your generosity your encouragement and your love. There are so many ways we give to the life of a congregation. Sharing love and experience to volunteering the weekly monetary offering to yearly pledges. And this week we are proud to be sharing the offering with davis media access. Whose mission is to build community through grassroots radio local tv. Websites and archives. The offering will now be given and gratefully received. And now my gift to this congregation is my enthusiasm. So i just want to give you an update on the pledge drive. So far we've heard from 105. Almost two-thirds of you have increased thank you so much. We have received. New pledges from five folks that's really wonderful thank you. A few folks have had to decrease in a few cokes have stopped. So we always understand everyone's circumstances and appreciate your continued support. Our net increase so far this year is around $8,400. Antigo for our increased for the next year's budget is probably around $10,000. Tell me what we look forward to hearing from the remaining 115. We hope you will give us an increase and maybe even go higher than we suggested. To help make up for the folks who have to lower their predators. Again will be available in the social. Even more important. And we would really be excited to talk to you about our budget planning process and invite you to join us. And your contributions to our community. Relationship of life moves to a new shape we are apart of the turn of the earth stars the pull of the sea.

uudavispodcast_org

2015-06-28_The-Thread-We-Follow_10_00.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. org for further information. Good morning again and welcome to the unitarian universalist church of davis you may notice that there are approximately 40 people who would normally be here who are not here this morning cuz of the empty chairs you see we have about 40 of the congregants including reverend beth banks gone this weekend to join a few thousand other unitarian universalist at the general assembly in portland so we look forward to their return and hearing about their exciting time together i've been reading some of the updates from folks that have been posting on facebook and it sounds like a really good time real announcements to just speak out today but i did want to mention as this is my last sunday as the assistant minister for pastoral care we have published on the back of the journal an outline of the lay leaders who are taking beings for many years so whoever you are the entirety of your being your race or gender your class or sexual orientation or gender identity or religious beliefs and traditions and practices all are welcome here in this place. We follow the threads in our life that remain constant access for us all those things around us may change even dramatically we change jobs and homes and churches people come and go from our lives our health changes our kids grow up and yet are deeper self remains constant it can help amethyst change to shine a light on that thread within our deepest self or to let others hold that light to lead us in or illuminate our path so this morning i've invited doctor reverend cody sanders tool for his first time here by the way not only as an exit strategy and illumination for his pathway and also is a symbol that are light is here for him him as a warm reminder of loves open door last week reverend beth gifted him a favorite chalice to maintain a connection with ruu base and this week he likes our chalice and although we cannot be at general assembly we get to see cody live and in-person we're so very grateful for all that he has done to kindle our fires of commitment connection and insight in this congregation. So yogic philosophy espouses that maintaining balance in our subtle energy body brings good health to our physical energy body energy ebbs and flows in response to our world and life circumstances but our true self is unshakable chakras are spinning wheels of energy that correspond to the seven central nerve ganglia that are branch out of the spinal column if you imagine a thread of energy running through your core chakras are like beads on that thread. If the thread is pulled taut. Connected into the earth and pulled into spirit than the beads lineup and the chakras naturally come into alignment leaving us feeling whole alive balanced. Twin lifeplex it that string or thread as it so often does it vibrates with our core truths. To speak and live these truths tentically is to vibrate in resonance with our core. The 6th chakra is isner or the third eye. We're invited to tap into that homeland of intuition dreams and visions are center of illumination and gateway to that personal internal wisdom the still small voice that it always knows the truth. That thread of our authentic self free from illusions. Ayurvedic medicine is an ancient ancient medical model and it discusses coaches twitter sheets of the self. Like layers of an onion. Five coaches make up a combination of physical and subtle bodies are physical substance breast energy knowledge. And the experience of ultimate bliss. The first floor can ebenflow and respond to our environment but the fifth coscia anandamaya coaches a sheath of bliss. It is here that we connect with our divine nature it is the layer closest to the intangible everlasting soul. Eternal bliss. Witches are true nature. We access this through the discipline of spiritual practice. I spent most of my years in my mental and physical body eternal bliss was not really on my radar. Aside from a few occasional pharmacological experiments of something deeper kept nagging at me but my drive to keep busy and accomplish things held that yearning at bay at a distance. It has been through integrating mind and body breath and movement and practicing open space and stillness that i've been able to explore that depot deeper level that bliss. My soul. My small still voice. That is truly been my constant companion. This community has been instrumental in urging me to see. Others throughout my life seem to have recognized my companion before i even took the time to look. But indeed there it is. My indelible soul meandering its way through times unfolding. Even though the interview chalice didn't want the light for a baptist there's a small flicker in the candle and i'm honored to have participated in that you you ritual so central to the services and now i invite you to do something very baptist which is stand to sing a hymn that is the official hymn of my home denomination the alliance of baptist as i prepare to leave uucd and move to boston massachusetts to begin pastoring the old cambridge baptist church in harvard square has called from wisdom emerging and i was looking at the him i noticed that there's no mention of god and no mention of jesus that's all this is a perfect him for the uu church of david. The way it is by william stafford. There's a thread you follow it goes among things that change but it doesn't change. People wonder about what you are pursuing. You have to explain about the thread. But it is hard for others to see you hold it. You can't get lost. Tragedies happen people hurt. Or die and you suffer and get old. Nothing you can do can stop times unfolding. You don't ever let go of that thread. When i first came to work at the unitarian universalist church of davis i never worked in the unitarian universalist context before having spent my life and baptist congregations. What i did i learned that many of the earliest universalist ministers were educated baptist clergy from new england who became the earliest evangelist for the good news of universal love and salvation for all humanity. And just last week i learned that the originator of the beloved uu flower communion was to elapsed baptist minister whose wife urged him toward unitarianism. And while doing the research for this service i discovered that carolyn mcdade who wrote one of the uua is most beloved hymns spirit of life ahem sung often in this congregation grew up southern baptist of my childhood. So i guess it's legitimate to ask where it would you use beat without baptist but this week. My last of the assistant minister for pastoral care i've reflected more on how this unitarian universalist congregation has shaped my life as a baptist minister. What i've learned here. How being in community with you has shaped my life. What way is my practices of ministry will be different after having served here alongside you. There's a thread you follow stafford says. It goes among things that change. But it doesn't change. Many of you know the story of my childhood church. Not the southern baptist church in which i was raised but when i was five years old i begged my father and grandfather to build a church for me and my backyard as a five-year-old i was in emerald with the music of the church and the music of choirs and the organ. Back into medellin in a little closer to explore the christian faith in which i was being raised at 6 i convinced my father and grandfather to build a small church for me in our backyard complete with a stained glass window that we released from lightless captivity and are real churches basement it had a white cross top stifel and a bell to ring in the faithful which consisted mostly of a couple of neighbor friends. My grandmother sold me a small ministerial road but during for the fight stole and my other grandfather would play preacher as i would leave the music of the church for several services each week. Very active congregation herald-journal a woman in a neighboring town contacted us to sell us her old electronic organ that she wasn't using any longer. Since then seven congregations. Including this one. Have nurtured the sense of call to vocation in ministry. That began budding in my childhood. Helping me to follow that thread. From south carolina to california. Southern baptist to unitarian universalist. Each of these churches has a gifted me with an opportunity to live out this sense of call and varied ways. The elderly women who taught me sunday school in my family's church and duncan south carolina treated me like their equal in conversation. Even as an 8 or 9 year old child. The organist to let me sit with her on the organ bench during services before my feet could even reach the pedals. The ministers who would take me on pastor all calls with them and they visited the hospital. The church in north carolina that hired me as a youth minister for the congregation at the ripe old age of 18. The congregation in atlanta georgia baptist congregation that embraced my sexuality and my sense of call to ministry and deemed them both good and right and holy. And ordained me into ministry. And the unitarian universalist church in california. That hired a baptist from south carolina. To provide for the care of the congregation. People wonder about what you are pursuing. You have to explain about the threat. But it's hard for others to see. While you hold it. You can't get lost. My time here as assistant minister has focused almost exclusively on the pastoral care ministries of the congregation so i spend a lot of time talking with folks about what care means to you as a community. I collected these words and drew upon them to shape a future direction of the pastoral care program here at uucd and here are a few of the pointy things i overheard in my listening sessions with groups in the congregation. These are words from various people collected into one paragraph. We understand that care. Is the work of the entire community. And it means care for the health and well-being of the entire community. We experienced distance celebration of life services and times when everyone in the congregation pulls together to help in times of need. Congregational care means everyone working together and is an ever-present ongoing process that involves all of us. Congregational care in short is congregants taking care of fellow congregants. Facilitated by a minister. It is the warm loving embrace shared across community at all times not just in times of crisis. This thread of community practicing care toward one another runs throughout this congregations story. I've heard so much about this thread during the past year. While you hold it. You can't get lost. The stories and perspectives you shared with me develop my own perspective on care not simply as an emotion or even as an activity we expressed toward one another. But as an ethic that we live out within our community. This ethic of care invites us as a congregation to continually ask ourselves what we believe it means at our best. To live our lives within community. What responsibilities do we have for the well-being of one another. How do we embody our community care in relation to those experiencing some particular need. Who is responsible for the acts of care express tear so just those designated as pastoral caregivers. Or is it every member of the community. You said we understand that care is the work of the entire community and it means care for the health and well-being of the entire community. Strong thread that runs through this congregation. And while you hold it. You can't get lost. Tragedies happen. People get hurt or die. And you suffer and get old. Nothing you can do can stop times unfolding. Lately our weeks have been filled with tragedy. Puking compared to the weight we felt as a country as we learned of the racist killings of nine black parishioners in their house of worship. In charleston south carolina. Tragedies injury growing old suffering these occur on scales large and small communal and individual. You name these important ways of marking life's tragedies when i interviewed two groups of you in the pastoral care visioning sessions after the jonestown murders in 1978 the congregation held meaningful discussion of the events that provided space to process what happened. After the attacks of september 11th 2001 everyone gathered with one another at the church to provide solace during a time of national crisis. And you said coming to a memorial service at uucd we are struck by the layers and layers of community and our individual place within it. My first sunday here. I participated in the healing circle to mark the one-year anniversary of chip and claudia's death. Week or two later i participated in the annual memorial wall service. As a congregation you've been careful to meaningfully mark these moments of times unfolding. And your example will remain with me as i go. Even amid the painful circumstances of death. I always feel privileged as a minister when i'm asked to officiate a funeral. Whether you're the minister of family chooses to accompany them in marking the profound significance of a loved one's death are you just happened to be the only one available for the job. It's a sacred. And weighty responsibility. And while beth was away i was indeed privileged to come alongside some of you and your grief to help the community mourn the loss and celebrate the lives of evan hardy the son of walter and deborah mcnary. And i'll harrison. Both of their deaths were surprised. Both filled the community with grief. And reminded us yet again that nothing you can do can stop times unfolding. Hotel stafford but set. But i'll harrison set it a little differently. When i was looking back over the homily i gave it allis memorial i came across a line i discovered in one of his books a line-out penned about death. He said if science is correct that the brain is a prerequisite for consciousness. Our clearest glimpse into the hereafter. Is a dreamless sleep. Somehow. The great void that extends to the indefinite past seems so different. So unimportant. Compared to that which reaches into the indefinite future. Wild nothing. You do. And stop times unfolding. The threads of our lives that reach into the indefinite future become inextricably woven together from the lives of those we've lost woven together with the threads that run through those who remain. Each life intersecting weaving the unfinished tapestry of this community. Are you don't ever let go of the thread. You don't ever let go of the thread. But the threads that run through our lives that we've us into a community art aren't the only threads that we mustn't let go of their equally important threads that we have followed that we're hard for others to see. Brazda showed us a path to follow in our work for justice even amid a week of celebrations of victories one and justice extended we must still hold tight to the threads that we followed to get us to this place. Do you use consistent standing on the side of love working for lgbtq justice and equality came to partial fruition this week in the supreme court's decision. That legalized same-sex marriage across the u.s.. It's a struggle for justice in my own denomination the alliance of baptists has been waging for many years as well. But it is of course only a partial step toward lgbtq justice i'll be in a major 1. With the persistent problems of lgbtq youth homelessness. And the eight states with laws prohibiting public school teachers from even talking about the reality of lgbtq people in the classroom. And the 29 states in which it continues to remain perfectly legal to fire employees because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. And the continued lagging behind of transgender rights and protections even amid gains for gay and lesbian people. We must not let go of the thread of lgbtq justice that runs through religious bodies like the uua and my own denomination the alliance of baptists. There's also the threat of racial justice that is woven throughout your uu history from unitarian ministers from across the us including your own minister at the time marching alongside king and selma. To the present-day black lives matters demonstrations filled with you you clergy and laity we see the ever-present necessity of this work. Charleston south carolina. In new york. In baltimore maryland. Ferguson missouri. And here in davis to. Threads of love. Injustice intersecting each life weaving the unfinished tapestry of this community. You don't ever let go of the thread. So. There's a thread you follow. It goes among things that change. But it doesn't change. People wonder about what you were pursuing. You have to explain about the thread. But it's hard for others to see while you hold it you can't get lost tragedies happen people get hurt or die and you suffer and get old nothing you can do can stop times unfolding you don't ever let go of the thread we join now in prayer holding in the light those within this congregation and our wider community sorrow and hope including the many families of same-sex couples who just this week gained recognition and equality under the law throughout the us the families of murder victims in charleston south carolina and the entire mother emanuel ame congregation whose life is permanently marked by this act of racist violence in portland praying and fasting during the month of ramadan many of which we have funded those who from our own but only when we refuse to see. Healing hands for the benediction go now holding tighten the thread you follow the thread of justice and equality the threads that run through the lives of those we've lost an extreme kabli intertwined with ours into the indefinite future when it's hard for others to see explain about the thread nothing you can do can stop times unfolding go now never letting go of the thread i'm in.

uudavispodcast_org

2018-07-15-The-Sounds-of-Silence.mp3?_=1

Welcome to sunday sermons from unitarian universalist church of davis california www.dav.org for further information. It was quite obvious from looking around as most of you know what that song is it actually came out in january 1966 which was a senior year in high school. You're fine. you understand why i chose to play the song a little bit later in the service. This is my nightie or doing a summer service. This year the final question that arose for me is what is piles what is the grace stylist so the service today is a product of some months of contemplation about what is silence. My name is kirk ridgeway i'm going to the worship leader for today with autumn baby bruno we are supposed. Helping us to make the service happen to the host a dedicated volunteers i think too deeply for their ongoing efforts and preparing this place for worship. I welcome you with your catheter explorer and affirm what it is to be human in our relationship with each other and in the world we live in. In this place greater knowledge and respect the diversity of spiritual pathways and a multiplicity of personhood ever-changing world we embrace all who come here equal compassionate and loving connection. Extend a warm welcome new and returning visitors. Today's service may you remember that in this place you are sexy just as you are. At the same time maybe we'll be open to changes a kalanchoe life in the life of those around you. Perhaps that change will be simply a subtle change in consciousness awareness. A willingness to take a small step in a new direction with seeing the unseen. Hoverboard. We take a moment now in the service she was with family she was making jokes trying to get her daughter to have a glass of wine at 8 a.m. as only kathy could. And she died comfortably knowing that she was loved and knowing that she was loved by many people here who came to visit her and her family said that was so meaningful and she had a stack of cards from church members and other friends and she has read through them in her final days. Stand for a moment and hold hands and we'll hold cassie and her family in our love let's imagine her here. She would be pouring oil. Into the chalice over her head organizing as folding laundry. Lighting candles and making sure everything is in order. Sharing her laughter and her stories and her clever smile. With all of us. Let's send our love to her family and her closest friends who are peeling. They always know the love. The comfort they will find here. Disappointment. Is only possible in a beloved community. Amin. Before we like the same of our chalice that is a symbol of our you say it if you came with the lighting of two pillar candles. One candle for shining a light on the joys that arise in our lives. And one candle for shining a light on the styles adorable in everyone's life. Each week we light this chalice symbol of unitarian universalism and as we can do this plane nayax park in each of us connection and commitment to this living traditions and to each other. Lighting arkhalis today is lenny pickett. I asked her and she said. As a junior high teacher with a very active classroom. As an activist for people who have had their voices stolen in our country sometimes silence just feels like. Once upon a time. And no man or woman to walk the land. There was only the depth of the sea and its dark eternal silence. Across the endless water at first. Just a whisper music was the oranmore the great song and it grew into a grease fire elaine gathering sound and momentum. Farmall h with the initial creation anymore creations came emerging out of the sound to the waters. One thing you'll be getting another until from an oak tree fell castrato to plant receiver to the first god. Ardmore ingrate you like sinon still sings on today filling creation for those who can hear it. With his divine harmony further out of the great silence. Very interesting to plan the service on silence with kirk the kitchen tv blaring the first broadcast of the day after school. It took me a long time to understand the connection between my mother's paralyzing anxiety and that television afraid of being alone. Equated tv with a noxious noise that i went a decade without owning one raising my own kids the tv was pretty much only on for family movie night and sesame street. Otherwise think much about noise and silence until i began hiking and backpacking at age 20. These new pursuits were introduced by a longtime friend married and i found his company and his lack of conversational ambition restful. Meaning of the tv blaring of the of the freeway ringing of the phone typing of the horns faded into nothing. Mylifenow. Is full of people and noise and distractions but i had an opportunity to get really quiet this past week and i learned a few things in the process. Today i'm at the tail end of an unprecedented two weeks off from work in a staycation and might ask during this time we're still prepare our daughter kyra to move to santa barbara and to set up and move into my art room i no longer work at the kitchen. I chose silence. I made a conscious choice to embrace the silence i didn't leave the house for 3 days i spoke only to the dog i also largely avoided email and social media during this 2 weeks. so by slipping my technicals heather's i was able to sleep in that silence and i highly recommend it if you haven't done this. Does silence equal teeth. Of course my mind busy place. Return to my work why. Which means structure deadlines people who acts annoyed but i'm also returning with an intention to be a little less plugged in and a little more open to the sounds of silence. Beloved prophet the love letters. In silence things take form and we must wait and watched. Inner and our secrets and lies been knowing elements which sees and hears that which we do not see or hear. All our perceptions. Well once and not knowing silent depth. Treasure chamber in the soul. And we're more than we think. Which is more than we think and know is always seeking an adding to itself while we are doing nothing or think we're doing nothing. But to be conscious of what is going on in our interior silence is to help it along when subconsciousness becomes consciousness the seeds in our winter and flowers and the silent things with all its might. Find a warm place summer saturday afternoon in 1966 we gathered for a barbecue about a dozen of us the gathering the last gathering before we headed off to college and unknown future. You can be sure spirituality was not a topic of concern in the background. And strangely one by one we all became quiet and still. We were frozen in time and space. Silent photo present in the moment. Who sings the music as one. A very surreal moment for teenagers at a party. Estranged teenage behavior. A moment of communion a respite from the tumult of our gathering and life is self a spiritual moment this memory has returned me many times since then with a continuous tense. Since then i've had other experiences of silence. Assigned to retrieve a vision quest in death valley time alone in the forest. Good morning sitting with my first cup of coffee the sounds of davis traffic and train in the distance filter to do morning rush hour windows on my home. Ordinary moments of silence. Sublime moment for silence. We are designed to hear sound as hearing is a primordial auditory sensed mediated to our ears and interpreted in our brain where we assign meeting. He sounds a riser out of what we call silence. Which is said to be the absence asylum. Get in the human experience. Funny a relative absence of sound. Pictures no true absence of sound even with deafness 4 in deep space what does the sound of silence. What are the sounds of silence. Understand and appreciate silence expiration of noise sound and music considered for this morning let me give you three experiential examples. Sex noise. That sounds annoyed that had me. We recognize it as a single note. Those who know music. Damian is a meaningful metal construct of a sound as analyzed and categorized by remind. Those sounds recall music. Which is a set of complex superimposed harmonious sounds. Music tracy ever-present soundscapes in which we reside. Are soundscapes are mostly taken for granted. Think of a soundscape you experience everyday. A busy city street a walk in the forest a concert your workplace your home he's soundscape. How does raichu's by plugging into itunes. Every interpret and assign value to the spouse case we hear become aware that they are powerful thought and emotion generators which impacts every aspect of life. The impact is very individualistic and contact sensitive either enhancing our well-being or being a scores the stress and anxiety. Our world is getting noisier human activities changing the earth's natural soundscape. Especially do traditional economy increased urbanization and traffic. Compete with our presence in the world as it's distracted interferes with our father and others perceptions. Health organization has problems. I can just go air quality. People who have studied and recorded sound has shown that the noise in our environments are increasing to the point that there are few places on this planet free of the invasive noise of human activities. As a result harder to find as a stain. World natural sound space. There's something revelatory when immersed in deep and prolonged natural silence. We access at knowing silence. The treasure chamber of the skull. Nature is the think-tank of the skull. Think about the grace pages pearson spanker come to their way of thinking through the transformative experiences in a chamber of the natural world. Are we any different. What spice is fine there. Become. The question. What is the sound of silence. Ipass andre to perform one minute of a piece of musical arts that's was first performed at woodstock in 1952. Are just heard part of the famous a controversial saban car piece of musical arts that consists solely of silence. It's called 4 minutes and 33 seconds by john cage 4 minutes and 33 seconds has to do with in 1952 at organization music with putting out music in gas station stores and restaurants and the average length explorer minutes and 33 seconds. At the first performance many of the audience walked out halfway through the performance i'm glad to see it mostly stayed i think all of us a sitting quietly for any length of time are generally unaccustomed to especially in a concert hall setting. Serving some interesting studies soundproof room for 15 minutes. High percentage found this intolerable. Spiders with a noise at their own sauce they became bored restless agitated. Questions to ask yourself. How comfortable are you with the noise of your own thoughts. Two beauties 3 require external stimulation for distraction. Tolerate. Second composition of our environment into the foreground. Address of different address a different perspective mostly overlooked. In the final analysis 4 minutes and 33 seconds was about listening to everything. There are many sounds of silence. Salvestrol n word. Think about this mysterious internal void. A pan of boiling water. Disappeared. Voices as a bubble up as if they were voices even talk to them. Sometimes out loud listening for answers. Sometimes you're unable to get a word in edgewise because our brains are chatterboxes the luxury ruminated perseverate running in circles too well rehearse words and stories - shadows the monkey mind. It can be very noisy in our mind. Even if we're sitting alone esquire forest for alone in our home. The sound of music of our stereo weldar progenitors of our interior soft noise. Automatically. With clear awareness. Something impossible to do if our exterior and interior environments are filled the excessive noise. We do need frequent and healthy doses of natural silence provide relief for noise. The sounds of an able listening for the incisive pilipino are outside noise so we can hear the music of our skull. How do we find silence in this increasingly noisy world. I asked this question of the poet david why you when i was with him in england and a group of other paulist being among the natural wonders of the latest wicked just very easy for me to quiet my mind. I wondered how i could possibly do this. I'm at the traffic in noida of my home environment and their neighborhood noise. David describe to me how that goes down to fully enter my being. Acknowledging them. This is the practice of non-attachment astound. The practice of non-attachment. One that can be learned by any of us. Either way we can experience a common silence even in the airport lounge for hospital emergency room. Living and listen to what is happening now instead of escaping into the past or future or trying to alter what is happening now to thought action or the distraction of noise sound or music. Here is a vital first step. Simply stock. Turn off the cell phone turn off your music turn off your tv and take a staycation. Like autumn did. Becomes too quiet. Listen. Listen. Listen to the soundscape of the inner and outer world your hat in the present moment. Practice being an interested observer for a minute or longer before you spit often next task. Take a few moments throughout the day to connect to what is truly important to you a moment to relax your body and your mind. Can you envision how this short time out may be beneficial to your physical and mental health. Others have. The value of stopping was made it crystal clear to me when i spent a week at tassajara zen center. During the day. And everyone to stop whatever they were doing. I stay still and silent. Stay still until the gong sounded again that everyone would resume what they had been doing. For a while it higher community was in communion with silence and by extension with each other. And unity. Amazing respite for me even in the quiet activities of the zen center. Blessings currently well. I wish i had learned it how much younger age how to become more intentional and attentive. Back to the party i talked about earlier. What are the moment of silence about conclusive people interested in this together in this sanctuary. At one level it is an individual opportunity for mindful reflection on what is important and essential in your life at the present moment. Time to catch up with yourself in preparation for what is before you as you quietly reaffirm that you are listening for an alive human being ripe with possibilities. Another level. Does having a shared experience with others i valued sense of belonging to something greater. Corrine that moment we are all one and focus attention and intention which connects us to our senses to our shared. In that silence each of us apply for invoice because. And those moments are collected respect for each other. As a stylist. Tickets for the silence. Instead join us. Describe the shared moment of reverent commonality. A grounding spiritual union. Audio shanti status. Spirituality. Spirituality involves finding the resources of interest ability. Federal way appliance can open up to the center stability. The party was a spiritual grounding where the croup. I worship together in the spanish word offers us the possibility of that gift certificate mindful inner stability. Kompas.com. What was it in the wilderness with a peace enjoy. What was it that came to us in the forest of solitude. It was nothing else but the depth of your own life which is sliding like adepts to the gray stadium. So silent and still. Is the surface of the sea that makes ways and thundurus breakers. Is silent. Also. And it's all-pervading unbroken inseparable unlimited everlasting omnipotent silenced do nice with our silence of flames. Like the meeting of flames. Is the median. Hannah spearritt. Baby song. Join with me in reflection meditation or prayer to the poetry of david white. Breathe slowly and deeply be present in this moment listen. That's well within the forest the world. But we might connect again with all i'm more surprised song. Corey lighting counter immediate of our skull. And our spirit. It is only in the forest that i realize how many rooted structures exist inside of me. In this playlist. I stand revealed. As we leave this quiet for us. Returning to this time and place a pause for a moment to stand and empathy for those who struggle with life-and-death issues with think of kathy tucker she was a great joy in my life we shall miss her. We think of all the children and parents of immigrants for a face harsh separation and our deepest hopes for the reunions to puccini's spoon and we. Lookout fruit pouch between just communicate with all that is happening in our world and we apply our goodwill strong will a skillful will and spiritual will equanimity. Please join hands mr poet rumi why are you so afraid of silence. Sinuses root of everything 100 voices for thunder messages you long to hear. Do not require, we're listening to silence for the messages you have longed to hear.

uudavispodcast_org

2013-12-01_Two-in-One_11_15.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. org for further information. So this morning i went to say that welcome and you accepted just as you are it is so good to be back here i feel like i'm back home i was in sacramento last week speaking with the unitarian universalist church sacramento society to its fabulous it was my first time being there as one of their preachers. So this morning i want to say that you are welcome just as you are full of tofurky full of turkey whatever it is that. You have had fun with over this last weekend you are welcome right here. And i hope that you come not just. Feeling complacent because i hope that you come here wanting to be changed. And maybe the changes that you want to feel more joy and where happiness or maybe you want to feel a sense of belonging. But i hope that you find that here a way for those things to happen. May this be a place of comfort for you where you know if you belong and also a place where you're challenged. To just to be your best self. To do it. And on that journey there are people here with a diversity of beliefs and god or whatever it is that you plays for you place her ultimate trust that's different for each one of us. And on this journey that were on together. They're people of different sexual orientations and gender identities. And people of different classes and races in. And physical abilities as well. So invite us to come and search together to reach for a best self. And i want to invite you if you are new to get to know us by stopping at the welcome table and let us get to know you as well and if you have a joy or sorrow to share. I'd like you to light a chalice at the milestone table which is right behind where tom jankowski is sitting and to light a chalice and individual chalice back there and to write a page and let me know if it's a pastel emergency i will get back to you. This afternoon. The first advent candle is for hope. How close in the present moment. And in the future through the lives of children and young people when you you children see a need in the world they work together to help they know that giving health is in their power. The future is brighter for everyone. One of the programs are young people are helping with his trotter and organization that brings horses together with people who find their presents healing. And so we light our first evan advent candle. This sunday is a bridge between our thanksgiving holiday a holiday of giving thanks for all that surrounds us it is good. An advent the christian recognition of the donners waiting this is the first sunday of advent thanks to those who've been teachers in this congregation we all have something to share with others no matter how old we are all of us are teachers or mentors sometimes we share information and other times we teach by how we live our lives thank you to the teachers among us who have shared how to live is auu by how they live and what they tell us and worship together honoring our lives with things and beginning a time of waiting. I'm so glad we get this opportunity to show our appreciation for our lifespan leaders and teachers today. These are the leaders of our adults classes and workshops. The leaders of our junior high called mugs middle school uu group and our senior high youth group called unique and i never can remember what that stands for but they will tell you they're back there the teachers are pre-kindergarten through fifth grade classes who meet in the bridge house on sunday mornings and our child care workers. All give their time and their care. To all of us in this congregation. I can't share every story. From these wonderful folks that i happen to know about but i can share one. So this happened last year and i remember after service after our childcare and our sunday school classes happening at from 11:15 to 12:30 in the bridgehouse i remembered there was two teachers from the explorers group that came to me. And they were just like their eyes were wide open and they just wanted to tell me what happened. So i found it we found a quiet moment. And they said you'll never guess what happened. We were telling the story to the explorers kids and these kids are first through third grade. And some of them had heard the story before. But instead of the kids saying oh that's boring you don't want to hear that again. What the kids did was he say you know what that's active story out and the teachers were present enough and flexible enough where they said wilshire. And so what happened was those kids what they did was give plot development they organized the teachers became part of the learning and part of the whole creative experience so they were no longer outside the group it was the whole group working together to bring this doritos life and they're the look on their faces told it was just like. Wow. This is amazing. And that's something on a pretty regular basis that the unexpected can happen when you're open to it. So that was one magic moment. There are adults this joy of learning may seem more sophisticated. But it's also common. Leaders and participants have shared with me. The amazing poems that were written. In various workshops. The depth and inspiration that he has found in the spiritual practice groups that we have. The wave being in a tiger. Have connected them to this community in a deeper way than they knew was possible. Beth now has a few words that she'll tell us about and then i'll be back and it's a very few words i just wanted to mention that when we do a service here almost every sunday there's between 40 and 50 people who helped to make that worship service happen in the programming between the teachers the musicians the people in the sound booth the folks who do the greeting between 40 and 50 people every single sunday and i think that it's kind of amazing. They're almost invisible. Lauren mills going to share a great thanks to teachers and she has done a wonderful poem for us in the past and i am hoping that this comes right from the heart. I sat at a table with two christians and an atheist and one of them very confused asked me if you don't learn about the bible in sunday school. What do you work. Travel to krakow we learn about other religions and. How to treat people in stuff. It was an accurate response but it was by no means adequate. In sunday school or are you or i will or co-op. We learn how to respect each other's opinions and ideas. Don't only do we learn what religions are but why people have them and likewise by they don't have them feel into question into wandering to doubt our own beliefs most of all we learn how to treat people when it comes to religion. Socrates once said. Education is not the filling of the bucket. But the kindling of a flame. Bbmas these amazing teachers exhibit this philosophy perfectly but not teaching kids what to think. But how to think. Imagine what the world would be like if everyone had these teachers. Thank you. So at this time. I'm going to invite the members of the children's and youth arricam council who are here to come up we have a little memento to give. Any adult leaders and teachers and asked also our youth leaders and all the teachers were currently in the sanctuary who have been teaching since july of 2013 anybody that's hot. If you're about to teach this year please don't be shy about coming up so children's and youth council would you please come up. And i'd also like to invite up. All the adults leaders of workshops in 2013 all the childcare workers all the people that are teaching in the bridge house with rainbows explores as soon as you come up. Our cyre folks will give you a small pin that we hope you will wear on your name tag. Children and youth if you see a teacher that you recognize and you'd like to stand up here with them you are most welcome. So now they're all up here. Dear congregation please join me in thanking these people who are giving their amazing care and time and commitment to all of us. When are children's religious exploration program voted for this year's fundraising beneficiary hands-down the first choice fell to fell into the category of animal rescue i truly believe. But we do have one more thing that we want to do before. Children and youth go to their groups and that is we would like to recognize kate raymond and don't you think so with all the planning we had to kind of truncate all of our communication so that she didn't see all of the planning so jesse should use r e council. Can you hear i'm just thanking kate 4904 many people in our case in our family i think it represents a lot of what happens to children at you you they generally come into contact with kate or the works that she's created and it's been so important for our family going way back to when my daughter first arrived at the door she was the person who opened the door and welcome to her and she's been here ever since now that she's 13 is pretty long-standing she's been there for every every teaching every i'll program every overnight every retreat every memorial day and i personally can't think kaden enough and i'm sure my story is very typical for are you people so thank you kate. So now is the time of their children and useful move to their group and thank you kate you are loved you are loved. Sometimes i wonder how we come to know things as we grow up we learn how to think either or thinking is basic to our world as we live our lives we live in a society very dependent upon the collection of data in science and the scientific method to opposing ideas are formulated the scientist in demonstrates that the data collected from the world. Is not as likely to have curd in a 1/2 pot this is is under the other for example suppose i'm interested in finding out about the relationship between a person's height and weight. I believe there are related i wish to reject the idea that they are not related. I miss your people's heights and weights and calculate a measure of relatedness. The real-world measurement indicates that there is a relationship between body height and weight. I reject the idea. I reject the no relationship hypothesis and excitedly pronounce to the world. Does it constructs of height and weight are related. This is either or logic. That is the basis of the scientific method. Is this either or logic type of logic always right. Our technological world is based on the assumption of a concrete and accurately measurable reality. Modern thinking questions these assumptions. Reality is not really objective. It's subjective. And a function of our upbringing in the society in which we live. Perhaps the world is not really either or. Some philosophical thought talks about it either or or both. Position. Look at this picture. What do you see. Can i hear some excision frog anybody see anything else. What else do you see. Water. Let me rotate the picture. It's the same picture now can you see the horse can you still see the frog. Is it a matter how we look at the picture yet both are really there at the same time. Do i decide this is a picture of a frog. Of a horse. Or both. This is a dilemma that we face everyday. I have no answer. I'm left with the same dilemma as everyone else. It is an easier world to live in if we believe in opposites. Good bad. Beautiful ugly. And so forth. But without bed can there be a good. How do we know something which happens today and seems to be bad will not turn out to be good another day. What seems to be the full today maybe ugly tomorrow. I'm confused. An alarm for simplistic way of thinking. If you look at him number 303 which were going to say and you'll see that if written by kenneth patton humanists of our movement. A time when. Archer school for teaching. About jesus. Baby learned about jesus as the carpenter's son. What was the name of the book by its sophia lion fuzz. Jesus the carpenter's son. The humanist teaching. Buy jesus the man. Cuz you. Sing this look at the lyrics. And think about. Human beings and how they believe they've had the potential. To do everything. So the idea that our day is just beginning our lives are just beginning and we have control over all of that the wind comes from our mouths. What a time. Be patient toradol that is unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms. I like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not seek the answers which cannot be given to you because you would not be able to live them. And the point. Has to live everything. To live the questions now. And perhaps you will then gradually without noticing it live along some distant day into the answer these words. Byron are maria rilke. Be patient. Where'd all these unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms. Books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. These words by real k we're music to my ears i was grateful to have had real case book isn't a sign text in our unitarian universalist seminary. I needed to be reminded to love unanswered questions to love. Loft rooms. And i'd forgotten how to be intrigued and not only frustrated with books that were written. In a language i did not know. I was living a puzzle. I'd rolled and history of religion into different seminaries i do love history 1 course was in the unitarian universalist seminary and the other was in the liberal christian seminary in the same consortium of schools both courses covered much the same span of time but from different perspectives. The difference is weren't puzzling. They were enlightening they were exciting. The lost room. The language that was foreign. What's the trinity. The father-son. And the holy spirit. I struggled. As a lifelong unitarian-universalist to understand incarnation which is the theme for this month of december and you will see this, before you many times this month. The spirit became flesh and lived among us. I wasn't alone in finding that i was learning a puzzle. Others who knew themselves to be christian were often struggling to. Hugh had learned the history of how the doctrine of the trinity came into existence and for some it came as a very unwelcome surprise. And although the professor hadn't intended for our class to become a living example of the early christian movement that's what happened in 325. Gather to create a consensus on whether jesus was human or divine. If it was both and what was the mix. And unitarianism can identify its beginning at this very gathering. In our class on what was known as polly hill. We were confused about the identity of jesus. And we lit relive that struggle at the early christian church we circled and circled around each other trying to parse out jesus that divine from jesus the human and in the end we were firmly a sconce indifference theological camp we even sat together at the unitarians were as you might have guessed the minority opinion. The biggest disagreement among the early christians and they had many reasons to disagree but the biggest was this nature of jesus how was he unique different from all the other prophets of that time preaching around the mediterranean. Was he the latest in a long line of profit and if he was only a prophet how would they justify a new religious community you had to have. Profit of special profit. To allow a new religious community to begin was he two-in-one both god and human. There was an early consensus they came to that jesus could not be understood as simply human. It just couldn't be had to be special. The puzzle became how to describe jesus as more than human. But then also to recognize only one god. And i am very little background to equip me for this discussion with christian seminarians i was raised unitarian universalist at a time when we studied jesus the man and this is what i learned. He was a carpenter's son a tradesman's son and it was expected that he would be a tradesman to. And instead. He became a disruptive teacher. He talked with people in riddles and parables and he used everyday experiences to make his point. We stay the stories of his relationships with others his love of equity and his compassion jesus was an exceptional human being. Who pushed the social and political limits and was killed for his political views. I hate to admit it. So when i entered seminary. Jesus was not on my mind. And i didn't admit that. Too many others who are in the christian seminary jesus was not on my mind i attended seminary because i love congregational life i loved it deeply. But even more i love to study. And experienced religions. I hadn't given much thought to jesus and because of this my views about him had not changed since my earliest years. I was still living. With my childhood images. Purdy jesus continue to be the carpenter's son who became much to the amazement of his parents i assumed and perhaps himself and agitator who antagonize the establishment. As an adult i wanted to understand the trinity. I wanted to understand it. Not as an outsider. Not as from foreign belief. But the way a christian who believes in the trinity would understand that i wanted to understand the religion the way i had come to understand buddhism. When i lived in a training temple in south korea i wanted to understand the way i had felt the beauties. Of the vietnamese buddhist honoring their ancestors at home altars. But if i studied. With other students. About the trinity i only became more and more confused. And i was perfect to see because there were no clear answers in the year 325 either. At the council in 325, narrow. Two sides of the argument surfaced. There are those who believe that jesus was god. And they created an explanation of god is the father god is the sun and god as a spirit. All parts. Are equally filled with this god giving god stuff. The opponent the aryans believe that jesus was human and then touched with divine. Jesus and god. What different. And separate. I was known. Court being. An unusual problem solver. And so i talk to the professor. And i wasn't really sure that he was a hiker but i used an analogy of some food that you would take hiking and i said so. Do you know about glorp. Like there's a chocolate and there's nuts and there's cranberries and you mix them all together and their separate but they make one fabulous cole is that like the trinity. And i said well and so then there's granola and that's honey and oats and raisins and they're all big together and they kind of become one. And so is that the way i understand it. And there was a long spell of silence. Songs of ellis island. You said yes i suppose. But no one has ever tried to explain it to me that way. So i decided that real k was wise when he wrote. Do not seek the answers which cannot be given to you. Did not seek the answers that cannot be given to you and i thought the answer is simply not going to be mine to understand and that is one way. You can accept. This is going to be a mystery. In both the unitarian history class and in the christian seminary do i discover that throughout history they would be religious leaders would challenge the concept of the trinity they would surface and italy in poland and switzerland in england and ultimately in this country and we hold them up. As having revealed a simpler. True message about jesus. However some of our forebears like john servetas from the 1500 would have been no less oppressive in the inquisition. If they had the power of the governing church. Head of the young man at 21 years old to be specific surveyed road in the margins of k books on the trinity calling k a simpleton. And then he said k book back to him and he was astonished that calvin took offense i think he was not high on social graces and i admire the scholarship. Neither calvin nor servetus was interested in hearing about the possible errors. Of their own thinking. But there was another man who encouraged a way of being a religious human being. And his example is one that would allow people through the ages to define for themselves. Jesus is human. Or jesus as divine. John costello live dead time of the inquisition and he is as much a part of our heritage as those who argued argued for the humanity of jesus and his contribution saved more lives than any doctrine. Concilio condemned whole inquisition and all who would impose their beliefs on others he taught that one innovation of religious thought would naturally and beautifully lead to another. And when trying to answer the questions he encouraged each person to study he has to study. And then to add evidence from what they knew in their life experience. And if those two were in disagreement then. Apply reason. Define clarity and nothing. Nothing. Was above correction. It was because of john castillo. But i was able to make sense of jesus as human and divine. And studying for months have not helped me to understand and it didn't help the church for centuries either. But when i applied my life experience. I slowly discovered what i needed to know. And not everyone came to the same conclusion. And that is exactly the way it should be. Real k expressed it well. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now and perhaps you will gradually without noticing it. Live along. Some distant day. Into the answer. I came to understand the christian words about the incarnation the spirit became flesh and lived among us when i witnessed had a beautiful animation of a human body. Ends with death. It's the only way i could describe death with that the spirit had departed. And i never would have used that language before. It's like something is gone. And then i started to notice the spirit as it's live in every single person. Father alive. I moved. Everything about them that's so unique. Perhaps you have noticed it too. How there's a spark that shines in everyone everyone. But it is brighter in some. And buy a spark i need a weariness. And a present that is powerful. B park i mean. Direction. In one life. Others are drawn to share that direction. Advise park i mean having the courage to say present in challenging moment to say what needs to be said. To do what needs to be done everyday. And you know these people when you sit next to them and you may be sitting next to one of them right now. And you know the moments within yourself. When your own sense of self shine brighter. And yet you know you are human. And you know you are not perfect you know that about yourself. More than anyone else. It's not a long stretch to say that there are those whose influence reaches further than most and history tells us that they are human and they have stumbled and have tarnished histories even with their greatness. And so i can imagine a carpenter's son a tradesman's son who became a disruptive teacher. Who drew people to him from poor and from the wealthy and even those who found him to be a threat especially those who found him to be a threat imagine them being drawn. To him. It's not difficult to imagine that this great personal power. Which i would call his divinity would prove his undoing. And also is what would save. His message. So this is what i would wish for you for all of us. That we will look at the most difficult question is placed in front of us. As if it is a locked room. Or a book written in a language that is foreign to us. I did not fear the question or dismiss it but see it as being worthy of being loved and turned over and inspected. And we will study that evidence that is before us. And then add our own life experience in your gut feeling about it. And then only when necessary apply reason. And then with what i think this is all wisdom the wisdom that comes from this recipe. We can live into some answers. And it isn't just an intellectual exercise this is a full body full soul exercise. The human. And the resources that connect us. . deep courage to be present in life are found in every single person. And some may touch lives far beyond their own. I do this is how i came to understand that jesus so easily could be two in one. Cuban. And divine. The spirit made flesh and also. I'd also. And you. I would i would invite for all of us has to go through our. Day today. Seeing. The spirit. The divine. In each person that you see. I did notice the difference. And how you are together. Each and every person. And your day will end. In beauty. Invite you into a time of prayer and meditation. In this time of thanks in the season of thanks. Knowing that your life will be changed by evening. Allow yourself to. Leave behind the expectations that others have of you and you have of yourself. I simply give thanks. For friends and partners who get who we are. And accept us even though they know we have not yet reached perfection. And they could tell us how to get there. And sometimes they do. But this is the work of love. And let us simply give thanks. For the surprising the amazing bodies we have. Did naturally seek to become whole. And healthy. And he'll more often than they give into disease. Until the time comes when they are ready to return to that larger circle of life. And death. They are. As miraculous as anything created on this earth. And this is proof. The resiliency of mind and body. Life comes to us with gifts wrapped in sorrow a lost job that allows us to shake the burdens off and start anew. The betrayal of trust that force is a new level of honesty. The illness. Fairway kansas to the preciousness of each moment even for such sharp grief we hope for reason to give thanks. In some distant day. Believing that the reason for thanks will come to us and we bend our lives to make it true each of us is a part of an intricate web of relationships when one of us celebrates a joy or grieves the loss. The web of life moves to a new shape. We are apart of the turn of the earth the shift at the stars the pull of the sea and all change. Amen. I'm blessed be and i invite you to. And. With we give thanks and is number 1010 but you don't really need your hymnals cuz i'm just going to call out and you're going to respond. Attendant. Oh we give thanks. As we did with our teachers. And all of those who care for children and youth in adults. Stand as you're able. Maybe i just shake hands around the room. And the point is to live everything i said to live the questions now. And perhaps you will then gradually without even noticing it live along some distant day into the answer and maybe so with you and let this gathering say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

2018-06-17-Love-Surrounds-Us.mp3?_=2

Welcome to sunday sermons another recording from unitarian universalist church of davis california www.dav.org for further information. You are welcome here if you're filled with joy. If you have a message to share or a need to be quiet and to listen you're welcome in all your fullness your race and culture sexual orientation and gender identity religious views or political party. Come to connect with community come to honor the earth's come clean your spirituality. To knowledge all that is being held by the people in this room we light one pillar candle for the sorrows of this world for the moment that weigh heavy on our heart. Can we light one pillar candle for the joys of the world. For the moment and the moment's a celebration. We like to challenge our symbol of unitarian universalism are words by maureen killoran is the inspiration. Sharon says for those of you who are only seen danny you can only imagine how much. Fine and how wonderful she is to work with an internship in campus ministry team meetings. Weather for this year's internship eager to learn and it has been delightful to watch her metamorphose before eyes. Thank you sharon. Answer the call of love in many ways and if you are part of a quilting group or if you are going to general assembly this year would you please eat in the back of the sanctuary right now thank you every year thousands of unitarian universalist days of worship and workshops and business as we work together to build our living tradition. Our new banner will parade through. Text wayne took the lead with julie sailor in the quilting group collaborating on this new design and new construction the design to previous banners created by judy morris and peg rucker took it from there the rainbow fabric bar at the top of the banner you'll see and the patchwork. At challis all symbolize our hopes for diversity and inclusiveness in that chalice numerous african fabrics are in the patchwork to create that claim and then the landscape side. Depicts our church and yolo county and you even see a cyclist in there so anya and peg and jerry who is. In oregon i think we thank you for your talents your generosity your imagination and your dedication to create this and to create our beloved community bless it. It might represent all of us so repeat after me. May this banner be blessed with the love and hope of this community and may that love and hope be carried out into the world again. Consider my words here of my reflection i've often heard it said that community is much like a piece of wood. And so it was when danny asked me to think about. Prince and the congregation would deliver delicious meals and we be blessed for a couple of weeks teenagers. Occasion on which we've been blessed by this community. In july 2014. I'll admit i was very overwhelmed at the time and i'll be forever grateful to everyone. I didn't have to worry about anything in my family just was able to relax and enjoy the day. As we approach the 4-year anniversary of dad's passing. Examples time here is filled with hellos and goodbyes. Persistent. I grew up on search. Meaning my family did not go to church on sunday morning it wasn't that it wasn't important. So i'm sure you can imagine my parents surprised when i called them and said i want to be a minister. After college i began a search for what i believed i had studied religion in and didn't have my own spiritual grounding. Unitarian universalism. As soon as i found it i went to church. I set up a meeting with the minister because you go to the top when you can you find something so important. Squires in grand rapids michigan call to ministry. She would tell me to do anything else in the world. Hoping she would say this wasn't an option for me. She wanted me and said okay. Okay. Your sermon isn't 3 months here's the dates you can preach on anything you want here is my young adult group take care of them. She said. Think about what you want people to know. When you can tell. 70 people in a room something. What would you want them to hear. You'll know think about it. And you'll know what you want to say. 3 months later. I preached on kindness. Passing it forward about trying to make everyone today just a little better. It was a sweet sermon. My entire family came to see me preach that morning after the service they all walked through the receiving line like excited congregants. My mother has been my cheerleader. Came and hug me and said this is wonderful you're wonderful it's so wonderful this is it. Who's my dad. He came to the line with tears in his eyes. He hides me and he whispered. And get it now. I didn't understand what you were doing. And i'm so proud of you. This is what you were meant to do. Every celebrate father's day this morning i just want to take a moment to express. Gratitude i have. For my dad to bless my ministry and such a powerful way that morning. I don't want to express gratitude to my mom my family and my minister calling me the greatest gift they could write from the beginning. Fast-forward three years later and here we are. Here in the pulpit for the first time i introduced myself and i speak to you helen reddy's i am woman hear me roar. From the moment. I could feel your hopes for me. In the receiving line you shared these toast for me for my ministry for my time here at uucd. You all gave me that same gift. You expected my success. Remind. And we're ready to make it. To say and i do want to name a few highlights we're going to time-travel just a little bit and i'm not going to name names so you just have to listen for where you are because i will forget someone and i want you to know that every single person here. Every single one of you has impacted my ministry in different ways. My first experience the first time i met anyone. Come here. That wasn't part of my interview was that the unity rally in central park put on by the davis phoenix coalition. It was a rally to be in solidarity with the people of charlottesville. Anna rally against hate. Our relationship as congregation and intern started with a show of heart. A show of support a siding with love spirit. A spirit that has remained with me throughout this year. Not long after it was my first sermon and a message for all ages that featured sharks. Perhaps some of you remember this was on the screen and i will admit it was an excuse to bring my favorite animal into worship i'll just get it out there. It was after the service in october that i started to get real feedback. Saint paul at the pulpit you told me. On what you are saying. Slow down we want to hear what you have to say. I believe my presence in the pulpit has increased because of your thoughtful and honest feedback. Next was the passing of the sanctuary declaration and the border trip. The border chips that was a week of intensity a week of heartbreak and yet still they was told through. Admired and learned from the discernment process. And the chair that then immigration task force put in to the process to decide whether or not to become a sanctuary congregation. To be an action it had to come with a list of actions of ways that we would be active in immigration justice. And the work that is being done here in yolo county. Weather with pico the students at the end documented students enter or through letters to the editor taking moral stand. Being a sanctuary congregation men's and means action and support as allies. I do have to give a small shout out to my first small group ministry experience there were four of us including me. It led to a larger or smaller group. Ministry that i've done with the university retirement community that has been successful because of those six sessions of us meeting together. One of the highlights for me this year and i owe so much gratitude to those who agreed to time travel with me and the uu history mystery history experience. And enthusiasm was inspiring. Thank you for being open to learning our history and a new and different way. I suppose it was a successful way to study for the ministerial fellowship committee after all students worship service entitled spiritual spring cleaning the students were so proud of the work they had done to create worship for the congregation. They work hard and they shared a piece of who they are with all of you. Afterward they felt a new connection. And we're so grateful for the opportunity to give back to the congregation on thursday evening. Morning i was running around like a proud parents. Are amazing. Thank you to the committee on ministry and to the board. Through these meetings i learned about process. Policy-based governance provisioning membership and all that it takes to keep a congregation functioning. I cannot and i and i will not name all of the highlights this year i think we would be here until tomorrow if i tried. Play do you want to do one final thank you to the internship and campus committee if you want. Thank you. Thank you for your support your encouragement your feedback. For meeting with me every month for sitting in the sanctuary with clipboards anybody is curious with those clippers were for with clipboards writing your thoughts and feelings about my worship service. For always being there ready to listen ready to support me in the u-scan the uu campus committee in everything that we needed. Thank you. And i mean much more. Have made this a year for me and my ministry. I have so appreciated our time together. Each of you are a part of who i am as a minister. And i cannot thank you enough. Thank you for blessing me with belief in my success. And i'm excited to say that i will be taking all of your love advice feedback. And encouragement with me as i take the next step in my journey. This fall i will be the minister at beacon unitarian universalist church in troy michigan. I think we will be a good fit here we say goodbye this afternoon. I want to leave you with a bit of a charge a bit of a challenge. I want you to keep imagining what is possible. In 2008 off of jk rowling who wrote the harry potter books. Was invited to give the commencement speech at harvard university. She spoke about her nervousness at giving such a prestigious. Speech and her own coping mechanism was to pretend to imagine that she was at the world's largest gryffindor reunions. What do i wish i had known at my graduation. And from that question came her speech. The fringe benefits of failure and the importance of imagination. After describing the necessity that is failure in life. And not equate who you are with what you accomplished and i want to repeat that statement. Because that alone is a challenge. To remember the necessity that is failure in life. I'm not to equate who you are with what you accomplished. She began to describe the role of imagination. Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envision that which is not and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation to begin. Arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity. It is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared. Enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we have never shared. Criticize. Empathize. To begin to understand the feelings of another. She is just the beginning with imagination if we use our imagination to work to understand the feelings of others. Then we move into compassion we move into the second principle of unitarian universalism. In the last year. We have been working on building what the s peaceable asks of us. This year this congregation decided to become a sanctuary congregation. This year. Uniting for racial justice sponsored our third beloved conversations class. This year i have seen you care for one another quoting blankets and other items that people can hold onto in the hospital remember community. This year our religious education classes made to give. And created a resting spot for the tired bees. All of this work and much more have been made possible because you all imagined was possible. Universalism. Necessarily but in practice. Is longing for space to be authentically who we are. As we all journey through this world together. Making space. Keep learning and growing. Keep working on in christianity. There is so much pains in the world. Be a beacon of love a place of hope a place that imagines better that imagines what is possible in the world and works to make it so. Caring for one another. Teaching are marching in the streets. Serving on the operations committee on imagine what you can do. Imagine what you can do together. Keep the vision for who you are. For who you use cd is as a community. Cheap vision. Imagine the possibilities. I want to give you all the gifts that you gave me when i first started. I am expecting. Your success. Pinkie tales. Please join me in the spirit of prayer and meditation. I'm reading number 497 in our hymn book. Prayer invites god to be present in our spirits and in our lives. Cannot bring water to a parched land. Normand a broken bridge. Nor rebuild a ruined city. An arid soul. A broken heart. And rebuild a weekend will. Written by jewish theologian abraham joshua heschel. And all that is happening in our lives. We often take a little time to be quiet. To be still. To focus on our breast for chapter moments. These moments whether you call them prayer or meditation or intentional breathing. Can create opportunities for the mines to quiet itself. For healing to begin. The heart to start to mend. Purspirit to settle. And for the possibilities. Of what could be. Define their place. Spirit of life and of love. Let us give a moment of praise and gratitude the men in our lives on this father's day. Those men who have fathered us in their role as mentors and guides. Those men who have loved us as their own. As their title maybe step parents or adopted parents. Those men who did not have children but cherish the next-generation as if they are their own. The man who are fathers and support and love their children. And the father and the father figures who are no longer with us. Let us give praise and gratitude as we celebrate them this morning. Spirit of life and of love. Cannot bring water to a parched land. But may our prayers water aerosoles. Heartbroken by the policies at the border. My family is being torn apart. Rebuild our wills to hear the stories. And to speak up. And if speak out against these cruel policies. Find a path forward. Obsessed with love and justice at the border. Prayers for my congregation. Friday uucd undocually trained members. Attended the first documented student graduation at uc davis. All the joys and sorrows that remain in our hearts. Hold those who are celebrating and may they celebrate well. And may they feel love and support. Be grateful for this place. But his place this community that is thrown up. Big enough. Tech support us in all our joys and sorrows. Encourage us to imagine a world that is more loving. More peaceful. More compassionate. And more just. Encourage us to imagine what is possible. To imagine together. What is possible. We are all in this together is interconnected web of all existence. Bound together by love. Together by health. I would like to invite you into a time of silence to pray to meditate or to dream. Is early members of we honor barbara meixner who created created. Arrangements. This year. We also went to recognize on your place and who combined. A new piece tanya compose with barbara. All of you. Universalist congregation. We expect the interns to grow into their potential and we know that each person's potential is different just as it is free to bust. We ask interns to discover the edges as well as success. There are few times in life when we are encouraged to fail. We want to be a place that is safe to discover who a person might become in the very large calling of ministry. We are willing to risk our hearts breaking. Speak the truth in love. Very well do danny invite you to come up here normally i'd have you look at me but i really believe that. That you have offered. You have given much to this congregation and you have learned from us imagine yourself speaking to her as her supervisor. You have brought a lot of storytelling. We have witnessed your enthusiasm for a ministry as you have facilitated keep looking at them. And how you move through the world. You searched one-on-ones with her. You searched the danny lindstrom. And occasionally. And discovered center core of your ministry and it would seem that you have found that person. In wedding. The family and friends. We all have different receiving. And when i give you. Define. I want you to imagine. To her to her heart to her spirit to her soul. Are you ready. In sending you these blessings. We begin to let you go as our intern and our campus minister. Send you on your journey. Look forward to the day when i can formally welcome you as my colleague. And i wish to also acknowledge morgan who is here and she's been very important to you and your ministry and i want all of us to acknowledge that very special relationship. Actually i'm going to interrupt just for a second because. Mary ann robinson. Mary ann robbins. Trying to make it just right i think she really did. Now we extinguished the flame in our hearts aflame that reminds us of the power and the blessing of the love that we need the love that we give the love that we are challenged always to remember and share and we extinguish the pillar candles representing. Our sorrows. Comfortable.

uudavispodcast_org

2015-10-18-Hungry-for-Truth_11_15-4.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. org for further information. Good morning welcome to the unitarian universalist church of davis my name is laura thompson i'm the ministerial intern and campus minister here. This morning working. Side-by-side with me is worship associate been basehor. And we are honored. To share this time with you today and we want to extend a special welcome to those who might be visiting here today for their first time or maybe even their second or third time. You are welcome here whether you're filled with joy. Or lost in the depths of your being. You are welcome here whether you have a message to share. Or need to be quiet and listen. You are welcome here and all of your fonus. Erase your culture. Sexual orientation or gender identity religious views or political views. All are welcome here. In a world full of questions. We like the flame of our chalice and in our hearts to eliminate the way. To help us find our path and archers. Are opening word today are the responsive reading 439 in the back of the gray hymnal please join me in reading the italicized print we gather in reverence before the wonder of life the wonder of being together. So close yet so far apart. This is a new thing we do here today which is recognizing the board and blessing them for the time and the service they are offering this congregation and what we have done is to look into our past and you see in your program that there are many many past board president on and so this particular week we have asked ray and ellen, big as the past board president to really remind his congregation of what this board is about and basically give it charge to to the board members and so ray and ellen would you come down as past board president and stand where i am and speak your words. When we give our gifts to the world. Everyone benefits. Have fun our guests are offered to a community with integrity and joy. They become an inspiration. This ceremony both affirms those who have stepped forward to offer their leadership as word members and offers our hope that they will serve as what has been called soul flares those who give through service. And kim delights in others. Our identity today is shaped by our history and all those who believed in the message of unitarian universalism thanks to all those who have served on our board since the congregation became incorporated as a fellowship date the names of all. Would you raise your hand so we can acknowledge you. Now i would like the continuing members. Hoverboard now your name. The first name is and katrine van and she is out of the country so she won't be here is going to be our b chairman. Is she here and we'll come forward. And ramon urbana is not able to be present either barbara bauer. And lisa baker. And now we have two new board members and i invited them to come forward patmore pinkett. And carol corbett and also donna sacs are you here will you also come forward. Donna is not a member of the board but she has offered her services to the board as a secretary and they are very. Appreciative of her services. Ask many things of the youth used cds board of trustees. The board is charged to offer leadership both in the congregation. And in the larger community. In these ways. To unite our individual search for religious meaning. Without restraint of creator.. Fisher our pleasure. And things that inspire us. To declare our faith in the dignity of the free mind. Improve the condition of humanity. Take care of our planet. To the best of our ability. And foster within this community and understanding. How's the principles. A liberal religion. Its history. Our grove. And influence. If you are ready to leave. And as far as this congregation please agree by saying we are on maddie perla nothing country to you our congregation we will strive to always keep in mind what is best for the whole congregation and his staff we will listen and communicate thoughtfully with children youth and adults of unitarian universalism we will we honor you. Are reading today is titled simply parable by wisla szymborska piece of paper with these words somebody save me i'm here. The ocean has cast me out on this desert island. I'm standing on the shore waiting for help. Hurry i'm here there's no date i bet it's too late anyway it could have been floating for years the first fisherman said. Andy doesn't say where. It's not even clear which ocean the second fisherman said. It's not too late. Or too far the island here. Is everywhere. The third fisherman said they all felt awkward no one spoke. That's how it goes for universal truth. In my mind there are three types of questions. Do the answerable ones they can be simple what is 2 + 2 equal. Clearly. Or more complicated ones what is the pressure flow relationship of microfluidic channels i like those ones and i love to solve things once they're done or the big. Unanswerable questions like is there life after death. I don't know people have been pondering this question for thousands of years and it really seems it's something we can't snow. Yeah i can handle this type of question. In the style of the serenity prayer i've enough serenity to accept the things i can never know. But then they're the third type of questions those little infuriating ones or the all answer always seem to be it depends or the no one answer ever really seems complete. Like what should i do with my life i mean do you mean tomorrow next month next year next decade it really depends. The trouble with the it depends questions. Are they never fully resolved like the answerable ones you can't completely figure out what you'll do with your life. And they can't really be shelved away like the big unanswerable ones. They're just there. And these kind of questions arise my life in many forms. Inviting my reflection for today i experienced it i wanted it to be in its final form when i first started i was wrestling with the question what am i going to say or what do i want to say in studying writing i found one quotation that is stuck in my mind it's by the author e el doctorow writing is like driving at night in the fog you can only see as far as your headlights but you can make the whole trip that way in all of our journeys weather in life itself the writing of a reflection or car ride to work time is avail that we can only speculate what is beyond just as the shroud of darkness in a night drive is only barely lifted by the headlights i think humans naturally. I recently started practicing a martial art called jiu-jitsu it's much like wrestling but utilizes jokes and joint locks and while it's safe there's a primal part of my brain that really thinks i'm fighting and takes it very seriously. So before rolling will we call the wrestling i'm always nervous. What are they going to do how am i going to counter them. What what should i do in this moment and many things the answer is it depends what does the moment call for. Until i get there i can't really know i'm literally wrestling with my question. As much as i want it to be different that's what it is. In all these areas the questions remain through the process when i'm writing. I never know when i'm going to say until i said it. When driving at night. I never know what's what next until i passed it. When doing jiu-jitsu i never know what i'm going to do until i've done in. And in life i never know how live until i've lived it. And if i've learned anything in my time on this earth the questions never leave. The author of the gospel of john rhodes and 8:32 the truth shall set you free who's truth which truth you only need turn on the tv or open a newspaper to realize that there are a lot of different routes out there promising you free time right now. A contemporary. Of the author the gospel of john. Roman emperor marcus aurelius. Had a different idea he wrote. Everything we hear is an opinion. Not fact. Everything we see is perspective not truth. So. Is truth than just a subjective. Observation of reality based on the perspective and relationship. I've said observer in the moments of reality that they have observed. If if this is what truth isn't truth isn't a thing but it's a process. A process of. Meaning-making. Of course it is horse truth is a process of deep meaning making. Four truths that we. Hold the rights to our very core and they nourish our faith and they nourish our beliefs. The fourth principle of our unitarian universalist faith affirms. And promotes. A free and responsible search. For truth and meaning. Interesting lee enough the words free and truth have been reversed from. But it was written in the book of john. In the book of john it's true that she'll set you free but in our unitarian universalist principles you have to have freedom before you have the truth. We're not promised the truth. But rather were encouraged to engage and truth-seeking and meaning-making but doesn't sound as concrete but it's certainly more free. We're free to seek our own truth to all life's questions and mysteries can you imagine. Each one of us gets to delve into the meaning of life. Each one of us suffering. We don't have these answers to these mysteries written down somewhere in a book it's not just the clergy folks they get to wrestle with these things not just the teachers not just the scientist. Now we all are invited on this seeking mission how freeing and how utterly daunting and overwhelming i mean i have to figure out the meaning of life suffering for myself pretty big. And we forget about the intent of our principal and instead kind of get captured by the language of it. And maybe our own propensity to the gate and argue with others. Until someone might ask me hey what do you think happens after you die to my truth. Because maybe i don't know what that is. Also something like well i know it doesn't happen they can't be heaven cuz that sounds. Really kind of exclusive and i'm not into that. But i haven't answered the question i haven't named my truth or i might really hold on to that principle what happens after you die you know i don't know but what's really important is that we all are able to answer that question for ourselves. Which is really me saying i don't know and i don't have my own truth cuz i'm too afraid to name it so i'm just going to cling onto the. Idea of this principle instead of actually. Letting myself surrender to its invitation. I mean what's the worst that could happen if we delve into these questions. Maybe we find something we don't like. What if what we thought was true all along really isn't and we were wrong. Happens. What if i find out a truth that really requires me to change my behavior in order to maintain my own self-worth and integrity. Again that sounds like it's going to take a lot of time. Now i've got a thang and i've got to do some behavior modification. It sounds really hard. Life death suffering yeah that's hard stuff. But what if. You're really going to the invitation and what if you find something what did she find. Something there to really hold onto. What happens if you. Really step into the invitation to freely and responsibly. Seek truth and meaning. Well i would find out because. In seminar we had this course called constructive theology. And. We were taught different frameworks of theology and then we. Our task was to write this big paper. That would play out our own theology play out our own truths. The really big questions. Big questions like. What is the purpose of life. Does god exist. If so what's our relationship to god. What is the nature of suffering / sin. Flash evil. What happens after this life. Hey dancer all this in one paper. Speaking our truths about these things. Spell up until this class i don't think i had ever clearly defined what i thought about any of these questions this does not mean. But i had not discussed them elaborately. With an open mind and curiosity. But i've never really laid out thoughts that i would claim as my own trues i'd morlaix.. Possibilities and ideas and more questions. Cuz where you used some we like more questions. You don't know this and kind of just put it out there and have a. Vague. Universal. Broad sweeping kind of way that wouldn't offend anybody. I know we've all done this. I'd hesitate it for my own search for theresa meaning upholding our fourth principle. Rather than heating it's deeper invitation. But my time to waiver was over and i stood on the edge of the diving board. And now i had to jump in. Do the instructor of our course strongly encouraged people to use metaphors and be creative because of course he had to read 20 of these 25-page papers every semester. Some of my colleagues. We're using arts and music and others took the metaphor of construction quite literally and they relied on their own skills with maybe a carpenter or programmer to construct their theology. Now i'm not an artist and i'm not a musician and i'm not a programmer. And i'm not any of those weddings but i am a chef. So if i was going to construct a theology and answer these questions it was going to have to be a recipe. And so i set out to the cipher life's meaning. Buy baking a loaf of bread. I didn't know what i was going to find out in the process. But i was open. And i jump right in. Bread. Starts with water. Now this is fitting because all life starts with water. Life wouldn't exist without water. Now i'm a pain emptiest which means that i believe the. But define is kind of within. And among and beyond us. You know so it's it's us but the sum is greater than the parts kind of thing. And i'm thinking water is kind of like this it's an us it's around us but really the whole idea of water is so much bigger. Because it's a source of life. So that's a bigger than just the fact that it's innocent. We drink it. Thunder falls upon us. So i'm liking this right away i'm thinking k. What's my work. This might work so water is life and that's the purpose that we're all. Intended so kind of have this life until thrive. Not for the water we had. Yes. Yeast is a living organism however. It doesn't grow unless it's exposed to an organic compound. So i called the yeast morality. Because. Morality has potential and it's impressive. But. It's only a catalyst reaction when it's a relationship with something else. Something that defines nourishing. Likewise if we don't engage our morality if it's just sitting there. True relationship through action it falls flat and it loses its potential it remains dormant. Okay. So far. Kind of working with us. Plausible. Metaphor. Especially at a touch of honey. Tamiya sand water and it begins bubbling and it really starts falling and it really takes off because yeast loves sugar. Love is it. The gobbles up the carbohydrates in the sugar. Converts those carbohydrates the carbon dioxide. And then that gives rise to the bread. So i ask myself. What does morality need to give it a boost to really kick it into action. What is morality need to really. Get it moving and going. Love. Going to go with love here. Can i go with love because. This honey and the sweetness. And we've added to the spread recipe. It's also not necessary. But it's preferred. And love. Is. A necessary thing it's a choice we make. It's preferred. So. We had some sweetness to our medicine at this point i'm delving into these big questions and. My worries are starting to fade away and i'm thinking this isn't so bad i'm really making some meeting here and this might actually work. Discovering some truths that maybe i can hold onto this metaphor is something i can work with. So i move on to the next ingredient which is soft. What's a salt do. What does salt add or take away from what we've got going so far. What's its purpose. Assault is a balancer of the yeast and it keeps it from growing. Beyond sustainability. So salt might keep our morality and check right. Keep us from becoming self-righteous or. Overbearing with that. Morality. And salt. It's going to help a flower that we're going to add to the bread game strength. To support the bread is it continues to grow so it strengthens the flower. Insult also adds flavor. I was out at the bread is flats. And it lacks stuff salt kind of brings out. All of the other ingredients. You only need a tiny little bit. To do that because if you put in too much. You don't ruin it. So what is it that we need just a little bit of. But they're so little strength. But gives us a little depth that puts things into perspective. Suffering. So salt is the suffering in my recipe. It's necessary. It has to be there we have lost we have pain in our lives. But we don't need to add extra. You don't need to impress each other we don't need to you know make up new ways of suffering to their there's enough and our natural lives without adding any extra. Now it's time to give us present structure so we're going to have some flour. The flower is community that's you and that's me. Biscuits are done with shape and context. We are the structure we are of the earth. The bread we are making can only. Know and be known by the context. In which it is made. The weirdest flower we can only know. This existence in the slope with the suffering with this love with this morality with this life that we are given. So we are the flower we are the community. Tell us the recipe of ingredients for bread making does not end there there's other things that have to go on. It happened need the doll. Because brett needs action in order for it to become bread if you just mix those ingredients in a bowl and let him sit there it's you're not going to have a very good. Quality products books. You got to work at you got to need it and i have to put your intention into it. Your action has to go into it. And so we need this action strengthened do because when you needed you you're also strengthening the glutens. Federal. Allow the bread to hold itself. Our actions allow us to continue to grow. It's a hold on to what's coming next. So this process of transformations i've got to be enabled by actions so. Mother ingredient action. Venice reset the door was side he put it in a warm place where it's cozy right. Colonel holman carrots made bread and then you walk away. Spell patience. We need time and space. The patients. The campus put it in the oven right then and there. You got to walk away. Give it some room. Let it do its thing. So we do that. And then we come back and does anybody know what the next step is. Punching it down so just when you think everything is going good and so is risen up and it's kind of nice elasticity to it and it feels as soft and smooth as a baby's bottom and you think this has got to be good stuff you punch it down. Which means there are things that are beyond our control and those things happen if things aren't always ready when we think they're ready right. Your punchestown you go back to waiting and you come back again and then it's really ready. So then with gentle hands we shape. The stone would put it in the loaf in the shape that we need for us at that moment. Henderly. Working with it. And we place it in the heats. Right that's the next step goes in the oven in the fire. The sly. This morality and love. All of this suffering this community this action all this time and a space in the intention. All of the recovery from being punched down in the tenderness that were given to bring it back and shape it and hold it. It all goes into the heat back to the cosmic he that we started out from it all goes there and it dies. It dies. Now i'm like. In the frog hair when i'm writing this paper right and i'm like what i mean it dies like that can't be the end of the story it dies or maybe it is i don't know okay it's ice and that's it. Leanne flora thompson. Unlike a story. So. I take the bread into my hands. And i know you're all going to think this next time we take loaf of bread into your hands so. It's a coffin. Holding the life that was once in there. The used. Whatever life was left in those grains. Whatever life is left in that water it's dead. It's a coffin holding all of that desk. Adams market. Hold on it gets better. Carteret open. Can i take a piece of it and i bring it to my mouth. And you know there was holes in the bread. Those holes they hold all of the flavor and the aroma of the bread is in the halls. Meditate on that the flavor is in the halls. So the holes are kind of like. The mystery and the unknown and they're holding all the memory. Of the known in the unknown of this life. Right the holes arkansas mystery space. I put the bread in my mouth and slowly i true this bread. This death. This lost life this lost chance. Truett's. It gives me life. This stuff gives me life. It's stuff that feeds life the feast at the chiefs life if he stuffed the feeds life. Krisno andorno beginning. But it is eternal. I wasn't expecting that. When i began. My. Free and responsible. Search for truth. But now. I have something to chew on. Blessed be and bon appetit. Our lives are constantly dancing in the tension of what we know and what we don't know. What we know is based on our ever-changing relationship of the world and our own personal experiences there are times when filled with gratitude for gifts and beauty they've experienced in this life that we lift our hearts. And humble gratitude. There are times when challenged by pain grief and suffering we have experienced. That our tears and our hurt tryouts for mercy and healing and comfort. There are times when our eyes and ears scarred. Play the violence oppression and inequality that they witness to this planet and her inhabitants call out in anger and frustration that we might have the strength to carry on. And yet there are times when i sit back and simply say i have no clue i don't know what's going on i feel lost something is change something has shifted. And those times we lift up our sense of curiosity and wonder that we might be guided to new ways of making meaning and understanding. We gather here today. With all of these times present among us we have chalices that are little bit in the back. Chalice is lit today for eldridge moore's. 77th birthday eldridge's over here providing jennifer brownfield. Got engaged last week. Congratulations that's really funny. So we light a chalice for that has been lit format pegasister land who's been diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease and she might have crohn's she's concerned of what she might have to be living with then. Making it up patients for. So we called her in the light. Sharon hill hazlet a chalice. In honor of her wonderful ex-mother-in-law. Margaret c shutler who passed away last week at the age of 97. Our thoughts are with. Her family. Sharon also. Letter chalice in honor of the sonoma county administration's meaningful work on the strike last week. I have lit a chalice in honor of my visiting family members my parents can see amiker here just for send it to me preach and also my niece emily and her beloved taylor here and emily is taking photos of me i think i hope for my portfolio. And i was talking to my mom last night and. Remember that she told me when i was in kindergarten my first christmas concert there that i sang louder than anybody else. Trisun sorrows we are together for all of them and will you join me now as we lift this. Community's prayers for gratitude for healing for justice and for wonder. We pray for those nearby and faraway who endure violence and oppression in their daily lives for the people of turkey for the ones crossing the border seeking safety for the black lives that matter for the members of the lgbtq community for this beautiful planet and for its creatures which are exploited and ravaged and the name of greed and progress for that which suffers may our eyes be open to see them may our hearts and minds be working hard to bring them peace and justice we pray for those whose primary spiritual practices the care of others for teachers for healthcare providers for those of counsel others for parents caring for children for those who care for loved ones were challenged by health issues both seen and unseen we offer you our gratitude and our support we pray for those who live and curiosity and challenge as they space transitions for those with job losses for those with health challenges for those who are beginning and ending significant relationships for those who are nearing their final days are you find meaning on your journey and may you find love and support in this community i now invite you into the space that holds that which needs to be held that which needs to be healed and invite you to name the things and your heart which need to be held. And reverence we live that which has been said and that which lies in the sanctuary of our hearts may be finding ourselves and one another and in the mystery that is beyond us the gratitude healing justice and wonder that we sink maybe so and i'm in. Maybe we should leave this place seeking an uncharted and freely chosen way to wholeness knowing we have companions along the way may the congregation say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

2013-03-03_Worship_Flying-the-Flag-of-Surrender_11_15_ED.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california www.org for further information. There was very is very difficult actually to find hymns that have to do is surrender. So our hymnal is full of hands that say go and change the world. And life is fabulous and if it isn't make it better but it just like have a song that says give in. There aren't too many of those. So this is the first sunday. And four sundays are services where children and used to take leadership in the service and so you will hear. Other voices than what you normally might hear in this service. And i know that it will help you get to know them. Welcome to the sanctuary to celebrate the beauty of this earth. Add to be in community. This congregation comforts us when we know loss and celebrates our very best dreams. We bring our differences here and together we offer a fuller truth than anyone point of view this is a place of challenge and it's a place of compassion. The holy is experienced here in many ways and is given many names. And i wonder do i need to say all of this you every week but then i read a facebook posting. That celebrates what comes up next. People of all sexual orientations and gender identities are celebrating i said yes i do need to say this every week. We welcome all races and classes and physical abilities. And this is a place of learning. And it's a place of hope. And whether because of a touch of a friend. Or words. And the music that you hear. For a moment of silence. May you feel more alive. Sky mcelrath. Who's lighting the chalice she's in the 6th grade at pioneer elementary school. She's been coming to our church since she was born. Her favorite subjects at school are science and social studies and she's been practicing english horseback riding for 2 years. She's enjoying it and. Achieving high ratings. She will also be doing our opening words. Surrender. It's not quite the same as giving up. Thunder happens when it needs to. When there's no other way. Or when is the right thing to do to surrender to do something higher good. Turnberry scary. Play jumping off the high dive. Or falling backwards into the arms of a friend. Airbus buckling yourself into a roller coaster. But there is something wonderful. A feeling of letting go. Lexine. Like trusting like being free. In the service we often share a life journey and it is. Always almost always a use. And today's use is jeannie plude and she was generous enough to also speak. At the 9:30 service. And she is going to present to you. An understanding she has a surrender. Added maybe very different from what you imagined surrender to be. So she will be here to open. You are mind. She is a seventh-grader at davinci junior high. And she offers even a different point of view than. Karen and i will. I love to dance i love to write. When i dance i feel the emotion of the music. That surrender myself to it. I let those emotions carry me through the dance. I can't choreograph myself because it takes away from that power. Airstrikes the emotion. Just have certain powers at a certain time and that just isn't how i dance. My dance is like my eyes. Window to my soul. Identity public from alone. Loud or soft music. If i could not dance. I want to know what to do with extra energy. Are overwhelming emotion. How deep is to empty into full of emotion. But i write i can also express myself. My writing is like my dance. A window but this time to my imagination. Albert einstein said imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world. He is right. But imagination doesn't trust encircle the worlds. It creates worlds. I surrender to my imagination. I love the story i am writing fill my head become true. Destroy create itself. One of my stories is about an 18 year old girl has been on her own since age 14. The arrival of the mysterious boy changes review on the world. I may not agree with the decisions of my characters. But i don't change them. In my mind. The characters have their own minds their own souls and it is impossible to change them. If i could not write my head would be too full. I won't be able to sleep. I would just have fragments of story swirling on my head. With more being added every second. Do into very important creative outlets in my life. The creativity happens. Their surrender. This reading. Comes from phillip booth. Laibach daughter. Let your head be tipped back in the cup of my hand. Gently. And i will hold you. Spread your arms wide. Lie out on the stream and look high at the gulls. A dead man's float is face down. You will dive and swim soon enough where the tidewater abs to the sea. Daughter believe me. When i tell you. When you tire on that long thrash. To your island lie up. And survive. As you float now where i held you. And let go. Remember when fear cramps your heart. What i told you. Lie gently. And wide. To the lightyear stars. My back. And the sea will hold you. So genie plude offered you one wonderful way to surrender. Until music and the arts. And the choir picked up on that. Just this morning you know after we realized what she was going to say. And that. Anthem. Was the message. But karen and i lived with this poem that she read. All weekend. And we realize that it was found. A little different from a different voice just the way it would if. Each and everyone of you are to come here and to read it. And it's so much a part of the message that i'm going to share it with you again. Laibach. Daughter. And let your head. Be tipped back in the cup. Of my hand. Gently. And i will hold you. Spread your arms wide. Why out on the stream and look high at the gulf. A dead man's float. Is face down. You will dive and swim soon enough where this tidewater abs to the sea. Daughter. Believe me. When you tire on the long thrash to your island. Lie up. And survive. As you float now. Where i held you and. Letgo. Remember when. Fear cramps your heart what i told you. My gently and wide. Shatley and wide. If a light year stars. Laibach. And the sea. Will hold you. And the sea. Will hold you. Philip booth as it turns out his writing to his daughter. Teaching her. To be safe swimming in the streams. And the shore water of maine. But we know he's really talking about all of life. He's really saying something like this. Sometime stop you're thrashing. On the way to your intended destination. And feel those miraculous lungs. Of your body. With air. And feel the support of the water. And this is not the surrender of death. But as surrender to save her life fully. It is a surrender that place is as parallel to the earth. In body or spirit. Face traditions based in eastern and western cultures tell us. That surrender is an important part of living a hole and living a healthy life. Life doesn't always go as we would like it too. Sometimes we are lost. We know despair. And there are moments a stunning grief. There are times when we surrender because there is nothing else. That we can do. And surrendering offers us. The rest. That we need. To get up again. Rituals of kneeling and bowing and even prostrating on the earth. Symbolize surrender. Add a recognition that some larger force. Is worthy of our ah. Elderly tibetan buddhist women and young men. Although. On the pilgrimage to the holy temple in lhasa. Wear leather patches on their elbows and their knees they travel many miles painstakingly slowly doing body to the ground vows. Muslims pray 5 times a day with forehead knows both hands knees and toes all touching the ground simultaneously they. Surrender. The catholic eastern orthodox church developed a hierarchy. A violin. Unitarian universalist don't do this you see i had to read about it. On wikipedia. Each bow for a different circumstance or even diagrams of this inclining of the heads above the waist the bad one hand touching the ground and the earth bow of complete. Humbleness. And greg mcgonagle who also referred to wikipedia was an intern here and davis in 2004-2005. He is currently the director of religious and spiritual life at that. At oberlin college and conservatory of music. So he is the head honcho. Xavier chaplaincy program at oberlin. And he started that work. Here. In our campus ministry program. So we were honored when he chose our congregation. To host his ordination. Greg was raised as a roman catholic and he brought his faith with him to unitarian universalism and many of us here in this room have brought another faith with us. To this room. And he is one. Greg brought a ritual to his ordination from the roman catholic tradition as well and you may remember that if you were here he chose to prostrate himself in front of the chalice so. Much to the amazement of this formerly secular humanist congregation here is. A man dressed in his robes. Prostrate in front of the chalice. I looked at your faces. You were surprised. And i want to tell you that for him it was very profound. It was a very vulnerable position and we're not. Easy with that. Was a very vulnerable posture showing his intention. To surrender his life. As a minister. Surrender his life. As a minister and the message of unitarian universalism. So i communicated with him about this cuz i don't put people in my sermons unless they give me permission which might make you feel more comfortable. And this is what he said. When i did that at uucd as it was in a you use face and ceremony. It made sense for me as one way of blending my catholic. And my unitarian-universalist identities. What i felt as i did that. And the uucd choir saying come holy spirit. Song at catholic ordination. I really felt a breeze blowing over me. Like god's spirit. It was a very comforting feeling it did not feel like submission to me. Not in a way that was force because it wasn't. Maybe in the sense that it was chosen. Laying like that he wrote. It's also a posture of rest. And i suppose a posture of death 2. We die too certain choices when we make other ones. We die too certain choices when we make other ones. All these gestures of prayer or meditation all of these emotional and spiritual responses all. Bring us into alignment with the earth. They are practice. Mini practices. For when we surrender physically or emotionally. In her book beginners grace uu minister kate braestrup reminds her readers that an extreme grease the body collapses. Does a chaplain. She expects the bereaved to sync to the ground which she says is the safest place to be. For about 20 minutes. And i remind you that that's about the length of time of a sermon. She said if you love what is mortal. If you love what is mortal get used to going down to the ground. If we are willing to love. Anything. Then we must be willing to risk it all. And she encourages us to take that risk. When we enjoy a physical injury our bodies know that surrendering to a position where we are flat on the ground is the safest. If we don't know it consciously. Our nervous system instructs us of this truth. Last summer i was walking quickly through the house. And the rug that was on the slick white tiles slipped out from under me. And the laws of physics rule. Because i was moving only slightly slower than the speed of light in heels. I fell forward on the soft carpet. With some speed i should add it was quite a dance step. I quickly got right up and retrace my steps ready to get it at staff meeting on time. But my body had other plans. And i came to. Sometime later. The coolness of the white floor tiles on my cheek i thought where am i this is so pleasant the dog was happy if confused it was unusual to have the good luck to sleep with me on the kitchen floor. And my body had simply overruled the decision to keep going. And i'm not. A quick learner in some ways. The still undeterred by my body's message. It was time to surrender this plan. I pulled out the phone from my pocket. And call the office. I'll be just a little late for the staff meeting i said. I sound a little strange. I'm on the floor. But i'm sure everything's fine. And there was silence on the other end of the phone the staff knows me really well silence. And so the staff came to me. And had a very brief meeting. In my living room. And i was truly. Mostly fine. But i would have fared far far better if i'd stayed on that soft carpet where i first fell. Just for a while. And read one of the books stacked beside the reading chair i could have admired the light coming in through the windows from that unique and previously on experience angle of looking up from the floor. Racer brides. We descend. So we can get up again. We descend. So we can get up again. Weather because it is a religious ritual reminding us to be humble and connected. Arthur grief when we band touch the earth. Or injury that causes us to fold. We surrender. And that time we are given the opportunity to reconnect. To revision to heal. Every fill our lungs with air and allow that water to hold us up. So that we can continue our thrashing in life and perhaps do it more effectively maybe. Am i reading about surrender i returned to the work of the quaker parker palmer. His books on vocation and teaching and effective communication and community-building are truly inspirational. Parker palmer. Struggle through much of his early adult life to find a path to meaningful work. He searched for a way to match his inner life with his outer life. With the way he loved the world with the way he's lived in the world. He entered union theological seminary to become a minister where annie our current internet graduated. But this was not his path. And then he started to become a sociologist in through this he did discover that he loved teaching. And yet. He left teaching to become a community organizer because he said. Teaching was for those who couldn't do. He wanted to work he said with those who truly struggled. Within a few years he was overwhelmed by the enormity of the problems. That he saw. Just at the right time you received an invitation to be a professor. Emergent teaching. Which we know he loved. With supervising the students in communities social work so he could be just a little removed. Encourage others to go and do that hard work. Any find some satisfaction in this but even still. Not. Quite right. He's very restless in his mid-30s. And he says moving only slightly slower than the speed of light toward middle age. So in his mid-30s he said he is running out of time. This is when is a quaker he started actively exploring the concept of hell way open this is a quaker concept of how way opens. And how it works in a complicated life. What complicated situations. We're sometimes many options fall away. And one. Clearpath. Appears. Before us. I want to stress that this is not necessarily a passive moment. If not like giving up. Engagement and attention. Like floating. And not completely letting go but holding ourselves restful. And fully awake. Are the young man. Palmer seeks out the advice of ruth and elder in the quaker community. Any complaints people keep telling me here in this quaker group. Fenway will open. Buy sit and i wait. And listen for that still small voice within. I've been trying to find my vocation for a long time way opens for others. But it doesn't open for me. Andrew's speaks to him plainly of quakers. Are asked to do. And she said i am 60 years plus. And way has never opened for me and she is really kind of mischievious cuz she's waiting. For that look of despair. That comes across his face when she says way. Has never opened for me. I went to see you that he's. Starting to feel that despair she says but way has closed behind me. And that too has guided me. Those moments when we surrender to loss and disappointment and even despair. These are the times. When the hand of life. Is holding us. Because palmer says. When doors close. Whole world's open. Later in his career parker palmer has a profoundly pivotal moment when he. Surrenders. Unexpectedly. He interviews for a position to be president of a small college. He is told that if he wants this position it is likely to be his for the asking. You sure that this is the right job this is what his life has been leading him to. Any calls together what is known as a clearness committee. Frenzy trust ask questions that will lead him to a very truthful self-assessment and he says later that actually. He really brought this group together assuming that he could brag about this new job and they would tell him what a wonderful person he was. For 3 hours i ask him questions. At first the questions are very easy. What is your vision for this college. How would you change the curriculum. How would you deal with conflict. Evans someone asked the question that sounds easy. But turns out to be. Really difficult. What would you like most about being president. Parker palmer fix for a full minute before starting his answer. I would not like to give up my writing and teaching. I would not like the politics of being a top administrator. I would not like the fundraising and the glad-handing that i think would come with it. The questioner quietly remind parker. I did ask what you would most like. About being president. And park is very impatient yes yes i'm getting to that i'm working my way to that. I would not like to give up my summer vacations i would not like wearing a suit and tie. And the clearness member. Brought him back again to the simple and very difficult question. I finally parker palmer said in his quietest voice. Ikea. But i'd like the most. Is getting my picture in the paper with the word president under it. And no one laughed the way you did but probably because he was right there. And i sat in perfect silence. Well parker. Inwardly groaned because he heard what he had said. He said just sweated. And finally the silence ended. Parker can you think of an easier way to get your picture in the paper and the whole group cracked up with laughter and parker reports that he cracked open something in him cracked open. But not before he had that moment a sinking down to face its really. Hard. Tris. Did everything he thought. Define to hear but not what he heard. And it's true that he was sure was there. Was not there. He surrendered to the painful truth that led to a true opening of way for him. He gathered up the evidence of what had not worked and you heard a list of some of the things that he knew would not work. And the doors are closed for him. And should remain closed to him. Then he looked for what remains for him to do. With his life. He loved education that brought people to their full potential. He created because of this. His own way of educating through consulting and writing and seminars and retreats. I couldn't help but to think of jeannie again. I just talkin about as she doesn't do these stories if she doesn't write these stories all these words just. Jammed up there in her head. She gave his full attention to what he loved. Acknowledging a door that is closed it's really difficult than. We continue to try to open the same door sometimes over and over and over again. Ignoring the rhythm of life that is all around us. But if we can stay with that stunning moment of realization. That as ruth said. Way. Has closed. We start to see the possibilities that were there all along. But we were not able to see them. So when there is a moment of surrender. Stay on the floor. Stay on the floor and look around. Either that i say. Amen. Not invite you into a time of prayer. Where we look intentionally within our self. You come home. I didn't that time we are able to be still. And open to the world. And the mystery of life. And love. Each time a door closes. The rest of the world. Opens up. And in our larger world. This week marks one year since a black teenager trayvon martin was killed the door closes to a life. And the door opens to continued grief. May those questions lead our country to awareness. Truth and justice. And allison claire unitarian universalist and a friend of lindsay weston's was sworn in as a us magistrate judge our first openly gay judge in a sanctioned same-sex marriage. Can you hear it the door is closing on condemnation of gay marriage and the doors opening to love the journey of life is. 2 time with many doors. If we live with eyes open. Hearts open open. It is a dance of opening and closing one hand releasing the door of ending behind you and one hand reaching out for another. You can barely see. Moving with the rhythm of life. Creative force of life shaping us and our choices shaping the direction of life. Each of us is a part of an intricate web of relationships. When one of us celebrate the joy of grieves the loss the web of life moves to a new shape. We are apart of the turn of the earth shift at the stars. Full of the sea. Adult change the choir will invite you to sing with him maybe listen the first time and then join in second or third or just listen. The lyrics are in your order of service so listen to them with all of their harmony. And then find a way to join us. Hunger games.

uudavispodcast_org

2014-11-23_To-Love-and-to-All-Friends_11_15.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons another recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at www.sec.gov or further information. Last week i didn't have much of a voice but i couldn't whistle classes and physical abilities we have much to learn from each other and whether because of it. In the unitarian universalist face we light the flame of our chalice each week to join us together to remind us that we are bound together and compassion within the infinite web of life of which we are all apart. The chalice symbolizes are intend to search for the sacred our passion for justice. It allows us to be here now to connect with one another. Lighting are childless today is a very good friend of mine claire bowman. Clairol i met last year and it was one of those friendships that just kind of clicked into place i would say our friendship centers around the idea of communication and we have a mutual understanding of each other that allows us to do so freely. She offers me honesty especially when i needed most and a wild sense of humor that keeps me on my toes. Clarence i hope to be a safe place for you in times of joy or during the rough patches thank you for your friendship. Friendship by kali o'brien. I know you said. Speak to us of friendship. Your friends are your needs answered. They are yours filled which you so with love and reap with thanksgiving. Friends are your board and your fireside for you come to them with your hunger. And you see some for peace. And let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit. And that your best before your friends. If they must know the app of your tide let them know it's flooded also. For what are your friends that you should seek them with hours to kill. Six i'm always with hours to live. In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter and the sharing of pleasures. Turn the duo of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed. Alright everybody i am happy to let you know the starting in december we will be signing up volunteers for this winter's interfaith rotating winter shelter we have taken on the last week of january this year. Can you imagine i think over half of our congregation has been involved in one way or another and this year for the first time people ever come up to me as early september saying. Could be happier. Okay. Ever since we finished building the social hall we have taken a week in january to host the interfaith rotating winter shelter in rotation with other churches in the synagogue in davis to provide shelter for the homeless people throughout the the winter this is a cooperative effort over the last nine years. How this works as a gas go to the friends. Meeting house each afternoon at 5 and volunteers and drive them to the host church. Square. Campus interns keep track of their sleeping bags needs. Other of the hospitality volunteers or making them feel welcome. And others are cleaning after the meal. Others are overseeing their safety at night last year we were able to host 40 guests that's our limit because we had for overnight volunteers every single night that's two shifts of two people as twice a number of people we were able to gather together before and. Did the number of guests exceed our capacity and that's 11 guest volunteered to try to make other arrangements for the night so they didn't have to go through a lottery for that last caught. This venture has really blossomed the joy and skill are smiling as might be hard to see they're having a great time enjoying skill you brought to the cooking made the guests sit up and notice you guys know how to have fun. And i'm grateful for the spirit and leadership lindsey westin she's there on the at work but please know that she brought the joy to the kitchen and assisted by cheryl clark in the middle there washing up she's been like my right-hand assistant since we started my friends. On the right sorting sleeping bags. Setting up tables. Serving. Providing hospitality and a mentor and another hot high schooler doing each doing overnight shifts campus ministry. Unique's our high school group taking on a meal cleaning us. This is an intergenerational happening. I'm grateful for this congregation for fulfilling a deeply-held vision of mine of a whole congregation coming together in service and learning more about each other in the process. As we feed guests as we feed ourselves and giving us all a chance to feel that we can count on one another. Even when we go out on lamps like we did that first year to be part of something bigger than ourselves. To connect with our davis faith community. This is a great time for our exploration groups to see what would you like to do together. Prepare meals that are clean out of relationships there were a lot of great conversations in that kitchen. And we get great support from julie harlow and the other person who supervises the campus interns if we get into trouble we know who to call. So come join us. If you haven't had a chance and welcome back trustee shelter hosts who i'm proud to know better and see me if you have questions about any of these jobs and we will be signing throughout december volunteer. Experiences like when helping other people do this work before our week comes around the end of january. Thank you very much. The reading by the reverend neck. Let us give thanks for generous friends with hearts as big as hubbard's and smiles as bright as their blossoms for feisty friends as tart as apples. For continuous friends who like scallions and cucumbers keep reminding us we had them for crotchety friends the sour is rhubarb and as indestructible. Four handsome friends. Who are as gorgeous as eggplants and as elegant as a roll of corn. As plain as potatoes and so good for you for funny friends who are as silly as brussel sprouts and as amusing as jerusalem artichokes and serious friends as complex as color flowers. And as intricate as onions. Unpretentious as cabbages as subtle as summer squash. As persistent as parsley. As delightful as dill. As endless as a zucchini and parsnips. Can be counted on to see you through the long winter. Sunflowers in the evening time. For loving friends. To wind around. And finally for those are friends now gone like gardens past. Harvested. That we might have life thereafter. Trophies. We give thanks. Identify note about the reverend max has his whole time in the bar country he knew about all of those vegetables that he wrote about and he was one of the cantankerous. Friends definitely was a complex person and he was someone who loved to smoke and when the clergy decided that we wouldn't be a smoke-free zone in our gatherings he simply refused to attend any clergy gathering issues. Or whether it was his personal justice issues. Jeroan i would have you know that this is her last time being with us at the worship associate she is been serving for a year-and-a-half in this position and she's getting ready for that last part of her senior year until we know that she needs just enter into that i'm fully and completely so savor words today. Who walk with you i made my first friend by asking her to be my friend i simply asked. Don't you think it should be that easy. It was the first day of kindergarten i stuck out my hand and just said hi my name's rowan want to be my best friend fortunately my request was not denied but to me at that age friendship was not a complex concept i did not factor risk into the idea of companionship and my trust was given freely. Think back to your first friendships the open he's the lack of fear. Simplified. But as we age. As friendships fade and bud. We learn what we need to come from our connections with other people. Maintaining relationships educated you on what you want to be surrounded by what kind of energies feeds you. We can let our friendships hold us. Provide balance and create a network of support within our lives. Much like our friendships themselves the flame we ignite in our face functions as a symbol for the connection between all beings. These relationships with one another educate us and compassion inauthenticity and allow us to fill the roles are friends require of us. Community such as ours. Friendships are intertwined into nearly every aspect of this congregation. I think it's fair to say some of our deepest regards to this church we're cultivated and their relationships that we made here. Disappear as i explore my options for college i've decided i also want to research you campuses as a factor into my decision. I hope during this transitional. continue to develop my relationships in a variety of areas and it is my wish that he church communities still plays a supportive role for me. Friendships manifest in all shapes and sizes. Who really cares what shape or size they come to you in if they are there to hold your hand to walk with you. I have many times found myself since friendship swear i've called been called upon to become a support system i give her advice a sounding board or a shoulder to lean on. To be a friend is to give. To be a friend is to understand how to convey love and intern how to receive it. The last year i was going through a bit of a rough patch. I felt out of balance i was in need of distraction. My friends were my lifelines allowing me space and time to process i felt held by them and their compassion for me. I fell into the role of receiver different experience for me as i tend to be the one giving the advice. It's often much more difficult to receive compassion or words of wisdom than it is to just hand them out. Friends from all points in my life played essential functions for me. 12 years ago i asked a little girl to be my best friend on the first day of school. Today. She knows me better than most anyone else and has the ability to provide the most honest perspective sourcing from years of experience from a shared childhood. Newer friend with a similar situation offered endless opportunities to vent and we felt connected by commonalities. My aunt who's a friend for me. Remind me of the other people in my life who cares for me who hold me in their sauce and in their hearts. I allowed myself to be held in the space that they made for me. Crafting their care and able to ask for what i needed. Be a friend is to understand how to convey love and intern how to receive it. Who walks with you. When i was younger. Michelle duggar. Actually expect. 80 or 90 or 100 or something but i also. I realize. Today overnight. So here i am anyhow during all those years of living. What to say. Intangible and. Hard-to-reach. As friendship. Especially from the viewpoint of starting time you probably have noticed. Time to be a mixture. Used to be. Haven't cared i lived on a ranch. My brother and i. Some years in the infantry during world war ii. Dad gave me for the first time outside my family. I should have realized i filled her home i had friends. I really appreciate it. Experience. Let's go back to friendship. Church. Has been. Order those friendships come from. Laura mercier will remember her. Pillar of the church. And she told me one evening. Dishes. But i ask myself. Who are the friends that i would share something with. But i wouldn't. I want i asked myself that question. Minsk. Ideas and feelings. Another another google shared friend i mean sheridan. So i think of the crawdads. Song for 40 years or more. On your own in the wilderness. Washing dishes together. Also at times in my life. Who's. Also expanded mine own. In ways that challenge me. I wrote about such a friend. Hero wars. Is what you have to expect. It's the universal predicament. Hoogland. Color warrior jungle. During the war. Display. I must have smiled. Wondering. Resignation. Some see visions. Cast of us. Still. Seeking the source of echoes. Emerson road. Thanksgiving for my friends. He wrote i owe you. Excellent friends he called them lovers who carry out the world for me to new & noble data. An enlarged and meanings of all my thoughts. A new friend. Is 2 mi a great event. And hinders me from sleep. One of the finest things in life is friendship. Many years ago i preached about the importance of friendship and i invited people from this congregation to write about what we would now call in facebook language their bff their best friend forever. And i found that file i was really really good at keeping paper files unlike how i am struggling with computer files. There are testimonials in that vial of the importance of friendship in marriages. And friendships that supported people when their whole world fell apart. Their stories are friendships with parents and children as they mature. And wishful questions about what makes a friendship last. I often wait in the morning and give thanks for my friends. And i cherish them as you cherish your friends who are here with you today or maybe they are not in this face but far away. Like emerson for me the potential of having a new friend. The great event. Treasure to be discovered. It's more exciting even than discovering that your favorite author didn't write this one bus but has a whole series and i don't know if you've ever felt that when you realize that that first wonderful story is not the only story is just the beginning of a whole line. A good friendship is also like a slow ripening fruit. To borrow that phrase from aristotle. Slow. Frightening. Print. And i decided to share a personal story with you today. It was summer when the spokane mountaineers headed into snow country in canada. The exact location of this hike has merged with many memories of trails and boots and backpacks and pain. But i do remember. It's how we were splattered with sunscreen to shield us from the sun reflecting off of the snow. And i remember the struggle of walking with a very heavy pack. On the sparkling white crust only to sink tip teeth in a pocket of air that was just under the surface of that crust and then struggling to write myself again to continue. It took hours to get to the base cabinets just below the glacier. For me it was a trip of a juris just to get there. I was going to make it to the base camp. And i did. Take off.. But there were others for whom this tie to the camp with only the appetizer. They went to climb rock and ice. While i sat reading in the basecamp others headed off with ropes and crampons the next morning prepared to do serious climbing. And cindy and i met on that trip. She was one of those wrong and ice climbers. As satisfied as i was be sitting in cans and is very cold son i was amazed at those who were ready to do more. She was so calm. And matter-of-fact about her strength and her skills. And the conversations that we had on that trip where the beginning of a friendship that has lasted 34 years it was and is a slow ripening fruit. We have lived in the same city we have lived across the country from each other. We travel through each other's homes. To meet each other's friends sometimes making them are friends too. We know the stories of each other's families we travel to places where we had to depend on each other. Once we found ourselves in a questionable massage parlor in thailand and after some stunned silence we just added it to the list of our memorable experiences we have celebrated each other's professional landmarks and listened in person and on the phone. With some decision to needed another mind and not just our zone spinning around and around. Things we have in common. But i think it isn't what she said to be friends year after year. It's the kid. They're given between us. It's how over the years we can share the best of our life but also our fears. It's a dedication of doing the work. The word tending to the friendship. And that includes emails. And text. And facebook. All of those things. As well as the visit. It's the ability to receive but also to give. And research shows that this is one of the most important characteristics of long friendships affirming. The other person. By being willing to receive. The gifts they have to offer you. Being able to allow them to give. To you. And finally it's seeing the other through a lens of the soul. When i was ordained in 1988 cindy gave me a wonderful gift she told the story of my life to a textile artist who created the scarf that's in front of units called a journey to life. And that's written throughout this car. There's a story in the pattern that goes all throughout it the hard parts and the great moments that open up and finally. And one corner. There is a very large chalice. And it shooting out. All these joyful people. Throughout the rest. Of the scarf. It's beautiful. Is a symbol of being known. Are being heard. And if being really deeply seen by someone. Here in this place today. Are people who are your friends. Or. People who are waiting to become your friend. Maybe really see each other. And find the ones here who are going to allow us to give. Iso. To them. And that way we know that we are apart of the web of life. And that we belong. Deeply. In this world. I invite you in your time of prayer. Meditation with me. Center yourself. Jibrizy play. Consider the friends in your life. And those who will be around your table. What is table you will sit at. In this upcoming holiday of thanksgiving. This was inspired by the work of marcia mcphee with whom i'll study during sabbatical. When you gather around tables for thanksgiving. It's complicated. We share bread with those who have brought betrayal. Disagreement. Uncertainty. Devotion. Love. Enjoy all of this into our lives. Wherever we gather around tables it's complicated. Because families. And friends are complicated. Blood families chosen families church families the human family. The thanksgiving we break bread together. Not in spite of our differences but because of them. Making space. For those differences. And then coming close enough to see the worthiness of another. Recognizing the imperfections brokenness and in that potential to. Getting space for disappointment and then allowing forgiveness to enter into that space let us not say grace but be grace. Be grace in life. A man and blessed be. At this point in our service in this surface only we're doing a recognition. Thunder here. I mentioned to you that this is rowan's last service and so she wanted to take some unitarian-universalism with her wherever she goes. And so from the worship association if you are aware ship assisi if you would come forward at this time for one of our worship leaders. They are inviting rowan would you please come up here right next to me. Can't we need to. So these people wish you well they are a team who worked with you. And they have. All contributed ms chalice yours to travel with you and in this little bag. Our little chalice lighting's so you can pull mine out. Whenever you need to know that we're with you. He swears by shel silverstein and they were found by ruin. How many slams in an old screen door. Depends how loud you shut it. How many slices in a bread depends housing you cut it. How much good inside a day. Depends how good you live in. How much love inside a friend. Depends how much you give them. Honest day we give thanks to the friends here among us and those who are far away let this gathering say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

2013-05-19_Worship_Coming-of-Age_10_00.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons another recording from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at www.ge.com for further information. How wonderful that you're here. That our blessing as a bridge folks just came in with all their crate energy. We'll keep that energy going today is our coming-of-age celebration sunday. Welcome to the unitarian universalist church of davis. Today we joyfully mark the completion of this year's uu rite of passage for our youth who are between 12 and 14 years old. You're going to hear more about the challenges and discernment process that they went through. Angus elections from their parents and mentors. Welcome also today to anybody who's new to our congregation we hope that you'll soon feel at home with us. If you would if you want to hear more about us and to get on our newsletter list there is a sign-in sheet at the welcome table as you exit. Speaking of community while i choirs up here you get to just be in community right up here with us. But if you would all just take a moment and look around and say hello to someone it's near you especially someone you don't know so well. When they say it takes a village. I believe this is what they're talking about it takes all of us dementors. Our parents are coming of our elders are choir. To create and sustain a program that's as powerful as the coming-of-age program is. We do this because of unitarian universalist. We believe that we should each have the freedom to decide for ourselves how we make meaning. From what life princess. What happens after death. Is there a god. And if so how do we explain that presents. These youth. Have had opportunities to talk with their minter's and peers about these questions and more. Being in this religion that has room for this much freedom of thought. And spirit. Can be confusing. Especially if you haven't really had much opportunity to think and talk about these things before. This coming-of-age program gives framework for those discussions with attentive listening snatchers who often shared their own thoughts and their own beliefs. Bns free religion can sometimes feel like it's okay to believe anything you want. But this program talks about the covenant till grounding that you use have with our 7 principles. The history of our theology and the pride we feel in our unitarian and universalist ancestors who were far from wishy-washy. We talked about the high-value our face gives for working to make the world a better place. And living out our values. Incoming age then just talk about these things. We do service and look for opportunities to do more. Remodel having fun. And the importance of treating each other with integrity and respect. Our goal is to let there be time and opportunities to form the relationships. That would allow all the other learning. Engross and questioning to happen. Are childless lighters today are liam chapman. And his coming-of-age or cohen as we call it the co-inventor. Dan putman. Liam has said that she loves co-op. She did our slideshow fresh that he'll be staying later on and he's also into skateboarding and something about being a ninja but you're welcome to ask him about. And dan has said he'll of agriculture that's his work over uc davis and music. Fidan and liam's lolitas. Inviting a chalice and then we'll say the chalice lighting together. Good morning. Inland effort to role model i'll start by saying my name is joe king leaders of the coma program this year. So why do people always think. That homeless people want to steal from us or hurt us. I didn't think i could climb that high and just jump off. I thought staying silent for 6 hours of being possible but i did it. He's just a few comments i've heard in the past 8 months. As i joined this incredible journey with five youths and seven adults. A coming-of-age program. Do you have tested themselves physically and intellectually. I remember the zipline at the ropes course. Andele. Ready to climb. Climb. Climbing. Puppetry they went to the launch platform. Define says. It's okay you're roped in you can't fall. The gut says no not true get these feet back on the ground. But they kept climbing. The launched off the platform screams adrenaline thrills. Confidence. The other side of the journey. For the pasta verbalizing their beliefs. We had discussions interactions and solo time to process. I have to confess. But i search the internet for a great quote about defining your beliefs. Instead i found a website called how to define your personal values. Being pragmatic i thought that way better than a quote. They provide a four-step formula for defining your values. Take time to think are you happy with your existing personal values. What types of personal values do people consider worthy. Clarify your most significant values. An implement your values into your life. Can you feel like a saturday morning pre farmers market exercise we've been at it for 8 months. I do expect or hope the co has been a richer experience. See you there been collecting their thoughts and experiences since september. Turn the focus of actually writing the corridos. I noted though but in the same week when we shifted the program to draft and credos this community experienced the murder of two of our members and bombings in boston. I briefly allowed this to draw me into view of the world's ills. Struggling economies syria polarized politics emotional fears trumping scientific data. Cuz i connected the world events to write in creators i drew myself back here to this year's program to these youth these men turfs. And others in the district-wide, program. I drew some light instrumental.. Annoying their intellect. Their energy and their intentions i find optimism. I look forward to a day when this group. Hello generation are leaders and innovators. Living in sharing their beliefs and values. There was a child who went forth every day. What i looked upon i began. And it became part of you for the day or a certain part of the day. Open many years. The blue morning glories. Golden puppies. The song of the mockingbird. Davis bike laws in greenbelt. What day is in earth days on the id band. Carpooling in back-to-school nights. Knowing when you are home at last. Something that happened or difficult. Some things that happened to amazing. You are amazing. How long a child. The young man. Kept thinking and evolving. You became somebody. Somebody interesting. Somebody with a mind of his own. What rhymes with my mouth closed not to hide my sister's things to do anything's enough to do anything so useful to know. My parents are part of me. And yeah. I'm also myself. I'm getting ready to fly from the nest. I can see he's taller than i am now and sometimes you think that you're smarter than both your parents put together your plans you need to believe you can do it scared. So you believe needs to be bigger than the fear so you can do the things that have never been done before. I'll be home around 1 tonight. Not yet can i have the keys to the car. Not yet. Can i challenge a bourgeois mentalities your materialistic get ironic idealism and your sense of manifest destiny. I know elijah chapman. So yeah i'm supposed to reflect on my call you.. The years i've been at this church. I don't really know what to think and. When i was like i started going to owl and like. Mugs and stuff like that. A lot of my beliefs changed cuz i. I just know i was going into him like going here when i was a lot younger then i stopped going. I just kind of like i said hang out with like these like homophobic kids know that like 12 north davis and stuff. So yeah i know like i just started going here again. Yeah so basically not known. I don't really have anything else to say that's. Summary of briskly everything. Amcrest. This is a bit more prepared statement don't forget me i haven't memorized this. Alright then so on our third and final coverage we headed up into hawkridge into some little unknown nature park. Can we relax for 6 hours to look inward and i think on our own beliefs and come to our own conclusions about the world around us. Sitting there in the silence in the natural world i found myself pondering one of life's greatest secrets is oldest irony and its ultimate destination. Alta by myself asking other questions. If death is inevitable and laughing some extent atenolol what is life. Why we give in just a few short years before burial and what do you intend to do with the time allotted. Although the truth and will probably lose human control time to come. I having at this point. Five and a half hours to burn begin to make up my mind what i found true. Has a lot more time than i could have ever use. What is life. Americold approve of a higher power rangers. Ischium probability of such a thing is simply too great for random happenstance. But where is a higher power i do not refer to a god in the sense of a man who created all things 5700 years ago. Notify directly to the universe a living being within itself that works inexorably to answer its own internal question. Every atom molecule person every bit of emotion in the universe moves in accordance to further answer this question. To me to extend this explains every action every miracle. I never charged you that has or ever will occur. While a few short years before death when mountains like the aliens and stars new immortality. Imperfection. What time who's say people will not live for. We are evolution's child but we are not finished growing. Someday not yet not soon but one day i fear of death will that. We will be free. Until then the briefness of life is little more than a reminder not to waste the time we have. There are more important things in this world than just that it can be measured in material value. I will meet you at the time right now. Planets beyond the greatest questions because the answers are different for every living or unliving thing. Our destiny is on his old women. For me this is already set. Time will remember me. The world will remember. This would be my goal my dream my final last wish my first wish upon entering this world. Death comes for us all in but we doing like an echo for eternity. Pappadeaux's of death that all stops mattering crazy on how well or poorly they think you didn't life because whether you understand life is but a dream and we merely flitting through it. It all energy taken is not taken just borrow i must one day be given back. Make the time you have here that you've been given count them. It wasn't that you can give something much greater back. Omnibus merienda. You don't know. Haunted slideshow we. For i believe that you know we have goals hopes. Stuff we want to do in life and i appreciate i want to have my own restaurant and stuff and cook their butt. That's already going to happen i know that so where i focus on is here. Making people happy cuz i see people they get sad and i don't feel too great about that because i want to make people happy it's what i like to do so. I feel that you know it can just make a huge difference if you just walking down the street. And you see the one he liked hi smile at man cuz i can change a person's day i know from personal experience channel my days really sucks and then someone walks by total stranger and say hi or hello. And that. That really changes my day and i really really like that when people do that so. I just i say when you're going on today you know you late to meeting or something but. Hey google time smile at someone. Hi how was your day or something like that i can really change a person's day like the difference between. Someone going home and say oh i met the nicest person today or is he all my day really suck no one said hi to me and smiled at me. So it's really important. That's. .. Is what i believe in. So i leave you messages i leave you a message today. Be nice smile at people and try not to be rude because i'm trying not to say the wrong thing sometimes. Understand. Turn i sometimes that can change a person's day. Why do i have to follow that all i'm going to do is talk. My name is austin kerr i served as one of the coming-of-age mentors this year is my third time doing this. And. I served as williams mentor. And. Sorry eliza's mentor who's liam's brother. Let me first say it was an honor. Analyzer this year. We got off to a bit of a slow start. Which is probably the case. For many of the mentor-mentee pairs. When i first met elijah i was struck by how different his interests are. From what my interests were when i was his age. But this is really an observation of our superficial selves. The color program eventually put us. And position in which we will discuss meaningful questions together. Like what happens when people die. What is our cultural at homelessness homelessness exist. This is when we started to connect with each other. This is when we start our core values. And realize we weren't as different as we thought. Elijah i'm really fond of our conversations together. You gave me fresh ideas to contemplate. As as did many of other mentees. And tell her this year. I want to talk about teenagers after all. Easement. They're rotten teenagers in some ways but i can't talk about you you teenagers without talking about why i'm you you now. When i was in my twenties i went church shopping. And i went to. Uu church for the first time in san francisco. The first service there was this service it was their coming-of-age program. The co you use had planned the service. And the congregation was a knowledge in your passage. Eastman t-shirt some of their beliefs. Or just thought. About their own understanding of their core values and core beliefs. I left that service and state of pleasant shock. Not only were those teenagers on that day just like these teenagers on this day. Sharing ideas from their hearts. The ideas they shared where ideas. I wanted for the contemplate. And i still contemplate today. And unlike many of the ideas i hear from you you adults. These ideas were fresh. Think about what our church might look like in 25 years. Think about that when we listen. To these youth today. Ensured it was the teenagers who maybe understand what you use them is about it was the teenagers who served as the first impression for the first unitarian universalist church of san francisco. After you use them as a whole. I'm still amazed today about the potential of youth demonstrated by you youth. And this group of coa youth is no different. Damn amaze me they can be silly and a genuine fun-loving way. Unlike adults. They can communicate remarkably well. They can address serious topics such as. Why do we have homelessness why do bad things happen to good people. And what happens when we die. And who am i. They are self-aware. They're more confident. Then they realize you few are more confident. Then you know. They speak up and ask questions. I also know however that teenagers. Jimmy very unpleasant. Or anyone who once was a teenager it's probably familiar with the following scenario. Parent comes home at the end of the day and asked a teenager. What happened to school today. Only get a responsive. Nothing in a grown. I almost made a responsive reading out of that by the way but. I'd like to end with a couple of size one is for the parents. How might you deal with the growing responsive nothing. You get from your teenagers. One approach would be just to wait until that second most commonly asked question at the end today. What's for dinner. Sear opportunity respond nothing but this is a passive aggressive approach another. Was to invite one of your kids friends over for dinner. They're more likely to talk. The other side i have is one i want to share with the coming-of-age youth. We tricked you a little bit. We know there was more to who you are. When your favorite movie favorite class in school or how many hours you can spend awake playing your favorite video game. We mentors now know that you know. That you were lies and your thoughts are so much more than nothing. You provided us with new perspectives and fresh ideas. Contemplate. I welcome you to the conversation that i called unitarian universalism. You earned our respect. But there's a catch there's a catch the tollway's cats we tricked you. We expect a little more from you now. We seek your contribution cuz we know. It will help us. This may take the form of emptying the dishwasher at home without being ass. Helping a sibling. Letting a teacher know that you enjoy certain class. Or smiling into a stranger and asking how their day was. We're joining our conversation. Nothing is no longer acceptable. And we welcome you and your ideas with open arms open minds. And open hearts. I feel like i'm the only one that needs extra stuff. Okay. Okay. So. Let me just start off by saying that i don't know why we're here. And i think many of us don't know. And i think that's always going to be one of the greatest mysteries of. Humankind and a. Life on earth. But while we're here. We might as well do the best we can. Because. That's all we can do. Be the best you you can be. And i'll try to be the best me i can be and maybe we can do some good in this world. I don't think everyone's equal at birth. Some people like me. Got lucky. I started off having everything that i need. And we can't fix that all the way for other people but we can at least try to help people who aren't born lucky like me. And on that note i think that. A lot of what people do has to do with how lucky they are. Like do homeless people. Are they bad just because they don't have the good fortune to have houses. I don't think so. Which is something i learned from kawa. I also think that bad things happen to good people all the time. Why. Well there's a million different reasons for an everybody has their own reason i think. But there's nothing we can really do about it so sorry if anything bad has happened to you good people. And. Like liam i also have the simple belief that. Everyone should pretty much be nice to everyone so. You know even if you're not feeling great. It's still kind of your job today. Make other people feel happy so that they don't have to. Besides. So i love being you you and my favorite your principal. Is the free and responsible search for truth and meaning. Through coming-of-age in through my life in general of late. I've been searching for my juice in my meaning. I think it's a very important thing for all of us to do. Not just as you use but as people. Because i throwing vient understand myself so much better. When i started thinking about what i believe in and i'm. So glad that i had the good fortune to be able to be in a program like koa. That allows me to. I think about those things without being tied down by. Anyting. And also and unitarian-universalism unitarian universalist. I think a key part of that is accepting others beliefs. So. So right now i'm just trying to take in all of. The people out there. And know that. I accept your belief and i just want to thank you for accepting my beliefs to. So. Thank you for that and. I love being at you you okay so now i'm going to do a short dance to a song called now is to start. Because now is the start of my new life. Hello there was a day before i had to finish my credo. Singer room wasting time on youtube. And i came across. The video. Devil woman. Poo. He'll experience of. Spoken word poetry. And actually struck me as interesting so. I wrote my credo as a spoken word poem only difference. Cheddar's completely memorize. I'm not sure how my memory as mine is. So we'll see how this goes. I'm a human. I'm a thinker. I'm a worrier and i am a wonder. I have fought. And i have lost. And i've learned. I wouldn't life is about building the tallest towers or dare i say having top grades in class no. It's about sharing a stranger in the eyes for the first time. And it's about standing on a street corner selling lemonade for unicef. About sitting on your father's shoulders looking up at all the stars. I'm wondering if there's anybody staying back. The human experience is about looking this big impossible universe right in the face. And not understanding it for the life of you. Accepting that it's never going to make complete sense. Does some people try to make sense of this big complicated universe. Through god or spirit. I don't believe in god but i believe in believing. I believe in searching for an answer. Makes this big impossible universe little more reasonable and finding one that suits you. Personally i believe that there's something that differentiates humans. From specifically design lumps of proteins lipids nucleic acids and. When i missing. Carbohydrates t2 sync to reason to make connections to love to hate to feel. Emily died we are still these specifically designed lumps of organic material just in the form of a carcass but we have lost that life inside of us. The infamous addresses to walk on this world on a 2 ft and wonder how the hell we got there. Another thing i believe is that everybody has a voice. Everybody has something to say if you give them a spotlight then they'll stutter. Human. Bias human. Confusion human perfection impossible improvements. Feasible. I believe that every life. Is an empty bucket to fill with human experiences. Any experiences make us who we are. Accept the fact that the world isn't perfect except the fact that neither are you. But understanding of one life one opportunity to make this world a little bit less imbalance a little bit less imperfect. I spell the word live. Love. When i was a child before the word opportunity slipped into my vocabulary i wondered what will i be when i'm no longer here. What will i be when i passed and when generations have come and gone. We're all stories in the end. Make yours. Storyworks remembering a story worth passing on make your life story of your lifetimes. Animal live in peace. Thank you. Wow. I hope i just filled with gratitude i got to work with these young people all year and these leaders so you can see encourage anybody that's inspired to want to be part of this program to see me at some point our next one will start up in the fall of 2014. This is especially emotional. It's just such a powerful thing to. Hear all these voices. So at the start of coming-of-age less than one year ago i was taller than both my children they had just last year completed in our whole lives program. Which provided them with important tools for fostering healthy respectful relationships. It also offered as many opportunities for discussion. Enforce me to think about what i wanted my children to expect from and contribute to the world. So when they began the coming-of-age program i had high expectations and it wasn't disappointed. They've grown a lot since then i'm looking more directly into the eyes and up into the eyes of another. I saw the expected moodiness and heard plenty of door slamming followed by radio blasting there's been some attitude i also noticed a lot more questioning. About my experiences at their age about why the world seems so unjust. I'm about possibilities i've never even imagined. Unitarian universalism is all about. Empowerment for personal growth and exploration. And to be oneself. Offered me more opportunities to grow with my children. And to learn more about how they define themselves. I asked these teenagers to polish the voices. They've been challenged to deeply consider what they stand for. And given many opportunities to articulate those values. It's been a fantastic opportunity for me to grow as well i have again had to consider the direction of my own parenting in ways i never predicted. Because i'm hearing the voices of my sons. I have the opportunity to correct my course if i have strayed. Bouncing awareness of the injustice in the world with a worldview that holds compassion. For the privileged as well as the oppressed. I don't imagine that i would have had this amazing level of feedback. Without the nudging of kos substantiv questioning. Again the conversations we have at home are deeper and broader we've discussed what happens when we die. Why were unitarian universalist. Why does anything happen the way it does. Another development is their independence. I knew it was coming. I watched him become accustomed to being a part of a group of peers. With a safe place to express themselves freely account on confidentiality. And then it was official. After the final retreat. One of my sons returned with a modest proposal. He told me. He's now come of age. And to be able to make some decisions for himself. Specifically he wanted an extra serving of ice cream really it wasn't milestone because he approached me in a new way with confidence a strong sense of himself and an expectation of a respectful audience with me. The lessons are learning about themselves are reflecting my values in spite of me sometimes. My inexperience of a parent of teens can mean that i occasionally forget how far we've come together. This is a chance to get over my spouse. Let go when it's time and align my expectations with who they are today. The song by john mccutcheon called room at the top of the stair. If you listen to it as a parent probably cry as about parenting is fun. Anna part of it. What part of the song says there's room in our house at the top of the stair where the door is shut tight and the stereo blair's. Your mother is worried about your young ears no one is here carpet in years and the hole-in-the-wall that you made with your fist when the anger of aging was too hard to resist. But the long light of love. Cactus shadow in there. A room at the top of the stairs. That long line of love sorry was brightly on our children during this austin townsend time of life from this congregation. Especially from the coming-of-age program. Today they're bold gentle. Eager and shy sometimes self-absorbed and sometimes. Attempted wonderful listeners and conversationalist. And often funny and charming. I still have a great deal of influence and control over their lives fairly more than they think is fair. But they choose what to wear how to style their hair how to decorate their rooms. Which friendships to nurture which ones to let go and warn. Weather to do the harlem shake or the spongebob dance at all or sing or play or cry or believe in something. And how and when we will demonstrate their affection for me. And sometimes will hold a secret protest or casually mentioned some other options. But today with the support of this beautiful community i celebrate their movement forward. And i will laugh and cry and wonder with them. Hi megyn kelly and i'm the third leader for color this year. So eight years ago i was told stand up straight remember your papers talk really slowly. Take deep breaths. But i was 14 years old i shared my cradle out of worship service at the unitarian universalist fellowship of corvallis. It's in oregon for those that don't know. I will share a brief section of the crater that i shared eight years ago. I am a friendly person who likes to be with kids. I think it is very important to try your best. I am a singer who loves to laugh. I think helping others is important. I'm a 14 year old female who loves her friends and family. Ironically most of that is still true. Minus the fourteen-year-old heart. After the service. I was able to discuss what i had shared with many members of the congregation that i had grown up in. I heard many genuine questions and comments. About my personal opinions. I felt like what i said mattered. Adult cared about how i had grown and matured because of coming of age. They told me that they have learned from what i had shared. I still remember how it felt this first time that i knew for a fact. That adults wanted to listen to what i had to say. Agricola l i wanted to bring the same experience to the youth in our program. One way that we will be sharing with our youth and showing them that we value their opinions. It's through the process of blessing circles vacate mentioned earlier. Prior to the start of the service for five people were asked to meet with each use. To share their thoughts about what the youth had spoken about in the service. These groups will be joined by each youth mentor and parents. Do you thrown very interested in participating in these blessing circles and we thank you all for your participation. Any blessing circles and thank you. For making it possible. I hope that the feedback that our youth receive. Through this process will be a value to them valuable to them as a feedback i received eight years ago. The second way is with the little slips of paper without go ahead and do that while i'm talking. I don't care. So the little papers will go into baskets and those of you that have been asked to join in the blessing circles please find the youth. In one of the corners or in the center. Participating please exit rather quickly so that we can move into that part of our service. Find the benediction the busing circles. Respected. Kami. So kate i asked her like how do i bless this community what what parts of the community do you want blastin and basically is all of you. So i'm going to do that but i want you to think about what you heard today. The voices. The music. The dancing what you saw. Weights on each other's faces. I want you to take hands with the people next to you. Not going to ask you to stand in to know that even before you do those blessing circle there's going to be a breeze of the song old go ahead and stand and everybody out here too i don't know if you know but this place is so full for this coming-of-age that the back room is also. so. Is pretty amazing you are not the only ones in here. These are the people that quesadillas people need to be blessed and so i'm here too. To hear that. And gratefulness we recognize the parents. Who share the wisdom of their lives. By the words they speak. I don't feel any pressure. this parents but even more by the example of their actions. I didn't thankfulness we celebrate this church community dementors and i want to say she didn't say this but kate raymond. Because people of all ages are invested. In the parents and they use in the children and they model the free and responsible search for truth and a spiritual life and if you were with. These young people at the breakfast you would have heard that. Wonderful. In celebration we honor our coming-of-age youth for the wisdom of their lives. Or how they model truth. And spirit. Found in friendships and laughter and listening and silence and nature and justice seeking. Together this is more than we could ever have a loan. We are blessed by our coming together and hearing each other's heart song. Hearthsong. Oh but there is spirit when many gather together to listen to each other's journey in gratefulness let this gathering say amen. Black bass.

uudavispodcast_org

2015-05-24_Mystery-and-Awe_11_15.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. org for further information. Good morning on this fine memorial day i am brian plude i am your service leader this morning thanks will be back from her sabbatical at the end of this month i'm a long-time member here i know many of you but not all of you. I've been here since 1998 but most of the last four years i've been in other places other churches as i've been attending seminary and i'm pleased overjoyed to announce that on may 14th i graduated. My being here and being there soon alexander lee jobe will be my worship associate at this morning. Not surprisingly the day after. I graduated i came down with a nasty cold from which i'm still recovering the hope one of those things of kind of predictable. Welcome we come to the sanctuary to celebrate the beauty of the earth and to be in community this congregation comfort us when we know lots and celebrates our best dreams we bring our differences together we offer the truth together then anyone point of view. This is a place of the challenge and compassion the holy is experienced here in many ways and is given many names. People of all sexual orientations and gender identities are celebrated. We welcome all the political parties races classes and physical abilities we have much to learn from each other. This is a place of learning and hold. Weather because of the touching my friend the words and music for a moment of silence may you feel more alive. We like this chalice. Bark of the original fire of creation to remind us that we are we are all on this planet the furred and the scaled along with us. Featherless biped we are all made of the same star stuff and all share a common destiny. We all share the same hopes of a life free from harm and suffering and the same aspirations of happiness love and flourishing being able to express our own unique nature's and capacities as best we may we are just that many diverse perspectives from which the whole world is seen. And experienced. We're indestructible e intertwined interconnected and interdependent and it is good blessed be. Mystery mystery life is a little riddle and a mystery my favorite animal is an egret. When i drive across the causeway i see they're gorgeous stark white color they seem to be shining among the green rice fields. My heart feels lifted every time i see one when they nested in the trees by the ucd vesicle i grabbed my binoculars and went out there. It was thrilling to see them i say hello beauty to every week good i see. What is it about them that touches be. I read about hindu beliefs that we are reincarnated as humans and informer lives we may have been any matter of live of living beings. Could it be then in a former life i was an egret and that's why i feel such a strong connection to them. There is a mural in san francisco on masonic and hayes that reads our history is no mystery to me the first time i saw it. Why should anyone history be unknown to them. Can i learn american history in school. Then i saw a part of the mural that depicted chinese people building the railroad i had never learned about that. In grade school in chicago. I never even realized the chinese people made many contributions to building america. And i know there's article in the be today about that and i didn't know about that article when i wrote my what i was going to say so. A mysterious happening nowadays i read authors such as lisa ca me 10 howard zinn and ronald takaki to learn more about chinese american history as well as chinese history. One of the most fascinating events in nature to me is migration there are so many unanswered questions. The first amazing animal is arctic turn the small and beautiful bird holds the world record of the longest migration. It flies 44000 miles on a round trip from greenland 2nf arctica the second animal is a humpback whale. It's swim 16000 miles which has a greater distance than any other mammal on earth. My son will and i were fortunate enough to see three a mother a calf and a teenager near the channel islands 10 years ago it was one of our best days ever third is a leatherback turtle which swims 10000 miles from west africa to south america. As people we often professed to be the most intelligent beings on earth yet running about migrating animals i'm not so sure. So from my kinship with egrets to chinese history to animal migration i find a mysterious and intriguing world. Poem by mary oliver mysteries yes truly we live with mysteries too marvelous to be understood. How grass can be nourishing in the mouth of lambs. How rivers and stones are forever in allegiance with gravity. While we ourselves dream of rising. Are two hands touch in the bonds will never be broken. How people come from delight or from scars of damage to the comfort of a poem. Let me keep my distance always from those who think they have the answers. And let me keep you company always be those who say lord and laugh in astonishment. Father hats. How do we find renewal in mystery. Teenager. On august 29th 2007 the shorebird known by scientist az7. Flip a table. Thousands of her companions and headed out across the pacific ocean. Place with the y k delta. Yukon-kuskokwim. In alaska. He's having it been gorging for days on tiny clams and worms in the mudflats of the delta. She and her fellow bar-tailed godwit. Had made several false starts. But for reasons known only to them things were not right. But this time things were right and they kept going. Nils warnock and bob gill. The scientist with mounted the 3-g satellite transmitter on this 12-oz bird. Knew that her destination was new zealand. What they didn't know was how she and her many companions got there. They presumed. They're working hypothesis with that. They would sure hafez do most long-distance migrants. But instead of turning toward asia. D7 turn toward the pacific ocean. 3 days later it is an altitude of 14000 ft and still flying. She passed 400 miles west of the hawaiian islands. 2 days later. Still flying. Did you cross the international date line. Trina miles north-northeast of fiji. And on her 8th day. Great day she spotted northcape the northernmost point of new zealand. Within a few hours landed on the mudflats at the mouth of the piako river. On the 1st of tammuz. She just flown 8 days and 7250 miles non-stop. No food no water no sleep. Fides. Along the way she had navigated 5 major wind systems. How did this unlikely migration evolve. What physiological adaptations allow this. Incomprehensible physical activity durance. Peter the scientist deep questions. Are the scientist me wondering. But. I get emotional about this migration. Commence miraculous in the supernatural sense of the word. Yep miraculous. I'm deeply touched by the beauty and wonder and mystery. I'm just sick of this amazing feat. I'm also move because i know that this amazing bird like so many other creatures on our planet. Is in trouble. In trouble from habitat loss due to human development. In trouble from changing climate patterns. She might imagine there's not a lot of room for error when you're moving your flying for 8 days. Doesn't take a lot to throw that off and make a disaster. Mystery. The transcendentalist movement of the early 19th century was a reaction to the prevailing intellectualize spirituality of the unitarians. And harvard divinity school. Hallett material ism and commercialism of that day. The transcendentalist comprising such unitarian grades is henry david thoreau. Ralph waldo emerson. And margaret fuller an early feminist. Believe that one could find insight in renewal in time contemplating the beauty. And wonder of nature. Baxley believed it was necessary that one do so. This is why throw went to walden pond for two years. He's writing influence environmentalist such as aldo leopold and john muir. Beginning with ralph waldo emerson who famously resigned from his unitarian congregation over intellectual spirituality. The transcendentalist look toward nature and eastern religions for individual insight into the mysteries of creation. Transcendentalist did not deny the world of facts. But felt that the true knowing would be gained through intuition which they confusingly called reason. Twin-tuition one could transcend sensory knowledge to perceive truth in the genius which lies within each of us. Which they believe was connected to god. Who is present throughout nature. They went to nature to become aware of god. They were mystics believing in miracle inspiration and ecstasy. In a later addition of his famous essay nature. Emerson out of these six lines of poetry is introduction. A subtle chain. A subtle chain carlos rings the next onto the farthest brings. The irene's almonds where it goes. And speaks all languages the rose. And striving to be man. The worm mounds through all the spires of form. In the short poem emerson alludes to the interconnectedness of all of nature. And two years before the publishing of darwin's origin of species. He lose the idea of evolution. There is so much that we do not know. So much that we will likely never know even as we learn more and more about how living organisms and how the universe function. Not so long ago some very learning scientist made some rather inopportune remarks about how the age of discovery was passed. In 1894 soon-to-be nobel laureate albert a mickelson stated. The more important fundamental laws and facts of physical science have all been discovered. This was a course just a few years before einstein turned physics upside down with his theories of light time and gravity. Quantum theory. The alice in wonderland world of the very small the subatomic was developed shortly after. And no less than nobel laureate richard fineman. Climbing with sad to understand quantum physics better than any other person nobody understood it. Raymond king closer. He wrote this in 1965. Vineland. The age in which we live is the age in which we are discovering the fundamental laws of nature and that day will never come again. It is very exciting it is marvellous that this excitement will have to go. But fifty years after fineman 10 those words there is so much that we don't know. Cosmologists neil degrasse tyson writes about her state of unknowing in his 2007 book by black hole. We don't know what came before the origin of the universe 13.7 billion years ago the so-called big bang. There's a disconnect. Between our theory. Of the formulation of the early universe. And the later universe. Fundamental disconnect. Einstein's theory of gravity is here reconcilable with quantum physics. 85%. 85% of the gravity. In the universe. He's unaccounted for by any matter we have been able to detect. And the universe is expanding. And that expansion is accelerating. And we don't know why. Something is causing it to accelerate. And we have a term dark energy. Which. Has been created to account for this accelerating expansion. And we don't know how inanimate land matter becomes life. And had this list and compiled by. Biologist rather than a cosmetologist. There would be many more unknowns relating to life on this beautiful planet. Extremophiles that live in incomprehensibly harsh conditions at the bottom of the ocean your vents. In acidic environments. Couple years ago i attended a minister's retreat. Took place near san juan bautista at the saint francis retreat center. My usual practice upon waking is to do some yoga and then a sitting meditation. The retreat center has wonderful trails throughout covered hills right out the back door. I took my medication into the woods. And i was not disappointed. Good morning was foggy and damp. You're not long after i started i saw three california news. Moving their slow way on hill across the trail. Have you ever seen one. Serum phibians like frogs and toads but they look like lizards. They're brown on top and have an orange belly or about 5 or 6 in long. My girls think they're really cute i agree with him. For years when they were younger we would go new tunning in the spring of cold canyon. The stream the ephemeral stream that flows down to the bottom of cold canyon. Is a breeding place for newts. We hiked up the middle of that stream. Number of times. So anyway. Here were these three news fine either way back uphill to wait out the summer drought and heat. Under leaves and logs until the rain started again. I water more carefully and i really began looking. Can the next mile trail i saw dozens and dozens of newts all headed uphill. This was new to me. I've never seen it before although i knew that this migration took place. Where was the water source where they lay their eggs. I could see downhill. I can see a water source anywhere close. How far they walked. How many days have they walked at this. Terribly slow pace. I watched several notes disappear into a small hole in the ground and the trail. With this to be their summer home. One of the nudes to contrarian bypass the whole. Why how. I was totally caught up in the migration of these tiny animals. The poet mary oliver wrote. Truly we live with mysteries too marvelous to be understood. Let me keep my distance always from those who think they have the answers. And let me keep company always with those who say look. And laugh and astonishment. And follow their heads. Perry oliver cat sitting. She's our modern-day transcendentalist at least with respect to appreciating. The mystery of nature. Rights to pay attention to pay attention this is the first requirement of a spiritual attitude toward the world. The most of us do not do this. Georgia o'keeffe the 20th century artist most famous for her paintings of flowers said. Most people find it difficult to attend to the world around us. Because it really takes time. Really takes time. Contemplating the mystery of nature is important. Both personally. Before our earth. Throw was forever changed by his two years on walden pond. And it's long as i can remember i have turned to time in nature for healing. Most of us can't take two years. But we can take time in nature. Many of us. Maybe all of us have been awestruck by a beautiful sunset or the surf on a northern california beach. These are grandiose in magnificent. The mystery of nature is everywhere around us if we but take the time to observe. This is what the artist. Photographer. The birder. The poet. This is what they do. They know this. And while we may or may not have those skills. There's a personal healing to be gained. Enclose unhurried observation of nature. It isn't necessary and toad. Two are hurried consumptive lifestyles. Contemplatively connection with nature. Is a necessary first step in healing the earth. If we are immersed. In the mystery in the beauty. Of the natural world surrounding us. Call ben how ben can we participate in actions which are destroying her. How then. But if you sell. Invite you into an attitude of prayer and meditation. We hold in the light of love those here within these walls. Those within our community or suffering. We reach out to those who need our love and support. We hold in our thoughts the lonely and afraid among us. We seek inside. How we can help. Can i missed a memorial day. We remember those who have served our country. Some of them sit among us now. Summers past. We remember with gratitude. Their service. For which they. Keep time. Years of their lives. Perhaps their health. Physical or mental. Many of given their lives. With oil spill this week in santa barbara we are reminded again of the cost the environment of the use of carden base energy. We seek insight as to how we can continue to reduce our energy use. We hold with compassion the people are displaced or captive due to war. We think this week of those newly affected by. Islamic state advances in palmyra syria and renata hrac. I'm continuing nightmare of the women and children captive so the boko haram. But there is good news too there is good news. We greet with joy the results of the national referendum yesterday in ireland. Which voted overwhelmingly across lines of. Age gender and class. To approve same-sex marriages. Each of us is a part of an intricate web of relationships. When one of us celebrate the joy or grieve the loss the web of life moves to a new shape we are apart of the turn of the earth the shift of the stars pull of the sea and all change. I invited everyone to take hands-free shoulder and elbow but it's a new to mystery which surrounds us let us take it into our hearts and they're in find healing for ourselves for our.

uudavispodcast_org

2017-04-03-Embracing-our-Differences.mp3?_=4

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from the unitarian universalist church of davis california website at w.w. org for further information. Unitarian universalist church of davis. That strives to listen. Add to support one another with compassion strives to be seekers of knowledge and people. You are welcome in all of your grace and brokenness if you are seeking safety and protection. We welcome all races and theological positions sexual orientation and gender identities. Be authentic self. Is a church. Today. Celebrate the scouting tradition. He was a boy scout for many years and enjoy camping with the boy scouts experience as a girl scouts for many years. These awards are the intersections between our unitarian universalist. Would you raise your hands if you were a member of a scouting organization. Andover i'm reminded of the scouting organizations. Why is a beautiful. universalism in the world. Boy scouts and girl scouts this morning. I'd like to invite any past and current boy scout. Other people at all times. And my country to help people at all. Memories. Universalism. Today's opening words are a poem called welcome to holland. Emily pearl kingsley. I am often asked describe the experience of raising a child with a disability. To help people who have not unique experience to understand it to imagine it. Imagine how it would feel. When you're going to have a baby is like planning a fabulous vacation trip. You may learn some handy phrases in italian it's all very exciting. Eager anticipation. You pack your bags. Several hours later. The stewardess comes in and she says. Supposed to be in italy. There's been a change of flight plan. You've landed in holland and there. Is that they haven't taken you to some horrible disgusting filthy place. It's just a different place. So you must go out. And you will meet a whole new group of people that you have never met before. It's just. Italy. You've been there for a while. And you catch your breath. And you begin to notice that holland has windmill and holland has two rows and holland has rembrandt's. Everyone you know is busy. That is where i was supposed to go. That's what i had planned. Is a very very significant loss. If you spend your time mourning the fact that. Very lovely things. The day my son was born i cried tears of joy when the doctor told me i had. I'd already had grayson of course she was she is. Sun. Oh and he was the sweetest and active and funny and just a joy to play with everyday. Two years after he was born. I miss a lot of time with my young children as precious.. Billy was probably about three and a half years old. My cousin said to me. Today. I knew. Am i some conscious that something was very wrong. With my mom being pregnant. I justified his quirky little actions from tv shows constantly his repetitive. Comprehension. I felt like. Dissipating going in those areas. Moment was a life-changing altering moment for me. When your parents sometimes you dream about all of those hopes and dreams have been stolen from me. Not just for me. For my entire family. And then your mom. And you start to think about the struggle that he's going to have in his life. I was inconsolable. Cuz it was my job to protect him how do i protect my son from autism. My way of dealing with the grief. Research about autism. Very fortunate here in davis. Because much of the care that my son needed to have. Expedited. Different. He was enrolled in special education preschool. And we started receiving in-home tutoring 2 hours a day days a week. It was very intense for four years. We were constantly setting you short-term goals. Billy will tolerate the hair clippers on his head every consecutive count as a pet. Billy will be able to identify safe from dangerous. From dangerous did not understand the difference between. And what is dangerous. . of time had been transformed. Transform into a parent's that appreciated the small everyday little joyce. Times when my children would ask me to. Or most recently. When they asked me to come outside and see. When they have build an old-fashioned pac-man video game. I appreciate it when my son says i love you. Because it was not that long ago that i thought of saying those words. So you see this was an exquisite transformation for me. One of deep appreciation of the small beauties that my children have to offer me every single day. The sweet kisses. Contact. And abuse. Reading this morning is a palm that comes from rev theresa soto. Sometimes you wake up s. No one. Rain and chemicals in the brain as others to. And that voice. Inside quieter than flowers growing. More persistent. Tries to tell you. That you are bad. You should shush whatever song. And you feel heavy. Or someone else. But here's what i need to know. You are both imperfect and glorious. This is more true than a one-sided story in which sign is allowed to appear. And there are things you do. Even when it's hard to shine your own life unto yourself i'm asking you to tend one start. You are. It's okay to sometimes. Carolina peeing. The persistence of sadness is not more true than. Glorious. Glorious. You are. Glorious. Because they remind me of one of the things i love most about people. Imperfection. In a society where medium places telescope. Mom never actually gets her. This is halloween. Differently. Designed to meet. The service of the living tradition here at our unitarian universalist general assembly. Honoring ministers have been welcomed into preliminary fellowship. Within the past year. Educators and music. Each person's name is called out. Welcome.to the stage. See the colleagues who have marked ministerial transitions. Like many things at g. It's a reminder that we in our congregation in our individual experiences. Beautiful rich history and a vibrant future. My colleague rev theresa soto with one of those ministers welcomed into preliminary fellowship. Participated in the service of the living tradition. I don't know how teresa was feeling about the service. A chance to cross the stage with colleagues but this year it is. Little bit about my own feelings pretty excited chance to celebrate my ministry. Throughout my internship. Very early days. As your intern. This is a chance to be part of our larger movement. To be reminded unitarian universalist ministers. Educators. It's a special moment. And it's one we get to participate. 3 * 2 hours ministries. Teresa's ministry is powerful. Prosthetic. Louis is one of love you can often find pictures of her. Teresa loves you. She used ministry in the service of the living tradition. The opportunity for joy and celebration. Teresa has cerebral palsy and primarily uses a scooter as a mobility aid. Physically accessible. But they had so many of us do when they planned the language the service. They failed to notice that they had crafted a serviced rich with the metaphor of standing. Dancing. Guide my feet while i run this race. I need you. We're all a part of god's body stand with me. With each of these teresa held up a simple sign. It said. For many this language is beautiful. How we want to move together. Language that speaks. Running. Is inaccessible. Unintentional exclusion. No one would have intentionally selected language that primarily used movement metaphor throughout a worship service. If someone had raised the question. Whether some might feel excluded due to those words. What's a very real example. Is ableism frequently in our world. Our workplaces. Our circles of friends. Sadly even our places of worship. Unintentional privileging experiences ideas. Language norms. Temporarily able-bodied. Those who live with developmental. Physical psychological and emotional disabilities. Ableism. Persistence of privilege and oppression. To pin down. This is because. A person's experience. Weatherspoon language action is inappropriate. I stumbled across that last summer when reflecting with friends on reverend soto's calling out of ableist language during that service. Is everywhere really have to take everything so literally. Forgetting something. Really. Really. Important. Something i just firmly believe something central unitarian universalist theology. Impact. Matters more. If someone tells me that my words and actions has been hurtful. It doesn't matter that i never meant to cause harm. It does not matter if i perceive my words and actions differently. Send the person who was hurt. Western. I cannot undo it. A parrot. Again. I love this language of metaphor glued me. Who do feel excluded. I get pretty upset at somebody refers to humanity as men. Really really. Or uses gendered usually masculine language to name the divine. One of my friends has a t-shirt that says god is not a man's name. I'm grateful for the colleagues with whom i talked that night. Remind me that this was not about me. Called me back into covenant. Considering whether metaphor that i thought it appropriate to exclude someone who said they were hurt. I don't. All the time. And i'm working to change. Mississippi power unitarian universalist. We can acknowledge our imperfection and work to repair the harm that we have done. This is central to knowing that the ways that we create covenants. Highest ideal. Knowing that in striving to live them. We will make mistakes. We can work to repair our mistakes. We can work to rebuild our relationship. Set the language of cinnamon unitarian-universalism. Pretty uncomfortable. But i believe that acknowledging our imperfections and working to repair this caused. Is the way that we worked. Sin is a transgression. That is certainly what is it. With one another. Universalist. Teachers are there is always room to repair our relationships. The reverend isaac. Refrain. We forgive ourselves and each other. In love. I wonder what it would really look like. Begin again in love. And stop privileging bodies and minds that don't have disability. Especially. We embraced the diversity of the ways we interact with the world. I don't have the answer. This work is new for me. To try it out. Information. Engaging conversation of moving our bodies contact. Others carrying equal value. On our greeting each other until now. What's a rise in body and spirit. Another. Uso without touch. Each other. You cannot touch one another. Do not hug or shake hands with one another. What was that like. Card. Express our appreciation. But hogs aren't comfortable for everyone. Our bodies are sore or tent. Move in a way that makes hugging comfortable. More intimate. Then we're willing to engage. Are we don't like the sensation. Or we have allergies. Two lotions. Fragrances. Detergents. What are the other ways we can express a gesture of appreciation. Thank you for trying those out with me. I don't think that we should give up. One set of words or actions doesn't work for everyone. Someone previously unseen feel reminded that they are in the room. People feel differently about language as it relates to their own experience of disability. My favorite example of this comes from hudson. Seventeen-year-old daughter skyler has a condition called polymicrogyria. Over the course of his daughter's life experiences as her.. In recent years robin skyler have spoken on camels throughout the country. Skyler lives for the developmental disability and she sometimes has seizures. Symptom of her condition. Is that skyler cannot talk. Because she is unable to form her. In ways that create the right sounds for speech to be understood. I'm skylar and her dad call her brain broken. Skyler's disability. Their approach that uses humor and sarcasm. To clean brokenness. This is their language. The rejection of others within communities of disability. For skyler and her dad. Broken is simply a reality. It is the ways that skyler moves differently than other 17 year olds. Obstacles. Skylar and her dad shoes the language of broken. Many others do not. Neither of these choices has more value than the other. Just as it would be inappropriate. It would be inappropriate language. Must embrace it. There are an infinite number of ways. We are imperfect. Unitarian universalism. But there is good news. It isn't simply because we as you use believe in second chances. And we do. Forgiving ourselves and one another for the transgression. The sins that come with human experience. Is built into the fabric of our history and our present. Calling someone back into covenant. And it is this return to covenant. Is trying once again from a place of human imperfection. Transformational. When we work to make space for everyone. To consider how others hear our words. Experience a touch. We allow unitarian-universalism to transform. Different experiences. To transform unitarian universalism. Where might we go. When we intentionally. Embrace the wide fullness. Human experience. Imperfect. Glorious. Other bodies. With that which brought you here this morning. Brought you to church. If you are carrying a joyous and celebrations. Another. Perhaps this morning. The weight of the sorrows of this world. Person. Send our prayers to all the unitarian universalist association. For dealing with the impact of conversation around the hiring practices. To reverend peter morales and his family as he chose to step down from his position. Two others in leadership. The conversation. Hiring practices. Can become more. More inclusive. We hold in our hearts to have experienced trauma. Terri personal lives. This week. Experienced childhood sexual abuse. Experience. The care. And administrators. .. Experience exclusion in other ways. Ourworld. Support. Relationship. When one of us celebrate such a or grieves. Pier park. Shift. Already done. Sometimes you wake up. And somewhat sad. Or somewhat bland. Here's what i need you to know. You are both. Imperfect. Glorious. Curiosity.

uudavispodcast_org

Worship-2012_06_24-10a_ED-1.mp3

Look up to sunday sermons another recording from unitarian universalist church of davis california www.org for further information. Perhaps it's because at least 20 who worship among us have carried our light to phoenix this week and last night stood with thousands of others outside the tent city jail in maricopa county witnessing for justice. Did i feel the small flame represents a burning sense of purpose fueled by history. Perhaps this is why i see the cellist as more than a symbol lit before services and extinguished at the end of the hour. It seems especially clear to me today that this lame is more than symbol is a light shared in ways both large and small with the rest of the world. This is the third year that i have acted as worship associate for what is becoming the annual milton hildebrand summer service. When i was handed the assignment in 2010 i accepted it casually. Nice i thought. I'll be able to spend time with one of our founders. Last year i started campaigning early and was first in line for the privilege when summer services were handed out. This year my enthusiasm for this particular service had begun to pique the interest of the other worship associates and i worried that beth would try to be fair to give someone else a chance to work with nelson. Like a child's determined to score the red rose dead center in a birthday cake. I watched as the assignments were portioned out and when we got to this one i said i did the milton service and snatch the price that's it is against my pleasure to introduce milton and also to share why this service this particular service has become so special for me. First milton. Milton hildebrand is 94 years young. He was a faculty member at uc davis and the department of zoology for 38 years. While there he taught embryology. He taught the interpretation of vertebrate anatomy in terms of evolution movement feet and feeding and he talked human sexuality. He holds a distinguished teaching award from the faculty and another teaching award from the student body. His textbook analysis invertebrate structure has been published in five languages. Milton is an accomplished scientist and educator no doubt about it. But that is not what made me see come out. I like the man. Long before i knew milton long before i spoke with him he caught my eye. When i first came he appeared on sundays with his wife viola whose memory problems were becoming increasingly evidence. And i was moved by his concern and respect for viola as she drifted away. I admired him too. A couple of months ago i began to worry about milton when i did not see him at church for five or six weeks. One sunday i spied him walking up the path to the service and i ran him down milton i said are you alright i haven't seen you for several weeks. He smiled and said. Well i've just returned from a trip to the galapagos nuffsaid. In 2010 the first time i served as worship associate for milton i stood in the podium and looked out noticing that many of our founders were in the audience. Their enthusiasm on display. As milton spoke i realized that i was participating in a reenactment of a piece of this church's history. Milton was a frequent speaker in the days of the fellowship and he and his peers were connecting not just in the moment but across time. And letting us in on it. It was powerful for me and i realized that i had been fortunate to join this church at a very special time in the life of the community. I have been in the community with the founders of the church. You can't. You can't take that back. After the service standing in the great hall i spoke with another of our founders and asked her how she felt about the upcoming renovation. She replied with that red rose determination i mentioned earlier that she certainly hoped we would hurry so that she could enjoy the results of the project in her lifetime. I was startled by her urgency. She had paid it forward contributed to the expansion of the church and did not want to miss out on the excitement wanted to see something built. When milton spoke last year we had just broken ground. Barbara bauer was in the great hall after the service collecting donations of sweat equity and we were building a new way. The excitement for what was to come was palpable. And watching our founders reminisce about building the original church added mortar to my concept of what we were building. Suddenly i saw the metaphor and adding on connecting the new structure to the old and i began to feel the same urgency that had been expressed. Get it done do it now put it together so we can all enjoy it. As the building went up the pad was laid and the two structures were joined. I experienced the sense of confluence. Now when i see our elders walk through the new entrance and make their way across the social hall and into this original sanctuary i feel a sense of unification. We have been joined the past and the present. The originals and the add-ons the founders in the finders. Today milton hildebrand who knew this space before it was a place. Will speak and i hope you will experience not just his words. But this moment. Come let us worship together. Tanker carlena. Good morning everybody. Last week. I attended 2uu service in grass valley with my sunkern. This morning he. Is with us to see that is old man. Behaves. Stowaway. If you meet him in the hall after the service. Be kind to him they were kind of me up there brazier handguard. So a prose poem. Do i believe in god. Following an all-night starlet. Climb. With my father and siblings. We watched sunrise from the summit of the highest mountain in the lower 48. Spectacular. Inspiring. And magdalena bay. I reached out from our zodiac. Cut the head of a foil. And for an instant look in its eye. Hey. Fleeting communion where they. Friendly intelligent creature of another world. And you still rating. Majestic. Awesome. I have a cradle to newborn baby in my hands. Gourami. Smallfoot kicking. I don't think tongue. Tiny fist. One eye half-open. It's a miracle. Hey mary. In the sierra with my brothers. As the sun was setting a long day of climbing. We rappelled down. They've precipitous. West face. The 14,000 200-foot north palisade. Hello is darkness closed in. We picked our way on down to our little timberline camp. Sharing the exuberant feeling. But we were young. Fit and empowered. Many times i put my cute little children to bed. Laughter and splashing in the bath. Cuddle each side of me. On the sofa to hear a story rich. Tucked in with much giggling and big hugs. A precious memory to treasure. Always. Through a microscope i have seen the living egg of a mammoth. It is a size of a pin-prick. Unfertilized. This itsy bitsy rob. Somehow. Knows how to grow do they come a mouse. Or an elephant. Or a human. According to is. Heritage. Fears that i taught the developmental process only increased my amazement. How to render a bivouac i slept in a. Snowtrax roof across with boughs. On a cold blustery night. 18in of new snow covered me over. Warm. Protected. Quiet. Peaceful. Endoscopic of cloud forest. I bet it down on tree fern fronds. And a huge hollow tree. Nice dripping dripping beyond. And the best. Epiphytic bromeliads. Twisting liana's. Ademas covered logs. Hidden in the pitch-dark. Chad sauls. Toucans. Crogan's in the goonies. Fall asleep. Hoots of an owl. The raucous cackle of a chachalaca. A buzzing cry of a ringtail. Strange and identified whistles and calls. Kinkajous imagined. I am a guest. Cinemagic. Spiritual place. I got a blind student. Cuz it asks playroom for my course. She handles the various objects. Last i take from s glass container. A 5-month. Human fetus. Gently blavat. Weather soft towel. And place it in her hands. Well eyes closed. Head tilted up. She explores it was sensitive. Chantal fingers. The radiant smile she exclaims in wonder. So tiny so perfect. Back to the sidewalk on my arm. Lidocaine. Tap tapping away. Thank you so much. Oh no thank you. I am greatly refreshed. By her joy and discovery. Her competence. I hurt for you in spirit. Do i believe in god. I don't use the term. Some of feelings such as these qualify for me. So i guess i do. Until i was 24 years old. Death was far away and out of mind. Mkm wwii. Some americans who are too young to have experienced it. May not fully appreciate how different that war was. From all of our other wars. Considering the unthinkable consequences. Of a victory by hitler. Virtually everyone believe that however. Terrible it would be. How are. Participation in the conflict was. Necessary. And to justify. Furthermore. Nearly everyone took apart. I was in the army for three-and-a-half long years. Fun brother. Then an engineer. Was sent to. Manager refinery in the persian gulf. My other brother. In training as a physicist. Was sent to work on the atomic bomb. My father went to london as a consultant. Mother organized. Neighborhood women to cut and fold bandages. Some of the professors my professors. At berkeley. Became fireman to replace. Younger regulars who have been drafted. Some of the faculty widest became riveters. At the richmond shipyard. Then the scale of the conflict. Was so enormous. And the losses so great. 29 country suffered casualties. Here are some intermediate estimates. Hospitality. The soviet union. 19 million. Of which about 60%. We're civilians. Killers the luftwaffe. Obliterated. Towns and cities. Ahead of germany's. Ill-fated invasion. Germany. 7 million. Of which about 54%. We're civilians. Killed by the allies relentless bombing of german cities. Choose gypsies. And the mentally ill murdered by the nazis. 6700000. Japan. 2 million. Including. 145,000 civilians. Killed by our atomic bombs. Dropped on hiroshima. And nagasaki. I was in the crack 10th mountain division. We spearheaded the allies. Assault and northern italy. Nearly half of the fourteen thousand men of the division. Or killed or wounded. My battalion lost. 60 man killed on 169. In the first 45 hours of our first attack. It fell to me after that battle. To help gather and stuff into mattress covers. The grotesquely. Just figured bodies of the dead soldiers. They would be picked up by the trucks. Coming at night driving blackout. To bring us more ammunition and kay rash. Hey grandma memory. As the executive officer of a headquarters company. I had a relatively safe job. Can i cringed in. Ditches as mortar shells exploded all around me. Artillery. Kill the soldiers sleeping. And a room next to mine. A heavy artillery shell screamed out of the sky. Struck the ground immediately adjacent to. Apollo of ammunition. Hetero of gasoline cans. About as close to me as the. Piano keyboard. It did not fire it was a good. 4 years after the war i had frightening nightmares. From butcher iowa to wake crying out. So it was that. Back in the. Days of our fellowship. I gave a sermon on confronting death. For now. 51 years later. Do i return. The subject. Odette. All of the departmental colleagues i had when i. Joined the davis faculty are now dead. Nearly all of the. Original track neighbors i had. Our deck. My wife died three years ago. My sister died two years ago. Hey brother died 5 months ago. Not that i want to contemplate death. I can't help it. Wend a similar situation. Hey come to the life of many fruit. Anticipation of death. Is an individual matter. Suicide bombers. Matching with a. Well and her into heroic. Mars argo. Shirley. Some of the. Millions on millions of people. Who must struggle daily. In abject poverty. Or live in constant fear. Of. Inhuman tyranny. Must look to death as release. Those who believe in an afterlife. Hey looking head to. Eternal bliss. I believe that my soul would already be getting. Bored. Before a million years had passed and company with. Billions of other self. Somaya. Focuses on the time leading up to death. My objective is to approach the end of life for this. Much equanimity. Cover to spirit peace of mind. As maybe. Nro. Late years let us be able to look back over our lives. What is satisfaction. The contemplation of death is greatly benefited. By the cultivation of friendships. Have family time. I am greatly blessed in this regard. My children. Phone visit. Take me to holiday gatherings. Two birthday parties for their grandchildren. And. Recent years gas. Galapagos islands. To the jungle of the upper amazon basin. Has to tanzania. Last summer. For a week. Play extended family gathered at the tent cabins. In tuolumne meadows. And yosemite national park. Not our first get together. Aurora largest. There were 47 of us. We came from. 10 states and overseas. Our ages range from six months. The 93 years. Picnic by the river. Talk to chilton shipton during happy hour. I'm sitting around the campfire. As the youngsters distributed. Half toasted have burned marshmallow. A young stranger said. Would you folks consider adopting me. Another stranger said. You all speak to one another. Oh yeah and we all hug one another. And keep in touch. I am very. Fortunate. And very grateful. I just suppose the contemplation of death. For the celebration of life. Because like a pair of bookends i support one another. Coming of death. Gives irrelevant since value. Could the celebration of life. Question turn. Bring. Completion and composure. Fear the approach of death. We celebrate life. As we experience events. That are memorable. Uplifting. I'm glad honey. Becoming a new life is nearly always. Celebrity tori. In life or on film. Witness the hatching. Or the birth. Of many kinds of animals from. Aphids and butterflies 2. Turtles and. Chicks. 2. Antelopes. Elephants and humans. Best of all now i celebrate new life by holding my grandchildren's. Beautiful babies. And by recalling my own children. When they were little. For instance. Prayer time my wife and i were sometimes. Awakens. Very early in the morning. Are the patter of little feet in the hall. Car door opens grinning two-and-a-half-year-old daughter. Camper door bed. Climbed in. Why did yourself between us. Or she twisted and turned. Whispered and chortled. I would be in no return to sleep for us that morning. Hello my. Adorable. Huggable. Little package 11 joy she was. Hooray hooray for life. When my life celebrations are not been with. Sam. I have been with nature. Five were mentioned in the. Prose poem i presented earlier. Here is one more. I walked leisurely. Among giant redwoods. Along a path beyond during through. Ferns azaleas. Trillium. And moss. They ever so long straight trunks. Has a great trees. Swayed slightly. Slowly. In the breeze. Set chris burton the hihi crowns. Drops of water condensed from overnight for. Slowly drifted down. Reflecting the morning light each drop. Bark like a diamond. I felt small in person. Fancier than spirit. Experiencing the abundance of life. And its potential for increase also helps me. Toosii. Death in perspective. And central america. I was once surrounded by swarming. Millions of grasshoppers. Good evening flying munching crawling. Someone calculator that have one pair of house flies. Could reproduce under optimum conditions. And if all of their progeny live to do the same. Then soon. I forget to figure verdun matter soon. Flies without weigh the earth. How about humans. This is a metronome. It is set. To show the rate at which some place on earth someone dies. Hi hyundai. Now i'd like to set it to show the rate at which. New babies are coming into the world. I can't quite do that because. At the music store i learned that all makes and models of metronome. Have the same maximum frequency. Of 208 clicks a minute. Home babies are arriving at 252 per minute. So the best i can do. Is to ask you to listen to this. Have imagined that the cliques are coming a quarter again faster. Lots of babies. How if we subtract the deaths. From the births. No. How fast the world population is increasing. 145 every minute according to one source. 158 per minute according to another source. Has about like this. That's about 220,000 more people on earth every day. It is projected by demographers that world population. Well level off. Going about 2 billion more people have been added to the 7000000000 here now. Crowded. As sea-level rise rises. When's the polar ice continues to melt. Only one me. I will displace 145. Million people. And i. Eventually the sea rise in sea level could be several meters. Flooding most of. Florida. Louisiana. Puerto rico holland bangladesh. And. Coastal communities. All over the world. The chinese estivate. At 18,000 square kilometers. Of eastern china will be under saltwater. Well we all live. On croplands. In your backyard. Will the catholic church still preach. The contraception is naughty. Well certain politicians. Telecircuit. Global warming is a hoax. Death is urgently needed. To save us from. Smothering hordes of locusts. Flies and nearly every other kind of living thing. Including humans. So it helps. Become comfortable with death. I have never hunted. Any animal in spork. But as a boy i trapped gophers in the garden. Had a mice in the pantry. As a graduate student i collected animals on field trips. For the university's museum of vertebrate sewology. Has a. Comparative morphologist. I have defected shark. Crocodiles. Iguanas. A penguin. A wallaby a wombat. A sea lion. A chimpanzee. And many more. Parts of these animals are illustrated in my textbook. Some became demonstrations in student laughs. I have also. Affected a human cadaver. To instruct. Nurses in training. These associations with death have given me pause. I was some feeling of reverence. Familiarity has fostered acceptance. Death is not strange or scary. Well you will not step around to the body of dead soldiers. Order sector monkey orchid ever but there are other ways. Becomes familiar. Where are they. Change of life. A baby sibling comes along. Grandmother passes. Their cat has kittens neighbors hamster dies. When your arthritic old dog is put down. Don't have the vet dispose of the body as as usual. Bring it home and let the entire family. Gather round as it is buried. Town entirely different approach today. Prepare for it. Preparation is an act of acknowledgement. At acceptance. Requalification your demise. It is peace of mind. That makes it much easier. For survivor. Do you have unfinished things to say to people close to you. I love you. I thank you. I excuse you. I forgive you. I'm proud of you. Are your trust. And. Will up-to-date. Does someone have power of attorney and financial matters. To act for you if you can no longer pay your bills. Does someone have power of attorney. For health care decisions. Perhaps. You could get rid of some of your obsolete stuff. At her suggestion i wrote my wife's obituary. Long in advance. She approved. Blast it helps me to follow and assess the advance of a life. If i plot its course in my mind. For the passage of time the horizontal axis. Birth to death. Revalue on the. Vertical axis. Hey separate curve. Must be plotted for each of life's major attributes. A sector for knowledge. Rises rapidly during schooling. A little slower into midlife. And descends again as old age makes us forgetful. Prepare for wisdom rises slower. Pizza little later. Curve for stamina. Balance strength. Cheeks. Arches over 25 to 35 years. My youth i was a scaring backpacker. Hiker was high. Now. I can barely bend down to put on my socks i don't know how i'm going to get dressed when i get old. The capacity to give and receive. Love. Rises at birth. Go to soffits chart 20s. The first kiss i gave my wife-to-be. Shot through me like an electric current. Fisker the other curves. Perhaps penis. Nurturance. Creativity and so on. The more curves alive hats. And the higher there some is above the baseline. The greater the value of that life at that time. Potential must be factored in. Kurvelo for a child but have the potential to rise. Very high. If an old age post curves. Again approach the baseline. As independence and ballas. Reason and memory are impaired. Then potential has also been lost. One love such folks. Not for who they are. But for who they were. A greater or lesser extent. This is true of most elderly people. Habitat. I look ahead to my own death without fear or apprehension. I do anticipate death with much regret. I don't want to leave my supportive. Talented children i'm i. Interacting. Extended family. I would like to stick around and see how a lot of things turn out. Maturation of my great-grandchildren. Racial an international tensions. Global warming. Energy after oil. Water shortage as we continue to draw. Down our rivers. And exhaust are underground reservoirs. Coldwater. Desert golf courses. However my first period of oblivion from the big bang. Until my birth was. Alright. My next from my death till the end of time. Told her either i like this short. in-between and i don't want it to end. But end it must. Tell best that i just be grateful. For a good ride while it lasts.

uudavispodcast_org

Worship-2012_08_12-10a_ED-1.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons another recording from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. uu davis. org for further information. Before we. Launch into the service although we really have already launched. I just like to. Introduce to you the reverend robert latham who is here this morning and has been working with our board all weekend the board started meeting on friday night and will continue today until 3 p.m. we did allow them to go home and sleep. Robert is currently acting as our interim. District executive for the pacific central district and if you are new to the concept of a district. It is possibly in transition but what we have currently stretches from northern california over to western nevada and a kind of scoop down and picks up the islands of hawaii so we have a very extensive. District at this point that may extend to being something much larger. He works with our member congregations. And he has been working with us this weekend bringing us to new vision. And steve byrne to this here this morning. Works on the board and therefore works with robert rather close by so i'm see if i want to. Say hey and thank you for working on the district ford. Human heart. Yearn. To transcend the limitations of time. This is why we invest in causes. Which we feel will continue blessing the human enterprise beyond our death. Indeed there is no other way for our influence to survive our demise. And this is why liberals are so focused. I causes of nobility. Causes that reflect the best of our human capacity. Perhaps this is what caused longfellow depend these words. Something the heart. Must have to cherish. Much love. And enjoy. And sarah learn. Something with passion class. Or paris. And itself to ashes. Suzanne kimmel is aboard. Chair and i would invite you to come and like. I can't. This palace lights. Honors. Descendants of noble purpose that challenges our existence. With an unquenchable passion. And suzanne will join me in the opening words the words are by olympia brown who is the first woman to graduate from a theological school. And she was the first full-time ordained minister. Standby the face. Workforit. And sacrifice for it. There is nothing in all the world so important is to be loyal to the space which is placed before us but the lobbyists have ideals. We just comforted us in sorrow. Strengthened us for noble duty. And made the world beautiful. Do not demand immediate results but rejoice that we are worthy to be entrusted with this great message the message that you are strong enough to work for a great true principal without counting the cost. Go on finding ever new applications of these truths. And you enjoyments in their contemplation. Always trusting in the one god whichever lives and loves. Yeah. Invite you into a time. Let me focus our thoughts. I know your name. Come together. Remember what is a ultimate important. To feel. Silence. To allow ourselves. To know. Are your name. Remember what is good in our lives. And how we can live. Our ideals more closely. Every moment. Every moment. Is an opportunity to begin again. All this to say. Ledisi. Together in prayer. And remember the violence. Oak creek wisconsin. Grieve for those killed. Innisfil beach crime. Sex. 64 killed. My veteran wade michael page. Your gratefulness. For the many demonstrations of witness. It happened across our country. Including the towns and cities surrounding us. If participants from this congregation. And last night at the iftar. The breaking of the muslim fast of ramadan. Ongoing year-after-year invitation for understanding among people. They to express their wariness of the violence. And its potential to reach them. For those who suffer from the heat. The farmers making our congregation and a cross. This country. Who need relief. And those who work in the field. Can we turn our hearts and live. To those who are so close to us. Bill deemer. Longtime member of this congregation died on thursday morning. August 9th. My daddy is our custom. I invite you to stand if you are able and to take hands around the room and if you're sitting next to someone who cannot stand be with them. When someone dies and his community the circle of life shifts. And whether we knew that person or not there are hands around the circle. Who cared for bill. Many who heard his story. And watch the changes in his life. One stanza from a poem that will be in his service. That you may wish to take with you. If you knew. My ellen bath. What if you knew you'd be the last to touch someone. If you are taking tickets for example at the theater. Tearing them. Giving back the ragged stubs. Take care to touch that phone. Brush your fingertips along the life-line kris. Pier one. Remember the preciousness. Invite you to be seated. Each of us is a part of an intricate web of relationships. When one of us celebrate the joy. Agrees the law. The web of life moves to a new shape. We are apart of the turn of the earth the shift of the stars. Well of the sea. Golf change. Blessed be. Damon. Reading is intitle religion is for me and it was birthed. In the mid. 20th century. By unitarian universalist. Minister and poet. Carl j nelson. Religion is for me. A going beyond my knowledge and my understanding. For me it is achieving a wholeness. That gathers together the fragments of my being. It's living in the time from which minutes and hours are taken. Knowing the space. In which atoms. Enstars find places. It is alive by which i am animated. The humanity that gives me my humanness. All park. All living things. Are born. Ava holness. It has no limit. No boundaries. And no name. Who am i. Just read up on the earth. As though i were the alpha and omega of knowledge. Wearing the cocked hat of deceit. And rattling the sabre. Of insolence. Who am i. Distinct. That the sun shines only. For my benefit. Let me find my greatness. Not in me. But in my humanity. Let me know if 302 the singing of my own voice. But to an eternal singing that fills the space between us. And that flames and dances from star to star. Let me open my beating. To the end golfing holness. That surrounds me. Alone. Am isolated. And nothing. Alone. Hamburger for lone cry. For help lost. In vast silence. Alone. I am but a single leaf. Fluttering on giant. But barren limbs. Silhouetted. Against the gray. And letting sky. Rather. It is among the rejoicing multitude that i have significance. It is in unity that i become an individual. Thus religion is for me. A sensing of the infiniti. That invest all things finite. I'm delighted to be with you. And i assume you can hear me. I'd hate to travel all the way from the bay area and not be hurt innocent symbolically i represent a larger hole i'll let you are apart. A single congregation. Within a geographic district of. 38th other. Congregations one cell. So to speak of our religious witness. Which is then part off for other districts call the western district used to be called the wild west history. And it it takes up about 40% of the united states and then they're all the rest of those people that call themselves unitarian universalist. They comprise the continental unitarian universalist association and beyond that there are congregations in countries around the world. I love the latin phrase pars pro toto. Park. For the whole. Your part. And you exist. For the sake of the whole. As opposed to yourself which i want to address and before i do i'm going to take a drink of water and i think you drink out of the right hand side good cuz i'd hate to catch divinity. Now we liberals wish to invest in that which is nova. But like most humans we want to see immediate results from investment. We want to know that what we're doing counts. Zoo valid expectation. However can lead to a triumph. That is counterproductive to our very desire. This trap is to make our investment in symptoms rather than causes. Because the effect of symptoms is immediate to our video. Here's an example. She hungry people. So we participate in projects that lessen their hunger. We feel good about our participation. Because within see immediate results. However we have not addressed the cause of this hunger. And it becomes necessary to continue feeding hungry people. No not yet there's anything wrong with feeding the hungry if you go and say that. I'm going to come after you. Certainly we should invest in such endeavors to uplift the quality of life of our neighbors. What i'm illustrating is unless we address the causes of their hunger it will remain a project without end. Here's the problem because of our liberal desire then to see immediate results from our investments we've tended to ignore i real religious mission. In favor of substituting other missions that visibly gratify our sense of immediate investment. And the two most popular of these substitutes at least since i've been in the movement since 1969 have been. Creating community. However wild community is vital in our movement it can also be nothing less than embracing haven for frustrated liberals. Doing social action. However while social action is imperative. In our movement. It can also be nothing more than activity that temporarily relieve the guilt of theological irrelevance. There are two essential problems with such substitutes. First they are symptoms of causes and thus are never fully relieved. In s by focusing only on symptoms we remain confused about the causes that do produce the symptoms. We actually come to believe we're making a difference. And while this may be true and an immediate and limited scale it is not true on the long-term and larger scale. And this is one major reason why nothing ever seems to change despite our best efforts now that we can see the trapper at least i hope you do i know that i explained it as succinctly as it's possible for any preacher to ever explain it so. That i desire for me it was all poses for us let's look at what the real mission of religion might be. Several clues it seems to me that can lead us to an insightful definition. The first clue is found in the type of institution for which. A congregation has been created. It is society that creates the institutions required to service names. And the type of institution it creates. Defines that institutions social mission. A governmental institution is. Producer of society's political needs an educational institutions created serves society's learning me. Financial institutions created surfside is economic needs. And a religious institution is created to serve society's meaning needs. This religious mission is not up for gramps. Any more than the mission of any of society's institutions. Are up for grabs and what this clue reveals is that the mission. Xavier unitarian universalist congregation is the same as any other religious institution that has ever existed in human history. I know that doesn't set well. But it happens to be the truth. The second clue comes from the circumstance that provoked the birth of the religious mission. It seems obvious to me at least at the first institution society created was community. And it was out of this original institution that all other institutions emerging artists serve the needs of the community educated. It is possible that the second institutional need was what we are the modern world call religion. The back when we lived in caves there was little to find there except a terrifying and mystifying environment. But then came art and language howsoever primitive and meaning making was born. And critical to meaning-making were answers to the compelling questions inherent in the mystery of the cape lands environment. So their roles and institutions emissive community which function was to enter this mystery had a return with answers that gave meaning to human existence and direction to the community that already existed. That's the meaning of life institution was born. An exam this mission was to give meaning to human existence and direction to human community not just a congregation but the entirety of community. At first this institution seems to been a single person that was called by many different names shaman witchdoctor priest excetera. Maybe it happened like this. One morning the l that cave plant shed. Joe. While the rest of us go out and hunt and gather you said on that big rock over there. And ponder what is whole big mess were in is all about and so joe said on the rock and pondered and saw to penetrate life's mystery and make sense of existence. And the community wanted to know jose conclusions and in turn did their own pondering. And given the passage of time this pom the ring enterprise drew in both importance and power and was finally. I gave birth to religion. Religi on which means to bind together. Because that is precisely what his answers did for the community. So religion and its answers to life's mysteries became the holy enterprise the sacred pursue that infused community with a sense of meaning and purpose up on the earth. However as populations grew and communities proliferated so did various religions. But one thing remains the same. The purpose for which society created religion. Us whether to jewish temple islamic mosque of southern baptist church are unitarian universalist congregation they all have the same mission they all exist for the same purpose of purpose created by society itself. Distinguishes between all of these religions. Not their mission. Their distinctions are that they all answer the compelling questions of mystery differently. That's giving different meaning to life. And different direction to community. And these differences become critical. The human destiny. Indeed. They have essentially shaped the human drama. As a recent example consider the world since september 11th 2001. An event initiated by islamic religious fundamentalism. So at its beginning religion gave meaning to life and directions community that already existed it was a community that created religion for its own sake sake and not vice versa. So the purpose of religion is not to create community. Naruto purpose of community to initiate social action programs. There's no need for social action programs when society created religion can you imagine the k plan later saying to joe joe. Why were out hunting and gathering you sit on that rock over there and and ponder what our next social action program should be. This need only came about with the proliferation of both societies and religions and their consequent meaning competitions. In modern history social action is a reflection of the religious communities beliefs. What religion does is creative community around its beliefs and then define what issues of social action might best serve the communities mission of cultural transformation. In essence rather than being the mission of religion social action is the imperative arm of the religious community serving its mission in the community. So here's something most vital those questions emerging from the mystery of human existence with your primal concerns our religion who am i which is a question about the nature of my being. How do i know what i know which is question about my source of authority. Who are watson charge which is a question about my ultimate value. In the west has been the gods question but it's the olive question it's the buddha question it's. Any name you want to give him what is my purpose which is a question about that which informs and sustains my sense of self-worth and what does my death mean which is a question about the boundaries of time in my existence. The answers to these compelling questions create the core of a view of reality whether it's my personal one or the one of this community are any religious community are all the culture. And out of this view of reality emerges baggins. That create individual and community conscience. And give direction. The living. I'm really just community is a group sharing a common view of reality you wouldn't be here if that weren't the truth even though you want to hide from it. It is this view of reality that transcends differences and bonds of community and mutual allegiance. Not a religion dominated culture as christianity has in western history then it's values and language will provide the foundational meanings and directions of that culture and serve as some major part of its conscience depending on what political meth drives a culture's existence as well when this happens that religion has been successful. Whether we like it or not. So rather than rail against. Those people who have prevailed. We should empower ourself to prevail. Flowing from these perceptions is the definition of the mission of religion in the modern society. It is to transform the society in which it exists. End of the shape and value and the shape of its own view of reality and the values of its own conscience. It does this by transforming enough of the individuals in that society and that the image of its own answers to the compelling questions with the end result that his own conscience prevails. And the 208 uses for this transformation is his answers. To life's compelling questions its view of reality it has. No, if it has no common answers. It has no tool. Far transformation. Here then is another governing truth of social existence no societies ever transformed by any social action that is only designed to change its walls. Even though laws are educational tools they're only kept by nations people if their conscience subscribes to the laws. This is a singular most important lesson of the words of martin luther king jr. it seems to me he was not interested in simply changing laws so that blacks and whites good eat at dime-store lunch counters together he wanted to change the heart of the cultures of the ming the blacks and whites in the same eating establishment would be coming at relevant issue. And his primary message was it if you want to change of cultures behavior in a sustainable manner you first have to change the cultures heart. That produces the behavior. In other words you have to change the cultures answers to the compelling questions of mystery that are at odds with a behavior of racial respect. And justice. Statue of firmness truth i invite you to look at the history of the black population in america this black population civil rights were constitutionally secured in the late 1800's at the end of the civil war but these rights did not become in any measurable social reality until the late. Night. 1800. 100 years later. That is he's righteous up-and-coming social reality until significance eggman of the cultural heart was brought into a card with their me. Embrace the constitution the laws of america have never willingly. Been kept by those whose heart only been kept by those whose hearts believed in its efficacy. This means at the end of swept it. By the way the spring for it's all about it's not about. Correct. Political interpretation the constitution. It's about imposing the view of reality of the majority of those on the court own that interpretation. This means that the primary value of social action is it raises a society's consciousness of need to change his behavior. But here's a crucial point unless society is it the same time offered a message of transformation the society can use to change its hard. It will continue its behavior and social action will infidelity become a feudal finger in the dike activity. This does not suggest that anything wrong with social action quite the contrary. Addressing critical issues and acting in ways that an ounce of need for social changes in paradis. Social action is to engage and that which is nova. But that which is most noble. He's changing the heart of a culture. So that it's behaviors reflect noble beliefs and values. And that is the work of religion. And if it did it well there be no need for social action. To the singular agent of human transformation professed by a religion is his answers last compelling questions of mystery it's real reality. In the more committed in commonality or religion is to this message nor powerful tools social change it becomes. Visual and social transformation a transformation that bring society integrator occurred with your answers to the compelling questions of human existence. And there's a community of faith it is to model this message so that the social order can actually see its transformative power at work. I challenge you to commit and foolish to this mission for which society created you. At the heart of this challenge will be overcoming the fear. Yassir. That grabs. Us religious limericks. Namely. That if we hold a common answer to anything for cloud we will have created the dogma and become like you know down. We may adore the notion of unity and diversity. However i suggest you it only fosters social difficulties. Moreover i suggested it is a false notion. Unity does not exist. In diversity. It exists. In commonality. If we wish the social power to transform then we must become enamored of the notion that diversity. Resides in unity. Thaddeus unit. Is a singular source of both the capacity to embrace diversity and simultaneously express social power. The proper mantra is diversity in unity. What do you want to or not chance it with me three times diversity and unity diversity and unity in diversity and unity. I miss perception about the importance of diversity is reminiscent of a hagar the horrible cartoon it's a viking boat. Turn the chrome members are battling with a blade of the or and some with a handle of the ore and some harrowing farmers and summer rolling backwards and the boat is moving a nameless circles and zig zags and hagar standing at the helm with hands cupped around his mouth and shouting. The underlying message of the cartoon. And the guy that created it wasn't a minister. Can't use the principle that governs all religious institutional life and for that matter all secular life that the power to move and concerted direction crate posse social changed lies in commonality few years ago with the national gallery of canada and ottawa i sat in the lachapel rizzo chapel and listen to the. 40 part motet. Composed in 1575 by thomas tallis anybody familiar with it. Brb. Feel bad i was surrounded by 4him. Warranty. Audio speakers. $0.08. Soprano. Alto tenor baritone bass. Each part. He said. Chanting a different part. Yet every said harmonizing with all the other sets. How are the captured ones attention was not that of eight sets devoted to des peres des des peres cacophony of difference rather it was engaging harmony of a varied sets devoted to a blended commonality. The power to engage in transform society is found in commonality that unifies differences into a synergistic hole. Most recent example of this power and our religious movement displayed itself in the 1930s during the debate over the religion of the christian anthropomorphic god and in the midst of that nevada group of the unitarian minister has created the humanist manifesto over the capitol a consequential social transformation in our entire culture and this happen for two reasons one that is addressed the cultural need for a new vision reality and the other is that we spoke with the social power of common commitment of common commitment that was not a totality but wasn't mature compel. Social. Attention. And i answer to you that we stand in the same need for a new view of reality and if we could do it in the thirties we can do it now. How exciting it would be if we were to vote our local district and national organizations to i religious reason for being. The articulation of a message redemption for a world bent on self-destruction. However if this happens it would become because we have decided to engage the mission for which society created us rather than to play safely around its edges last we inadvertently stepped on a dangerous commonality. I was walking down the crowded hall ava hotel at one of our religious movements national assembly's when a woman stepped in front of me. Stuck out of town. Smile introduce yourself and said you have no reason to remember me but 10 years ago i visited sunday service at your church i was in a major life crisis and your sermon help me make a decision that transformed my life i just wanted to thank you it was that she turned and disappeared in the crowd and i've never seen her again. This incident continues to remind me the awesome responsibility and wonderful privilege of our religious mission the responsibility to change the very being of our culture and the privilege of being the spiritual guide to its heart and conscience. Challenge before us is pick up the mantle of our mission to speak and model of messages transformation offer redemption 2 spiritually bankrupt and be generating society and in this respect offer one more observation in order to be a transforming religious institution we must first be transformed ourselves i conclude with three quotations montaigne observes no wind blows and favor to ship without a port of destination and rf megger 1000 few don't know where you're going you're liable to end up someplace else and from alice in wonderland comes this dialogue cheshire puss alice begin. Would you please tell me which way i ought to go from here. Depends a great deal on where you where you want to get to cindy can't. I don't much care where should alice. Vindicated. Doesn't make. Much difference which way you go. What factors combined. Create maximum power for the religious institution. Obviously. Robert reich. Devotion to a clear mission is one. Another is a commonality of social message. August 3rd. Is abundance resources by which to process this mission and proclaim its message. So even if we have a clear mission and a transforming message. Unless we have the resources by which to engage society we will remain impotent. Are offering. Used each. An opportunity to make sure we engaged society with maximum power. The offering will now be taken and gratefully enthusiastically received. Hands around the room i know and be left out. Here is our benediction. May the fire of commitment burn brightly. Within us. As. It consumes the promise. Of our capacity to transform. Blue world. Toward its grandest nobility. I meant.

uudavispodcast_org

2017-11-05-The-Real-Blessing.mp3?_=4

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from the unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at www.sec.gov org for further information. The intern and campus minister. Listeners and activist. We hope you can find what you need here. Running for years. This is your first welcome to this community of courageous caregivers of one another and our world. Community and compassionate listeners. We like to candles this morning. 12 represent in sears. N1. To represent. And celebrations. Youth leader of our unique youth ministry is here lighting a chalice and helping. We like this chalice that it's plain they call us into a beloved community. Where we reach out our hands in air and comfort and love. At this time i'd like to invite those who are traveling with the unitarian universalist college of social justice and borderlinks to come forward and stand here in front of the pulpit. At this service or the next day are kathy robertson stephen harvey sharon hale steve burns. Next week. They are opening their minds and spirits so they can understand immigration more completely. Desert trails where immigrants. Agencies that offer physically or emotionally hurting and they will hear from attorneys and others in challenge to immigration system. They will get to know each other more than before. Today is our hands that you'll hear are inspired by participants of the immigration justice class. And as you make your way down if you did participate in that immigration justice class. I'd like to invite all of you here to connect remember we did something like this stretch out and if you need to stay seated that's okay just hold your hands out as if you're holding a shoulder so that we might send our love and care. May you go with eyes open. Parts to feel experiences. Understand everything. Be willing to experience confusion. May you be safe and even when confused or troubled may you know joy. May you find new friendship as you learn together. Discover the justice work of service that does not sticks or rescue but seeks to bring wholeness to everyone ourselves included. And now i will ask the congregation is connected with your hand foot at these travelers. And for the travelers to look out to the congregation. Travelers when you return by offering what you have learned return with your strengthen friendships and build a bridge with both the long-time friendships and new ones just forming here. Companionship. When you return to your experience through stories and images many of us have. May you have the courage to speak the truth of what you have learned. Immigration justice together. And congregation you're invited one more time to stay together with that same powerful voice we are all blessed. In praise of softness. Play all med staffing. Ours seems to be a world. We want hard bodies strong minds. Hard as nails determination. Rugged personalities. And so on. I wonder if we have confused with the strength it takes and receive love. Glitter craze. A gentle spirit. I'm speaking of the gentleness to give and receive love. Every heart has a wall around it a wall that protects. Keeps out. Every part original meaning. The inner garden. I wonder how awesome. Nurture ass. Play the secret heart. Like dry land. Soil over. Again and again. To break open a soil parched dry and cracked. How much more effort. After it has been dried up. Water. Break open. Struggle. With receiving. I spoke with several members of this congregation this week and they have to. Receiving. We prefer to be viewed as a speaker. Reciprocity. Christmas. It was christmas day at my in-laws. Open up. Out of my own stockings i pulled. A pizza cutter i side. I already had one. Aspiring minimalist. See my hesitation. Remember when you meet us all pizza when we visited you and. Pizza cutter. Shared memories. However it was my finery had to say. Rightfully so. Well that was a thoughtful jazz. With a heart against receiving. I just don't know what to get you guys anymore. What are the giver. It seems much simpler. I can see that my intention or joy. The giver. Can we stop. Tsunami your casseroles woodmere and mead. For the anthem. Oh and plant in your life. You will surely grow. Would you play. The lyrics refer to 2nd corinthians 9:6. Whoever so sparingly. Is where we exchange. The seed of the idea for the meaning of ministers and community leaders. We were discussing how to become a fairy. Conversation. Our money our space. Criticized for taking a moral position. Our sense of personal safety giving the convenience of living. What does it mean. We have confused hardness with the strength and receive praise. Words. Humble. Receiving. And i asked. What is more sacred. From the rich soil. Patrick and justin. Hours apart. And they have been friends. First years. They are described as men. Traveling and making their wives crazy. 20 years ago. His pants were his livelihood. Disease has slowly taken away his ability to. Professionals of course. Many friends. That doesn't mean that his imagination. His friend patrick. And patrick. This is the name of the documentary about these two friends. 2 years later. One person in a wheelchair. Trail stick with mud. Exhausted. Couldn't. Earlier. Just waiting. Progestin and patrick. Pusheen dragon. Wheelchair. Literally. Carrie. The promoters. That is true. Limitation. And that's true. Justin. Lice. A dream. And knowing that we are more than the boundaries that divide our country. The presence of receiving jeep and the friendship and. I sent a world pictures of other. And patrick. Mountains. And that was only because. To receive. Relationship. We say that this is one of the loneliest times that we could possibly know. Because people are living alone more often. We can change that. The recipe for. Is a measure of. Disgrace. If you were with his congregation last. Wrapped in velcro really. Available. Medicine. With the surgeon i was really distressed. But now i can't and i can't. I really liked. Going on. Is uncertain. I would need the strength it takes to be soft boiled. Eventually when i went to wearing very impressive. Sometimes i could tell by how people treated me. Time given by others. We. Became companions. They made it clear they giving and receiving with something that would receive. It was my turn. In the future there would be some way for me to. The recognition of how the bounty of life. Myself is a multi. My physical self. Because just a couple of months after i started to regain my own my sister cared for me. When she can herself. We often hear. It's difficult for some of us to ask for help. Their part in creating a blessing today. As we began mr list. Receiving is a secret act that gives. On sunday.. That you believe. Are delicious. In the center of the room. Produce. It is. Social hall. Whatever you say. Bring enough to share with others. Perhaps. But that is awesome. And we don't receive. In this moment. This message about the receiving for connection a wholeness. Recipient. Connection of compassionate loving. We do not serve the week or the broken. The party is the same part that is strength when i serve. And rescuing. Is mutual. Find a place. List. When people are blessed. S'matter. And when you bless others. You may discover the same thing is true. Antibiotics say amen. You are the stuff. To receive. When we have been pushed beyond our limit. Heartbroken. Give us. Again. And again. Strangers. What are you going to do with your hair.

uudavispodcast_org

2016-12-18-The-Wholly-Family.mp3?_=2

Welcome to sunday sermons another recording from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at www.sec.gov or further information. Community to celebrate our lives. Thank you for letting our chalice may the light we can inspire us to use our powers to heal and to help. Disturbed spirit of freedom. Is the season of anticipation leading up to christmas day it is celebrated with a candlelit each week as we prepare for the day that honors in jesus birth. What is a season of yearning for hope. And peace. We light the candles of hope for our environment. The candle of trance the transforming power of love. Today. Candle of peace. We recognize the millions of refugees and immigrants. Leave their countries of origin because of and salmon and their homeland. Search for safety find a welcome. And may there be peace. Today's reading. Play cigar sermon stories about family members of our congregation as each person. Might expect. Anthony tomorrow okay we'll make it work i had my daughter. Was missing. If only there were adopting so i did and 11 year olds. I was asked if i could provide a temporary 2 week home for 6 month old baby girl. Forever. I decided the creation of my family and high school. Many many years we have been together various reasons maintain separate households. Unexpected. We will be married in february. I have myself i have come to adore the unexpected. Take me home and that's the best present of all. Good morning my name is to become a microbiologist. Recent phone calls. Appreciate how challenging that might have been. Great intensity.. I remember the long night 32 years ago when i gave birth to my daughter. Disorientation springs remembering. My own daughter was in the throes of something very similar. Notifications!. Was born. An awareness. As i gaze at that precious face i'm swept i remember. Bittersweet feeling. And the terror i remember every morning for me to function. The great mother she's going to be a great mother. Stories of the families. Everybody's stories stanley hold individual truths. Easy. Memories that we don't want to share sometimes i'm so as we carry this tension since joyce stanley on the complexity of family words from our reflection church.

uudavispodcast_org

2014-10-12_The-Courage-to-Listen_11-15.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. org for further information. We come to this sanctuary to celebrate the beauty of the earth. And to be in community. This congregation comforts us when we know loss. And celebrates our very best dreams. We bring our differences together we offer a fuller truth than anyone point-of-view. This is a place. Of challenge and compassion. Can you. See my face shining and smiling at cody speaks. The holy is experienced here in many ways and is given many names. People of all sexual orientations and gender identities are celebrated. And we welcome all races classes and physical abilities. We have much to learn from each other and this is a place of learning. And it's a place of hope. Weather because of the touch of a friend the words or music or moment of silence made you feel more alive because of your time here this morning. Milestones to mention for chalices. Are already left for the five states. Indiana oklahoma utah virginia and wisconsin. That the supreme court decision affected eye-opening the way to same-sex marriage. And many more soon to to follow. We left up hong kong. And the people who are protesting for democracy. We remember mariana henwood. A member of this congregation who died september 27th. A celebration of life service will be. Held on saturday october 25th. At 2 p.m.. Cool davis events. That raise up issues that affect our world and not only at one community. Our members who lead these efforts especially we. Lift up today. And to be sure everyone knows that our services are podcast stood so you can listen to this service or services from the past if you just go to a website and look to the right side of that website and click on podcast. And the kim's today sometimes will appear in your order service some people prefer to sing out of the hymnal but you will also find some of our hands that have copyright permission off on the monitors this morning. Our director of religious education kate raymond introduced me to the concept of nonviolent communication a few years ago. She has organized many nonviolent communication classes here at church in the past and will be attending an advanced training this month. I'm excited that she will be sharing her training with a congregation when she returns because i still practice a couple of the things that i learned from the one class that i took here. One we all have needs that range from autonomy and interdependence. To physical nurturing and spiritual communion. 2. My reactions to what others say stem from weather my needs are being met. If i feel angry when listening to someone it is an opportunity for me to reflect. Unw need is being triggered and whether i can let go over the reaction in order to continue to truly listen. I use this knowledge in conversations because during conversations because i know that when i start to feel emotional or reactive i have stopped listening i am no longer present. While it may seem simplistic always the first step in listening is to stop talking. Yes i mean the verbal kind intellectually we understand that our mouths and our ears are not the best at multitasking it together but i also mean the talk in our heads. This is some more difficult part of listening. It is hard to be present with another when the voices in our head are competing for attention. These voices filter what we are hearing. By adding our own context. Judgments assumptions and desires is being shared. Stephanie casa in the attentive heart conversations with trees. Rights. To breed the mystery of the other requires a conscious painting of fear. A willingness to be present despite the barriers of difference. It is easy to follow distracting detours away from the actual meeting place of mystery. But i did not come wandering to be distracted or entertained by my own spot. I came to meet a foreigner. To remember my own foreignness. We humans share the common desire to be heard. When we take the time to regularly sit with our inner voices. Reflecting on our own story. We didn't give ourselves the space and skills compassionately listen. Feathers. If you don't know the kind of person i am and i don't know the kind of person you are a pattern that others made may prevail in the world and following the wrong god home we may miss our start. Do you know how to listen to require any particular promise on the part of the listener we all do it regularly without much thought or exceptional effort really listening is certainly not an activity that is usually associated with the virtue of courage. So it is intriguing to me. That the poet we've heard this morning william stafford. See so much potential for things to go so horribly wrong when genuine listening ceases. If you don't know the kind of person i am and i don't know the kind of person you are. And that's how it reads for stafford. Missing something fundamental to the humanity of the other because we haven't attentively listen to their lives. And it leads to so much poetic calamity following the wrong god home missing our star small betrayals in the mind the breaking of fragile sequence. The root of all cruelty. Stafford clearly sees this as. Dangerous work. Listening to the other really deeply attending to the presence of the other in our midst because so much is at stake. It really just seems so monday in though. Listening. So routine is so unexceptional. Until of course it isn't anymore. What we are asked to hear is a story of exceptional pain. Stories emerging from the unheard depths of another's being. Stories once hidden now reaching out to a reset receptive and understanding audience. The diagnosis is serious and i'm so afraid. Leaving me and i feel so alone. I've never told anyone else this before but. And so i appeal to a voice to something shadowy. That remote important region in all who talk. A turning point in stafford's poem has sense of urgency arises in his poetic verse amid all of the calamitous possibilities that attend our failure to really listen to the voice of others and so i appeal to a voice to something shadowy and remote important region and all who talk. And i don't mean to make something to specific or particular out of such a profound poem but to my mind at least what stafford describes for us here in poetic verse. Is a call. Toward the practice of care. What type of care characterized by. The courage to listen with compassion and curiosity. It's a poem especially suited to the type of pastoral care that shapes the way i will trainlife haustral caregivers in the congregation a type of narrative pastoral care rooted in an understanding of the way stories give shape to our lives. The uc-berkeley philosopher judith butler. One of my favorites describes language as the condition of possibility. For human being. Rather than merely a means of expression. As a condition of possibility language and the narratives we constructed out of this language become more than informative anecdotes about our lives as a condition of possibility these narratives constitute who we are as human beings weaving the threads of story together with other stories in order to give us a sense of who we are as human beings in the world in relation to one another the stories we tell about ourselves the stories others tell about us. The stories others allow us to tell about ourselves and the stories others are willing. To hear us tell. If you don't know the kind of person i am and i don't know the kind of person you are a pattern that others made may prevail in the world and following the wrong god home we may miss our star. Listening. Pro stance of genuine curiosity about the life of another human being requires the courage to release our grip on our presumed knowledge of the other and to lean into the mystery of the others life. It calls for the courage to draw near to the precarious experiences of humanity when our inclination maybe to turn away. Information. Attempting to listen in order to diagnose a problem that we can then solve. The french philosopher gabrielle marcel explains the difference between the two he says. A problem is something which one runs up against which bars the way. A mystery however. Is something in which i find myself involved. Whose essence therefore is not to be completely before me. A mystery is something in which i find myself involved. Listening for the mystery listening for the soul listening for the humanity of the other this is what stafford's poem is beckoning from us this morning and so i appeal to a voice to something shadowy and remote important region and all who talk. Listening for the mystery of the other with a sense of genuine curiosity is indeed a courageous act. Of care. But the courage to listen. Is about more than providing goodpasture okay or to another. Person to another individual. This type of compassionate and curious listening has everything to do with the cultivation of a community that is shaped by an ethic of care at community where our practice of care is embodied. And that's. How i see. My work here. That's how i'm thinking about my work here alongside you as assistant minister for pastoral care the cultivation of a community of care listening together to the life stories of our community. Lester's stafford warns. The parade of our mutual life get lost in the dark. For the darkness around us is deep. This whole month is really bad listening. here is that forgiveness. When we act on our values in the world and also with each other. The same idea listening in a way that invites news discoveries challenging our own assumptions. Was one thread of a speech given by sister simone campbell. At the unitarian universalist general assembly where lecture sister simone is a religious leader and attorney and a poet. Who has been a passionate spokesperson for immigration reform economic justice and healthcare for all. And this is her 50th year for jubilee year of actively working for justice. And as yet and unitarian universalist we have partnered with her and she is known to many in our denomination she could barely begins speaking at general assembly. When the people applauded and peter morales the president of argentina emanation at this day to the thousands gathered listen if you want to hear the where lecture you have to let her get started. She was so clearly it's plastered by the plaza kept happening throughout her speech. Kmart i'm not used to this you're all very nice but really it's just me. And i was lucky to hear her at chautauqua institution maybe a week later so i was on her speaking tour following her around. Remarkable women and salt-of-the-earth in her conversation. She shared stories all the while showing how she genuinely has a desire to understand. To hear. Too deeply listen. In 2008 sister simone win on a catholic relief trip to syria and lebanon to see the situation in iraq refugee camps. She went knowing that she would with this people who had been involved in human trafficking. Selling primarily women and children into slavery. In syria. Sister simone listen to a woman tell her story. Her husband had been killed in iraq. And the woman fled to damascus with her six children. But survival continue to be almost impossible. Without a male breadwinner bread earner in the family. They were in danger of not just being homeless but truly starving. The woman sent her son's to do whatever menial tasks they could find. Shining shoes. Cleaning the streets. Anyting. They were never able to bring in enough money to feed the family and there was no public release system to help them. The only solution available to her. Was just sell her oldest daughter. So that the others in the family. Could live. And so she did. As a mother told sister simone her story. She wet. And sister simone wept with her. In that moment of telling and listening something changed. Within sister simone. I did not change how she felt about human trafficking. War. Or society that creates such desperate. Life circumstances. It did change how she felt about this. Particular woman. Now seen as a victim of a far larger system of oppression. Instead of imagining a woman. Who stole her child the way she might livestock. She discovered a real life. A woman. Who was broken-hearted and remained brokenhearted. And her judgment of this person fell away. At all she could feel. Was his mother's tremendous. Grief. Listening with a deep curiosity. And welcoming surprise. From wherever is my come. Is what creates the connections among us. The similarities. They're easy. The difference is explored the assumption the misunderstandings that's where the riches. Live. But understanding of our differences we are freed. Freed. From the burden of judging or being judged. And then our energy can be given to considering other possibilities. How we can understand the world. It takes courage. Real courage. To live with such openness. But when we do it. We create a community that is rare. Is so rare in our society and i would say rare in this. Cole world. Earlier in this year and you will see that there's so many things i could draw in from services that come before this one. Really we're on a journey together about. This. Listening. From the beatitudes for social activist and we admitted that when lindy ramsden wrote this she was really writing it for. Every life circumstance. She gave examples of what could be glad curiosity. Blessed are you who can question your own assumptions and listen with an open mind. You will receive new insides beyond your imagining. And blessed are you who can change your mind. You are still alive. May we be alive. For each other. With each other. And within our self. Invite you into a time of prayer. And meditation with me. The time of words and silence. Ending in singing all shall be well. They invite you to breathe together to be. Quiet. Rafting. In each other's presence here. Is a time to look within and. Reach beyond ourselves to that which we make all the spirit of life. I invite you into that time. The earth. The very earth is speaking to us through images of beauty. Are we listening. We are invited to a celebration of payson sounds and sights. Are we willing. To stop tending to all the many things that need our attention and here. That message. The slant of the sun in the afternoon. The tassels hanging heavy on grasses. The hills at the height of their golden color waiting for the rain. Pumpkins ripe on the vine. And apples and all their splendid variety sweet and tangy. And the people. Come alive in this season. A cooler beauty. They are walking towers silos of stories. All waiting to be known. They too are a part of nature of human nature. How many times around the sun does onelife have. Each day. If we forget to let our sight linger on some beauty. The day is emptier than it could be. It is autumn. Slow. To listen. Toosii. Taste the beauty that is given to us by life itself. And we are only asked to be glad. Colors. The sweet the tangy the whispering grass as they say. I'm back. Let me know you are near. I invite you into the silence that holds us all. And the prayers of our hearts. Each of us is a part of an intricate web of relationships. When one of us celebrates the joy or grieve the loss. The web of life moves to a new shape we are apart of the turn of the earth the shift of the stars the pull of the sea and all change. Hands around the room remember linkedin.

uudavispodcast_org

2014-10-26_Just-the-Right-Questions_11-15.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. org for further information. The dream team is going to come out before you because we're all doing the service today and we're going to briefly introduce ourselves and first you'll see in projected up in front of you megyn kelly age or mugs. Thank you for humoring us this morning and being willing to listen deeply to each other we come to the sanctuary. To celebrate the beauty of the earth and to be in community. This congregation comfort sets. When we know a loss. And celebrates our best dreams. We bring our differences. Because together we offer a fuller truth than anyone point-of-view. This is a place of a challenge and compassion. The holy is experienced here in many ways and is given many names. People of all sexual orientations and gender identities are celebrating. We welcome all races. Classes political parties and physical abilities. We have much to learn from one another. This is a place of learning and hope. Weather because of the touch of a friend. The words and music or a moment of silence. May you feel more alive. May you feel changed. And if you have a personal milestone for our congregation or ministers. Their individual chalices in the back. Collide for them. Let us know about your milestone on the pages provided. And please mention if it's a pastoral emergency because reverend banks or reverend sanders can get back to you today. Are podcasts. Are available online. And you're sure to want to go back and listen to today's service and then peru's previous ones. And maybe even send a link to your friends. So i want to share with you my answer to the question that we asked each other this morning during our greeting what did you come hoping to find in the service today. I personally came here today to find community. To share in a big picture that we are trying to create through listening very carefully to each other. This deep listening is going to help us get to know one another on a more personal level and find out who each of us are as individuals so that we might be able to apply this to where we want to go over the next 5 years. This process is so much more than its end result. It's about making a stronger as a congregation and giving us a voice in our community. All of it all of this is going to be accomplished just by listening to each other stories. Had an interesting conversation with a friend this past week about unitarian universalism. She told me that unitarian-universalism is an exceptional in his belief systems. The seven principles said we go on and on about how many people who are not you you share the same beliefs and some even organized their lives around them without any reference to unitarianism whatsoever. I felt my feathers ruffling from the fear that she might be right some way and that's somehow very important point is being missed. Then before i hadn't time to freak out and start arguing she. What is exceptional about unitarians is that they really believe in community. They believe that interpersonal relationships are the core of their face and a means to living those principles. You use at least a church-going kind believe that participating in community represented meaningful action in the world. Enterprise community offers a means to serve our principles our community here is something sacred an end unto itself worthy of our reverence and love. So i asked that we think about community for just a moment. Let's all of us reflect about community right now. Not in the abstract sense of course we all get the concept. But in terms of our own personal experience with this community here. Let's ask ourselves the question when did i feel most fully part of this community. Chihuahua doing that we want to preview the strategic planning committee to campaign for what we are calling small group conversations just watch and i think you'll see pretty quickly. I'm liz hall in his barber introduced earlier i'm one of the consultants with i asked it's working with the dream team the dream team has asked me to be the leader for this demonstration of a small group conversation and before we start i just want to comment this small group conversation is going to be different from the ones all of us are going to be part of it together in a couple of ways it's a smaller group of people each of the dream team members have thought about what they're going to say we hope beforehand there's not going to be time for discussion and conversation and back and forth in this demonstration but there will be. Having an interview or a discussion group or a focus group these conversations are going to be based in sharing personal experiences and personal stories and you'll see that today. Well i have been most engaged with this church. Since i've been a member of a dream team about a year ago when party west. Ask me if i would share this effort. I had no idea of the size and scope. This project would entail. But. I did a crash course in strategic planning through reading books and on the internet and learning about affirmative inquiry. But it really wasn't until we started working with our consultants. But i really grass. The process. And since then through the support of my dream team members. Our consultants reverend bath. I really grown a lot as a leader and. Hats and kind of surprising to me but also gratifying but anyway in the process. I've learned a lot about. The hopes and dreams of. All of us on the dream team and as i've talked to a number of the other members in the congregation. About what. Why they came here and what they hope to find. And why they stayed here. At my relationships with them have defendant and i'm imagining that these deepen relationships will form amongst all the participants of the small group conversations and goodbye b will be building that. Webs it. Part of our seventh principle and will this feel is hyperbole in this congregation and i'm really excited about that. So i found most connected and engaged with his congregation when i was chairing the capital campaign committee. This request to me came literally minutes after my board term as president ended and i was actually frankly looking forward to some rest and downtime but problem. So i decided to beat up that team. So it also seemed like a very concrete has well-defined and small and scope well that turned out to be wrong what i thought was going to be a 3 to 6 month project ended up being more like four years and four separate phases of fundraising to complete our task. Other people told me they struggle with data and you know they really couldn't help anymore but i felt contributed to the best of their ability and they all wanted me to know personally how much they believed in the project and wanted to help. A number of others who are more fortunate circumstances would ask questions like how much more money do you need and then would write a check so those were a lot easier conversations and made it go faster but it really surprised me how much. Opening of people's lives i've received in this process and just being the agent of the church trying to see this project through i received heaps of praise and encouragement and it was a supporter the whole congregation that helped me last those for years and in make it through to the end and people like john jageman said yes to me every time i asked him for help and he served on multiple fundraising teams as did many other people may we had over 100 volunteers just on the fundraising who helped them either one way or many ways. And i was privileged to see the community pull together to make this project a success. One of the. Teachers for me the longing to this congregation is having been a worship associate. Not once but two times and worship associate as most of you know. Cast of stand up here in the pulpit and talked for about. Coronavirus no longer than 4 minutes about a topic that's been signed by our reverend. Wow so this actually fit into another activity that i have which is i'm a member of al-anon which is a 12-step program for relatives and family. 2. The most. Powerful and firming experience in this community for me has been working with you through the comedian use religious education programming. Our child was quite young when we first started attending services here. And there is a really quick realization that this church in particular and uuism generally cultivates an amazing youth community and culture. We wanted our daughter to top that. So we contributed time to the owl which is our whole lives to human sexuality and relationships program. Which is coming-of-age which is adult mentorship and spiritual exploration for middle school youth. And those experiences were a lot of fun and there's never a dull moment with a group of youth. The stuff that they let come out of their mouths is pretty fabulous in fact there's a game that they play which involves chewing but not swallowing an ungodly amount of skittle never seen anything as funnier. Disgusting frankly grow into her personality and identity as a unitarian universalist. She's now a teenager which carries a certain level of fear as i begin to like go that role of protector. My experience and knowledge of our vibrant youth community provide some solace and comfort that she'll be supported through her adolescence. Mine goes along a little bit with what george said to the time when i felt most apart of this community is when my daughter grace helped with the showing of the production of girl rising this film is a documentary about young women or girls all over the world that are unable to get an education for one reason or another so grace along with three other 12 to 13 year old girls one of them being actually georges daughter as well they came together to show this documentary to over 200 people from our community not just hear from church but from all over davis they develop the marketing strategy that got support from small businesses event raised $1,000 for myanmar. I'm all on their own these girls would not have been able to do this without the complete and full support of this church. They learn how to give back not only to their immediate community but to the world and i learned that my church loves our children our community and our whole world. Thank you so this question that the dream team has been responding to when have you felt most fully part most engaged in most connected to this community is the question is going to begin the small group conversations that you have this fall and the reason for that was noted by a dream team member the last meeting who said we need to know who we are before we can decide where we want to go together. I invite you to rest in this face together and join me in a time of prayer and silent reflection. The circle of our caring is wide. We hold in our hearts dorothy floyd hicks children. Nancy. Carl and genie. The relationships between adult children and their parents. Our opportunities to listen with the heart. Love to them. For the youth and young adults whose lives are filled with opportunity. And i feel the weight of the world's problems and their own personal struggles. And that circle of care are their parents. Who want their children now so nearly grown. To feel the promise of their life. Strength to them. Play oliver ree leaders and teachers. For their desire to make our children better and more aware citizens. Make her age be theirs. Spirit of many names. We are all in need of love strength and courage. We all need to be known for what we bring to our world. I invite you into the silence which we so rarely experienced together. To just be still with your thoughts. Porta meditate on this prayer. Maybe look with gratitude upon this day. For the beauty of the earth from the first glimmer of dawn to the glow of sunset at this time of harvest let us be thankful for the earth's bounty for quiet of the gathering dark and for the love of our families and friends may we be open to the concern and love of those around us and maybe return that concern and love in equal measure for this community and for the countless other blessings present in our lives let us be grateful. And now for our closing words go now and listened to each other.

uudavispodcast_org

2016-01-31-Faith-Not-Fear_09_30.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from the unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. org for further information. When we come here on sunday morning. We bring the gifts and imperfections of who we are. This is a community where we challenge each other encouraged each other. Support each other. Our work is to keep our site on the best that we can be. In this place we are surrounded by a diversity of religious beliefs. God or. Whatever it is which we call sacred is different for each of us. Comes from our life experience. We celebrate those of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Welcome people of all races classes political parties and we will continue to work to build a world we dream about. And cherish living earth as our sacred home. This chalice lighting from andrew pakula. Insightla snipes. Terrors draw near. Nameless fears of kalin and two. Hopelessness yawns before us in abyss alone and unknown in the gloom. Longing for the dawn. Oh sacred flame blaze forth. Wisdom brought to life. Guide us. With the light of hope. The warmth of love. The beacon and purpose of meaning. Because we are all afraid of the dark. Let there be light. I hate to fly. I don't often for work. But it's always been scary for me. On a recent trip to salt lake city after having made an off-handed mention of disliking turbulence to the flight attendant we encountered some extremely rough air. Lest you think i'm exaggerating my anxiety just before landing she handed me a tiny set of plastic wings like they give the four-year-old often this fearful reaction frustrates me because it is immune to logic and reason i may have mentioned i have a thing about logic and reason no matter how much i know about air travel the statistics and safety features and redundancies and systems there's a primitive part deep in my brain that refuses to listen it's screams back at all of those logical arguments i make you. Are not safe. On the second leg of my return home from that same trip to salt lake. Exhausted. Halfway through two flights home after a day of meeting. And jittery from overhearing the anxiety-producing 24/7 news station blaring at my departure gate. I boarded a tiny commuter jet from lax to sacramento. I settled into my seat. But was immediately tapped on the shoulder by a man who gestured at the seat next to me. His skin i noticed was darker than mine. Foreign looking. He hefted is roller bag right onto the seat. If you've ever flown on one of those very small jet. You know that i'm plans that small anything bigger than a laptop gets checked at the gate. But he'd somehow carry this big bag on and crammed it under the seat in front of him. And then satin-covered it protectively with his feet presumably to avoid detection from our single flight attendant. Immediately that primitive part of my brain started screaming well. That seems a bit suspicious. Why does he need his bag. What is he hiding in his bag is there a weapon in there is there a bomb in there. Should i tell someone. Should i get off the plane. Then underneath all of that yelling there was another thought. Quieter maybe but there nonetheless. The same voice that tells me flying is actually pretty safe. Said. Do you think you're afraid of what he's doing. Or who he is. I have a trick i use when i'm nervous on a flight. I look at the faces of the flight attendants after all of their people to with families to get home to and lives to live. And chances are if they don't look distressed. My fear is just that brain regions firing off. I have a similar trick when i find myself facing unfounded fears about people i don't know. I get to know them. After all they also have families to get home to. And my folks live. The best way i know to stop that automatic primal fear of the unknown. Is to remind myself of that. And so to my seatmate. I said hello. He was flying to meet his sister who just had a baby. His first niece. A few moments of conversation later. And we both close our eyes and relaxed into our seats for the journey home. Our first to readings this morning or by the reverend dr. martin luther king jr.. The first from his letter from the birmingham jail april 16th 1963. The second from a speech he gave in western michigan university december 18th 1963. From the letter from the birmingham jail. Moreover i am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in birmingham. Injustice anywhere. Is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality. Tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow provincial outside agitator idea. Anyone who lives inside the united states. Can never be considered an outsider. And from the western university speech later that year. All i'm saying is simply this. That all life is interrelated. But somehow we're caught in an inescapable network of mutuality tied in a single garment of destiny. For some strange reason i can never be what i ought to be until you are what you ought to be you can never be what you want to be until i am what i ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality. John john carter years ago and placed it in graphic terms no man is an island entire of itself. Every man is a piece of a continent a part of the main. He goes on at the end to say any man's death diminishes me because i am involved in mankind and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee. The world in which we live is geographically one. Now we are challenged to make it one in terms of brotherhood. Now if you are ethical and moral commitment we must make a bit of brotherhood we must all learn to live together as brothers. Or we will perish together as fools. This is the great challenge of the hour. This is true of individuals. It is true of nations. No individual can live alone. No nation can live alone. Our third reading is from the old testament the book of amos from chapter 3. Hear this word that the lord has spoken against you old people of israel. Against the whole family that i brought up out of the land of egypt. You only have i known of all the families of the earth. Therefore i will punish you for all your iniquities. And the more familiar amos chapter 5. First 24. But let justice roll down like waters. And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Faith. Not fear. Acting from faith. Not. Reacting. From here. Acting from faith. Probably know it when we see it. Easier said than done but for the most part. We understand that this means actions resulting in justice. Hand as rev dr martin luther king. Said justice anywhere requires justice everywhere for everybody. Not just for some groups. It is a tall order this acting from faith. Towards justice whether the faith is from the teachings of a ds stick. Face with a supernatural god who us to act towards justice to treat the other as. We would have our self be treated. Or if it comes from the faith of the humanist philosophy. As expressed in. The third humanist manifesto from 2003 quote. We are committed to treating each person. Is having inherent worth and dignity. Humanism as a progressive philosophy of life that. Without supernaturalism affirms our ability and responsibility. Delete ethical lives of personal fulfillment. Go to spire us to the greater good. How humanity. Or whether the faith comes from the much wider range of faiths and philosophies and theologies that you're welcome here. In our church. Betting a few of us noticed that the official humanist manifesto uses the same phrases are unitarian universalist. Principal inherent worth and dignity. Reacting from fear. What does this mean. Donna johnson has two phds. I wonder a little bit about people who have two phds i mean you go through all that work to get one you get to the end and. And you have a different one. Well johnson has two and in some ways they're polar opposites. One is in evolutionary biology. Understanding how we evolve. Apparently towards a higher plane. And the exact opposite. Political science moving towards a higher plane doesn't seem to be politics strong suit at the moment. In johnson's new book god is watching you. Johnson argues that our tendency to overreact to stimuli that startled us as harmful friend. Is not only inherent in the human species. But both was and is still of evolutionary value. It was of value. Because we were running around the jungles in the forest thousands of years ago. If we heard a rustle behind us and immediately got scared ready to fight and run and it turned out to be a saber-toothed tiger coming for us. Let me go to head start. Might survive. If it was not a saber-toothed tiger this time. Do this time is the crucial part of this. Well then not so much harm is done. Serpes to instinctively overreact and quickly. To something that might seem threatening to see a threat. Even when it may not be there. Cut that one time it is a saber-tooth tiger we were ready and survive. What this is talking about is how things that causes fear. Even when we are imagining them. Even and maybe especially when we cannot directly see them. It drives us right down into our hindbrain do not pass go do not collect $200. Right into our dinosaur part of our brain that doesn't think. So much is act. And the acting is dinosaur style i ate you or you eat me. This fear response sets us up for a scylla or charybdis situation we're always see. Are the violent outcomes. The options are drowning in that charybdis of a whirlpool or dashing against that scylla of a rocky shore. The other options. That are always there. Are just invisible to us. Stila or charybdis this is reacting. From fear. This bypasses are thinking rational brain. Johnson of course as an academic term for this instinct. Does human reality response mechanism quote. Hyperactive agency detector device hyperactive way more than is actually necessary. And agency detector. Because the same response johnson theorizes is why we humans have this intellectual tendency. Toosii. Agencies. Where no agency can be physically seen. Or scientifically demonstrated agency is the word johnson tends to use in place of god. So that his explanation can be pondered without raising the god or no god argument an argument he tries very hard. To not take sides on in this book. Just overreacting to stimuli that just might be somewhat harmful us not to foreign for us to understand. Most of us have experienced this i know i. Over suffer many attacks that never actually occur. Although my adrenaline system may have prepared me for it anyway. And johnson sees this device as an evolutionary explanation for our brains being predisposed to see supernatural agents now again johnson does not weigh in on the issue of our their supernatural deities or not. It's not a diatribe against. Or formerly an explanation of a human tendency. Go in the store reaction. It takes it much farther in his book. Theorizing that seeing this agency. Leads directly to a human tendency to justice. If that agency is out there looking at you then you're much better off to behave then to get caught misbehaving. So i find it interesting that our reacting out of fear. And our tendency towards justice. Maybe different sides of the same coin. May come from the same place. The fearful instinctual running from the saber-tooth tiger the immediate dive into the dinosaur brain with all its implications does not require any contemplation. One can get into this state instantly and without thinking about it. However. The justice part seems to require some involvement of the rest of our brain. The justice part is maybe a little bit less automatic. Requires a little bit more effort. That might be an explanation of why the violent reacting out of fear. When's out so often. Over our inherent agency. For justice. An imbalance that we see way too much of. In our world. And this instinctive reacting out of fear. Can be seen to directly lead to us acting exactly the opposite of the fair-minded justice-oriented waze. We might respond when we put some thought into what we're doing. When reacting out of fear we tend to only see the options that quickly eliminate the perceived threat the dinosaur option. Are you are you eating me. We're facing right now. One of the largest refugee problems our world has seen at least recently. Millions displaced. Within syria or from syria or already killed with nowhere to go and. Nowhere to go home to. There's some truth thus began the bit of a revolt stemming from an environmental disaster that was leaving untold thousands. Starving due to failed crops. Lack of rainwater. This may be the first of the human. Refugee disasters were going to see as food supplies fail. In the face of an increasingly hostile. Environment. The point for now. Is that hopefully we can learn and get better. At dealing with such tragedies. Because the odds-on expectation is that more such refugee tragedies are to come. Has this environmental situation gets worse not better. What seems clear to me. Is that reacting irrationally out of fear. Is not the answer. Because if acting out of fear is the answer. Then it means the answer. Is eliminating enough millions. So that the problem goes away. A reading from the book of amos was a bit of a lesson here. The book of amos is often looked at as a turning point. In the old testament. Up until that point the purpose of god you are god and they believe in lots of god the purpose of my god. Was the help kill you so that i'm okay with the conqueror you so that i'm okay. By the time of amos. In the old testament. Amos is now telling the israelites who now or the oppressive bullies in charge. That they need to act. For justice. For all. Or their god will smite them. The point. Is justice for all. Not your group winning. Because you picked the right god. Reacting out of fear. Is denying all of them. Any hope for justice. Seeing all of them as saber tooth tigers. This fear is infective. Now. Some of these fears. That we feel now. They are real. There are people out there. Who want to and are going to hurt people. At the same time some fears can be over reactions. And sometimes this could be made a whole lot worse. By people trying to gain personal powers by whipping up this fear amongst people taking advantage of a relatively easy it can be to take the situation and infect people with a frenzy of fear fear can be very contagious. Reacting out of fear takes this particular situation. And grows into seeing all muslims as the saber-toothed tiger let no muslims into this. Country. We're hearing a lot of this. This sphere is trying to make muslims a them. So that they don't count they are them. They are different. They have briefcases. They said next to you on a plane. Pretty much but the oppressive israelites for doing. Is there others. When amos let them know they were wrong. And that their god was not there to protect them when they were the oppressors. But the god was there to protect the oppressed but to be faithful. To their god they needed to provide justice not oppression. Reacting out of fear could lead to a pretty big. Author. Man the answer is. There is no other. Chopped off. Just as martin luther king from the reading with saying. When he quotes the african ubuntu principal. For some strange reason i can never be what i ought to be until you are what you ought to be. You can never be what you ought to be until i am what i ought to be this is the interrelated structure of reality. John donne caught it years ago and placed it in graphic terms no man is an island entire of itself. Every man is a piece of a continent apart of the main. Just as fear can be contagious. Chopin acting. How to face. In the name of justice be contagious amanda's example. She's on an airplane. Which makes her nervous from the scarred. She understands this is not logical. Shutter stands the data that makes the drive to the airport more dangerous than the flight and she also understands how this does not matter. Flying triggers the fear response in amanda she's starting and dinosaur brain mode. The fear is primed her to react to the saber-tooth tiger on the man with the difference the man with the briefcase he sits next door and she's racked with irrational fear. Piling up on top of her flying fear adrenaline and fully prepared by her instinctual dinosaur brain to lash out and she. Amanda. Does. The only thing. Amanda can do. In the situation. She talked to him. She chooses to not react out of her fear the easy response. The automatic response. But you act out of her faith. Add a faith in humanity. Out of her faith in people. Out of her faith in the inherent worth and dignity of all. And perhaps most importantly out of her faith in herself. But you can do better. And she does do better. And in so doing has spread a little faith. Under the troubled waters of our world and the world is a little better off. Every time we choose to not react out of our fear. Every time we rise above the fear. The fear that is there. The fear that is understandable. Giving the state of our world the fear that may not go away. Every time that we act out of our faith. In spite of the fear. The world is a little better off. We need to practice. Rising above our fears. Not because practice makes perfect. Because it does not. But because practice can make permanent. Imagine if we make acting out of faith. More of our habit. Imagine if we can inspire. Others to. As well. Imagine our world. Not reacting out of fear. Acting out of faith. Face. Not fear. Join me. The spirit of prayer. Meditation. Contemplation. May i be filled with loving kindness. May i accept the loving-kindness that comes from within may i receive the loving-kindness that comes to me out of mystery may you be filled with loving kindness accepting from yourself. And others the loving-kindness that is therefore you may we be filled with loving kindness for the ability to see. The wisdom to accept and the willingness to grow loving-kindness by offering it freely to others as we strive to act not from fear but from faith. We take pleasure joy and wisdom. From being on the path with people who spiritual path and life paths are different as we tried to bring ourselves each other and the world. Closer to the promised land which king speaks of for us each of us in this sanctuary is part of an intricate web of relationships. When one of us celebrates we all have reason for joy and the joy grows. When one of us grieves the loss the web of life moves to a new shape and we share the loss keep rey topic and family in your thoughts and prayers. We are part of the turn of the earth the shift of the stars the pull of the sea and all change. I invite you into a brief moment without words for you to think about what has passed in your life this past week to reflect on your jaws your concerns. Your gratefulness for this life. Blessed be. And amen. Great power over fear. Practice. Not fear. Let the congregation say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

2015-08-30_The-Sacrilegious-Spirituality-of-The-Simpsons_10_00.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons another recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. org for further information. And welcome welcome to the unitarian universalist church of davis my name is autumn let her know and i am your worship associate for today's service this is my last worship associates gig. The end of august signals many things the end-of-summer new beginnings the annual back-to-school ritual we focus much attention on our children right now and i wanted to be sure to take a moment to honor those who teach if you are in this room and you are or have ever been a teacher or educator at any level would you raise your hand please. My kids think i'm a freak because i told them that when i was 13 i read the dictionary as in actually read the dictionary cover-to-cover i always thought this was a cool accomplishment singularly unimpressed. I didn't pay much mind to it first was just something my roommate watched on sunday evenings but gradually i was drawn in by the humor the witch and the realization that the denizens of springfield made me feel sort of normal there was and is one standout for me and you can see her at the lisa simpson the world's most eight-year-old when lisa embraced vegetarianism. Her love of reading is a recurring theme on the series. There's a tumblr blog i follow called the lisa simpson book club and we just ended fair-use borrow that for a minute it serves to visually document the diversity and sheer number of titles lisa has red on the series over the years her tastes are sophisticated arcane and far-ranging especially for an 8 year old. Whatever i wanted to know was there for the reading and i developed an intimate relationship with my library even today i read daily and when stress i retreat often and easily between the book the pages of some compelling fiction. It's true that even more information is available to my kids and instantaneously for the most part i don't condemn them for that but i do feel a bit sad thinking how they don't get excited about opening the book for the very first time the smell of ink on paper or experience the satisfaction of hunting down just the right word in the dictionary. On the bright side i'll win at scrabble every single time. Are reading today our cat enters heaven by margaret atwood our cat was raptured up to heaven he never liked ice so we tried to sink its claws into whatever invisible snake giant hand regal was causing him to rise in this manner that he had no luck when he got to have in it with a large field there were lots of little keep things running around that he thought it worse were mice then he saw god sitting in a tree angels were flying here and there with their fluttering white wings they were making sounds like. I'm glad you on her dog sitter cat do you think i could have my testicles back of course they're over behind that bush he looked everywhere for them under sofas under beds inside closets and all the time they were here in heaven he went over to the bush and sure enough there they were they reattached themselves immediately our cat was very pleased thank you he said to god. God was washing his elegant long whiskers nsync god would it be possible for me to help you catch some of those angels that are cat you never liked heights oh god i forgot. True that are cat i never did there were a few very discouraged disconcerting episodes he preferred to forget. Those aren't my son god has many as you like don't kill them right away make them suffer you mean play woodlands that are cat i used to get in trouble for that. It's a question of semantics i've got you won't get in trouble for that here. Are cat shows to ignore this remark as he did not know what's semantics was he did not intend to make a fool of himself. Better souls if human beings have been very bad on earth said god halfway closing its yellow green eyes now if you don't mind it's time for my nap. What are they doing in heaven then that are cat are having is there health in god i like a balanced universe. Continuities by walt whitman from leaves of grass nothing is ever really lost or can be lost no birth identity form no object of the world nor life nor force nor any visible thing the body sluggish aged cold the embers left from earlier lives the light in the idrone dim shell duly flame again. The sun now low in the west rises for mornings and nunes continual to frozen claude's ever the springs invisible saul returns with grass and flowers and summer fruits and corn. Thank you all for having me in for autumn for letting the service together and introducing anna so well and for our wonderful cannaclear who's giving us their beautiful music today and mentioned the simpsons has said a couple things including one of us might be and he says. And this is going to sound a little weird it was its realism and i know that that's strange because it's a strange yellow family if i would ever live in springfield and i said i think just the colors would give me a headache. A family on tv that actually had a tv in their living room was hugely realistic and we hadn't really had that for a family that argued and a family where the parents didn't always know the right answer at least not right away there was an episode very early where lisa is depressed and it's that kind of depression where she can't put her finger on it but she's just depressed and her mom. Part of what was also realistic for me and this might also sound strange was the treatment of religion and faith and courage going on the show. The simpsons go to church. Not everybody in the family always wants to go and i related to that as a child i had been a very difficult child. They came to us and said we're going to start going to church every sunday and i said but why and they said cuz you're supposed to and i said well then why didn't we do that before if you're supposed to and if you're supposed to we should have been doing it the whole time and either. And it was extremely difficult into corral me into a space that i could have legitimate biblical arguments about my mother and stepfather. Parents. Relationship and this same thing while i was grandpa's happening on the simpsons where the kids don't always want to go to church where they don't always understand what's being taught there where they want to ask questions and sunday school and there aren't always good answers there is an episode where lisa realizes that her parents aren't living up to the principles that are taught in the church and she tries to hold them to it and they do try to better once their child points it out and i wasn't even home that's exactly how i feel. Later after i had had my own pulling away from that particular church lisa decided that her church no longer fit her. And she went on a phaser quest and figured out that she was a buddhist and that episode features her mother and their reverend trying to trick her and bribe her and cajole her back into the church and i have christy call great sympathy for that but what i think is very powerful. Right. They don't want to accept that she's changing but she doesn't want to accept that they're not changing in the way she is and so this negotiation has to happen both ways and i think that that's the struggle that most of us have most of the time is not only our own journey but accepting other people's journeys as being different from our own simpsons has been very helpful. Sacrilegious the sermon title says sacrilicious because there was an episode where homer is praying and he's looking up and marge says you know that's not god it's a waffle that's on the ceiling that bart threw up there and homer gets it down and says i know i shouldn't eat the. The simpsons while it has these moments in homer of course if we take him as representative of the show is a terrible example he mispronounces jesus's name early in the show. Bart asks and exactly what it is that they believe which face it is that homer would say he a two and he says you know the one with all the well-meaning rules that don't work in real life christianity. All safe and one that we don't often see anymore aside from tv shows that are explicitly made to promote christian values. The simpsons is one of the very few shows with a family that does go to church. And in fact that whole community almost every single member goes to a house of worship. once a week weather is that house of worship or not and are involved in the church and some amazing ways we know where the family is going to be. And amazing there used to be i don't know if there still is but there used to be a group of men in england who dressed as ned flanders for their sunday worship and held him up is their ideal and i sort of love that idea. One is the trying to be better and however you define that or however you get there is life long and day-to-day that even once we've found that community even once we've found that book even when we found whatever it is that means something to us we have to keep working at it there's an episode from a long time ago where marge is praying and its superior. For granting the prayer and she says that she'll try to be a better christian and then there's a pause and she says i don't know what i couldn't do it exactly. When it's time for a canned food drive i'll give the poor something they actually want instead of lima beans and old pumpkin mix. Because they're allowed to simpsons episodes that are about the journey and the journey isn't always a christian centric when but it's still there so i've already mentioned that episode where lisa becomes a buddhist and does a lot of soul-searching and then has to sort of a fight for her beliefs to be respected there's another episode. And he has to be saved by the townspeople primarily ned to goes above and beyond to get him out of the house and homer takes from this experience the lessons that god is vengeful. A few years ago when i was thinking about the spiritual journeys and thinking about religion on the simpsons it occurred to me than all three of the episodes that i mentioned. There's a song that refers just in all three of those and it's a song about short shorts. And who has them and so i know people on the show now and so i send an email to the music at her and i said. You guys notice episodes about spiritual journeys at some point on the journey you here. Had not noticed that before were astounded that someone was geeky enough to have noticed that there was a little bit of discussion about wow. But then decided it wasn't a coincidence but i was sort of hoping for serendipity and i told her music editor i said i just kind of want there to be a message about how a spiritual journey is encumbered by too many clothes. Is that in our real-life which the simpsons holds out of a funhouse mirror to and i realize we have real problems and arnar realized we have to figure out the ways in which were similar and different from our family and on our real life we have to read the books that we believe in and decide. Whether we believe that or whether we believe some other person's interpretation of that i can start on and that as we're on this journey everyday is a part of that journey that if we get too comfortable. Just like marge being too comfortable that she is a good enough christian until she doesn't it does occur to her that there's something better she can do and that is we honor the journey. We have to remember not only to respect the journey of ourselves but as i alluded to earlier do that much harder thing which is to respect and place in the journey where someone else is even if that journey seems so completely foreign to our own because that i think is one of the biggest challenges as we try to keep our own path is to respect that path of others and i find it so strange that a little yellow family has been teaching me that lesson for over 26 years that i'm very blessed by it thank you so much. Please get comfortable or whatever that means to you and join me in the spirit of prayer and meditation spirit of life we pause to give thanks for the many gifts of life that are ours if we find expressed and enhanced in the community of this church. We give thanks for this moment to send her to feel where we are in right relations and where we might be out of the balance may we cultivate enough quiet time in our lives so that we continue to bring forward our best selves and greatest gifts. Today we've honored teachers and reflected on families and face on tv and in the real world. Help us to remember that not everything is as it seems at times and to recall our own strength and worth even if we spend time reviewing others highlight reels we also gives thanks for those who are strong for us calling to mind our firefighters judy moore has asked that we remember all those in california oregon washington and elsewhere whose lives have been upended by raging wildfires each of us is a part of an intricate web of relationships we are the pull of the sea and all change. As we leave today i would like to reference another episode of very briefly heart believes for a very little time that there isn't a soul and so he trades his to his best friend for $5 and one of the consequences anymore.

uudavispodcast_org

2016-07-31-Red-Thread-of-Desire_10_00.mp3?_=1

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from the unitarian universalist church of davis california by www.dav.org for further information. My name is kirk ridgeway in joining me this morning the leadership role is karen klusendorf was a last-minute stand-in for carlina white who is unable to be here because of health issues precludes her participation today so i'm glad that. Can i invite adrian deals up one more time to light our chalice on her last day here when i asked her about her deepest desires no-holds-barred she shared her believe the desire must be tempered with discernment or life can be troublesome especially with her genetic predisposition toward impulsivity reason and tolerance efface sustained by acts of kindness and justice efface the visions world flourishing with equality for all her people out of goodness a face of wholeness this tiny flame is a symbol of the spark of all this within each of us and opening words we turn to alan watts 1950s and 60s what do you desire and i kind of picture in from like the college days were those professors brought in their cup of coffee. Please take hands and form a long chain of desire and connection some say the world will end in fire some say a nice for my life tasted of desire i hold with those who favor fire and set the world on fire with love and compassion samn.

uudavispodcast_org

2015-11-01-The-Good-Life_09_30.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from the unitarian universalist church of davis california please use it or website at w.w. org for further information. The chalice is lettuce morning to honor the celebration of this day. In our. Unitarian universalist living tradition we draw from many sources. And so it is right now. The day of the dead is a celebration that comes to us from mexico. And it's been the inspiration for this beautiful altar. All souls day is also a tradition for many of us. Harkening back to the ancient pre-christian europeans. A time of all hallows eve. Also known as samhain. This is a day of honoring those who have come before us. A time when the distance between the living and the dead becomes last. Dia de los muertos the day of the dead or dia de muertos as it's called in mexico. Has its origins actually in the aztec tradition. Centuries and centuries ago. The aztecs took a month in the summer. To celebrate and commune with the goddess of death. When the spanish colonizers. Came. They did what colonizers often do they took paid pagan traditions and moved them to something more appropriately christian and that's it was moved towards all saints day and became the holiday as we know it today and in mexico the first day being on october 31st. Where the children build an altar and they put toys and treats to. Call the children's spirits of those who have passed to come back and visit with them the second day all saints day. Adult put out an altar similar to what we've got here with photos and treats for their adult friends who've passed to come back and commune with them and then the third day all souls day families. Go out to cemeteries and they decorate the gravestones and the tombs of those who have left and they feast and they play music and so it's a it's an honoring of life-and-death but i think above all it's an honoring of relationship. Before the saltair blessings on all those who have gone before us. Who we have loved to have changed our lives. And you are invited to come forward and i'll encourage you to go down the ramp and then back this way to take from this bread which is from a wonderful bakery in woodland. If a little sweet but not very you'll be surprised is mostly iggy and flavor very delicious. And it lived in my car all night long three of these and the my car smell amazing if you are gluten intolerant we have rice crackers here. What can i say but there is something for you here and if this is a time you think i do have something to place on the altar please this is another good time to do it so come on down the altar and don't be afraid to take from the bread and 8 in honor of all those in our lives. The reading this morning is from emily dickinson. My mother's favorite poet. Because i could not stop for death. He kindly stopped for me. The carriage held but just ourselves. And immortality. We slowly drove. He knew no haste. And i had put away my labor and my leisure too. For his civility. My mother's favorite poet. Dying labor leisure. Civility. All these important qualities in life. Two weeks ago i traveled once again to massachusetts to visit my mother. She is now in her 9th year lives in a nursing home. And tells me that she is now in the carriage. And riding slowly. She has given up her labor. Her leisure on the other hand is still a pleasure. Visits card games. The privacy of her own mind. Reading books. I carried some books with man my recent trip. When was harper lee's new novel. Go set a watchman. By the time i left she had ran over half of it. She thinks it's good. We enjoy her ongoing lucidity. An earlier visit last summer. She invited me into the talk. She wanted to let me know some important things she said. You are not to worry about me anymore. I do not like being here. But it's a good place for me. I'm safe and comfortable here. I've had a long and good life i'm ready to die. When i die be happy for me. On another day she said i did not know why i have to still be alive. I responded. Perhaps there's still something for you to do. She pondered this instead. That is a very good idea i will think about that giving back for life gifts for example walking. She was weak and we're rarely walks anymore. Greywalker sits in a corner like an abandoned vehicle. Has she now relies on the wheelchair hearing. Her hearing has almost completely. Disipar departed. Conversation. Conversation is no longer so possible. But she still enjoys our company and will talk to us showing us the latest photos and cards that she abused has received. When it's only me with her. I may sit without talking. Hold your hand. Or brush her feet brush rub her feet. Or brush your hair. When mom first moved into her current residence i had many negative opinions about nursing homes. Which is very easy to do. This is the place she has chosen for herself. So i decided to suspend judgment and be open to what i encountered. The staff are caring respectful and friendly they like working here. The place is clean with good light reasonably quiet. Her own single room is spacious enough to allow. Some personal effects and make room for a small circle of visitors. The residents go for three meals a day in an attractive room with cloth napkins and tablecloths. When mom first moved in even though she was depressed about having to give up her independent apartment. She managed to be social. She would always greet people by name both staff and other residences. Whenever i would accompany her to the dining room she would greet all the hall sitters by name. You know the folks who sit around in their chairs and appeared to be nodding off and not aware of their surroundings. Well most of them would respond to mother some not some smiles. And that taught me a lot. Some of her friends from independent living still come across the street to visit her. Well the care of our elders obviously needs much attention in fast improvement. I am grateful for being able to accompany my mother in the ways i am able to do so through this time in her life. Back here in davis i do feel free from worry as mom has encouraged. My attitude toward the final stage of life. Is shifting in ways i cannot get put into words. I do know that i am less frightened of helplessness. Unless appalled by physical decay. Instead as in emily dickinson's poem. I'm being taught about riding slowly. Gracefulness and civility. For one week it was big news on the radio. In the newspapers. And the weekly magazines. It's official. Death is inevitable even for the universe. The article reads scientists now have evidence. That the universe is expanding and cooling. Barring any unforeseen able circumstances i like that part our universe will continue for a few billion years i'm thinking about. Barring any unforeseen circumstances and the next few billion years. The fires will dim. And go dark. Joe list from the university of hamburg told reporters stars die like a fire dies. You have a leftover that glow and eventually cool down and then the fire goes out. Sometimes i imagine what my life would be like without those i love. And my heart titans as i've foreshadow. The loss. And then i look around and i consider how the role that i play my own life in my family is as the cool auntie. Will someday. Binomo. These spots visit me sometimes at the oddest times. And yet lover of science that i am it surprised me to think about the universe going dark. I couldn't dismiss the feeling of emptiness. How is it that the larger reality within which we move that fills us with awe and wonder would cease to exist. The news reports have confirmed it. Death is inevitable. Sometimes in our unitarian history there has been a real fascination with death. Mary moody emerson was a strong-willed onto of the unitarian minister and essayist ralph waldo emerson granted mary was known to be a bit eccentric. She was fascinated by death. At her request mary had a bed built in the shape of a 4-foot 3 coffin. A perfect fit. Needless to say sleeping in a coffin may have been one indication of why mary never married she had her white burial shroud prepared and warren as she traveled. And she traveled so extensively that it was threadbare and she needed to have a series of them sewn over the course of her lifetime. She anticipated death as the ultimate direct experience of life. And it is said that anticipation is 90% of any experience and for most of her life. Mary moody emerson savers. That last breath. What a way to live. But today there are some people who also repair with anticipation chalk laden of maine woodworker and funeral educator has a growing business of caskets that double as pieces of furniture. There's the entertainment center. The display cabinet. And the bookshelf. One woman had a bookshelf casket delivered to her home as a birthday present to herself. It's loaded with books in the living room it started in the bedroom but her husband asked for it to be removed. And sometimes when friends are over for dinner she gestures to the casket bookshelf and mentions all there's my casket. It does create a lull in the conversation she said but everybody has something to say about it. And i just will say it does look a lot like a casket with shelf i went online and looked at it it's. It's not well-disguised. All along the journey in life. There are pivotal time when we are invited to understand our existence in a new way. Whenever the goals and priorities we have held shift. We asked. What is most important. In my life. Bob can do this. And so can let's say that responsibility of caring for a child. Crises. They can invite the same question. But every other shift in priority pails. To the moment when we face the imminent death of a loved one or. Our own limitations. Ultimately our own death. When i moved to rochester new york it wasn't part to accept a call to an urban universalist church. But the position was also attractive because my uncle wallace lived within walking distance of the church he had left the unitarian universalist faced become a liberal baptist so he watched me with a careful eye and i watched him with a careful eye as well. He was one of the early faculty members at the eastman school of music where he worked until his retirement. He was a very accomplished musician and he served on the faculty. As a gay man when don't-ask-don't-tell with the rule at the conservatory. Although new ways and different music grew up around him at the school and jazz actually became the most important music and he really didn't like jazz he continue to be one of their respected elders and i don't know how he successfully rode all the changes to the decades but he did it. It wasn't long after i moved to rochester that wallace was diagnosed with parkinson's disease. For many years he continued to live in his apartment where he would walk to concerts and movies to meet friends for dinner downtown but there came a time when he was far less mobile he didn't leave the apartment very much. He moved to a baptist independent living facility where he had volunteered as a pianist for decades. And suddenly his little cottage in the country. In the country now. With just what he always wanted he said. What made his life worth living had gradually changed he move some belongings that represented important scenes. To his new home. He gave himself permission to move only 1,000 books that was his limit. He brought the baby grand piano. The frayed oriental rugs that belong to his now-deceased partner. Some art. Some small sculptures. The people who made his life worth living visited his new home to they would tell him about their heartaches european concert tours they would come and play the piano for him. They tell him about job losses innovative ideas and even. Their moments of humiliation. You can only tell a special someone. Your moments of humiliation. Over time he would listen more than he would speak his eyes encouraging more than his words. How do you say. All i need is here. He was truly content. Perspective matters. I took a one-day author of being mortal. Rice that at this stage of life when physical limitations cannot log can no longer be denied. People often find that they have more positive emotions than they imagined would be possible. Yes they have trials. There's grease. And anger about losses. But the research that atoll explored. Showed something unexpected. Happiness now comments from enjoying the everyday pleasures especially. Meaningful relationships. All the enough rather than bringing only sadness when we have accepted that our time is finite. Things we might have normally ignored become more precious. Again it's all about perspective. What was once divided into positive and negative more often merges. And do what i told refers to as poignancy. Experience is rich with meaning. Pitt bridge both. Death is almost a forbidden topic in our society as is limitations loss. And we're yet we are hungry. To be at peace with it. Disease and death. Are seen as a betrayal. A failure to thrive. I didn't self death. I hear it's not. Failure. As we know that universe in all of its brilliance and power it will die. The ashes of starfire. Going dark. Is part of the largest reality possible. But it is also true that we as human beings. As human being. Often fail. When it comes to death. When we and i mean all of us refuse to accept mortality and buy the wii i'm including the medical system the doctors the families the ministers. All of it. When we. Refuse to accept our limitations we actually inflicted harm. I told gawande tells us that failure. Is not death. But not asking the right questions. And not giving human beings as high a quality-of-life as possible all the way to the end. We allow for a system. That fights for life at all cost sometimes causing more pain more indignity because we forget what is important. Which is to have a life. As meaning. Doctor going to share that we want to remain writers of our own story that is ever-changing. To shape our lives in ways that are constant with our enduring character and loyalties. And that makes us ask i hope. Right now. For you and for me. What are my loyalties. What are the enduring parts of my character that thread through all of my life. These are good questions to ask. For all times in life. Maybe in practice. For the end. Everyone deserves the honor of offering themselves to the world their unique gifts and what is called the dying role. This is the time when we share memories we pass on wisdom keepsakes we settle relationships establish legacies make peace with god. Ensure that those left behind will be okay. There was some things that i did very well. As the caretaker of my uncle. He was a master of the dying role. He created a legacy by establishing scholarships and he came from a family of need. And he didn't want that to stand in the way of other students who wanted to go to eastman school of music. He listened to students and faculty and his family in a way that few can. He gave advice that changed people's lives for the better. Knowing that he was of use. May the limitations of his life more and durable. For all the good that happened in the last years of wallace's life we missed one very important opportunity. We never spoke openly about his loss of ability. For the dreams the desires that he still had for himself. I watched. And inferred what was important to him. But we never really had what is called the breakpoint conversation. This is the risky discussion between the experts who know all the medical options and the facilities available and the dying person. And it could also include include the family as a part. It's less about the medical information and more about listening to what that person with all their limitation means when they say. A good life to the very end. Is it to eat surrounded by people or alone. Does it involve visiting with friends or mending broken relationships. Only then are the medical options applied in a meaningful way. July. Wallace his doctor and i never had the breakpoint conversation. We didn't talk about what was most important to him. Control of his face and what was familiar or safety. Having his baby grand near where he could see it or having access to the nursing staff. How would he like the last chapters of his life to read. It was 1996 when he moved from the cottage into the nursing care facility. There was no conversation about the moved. The administration of the faculty made the decision. For him there was also something else to look forward to. And it was more important than i realized. This was also the year when i was getting married. And wallace was very excited very excited. And he loved my former husband very much. Wallace repeatedly told me his plan to attend the wedding and although i had never openly disagreed with him before we argued. He would have to be carried up a flight of stairs and his wheelchair. And indignity for someone as formal as he was he was that guy in the bowtie. I knew he wouldn't dehydrate himself at least several days before the ceremony. He would do that because no one could carry him in his wheelchair down the steep stairs to the men's room in this very old church built in 1907. He would be uncomfortable and i guess he would be in pain. When my father died two months before the wedding wallace became even more determined. When i told gawande ask people about their priorities. But here's when they really lived there limitations facebook of these things. They didn't want to suffer. They wanted to stronger relationships with others. It was important to them to be mentally aware. They didn't want to be a burden to others. And finally they wanted a sense that their lives were complete that they had achieved something. I thought about this poem by ralph waldo emerson his family makes another entrance into the sermon he wrote about a meaningful life. He said to laugh often to love much and tears just little bits of it to endure the betrayal of false friends to appreciate beauty to find the best in others to give of oneself this was written way back in the 80s. To leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child. He goes on a garden patch a redeemed social condition. Well he says this is to have succeeded. This poem is sometimes read in memorial services. For those who feel this way. With important to know that you can make a difference. I lost the argument. And it was the best loss. Have an argument i ever had. My sister was the one who saved the day she reminded me that it didn't matter. If he was comfortable. For this effort would be the end of him. It was what he wanted to do. He was giving him the power to direct his life and that was the most important gift. In preparation for the wedding he ordered special clothing with velcro behind the buttons and zippers. He arranged to be carried by strong men who could lift him almost effortlessly it effortlessly in his chair and he would have me over and see lift me and now i have to watch them lifting him putting him down. At the end of the ceremony the pianist from the eastman school of music would not start the recessional until he dashed over to my uncle to explain that it wasn't his idea. To play the linus and lucy song from peanuts as a recessional. And after the ceremony wallace stayed for pictures. And everyone in the family wanted a piece of the action he was with his sister's nieces nephews and all of their children 3 generations. And the wedding did jesus in the end of his life. He died two weeks later. But perspective. Is everything. He rode a final chapters. Of his life. Throughout his book gelande defines and redefines courage i kept seeing the word courage with new definitions throughout the book but close to the very end. He comes to this. Courage is the strength to recognize both what we can control. And what we can't. And he asks. Why do we allow fear to rob us. The ultimate goal isn't a good death. But a good liar. To the very end. I encourage us all. To have the conversations that will ensure that we have the good life. Now. And to the end. And to that i say amen. And invite you into a time of prayer. The song reflection of all shall be well. Think about those you love. Those. You wish to ask important questions to and respond to. And let your thoughts be. With those who have passed. Invite you into a time of. Quiet. Were you can allow your thoughts to go where they will. Spirit of life. We invite love to surround us. We are in need of courage. Not the courage to march in the streets. To speak for or against a war. Research. For courage. It feels like a restlessness in the spirit. That lives sometimes for a long time. Along the spine. For strength. The kind of courage we need works its way into the heart. And moves all through the body. Never-ceasing. Trying to understand the whole. Truth. And when it finds its way to the tongue. It asks the kind of questions. The call on the strength of the spine. And the understanding of the heart. What makes life worth living. If we could practice asking this question before we open our eyes every morning would it be so hard to ask each other when we know the stakes are high. Spirit of life and love. Surround us with strength and the quiet strong courage to ask for the truth and listen. Each of us is a part of an intricate web of relationships when one of us celebrates a gioia grieves the loss the web of life moves to a new shape we are apart of the turn of the earth the shift of the stars the pull of the sea and i'll change. Invited to come up to the altar and see where some of those pictures it up there there's a picture of my uncle as well. His words by kai heald gibran. You would know the secret of death. How should you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life. At this gathering say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

2013-03-24_Worship_Surrender-and-the-Ensemble-Experience_11_15_ED.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california website www.org for further information. As you come through these doors. You're accepted just as you are. And yet. I hope that you come seeking. Some change. And you may think you know i'm not i don't want to change what is she talking about. But i'm coming here but i don't want to do that. But maybe your change is to feel less lonely. One more courageous. Or to learn to read. But you accept the leadership from others. Perhaps you want to change. Yourself or the world. Is beautiful and is hurting world. May this be a place of comfort and a challenge. And the people around you here known as the companions on your journey. Are people with a diversity of beliefs and god or whatever it is in which you place your ultimate trust. Is different for each one of us. And on this journey there are people of different sexual orientations and gender identities and there was a different class and race and physical ability. Let us search together. Become our best selves. Again. And again. Everyday we are given a new opportunity to do this. Begin again and to remember what is possible for us. Before we launch into our service i just want to. Do a special thanks. Tell laura sandidge and barbara meixner and nancy lauer who have lead us. In a wonderful weekend so the music you're going to hear today it really has come from. Friday night saturday full day of preparation and singing and ringing. And it's a gift. They think you've seen themselves as you'll hear through the process of the service. But it's also their heartfelt gift. To you. The people who have come to listen. Some of you know that for years i was a flamenco dancer. Flamingos known as an art form for the soloist the individual. And so it is mostly solos. Occasional duets. My first performance was in fact a classic duet called the seliana. Dancers of dancing and very close quarters what's going on. A mistake can make it look like a train wreck instead of the elegant dance that it is i've actually seen both dancers end up in the floor cuz i'm music is merciless it just keep going. Well this first performance wasn't duet. So i need a partner. They managed to convince a friend to perform this. She was a former professional ballet dancers right talented. And she had sworn off performing years ago but you join me anyway i'm not completely sure why i think she just sort of got a kick out of seeing somebody that was just so excited about it so it's about 3 minutes. As we're walking off after the performance. We're still innocents on the stage she hits me in the ribs with her elbow looks at me and says have a dance yet. She knew we had danced yet. I did not. I didn't know anyting. Eventually days before i could really remember anything of course the first thing i remembered was the mistake i had made. We'd crash together. Which made her smile. And i could see a little part of that smile was i knew it i knew it i should have done it i know it but it was we continued through and it really was her skill i don't think people even noticed noticed the error. But what was this was this amnesia i mean i really didn't know 4 days with her going on next performance was a solo that i choreographed myself. Instant a clap my hands which was the start of the dance wham. I'm gone again. The next performance was with a famous guitarist accompanist. Return from spain basically barely a day before before this performance. Again i had no idea what had occurred during the performance he did he was profoundly moved. Some of that when he found out that i was not being paid. Insisted on returning 3:30 he said this is your dance you have the duende. Now. My performance was not. The greatest dance hit ever seen far from it. He had played in many classes where i was the student. And compared with. Build with professional dancers yes of course i was the best male dancer there except for the days that there was more than one male dancer in the clamp but you know he'd see me struggling he see me occasionally pull a notepad out of my. Next time. But when he saw me through this performance. I knew that i was not here. But i was there. In duende what the flamingo artist call duende being one. Ricky art. And this had been what i had been experiencing in my performances. I was not an individual. Soloist. I'm not exactly sure what i was experiencing the closest thing i can think of is it similar to the way people describe mystical experiences are you experiencing at least differently. Or. Somewhere else or in someplace else but in that different place and i understand that in that solo this was not individual i have never been less. Alone. I have never been so with. With. The artist i am working with the teachers i had worked with the students i have danced with in this pursuit that looks so much like being alone i was 12 in. My first instrument is a piano. And when you play the piano. You get to play all the notes. Even when you're in a piano trio you get 1/3 of the notes and you still have a full piano partner sounds pretty good yourself. The more instruments more other instruments you get. Even the more piano notes you have because if you have poor violet i mean for strings like violin to violin viola and cello. They act as one group and the piano balance is off. That's sad. You have more and more notes. When i started playing handbells in an annabelle ensemble. It's. Much worse because you only. Get to notes. Two notes like sandy and sharp and flat that happens to go with it. And it's extremely hard for a piano. To have so few notes we've been we've been wired since we've been little. Just to play all of them. So anyway that's the first thing i had to give up his said i don't get to play all the notes there are people who can do that but they are way better than me. Now the next thing that happens is you don't even get the two back notes. There are there are some physicians that are really interesting have a lot of notes from you playing all the time. But but the group that i plan now julie bell's there is a vast level of of. Musical. Education. Still. Free piano teachers to. People who have never been exposed to improve to playing a musical instrument. Attitude everybody that they are best at. And sometimes happens i don't even get the best two notes as much as i would like to. Then everything that you give up. When we play for churches on sunday morning. We don't like to get up as early as we need to because of all the equipment that we have. Some of us. Give up our saturday night date. And work and set up the tables and the bells in the lights i'm not the belt the lights in the binders and everything that has to happen for sunday morning so i'm sending money all we have to do is bring over the bell. So you started to give up a personal life. I'm at night. We we got the bells because i had to surrender to something i heard from the universe. And that was in portland when i roomed with vera and we played on the pot lids we were very successful and i was in a pickup handle choir and there was a gallon. Borrow theirs for a year cuz i didn't know what the what the interest would be here. So it all came happening and my sinuses and everything was supposed to be delivered. They got. There was a problem with the loan. Annabelle. I had 22 people signed up for a workshop already arranged with norma meyer which i thought we would have our own bills. And we were so we had to go to davis community church and normal by the way is getting up. Her services at her own church davis community church. On palm sunday so she could bring it with us and other members of the church to her here. Ringing cuz we need them so anyway i had 22 people signed up for a workshop and no bells. And so i went to bed that night and i woke up the next morning. And on my way. The bedroom to turn on my coffee i got the idea that i could just buy all the bells because when julie died she left me. Enough money. So i used some of the money and bought the bell. And. It was when i started playing with this group that it really brought joy back into my life i have been sad for a whole year. And it was actually you're almost a year to the day where i where. I just surrender to the universe i would normally never do anything so foolhardy to spend so much money on something that i didn't know it was going to work that's. That's what happened. The blank page. For the blank canvas. Can be the nemesis. When artists. Unblocked. But it can also be a playground. The realm of infinite possibility and freedom. The blank page is no longer blank when collaborators are involved. Collaboration means giving up a sizeable chunk of artistic freedom and self-determination. The zone of overlap. Between two or more collaborators is a reduced. Field a possibility like a venn diagram of the artists interests and abilities. Is this a problem. Not if the blank page is to blank. To uninspired or just kind of lonely. It's a trade-off. You give up. Doing everything your way. Can you get to do things that would not be possible all by yourself. Because your collaborators skills that is different than yours. Or because you're undertaking artworks. That require numbers of people. Such as. Choral singing. Handbell ringing or the crazy idea of both put together. So you give up. I'm staying perfectly true to your original vision but you get. Surprises. And moments of inspiration that come from someone else outside yourself. You give up. Independence. Which is a rather. Sacrosanct concept in our culture. And you get. Interdependence. A related word. Just by picking at home that i love is. Interbeing. Tumi. Interdependence. Canossa way of interacting is a word to describe the function of how people and things were together but interbeing. Makes clear that the connection between self. And others occurs at the most. Essential level regardless of functioning. Our very being hinges on the being of others as they're being depends on earth. The more a group of people sing together. Has a choir and ensemble the deeper the potential experience of what we might call. Interesting. When we make harmony together we depend on each other's voices. Choral singing in bell ringing or both. Complex forms of collaboration and bringing two ensembles together like this is a collaboration of the next degree. We struggle to find a pace of rehearsal that fits everyone involved. And a temple for the music that everyone can sing and play comfortably. We stretch ourselves to understand the needs of others. And we receive. The richness. Avett brothers. Sweet sounds mixing with our own. I find there is an intelligence in a group of voices. And i've been listening closely to it as i direct choirs. Singing choirs. Decompose requires voices in community know a good strong line music when they need it and they sing it with gusto. They also know an awkward phrase. And they fumble with it as well as they can. I pay attention to these ebbs and flows. Like the moves of a dance partner. As i continue to learn this dance of collaboration and discover its challenges and rewards. When i wrote. Secrets can be song. I know thought of annabelle's but now thanks to the mysterious forces of collaboration. Barbara's creation has joined with mine and with the further collaboration of nancy at the piano and a willing bunch of singers and ringers. The song takes on a life outside my mind and my computer. Did i mention collaboration. Is rich. It never fails to go beyond. What any single person. Could imagine. Fun friday night when people as part of the ringers and singers weekend gathered. One of the stations that they could rotate through with a place where they could write. About. What they give up. When are in an ensemble. And what they received when there in an ensemble. The words that are about to be. Spoken came out of those creations not necessarily. The person who speaks is not necessarily the one who wrote those words doll being mixed together and we've created voices of the ensemble. I surrender perfection. I can surrender my pressure of perfection and my fears. I received joy. Joy inspiration and good vibrations. I give up singularity. To play in group mind. I give up perfection. For connection. I give up control but i have friends to sing and play with. I have to work with other people's schedules. I miss listening to music on thursdays in downtown davis but i get to make music. I sacrifice my rose tendencies. To be able to make harmony. I love harmony. I can't make harmony by myself i surrender my ability to hear the entirety of the music. I can hear my heart and the parks around me but not the whole i received something. Beyond my tiny universe joining with others to create a work of beauty. I received joyful spontaneous sounds. Music smooth out my edges. I give up thinking so much music list my spirits i receive companionship emotional freedom. Joy and beauty. I give up being alone. Upstate new york. Blessed with an area called the finger lakes. It's one of many beautiful beautiful places on our continent. It's quiet. Tucked away. And there is so much. Green. So much green. Not like what i found when i moved here in august where there is green found only where the water sprinklers are i said where is all the other green. Imagine the riches color of green in that crayon box. And deep. Narrow blue legs. Gouged out of the earth by glaciers making. Finger-like lakes. Does anyone here know the spell of the earth. When it's released from the winter freeze. Have you lived in places. Where you smell that. Lonely wonderful rich now. It smells like that all year long in the finger lakes because it rains. So much. And it is so green. Cut down in the finger lakes of upstate new york art and the largest ones are pockets of grade history the underground railroad was found there or seneca falls. A famous place for women's rights. Is in the finger lakes. The smallest no main street at all. They're just clusters of old and very well-kept beautiful. Homes along the edges of the lake. On the roads. It is a smaller town where i experienced how we can participate fully as an individual at the same time become intensely aware of how we are apart of a whole a message you've heard this morning. In tune ourselves to that home. Forgetting ourselves. It is the spring of my internship which means it was 25 years ago. There is a welch. Hymn sing. That one sunday evening when my elderly parents are visiting. We drive on roads to get to this church that balanced on the edge of lakes. A single. White. Single room to white church. 12 people. Has unforgiving straight back pews very much unlike the comfy chairs that you are in right now they were built. To keep. Those parishioners alert and awake no matter what. The christians don't have much cushion. The lighting isn't dim at best. And i actually have no idea what a welsh him thing is but. I know that my parents loved to sing and the parents have been visiting for a week now and there comes a time when you are either a parent or the adult child of a parent and. You need some entertainment after a little while and this is there entertainment. When we arrive the chapel pews are packed side-to-side with people who look as if they do this on a regular basis and that's because they do. Family is divided up. So my father has to sit far away from us with the bases and my mother and i sing on the other side so if you were to come here and we were to be doing a welsh hymn sing some sunday morning you would sit. Not with your best friend not with your partner but where your voice fit. In the room. You are a part of a larger whole. The organ bench is empty. No one is sitting at the piano keyboard and a lay person stand in front of this pack. Tiny church. And begin directing. It's not directing as much as it's calling out him numbers and setting the beat it's like i said. Hymn number 205 and udall. And no one except for my family reaches for a hymnal. Someone who likes to read the music and the lyrics i reach ramon and i open it and much to my horror the hymns and lyrics are printed in welch and there goes any hope of perfection. I'm sure that i'm seeing in a happy voice about the miracles the crucifixion and sin. All things i avoided it discovering in my theology class as a unitarian universalist. Song after song the leader calls out the hymn number and everyone knows as if they are meeting an old friend on the street. And then they begin to sing. In four-part harmony. And i understand the reason why my father is sitting in one place. And my mother and i are somewhere else. I've never. Witness. A congregation. Living the music. The way this congregation did. Within a few hymns i. Old hymnal with a looser grip what the heck. Not worrying about my pronunciation why bother swept along by the fervor of joy expressed in the music. Why not. Evening air becomes warm inside the chapel with all of that singing and we are thigh to thigh after all in these tiny uncomfortable pews. And the windows are opened. To let the night air in. The breeze comes in and so i know that the music moves out. Into the night. It takes me that the mysterious. Words of the hymns about. Miracles and. A resurrection and no doubts in. But also takes with at the joy and hope felt by those who sing. In south korean temples and i lived in south korea for about two-and-a-half years the sound of the buddhist music bells and the gong are for all of creation and not just the human race and so i wonder. Maybe this music a piece has a raccoon. Or reaches a fish swimming in one of those deep and dark legs. Or someone driving by the church does it make them stop. Protect ammonett. It is one of the last times i remember hearing my father sing. With his off-key very off-key bass voice. Before his death some years later. The three of us leave the chapel. Filled with the spirit that had grown in that room. Walt whitman writes in his song of the open road. I am larger. Better than i thought. I did not know. I held such goodness. The memory of the waves of intimacy among strangers. And the conviction i feel among those who gather. Days with me in my dreams for what music can be like. In congregations. Sad song from the heart. They saying is if they touch the lover's body they knew as well as they knew their. And rejoiced in the knowing. Music has power. Is a force. And we decide how we will wield it. When we bring ourselves fully. Suddenly we become something larger. Onesole. Becomes the larger soul of all. And to that i say. Amen. And i too into. Time of prayer. A time of reflection. I bite you. 2. Mudbug the beauty of. The weeknd the pressures that you may have experienced just left them. Drop away. Be here. In this place. With these people. This place and time that will not come again. We balance our lives between what we do alone. And carry alone. What we accomplish and share with others. May our lives inspire others to give and receive. They are love remind others of love possibility. And where there is an egg for justice let there be strength alone and with others. Dizziness harriet universalist we stand on the side of love. So our hearts go out. To mikey partida to his family and friends. For all those who feel the world is less safe because violence was done to someone who's known in his community as an openly gay men. A community that license vigil candles together in the dark. Caves in more visible witness than we can alone. You're into feel that sense of witness with friends and strangers. There's an egg for justice. Are there any strength alone. And with others. Each of us is a part of an intricate web of relationships. When one of us celebrates a joy agrees to los. The web of life moves. To a new shape. We are apart of the turn of the earth. Shifted the stars. Apostasy. Oil change. Amen. And blessed be. A reading today is an excerpt from the elegance of the hedgehog by muriel barbery. Translated from the french by allison anderson. The character whose speaking he was paloma precocious twelve-year-old parisian girl. Yesterday afternoon with my school's choir performance every time it's a miracle. Are all these people full part acre hatred or desire. All these teachers and kids and every shape size and there's this life were struggling through. shouting and tears and laughter and fights and breakups and dashed hopes and. Unexpected lock it all disappears. Just like that. When the choir begins to sing. Everyday life vanishes into song you're suddenly overcome with a feeling of brotherhood. A beep solidarity even love. And it diffuses the ugliness of everyday life into a spirit of perfect communion even the singer spaces or transform. It's no longer oshie grump renee that i'm looking at his very fine tenor. Four-door lamia or single in russia or charleston severe. I think human beings surrendering to music every time it's the same thing i feel like crying my throat goes all tight and i do the best i can to control myself but sometimes it gets closed. And i can hardly keep myself from sobbing so when they sing a can of my look down at the ground because it's just too much emotion at once. It's too beautiful and everyone singing together this marvelous sharing i'm no longer myself. I'm just one part of a sublime whole. To which the others. Also belong. And i always wonder at such moments. Why does cannot be the rule of everyday life instead of being. An exceptional moment during the choir. I just take hands-free one another right now i know that you are touching by touching the person next to your touching those musicians who've given this gift today. Their lives inspire others to give into his ourtime. Bear love remind others of loves possibility and where there is an egg for justice let there be strength and courage alone and with others. Please know you're curious. Know your gifts and how you are connected in word and deed you will never know. And we have a gift and we can have laura and nancy and barbara down in front please. Just for a moment.

uudavispodcast_org

2016-02-21-Wrestling-with-God.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from the unitarian universalist church of davis california website at www.sec.gov org.com asian. So if you are new here i'm the senior minister of this congregation and the reverend. Kevin tarsa is. Here with us this morning and i'm very excited to have him here he is a lifetime of music and meaning-making behind him to this point and he really cares about people and how they connect. At the heart level. I had a wonderful opportunity to witness him doing worship at general assembly one year for the minister's there's a minister's series of days will we gather before the larger general assembly and it was. The most moving service i had experience with word and song fooling one into another and i asked ashley her and who some of you would know who is that minister and interned here number of years ago i said is that guy the real thing. And she said he is the real thing and so we have communicated number of times over the years and i was ready ready to have him be here with us so i am so grateful that you're here. You are welcome here if this is your first time through our doors. And we invite you to visit our welcome table in the social hall. This is your morning welcome if you call this congregation home. Whether you have been coming for 50 years or 2 weeks no matter what has brought you here welcome. With unitarian-universalist communities everywhere this morning we gather in the mystery of this hour maybe even with a little struggle sometimes as people of diverse beliefs. With different understandings of god or whatever it is in which you place altima trust. With differing political proclivities and a diversity of sexual orientations and gender identities. Are ethnic and cultural roots seen and unseen. Rescinded the four directions on this living earth. Together we will celebrate the abundance that surrounds us question the mysteries of life yearn for what yet could be and come to know the power that we have to make our ideals real. In the mystery of this hour. Play a spirit of compassion. A spirit of love. Spirit of hope. Draw near. Put us kindle this chalice this hearthfire of our tradition. For the light of truth. And for the dancing shadows it casts on cave walls. And the wordlist corners of our hearts and our minds. Let us slide this hearthfire. For the warmest of love. And this is beckoning to gather round close and connected. Put a spark of this flame for the energy of action. And the transforming alchemy that ignites are days when compassion joins passion strength and will. But if breathed to life is ember for the harmony of peace and the still small voice at the silent center of our hearts. Are opening words this morning come from safari alliance pause some of you may know her as the trailblazing revolutionary religious educator. Who changed the way we were just education was offered to young people across america through her spirit so in light of this chalice and in the light of each other. Insofar as words. We gather in reverence. Before the wonder of life. The wonder of this moment. The wonder of being together so close. Yet so far apart. Each listening. Each. Trying to speak. We gather in reverence before all intangible things that i see not nor ears detect. The hands can never touch. Headspace cannot hold. And time cannot measure. Let us gather in reverence before the wonder of life. Before the wonder of this very moment. So and sophia's words. And then you pick up with some words that end in lamont who says that there are three essential prayers that rise up within us. Help. Thanks. And wow in the wonder of these moments i invite you. Define the spanx in the wilds that surface in you these days. But deep gratitude and a sheer amazement. Invite you to let your awareness of these bubble up your skanks and your vowels as the music begins for opening hymn for the beauty of the earth. When the time comes we'll invite you to rise and body or in spirit and to sing together bite you to sing together to the source. To which you were going to offer your wells and your thanks weather. 42 where or to whom you are inclined to sing those things. And those files. The reading this morning is from hell. Thanks wow the three essential prayers by anne lamont. Let's say a prayer is communication. From one's heart. To god. Or if that is too triggering or ludacris the concept for you. Do the good. The force that is beyond our comprehension. But that in our pain or supplication or relief. We don't need to define or have proof of. Or any established contact with. Little say is what the greeks called the really real. What lies within us. Beyond the scream of our values position convictions and wounds. Or let's say it is a cry. From deep within to lie for love. The capital elves. Nothing could matter less than what we call this force. I know some ironic believers who called god howard. As in our father who art in heaven howard be thy name i call god sil. For a long time. After a mexican bracelet mark maker promise to write. Phil for colon 4-7 on my bracelet. Philippians verse 4 4:47 being my favorite passage of scripture. But only got as far as phil before having to dismantle his booze. The great name for god my friend robin calls god the grandmother's. The deteriorate aa parody of the desiderata council's us therefore make peace with your god whatever you conceive him to be. Harry thunder or cosmic muffin. Let's not get bogged down on whom or what we pray to let's just say prayer is communication from our hearts to the great mystery. For goodness. For howard. To the animating energy of love. We are sometimes bold enough to believe in. 2 something unimaginably big. And not us. We could call this force. Not me. And. Not preachers on stage with a choir of 800. Or for convenience we could just say. God. Descendants reading. So often after lovely music i just want to allow some space. Bp held by think it was a beautiful once again i get to hear that twice today with sunlight and green and the background beautiful. I want to sing forever in the best and laura and mandy dawn of the people been working with sound for a really kind and wonderful hospitality. Tell me feel welcome here. Back to this one. I'm not used to wearing. The hudson how to turn it off thank you for really kind welcome this morning everyone everyone i've met has been really very gracious and i've heard good things about this congregation and it's great to be here. I don't want to thank you for your invitation to wrestle with god your theme for the month of february. Even though i've lived invocation in church work since i was young first devoutly catholic and now devoutly unitarian universalist. I am even though i'm a minister i have to confess confess i've not really wrestled with god for a while. And so when i heard that this was your theme i heard it as an invitation. And i confess a little bit of a challenge. What came to mind immediately with the hebrew story of jacob jacob who is trying to return at long last. His childhood home who finds himself alone at the edge of a river and inexplicably wrestling with a mysterious someone all night long. Or someone who eventually strains jacobs hip wounding him permanently he limps for the rest of his life. Jacob doesn't give up in that moment he keeps wrestling. Let me go the person to man. But jacob replies. I won't let you go. Unless you bless me. I won't let you go unless you bless me. And the figure which could be a person could be an angel could be god in the story. Give jacob a new name israel. Meaning god prevailed or one who struggles with god. And jacob name to the place penny owl meaning. I have seen god face to face. Reverend beth told me that your children here went looking for god right here in the building a couple weeks ago. Playing hide and seek with god and i thought what a fun place this must be. I hear that they look for god and nature. In human caring. In a mirror which i love. And finally in each other's eyes in people's eyes. Seen god face to face i expect in those moments. At first i thought everyone here had done that of all ages i thought you'd all gone playing hide and seek with god as i was going to ask you if you had found god and where perhaps or to ask you maybe if god had found you. If you had been the one hiding in the hide and seek game in fraps. God had found you. Cataclean a little more information i invited members of this congregation to send me ahead of time your thoughts about god. And one person responded thank you to the one person i can't explain terrible things that happen in the world if there is a powerful god. I can live with the native american view of a spirit life or life spirit or the wonder of life. But i'm generally satisfied with biological evolution of all there is. Which is amazing. So let's expand the pool a little bit. And i know i am new to you and this takes courage in any circumstances for some people but if you're willing i'm going to ask you to self-identify how many of you. Hold a meaningful understanding or concept of god a god and understanding of god that's useful to you in your life. And how many of you do not have an understanding for god that's useful to you that's meaningful to you in your life. And of those of you who don't how many of you are looking for one. Fuses service a few thank you i really appreciate your willingness to self-identify. I plan to create a word cloud of all your written responses. Just show you invisible form what surfaced among you in this community and i could have done that with just a single reply but that really doesn't help so i thought we do a word cloud of the larger reply so here is a word cloud of your collective thoughts about god at least as i know them. That's that's it and that may just be the truest word cloud about god ever so there's the sermon. Have you ever found god in church. I never did. I just found a bunch of folks hoping for him to show. Any god i ever felt in church i brought in with me. And i think. All the other folks did to. They come to church to share god. Not find god. Find a great deal of truth in alice walker's insight though i think many of us come to religious communities like this one. Both to find god. Enter sarah god although we might not conceive it that way or use that language. And i believe that the god we come looking for and that the god that we share is very much. The god that each of us brings in with us. Again whether we would use that language or not. People mean many different things by god of course which is part of the talents by god or goddess or great spirit here are a few possibilities. Home screen. I so wanted at the end to include a huge logo from starbucks of the mermaid figure one of our current guys but i did not want to invite litigation upon you. Captures god for many people in the transcendence sense. And you know that the traditional wrestling matches about god begin with some variation. I'm a standard definition of god that is shared by classic theists and atheists and agnostics. The bearded man in the sky god i was raised with. The rabbi rami shapiro says that arguing about this god. Is like arguing about. Unicorns. It's a people agree on the definition of a unicorn. They just disagree perhaps on whether unicorns exist or ever existed. They agree upon the definition. Just maybe not on the existence and while people have let go of the literal maleness and the whiteness and the beard in this of that god and i did not notice the bareness of the unicorn many people still hold some related sense of a disc. Who created and who controls the workings of the world and our lives which invites similar arguments as to the unicorn arguments about existence and belief. But liberal religionists including those in our tradition have long re-imagined the god and much larger and more metaphorical off and more mystical terms. Explaining that we've kept god and much to tiny a box by sticking to age all the definitions. I think it's a whole we keep wrestling with a slippery concept of god that keeps morphing in our hands as we're wrestling. And i think we hang on determined. To extract a blessing. From each idea of god before we will let go. Determined to extract a blessing before we let go and it's a worthy wrestling i suggest. I believe there are many beautiful poetic reframing and metaphors for god and i know you have been exploring them here. We bring many names as to him suggest. Maybe you have names and conceptions at work especially well for you ground of all being spirit of life so often in our uu congregations. Where is anne lamott says the really real according to the greeks the great mystery. The animating energy of love. Or howard. We're still. But my own attempts to apply these reframing in a deep way for myself and i could use really deeply in personally to reconceptualize and so rescue the heart of god for myself. Most often helped out to me like i was playing solitaire twister with myself. So if i put my left foot there. And my right foot in there. Am i left hand there. And i write him there okay that works. Sort of but not completely. And i thought of theologians. And deep friends who explained their reconceptualizing of god or other religious concepts. And i've been genuinely appreciative and in awe. Other flexibility and dexterity i'm a visual person so several times as someone talked. I couldn't help but see that in my mind is amazing contortionists. Working really really hard and passionately to rematch and got any useful way for themselves. And others doing it easily and with joy happy flexible contortionists in my mind's eye. And i think wow. I honestly wish i could do that. But apparently i'm not as flexible as they are. So what then. I have had very powerful experiences an understanding so god in my life. As a younger person i had a deep develop fairlife. Soreness of a god who loved me no matter what we had power over the events of my life in the world. I had two transforming personal relationship with jesus that help me come to terms religious terms with my sexuality. But in my wrestling through the years. Geology got farther and farther away from catholic theology of my childhood and so did my image of god and so even soon mairi conceptions of god started to recede in the distance and eventually disappear. I currently identify myself as a religious naturalist laura thought i'd be helpful to explain what that means. Which is to say. The i understand the world as a single natural physical world in which you and i are completely included. But that's all there is nothing else. My life experiences for whatever reason leaves me to that place. There's no separate supernatural a material around my understanding that operates by a different set of rules and is extraordinary things are. Everything that exists is part of this natural world including us amazing us. As for the religious part of religious naturalism that's actually a different sermon but i would point out that religious naturalism is really not that far from pantheism. The idea that everything. Is god. It's just that looking through a religious naturalist lens there's no compelling need to go beyond saying simply it's simply that everything is. That's enough for me to say that everything is i don't often feel a personal need to wrestle with god. And yet. And yet. There's something important and compelling in people's wrestling with god that draws me. I resonate with the effort. It's not always people's conclusions. I think that for me trying to understand the nature and the pool of god for other people is my current attempt to wrestle a blessing from god. Perhaps it is for some of you as well in this pluralistic tradition or perhaps you personally wrestle much more directly with the divine. Whichever angela we might approach god from whatever angle we might approach got there i think two aspects to get mixed together but that are really separates helpful to understand them distinctly one is an understanding of god which is our. Cognitive meaning in analyzing and defining and the other is our experience of god. The understanding and experience and for me the experience of god is anchored right in the very center of our human nature what it means to be human. I'm about to universalize my experience which is to say that i don't take my experience and apply it to everybody i think that the root experience of god everywhere is in essence. The powerful experience of transcendence. I felt experience of transcendence early in college and home snowshoeing in the cornfield michigan. Bright blue sky sunshiny day nothing in particular standing out except me out in the cornfield and i had this overwhelming powerful sense of being loved completely by god. Just a permeated me and everything around me was exhilarating and expansive just arrived out of nowhere. In that moment. Many people would identify with the experience of looking up at a starry sky. Petsense subtly of being a tiny speck on a tiny speck in an immense. Universe floating. Floating in this huge huge space. Some of my favorite and strongest transcendence experiences involve human connections when we meditate together or play music together or staying with pandora. Or cry together in the community when we march. Whenever the jellicle christians talk about the presence of the holy spirit entering the room. I know exactly what they're talkin about. I have felt that feeling especially around music for me when something clicks something gels and something else you feel something else take over the whole group. Evangelical christians talk about that i translate it to my own experience i know just what they're talkin about even though i'm going to name it in the tribute it differently. That powerful experience of sensing of knowing viscerally for a moment that we are connected to and part of something much larger. They were one somehow with something larger than we are aware that we are in and all about god to put it in traditional religious language. Or maybe for you it's an experience of emptiness. Perhaps in buddhist meditation. For everything falls away and a sense of complete emptiness. Which is another form of oneness. To be all one to be completely empty both forms of oneness. Robert shapiro has a an image for this that i find helpful instead of a an ice cube in a glass of water. Single little bigger. An ice cube in water. Should most of the times we see our self. As the ice. It's different from and separate from the water. Putting powerful moments of transcendence our sense of identity mel's. And we realize for a moment that we are. Entirely water. As is everything around us and that we always have been. Aw. Water. Feeling like ice. I'm on my way. Water. A nice again. Am i at my religious naturalist take on that. It's to say that most of the time our consciousness is making distinctions for us that's what consciousness does that's what it is for me it allows us to navigate the world by defining what's me what's not me what's this what's that. Consciousness helps draw the edges around everything for us we can navigate the world but there are times for whatever reason. That our consciousness stops doing that. For a moment. And then suddenly in its absence all the distinctions all edges. Fall away. Leading opponent experience of total connection. 4 total emptiness. Of one snow. Distinctions. All water. For me. Those are the root experiences of spirituality and religion that i can use to identify with other people who are going to name it differently. And claim it differently. Please understand them to our current lenses we might feel it as transcendence we might feel it as oneness with the universe. Heart feeling of absolute love and acceptance. For higher state of human consciousness or we might experience as being held. In the hand. With a heart. Of god. Because distinctions fall away in that moment. The experience itself actually has no words it's wordless. Wesley wildman says that for a religious naturalist the appropriate theological stance. Is apophatic mysticism. Apophatic meaning to define by negation by not defining. Because that experience is wordless. No words no metaphors even can ever capture it. Certainly not completely. It's a wordless and can only be that. Forest forest church put it god is our name for that which cannot be named or known. Doors and lamott suggest god is the name we might agree upon. Fuse for convenience. And wordless live experience is. We will bring our words to it how could we not right we will bring our words and will look for a personally satisfying understanding of what happened we're going to explain it for herself in a way that works for us and wrestling with an understanding of god that i can hold that will be useful to me that i can use to communicate with other people and help try to understand them through my lens i start with that notion of wordless transcendence. That felt sense of being both positive and one with all that is being held in the heart of god. And then for a practical language for this part of me that wants to analyze the name and understand it somehow i turned back to william ellery channing. One of our unitarian ancestors who helped define unitarian christianity in the 19th century. 202 sermon titled likeness. T'god. And his point was that god is another name for human intelligence raised above all error and imperfection and extended to all possible truth and other words. God is our projection of our highest human ideal the best that we can possibly imagine for humans and that's the god i can wrestle with. An image of what's the best possible for us being in the world and then not only do we project that but we keep aiming for it because it's channing says projection of the highest human ideal then our job is to. Become that. Ahead. Toward that. Or in his language to beera growing conformity to the perfection which we adore. What's the perfection that we adore if we're going to do it. We're obligated to head toward if we said that sweet idea. So we discern what matters. And then we head for that. Now there's a guy that i'm happy to wrestle with. And with whom i cannot help but wrestle. Because ultimately i'm a functionalist when it comes to religion i'm very pragmatic about religion my sense is that what matters and religion is not our names are metaphors. Even our rituals it's how all those things. And whether all those things develop our understanding experienced toward behaviors. The list up and live out our values the values that together we've deemed as most important worthy of our devotion. Greater kindness. Greater compassion. More courageous justice seeking. Greater love. With a capital l. Yet another symbol for the highest in the best that we can imagine. Love with a capital l. And another name and perhaps. The best name. For god. The foundational universalist message for us who use the one that we inherited is that god is love and all those banners in those universalist churches. Ira frame it for myself to make it more useful for me i say that love is god. I thought i'd superimpose those to help see what that looks like so i thought about god. And love. And then if we put them superimpose one on top of the other. But it looked a little too much like a google doodle with love going one way god going the other way sharing the 0. Beautiful image of the blend of those to write with the intersection. Our task is you use i suggest. Is to wrestle together with what love means and what love asks of us. It requires that we each bring our inside and our understanding and experience to the table that we bring our god and with us. And that we share that god we share what we know what we've experienced of that god that we bring our sense of the highest ideals we can imagine all together and then we wrestle together was all of it. With passion and humor and honesty and respect and kindness we wrestle together and that we do not let go. Until love has given us a blessing. The restless challenging is that maybe in the struggle of an given hour but that we do not let go until love has given us a blessing. Maybe even renamed us for remade us. You wrestle with god with love. In the mystery of this hour every sunday. Everytime reverend beth or anyone speaks. Or sings or plays or dances or greets you or looks you in the eye. You wrestle with god and love when the kids play hide-and-seek for god out there. And when you take an entire day to live out your social justice and social service values as you did last week. You wrestle with god you wrestle with love in every meeting and class and hallway and parking lot conversation not to mention emails. And phone calls and even in the finance committee meeting. Maybe especially in the finance committee meeting sometimes. For convenience. You might call it god. That you are wrestling with. When you get to those moments of meaning. For convenience. You might call it love. That you are wrestling with. Will you might not call it anything at all. What god. What love. Did you bring in with you today. What god would love to chew bring in with you today. What god what love did you come looking for. And what god. What love. Do you have. To share. Find b you into time of thoughtfulness into a time of reflection. Into a time of prayer. A time of stillness in which you might have a chance to hear the quiet voice at the center. Of your own. Heart. In the mystery of this hour in the name of all that each of us as holy as worthy of a blessing a blessing a wrestling wrestling together sometimes with each other each word each glance remembering a deep in our hearts that god's other name is love. god's love. Oh and i heard this congregation loves to hold hands all that beautiful so don't forget why you're holding hands that it's a super sunday and there's a soup lunch and the classes afternoon god is dead of all things. Together i offer words of ralph waldo emerson actually there attributed to ralph waldo emerson although no one's really quite able to find the source. The gods we worship write their names on our faces. Be sure of that. And we will worship something have no doubt of that either. That which dominates our imagination and our thoughts will determine our life and character therefore it behooves us. To be careful what we are worshipping. For what we are worshipping. We are becoming. As you look into each other's faces may you see love written there. Ever more creatively and colorfully and permanently. And so may your days together be ever more blessed. Clintus congregation say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

2016-10-23-Cultivating-Joy_11_15.mp3?_=2

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from the unitarian universalist church of davis california website at w.w. org for further information. Community we come together each week to be challenged meaning of our lives. As we settle in today in fall. Enjoying the cooler air. The image of marigold invites into this church. Embodies all colors. Begin to offer him some green beer today reminds us of the cycle of the year. Always healing and renewing itself. You are welcome here no matter.. Who you are and thank you for being with us today. Opening words today come from gandhi. Service which is rendered without helps neither the servant disturbed. All other pleasures into nothingness before service which is rendered. In the spirit of joy. Mary oliver. Everyday i see or hear something that more or less. Please me like a needle in the haystack of light. It is what i was for. Listen to lose myself inside the soft world. Construct myself an affirmation. Nor am i talking about the exceptional the fearful the dreadful. And the extravagance. The ordinary the common the very drab. The daily presentations. I say to myself. How can you help grow wise with such teachings as these. Trimmable light of the world. The ocean. The prayers that are made out of grass. How do you heal. Just in our day-to-day living in sand bodies. Enjoying or even reading a really good book. But if you're like me until your head hits the pillow and then you wake up the next day and do it all over again. I manage a staff of 14 individuals spaced every single day. Three beautiful children at home. They have very exciting life. I start at 4 a.m. in the morning and it does not typically in for me until 10:30 or 11 at night. At home. Weekends are filled with things that i love to visiting with family and friends chores around the house. And of course my heart is true. But as you can see everyday is non-stop. Don't get me wrong i have moments where i can just sit and reflect once in awhile. Home from sacramento. But the ultimate healing in a high-octane life like mine. Is a vacation. Real vacation. A vacation and play. Enjoy. This is how i truly feel my soul. Family just got back last weekend from a real vacation. We're huge fans of disneyland. He said he wanted to experience disney world so we got on a plane late at night so the kids could sleep on the flight long slide out there. And we arrived in florida early in the morning just checked out. We caught up on some sleep at the hotel in the early afternoon to go swimming at the pirates of the caribbean pool. We were leisurely dinner reservations at a very nice restaurant. Extravagant food. Especially my little seven-year-old. The rest of the week was filled with phenomenal. People watching that made you smile and taking in the happiest place on earth. I especially found feeling and experiencing these daily vacation joyce through my husband's eyes. And knowing that we were here doing something fun. Because this was something that he chose to do for his birthday for his whole family. I found my heart soaring with joy and hearing my kids and reminisce as they checked into our hotel room beds. Getting excited about the next day's adventures. And as i write this reflection i am healing once again and my memories of our retreat together. Experiencing healing. It is healing because it is an escape. An escape where you think of nothing but being with the people you love most. And sharing with them true. I would call it. Francisco is the youngest son of my friend ricardo marquez. Weather last year. As chaplain. And part of our program. Was sharing about our personal lives. Snow ricardo well. Jerry quickly. Families. Learned. Deep concern. Princess lives and works in venezuela. He is a political activist. A chief of staff. Carries a degree of personal risk. Not found here in the united states. I think ricardo sees much of himself in francisco. Liberation theology his desire to care for oppressed people had called ricardo to the priesthood. She had three children and francisco's work. Mirrors his father's call. His work strives to make the voices of all voters. Heard. 126 days ago. Collect signatures. Francisco was arrested at a highway checkpoint. When ricardo first share this with us. She didn't know where francisco with the house. No charges against. And that's friends with legal counsel. Within the week. Francisco had been charged with inciting violence and money laundering. Dismissed the charges. He recommended that french remain incarcerated. What helps charge him with. Experience of francisco's incarceration. Our other colleagues and i are lovingly referred to ricardo as. She exudes warmth. His eyes are deep. Thanks smile. With the love of someone who can bear witness. Human suffering. Ricardo accompany patients. Through their physical healing. Emotional healing. After the better part of our working together. Suddenly. Ricardo within the need. Stealing. She needed the healing that begins admitted to transition. The greasy carried as fears for his child. Healing prayer for his soul. Tenderly. God. So he could be more present. To whatever francisco. Worry-free. Would remain at present. Sometimes it's true that our healing doesn't resolve what her. It allows us. Ricardo's keeling. Was to return to what gave him joy in ministry as a young adult. He traveled to venezuela. To actively work on advocating. Ricardo brought joy to his life. Turn into something she and francisco in common. Experiencing powerlessness. Humanity. Connection. Ceiling joist couldn't change the circumstances. The work of joy. Is complex twerk. The minister at first unitarian society of westchester new york wrote that joy is not in the circumstance. The response. Joy is what we create. Situations we find ourselves in. Joy. With the challenging times in our lives. Porta turn happy moments. Chapters our lives. Joy is not in the circumstance. But in the response. I want wish between happiness and joy. Answer my plans for this sermon several people asked if i saw joy and happiness as the same thing. I don't. As a chaplain i let a spirituality groupon joy for patience. Frequently experiencing profound depression. Irresponsible. Simply thai. Like sadness or stress. Is a fleeting emotion. In the morning makes me happy. Is rarely long lives. Contrast. Joyce bring into our lives. Its impact. My mentor. Describes our capacity for joy. As an internal bank where we can make deposits. Work to bring more joy into our lives. Banks. Wework stealing those parts of us within. The worth of joyous peripherally related to our hurt places. Creating regular ritual in our lives. An early morning walk or run. The anticipation of the weekend. A spiritual practice. Stevens our connection radar world. The secret. At other times. Our joy speaks directly to our need for healing. One of those experiences of cultivating directly to the space in me. Like mary oliver's prayers that are made out of. Are made out of marigolds. Marigold held a special significance. My grandmother loved them. My grandfather died when i was my grandma would drive up from her home in rhode island. To stay with us for a long weekend. Grandmother came with special. Sticky sweetness of the donuts she bring along she was always sure to include everyone's favorite. Cozy nights in the damp. Sleep in the twin bed. Dependent from my parents room. Calls me back to that basement bedroom. Annual trip to visit stanley graves a couple hours drive away in new york. My mother grandmother and i had a tradition. As we set out for the day. We would drive to the nursery to pick flowers. They had to include marigolds. Miracles. Bright sunshiny yellow was the wrong color as wear any tinged with red. How to be the perfect. Like our flowers here this morning. Are too short. Overwhelmed the other flowers. One flower in bloom. And several more weeks. Perfectly hydrated. Nothing. Not yet. Every. We carefully perused the marigolds for sale. Selecting the right one. Chilling the remainder of our soil with. Flowers and purple. White. Marigolds. I could count on their presents. Years. My grandmother got sick when i was 20. When she moved in rhode island. Apartment close to my aunt pennsylvania. That was the first that she couldn't drive up to vermont. Potting soil and donuts. My mother and i made the trip to the stanley graves ourselves. After a difficult winter. It was one more reminder. Impermanence. Lights. We were faced with my grandmother's mortality. Absent deeply. On to the traditions area through. Family. We needed time. And uncertainty. And so we planned our trip. We packed sandwiches and over the phone i told my grandmother i'd be sure to get an extra hour favorite flavor of ice cream when we stopped at the usual ice cream stand. We set up for the nursery and the other flowers were selected quickly. We took. With the marigolds. We found just the right shade of yellow orange. We carefully picked our flowers that weren't too tall. Or too short. We found. That would bloom after we left. We celebrated the joy of finding flowers my grandmother would approve. Marigolds. And carried forth the tradition established. We laughed as we shared stories from past years. Crisco with major transitions. And with it the need for stealing. Transition this certainty that after 18 years my grandmother would no longer chewing our spring trip. Needed. Ceiling. Adjustment. Makeover the remainder of my grandmother's life. Set the timer. Healing. Our traditions. Calibrated and carriage. Within our understanding that the memories that had been created. Was an hour carrying source selection of marigolds. Chile is not in the circumstance. Celebration of memory. For healing. Experience healing each time i see marigolds. Grandmother's affinity for them. Into our ceiling. We open up space. Red divine presence. Our midst. When i find. I am reminded. Experience. You see the earth's colors more vividly. Noticing the sacredness of creation. Your ceiling joist furnace the divinity of human connection. Another. Whatever we call this sacred experience. In our healing. Cultivating killing our internal wounds. Is an opportunity to bring us closer to the divinity in our lives. We can see the sacred joy and we are notes feeling in the social hall. There is evidence a ceiling joy. 1 states. After a major bike accident. The christmas choir came to sing to me. I felt blessed. Feeling joy came in the form of christmas carols from church friends. Healing is. In the quiet moments of the service. Joyce found in the crease to simply. Surrounded by others who also want to create holy space. I feel healing when i can engage emerging adults. Value of our shared space. Thereformation. Joy cultivated by guiding others towards a understanding. And sometimes that works of fostering joy. Ceiling effort to soothe your soul. Celebration. A picture on my facebook. Embracing a young man. 121 days of illegal incarceration francisco was freed. Where they were able to see and touch their son for the first. For many months. Fruition. Process healing as a family. Baby guinness newer. Knowing. Starting spurs. Celebration. Celebration. Ceiling. As we enter into a time of meditation and prayer. Invite you. Comfortably. Rest comfortably in your last. Close your eyes wish. Deep breath. As you exit. Your shoulders relaxed. A place in your life. Where is that. That needs to be. Extract hair. That needs to be nurtured towards. How did you find that space. Acknowledge. Ceiling. Killing will have the ebb and flow of all life. Will include greece. Will include. Now to the work of finding joy. Where are the moment that you. Does your joy come from time spent alone or surrounding yourself with nature. The interactions you have with others. With friends or family. Does the work. Work is in your home. Your yard or garden. People for system for ideas. Is found in spiritual practice. Meditation or prayer. Funeral gathering. Yoga music where can you find the joy that nourishes your spirit. Shield your stool. Can we use these moments of joy and our healing even the small moments of building joy. Toward healing in this coming week what is one small way you might invite joy. Into your healing. Where are those last cheapest red. With you. Raider holness. Or maybe celebration bubble over. When that happens. Joy is itself. Ceiling. We now continue our time of meditation music. Relationship. When one of us celebrates a boy or grieves a loss. Shift of the stars. Explain this morning but not feeling that we carry that we embody at that week. May there be healing in our bodies and our souls are healing welcome enjoy. Find the miracles in your lights. Your spirit. Do you ever closer to your understanding of the sacred. Celebration. Major celebration greater healing.

uudavispodcast_org

2012-11-11-Worship-11-15-ED.mp3

Sunday sermons another recording from unitarian universalist church of davis california www.dav.org for further information. Again welcome we come to this sanctuary. To celebrate the beauty of the earth. And to be in community this congregation comforts us. When we know laugh and celebrates our best dreams. We bring our differences. Together we offer a fuller tree. Can anyone point-of-view can bring alone. This is a place of challenge. And compassion. The holy inexperienced here in many ways and given many names. People of all sexual orientations and gender identities are celebrated here. We welcome all races classes and physical abilities. We have so much to learn from one another. This is a place of learning and of hope. Together. We can accomplish more and then we believe possible. Weather because of the touch of a friend. The words and the music. A moment of silence. May you feel more alive. After mister mister. The flaming chalice. Is a symbol that was created during a time of crisis. During aurora and the genocide in europe but this symbol has survived that context and come to mean many things to many people generosity and the fire of commitment it is the cup of blessing. When the warmth of community. In the battle of mystery. And the light of truth. We light the flame inside the chalice in our worship this morning. Shine the light of peace. And to hold our hopes for healing. This morning i'm going to invite our guest preacher to light our chalice. Dr. carrie knowles if here with us. Carrie has a masters of divinity from the star king school for the ministry. Our unitarian universalist seminary in berkeley. She describes herself as a recovering psychologist and a recovering attorney she began her work with veterans during her ministerial internship. And she is now a member of the board of the interfaith center at the presidio. She works to develop conferences bringing clergy and veterans together. So that we may open our faith communities to welcome them home. You'll be hearing much more from carey during the rest of the service. Will bring so much with us. When we come into this sanctuary. We bring many identities. Yes all those identities affirmed in are welcome and even more besides. We bring many ideas. Minnifield logical perspectives. Many beliefs about our own lines our universe. How many questions. And we bring our experiences as well. We home with joyce. Experiences of success. Meaningful engagement with the world. I'm life-giving relationships. End. We come with sorrow. With the weight of our failures. Experiences of isolation. I might generalization. Become knowing why. And broken trust. We come and get it. Generosity compassion. The ability to listen. A kind smile. A warm hug. A wide variety of talents that we share with this community. And we come with me. Needs for healing. For community for affirmation. Spiritual support. For help dealing with health problems or family crises. Our community is at its best when i'm gifts are appreciated and our needs are cared for. When we feel comfortable or not. Tuomey or full cells. And when we are kind and gentle with each other. And this is why we have covenants. We create these agreements. To help us be our fullest and best cells with one another. And that is sacred work. Can we do this work well we create sacred space. Face for healing. From the emotional and moral effects of violence. Face funny coming. And spreading peace. May our church. He's such a sacred space. For almost who need it. And now please join me in a spirit of meditation and prayer. Spirit. I would love and justice. We are thankful people. With gratitude we celebrate our ability to live out our 5th principal earlier this week. To exercise the right of conscience as we use the democratic process in our society at large. We are grateful. For all the ways our country stood on the side of love this week. We are grateful that in four states. The rights of lesbians gays and bisexuals were expanded and affirmed by popular vote. We are grateful for every ballot. That was cast in love. For every result that enhance the rights of all people. Women lgbtq folks people of color. Immigrants and prisoners. May our country continue to grow. In love and justice. And in promoting the well-being of all of us. Spirit. A peace and understanding. We are also a people. With deep concern. With sadness. We mourn the loss and disruption of live. All over the world. That result from violence. We hold in our hearts. Those affected by civil war and military struggles. In places like syria. And somalia. We hold in our hearts. Those affected by long-standing violent conflict. Places like israel and palestine. When a back-and-forth attacks have resulted in more recent deaths. In places like the slums of south paulo brazil. We're civilians are caught in the crossfire. I'm a battle between police and game. We hold in our hearts. Those affected by the violence of criminals. In places like mexico were drug-related killings remain unreasonably high. And those affected by police violence. Here in our own country. We're young men of color are unfairly targeted. May we create peace. In our homes. And in our communities. Maybe spread compassion. An understanding. All throughout the world. To our words are deeds and i love. Each of us is parked. Intricate web of relationships. When one of us celebrates a joy or grieves a loss. The web of life moves to a new shape. We are part of the turn of the earth. The shift of the stars. Pull of the sea. And i'll change. Amen. And blessed be. My meeting is a poem. Written by phyllis mechoulam a bay area parent. Who's the daughter of a vietnam war veteran. She wrote. I asked to be alone in the service of peace. Let's voices weave through me. Wella barbed with abaris and speeds of pain. We're carefully carded and spun with light. Let me bring forth a tapestry. Blankets. Cafe rio. Palace. Weathers unraveling remember to knit. If i meet the flash and stab of fire. Monthly be rebuilt from fresh wood. In the state of green. Let me remember the cinder. In the state of rebel. Let me remember the weave. Appendectomies ago i was living in thailand. In a culture where the spheres of the living and the spirit world. Enter penetrated each other. The thais ancient culture had inherited the even order chinese tradition. I'm hungry ghosts. Most homes had a charming little replica of a mansion. At the entrance to the property. And tiny bowls of rice and other bits of food will regularly set out in this little spirit house. I thought the custom was quaint. The spirit house was supposed to confuse and deflect the ghosts of ancestors. Or wandering strangers. Who might threaten the tranquility of the living. My special day in late august. Little pastries marked with chinese red characters. When west amador steps for the hungry ghosts. This was to appease their envy of the living. By showing them respect and feeding their need. I no longer see these rituals. Esqueite. And farhan. As mere superstition. Rather this communal practice like a knowledge has unfinished business with the dead. It's ray that we try to control the powerful leftover feelings. Of grief or guilt. Remorse. Or shame that haunt us. As survivors. I got to know some hungry ghost. Installed on the threshold of the living for decades. When i worked with veterans in the san francisco presidio. I was conducting a monthly spiritual support service for vets. And i'm not with them before the service in a small group. Where they wrote about their lives and challenges. Most served during the vietnam war. These men and women were and still are haunted by the memories. These many decades later. They carried grief that's never healed. What is at a desk job at the naval base. But still dreams about the pilots who flew out on mission and never came back. Or else they came back and they drove crazy drunk. On the roads around the airbase and died in these accidents. Another vet was 19. When he was drafted. His closest buddy was killed in vietnam. Recently he went to see a traveling replica of the wall. Vietnam war memorial. He nearly passed out. When he found his friend's name on the wall. And there's one who visits the chapel garden at twilight. Meet his two friends. Who died in vietnam. He's ghosts come and stand beside him. While he mourns. Are porsche 911 veterans. Tell her brother haunted by what they witness. And by their nightmares about those whom they killed. Or abused or so abused. Evergreen anorak. Obeyed orders. And cut down a car that wouldn't stop at a checkpoint. Then he sort inside a child sitting next to his fault her father. His body. Shepherd by weapons fire. Another soldier is tormented by dreams of iraqi detainees he saw. Young men his own age. Lined up with burlap bags over their heads. Being abused by fellow american soldiers. Recurrent nightmares are among the most common experiences. Of men and women who returned from war. Over and over in dreams. Cuddly images of fallen or maimed comrades. Or enemies slain. Or innocence caught in the crossfire. Baseball dreams are not unique to our modern wars. In cultures all over the earth. Returning warriors have dreams like that. These dreams juice of the dead in many cultures. Are cold hungry ghosts. They hunger for something from the living. Open it's more than food they want. They hunger for respect. For sacred burial. For honor. For weekends to back by the living. Increase orders and tragedies the failure to give the dead proper burial rites. What's a terrible wrong. Families and comrades of the missing in action in vietnam. Have been relentless. Is taking the remains of the fallen. Generations of japanese still make a grievous journey to the island of tarawa in the pacific. The gathering bring home the bones of the 4,500 japanese soldiers who perished there in 1943. You may remember that a year ago. There was an uproar about the improper disposal. A body parts of servicemen and women. Coming back. A conference to dover air force base. Some of the remains were being incinerated and thrown like trash into a landfill. And in another scandal in one of the national cemeteries. Soldiers bodies had gone missing from the graves marked with their names. And yet. As a culture. We barely ignore understanding of how to put ghosts to rest. Our science has little patience with ghosts. When returning warriors seek help for their nightmares. And depression. An explosive emotions. Open commonly diagnosed with ptsd post. Traumatic stress disorder. Mental health professionals. And their patients. Have been rethinking that diagnosis. Piteous t applies when a person's been badly frightened by an event. That threatened death or serious bodily injury. And the person suffers from related anxiety and depression. What is true. Servicemen and women back from iraq and afghanistan. Headspace the immediate threat of death. An injury. And yet. A psychiatric diagnosis doesn't really address that deep grief for fallen comrades. That goes on for 40 years or more without healing. And it doesn't cover the aiken the soul. Over killing. Or abusing or watching abused a fellow human being. We're standing by helpless. To stop the carnage. These are wounds to the spirit. A psychiatric drugs and ordinary talk therapy. Do not relieve these injuries. One soldier told me. We are all morally fractured. Well if marlin jury is not ptsd. Who should we define it. And how is it created. What promotes moral injury in our warriors. And what can be done to heal a moral injury. I'm already injuries wound to the spirit. In which the individual believes that what they've done or witnessed. Has violated their deepest sense of right and wrong. Most people by adulthood have incorporated values rules and taboos that guide our thoughts. Our beliefs are choices. And our behavior. We call it our conscience. For our ethical sense. Conscience springs from our loving connections to our families and our surrounding culture. We feel pride and self-esteem when we obey our conscience. We feel guilt. And shame. When we violate our values. And paramount among these values. It's the temple against taking human life. Thou shalt not kill. Is embodied in the most ancient codes of law and conduct. But the basic task of training warriors. Is to overcome this taboo. To create an effective killer. We sometimes called brainwashing. In fact the nazis did it the stalinist did it. Games do it. It's powerful. And life-changing. And the strategies. I'd likely as old as humankind. Societies that we called primitive or over the world. Have trained warriors to kill. Taken aside the young adult adolescents. Bringing them together in a powerfully motivated. group. And indoctrinating them. With the rules of war not peace. Are highly industrialized societies protected. The modern. Human. Killing machine. Wwii. Only about 20% of men in combat ever fired their weapons at the enemy. Despite orders to fire and the risk to their own lives. We don't have that problem anymore. With sophisticated modern training now more than 95% of them military in combat discharge their weapons to kill. Modern training techniques intentionally. Block the emotions and block the ability to think logically or critically. In training apart from the surrounding culture. Isolated. Here's the recruit is exposed to contradictory demands. And chaotic situations. There's sleep deprived. Physically exhausted. Open humiliated. And they suffer group punishment for infractions. At the end of training. The recruits most sacred legions. Becomes the connection to the military unit. To phila warriors. Not this civilian world. Breaking the taboos against killing is science. The trainee shouts kill. Kill and plunges the bayonet. Into a man-shaped bag of straw. And marches to chance. Like this marine training song. From the village kill the people. Throw some napalm in the square. Do it on a sunday morning do it on their way to prayer. Trainees are worn. Their targets are not people like themselves. The children on their children like their own. Their enemies who threaten our country. Bubba books in vietnam. Now there's stupid hodges and brag heads. Depersonalized and dehumanized. And finally. The warriors perform two acts that were once unthinkable. And tolerates the violent deaths and maiming of comrades. Best illinois combat song. That immediate stress holds the day that's cool we're honest. Avengers to the spirit. They're in the midst of constant danger. The warriors sustained by the closeness of comrades. And the internal flood of stress hormones. For many a belief in a rational just world has been shredded. But loyalty to one's cameras remains. And for that time surprises. So the wolves to the spirit don't usually show up until the warrior returns from combat. Poised to re-enter civilian life. We've seen the tv shots of homecoming. Into the arms of loved ones they released out of danger. But now their ties to their buddies are severed. As their military units this pans. We offer them no rivers bootcamp. Have you noticed that there are no parades for the post 9/11 warriors. Then expected overnight. To step back into their old selves. Instead. They start to confront that clash. Between the remembered acts of war. And the booze and rules. Of the civil societies i've come home with you. Conscience begins to pour. That ended battle begins between the axon values of war and they act. And values of peace. Are you surprised. Evaporative suicide among the troops. Now one per day. And last year time magazine reported that veterans were committing suicide at the rate of 18 a day. And these statistics are likely and under estimate. They have confronted evil. For many. Their sense of their own integrity and decency. And humanity. Has been lost. And their trust. In the integrity decency. And humanity of the country that sent them to war. Has been lost. Pizza express the torment in different ways many ways. I lost my soul. How can i ever accept myself again how can people ever accept me if they know what i've done. If they know what i allowed to happen. How can i be forgiven. How can god forgive me. How can i forgive god. Terms like she'll shocking. Combat fatigue post-traumatic stress. Don't address this suffering. This is also why many veterans don't ask for help. Some re-enlist to be back with their buddies who understand. Some veterans numb themselves out with alcohol and drugs. Are there still themselves into useful work. That maintains that adrenaline rush. Like police work and firefighting. Some keep up a front of being okay. But at the price. Are the capacity for intimacy. And there's some who grow from their wounds. And point the way to how marlin jury can be healed. Healing happens in community. But it needs first to be a community. Which can hear the stories they bring. Without revolution. Without standing in judgment. But with understanding of the morrow awfulness. That community can best be built by veterans who come together to support each other. A community of peers is essential to begin the healing process. Ultimately. To get their souls back returning warriors have to grapple with the eternal questions. Where was god when horrible things happened. How can i feel good. Again. They struggle with how to feel forgiven by themselves and by the world. They struggle. With how to be blessed. And to feel blessed again. And they cannot do it alone. As a secular society. I think we're not used to thinking in terms of. Forgiveness. Atonement. Avalide for blessing. And the need for redemptive acts to restore the self. Windy weather look at how traditional societies restore their warriors to the community. Sacred rituals of songs and chants commemorate the transition from war to peace. And some communal rituals go deeper still. The healers come together. And ask the dreamer. What is your hungry ghost speaking. What is the task of you. What is it ask of us. He's hungry ghost that troubled warrior i'm not the dreams. Of the individual alone. Debbie dreams of the tribe. Of the community. The nightmares of our warriors and our time. Belong to all of us. Whatever the war you did. We are capable of. The awful lessons. Of their lives. Need to teach and transform us. Some vietnam vets felt finally healed from their bad dreams. When they went back to vietnam itself. I found that they were welcomed by the people. Went to pray and meditate in the killing fields. Others. Built schools for children in the villages that they'd wasted. Poignant story about an iraq war vet just appeared in the new yorker. This marine found on facebook. The surviving family whose relatives he had killed in baghdad. He finally visited them. And they remembered together the awful bloodbath. And then they embraced. What a profound sense of forgiving. And being forgiven. No single ritual. Or attempt to back. Will give peace to the unquiet spirit. But we can become the healing communities that they need. We can listen. We can ask what may satisfy. The hunger of their ghosts. And we can ask what redemptive acts we need. To cleanse ourselves. For recent our sons and daughters to war. We know that no redemption is possible without ending the war that's still devastates our military. And destroys our nation. You got drain on treasure and human life and well-being. We just passed through this. .. The election. And. I heard not a word. About our troops that's still suffering danger there. Not a word about. The need to come into peace. I hear you calling. Minister asked me. Who's going to tell these soldiers that these wars are useless in a hopeless waist. And i said we don't need to tell them they are telling us. A recent pew survey showed that 40% of active military believe that we should not have gone into iraq. And afghanistan in the first place. And that we do no good by staying. Our veterans. And those who care for them. Will never forget the horrors of war. They are the ones who can rise up in their generation and become the messengers of peace. Let's ask. About ourselves. To reach out. The hill and empower them. To redeem both us and themselves. Let's make our congregations. And our spiritual communities. Safe. And healing places. Where are warriors can come all the way home. Weather is unraveling. Let us remember to meet. Let us leave peace. Biso. Please join hands. As kerry leads a benediction. May the blessing of light be with you. The light of the heavens and the light within. Mega blessed sunshine on you and warm your heart to it glows with radiance. Set up stranger and friends may come and warm themselves added. Go in peace. Blessed be. May it be so.

uudavispodcast_org

2013-06-09_Worship_Measuring-the-Worth-of-our-Gifts_10_00.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons another recording from unitarian universalist church of davis california website www.org for further information. I tell you this every time. Accepted just as you are. And then there's the big and. I have the same time may you come here seeking change. I remember that some of these changes come from you in the congregation and if you want to share with me how you want to be changed. Just tell me send me an email. Perhaps your change is this. The deep in your connection with these people around you here to make friends and to continue to grow spiritually. Maybe in this hour. We will experience some flash of insight that will solve a problem that we have been struggling to solve and life will be changed maybe that will happen. Perhaps you will want to make change happen in this hurting. And beautiful world. May this be a place of challenge and comfort for you and the people around you known as your companions on that journey. Er people with a diversity of beliefs. God or whatever it is in which you place your ultimate trust. Is different for each one of us. Hedonist journey there a people of different sexual orientations and gender identities those of different class and race and physical abilities. Each. Has something to teach the other. Come. Let us search together to become our best selves again. Every week we have one more opportunity every morning we have one more chance. And now we like this chalice symbol of a religious heritage sharing these words of eric heller wagner. Blessed is the fire that burns deep in the soul. Is the flame of the human spirit. Touched into being by the mystery of life. Is the fire of reason. The fire of compassion. The fire community. The fire of justice. The fire face. Is the fire of love burning deep in the human heart. The divine glow in every life. Today along with many other unitarian universalist congregation at the end of their church years our congregation will participate in a flower ceremony. This tradition has its origin in eastern europe with a ministry of norbert. Emaza chapak. Tropic tropic. Was born in 1870. In bohemia which is now part of the czech republic. At the time bohemia was deeply religiously divided. Norbert was raised as a roman catholic which was the dominant state-supported religion. But disappointment with the catholic church brought him to join the baptist at age 18. And soon thereafter he began a career in ministry. Margaret was a gifted preacher evangelist and writer. He produced many him some of which we still saying this to this day. He published journals and became an assistant editor of popularity literary magazine. And while his success crew norbert study of radical christian movements and earlier bohemian religious history. And his reading of social gospel theologians made him increasingly more liberal in his religious outlook. Fearing government reprisals for his writing norbert. Left bohemia in 1914. At the very beginning of world war and accepted a call to serve a baptist church in new york city. While there he met his third wife masha a librarian who it also immigrated to the us from bohemia. They married in 1917 and in 1919 a home in ohio nearest small baptist church norbert to come to serve. But in less than a year. Have accepting that call. Norbert decided very painfully to leave the baptist church in his ministry with it. In his diary he concluded i cannot be a baptist anymore even in compromise. The fire of new ideas. New desires new worlds. Is burning inside of me. Much have been changing in the chipettes topics homeland which of the beginning of world war 1 became part of the newly independent czechoslovakia. Norbert and masha decide to sell their house and use the proceeds to return home to czechoslovakia. Where they hope to be part of the country's spiritual reawakening. Well the tropics waited for the sale of their home to be complete they have began its attending a unitarian church in 1921. They were led there by their children's enthusiasm for the church's religious education program. The minister at the new church knowing of the topics intentions to return to czechoslovakia introduce norbert to the president of the american unitarian association who ended up pledging his support to the tropics ministry. Upon returning to czechoslovakia the tropics were quite successful in spreading the liberal religious message. And by 1922 they had a thriving congregation in prague. In 1923 seeking to add more spiritual dimensions to their services. But mindful of the weariness that many of the congregants felt of. Rituals if they had experienced within the catholic church that they had left. Think the tropics developed the flower ceremony which we will be participating in later in the service. Three years later masha was ordained by the church and recognition of her co ministry with norbert. The church continue to grow and thrive. But then in 1938. Near the beginning of world war ii. The nazis invaded and occupied czechoslovakia. At which point norbert and masha decided masha and should return to the united states to speak to unitarian churches across the country. About what was going on there and raise funds for relief work in czechoslovakia. What american unitarian association offered norbit a job he decided it was more important to stay and continue his ministry and czechoslovakia. Well here in the us in 1940 mazda introduced the flowers ceremony to american congregations. Meanwhile norbert back in czechoslovakia. Was arrested by the gestapo in 1941. Those convicted of. Listening. For foreign radio broadcast. And sent to die. At the age of 71 in a concentration camp. Nootropics 20 years of ministry together some 8,000 checks came to consider themselves unitarians. And the unitarian church in prague. Who does 3,200 members. It was the largest unitarian church. In the world. The legacy of the tropics ministry continues on to this day. In the flowers ceremony that will be participating in shortly. Countless other ways. I remember. Before i even craig begin the homily i remember the time it was after 9/11. And i had candles. Cure for people thinking we would like candles and come forward and and the room started to fill up beyond my wildest dreams we had done it like that night the night of 9/11 and. People seem to like jesus you know. With a little candles kept coming. An ocean of candles up here in as a matter of fact as we were singing the candles melted. And they were just little wicks in an ocean of wax and suddenly the whole thing just went and we had this little bonfire going on behind me and it was the power of what it was like to bring a community together kind of gone wild and you know people were running around behind me as i keep singing. Beautiful display and when we hear about norbert topic story this is what. He was talking about right here. The our religious tradition talks about many sources it comes from many sources and. We had a new member pasta membership. Session yesterday and we were talking about the many many sources and you'll see some of our new members another sunday this month. This morning source is actually the flowers from gardens. Through the experience of norbert chopok and how he use them in his ministry. But around 600 years. Before the birth of jesus. And long long before norbert chapek. The buddha also had much to say about gardens. And humanity. The buddha spoke of the garden as life. Our lives. I'm in the garden are seeds. The seeds of all kinds of abilities and ways of being in the world so you can imagine there is a seed for music-making and everyone in this room has that. A seed for ukulele playing there's a seed for handbell play there's a seed for singing all these are in the garden. This is for. The skill of listening really really well. To another person. To a friend. Really listening. There's of endurance needed for that really long distance effort whether it's running or. Playing soccer several times on sunday which is why we don't see everyone here on sunday or making quilt after quilt or dancing for the whole night. Are there's a seed forgiving. Seeing what is really needed. And a seed for receiving with an open heart and receiving is sometimes our most difficult thing to do well. There's a seed for mental agility for solving problems with no easy solutions. And there is seeds of compassion and forgiveness and love and commitment and courage all those. Are in the garden. Of your life. But the garden also has some other seeds like impatience. Anon talk talking about the flower here like when you're in traffic like i was this morning coming here. Proceed of lying. Not telling the truth and also a shade. Can the speed of just shading the truth a little bit. Telling you look good you know. There are seeds of insecurity waiting to grow into bullying. Their seeds of prejudice. Hatred and all kinds of things that divide us. The buddha taught that in the garden of life. To grow it needs sunlight. And water. And our attention. Is that sunlight and water and he told his followers. That whatever they chose to give their attention there's sunlight and their water whatever they chose to give their attention they. Their love for their appreciation there listening or affirmation that is the thing that would grow. In the garden of. Life. That is the same. That will grow. And it's sunshine and the water need to be given in a way that brings life. The sunshine can't be a gift it's given all at once. I'll be like yesterday. And those seeds would cook. And if the rain comes in one big cloudburst than the seats are washed away so this is why all you gardeners. No. The gardening is a spiritual practice. Practicing who we hope to become. Everyday practicing again how it is to live a life. Everyday we're going to miss. I bet and get it a bit. I want you to think today as we do norbit chopok ceremony about what it is you wish to grow in your life you're going to hear a lot of things in the service. Do you know watch a baby. Being dedicated and named. Going to hear. Some pastoral concerns that might. Make you pause. If i want you to think. About what are the thief that you want. To grow in your life. And think small. Because if you think monumental. It's really hard to begin. Marge piercy poem. I'm connections space to gardens and that long process of bringing a life. A beauty. To the harvest. Live a life you can enjoy your. And make love that is loving. For every gardener knows that after the digging and after the planting. After the long season attending and growth. That's when the harvest comes. I think about the flowers in your garden and your harvest in your life what will it be. Did i say amen. Panda. The child amy that we're going to be doing. I'm going to ask you to hold your closets kind of tempting to applaud a beautiful baby. But it sort of a starling. Sound. We're going to go for peace. And the service. So at the end of the ceremony which is more like my homily than anyting. Can ask you to do a gesture that is known in many religions around the world has a way of honoring the sacred and someone which is just to put your hands together into. Quietly. Honor. The sacredness that you see in the family. Is coming before you and. And a child. And also in a new baby. And so i'm going to ask that you come together in reading a responsive reading. Audit senior. Service. So please read responsibly with me. Give us the spirit of a child. Give us the child who lives within. A child who receives without reservation a child who gives without judgment. Give us a child's heart. That we may be filled with wonder and delight. Give us the spirit of the child. Who is not afraid to need who is not afraid to love. So this morning we celebrate the life of a new baby among us. An honor the dedication of the parents. And last week you witness the bridging ceremony for the high schoolers. And they received the roses. Representing all the possibilities of life with swords. Which is the pain in life and the possibility of that pain. And they also received gardening gloves. 2. Show that at least at this point in life they have some tools to deal with that pain. But today the child will receive a rose with no thorns. End. I need say no more. So. Matthew and adele karaoke. And jonathan. Would you come before this congregation. With the new addition to your life. I'm so tell me can you all see this. Beautiful family. What is the name of this beautiful baby. Wait a minute i've got a microphone so all may hear. Andrew hensley cell. Give me have a little microphone on this blue. Andrew handley cell. We formally recognize andrews name in this dedication ceremony this act we just we declare that he is an individual. A unique and separate person. With a dignity and a life all his own. Comes not from us. And he yet he is ours. In speaking his name in this moment we declare that we will respect him and we would give him the freedom to be himself. We also recognize the importance of the larger circle of belonging which we see around us. We experienced something beyond ourselves powerful and strengthening when we are balanced and supported by friendships. With the earth itself. With our families with our friends. And a gathering such as this one that supports our celebrations and our sorrows and responds to all those needs of justice in the world. So we recognize andrews unique self. And we welcome you. Into community. Jonathan. James silky. You are going to be a big brother to andrew. What you give him a hug to show him that you'll be his friend and supported. The message of love in this child naming a parent dedication really comes from the parents. They write a letter to their baby. And one letter is sealed so that they can get it for him when they think he needs it most. That could come at any point in life. And the other envelope is open. So that they can read it. Whenever they need to which could come at any time to remember the great love. The great love at this moment. Apple to microsoft for you. Andrew even now at this young age. You're surrounded by communities. Your family your loved ones at daycare. This church and its congregation. Call embrace you and give you support. As you grow and learn you will join many more communities. I hope that you realize the value and importance of every community become a part of. Drawstring from the connections and give back as well. We especially hope that you will give to those who need it the most. Remember that we are all connected and that you are never alone. These connections are a vital part of our lives and sustain us at all times. I have a rose. And i wondered if i would have any roses here today but i have. Omani. Could use another. That's right i keep forgetting i got this microphone at the part of my body now. Anywho. Jonathan canals yeah i forget that this microphone is this amazing thing that's a part of my body. The rose has no thorns. So you can do what you would like to it and it represents all the possibilities of life. Everything life will offer you. I may your life unfold like the pedals on this rose. Having been nourished by the love that surrounds you here with your family and all around you. The smooth stem represents our responsibility to nurture you. And we can't protect you from everything. But we can make decisions. When your best interest and keep you as safe as possible. Andrew. Handsy. Silky. May you live your life with courage. And compassion. And. This quilt. Have been made by members of our congregation. And is a gift. To your family. Beautiful. Anime. All of our hearts be open to the love. And the life. Of this child. And to all children. Each of us is a part of an intricate web of relationships. When one of us celebrates its joy grieves the loss the web of life moves to a new shape. We are apart of the turn of the earth the shift of the stars. The pull of the sea. And all change. Amen and blessed be. Are we get to share these flowers. And we heard about the original flower ceremony will be heard about norbert capek who who was the first to introduce this ceremony. And in his original communion they had everyone bring flowers much like we did. And they had children bring them in and we also did that. I may have the minister consecrate the flowers which is not quite what will do. And then they have the flowers go out and they had people take them on their way home. And that is not how we will share the flowers. And there's a reason for that. Topics original communion with about religious community. And how each of us is different and our unique way. Like each flower. Alone flower is a wonderful thing. And it was a wonderful thing when we saw andrew get his one rose and that was beautiful. And when we put them together. Wow. This is pretty phenomenal. And so it is with our religious community. When we are together we are abundantly beautiful. And the taking was about sharing. For that community it was about the fact that we share our gifts. We share our ideas. We share our grief. And we share our joy. And that it is good to be together and to share these things and i think all of these meanings are true. And they are still as true for us as they were for that group and czechoslovakia. The best talked about. Gardens and how we can. Pay attention to certain parts of our cell. Certain plants in our garden. And i think sometimes we need to pay a little extra attention. To the plant that is about receiving. Receiving. And sometimes. We go to school and we're told we have to earn our grades we have to earn them. Amigo to work and we're told we have to earn our money. And sometimes we even feel in social groups even maybe in our family that we have to earn our right to be there. This community is a place that honors everyone's worth that we all are worthy to receive gifts. All of us. This is a time when we can practice receiving. With a sense of gratitude saying thank you and appreciating what it is we receive. And maybe it's a daisy. Maybe it's a big bold sunflower maybe it's an elegant rose. But you appreciate. That thing you are receiving. Without feeling like you need to give something back without worrying about what flour you brought earlier or did not bring at all. Receiving. So let's water those seeds together. In this ritual. These flowers have already been blessed. Play we're blessed by the ground and the rain and the sun. They were blessed by whoever took the time to pick them. And bring them here today maybe someone bought them at a store. But they have been blessed they have been blessed. By our world and they have been blessed. By each of us. And so i call on that source of life. That sort of life that causes flowers to grow and causes new babies to be in this world and flows through each of us. To bless us. That we may share. More freely with one another and that we may receive what this community and what our lives have to offer us. So for our ritual i invite my helpers i had some wonderful helper to help bring these flowers in and i hope they're still here. And i invite them to come forward and nancy will play some music for us and will bless us with that experience. And we will take the bases around so that you can receive. Eastgate. And as is so often the case. We have such abundance gif. That we could not even receive all that we gave communally. And this is often true i find especially in religious communities like this one. 9 by 22 x take hands even though you're holding and somebody amazing flowers that's what i wanted to see who got that very long. Father's day. Remember all you have heard here. All the joy and a sorrow and the connections. And consider what is the seed that you will water today. Who isn't. That you wish to become. And make it so. But the gathering say amen. Recipe to you.

uudavispodcast_org

2012-12-30_Worship_When-the-Wonder-Wears-Off_ED.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california website at www.sec.gov org for further information. Extended to greet one another when her heart is in a holy place it is difficult to sit back down and that's a good thing that is a good thing. We come to the sanctuary to celebrate the beauty of the earth. Ntb in community. The congregation comforts us when we know loss. And celebrates our best dreams. We bring our differences. Together we offer a fuller truth. Can anyone of us can opera loan. This is a place of challenge. And compassion. The polly is experienced here in many ways. And is given many names. People of all sexual orientations and gender identities are celebrated. We welcome all races and classes. And physical abilities. We have much to learn from one another. This is a place. I'm learning. And hope. Together we can accomplish more. Then we could ever do alone. Weather because of the touch of a friend. The words or the music. Or a moment of silence. May you feel more alive. This morning. Summer and how to ride a horse while working on my restaurant trying to sierra nevada mountains. Play artist i let a pack train horses with 4-stroke up the john muir trail to the top of kings canyon national park. Switchback 48 miles milton campus sleeping under the stars to the breitling dawn of a creek winding gently down a lush green valley surrounded by buy listen snow-capped peaks. Christmas evolution valley only discovered by american explorers 100 years before. I never touched my western civilization. Show me stays fresh in my memory. Even though i never went back and never let another pack frame. Years later. I bought an arabian horse for my twelve-year-old daughter and wrote him myself at least once a week. Today i found that i have never forgotten how to create a perfect bond with a huge and powerful animal as we explore the fields just to the west of davis. I wrote my first poem and i called it and rainbow ride wrote out on a late lunch and warren bastrop talked with top of levi biopharm ditch in a valley. Instructions from shasta to tehachapi from the sierra to the western hills now greenish-gray andover in a distance. Along the roadway splashing mud on either side. His nostrils flared eyes upright with fine-tuned hairs and wing tossed main is pounding muscles next to mine as i close rained captured his power with my legs and spine and it was called out to us. Jackrabbits zigzagged across the plain just flushed quails tour across our view. Sparrows field about. The red winged blackbird satin rose on the phone lines and sang to the wind. Gray heron rose up wings flapping. And settled a distant field. Dark clouds came down to wash our faces with pacific rain. Turn gateway is sunrise to green grass for total the seasons change. I could relate a half a dozen other wondrous events in my life. But how can i get change your impact on my day-to-day experiences of a just snippets of the past to be dredged up from memory from time to time. Or are they the backdrop for fine-tuning my present towards greater awareness of the wonders that await discovery with everyday. This morning's reading. Is actually in your gray handle number 615. Is ron howard thurman the work of christmas in the song of angels is still in a star in the sky is gone. Shepherd's are back with their flock the work of christmas begins the lost to hand the broken to feed the hungry to release the prisoner. Revelations. Are unstoppable another world is possible. We are unstoppable another world is possible. We are unstoppable another world is possible we are unstoppable another world is possible. Archaea. With the sound of one of the marching bands nearby. The catapult with the energy. A multicultural dance group coming along with us. I held up my camera. Snapping photos. Pictures with homemade banners signs written in spanish by immigrant groups. Unions and political groups wearing matching t-shirts. Ahead of me started the point that something so i turned to love. My partner lucas and i were about halfway across the brooklyn bridge. And we look back at the manhattan skyline. And they're on the verizon building. With a circle of light. I'm inside the circle were symbols. 29. And a percentage sign. Play the roots from the crowd. Especially from the striking verizon workers who were marching with us. And the signs begin to change on the building. Enchantress. Flashed up on the building and i'm worse has joined in. And at the final message there were more whoops of joy. The final message read. Happy birthday occupy wall street. It was a wonderful moment. Yes the new york police department had evicted the community of occupiers. That was living in zuccotti park in downtown manhattan. Just a few days ago they had been addicted. But still sore. 1000 strong on that march on november 17th. Into the occupation of wall street. When i finally got down on the other side of the bridge in brooklyn. I needed to use the restroom and then many folks so we looked for somewhere we can do that and go to the restaurant. That had opened up its facilities for martyrs. And i have waited in line with others. Cell phone. And she said. I got a text from my friend so just still coming across the bridge. Some folks are still just leaving manhattan. I had already gotten all the way across town and found a bathroom and there was so many behind us. But others were just leaving manhattan to cross the bridge. When i went by. I'm a starboy backup to union theological seminary. I was feeling hope. Animazement. I would share. I was sure that we were going to continue to change the world. By occupying wall street. And i was wrong. Ec for about six weeks i had been focusing the bulk of my energies. On an occupied related group called protest chaplains new york city. We were a group of seminarians from union theological seminary. And we also had full-time professional chaplains. And other clergy among our ranks. We had organized ourselves mostly via facebook. To take s*** down in zuccotti park where the community had. Sprung up. Our tagline was listening. Bear and presents. We went in pairs or small groups. And after checking in with the nonviolent communication team and the medical team. Reborn doll through the small tent city. And we'd listen to folks who need to talk. In distress. We provided a non-anxious presence wendover conflicts. And we offered prayers for any who wanted them. Along with occupy face new york city. We provided a religious presence at protests and actions. We were all so eager. So excited to be putting our faith into action. We were amazed to see the actual embodiment of what we had been learning about in preaching about. A community. We're all were welcome. Where food and books and medical care were given out freely. It was wondrous all of it. I was so swept up in it just like my friends. Being involved in occupy protest chaplains. Beaver roof focus and drive. Other concerns were pushed aside. I no longer felt stressed and anxious about my full course load my two part-time jobs. My internship applications. I just did what i needed to do. And made time to take that one train downtown. Go to my ships in the park. What time the lengthy consensus style protest chaplain meetings. And to be a part of the social media team by keeping our blog updated. It was very consuming work but. We were doing it together building a new kind of community. It was wondrous and meaningful and exhilarating. Until it wasn't. After that much over the brooklyn bridge. I went home for thanksgiving. The semester began to catch up with me. It begin to catch up with all of us. The protest chaplains were a bit lost. The community at ducati where we had worked our shifts was gone after the police raid. The sense of community. Accomplishment. Was waning fast. Of course there was me work to be done. Helping churches care for the suddenly homeless occupiers they went out hosting. Blue jays support work. Attending contentious meetings in helping to keep the peace. This work was not nearly as exhilarating as being down in the park. Or being on these marches. At first i thought resolved to do it. I signed up for an overnight shift. At judson memorial church. Which was one of the churches providing shelter for the occupiers after they were evicted. Was exhausting. The temporary shelter filled up quickly. And my job became turning away desperate and angry occupiers. Who had lost everything in the raid and needed shelter. There wasn't much wonder in this work. Just lots of exasperation. From all parties involved. The protest chaplains tried to have regrouping meetings. But we were dwindling. Some of our most active members redirected their activism. To another word because. Interrupting foreclosure auctions. The flurry of activity on our facebook page or. Twitter our blog. It started to slow. This was a unique scenario. But yeah it's really very common. It's sort of like. Falling in love. Being so wrapped up in the amazing high of being with that special person. And then gradually. Or suddenly. You start to notice the flies. Things become mundane. It's just not the same. Well maybe it's the long-awaited holiday. Formication. When exciting new experiences or. Glorious days of rest. Amaze you. Until it's time to go back to work or school or everyday life. The reunions with loved ones. That fills you with awe and gratitude. How much the presence of another person can add to our lives. Until it's time to part ways again. Maybe it's the new church you joined. So excited to have found a community that shares your values. So amazed by the welcoming message you received. Until you've served on one too many committees and you're starting to get worn out. You know. You've been married one way or another. It's no fun when the wonder wears off. And i began to get angry. I got angry at myself and i got angry at my peers. We had said we were in this for the long haul. We need passionate speeches to the press. And now what were we doing. That was far as i could see. B don't like a phony. A failure. What fools we were. We impressionable passionate seminarians so committed to the cause when it was cool. And that are quick to leave when the going got tough. I began to feel depressed and anxious about protest chaplains. I stopped updating our blog. Then. You buy my own guilt. I would head down for a general support shift. Orpington action. I felt like i wasn't doing enough. And yet i also resented the time i was spending away from my school work. And my new job i had gotten as a religious education coordinator at euu church. Play my children would say. But i was sitting on the edge of the grand canyon with a big bag over my head. Children is a popular buddhist teacher. She is an american none in the shambhala tradition. And has written several books on buddhist perspectives and practices. In her book the wisdom of no escape. She writes. When we start getting angry. Denigrating ourselves. Or cringing things in a way that makes us feel miserable. We begin to shut down. Shut out. As if we were sitting on the edge of the grand canyon. But we had put a big black bag over our heads. Is negative emotions. These poisons as she calls them. Prevent us from taking in what is there. It's true course. But then i start thinking about how i have a metaphorical bag over my head and i get upset about that too. I start saying to myself see you're feeling guilty and that isn't helping anyone. I'm stuck dwelling stop being so resentful. I have whole conversations with myself well maybe they're not conversations. More like diatribes. Hey munoz about this phenomenon to. Another book start where you are. She warns about speaking too much to yourself. The world doesn't speak for itself. Because we're so caught up in our own storyline she rides. You just keep speaking to yourself. So nothing. Speaks to you. You just keep speaking to yourself so nothing. Speaks to you. You know how that is don't you. The wonder wears off. And that's when the internal dialogue / diatribe begins. Why don't i feel as excited about this relationship anymore. What am i doing wrong. Maybe we aren't as compatible as i thought. How can i fix it. Oh everything was so lovely when i was on that trip. It's so boring and stressful being back here. Maybe i can look through my photos again. Yeah that was great. Wish i could go back. Seriously i just can't stand another inefficient committee meeting like this. I thought miss church was going to look up to its wonderful values but we're sitting here and reloading on these minor issues i'm so frustrated. Maybe i'm just not cut out for churches. We know. We've been there in one way or another many times. We get so caught up. In our storyline. We just keep speaking to myself. So nothing speaks to us. Indeed. Pema chodron is onto something. Buddhists are usually very good at diagnosing problems i have found. It's their proposed solutions i find myself existing. I'm no good at meditating. And i always forget to stay in the moment. The children's advice. Is this challenging and acceptable. She offers quote. A gentler approach to the whole show. The whole catastrophe. The catastrophe. That's why i was drawn to occupy wall street in the first place. The rampant social and economic inequalities the destruction of our earth and our communities. It is a catastrophe. Since separating myself and. Not really doing enough and gradually grudgingly giving guilty bits of my time. Wasn't exactly changing all of that. Perhaps a gentler approach with an order. So what does the gentler approach look like. Well it looks like making friends with yourself. Not just the parts of yourself that you like. With all of yourself. Children invites us to come to know our anger. Are self-deprecation. Come to know our craving and are wanting. And our boredom. And make friends with those things. Well that's an idea. Hey anger. You're here again. Yes the world is awfully screwed up i'm glad you're here to remind me of that. Would you want to just hanging out for a couple hours while i go to class. Hangouts. Yes i know. I'm really not the radical world changer i'd like to be. Other people are devoting more time to activism than i am. No i'm not going to argue with you about how important it is for me to finish my seminary degree. I'll just listen. Maybe you can grab lunch with anger while i go to church. It's pretty silly i know. But i think it really is a good practice. I think it is a fully necessary practice. If we are going to deal with life. When the wonder wears off. If we can make friends with ourselves. We can open ourselves to the world. We can take the bag off our heads. I notice things. We can let the world. Speak for itself. And perhaps if i had done that. I might have seen the small wonders. Any ongoing work of the protest chaplains. My internal narrative about how inadequate my contributions were. Could have been gently quieted. I might have been open to what was there. I might have been amazed at the temporary intimacy. Between myself and a traumatized occupier. Who i was listening to at the jail. As he waited for his friend to be released. I might have felt a sense of all even as i felt anger and sadness. When his friend was instead held overnight. Because they did not have their bail money ready. I might have been open to the wonder of human connection. And how much we care for one another. And how much we are willing to sacrifice. For the well-being of our world. Because there are small wonders. Out there. Even after the big moments of wonder where off. My hope for all of us. Is that we noticed what happens to us when the wonder wears off. As we come down from those moments of amazement. Don't we try the gentler approach to the whole show. The whole catastrophe. But we stopped speaking to ourselves. So that the world can speak to us. And then we may respond to the world more fully. We may not be completely unstoppable. But another world. Is possible. May our hearts. Be open. Today. May we notice. The small wonders that fill our lives. Alongside the disappointments. The injustice has. The suffering. Movie take in the beauty. I'm son on green leaves in the middle of winter. Or the comfort of curling up warm inside when the cold rain falls. Maybe take in. The warm greeting of a neighbor. The laughter of a family member. The caring gesture of a friend. Maybe notice kindness. And helpers. And those who do good in this world. Or evil deeds and tragedies. I'm more likely to make the news. May we be gentle with ourselves. Maybe make friends with our flaws. As well as our screen. And see ourselves with care. And honesty. Maybe be gentle with others. May we remember that everyone is fighting hard battles. Weather visible or not. Maybe be gentle with this world. May we use resources carefully with reverence and gratitude. Let us be awake to our world. Open. To it's speaking open to all but it has to offer us. Please take hands for opposing benediction. Let us go out into this day. Awake. And open to all it has to offer. The big moments of wonder and the small wonders. I made all the rest of life. May we let this world. Speak to us. May it be so.

uudavispodcast_org

2016-07-24-Beloved-Conversations_Healing-Wounds-of-Racism_10_00.mp3?_=2

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from the unitarian universalist church of davis california website at www.sec.gov org for further information. Welcome to the unitarian universalist church of davis a place of caring and compassion of encouragement and challenge as unitarian universalist we are encouraged to search for our own answers to the most important questions for today we ask the questions how can we engage with the difficult issues of race in our world how can we become aware of our own privileges and learn to see beyond them. Are childless later today is tim burkhart timco facilitated along with reverend beth banks of our church and reverend rodger jones and lucy bunch of the uu society of sacramento are recent beloved conversations which are the focus of this service tim has attended uuc decent about 2012 and he is active in uniting for racial justice one of our social justice leadership groups he is also been involved with faithful friends which meets with detained immigrants tim has a master's in library science state library this morning's opening sources from w.e.b. du bois which does appear in our graves otoo now is the accepted time not tomorrow not some more convenient season it is today that our best work can be done and not some future day or future year it is today that we fit ourselves for the greater usefulness of tomorrow today is the seed time now are the hours of work and tomorrow comes the harvest and the playtime second from the world of software development of all screw-ups. The council for cross-cultural engagement first convened by cultural misappropriation that occurred at general assembly 2007 in seattle washington since then they've been talking about misunderstandings that happen when cultures intersect when an individual may feel marginalized when music a poem reading a prayer or spiritual practices used without context credit or any sense of relationship to the communities involved and the program included the hymn we'll build a land when dibona a wampanoags indian saw hundreds of mostly white faces in the hall singing this she thought about how white european culture had indeed built on native american land. I was eager to participate in beloved conversations because i had a vague uneasiness about race discussions and relations with people of color i didn't feel that i was a racist nor was i an ardent fighter for racial and class equality so radically different life experiences others in the group had had we listen to and empathize with the pain express by fellow congregants of color as they detailed their feelings of being perpetual foreigners in their own country as well as having to assimilate to the dominant culture instead of cherishing the culture of their families or insults good people to do nothing to do nothing. Why did i join feel of a conversations it provided an opportunity for me to reflect a new what is going on in our multi-racial culturally diverse world also i'm a member of a mixed-race family as are many of us i want to be awake to whatever might be up ahead for my grandchildren and their generation and i want to be an informed loving and proactive person back in my career at the university i was going to act apart of the educational opportunity program that supported affirmative action we provided counseling for minority students i taught classes and led groups and what we called multiculturalism and cultural competence i led training seminars for graduate students and use the book called learning to be white b endeka and african-american uu minister and varied economic status. I'll begin by saying i learned many worthwhile things in the beloved conversations class some of it was personal some historical some about us as you use and all valuable it's hard for many of us to talk about race doing so opens a pandora's box of difficult feelings of sorrow anger and guilt but if we don't open the box how will things ever change one important issue to remember that high or we had no control over the attitudes are families taught us we also aren't responsible responsible for the racist ways of thinking that the media are communities families and schools ingrained into us orange and gave birth to the florida citrus industry that i continue to learn the history of my people chinese people between police and citizens it can be positive even life-affirming as we have so horribly seen this month i learned a new term to describe thank all of you for your support. Now it's a time together ourselves in prayer let us listen to that spirit of life which moves within and among us in this place that inspires our faith and our community let us honor ever renew our commitment to love and justice letter hearts be full of love and kindness and strength and boldness let us breathe prayers for raymond as she recovers from her heart surgery and tanner warren snow as he courageously awaits for a heart transplant and engaged with each other through similarities and differences let us know be stopped by despair at all the troubles in the world but care for ourselves here and bravely keep moving out into this world that is home to everyone each of us is a part of an intricate web of relationships when one of us celebrates a joy or grieve so lost the web of life moves to a new shape of the earth the shift of the stars the pull of the sea and all change how men should be. Now i'd like to invite everyone to gather hands together the world is too beautiful to be praised by only one voice may you have the courage to sing your part the world is too broken to be healed by only one set of hands may you have the courage to use your gifts may you go in peace.

uudavispodcast_org

2017-12-31-Letting-Go.mp3?_=1

Sunday sermons from unitarian universalist church of davis california. org for further information. Welcome to the unitarian universalist church of davis i'm reverend morgan mclain i'm the assistant minister for congregational life for so glad you're with us this morning. This morning we are invited to light a chalice. And as we prepare to leave 2017 and a new year. Enjoy some sorrows. Quest for truth and meaning in celebration of the life we shared together. A blank book would be nice. The press start for we can write new stories imagine new possibilities. In this day. And this evening and tomorrow that helps s. Grieving. And changes and uncertainty. Necessarily the date on the calendar although that helped. We know that life comes with ups and downs and we human. Make meaning in those moments we make meaning in the change and on days like this there has been a lot going on in 2017 it has been a challenging year and i don't know anyone who doesn't want it to end the political and social landscape has been. Discouraging and alarming gun violence has once again plagued this country natural disasters have destroyed homes and lives and the international scene isn't any better anxieties have been high uncertainty distrust has been high so we come to a new year ready for some some change for something new something new in the world. And also something new in ourselves more and more i hear people refuse to make resolutions extra pounds or get the exercise bike out of the garage this year we say this will be the year that we organize the mail as soon as it arrives or we quit smoking more patience with our spouse or children as friends do sound familiar we are determined that it will be different this time and by mid-february our progress. Close or maybe even stops we're just too busy to get that exercise or too stressed to quit that habit we hear those same words come out of our mouths in that same fight that we've had for years. Ask me about resolutions is that they're often fairly superficial not in the shallow sense but superficial isn't just on the surface. Cuz the resolutions are really about something much deeper. Much deeper that were holding on to something inside of us that were caring. Why are we too busy to take care of ourselves. Are we avoiding time alone. Are we afraid. Assembling. What is the source of the stress that makes our bad habits so welcome. Is it something that we can stop doing. Why do you have that same fight. What anxiety or memory does it set off in you. Behavior did you learn as a child. That just comes into your adulthood. These are the kinds of questions that we need to ask at this moment. That's the level where we need to take our resolutions. The place is well below the surface. Where we hold on to our burdens. It's scary. That holds our shortcoming. It holds those mean things that we said yesterday. And the ones we said many years ago. It holds that person who hurt you. And the person that you hurt it hold patterns of friendships and relationships with family it holds guilt and resentment and anger fusion. Our fears. And as long as we carry those burdens. We struggled to make room for something new for real resolution. Our first step is to let go. And letting go is not the same as forgetting. It's a funny thing about those burdens because it is those experiences those hurts that sadness those fears it is those that make us who we are. We must keep them with us they give us meaning and insight. They still out the stories of our lives they inform our future decisions and our current relationships. I can't erase history we can't pretend it didn't happen or didn't change us. Things to not let history. When we carry those experiences lately on our hearts when we let go of the burdens and let them. Nourish ass instead. We can truly start. This year of all years. Think it's important for us to not only lighten our individual burdens to some of those. That deep work. But we also must let go of the stress. An anxiety of the world we live in. Group we can do amazing things change the world. But as individuals we cannot let the turbulence of the news rule our lives. We are living in strange times. And we must do all that we can just as we always have to stand up to a person to care for the most vulnerable people in our society week we must be informed. Cannot be consumed. Or else we lose our energy the good work that must be done. Our challenge in 2018 is to let go of these big things that we cannot control by ourselves for the things that we can. There is so much. Going on in the world. It is so tempting. To read the article and to watch the news before bed. It's so tempting. The reduced weight. But just like our personal lives. We can learn from history. From challenging experiences. And we can let stress and anxiety light. And lettuce and score more future. Instead of holding us back. This morning i'm going to invite you about. Those in your personal life and in the world those stresses fears anxieties that you hold onto. And then we're going to compost them we're going to put them in this soil down here and let them break up naturally. Knowing those things will eventually. Just like lit all living organisms just like the plants in our gardens. We benefit from. A little fertilizer. So what would you like to let go. But would you like to allow. To transform from fertilizer. Into life-giving nourishment. Personal change and for the world. Resolutions might you make tonight. Resolution. What history do you need to carry. More likely. Perhaps it's someone you loved. Maybe it's your health. Create a stressful workplace. Or the feelings you have around those extra pounds or that bad habit for that same bike. What anxieties for the world. Can you put in the compost bin. Perhaps it's the news before bed. For refusing to read. Perhaps you can give up the feelings. Of being overwhelmed. And just start with one simple act of help. Or maybe it's letting go of a certain cause. Knowing that a new generation is reading it and that your time and experience can be used elsewhere. There is so much that we all have to give. And sometimes we need to let go. I look forward to the two parts of it. The composting and the blossoming. Great opportunity to reflect for myself. What i need to put in the compost. About what a very different image. Many years ago i travel to california desert. East of san diego. I wanted to visit it because my great-grandmother. Mothers. Father's mother. The family story begins. Martha and husband. John graham her mother and her brother. Pilot point texas with a party of 40 people and 12. And headed toward tulare county california. Following the route of the butterfield stage line. I love that story. But i know that in fact it was a hard and dangerous trek. Over the southern route. People by india. And to protect it. Great grandma martha a party california. I wanted to travel just a little part of that journey they made and that's why i drove to anza-borrego state park. I saw their there. I walked along a trail of which martha herself. And i saw all around. The desert in bloom. Have you ever visited one of those deserts when all the cactus are in bloom. I don't know if it was springtime when martha and her party arrived in that part of the state. Tomorrow at it. In bloom. It's also those sharp. What i now know. Spines protect them from predators. Spines are essential. So what's this got to do with me today. I think of martha and her family. They had to do to prepare for their journey. And probably even more as they traveled. They must have had to leave behind. Family their friends familiar territory. After a long hard journey. Like life itself. Which often feels like a long hard journey. Determination. Perseverance. There is something of such great value. And one day. I traveled a good journey. I don't really need to survive. And the bloom. Represents something more than my own personal journey. It represents the dangerous i see roaming. Carnation. My strong reactions to our fear and anger. I judged him i'm worried. Compost heap. So many things can blossom sometimes the little miracle gro help each other we find them in the ways that we move through the world the ways that we help other people. There's so much. Imagine. Books. Would you join me in the spirit of prayer and reflection. Notice your breath. For this moment surrounded by the spirit of life and love. Coming into this space to share our wives. Our successes and our struggle. Sacred space we find times for stillness. Thanks for this moment of peace. This moment of reflection. On the threshold of a new year. We look inside ourselves. Define the sources of hope. Sources of gratitude. Which we will go into the new year. Letting go of our burdens. Letting go of our anxieties letting go of our fears. That we might blossom into something new. As we imagine those things for ourselves or others. We know so many people who are hurting. Who are struggling need our support. May we pray that their burdens are light. And that new possibilities bloom for them. In this community we create a network of care. A network of hope and gratitude. In our darkest moments. And her happiest successes. Today we share the very happy news. At our church member shaman as a wallet has been appointed to the sacramento county superior courts as a judge. And her family and for everyone who has a dream. We give our love to you. May we all find. Filament. Inara. We know that our lives are filled with many happy moments. And they are filled with sad moments. May we seek to remember to take each. One-day-at-a-time. Appreciating the beauty in our lives the blooming possibilities. With hope. I may we send those prayers around the world. A world that needs our needs our hope and gratitude. Maybe create a world community. And two piece. Each of us is part of an intricate web of relationships. When one of us celebrates a boy or grieves a loss. The web of life moves to a new shape. We are part of the turn of the earth's the shift of the stars of the sea. And all things. Please join hands for our benediction as we prepare to leave this warship. In celebration knowing our burdens are transforming into something new for the coming year. Hear these words. Expect to see more light. Let this congregation say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

2013-08-04_Worship_Ball-Pit-Conversation_10_00.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california at www.dav.org for further information. The flaming chalice. Is a symbol of unitarian universalism. It's a symbol of our faith. And for many. Proclamation for religious identity. Who here owns a flaming child's necklace raise your hands. The flaming chalice. Symbolizes the commitment we have to her face into our ideals. Such as the opportunity to engage their own spiritual growth. It's the belief in the dignity of all people. I'll now opener service this morning. Wisdom words from thomas rhett. 3 humans. Is to be aware of our separation. We want to love. And to be loved. Fire friends. Parents. Our children. Awfully feel alone. Not knowing the right things to do. For the right words to say. We want to live in harmony. With the land. The water. Pierre. The plants. Amy animals. But awesomely feel like clumsy blenders. Estranged. Natural world around us. I love this idea of the ball pit. Because. I feel like it's so hard to get to a place. We can actually asked these questions. Even toward closest friends. I can just imagine myself. Sitting. Having coffee with a friend and i say. Please share with me your favorite childhood memory. Weird. Hopefully we normally do. But what. If we could recreate the ball pit. I decided tryouts myself. First. I looked on amazon. Did you know that 200 those balls are 50 bucks. I went cheap and decided just to read out some questions on piece of paper. They range from. What do you love to. What's a moment that changed your life. Ben. I made some friends over for some homemade pizza. Ed sheeran. The show themselves with others. I intentionally invited people but didn't know each other. I want them to have the experience. Jinx no stranger. 94 level. I invited. Over 30 people. Either in person. Find phone facebook. I told everyone to come at 6 p.m. on friday. Maddie thing. I laid out the kitchen table my homemade pepperoni pizza. Homemade pretzels. Chips. And root beer float materials. Everything was beautifully arranged. Can i have the questions in a bowl in the other room. I was ready. This meaningful experience to happen. I-610. Only one person is showing up. My friend sarah text me. And told me she wasn't feeling well and wouldn't make it. My other friend text me to say that she was just leaving her house. Chili's in napa. I started to get worried. Was anybody going to show up. I was just going to meet my friend sean the whole night. Why was nobody coming. When they told me they would. They even said they were excited about it. With a being. Fashionably late. Or did they get scared at the last minute. Decide not to come. My release. Guest trickle in slowly. 5645 3volution house. We decided to get started. I never asked to ask the rest of my friends. Why didn't come. Bebe. They didn't feel confident enough to show themselves with strangers. Maybe they were nervous about what would happen. I wonder even. If i would have come if i was invited something like this. I have you been knowing everybody there. But everyone else showed up. Having no idea what to expect. The four of us. A good half-hour so eating and getting to know each other. Then. He transitioned into sharing space. We moved living room. Where. How many candle. Each took turns. Pulling questions. I'm sharing my responses. Just powerful. I never knew my friend katie had a sister that died at age 11. She saw the bracelet or sister manor. My friends should think about themselves that surprised. Miss me. I learned about their dads. And insecurities. And not knowing who they were. And if they would ever amount to anything. I discovered. How much they cared about their loved ones. Android census. Is there life before i met them. My own responses surprise me. And i relish the opportunity. I connect more deeply with my inner self. Together. We created this sacred space. When he blew out the candle. The setback. Into everyday life. I felt as if i had been blissfully meditating the past half-hour. My friends are all really happy they came. They said the experience. Is very real. A sounds. What changed. My friend amber. And that she wish these moments could happen more often. I said. You should make them happen more often. It sounds as if this service was made for maria. Remember how we started. Between. High reach out to you. Remember this. Terry tempest williams is an environmentalist. An artist. A gifted author. She's from utah so i want you to think about the. Where utah looks if you have driven through it. She's walking through the maine woods. With ray mcdonald. Her family's neighbor. Shadows and light. Dabbling on the low growing blueberry bushes. I'm in the middle of nature she sees an artist platform up in the branches of some old trees. And it's surrounded by beauty is quiet. So perfect for writing. She is incredulous. Rei. It's so amazing to find an artist cookout here who built it. I was patient. That comes from living through those long main winters. Races. Terry. That's where i sit to hunt deer. What is terry tells the story she laughs. In those mean words she was stunned. Because. She had. Forgotten. What. That might be used for. She forgot how vastly different she is from ray mcdonald and how they interact with the world she's forgotten all of that. She and ray she says could not be more different from each other politically and socially. And yet. And yet there is a comfort between them. There is a deep respect and connection. And they know each other beyond their differences. Terry tempest williams ads. How do we meet one another. Not in the sense of how do we arrange to meet new people. But how do we get to know the fullness of another person. Terry says it's more than asking what do you do. It means asking the next level of questions what do you see. What do you love. Tell me the last time you were afraid. She continues when we get to the heart of the stories that really matter that really shape us the take us to a different place of communion. And i asked you. As your minister what is communion. In religion. Or any circumstance. But the recognition that we are a part of something larger than one being. And that. The relationship. Is sacred. Human beings are wired for deep connection or communion with others. Conversation is the tool to create a relationship. So the difference is need not divide us so quickly. There are many kinds of communication. And we often confuse them. Talks. Are when one person shares information and others listened like a lecture or a sermon. Debate. Oh and one side tries to convince the other of the error of their ways but that is not really a conversational though some would say it is. I call it the chess a conversation. Arguments add more emotion into the mix. All are forms of human communication but they are not conversation in the mid 1700 so the study of such a thing goes way way back. Conversation was defined as an interchange of ideas. And this is keith that is reciprocated between people to examine truth with the big t. Things are turned around the definition says. And sifted. And all our knowledge big k. Commuted communicated to each other. Truth. Knowledge. Communicated to each other. Conversation is. It is nothing else. Is a sharing of the human experience and allowing ourselves to be vulnerable what you watched. In the ball pit. That's silly thing. Opening people off. And didn't we love it. Steven miller author of conversation a history of the declining art. Walks the reader through centuries of opinions about conversation good conversation has been cherished through time. The lack of it has been more'n through history. I think good conversationalist have always. Been hard to find. The more i studied it the more i understood true conversation to be a fine art form with repercussions for how we engage with the world as people of faith. In the 1800's members of our own denomination created salons. In the parlors of gifted conversationalist. They invited people they assessed to have. A certain intelligence so this was. You know by invitation only. But they discovered that knowing literature. Didn't mean that you could help a salon be successful. You could be. In modern terms unfriended. If you are not skilled at the art of conversation and we know now how devastating therapy is all around being unfriended right now my nephew is a therapist needs that it's one of the number one reasons people come in to talk with him is that they have been unfriended major rejection. So maybe the salon groups you know where are those are form of. There's a hunger. Foreign exchange of both the intellectual ideas as well as personal feelings a safe place to do that. Some salons were highly sought-after for the liveliness of the exchanges and how ideas and friendships were built. And not torn apart. Figuring out what made for success led to an assessment of what made a conversation. A conversation and not something else. What is stephen miller was writing about plato's time or our current day the same qualities apply for good conversation that can transform a life. Great conversationalist are attentive. And they listen. The seventeenth-century social commentator in france wrote one of the reasons why see if you can. Imagine this being said now one of the reasons why so few people are to be found who seem to be sensible and pleasant in conversation is it almost everybody is thinking about what they want to say themselves. Back in the 1600s they're saying this. That continues they are not answering clearly what is being said to them. The more clever and polite. Think it enough simply to put on attentive expression. All the while you can see in their eyes and their train of thought. But they are far removed from what you are saying. They're anxious to get back to what they want to say. Timeless isn't it. And it's repeated every century. That great conversationalist are not. What they called and different times and susie is. Or is ellis they were called another time to have one issue that they return to in every conversation. Crowder good conversation is an expression of sincere curiosity about the life of another person matched the skill of knowing the right questions. The right questions to draw them out. At the unitarian universalist musicians network where laura and i spend some time together last week one woman told the story of her son who is receiving some speech therapy. Monday is she waited for him in the therapist office. She watched a coaching session between another child and his therapist and i don't know why this was happening in a public space but it was. The therapist started a conversation by asking many engaging questions. And a child answered every one. Another came this long. Silence. And the quiet. Continued. Silence became. Awkward. A lesson. What's brewing. And finally the counselor said very quietly. Now. Is the time when you asked. Me question. We need to take a turn you say. In a conversation. And the young man looks startled and started haltingly to search for the right. Things to ask. His inexperience mine with looking for questions that get beyond the surface the surface of the formal politeness. And although this youth. Had a diagnosis. For his inability. In our society we are rarely taught the skill of how to encourage others. To share their thoughts with us. Many have not learned how to help others. To be seen. And no. Drawing people out and encouraging them to see the pattern of their lives is how we build relationships. This is how we come to know love. This is how we come to know intimacy. Great conversation is to sear and yet. Isn't deadly. Serious. One person. Said. If you invite a grade scholar. And great minds to your gathering. It will surely become deadly. The icing on the good conversation is something called raillery just something i had never heard of before but if good-natured banter gentle teasing. What is the opposite of putting someone down or making someone look foolish. It's so easy to miss the intention to mark when you use humor. And so conversation is truly artistry. Truly an art. In the end the measure of a great conversation is that each person has helped the other to sit. The life experiences going back to that earliest definition. They have a better understanding of truth big t. It's getting the stories that shaped our lives. And to see the worst of those stories. And also to see the worst of our lives and to do that for each other. Last week in dallas texas where they deep-fry everything. Unitarian universalist minister aaron white was preaching about the texas legislature and their reproductive rights conflicts we have all been following this. He and other members of the church travel to austin to demonstrate. For their cause for their side. In austin you could tell which side of the reproductive rights issues the demonstrators held by the color of their t-shirt. The pro-choice war orange. Pro-life blue. One group believed that the opposition was waging an attack on women's bodies and human rights. Any other group. Believe that the opposition was harming innocent unborn children and their right to life. Heading the two groups in close contact in the room made it very tense. Aaron made it clear that there was not a lot of conversation happening in that room. As a matter of fact an image from above the crowd in the center of the photo was a cluster of people wearing blue t-shirts. And they faced into the center of their circle fervently praying. The central circle of the blue. Was surrounded by people in orange. Just staring. Staring. At that center cluster. Their arm straight at their side their bodies rigid and their presents their posture. Team determined. Aggressive. Angry. Included himself and deciding that in that moment he didn't need to talk with. Anyone wearing a blue t-shirt. To know who they voted for in the last election. He knew what kind of car. Bayonne. He knew what kind of church they attended. And he said. He knew how they kept their lawns. Which apparently in texas. Is. A defining issue. Apparently those who are more conservative have neat and tidy lawns and those who are more liberal perhaps don't i don't know. Later in his story he showed us another image. When woman wearing an orange tea. And one is wearing blue. They're holding hands. And each woman. Is holding her own face. They wait. Listening to that debate in the legislature. It's my assumption that they knew each other before this moment. There must be a shared life story that brings them together. Those deeper questions asked and answered. Despite their obvious. Differences on this one issue. Differences that they feel strongly enough. To proclaim in color. To the community that surrounds them. There's a powerful sense of belonging when we are a part of a group you will often see me in public at. Mitchell's wearing a standing on the side of love t-shirt that is yellow. We are larger. Then one. So. And it's important to know where we stand on issues whether it's within our own families. Play terry tempest williams. New about. Her beliefs and her. Neighbors families neighbors beliefs. Where the issues that would put the played out on a national level. On that day. In the texas legislature. I would be wearing an orange. T-shirt. To identify myself as pro-choice i know i would be. Because i feel so strongly about reproductive rights. I could be one of those people standing around though in those praying people. But he would serve. A larger good. If i were one of those two women. Listening. To the legislators discussion. And holding hands. I'd like to believe. So i could have a connection with someone whose opinion is so different from mine. In theory that sounds so good. So right. I would take a lot of practice. I'd like to think that i could be walking through those maine woods with ray mcdonald. And realize that our differences wouldn't define our relationship. That advanced level of finding the sacred and others doesn't come without. Practice everyday. And it starts when we risk building those britches. When the stakes are not so high and we have the chance to. Step into. A ball pit. On a sidewalk. How to ask somebody we don't know very well. Something beyond. And what do you do. Making conversation is always a little like stepping out onto the high-wire. But the courage comes easier with practice. And then when we are standing in the center of a circle in prayer and maybe we will be there. We would dare to look into the faces of those who surround it to look up into their faces and not just down. And if we are standing around a circle of people in prayer and we may be there. We will shift our shoulders and not stand so rich it. That's. The kind of human communion. I wish for all of us. I did that i say. Amen. Spirit of life. Sometimes we are masterful. Sometimes we are all artists at life. N3 listening. Encouraging. And speaking honestly about our own lives we sift through words. With another and discover the truth. A truth that has been elusive. And it serves a larger good. Spirit of life and love. These moments wait process like o'brien fruit hanging from the trees like clusters of grapes growing heavy in the vineyards. These are the moments when we know we are more than one soul and one connection at a time we create a safer world with a best in human hearts can be known each of us is a part of an intricate web of relationships when one of us celebrates a joy for grieves the loss the web of life to a new shape we are apart of the turn of the earth the shift of the stars the pull of the sea and all change invite you to sing comfort me and the hymn number is not there intentionally. Please take hands around and remember that we have to first before we do any conversations vote some wonderful new young minister the right to be ordained here if it is the willing of. This congregation. Blessings on this gathering. You go forth in love. A come together with those who know and those who don't know yet. Put a new level. Of being. Lattice gathering say amen.

uudavispodcast_org

2018-01-28-Making-Joyful-Space-for-Otherness.mp3?_=1

Sunday sermons from unitarian universalist church of davis california. org for further information. And today. You're welcome here. If this is your first time here we hope that you will stop by our welcome table in the social hall so that we can get a chance to know you a little better. To knowledge all that is being held by the people in this room. We like. At one pillar candle. The world. For the moments that weigh heavy on our hearts. And we like the second pillar candle for the joys of the world. For the moments of hope. And celebration. Now. Let us enter ourselves. In worship through music. Enable. Before the reading of theology. And especially for those of you perhaps unitarian universalism. Universal. I would not condemn anyone to eternal hell. Humanistic version of this idea can just be the total rejection of the concept of original stan hell. Or needing any salvation or god at all. Geology. Basic undercurrent and needs. We are born into original. And that's just wonderful. Even with underlying theme of originals. This particular story. Different libraries have been written. How about jack this short story. The part of the story that will be working at today. It's a look at what it says about us. What is the relevance of the fact that this story. Human story. Aware of all the potential theology. Cain and abel. Genesis chapter 4. Verses 1 through 16. We're going to work on this a little bit in the sermon. Saying i have produced a man with the help of the lord. Abel was a keeper of sheep. And kane brown. In the course of time came to the ground. And abel for his part. Brock of the first wing of his flock. And offering. Why are you angry. If you do well will you not be accepted. And if you do not desire is for you. You must master it. In the field. I do not know am i my brother's keeper. Your brother's blood is crying out to be from the ground and now you are cursed from the ground which is opened its mouth. Your brother's blood from your hands. You will be under on the earth. Cain said to the lord my punishment is greater than i can bear to be away from the. From the presence of the lord. I'm settled in the land of nod. East of eden. We heard. Still swell. Shepherd. I guess she was paleo. Perhaps. Fighting begins. Begin the other. Set up to. Outside. Human life. The most sold books in the world. At the very first exist. The other ring begins and all of a sudden with only four people in the world total. Reynolds construction. Any celsius. And yosemite sam. Is he did not have space in his heart. Earnest. Bugs bunny represent. Enable. The other ring begin from the virtual beginning of our existence and continued. Annual celebration of abraham. And it is about this other ring. How this leads to conflict. Exist in a human's. Intention. To overcome this tenancy. To overcome these habits. Also a. Celebration of abraham. The celebration we needed a simple definition of uttering. Will oversimplified maybe but i think it gets the job done. Action of separating. Marginalizing and diminishing others. For justifying one's own superiority. Required definition. The identification. And acknowledgement. Differences and diversity. That can be celebrated. And other. And making joyful space in our hearts for other nuts. Bugs bunny. Obviously. I made a startling discovery. I had a tendency to say to myself something like. I just suddenly changed. And then said to myself. It was amazing how much better i got with the intention to do the right thing. Replacing the anxious negative rating of not doing the wrong thing. One of those bumper stickers. Bumper sticker is still the dominant paradigm. Replace it with a better one. Absent from humans. Because everyone is somehow different from everyone else. And it's easy for this ages old tablet. Other rings to work in the background. Right there in the foreground. And we all know. And if we don't intend to overcome a habit. It makes itself with each repetition. It's actually just. To be like me. The comes from that there are worth. Rochelle. Asia. Title the same but i don't. Example. With stephen colbert. And pretending to not see them. It makes it worse not better strengthen. Habit. Grayscale talks about this saying. Display. And this final point may be the most important thing that we must understand about racist people. Difference between. A person's work or making institutional decisions based on race. Understanding human condition. Incorporated. Aspects of the human condition. Incorporated. As we grow and thrive as a community of people. Optimistic. Statement statement. To grow as a community. This is not talking about those who for example for racism. Need a little more than habit changing. Something else. God. It is something that. I can tell i'm getting in trouble. Gospel of john chapter 8. Universal. Contact center. Unitarian universalist original sin in the first place so. I really need it. A little bit. Original sin. Probably not. Little section of the sermon now. Project implicit. Biased website. Before entering and engaging with the website. If you are unprepared to encounter interpretations. You may prefer to examine general information about the i-80. Before deciding whether or not to proceed. Unquote. This is because the results can be unpleasant. Different questions. Basically. Associate. With a picture of a white person. People of color more time as well. In our society. And they basically americans without it. Well. In the 1790. That's what they called the paper of man payne says almost exactly the opposite. American revolutionary war. Having it read to them. Infighting despotism. Toleration is not. The opposite of in toleration. What is the counterfeit. Are despotisms. And the other. I'm granting it. The right of withholding. Liberty of conscience or any right. And the right granting it. It's basically in a nutshell the institutional other impression that we need to struggle with. Have the right to decide when to give some right. Away from the ownership of the right themselves. Which brings us back. And making joyful space. For other next. Identification and acknowledgement of our differences and diversity. Celebrated. Why not approach others. This way. Different or i will. Whatever. And how much difference brings me. Imagine intending to find the joy. Hemisphere differences. The first way is the problem. S. I know. Define particular person of the moment. What is habits can be altered we can make space for. And not blaming when one has fallen off the path. Just getting back on. How much change might happen if instead of altering. We intend to find the joy. Sometime. Triple changer in the differences. No matter how. We make more space. In our hearts for autonomous. And striped. Every single time a little bit. Every single time maybe a little one little step at a time. For us to force others to do the right thing. Grace charles words about the differences. Incorporated. As we grow as a community of people. Hockey goal sometimes seeming far away. And maybe the best we can hope for is to be progressing towards living together. Intentionally replacing that in ourselves and in our institutions. Bit by bit maybe small steps. Time perhaps. With making space in our hearts for other nurse. Finding the. In our differences. Making in our hearts. Earnest. May we allow people to be visible. Risk game. Knowing that we may not understand another's differences. We are not one. Meaning we are not the same. And understanding is not a smooth path. Miscommunication. Instead of assuming. If we with our intention to understand. Lead with our intention to create. And wait. For their answer. Bridging. Understanding. Including. The understanding dinner. Neighbors. And when there are two siblings. Is a part of an intricate web of relationships. When one of us celebrate the joy or grieves allah. We are apart of the earth. Shift of the stars. To extinguish for me so i can stay there. We extinguish. If a little. The pillar candle. For the sorrows that we. Do take with us and carry with us. Do not leave behind the wisdom that we heard here and the joy and the community as well.

uudavispodcast_org

2013-02-10_Worship_A-Scoop-of-Rice_ED_11_15.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california www.org for further information. Good morning everyone is my daughter grace range and we'd like to welcome everyone. Where we come to the sanctuary to celebrate the beauty of the earth and to be in community this congregation comforts us when we know loss and celebrates our best dreams. This is a place where we grow and care for each other. The holy is experienced here in many ways and is given many names. People of all sexual orientations and gender identities are celebrated. We welcome all races and classes and physical abilities. We have much to learn from each other and when we work together we can make. We can make wonderful things happen this is a place of change. Weather because of the touch of a friend the words and music. For a moment of silence may you feel more alive this morning. Listen to your life. Listen. Do your life. Seed for the fathomless mystery that it is. In the boredom and the pain of it. No less than the excitement in gladness. Touch. Tased. Smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it. Because in the last analysis. All moments. All moments. Are key moments. And life itself is grace. This morning we are invited into a time of gladness when we are asked to be alive. Alive and awake at every moment. And ingratitude. Come and let us worship together. The preparation for this service. And this message i've been in the making for many many months. And our congregation members have asked us to join them in. And living the vision for this church. Which child is welcomed into this congregation. The family stands before us in this place right in front of me and we sing to them. There's an arc around the space. And we are one community here. And when a person has died. Whether they are exclusive skins us or someone we didn't know we take hands around the room and we'll be doing that today. And we are one family here one community. Iwan dia de los muertos comes. The day of the dead. We walk down this ramp and replace images of our beloved. On the author's beautiful altars. And in this space we become one community. When we gather water that represents where we have been through our summer months. We speak of how we were changed and not just where the water came from and in this place we are one community. This space is the center of many of our rituals of. Bread and water and candlelight. And song. And when we send. Our members off to do social service. As we will this summer with journeys of the spirit and our youth program. This is where we bring our promise. Of another kind of support also. There's no less precious for each other than what we do in the world. And how we care for each other with our time. Were invited to express our financial supporter joy. Our commitment to come together as one community. It does not mean that we all agree. About everything together. But it does me that we agreed to be together in challenge. In compassion. And in karen. Is a thought filled. Pledge of commitment. Indeed we've asked families to speak together with children. About why do you give. And where do you give. And how much do you give. For us today here. It's a ritual of. Gratitude. And generosity and more than anything it's a ritual of possibility. And that is what you will be hearing. All day today. So. Will be inviting i am inviting you to come is families. And to offer your pledge to the church in this water communion bowl that we use. At the beginning of every church year in september if you are a visitor you may think wilson's very surprising i'm being asked to make a lifelong commitment to this church like a fun having walk through the door i know you're welcome to be in conversation with us about that and we realize that this is not the ritual for you. But we hope you'll come to get to know us better in the future. Those who are members and friends and contributing. I invite you to come down or still new ramp. And if you have a child or youth here today to pick them up they seem to be right back there along the back wall because i'm up with you and bring them with you as you make your commitment. You're invited to come. Please join me in a spirit of prayer. Today we gather in celebration. We celebrate our generosity. Which sustains this community. We celebrate our ability and our willingness. To give of ourselves. And of our resources. For a purpose that is bigger than any individual. We are full of gratitude. For this community. This group of people who rejoice with us. Who mourn with us. To challenge us. And hold us. This is a place. Where we experience that deep sense of interconnection. That holds our lives together. Enjoying them to the lives of others throughout the world. We are connected. Through the web of life to all life. When violence touches a community. It touches us all. The julie bells are going to share a piece of music. That is based on the prayer of saint francis. And it is a piece that was written to honor the victims of violence in 1999 at columbine high school. In the introduction to the piece you can hear the bells toll. Once for each individual who lost their lives in that incident. We mourned the violence that continues to take lives all around the world we remember newtown connecticut and we continue to hold in our hearts all those who die of gun violence throughout our country we hope for a paradise free from violence where the worth of each life is truly respected and so we pray the prayer of saint francis in our unitarian universalist way spirit of love. Let me be an instrument of peace. Where there is hatred. Let me sow love. When there is injury. Pardon where there is doubt faith. Where there is despair. Hope where there is darkness light where there is sadness joy oh source of creation help me not so much seek to be consoled as to consoled. To be understood. As to understand to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive it is in pardoning that we are pardoned and it is in dying that we join the life force of the universe you can listen for the rhythm of the sprayer. In the music as you continue your meditation each of us is part of an intricate web of relationships when one of us celebrates a joy or grieves a loss the web of life moves to a new shape we are apart of the turn of the earth the shift of the stars the pull of the sea and all change amen and blessed be. Vail weller will you tell us about. A scoop of rice. I should tell you who i am first my name is reverend baya weller and i serve as a special assistant to the president for major gifts at the unitarian universalist association. And i have been a minister for a number of years most recently i served our congregation in san mateo california which is where i still live. And i've long been interested in our international connections and so i have served on the uu partner church board of trustees. And have traveled with our president peter morales to ghana last may. To visit ruu uno project there. Assisting. Orphaned children those who have been orford orphan by hiv aids. It's really important program note that we support. So i am jalen and happy to be here. Picture the earth. Floating in space. Framed in black. In the expanse of infinite darkness that is our universe. Are blue planet spins. Do you remember when you first saw that image of our earth. When it's first came back from space. From that vantage point we see our vast. Planet. Looking tiny. We understand in a different way now. That we are all connected. We are bound together. Floating on this blue boat home. Another image. A cart clatters along a dusty road. About tolls signaling that worship is soon to begin. Cows with bells around their necks walk calmly along and soon or joined by people. Grandparents children. Parents with babies. All making their way to the unitarian church in the village. Where their ancestors have been worshipping for more than 400 years. In transylvania which is in romania in eastern europe. Hundreds of villages. Are unitarian. Your own partner church is in the roads. And i believe a trip to visit this partner church is being planned for july. Your congregation has been in relationship since 1999 or 2000 with this partner church. All over transylvania parishioners make their way to church each sunday with hands gnarled. From years of difficult physical labor. They have suffered under totalitarianism. And have seen people tortured. And have experienced betrayal. They are tired. But the sharing of communion sustains them. They are literally nourished. By the ancient tradition they carry forward. They find meaning in the preservation of their face. Knowing that they must pass it on. To the next generation. As the previous generations did. For them. Another image. A barn. Filled with dairy cows. Sitting on a hillside surrounded by woods. The red barn with its 2silos is no longer the home of calm contented cows. Now is a thriving unitarian universalist community. 50 years ago a group of liberal-minded people decided they wanted to pull together a church a place to raise their children together. At first they gathered around a speaker as the service was broadcast over the phone typed in over the phone. From the existing uu church. 20 miles away this was like cutting edge technology at that very cutting-edge like scary. Cutting edge technology. I am so glad that they did that dairy barn that became a church. Is my home church. The unitarian universalist church of the north hills in pittsburgh pennsylvania. That is the congregation in which i was raised. Religiously educated. And eventually ordained. That place went from being a barn. Holding dairy cows to a barn holding a light-filled sanctuary. Cutting edge green classrooms for religious education. And a stunning memorial garden. It would be a mistake to think that the founders of that church made something out of nothing. The truth of the matter is that our faith has been nourished. Sustained and strengthened by people we have never seen. We'll never meet. And can only imagine. Unitarian universalist minister peter rabil paraphrased a passage from deuteronomy when he wrote. We build on foundations we did not lay. We warm ourselves at fires we did not light. We sit in the shade of trees we did not plant. We drink from wells we did not dig. We profit from persons we did not know we are ever bound in community. In northeastern india we have a huge number. Of unitarian churches. In this very humble setting they have found a way to support the church that is very inspiring. Before cooking each meal a handful of rice is scooped out and put aside at the end of each month. A representative from the unitarian women's group. Visit each unitarian home. And collects the gathered rice. Which has been sold. 75% of the money from the rice collected goes to support the local church. And 25% to support the national unitarian body the equivalent of the unitarian universalist association there. If each household had been asked to donate money. I suspect that they that they would have struggled. Yeah we all have something to give. Carly lindo the former general secretary of the unitarian union. Northeast india says. Even the poorest families. Feel proud. That they can offer something of their daily food. To the works of god. The villagers in northeastern india surely don't have much disposable income. They have far far less than we do. Of that i am sure. And yet even in these humble circumstances. They take a scoop of rice out first. Before even feeding their own families. To support the face movement. That has enriched their lives. And i'm still working with this story i had a conversation with a colleague once and we were discussing very recently we were discussing the story. And we both realized. I realized for myself that all of the giving i have ever done in my life. Has been from the cream on the top. Not like the scoop of rice. Gift. So i'm really. Inspired by that level of generosity and dedication. I think we all have something to learn. From our unitarian. Family in northeastern india. Henna story reminds me of another statistic that i find horrifying. And it is my sacred duty to horrify you with this statistic. Did you know that statistically speaking. Unitarian universalists are the second highest earning religious group. That's just the tistic lee. You know maybe not every person but you know across the stickley. Do you know where we then. In. Comparison to other religious groups in terms of our giving to support our own face. So the very particular kind of. Question. So are giving to support our own faith you have any sense of where we might fall. What's the cure for the earlier service rodger knows dead. Last. That we're talking about that's not. Okay we want to do better. And we must. This congregation is a thriving vibrant community look to as a beacon within our own region and beyond. You are in the hands of such capable gifted leaders. Your minister and your staff are top-notch and your elected leaders are tremendous. You have creative leadership. And it is always a healthy sign when there's an ongoing influx of new leaders working with the established leaders. You do that so well. And now you're on the cusp of a new phase in your congregation's history. Your emerging into a new time and your development because of this beautiful building and all that it has made possible. It has brought so many of your dreams to reality. Now you experienced the mingling of the generations in a natural way. Your building gives you a natural place to connect to worship and socialize and eat together. It also provides renewed space for social service for example you were able to participate in the interfaith winter rotating shelter this year as a host for the first time. This is something to be really proud of. This is something to be grateful for. Pure emerging to a new time in your development because of your music program. This year you have three very talented musicians working in leadership together with death. Each one brings tremendous gift and a great spirit of collaboration. You have one of the only you you handle choirs on the west coast that's totally cool you have a music program to be so proud of and so grateful for. And you are the focus of district events. February 23rd there will be a district conference here. Transitioning church size and there's a religious education conference coming in september my point is that you are known. By other congregations and l. And you are known also as a home for engaging intergenerational multi-generational worship. You're known for your important ministry to and with university students. Helping to support the uu faith of our young adults are there any here. Yay grant. You are known as a congregation that grows and nurtures ministry. Just think of all of the ministers who have come through this congregation. And all the interns who have gotten their start here including my boss the reverend peter morales the president of our association. Your minister reverend beth banks is known to be among our associations most gifted. I just want to hold up a mirror. I just want to hold up a mirror for you. To share with you things that people on the outside think about your congregation. Reverend banks has a reputation as a stellar internship supervisor and has been called upon by the seminaries to present over these last five years. Van best sabbatical she offered an internship training curriculum the congregations are using. And she presented and trained with this at starr king school for the ministry. More and more people are becoming aware of your congregation as a wonderful teaching site. Because of you the congregation. And because of your gifted teaching minister. You can be so proud of your minister and staff you have so much to be grateful for that i want you to remember i mean whenever remember all of it but this part specifically. Completing this new beautiful building has been so important for you not only because of what you can now do for yourselves and the larger community that you couldn't before. But also because you now know that you can take on big projects. And succeed. You can have big dreams and achieve them. This is huge. In the understanding the self-image the dna of a congregation. It is transformative to accomplish such a goal so i say to you congratulations. And let that knowledge continue to lead you because it means not only that you have done it. But that you can continue to do it. And we are grateful to you i am here as a representative of the unitarian universalist association to say thank you. For making this congregation strong and healthy and for your hard work we know that it is not easy. We also want to thank you for your support of our district for your participation and your leadership. And for your support of the uua. I want to take just one moment. To remind you of what our uua is and does so stay with me it'll just take a minute but i think it's important we don't otherwise get to be reminded. Are you you a is the entity that connects us to our larger face. Mobilizing us to stand on the side of love for justice on a big scale. We can accomplish far more together than we can as separate individual congregations. It is our uua that provides religious education curricula including our whole lives the sexuality education program. As well as district and regional services of all kinds. And the credentialing program for religious educators musicians and for congregations to become green sanctuary. Are you you a facilitates the search and settlement process for congregation seeking ministerial leadership. And we support the credentialing process for ministers which is shores that the professionals. That serve our communities are excellent. That is a benefit that you get to enjoy. We offer the annual general assembly which is a profound experience for all who attend. Thank you for being stewards of our larger face. Your congregation is an honor society which means you have given your fair share to our association for decades. Thank you. The first president of the newly consolidated unitarian universalist association. Dana mcclain grace greeley. Understood the impulse that motivated my home churches founders. At the time of the consolidation of the unitarians and the universalist in the early 1960s. He wrote. Liberal religion is not an institution. It is a movement in history a set of values and a way of life. We believe in change and growth. If we have faith in the future. We must be convinced that our great heritage is insignificant. In comparison with the role of liberal religion for tomorrow. Without vision we would perish and that role would be realized by others in our stead. Start with vision and a commensurate commitment. Our own efforts may prove worthy. Of the promise of yesterday. I believe that our faith is desperately needed in the world. And that it is worth sacrificing for. Working for devoting our lives to. I suspect that you think so too. At this time of year when your congregation is asking for your annual financial commitment. I get to remind you. Of what it is you already know. But sometimes forget. Our faith is desperately needed in the world. It has changed my life and most likely yours. And it is worth sacrificing for. I cried in an airport recently. I spend a lot of time in airports. I was sitting in the waiting area preparing for my connecting flight to start boarding. The airport television channel was broadcasting blaring really above my head and it held us all captive those of us who were in the waiting area. And we have no choice other than to hear what was being said. The television told the horrific story of the young woman who had just secretly. Giving birth to twins in the bathroom of the home she shared with her parents. The babies were born full-term. Her parents hadn't known that she was pregnant. And she was so terrified. To tell them. That when the babies were born she felt that she had no choice. Other than to end their lives. I was sickened that this private tragedy was broadcast throughout the airport terminal. And i'm sorry to bring it into this sacred space this morning. Hearing it right there in the airport terminal i wept. For the babies i wept. For the young woman. And i wept for her family. Because now they will be living in the hell that they have made here. On this earth. There's another reason why i wept and this is the reason why i'm sharing it here in our worship time together. Such a tragedy is preventable. And so unnecessary. Our tradition. A congregation which provides an open conversation about sexuality and healthy choices. Is life-saving. If that young girl and her family had the rapport established to be open honest and supportive of one another and to respectfully discuss the reality of the choices she faced. There might have been. A different outcome. The fact that this church is a place where sexuality can be discussed is unique. Life-saving. And necessary for the healing of our world. We know that too many lgbt youth feel alone and unsupported. So many of them too many of them run away from home. Live in fear or in the closet. Or tragically. And their own lives. The fact that this church is a place for each of us. To become our best selves. Fully human and loving in all of our holy diversity. Is revolutionary. Life-saving. And necessary for the healing of our world. There's a quieter chandelier kind of life-saving that happens in our congregations as well. When you find your true spiritual home your life begins to move on a different trajectory. And you find that miracles unfold. When you find your calling and begin to live into your own ministry your life fez and begins to blossom when you grow spiritually you evolve in health-giving ways these congregations of ours help people to know their life's purpose. That is a very. Tremendous. Gift. What more important thing is there. And then we begin to exude gratitude and give back in any and always we can. And this is also life-saving. Life-giving. Life-affirming such a place is necessary also for the healing of our world. Right now unitarian-universalism is on the cusp of something extraordinary we are recognizing more and more. How important this gift is that we have to offer one another and the world. We are taking ourselves more seriously as a people of faith. I can tell you in my work visiting many congregations and leaders that more and more of us are tithing 10% of our income. To feel what it is like to give at a level that really demonstrates our love for our church. And what it might yet become. I count being raised in my home church as the greatest single blessing of my life. I was encouraged to become my best self. I was seen. I was heard and respected. I was introduced to role models with whom i am still in touch today. I was educated about the great religions of the world and grounded in the open-minded open-hearted intellectual and spiritual heritage of our forebears. The seven principles became my touchstone and my way of understanding right and wrong. And shaved my ability to choose how to live. By talking about me but really. I'm talking about you. That barn help to set the course for my life. But this congregation is shaping a new generation of leaders. We've gathered together this morning to celebrate with gratitude all of the blessings that are face. And this congregation have brought into our lives. And into the world. And it's so important to pause to celebrate to be grateful. And. Let me remind you that stewardship is a sacred act. One that asks us to give ourselves. And our resources. At 11. Which will truly allow. The flourishing of this congregation. For generations to come. During this pledge campaign you are being asked to raise your pledged by 10% or move one or two steps up on the giving chart. And i would invite you to do whichever of these is greater. Which is greater. It's a spiritual exercise that i invite you to consider and i know you've turned in your pledge cards. I know additions would be. Gratefully received. Really it's never too late. If you feel convicted. Whichever giving level more accurately reflects the importance of this faith in your life. I truly believe that the barn. The village the globe. The future these are all related. And affected by the choices that we make now. Your charge your mission is to live into the promise of yesterday i want to remind you. Again of the words of dana mclean greeley. Liberal religion is not an institution it is a movement in history a set of values and a way of life we believe in change and growth. If we have faith in the future we must be convinced that our great heritage. Is insignificant. In comparison with the role of liberal religion for tomorrow. Without vision we would perish and that role would be realized by others in our stead. But with vision and a commensurate commitment. Our own efforts may prove worthy of the promise of yesterday. Beloved friends in closing. Your face. Matters. What you do with it matters. For the sake of people you will never meet. Whose lives will be shaved. By what you do here now. Live into the promise of yesterday. Respond with gratitude for the blessings you have inherited. Give of your selves with abundance. And generosity. Trust that even when your own needs are not being met something larger. Is at work. Step off with gratitude step forward with joy. I meant. Thank you val. I'm thinking about how you are home congregation started in with a barn that was converted and. This congregation started in round houses and and the girl scout cabin and a sinking recently about the struggles the boy scouts continue to have and is a fine organization that i am glad that we had our heritage in the girl scouts. Kevin know it kind of is fitting it away because that the girl scouts are very embracing. And have not needed to struggle in that same way. Listen to your life. And all of its mystery. The boredom. Excitement. The stories are all worth listening to. Find the hidden heart of it because right there in that hidden heart. The connections will become clear. What joy. Celebrate the connections in your life. It happened here. And let this gathering say amen your way.

uudavispodcast_org

2014-06-08-Belonging-in-the-Tradition_10_00-.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. org for further information. Welcome to the unitarian universalist church of davis welcome to flower communion sunday welcome to this gorgeous pots windy summer morning may this be a time of joy and beauty for you may you find what you are seeking in this hour of worship. Wouldn't that be a moment of quiet or fellowship or insight may you feel yourself a part of this sacred space and community. You are welcome here. Whatever your ethnic or class background your gender identity or sexual orientation your level of ability or your political party yes really we come together with many different understandings of the sacred. Many perspectives on the divine together. We create a place of love. And transformation. One more quick thing i forgot to say today is flour communion sunday and many of you have brought flowers and during the first him and not until the first him him number eight any children or children at heart who wish to assess are invited to bring the flowers forward and put them on these two tables while we sing mother spirit father spirit so when you hear those words any children children at her to our helpful please go and bring the flowers forward thank you. Justice earth nurtures the seed which later blossoms into a beautiful flower. Let us nurture our love and caring for this congregation for other unitarians and for the people of the earth as we light this chalice mayer love and caring for each other and the earth grow like the beautiful flowers we have here today. Thank you sir. The flower communion service which we are about to celebrate was originated in 1923 by dr norbert chopok after his capture by the nazis and interment dackow tropic stood up against them and never gave up on his quest for beauty in the face of oppression we will now sing mother spirit father spirit ahem chopok road while in in nazi concentration camp. A creative mind at work so the reason we do it in this way is that actually always had little girls bring the flowers forever they was dressed and white remember the time and they would bring the flowers into the sanctuary into the church during a him. Coopering the flowers into the congregation so there's a reason why we did what we just did we retain some of the the ritual that he did originally with his congregation and you'll hear a lot more about this or some more about the ceremony this is now done throughout the united states and canada. Chris started just with a few congregation it has fed annie that we have. And traffic had some spot. About. Why. We are going to do or going to do. And in his time. People were really reacting against a very traditional message. Ava communion. We really need some of the messages behind the communion. The what can be designed for the people can be receptive. To those messages and andy's aren't those messages. The first message shows as and you can just keep looking at these flowers i talked and know that i'm speaking the truth. Please give that we bring to a community is important and creates a hole. None of us. Could have created this beauty alone. With one flower that we would bring. So here are flowers of every color. And every size all kinds of greenery all links of stem and we found a place for all of them and so it is for human being. And we need to be reminded of our own value. Our own value. Because society around us will not give us that message. It will tell us what we are supposed to look like. And how we are supposed to behave. And what we are supposed to believe. Do we need to come to a community that we trust. Where we can. Find ourselves. And live. Coo-er. That is one important message and it's living right here in front of me. The second message that i bring to this earth every year because. We need to hear it not because i wouldn't like to bring a unique and special message but because we need to hear this one in any moment. We do not give and receive equally. With our friends. Caring for members of our family. Or what we contribute to a community there times when either giving or receiving outweighs the other. Sometimes we are asked to be completely selfless. And we need to do it. Where there without joy. We need to do it. And then there are times that are far more difficult. Times when we are vulnerable. Hurting empty. Distracted. Overwhelmed by the busyness of everyday life we have all been there. And our role is to graciously. Receive. It is much more difficult for us. To receive then it is to give. Norbit topic. Wanted his people and his congregation. To remember to balance. Generosity. And gracious receiving. The story that's told is that he preached against the nazis in a service. And even though he knew that they would be coming to that service and listening in the congregation. Peaches to still give his message. Against them. And then he went home. It prepared. Weather visit because he knew they would be coming to his home. And when they came he was prepared to serve tea. To call then. To their highest sense of humanity. Even though you knew. Can you know the result. Till. Keep prepared. To give. And ask them to receive. Because when we receive we are in our most vulnerable. How many of us. When we are at a time of giving feel so good. And when we are at a time of receiving. Sometimes even feel shame. This service reminds us that we need to be present for both. Giving should not bring about a sense of pride and receiving should not bring shame. They're both the human condition and there's nothing. Lycoming into a trusted community. To practice that and leave it out. Heather's disservice. Disservice. Is our dedication to being full human beings. Wanted to see if you forgot a flower and i. I know several who did because i saw people come in and look at the table and go. Pierre part of the plan you represent the moments of life when we showed up empty-handed unwittingly i'm in just empty-handed or maybe with an empty heart. What's your part in this ritual and i thank you. If you brought flowers you represent the times in life when we show up prepared to give heart overflowing and i thank you. I thank you for bringing your flowers. Let there be no shame and no pride in either end of this equation. And today we are here with guess singing for us. Guess who just came thinking. Maybe i'll show up on this day that supposed to be 104 degrees and go and be in a nice cool place and see what they do is cool people either way. You're going to live out this message today. And here. I'm by 200 time of prayer and meditation with me in this moment. This is an invitation to gratitude for what is given to us. It comes to us in this moment in this hour. For the human condition of giving and receiving. For the safety of these walls. When their places on this earth where safety is not a given. To the unrest of war. In neighborhoods where there's more need than plenty. For the young adults we witnessed last week bridging from the time of youth. Young adults with an open door to the future. For the support of family and friends when we need them. Knowing that there are those in our world. 100 or more in yolo county. Who did not have that support. For the miracle of voices blending. End music playing supporting our spirits and lifting us and those who give the music transported i hope by their own sound. Gratefulness for being surrounded by friends known and waiting to be known the abundance. Can hear us. All these names. For the ultimate. What is also known. As god. In the name of all that is holy in our lives. All that moves us to work for justice and to create the world we dream of. Let us renew our resolution to be united in love. And in hope. Let us honor the memories of those who came before us. The great religious leaders and all those named and unnamed who gave all they had to bring about peace. And create hope in times of fear today. We remember the great check unitarian ministers norbit and myra capek. May we honor their sacrifice and their work by coming together coming together across all that divides us by uniting here as we continue to work for a better and more joyful life. For all beings who live upon the spinning globe laundering amidst the shimmering stars. Spirit of life. Bless these flowers messengers of fellowship and love made they remind us to be united in our diversity and pluralism to come together. With purpose. With our gifts of understanding. Wisdom knowledge maybe these blooms remind us of the value of our coming together. Of the hope and trust we build together in this community. May we cherish friendship and fellowship as a precious gift. Maybe not let awareness of another's talents discourage us or sully our relationship but may we realize that whatever we can do great or small the efforts of all of us are needed to do the work of love in the world. After this next piece of music the kids will be invited down to help distribute these flowers among us. As you choose a flower. Focus on its beauty as you contemplate the beauty we create. Together. At this time we invite the children and children at the heart to come forward and choose the vase of flowers each child is invited to take that bass and carry it to a row of seats as the base is passed down the row everyone is invited to select a flower choose whatever blossom or piece of greenery speaks to you each bloom each bit of plant life is precious and beautiful and its own right just as the check unitarians continue to do every year you will carry out a different flower than the one that you brought in made this bloom remind you of this religious community and the sacred work we do together. Raise up your flowers for all to see here is the bouquet here you are in one room that you are joined with another whole group.

uudavispodcast_org

Worship-2012_09_16-1115a_ED-1.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons and other recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at w.w. org for further information. Driving 9 years ago. I-70 self upside down river in southern oregon. Chelsea and fast-moving water. Bojangles guerrero ingredients to ranches in love. Fishing boat. River channel. Happened next movie describe as a series of miracles. Submerged. Awake and wellness surroundings i just remembered my just purchased for a drug bust in france record. Was quickly lifted headphones to the surface and 150 yards ministry the accident. My glasses were nowhere to be found. When i can hear live rapids children's downstream would be impossible to pass. Severe injury. Startran to my head. Where were standing in shallowater i push myself off into the current. Gravois and pull myself up and i'm sitting. Flat bottom boat. Amazon to do whatever i could to avoid the rapper's frank's ice blue. Newfound strength they would fit more tightly and paddle as hard as it's going to cost 200 yards towards aquarium. Event.. Rickenbacker iphones larosa's riding anchorhead lodge tightly between two rocks. I slept outside the world rated my life is about. I found my glasses jammed into the top of my inflating life vest. Somehow i had done the impossible to cross the line current will driving a 15 pound anchor behind me to this client. What's the value remote place. Distance i spotted another boat downstream. Frantically waving conifer health. The temperature in approach one handed me an extra or they just happen to have. Attorney david meet me at the take out a mile downstream. Define engaged about slow dripping wet stranger headed when i can consist of a river. Buddy who said we look like idiots over here. According to british teaching faith was rulers definitions. Boston has the awakening 2 full presence and awareness of all of life's possibilities. Trevor goddard. Nicole awareness of the presidents. Inside to take advantage of unexpected gifts. Such as a hidden life fast-flowing or upside-down boat dragging anchor. Summer fishing with strangers. Most of all i have faith in the spirit and resolve it dwells within me if it has m on treeline upon when i needed most. What do we usually happen at the 9:15 service. But i really want you to have the opportunity to hear from annie. Annie is our. Intern for this coming year will be with us until june. He will tell you more about herself but she's all have already graduated from seminary and at union theological school day. Do their internship. After graduation so this is the very last step for her. And i'm moving toward ordination and seeing the ministerial fellowship committee which is sort of for all of you taking your oral exams when they can ask you anything about anything trust me. And i want to thank you annie for giving us this snapshot of your lungs and also to affirm check. Told us a story about his life. And weary as i've known him for last 12 years has been a journey. Of how he understands himself as a spiritual person. And how he shares that with you so openly. And i'm hoping that you share that kind of story with each other as well. Irani. My call to ministry. Happened while i was in a bathroom. I was in my final year at an international boarding school in northern new mexico. Appending with two-year program with teens from 89 different countries. Had been an amazing experience. It also meant that i was far from home in normal illinois. Bar for my parents and brother. And far from my uu church. This particular morning i was attending a breakfast. In the home of the school's president. Along with religious and spiritual leaders. From a variety of tradition. With few minutes we were meant to process up a hill together. Towards a newly renovated on-campus sanctuary space. I was representing the student body. As well as unitarian universalism. A blessing ceremony for the reopening of this sanctuary space. Here i was. Eating pastries with. A jewish rabbi a catholic priest a methodist pastor a zen buddhist teacher. And a spiritual leader from the nearby taos pueblo indian reservation. These adults have religious authority. I was just a teenage girl in a yellow dress. I didn't belong. Yes i had spoken to my world religions teacher about an interest in ministry. That's how i haven't gotten into this mess in the first place. But. Who was i to blast our sanctuary space. I was feeling distinctly inadequate. So i did what any cautiously theistic lifelong you you might do. I took off to the bathroom. And sheepishly prayed. It doesn't the prayer of petition exactly. More of exasperation. I can't do this. And what i felt in return was. Of course you can. Have a little faith. Now i wasn't hearing voices there were no visits from angels or anything like that. But i had a moment where i could see things in perspective. Of course i could walk up that hill in my yellow dress. Of course i could add my voice to this assembly. Because. This gathering was not about me. This blessing ceremony was not about my adequacy or my qualifications. It was about nurturing the spiritual life of our diverse community. And it ended up being a lovely and meaningful ceremony. Today i had some of the qualifications that i laughed as a high-school student. I have a master of divinity from a well-known seminary. I have been vetted by some yu-gi-oh committees and there will be more to come. I have completed a summer internship as a hospital chaplain. And i have participated in many worship services. All of this learning has been so important. In order to do good ministry i need to be a competent. Aaron and self-aware as possible. Columbus reason i am deeply grateful. You have an internship with this congregation. And with your minister. Denominational leader in training interns. There are times when despite the education and the practice. I feel much like i did in that bathroom. Who am i to do this thing or that thing. And that is when it helps me to remember. My ministry. Is not about me. It is about building and nurturing unitarian universalist communities. Send that we may comfort one another. Challenge one another. And change the world together. And that is a mission i can have more than a little faith in. Reading is a brief reading. Buddy just wondering i heard. Karen chang who is really one of them. Maine. Princess. Unity this. When she rooms with diplomats and you will come to understand more about her in the future. At general assembly in the service of the living tradition she used this on ted talks so if you know what that is an inspirational speech that is broadcast fabulous. And she just refrigerant do as a poet. And i said karen. It's a unitarian universalist minister his name is when arrington. I'll talk to you about that if ever i get the chance. But here it is and it's very central to her work. Take courage friends. The way is often hard. Is never clear. Indistinct are often high. Encourage. Deep down there is another truth. You. I'm not. Hold on. Cancer reading. You are not alone. Imagine this. You are in a cambodian jail. 34 year old. His name is vishna. Michener. An early commentator ancient indian scripture explains the disease vif. The first part of vishnu. Nancy is not limited by time and space. Here is a child. A four-year-old child was not limited by time or space. Benchmade mother stand in her cell. Pressed up against the metal bars. And she raises her child up to the top run of the bars. And he angles his body so he can slip out of the cell into the passageway between the jail cell to the hallway. Do you want to call it a hallway. When is truly a baby. Baby passing through the tightest spaces lower on the door where the wrongs were closer together. The days for this important ritual even though they have to lift him up now are numbered because he's growing everyday and soon will be no way for him to fit through the cell of that. Door. He's not limited by space or time with love from the very moment he was born. In this jail. He was born in the jail. Everyday he wants to visit all 187 prisoners and these the bright time of their day. Person who receives vishna on the outside on the hallway side. Is the chinese-american reverend karen che. Karen is an attorney and she is a unitarian universalist minister. And she's there to visit the prisoners. Mishnah takes her pinky. They walk the jail visiting prisoners. She told this story at general assembly and for ted talks which is like a creative venue to hear the most cutting-edge ideas in our society. Victoria can be found in forbes magazine and the huffington post. She sure is the story whenever people need inspiration. Whenever they need hope. Whenever people need to be reminded. The bacon do space. Many of us are accustomed. To equating the words face with unquestioned belief. Accepting without challenge. However in poly and latin and hebrew faith isn't something we have it's something that we do. And i invite us to consider this different way of understanding faith. One that goes beyond what the buddhist teacher sharon salzberg called blind. Blind faith app for a commitment to one answer ask us to accept the answers of institutions and authorities to make our lives. Into an unchanging rigid answer. Blind faith. This summer after a long hike with a sierra club to yosemite one of the guides named jim. Ask me to walk a little slower and nobody had asked me to walk slower on this trip. That got my attention. The question is then. He was a man of few words like we always find him back at his tent was beheaded sent reading when everyone else was having what was known as the happy hour after the hike. Because the man of action he was the one who jumped out of his tent and chased away the black bear who is in our kitchen. But i thought he was a very courageous man to be running around. Campsite in yosemite to chase away their then he was really nervous to talk with me. So i decided i was scarier than a big black bear. Surprise. Batavia. Can i ask you some questions about religion. Go ahead come out in the course of the week that. Yes i was a minister. He's very quick to say that he wasn't looking for conversion. And i am quick to tell you that i would. Have converted him to unitarian universalist and if i thought he was open in the least. I am not shy about this. I said everywhere i've lived i've been active in the local sierra club and every sierra club meeting as it would happen has been hosted. Buy unitarian universalist congregation. So he continued with a smart sparkle in his eye you can't be all bad. He told the story that i heard from so many people. Boys studying in church school he asked questions. He asked questions and he was told. You just need to have faith. And it was a little bit of shame added in. Because he asked question. Okay lost the church as soon as possible. And he has never imagined that there could. Beer place. It would encourage a questioning mind. The back door was closed for him. He finds all that he needs in nature. But what he really wanted to do that day with to explain where he finds the holy. He didn't leave that word but that's what he wanted. To do and he couldn't wait. To tell me. Utility about the 4th in nature that shakes his spirit to its core about relationship and his love for the woman in his life. What happens between them that is at once challenging and bonding. And once you start speaking the words just pour out of him he is a deeply spiritual man. Chase. She live. In cambodia karen shade with app to accept on blind faith. It was a given. Port orchard to be accepted as the one form of interrogation. In 115 developing-country 93. I passed law. The state that those accused of a crime have a right to an attorney. I don't have the right to be interrogated free from torture those are there right. But she was told by the director one prison there is nothing that you can do karen che. If i free this one prisoner there are two thousand more in this jail alone. 80% of sound have no attorney. You're only ten attorneys in all of cambodia before the 1995. You have to do to stop torture is impossible. She was asked to have blind faith. Blind allegiance. And that. It's a radical no. In the face of possibility. Blind faith stopped our personal growth. And it stops the process for a greater justice. Sharon salzberg give us a new model when she described bright faith. We insulted if we have ever made a new discovery. I felt the server of being a convert. And i would have given this feeling to jim if i could on the floor club hike i would have. Had him walking along and telling with that kind of bright shining face. About this new. Faith had found this new church and found where he could ask all the questions he wanted. Braceface all we can see are the possibility. It's when you find a new religious home in magix the feeling you had when you found a great love. New friend. The job that was the perfect job. And you're still with the energy of life. That moment that kind of face we think we can move mountains. Trenchez brave face can be heard when she described visiting visiting another jail in cambodia. She looks into the eyes of a boy who is in prison for stealing a bicycle. And she realizes that she sent countless letters of protest were political prisoners and she would never have sent a letter for this young boy who doesn't have a high-profile name. And she knows that there are thousands upon thousands of people just like. This child. When william chan interviews was in prison for 10 years because her husband was suspected of a crime. He was not at home when the police came. To the wife became the surrogate prisoner. The police don't like to leave empty-handed. And this is likely the kind of story that put nations mother in jail. And what day is east nutwood seems like a life sentence it could be. She was filled with fervor. Sure that she could take on the world. Because of what was happening in her. What she witnessed the needs she witnessed. Beyond herself. But just in case you think that bright faith is the answer and i thought this sounded pretty wonderful. It's just a bridge. Leading to our real message this morning. As a questioning people. Salzburg called verified state is where we find unitarian universalist find a welcome challenge. This is when what we have discovered to be true. Is put to the test. Not just challenging the authorities answer which is what we love to do out there. But also the answers that we have come to within. Kincaid discovered that what she witnessed in the cambodian jails is found in many countries so if she was overwhelmed by the thousands in cambodia that was nothing to what. Was really truly wrong. 34 justice is enormous. I didn't know where and it's a fool but she felt was overwhelming. Describe a take-no-prisoners. Pun not intended. Take no prisoners person. Balanced with compassion and is kind of light up the room energy forbes magazine said. But even can. It's so much strength could not maintain doing faith. Missing her highest ideal. In the face of such as karen shay went to her spiritual guide. She's questioning questioning questioning. A buddhist meditation teacher interested i don't know what to do. You guys said remember that whatever you focus on will grow. Whatever you focus on. In your life. Will grow. She realizes the system of justice had the right lost but almost no attorneys to defend the accused. The karen begin training defense attorneys. Any more training she asked them how many of you actually defended. The accused. And there was silence. And finally one woman attorney said. When they come to us no defense is needed. Already confessed to the crime. Defense attorneys started their work with judges wouldn't change their patterns. A vertical. They were afraid. Because of what they were doing. And so all of the attorneys would go to court together. I want you to imagine this you know the attorney is afraid so all of the attorneys friend. Fellow attorneys go to the court with them together. Is one descendants. There's one attorney trying a case and then the back of the courtroom. 24 other attorneys bearing witness. Just to help. Their colleague come up against the system. You are not. Alone. When do the judge. Read someone who is so clearly innocent. And it would be an embarrassment to find. This person guilty. And it burns at that moment karen chase edwin assistant slowly slowly started to change. Any attorneys. Felt freed. To each take their own client simultaneously instead of just coming to support one attorney and then change really started to happen. You know. The carrington lived with doubt. About whether her work would change the justice system in countries. In interviews she shares that she gave confident answers to the chinese officials of course i can do that yes. But in reality she wondered where she would find financial backing. For all of those attorneys. To receive. Computers for example. She believed in her vision and get couldn't imagine asking for large donations to fund it. What you sitting at a table. With the founder. Adel computers. You couldn't imagine asking for more than $5,000. Doubted. And she asked for sure and she asked for advice to changed her methods. Verified faith is when we put our nutrients into action and find its weak points so that we can make it stronger so we can be more effective. Martin buber a great jewish philosopher. Top it doubt. Nicksface. More meaningful. Living space living our deepest ideals is a process that is tested. The changes repeatedly. I told karen shay wrestled within herself and she wrestled with the system. And that is a part of verified faith. This is the level of faith that we are most comfortable with as a religious tradition. Reply to question. We joke about anti-authoritarian struggles. But there are reasons why i don't choose the hymn with the lyrics to question is really the answer. I want more. For us. Are questioning needs to take us to a place of. Serpentine trust. I trust that. We may hold lightly and maze open to revision but trust none the less.. Human being. And that's a religion to be ready. Star energy from endless. English challenging. And debating. I trust that we find hard to give. At some point we have to be willing to suspend our disbelief. Not necessarily about the theological truth. But i did believe. In each other's trustworthiness. Chainsaw breaks character days one last level of faith. Unwavering faith. When we feel the truth in our bones. What comes after we have lived with questioning and experimentation. Is the balance between lost and found and found and lost. It's been what we know and how we move our effortlessly aligned. And this is when we do our absolute greatest work. This is when we are at our best in love. I didn't what we hope to achieve in the world to justice. Is the power found in long-term and loving relationships. Long-term partnerships in leadership. Long live commitments injustice. Karen schanoes unwavering faith. Now works in 16 countries including china and vietnam cambodia rwanda. And india. She came to a place of unwavering unwavering faith. Which protects your pinky and works. Beside the 187 jail cells in a cambodian prison. She is the one. Who would lift him up. So he can see the prisoners through the iron window in their cell. So he can see the prisoners to the iron window. If they're still. He puts his fingers through the opening and there are certain cells that are so dark. With only an opening for the food to be pushed. Through the door. At the level of the floor. Animation meme down and thrust his small hand down through into the darkness. Does the quakers say. Even when we don't know how we will reach our goal. Nicole is so very large. Even when we can't see the end. There comes a time. When we act with a kind of radical trust and with courage. And we two. Put our hand into the darkness. And trust. That we will reach something worthwhile. At the quakers day. We trust that way. Will open. And this. Is living faith. Denver. And to that i say.

uudavispodcast_org

2015-06-14-Keep-on-Movin%E2%80%99-Forward_10_00.mp3

Welcome to sunday sermons another recordings from unitarian universalist church of davis california please visit our website at www.sec.gov org-mode information. So this is the unitarian church of davis and a woodland and other towns and the counties of yolo solano even sacramento people are touching their ear jack be here for the very first time morning that you may find the service a bit unusual and that we are in a time of transition our senior minister and that caring for each other and our world is indeed a sacred value. Arkhalis lighting today comes from reverend elizabeth m strong i found it particularly fitting for today service which will in part be honoring our wonderful director of life span learning kate raymond when i learned that reverend strong was awarded the 2010 angus h mclean award for excellence in religious education she wrote today we celebrate a dream awakening today we worship with renewed hope in our hearts today we have two on the audacity of hope and dreams for the future today we begin the hard work for justice equity and compassion in all human relations today is a day like no other and it is our vision and let us worship together and celebrating a dream awakening. Today we have a conquered nation have come to a crossroad on this journey we have all been on together we as the dream team are going to be moving slowly away from organizing this congregations efforts as we find folks within this community to lead and support the proposed projects that have come out of this process i personally look forward to hearing how this process has and will continue to eat impact each of you as individuals and in truly genuine ways because of the work that has been being kind. I love hearing elizabeth strawn's words i followed her in her position at first unitarian in rochester new york where we had 900 adults and 300. Right. And you did that. And now your own son is moving into that. Age group. And it's time for you to step aside. The youths that came out of his program became involved in the district. And became leaders i'm of them returned to this congregation as leaders of youth again. Laney is especially proud of how the youth in the program that she led became integrated throughout this congregation sometimes in the sound booth sometimes teaching re sometimes of working with the children and babies sometimes as a worship associate you have seen them and it is remarkable in her eyes she affirms you have something to give you we often give flowers to the children remember we give them with no thorns and to the babies we give them with thorns and gardening gloves to the high school students which we did last week but but really i didn't want to give you a rose so i'm giving you something else. Bees giving you this because basil is savory and you are savoury. And laney. This is for you. I invite you to honor the sacred in laney by putting your hands together in a way that many religious traditions do. Honoring the sacred. And directing your hands to her. I invite you to take your hands into a make them crazy because we're going to release her and then to open them like this because we hope you will return to us. After being released in ways that work for you. To be with us. Jose everyone. To everyone must go. This is good. I know kate raymond if you would come up and stand over here. Kate might have some trepidation about what coming her way but you just wait we were looking for a live spin learning director possibly a minister for religious education we've been looking for a long time and i got this call when i was at district assembly from kate saying you may think i'm crazy but i've been doing a life in my life. And i think this job is the perfect fit for me what do you think if i apply for it and i couldn't see the little dance i was doing on the other end of the phone but i said yeah i think that would be really great. Virtually everyone in this room and people beyond grow in there. Spiritual lives. We have worked together well. And i am going to miss you so much. And i'm going to give you a special bouquet. A bunch of feet because every part of the beat is good for you write the root and even if the leaves even better so every part of what you have offered to us. Has been good. And enriching our lives. You received the district award this year for excellence in leading religious exploration lifespan learning and it was so well-received no one else. Deserve that more than you. The four are gathering. The secret. And kate. You will return to us in some new form after taking time to rest and renew. And to do that we released your kind and then we will welcome you back with open arms for whatever way you choose to come to us. Kate. Thank you. For all the nutritious goods that you have given time and you can continue to appreciate them in the great gathering. After the service hedges grove and tell them yourself how you have changed their life they have changed your life. Over the last six months the dream team has learned what you value about our church and what hopes you have for its future. You came to this church because you were seeking community because you were looking for religious education for your child or because ruu values. Resonated with you. Many of you came for the first time because you were invited by a member of this congregation and that's very important to remember as we talked about growth. And outreach. This community engagedu. When you are working on a committee or a church project when you were giving or receiving pastoral care. Or when you were carried away by a particularly moving worship experience. And then you told us about the dreams you have her archer we heard your desire for growth and visibility in the community. Your yearning for a better space for your children's religious exploration your hunger for social and climate justice work. You're longing for more connections with each other. From your dreams our team crafted proposals and asked for your commitment to them. Our plan follows from your interest in commitments. The green team's long-range plan is from that. Of a business it does not list all of the parts of our church they're working well and should continue to be supported instead it shows where there is energy for doing something new in several instances. It calls for a new task force in other parts of the plan committed volunteers will bring new energy to our existing committees to accomplish their dreams. An appendix to the plan list those committed to the proposals. These lists are not exclusive. If you see a proposal you want to put energy toward contact me or. Identified task force leader. Steve camera and charles will share with you about the new task florida forces the plan calls for. And i'll mention two examples of proposals that call for working with our existing committees. You asked for more programming and education about the abrahamic faiths. And curriculum of that spirituality from auu perspective. Those members for whom this isn't priority will work with the adult religious exploration committee. You also said you hoped for more variety and worship style. For some young adults that meant a service that was freer and did not follow up prescribed format. Others would like to see more spirituality practice practices in worcester. Some hope to have children and youth more presents and involved. Still others wish for more music more music diversity the dream team proposed that members committed to these worship changes work with reverend beth and the worship associates. To achieve their goals finally we recognize that fruitful work we did as a congregation using small group conversations. We are asking the committee on ministry to help us continue to use these conversations when we need to listen deeply and engage each other meaningfully as we move forward together. During today's offering the choir will sing a song from rent which starts out 525600 minutes how do you measure a year. My friend excel told me that our first dream team meeting was 815000 minutes ago what have we learned of connections with each other and outreach and grows there were subheadings under each of these and our conversations explored where people really wanted to become engaged believe much of the outroad outreach and growth area is really about forming and maintaining connections and much of the connections work truly involves caring for each other the volunteers we have identified and is barbara said this is not an exclusive list we know a lot of people couldn't go to the meeting on the 3rd of may but the ones we've identified and those who also wish to join will take akon numerous initiatives. The outreach and growth group considered improving our visibility in the community and wider region with innovative signage new types of the publicity upgrading our web tools or possibly even a name change that would be more inclusive of the mini naan davis people who consider this their church to still others will explore outreach strategies with the membership council including augmenting evidence at orienting and communicating with new members strengthening retention and members and intensifying outreach to young adults and young families further ideas included new means of improving transportation to the church bringing our message to those who live remotely for our homebound and developing a new member mentoring program has group of people that came on the 3rd of may we explored with the membership council ways of furthering our connections outside of sunday services and possibly resuming the neighborhood groups it was recognized in our discussions that a number of programs have been started over the years but many had not proven to be sustainable. Two of these were the neighborhood groups program and the church extended families and of the ladder only one family is still resoundingly active finally the connections area which is truly all about hearing and that is a pastor alaria. Cody has worked hard in this last year to help integrate astro work into the fabric of our community and we have thus far identified one strong leader to a picket and others who wish to continue work on this important component of a strong and supportive community. Here we can build upon the successes of the past. And learn lessons about how to create new things that will be sustainable and enriching we have learned a great deal during our time of studying our collective dreams and looking forward to the stage of putting them into action. We have also form new connections with each other as we engaged in this process. Thanks to all of you for your engagement with us. And i was saying we'll build a land verse 4 as well as leadership and the second proposal for mateen to consult with a children and youth religious exploration committee as well as the adult religious exploration committee to determine what physical needs are ideal for the religious exploration program to thrive and then children and youth re-building closer to the actuary meeting hall as in the masterplan from 2008 open and loving environment for our children i myself am included in that. Having spent the last three years with cyre i have found that this committee passionately believes in the potential of our children and works enthusiastically to nurture and teach them to be the absolute best that they can be. It has been my privilege to be associated with all of the members of this committee i have learned from them how to be a better parent and how we is a congregation can raise our children out of to make them strong leaders in our communities by teaching them the print i teaching them the principles that we all hold so dear. It is with great pleasure that i'm able to say that the dream team was able to recruit two more individuals to join this committee the future is strong with cyre behind the possibility surrounding this proposal a few of the reasons that were given as motivation where that there is a great necessity for accessibility for both children and adults in the space. Another motivating factor which held merit is that we are going to be actively looking to replace our dear kate with a permanent staff member re-building will be the charge of a new director and to create a new updated spaceman tice more candidates for this position. We also learned that a new re-building will not only facilitate the growth of our congregation but it could also facilitate the growth of our opportunities for community and give us a greater outreach potential these are just a few reasons that we have 11 individuals that have signed up on the part to be part of this particular proposal. I would like to conclude by saying from the bottom of my heart thank you for everything that you this congregation gave to this process i am sincerely changed and better because of this journey i have learned that we are strong that this congregation fights for and believes in our children and that has made me fall deeper in love with this church. When i was invited to join the dream team last september i wondered how could they be serious after all the name itself suggested that there would not be a future. Now nearly a year after joining the dream team i'm no longer a skeptic i believe we've been very successful engaging and engaging the congregation in his process starting with individual meetings with past leaders and then opening up with a memorable banquet for each to begin stating their individual dreams from this involvement in other words the ferris wheel has made its full turned and we are ready to hit the ground running. Now it's time to settle back into yourself ourselves and invite the spirit of prayer we are gathered here with each other in this beautiful sanctuary built 50 years ago by people who dreamed this church as work of devotion in this holy space we celebrate and are grateful for the love that is beyond feeling and holds us all for the truths we cherish that are greater than reason for the jaws that always and everywhere bless us for the whole year lost we know that there is pain and turmoil and justice and horror in our world we pray for strength and compassion to berra and to stay awake to all the ways in which goodness and peace are trying to break out together in this holy work each of us and all change.