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UUCA-2013-04-14-02-poem.mp3

National poetry month. But today we join uu congregations all over the world who are celebrating its spiritual beauty and power to change our lives. I'm going to read my poem. Fat chance. Having just read about the set. Who's adherence tiptoe. Around all living things. I found one adhere to my windshield. A bug that is worrying its wings. I was stunned to see him still stuck as i left for learning my daily bread. One swipe of the wipers would have been deft but then one more bug would be dead. Was it fair to erase. His small life in the name of a clear and unspoiled view. I admit i've committed insecticide by the thousands not just a few. This time let the wind accomplish the task. Nevermind that i caused its velocity surely even the heartiest bug feet would succumb to the airswift ferocity. But as i approached the four-way stop. He still clung to the class with a vengeance. Using every sub ounce of energy he had. To resist the effects of the engine. Imagine if you will. The scale of his actions in terms of his lifespan size. You're hanging on the wing of a b-52. As two years and three months pass you by. By now my distraction was thorough and pure. As i pondered his heroic deed. Lucky for us i was in the school zone which kept us from reaching top speed. And so he enjoyed his retirement years. As i putted my way down the street. But you cannot delay the inevitable fate that you're destined to meet. It's all gravy from this point forward we say looking back at our youth. Each moment is magnified to 10 times its size. Making visible. Tiny truths. You think that would slow down the passage of time. Delicious dave's. Stretched into years. But even wound down to a wonderful crawl. Your life shifts into higher gears. And so did my car. With the school in my mirror. That's traffic stacked up behind. The bugs wings were beating nearly as fast as the wheels turning around in my mind. We have to keep moving forward i said. Why do you keep holding on. The thoughts seem to reach his tiny bug-head. And then the blink-of-an-eye he was gone. Why did he mount such a titanic struggle i wondered as i drove down the hill. A warm spell in winter meant hundreds of bugs were smashing into my front grill. He may have flown straight to a flower field yard. Or into the path of a truck. But the freedom enjoy he was destined to taste. Came only when he came. Unstuck. In the spirit of creativity and receptivity may we be gathered and begin by greeting one another.

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UUCA-2013-04-21-04-sermon.mp3

Good morning again. So pleased to be with y'all this morning. And to celebrate. Earth month and nearly earth day. And i think any congregation that's brave enough to invite a recovering academic to speak to them as is my kind of congregations thank you. As as robin keller mentioned i. Read a book that came out about a year ago i'll between god and green and it tells the story of. A burgeoning evangelical climate movement. But i came to call climate care and if you all are like most folks. I hear often. There it there is such a thing or really those two things. Intersect and some kind of way and indeed they do. And what i'd like to do this morning is just share a bit of the story of that story with you and some of the. Key findings in aha moments that i had. Researching and writing about the topic. And just up front i'll quickly clarify the term event alakol as i use it. To describe theologically conservative. Protestant not necessarily politically conservative protestant. American evangelicalism is a diverse and often i'm pretty fractious patchwork of denominations and non denomination. But it's. None-the-less a coherent religious phenomenon that's marked by some core theological conviction. I myself am not an evangelical so i often get asked. Where the book came from. In the winter of 2006 there was. A full-page ad in the new york times announcing the emergence of the evangelical climate initiative. And it said boldly at the top of this ad our commitment to jesus christ compels us to solve the global warming crisis. And there were about 85 pretty senior have more moderate evangelical leaders who had signed their name. To this document. But at the time i was working for a big environmental ngo. And i was spending a lot of time in nascar country music mega church land. Mostly in rural tennessee. And i was feeling pretty frustrated by how often the environmental movement seems to just speak right past audiences that. Ostensibly trying to engage. And i was really wrestling this question of how to build. Broader and deeper public engagement. And political will on sustainability issues. That was pretty intrigued by this. Somewhat surprising ad in the new york times of all places. Conventional wisdom at the timer 2006 so. The notion was evangelicals just march in lockstep with the republican party. And yet here was this group of leaders that were standing up. And speaking out and saying something very different than the party line that that we were hearing at the time and are still hearing today. And so i thought there might be a real opportunity for impact at this intersection. Particularly because. Evangelicals are a group that environmental advocates of austin failed to engage. And they trend more skeptical about environmental issues and less concerns than do. They're at mainline protestant or catholic counterparts. And they're about 25% or more of u.s. population that as i'm sure most of you know have not been significant cultural and political influence in our country. So i. I had it off to to oxford and used my. Phd research to explore. This phenomenon and its potential for impact. And i made some some children's back to the us and toured across the american evangelical landscape. Interviewing leaders that were involved in this issue of climate care. Who were lots of different hats in that world university presidents relief and development leaders. Authors publishers megachurch pastors. I could get my hands on them i probably talk to them and i also did focus groups and evangelical churches and digested. Ballooning literature of this movement books and newsletters and sermons and blogs. I ended up with about a thousand pages of transcripts which kind of form the core of this of this book. And what i found particularly interesting was that well for a lot of folks this phenomenon seem to have arisen quite suddenly and somewhat out of the blue. But they're actually been three. Three or so decades of evangelical engagement with environmental issues but it. Preceded it and kind of paved the way making it possible. And it started really in the 70s with. Some theological reflection and mostly ivory tower sort of work. That was attempting to respond to some of the critique. That christianity was somehow an anti green religion. That it was that you know use it or lose it kind of thinking about about the planet. There was a lot of work that was done really good work and thinking and writing that was down in the 70s and 80s. And then in the early 90s we started to ski folks take that ecotheology and start to translate it into practice. I'm into various advocacy efforts. In the mid-90s if they launch to noah's ark campaign to defend the endangered species act. Using the arc as a way to. Articulate the moral necessity of protecting. Two of every species that and hopefully more than that there was a what would jesus drive campaign across the southeast meeting with policymakers and. Congregations and talking about the moral. Moral and ethical and theological issues around transportation choices and policy. And so during this time we see creation care. I kind of becoming increasingly sophisticated and less fringe less sort of. Odyssey at the at the outskirts of the evangelical community. I think it's it's important to understand that the roots of this concern about. Creation and climate. Our biblical. Obvious. Theology is very much use to make this case for christian engagement with the issue of climate change. And we hear predominantly two different streams of theology that get applied. On the one hand responsibility to care for god's creation to be stewards of the planet. And on the other hand neighborcare our responsibility to care for the poor and and most vulnerable and it's these two pieces of theology that come together. To really make this case so you hear things like genesis 27 the lord god took the man and put him in the garden of eden to work it and take care of it. And things like matthew 25:40 truly i tell you whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine you did for me. And you hear these two pieces of creation. And the people that inhabit creation coming together. I'm going to think it's really. Particularly interesting is that that theology has been paired with. Really pretty conventional messaging on science. Things that you might hear from the secular environmental group that i had been working for and on policy solutions. And so you see this weaving together of science and theology and ethics and policy to make. An event an integrated case. For action on this issue. But in a religious tradition that doesn't have a defined hierarchy like the evangelical world a good argument really is not enough. And there's no one's heard of sitting at the top. They can issue some kind of addicted inhabit. Accident cascade down so you really need a network of leaders from all of these fractious. Patchwork of denominations not denominations that we talked about. To lend an effort like this credibility and. What you heard a bit and the story that i read was that. This happened it's kind of. A quintessentially evangelical style. That story of ups isaac and houghton. Really is about. Interpersonal witnessing and conversion experiences that a lot of the leaders. That i interviewed talked about. That this network of advocates was built through. Trusted relationships having. The right messengers with the right message come together. But people they work we're trying to engage. And really leveraging a sense of shared beliefs and identity right somehow. This is not the first time sizes ever heard about climate change right but somehow hearing about it from a man who is both an expert on the issue but also shares sort of his his core lenses for for looking at the world. And his core convictions about a life of of meaning is transformative for him. And you got the sense that belief is absolutely the essential foundation. For this engagement with climate change a sense that something ultimate is at stake in the work this is not just kind of. Lobbying on capitol hill for for policy's sake that there's a deeply religious dimension. And. And that in in conducting this work you are enacting your face and a particularly powerful way. Of course this that this wouldn't be a great story without an antagonist and there is one and it's not just the changing of the climate. The religious right not surprisingly has. Has fostered a backlash against creation care and the climate advocacy of every step of the way. Calling calling global warming advocacy up rodeph movement. I'm using the eye of sauron to represent the ultimate evil of environmentalism i'm in urging christians to resist this devil. And. And i think what you hear are. Theological arguments that are made in service to a particular political ideology in a particular. Source of political power. Oftentimes theology i think in the service of free-market economics. Fundamentally anti-regulation way of looking at the world. So we start to encounter this sort of messy intersection. Of a theology and science. And and politics. I think it's particularly interesting because. This phenomenon of evangelical climate here. Starts to threaten a hard-and-fast alliance. Between the evangelical. Community in the republican party. I really thought when i did this work that i would. Be. Thinking primarily. Within this box of this particular issue. But what i found was that i was actually immersed in a much more dynamic moment within the evangelical community. There are lots of leaders who are actively critiquing to the old way of doing things. In-n-out world and saying things like. We've been so focused. On our partnership with the republican party that we have. Failed to engage issues we should care about as christian. Christian caribbean being one of those. And so you see this broadening of an agenda that that embraces sex-trafficking poverty and economic justice. Public health hiv-aids and a wider conception of moral community and concern. And along with that a partisan flexibility and an openness to collaboration and embracing of strange bedfellows even those certificates as strange as atheist climate scientists or feminists who are also working on sex trafficking issues. As i mentioned i also spent some time in in churches. And. Well i did see. Spots of grassroots engagement here and there. I did not see widespread engagement. With with creation care issues and specifically with climate change. And what i wanted to understand was kind of what's like what's going on there why is this not. Connecting. In a grassroots way more substantiv lee. And what i did hear that i think was really heartening. Was it the theology resume so people said absolutely were called to care for creation. And absolutely. Caring for the poor is essential to to what it means to be at to be a faithful christian. Weather is often a gulf between that theology on the one hand. And a willingness to engage the question of climate change on the other. And i think a number of things could have get in the way of of that. Politics is a big one. Do people see climate change as. Have been part of this broader progressive agenda that they may or may not be willing to engage there's a lot of algor bashing. These conversations there's a scientific skepticism and sense of distrust. Of science and there was also a persistent. I'm just feel logically grounded individualism an anti structuralism through a resistance to thinking more systemically about an issue like climate change. And i heard a bit about. Climate change or or really any kind of. Policy issue being a distraction from the core call to evangelism. And so i think there are there are some real challenges for. The leaders who are championing this issue in the evangelical community but ultimately i think the research really left me with. Some big reasons for help how which is always nice when he spent a lot of years i'm thinking about something. So i think this notion. Of. Christianity is an anti-green religionless. Doctor of biblical anti-environmental ism. Is clearly a mess the bible is just chock-full of theology that. Supports and even demands care for creation. And so we see religion being an increasingly important stakeholder and environmental debates believers are engaged their writing their own. Lenses and discourses to conversations about sustainability i think is really powerful. And although often times we talked about environmental issues we talked about them in terms of science or. Policy. Really issues like climate change at their core are morally fraught. Challenges that raise. Really really profound question i think. And i think we are often as a society not very well-equipped. For wrestling. With those questions and i think religion provides an incredibly rich resource. For doing just that. Questions like what does it mean to be human. On a planet that's changing and that's changing because we're changing it i mean these are kind of profound questions of ultimate meaning. Better at stake and and those are the very kinds of questions that are the bread-and-butter of religion. And i also. Found it really hopeful that in. A landscape of a public discourse that is. Really really black and white. I all too often. Ain't we often hear ourselves thinking and speaking in terms of really restrictive and unhelpful binaries i think. Especially on environmental issues so liberal vs conservative and secular versus religious and material versus spiritual and faith versus science. And in the super polarized public square i think be the example of climate care is a really rare hopeful one. That clearly religion and the environment are not anna nicole. And scientists and evangelicals are not on definitively opposing sides we see them hopping on boat together and going to tour the impacts of climate change on the arctic right. And so in in in their very being and in the work that they're doing these leaders are actively breaking down the kinds of binary. But i think lemon s2 half-truths and half solutions. Smite my greatest hope. For the book and for engagement around the topic. Is it may spawn more of that that may bring people even folks who are frequently dismissive and stereotyping of one another. And two conversation and maybe even collaboration. I'm and i look forward to some conversation perhaps with some of you all. I'm after..

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UUCA-2013-03-10-01-call2worship.mp3

I called worship comes from half the sky by nicholas kristof and sheryl wudunn. In the nineteenth century the central moral challenge was slavery. In the 20th century it was the battle against totalitarianism. We believe that in this century the paramount moral challenge will be the struggle for gender equality all over the world. In the spirit of justice seeking and compassion maybe be gathered this morning and begin by greeting one another.

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UUCA-2013-02-03-04-sermon.mp3

In the beginning. In the beginning some of us learn the story of creation from the first story of genesis in the hebrew bible. How in the beginning god created the heavens and the earth. And how the earth was a formless void. There was darkness over the deep and god's spirit hovered. Over-the-water. And how god then decided to let there be light. And that was called day. And the darkness night and the waters in the dry land. And the waters. Recalled. The fees. And god saw that it was good. How many people are in that. Not so many of us learn the story of creation from the second very different story in genesis. The one that starts with there being no water upon the earth. Until there was a flood which watered all the surfaces of the soil. And god created a garden and great rivers. Flowed from it. For many of us. Many of you. That let there be light story with this first. And second and third and fourth and fifth and sixth day and the 7th. When god rested and made it holy was the only explanation of creation we heard or read. At least until we took science classes and then perhaps only in high school. And even so one of you told me that in biology when you got to that chapter in the textbook the one on evolution. The teacher who of course was also the baseball coach took the bible. Dropped in the middle of the table in front of the class and said that everything you need to know about creation is in here. And then moved on to the next chapter. One person told me that polly the big bang because her father was a physics major. Another friend said nature of course because her mom and she did say mom was unitarian. And then there was a ministerial colleague of mine a good twenty years younger who comes from minneapolis who said and you could hear the pleasure of this memory even in a text message. That she grew up uu. So at 5 they studied creation stories from all over the world. And one sunday they made those little sand boxes for dinosaurs. And it was very cool. I also grew up just. You. Unitarian before the grand coupling with universalist and went to. School each week to a sunday school before we called it that. People be called a religious education. And on those sunday mornings in the upstairs down stairs times before intergenerational service together. Before stories were told i meant for all ages like the one we heard this morning. We to learn the stories of in the beginning or really before the beginning. Probably when i was 5 years old. The adults may well have been up in the sanctuary with the baby grand piano and bronze. By the way i wrote bronze before i knew you listening to the minister or some guest speaker talk about atomic. Theory are reading from whitman. But as far as i know they were not listening to the stories we in the classrooms were being read and then ask to make pictures about the ones on butcher paper with big thick swatches of primary colors. Stick figures. Rainbows and gardens and blue and green oceans or starry skies. When we could still see them from the houses we had in cities than in suburbs. Stories like. Mariah the wonderful the goddess of creation who's first. Breath swader into motion. And from her energy each beat of her longing. She gave birth to the world. And what a wonder. A story that is. Stories about how the rainbow came to ride across the sky and about the how the earth was made from a rolled ball. Or held on the back of a giant tortoise. Now the tortoise story is still a very ingrained one i was reminded this week by my brother who posted on facebook. Would he called some righteous cosmology. A well-known scientist some say it was bertrand russell. A great humanist. Once gave a public lecture on astronomy during which he described how the earth orbits around the sun. I'm helping son intern orbits around the center. A vast collection of stars. Call dark galaxy. At the end of the lecture a little old lady that was a little ages. At the back of the room got up and said what you told us is rubbish. It's rubbish the world is really a flat plate supported on the back of a giant tortoise. The scientist gave a superior smile before replying. What is the tortoise standing on. You are a very clever young man very clever said the old woman. But it's turtles all the way down. You got to love those facebook posting many of these stories when i was a child came from the collections put together by pioneer religious educator sophia lion saws including her classic beginnings of earth and sky. Stories old and new. In the introduction to this book she talks about the evolution of the stories of creation. And the human desire the simplehuman desire. To explain the world around us. She wrote long long ago around a campfire in the evening twilight a tribe of shepherds. Stop talking. They looked out across the valley and over the hills at the changing colors of the sky. Rose in orange beam spreading overhead. Pink fleecy clouds floating among them golden light coming from beyond. Out of nowhere. Or was it out of everywhere. There was too much greatness around for anyone to speak. The shepherds of old felt themselves. As part of something very large. And very high. And very wonderful. And it lasts someone asked from where has this great beauty come. Then another ass. And how did it all begin. At the very beginning. What she was talking about with the human tradition of myth. Creation myths in particular. Which one contemporary mythologist is called the earliest form of science. Speculation on how the world came into being. A first fumbling attempts perhaps to explain how things happen. And why things happen. Very generally miss we are told are constant among all human beings at all times because myth is a shared heritage of ancestral memories. Related consciously from generation to generation perhaps even encoded in our genes. The characters and narratives very but they contain parallel things and common threads. A universal story buried as one writer describes it in the very depths of the human spirit. What i remember about these creation stories these miss that i learned in that sunny classroom with the windows opening out to the maryland woods. With how they stirred my imagination. How they triggered drawings clumsy as they were. And my first poems captured on wideline pages and saved by my mother. In a drawer. And how what we were being taught on sunday mornings. Did not in the slightest bother my father. The humane society. Who in fact along with my mother made sure their children were exposed to many more of these stories. And visits in the summers to native american villages. Why we watch the dances to picton other tales of the beginnings of things. Of the skies and the stars. Of the rivers and the mountains of animals and people. Of this planet. This earth. It is telling to me anyway that there was so much emphasis on this kind of storytelling this emphasis on creative. Creation of mythology and unitarian religious education programs. At the height of our humanist movement. When we have the most humanist in our congregation and by the way the height of the population of our movement. When people who would describe himself this way philosophically and religiously we're in the vast majority. And it wasn't because there was no clamoring outside our congregational walls for an end to teaching evolution as science. Even if the opposition didn't call the alternative creationism yet. They were there. They were there they were loud and they were banging on the schoolhouse doors they were. In the 50s and 60. When it was okay in my congregation. To teach these stories to children. The same time. The difference i would maintain between my experiences as a child in the unitarian sunday school and perhaps some of yours was that we were not fed as it were just one imaginative story of how the world began and evolve. Not just one but multiple ones. From across the street from across cultures. And across time. And they were told to us as stories. At stories understood perhaps as fleeting literal truth as children will at a certain age. At a certain age children believe that there are flying reindeer. And tooth fairies and paul bunyan. But these stories were never told. To us with an intention. And never as single thing girly miraculous that is one manifestation of the wonder. Akumin creativity and exploration the human mind and spirit wear also. Amazing and miraculous we were taught the mind was miraculous what we could see and hear and touch. An experience directly was also miraculous. What research was like my father had discovered in those little petri dishes. And what discovered would discover still about this living planet earth was miraculous as well. Our children and their chapel this morning are being told a couple of other creation stories besides the one that we heard at the beginning of our service. And then they are being asked to draw their own creation story with those thick primal called colors in the 60° i'm sure. Who knows what combination of fantasy and scientific facts. As we now understand them. There will be and there were. If we are being effective and impactful in our faith development work with them they will be weaving in both. With as much youngjoy. And intensity. They will some of them be bringing bits and pieces of creation stories they have heard on other days as we use them in a variety of ways to encourage their spiritual growth as is appropriate to each age and stage. Which makes unitarian universalist religious education unique you know we were the first ones to realize you don't tell the same story to a three-year-old as you tell to attend euro. Or you don't expect them to hear it and the same way. They will some of them be bringing what they learned about creation about this world we live in from the visit they made in their science-based religious education class this past summer to a giant telescope. Or what they saw when they look through a microscope lens. In an article she wrote several years ago unitarian universalist liberal religious educator and self-described evolutionary evangelist. Connie barlow told a story about a time when she was guest teaching a class for young teens at a uu congregation in florida and decided to test a hunch. She asked them to tell her some creation stories from around the world. So the hands shot up and she heard about the garden of eden and about classical greek myths. And one native american story. She congratulated them now tell me she ask what's your creation story. What's your creations. Not one hand. Went.. And then she began to tell her creation story about the big bang which is also called and i love this the great radiance. About cosmic evolution and geological evolution and biological evolution and human evolution a story that is being told less and less in public school classroom. And most likely never in what she describes as an integrand and inspiring way. That she believes is humanity's best collective understanding of the way reality is. And how our history. Really happened. A story of the universe as early childhood educator maria montessori so beautifully which gives a child something a thousand times more infinet. And mysterious to reconstruct. With his or her imagination a drama that no fable can reveal. Bill bryson's a short history of nearly everything which i know you're all reading faithfully. Which is our adult study book this year and the accompanying a really short story of nearly everything aversion for children which is the 10 deer. That i am reading along with you. Is really especially in the remaining chapters we will read a gradual and thorough telling of this grand story it is a telling of the evolution story. A story as connie barlow again maintains is the most miraculous story of all. A story about have a living cell is formed she writes from the residue of explored stars. A story of a reptile taking to the air and becoming a bird a story of a mammal slipping back into the sea and becoming a whale. How miraculous and wonderful is that story to tell ourselves. Or back more than four billion years ago way before 400m million years ago when living things crawled out of the oceans and became land dwellers. At all. Is a story of amazing cost cosmic fortune if the earth came to be our home. Bison reminds us that that when you consider conditions elsewhere in the known universe the wonder is not that we use so little of our planet covered as it is with so much water and uninhabitable landmass but that we have managed to be on a planet that we can use even a little bit of. Appreciate that most places are much harsher and less welcoming to life than our mild bluewater be globe. He reminds us that so far space scientists have discovered 70 planets outside our solar system of the 10 billion trillion or so that are actually out there. But he tells us it appears that if you have a planet suitable for life you are awfully lucky. And the more advanced the life the luckier you have to be. The miracle story in this is that you have to have an excellent location. The right sort of distance from the right kind of star and you have to orbit. In the right manner. Too much nearer to the sun and everything on earth would have fried or boiled away. Too much further and everything would have frozen. Think about that for a minute. It helps a lot he says to be a twin planet with a moon like ours that keeps the earth moving at the right speed and angle otherwise we might be wobbling like a dying toppy says. It needs to be the right kind of planet the one that we have with a molten interior which created the outpouring of gases that help building atmosphere and that magnetic field that shields us from cosmic radiation and outcroppings to give us land. Instead of just a covering up water so those volcanoes and those earthquakes that are so dangerous. If we didn't have them we. Simply slip off the planet. We wouldn't be here at all. But enough waters enough oceans bodies of waters that not only transport the heat. The case that we have and other living things need to survive. They do a great favor to us they keep the world cool and stable. The trillions upon trillions of tiny marine organisms that most of us have never heard of. Capture the atmospheric carbon which falls as rain and they use it to make their tiny shells. This very act of taking in the rain and making shells. Keep the carbon from being re-evaluated into the atmosphere where would be built up as greenhouse gases. How many of you know that those little things. Did that. It's miraculous i want more miracle around this is cool stuff. It is here the bryson talks about global warming without naming it at such an interesting at the only place in the book he talks about it and he wrote it in 2003 so he didn't call that global warming. Warning us at the previous story of perfect sustainability those organism absorbing carbon for their own living purposes. Which when they died becomes limestone rock that stores the carbon in a balanced kind of way. Is changing. It's changing rapidly and alarmingly as we keep putting carmit into the atmosphere in overwhelming emmaus. An increase of 7 or more billion times every year. This story this story of putting more carbon into the atmosphere than those little organisms can handle in their little shells. It's a different story it's a disruptive story a story that could kill and will kill trees and plants and creatures. It will do that. A story that may reverse itself eventually perhaps in a mirror 60,000 years. So he says the earth is going to go on. It's going to take 60,000 years. To get it back to where it needs to be. Disbalance. With those little tiny show. My hope in those of others of us. Who's most. Powerful believable and morally useful creation stories of the universe story. Or evolution theology. Believes that if and when this story becomes deeply embedded in our collective conscience and unconscious. In our mythical dna. This very oldest of stories will impeller. To a more insistent caring for the earth. It's that mythical quality of this story that will carry us into. And cause us to act. Philosopher religion royal rule more than a decade ago that this ancient and evolving evolutionary story including the wonder that the earth could sustain live so long. And so diversely more than any other humbles us before the magnitude and the complexity of creation. He said that like no other story it bewilders us with the impossibility of our existence. Astonishes us with the interdependence of all things. And lastly makes us extremely grateful for the lives that we have. That's why i believe. That blue boat home. The song by unitarian universalist composer peter mayer is so beloved in our movement. And in this place. It has you see a mythical quality. Evoking our ancient in our enduring tie to this particular planet earth. And it's waters. And i know we sing it and we sway with it i want you to listen. Listen to this verse. Sun my sale and moon my rudder as i ply the starry sea. Leaning over the edge in wonder casting questions into the deep. Drifting here with my ship's companion. All weekend red pilgrim souls. Making our way by the lights of the harbor. In our beautiful. Blue boat.

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UUCA-2013-03-24-03-homily.mp3

On the wall in my office i have this beautiful plaque of the optimist creed that you heard during the reading. It was presented to my great-grandfather ch chapman who was named national optimist of the year. Cool right. I read the creed all the time and i always think you know there's a service in there somewhere. And then my wife and i were driving home on a road trip to and i heard the james taylor song the secret of life which you'll hear later. And i thought as a service and that one too so i just combined them. This morning i'll talk to you briefly about optimism. And share the choice that i made years ago. It is a choice. Optimism. It's not an easy choice. We live in the same world we read the same news. Pessimism. Is the easy choice. It's easy to see the wrong and everything too. The gloss over all the good in to see that highlighted bad. To walk out of the music service and say. I really liked all the songs but we sure don't pay that guy to give sermons. But we all know those people right we know those people they they go they go to a movie and they're like one of the best movie i've seen in years but terrible haircut. Or i went to the wedding and it was really beautiful but whatever believe it cash bar. Limas best film musical ever and then i'll spend 25 minutes talking about russell crowe. Optimus on the other hand might say. Saw movie and it was mad but the reaction was great really enjoyed it or i want your wedding and it was it was a mess but the bride and groom. Really in love. It's. Not what we see. It's what we focus on. And what we choose to share with the people around us. I like the line in the creed that says to talk health. Happiness and prosperity to every person you meet. Optimism is for me. It makes me feel really good. But it's also makes me feel good to see it wasn't state reflected. And other people. Some days i might smile when i just don't feel like it. And maybe somebody needed that. I needed that smile change their day. There's a certain. Vulnerability. An optimism. You have to be willing to open your heart. To try new things and sometimes those things fail. But we can choose to see failure differently. You can be crushed. You can retreat. Or you can just spread your arms wide and say how fascinating. Are you try it again or you try something new but equipped with the knowledge that you've gained. Writer vera nazarian said this. People who are too optimistic theme annoying. This is an unfortunate misinterpretation of what an optimist really is. An optimist is neither naive. Nor blind to the fact. Nor in denial of a grim reality. An optimist believes. In the optimal usage of all options available. No matter how limited. An optimist always sees the big picture how else to keep track of all the great stuff that's out there. An optimist is simply a proactive realist. An idealist. Focuses on only the best aspect of all things sometimes. Indefinite to reality. An optimist. Strives to find an effective solution. A pessimist. These little or no choices in dark times. Optimist makes choices. When bobbing for apples and idealist endlessly reaches for the best apple. A pessimist settles for the first one within reach. While an optimist drains the barrel collect the apples and makes a pie. Annoying. Yes. But oh so tasty. That's from baron is aryan. In january of both choirs. We went up to the mountain and i gave a little homily called big stupid crazy ideas. This homily in a nutshell explained why we were preparing a 75-minute major work in german with an orchestra. That at the time felt a little beyond our capabilities. The sermon boiled down to. Big stupid. stupid ideas are not so stupid. If you really believe in them. They become a road to growth. A road to something magnificent. Henry ford said whether you think you can. Or you think you can't. You're right. I love the optimist creed i love it. And i fail at it everyday. I'm not always strong enough that nothing can disturb my peace of mind. I'm not always too large for worry too noble for anger or too strong for fear but i try. I really try. It's a high bar. And i just don't cross it. But striving for it feels good. You heard the howard's in earlier the future is an infinite succession of presents. In the present moment in all present moment there are dozens hundreds thousands of things. The focus on. Optimism is not a grand formula or a secret. Just a choice. Choosing to focus on the good little things. Instead of the bad little things. Choosing to promote what you love instead of bashing what you hate. I like that once i'm going to say it again choosing to promote. What you love. Instead of bashing what you hate. Choosing kindness over cynicism hope. Over fear. Sharing a smile sharing sunshine. Enjoying those golden moments. That i believe. Is the secret of life.

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UUCA-2013-03-31-sunrise-02-prayer.mp3

As we. Prepare our hearts and minds and bodies to receive communion this morning. How to say that the bread here is set apart from the bounty of the earth. And let it be a token of all the good we receive and cannot ourselves effect. And let us with quiet hearts wait for that highest good of all the presents and spirit of god. And let the wine here outpoured to us. Be a token of the self-forgetting good. Which we must do for others if they are to share the fullness of divine blessing. Let us offer ourselves not to be minister to. But to minister. And if you would join me in prayer. Oh god bless all those gathered here this easter morning. And bless the multitude of every religion and name who gather thirsting for love and justice. We remember the fathers and mothers from the beginning of the world who sacrifice and leadership has created a better world. Thanks be to these for their benediction upon our lives. We remember all those whom we love and who love us. Both those who have passed on. And those whose presence still blesses us. Establish the work of their hands. And keep us one in spirit with them. We remember those who journey and whose sojourn in far countries. Abide with him wherever they may be. And bring them safely to their desired destination. And we remember those in distress. Guccifer in body or mind. Those who are in prison or in bonds. As bound with them. And as sufferers with them. We bear them in our heart. And pray. For their relief. We remember our enemies. If there be any who have injured us or who cherish hatred against us. May their hearts be turned. And our own. That we may live peaceably with all. If there be any whom we have wronged. Move us to make amends and to seek forgiveness at their hands. And may we freely forgive all who have wronged us. We remember the whole human family. Nations and peoples across the world. Struggling and strong. Hurting. And hole. Establish your peace in this world. May all the ends of the earth c love and justice prevail. We ask this in your many names and in the name of all that is holy and sacred. I meant.

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UUCA-2013-02-03-02-reading.mp3

I called worship this morning comes from cell biologist and uu minister. Michael tina who wrote. One of the greatest gifts that religious communities give to humanity. Is the understanding that there is in fact something greater than we are. However you might to find that thing. Perhaps what is greater than we are is the story of our planet. And perhaps we can be motivated by the desire to have our small part. In that unfathomable and gorgeous story. Having a happier ending in the one we're heading for.

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UUCA-2013-03-24-01-welcome.mp3

Good morning. Welcome to the unitarian universalist congregation we are building a faith community that changes lives. My name is don milton the third i'm the director of music here and this is music sunday. Woo. If you're visiting us this morning lucky you. We've about twice a year where i get to pick a bunch of music for service around a theme in this morning's theme is about optimism using the music of james. Taylor. If you are visiting this morning and would like to get to know us a little better there's a. In a conference room in the office wing we have a introducing tuesday a conversation between services their child care if you need it. We're called worship this morning by the words of howard zinn. To be hopeful. In bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact. Human history is a history not only of cruelty. But also of compassion. Sacrifice courage. Kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex complex history. Will determine our lives. If we see only the worst. It destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places. And there are so many. Where people have behaved magnificently. This gives us the energy to act. And at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act and however small away we don't have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents. And to live now as we think human beings should live. In defiance of all that is bad around us. Is in itself. A marvelous victory.

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UUCA-2013-04-14-01-poem.mp3

I co-authored this poem with carol anderson and one of my many backpacking trips to north georgia with ins and outs. Actually i came up simply with the title in the first line and. Carol did the rest. A cathedral of trees. Our cathedral of trees hemlock pine and hickory. With twisted skirts of rhododendron. Embrace my temporary shelter. Carpet of pine needles soften my presence here. While i sit in silence song of worship. Sole human occupant of this wooded path. Nearby. God's voice thunders and echoes as cascades of water race from mountain sources. Carving stone into caverns and monuments. Sanctuary for mosses. Salamanders. And dreams.

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BlessedJourney.mp3

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UUCA-2013-03-31-sunrise-03-exhortation.mp3

Our liberal christian unitarian and universalist forbearers taught that there is a difference between the jesus of history. And the christ of faith. They taught that jesus was not god. But rather a man in whose goodness and wisdom people might catch a glimpse of god. They taught that jesus saves souls not by virtue of his death. Which was a tragic injustice. But rather. By virtue of the example of his life. When we follow it. And live and love. As he did. On this easter sunday we remember jesus and the great love that his life and teaching magnified. And continues to magnify. In the gospels reread that on the night before he died. When he was with his disciples in an upper chamber. Jesus took bread. And broke it. Liking liking any it unto his crucified body. And poured out wine as a visible parable. Of the shedding of his blood. As we repeat this act and remembrance of him. May the spirit which kept him steadfast even unto death. Be quickened in us. We remember also that the bread and wine. I've been to followers of jesus and all ages a sign of their fellowship with him. And with one another. A source of strength. A witness to the power of sacrificial love. In overcoming every tragedy. In life. Let us follow the example of our liberal christian forebears. And renew our communion with jesus and with all the faithful servants of love and justice. From every time. And in every land.

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UUCA-2013-04-28-03-reading.mp3

Our first reading is an excerpt from interstitial integrity by japanese-american christian theologian read a nakashima brock. Interstitial life often feels like a process of being torn among several different worlds that refuse to get along. It can and it's transcendence however. Feel as if one is following the rhythms of a migrating bird. The bird cannot rest long in one place. But it finds nourishment and strength to fly on. This refusal to rest in one place. To reject a narrowing of who we are by either or decisions. Or to be placed. Always on the periphery. Is interstitial integrity. Interstitial refers to the places in between. Which are real places. Like the strong connective tissue between organs in the body that links the parts. This interstitial tea is a form of integrity. Not a state of being a door lesser than one whose identity is monocultural. As if such a thing ever really existed anymore except by self-deception. Integrity has to do with moments of entire nest. Of having no part taken away or wanting. Integrity is closely related to integration. Two acts of connecting many disparate things by holding them together. Integrity ation is ongoing renewal and restoration. Learning how to live in the tensions of holding together all the complex parts of who we are. And our second reading. It's based on a tail by chinese philosopher. Confit as written in wisdom tales around the world. There once was a man who decided to buy a new pair of shoes. He wanted the shoes to fit perfectly. So we carefully traced his toes and heels on a piece of paper. He measured the drawing and every direction and scribbled his calculations around the picture of his foot. He checked and double-checked the numbers. Finally satisfied with the accuracy of his diagram he set off on the long journey to the marketplace. Hours later he finally arrived. He reached into his pocket and realized. To his great dismay. 38 forgotten to bring the paper with his foot measurements written on it. Scolding himself all the way he hurried back home to retrieve the paper. He dashed into the house found his calculations and headed back to the market clutching the paper in his fist. It was sunset at the market when he arrived. All the shops were closed. He willed and moaned as he explained his predicament to a shopkeeper who had already packed up his wares. The shopkeeper laughed heartily and said. You foolish man. Why did you waste your time going home again to get the measurements on paper. Your feet wear with you the whole time. You could have just tried on a pair of shoes in the store. The man blushed and sheepishly said. I suppose i trusted my measurements more.

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UUCA-2013-04-14-03-poem.mp3

With poetry i can express spiritual realities not visible to daily existence. The sea. The sea king king of the world. She'll take your aching heart that weeps. And gather you into his rolling arms of salt. And rock the pain and grief away. And soothe. With surge and sweep of love like waves. You're hurt and ache. And give instead all joy and light. The sun upon the sea dawn. The brilliant light so soft the colors all the world to see with green and rose. Your silver steps race down the phone to touch the sun. And fill the hollows of pain and loss. The sea king whose strength is deep is always so and shall remain. And all the tears you weep. Can only add to depth and breadth and height. And never beat us so clear. As when we finally weep the most. And all our sorrow add to his. And follow the curl and surge of love out to sea. Out further out. Run deep run far and then. Rise like colin cloud dawn to power over the waves of night. Catch the first bright flare of light. And brim with gold and rosie son and know that all life comes to this. The surgeon flow and warm for pain the surge. Flow. The wharf. Bless.

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UUCA-2013-03-31-sunrise-01-sentences.mp3

We practice resurrection everytime we laugh. Every time we reach our hands across lines that seek to divide us every time we love the world we practice resurrection. Including ourselves. When we sing with all of our hearts. When we stand on the side of love we practice resurrection every time we confront injustice every time we love someone doesn't deserve it. Everytime we are joyful do we have considered all the facts we practice resurrection because it is our hope the hope that spring will return after a long winter. The hope that what was once dead can come back to life again. The hope that no matter how bleak life looks a phoenix will again rise from the ashes. Please join us for a moment of silent meditation.

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UUCA-2013-03-24-02-reading.mp3

Our reading this morning is the optimist creed. By christian d larson. Promise yourself. To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. To talk health. Happiness and prosperity. To every person you meet. To make all your friends feel that there is something in them. To look at the sunny side of everything. And make your optimism come true. To think only of the best. To work only for the best. And to expect. Only the best. To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others. As you are about your own. To forget the mistakes of the past. And press on the greater achievements of the future. To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you need. A smile. To give so much time to the improvement of yourself. That you have no time to criticize others. To be too large for worry. Too noble for anger. Too strong for fear. And to happy. To permit the presence of trouble. Here in summer reading.

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UUCA-2013-02-03-02-story.mp3

Interesting lee this morning the creation story that we have chosen comes from another hemisphere. Put says the same thing as the song in fact it's a pre celtic. Story of the goddess. Before the beginning. Before even the first breath was started. That started the universe turning. There was. Wishing. Just as a young mother longingly wishes the birth of her babe with tender dreaming. So was the universe conceived. By the fertile imagination of the wonderful creation. Saw her own reflection in the dark curved mirror. Of the waiting emptiness. Car brands. Stun gun. Her own possibilities. She said. Her first breath swayed her into motion. Her circles rippled larger and larger. Streaming in spirals of light through the darkness. Towards the mirror image. Expanding and contracting. And so. Was space created. Each turn of the guy or was abby's with her longing now and now i'm from the pole thing energy. Came the first. Taco time. Spinning towards her shining double. They merged with an ecstatic cry all the realms that would be. Mariah. Gave birth. To the world. Like droplets of light. The spirits of the world. The elements. Emerge. Wife. Lay down. Nims salamanders flamed. The fairies. Turn sunlight into fernand leaf. Covering those spinning earth in a mental emerald green. Undine has flowed into living streams and restless oceans. While the elves led forth the creatures. And every spirit. With human child. Flashing her bright song. Nereus irresistibly back. Towards the bright reflection of herself. In the curved mirror of space. Embracing her reflected self and spiraling back to the stores. She brought. Man. Maleness. With her. And the power. Again and again she spun out to her beloved. Was met with a shuttering impact and brought back. Vivid rainbows in poem boston. Mighty crashes of lightning and thunder wondering dreams laughter and thought. Music and memories. Her song rose to the heights. A mist covered mountains. And spread like honey across the islands and lakes. And again. She's world toward the shining on the opposite shore. And recognized. As love. As herself. Youtube the world. It was love that spun the universe round on its orbit. And love that sustain life and blue. Each other. In love. That's where all began. And. True love. That's where all. Would seek. To return.

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UUCA-2013-04-14-04-poem.mp3

Poetry is a bit like gardening the seeds sown are our joys and concerns opportunity to make art of our lives to honor our joys and concerns by creating a gentle framework where they can become a thing of beauty or humor or where they can reside one day when my children were little and i was stuck doing monday and tasks i found myself making up haikus. By writing the poetry in my mind i aligned myself with the universal flow rather than pushing back against it. And i was able to smile with the process turning the very drudgeries into things of beauty i hope. I will share one of these haikus. With you and i will end with a poem that grew out of a deeper space of love and concern i hope and sharing the last poem i honor the one who inspired it. Haiku. Folding underwear. I smile because the children are outback barefoot. My pen is empty. My pen is empty to the site. With only a trace of ink. I right just the same. I am thinking about my mother. As i write the little birds on our back porch come to the empty feeder. I know i can refill their feeder and buy new bags of seed. They can enter and leave their hanging cage. My mother has a hanging cage to a construct of her own end. Looming in her mind looming larger all the time. So that she cannot miss it. She will reap she will visit it over and over like the birds leaving her wanting an empty and wondering and thin. Mother you still have time take your time a light a light a light again and sore. Your pain still has a trace of ink. Right just the same.

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UUCA-2013-04-28-02-Call.mp3

Our call to worship this morning comes from the sufi philosopher and wise man mula nasreddine who lived in exeter in the 13th century. One day mula nazarene was walking along a deserted road. Night was falling as he spied a troop of horsemen coming toward him. Is imagination began to work. And he feared that they might rob him or force him into the army. So strong did this fear become that he left over a wall. And found himself in a graveyard. The other travelers innocent of any such motive as had been assumed by nasreddine became curious. And pursued him. When they came upon him lying motionless and sprawled against the wall. One said. Can we help you. And why are you here in this position. Nasreddine realizing his mistake responded. It is more complicated than you assume. You see i am here because of you. And you. You are here because of me. We are all here because of one another. And as such it is important to know one another. And so i invite you to please take a moment to greet those around you.

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UUCA-2013-01-06-02-reading.mp3

Please join me in the responsive reading number 470. I will as usual read the. Bold type and you'll respond with your kallax. We affirm the unfailing renewal of life. Rising from the earth. Reaching for the sun. All living creatures shall fulfill themselves. We affirm the steady growth. Of human companionship. Rising from ancient cradles and reaching for the stars. People the world over she'll seek the ways of understanding. We affirm it continuing hope. The out of every tragedy the spirits of individuals shall rise to build a better world. Amen.

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Sermonpodcast-9-11-16.mp3?_=9

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. The little stream that my brother and i called the brook. Build over the dam created west lake reservoir. And then flow downhill to middleton's pond. Before spilling over the day i'm at the other end of middleton's pond. And taking a long meandering flow downhill. Before going through a culvert under route 6. And then to kenosha lake where it disappeared. My brother and i probably. Walked klein replayed over every inch of that broke which is actually 45 miles long. And flat some points. Going gently. At some point. Dropping rapidly going downhill. So following that sometimes with our cousins or friends we would have all kinds of childhood. Adventures but if anyone. In that part of town. Refer to the bra. That stream that well wound its way through woods and fields. Was what they were talking about. Camped on the shores of lakes like that described by eb white in once more to the lake both intense and in cabin. One summer over the course of the week i'm anytime's knud. From one end of one such leg to the other and back again over. Andover andover. He was a combination of cardio exercise and meditation. Another time i've enrolled my sleeping bag on the banks of the big sur river in the mountains. About the california coast. Relatively upstream not that impressive or powerful but by the time it reached the coast. A mighty river. And i stood within sight of the seawalls in long branch new jersey. Has hurricane driven waves of pounded the stone and masonry wall and dripping raging water over the walls onto the city streets. And yes. Slow learner that i am i have body served in post-hurricane waves on the coast of may. Tranquil streams and lakes a fill-in flow from in the pounding waves of the ocean or sort of the waters of my life. But there are other kinds of waters as well roaring rivers. Call motions and plunging waterfalls. My b perience those as well. What does tranquil streams. The pounding waves. And the small lakes and ponds. Sticking my memory. And tell me something about life. But i can serve as metaphors for life for four periods or episodes. Within a lifetime. Tranquil stream slowly meandering. Speaking of the times. When life moves along. Not uneventfully without greek disruptions or struggle. Stream gently spilling downhill over rocks are moving more slowly between the bank in the woods or in fields. Stream feeling a pond or lake at one end like middleton's pond. And carrying the excess water downhill from the other end. And then they're pounding wave large and powerful crashing on rocks. Or washing away the sand. On the beach. Pounding waves even collapsing streets. Above the usual highly water line in coastal town. The one summer to the next the town on the coast of maine where i used to spend a lot of time when i was younger we watch the whole street disappear. Between one summer. And the next. And sometimes just sometimes quiet lake or title pool. Like that one in the northeast kingdom vermont and i mentioned where one can paddle back and forth without getting carried away. Do we know that water. Is the source of life that life came from great primordial ocean. We know it's the women who devised the first water communion 1980 emphasized that reality. The water each brought symbolize life in the place. They brought it from. Upon the ocean a stream. Whatever place it came from. The water was a source of life and it. Symbolize life. And the women gathered at that conference emphasized the connections of life are reflected in how. All streams. Ultimately flow to the sea. All life. Disconnected. And this reminded me of the buddhist idea. The george takei spoke about when he was here almost a year ago. Of all of ba life. Like an ocean it is like an ocean. That life is a great sea and we as individuals our lives. Are waves that appear out of that for a time but never leave it. And then disappear back into it. And dissolve into the great body of life. At the water represent. What are our can represent danger as well as life. And love and good things and growth the power and beauty of great wave crashing on rocks. And beaches and seawalls can also be dangerous. The undertow can suck a person below the surface. And carry her or him far from the shore. I've gotten caught in a couple of undertows in my life and i'd rather not do it again. The wave can wash away beaches and build them up elsewhere. And they will over years and years wear down rocks. They can also quickly move the rocks and change the shape of the shore. And a wave can appear suddenly and take a person or pier from a pier or seawall and no one ever sees him or her ever again. There's a plaque in one of the. Churches i once served. That was a memorial to a father and son i forget the first name but that was a senior and junior the last name is vinyl letter. And they were at the sea. And it isn't there both washed away and never seen again. And there's this whole story is written on a plaque. On the wall of the church in which they were both members. Pounding ocean waves can slowly but sometimes precipitously change the shape of the shore. Jamaica landscape in the seascape one knows so well become. Unfamiliar. And then an event an event can strike a life and here returning the metaphor to life. Event in stryker life like a pounding wave like a wave so powerful that knocks one down and threatens to carry. One out to see emotionally. If not physically. Like a wave that changes the shape of the shore that had been so familiar. They can be away the pounds on life. It makes it unfamiliar. Like the terrorist attacks 15 years ago today. And what happens when a person is caught in such a wave. In the ocean one cannot swim properly or control the direction of movement. Let me not even be able to stay above water. 1 strands is strained to the utmost. One may not survive but if one gets to shore. He or she is exhausted. That maybe i've overdone the metaphor water can be a symbol of the. Life in life in order to be a symbol of death but then life and death go together. We try to. Keep our live peaceful. And smoothly flowing. But it always doesn't work that way does it. It was fire and not water that rained down on september 11th 2001. But it left. Many disoriented. And lost. Some for a short time. Some to this very day. Are the 10th anniversary. The attacks. I was at the time minister of the unitarian universalist church in meriden connecticut interim minister. And we had an interfaith service at the congregational church. As part of that surface i. Read this poem by brett axle. I've used it here once or twice before. From book of poems he wrote around the time into following the. Attacks on the trade center. Call thai time i say. I begins with the disorientation and then an understanding. If something coming out of that tragedy. It's taken me this long. Just to get the idea that people are really dead. One of those people could have been any friend. Or family. Or stranger. Stranger i might have met one day and loved. Were you. The next disaster could take you from me before i got to love you. Think of the people already that i never got to love. I don't want to wait until i know you to tell you. How i have felt all this time. I love you now. I need to tell you now. Tomorrow may be too late. 5 minutes from now might be too late. For you to hear me tell you and mean it that i love you. Very very much. That you are dear to me. All my friends. All my family. And all my strangers. So let us pause in silence for. Minute or two to remember those who died that day. And the first responders and others who have died since. Do the injuries and illnesses. Attributed to the event. And the cleanup they're followed. Now come back from that reflection and. Hear another story. Less than a year after the attacks. While the world trade center site was still being cleaned up. Some of the businesses had started opening again the offices in the stores. Amazon. Day street between church and broadway. There with inside of the ruins of what had once been new york city's to tallest structures were men and women taking breaks on the sidewalk from the office buildings in the stores. Right across from century 21 the discount. Department store. This was. Just a little less than a year after the attacks. When young women dressing for business was seated on a. Outcrop of the building across the street eating her lunch others were standing outside smoking shoppers were chatting and comparing their bargains. A young man took off his jacket. Spread it on the sidewalk as a prayer rug. And bowed toward mecca in prayer. At a time when our government was sweeping of south asians in brooklyn. And that one day. No one is a hundreds of new yorkers. Bothered this young muslim. As he offered his regular prayers. Within sight of literally a block or two from where the twin towers had once stood. For some people the pounding wave had subsided or begun to subside. And i remember that scene so vividly. Because it spoke to the possibility of healing. And sharing in this nation. And his story once more to the lake e.b. white tells us a place where there is calm and peace. From his childhood and then for his son. And also bit of adventure. Lake in the mountains. He takes his son to a place where he had gone as a child and finds reaffirmation and even a sense of peace. Leaving a sense of peace in the fact that his son was sneaking around doing the stuff he had done when he was young. The mingling waters and today's ritual you bring the adventures the challenges and the joys of your lives to this place. I saw you arrive this morning with peace in your hearts. And some of you with turmoil. Perhaps some of you even in deep pain and certainly in deep worry. This religious community you can individually and together find. A place where what is good and what is good in life is affirmed. And what is painful can be healed and nursed. And to be sure it is not always tranquil here. But it is always safe and loving. There are waves and they're mostly gentle like the ripples of the lake but not always sometimes the waters do need to be stirred up. And sometimes we need to be stirred to action. So tranquil stream pounding waves and occasionally restful. Lake or pond. May you find in your lives. The waters. That heal your soul.

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Sermonpodcast-1-10-16.mp3?_=38

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. A good morning. Good to be back with you again. Usually i'm here wearing a different hat the executive director of the unitarian universalist legislative ministry but today i'm here for another reason another capacity. Ira metro district settlement representative. Also affectionately known as your msr. And when congregation loses administer my role is to act as a consultant to the congregation. Helping you move forward towards your next ministerial settlement. My role is to ensure. But by the time you're ready to vote to call your next minister. Your congregation will have had the best practices and processes that are available to you. And studied and researched this congregation in the best possible ways. So you have all the current information you need. To make that decision. Now some of you have heard this before i've been here before but i couldn't tell you searching for a minister's kind of like childbirth. That once it's over you forget all about it and don't even remember what it was it was until so. I'm in in charge of making sure that you. Are offline on what's happening in your congregation over the next 18 months. This is deities embarking on something very new and if you are new to this society or to and especially to unitarian universalism. You may have never seen something like this before. And i'm referring to our unitarian universalist ministerial search process for a new minister. Your past minister reverend kathleen has moved on. Your interim minister reverend tony has been leading you through the beginning. Of the interim process for almost six months now. There are probably many emotions surrounding this process. Anxiety about change. Excitement for something new. And maybe a little fear. For the congregation. 4 with all the congregations i've worked with that usually comes down to one or two central questions. You're hearing me right. You can hear me. Louder can you hear me alright okay and microphone okay. It's not working we working now. Okay. So what are those few questions. First one he knows what is our future hold for us. The second one is what kind of minister new minister can we expect. But more often the question is. Will the new minister be one i want. Well my colleague reverend howland you may have known him as his working in the past in hazard district executive. He wants half-jokingly wrote. Many folks feel that they will immediately recognize the perfect ministers soon as they see him. Let me finish now guys cheese. She. Works from 8 a.m. until midnight. Socializes with the congregation and is also the custodian. He makes $60 a week where's fashionable clothes. Drives a new car and gives $50 a week to social justice. She's 28 years old with 40 years of experience. Is wonderfully gentle starting lee hanson. An endlessly patient. And loved work with both the teenagers and. Spending countless hours with the seniors. She makes 15 hospital calls and home visits a week and is always in the office when needed. He can start any hey monty and knows all the words to the hymns in the new hymnal. His partner by the way. Volunteers full-time for the congregation just for the pleasure of serving. And always children his children their amazing. Is a raven raise themselves by the rays as they are raising themselves beautifully. The answer to what kind of minister a congregation can expect. Well the answer simple. When with whom the congregation can work and grow together. Into the next eight to 10 years. One who reflects the future needs of your congregation. Rather than the current needs of your congregation. Not during a search. i will meet with your congregation in some form three times and be available by phone is needed. And these services are provided by the uu a2 every annual program services. Contributing congregation without any cost to you that's my little psai have to get in there. My role. Is the coach and to guide and consult with you. Based on the training i've received through the uua transitions office. Now i suspect the past year has been very challenging for this congregation. Your ministers leaving has left a myriad of emotions. Thoughts. And reactions. And your interim minister is raising challenging questions. And questions about the future of this congregations ministry abound. Change. Is happening. Funny thing about change. It is constant as we all know. And in reality your congregation changes every single year. New people come others leave a congregations membership actually turns over about print 10% every year. A new programs and commitments arise while others dissipate. Yes change is constant. And change. It's really quite simple. Once again when this mr110 cast end in order to make room for another to begin. And one thing must end. 1 in order to make another room room for progress. When minister leaves in order for an interim minister to be hired. One interim leaves in order for a settled minister to be called. It is a simple change in the chronological progression of this congregation which has been around for. But i understand over 100 years. Minion your leadership are going into overdrive to assure that this simple seamless progression of congregational life. Is a gentleman as gentle as possible. In that transition to a new minister. Well i said change was simple and it is. But transition is not. You see. Transition change is situational. But transition is psychological. And what makes the ministerial search process so difficult is the myriad of transitions psychological transitions for the congregation experiences. On the road to a new minister. Not many of you can probably relate to this if you think about transitions you have gone through in your own lives and many of you may be going through transitions now. And you might be experiencing a little bit of the same process. William bridges in his book managing transitions making the most of change explains organizational transition. In three phases. The first is ending losing. And letting go. The second is a neutral zone phase. And the third is the new beginning. The first phase losing and letting go is marked with many emotions. Feelings of loss or morning. Maybe a little confusion and insecurity. I want to congregation loses their minister it would not be uncommon to go through such a phase regardless of the reasons. Letting go is not easy. And when a minister lee is leaving it especially difficult. Haven't had years of sharing life intimately together only as a minister and a congregation can. Can't help but generate many feelings. And it doesn't matter what the experiences with the minister have been. And each person might feel something differently. Some here today may feel a sense of loss as a trusted friend administer leaves. Others might just feel confused. Yet others might feel betrayed or angry as a congregation faces this change. Some might even feel relieved looking forward to the change. And some my. Just being different. Regardless. The most important piece during this time. Is for each person. To feel what he or she needs to feel. Talk about it. Let the feelings come whether it be shouts or tears. Let them be expressed this is the road to healing. And then in a glorious moment. And movement of transition. But the feelings go. And prepare to move forward. Now. During this process of loss and ending and usually early on many questions begin to service within the congregation. Questions like okay what do we do now or how do we choose a settled minister. And usually there is a rush to go out and get one right away i know somebody in somewhere else would be great for here let's cut his column in and be done with this. And that's basically because you're all trying to relieve that anxiety you're feeling about change. The decisions of congregation makes about its minister will affect the history of the congregation for years to come. So it's very important. Did you take your time. And tread very carefully. Do the work you need to do so that when the new minister can come. There is wonderfully. Fertile ground in which he or she can grow. Not during this transition time the roles of the uua transition office in my role. Are to help light the way in this process. Our role is to ensure you that first. You're not alone in the process. Both the office of the ua and myself and our regional staff. And i assist representative are available to help you at your request. Secondly the settlement process is laid out for you. Each step has been clearly tested defined and refined. By hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of congregations who gone on before you. You don't have to reinvent the wheel. Over decades uua has perfected a settlement process that is fair. And thorough. Non-discriminatory. And efficient. And you can read all about it if you'd like on the transition website looking for the settlement handbook. Now knowing how challenging this time can be in the life of a congregation. And the importance of the transition process do you a transfer train special ministers called interim ministers. In the art of navigating a congregation through the process. And helping you address some of the questions i booked articulated this morning. Your interim reverend johnson guide your ministerial pastoral and worship life during this rather. Anxiety. Provoking.. And helps you through the transition. This afternoon i will meet. You're bored. These two. Explain their responsibilities. And suggest process. Who also guide this process for. Not during that ian's room.. And probably the spring. The congregation selects the search. I need to find the ministerial. Headed the right. Each committee is elected. By the congregation and charged by the congregation. Find the best fit possible. From a pool of many. Any qualified ministers. Your search committee will spend approximately. 2:00. It's at 9 months. Serving this. Congregational. So if you are actually. Considering being on the search committee. I would suggest that you might want to. Take a hiatus from your other activities. Really demanding work. Now in spite of their work however the search committee does not make the final decision. Our congregations are. Mccratic in nature. And the ultimate authority for ministerial decisions rest with. The entire car. Congregation. Not any democracy part of the responsibility that accompanies freedom. Is a well in. Citizenry. Or in this case. A well-informed congregation. Our meeting today is the first step. Ensuring that this congregation. Well-informed. Everystep. Throughout your search process the search committee you elect will do its best. Research. And study this congregation. Through the use of surveys and cottage meeting. And its potential candidates in order to provide the best ministerial match. You understand the surveys and the cottage meetings are your opportunity.. What you would like to. The search committee then. Takes. What you have told them not what they necessary. That matches. Sodus point the congregation is entering into phase two bridges. It is the neutral zone. He describes it as the nowhere between two somewheres. Anybody ever been there. How many been there that nowhere between yeah exact. We know what they're talking about. This is the psychological no-man's-land between the old reality. And the new one. Often it is characterized by increased anxiety. Over who will come next. Sometimes previously veiled conflicts surface out of seemingly nowhere. And sometimes there's a real challenge to leadership. Sometimes people feel overloaded. As they take on the psychological burden. Of adapting to new and different ways. Sometimes attendance will drop. Often because people just. Only to have them returned. When the new minister. Ask. When the new church when the new minister comes. So if you remember one thing i say this. One thing. Let it be. Relax. This is just. The transition. Change. And it is normal. Human. I repeat. Relax. Going to be okay. This is just the. And what you maybe feel. For where you are at. Now we're to caution. Because this time of annoying can feel very uncomfortable it's not uncommon for a congregation to rush through the neutral face. Juanita shortcut the search process or only have one or two cottage mean. And that's self-study project. They want it they want to alleviate. But it's very important to take. To relieve. It's important to take. In order to make it healthy. Please keep in mind in this neutral zone. Barry and. Just as the chrysalis. They cannot be rush. Another very important reason why the second phase is so important and why it should be truncated. Is because a significant parallel activity. We'll also be happy. It's called creative inquiry. Having new temporary minister l. Allows an. Need to ask new question. Challenge old ways. To investigate yourself. The critical eye. And to create. A better understanding of who you are. And where you want to go is a. In future years. Very yeasty. This is such an important step before calling. Cuz you have to be able to evaluate. Unmatched. The skills. Qualities. Candidates. Based on the future needs of the congregation. Your search committee will be. For doing just that. Listening to you. Studying you. Just survey. Understanding this. Congregation. Street as well as it. Future goals. As it moves forward. In search of the. Based on the information that has been gathered from the congregation the search committee will develop with his. Congregational record. The congregation record or cr. Open offer. It is describing this congregation. It's setting its history. And it's dreams. The cr describes the. Get your hopes and dreams the attributes of the. Navigation. Seeking. And it is posted on the uua trance. A website for all ministers. This is jeremiah generally done by november and. A few weeks later this. Medieval game. Ministerial records. Which is equivalent of an online resume and data form that each minister whose insert stills out. And you will receive all the names of anyone who is interested in this congregation. When the names are received the selection process begins. Every year there's like to be 60 or 70 congregations and search. And maybe two or three times that many ministers. They're at least interested in exploring a new position. The fruit search committee is free to seek any minister who has expressed interest. In here and even go out and recruit some. If it happens in our transition director keith cryan is available for all kinds of constipation. I'm searching for it for other names that they may not receive. Once the names are received the search committee begins its process of renewing and refining the list until they had arrived at three or four top choices. These become the pre candidates. And usually from january to march of next year is the process goes according to plan the search committee arranges to spend a weekend week to eat to those pre candidates. They won't meet me cheap meet each candidate hear them preach and a neutral pulpit. They also be checking references and investigating all they can about these books. So that they know exactly who they are. At the same time the minister is also evaluating and determining as well. Which congregation feels like the right. There's one thing that must be emphasized here. From the time a search committee received the first names until the final candidate is announced. This is a completely. Confidential. Process. Again this is very. Confidential. Do not try. Dino dash do not control do not fly with liquor. Do not try to bribe in anyway candidate information from the search committee members they cannot tell you. Even if it's your own partner. This is extremely confidential information. Nau you rumor network is faster than verizon. Seriously many pre candidates. Do not become the final candidate and many congregations don't know that their ministers and search. So out of dignity for the ministers and the respect for the congregations that they serve. Please allow them the opportunity. To inform their congregations in their own way and in their own time by respecting the. Confidentiality. The process. Ministers come in all shapes and sizes. Inherent worth and dignity is one of our 7 principles therefore it's very important. The congregation be open. 2 wide range. Many talented ministers. That might come before them. Regardless of. Race gender physical challenges. Or orion. Sexual. To assist a congregation and being aware of possible biases for something called the. Beyond categorical. I was a little cost of the congregation. And it's available through the uua what happens is that auua. Beyond categorical. Trainer will come in and preach in the morning. Offer workshop for you in the afternoon. And help you explore if there are any. Any biases you may be holding that you're not even. And i really open that up and open our minds to be except. To all of them. Incredibly talented uu minister. So after the pre cannon dating weekends are completed the search committee will ask. One minister. Who will in their judgment serve the congregation best to be their final candidate. This happens on the 1st. Thursday in april. And if all the stars are aligned and the minister except he or she will be asked to come here. To ridgewood for an intensive nine-day.. Calling canandaigua. Some of you may have remembered that in this in the past. During the camp during that time the candidate will meet with as many people as possible participate as many activities of the congregation as possible preach the first weekend stents than the whole week with you and then preach on the second weekend. And after that second service you ask them to leave and you as a congregation will decide if this is the ministers you want to be your minister. By issuing a call to them by congregational vote. Now this is not a fait accompli. As in any democratic system members vote their conscience. A candidate is advised that. That's there's less than a 90% call that he or she should not accept. Deposition. Yeah i know but usually in my experience has been doing this for about. 27 years now. I have. Never seen it below. 95-90. Percent off and it's unanimous so. I wouldn't worry too much about that. Okay so you have called your minister now. You have made the final stage of bridges transition process. And that's called the new beginning. This is marked by a collaboration of efforts to explore and experience new ways of doing things. As you help your minister your new minister. Adjust. Can you congregation. A new community and a new home. It takes teamwork. And the good will of everyone involved. And sharing in the ministry. The future. Change is simple. It's only change. Transition is hard. But not as hard as you think. For not everything changes all at once. Their many constants before you upon which you may rest your weary bones. You respect for each other. Your belief in this faith called unitarian universalism. And your love for this congregation as it is now. And as it can be in the future. With those three things that you're boring. Let the winds of change blow. Even better yet embrace them. For they will lead you to new and exciting places.

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Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. We begin a new month this week. We started our new song of gathering and a new focus. This month's we focus on what it means to sow and to reap. I imagine many of you have heard that phrase before right you reap what you sow. That form is found in galatians in the christian scriptures but there's another more pointed version in proverbs that reads those who plant injustice will harvest disaster. I suspect earlier versions than not even existed and when i asked among my friends. This frees exist in other languages as well in hindi and japanese it's essentially equivalent you reap what you sow. In french and italian the fries that carries the same meaning is slightly different. Caruso's the wind reap the storm. This expression mean to the actions we take the things we do they have meaning they have impact they have consequences. The idea being that we plant good things good things will come if we plan. Bad things bad things will come. This morning as we gather together on this sunday before the midterm elections we gather aware that our actions matter. That the engagement and actions of our fellow americans matter. But our choice to so windoor, helps to determine what comes next. A storm or a. of. We take time to be quiet. To sit together in silence meditation reflection prayer for each of you this time is used differently i know. This morning i'm going to invite you into this time with a guided meditation. Someone ask you to settle into your seat. To let go of anything you're holding place it to your side. Start to breathe deeply and slowly. If it feels comfortable to close your eyes please do so. Relax your body and focus on your breath. Slow and deep. In and out. Now imagine that you hold a seed. In your hand. Small. Maybe ralph maybe smooth just a. Small b. Is brown in your hand. Feel it's barely perceptible wait. Imagine that right at your feet is a patch of fertile ground. You mean down to dig a hole. Not too big. And place the seed gently inside. Using your hands you cover it over with rich. Warm. You sit down beside your seat. Sunshine. And you sit. You water your seed. Breathing deeply and slowly. You said. Watching the spot where you gently. That new growth. Imagine it so slowly beginning. One little chute. Stretching up out of wet. In the silence keep breathing and watch as your seat. Was your seed the beginnings of a tree that will offer. Shade. Is it a vibrant red flower. It brings joy through beauty. Vegetable plants. Feed the hungry. The beginning of a giant bush that will offer us all. What did your seed become. How did it transform the world. Take a deep. Contained inside each seed is what it needs to grow. Doesn't always work. Quite right. But so often it does. If we offer the best of ourselves and our resources we can help be part of nurturing sustenance. Beauty and strength. We can be part of what is. Necessary for life. We can be part of chain. Take a deep. May we continue to plant and to nurture with care and attention. Aware that in planting seeds. For love. Justice. Compassion and change we can transform. So earlier this week i read a very short piece about a state representative in washington state and if any of you seeing this. Evidently he's written a very brief manual on how to as. Talkingpointsmemo.com had this article up. Wrote. Kill all non-believers and establish a christian theocracy. This is a five-term state representative. And he's been circulating this document. Which is titled biblical basis for war. Which argues that demands should be made of the populace of this country that they conform to what he deems christian values. Did they follow biblical law and then if they don't accept the terms. He recommends killing all the males. In defense of this document which has been referred to the fbi. The state rep claims that the mayflower compact was a covenant between the pilgrims and god to spread christianity. Our nation has a really complicated history when it comes to religion and government. On the one hand for a long time those in charge in this country has been christian and dominant culture still is in many ways christian on the other hand so many folks who came here because they sought religious freedom. On the other hand many of those christians in charge have spent centuries attempting to assimilate others into christianity by force and coercion. On the other hand we have firm rhetoric about the separation of church and state and yes we're up to four hands it's not simple it is complicated. I don't claim to be a constitutional expert by any stretch or even a historian of early american politics and religion. But what i am is an american with a vote. Who is grown up with his constant refrain about the separation of church and state. And the tension of all the ways. The state engages with religion and vice versa. We swear on religious texts in legal court. Right. There are american flags inside of churches. Under god is in the pledge of allegiance and so on you can i am sure imagine a hundred other ways the lines blur when it comes to this question of church and state. I think honestly that the. Strangeness of this relationship became most clear for me was the first time that i went to vote. Through my life i have been taught over and over that america is a democracy not a theocracy and that church and state are separate. So when it came time to vote i felt a little confused. Because what i had learned in church was the seven principles compassion kindness acceptance welcoming. There was no way i could see to cast my vote without my church coming in to play a little bit. Of course i reflected things became very very clear. We don't mean to say that one's religion will never impact one's participation in government or civic engagement. We mean to say that this country is founded on the principle that our government will not interfere in an individual's right to practice their religion. And that no religious institutions will interfere either in the citizenry right to have an independent vote. Or in the execution of a secular government. But doesn't mean we check our religion at the door when we vote. Or the government can't recognize the value of religion in people's lives. But there's a really important part to that relationship. Visiclear caveat. The government's respect for religion should end when that religion calls for the reduction of impeding of or denying of another human beings rights. It's similar to what we often stay in our unitarian universalist congregation. All are welcome here. But not all beliefs are behaviors are welcome. If your belief or behavior calls for the harming of others for the removal of another's right-to-life or freedom that belief is actually not welcome. Theoretically this is how america works. You are free to practice your religion exercise your right to believe but when it infringes upon another. When it asks you to kill all the males who don't conform to your belief system. Then the government can indeed stephen. The reverse hold in some sense as well america wasn't designed to have a government devoid of values and morals. Just devoid of any single religion taking over and running the show. These principles seemed clear to me then and they remain clear in my heart though of course there any number of complex situations. They require deep reflection about this and i'm sure some of you will have some for me and coffee hour. But out there i'm clear in here but how they're it's rough out there right now. Our country is right now and ideological battle ground on which the rights of real people are at stake. We have state reps writing how-to manuals for genocide and conversion. We got folks consistently using biblical grounds for arguing against abortion. Using a narrow interpretation of christianity to denigrate gay people. Using the bible as a basis for denying transgender folks their full rights. Thousands of children remain abducted and held in tampa tent camps. Asylum seekers among them small children are being spoken of as if they were a gang of armed supervillains. American indians in north dakota and other places are being stripped of voting rights. The same issue across the rest of the nation as people of color face laws designed to deprive them specifically. Of their rights. We've continued violence against people of color continued anti-semitism. It goes unnoticed and unchecked so much of the time until an event like pittsburgh. With the continued impotence regarding gun laws. Our government turns a blind eye to human rights violations around the world. We prioritize militarization over relief and tax cuts for the wealthy over the aiding of the poor the list. Could go on and on. In all of these cases. I truly believe. The people maybe not all of them but many people arguing on the other side. Believe they're basing their positions on their values. But they're voting their religion and their morals and in their minds. I believe that. And yet from where i sit. They're erasing. One of the fundamental truths of america that your values can inform your vote but your values aren't worth more than another's freedom. They aren't worth more than another's life. That's where the separation is so important. Our government was not designed to uphold some perverted understanding of christian values and i say perverted because i'm quite certain jesus would be raging the appalled by what we're doing to each other in his name. Our government was designed to limit the reach of religion exactly for moments like this. Moments when diluted profits have distorted religious truths in the name of fear and power and hate. There are so many horrible things happening and. I remember preaching the sunday after this president was elected. I remember it vividly and i remember. Preaching that we had to be vigilant. Because we don't realize what's happening until after it has happened. Across the internet there are arguments being made that we are in a very 1920s 1930s germany moment. We're in the slow but fast slide into fascism and authoritarianism. They're all sorts of chart that list out the hallmarks of dictatorship the steps to it and it's frightening to consider how far along we are. And i remember saying back then that we often will say to ourselves that can't happen here. Mountain america and then i think of that mulish poem. The idea that the end comes. Well we're going about our business doing all the normal things humans do. Telling ourselves that can't possibly be happening now. He wrote that poem in 1944 in warsaw. And i imagine that white-haired old man he speaks of too busy to actually be a prophet. Who does his work of binding his tomatoes all the while chanting to himself. There will be no other end of the world. My picture all of us myself included going on about our daily business some of us disbelieving others of us too busy to be prophets. Muttering to ourselves over and over. There will be no other end of the world. I wonder often when that moment will come that we stop. Finding the tomatoes and business-as-usual ends so that the last resistance can begin in earnest. Too often we say to ourselves not here never here. We have checks and balances to strong foundation. Not actually sure how strong the foundation is. We can't stop being vigilant now. We can't stop worrying and working to ensure that america remains a democracy. There are people working. Working for the good. This is a silly example but oprah was going door-to-door to canvass in georgia did anybody see this can you imagine he get a knock on your door and there's over telling you to vote. So funny. Activists unfurled a giant trans flag in front of the on the steps of the lincoln memorial. Groups of faith leaders make trips to the border to leave jugs of clean water for immigrants. The voter turnout is expected to be much higher than it normally is for a midterm that's a good thing. In new york state there working to raise the age of which people are tried as adults in criminal courts. Tribal governments in north dakota and elsewhere are pushing back against the voter id laws that would limit their participation. Journalists are still in spite of the threats to their lives. Getting important stories out on media platforms that remain independent. Even corporations are banding together to take stands against discrimination and fear-mongering. Religious groups banding together to show solidarity in the face of hatred. There's a lot of awful stuff going on but there's also a lot of good and i don't want you to forget that. There are a lot of people who still believe in those foundational principles. Who believed that the ultimate american ideal is justice and liberty for all even if we have yet to get it right. There are a lot of people working for the values that we teach here. And i try to preach here. Religious institutions are tax-exempt. I know many of you know this i stated again today because the status means that we have special rules we have to follow when it comes to politics. It's another one of these complicated places of church and state separation. Our congregation can only spend a certain amount of time in works that would be classified as advocacy. And i can't tell you who to vote for. Not that i would. See my earlier comments about religion and freedom. I can talk about issues however. Until my job i think in this pre-election sermon truly is to remind you first and foremost to vote. Every single one of you and to vote that with that seminole american ideal in mind. And then to vote your values yes to be a values-based voter. And i know that term has most often been claimed by the conservative right but all of us are values voters. Or we should be. We should all take that position. My internship supervisor the reverend mary katherine morin is now the ceo of the unitarian universalist service committee. And just the other day she wrote. There's an absence of our values in the actions policies and rhetoric of our leaders. Protecting the inherent worth and dignity of every human should be foundational to decision-making. In the face of these injustice has our moral compass directs us towards action this november we cannot be spectators. As we exercise our individual right and responsibility to vote. We live out our commitment to the values we hold dear. We have the opportunity to uplift human-rights up and down the ballot. Leading change at all levels. In our communities our nation and our world. Malachi the suspicion that in telling you to go vote i am preaching to the choir. But i wonder how many of you have consciously defined yourselves in the past as values voters. How many of you think about the candidates or the questions on the ballot by checking them against the seven principles. Does this candidate uphold the ideal of affirming of the interdependent web of all existence of which we are apart. Does that measure up for consideration in your village or county ensure that the inherent worth and dignity of all people is kept. 4front. Are you voting your interest or your values. And those are the questions that i truly hope each and everyone of you considers as you cast your vote on tuesday. Human nature too often leads us to vote for what is in our own best interest. Our own immediate. I have a sneaking suspicion that confusion about exactly what was in the best interests of white people in this country is partially what led us to this moment. Too often our human impulse is to think about what will protect us. Protect our status or wealth or power or children. But nowhere in our 7 principles are we called to act in self-preservation or self-interest. Know where are we called to protect the status quo or our own privilege. Quite the contrary. The seven principles switch unitarian universalist congregation sign on are not a creed they are not dogma but they are a set of ideals. For which we strive. A set of ideals that we believe among others certainly will bring us closer to the world we want to live in. In those seven principles. We affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person. Black white. American indian trans gaypor young old. Every single person without presuming to determine that one is better or more worthy than another. We affirm justice equity and compassion in our relations with each other. Being ruled not by greed or selfishness but by justice and compassion as we interact with each other. Even those who disagree with us. We affirm acceptance of one another and encouragement to growth. We believe that people can change and grow. Developing new understanding. But forgiveness and redemption are truly possible. Reaffirm a free and responsible search. For truth and meaning. The each of us can see the world and our experiences and derive meaning from that. A set of values and morals that may not match perfectly with the person next to us. Butter viable just the same. We affirm the right of conscience and the democratic process. But no matter who we are we deserve an opportunity to make our voices heard. Have a chance to help direct our own future and the future of our nation. We affirm the goal of world community with peace. Justice and liberty for all. Acknowledging that our beliefs are valuable. And our our own. But they do not supersede. Peace justice and liberty for all. And we affirm the respect for the interdependent web of which we are apart. The earth the plants all of humanity is interconnected. And our choices have an impact. Across this vast world. That carries responsibility. These ideas can be measuring sticks as you head to the polls. Set aside what benefits you personally. And front those seven principles. How will your vote affect others in your town in our nation how will your vote. Impact global relations. The environment. Take that seriously on tuesday. I realize that sometimes it can feel disheartening as we look around. Add wheat mutter to ourselves all of us busy not prophets. But when you look around you truly do see that others are making a difference. And i want you to know. Deep in your heart no. There when you vote on tuesday you're making a difference. Luke stephens royer rights in that first reading. I make my mark with at least a shred of hope that something good will come from this. Marking my vote is like kneeling in prayer because neither will accomplish anything right away. But the purpose of both is to remind me of my deepest hope for the world that i'm trying to help. Create. We cannot ever give up hope that our voices matter that our votes matter. We have to stand up for the things that we believe in. We have to make clear the values. But our liberal religion teaches us. And those values are as valid as any other set of values. We have to adhere to the original vision of this country. Imperfect and flawed though it is. The declared that all people all people have a right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness not impeded by any interpretation of scripture or any distortion of religious ethics. No matter how fervent. When you vote you are voting for the america that never has been but still can be. You're voting to create a better world of justice and compassion. With a deep understanding of what community really means. When you're voting you're acknowledging as stevens royer rights. That the who is me and us and we the people. When you vote your voting to save the world. Your vote is an act of resistance of hope of justice making and of love. I know many of you don't pray. But you damn well better verse. May the power of our voices full frozen and proclaiming our values. Help plant the seeds of justice for generations to come. To our votes our justice making our loving and our compassion may we be part of creating a better world. So may it be. May each of us honor our ideals and our privilege by casting our votes this coming tuesday. Mary voices be heard my r-values be uplifted and maybe ideals of this nation be upheld. Maybe so seeds of love and justice and take one step closer to the world we long to see. Go in peace.

www_uuridgewood_org

Sermonpodcast-4-10-16.mp3?_=28

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. Sometime in 1968. A classmate of mine in the religion department at boston university. Suggested that i check out the arlington street church. Unitarian universalist church. Facing the boston garden. Arlene was jewish. But she was dating the son of a methodist minister. So she was checking things out. At that church i found the theological openness the friendliness of its members a commitment to peace and justice and inspiration. Of the ministers such that. About a year later i decided to join. A group of us had been attending for a while met in the vestry. Yes that church has a vestry. Oh he don't know what a vestry is that's the space behind the chancel. With a door that allows the minister that go to the pulpit without walking through the people. So the minister to pop out from the store very well hidden in the plaster wall and go straight to the pulpit without passing any other human beings. In the vestry a group of us met with a student minister. We're told about the privileges of responsibilities of membership. And offered the opportunity to sign the membership book. Which although it did not date back to the late 1700s when the congregation was founded. They'd already filled at least one book up. It did go back quite some time. But there was no public ceremony or recognition something that i now find odd as i look back. Rejoining our congregation weathers in new unitarian universalist. Or as one who is moved to a new community from one where you live before with a member before it's something to honor and celebrate. It is a major life commitment. I quickly found a community. At the arlington street church and the commitment. What is some years before i began to really understand covenant. In the context of a freely gathered religious society. It's actually a few years to figure out what it meant to be a freely gathered religious society. Diet study the biblical concept of covenant and courses in the literature and theology. Of the old testament but not even an american religious history did we have anything in detail about the governance of congregations be the ancient or modern. And yet covenant. Is a key to who we are as a liberal religious people. Therefore to make sure we were all up to speed. And it doesn't take the new unitarian universalist years to figure out what this is all about. I will give a quick overview of covenant commitment. And community. Covenant is very simple it is the agreement to walk together. It is not an agreement to agree to a set of dogmas. Is not an agreement to follow a certain liturgy. Is not an agreement to take communion on the 1st or 4th sunday of the month. As some unitarian universalist church is due. It is a commitment to walk together. From the passage and amos. 3:3. Can two walk together except they be agreed. Agreed about what. Well basically agreed about walking together. Covenant is a relationship. I promise not to believe a certain thing. But to be and to do together with others. One of the oldest church covenants in what's now the united states is in. Salem massachusetts. Which is founded the first church service founded as a puritan church. In 1629. And indeed all the early massachusetts churches were puritan. Churches near covenant says. We covenant with the lord and one another. I finally start that again we covenant the lord and one with another. And do bind ourselves in the presence of god. Two walk together in all his ways. According as he is blessed to reveal himself unto us. In his blessed word of truth. Not a lot of detail theology in that statement. We're going to walk together. In the presence of god. Follow his ways. As. He chooses to reveal them in his word. Well they were good protestants and that they did not. Thai the membership this particular interpretation. Of what the scriptures might say. That's part of the puritan tradition. They had a consensus among themselves about what it meant. But they didn't. Codify that. In a specific statement. And indeed it is that openness that allowed many of the early puritan church is to eventually become unitarian. A more modern version. Is when you will find in the back of the handle dating from the 20th century. And this is used in many of our congregations. Love is the spirit of this church and service is its law. This is our great covenant. Dwell together in peace. To seek the truth in love. Had to help one another. A little more detail but not much. That's what a covenant is. Society of people who freely join together. Open religious search and experience in life together. An agreement about how to be together not exactly what they will do or exactly what they will believe. The unitarian society of ridgewood several years ago adopted what it calls its community covenant. Which is somewhat longer in more detail than either of these. Why don't you just. Remind you of the opening line and the three major points at. Any tire taxes in the insert with a new member wealth. It says we build our community on a foundation of profound. Respect and love. As we covenant together. To respect and honor diversity among us. To communicate with kindness and support. Ida foster a spirit. A generosity among us. And that is. Ensure. The covenant of this particular congregation. The covenant. In effect. Define the community by how the people will act together. And admits. A person too late by joining in that cup. Are there any aspects to community there's caring there's comfort. There's a solidarity that first come from the lightness of being in the community. But then become stronger as it. Continues even when the differences become apparent. And people need to sometimes disagree with each other and struggle together. Communities in park the sensitive people. Have when they join a congregation. Is a sense of welcome.. Has a sense of belonging is a sense of this is where i. Should be. And that's certainly the kind of sense i had when i first. Join. A church in 1969. So. But community like solidarity is not always easy you join a religious society. Because it is here that you feel at home. Because your beliefs and values are welcomed and respected. Whoever you are you are welcomed and respected. And even if when you join you know it'll be awhile to become fully part of the congregation. You. 1. Know that it is possible. Intuited is worth your while. Do you work your way into a full. Involvement and integration into the congregation. Community in this sense help shape identity. When you choose to become a unitarian universalist by joining a unitarian universalist unitarian universalist. Society you take on that identity of unitarian. Universalist. And then you learn what it really means. It's more than just a statement of purpose is in principle. It's more than the words of the covenant. It's a way we flush those out and live those out. Over year sometimes an agreement sometimes in disagreement. Hand in shaping together the way is that best nurture the spirits of those who are present in a particular. Congregation. Domain take you awhile. The felino and assumed the identity of membership. In this society and is a unitarian universalist. As you do you come to deeper understanding of covenant as the organizing force of this and other freely gathering societies. By free league i mean it's people who form the congregations. This is. The story of what's called the left wing of the protestant reformation. You're the right-wing of the reformation of the hierarchical church is episcopalian and. And end your church of england and the lutheran churches have bishops and top-down. Organization. The left wing. Are the ones. Who built up immunity spontaneously and individually. The baptist. The quakers the anabaptists the congregationalists and. Unitarian universalist. The ones who begin with the congregation. And then build a structure to support it. The salem covenant that i reach you earlier is from a puritan congregational church. But as i mentioned it it's open it's allowed that congregation to become unitarian. The last time i looked which is admittedly back in the 1990s they were still using that covenant. The coven is not a creed. He just says how we will live together. Go to providence to walk together and community and it is a profound and often challenging commitment. Disagreements within congregations. Can become heated because the stakes are so high. To the late unitarian-universalist theologian james luther adams. Austin reminded his readers and his listeners. We live by our promises. That is to say. In the context of religious community we live by our covenant. A commitment is how we live the covenant we promised after being a certain way in congregational life. It's not a highly constricted way but it establishes ordering the face. To both agree and disagree together. When we use the ancient words from salem or the more modern version of our own version. We commit to walk together and acceptance of each other's beliefs. Weather derive from. The christian heritage or from elsewhere. In the going deeper meetings we've been having on theological diversity members of this society. Articulating a wide range of beliefs. And practices that are better there's as unitarian universalist that acceptance of each other in the diversity of belief is one. Poor. Of our covenant. Equally central in my opinion is a commitment to do the work of social justice in anti-racism. Which is articulated by this society and several places. And there's another commitment which the puritans didn't articulate quite so explicitly. That is to support the society or the congregation with. Time talent and treasure. Time. Dreaming to be here regularly and reliably. For worship to grow your soul. Partaking other activities to engage more deeply with your fellow congregants. Your commitment. To be here is extremely important. Challenge. Each person has gifts. The bacon bring in addition to their just their presents. Perhaps you can sing and will join the choir. Perhaps you're good at rock at talking with people. Animal join the stewardship team or the membership committee. Now you notice i said talking with people. Not talking to people. Talking with people is a back-and-forth. And it's a real talent that not everyone has. Perhaps an artist and will expand the aesthetics of the environment of our worship space. Perhaps you are an organizer and will make an event happen. Or extend the reach of our social justice work. And finally treasurer. The covenant says that you will you're making covenant together says that you will provide regular and generous financial support to lissa ciety. That left-wing of the reformation wasn't getting any tax money. As many churches did wasn't getting anything from a hierarchy or endowment it didn't have. Large amounts of land is it catholic churches had in the monasteries it became lutheran had. Whatever they had came from the people. Who formed the society. The congregation. The community. The covenant community is one that relies on its membership. To meet the cost of its ministries. You also support. Outreach who donations to the shared plate. And affiliated organizations. Such as the unitarian universalist search committee. Service committee you have a search committee we have a service committee also. And it's an international organization. I want fact it became evident to me and my first few years is unitarian. Universalist is that. These wonderful sometimes idiosyncratic congregations. Are part of a larger worldwide movement with many parts. By the time i became a minister. I was well aware of and committed to support. Unitarian universalist service committee. Miss a little bit about it cuz in april we always try to say something about the service committee and on a new member sunday is the perfect day to mention it. The service committee began in 1939 when the reverend waits till and mrs. martha sharp. Went to prague on behalf of the american unitarian association. Tell jews and other victims of nazism to flee to safety. Formerly the unitarian service committee was organized the next year 1940. And it is similar time. Give or take a year the universalist church of america there still separate. Form a committee on social. Service which did similar work. Began with the sharps. Mission to europe. And they returned the next year 1940 with a support the organized committee. They continued their work is helping refugees free. From france and their many children. Jewish intellectuals and others. And the flaming chalice. Was devised as a design. Identify. Unitarian service committee. Locations as opposed to the red cross as opposed. Did the american friends service committee and so as opposed to the. The crescent which was muslim belief proof. Now sit i learned of the service committee's work. Over decades to advance human rights around the world beginning actually about 30 years after the sharks. Had gone out was when i began to learn these things. When i got to my first congregation in. Burbank california in late 1970s it was time for big 40th anniversary celebration which i helped plan for the los angeles area. But the range of work the service committee doesn't has does is impressive not just. The help with refugees in europe during the second world war and after. Refugee resettlement after but. In other situations such as in darfur in more recent years. In support of oppressed peoples in latin america. An expansion women's access to birth control in haiti a project it went on through the 60s and 70s in significant ways. And addressing judicial excess in the united states in the 1970s and 80s. You're the big expansion of the prison industrial complex was beginning then. And the service committee was engaged in trying to stop. Expansion. Someone ahead of other progressive groups. In this country. Service committee has partnered with local organizations to victims of disaster around the world. Including the gulf coast. United states after hurricanes katrina and rita. But elsewhere round-the-world much work for. Women's rights. And for water rights which are often connected. In developing countries. Because the women are the ones responsible for the provision of water to their family. And service committee has her decades worked on those issues. And it began. Work. Locally in los angeles. When i was there. And this is how i got introduced to this work. Run issues of excessive and unwarranted police violence against people of color. Wiz 1979. And that work goes on today. Not through usc. Sad to say but through black lives matter. Because the excessive use of violence again. Mostly young men of color but not exclusively men. Goes on. A two thousand six year after hurricanes katrina and rita devastated the gulf coast of louisiana and mississippi. I was in new orleans on behalf of the national alliance. Restore opportunity for the gulf coast and displaced persons you can tell them that name was devised by a group of academics. But the coalition was much broader than the academic who started it. And while there i was thrilled to meet staff. They have been engaged by the intern universal service committee work on relief. In new orleans. Which was the service committee's first domestic relief effort. They done social justice and human rights work in the us. But that was their first relief after. In the us. Many members of us are also members of the service committee iron. Mendelsberg is a society's leader liaison with usc usc and i'm a member of the usc ministerial leadership. Network. And among the ways we supported it through the generosity of the guests at your table program we do with the holidays. And this year we raised $671.85. For the service. Committee. And this week. I received a letter from bill schewels who will this year retires exact chief executive of the service committee thanking us for that generosity. And summarizing the work they do for vulnerable peoples around. The world. So the commitment to walk together as a member of this society as a unitarian universalist goes beyond that which personally benefit us. As individuals and community. I did the third heading of usrs community covenant to foster a generosity of spirit of generosity among us are these words of commitment. We work for justice and engage in acts of service and compassion to others. I just described uurc today's one way we do it nationally and internationally. Closer to home we work with camp ydp in paterson. The new jersey abortion access fund people's organization for progress. Unitarian universalist legislative ministry of new jersey and many many other ways. Next sunday the service will be presented by the racial justice task force. And focus on the discrepancies in public education between one district and another here in new jersey. Sadly new jersey is in the top 10 on school segregation. Knights of 50 states in terms of the degree of school segregation. Used to be the second most segregated. Racially by residents but it's dropped down a little bit on the list but it's still in the top 10 for that. As well the next week you'll focus on the. Discrepancies between school. District and the kind of work we need to do to address that injustice. And please a julius williams from the abbot institute of rutgers university will be here. Now though i have been a member of several congregation since i first joined the arlington street church. I remember the excitement of making the choice of a religion for myself. As a young adult in joining the congregation. It was exciting. And here i am still at it now a minister. I hope that those of you who today signed the membership book of the society are as excited as i was all those years ago. I hope you'll find hear the excitement that i first found at the arlington street church. The sense of community and commitment. They helped me to matt navigate my life is in young adults versus single in a college student then married. And working. And if this society is not your first uu congregation i hope that you recall that first excitement and find a new excitement today. Are the members of a community such as this one will not always agree on social justice issues. Or at your house the whole should be decorator or a host of other things. And theological disagreement. Isn't it true part of life in a freely gathered liberal religious society. Nevertheless we walked together. In spite of and sometimes even in celebration of our differences. We support and care for each other. Do the challenges of our lives. We live the liberal religious wife in covenant. Commitment and community. Let today what is today pledge ourselves. To continue to live in such a community as we move forward into the future blessed be.

www_uuridgewood_org

Sermonpodcast-4-15-18.mp3?_=44

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. This morning for opening words i want to share a zen buddhist story that i've heard told over and over and perhaps some of you have heard it as well. Get told in different ways but the gist of the story goes something like this. Two monks were traveling together on a long journey one month was older the other younger. They come to a river that's rushing quickly by. And there on the bank looking bewildered as to how she might cross is a young woman. She asked the monks if they can help her to get to the other side of this rushing river. The monks look at one another silently remembering together the vows that they had taken to never touch a woman. But then still in the silence with not a single word the old monk. Picks up the young woman. Carries her across the river on his back. When he makes his way through the currents to the dry side over there he pleases her down gently. The older monk rejoins the younger one who is speechless. An hour goes by not a word is spoken. Another hour and another and then finally the younger monk can't help it anymore and he burst out. We are not supposed to touch a woman how could you carry her on your back. I'm the older month looks at him and says. Brother i sat her down on the other side of the river. Why then are you still carrying her. Sometimes we get stuck on things we think things should be one way without question without reflection sometimes we worry about taking chances. We think that the risk might cause us to lose our very identity our very selves. But often not stuckness and that worried just holds us back. Keeps us mired may be safe in some sense but on moving. Aware that nothing stays the same that our community shifts and grows that we shift and grow that the world is ripe for change and so are we we gather together this morning. This morning i would like to invite you into some extended time for meditation. To please settle into your seats. Find the most comfortable position let yourself relax. Breathe in deeply and try to focus on that breath as it moves in. And out. Of your body. Breathe slowly and deeply. As you keep. Breathing. I invite you to imagine all that you carry. The woes and fears the grease and struggles. To imagine them as. Stones you are holding. Responsibility. Stress. Decisions yet. To be mad. Whatever you carry that feels. Heavy. Whatever makes your jaw clenching your shoulders creep. Feel their weight. And then. Breathe in deeply. And picture one of those awaits those stones in your hand. As you breathe out. Imagine it just. Rolling right out of your palm. Release it. Onto the ground. And as we sit together in the quiet with each breath in. Doubt. Release another burden. Release another. Imagine those. Stones you let. Forming a rose. Away for. Every weight. We carry in life. Can simply be like. But often they can be let go for a while. Always. We can refer. On them again. And rethink the way is they wait us. May we each find ways to let go. At least some of the time. Maybe find ways to cross. The river. Leaving behind what needs to be left. Earlier this month my oldest son and i went to see a local theater production of 1776. Our neighbors like literally our next door neighbors were in the show and he's in theater teacher and a friend of mine. And this show if you've not seen it centres around the negotiations and arguments and compromises made to get the thirteen original colonies to declare independence. From britain. Among those compromises for example is the retention of slavery. Demanded by the slaveholding colonies and acquiesced to buy the abolitionist founding fathers. For the sake of pushing independence forward. We enjoyed it and it made me think about. A lot of things that are different from the way they were and. Some things that remain alarmingly the same. In the show of course every character is a white male and just this morning at npr tammy duckworth was on and she was saying that only there only 22 women in the senate. As compared to 51% of the american population being female identified. Still to this day compromises are made in governing the compromise our moral wholeness there's a lot that i wish were different that isn't. And it made me think to about the fact that our nation's primary set of. Agreements about how we're going to live and work and govern and be together is. Play gold. A couple of centuries is nothing to scoff at. It has seen additions and adjustments but it is also. Viewed with a degree of authority and permanence that sometimes feels suspect. There is a core. The remains worthy of our uplifting right that core about. Freedom and equality and treating each other. Well about. The pursuit of life liberty and happiness enshrined in that declaration. There are worthy goals that were set for us centuries ago. And it was just after the constitution had been drafted and implemented that benjamin franklin wrote in a letter. That line part of which is commonly in invokes. He wrote. Our new constitution is now established and has an appearance that promises permanency. But in this world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes. And not bloodline that so many of us repeat that second half it didn't actually begin with franklin. It began with christopher bullock who wrote something similar in 1716 and daniel defoe who adopted it in 1726. Before franklin got his hands into the mix in 1789. Each of these incarnations speaks to the certainty of death and taxes and while i realize the intent of these quotes. Is to snidely speak about the painful and fear-inducing prospect of paying taxes. By comparing it to the most extreme of inevitabilities. There's another avenue that that quote opens if we look at it. Humorlessly and with utter sincerity. Right. If we take that quote completely at face value. We can say that indeed. Death is certain. We will all die. We may not know exactly what that means or what it's going to look like as it unfolds but it's true the cycles of our life lead inevitably in that direction. For some of us it will happen younger than we hope. For others older than we wish. But for certain. At least right now in the course of human science and history all of us will die. This particular version of our lives will end and. Nothingness or something else will take hold. And yet well ultimately death is indeed certain its inevitability need not always be a cause for despair or a cause for hopelessness. Because although there are many things over which we have no power. We cannot control if we become ill we cannot control if our genetics destin us to certain challenges. We can make as individuals and cultures choices that might hopefully give us a better shot. Just yesterday in response to supposed attacks using chemical weapons the united states and others together bombed alleged chemical weapons factories. In syria. And i've set you all before and i'll say it again this morning that. At the end of the day we live in a world where perfect peace for everyone. Where everyone is committed to house. And wholeness that doesn't exist in our world right now and so i can't actually consider myself. 100% complete. Possible. And i'll say to that often these things happen and i don't feel that i know enough. To say what is right or wrong in the long run and i will confess that yesterday i spend my entire day at t-ball and soccer and running around outside so i did not sit down and read all the analyses so this morning i'm not going to offer a judgment. On the choice that are government made. Might do it later this week but not this morning. But i am going to say that we don't live in a world. In which people privilege health or houmas not other nations and not our own. We live in a world of warmongering and violence and fear and these are choices that do not. Do anything to retain life and forestall death. When we bomb other nations we are participating in choices that take lives. But make the inevitable arrive sooner than is necessary for others. And that threatened to hasten it for us as well. I will say this morning that i long for a time when collectively the world agrees that all people deserve a chance at the life. Liberty and pursuit of happiness than our founding fathers lifted up. I long for a world in which the certainty of death is met yes with some. Equanimity but not with the need to make it come more swiftly to others. This morning as we consider together what is permanent and what can be set down i am mindful of the human cost of violence and hatred. Around this world. And so as we think about what is certain what is inevitable i think about that second part that. Are certain. And yes okay right now you kind of have to pay your tab. That's right. I like taxes actually i'm a big fan. Not necessarily the actual check i have to write but the services they provide to me to others to society-at-large i'd be in favor of higher taxes even more services. So don't misunderstand i think taxes are worthwhile i'm not about to go in a diatribe against taxes. But are they certain like really certain in some fundamental sense in the way that death. Is certain. And remember we're looking at that quote humorlessly right we're taking it at face value. Death is a natural part of living. Change indian. Taxes are a social construct. Made necessary by the way we choose to govern and the way we choose to live. Right. Yes it's the way we've done things for a very long time and it may in fact be the best way. But they aren't inevitable. In the way of natural cycle. They are a construction like. Borders and nations and race and money. Those things have a sense of certainty because we assign them a sense of certainty. There is nothing beyond death that is actually that certain. But we become comfortable assured stagnant in our belief in the permanency of these things. Taxes the two-party system comfort. Freedom. A particular way of governing or a particular set of rules. Any of these. None of them are really that certain. They exist because we believe they're important and we come after many years to treat them as fixed and static thing. Don't we actually pause when we step back from our attachment to these things these things that we create. We find that so many of them are not fixed at all. We come to idolize enshrine mummify things that don't need to be held. So tightly. And indeed we might be better served by openly examining them once in awhile. Not breathe then story i shared earlier about the monks. The cross the river. Embody is this buddhist understanding of impermanence and understanding of the fundamental truth. Good life comes into being ages decays and ends. But nothing lasts forever. Buddhism like every other tradition has it set of beliefs and practices that make up its core. Among them is the belief in the four noble truths. These are core beliefs that buddhism teaches. One that. All life is suffering. But this is so because humans cling to impermanent things. Believing in their permanent. But that the end of that suffering is possible. And that ends can be achieved through the eightfold path. Which is a way of living in the world that commits a person to cultivating. Compassion and peace. Harmony and gentleness cultivating. Focus and awareness and a commitment to moral and ethical behavior in the world. Do the practice of these behaviors one can achieve enlightenment and enlightenment leads to a cessation of suffering a move beyond the world. It is bound up with impermanent thing. The buddha was born should heartache altima over 2,500 years ago i'm sure some of you know his story. He was a prince wealthy and privileged. And at his family's bidding he lived in an enclosed area never going beyond the walls of his happy existence. But one day he decides to leave. To leave the safety of his palace and to see what the world is like. Any journeys force and he sees for the first time in his young life. An old man a sick man and a dead body. And his life is turned upside down. He's so disturbed by these encounters that he completely changes his life. At first he becomes a monk. Any fines in that no way forward. And then he becomes an ascetic. Giving away all things all commitment to material objects living a life of abject poverty but in this too he finds no way forward. After his seeking and trying different things he develops the middle way. A life somewhere between luxury and utter poverty. A life focus on letting go of extreme. I'm detaching from the impermanent trappings of life. And he said some stuff down under the bodhi tree and he meditates and he reflects on life and his experiences until he achieves enlightenment. And clearly i'm giving you like the teeny tiniest description of his life story. In this enlightenment he finds but no longer is he suffering from the pain caused by attachment to the transient things of this world. Like house and welts and others. Buddhism teaches through the life of the buddha through the four noble truths and the path to enlightenment and through that then story. A letting go. It teaches a releasing of our own belief in the permanence. Letting go of our self delusion that we have ultimate control. And the things we believe must always continue must indeed be the same forever. It teaches a kind of nimbleness of being. But neither denies nor idolizes the trappings of human society and the human constructs. Around which so many of us build our lives. I'm not a buddhist. And i am far from enlightened. But i find a truth as we often do when per hour 6th sources we look at other traditions of truce in the world. And the truce that i find in this buddhist understanding of suffering and attachment. Is that we can let go of something. Now just as i can't quite bring myself to preach total and utter pacifism i'm not sure i can preach complete. Non-attachment. But i do think that we have a bad habit of making things. Harder on ourselves. Because we've come to see some things as fixed. When they truly aren't. We come to see things as ours. When they are in. We have a reading in our hymnal. About children and it talks about how they don't belong to us. But our beings unto themselves that we steward and shepherd. This reading cautions against. Seeing your children as a reflection of you or an extension of you. Too often we attached to things. That we don't own. Right. It don't belong to us. We try to hold tight when it's time to let go. Too often where the young monk. Worrying rather than the older monk. Moving forward with hope and purpose. Too often in life we think we are in a position of ownership rather than of stewardship. And this is no less true in the life of a congregation. We come to imagine ourselves one way. Both the congregation we participate in and ourselves in it. We're small congregation. When community might say if we grow we won't be us anymore. Where congregation of wealthy corporate folks another might say we don't do direct action we give money and that's it. Or i make meals for someone. Someone might say. I can't teach religious education classes or i organized the festival another might say and no one can do it the way i can. There are so many things that a congregation and its congregants come to believe so many ways. The stories say things are done. But they need to be that they can't possibly be any other way or be done by anyone else. Just like the young monks things to himself that the vowel about not touching women must be followed nothing else can be done. The older monk. Has some sense of being able to adopt. Knowing that in that moment something can shift it doesn't mean. The vow is broken. He sets her down and goes right back to following his vow one presumed and it doesn't mean that the vow was wrong in the first place. It just means that sometimes life calls for something different. Sometimes life asks us to take a little bit of a rest to adapt. Maybe for just a little while maybe forever. Nothing is certain in the life of a congregation not its eyes not its existence. Not the work it will do none of it really. We just have the way things have been done. And the way things have been done is in many places wonderful for example when i think about here. And i think about the amazing programs that have been built here the social justice that has been done the caring that is accomplished on a daily basis. The warm welcoming that people of all kinds receive here in this place. I think about the legacy of preaching and worship that i've stepped into. The history of religious education. There's so much strength and beauty and so much of value that hundreds of people over decades. Have dreamed and worked to build and then shepherded through changes in our society and our religion and in our world. And i think about how adaptable they had to be. As indeed the world has changed. Unitarian universalist joined together america move through the 20th century bringing wars and struggles and decades of abundance. And i think about town now in this moment. Nothing is certain but death. We don't know where our country is headed we don't know where the american religious landscape is headed we don't know perfectly the future of this place. But over decades this place and all the institutions around us have changed in order to adapt. We know that amendments and alterations have occurred. Not for the purpose of denigrating what came before but for building on it. Moving forward. Because things are shifting and changing and we need to find the ways to honor and uplift. What went before. To bring the core of that. The compassion in the kindness and the justice and the love and the working for a better world. We need to bring that court forward using all the tools at our disposal. Being willing to take risks to get across the river. There's another expression about how nothing is constant except change. Change isn't easy. But without it we remain stuck on that one side of that swiftly moving river. Preventing others from crossing it as well. We believe as unitarian universalist in equality and opportunity and the chance for all to use their gifts. And live their lives in fullness and wholeness. Sometimes radical changes called for sometimes just minor change. As we steward this beloved congregation we have to find the ways. Just set down the rocks we are carrying and move forward across that rushing river. So we can get to the other side. Some years ago i was wondering through an arts and crafts fair in a seaside town on the eastern shore of the united states in. My mother and i will have our way through the boobs taking in the pottery in the baskets and the jewelry in the long sculptures. When we happened upon this unassuming booth filled with loom woven goods. And a blanket caught my eye. Just large enough for one person to see. Worms benefits. The blanket was a mass of colors woven tightly at each short end a half ft of yarn strands hung loose in a wooly friends. The color is evoked a riverbed. Muted blues and greens dancing over pebble browns and sleet riverstone greece. Here and there strands of purple glanced through like. Late dancing on water. The blanket looks like one phrase in the symphony of moving water pulled from a river that is. At once unchanging and ever-changing. At once always knew and yet eternal. I fell instantly in love with this blanket and the way it captured that essence of life. But things feel so often static and yet in truth. Are so very fluid. The change is inevitable even though it often comes slowly. My mother gifted me with this blanket and it has stayed with me over the years. Through stool the birth of my children moves greece losses joyous celebration. It has kept me warm been at times merely anesthetic addition to a room. Been buried beneath legos and toys and the stuff of life. It has assisted in worship. It has been a touchstone not unlike the rivers i have grown up alongside and it has held for me their power when i have lived far from their running constancy. Our lives bring so many changes our congregational lives bring so many changes. But they are somehow like the waters as well different. From moment to moment and yet something there is of a core. A truce. A heart of certainty. On any given day. A different group of individuals constitutes the community. Members come and go ministers come and go. Rituals events traditions mission statement. Folkways they all come and go. But something there is that stays. A congregation can persist. Through many changes as long as it stays. Aware of its essence. And also its transience. There's a beauty that holds at the center. Through all the changes. A beauty that is that core of compassion and love and care a heart that beats through any change. And that heart can be seen by anyone who walks through these doors can be honored by all of us who love this community and lifted up. As the thing that is. Permanent. Through all the transients. All these changes these. Comings and goings they leave their trace. They make their marks just like the water that flows leaves marks on the rocks below. The changing life of a congregation builds a story. History. A symphony. With each person who comes in and out with each. Alteration in style and each new annual tradition the music. Builds and please the strands are woven in and a new. Things are not completely lost. They move. They rearranged. Pebbles shuffle down the river new ones arrived born by the water and human hands. Colors are added. Yarn strands might slip out and others be woven in but the blankets doesn't disappear. Depending on where you look on this blanket that i love it maybe the watery blues or the stony graves or the vibrating purple's that come to the front. And over the years the fringe has frayed in certain places pulling at strands. And there's the occasional bump in the weaving if you look extra clothes. I haven't had to mend it yet. But in truth it feels like with each change in my own life the blankets somehow changes. Becoming difference. Holding ecco's of pain and loss. Containing celebration and joy reflecting life. The life of the individual that mirrors the life of a congregation. It's a stubborn reminder that nothing stays the same forever. Maybe remember that impermanence affords us a chance to find freedom and liberation. To make a way ever more consistent with our values. Together may we honor the past and embrace the future. Whatever changes may come. So maybe.

www_uuridgewood_org

Sermonpodcast-7-29-18.mp3?_=34

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. Well good morning again. There's an old joke that. Unitarian universalist. Singer comes better if they would stop looking ahead to. See if they agree with the words. And i caught myself doing that earlier in the service. So it goes to show you can take the kid out of a huge church but you can't quite take. Figure you out of the kid. Good morning again it's great to be with you. In this. Time of ours. When the white supremacy. The sexual and economic exploitation. The religious chauvinism and xenophobia. Of this country. Are sharpened. Explicit. I think lots of religious people are asking questions about what. Faithful resistance looks like. And i think i am not alone in reflecting on other periods of history when the questions have been similar. The religious language we use. When talking about something like doubt. Might help us. Or might hurt us. In our search for active. Faithful ways to love our neighbor. The way we approach our doubt it. Might help us or hurt us. In our search for active and faithful. Resistance. That means going back. It means looking at different kinds of context and different kinds of thinking. But i hope you will hang in there with me this morning because i think that. Dietrich bonhoeffer. Gives us a possible model. For our own thought. An action. The details of bonhoeffer's life are dramatic. And fascinating. He was a theological prodigy. A lutheran pastor. The first public christian voice of resistance to nazi policy against the jews. A participant. Reluctantly. In a plot to assassinate adolf hitler. And eventually in the closing days of the war. A martyr. Tortured and executed. By the nazis. Bonhoeffer was a leader in the confessing church. The semi underground movement of those who place their loyalty to jesus christ. Above their loyalty to the nazi regime. At a time when the majority of german churches had signed on as part of the rice cube german states. Which agreed to concentrate on preaching the forgiveness of individual sins. The racial superiority of aryans. And the political supremacy of the nazis. Bonhoeffer is revered as a martyr. Who knew the cost of his actions. And chose to resist even though it would cost him his life. It was in this context that bonhoeffer wrote a book. First published in 1937. Cold. Discipleship. It begins with these words. Cheap grace. Is the mortal enemy of our church. Our struggle today. Is for costly. Grace. And i think that bonhoeffer thinking his way through the importance of costly grace the kind of grace that animated his resistance to the nazis. Can help us. Have a healthy relationship with doubt. You don't have to find that language helpful that language. A brace. But i wonder what we can learn from bonhoeffer even if his language. Isn't ours. For bonhoeffer and for his opponent. For christian universalists. For christians in general. Grace is what god extends to human beings. Freelee. Simply out of love. To deliver human beings from bad things. There is no buying it with money. Or at least there's not supposed to be. There is nothing we can or must do. To obtain an. It. Just. No again maybe that language of grace. Doesn't do anything. That's fine. This is bonhoeffer's language it doesn't have to be yours. The point is just that. Christian's of many kinds have argued for millennia about the details. But most all of them all of us. Agree that grace is god's free gift that transforms things from being wrong in the world. To write. In the world. Admits to news of violence and suffering grace. Is the good news. But it's bonhoeffer observe what was going on in germany in the 1930s. He began to reflect. A little bit. On what kind of grace was really being preached. I'm practice. On what agenda. And whose agenda. It served. Cheap grace is the mortal enemy of our church hero. Our struggle today is for costly. These worth of bonhoeffer's are aimed right at the rice trish at the state church cheap grace. Was the kind of grace that forgives sin. What doesn't demand anything. Cheap grace the kind freaked by the state church proclaimed the availability of god's love the forgiveness of sin. But not. Following jesus in proclaiming good news to the poor. The captive. And the outcasts. Cheap grace is bank bailout. Infinite mulligan. It is insisting on forgiveness for sexual assault earth but not on their repentance or making amends. It's easy to find. It makes no demands. It is as bonhoeffer writes the kind of grace. We bestow. On ourselves. It is being saved. But not changed. If that kind of grace seems like a problem. Well it was a problem for bonhoeffer to. Because this kind of grace this kind of forgiveness may seem free. But someone bears its cost. Those who i hurt or harm. Those who are on the receiving end of my selfishness. Or failure to listen. Those from whom i steal. Or with whom i say also share. They pay the cost. Of my free grace. This was true in bonhoeffer's time when jews gay people roma and others. Pay the price. For the kind of grace the state. Churches preach. It's not that bonhoeffer thought we had to do things for god to love us god's love came regardless. But that kind of grace. That kind of love. Wood. Transformers. If it was working properly. It was for bonhoeffer one and the same call that put us in right relationship with divine and pushed us. Relationship with one another. Costly grace. Real grace for bonhoeffer as a christian. Was the kind that called people forth into the life of jesus. Which was a life of peace. Reassurance. And also. Led to being executed by the romans on a cross. 4 bonhoeffer it was one and the same voice. Unforgiveness and that drew him to risk and lose his life working against the nazis. Bonhoeffer writes that. Costly grace. Is costly. Because it cost people their lives. Is grace. Because it thereby makes them. Maybe that language. The stalker. Sin and grace. Isn't your language. That's fine. I'm not asking you to adopt those terms. I don't mind another words if you doubt me. What you do bonhoeffer. But i wonder how this distinction. Between sheep and costly grace. And help us in singing. About doubt. In my usual church growing up i was raised. Surprise my dog. Doubt. Was supposed to purify. To get rid of what is false. Doubt is supposed to make us better to get us closer and closer and closer. To the truth. It's a theological version of the scientific method. Just as einstein's doubting newton. physics. Closer to the truth. That was part of a process. A-reliable. Figuring out. What is true. And that process at least. Was beyond doubt. Doubt in other words. Operated a little bit. Like grace. Saved. And clarify. It got us in right relation. Whatever it means. For things to go. From being wrong in the world to things being. Right in the world. Religious liberals. Doubt. Seems to be a part of it. So this is the question i want to reflect on together. This is where i think. Bonhoeffer's questions. Can help us. Do we have cheap. Or costly. Do we have cheap or costly.. What demands. After all you are doubts. Make one us. What cost. Did they impose. I remember growing up in a uu church. Finding it. Easy. To disbelieve in the saving power of jesus. For the healing power of the spirit. Because i had nothing at stake. In whether those things were true. It's easy to think that the jews never came out of egypt that the quran is just a book. But santeria or witchcraft is just superstition. It's easy to doubt all of those things. If you already don't believe them. If it costs you nothing. To doubt them. If you don't believe those things then doubting them changes nothing. This icing. Is cheap.. These are all cheap doubt i am myself. Have had. This kind of doubt. Read me from doing things i didn't want to do and required nothing of me. It seemed to have no car. But it did. Because some people in some beliefs get challenged more. Women's stories of sexual assault. Refugees stories of their flight for survival. People of color when they account for the races and they experience. Differently-abled people straightforward accounting of what it is they need. And there is a subtler kind of doubt. That is based in our assumptions about. Whose voices. A-reliable. Maybe we believe people who are raising money for charity. But are suspicious about homeless folks will use the money we give them. Maybe we explain away the prayers of voodoo practitioners to their ancestors as a backwards result of cultural background. But educated white people's atheism is just logic. And not culture. Maybe we say that black lives matter but our newspaper of record. Text police reports. Cheap doubt. Externalize has the burden of doubt to other people. Sheepdog doesn't mind the uncertainty tension and tanks that it creates. In other people's lives. Cheap grace leaves me saved. But the same. Cheap doubt. Leaves us. Correct. But unchanged. What would. Costly.. Look like. What kind of doubt would as bonhoeffer set of grace. Cost us our lives. Thereby maker. Over bonhoeffer costly grace. Was particular. It was not a general principle of forgiveness but. Something that was ass. Particular. To the challenges of his time and his place. The circumstances he was in. And for us i think costly doubt is also particular. The time and place. And circumstances we find ourselves. She's cheap grace was the kind that people bestowed on themselves. Costly grace. With the kind extended to them by the reality of a violent and painful world. If she pooped out. If my chip doubts. We're the ones i bestowed on myself. Then costly doubt is the kind we inherit. The violence and pain. In our world. Costly grace at work in a time and place when the nazi regime was murdering millions. Require drastic action. On bonhoeffer's park. Costly doubt. At work in our time and place. Is what we are forced to question. When we pay close attention. To the places in our world. Poor people suffer. And i. Add borders and detention camps. I prisons. And even in homes. When we pay attention to everything. In the world and in ourselves. That makes those places. Costly doubt in other words shouldn't just be a nice hobby or like it was for me growing up. Proof that i was smart. Sometimes our doubt is. An understandable reaction to the ways in which certain beliefs have been harmful. But costly doubt is something more even than that. It's what we simply can't avoid. When we pay attention. To the world and it's. In this country. With its. Particular history. In this particular time and place costly doubt. Means doubting specifically. The things white. And mail. And straight. I'm cisgender supremacy. Have taught us. Are fundamentally. That. Is our time. Our history. And are circumcised. Costly doubt is aimed first and foremost at the things in ourselves. And our communities. That seemed least open to question. Above all i think the ways in which white and male and straight supremacy structure our institutions. And even our perception of the world. Cussly doubt calls into question the things that i think are just. Me. Things i might want to hold on to the things i like about myself. And that i think. Can possibly be shaped by white supremacy or other kinds. Abomination. This is not a call. To doubt her own experiences. To be gas-lit. To be told that your experiences of harm and hurt. Aren't real. It's a call to prioritize those experiences. Yours. And other people. Above a general principle of doubting. Doubt that is always about other people is cheap doubt. But the doubt that you're somehow always on the receiving end of. Is chipped out. Whether we are the david. For the dowd. The point is not to replace doubt with faith. But you be careful. What work. Our dog is doing. To ask as bonhoeffer did what agenda. Whose agenda. It serves. Cheap grace and sheep doubt our tidy scientific. An evil to be controlled. Costly grace. Is the kind of grace that sent bonhoeffer on a path. For the gallows. Even if costly doubt doesn't lead us there. It requires sacrificing things. All the same. I confess that i do not quite know. What of me is left. If whiteness. Maleness. Straightness are called into question. This kind of doubt. Is less of a handy tool for finding truth. I'm more of an existential challenge. It is the kind of doubt that flirts with deep uncertainty. With not knowing the best way forward. With not always knowing if a way forward. Exists. It risks throwing us into chaos. But it also throws us into the world. And when it does we are forced to reckon with whether the things we think are beautiful and true and good. May actually cause harm. Not the doubt we bestow on ourselves. Not a general principle of doubting. Doubt of the things. But we cannot help. If we are mercy. Deeply in the world. The test of our doubts. Is not whether they make us. Corrupt. But whether they help us. To love other. That is costly.. That is in fact a little bit. Like costly race. And it is the doubt. That brings. New life. Makepeace. I meant.

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Sermonpodcast-1-14-18.mp3?_=54

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. I suspect that many of you might not know it but this year the unitarians are celebrating the 450th anniversary of the edict of torta. Right of course everyone knows 450 years ago for those of you who don't know in the city of torta in present-day romania one of the earliest statement of religious tolerance was issued by a leader. The king was named john sigismund and he was a unitarian. One of the old elca protestant christian who didn't accept the trinity believe in one god. I miss eating to recognize unitarianism officially for the first time. And it made headway in the quest for religious freedom. It read in part. In every place the preachers shall preach and explain the gospel each according to his understanding of it. And if the congregation like it well. If not know until temple them for their souls would not be satisfied. But they shall be permitted to keep a preacher who's teaching they approve. No one shall be revealed for his religion by anyone and it is not permitted that anyone should threaten anyone else by imprisonment. For faith is the gift of god. This treatment. They all the communities municipalities could choose for their preacher. One that suited their particular theological leaning rather than have imposed on them one that did not. Various the ologies would be tolerated as they served the various peoples. Of the nation. Do you know a website declares that. That proclamation is the beginning of our legacy to be a spiritual tradition that resists hatred oppression and the narrow view that there is only one way to be faithful to be religious to be free. The beginning. Are denominations website claims. It's certainly not the end. You'll notice of course in that edict. That jews muslims others would not fall into this protection. Beat it is limited to variations of christianity that had come up in the wake of martin luther's 95 theses and the reformation that he's somewhat unwittingly started. And so we call it a statement of religious tolerance. Because that's really what it is. A guarantee that different creatures will be tolerated. It's not actually a statement of acceptance or equality or lovett cast abroad. Net it's a relatively narrow statement of tolerance that plants a seed. Because we have come to understand. The tolerance is not enough. You can tolerate some things that you think are pretty bad. It's not enough to preach. Tolerance of others but we realize have realized. That we need to preach actual. Acceptance more than that encouragement even more than that actual love. We have to preach the development of real relationship. Now i don't want to be confusing it all here legalized tolerance is still important. The edict of tour dimensions that folks shall not be imprisoned or threatened with imprisonment. Just for their religion it's good to legislate. Certain things. In fact there's a very famous quote from dr. king in which he says just that. He says. You can't legislate morals the job must be done through education and religion. Well there's a half-truth involved here. Certainly it's a problem is to be solved in the final sense hearts must be changed. Religion and education must play a great role in changing the heart but we must go on to say that while it may be true that morality cannot be legislated behavior can be regulated. It may be true that the law cannot change the heart but it can restrain the heartless. It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me but it can keep him from lynching me and i think that's pretty important also. By that practical and important measure orders like the edict of torta the emancipation proclamation they matter we know that they matter. And we also know that they didn't change people's hearts and minds. Right after that king john sigismund a new ruler came in who was interested in curtailing that tolerance. Although he was unsuccessful and eat it lasted for about a hundred years it didn't actually change transylvania or the rest of the world forever. Decrees and orders and laws that enforce tolerance to keep everyone safe are necessary. But they aren't the end of the story not by a long shot and we know this here in our own country. We have said over and over in the last year that racism has been made. More visible to more of us than it had before and i say it that way. Because i think we can agree it was never that this country stopped being racist. But rather that for many of us our privilege made it possible to not see it. And so i would argue to the fact that we had a sensible laws on the books to protect people. And create a quality. Because we do ostensibly have laws on the books about protection and equality. But we have so many layers down in our legal system and so many culturally embedded. Challenges. And so many deeply-held. Prejudices. That those laws while they sometimes work. To protect and forth tolerance they haven't work. To create what we really need which is the change in people's hearts and minds. A change from fear and hatred. Not to tolerance. Not even maybe two acceptance but two genuine welcoming and celebration. And love. That's the change we need and the change that we have yet to see on a widespread scale. Too often we lift up martin luther king on this one day and often with that clip that we show during the time for all ages the i have a dream speech. We show it and we think to ourselves what a wonderful speaker and preacher he was what. Gloriously righteous in the real sense of that word turns of phrase he used. What rhetorical power and charismatic presence he had and we think to ourselves that he was the face. Of a movement that changed this country. And we feel pride in our unitarian universalist heritage of support 4k. Enter the civil rights movement. And we should think and feel all those things. But there's this other piece that we don't always lift up and honor there's there's lots of pieces to dr. king. Complexities that we don't always want to look at. And this year as i was reading through his words i was struck again by the letter from birmingham jail. I had read it before and it had had residents in the past but this year it had. More. Because white people helped elect our current administration. White people went to the polls and tried to election accuse predator to the senate. We cannot pretend anymore if we ever really could that we don't have a problem with racism in this country. And i know it's not the first time i've said that. And you know it won't be the last. It feels especially important to say it today. Because this day this sunday when so many unitarian universalist around the country are honoring kings. Legacy i worry. That this day acts as a salve to our collective conscience. But the letter it helps remind us. That the work of changing minds and hearts ought to be universal ought to be our work. Even though it hasn't always been. It reminds us that we have work to do. Ways to show up better. If we want to participate in and support the liberating movement for justice that continues to this day. The letter as you heard contains the sense of deep. Disappointment. Your king was sitting in a jail in birmingham and he's getting these messages from other clergy christian and jewish clergy asking him to slow down. To wait. To try different tactics not the nonviolent direct actions he's been using. He answers them in this letter that he jokingly acknowledges goes on so long that it's basically a book. And he says. Even worse in some ways. Then the outright racist kkk. Are the moderate even well-meaning lee get in the way of change. Who preached patience and slowness. Who say well they're two sides to things or who do lip service to the just but then live their lives in ways that perpetuate the unjust. And he's disappointed in the church. It fails to step into the breach and demand justice in the ways that it did in the time of jesus. There's attention. There's a tension in our own unitarian universalist activist. In our celebration of our own history. Of righteousness. An hour lifting up of the successes that leaders like king and others have helped. Bring about. He notes it well. Those of us who have not lived as the oppressed. Cannot know what that is like and so don't come as easily to the call to change. No please know that throughout the letter and i recommend you go read it throughout the letter he lifts up the exceptions to that rule often by name. But they are exceptions. The majority of white people throughout the country have been able to escape or ignore the sense of urgency. That motivated king that motivates leaders like alyssa garza reverend william barber and others on the frontlines of civil rights work. To this day. Show for all this for all my worry about a south i showed that speech. Right. Don't know why. I showed it because when you listen when you really listen. You hear a call to a different world. Victor's feel urgent. And when you take it alongside kings reminders in the letter of what is right and just and good the urgency begins to build. And when you let yourself be reminded that he lived in a world of lynching and we live in a world of 21st century equivalent. Demilitarized policing an aggressive imprisonment and disproportionate. Penalizing. It begins to become even more. Virgin. This is a call an urgent call. To something different something better. It's a call to what king called the beloved community. That's a phrase that we bandy about a lot in our progressive religious circles. King popularized the term but it was first used by a late nineteenth and early twentieth century christian philosopher josiah royce. Races use really gets a universalized modified brush with kings adoption of the term. So what is that. What is the beloved community. It is in part. The world in the picture he paints in the i dream i have a dream speech. It is in part the mountaintop he speaks of in the speech he gave before he was killed. It is in parts of the world where all the valleys have been raised in the hills made low and it. Has roots as a christian term we can see that. And he uses it that way. But it is not itself a singularly christian term it takes on a bigger broader meaning as he develops it over the course of his life. It's a term that encapsulated the method the end goal and set the prophetic vision. For what can be. In 2004 the activist grace lee boggs wrote a piece entitled the beloved community of martin luther king. And in it she wrote. These are times that try our souls. I cannot recall any previous. when the challenges have been so basic. So interconnected so demanding. Not just a specific group of everyone living in this country regardless of race ethnicity class gender age or national origin. As i have read and reread king's speeches and writings from the last two years of his life it has become increasingly clear to me that king of prophetic vision is now the indispensable starting point. For 21st century revolutionary. These are times that try our souls she wrote. And i think that's as true in this moment as it was when she wrote it 13 years ago. She goes on to describe the beloved community king spoke of she's list up. The complexity of king of later vision as a struggle not just against racism. But against many of the evils of our culture ones that are still regnant. Militarism poverty materialism. His vision. Bogs right was more radical. Then just the hand-holding of the i have a dream speech. It is a world in which people took center stage. Relationships love rather than machines technology material goods and racism. Is bog put it those things. Disappeared. In the face of people at the grassroots and community-level participating and creating new values truths relationships and infrastructures as the foundation. And they disappear. Because a radical culture shift. Takes place. King constantly pointed out right boggs. That the refusal of those in the freedom movement to respond in kind to the violence and terrorism of their opponent. Was increasing their own strength and unity. He reminded them and the world. That their goal was not only the right to sit at the front of the bus or to vote. But to give birth to a new society based on more human values. Beloved community is the one in which relationships respect. Truth human values have been burst a new. It is the one in which as king declared over and over reconciliation redemption and love. Have transformed opponents into friends. The pursuit of a radically changed culture a radically changed world. Do nonviolent action and a turn toward love. Was not about winning. That was not the point. The point was to create a community of love. A beloved community that cared more about transforming hearts and minds. Then about winning. As the king center puts it. 4dr king the beloved community was not a lofty utopian goal to be confused with the rapturous image of the peaceable kingdom in which lions and lambs coexist and idyllic harmony. Rather the beloved community was for him a realistic achievable goal that could be obtained by a critical mass of people. Committed to and trained in. The philosophy and methods of non-violence. Dr. king's beloved community is a global vision. Image all people can share in the wealth of the earth. In the beloved community poverty hunger and homelessness will not be tolerated. Because international standards of human decency will not allow it. Racism and all forms of discrimination bigotry and prejudice. Will be replaced. Buy an all-inclusive spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood. In the beloved community international disputes will be resolved by peaceful. Conflict resolution and reconciliations of adversaries. Instead of military power. Love and trust will triumph over fear and hatred. Peace with justice will prevail over war and military conflict. That's the vision. A world ruled by love non-violence reconciliation and redemption for every person. A completely changed. Worlds. In which human values take precedence and love triumphs over all hate. This is the vision. That should cause every single one of us to have a sense of urgency. This vision so far beyond tolerance as to bear very little relationship. To it this vision is of a world that is still yet to come. We acknowledge that we are not there. But this is the vision that we should embrace and celebrate and seek after day in and day out. This beloved community that he saw is the place in which all of us are welcome and safe and free to work and learn and love and exist. The call to this beloved community is as radical and revolutionary a shift in our way of being in the world. As can be. It is a call to be different ourselves. And by being different ourselves to shift the world transforming hearts and minds. That way of being different included embracing a sense of urgency committing to direct actions but it also included reorienting oneself entirely. Toward love. Beyond tolerance into a place of deep human relationality. And so this is our call then. To be the best allies and supporters we can of the work of the oppressed or liberation. But not slowing the movement down by ceasing to perpetuate the systems of oppression that benefit us. By refusing to be complicit in racism and prejudice. And the call is to recognize ourselves as complicit in and victims of a larger system. Dehumanization. They can only be changed. Buy a radical revolution in society. Until we are called to go on marches and write letters and give money and also to revolutionize our own way of being in the world. By embracing hope. Loving those who hold a different view than we do and holding before us constantly. The vision of a world ruled not by fear. But a world in which every single human heart is honored as never before. So may it be.

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Sermonpodcast10-2-16.mp3?_=6

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. That was the sound of the shofar. The rams horn traditionally blown a key points during the services. The rosh hashanah and yom kippur. Rosh hashanah being the beginning. Of the jewish year. Which three precise begins with sundown. Today. Your many readings associated with the jewish high holy days. Also known as the days of all. And one of them is this from the hebrew bible from the book of genesis. The lord dealt with sarah as he had said. And the lord did for sarah as he had promised. Sarah conceived and bore abraham a son in his old age. At the time of which god had spoken to him. Abraham gave the name isaac. To his son whom sarah bore him. And abraham circumcised his son isaac when he was eight days old as god had commanded him. Abraham was 100 years old when his son isaac was born to him. Now sarah said. God has brought laughter for me. And everyone who hears will laugh with me. And she said. Who would ever have said abraham that sarah would nurse children. Yet i have borne him a son in his old age. The child grew. And was weaned. And abraham made a greek feast of the day that isaac was weaned. But sarah saw the son of hagar the egyptian. Whom she had born to abraham playing with her son isaac. So she said to abraham. Cast out this slave woman and her son. For the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son isaac. The batter was very distressing to abraham on account of his son. But god said to abraham. Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever sarah says to you. Do what she tells you. For it is through isaac that offspring will be named after you. As for the son of the slave woman i will make a nation of him also. Because he is your offspring. So abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to hagar. Putting on her shoulder along with the child. And sent her away. As she departed. And wandered about in the wilderness of beersheba. When the water in the skin was gone. She cast the child under one of the bushes. Then she went down and sat opposite him a good way off about the distance of a bow shot for she said. Do not let me look on the death of a child. It actually sent opposite him she lifted up her voice and whipped. And god heard the voice of the boy. And the angel of god called to hagar from heaven. And said to her what troubles you hater. Do not be afraid for god has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Come lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hands or i will make a great nation of him. Then god opened her eyes. I just saw a well of water. She went and filled the skin with water. I gave the boy a drink. God was with the boy. And he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow. You live in the wilderness of prayer on. And his mother got a wife from him for him from the land of egypt. And the story then goes on to tell about how abraham and abimelech. Getting to dispute over a well in beersheba. And how they settle. That dispute. So water and wells are important in this story. And the two children of abraham the one with his wife and the one with the. Slave. Who is boring. At sara's recommendation. Both become the progenitors of nations. Like many of the reading through the high holy days this one is full of questions and contradictions and that innocence is what it's all about. So tonight's sunset marks the beginning of rosh hashanah. The head of the year the beginning of the year 5777 on the jewish calendar. Liturgically it marks the beginning of the 500,000 777th year since creation that is. Gracing the garden of eden the birth of adam hashanah. Celebration. However even many orthodox jews do not take the counting of years and even the chronicling of days in the book of genesis literally. Some of today's christians could learn from them. However is the days of awe. Rosh hashanah 3 on kapoor market beginning of the year they also. Call for the reenactment of creation through spiritual. Transformation. Both personal and social. Spiritual transformation. Not only enabled a person to feel good. His name is a person to do good. Dugood to world that is sorely in need of healing to engage in what is called in hebrew to kern along healing the world. And the world has always needed healing. This is not news to the good people of the unitarian society of ridgewood. Your work for fair housing racial justice a woman's right to choose reform and corrections. And more show that you are aware of the need to heal the world. Well in an essay probably about 15 years ago rabbi. Shifa gold. Explains the three aspects. A transformation at the high holy days. To the life of for the life of the spirit. Rosh hashanah yom kippur to book answer. intense work. For spiritual transformation that has both individual and social. And i refer to her essay because it is one of the most clear explanations i've ever read. A b being not jewish. And looking at this from an outside perspective. Are the three aspects of transformation involved in the high holy days. Artist ella or prayer. Play chuva. Response. Or repentance. And sedaka religious righteous action. Now these are ancient in origin and practice. I found the right is my rabbi gold as well as those of rabbis arthur roscoe and michael lerner to be helpful in understanding these ancient yet. So modern practices. At what the rabbis mean by prayer some of us with tall meditation. Gisela. Silent meditation communal prayer. Did even be exhaustion. No rabbis who also practice zen buddhism. Chanting these wrong means of approaching but approaching one. Nod. Will rabbi gold answers the question with these words. Void. Silence the source of infinite potential. The words of prayer must point me towards that nothingness. And the beauty of prayer exist to inspire. Me. Give me the courage to let go completely. In letting go of life. Expectations identity boundaries believe. Certainty and. Content i am set free of the chains. Of the past. The ritual of fasting which begins immediately following rosh hashanah though that is not practiced as rigorously as the fast action during yom kippur. The ritual continues up to the a poor service isn't constitutes an effort to free oneself. For that which may be inward or outward but which nevertheless holes one back from trust in the future. We're from fulfilling the potential. For individual transformation. Teshuva. Is the art of response. And this word is typically translate is repentance but it can also mean return it can also mean response. Kashuba may include. Repentance for wrongs committed but also for good deeds not performed. It is also a response to what rabbi gold calls avoid and a response to life as we live it or respond a process of becoming. What one will become in the year that is just beginning. The i have long been taken with how the jewish calendar has the new year at the start. David prayer. A prayer of transformation. Did you hear is truly part of the new year the civil calendar we celebrate new years eve. And recover from it on new year's day. In the jewish calendar it is. The embodiment of the beginning. Of the year. I find this logic appealing. While it might indeed be helpful to reflect upon a year as it is ending as we typically do with the calendar year. That is kind of a pressure. To get to that new year. But this this wisdom in the beginning of year beginning with. First of festive holiday of sorts. Rosh hashanah that sin leads to a period of reflection. Anna. of serious response to that reflection teshuva is not part of the tired old year that they used to be led behind it is the empowering practice that begins the year renew. The art of response rights rabbi gold requires listening which necessitates the ongoing cultivation of a patient, receptive presents. I don't mean listening is a passive bystander the kind of listening i am talking about is when you allow yourself. To be addressed directly. It means taking it personally. So the wisdom of the jewish new year tradition is high holy days includes a call of a new way to listening. Two again the question listening to what. To god to the void. Did he enter heart to the cry of another person. Do the principles of justice and human worth. That run is a common thread through the very patterns in many religions. Let me find in buddhism the valves about bodhisattva not to accept. Enlightenment until all creatures are saved in christianity the great commandment. To love your neighbors who would love yourself. And to love god. Both directly derive from judaism. In hinduism the duty of the warrior. In islam the obligation to give charity from one's wealth. In taoism the recognition of the self in the other. In judaism. The prophets declaration of universal justice. To be achieved in particular settings and times and places. The third element is it dhaka. The righteousness of charity. And the arabic word is almost identical. The logical outcome of spiritual transformation is to perform acts of righteousness. Be they act of charity we're struggles for justice. I quote rabbi gold all of us have experiences that transcend our usual perceptions of separateness. And plant deep within us a seed of the truth. The bar central unity in interconnectedness. What can i do in the world that would be consistent. With the vision of unity that i had. How do i relate to strangers knowing that we are ultimately bound. How shall the implications of the peak. Unfold in my daily lowland wandering. These questions around by raises are the nub of spiritual transformation that is the objective of the high holy days. We must look inward. To know how we. An act. Property know how we. Mustache. When we face outward into the world. I found helpful in this. What the rabbi michael lerner the founder to clean magazine and the network of spiritual progressives progressives has circulated for many years of high holy days supplement. That is stuck in the middle of. The issue of takunda precedes a high holy days for reference and in groups and discussions. It is as he puts it a guide to reflection or repentance yes people to gather into chuva. Groups to reflect together. Encourages his readers to use it with another person or group. Reflecting together. And this guy's point specifically to work. That we do to care for oneself and others to relationships we have with others in. Do the healing of the world. Des plaines. Where is reflecting. On what has done wrong or fail to do but just as important reflecting what one has done right and needs to continue doing. In the car for action later in the service i will put before you one or two of the specific reflection questions. It's a shoe of a question. Better in this supplement questions they can lead. And beast after it's a personal spiritual transformation. These questions i've taken from learners guide but a little later. Now to say we religious liberals. Constitute a people. Are the prophetic tradition of justice and peace. A tradition we can trace back to the ancient prophets of israel. And what can we do in these challenging times in order to recognize. Claim and use the power we have both to be good. And to do good. What can we do to heal. The world. For each individual to start has to take responsibility. For personal spiritual transformation. And from that take responsibility for what each can do to heal the world. It begins with relationships with others. We each need to know how to be kind and honest how to be open to each other without losing sight. Of ourselves. And this is true with family and neighbors. And also those with whom we joined in religious community nd. With those with whom we were either customers clients supervisors supervisees students colleagues. Whoever it is you work with. Is there problems at work for instance we need to be able to sort out which problems we as individuals are responsible for. And which require collective action. Spiritual well-being rabbi lerner tells us is related to physical well-being. Caring for one's body is as important as caring for one's soul. In fact he argues one cannot do one without doing the other. Working out at the ymca i tell people is my personal core spiritual practice. And that's not just because of the false physical exercise but also because it involves. A community of. Gymratz. People who also fine. Physical exercise essential. To their emotional and spiritual well-being as well as to their physical health. But. Following that particular practice is a challenge. Requires a high level of commitment hard to maintain with the long and a regular work hours of parish ministry it helps that. There is a ymca two blocks from this building. Which extends privileges to the ymca in newark of which i am a member. And self-knowledge is important. Knowing who i am and how my personality is conducive to healing self and world is an important subject for reflection. I just as important as reflection of how it can get in the way. We just need to look at our worst and our best aspects. They both matter. Did you guys not guilt-tripping it is an honest reflection of one's relationship to the world in need of healing. But each of us can offer. That begins with self-knowledge. Did you ever is the work and the joy that comes with the days of all we begin with rosh hashanah the head of the year sundown today. Add a story read to you from the book of genesis in the hebrew bible is the story of relationships end of healing. Their power relationships in there to be sure. The power of master and slave. The power of wife towards concubine the power of man over woman there all sorts of power relationships in there. From the time in which the story is. Set. Illustrates the complexity both within a particular family. And in the wider world of the kinds of relationships in which we live. Abraham and sarah are both at their best and their worst in this story. And once again the slave hagar and her son ishmael. Are shown to be as worthy of love and justice. Is the patriarch abraham and his wife sarah and their son. And that if nothing else is important. Did the story when the other readings that is used very much for the high holidays is a story when god orders abraham to sacrifice isaac. His son with sarah and the story of going to perform the sacrifice. And then god providing the ram in the place. Of the boy. And part of the legend is that the shofar. Represents one. Horn of that ram. So next week. Next week i will explore how the truth-telling that is part of t'shuvah. Can lead to healing the world that is 22 couldn't. Alarm. So they're three aspects these high holy days. Prayer. For meditation. Reflection and the righteous action that. Derives from these. I invite you to use these coming days to reflect on all of these. Whether or not you were jewish. For it is good. Two-faced the coming year. With self-knowledge. And a commitment to do what we can in this world. Blessed be all men.

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Sermonpodcast-1-20-19.mp3?_=13

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. Please join me as we light our chalice using the words we say every sunday. We like this child. Now take a deep breath. After all the worry about weather. The threats of snowy storms. Breathe in. Still your body. And listen hard see if you can hear the rain outside. There's nowhere to be. Nothing to do. In this moment all you need. Mitsubishi here in your community. Side by side. Living. Breathing. Loving. Breathe. And listen. I'm so glad to see you all despite the weather. The night before a storm up here in the northeast. Emails and text messages fly between your professional staff and your lay leadership as we weigh the dangers of encouraging folks to be on the road. With our determination to always be here open ready to offer a place of respite. So i appreciate the challenges uncertainty we faced it last night too and i appreciate your commitment to being here. Just this past week i was sitting in on a class at union theological seminary and a question arose among this small group of unitarian universalist students. We were discussing the relatively recently released numbers from the uua they were in a uu world. From just saying last month. And then peter morales his former president of the u.s.a. we were discussing his paper from not that long ago that described how he envisioned growth for the unitarian universalist association. So the question that these students posed. Was. What is it that we are growing preserving doing at our congregations what is the heart of what we do. What's the points. What is different and unique about unitarian universalist congregation. Why does it matter they wanted to know. To be a unitarian universalist in a congregation rather than a unitarian universalist at-large just doing your thing on your own. The instructor and i who both served in congregations had various answers to this question. But the one that stuck with me as i have moved through the rest of my week is this. At our best. Here. We are creating a community of care and compassion. Welcoming and honoring. Videos countercultural. It's a community that asks us to practice virtues that often stand in contrast. With what our society asks. So often we practice consumerism but here we're after practice participation. In presence. So often we practice scarcity but here were asked to practice generosity born of abundance. So often we practice disconnection and isolation born of suspicion. But here we're after practice openness and vulnerability for in a trust. Too often we practice helplessness born of fear. But here we're asked to practice hope born of love. Being here fully present to your community completely embraced in your homeless with. Your heart your body and your mind. That is countercultural work. It's the work of self and world transformation. It's works that we are held accountable for exactly because we do it together not alone. So what we do here matters deeply. It matters that places like this exist. And it's possible for places like this to exist because of the dedication that others have shown for decades. And it will remain possible. Because of your commitments. It isn't easy work. But never once have i doubted the value of unitarian universalist community is like that. And never will i doubt the value of sunday mornings and the presents year of each of you. So that's why those emails and those text fly around is why we wait as long as possible to cancel services. Because we don't ever want to have to. We don't want to miss an opportunity to be together. Working on ourselves building our relationships. And planting the seeds that will help transform the world. The welcome on this sunday morning that comes on the heels of uncertainty as many of them do. May your time here be restorative and challenging and a meaningful reminder of why this community matters. Every sunday that we gather to build community and to support one another we take time to sit by side by side in silence with deep breaths. Making room for each of us to you this time however best works for us. 2 as the rain comes down around us i invite you to settle yourself into your seat as comfortably as you can. And to take a deep breath in. And let it out. Take another deep breath. Slowly. This morning as we come together. We offer our sincere gratitude. For the generations that have come before. Generations that built movements for justice. The thought for a better future for all of us. The transformed the world and created communities that sustain and heal and hold. We give them our thanks. This morning as we come together we also imagine with hope the future. The generations that will come when we are gone. Generations that will continue to insist on equality. That will increase the compassion and love in the world. That will make space for all the people in the human family. That will keep transforming the world until all. Are healed. And how. We think of them with hope. In the silence as we breathe. We offer each our own gratitude. And lift up our own. May we always give thanks for what has been and look with hope to what maybe. And may our work toward transformation of ourselves and the world. Be done as it is done best. In community. Maybe ever led by justice and love. As you all know tomorrow is the day on which this country honors the life and work of martin luther king jr.. Across this country folks will donate their time and skills volunteering in their neighborhoods and others will gather to worship. Others will take time out of their day to read or watch some of the words of this man that we celebrate. Martin luther king jr. a minister and activist a preacher worked all his life. To try and make this country better for all of us. And when we imagine him when we lift him up so often we do so as the epitome of non-violent activism. Stalwart and strong force for good and he was those things. But he was also human. So he had moments of doubt that he spoke openly about. He was human sometimes he wanted change. Faster than it was coming. Sometimes he was angry. What time is he was disappointed in the slowness of this country and its people. He was human. We honor him tomorrow because indeed his movement alongside the movements of others in the work of others help to change our world. Progress was made. And. And we still have such a very long way to go. The reverend dr. king wanted a wide net of freedom cast. He wanted that netta freedom to encompass all people. So do we. His work is not done our work is not done. It's really important for us to understand that. To know the history of what has been here in this nation and to grasp all the ways that we continue to fall short of his vision. But also of our own best american ideals and of the true justice that our unitarian universalist values call us to. A blog made the rounds this year among uu ministers in advance of mlk's sunday. It was written by tim hampton who's a consultant and researcher on religion race and popular culture on the nexus of those things. Hampton blog was titled. Don't preach king on king sunday. And she wrote that. King sunday is rapidly approaching hands i need to ask white ministers to do something seem counterintuitive. Don't preach about martin luther king jr.. Instead she writes of preaching about king preach about the things king would have preached about. The american empire. Preach about the multi-headed hydra of materialism racism and militarism. Hampton recommended a variety of topics that would breach including the shutdown listening up the unknown women of the civil rights movement. Generations of movement makers before king from whom he learned. She reminded those reading her blog to that this year 2019 march. The 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved africans in a british colony in north america. And she reminded us that the this year 2019 is the 100th anniversary of the red summer. For those of you who like me or not really sure you knew what that was i offer you a little bit of history violet wikipedia and the equal justice initiative the organization that produced this video. Do you remember in the video when it mentioned that lynching continued well after the civil war ended. The summer and early autumn of 1919 so approximately 25 anti-black riots in major cities throughout the country. And also a handful of les urban places. Houston east saint louis chicago washington d.c. omaha tulsa charleston were among the cities in which the violence erupted. The equal justice initiative shares the story in this way. Think quote. In elaine arkansas white's attacked a meeting of black sharecroppers who were organizing to demand fair treatment in the cotton market. After a white person was shot federal troops were called in to quell the violence. But instead they joined the white mobs in hunting black residents for several days. More than 200 black men women and children were killed. That was in one location during this red summer. Across the country 104 kills. In the fall of that year equal justice initiative tells us a report on the reasons and range of the red summer was prepared by dr george edmund hands. He reported that quote the persistence of unpunished lynching contributed to the mob mentality among white men and field a new commitment to self defense among black men who hadn't been emboldened by war service. You need to understand is that in 1919 many black americans had come home from fighting alongside their white counterparts in world war 1. Social and economic issues had intensified tensions as the country dealt with how to reintegrate these returning soldiers. Into the society and into the workforce. As well as with how to respond to perceived threats of communism and socialism. It was actually the civil rights activist james weldon johnson who is the lyricist for our final in this morning who coined that term red summer. So 400 years ago. Human beings were enslaved moved across the world to be trapped into centuries of generational oppression violence and har. 154 years ago in 1865. The 13th amendment was ratified. Making enslavement and it's classic definition illegal but allowing space for it as punishment for crime. 100 years ago in 1919 tensions were high and blood was shed across the country. As violence led to the deaths of hundreds of black people. 55 years ago in 1964. The civil rights act was signed ending legalized discrimination and segregation. 54 years ago in 1965. The voting rights act help the curb efforts to prevent minorities from voting. Handful of dates that barely scratches the surface. Of the history of institutionalized racism in this country. And of course some of those were good forward progress. There is such a ways to go. Our video shows just how slow progress has been in just how stubborn ignorance and racism and prejudice and violence has been. Slavery becomes jim crow laws jim crow laws become the school-to-prison pipeline that leaves one and three young black men destined to spend time in jail. The control of enslaved bodies becomes tacitly sanctioned lynching which becomes murderous riots in which the state sides with and helps. White people as they killed black people. Which becomes young black men and children shot in the street with no repercussions for their killers. Games have been made like the voting rights act. But those have met with attempts to reverse them on the grounds that racial discrimination no longer creates barriers as it once did. Only now as in in december of 2018. Did the senate pass a law that would make lynching a federal crime. It took that long. Even to this day tomorrow a day set aside to celebrate the progress of racial justice and to celebrate a man who furthered it with his passion and commitment and doubt and countercultural resistance to consumers them and war even that day. In mississippi and alabama. Is shared. With the day celebrating the general robert e lee. Anyone who suggested there no societal or institutional or cultural biases against people of color. Is refusing to acknowledge back. When you consider. How short our history is. And just how recently we legally permitted. Immoral and at rochas things. With either open or hidden racism at work. It's hard to remain optimistic. He was optimistic some of the time at least. In one of his most famous speeches given on the 25th of march in 1965 in montgomery alabama. He said this. I know you're asking today how long will it take. Somebody's asking how long will prejudice blinds divisions of men darken their understanding. And drive bright-eyed wisdom from her sacred throne. Somebody's asking. When will wounded justice lying prostrate on the streets of selma and birmingham and communities all over the south. Be lifted from this dust of shame to reign supreme among the children of men. Somebody's asking. When will the radiant star of hope be plunged against the nocturnal busam of this lonely night. Plucked from weary souls with chains of fear and the manacles of death. How long will justice be crucified and truth barrett. I come to say to you this afternoon how ever different the moment. However frustrating the hour. It will not be long. Because truth crushed earth will rise again. How long. Not long because no lie can live forever. How long. Not long. Because you shall reap what you sow. How long. Not long. Because the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice. In rousing speeches like that one king showed an optimism or. Perhaps better stated a faith-filled hope. The things would continue to get better. When he stood before people. Trying to inspire them. He pulled on his own reserve of belief that the sins of this country could be overcome. And that humanity could achieve the peace and generosity and justice he was convinced was possible. But he also doubted. He doubted himself and he doubted the path he was on. There's this one story that i always think of during this time of honoring king. Actually think about it all the time. During the montgomery bus boycott at one point he was getting upwards of 40 deathreats a day on the phone. It was late one night and another call came in. Made himself a coffee sat down at his table and he spoke to his god. He worried that he couldn't go on that he couldn't be strong he worried that if he stood up in front of folks without strength. They would see it and they would fail to find their own strength. So he spoke. And his god spoke back to him and the message was. Stand up for justice stand up for truth and god will be at your side forever. Qingdao. He doubted and he also understood that the road wasn't going to be straight wasn't going to be easy. And he knew the potential cost. He knew what he was risking. That's. In his final speech if you've ever heard it something he acknowledged. He said i may not get there with you to the promised land. He knew what he was risking. And that's actually the king that i think of most the one of the hymn of those two stories the one that is weary and worn afraid for his family afraid for himself in some ways. Broken and lost and unsure of how to keep going. Ensure that his faith in his strength is up to the task of working for a promised land that he knew he might not see. The king who then did answer that call to prophecy. To love. To work. The call that his god issued to him. One of the central challenges to movements of change. To justice work to even our mission to transform the world. Is it communities may not want to be changed. Not everybody wants justice. The world may not want to be transformed. Even among those who want change. Change is often so. So slow. They can be discouraging it can be defeating. We have those moments when we realize just how far they're still is to go. Let me realize there's so much more that we each could be doing. When we realize that we may not be here. To see it get better. And i know this is where i would normally take a decisive turn to the hopeful. To remind you of the power of human goodness the capacity we truly have to change the world. Normally we would move together into the police of affirming the work that is yet to be done and that we can be part of doing it. I have to say i really struggled to find those work this week. We ongoing shutdown and the way that our politicians are negotiating for people's lives and futures and for frankly the soul of the nation. The president's mockery last sunday i don't know if you saw this of elizabeth warren at the same time that he mocked two tragedies of native american history. The video from friday. Showing white teenagers mostly boys. Dress with maga hats mocking and harassing native elders who are participating in the indigenous peoples march. On washington dc among those elders was nathan phillips a vietnam war veteran and a keeper of a sacred pipe. Who just sang in the face of their racism and hatred. Frankly i'm sure there's a dozen other things from this week that if i had been able to keep up with all of it would have broken my heart even more. And then there's the millions of expressions of hate and prejudice and racism that go unchecked. On both shadowy and open sights of the inter internet. All too often it is hard to find the words of hope. They get clouded over by uncertainty they get. Blown away by fear. We have those midnight chats with god or the universe or just with ourselves when we lay awake worrying about the world our children will inherit. Worried that we won't and even that they won't come to know a world of peace and justice and love. The challenges are very real. And sometimes the words of hope just don't come. And that's when i come back to the question those seminarians raised. When my hope fails. When you are hope. When the darkness seems too dark when we can't be strong when we worry that our inability to meet the needs of this time we'll whittle away at our collective power. When we are crying out and discouragement and doubt and sorrow. Whether or not we have a god that speaks back to us. We have this. We have a weekly. Constant if we let it be constant not just on sundays. Reminder. That we are not alone. Do we have a community that invites us to embrace a different way of being in the world. Do we have a group of people waiting waiting to be present to us. Waiting to offer us hope when we have none. Waiting to welcome us with all of our fears and our dreams of what could be. Waiting to lift us up and also waiting to offer us a different path. Here we find our answer to that middle-of-the-night crisis of faith crisis of doubt. And that that's the answer to what we're preserving on sunday mornings with congregational life we are preserving. Support and care and a call issued to live a countercultural life. The works against all those things those societal ills king would have had his cast-off years ago. Depression disconnection materialism consumerism warmongering hate. We're preserving the message that there's another way. We're preserving a deep collective belief that. Even though we will have our darkest moment someday good will come. We're preserving connection and community. The reminder that we are not in isolation we are not separate our lives are connected. That we do our best work when we stay in conversation and in community. We're preserving the absolute conviction that everyday. Present a new possibility to create a better world. And that work matters even if we won't be present to reap the rewards of that changed world. Each new morning as we recommit to transformation and communities that make it possible. The change for a better world becomes possible. This week mary oliver died. Oliver was a poet beloved by many unitarian universalist. Her poem wild geese gives us that beautiful line that asks what we will do with our one wild and precious life. But there's another poem that i wanted to share this morning it's called morning poem. Goes like this. Every morning the world is created. Under the orange sticks of the sun that keep the ashes of the night. Turn into leaves again and fasten themselves to the high branches. And the palms appear like black cloth on which are painted islands summer lilies. If it is your nature to be happy. You will swim away along the soft trails 4 hours your imagination alighting everywhere. And if your spirit carries within it the thorn that is heavier than lead. If it's all you can do to keep on truckin. There is still. Somewhere. Deep within you. A beast shouting that the earth is exactly what it wanted. Each pain with its blazing lily's as a prayer heard and answered lavishly every morning. Whether or not you have ever dare to be happy. Whether or not you have ever dared to pray. Oliver's poem reminds us that each morning offers us what it needs to. If we're willing to grab at that possibility. She reminds us the deep within each of us is a beast shouting that all we need is here. Her work contains hopeful message. It asks us to live our best lives even through moments of doubt. And that reminder stands alongside kings reminder that the truth will out justice will prevail and their will. Perhaps in the long-distance future be true equality. Those two oliver in king taken together encompassing even in there hope all our fears. Stand alongside our sheridan deep belief in the importance of interconnection and the building of communities. You can doubt. We. Can.. We should. You can fear. We can fear. Why wouldn't we given the state of the world. What we can't do. Is turn away shutdown or isolate ourselves. Winter hymnal is a responsive reading viking which i'm going to invite you to do it will be projected so you don't need to get your gray hymnal out. You're going to do the italicized words. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality tied in a single garment of destiny. There are some things in our social system to which all of us ought to be maladjusted. We must evolve for all human conflict. A method which rejects revenge aggression and retaliation. Before it is too late we must narrow the gaping chasm between our proclamations of peace and our lowly deeds would precipitate and perpetuate war. We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means. Whatever mountains of fear and doubt and despair you bring. In this community. Do your participation in it. May you always find a source of inspiration and hope and love. Do me a favor. And you can join us in the word for extinguishing the chalice. We extinguish this playing. Burn right in our hearts. Until we are together again. When you go out into the world may you be ready to make the most of each day and met this community long stand able to comfort and help you out of mountains of despair great stones of hope.

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Sermonpodcast-01-03-16.mp3?_=39

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood in new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. This morning i take my title inspiration from the poem you hurt earlier by lawrence ferlinghetti. Wild dreams of a new beginning. Which is published. In 1976 in a small book title. Who are we now. And this poem is a apocalyptic and toning. Content dealing with catastrophe. Destruction and then rebirth following destruction. A very. Common motifs. The western culture and literature. And religion. In this it is in line with many of those traditions. Except it is not a religious poem. Plus it has flashes of humor. Which most apocalyptic writings don't have. Unless it's totally unintentional. For apocalyptic doesn't have to do with destruction and end times. But it can also point to a new and better. Reality but one that. Requires in most cases. Divine intervention. And they're plenty of apocalypses of that sort. Jewish and christian scriptures. In genesis. In the first book you have noah's flood. That's an apocalypse. With the new birth after with the. Knowing his family repopulating the world. You have a long a pot series apocalyptic chapters in the latter part of the book of isaiah. And in the christian revelation you have of course the battle of armageddon. The end of the world. And the creation of a new world after the four horsemen of the apocalypse ride through. And a whole new world is created but one that is divine and unearthly possibly. In the battle of armageddon. Bethel location. And there are people in the world today still waiting for that battle to happen. Will especially in times of despair or extreme injustice or evil. Apocalypse's appeal. In a time when people feel desperate the promise of a divine intervention and transformation. Can give people hope. But with the poem we had this morning it's nature and not the divine that. That intervenes. And it speaks of the intent the extant and danger of death. Ecological degradation that was readily apparent. In the 19. 70s. And people were speaking out about that and not just this one. Poet. But it was in line with something. That is part of many poets. Writing not all but many enough. And ferlinghetti describe this in a. Bookie published in 2000 in. 7 justice. Few years before his 90th birthday. I am signaling he writes i'm signaling you through the flames. The north pole is not where it used to be. Manifest destiny is no longer manifest. Civilization self-destruct. Nemesis is knocking at the door. What are poets for in such an age. What is the use of poetry. The state of the world calls out for poetry. To save it. If you would be a poet create works capable of answering the challenge of apocalyptic times. Even if this meaning they even if this means. Sounding apocalyptic. You are whitman you are po you were mark twain you are emily dickinson and edna st. vincent millay. You are going to route at mayakovsky and pastalini. You are an american or non-american. You can conquer the conquerors with words. The high-and-mighty proclamation of the role of poetry or any other art. In difficult times. And yet poetry has been the vehicle. The nexus of apocalypticism. Other kinds of prophetic proclamation. Freon. Apokolips. Apocalyptic thinking writing can point just to destruction. And some of them do. But something point to a new beginning a rebirth in the world the dream of a new start. Is a common theme in appears in many of the cultures in which apocalypses are common. The biblical flood which i've already mentioned. The promise of a new heaven and a new earth and john's apocalypse in the last book. The christian scriptures. And prophetic proclamation throughout. Various books of the hebrew scriptures. Is in the famous lines from amos let justice roll down like waters. And righteousness. Like a mighty stream but not necessarily through massive destruction but through social. Transformation. Hey one of my favorite apocalypses is the norris ragnarok. I would resist one of my favorites is that everyone gets killed off including the gods. So i knew start after that is really new. The right even eat leftover deities. Except. The world tree adrizal. In all the fire and destruction even though it's leaves or singed. Still survive. A tree not any. Sentient beings. And science fiction abound with its own apocalypse the stories of planets made uninhabitable. Requiring either drastic social & scientific and cultural transformation. Or migration to another planet or even another solar system. Those two on the apocalyptic model. And one movie i saw years ago and i can't remember the title of it. But they're the earth have gotten so polluted. That the governments of the world that agreed together to move. For pool their resources to move another planet and from farther out in the solar system to where there be enough light and heat. For the earthlings to migrate there. A lot of this obviously goes beyond the reality of possible the possibilities of reality. But they are all aspects of what the biblical scholar walter brueggemann. Call the prophetic imagine. The prophetic imagination the ability. To recognize something possible beyond the present. Maybe something so. Far beyond the present that it seems hard to achieve but nonetheless challenges. The present. Suffering or destruction or injustice. It is the opposite of what he calls the royal consciousness. And this is something you trace it through all the books of the hebrew scriptures were christians called the old test. Those who spoke out usually from among the more common people. Or the lower end of the educated classes. Against. The ruler. The royalty. Those who dominated. The prophetic imagination is the imagination of the oppressed and their champions. A broken and points out. They threw out the hebrew scriptures it most often takes the form of poetry. Because poetry. Is not the language of laws. It's not the language of rules. It's not the language. Royal command is not the language of. It is the language of possibility in imagine a. For example. The famous passage. From amos 5. I hate i despise your festivals this is purportedly god speaking. I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you're offering me your burnt offerings and gray and offerings i will not accept them. The offerings of your. Of well-being of your fat animals i will not look upon. Take away from me the noise of your songs. I will not listen to the melody of your heart. But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Not a physical destruction. But as social transformation. The ferlinghetti's poem is a 20th century example. But it still speaks today. To the threats of envy of climate change and environmental destruction. He's so apocalyptic desolation it firsthand long before the 1970s. Turn 96 in march and it still riding and painting. And running is bookstore in sanford. With an eagle scout. Now i know i've put a lot of effort into bringing readings in from this side of the hudson. He was born in yonkers. On the other side of the hudson. And. And grew up basically under the care of his aunt after. His father having died before he was born. And his mother having had a breakdown and then unable to care for him. As a child. And that led to all sorts of adventures. I being an eagle scout and having graduated from college at the start of the first world war second world war. He went and enlisted became an officer in the navy. He commanded sub tenders during the second world war small boats or two behind the boats on the frontline he was. 1. Infants dropping norwegians trained as gorillas. On the coast of norway was occupied the nazis at the time by germany at the time. Sit for them to engage in guerilla warfare to drive the nazis out. In the support boats behind the normandy invasion watching for submarines that might be sneaking up on the. Allied fleet. And then six weeks after nagasaki being in when the first groups of americans to enter that city destroyed. Six weeks after the atomic bomb had been. So he saw what could only be described as apocalyptic desolation first-hand. And declared after seeing nagasaki that he could never condone violence again and be a pacifist for the rest of his life. And then in 1976. He could view nature taking back. The planet from human degradation. Hence the poem. But and this is where some of the humor comes in. Get another image. Read my mail destruction auto gavin. The armageddon auto again. Cars were going to destroy the world. Yeah i was images of freeway in that palm. Yeah we're going to isolate ourselves in cars and not talk to each other. And then 1:00 at the freeway so we couldn't get anywhere. And that would end the world would brian to a halt. A more lighthearted evocation. By the way of civilization ending. But you can see where it pointed again to trends the real things ever happened. That were not good. And so that's where that poetry comes from. That kind of pulling on deep cultural traditions but speaking for in the modern. Modern sensibility. Raising up the possibility that naturewood. Take back its own. And that humanity might not survive it something we consider today with global warming and climate change. What does a new beginning require total destruction. One would think not now. One more thing you know about lawrence ferlinghetti is that he's a philosophical anarchist he doesn't believe the state has any legitimate authority over the individual. However he says. In order for anarchism to work everyone has to be a saint. And so he puts his energy into kind of a social democratic project. Holding onto philosophical anarchism in working in practical ways. Being parts of. Ecological movements in the anti-war movement and movement for justice for. People who've been mistreated. It certainly is a leader in free speech he was the publisher of allen ginsberg howl. And he won the supreme court case. That ruled that it was not pornographic or obscene. But the poetry dispatched depicts vividly the threat at hand. And inspires action. Call fred at least from his fellow poets. Browser makes me wonder. What can i do. Tabaxi continuing ecological destruction. How can i help. To restore the earth before it becomes uninhabitable. In the face of. Global warming and rising oceans random violence. In our street seemingly unending war abroad. And accelerating tendencies toward racism and repression here in the united states. We need some hope. We need some wild dreams. The sparc ar action. We need the imagination. That is something that may not be immediately possible. But which draws us forward. Put something that is it something we can achieve. We're at the start of a new year today so. I wasn't meaning to start with a downer about death and destruction. In fact that's just a lead-in to talk about. Very briefly what. The new year really is about its january 3rd. I declare this a day to dream. The day to imagine. A day for each person. To be a poet of possibility. Found new year's resolution to very common often quite mundane and probably most of them broken already. Focused on changing a bad habit. Or tinkering around the edges of our lives. Why are three wildly. And see what we might come up with. For new year. How we might make a new beginning. In these difficult. Challenging and one might say in some ways apocalyptic times. Wild dreams. I have some wild dreams. I still dream after many decades of disappointment. For socialist revolution in the united states. A non-violent socialist revolution. We need it and it can happen. Now those who say that bernie sanders cannot be elected refuse to dream that there was a greater power than that of the ruling capitalist class. And it's important that bernie sanders will delete all of those socialists is not running on a socialist platform. He's running on a social democratic platform. Not the same thing. But that's neither here nor there just saying he can't be elected is saying we can't challenge the ruling class. All the other candidates talk within the language of the ruling class. But. There are possibilities. And this is not about an election is about socialist revolution. The map the working-class the poor and the members of the middle class whose interests are much closer to those of the working-class than the ruling class. Might just be able to get themselves together at some point. Now this likely will not include all of the 99%. Which technically is really 98%. But. Small number. Maybe 85% to get together maybe 90%. That would be enough for nonviolent revolution. Edit course would bring a lot of disruption and dislocation and to the 1% it would look like an apocalypse. Or is that great song says it's the end of the world as we know it. Not to me it looks like democratic socialism which would have by definition less centralized power than exist in today's monopoly capitalism. I also dream of an ecologically balanced world. Not a luddite world not a denial of technology not a reversion to subsistence. But a world in which human creation and wilderness can both flourish. Because both can flirt. An ecologically balanced world. And i also dream of a world. And this one seems very far away this week. But a world where people of all faiths and ethnicities. Respect each other and engage with each other as equals. And that seems like a very wild dream today. But one much to be wished. So those are my wild. Dreams of a new beginning on this. January 3rd. And i invite you to consider what you might wildly dream. Don't don't hem it in with the limitations. Dream. Dream. Stream. So what are your wild dreams of a new beginning. I invite you to consider that as a service procedure.

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Sermonpodcast-10-14-18.mp3?_=26

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. So it feels like maybe just maybe the weather has finally broken. And we're coming into the colder time. But it's a time that isn't just cold it's also a time for warmth right for fires and sweaters and hot cocoa. Each season brings its own challenges and rewards each day brings its own challenges and rewards. We rejoice and we grieve all at the same time. The web of life of which we are a part that interdependent web that we talked about in our seven principles means that indeed we are all connected and then all of life the ups and the downs come together to create a wholeness and a fullness. And when we tell the stories of our lives together. When we celebrate new life and we grieve losses together. We let ourselves. Feel the fullness of what it means to be human. We are honoring that complex and eternal web. Until this morning we do this. We honor what is. Who we are who we are becoming. And we remember the power of communities like this. But hold us on our journeys. Every sunday that we gather. We take time and our service to be together in. Silence for each of us. This time offers a different opportunity. Some of us take this time for deep breathing others for prayer others for quiet reflection. It's an important. Time. Apart and away from the noise and the rush of the world. It's a time for us to breathe deeply. Alongside our. Fellows. And focus on what matters most. Sometimes. Like today. It's a time for also us to lift up events of deep importance to members of our community. So this morning i would like to ask you to take a big deep breath in slowly. To keep. Breathing. In our lives. Joy and sorrow can coexist. Just as cold and warm can coexist. In the same day. We can know the pain and grief of death and the joy of new life and it is one of the central. Challenges of being human. This morning even as we celebrate the new life theo that joins in our beloved community. We also mourn the loss of elizabeth ortiz. Daughter of will and libby. Elizabeth died this past thursday morning surrounded by the love of her family and friends. Today this morning and in all the days and weeks. Come. Miss community holds will and libby in love. Offering our blessings and prayers to them as they grieve their loss. Our thoughts and our hearts in this time of quiet are with all those around this wide world who. Celebrate joys and more losses side-by-side. To worry about the state of their nations who struggle to make jaws. Choices. Who are working ever to become. In the silence we meditate we reflect we pray as our own hearts. Always know. Places that hold the. Stories of our lives. Compassion and care. May we always know places that hold us. As we are. And as we keep. I've always loved that reading that was done during the dedication i had it right at the dedication of my oldest child. It. Really get that notion that our children are not ours. That we raise them we dyed them as we are able but they don't belong to us. It's an ideal they can actually be pretty hard to embody. The belief that a child's past has to be their own that we can't shield them from all things and we can't. Control what their genetics will dictate their who they will encounter. What joys and sorrows will be theirs. It's a beautiful reminder to try and see each child for the unique and incredible being. That they are. This past friday some dear old friends of mine came up to new york from philadelphia they drove up with her two daughters. They stayed overnight on friday and then saturday we had a big adventure in the city. But when the kids all woke up. On saturday morning i was struck by their pajamas. This is a group of children ranging in age from 3.5 to 7 years old and everybody had on long sleeves and long pants cuz the weather has turned. But there were my boys in construction jammies and dinosaur jammies and night sky with aliens the spaceship jammies all in shades of grey and yellow and black and white. My friend's daughter's were dressed in purples and pinks one with a shirt that said wake me when i'm famous. This friend of mine and i are both liberal progressive deeply committed to the rights of all people to be who they are but here were these five kids and pretty stereotypically gendered pajamas. Like we all bought from the same big kids clothing store. Since having kids i've noticed the aisles of toy stores i don't know how many of you go into toy stores. But they are super gendered in ways i don't remember from my own childhood actually and for that reason and many others i will not take my children into toys story. Last year if you were here when katie byron came to preach she talked about gender reveal parties that still a thing. Explode pink or blue or the frosting is pink or blue inside a cake. We don't just do it to children. Do you listen to the radio or watch television around the holidays christmas or mother's day or father's day you will see unbelievably stereotyping ads right jewelry for the women in power tools for dad. We have these methods of pigeonholing and boxing each other in. And so i can have the. Deep commitment to a liberal message that i have. And there are still other messages. From kids at school from ads out in the world from clothing companies and even again this subtle ones from me because i bought those jammies. Our children are not our own. To direct and mold in our image. Kahlil gibran is right. And more than that we also just we can't control it. Something happens the minute they encounter the outside world. In other words from the minute they're born. As unitarian universalist we are very clear. Do we want to honor and celebrate and welcome and embrace. Every person. As they are. Do we are also clear. That we believe in the possibility of every person. To continue growing. Not just a possibility that necessity. We believe in the journey that each of us is on the lifelong journey. Of deepening our spirits and hearts of. Uncovering our most sincerely held beliefs about god and life. Growing our capacity for love and compassion. It's a tenuous balance a sensitive one. To say all at the same time. You are perfect. With all of your imperfections and mista. And. You can become. Even more ever deeply your truest. And then we have to layer onto that sensitive balance the fact that all the time every day out there. Our message is declaring that we are in. Perfect or beloved. Where do we can't grow. Or to be more precise maybe we can't grow the way is that we want to. Not actually going to ask you to raise your hands. But i would ask you to consider. If ever in the world. You were given the message that you weren't enough. That you're being wasn't beautiful valued important. Worthy of love. I'm guessing. But every single person in this room. Has received that message at least once in their lifetime. Or interpreted that message. From the world around you. This is seidel understanding of what is. Beautiful or smart or fun or engaging is. Pretty narrow. And probably many of us had parents who had narrow visions of what was acceptable or normal. The affirmation of our beings as we are is not something. Most of the world is committed to. But it's something deeply held. It's something i'm deeply committed to the affirmation spoken to you often and hopefully spoken among you often. But you're being is needed and wanted and below. But you're being in the world is infinitely valuable. But you have a police and gifts and worth and dignity. Again i'm not going to ask you to raise your hands. But i would ask you to consider. Is ever in the world you were given the message that you couldn't become something. Maybe it had to do with career stuff. Or with who you love. Or with parenting or with character traits that you wanted to embody or with gender expression. I'm guessing that many of us if not all of us have felt. Pushed or pulled at times. Along our path as we have become. Those seem narrow structures have given many of us the feeling that we couldn't choose. Certain features. Couldn't fully become ourselves because to do so would be to walk outside the norm. But that's a malformation of your being. Extends to an affirmation of your book coming. Here we believe that you can become. That there's a path not that you are destined to walk down in some kind of faded sense. But a path that can lead to your deepest and truest self the self you are meant to uncover. Here we believe that you can uncover that and you can recover and discover who you are. All the time we are confronted with messages that undermine our being and interrupt our becoming. And here we strive for something else we aren't perfect at it i know that. But we strive for it. And in the wider world we can see glimpses of it. We can see certain pockets and places and ways that others are embracing being and becoming. And yet there are still so many places and so many ways. Image of others are trying to shut down the affirmation of being and the openness of becoming. We see it in the desecration of the rights of native peoples in this country to vote. We see it in the continuing disproportionate violence against transgender people particularly transgender people of color. We see it in the ongoing racism and oppression of people of color in this country. We see it all over. And the fact that we see it all over makes it that much more important that we. Here in this room. Carry everywhere with us. The commitment to honoring people. As they are. Both the things that they can't change and the choices they make so long as those choices don't harm others. And honoring the full range of who they might become in the future. Whether they are newborn children. Or in their later years. Everyone is still becoming. Margaret jay wheatley wrote our other reading this morning it comes from her book who do we choose to be. Written largely in response to this moment in the history of the world. Wheatley has been a teacher at consultant and author and expert on institutional change for decades. In this book she uses to what she calls lenses. The science of living systems and the pattern of collapse of complex civilization. The science of living systems she argues the science of living systems argues as she writes. That quote. Living systems organize using dynamics that include self-organizing based on identity. Relationships woven together in complex networks. An insurance order displayed in chaos and complexity. The role of shared meaning to create coherent non police action among individuals. The siri or lens holds that lifestyle nameks do not change and that in the face of a dominant culture that strive to interrupt them. We can commit ourselves to working to restore the dynamics of life. The second lens uses is this pattern of collapse. Complex civilization. A knot. Theory indicates that we are at a time of chaos and collapse. Quote. The pattern of collapses remarkably consistent. Describing how humans always behave and it's good to understand where we are. So we don't keep struggling against inevitable behaviors. And it's grievous to see where we are because of what can't be changed. In the part that we read. Wheatley outlines the necessary conditions for life one of which is strikingly membranes that create boundaries. Boundaries that distinguish one cell from another but boundaries that are also permeable enough. Did they can change. Alter. Adapt evolve and become. The memory has to be both strong and flexible. Rigid and open. Life depends on the creation of identity in the continuity of life depends on the possibility of identity changing. The preservation of life depends on the shift ability. Of the identity of living thing. She challenges us to observe this in our own lies and i challenge you to actually give it a shot this week. In your own home but also on the national stage. Some have argued that our current politics are the last. Daft of a rigid white patriarchal system trying to preserve its privilege and power and fort payne. That rings true to me. Our system is collapsing. And there are many who are raging against that collapse and not change and who in their refusal to adopt. And their determination to protect themselves and their privilege. We'll end up on the losing side of morality and history. And on the other side you have folks who see the changes demographic religious cultural and who believe that that change can be a source of possibility. Awaits you improve and preserve life. This particular work by wheatley isn't that cheery so i caution you if you go to look for it. She flat-out tells her readers that collapse is inevitable. Combined with the climate report that came out this week it is easy to look to the future and see it is very bleak indeed but. Wheatley argues and i would say that gibran is really talking about this to. We can make choices. Each of us. As individual. But even if there is an inevitability to certain things in the future the collapse of american dominance the devastating effects of climate change. We are still each unique individual beings who can choose to become. There's power and worse in that alone. We can choose to be and become people who go rigid in the face of the inevitability and fiddle while rome is burning. Or we can choose to be and become. People who see the inevitability of certain things. But don't allow that to overwhelm us. I do concern ourselves deeply always. With the preservation of not just our own lives. But life with that capital l. If we choose to be. People with moral and ethical grounding who grasped the changes the world is facing but insist. Upon the beauty of life. The value of compassion and the possibility always of something amazing. Then we have to live every moment of our lives in every area of our lives with that deep commitment. To affirming being and becoming. That means we have to love ourselves. And each other. Deeply and truly. We have to embrace each other with all of our differences and challenges. It also means that we have to push ourselves and each other in every way. Push ourselves to give a little more. To be a little kinder to listen more. Dissenter ourselves better and come from a place of groundedness. We should push ourselves and each other to front always the question of who we want to be. Before we make any decisions we can't take back. We want to be generous. We want to be forgiving. Respectful healthfully boundary. As individuals we have a right and responsibility to figure out who we are. Do we deeply are apart from all the stuff we are told we should be. We have a responsibility to love that self. We also have a right and a responsibility to imagine that we can always become more. Both of these are really hard. They are. Affirming being in imagining the possibilities of becoming our hard but life has a yearning to be and to become. And what will become is not written in stone. We have a choice our children have choices. How do we make it easier. For each of us. All of the children. To be and to become. How do we make it easier to remove all of those interrupters. It starts with always reminding ourselves. The truth of debrands words end of wheatley's but identity matters and we have no right to determine anyone else's identity for them. Then we make it easier when we decry privately and publicly the societal forces that would box us in. We begin to remove those interrupters when we share stories of times we were able to live our lives completely by our values completely as we are. Let me tell the stories of other people who give up. I give up personal privilege and power and self-preservation in favor of the preservation of lice in the greatest sense. Thank you. We remove those barriers to each person's whole being and becoming. When we become promoters. In every moment of affirmation and possibility. We changed the way of things when we commit ourselves also to doing our own work. Of being our beloved selves envisioning who we can still yet. We each of us commit ourselves completely. To the valley. That we will to the best of our ability. Extend to ourselves and to others. Kindness and courage. Learning to and teaching others to love justice and live compassionately. And always encouraging ourselves and others to become who we are meant to. So maybe.

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Sermonpodcast-2-14-16.mp3?_=35

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. I do want to acknowledge that. Chaucer's. Holding middle english was rendered into modern english by a s. Clyde. The english at rosser road is probably closer to old norse than it is to modern english and. Old norris is a difficult language to. Almost as difficult as modern english. This what are the things that makes. Challenging to talk about love. Like many words in our language has many meanings. And then he uses. The time when i mentioned love from this pulpit. I am talking about love is solidarity is. As embodying some to recruit and ideal of love in our relationships. With others it embodying that. Sense of universal and all-inclusive love. That is the heart of the universalist half of the unitarian universalist tradition. I should say that neither unitarian universalist have anything against love is personal and emotional. In fact their great love stories and romances. In our tradition. Margaret fuller and countess ali. Louisa may alcott's crush. Never required it on henry david thoreau. William ellery channing and his wife in the sadness of losing their son to illness. Both of ralph waldo emerson's marriages are great romantic stories. And certainly elizabeth cady stanton and her long marriage and seven children while being a leader of the suffrage movement. Unitarian universalist have nothing against personal emotional romantic. Love in these stories are as good as the stories of heroism that week. Tell much more often. Well the word love does have many meanings has theological meanings as ethical meanings and it has. Personal meanings. It is on large concept. And elizabeth cady stanton road of love and i quote love is a vital essence that pervades and permeates. From the center to the circumference. The graduating circles of all thought in action. Love is the talisman of human weiland whoa. The open sesame to every soul. More recently the. Scholar diane ackerman wrote the natural history of love. Everyone admits that love is wonderful and necessary yet no one can agree on what it is. So this morning i speak of love is a. Personal matter. If you do this i will use four types of love. Identified ancient greek philosophy. That still affect how we think about love today. They're still useful concept. The first is agape. The love of god for all of god's creatures. Reflected. In loving community. By what was known in the early times as the loveseat. Which is also. Named agape in greece. Greek. Eros passionate and romantic love. What are the names of the ancient deity also known as cupid. And it is philia we just love between friends. And store ghee. The love of children parents and other relatives. For each other. A generous understanding of agape is at the heart of universalism. The love that leaves no sold out. This is a common way of identifying that ancient concept. And when i speak of solidarity i speak as a of a humanistic all-embracing love. Which to me is the logical historical development. Agape. And that is all i'm going to say about agape today because today love is personal. Eros philia and store gr always thinking about love and a person away. I can tell you something about all three of these by telling you a personal story. January last year. In tampa. Florida where it was warmer than it was here. I just rolled from the. Apple store in the shopping center there to my car. Having one of those adventures that frustrates even people who love the apple software and. Hardware. Dealing with the apple store. And i got into the car. I was about to leave the parking lot when my cell phone rang with a number for massachusetts that i didn't recognize. I took the call. This is para ralph's daughter. I tried to remember when i had last seen her. Probably when she was a child and i knew she was married and had children now. Heard that from her father and mother. Yes i said how are you. Terry said my father died on monday. And my mother told me i had to track you down and tell you. And that's what she did. Found my cell phone number. Truth be told her parents were terrible about keeping track of phone numbers and addresses. And she found me. In tampa. Ralph and i had known each other since the first grade. And his middle-aged daughter herself now the mother of three and a public health nurse. And a bit of a tech wizard. In her own right. I called to tell me that her father died just a few weeks shy of his 65th birthday. In all the years we've known each other ralph and i had shared many adventures. Including with one of our other friends who is african-american writing around the other friend's mother's t-bird. The affluent white neighborhoods in fairfield county in. Asking people working in their yards were the new black family the johnsons adjust moved in. It is amazing we got out of norwalk connecticut alive. Ralph and i and another friend tim. Play together. In what we call the william henry harrison memorial jug-band. Figuring naming a jug band was appropriate since he was the president. Who died within a month of taking office cuz he insisted i give me a 2-hour and inaugural address in the pouring rain and contracted pneumonia. Our musical career was only a bit longer. And then there was the road trip to michigan for our friend tim's wedding. As we're heading out the door to get on the road. Ralph killed his father mother oh by the way i dropped out of college. And out the door. And lots of adventures since and ralph had met his wife sally. That my first wedding in 1971. She was a very good friend of maureen my first wife. And i had already met sally. Before ralph did. But that. Sparks flew that day and it was what ralph would later referred to his lust at first sight. But i hadn't seen each other much during the last twenty or twenty-five years but we were still friends. Our lives had gotten divergent directions but our history. Together in friendship steel-framed. Our lives. And it was i who would call sally a few months earlier. To tell him that maureen had died. I spoke with sally than that day. After her daughter and called me. He told me that ralph love me. She also told me in great detail about the day ralph died which was that monday. It was martin luther king holiday. And ralph who loves christmas. Had to putting off taking down the decorations. Play two grown daughters and five grandchildren in. You love singing christmas music. He did a lot of renaissance music with the boston lyric opera. But he loved christmas decorations and he promised sally that he'd take the decorations down on the holiday. And he got up and said i don't feel like taking down the decorations let's go to the casino. Now what preceded was a day when she lost her hundred dollars completely and he left with $500. Famous chinese restaurant but way too much food and took some of it home with them. Then they lit up some joints and hopped into bed. And after a day that included gambling food drugs and sex. He had a massive heart attack and died. As his widow said not a bad way to go. Well i remembered my friend using that phrase lust at first sight and they had 44 years of lust together. Eros. But also very deep emotional commitment. You don't last 44 years as a couple without that. In fact eventually got married about 10 years ago. When the kids were grown. Parenting. Love of children and doting. On grandchildren. So parenting in the way couples develop. Ads i think the level of celia 2eros. You can't last as a couple unless you're also friends. And of course. The store ghee. And of course the cilia with friends. Rantulak close by and friends at a distance. Love. It's personal. It's all so complicated. Valentine's day first and foremost is about heroes. Is named for a saint or possibly two saints of the catholic church. About him so known as little that they were demoted from the liturgical calendar in the 1960s. So they're actually no longer saints. The symbol is a chubby little being named cupid with wings. Cupid. There's a noun cupidity it has two meanings one is greed and the other is lust. Best cubed. The roman god of love. But romantic love isn't just about lost though that may indeed where it starts. Romances that begin with desire also develop commitment. And a faction. That is emotional as well as physical. Love that transcends whatever physical attraction there is at the start of the relationship. And the changes and often decline that come with the years. How else would another friend of mine charles. At age 80. Lavish care on detention on his wife of more than 50 years. As she slides slowly but steadily into dementia. Love can indeed be strong as death as the poets say. And fragile. At the same time. Port doesn't always last. I know i've been divorced. Some of us have to learn how to get it right. May sarton the unitarian universalist poet and. Lesbian. Who had a long term relation for decades. Run a lot about love it's joy and it's. Challenges. One of her poems is one of my favorite and it. Favorites and it's simply titled love. Here it is. Fragile as a spider's web hanging in space between tall grasses. It is torn again and again. A passing dog or simply the wind can do it. Several times a day i gather myself together and spin it again. Spiders are patient weavers. They never give up. And who knows what keeps them added. Hunger no doubt. And hope. Hunger and hope. Sartin road elsewhere in an essay love opens the door into everything. As far as i can see. Including and perhaps most of all the door into one's own secret. And often terrible and frightening realself. Loving another person enables us and demands of us. But we know ourselves. And be the best self we can be. Or is iris murdered put it love is the extremely difficult realization that something other than oneself is real. Very real. When i officiate. At a wedding. Although i give the bride and groom or the bride and bridesmaid for the groom and groom. A lot of say in how the ceremony is worded. I often offer. Three pieces of advice. The first is to expect the best of each other. But don't expect perfection. And i go on and on about that for a while. Expect the best of yourself but don't expect perfection. And remind them that i have noticed people harder on themselves. Something then their partner is. It sometimes our own faults. R2 visible to ourselves. And other people. Don't think you're that serious. Brass expect the best to come in the years ahead as you grow together. Because whatever impulse brings two people together. It's living together and learning together and growing together. That makes a commitment laugh. But how did you people keep their love alive through the challenges of life the challenges of work and parenting. The fading of eros and perhaps even of health. Boston by being friends as well as lovers having philia as well as arrow. The journalist roberts he maynard the late owner of the oakland tribune. Wrote about this in apollo. About his parents. Which who work together in their own business and we talked about putting pressure on pressure not to be married raising a family and running a business together. You know it's like when do you get a break. What he asks why did they have this marriage that lasted for decades and decades and decades. He wrote in a column the special ingredient i believe was friendship. My parents were not head-over-heels romantics. In fact they were rarely demonstrative lee affectionate around us. But they were friends best friends. That i believe was the great secret of their devotion. 4 time when i was in high school. My father did some remodeling that required me temporarily to give up my room. Bernie ante-room to my parents bedroom. That is when i discovered. What good friends say were. Long into the night. Especially on weekend. They would talk. About the doings of the previous day the funny things that happened. To one or another of them. The thing i noticed was the cam. Even tone of their voices. They talked almost in a code of their own. They lasted each other silly mistakes and foibles. And when they disagreed about something. There was an odd silence. They listened very carefully to each other. Until each understood the reason for the argument of the other. Later. I would learn that most people who argue. Have ceased listening to what the other person has to say. My parents were the opposite. My father wants explain to me why he listened so carefully to my mother's arguments. I always learn something by listening to your mother. He was by no means a docile person. He often argued back just as vigorously. But they never raised their voices to each other. And they clearly expected each other's views. Clearly respected each other's views on just about every. One clue. Is the how relationships last for lifetime. No maynard story is about how in the 20th century is parents made real. The promise of the ancient hebrew. Song of songs or song of solomon where it says. Many waters cannot quench love. Neither can floods drown it. If one offered for love all the wealth of his house. It would be utterly scorned. It was my recognize that love given even between a married couple may start with your arrows but it is more than eris. I could say that romantic love matures into romantic friendship. Eros in philly or both. And his family's combined amateur with each other there is store ghee as well. You should see sometimes. How my wife moves around and wants my cousin since she's only known for a dozen years or less. And even my. Sisters who are like sisters to her now after 14 years of marriage. Assertive developed. The family extends itself. There's also the story of my. My friends ralph and sally. And how their relationship developed over decades. And also another couple i've known for over 20 years carmen and pinto. Permanent jacket. A same-sex couple. Who's been together for over 20 years. They live in my neighborhood. And friday evening i ran into them. At the top chinese takeout place nearby. Why did nasty run into them in the takeout place. I recognize there. License plate on the car in the parking lot so i looked in the stories i was going to the drugstore to see which one they were in i haven't seen them for a while. And then they were getting takeout. Cuz they're bad to drive from west orange to edison to their daughter destiny's concert at edison high. She is an outstanding jazz bass player. At age 14. And these this these are two people who have just built an incredible relationship with multiple layers over decades. And adopted children in the raising them. It's also jodi's in my story. Is having multiple layers to the relationship. The possibilities which became clear in our first actual date when she made a joke. About marx's description to rent to your class and in the book capital. Now that's not a rip-roaring joke for most people. And if i told that you it was over most of your head. You know. Even most educated people don't read much of my marks or have adam smith on the other end of the. Of the economic spectrum. You know about that you don't read the beauty need to know. What what mark said about the regular class in capital but he was a joke someone who knows the marxist can and has a sense of humor. That is even rarer. 10 people who've actually read marx. And we still have conversations of that sort. And puns. And the fact that we both had four years of latin in high school. It's amazing how much latin you can forget in 50 years. But also how much you can remember if it gets thrown at you and the ride for. Now this morning i could have given you a scholarly discussion of love. I actually look at some philosophical references on love and house lovers understood in philosophy and other cultures. I'll tell you the philosophical stuff was totally uninspiring. Dry as dust. Poetry works better on this. Taking 10 minutes to explain jody's joke and painful intellectual and historical detail just give you a cue the clue that there's a unitarian involved in it other than the two of us. There are vast religious philosophical and sociological and psychological literature's about love. And some of them were worth reading. 4 reasons. Other than telling personal stories. There's stuff i bread is really helpful. In the work i do with counseling people whether preparing to be married or dealing. With problems in their relationship. And i could have linked eros philia and store ghee to agape in a clever intellectual construct. But not even plato or aristotle tried to do that. So what how can i imagine people that one off. Instead i use these to frame some personal. And even quirky stories. And reflections on love. And kept it personal. I hope i've cheered your hearts.

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Sermonpodcast-3-24-19.mp3?_=4

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. Nadia please join in the words for lighting the chalice they're printed in your order of service but also for. We light this chalice. Now please take a deep breath. And listen. As this sound rings out. Try to hear in it. Joy. Wonder. Celebration. Here in it. Centuries. Millennia. Of human beings coming together. To affirm all that binds them. Breathe. And listen. Just this past week i was sitting in a coffee shop in new york city and i had my computer out and my earphones in and my music was loud enough that i couldn't hear any of the ambient noise. The only sound was the singer in the beats of piping into my ears. But all around me swirling in and out of my vision we're people. So many people. So different different shapes different sizes different colors getting different drinks and food arriving from different places as they entered going different places as they left. Living different lives. Longing for different scenes holding different pains celebrating different joyce. And yet also all wet from the same rain. All these people there. Moving beautifully around each other in my music field field of vision. Austin where i live is overwhelming and busy and crowded. But in that moment i was filled with a strange kind of peace. Heart swell of gratitude for the vast diversity. Of humanity. The rabbi and theologian abraham joshua heschel wrote that. People of our time are losing the power of celebration. Instead of celebrating we seek to be amused or entertain. Celebration is an active state and act of expressing reverence or appreciation. To be entertained is a passive state. It is to receive pleasure afforded by an amusing actor spectacle. Entertainment he right is a diversion a distraction of the attention of the mind for the preoccupations of daily living. Celebration is a confrontation. Giving attention to the transcendent meaning of one's actions. Celebration is an act of expressing respect or reverence for that which one needs or honors. To celebrate is to share in a greater joy. To participate in an eternal drama. I thought of that heschel quote as i sat there in this coffee shop in a moment that felt like a moment of celebration. Quiet internal solitary celebration. For the participation in this eternal drama of human difference and sameness. A strange moment of reverence and transcendence that honored our human need to live our own special lives but in and among each other. This morning here we are going to share stories from to world religion stories that celebrate the triumph of good over evil. Stories that harold spring and that speak to our need for each other. So welcome this morning as we celebrate all together young and old alike in this special place. This is the time in our service that we spend in quiet reflection. Some of us to use this time for prayer or for breathing deeply in and out for meditation some for daydreaming. How you use this time is your choice but it is our quiet time together. And i know that it can be hard being quiet together. For children and for some of us grown-ups. So every sunday i try to help and i'm going to ask you to just do your best to follow my directions this morning. So first i want you to settle into your seat. Let yourself feel. Solidly grounded. If your feet touch the floor. Put them both down squarely. If they don't reach you can go criss cross applesauce on your chair. Whatever feels comfortable. Take your hands you can put them on your belly or in your lap. At your sides whatever works for your body. And if it feels comfortable. Close your eyes. Now take a deep. Breath in. Not loud. Slow. Study. And then let it out. Take another deep breath in. Let it slowly out. Feel your body and gently rise and fall. Nice and slow. As you breathe. Think about the people that you love. Do people you take care of and who. Take care of you. The love they show and how they show. Let yourself smile. You think about. And keep breathing deeply. As you move into. Silence. Feel your love. For them and their love. Taking time every day to. Think about those we love. Important way. To celebrate them. The way of accessing the joys of our lives. May you have time each day. To remember the sources of love and life. So maybe. So it doesn't quite feel like it yet but we're getting close to the springtime. Crocuses those first flowers that pop up at the beginning of spring have begun to peek through their tightly wrapped green leaves to protect them as they grow. The weather has intermittently at least been warmer i went without my winter coat one day this week. Before we know it the birds will be winging and singing in the sky the flowers will be blossoming the trees blooming the breeze warm the sky-blue and we will have sunshine. Before we know it will all be caught up in that springtime energy that fervor that makes us want to get outside and run around and meet new friends and visit with old friends. Fall in love and dancing singing spring clean and planting gardens and watch baseball and do all the things we love to do in the spring. We're on the cusp of one of the most startling yearly changes. The shift from winter to spring for me at least always feels the most abrupt. The most surprising summer is a warming of spring full of more gentle he's usually into the cooler crispr are. Winter a deeper sink into cold and snow and dark. But when spring comes springs. I always feel at least in this part of the country like it just happens that it. One day all of a sudden the world rio aches. I know there's a whole process of growing that under the hard cold soil the earth is gathering itself to bloom again. I know that though it seems sudden in fact months of resting of. Hibernating in collecting strength and energy have gone into the life that we will see explode in the natural world and in ourselves. All around the world there are festivals for celebrating the spring. Perimeter holly are just two of them to festivals that celebrate the coming of new life the coming of. Color and flowers and light. Two festivals that celebrate the triumph over evil. We can see the symbolism. Heyman and hiranyakashipu two villains who tried to destroy others are defeated. Just as the winter during which everything sleeps is overtaken by the spring and life is renewed. Fullness life. Color renewal these are the themes. That are prevalent in the spring and in the stories that harold it. But there's another element these celebrations and it's the one that i especially want to lift up today. It's the aspect it speaks to our shared humanity. And the ways that all of us together experience the cycles of the earth. To celebrate purim children put on costumes grown-ups to their singing and merriman. Although perm begins with a short fast it's not like other jewish holidays that involve morning and prayer and longer fasting and study. This holiday involves reading a book of esther and then celebrating. Did you ask people are commanded to eat. Drink and be merry on this holiday. Tradition teaches you that you are supposed to celebrate so much fun for him that you can't tell the difference between the phrases. Cursed be haman and blessed be mordecai. You're supposed to give out treats and give out charity. Costumes commemorate the moment in the story when esther's uncle mordecai is dressed in the king's robe. But they also. Teach us. No one knows who it is giving out the charity and he was asking for it obscures the differences you dress up in part to disguise the differences between people. The traditions of purim remind us of the fragility and resilience and shared vulnerabilities and courage of human life. Unholy. Bonfires are lit in memory of the bonfire that holy colette before vishnu made her go away. But there's more to celebrating holi. On the day of the festival people walk around town sharing sweet treats not unlike forum. But people also throw colored powder and colored water on each other. And in case you've never seen any images of holy we have a few to show you this morning. Unholy people take handfuls. Of colored powder colored paint made from flowers and other bright and beautiful natural ingredients and they smear them on each other's bodies and faces and throws and made each other creating billowing clouds of color. They also use colored water and other aides so water guns buckets to make the color spread even further. Just like forum holy is not a day for prayer called puta in hindi it's a day for partying for celebration for enjoyment. Children and youth wander around in packs with colored water and colored powder and all the normal rules of respect go out the window. Students can throw colored powder on teachers children at their parents and elders everyone at complete strangers it doesn't matter if you are shy or outgoing young or old you will end up covered in color on holi. People throw color on each other all over each other until you can't tell who is who. Is everyone looks the same just a giant blur of bright and beautiful colors. Krishna was worried that radha wouldn't love him because of his blue gray color. So he threw color on her and their love blossom. The traditions of holy remind us of the light that always returns but also of the false ennis of the lines that divide us in our normal living. And the potential we have to create a world of. Total beauty. Both permit holy are considered moments for new beginnings moments to meet people to forgive and forget to let go for a moment at least of our fears and inhibitions. It's a time to celebrate all the things that bind us together enjoy the keep us connected in happiness. Is it time to erase the differences between us with costumes and colors. To let go of our individual identities and instead to embrace what is the same. So you can no longer tell who is in need and who has plenty. Who is older who is young who is rich or poor or educated or not. Everyone just becomes like everyone else. Because underneath all the things that separate us are things that tie us closely together. All of us. Feel sad sometimes. All of us feel happy. All of us feel lonely. All of us feel pain all of us get sick. All of us feel joy. All of us sing. Tell stories perry memories have fears and hopes and deep longing. All of us cry for loved ones who have died. All of us find delight in our friends. All of us rejoice and celebrate though probably not as much as we should. All of us are born and all of us will die. All of us feel love. And all of us long to be loved. No matter our. Color or socioeconomic status or gender or sexual identity or age. All of us human beings are related to each other in our struggles and in our joys. In our fears and in our feelings. In the brevity of our living and its glory. In the fundamental things that make us human beings. There are so many ways that we are the same and that sameness is something to celebrate. That has allowed passage that i read in our opening words says it's celebration is an active thing. It's an active expression of the eternal of what is. Permanent of what will always be. Preman holier these kinds of celebrations they are intentional active expressions of reverence for the change of season. But also intentional active expressions of reverence for life. For what is in us that binds us for what makes us human for the things we can't. Change about our humanity. We extinguish the flame may we all remember that underneath our differences we are all human creatures that feel the same pains and joys and maybe remember that we have cause to celebrate to show active and intentional reverence for the blessings in our lives go in peace and celebrate.

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Sermonpodcast-3-18-18.mp3?_=47

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. This morning we are starting a three-part sermon series on the mission of this congregation and our mission here at the unitarian society of ridgewood reads. Growing in mind and spirit reacts together as a beacon for justice and love. Transforming self and world. That is a lofty mission statement not unlike our lofty principles but it's an important statement. One that offensively guides us in our congregational orientation. Everything we do everything we offer to each other and to the wider world. Theoretically aligns with these missional goals of growing in mind and spirit. Acting together as a beacon of justice and love and transforming self and world. How many of you knew the mission. Are you sure most of you at least heard it once or twice. But i'm not sure if i'd ask you to recite it without telling you what it was would you be able to do it. Okay would you realize that it's actually here. Awesome. By the end of these three weeks. Hopefully everyone will be able to recite it all together and they're going to practice at once this morning so you can look. They're on that front of your orders service we're going to say it all together once this morning. Hey we got it. Okay. Growing in mind and spirit. We act together as a beacon for justice and love transforming self and world. So i don't want you to answer this question right now but i want you to begin to consider right now what this mission means to you. If it feels right if it feels true if it feels like the guiding light that we supposedly want it to be for us. This morning for our time for meditation we're going to do it. Short guided meditation followed by some more extended silence. Do i invite you to settle yourself into your seat. To take a deep breath in. Try to relax your body as much as you can. Can roll your shoulders back. Make sure your jaw is unclenched. It feels comfortable you can close your eyes. Rest your hands on your knees or beside you whatever feels right to your body in this moment. Take another deep breath. Mother.. Azuki. Breathing deeply. Picture of small. Picture in the palm of your hand. Now imagine yourself planting. Deep within dark. Picture your. Padding the dirt. With your hands and then sitting beside that. Imagine that that spot starts. Change. Seed. Begins to grow. The smallest. Spear of green. Emerging from the dark. Slowly. Loli. As you breathe in and out. Imagine it growing. And as we move into silence imagine that play. Continuing. Growing. And in your mind. From a tiny. Seed can grow any number. A towering oak. Assistant. The shading tree. Potential is. Who did inter. Seed. From the moment. Comes into. The growth. Cakes. Time. Energy. Sources. It is not an easy. But the result. That work. Undergrowth. Is a thing of b. Contribution to the health. And wonder of the. Take a deep. Whatever that seed grew two in your imagination hold that as an image of your own. Potential for your own. Take another deep. May you remember the possibilities inherent in your own life. May you remember the beauty you bring to this world. And may you remember that you are a part. From the age of nine until the age of 16 i went to sleep way camp in new hampshire for two months every summer. And i loved it it wasn't always easy there are some very clear memories that i carry of. The challenges of living with 11 other girls for 2 months. I'm living in a community of predominantly children and youth i can tell camp stories for days. And to this day i still have at least one yearly camp dream usually as the spring deepens in the summer looms it's a little early still haven't had it yet. I have been thinking a lot about my old camp as they've been advertising the 70th reunions. The camp i went to camp walt whitman was historically a jewish camp and the vestiges that was it on friday nights there was this event called observance. There was poetry or up in some other reflective time and there was singing along with the councillors who played guitar protest songs from the sixties and. Random new hampshire and vermont state songs. And then traditional american songbook stuff that all lives deep in my memory. And then there was the walk back to the cabin. Arm and arm in the cool of the summer night under stars i never got to see at home. And while i never learned them all i came to learn the camp walt whitman summer night sky. And i knew from certain constellations position just how long it was before i had to come back. To the noise and rush of new york city. The easiest 12-track and the most apropos in some way with cassiopeia which is shaped a bit like a w which is perfect for cww. And i knew if the w was starting to sink lower in the sky that the summer was ending. We know the constellations do this right they rise and they said and sometimes they rise higher or lower they move in and out of our sky depending on the seasons. Not so the north star. It stays in roughly the same spot through the night and through the year. I'm not often used as a metaphor for missions or a sense of purpose for a constant in our lives and our journeys. In the last two decades or so there's been a wave. A focus on mission in congregational life. Across the american religious landscape. Not that people didn't have missions before. But there was a real push. Developing clear succinct. Simple mission statements that encapsulates. What the congregation does that can't be done elsewhere. What's unique about a congregation. There's a congregational consultant dan hotchkiss erstwhile of the albany institute. The road apiece on how to discern your mission. What'd he write is it a good mission process. Is quote. At least as much a matter of induction. Reading the mission into the congregation past accomplishments. As of discernment. Trying to see what else is in store. But he says this isn't the common approach she says most commonly. Congregations develop. A pie-in-the-sky vision of what might be. Rather than looking deeply into what the congregation does well right now and building on that. He offers some questions that might be of used in determining the. Platform of the present. And those questions i thought might be interesting for us all to keep in our minds as we move through these next 3 weeks. Those questions. What does this congregation do best. What does your minister do best. What does your laleadership. Do best. When in your life have you had a positive experience of ministry and hear ministry meaning all the work that a congregation and all its people undertake together. When in your life have you had the opportunity to minister to someone else. When have you personally participated in a congregational effort. They had a positive effect. On the surrounding. Sleeves of questions he offers. As helpful. In inducing and discerning emission. Any rights. Admission process is partly a matter of hearing what the congregation is called to do in the future. But it is also about discerning the movements of the spirit in the congregation now. And i thought a lot about this hotchkiss piece as i thought more about the mission of this congregation. Us army's mission was adopted may 17th 2009. So not quite nine years ago. Mission statements are in some sense designed to last. But they also deserve to be revisited. Thought through on occasion. You may remember that a few weeks ago i mentioned that the ancient greeks could actually see the southern cross that constellation we associate with the southern hemisphere it just wasn't so squarely located in the southern hemisphere yet. And the reality is it although we speak of polaris as the north star as a constant. There's that shakespeare julius caesar i'm as constant as the northern star and then joni mitchell uses it later. But it isn't really constant i didn't know that but it isn't constant over the course of long history. Polaris will not be the north star anymore. The earth wobbles. On its axis and it will have wobbled enough. It's something else. Will be understood as that constant northstar and i find that fascinating and also a little bit of a decent metaphor for the reality that missions she would hold up. But also sometimes need changing. Realclear i am not advocating a change in us ours mission. That's not what i'm about. I'm only listing up. The mission statement has to periodically come under scrutiny to make sure that it both stands on that firm platform hotchkis speaks of and looks forward to the future that we might build and become. To think of today as the beginning of a mutual exploration of this mission statement. Because although we have it on the front of our order of service and prominently on our website. It's not clear to me how much. It's really known or how much it really does guide our endeavors. Mission statements / this most recent wave of congregational mission writing. Are meant to be used as a measuring stick for all of a congregations activities. Does this potluck somehow serve the mission. Does this justice talk does that committee does this fundraiser. Theoretically. The mission takes centre stage as we figure out the work that we are doing it is a guiding light and also a source of inspiration. And as we look at our mission together we're going to think about the implications and its words about the strength that it builds on and what future it makes possible or list up for us. And as i said earlier today we're going to start with that first line growing in mind and spirit. And honestly the first thing that struck me. And not first line. Is the mind and spirit and specifically the end. We have a history and unitarian-universalism of issuing the notion of spirit. Are more broadly other religious words and there are some that we will likely never use. It's certainly we will not use them without many many qualifier. Right. If i say so i'm probably going to explain it a bunch right. If i say god i'm going to say whatever you conceive that to be or. God or being or energy or humanity offering a litany of possibilities for what that word might mean. Exactly because we don't share a common dogma. It's hard to use those words without a lot of. And that's not a bad thing. We should qualify. It's important when we speak. To leave room for possibility. To leave room for the vast array of theological leanings that our congregations embrace. But it's important i believe and i've said it before. That we shouldn't let go of those words all together and i know we don't always see eye-to-eye on this. Some of us those words just don't work. It's okay it's a process for all of us we're discovering together. What words work for us what works for the person next to us what works for us collectively as a community. But for me this and. In that first part of the mission statement mind and spirit. Seems really important. It seems to me the reason that we always have a time for meditation and reflection on sunday mornings. It seems to me the reason that we have time to sing together and access something. Deeper in our bodies. The reason we don't have sermons that are just like history lessons or lecture. Because we declare right there that we value growth in mind and spirit. That word is spirit is defined as the non-physical part of a person that is the seat of emotions and character the soul. That's the first merriam-webster definition. Or to take victoria stafford's reading. She defines it. The part of you that is most uniquely you. Deeper than mind more durable even than your will. And holy if you like that word or sacred. The essence of identity radiant with dignity and worth. That spirit or soul is that sort of. Inexplicable thing that makes you you it's at muddy space between nature and nurture. That place where science isn't quite yet sure what is coded in our dna and what isn't. That little bit of mystery in the makeup of a person. Their unique collection of emotions and character and it's the same that our first principle holds up. As holy. As reverend safford says or design or just. Worthy whatever word works. It's a quality of being human animated with life filled with possibility. But our universalism identifies. As reverend safford puts it. As deeply intimate and inviolate within each person present from the start. She knows how this original shining powerful lovely and beloved aspect of each of us. Is inherent and can be felt. If you've ever witnessed a birth or a death. She knows the difference in those moments. Between the presence of being. And moments without that presence of. Not very long ago there was a pretty major study done by the pew research institute. And it return results that unitarian-universalist have been through fretting and agitated and excited about for some time now few years at least. An increasing number of people in our country identify in this category of spiritual-but-not-religious. Surely you've heard best from this study. And there's this sense that unitarian-universalism has something to offer folks who fall into this category. I think we ought not spend your energies fussing too much about these changes in the american religious landscape i do agree that there is something in unitarian-universalism uniquely suited. To appeal to folks in that category exactly because of the first part of our mission statement here. We do not deny the mind. We use logic and reason and science we like. Evidence an actual fact. We will not live our faith in contradiction with the reality we know in the world. And we also admit for the presence of mystery. Spirit. Of that space between what is known and unknown. There's that other shakespearean line there are more things in heaven and earth horatio than are dreamt of in our philosophy. And we acknowledge that if nothing else. But there are things we don't know. Things we have yet to reason and understand. Unknowing of the universe is unfolding process that requires our rational minds. But also that our living of these human lives requires our attention to those. Less rational things like emotions. And character. And questions that can't be answered yet by science and facts. We know that the fullness of our lives comes and embracing mine. And spirit. This is someone spectacularly not true of many religions throughout human history. I am a medieval list by training and sternly medieval christian europe was not allowing much space for the scientific minds. There are current strands of christianity today that opted for an approach entirely facebasic contradicts reason and science even when those things seem to be plain as day. We know this. We know that all too often religion calls its people. To leave aside the logical mind in favor of a focus only on the mystery. On faith on belief. We use have had in our time the tendency to occasionally swing too far to the other side. Acting as if any attention to the spirit were a fool for suit or acting as if. Actions can be answered. Even if we acknowledge in our principles and readings and hymns and sources but in fact there is not a satisfactory scientific proof for everything. And i know some of us believe in time we will uncover the answers to all things. I suppose that might be true i honestly don't know what i believe about that. But right now and for the foreseeable future. We don't know if. We can't answer all the questions. We are on a journey that holds. Mysteries and wondering and the presence of being that we can feel but can't quite explain or put our fingers on. That balance of mind and spirit. Held within a community of speakers that doesn't demand particular beliefs. That's what we have to offer this way. It is that balance it is so. Vital. To the creation of an exciting liberal living faith that doesn't claim to have. All the answers. Spirit and mind not just the balance though. Not just the holding together and honoring of these two vital aspects of human consciousness and experience. Our mission statement. Calls us to grow. In both ears. And growth isn't easy. Growth can hurt. One of my children used to wake up in the night crying out. Insensate literally with pain. And with a wild eyes of like an injured animal. And the first time it happened i called her pediatrician it was 2 in the morning my child was like pacing the floor and i had no idea what was happening. We almost went to the emergency room. We didn't i follow the doctor's advice and it's happened periodically since that first time and the only explanation anyone has for this for this horrible pain wake up in the night unable to use your rational mind to communicate it. Feeling. Is it it's growing pains. I've never had this i can't relate this is not a memory or experience i can share with my child. And it is for me as a parent a terrifying. Painful activation of something deep in him. But that pain. Evidently. Is a sign that he's growing. As his limbs stretch and grow and his body works to become what is coded in his dna and what is environmental allows him to become. There is pain involved. We talk in ministerial circles of growing edges. I've often heard the lament i don't want any more growing edges any more growth opportunities. I want to just be for a while. And the desire to maybe not grow maybe not have that pain of pushing ourselves to and past the limit is just as common in a congregation as it is an individual's. Sometimes growing sucks it just does. We know that it isn't possible to simply stop. And in some ways to insist on comfort at all times is to stagnate. We know it's so deeply here that we put it right there the first word in the mission statement growing. We know that growing is a vital part of living a conscious life. Of living a life of values and consequence. We know that growing is necessary. If we are going to become who we can become. Even when we don't want to even when it's hard. We accept the pain comes along with growing our minds and spirits. And truly sometimes it is painful. To hear hard truth to have to look at ourselves in certain ways. How to make change in order to grow. But we accept. The growth won't always be easy and we commit to it anyway. Because we know that you attended to the mind and spirit in a way that seeks their growth. It's a push ourselves. Just step into challenge not run from it and the rewards of this are well worth the pain and effort that go into it. This first call of our mission is not simple it doesn't let us get away with much of anything. It asks nothing less than the full integration of ourselves and the constant pursuit of our betterment because with each bit of growth we come closer. To the fullness of the potential inherent in us from the start. We come closer to the fullness of our whole selves. Incorporating our intellect and reason and our insurance animated spirit. With each bit of growth. We come closer to being us in the most expensive and complete sense of that word. What would it look like if a call to grow in mind and spirit centered every single one of his congregations endeavor. What is it centered every one of your personal endeavors. What might you do differently how much your life change. What might this congregation do differently. What makes stay the same. Where are the places and ways that you already push yourself to grow. What are the police is in ways that we do this together already moving past our discomfort and into growth in all aspects of our humanity. What is that where the whole of our mission. 1 line. To grow in mind and spirit.

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Sermonpodcast-10-9-16.mp3?_=5

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. But here is the last sentence of the reading. Superficial reconciliation. Can bring only superficial healing. So can i take note. Today of the jewish high holy days. Rosh hashanah the start of the air 5777 on jewish calendar. Began on sunday at sundown on the 2nd of october. Yom kippur the day of atonement which begins at sundown on october. 11. Last week in speaking of rosh hashanah. I spoke of. Three aspects. Of practice that have to do with the high holy days. Does the. of the start of the new year in a time of reflection and recommitment to fill up prayer. Is chuva response or repentance and. Today sudoku. I have trouble pronouncing this always. Righteous action sometimes translated as charity but it means much more than charity. And today i focused more on to shuva and sedaka. Is i talk about healing with truth. And jana self-reflection that is at the harder to shuva require their points to the central theme of the message today healing with true. Truth-telling. Is essential to healing. And healing is one way to describe. Reconciliation. Individual thomas broken. The god but not to one's fellow human being. The person from his estranged. May not and certainly will not by itself be sufficient to bring about reconciliation. What i have to say today has a personal dimension. And i'm not speaking of large-scale social relations. Distorts a struggle against apartheid the desmond tutu was part of in the reconciliation that followed or the efforts at reconciliation. I want to say is that their ways of healing broken this and estrangement. And that the discovery and facing of the truth is itself. Essential. To the healing. I start with a. Personal story. My brother and i are somewhat older than our sisters. Paul is 4 years older than i am and our oldest sister is 7 years younger than i am. Her father died when i was 18 and my brother. 24. I just because of the ages we had very different sets of experiences. Their father than did our sisters who were eleven 9 and 3 at the time. And of course they're also gender differences. I saw the difference is all set to do with the different levels of discourse between teenagers and apparent. At a young child and a parent. Working together around the house in the land around the house. Paul and i had opportunities to talk with dad and we were old enough to have memories of our maternal grandparents. The last of whom died when i was 13. But we have never met our paternal grandparents. Your dad went to see at 13 lying about his age. With a slightly older friend harry hansen. He last saw his parents at the age of 15. Tell his mother and father lived another twenty and thirty years respectively. My father did not talk very much about his parents. Nor about his childhood in sweden. Nor about why is a child of affluence in a poor country. He left for an uncertain life. Etsy and then on another continent. There was always something missing no matter how often we asked her.. Part of the story. There was something in this man that paul and i both loved and at the same time feared that we just did not know something that our friends seem to know about their parents. Caring concern were mixed with anger. And i now suspect. At least some depression. Twenty or so years after dad died paul visited his life-long friend harry hansen who lived about 30 miles away. Harry was in his 80s. Call ask him about our grandfather and harry would have known to have you been a child in the same village. Harry never lost his melodic swedish accent said to my brother your grandfather. This painfully confirm something we had long suspected. That there was a great. Hurt and dad's childhood to hit latin to leave. And never want to go back. And it had to do with the fact that the grandfather we never knew. Was a cruel person. Just finally explain why are swedish uncle's the ones who stayed behind. All use the surname home doll. Their mother's surname. Rather than johansen would you be their surname based on the. Naming one after the father. And our grandmother it seems is also a victim of my grandfather's cruelty. I recall my father speaking much more of his loving mother than at all about his father. The something was never healed in my father's life. And as hard as it sometimes is i have resolved never allow such questions to go unanswered in my life worth such hurts to go unacknowledged. But being human i haven't always succeeded. I would suspect that i'm not the only person in anderson this morning. It was had to learn or speak a painful truth. In order to begin to heal a hurt. Atilla hole-in-ones history. Put a sorrow to wrist. Reconnect. With someone who is estranged. This is an important part of what it means to grow as a person be through a religious community through meditation through psychotherapy through spirit quest. What we need to discover is not the fact itself but the meaning of the fact. We need to discover what it is that makes us uncomfortable. With a situation that we are not sure is wrong. Butter convinced is not completely right. And some of this truly is at the individual level such as. Finding out what skeletons are in the family closets. In my family those closets are pretty crowded. I don't know about yours. And some is more social having to do with contradictions between the world as it is and how we expect or want it to be. Score perhaps out used to be and how it is now. When we like how it used to. Are there been immense changes in the relationship between men and women in my lifetime for instance social dislocations who's magnitude. Or an extraction too many of today's 19 and 20 year olds. Her painful history for many of us. Healing of the world order did hurt get hurt by misogyny and patriarchy began with a speaking of truth by the early wave of modern feminist. And it's still not done. The work is still not done though there has been progress the same may be said for which the rhetoric. Not the reality of. Healing exist in 1950s and four homophobia. Truth-telling has been apart. Of all these changes even when the changes in the healing or not complete. It seems fond of the free university of berlin has spoken of the healing value of truth-telling and she did much work in the last quarter of the twentieth. Century on the generation of germans would live through nazism and the general failure in post-war germany to acknowledge. That history. She writes that every society has a moral order and that here i quote to violate this basic moral rule make people feel generally guilty. A burden we want to get rid of because it threatens our self-esteem our self-image. And self-confidence. Therefore a common reaction against guilt feelings. Is to suppress them by various forms of denying one's phone role or responsibility. Instead of confronting the behavior in question. With courageous reflection. This denial may range from forgetting to repressing. But there's more. That could be said about that. We'll have to save that. For another time and talk about everybody all those other social pathology but talk about. How. We can move towards healing. Swan herself tried to do some work with families in germany. But never felt. That. In her career in the eighties and nineties. A ride spread healing took place. And healing does not. Under such social circumstances succeed in isolation. What if you meditation or prayer or reflection. One is a party to something that has gone wrong. But truth-telling at her words needs a partner. And that partner needs to demonstrate would have been called the mood of pardoning not an easy forgiveness but it keeping of the face at the perpetrator. Is immoral actor who is responsible. For that which needs forgiveness. Partnering truth-telling which can be the victim of an action demands that the other except moral responsibility. And does so by treating him or her as someone capable of making moral. Choices. And this was. One aspect of the genius of the truth and reconciliation commission in south africa after the end of the part 8. Insisted that anyone seeking amnesty weather from actions. On behalf of the government. On behalf of the african national congress or other opponent to a party. Accept the moral responsibility for their actions. Then amnesty would be granted not in the interest of punishment for crimes but in the interest of reconciling perpetrator and survivor. Any other aspect. Was that the survivors as well as the perpetrators were granted moral agency. To tell their stories as well. Similarly the truth and reconciliation model is used more recently here in the united states in greensboro north carolina. Going back. November 1st 1979. We're nazis and klan members and cooperation. 35 participants and injured 10 others. Who are marching. In a mixed black and white group. The end of racist. Policies and behaviors in greensboro. Your political activists are workers there white residents are black residents of public housing in that march. And the nazis in the clan members got away from it. Got away with it indeed. The police withdrew just before the demonstration started. Because an agent of the alcohol tobacco and firearms agency working undercover warned them of it in order to prevent violence and the police took that as a clue to get out of the way and let the violence happen. The during the year 2000 years 2003-2006. An effort was made in that community to achieve truth and reconciliation. And the widows of the men killed in the happen to be all men who were killed in this particular shooting announced before the process began that they would seek no further criminal charges for the killing of their husbands of quarter-century earlier. The powerful first step. Towards reconciliation. And making truth-telling possible. And that preceded and much. Improved. Among the people that public housing project their neighbors. And those who had been park. That shooting for even the activist who were not originally from greensboro. But survived and the several widows stayed there. To keep building. Racially just community. Most wanted her essay makes the point that if the partner in truth-telling is not a redeemer such as god. The concrete human. Being must take place must take part in it there must be a concrete human. Reconciliation. And that happened in many instances of south africa and in this. Instance in. North south carolina. In writing about this siwon focus on the restoration of civil. Society. Yeah she threw up on the jewish and christian traditions that are essential aspect of western religious and secular culture. Such as we described more than 60 years ago by the rabbi and historian theodore gaster who wrote much of the jewish customs in a modern understanding. He wrote that reconciliation so i can yamkapor is not. Case of god working on humanity. But if the divine in each human being seeking reconciliation with the divine in the other. Reconciliation. Is he human responsibility. Now each of us can articulate immoral code we can articulate the shared moral code of our faith. Local community or nation they overlap but they may not be identical but we can articulate a moral code we can see where we have is individuals live up to our code and when we have broken it. We can examine ourselves and choose to change. In honesty and truthfulness we can work to heal ourselves and the world. But if someone else has been involved we need a partner in that truth-telling. Preferably. The other. Person who is hurting from that issue or incident. And it's not just about crime and politics but also about how we treat our families and each other. My relationship with my father would have been easier had he been able to reconcile with his father. Learning the truth about the grandfather i never knew. Years after my father died. Still made healing possible between my brother and myself. Dealing with truth begins with honest self-examination and requires the speaking of truth with others. Not to condemn. But to know and to be reconciled and so may it be for us. During these days of awe and wonder all men blessed be.

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Sermonpodcast-4-8-18.mp3?_=45

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. Thank you steve good morning. When elizabeth then steve approached me to talk about ethical dilemmas in healthcare and my career. The biggest challenge wasn't what i would talk about it was how could i do this in 10 minutes. So i'm going to give it a shot today i let me start just by sharing a common. Webster definition of what is ethics. It's a set of moral principles or a guiding philosophy. Potter stewart and i hope but paul will forgive me for quoting the supreme court justice where he clerk. Put it this way your ethics is knowing the difference but what between what you have a right to do. And what is right. Kind of simple but profound statement. Knowing the difference between what you have a right to do. And what is right. You could ponder that and talk about that forever 10 minutes. Maybe wynton marsalis added best though he said ethics are more important than laws. Now i believe they are. It's hard to imagine a richard context for ethical dilemmas in healthcare. Beginning of life. The end of life. Termination of life. Abortion. Medical technology the right to consent to medical procedures. I faced all of those in my career. And i was there a 19731 roe versus wade was passed then. I was happy to witness our board. Really did not agonize over what we were going to do it was clear this was the law of the land. And we were going to provide that important community service as a community. Hospital. But there are other kinds of issues that aren't. You know so obvious. Access to healthcare is healthcare a right which i think it is like education. Do all people get the same health care even if they have access to it when you look at. The disparities in. Longevity and health outcomes based on race and income. It's kind of shocking. Quite frankly in the richest country in the world. Now in a lot of them ethical medical ethical issues we had. Physicians we had attorneys we had social workers medical ethicist get involved in. I don't usually get involved in those individual patient decisions but i did in one instance in. It was kind of an interesting case early in my career. A young woman came to the hospital needed surgery. And she was a jehovah witness. Man jehovah witnesses do not accept blood transfusions. And this was a real concern for the surgeon. Who felt that she really would need at least one unit of blood during the procedure which was a serious medical procedure and here's a young woman. With two young kids. And law was clearly. On the side of recognizing the rights of the children. In this case. And we had a legal right we thought. To provide that blood. At the same time we wanted to respect her privacy and her religious convictions. We also didn't want. The jehovah witness community ticketing at the hospital. So i went up and talked to her about this. And. Had a conversation with her. Not to speaking with everyone involved in. Talked about why she felt the way that she did and it became clear to me in this discussion. That she really did not want to accept the blood. Based on her decision. But if someone else determine that she should receive the blood she would accept it. And that's the course we took i went to court got a court order. And she accepted the blood during surgery she did need it she did well there was no repercussions. And then i went up and talked to her afterwards just to see how she felt about it. And again she. Felt that she respected her individual religious convictions. But the decision was taken out of her hands. And she accepted that outcome. So it ended well just a simple. Conversation and sometimes conversation is the best way to resolve a lot of issues including. Complex ethical ones. The bigger issues on ethics for me were not individual patient decisions but really on economical issues. We were not for-profit institution. No mission no margin was kind of the feeling in the not-for-profit world. You had to make. Profit so that you could reinvest and programs and people etc. And there were plenty of ethical decisions in our annual budget. What services would we find which ones would we not. How would we pay people. What benefits would we provide to employees. Simple ethical questions on healthcare for employees. We decided early on. That people at the lower end of the economic scale at the hospital. Would pay much less for their healthcare than people at the high-end. A simple ethical choice. So that we had a means test than people who could not afford. The contributions and co-pays we're not affected adversely. However one major dilemma that i face. Probably in the 90s. Had to deal with an issue that no one probably outside of. The executive team even knew about. Until much later on. There was a. Hey yo loophole in the medicare payment system for hospitals. No one knew about this. Arcane. Loophole except for very savvy consultants who are going around telling hospitals. You can make a lot of money. If you just tweaked how long patient stay in the hospital. If you keep them an extra day. Instead of getting paid by medicare a flat sum of money. They will go into another category of payment. They will be considered an outlier. The whole outlier issue. Many hospitals decided to play this game. It meant probably in valleys case it would have meant another. 10 million dollars a year. A lot of money to spend on other programs that were needed. Helping people giving people. Raises etcetera. And the verdict from our attorneys was it's not illegal. It's in a gray area. But. We're not sure how medicare will ultimately. Pubis. And i. In approaching an issue like this i would always kind of vast myself well. It may be right to do going back to potter stewart. But is it the right thing. And i would ask myself what would happen if. This issue may the front page of the local paper. How would people view the hospital. Would we lose our trust in the community. How would my family feel about this if they found out that we were gaming. The system. So we decided not. To play the game did not. Play that loophole. And years later the hospitals that did a new jersey was the biggest. Culprit in this gaming system. 1 hospital system. Had to pay back about six hundred billion dollars. Over a course of a decade. Six hundred million dollars. And i talked to the ceo about i said how did you feel about that. He said well we made about 900 million dollars on it so paying 600 million. It didn't seem like a bad decision. I said will baby he's the smart one. It may be on the soccer but. That was the kind of ethical judgment that we made into this day. I'm proud of it. However. Apart from those decisions that i've briefly alluded to. I would argue that the biggest. Choices i made in my career. We're on the subject of ethical leadership. I'm a big fan of. Frank bruni anyone else. He had an article last. Week about the the perversion of leadership. Vir current president. And to me it just rang so true. And bruni talked about. Leadership he said a leader or ticulitis a clear vision. And a set of principle. And tells the truth. That's what leaders do. They tell the truth. I would add to that. A leader is a role model. For the principles. That we hold most true. Leaders inspire us. They creative vision. They give us hope for a better day. And they do this not by the choices and clear-cut decisions they make. But they do it through their actions and behavior. That's how we learn. We don't learn by listening or reading. As much as we do we learn by watching. That's how kids learn. That's how teachers teach. That's how leaders teach they role model behaviors that are ethical. And that are important principles. I can't tell you how many hospitals i go into and they all. Have a prominently displayed. The set of their. Vision. Mission and values. We have our values or principles in the boxes that we did last week. The seven principles. And the language is incredibly similar to had a lot of the value statements that. I see when i go into different hospitals. Quality. Respect. Integrity. Truth. Service. Humility. And. The values are meant to inspire us and fry kind of provide that ethical landscape if you will. End. Then i. Walk through the institution i can tell that the culture is very different. Then the values that are espoused. On those statements. I just say what what what do you mean by culture. Every institution i go into has a unique culture they're all different. And in many cases are set by the leadership team. On how things really work. And the biggest problem that i think organizations have is when. The values that are up on the wall and the behaviors. Or in contrast. Interfere. Miley different they're inconsistent. But if they're wildly different. I would say it's apocracy. Think about an institution that has. A value statement on respect. Nana policy against sexual harassment. Meanwhile the ceo is the biggest culprit. Sexual harassment. That you can think of. Think about. Evangelicals today. The values that they espouse. And the. Behaviors that they're condoning. That to me is hypocrisy. And everybody in an organization yet. The people that get it. The most i would argue based on my own. Experience are the people at the lower level of an organization. They're not full. When is a contrast between. Values and culture and how things really were they know it immediately. I would ask also that we look at our own. Set of. Values and principles in our are there inconsistencies that we may have work. Do our behaviors really support. The principal. That's the acid. Attest. Are the values just words. Or they really. Operational. So. The role of a leader i think is paramount in creating that culture. If he gains at the top and really has to be demonstrated every day. I'm going to close with just a few of those are adages running up against my 10 minutes. Limit. It's often been said that integrity is doing the right thing. Even if no one is watching. What's a common when you hear it. My adage on that is. Everyone is watching. Assume everyone is watching. That's the best way. Don't. Thanks. maybe i can get away with it no one's watching but. Resume everybody's watching in you want everybody to see that behavior. Second adages. Which i've already alluded to how would i feel if this decision or behavior. Made the front page of the local paper. Would i be proud. Or would i be embarrassed. How is my family. Feel about it. And the final adages i think. Most of us will be measured not by what we accomplish in life. How many assets we acquire. How big our portfolio is. What are resume shows. We're going to be measured by how. We lived. Not what. But how. People will always remember the how of leaders. You'll constantly forget. The d. Details of their accomplishments. But you remember how they did it. Thank you. Thank you all for giving me this opportunity to share some thoughts with you. I am first of all want to thank rob markowitz for reminding me of my mother. I haven't been to that effectively guilt-trips and she passed. I might prefer to potter stewart for whom i worked in. 1964 1965. Dr. stewart was. Poc relief principally known. For a definition he gave of obscenity. And he said in jacobellis vs ohio. I may not be able to define it. But i know it when i see it and this is not yet. So. We get out of sanity case in the termite working for justice stewart. And i have this. Definition of. Excuse me. I'm sorry. Going out no. I had to. Ask. Justice stewart. For some guidance. And. He said he couldn't find it for me. But i said. Well can you at least describe for me what she did not do. But in any event let's proceed to. The subject of the talk. And i. That subject is an ethical dilemma that i face. Or dilemmas. I. Have faced and obsessed with. 1. Ethical dilemma. And that is. The increasing inequality. Which characterizes the country. And i do think about it. All the time. And the reason. That i do is. But i had rather. Picture of your childhood. My parents. We're hard-pressed during the 1930s. And. They became marks. And they were. Insistent explicit. And they. Pressed. Their children and educated them in those values. The basic ethical principle. Which my parents taught me and my brother. Was it everyone is entitled to be treated equally. They are all people are equally they should be so treated. Now you might say well xoxo. Different about that. Because after all thomas jefferson said. We hold these truths to be self-evident. They're all people are created equal. Well he was talking about. Political equality the right to vote. And the right to have your vote. Counted equally. The quality which we were taught as children. Was comprehensive. It was political it was social. It was economically. It was. Puts me in a certain way which i never forgot. That is my friend said. You have no. Playing. On anyone else's. Services are goods. Except to the extent that you have. Contributed. To the public welfare. So think of it it's raining. If one works. 40 hours a week. What is entitled. To the services. A father's. For 40 hours a week. That is what equality meant in our household. But think of how we live. Realistically. Are we live. Live as we do. Requires. The contributions of hundreds of hours from other people. So it cannot be sad. That we are. All equally treated. That is to say we are privileged. To an extreme degree. And in the vagal system of my parents. That was not justifiable. And so. Having left. Hamtramck net society we find ourselves in a situation. Where we are. Heavily privileged. Now how can anyone. Justify that privilege. Because if it is in fact the privilege. That means not all people can enjoy it. And what is it that we should do. In that situation what can we do. 2. Somehow. Justify. And. Be comfortable in the situation that we have. It's unrealistic to think. That weekend. Significantly. Affect. The lives of all those unnamed others. Upon whom our lives depend. But i think it's something that we should. Be continually aware of. And i think it is something. What should. Condition. Our relationships with those people who contribute. To our livelihood. And i think it should also. Influencers not control what we do with our own resources. So that we can contribute. To the extent possible. Two exits are more equal society. Thank you for your attention.

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Sermonpodcast-12-16-18.mp3?_=17

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. For opening words this morning i offer you david whyte poem the winter of listening. No one but me by the fire. My hands burning red in the palms while the night wind carries everything away outside. All this petty worry while the great cloak of the sky grows dark and intense around every living thing. All this trying to know who we are and all this wanting to know exactly what we must do. What is precious inside us does not care to be known by the mind in ways that diminish its presence. What we strive for in perfection is not what turns us into the lit angel we desire. What disturbs and then nourishes has everything we need. What we hate in ourselves. Is what we cannot know in ourselves but what is true to the pattern does not need to be explained. Inside everyone is a great shout of joy waiting to be born. And here in the tumult of the night. I hear the walnut above the child's swing swaying it's dark limbs in the wind. And the rain now come to beat against my window. And somewhere in this cold night of wind and stars. The first whispered opening of those hidden and invisible springs. That uncoil in the still summer air. Each yet-to-be imagined rose. Beneath the snow beneath the soil inside us out in the universe all around there are unknown connections that feed the strivings of life. There's so much we don't know. Aware of these mysteries and the wonder of the unseen. Committed not to uncovering all but two deeply understanding the value of not knowing it all. We gather together this morning. Every sunday when we come together in this space we make a special time for silence. Pregnology the stuff of our own lives and the stuff that is out in the world we. Do this because we know that our lives afford precious little time for stillness. For silence and for reflection. And because we know that these things are necessary to the health of our hearts and minds and souls. We know that being together in this way helps to strengthen our community. And strengthen us as we move out into the world. So invite you now into our time of meditation. You can settle your body into your seat. Close your eyes if that feels comfortable. Take a slow deep breaths and try to relax your body. I want first to acknowledge. In this time the death of a longtime member of this congregation. Bob zappa died earlier this week. Our thoughts are with his family and friends as they grieve. Take a deep. Slow breath. In this season of joyfulness. Of welcoming the stranger and honoring the light and waiting with hope. For a single moment that might change the world. In this season of celebration. We are aware even more poignantly of those who suffer. Play remember this morning that just earlier this week a young girl died in detention at our borders. Play remember that clergy of many faiths were arrested as they protested our nation's treatment of immigrants and asylum-seekers. We remember that all around this world. There is hardship and fear. Confusion and sorrow. Get even as we know these things. Even as we grieve these truths. We know to the truth that there are those around the world working. Hard to create justice. Those offering healing. Those speaking out against oppression and violence those who increased the compassion and love in this world. All our lives we will know a combination of sorrow and joy. Is grief and celebration. The cycles of our earth and our living give us the opportunity to honor. As we move into late december we are offered a time to celebrate. And so we sit here. Side by side. Pills by this place and these people. Remembering all the compassion and love. Kindness and care gentleness and truth that we are privileged. To know. In the silence. We remember. May we always be grateful for the joys and wonders that balance our lives. And may we always celebrate the relationships that sustain our complex. So maybe. In college my peers and i had to complete three classes in three different areas as part of our requirements there were other requirements including a gym requirement but this one about these three different areas was designed to make us well-rounded academically. I sign into of the sections my majors had the social sciences and humanities covered that left the math and science requirements. I took physics 100f actually known as physics fun hundred biology of the tropics the spring of my senior year at the last possible moment. And then the third class i took was oceanography. That was my favorites or our teacher taught us many fascinating things i'm happy to share more about them and coffee hour but the one thing i do want to talk about this morning that she taught us about the deepest parts of the ocean including the mariana trench which if i had heard of it before that class. I certainly didn't remember having heard about it. The mariana trench is the deepest known part of the ocean is off the coast of china in the pacific ocean and it is over 1,500 miles long. Its width is on average only about 43 miles. But its maximum depth. Is about 6.831 miles. That's hard to sort of. Conceptualize. Show me to try to explain. It is deeper that if you inverted everest into the ocean. It's deeper than how high we fly in planes. When you go down 3000 feet. The ocean is already in complete darkness. And challenger deep with chad is the smallest spots. That's that 6.831 miles deep challenger deep is 10 times deeper. The night initial zone of total darkness. Very far down. The pressure of the water above is 1,000 times the pressure of the atmosphere that we experience at sea level. Okay. Down there in that deepest part of the ocean there is a very little bit of life that you can detect with the naked eye. A few years ago the director james cameron manda sub down into challenger deep you can find footage of that online i highly recommend it. So there are some things down there you can see with the naked eye. Sea cucumbers these shrimp like creatures from weird stand. Animals. But there's a whole bunch of microbial activity according to scientists that we can't see but is down there. Activity that is supporting the life that is above. If you go up just a little bit from that deepest part you'll see these strange luminescent creatures that light their own way in the darkness. They look like something from a different planet entirely and they may well represent bull prehistoric. Creatures. Biggs is completely outside of our day-to-day understanding of our ocean. Completely outside of our ability to see them without really intense technological intervention. The deepest recorded fish. Snailfish. Was recorded at about 26,000 feet. The deepest scuba dive so assisted diving ever recorded was just under 1150. There's. So much down in the ocean that we don't know. It's this whole system a whole world of creatures we know very little about. That we would hardly even recognize as living being. And we have so much to learn about. There are connections between those deepest places and us. Its existence is part of our larger ecosystem. And who knows what would happen if a deep disturbance went on. Down there. As dark and inhospitable and unknown as the mariana trench is it's a vital part of our world. It reminds us of the mystery that surrounds us. Some years ago i learned from my vendor director of religious education. Jane poodle about this thing called the subnivean layer. Has anyone heard of this or did you google it after you saw the title for today's service essentially when there's a deep enough snow. A layer gets formed underneath the snow and above the ground. Barbara mckay naturalist in vermont rights this. The subnivean zone begins to form with the first snowfall that lingers. Two things happen. First some of the snow lands directly on hardy vegetation and overhanging rocks. Blocking snow from accumulating underneath. At the same time. The snow that lands on the ground sublimates that is changes from a solid into a gas without going through the melting stage. All that's necessary to create this zone is a 6-inch snow. An idiot in this zone small mammals have a whole world to live in. With what amounts to a roof above their heads of the snowpack. If you add a couple inches to that 6in. The insulation affect is so strong that the temperature in the subnivean zone. Remains at about 32 degrees give or take a degree no matter how cold it gets in the outside world. To down inside this layer is a whole habitat. Again from mackay the most elaborate contain a sleeping area a breakfast nook. A food cache corner latrine long narrow tunnels connect everything. For convenience most tunnels begin where there's a tree trunk large rock or thick bush. These dark surfaces can also absorb solar heat. Helping to moderate the temperature of the animals the plants and the ground itself. In my reading i also learned the entrance holes near these rocks. Trees and bushes active ventilation holes allowing in the oxygen the creatures need. And down there they can survive because although it might be surprising enough light actually filters through that snowpack that 628 in no pack. Into the zone to allow for the plants to survive. Giving the mice and the bulls and the chipmunks something to munch on. When the snowpack eventually saws you can see evidence of the tunnels. Whole tracks of eating away grass and bushes stripped to the level of the snowpack. I was so intrigued by this when i first learned of it that beneath the stick. Solid snow there's this whole world of activity we don't see. You can't hear. Not unless we want to dig a deep hole into the snow to watch it. That world is activity sustains itself through the cold winter. Until the spring when it comes back to the surface. The snow is providing protect. And we know this is so it's steve's as well. What appears to be a time of cold that renders the earth barren is really just a time of waiting and restoration. Plants will take that time to break down protein and to nurture their cell membranes. I'm going to have been in enough cold protein gets triggered and they reactivate. Seeds planted in the winter are often aided by the snow because it pushes them down deeper into the soil. In our human imagining. Winter seems lifeless but there's so much we don't see that goes on. It reminds us of the mystery that surrounds us. There's also a mystery with the trees had any of you heard about this before that the trees communicate anyone seen that's okay. They have these root systems at work to support each other. And they can let each other know about impending drought or pests. We let each other. Help. Each other. There's a fungal network down there among the roots that some have called the wood wide web. I know everybody loves upon i am not a scientist so bear with me but essentially there are fungi that have these tubes that go into the soil and lace up with the roots of the plants at the level of their cells. Scientists believe that this twirling on the cellular level is actually ancient like 400 million plus years old ancient. The network allows for some of what are reading described. There's a symbiotic relationship between plants and fungi they benefit from each other's nutritional cast-off. But it allows also the trees to care for each other. They can send the nutrients through this network of fungi. They can ensure ridge the growth of young plants that's keeping the whole system healthier. They can indicate those on coming past there's actually a study in which they infected one part of a network with a pest. And then waited a little bit and try to infect the other side and it was twice as hard to infect the other part of the network cuz it had been pre-warn.. We had no idea about all of this until relatively recently it was hypothesized in the 1970s but we didn't have any confirmation until these last couple of years. An article from the bbc explains this network as similar in some ways. To the network in the james cameron movie avatar. You see this movie. It's from 2009 it's been awhile but it largely takes place on this heavily forested moon. On which the trees and all living organisms are connected via this network. It turns out that he might not have been as far off as its theme. Plants on this planet are connected by a system that we can see. The roots reach out and join together and share information and resource. But it doesn't just allow for a sort of community center care that benefits all. It seems to also allow for something more effective. A reading describe how a stump. From a tree long since dead. Could be sustained by this mysterious network that exists under the soil. Beneath what we see and understand. It's not unlike that subnivean layer though this unseen world of activity never really surfaces. Acceptance lashes that we humans rarely take the time to stop and register. Like bark that looks like stone. Down beneath the soil is a whole magical world. Merlin sheldrake is a scientist who works on this network in england and he explains it this way. You could imagine the fungi themselves. As forming a massive underground tree. Or as a cobweb of fine filaments. Acting as a sort of prosthesis to the trees of further root system. Extending outwards into the soil acquiring nutrients and floating them back to the plant. As the plants fix carbon in their leaves and send sugar to their roots and out into the fungi. And this is all happening right under our feet. Part of what's happening down there is a community of community is being built and cared for in ways that we would never have imagined plants doing. It reminds us of the mystery that surrounds us. The subnivean layer is a temporary winter state of affair. The world would wide web. Even say it is a permanent and ancient way for trees to communicate. The microbial community of the mariana trench is a permanent ecosystem that supports the ones. With all three speak to the waze. But there is so awesome. More going on. Then we realize. What are human eyes and ears can only detect. Our second reading by chet remo beats are human need and desire to understand. So much more than we are able to. This need is why we send submersibles down into the. The ocean it's why we. Dig deep holes in the snow. Dwight research. The far reaches. Heavens and. Strep a. Material that looks like stone but is actually. We want under. We want to name and classify a number and grass. The fullness of. But the rainbow reading also speaks to the very real truth. It all around us our so-called rabbit. Containing more information and mystery than we can. What we know. Is an island in a sea of mist. He describes laying beneath the stars and realizing that each one represents the vast. When it dawns on us all the things. It can feel overwhelming. But i think we can also see it as an invitation. An invitation to one. And i think an invitation to move deeply and more trustingly into the unseen mysteries of. Include. The mysteries of ourselves. Because we don't know. What we don't know isn't limited to the nausea. World around us. We can't know another person simply by looking at. Or even just listen. There's more to the interior d of others than we can understand by. Fear will tan. There's more to the ways we. And are connected as humans. Then we can fully,. Our seventh principals. The interdependent web of which we are. We can't perfectly explained the web. But we have this sincere belief that. That sincere belief matters. So much rain. Because so many seem not to. This past week has shown once again that currently our nation or at least some of it. Has abandoned faith in the. I mention that. Child that seven-year-old girl. Who died while in. City of our federal. She died of dehydration and. She was here because her family. Got her to try and give her a better life in. This country that's filled with. Who have that same story. Of leaving behind all they know. And trying to build something. That same story of. We broken trust with. We have broken faith with the. We who believe deeply in the unseen and unknown connection of all. We who believe deeply that there is more than can be known. We must do the work of living that belief all the time. Consistent. Starting in our own lives. With a vote without belief. Protest. I think it is a hard thing in this moment. To trust in those underneath layers of may. And it's hard to know how to. Nourish and cultivate our own mysterious. But it is so vile. Anything we start by recommitting always. Do the connections in our life. The ones we are built. Letting ourselves we've those fine filaments. The people around us. Been caring for those. Celebrating and grieving together and not a ban. I think we do it also by reminding ourselves always. Off and right here on sunday morning. That our lives are not fully our own. They have an impact. The death of one small child has an effect. We are responsible together. For the young sapling and the ancient. We commit. We refuse to isolate ourselves and. We keep our eyes. Our hearts and our minds open. These are some of the ways that we begin to rebuild trust in. We can't see but we know too. These next weeks will fly by as we move toward. A new year's. And it'll be really easy. To get caught up in celebration in to forget the heart. What it means to. Welcome the stranger who arrives at our door unbidden and. I'll be so easy to forget the lesson. To trust in a star and in mysteries we may never. It'll be very easy. To forget what it means. To affirm. New beginnings. The possibilities inherent in communities of openness. All of that. With the holidays. 2 and invite us. May your celebrations be so wonderful that you are indeed tempted. But may your face be strong enough. Please join in the words for extinguishing are chalice. They're printed in the order of service. We extinguish this flame. But not the light of truth. The warmth of love. Or the energy of action. These we carry in our hearts. Until we are together again. The world is full of wonders may you catch glimpses of them each day. And may your heart know their truth even when you can't see. Going pee.

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Sermonpodcast-10-30-16.mp3?_=2

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. Sojourn e1. I am an. Aging poster girl. Were they happy integration atheism humanism. And unitarianism. It's unlikely outcome for the granddaughter of on mom's side at the episcopal priest in london. And on dad's side. Northland baptist ministers missionaries in india for their lifetime. But they all died when i was young. So they didn't witness my long heartfelt journey. Away from god. I had an every sunday congregationalists childhood in cozies. Chicago suburb. Weekly church was simply a pattern that we followed. When i was ten i believed my adorable cat. I've gone to heaven with my grandfather to live with god. Sadly much religion remains at that level. I was incredibly fortunate. Trouble loving and hard-working and caring parents. I gained my essex. Really by obbs osmosis from them. When i was 13 though my church sent me. To the youth for christ movement in chicago. I found their marching and. Wailing really. And testifying to christ. So repellent that i left. Soon after i witnessed the same thing. Seemingly unhinged behavior. I'm television when billy graham would do his crusades every year. This was not my christianity. So what was. As a teenager i learned again what i was not. I dated them on others. A devout catholic. An orthodox jew. And attended services with them. But these and others other exposures to differentness were important in the opening up. To a wider world. When i headed off to college i was nearly breathless with anticipation. I was eager for every scintilla of learning that i could glean. I majored in history and literature. With a strong minor in biology. My world was a continuous exposure. The profound ideas and beautiful language. I learned to analyze wide-ranging ideas. And to defend my opinion with evidence. Meanwhile i was just acting fetal pigs and cats and studying the microcosm of cells. The incredibles value of a humanistic education. Is our exposure. To all manner of alternative. Worldview's. Buy comfort contrast. Conventional faith seem to me. A repetition of the same answers to my expanding questions. In case this sounds like an endlessly charmed life. I must turn to an interim period after my sophomore year in college. Which change the meaning of everything to me. Interrupted college to marry my sweetheart. Who is five years older and he'd been drafted into the army in germany after grad school. Night over the atlantic ocean. The engines in my plane caught fire. And we do downward into chaos. The pilots regained enough control. To limitless out. + 2. Stop the fires. But our plane had gone down to just a few thousand feet above the ocean. And we rattled our way to the closest land which was newfoundland in february. We belly then on the ice and waited over 24 hours for help. That trauma became imprinted on my neurons. Once i got to europe village life was marvelous and we traveled everywhere. However like my plane flight. There came a series of awful events. The changed my life. As we were touring and austria. A semi-trailer coming downhill toward us became unhinged. And smashed headlong. Into the car in front of us. So we shook with horror. As we went to help five dying people who had just. Loaded out of that. Then i learned. But my childhood girlfriend and her mom and her dad had all been shot to death. By her jealous. High school boyfriend. 2 days after we returned to the states. Our best man. Was blown up in a gas explosion leaving his. Young wife and baby daughter. But his funeral. I overheard two women talking and one said it must be god's will and the other one replied. Yes. God needed larry. Was too much. I wanted to attack them both for such mindless idiot. Infantile interpretations of life and death. I'm god and religious faith. For while i went crazy. I'm sure most of you experience. Crossroad. When you first encounter. Big jeff. The accumulation of so much danger and death in one year overwhelmed me. The religious training of my youth. Proved useless. I ordered a nearby college now determined. To confront my own supposed faith. As well as finished my degree i wanted to seriously study the old and new testament and christian history. Looking for answers. To death. I went through in a texas jesus of every biblical book with tough professors. Learning the different contexts. In which each book was written. I wrestled with god through those years. And the fact is much of great literature involves people struggle to understand god. Parts of the bible were inspirational. To say it's much too full of magical thinking. From prehistory. Told my allegiance. Finally it was the new science. Let me into a vishnu comprehension life in the universe. And by my mid-20s. I realize that the laws of physics. Chemistry. Determine our life and death. Not god. This recognition came to me very quietly without existential terror. Probably because my life has been so suffused with profound reading. Angelo's. I saw that all the whores i would had witnessed or do to human collisions. With natural laws. Control our universe. Without even the nut to faith or human worth. Natural law prevails for good people and bad. Impervious to all prayers. Art application for godly intercession. Imagining god was our early attempt to death help in the steering our course. Through nature's indifference. I went on to graduate school and taught english no surprise. I remarried. Had a wonderful son. We. Participated with our friends in the adventures of the sixties and onward. Well building our homes together raising families and pursuing our careers. Our discussions then we're about vietnam. Evolution genetics. I married. Ultimately i changed careers and became a filmmaker and motivational speaker for the state and city of new york. And traveled all over the country. I have been an atheist. For a very long time. Thanks to those years. Of mind-bending reading and discussion. Only science and literature together brought me peace. After 40 years into careers. I retired and became executive director of the capital human capital district. Humanist society in upstate new york. I move to new jersey. To live near my kids. We all visited this society in 08. And heard sarah lammert speak. That. Did it. We joined. And i've become a thoroughly involved unitarian ever since. This is my home. Thanks so much. I was raised in a reform jewish household on the southside of chicago. My recollection is that my parents did not belong to any synagogue. We had a family friend who gave me swimming lessons and who is affiliated with bethlehem temple. And i asked my parents if we could get involved. Am i next memory is finding out that i didn't enjoy the religious education program. But by then it was too late. My folks wouldn't unjoin. I attended hebrew school. Became friendly with rabbi friedland and i even had his son as a counselor at a day camp one summer. I'm not sure i believe anything. But i sure memorized a lot of hebrew. And i was allowed to champ the kiddush one friday night at the adults service. I went to temple on all the holidays helped out regularly in the temple's office. And there were a number of adults in the congregation who assumed i'd become a rabbi. For me. That sound was way to interact with adults. I had a difficult relationship with my father and my mother was ill. When i was around five or six she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was treated with radiation and surgery. In those days. Five years was seen as the magic number. If you lasted five years without a recurrence. You probably be okay. I'm my mother's cancer returned is bone cancer almost exactly five years after she completed her previous treatment. She spent a year in a body cast. And died not too long before my bar b car. Shortly after that. My grandpa kraemer. An observant conservative jew was diagnosed with brain cancer. And he died six weeks later. I remember going to my hebrew school teacher and telling him that i thought no one in my family would be alive for my bar mitzvah. Alarmed. He whisked me off to see rabbi friedland. I don't even remember the words of the conversation. Only the feeling that i got no solace from this congregation. In which i've been so active. After my bar mitzvah i began to feel there was no reason for me to go to temple anymore. I didn't believe in the jewish god. For that matter in any god. And i felt that attending temple was hypocritical. With the exception of a few funerals and weddings at a stop at a san francisco synagogue. To hear the pipe organ had an organ historical society tour. I've not been back in temple since. I couldn't quite call myself an atheist so i probably was. So i chose the term agnostic. Feeling like it might be less threatening to friends who was who were believers. I was at least seeking. I tried quaker meeting at swarthmore college quaker school i attended. And i went to episcopal services occasionally with my college girlfriend. Later with good friends i attended presbyterian services. Mary my wife used to refer to me as. Pre presbyterian. And that was because i love the music. I studied pipe organ with the organist at a presbyterian church. I found greg musical beauty in the presbyterian services. And while i sometimes mild the words of the spoken prayers in those services. I did not believe in what they. Indeed what i. Was saying. Returning to the chronology. Mary who had drifted away from church for very different reasons she and i were married at the unitarian church in ann arbor michigan. The woman uu minister who married us actually learned a little sign language. So mary's mother could better participate. But we were both in a place where we hadn't had no desire to join a congregation. We move to ridgewood and raised our son here. We had a number of friends in ridgewood who were members of ussr. In retrospect. If we could join this congregation much earlier. I think our transition to new jersey would have. Far easier. It was maggie shoemaker. Finally convinced married to start coming to services here. Mary was moved by my birth johnson's talks. Can i started attending early and sarah lambert's tenure. At that time. There was much struggle with language that us are. Sarah ophelia's question congregants who are uncomfortable with words like. Church. Him. And of course god. At this point in my life i'm fine with him. I can almost say we're going to church on sunday. But i am uncomfortable with any mention of god in our services. Talking about god is not who i am. When i was in high school i didn't know whether i wanted to be a physicist or an electrical engineer. In an unhappy uncertain childhood. The scientific method and the empirical search for truth. Provided an intellectual center. Newton's laws were refined by the work of einstein. And i guess i've always felt. That if we searched diligently. And systematically. For long enough. We will find answers. Is someone who studied economics psychology and sociology in graduate school. I doubt there will ever be an ohm's law of human behavior. But we have to keep searching and testing. To me saying that god ultimately controls all. Or accepting a deity based on the wonder behind the physical and living world. To me it feels like a. I'm not asking anyone at us are to give up their own spiritual or religious beliefs. But i'm requesting that we not make a spiritual or god-centered belief system. The core. Ivar us our experience. To do that exclude some of us who cannot accept the god. In the years i've been here i have felt that. With its diverse beliefs. This is. Good morning. It's going to start with two very brief readings from bertrand russell. Mid-twentieth century british philosopher mathematician. Political activist and nobel laureate. First. I called out to call myself an agnostic but for all practical purposes i'm an atheist. I do not think the existence of the christian god any more probable. The existence of the gods of olympus or valhalla. In 1952 russell road. This is there a god. Roberta suggested that between the earth and mars. There's a china teapot. Revolving around the sun in an elliptical orbit. Nobody would be able to disprove my assertion provided ever careful. To add the teapot is too small to be revealed. Even by our most powerful telescopes. But if i were go out to go on to say that since my surgeon cannot be disproved. It is intolerable presumption on the part of human reason to doubt it. I should rightly be thought to be talking nonsense. If however the existence of such a teapot were affirmed in the ancient books. Taught as a sacred truth every sunday and it's still into the minds of children at school. Hesitation to believe in its existence would become the mark v centricity and entitled the doubters the attentions of a psychiatrist in an enlightened age. An inquisitor in an earlier time. As for my story i will say it's much less rigorous arrival at this thought mindset then. Holly steve. For me it all began with a. Standard right of passage. The realization that a jolly old man in a red suit. Didn't really simultaneously pay a visit to the entire world at the stroke of midnight. In one revelation of skeptic was born what else have i misunderstood about this world. As a child i was sent to ccd which as i learned from my research of this story stands for the confraternity of christian doctrine. For many years a kind and patient mother of a friend taught our class of all boys in her house once after school on wednesdays. In-between devouring devil dogs and playing manhunt or mike tyson's punch-out on sega genesis we spent 45 minutes learning about the original genesis. And other assorted stories presented as fact. Looking back i kind of cringe at the questions i relentlessly a-star well-meaning teacher. Are you sure jesus really walked on water could have been mistranslated. Why do some people believe in other religions. How do you know they're all wrong are they going to hell. So wait did the god put semen inside of the virgin mary or was it in already for in fetus. As an adult my skepticism has remained healthy. When my dad and i were to get married we were. Catholic mothers were kind of appalled at the idea of a. Friend receiving a. Online misty real doctor attend. The research surround replace that was kind of a happy median and through recreations of friends came here. And we're really excited to see coming innovage. Event that we happened to stumble upon where children were up giving their take on a wide range of spiritual beliefs and seeing in the religious education studies of all types of religions and. No dogma and so we've kind of we got married here by jason seymour. And. Came periodically for a few years and then once we move to ramsey several years ago we've been much more regularly. Attending and very happy to be part of this concord. In life i'm honestly mystified by the masses of people who take the thology as fact without bothering to ask for evidence. Give me the scientific advantages advances of recent centuries i cannot believe that our nation's currency bears the slogan in god we trust. Or that students are blindly expected to pledge their allegiance to one nation under god. And i guess you know there's a strong desire for humans to understand where we came from. What we're doing here and what it all means. But luckily in my mind we have something for that. And not science. And the best part about science it's always improving and our knowledge is constantly. In the meantime. Isn't it enough to enjoy the beauty of this existence that we've all been gifted. Have to experience a sunset. Thunderstorm. A john coltrane solo. Skyscraper. An intimate moment. A team effort. Wine pizza. Sometimes i think about how remarkably improbable it is that i'm standing right here right now. The existence of our universe. Are planets perfect position in the solar system. Our evolution as a species. The right turn that my great-great-great-great-grandfather took one day instead of taking a left. The one sperm out of 100 million that fertilize an egg that became me. When you take a step back and think about how all of us are here under one roof. Honest frozen surface of a fireball. Careening through space. It is nothing short of miraculous. Let's celebrate our world in existence together. Work to improve the human condition for those less fortunate. And seek to increase our understanding of ourselves. The rational observation at avenue. I have to confess i have been a little nervous about giving this talk. After all in the united states non-believers even though increasing in numbers. Are still a much despised minority. We can have a character like. The donald. Run for president. But the chance that an openly atheist person would be nominated to run for president. Is as likely as the proverbial snowball survive. I grew up in a small village in a valley near heidelberg in germany. My ancestors were french-speaking huguenots. Who had fled brutal persecution in the spanish netherlands back in the 16th century. The calvinist ruler of the heidelberg region offered refuge. To his co-religionists in the 12th century. Cistercian monastery that he had to solve after he had kicked out the monks. The refugees dismantled most of the buildings. But they kept the respiratory of the monks. And made it that church. It is big and beautiful and this is where i was baptized. And married. About that who cannot sing. I remember. Probably was in seventh grade my french teacher. Anna went to the rose to hand out. Test results and she stopped at my desk. And she gave me my test back and it had a d on it. And she. Looked at me sternly and she said. You should be ashamed of yourself. This should be second nature to you. Being a huguenot. This was 400 years ago. So. My parents. Didn't go to church much but they sent their children to sunday school. I had a child's face. Which was strengthened by an experience i had one night when i was nearly a teenager. I had always been. Very fearful as a child especially of the dark. When i was 12 we move to a house up on one of the hills. And the only pass home has through fields and orchards away from the comforting light of street lamps. I remember that i was petrified. Every time i had to walk home alone after dark. Around this time. My beloved grandfather died. And one night while walking home feeling my heart pounding from fear. I stopped. I looked at the sky. It was clear. Clear night the stars were out. And suddenly i felt. Like my opa angel. Was watching over me from heaven keeping me safe. I was able to walk home, that night and every night after. Without fear. With strength and conviction of protection from above. I quickly became a very eager participant in my sunday school. Even teaching there after my confirmation for. A couple of years. I was. Proud to be a protestant huguenots. That pride was reinforced. Both by the awareness that my ancestors had suffered persecution. For their face. And by this year i saw and still didn't some of my catholic friends. I saw friends. Terrified. But if they did not obey that priest. But go to mass on sundays. But they would go to purgatory. What burn in hell. My sisters and i. Didn't have such fears. I saw myself then as belonging to the more enlightened face. Blusa was my hero. Standing up to the absolute authority of the pope and the emperor. And refusing to recant. We protestants we had a direct line to god and didn't need saints. To intervene for us. But. That was already creeping into my professors face even. Before i learned that in calvin's geneva to. So-called heretics were burnt at the stake in the name of the new colonists version of god. And then there was the case of my cousin william who died of cancer at the age. 23. Leaving behind a two-year-old son. Why did god allow this. About that time i was probably 15. We were shown a documentary in my highschool of the liberation of the concentration camps at auschwitz. I remember being so shocked. And furious. And screaming at my parents when i came home. Why. Did they allow this unspeakable horror and why did god allow this. I could not believe that they had not known this was happening. And suddenly god. If he was truly all-seeing and all-knowing. Had to have known. And he had let this. I was looking for answers. I read a lot. In high school my french teacher had us read the french existentialist she loved them sartre and camus. My religion teacher. Heather sweet spinoza and kierkegaard. So she could argue with us. And she had us read a small volume. By the theologian rudolf bultmann. It was entitled. Jesus christ. And misology. It was a revelation for me. Dimly understood at the time it made me see the bible as part of human mythology long before joseph campbell's the power of myth. I studied literature in college i became interested in the history of ideas and especially. The european enlightenment. Crawling out of the renaissance and leading to the american and the french revolution. By then the few times i went to church from a sense of obligation. I felt out of place. I'm mouse the words. But felt like a sake. Because i didn't believe those words anymore. I had no longer. Face in the existence of a personal god. I was married in the church by the minister had baptized me. But only because it was tradition and was expected. My my family. Back here in new jersey my husband are nominal presbyterian and i. Tried a couple of churches but none felt come. Nevertheless we thought it was really important. To read a children's bible to our kids because. So much of our western culture and art is imbued with these stories. Later we had them each take the. Miss legend and the bible class in the ridgewood high school for that same reason. It so happened that when my son ben was a teenager. His best friend took him to his unitarian use groupon sunday night. He loved it. And asked if he could go back there. I was at first. Skeptical. Unitarian universalist was that some sort of it. I decided to go to one of their sunday morning services. Penile before he would get sucked in too much into this cult. So to my surprise i discovered that i liked it. Terry allen gave an excellent address. And the music was wonderful. To my delight i discovered that they had music of that caliber every sunday that was amazing. I just. In time then i realized. That many if not most. Of the people i met there were human is agnostic. And even atheists. I remember feeling so relieved. That i had stumbled into a place where i did not have to mumble words that make me feel like a hypocrite. But i didn't have to hide my emerging agnostic ac ism. I'm saying emerging. Because when i signed the book. I would have shied away from calling myself an atheist. I was on the fence. And in the closet. But. As my children were both drawn to science my focus shifted from literature and philosophy. To learn more about science and the scientific method myself. I gained a deeper understanding of the phenomena. That religions.. Explain. Decode albert einstein. It seems to me that the idea of a personal god is an anthropological concept which i cannot take seriously. I also cannot imagine some will a goal outside the human sphere. Science has been charged with undermining morality. But the charge is untrust. A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually. I'm sympathy education and social ties and needs. No religious basis is necessary. Man would indeed be in a poor way. If you had to be restrained. By fear of punishment. And hope of reward after death. That's out but einstein. Well. So here i am. This community has now been a home for me for 25 years. I come here not to worship any god. What idea or person. I come here for compassionate. Community. In fact there are very few places someone like me can go to find community. Believers in god or gods. Have a huge variety of choices. Unbelievers.. I'm glad to have found a community. But except my own personal search and understanding. Truth and meaning. It's great to be here with all of you.

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Sermonpodcast-7-22-18.mp3?_=35

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. Tell me a story. But we know certainly enough about human psychology by now. To know how happily again contentedly. We live our lives. Has a great deal to do with how well. We resolved the conflict. And the contradictions. Severely a phases of our lives. Floyd erickson from maslow. All the wiser teachers of human development have describe the phases of life and the issues and the conflicts. It must be resolved. More often than not there are a few awkward pauses. Here and there between. Childhood and maturity lives. Are seldom. Linear. Good-byes separations from. Parents. Power off and never satisfactorily complete. When my father died a few years ago. It was a porsche an obvious separation. My goodbyes with my father were long. Goodbye. That began in my early adolescence. And continued like. Many such. Praying bums. As each of us continued on. Rhodes. Dividing. Ours was a complicated story. One like most stories of parents and child. Father and son mother and daughter. And i. Stories grew more complicated. Has chapters wyndham. Stories. Memories. Childhood we will have them. And those gifted with storytelling. Have written about them. About christmases in wales. Thanksgiving's in the midwest. Spring mornings in lake wobegon. Our story. Childhood. Romances. They are part memory. Part fuel creation. Impart pure deceit. In my end is my beginning roads. T.s. eliot. And we have not. Come this way for the 1st. Time. The stories. Some childhood we choose to tell if i have one of the ways. Publix planing ourselves. To ourselves. I am like this because. And you tells your story. Which may or may not have anything to do with truth and reality. The stories of our journey. More or less. Mystikal. And so my probably best left that way. Traditional psychological theory and practice. Which was the deep pit. Of my. Education. Has had a struggle alone. Shuffle raffi. To find the truth. In the past. But i wonder now. Truth is elusive. When pursued only twisted done grown overpass. Of memory. And i have come to wonder if it is not the truth. After all. That may save us. Put on stories. Childhood passes into youth youth. Into adulthood in that time of leave-taking. Leaving childhood leaving holmes leaving parents leaving for work goodbye to all that. The winds of the world some say. As it really is. Like it or not. Ready or not. It can be as you may recall. The real world can be a rude awakening. Erik erikson structures those. Phases self-development into opposites. That need to be reconciled as we. Go into maturity into tusks if we need to resolve. The age of adolescence for example he said is the time. Of the struggle. For the tasty. Of dependents. And the struggle. For independence. Bolo yeung lives. We look forward to not having parents yelling up the stairs or out into the yard. Said it was either time to go to bed or was time to get up at was time to do a homework or take out the garbage. Later it became off on this. Fantasy. To become rich enough. To hire a full set. Of new parents. Amway told that we live in an age now of. Prolonged. Adolescence. And what that means. I suppose his dad is taking. Mandy moore. Evolve salon. To say goodbye. To a time which. Seems. In our idealized stories. Tubing filled with things like guitar strumming freedom carefree love. Smokey. Acrid smelling rooms. Hand jobs. It didn't take the heart out of you. Actually forget. The struggle and the pain that went along with those years. But there is truth in it. Hours. Is a time of prolong. Adolescent. I'm convinced for example that. Is fundamentalist religion. The religion of the so-called alt-right. Right-wing conservatives demand general is essentially adolescent in nature. And function. Dogmatism. In religion. Has to do with that ambivalence. Between dependent and independent. Dogmatism is the yearning. 40 certainty. Four absolutes. The yearning for some authority. Father father in heaven. Or in washington. Who's will his throne. And beyond dispute. And underneath children. Are the everlasting arms. Conservatism in the extreme is the unwillingness. Or the inability. Do parts from childhood deceptively warm blanket. And turn toward the possibilities of adulthood and maturity doing the anxiety possibility. In order to explore the uncertainties. Within it. I remember in my. Young methodist ministry. Your favorite came in the. Retreats and. Prayer meetings. I would lead. Your favorite hymn. Was. Tell me. The old old. Story. And i also miss or tears. In the eyes of the elder singers longing for another time. For an old story. In his work the varieties of religious experience william james wrote of morbid. Or healthy. Relation. Movie religion he wrote remains dormant. Constrains freedom. Because freedom. Involves anxiety. Adolescence. Prolonged deprives a society. Ovitz potential development. And its creativity. Adolescence prolong burdens all with a citizenry. And with the governor's. Which is bound by the fear of change. Hand movement. Which is bound in fact. By an unwillingness to grow up. It's not. Coincidence. That politicians and leaders. So often the sound and act like. Childhood. Children in a schoolyard shouting at each other soldier old man. And you're another. Liar liar pants on fire. So many of our leaders represent now a society whose ambivalent and anxious. Citizenry now old enough. You would like the kind to office. A society afflicted. Without a license germs. For shameless. Simplicity. A diversity. And freedom of thought. Long for the good old days. That existed. Only. Endorsed memory. And stories. Hey i like the kids balloons the ball. And takes off saying okay you won't play my way we don't play at all and goes off with his fault. Erickson said that the adolescent mind it is an idiot logical mine. And indeed he said tennessee idiot logical. Outlook of a society that speaks most clearly to the adolescent. Who wills to be. Affirmed. By his. Peters. And is ready to be confirmed. Buy rituals. Creed. And dogmas. Which at the same time define. What is evil. And what is dangerous. In the bible says send a little child. Shall lead them. God helping. So well thank you and goodbye to all that. Before our world becomes too dark. To play in. Let's see if somewhere we can soon. Find a grown up. Two leaders out. Of the deepening shadow. So much of living is leaving. So much to say goodbye to. The course of our lives is filled with events. With places. With relationships. With stories. Bed runners we would have them run. Some of which are still. Too much the course of our lives. Filled with events. With relationships. In ways that still limited. Restrainer. Causes pain. No it would be unreasonable to simply say goodbye to all that but sometimes it is helpful to think. Of our lives as. Stories. The story has characters. And plots. Events. Comics in tragic. Heroes and villains. Darrell givens and storage. Stuff that we brought. Here with us. Sandwich stuck to us. Has rebounded till plodded along. Are there may have been some awful events which. Leaving us in an unanticipated. Existence. In which we no need to choose. Whether or not that. Event. Most beezy. Central fact. Of our lives. Whether or not everything else in a story. Must fall out of that tool whether the event can be. Turn toward. The future become part of a new meaning. Absorbed into a new store. We may not forget the traumas of our lives the disappointments. The lost loves. The lost opportunities. Yes. Peppa charity would fold them. Into an evolving storage. Brother like that old movie i think. Of the. Standard poignant scene of the star-crossed. Lovers. Parking. At the railway station. They stretch and touch hands. Who the coach windows. The train begins slowly to move out. And then the train picks up speed. The final fingertip touch. Is it broken. And one runs along the platform waving frantically calling goodbye somehow never knocking down all the people in the platform of falling headlong over the luggage. And the other leaves out of the window you could do that once. Waving. Tears streaming. Do finally the train leaves the station. The running figure. Fading into the. Engine steam. Hope history. Within the coach. He or she leans back. Into the seat. And the flashbacks. And the memories. The story begins. The story is told in flashback. Born out of its ending. Has the train carriage. On to other places. And other times. In my end is my beginning. Will ts eliot. No adolescence of course is not the only story in the rock's troon path of our journey. Erikson divided. 8 steps. To be navigated along the way. We move from infancy to the toddler stage. And always begins so it begins with that quest. Forward anime. Dear i walk from here to there. Which eventually must mean the freedom to walk. How long. And the way. Ts eliot's prufrock. Are are you the peach. And then in the scenario comes initiative. Versus kill. Industry versus. Inferiority identity vs. role confusion. In adults where there is intimacy. Versus isolation. Generativity moving live alone. Versus. Stagnation. Finally in that concluding phase wisdom verses. Despair. Whether we will surrender. Too soon. Call val not to go gently. Into that. night. Essentially what this is all about. Is hanging on or letting go. To be or not to be. Stay here or go over there. We may need to find the grace the wisdom and the courage. To let go of the story. All the stories. Which may we may have allowed. Two bees applause. Of our whole lives. It is possible. To begin a new chapter. About what happens next. It is possible. To become not. Just the character but the storyteller. Joy great extent this is how we make our liberal religious education real. And effective. In our communal lives. We see no salvation. In that old story. What william james called mature religion is. A story in progress that this endeavor unfolding story growing out of new revelations. Nuvision. People of liberal religion have moved. Beyond that old old story. That their lives bound. By the gods. Hope by faith. This is more than mere rejection. It is more than. Simply we do not believe this and we do not believe that. The unfortunate answer. To the question. What do you unitarians believe. It is too easy to list what we do not believe has nothing to do. With our future. And it's more than changing churches. More than going back to where we were. My league friend falls church bridge. The theology is all about. What we decide to make out of. What happens. Between birth and death. That is how i. Theology. And that was zorba the greek's theology. If you'll recall life. Zauber said. Is what you do while you're waiting to die. This is a defining. Critical revolutionary assumption. Theological. Because it is ultimately. Critical. To the quality of our lives. That we decide we decide. What hour. Story is. And what it means. And what we would have it become. We can decide. Where it goes from here. You know there's nothing like doing it. To make it. Clear. So i suggest this to you. Homework i'm troy. In some quiet time. Sit down with pen and paper. Or if it has been some years. Since you've held the pen. Ship with your computer and carry on. Your serialized story. Story that says something like this. Snowfall. In our story. Ohiro has done this. Is done that. This is happened. And that just happened. You've met him. You miss her. Left him. Look for. And then continued. With. I know gentle reader. Here's what happens. Carrion.

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Sermonpodcast-7-8-18.mp3?_=37

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. Speaking of ua. Order of service there was an ongoing conversation and one of the congregation side led. In massachusetts about. Whether the offering. Should be taken before the sermon. Or after the sermon. Before the sermon was an active fit. After the sermon was a judgement. Knowing. Massachusetts unitarian universalist. House of congregation. Insisted on one way in the other half insisted on the other way. Who remember radio. In the days when. One could hear songs. With comprehensible and civil lyrics. I'm stories that made you laugh. Will shiva. You may remember. The opening words. Of this radio. Serious. Who knows. What evil looks. In the minds of men. The shut up. Well how did the shadow know. About the evil in men's cards. Well i he would watch them. When they couldn't see him. The shadow was invisible. Yes i go in the orient. The announcer began each week. And went on to explain how the wealthy playboy lamont cranston. Had. Gone to the orient and there had discovered apart. To cloud the minds. Of people. Joseph he was invisible. To them. Their shadow was able to know the truth of people. By seeing them. When they thought they could not. Be seen. It's an enduring fantasy. Long celebrated didn't. Story and myth. Hg wells wrote a novel called. The invisible man. Several times made into. Scary movies. One of the oldest starring i think it was claude rains. Actor. Some of you may remember. Ruminations on the intriguing possibilities of invisibility. Goes back to literally through the millennia. 2. Plato and the republic. In book two of the republic which i'm sure you've read. Welcome. The older brother of plato. And the frequent spoil of socrates. Auguste was socrates about justice. And the good. Duncanville. The people are not naturally. Good. And morrow. The justice and morality. Another inherent. In people. In order to illustrate his point. Tells the story of guy cheats. And i'm sure you were wondering what on earth. Chi-chi's. Was when you saw that boy. Cottage cheese. This part of the story. To illustrate. The arguments. Step we only act marley. Because we do not have the power. To act otherwise. Our fear. Of getting caught. He insisted. Our fear of being punished. Is saul the keeps us honest. And tomorrow. End.. Without the fear of consequence. What punishment. So cold just. I'm so cold. Unjust. People. We'll both act. Similarly. That is unjustly. And your marley. Broken story lesson is. Is my guy geez. Work is a shepherd. For the king of lydia. A one-day a storm minden earthquake. Opened up the ground where. His flock will feeding. Amazed. Guy g's climbed down into the chasm. Inside the song of bronze horse. With doors. And its flanks. He peered in through the doors. And sold the horse. Which actually at room. Inside the tomb. Was the body of somebody obviously of. High stature. And wearing only a ring. What guy cheese pulled the ring from the body. And climbed back into. His field. Sometimes later the. Jamaica regular report to the king about the state of his sheep. Ganges. Traffic control. He toyed with his ring. As some of us sometimes too. Can i see turn the college of the ring in his palm. He began to realize that the others. In his shepherd circle. We're talking as if he was not there. He had become. Invisible. Amazed. He touched the ringer game. Turn the other way. Andrea.. Repeating this gave the same result gone come back on come back. Turning green one way he disappeared. Turning it the other way. He reappeared. Recognizing. The boundless possibilities. Of this wonder. Chi-chi's managers. To get himself appointed. As representative of the shepherds. To the court of the king of lydia. A while at the court. Making use of his magic ring he seduces the queen. Enlist her support. And by being invisible. He is easily able to kill the king. And rule in his stead. Eventually. Sensing greek4life philosophic thought shepherds did not actually become kings. Eventually guy jesus comes to a bad end. Carlton his visible mode. He is killed by an enemy. Haven't told the story. Ohio invisibility would corrupt. Because it would allow people to behave as they wish. Without fear of consequence. Ask socrates. To imagine. That there are two rings. One in the hands of a dress. Person. The other in the hands. Have an unjust. The dress person of course. Wouldn't end. To remain just. The justin morrow person we would like to think socrates. Like to think. Would not exploit. During. But would use it. Only. For good. But no. How can insist that self. Interest and. Hedonistic impulses would prevail. The just person would simply not be able. To resist. Exploiting. The advantage of invisibility. By acquiring whatever he or she. Wanted. Incomplete. Safety. Invading the space of others. Unaware. Indulging anonymously in the pleasures of the sea. Flush. Punishing enemies. With adequacy. Omri boarding friends and sycophant. The user of the ring of jay-z. Would be on touchable. Would be. God black. The just and the unjust would be virtually. Thunders indistinguishable. Kansas individual morality clark and proudly proclaimed. Is determined not by conscious will. Goodbye. Necessity. Your self-indulgence. Can be seated. Without fear of discovery or consequence. Then the propensity for being unjust. Because it is profitable. Would be demonstrable. And will prevail. Holcomb wants to forest to argue that anyone was such power as like a nose ring. Who never took advantage of it for personal gain. Would be considered by others to be a total idiot. I'm so play to wonders if. In his republic. He wonders if there is any person. Show jaws. And somo. That they would not. Take advantage. Of such a magic ring. So socrates searches. For an honest man. One just. And incorruptible. Person. The takeaways a stretch of consequence. And where would such a person be found. There are numbers pictures of a robed man wandering in the dark. Where the lantern. Looking. For anonymous. Estimated perhaps we make myths. Out of human beings. Christ buddhist holy and incorruptible leaders. Because we do so want to believe. That purity of heart. Is a human possibility. And so we are so crushed. When are idols. Misbehave. Behaviors if they would not be found out. As if they were invisible. When someone goes astray in high places we safe house. Stupid girl. Did you think he was invisible. We want to believe that safe. Hasten the robing room. Safe in the boardroom. The motel room the meadows office. The oval office. Alice of the public guy. Invisible heroes would remain safely. Kimora lee superhuman human beings. We want them to be. For our own. Shoeless joe jackson. Baseball's one-time hero. Is discovered. Being in on the fixed games. Vanessa left the field. Indiscretion. There was a boy. The hero waif worshiper. Plaintively crying. Say it ain't so joe. Say it ain't so. Surely every misdeed. Every immoral activity unjust act is done under the guise. I presume invisibility. That is under the assumption that one cannot be seen and therefore will not. Be punished. Well let us not throw stones. We all live in glass. Houses. Letters in fairness to our heroes. If not in the exoneration of them. Let us judge ourselves. Before we judge. Those others. There i am. In a starbucks. Coffee shop. I really like starbucks coffee shops. With the coffee board and fix. Just the way i like it. Ioi. The reading. Opportunities. In the starbucks shop and they're in iraq. Kissimmee flea stockpile. Of the day's new york times. I really like the new york times. But i'm not going to spend $2 for. And beside the enticing rack.of. Fresh. Smelling x is a basket. Filled with bits and pieces. Open stereo papers. Sports page. Sports pages business pages. Car sales pages can i glance around. One server has just taken out the trash. The other has just slipped out back to get something. I am invisible. And there is the unguarded. The helpless. New york time. Do i slip one off the rack. And tuck it under my arm. Does saving the outrageous cost. No i do not. Two-year-old relieve fight bellevue. I do not steal. The new york times. Because as you no doubt believe of this preacher. I am pure and without corruption. I am idiotically honest. To the core. So what do i sell myself. What do i tell myself i saved myself that i would like to grab one of those new york time. But they're not free. They are for sale. And if i would have take one without paying for it that would be stealing. That does one person said. I'm not a thief. Well no. That's not that's not really what runs through my mind. Or even jostles my moral compass. No one was watching. In those critical moments of morrow anxious. Horses someone watching. What about security cameras. Emily b as my impulse control mechanism is wearing away. And coming to the usual conclusion. That i am probably not. Invisible. I would probably. Being caught. I don't believe in invisibility. Therefore i do not steal. Therefore i am not a thief. You may insist that even if you were absolutely sure. That you could not be observed. Virtually invisible. You would do nothing immoral or unjust. Or illegal. Not so much as. Sneaking past a stop sign. On an empty road in the dead of night. Well it's so you have my undying admiration. Overhead is socrates. Your search is over. So let's look at our society. Among the not so virtuous. Who believe themselves to be. And perhaps. Through our lack of vigilance or uncaring. They might as well be. Invisible. They sell drugs to children. They sell powerful weapons. To anyone who will pay for them. They profit from the labor and the short lives. 1000 millionths of the worlds. Children. A prisoner. Of the pool. They make the air unbreathable. They poison the water destroy the forest pave over the fields. And level laforest. They control. The flow of information. Show that the interests of the few. Appear to be the demands of the moon. Beloved exemplars. Sexually abused those. Who. Trust. Mortgage rates. We read the kodak or first national bank is laying off a few thousand workers. Call the corrections corporation of america. Backed by money from kentucky fried chicken is running prisoners. Prisons in texas. But the individuals who make those decisions are unnamed. And on the scene. The real people. Who make the decisions in our society. The ring of guy g. They are unseen. They are free to act. Invisibly. And they therefore connect unjustly. Andy marley. Has mortgage reits perhaps it is true. That almost no one could resist. Using the ring of gauges to rip people off. Perhaps the right thing to do on finding it would be to destroy it. Given what we know today as a modern corporation. The time. Petcom to destroy. Call ripley's to break it. To provide anonymity. To its power holders. It could be that such a time has come. The popular in the powerful some of them. Too few of them. Have indeed been seen. And suffer the consequences of being seen. They acted. Behind the cloak of invisibility and suddenly was it was as if. Just as they were about. Do definitely lift a copy of the new york times. They were fixed. In a spotlight. Sirens blared. And the valkyries came in for the kill. Well perhaps we have outlived the time. In which people like my grandparents. Though they never saw them. Believe that ford in carnegie and the others. Werewords cards. Good men. Who cared about them and their family. Even. Wale fainted. And the assembly line. Choked on the shirt. And the smoke. And swallow the blood. From the beatings have hired. Union-busting thugs. Those gangster car. Cut tycoons were virtually. Visible. Evil must be seen. To be believed. Recall that. Evil must be seen. To be believed. A generation ago. The good lord was it a generation ago was. Has the goons in chicago beats it just demonstrates his back. And they're in selmer and elsewhere we linked arms enchanted together. The whole world is watching. The whole world is watching. Those who appear. Officially into the darkness. Those who desire. Justice for all people. Must. Continue. To light the night fires. And those who desire. Freedom. And safety for all must stay awake. And watch. Sleep with one eye open. Thomas jefferson. Paraphrasing. An irish judge. Shed. The price of freedom. Is it terminal. Vigilance. Perhaps english novelist donald bennett. Put it more directly he said. The price. My freedom. Is eternal publicity. As for me and my self-revelation that my sense of justice and morality more often than not. Has more to do with the fear of being caught. Done with the inherent purity of heart make of that. Where am i to make of myself. Well for one thing i don't think i ever thought otherwise. For the from the very first. Time is it child. I could swipe a shilling. Out of the jar of shillings reserved. For the like meter. And turned it into licorice sticks. At the candy store. Then and always down. I have known. Vilify i'm not. The embodiment of the heart of darkness. I am. Unmistakably and inescapably. Human. Has the apostle paul said the evil that i would do. I do not. Did the good that i would do i do not. What is important in all this for us. People of liberal faith in recognition of our human limitations. Even proudly. Denying. That we are saved. Some of our fundamentalist brothers and sisters. Believe that they are not only saved. But justified and sanctified. Meaning they cannot sing. They must think themselves invisible. Even to god. There's something else i'm clear about. Well while i recognize that for the most part has broken insisted to chakra ties socrates. When i am good. It is because i did not b. It is also true. As plato himself believe. Then i am at times. Good. Honest. Even courageous. Because i know and experience myself to be. Park. Have the same stuff. Of most of humanity. The teacher said do unto others as you would. Have others do. Unto you this nothing in there about an errant goodness. It was a commandment. It was just do it. When i was a methodist boy minister. High-end my brother minister. Not a sister minister in sight in those days. Buy a my brother ministers pledge that is. Founder john wesley. Ordered. We would strive toward. Perfect. I was relieved to later discover that the teaching of the buddha. Who said that we should give up. All striving. Now that was my man. I was also relieved to discover the universalist. Who said that we will always go to enough. For god. To love. And the unitarians. Who said we. Need to think less about sin. And move about improving the lot. Hope you minecon. They also thought they were too good for god did not love them. I'm sure came to accept the position. Did if we could become invisible we would most likely. Seduce the queen. And kill the king. Symbolically list. I. Mean only that i came to accept that my motivations in being good. Phone not so good. Or at the very least. Complicated. That's not much of a religious lesson. Nor. Is it isis supposed. Enormously inspiring. But the message that comes down to us from ancient philosophers. The wise teachers. Even. From the shadow. Is it all wishful thinking and idealism aside. We cannot depend on anything like essential goodness. By the renowned ourselves. Or in them. This ought not to be disheartening. It is simply what we have always. Suspected. We are therefore. Cold. To be keepers of the light. We need each other's light. To hold us to the grudge. This little light of mine. Long marriage. I'm in.

www_uuridgewood_org

Sermonpodcast-3-25-18.mp3?_=46

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. The most recognizable common symbol in unitarian universalism is the flaming chalice we lighted here on our sunday mornings as we begin our time together we often laid it before committee meetings if you served on any committees certainly it is lit at broader gatherings of unitarian universalist around the world. Just leaving chalice was first brought to life by hans deutsch and austrian artist who was helping the unitarian service committee what we now know as unitarian universalist service committee back in 1930s and 1940s germany where they were doing saving work. In 1941 enjoyed sketch a flaming cup and charles joy who was then directing the usc brought it back to his board who approved its use and it later then came into use for all of unitarian universalism. The flaming chalice is truly a two-piece symbol. This cup. And that's lame. The cup has a long history of religious residence that ranges from jesus's cup at the last supper to the communal cups on ancient altars. To the protestant demands that communion be open to not just priests but also lay people. So many more residents is across time and it symbolizes among many other things sustenance generosity sharing and community. The flame also has early origins among the earliest religious texts in the world are the indians vedic texts. In which a sacral sacred fire is tended it resonates with the lights of christmas and hanukkah that light the darkness the candles of petition and prayer that flame and religious houses across the world. With the primal ability of humans to survive this planet it's symbolizes hope and courage and a way forward. Do the flaming challenge suggest many things and there's no right way to see it. For each of us is going to carry different meaning. But it was born in a dark time. A dark time in which there were still people doing the right thing. A dark time in which people still displayed compassion and kindness and courage and hope. For a brighter day. Our focus today is on the second part of our mission. We act together as a beacon for justice and love. And that piece of our mission comes from a long history of unitarian-universalist working for justice in love. Embodied in this ritual we do every sunday when we light our chalice. Now i invite you into a time of meditation. Please take a deep breath. As we spend our time and reflection and then in silence i ask you to consider. Focusing your visual attention on that flaming chalice or as you close your eyes to imagine one. Dancing and flickering as you breathe in deeply. This morning we hold in our thoughts all those who participated in yesterday's protests. Using their voices and their bodies to try and change this country and this world. We hold in our thoughts those around this world. Who continue to face violence and danger. While those in power are either immune to or are the cause of. They're hurting. We holding our thoughts. Those beloved by us who are facing sorrows and sadness in waze. Deeply personal. Or bradley public. This morning in the beauty of this space and time together. We hold up all those people in need of care. Compassion. Unloving. As we breathe deeply we also offer thanks. For all those around this world to attempt to lessen fear. Who worked to ease hertz and reduce violence. We offer thanks for the possibility to be in communities that do the work of justice. And love. Acting together to try and change this word. Holding ourselves accountable for the light. We shine the beacon we seek. We lift up our hopes that our foundations remain strong. That are flame burns brightly. That hope lives even in times of the deepest true. In the silence as you breathe hold the challenges the gratitude and. May we never forget that we can choose how to be in this. We can be a source. Promise. Possibility. Courage. Community hope. Every few months or so we do what we call a newcomer brunch here at this congregation and we invite in folks who've been attending for a while but you are still relatively new to unitarian universalism and to this. Congregation and in those newcomer brunches we explain a lot i do my five-minute history of unitarian universalism. Hard to do in 5 minutes you should come see you sometime. We talked about religious education we talked about the structures of this congregation. The broader concept of congregational polity. We talked about how each individual congregation is sustained by its congregants not just in terms of. Programming and volunteerism and vision but also financially through yearly pledging and contributing. And invariably in these newcomer brunches i find myself giving. The very quick explanation of social justice in the history of unitarian universalism. I talked about how the unitarians believed in one god in a unity that bound all humanity together and that as such. They believe. All people should be should be treated equally. I talked about how the universalists believed in a loving parent god whose love was so strong that every single person would be saved in the end no matter what. And then add such as they believed it was their duty to mirror that love in every moment of their own lives on this earth. I talked about how unitarian universalist. Those certainly not perfect in our justice seeking. Has nevertheless been at the forefront of many justice movement including the fight to end slavery to win the vote for women and for people of color to win equal rights including the right to marriage for lesbian gay bisexual transgender and queer folks i talked about how we are still working to get things right. And that we missed up as humans and institutions are want to do. I talked about how we are trying our best and learning still how to be allies and to move forward the cause of anti-oppression anti-racism and more. But i usually find myself saying is it this urge to seek justice rooted and a love for humanity that is inherited from our theological ancestors. Is truly in our dna. The unitarian-universalism though it is not. A justice movement. Or justice organization only. Has as part of its deepest self-understanding part of it. Fabric doing the work of seeking justice. And i often say that we all do this differently. Supporting the causes of righteousness in different ways. Because of course there are many levels on which this has to happen we have to boast. Feed the hungry and also end hunger. A multi-pronged approach that provides funds that does frontline work that does behind-the-scenes advocacy and so many other ways of seeking justice all at the same time is the only thing that will really work. It's not unlike how we support congregations in these many different ways. I say all day usually in my feel at these newcomer brunches. And what it really boils down to is that second phrase in our mission. We act together as a vegan for justice and love. It's there in our mission statement. Exactly because it is in the dna of unitarian universalist congregation. And there are a lot of different ways to phrase that. Coded sense of mission and i'm often struck by the way we choose to phrase it here. Some years ago as a congregant i watched a colleague explained during a time for all ages the seven principles and he had blocks not on like we did this morning. But his seven blocks created in arch. Starting from one going up and over and landing at 7 on the other side so the inherent worth and dignity on one side and the interdependent web on the other as the base blocks. The deeply personal and the communal acknowledged as the founding points. And then the keystone that block at the top of the arch that holds it all together through laws of. Physics and pressure that i could not possibly explain if i tried. That was number four. The free and responsible search for truth and meaning. But held it all together kept the arch from falling down. And all along each side justice equity and compassion acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth the right of conscience in the use of the democratic process. The goal of world community with peace liberty and justice for all. I mean like the arch model. It makes some sense to me but i really love the lighthouse model. And i love the lighthouse model that says the each block builds on the one before and they culminate in this beacon at the top. Write this light that symbolizes. Hope and sharing an individual worse and communal need. They culminate in this beacon designed to offer guidance and hope in a time of trouble. Because as our children knew that's what lighthouses do. In the dark of night or in a raging storm. Lighthouses warned sailors. About where the rocky shores were. They help them find the safest routes. They were beacons and that's a great word. Here we say we are a beacon for justice and love though i confess i often get that wrong and say we're beacon of justice and love does anyone else makes a mistake maybe it's just. I think they're both right though. We're called to embody justice and love in the world. And also to be a gathering place for those who seek justice and want to live. We're called not to be isolated examples but to be an ever-growing beacon to which those who are committed to the same values of loving compassion and equality and worth are attracted. Medicine portsmouth a bit away from the lighthouse metaphor because we usually talk about lights at lighthouse keepers as solitary folks living alone on the promontory. Our lighthouse our beacon is not so lonely we don't want to be alone out there on the rocky shore. We want to join with others whose lights are already shining. We have a commitment to being that beacon but we have a commitment to doing it as a community and to working alongside other communities. Doing that same work it's all in that word. Together. It's a very important work. We're not acting alone we recognize the danger and acting alone. I wouldn't share with you a story written out it's a memory of my colleagues reverend prank call and he shares this memory in a written piece and i want to read it to you. Frank wright. I drove with my family to marblehead neck so named because it sticks its neck out into the cold massachusetts bay on the north shore of boston. The town is comprised of a rocky peninsula that extends into the cold atlantic. On that september afternoon we went to watch huge waves we heard were crashing onto the rocks. Following a big storm. It was a warm clear day and i've never seen such huge waves. Crashing onto sea rocks where i spent many pleasant hours. Sitting by a commerce city. Reading or just relaxing. I had my son jonathan who was 4 years old on my shoulders. And anita was holding susan's hair. She was 8. We were in a high-stakes spot. Batu 12 or 14 year old boys were in a precarious position. On lower rocks. Close to the shore where the waves were crashing highest. They were being bold. They dressed in bright yellow slickers and they were laughing and challenging one another to get closer. Then it happened. A massive wave came crashing onto their rocks. One of the boys managed to cling to the rock and as soon as the wave subsided he scampered down and onto the shore. His companion was not so fortunate. He was washed into that roiling sea pulled out by the receding wave. I took jonathan for my shoulders and went running down from our safe rock perch. I kicked off my shoes and was ready to dive into save the boy when another huge wave rose 20 feet and came rolling after me. And i retreated. Bold is one thing. Irresponsibly brazen is another. I scampered barefoot up the rocks for the two boys have been and just when i arrive a wave hit and i held on for dear life. Then a strange thing happened. Someone standing on shore in the backyard of a house that was being hit by the biggest waves. Yelled over to me. There was a chasm between us i couldn't hear his words. But i caught the green garden hose he threw to me. I stood alone holding the hose for a second or two wondering why in the world he would throw a garden hose to me when it was clear that i had scampered onto those rocks to try to save the boy from certain drowning. We caught glimpses of the bright yellow slicker bobbing under and surfacing up. As the waves swelled up and down. Before i realize why someone had thrown a green garden hose another guy climbs up to where i was standing. Took the hose out of my bewildered anxious hands and wrapped one end of it around his waist. Tying it as tight as you can tie a garden hose. Then he handed the other end to me. And of course by then i realize why someone had thrown a garden hose to me. My partner yelled instructions he was clearly in charge. We'll get as close as we can. I knew what we were about to do or attempt to do though i wasn't as confident as my partner seemed to be. A wave came as we stood on the exposed end of those rocks but luckily it wasn't one of those big killer wave. We clung to one another as well as whatever we could hold of the raging rocks. Our faces were inches away from one another and he looked into my eyes. It was a once-in-a-lifetime look. Clearly conveying all he wanted to say. Then he yelled. Hang on. And he drove in. Within seconds he grab the boys yellow slicker that was serving as a kind of life raft with trapped air. I pulled them in and together we dragged the limpet seemingly lifeless body higher onto the rocks. We rolled him over and we pushed or maybe whacked him from behind. Nothing. And again. And i pulled some seaweed from his mouth. And he choked up a brass and threw up a belly-full of ocean. And y'all are back and began to breathe. Almost as soon as he began to breathe the fire truck arrive. Where did that come from i wondered. And fireman use a short ladder to form a bridge and they came and took over. In a minute the boy was gone and my partner shook my hand hard and said simply nice going. I said. Thanks and meant to say more i wanted to say thanks for putting your trust in me. Thanks for having the courage to jump into that roiling sea. But before i had a chance to say anything he was gone. We never had any conversation. The people invited me into their house to wash my bloodied feet i hadn't noticed the cups. Someone had retrieved my shoes and giving them to my family who were even more shaken up than i was. This is a story about being fooled by doing what needed to be done. It's a story about needing one another. We needed the hose and someone threw it we needed one of us on each end of that lifeline. We needed one another. Certainly the unconscious boy floating on the raging ocean needed us. Ring-tailed in that story how in the wake of this big storm the sea is rolling and reeling and there he is in this moment and he has to make a choice. There with his family as they watch he has to choose what he's going to do. And it goes and he's ready to be brave but not. What he needed though he may not have realized it in that first moment that he rushed forward what he needed was help. Other people to help think through a plan and throw a garden hose and leap into the water. He needed more than just himself. He writes that later that day a would-be rescuer was not so lucky. Having jumped into the wave to save another person swept out to sea. The implicit message is that alone. It is so much harder. And that what we can accomplish as a community is infinitely greater. We are indeed greater than the sum of our parts when we work together we are made more powerful by our collective voice and action and we are made even more powerful by looking outside these walls to partner with others. We have to be bold and courageous and willing to jump into that roiling sea and also smart enough. To bring along the garden hose and a couple of companions. We have to be willing sometime to be the one jumping in and sometimes to be the other one standing on shore holding the other end of that hose. And we must i am convinced be willing to do these things without necessarily being assured that we will know how it's all going to come out. And without needing the accolades afterwards. The man who saved that child simply slipped off frank says. Not needing the glory not needing the recognition just doing the work that needed to be done. There's so much power in frank's story but one of the things that really sticks out to me is what he wanted to say to the man who disappeared after saving the boy. He wanted to say thanks for putting your trust in me. Thanks for having the courage to jump into that roiling sea. We know it takes courage. But that piece about trust we don't talk about as often at least not explicitly. But it takes trust. To act together as a beacon for justice and love. We don't say it anywhere in the mission statement. But congregations like this community is like this. Are built on trust. Trust that we share a common goal of justice. Trust that we can hold different beliefs and still build one community. Trust that when we hurt each other we will find a way back whenever possible. Trust that we are each going to do our part as best we can and then we won't worry about who has the hose and who jumped and it will all just do what we can. And it will have each other's backs. When the seas are rough. Trust that our small actions matter and that our acting together as a beacon matters and can actually change the world. Trust in the resilience and longevity and vision of this community that we have built and continue to build. Together. Trust that when we lose sight. As we inevitably each will do. Did the community is strong enough to remind us. The shine that began our way and help us remember our purpose in this perfectly imperfect world. Trust that hope is always there a flicker of a flame is always there even in the. Fiercest storm is the deepest despair. That trust in that sense of common purpose are as vital now as they ever have been. Across-the-board there are threats to democracy to our safety and health and pursuit of happiness. To resist these threats will require continued community strength. A continued sense of shared goals a continue to trust in each other. And a continued commitment to the words of that reading we did earlier that we want to live not by fear but by hope. Not by words but by deeds. Over these past years of serving unitarian universalist congregation that i've had occasion to. Preach about and write about and hold vigils because of mass shootings and school shootings. I've had occasion to hold a community through the fear and the sadness and the anger that boils up even when at a remove from the actual events. And i continue to believe that we are better than this. And there continues to be proof that indeed we are better. Or at least. There's an impulse to something better. The needs to be lifted up and nurtured and followed. There continue to be glimmers of hope lights in the dark. 4 years. Children youth and wider communities of color have called for gun regulation they have witnessed. Acknowledge. Tried to teach the rest of us about the human cost of guns and that should have been enough. It wasn't. We have to own that structural racism silence those voices of truth. Their voices should have been enough their lives and deaths should have been enough. That has to be acknowledged. 22 we must acknowledge that yesterday. It feels as though perhaps a tide has turned. Across this nation across this globe inspired by youth who have experienced the trauma of a school shooting people of all ages poured into the streets. To protest our current gun laws. They did this at the call. Of youth. Following these. Many unitarian universalist we're out there following this call and this is what we need to keep doing. Heeding the call of people of color to dismantle racism in the structures of oppression. Heeding the call of young people to undo the systems that enable terrorists to shoot them in their schools. Dd mccoll of women to end misogyny and patriarchy that promotes inequality and violence. Heeding the call of those disproportionately affected by our corrupt and broken system. And taking up their causes. Because in truth there causes are our own causes. Our common humanity means that for all of us. Our liberation is tied up together. Every person possesses that foundational inherent worth and dignity. And every person belongs to that wider web of life. I talked at those newcomer brunches about the pride we feel. Add being at the outer edge of welcoming and justice. It's a good history we share. But we also have to have a solid present. We have to keep having that same willingness to be the one holding the rope while someone else steps off the rock. We have to be willing to work together with others. Supporting their shining beacons even as we continue to light the way with our own flaming chalice. We have to be willing to work for this. To support these common goals these. Shared visions this shared community. With our time and our skills. And our financial resources. In the course of unitarian universalist history the chalice has a relatively young symbol. Just over 70 years old. But it captures that bit of our dna and so too does the him we will sing momentarily to end our service today. It's a shame him from which our pledge campaign theme comes this year the fire of commitment. And it was chosen as the steam because it recognizes. As does the chalice. And our lighthouse metaphor. And that second phase of our mission. Recognizes that we have a role to play in changing the world and that it can't be done alone. The song called us to heed the beacon of the past the prophetic voice of the future. To do this courageously with hearts freed from fear and filled with hope. Assured of the flame within and without. Assured that a commitment to justice and love will lead us toward the fulfillment of the promise of our liberal religion. So may it be.

www_uuridgewood_org

Sermonpodcast-9-2-18.mp3?_=31

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. If you were to measure our times. My typical progressive standards. I think you might consider them tragic. The social safety net of a country. Is being shredded. Hatred and greed event condone. And immigrants are being cruelly rejected. And there is no law on the books. To keep. The earth below 2 and 1/2 degrees fahrenheit beyond which scientist predict that's a life-supporting systems upon which we depend will start to fall apart. Many of the causes for which we have almost driven have been rejected upended and undermine. Some of us have been left in despair. Others resentful some fearful and some of us depressed. A number of verso are just plain tired. I'm working so hard for so much that has been in doubt or been lost. These times call upon us to do more. Then just to work harder. Raise more money. I put in more effort. They call for more than programmatic changes or candidate changes or even movement changes. They call for a transformation of our motivation. I would like us to look at our motivation for progress. To ask ourselves some questions such as. Do we usually find ourselves reacting to outside events that surprises. Or don't. Or do we respond more from an internal sense of inspiration. Are we more reactive or are we more proactive. Do we find out who's looking at what's wrong and trying to correct it. Or do we also look at what's right and try to expand. What is the great spiritual strength from which we draw for our actions. And personal as well as political. Is there i asked a deeper spiritual grounding from which. We can become our typical activist. Do you feel spiritually grounded. We are spiritual grounded. That is the meaning of the word inherent. In a first principle. Where we are from the inherent worth and dignity of every person. The poet louise address put it this way. If you exist. Then you are loved by existence. We are innately worthy. In the buddhist perspective me which i'm rooted. This means that we all have the capacity to be awakened. Awaken to the reality of the way things are. To the suffering. That is implicit in the world's imperfection. And to a capacity above all to be at peace in the midst of the world's troubles that means right now. It is from something like this kind of consciousness. But i believe that we must begin. Olivero. Practicon for personal and political change. Albert einstein noted that the quality of a consciousness influences everything. He was very fond of reminding us that is a consciousness from which we asked it creates the conditions we manifest. And you very famously warned us that we can't fix the problems of the world. With the same consciousness. I wish we created them. I believe that we have failed to fix such problems because we are sought to solve them with the very same consciousness by which we created them in the first place. That's an old consciousness it included a belief that our happiness that is is dependent upon having the satisfactory conditions around us. That is a consciousness that is not rooted. An hour since intrinsic hollis. And connected. Which instead says. The wii. But instead it says we are dependent. Upon things that surround us. The check. Was quite wise impression about the political change and the role of consciousness. His civic forum party played a major role in the velvet revolution. The top of communism in czechoslovakia. And for his conversion he spent many terms in prison the longest been for years. Considered by many to be a unitarian. He served as the last president of czechoslovakia and then is the first president of the new czech republic. He was a playwright as well as a statesman. Any road and. The power of the powerless that. A better system will not automatically ensure a better life. In fact the opposite. If true. Only by creating a better life. Can a better system. Be developed. Badass. Beginning from the depths of our own living. At a recent ministers meeting the rev david horse is minister of our neighboring congregation in paramus. Challenged us menaces to answer three questions. Depot. That regard that have to do with our social activism. And i offer them to you for your reflection. The first is. What is. We were just start from the center. Our center. And build a mosaic of justice outlet. From there. The second is. What if our activism where to begin with sia. And stillness. And the third. What if we were to ask first. What or where is my aliveness. Before we ask how can i help. Can we look at the first question together. So often we do not focus in this way we focused primarily instead on the circumference. On our surroundings. And what we want to correct of improve. We focus on what's wrong with fangs. So the idea of beginning at the center of our innate worthiness and good feeling. Is. Requires. For some of us 180-degree turnaround in consciousness. It can be a radical step. And that's why i'm suggesting it. Starting from our center. Which is in wholeness. Opinions are entire value system. It would require grounding ourselves and spiritual satisfaction. Valuing. Inside transformation as a practice. Producing outside reformation. We might begin and this way. By looking. In a different way. Not so much in terms of corruption and reform. Out there or in our own. Cell. Replacing our. Should. Judgments and protest. Could empower us then to move forward to promote civil dialogue perhaps even across the divisions of congress. When we become internal a non-violent. We will empower ourselves to risk further nonviolent actions in society for justice and human rights. Acting from the inside out. We never have to worry about verna. And we never will want to see to cop out or give up. There is no burn out because we are focused on what we can do instead of on what needs doing. Because there's always something we can do. Even if it is as little as simply pausing before we make our next decisions. Consider for a moment if you will what we have learned from euro science about the importance of focusing inward. We now know. Even when you feel threatened. Physiologically primitive nervous system circuits fire up. And they stimulate muscle movement said are intended. To protect us by fi. I fight or freeze behavior. We have learned through recent urological research. Who takes now. People saved from 5 to 7. Positive affirmations doing view 1 - 1 because of our evolutionary heritage. What we might ask does this knowledge imply about the amount of time we fastened onto presidential miss stats. Compared with the time we focus upon the courageous actions. Heroic responses and compassionate behavior and so many are exercising today. What if we were to keep in mind this ratio in our personal conversations. With each other. Now the second question. What is an activist and where to begin with silence and stillness. This proposal may sound preposterous to our ears. Used to the news that a blind spot in airtime is worthless. And we so often seem to guide our personal conversations by the similar premise. We are custom so much to prydain each other into action by. Argument or by origin city or sense of emergency. We utilize threats that activate almost primitive reactive response of fight flight or freeze. We began to reconstituted a consciousness when we can begin to initially pause. To remind ourselves that our primitive reactions will continue to originate unconsciously. And we may not be able to prevent them. But we also know that is precious human beings. We have evolved as unique capacity. Which is the capacity to veto these primitive responses. And to instead respond with m50 and compassion. Veto power has. One requirement. Are mind requires at least a microsecond. To reconsider. But. In this pause. We may begin a new direction. Buddhist quotes act of elliott i wild boar soccer team that recently helped his boys escaped from their cave did so by first. Tomi lahren. Buddhist monk teknon han. Noted different votes would carry refugees to safety during the vietnam war. They were terrorized by sea pirates rapist in predators. But they won, person in the stern of a boat. Could bring civility to the entire boat. You could say. Then we are all stuck. Incase. Of doubt. Weary. Fear and desperation. We are all boat people. Refugees from lands of terror. Escapees from vayanse foisted upon us. Vr cover. Fire gender. We are all refugees on this blue boat home. We need those who can pause admits the fury. Poet naomi ramen rides. She says helping. Fixing and sir. These three were different three different ways of seeing life. When your help. She says you see life is weak. When you fix you see life is broken. When you sir. Ucyfl a******. Fixing and helping she says maybe the work of the ego. Which service is the work of the soul. It is so. That we are about today. Work that originates from our center and wholeness and speaks. From stillness. I saw for the third question. What if we were to ask first of all. What are where is my alive. Before we ask how can i help. After all. We don't really believe that if we are an unhappy unsatisfied frightened people we can from such a mood creative world that is calm complete containers and peaceful. How could we really believe such a thing. We all know. Fertilize this is it's that sense of inner energy. It said quickening of our spirit. Daring of courage a risking of love. Arising of joy unforeseen laughter. Sometimes deeping into dipping into deep sadness. Or sharp anger. Whatever it is that leads us to venture into new territory. We may have to hold ourselves against this aliveness by habit. Distracted ourselves by the disturbing events around us. Or perhaps rationalize that the only the only reason is what is important. Or maybe with coveted with cynicism or this is their. For each of us to live from. A few years ago. James newman age 14. Walked into the halls of pine middle school in reno nevada. Just after at 9 a.m.. And fired three shots. Hitting one boy and the upper arm and a girl by ricochet bullet. The third shot did not hit anyone. Gym teacher janice fagan. Very briefly paused. Then calmly walked up to the boy and squared off with him. And his gun. Face to face. And ask him to put his gun down. Which he did. Then she embraced them in a bear hug. And tell other teachers arrive to help. She told him that she wouldn't leave him alone. She reassured him that she would even accompany him to the police station. To make sure that he was safe and that the place didn't hurt him. Reacting and surprised reno police officers had to run dino explain that's not a natural reaction. To hear gunfire and walk towards the gunfire. Now he's right it is not our normal reaction. But he's wrong. If he says it's not our natural reaction. It is just that it only takes a moment. For some of us to attend to it. It is a new learning for us recently evolved human beings. We have to study it. Practice. And then it will become habitual. When we act from this sacred place. We don't act in response to what others request or what they demand. Are we act from what impels us forward. Janice. Hagen told the authorities i was sad for him because i know him. And i know at this point is life will not be the same again. Sacred activism is centripetal. It spends a good energy alcuin. On the other hand you might say it's like a magnet. It draws good energy toward us. Just as a magnet place against iron. Magnetizes the iron but doesn't lose its own strength. So when we act premiere spiritual core. We do not burn out. But we gaining energy. We act last needs from the movie act for my sacred space. We act less from the needs of the world. But more from the needs of our heart. We looking for that could be right. And we try to expand. We don't demand because we feel entitled. But we carefully cuz we are in power. Robert louis stevenson reminded. He said you can give without loving yes. But you cannot love without giving. As a spiritual. People as an association of unitarian universalist. We have a mission. We know what it is to affirm the inherent worth of us all. Emission becomes. Not so much. To lead the people into making changes we desire. As it is to change those who are doing the leading to act from their spiritual essence. Ours is not. So much to leave the changes that we solved deeply long for. But it is to change the very nature of a leading. Reverend frederick buechner presbyterian minister theologian and writer was once asked. How shall we guide our life. He answered. Our calling. Is to the place where are deep gladness. And the world's deep hunger. Meet. To paraphrase. Methodist minister reverend howard thurman. Stop asking what the world needs. Ask. What makes you come alive. And then go do it. Because what the world needs most is people who are fully ally. May we. Maybe we be such a people. I met everyone of us sacredly at. For change. In this very troubled world.

www_uuridgewood_org

Sermonpodcast-5-27-18.mp3?_=42

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood in new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. Good morning everyone. My name is reverend billings oil burke and i will be leading the service today along with ron levy our music director and sarah sommers will be downstairs with the children. I was an ordination yesterday out in staten island and i was just reflecting because yesterday it's a very old church. A lot of heat. And i lost about 5 lb in sweat over the course of the service. And i was reflecting on my gratitude to be here in this air-conditioned space with you all today. Today we gather in celebration of memorial day. Which is the day of the year. In which we recognize all of those of blessed memory who have died. In active service in the armed forces. There are many in this congregation who have either served themselves. Or have loved ones that are veterans or loved ones that have died in the line of duty. I welcome you all. This is a space of vulnerability. This is a space of community and love. This is a space of hope and holding. So,. Let us be together. On this day. Of remembrance. Interesting leading service on the chancellor with two chairs. You never know exactly. Weirdest. When should i hope you've been enjoying my one player minister musical chairs up here. I remember being in elementary school. In concord massachusetts. And if any of you know the area or nor know what elementary school is like there we were expected to live breathe eat and be steeped in like a tea bag in the revolutionary and civil war history. Every class. Emory class. They found a tie into the wars. For math. They taught us long division with images of british soldiers. For pe we ran across the bridge where the shot heard round the world had run out. For halloween class celebrations we were all expected to dress up as either the founding fathers or as soldiers. Union soldiers. And i remember in particular a series of art classes where we would go drive to sleepy hollow cemetery. And we would make gravestone rubbings. Gravestone rubbings if you haven't had the pleasure. Are a lot like leaf rubbing. You take this big sheet of white paper. Place it against a textured surface. And then use a crayon or pastel to rub on the paper. Until the texture emerges as color on the paper. Of course gravestone rubbings are special. They're done on gravestones. During this project we were instructed to spend. 10 minutes. Seeking out a gravestone of a soldier. Whose name we wanted to memorialize. In our art. We were supposed to kneel down next to this gravestone. Play star paper against the cold stone and spend some time in silence. Rubbing on our paper until the name appear is like braille under our finger. During this particular project i remember it was autumn. And the new england breeze was cool. This was the first day of the projects. And i remember being down on one knee. Seeking a gravestone for my rubbing. I remember looking up. At the weathervane at the unitarian church across the street. And then i remember looking around at the great stone tombs. Around me. I remember settling on a grave. I don't remember the soldier's name. I do remember. Setting my paper against the headstone and gently rubbing until the details of his life. Emerged on the page. Less than 20 years old when he had died. I remember noticing. Buried next to his father. Who had also died the same year. In the war. When i realized that i remember shivering. One of those deep kind of shivers that catch you by surprise and have nothing to do with the cold. In that moment. The first moment really wear deaths made sense to me. The heaviness of war. Was made real to me in a new way. And on that day as i left the cemetery with my class i remember looking up again at the ancient weathervane above that unitarian church. It was the solitary iron rooster. A little rusted. Turning circles wildly in the wind was actually had a similar to the day outside that we have here. Anime childlike way i remember thinking about how old. weather vane was. And i wondered. What could it remember. About those who had been buried. On may 5th. 1868. General john a logan. Leader of an organization for northern civil war veterans. Called for a nationwide day of remembrance. Later that month. He's quoted as having said. 30th of may 1868. Is designated for the purpose of screwing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades. Who died in defense of their country. During the late rebellion. And whose body is now lie and almost every city. Village. And hamlet churchyard. In the land. Memorial day. As the day gradually came to be known. Originally honored only those fighting in the civil war. But during world war ii the united states found itself embroiled in another major conflict. And the holiday evolved to commemorate the american military personnel who died in all wars. But though general logan is given credit. For the creation of memorial day. The main practice of memorializing. Was already in place long before it was institutionalized. In fact many places claim the 1st. Post civil war memorial day. From the victorious union leadership in the sea. To be defeated confederate soldiers in louisiana. To the morning black children in charleston who are said to have honored the u.s. colored troops. The day immediately after. The day. Immediately after. The war formally ended. However regardless of where those places who might claim to be first. Ar. Each of those celebrations had a common purpose. To remember. The sacrifice. And to honor the lives of those people who died on the battle. And it was such a right and remarkable act that we institutionalized. And we continue to remember and honor those who have served. Memorial day. Today. Became the day in which we strive to explicitly acknowledge their service. Recall the circumstances of their death. 12. In the quiet sorrow of their loss. And remember their lives. I want to name that unitarian-universalism has a complicated feel. When it comes to memorial day. On one hand we affirm pacifism. Striving for peaceful solutions to global. Conflict. Are seven principles inform us to respect the inherent worth and dignity of every person. And instruct us that protection of life is paramount. Even in the face of evil. Our six sources follow in the judeo-christian tradition that teaches thou shalt not kill. We are not a religious tradition of holy war. Instead we pride ourselves on being a tradition of holy peace. And many of our prominent historical members have fought for peaceful resolution. In the revolutionary war the civil war world war 1 world war 2 vietnam iraq. The list goes on. So i want to name that we have many great and stringent pacifist. In our history. And yeah. On the other hand. We are also a tradition that values memory. And legacy. And respect for service. And pure intention. We support a theology of liberation and revolutionary love and honoring sacrifice. At the heart of our tradition. Is a stalwart defense of. Freedom. Unitarian universalism is a quintessentially american faith. In our history is entwined with the struggles of our country. Even its wars. So in addition to the pacifist there are many of our unitarian and universalist ancestors. Who fought and died on the battlefield. Until i want to name that on memorial day our face. Struggles. With this tension. How to bear witness to the sacrifice and service of our armed forces while also holding on to our goal. Otherworld without needless death. And without a military industrial complex that sometimes serves the politicians more than it serves the troops or veterans. And perhaps you wrestle about these tensions in your own life and i know that i do i come from a military family on my father's side and as a minister i serve veterans in this congregation. And in other aspects of my ministry. And today these are the people on my heart. Even while i try to make peace. With the uncertain direction. Of our national and military leadership. Which is all just to give space. To the reality that there are real pension. That many of us carry into this day. And i'm going to ask us. Cold-eeze. Tension. Let them breathe. Because i believe. At the root of. Memorial day. In the midst of these tension. Is also a real invitation. For us to reflect. And mark the lives and legacy of all of those who came before us. And all of those who sacrificed their lives. In order for us to live. So whatever you think about our current political systems. And i'm sure some of us have some opinions. This day is an invitation for us to hold those soldiers in their own right. And trust that they believed in their cause. And the legacy that their service would leave behind. The english word memorial. Comes from the latin word. Memoria. Which most directly can be translated as. Remembrance. Remembrance when taken by its root means to make whole again to re-member. Literally. To repair that which has been fracture. Our act of memorial. Is the ritual that we engage in to make something or someone from the past. Whole again in our present. In memorial. We alter time itself. So that past and present can meet. Even for a short while. And it's why on memorial day we hang flags on grave and leave flowers on the headstones of the deceased and listen to a 10 bell salute. It's even why back in the seventies when memorial day was first institutionalize as a federal holiday. People began the tradition of barbecuing. With family. Which some of you may be up to later this weekend. And sure it might not be as reverent as visiting a grave but it sure as heck is a powerful way of connecting. And marking the day as an active time of. Togetherness. Rituals like these matter. Being here today on memorial day matter. Because we find strength. In the remembering. Director and bogart has a quote about memorializing that i love. She says. As a result of our partnership with memory. We feel nourished. Encourage. And energize. In the process of memorializing we feel more profoundly connected. And inspired by. Those who came before. Connected and. Inspire. Until brian's the things they carried. Describe soldiers in the vietnam war and he list. As we heard earlier. The things they carried. From standard issue helmets. The superstitious objects like a lucky rabbit's foot to photograph. Almost everyone. Carried photograph. They carried photographs so that they would remember. As members of the living. It falls on us. To carry the memory of the dead. Weather that is in pictures. Or stories. Earlier in the service. I was very heartening to see so many of you. Turn to your neighbor and talk and others. I was so heartening to see. Being yourself. A place of deep. Reflection. I asked you to bring to mind a particular person. That was on your heart. Today. Invited you to stay their name and tell a story. And this to me is the heart of memorial day. Marking those that have come before and celebrating their sacrifice. Their sacrifice that allowed us to follow in their footsteps. And invite you to bring that person to mind again. Have you think about this person this time. Invite you to reflect on what they might have carried. In their life. The object. They might have had. They might have passed down to you. The day-to-day tools and trinkets. I created calluses on their fingers. And i invite you to bring to mind the intangible items. They may have carried to. The spiritual weight. The emotional mantle. The depression and the joy and the fear. And the surprise. We each carry so much with. And so too did those that came before. Memorial day is our day to tell their stories. Especially the stories of those that died in the line of duty. And. It is an invitation for us to use those stories. To inform how we. We'll live our lives. We each will leave a legacy. Just by virtue of your existence. Whether you are one day old. Or 100 years old. When we die we're going to leave an indelible mark. On this earth. Answer the question for us is not whether we will. Leave a legacy. But rather what will that legacy be. So what will your legacy. What photographs will people carry with your image. What story is will people tell. Before this congregation as well. What is the legacy. We want to leave. How will this world remember us. Because as much as memorial day. Is about how and when people died. Is even more about how people live. On this day we remember we make alive again those that paid the ultimate price for their service. So as i close. I remember again. An ancient. Weathervane. Rusted rooster. Spinning top that church. Watching over the sleepy hollow graveyard. The weathervane that watched the internment of a soldier's body alongside his father's. And 200 years later. Watch the youngboy rub the relief of that soldier's name onto a blank white piece of paper. In crayon. I remember again. How that weather vane turns in the wind. Keeping watch. So maybe. I love you and i'm at.

www_uuridgewood_org

Sermonpodcast-7-10-16.mp3?_=17

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. He whom you see here. Go back door line visit. Chestnut hair. Open and troubled brow. Army of cheerful eyes. And hoped. The well-proportioned nose. His beard silver which only 20 years ago was golden. The mustache big. The most malolat he's not important for 6. And they are ill-conditioned and. Worst place. Having no correspondence with one another. Someone bent oak shoulder. And not very light of foot. He is commonly called miguel. Hey savantes celebrate. Nearest painted only the aging right herself. Portrait. But they're figuring to witchy projection. His spirit. The child of his pain. Don quixote. Taylor marshall. At the very end of his book. Choose one of the earliest. To be constructed. Juventus rights. Home alone. Don quixote was born. And i for him it was. For him to act. Anime to write. And we 201. Bozeman. Creator and created work. Boundless hope. Both committed to living as if. The dream was real. Both women real and fiction. Oh great and deep dignity. In spite of everything. Miguel cervantes was born in spain in 1547. Sorry i left my place while i was doing it. It was born to an old family. But one which had seen better days. If there had been nightshore nobles among them. They were long gone and long forgotten. His father was an apothecary. And a surgeon i wanderer ne'er-do-well. Nebulous. Lifer for cervantes was unremarkable. Certainly unadventurous until. In 1571. He joined the spanish fleet. And took part. In the famous battle of lepanto. In this badly had a moment of glory. Which he would not experience again until his later years. With the phenomenal suggestion facebook. Don quixote. Lying in the bowels of the spanish man-of-war. He insisted that his friends carried him up onto the deck so that he could join the fight. And even after short shots. Call him twice. Once in the chest and one that. Took away forever the use of is. Left hand. He fordham. Fordham to. His last ounce. In later years he said. If it were possible now to work a miracle in my case. I would still rather. Have taken part in that prodigious battle. They'll be today free of my worms. Without having being there. On his return to spain from lepanto. Cervantes a brother. Were captured by the moors and here game. He displayed remarkable courage. Being the ringleader in several. Unsuccessful attempts. Do escape. In spite of his troublemaking and he was treated reasonably well by his morris. Captain shoots who were under the impression given his noble bearing and his courageous spirit that he was a man of distinction. And perhaps worth. A considerable ransom. A1 congested miguel. Creative as he was. He's very little to dispel this misconception. There sure ain't no doubt kept him alive. But also kept him prisoner. The five years. Because it took his full family that long. To raise the ransom. For nobleman. Finally being released to return to spain. But it was all over. Do king philip had given him a citation for his bravery he gave him nothing else. For several years. Cervantes in georgia miserable and menial. Existence as a tax collector. And then in 1602 he began with his good hand. To write. Don quixote. The novel which made him immortal. Which became a masterpiece model of literature. And which allowed him to live out his memories. And his fantasies. Heroism. Lenovo picks up quixote where cervantes life. Seems to be ending old. Katherine p devil. Put on bloody unbowed. Full of energy steel and most importantly filled with ideals. And we hope. Cervantes becomes his creation. Becomes quixote. And begins his new life. With these words. When the preparation said being completed the old gentleman could hardly wait. To put his plan into action. He was grieved. But each moment of delay for the world was weary of wrongs. Which only he could make right. Eagles witchy must purge. From the face of the earth end of unreasonable things and abusive. Which he was called upon. To correct. And so he dressed up in his armor. Buckled up his patched-up helmet. Melted mounted his horse rocinante. And setting is lance and grasping his shield. He sailed forth. To the back gates of his corral. Out into the open field. Show begins. The adventures. A self-appointed night. And what adventures they were. The joust. At the windmill giants. The burning butt chase. Love for lady dulcinea. The setting free of questionable maiden. Bathroom with a black knight. And with lions accompanied by the ever-faithful. Do off. Reluctant. Sancho panza. Living in a spain which like an aging disillusion gloria. Had lost its pride and the 20. Children taste through quixote. Seeks to restore. The compelling car. Over the ideal. The power of dreaming. The impossible dream. Quixote will settle to save a world. In which evil is rewarded. And virtue. Hardly at all. The shagging society the reluctant spirit. Destroy them. Scouting.org maxim's. Proverbs. And rules to live by. Is personified in his companion. Sancho panza. Caribbean wild adventures of don proposes sancho has his. Never absent proverb. His portioning restraint. Of reality. Those are not giants those are merely windmills. Those are.. Preparing for class. They are merely sheep in a dusty field. But the dawn prevails. The battle is joined. Against impossible odds. And sancho. Picked up the pieces. Patches up his windmill battle master. Small conventional wisdom about how things are as they are. And on they go. To the next adventure. And finally at the end. Don quixote dies. The dialogue between real and ideal is over. And sancho retires. Tourlife of maximum proverb. He sometimes says that sancho tagged along because. He too had a dream of glory. Though perhaps not as idealistic as quixote. After all the don had promised to make him an emperor. Or at least the king of an army. Well maybe an ambassador. But there was more to sancho's in that. One does not risk getting one's head busted. Buy a black knight with no sense of humor. Just for an unlikely to come fruition promise. Sancho panza in the story. Is here because you can't get out of it. Quixote was cervantes. And sancho. Was savante. Sancho and don were each. Aspects of a duel. Conflicting nature. Will process. Quixote is that part of us twitch stream. Hoops has visions. Strange the ties that bind us. You know a place. Fix yourselves to the melee possible. The barely endurable. And sancho would save us from ourselves. Other. Stronger richard younger adventurous. Fight. Was it right. Be all that they could be. Sancho with keepers safe. At home. Though it must be said if we persist in dreaming. He will come along. Knowing in hindi his. Homie wisdom. How the world can shatter. The alamo. And beat down the waning difference. And how fortunate we are. If we have someone. Two carriers home. When we love but the dawn than that. His loyal follower we love ourselves. And recognized within ourselves a dialogue. Between around crusading. And cautious. Spirits. Who among us. There's not dreamed. An impossible dream. We dream things to be real that are not real at all. We experiment with a life. That is given that is what it is. If only. In moments your fantasy. Him private moments we live as if. The ideal. Gloria. Had like sancho we two were armed with maximus and proverbs. With traditions and habits. Which keepers rooted. Where we are. Settled in traditional wisdom. About the nature of things. Sensibly calling windmills. Just windmills. Standing inside well. Do battle with the giants. It has been said that don quixote is the. Funny story. Of a madman. Play free setting aside the obvious problems. A tempting to analyze. A figure of fiction. Psychiatrist from time-to-time have in all seriousness. Attempted to. Offer up. Analysis. And diagnosis. Of don quixote. Offering differently. Heatedly with each other. Psychiatrist in to do. About which psychosis. Butterfly. Dude on kodi. Because he was not mad. He was a man possessed. Buy ideals. And there's a world of difference. He knows for example that the enchanters. Do not really change shape. They merely appear to do so. Quixote knows that evil is not so foolish. As to appear before us. As evil. It's. Is not madness but imagination. That rules. Quixote. He is the poet philosopher. The poet in action. Defending the rights of the imagination. Insisting crash after crash. And beating after feeding. That what human minds can dream. Human beings can do. Glycol knights code in true. Quixote has. M'lady. Quixote and dulcinea. The maiden. Pure. And virtues. In whose name he fights for the good. Her name is dulcinea. She is the personification of the ideal. Assure you. Is the ideal real. The game does not suffer from delusions he. Jealous of the lady dulcinea god knows whether there is a dolphin are in this world. I contemplate her as she needs must be. In this cervantes has a remarkable intuition. And intuition shared by the exit stynchula such as coca-cola. Jean-paul sartre. Those who have maintained that we cannot have. Knowledge. Anything ideal. Or absolute. And so if we choose. To live at all. We must live. As if. God knows. Whether or not there is a god. Kilgore spoke of the leap of faith. We go as far as reason will take us. 2th when knowledge. And certainty and. And from there we fall into. Despair. That there is nothing. What we leap into the face. Imagining the ideal which makes life worthwhile and living. Buy them as if they were real. Quijotes. Dulcinea is the symbol of the ideal. God knows whether or not there is a dolphin ear in this world. quijotes as i contemplate her as she must. Babe. It does not matter you see. Whether dulcinea is real or not. Quixote. Lives as if. She is. And you and i must make beauty truth and justice. Do the good. And live as if those. El real. In spite of all the beatings. Andy ugly windmills send a black knights. In cajote and sancho panza we recognize ourselves as ordinary folk. Who dream. Impossible dreams. It's like don quixote we have the courage of the. Philosopher poet. To defend the reality of the imagination. To not only dream the dreams but follow them. Then we must suffer the realities. That would turn our dreams. Two dots. We dream in our disney christian culture. An impossible dream world of happy endings. Boundless oaks. And sancho panza river with us. Keep saying it isn't so. But we must choose to live as if. It is. So. Otherwise how could we live. How could we live if we could not believe. Dodo hopes will be fulfilled. For the end of hope. Is despair. And despair. Is hell. Or at least the purgatory. Of a meaningless existence. Show in spite of john shows warnings. We charged ahead with our hopes. And when i hope soon we come crashing down and the ground is hard and allen's is broken. Buy the real hard-on using windmills. Sancho is there still. Collecting what is left of us. Scurrying about muttering i told you so. Picking us up. And setting is back. Astride it will. To have another go at it. Is another dream. The dream that life is essentially just. Little things make sense together. And it all things were qultimate leave for the good how. Boundless. And persistent is that written. Goodness has its own reward. The meek shall inherit the usa of the universe bends toward justice. Martin luther king notwithstanding there is no talk. In the universe series just. C universe. How marvelous sun how necessary it is. And how crushing is the reality. Again and again. The justice is not necessarily in the nature of things. Dead life is often capricious. Unreasonable. And unfair. Beaten down again by the weight of the superior force of reality. How is sancho ellipsis two doses of rearranges the slight on amazon. Barely protection since it's his off to dream. The game of a harmonious world. Join another march. Write another letter. Join another committee. Go to another meeting. Another dream. My love the dream. Like the one that life is fair. The dream that lives can be planned. We prepare ourselves for. The glorious future. We guide our children in footsteps. We save our money. We make promises to ourselves and think. To have bound the future. To our plans. What a surprise. What shark. Just today just beneath the tree. Watching the wind and fire and rain take it all away. With. Willful children. Love ideas of their own. Warriors politicians economist. All that monster. Mindless. Public. Stupidity. Bringing our plans to nothing. And when the plans to contrivances fly-in smoldering ashes. Howard stern show. Kicks about any embers looking for remains. 4 scorch but usable b from which to make another dream. For in spite of all the warnings. In spite of all the maxims about living for the day. We are creatures who if we are to live at all. Must live in the past as we remembered in the present as it is and in the future as. Who knows. Another dream. That we will live forever. We dream of life everlasting. Fascinated with baden potions and elixirs. We diet. We danced away from dying. We run away from death. Dresden. Funny costumes. The heart-pounding to visions of immortality as the hound of heaven nips. Hot dog meals. The nights. And the noble jensen ladies who lie marvel in case. In ancient churches. Have they caused likenesses. Lying on their tunes. Likenesses of themselves. In the bloom of youth. And wario court. Never old. Neverdead. Barely sleeping. But that's come. Mindless. Heelys. Like a cosmic and flicking away. Despicable dusty. Means nothing to death itself. In spite of it in spite of the terror of it. In spite of the loss of those we love. In spite of the dying of those like us whom we had thought immortal we persist. Indian motorcycle. Dream the impossible dream of life everlasting. The clippers. Live as if. They will live forever and is he. They will die tomorrow. Another dream. And another. This dream. And that. It is a long book. That cervantes wrote. For there were many adventures in the life. Of don quixote. Many giants. To be facedown many innocents to save. Prisoners and slaves to be set free. Back and forth between impossible dream. Unnecessary. Reality z. Osho. And the sun show. The ideal question that keeps life vital. And the common sense. That makes life just. Ordered enough. Most of the time. Wnd world bowl. Inbox turbo. Without sancho. Quixote would never have survived. A day's adventure. Without the dawn. Sancho. Would never have survived. A day is adventure. Without potential glory of life as adventure we need them both. In the days of our lives. 4 days before his death. Michael abigail is cervantes wrote to the count of lemos. Now a friend and finally a patron. He wrote with one. Foot. In disturbed. And with the agony of death upon me. I would like to you. Yesterday they gave me extreme unction. The time is short. My pains are increasing. My hopes. Are diminishing. Handjet weathertrol. The desire i have to live. Keeps me alive. Cervantes quixote. New poverty. Scone. Imprisonment. But through it all and in all the desire to live and not merely to live. But to live the impossible dream. That the ideal. Is real. It is the only way to live. And to be truly alive. Tilting. Edwin mills.

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07-Jean-McTavish.mp3?_=7

So now there's not much to say after that. So i come to the conversation of school reform as a high school principal in new york city. I run the largest transfer high school which is an alternative school means that my students have been in other high schools and have not experienced success. Are between the ages of 17 and 21 and they i was calculating it today this year at this moment i have somewhere between 85 and 90%. Of my students who are entitled to free or reduced lunch. They have missed a tremendous amount of education for a variety of reasons some kids have been incarcerated. Some kids are parents we have a daycare center in the school. School-based health clinic we try to provide just about everything that we can. Including sound education. The new york city had the privilege of being. At the forefront of the school reform movement in the united states we had mayor bloomberg. Who was also a big funder of school reform and his favorite chancellor chancellor klein joel klein. Who also now works for rupert murdoch and amplify selling some really great instructional tools and data collection tool. So high-stakes accountability is something that i'm very familiar with and i used to worry a lot about. We had no child left behind and we had very strict performance targets. And as you can imagine kids who are not really interested in school don't do well on tests. So my test my data. It when we look at it the attendance test scores. It's in the toilet. And it has been i'm very honest about that somebody told me a very long time ago that's your data on it. Don't. Apologize for it that's what it is. But my teachers work very hard i work very hard. Our students work extremely hard. And have been up against some educational failure that i would have turned away from if i were them. So. We have. No child left behind sanctions that we had to face we had something called school report cards. There's also another way that we could punish schools in new york city. The scoreboard card really looked at the same data that was. Collected for no child left behind. I'm but it just kind of ratcheted up a level by comparing you to pure school. So luckily for me. We do well compared to our peers school. So my school was able to. Every year kind of squeak by and not get threatened with closure. But what i did get to see. Was what happens to schools when they're closed. When students who really love their teachers in the teachers who love their students who never trying very hard under some extremely difficult circumstances. Are told you may no longer go to the school you have to leave and go someplace else. I've sat at hearings and watch the children. Big. For their schools. And the begging and the tears and the videos leave pleading just falls on deaf ears so that to me is what's what what they call structural violence where we have created a system. That punishes. The people who suffer the most. And it's a really horrific thing to have to watch the i've struggled the last thing i want is for my school. It's been it's been open as an alternative high school now for 42 years. And we like to refer to it as a port in the storm. It's a place where kids can come and get some refuge in a city that's not always. Kind to them. Where they can get an education and hopefully get to go to college. So i had to make a choice as a principal. Do i. Do what i know pedagogically or instructionally is the right thing to do the really great teaching. Or. Do we. Do that kind of. Data analysis item analysis of the test that were being held accountable to and do we teach to the. So i'm. I'm going to own it say it publicly i chose to teach to the test and actually that's why my school is probably still open to this day because we do. We analyze the test scores we focusing on what the discreet skilled deficits are. We make sure that the kids can pass the test the next time it's given and i'll tell you my teachers can. H-2a test better than it probably most teachers on the planet. Because our survival depends on it. And we need to do it for the kids so we need to keep the school open but in the big picture what i was hearing was my students were coming home from college. They're after their first-year insane og and it didn't really work out and i'm coming home. And so i knew that what we were doing was not right. And i really was starting to lose sleep about it so i thought. I have to start speaking up. And i have to start speaking out. So i learned from a group of folks we went to washington d.c. one spring. To go sit outside arne duncan's office and tell him what we thought about school reform. And they said. The folks i was with. You know if they don't have. The testing data. This whole system. That they have of accountability falls apart. So i thought. So. I don't have my kids tested. Then they can't use the data. To hurt. Children ultimately and close their school. So the first year i opted out i wasn't really concerned. About my own children at that point cuz i thought you know we live in this nice tree-lined street. 2 ridgewood. And we pay a lot of taxes in our school systems really good and i thought all this isn't going to get to ridgewood but i need to speak out for my students. So i opted my kids out. And then i. Noticing that the conversation in ridgewood was changing. We're talking about the common core and then we're talkin about. The new jersey ass but then the park and i'm paying more attention now to who's publishing the homework that's coming home what is looking like test prep and i'm noticing that we're doing a lot of teaching to the test in ridgewood to. And i know that test scores and ridgewood if they drop. Are property values drop to so there's some steaks. Then i thought maybe didn't exist here that do exist here. So i thought. Alright so. Is junius teaches us if you just do it by yourself. Nobody's paying you any attention. So what you have to do is. Get people organized income as a group. Do it together. So i've worked with folks across the state of new jersey to organize parents. To deny the state our testing data. Because if they can't count it. They can't use it against us. So that's one piece. The other piece that i've learned during these years. Is that. There's plenty of data to be collected that can tell a different narrative. So it my own school. I have what we call an alternative data system and we've taught other alternative high schools to do the same thing. Where we collect the same data that the department of education collects about our schools. But we analyzed it differently and we can tell a very different story they can tell us a failure story with weeding. Kids there's a lot of smoke and mirrors that they use when they do the school report cards. But if we just look at straight up how many kids passed how many kids failed who's graduating who's not who's moving forward. We can tell some really great stories of success so what i have to say. To us all is that we really do have more power sometimes it feels like how can we fight. Big system what can we do we have a lot of power but we have to realize that we have it and we have to work together. And we especially. Have to amplify each other's voices. So. One last thing i had to work for tammy anderson was my direct supervisor. And i usually like it. Peaceful loving kind of person but i have such. Anger toward that woman. I forgot what she did. To the alternative high schools in new york city she really destroyed our superintendency. We're just now beginning to build it back we have for the first time since she left to go to newark we have a. A superintendent this year and i'm very hopeful. That with the new mayor de blasio that will be able to build something really positive back. But my heart goes out to the folks in newark cuz i know. From experience what she's doing to them it's wrong we need to pay attention we need to. We need to document we need to tell the story because. She shouldn't be sleeping at night. So. Thanks.

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Sermonpodcast-6-24-18.mp3?_=39

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. One of the things that i appreciate every time that i've had the opportunity to be here is listening to ron's music and. I had the additional pleasure this morning he'll appreciate it and rods patience. Happy try to work with a synthesizer it didn't work after putting so much effort into planning this particular piece of music thank you. Thank you very much. I hesitated before i chose to speak on this particular subject this morning. Because i know how much of allies today i filled with concerns of all kinds. And did i want to add still another. And yet my whole. Faith is based upon. Lack of denial of opening to what is and knowing that having done this we can find what we need to find of worth and allies. And didn't notice the importance of. Artificial intelligence is to notice an event. So fast. Attitude and not notice it would be not noticed an event. Stove that so significant. S2 dorf a discovery of fire. Are invention of the wheel. And the domestication of agriculture. We met without exaggeration compare. The evolution of ai it's called to our evolution into homeo sapiens. I take up this subject with you this morning or not to explore ai technology. But to prepare us for its advancement and consequences. And to urge. To reflect upon. The spiritual questions it raises for us. Because it challenges. Examine the very. Dap's of our spiritual nature. Artificial intelligence has many of us realize especially in this last year is developing faster than we had conceived. That is because a i instant valepain exponentially. That is. Doubling every year. And our brains are wired customarily that they can terms of linear. April mental bro. To appreciate the power of dublin. Imagine that one person trickles through the gate of yankee stadium at 11 a.m. on 1 saturday. Every minute after a double number of people come in. And this process continues. Suppose it takes 59 minutes to fill the stadium half full. And the next minute. Dublin. Wealthy all the entire stadium. The problem with not thinking exponentially. Is it we do not realize. That is a problem until the last minute. And it is often too late then. Which is why dr. albert bartlett who is a professor emeritus of physics at the university of colorado. Has pronounce. That the greatest shortcoming of the human race. Is our inability to understand and appreciate the exponential function. Engineers predict. Santana perhaps a dozen or more years. Ai will surpass human intelligence. And that will not be a reason for ai to stop learning. And we will be highly unlikely to slow it down have we ever in our history been known to break. A very powerful technology. We live. In to some degree innocently unprepared for dramatic change in our future. Stuart russell he is a professor of computer science at uc berkeley. He wrote the book that is most commonly used as a court may i text in today's university computer science courses. He writes. If a superior alien civilization. Send us a text message saying. Will arrive in a few decades. Ridgeway reply. Okay. Call us when you get here we'll leave the lights on. Probably not he writes but this is more or less what's happening with ai. I myself first became. Connected to artificial intelligence work. In about 50 years ago. When i attended a conference at the unitarian universalist star island on religion and science. And their two speakers who came one was from imit who is known as. Today is the grandfather of artificial intelligence marvin minsky. And the other was manfred clients who coined the term cyborg. They presented their science that this conference in 1968 and sense. Bad time. I have watched almost all of their predictions. Come true. The more ai becomes incomparable more ai becomes and comprehensible to us and the way it learns. The more we will for sure try to catch up. No doubt we will try to enhance our brian's through some form of implantation chips or whatever so we can understand what's happening with ai. But there will come a point when ai will i paint escape velocity. It was developed to the point which is being referred to as a singularity. Like i said no one knows exactly why what happened then. As our awareness of ai its growth. Grows more widespread. An increasing number are scientist a warning us against disaster in probably you've heard a lot from elon musk. Who is described ainsi greatest existential threat. He says quote we are summoning the demon. And. And acting out his words to he has donated 10 million dollars to. The future of life institute which is a global research institute. Focusing on preventing a catastrophe. And then there is stephen hawkings that he predicted while he was alive at ai maybe our big it will be our biggest event in human history. And also he said might be our last. Bill gates has said that he can't understand. Why people are not. Concern. Warriors believe that the fundamental risk. Isn't that superintelligent machines. One day become hostile to us the way they are usually pictured in movies such as the terminator. But they will become indifferent. Nick bostrom is a person who heads up a future of humanity institute in boston devoted to reception. The possibilities have a i. Nick bostrom reasons that after all. We humans. We're not actively hostile towards the species we have extinguished. We just found we didn't need them. I wonder. Can we hope that machines will more enchantment that are more intelligent than us. Well three dice better than we who are more intelligent than animals. Have treated them. Or will we find ourselves subject to a kind of. Terrible karma. Turn of events for what we have done to the creatures. To me the most likely negative scenario is. And the negative. Side of things. Yes that unless we become more aware. We will increasingly and gradually perhaps become so dependent. Upon artificial intelligence. First for convenience. And then for our very livelihood. That we will not. Want to unplug from super intelligent. Even if we could. But now i felt uncomfortable many of his field with a very small. Artificial intelligent device are smartphone. And if you lose it what it means to us. Steve wozniak who is the co-founder of apple alfred little mixed review other future. He believes that we humans are destined to become. The pets. A super intelligent robots. But that actually this will be pretty good for us all because. They will he says. Retrospect. Deleting positive visionary of ai and there. How many. A lot. Without a doubt is ray kurzweil. Kurzweil is known by many people because he invented the first voice activation for the blind. Any 1999 president clinton presented kurzweil. With the nation's highest honor for technological innovation. Google has appointed kurzweil as its director of engineering that's in charge of developing machine. That is artificial intelligence. Incidentally kurzweil grew up in a uu sunday school. Accredited scientific curiosity to the interesting intellectual discussion. His parents held around the dinner table dinner table after this sunday's service. A 1999 occurs while wrote a book. Call the age of spiritual machines. Any percentage of series of sermons on this subject at the first unitarian church of san diego. Kurzweil believes that ai will usher in a techno utopia. He believes that technology will solve our human problems and that super-intelligent will solve them all. By 2045. Paris why i don't believe. We will have. Chad the human form altogether. And evolve into a vast intelligence that will be the second. Singularity the first singularity being the big bang from which our universe emerged. He said he believes had what'll happen will be the computers will link up with other colossal intelligence is all across the universe. And proceeded to wake up. All sense8 matter in the universe to consciousness. Because why i believes not only technology for solving a human problems but ask are very. Spiritual destiny. He writes. The freeing of a spanking from the severe limitations of its biological form. May be regarded as an essential. Spiritual quest. We will be part of this very rapid explosion of intelligence and beauty. And very rapid acceleration of our evolutionary process. And that to me is what god is. Evolution i think is a spiritual process. Because it moves us closer to what we have considered to be god. When the kurzweil talks about this vision. Not surprising i have sometimes asked. Are we becoming god. And he answers. Not yet. It's important to understand. Enter really absorbed vickers wild vision is not just theoretical. Nasa and google have teamed up with kurzweil. And others to found. What is called a singularity university. At moffett federal airfield in california. To actively pursue research. Towards the singularity. The advancement of ai is also the subset of a very rapidly growing. Human cell you might call it spiritual movement. Call transhumanism. Have you ever hear any of you. Familiar is that time you are mine. Under its umbrella there are many other organizations. One is a religious organization called way of the future. It is founded by one anthony levandoski he's a formula a former executive at uber. Its mission is i'll quote from its mission statement. To develop and promote the realization of a godhead. Based on artificial intelligence. And through understanding and worship of this guide head. To contribute to the betterment of society. Another is the christian transhumanist association. There's even a mormon transhumanist association. And there is a world transformer this dissociation as well. A former buddhist monk james hughes now hits that. Hughes attend. The unitarian universalist fellowship. In storrs connecticut. And he frequently speaks of uu congregations. In 2004 he's helped found the transhuman asit unitarian-universalist network which is affiliated with the uua. Transhumanism miss you mike. Gas provokes. More spiritual question. Then we can hardly imagine. Here are just 11. And i'll read them all fairly quickly. First of all what does it mean that the majority of ai engineers are libertarian white males. What does this imply for future ai programming. What does it mean to seek immortality this being the goal of most transhumanists. To eliminate a faction another goal. Theresa mount all limits. To separate the mind from the body. To establish establish the highest of human values when we right now i can't agree on very many of them. And who gets to adjudicate all these differences. And what about emotional intelligence. And since survival is such a basic human instinct. Winter survival instinct need to be transcended by ai so that ai conceivably could sacrifice itself. And what does personal identity mean if we can fully know another person's complete data. It is. Technology technical salvation a code word. For the rationality. I've domination. As a unitarian universalist buddhist. I fine the buddha's teaching as interesting away. Congenial to the engineering aspect of artificial intelligence. But oppositional to the motivation behind it all. A buddhist understands all of reality to be virtual anyway. An artificial construction that's built upon how we see it and how we pattern it could be converted into algorithm. But buddhism also considers the transhuman is belief in the possibility of all limits. And if chief m'tov human perfection. Tipping not only decidedly wrong but to be the very source about dissatisfaction. Rather than abbreviation of it. The buddha taught that craving itself. Perfection and elimination of the limits. Is what creates our suffering. Has a unitarian universalist. I cherish your love and compassion. Which in a strange way would have no meaning if there was no one in trouble with it. What need would there be for heroism if there were no danger. It's a gift i think of jewish heritage. Tickets evolve perfection as not possible. That's my job. He may be ready for a while. A jewish mother stands with her little boy that she's standing at the edge of a beach. And suddenly a huge wave washes insurance switched out to the ocean. Headed desperation the mother rushes to the water's edge to raise his arms to have empty cries out to god to save him. I almost immediately another huge wave rises up and lansing safely ashore. And then my other looks at him and it's against quince up at heaven and she raises her arms across that but he have a hat. Every week. I'm sorry. This. There was about a week ago i guess a few weeks ago this year the institute of religion and science. Have an anniversary of this first. Week of religion and science. It's star island. This year the theme for the topic was artificial intelligence turns deep. Who's in control. The announcement reads. This year. If we succeed in creating science fiction's conscious machine. What will be our duties. To it. As well as its two duties. To us. 50 years ago. When i first became with the. Acquainted with. The advancement of ai. Every. Advance. Startled me. And realize scared me. Now i'm connor. I look at the development of ai from a future time. Not from the perspective of the singularity. So which i don't expect to be alive. And couldn't understand anyway if i was. But from this crossover point maybe 11 + years from now. When a ice predicted surpass human intelligence. And that likely helpful right well be within my remaining lifetime. From this vantage point now. I look at each particular technological step. The smartphone avatar development in virtual reality smart homes. Robots. New prosthetic devices. There is a fellow in england who announced become the first cyborg has an antenna built in. And he's become a citizen of the british empire. Because you had to be citizenship to get through. Itasca the santana is being apart of that. All of these steps ice kind of sia's graduated steps now towards this end goal. To each device i purchase for myself. Becomes a dave time for reflection. A time to ask how does this device. Change me. And how does it alter my interaction with this world. I wonder for example will it feed my desire for more control which i certainly have. Or will it condone my desire for convenience which i know i have. An instant gratification. As well. Or. Will it enabled me to become more economist. Angie more generously and compassionate care for those in need. The expanding presence of ai challenges are personal and spiritual decision making. Nothing else has ever done. It requires us to answer the biggest. Spiritual question we have ever asked. Which is. What does it mean to be human. It depends paradigmatic changes for our planet. And that these changes with loom so large. Is perhaps why. We have 10 to shy away. From the discussion of ai. And all of the issues of you uworld i've read in the past 50 years. I've only seen two issues. Average this is a feature article. And because of this. Overlooking. We must. Work now to bring it into all of. Our discussion. To do this can be a bit scary. Because its consequences are indeed a life-changing. So i believe we need to open up to discussion and community. Where we can ask him fellowship with a fella questioners questions that are on our minds. Where we can share our personal reaction. I believe. Our hopes and our fears. And be supported by fellow usually explorers. And is intelligent and as intelligent and brave unitarian universalist. May we help bring prominent discussion of ai and the ethics that it in genders ice to ask about. Into the area of our national discussion. There a few engineers. You have left the google to focus on such questions. One is nick soros. He serves now as executive director of the machine intelligence research institute in berkeley california. But the soreness bemoans the fact that in his words. There are thousands of person years. And billions of dollars. Been poured into the project of developing an ai. And there are fewer than 10 people in the world. Right now working full-time. On safety. For them at my institute. We. Need to do a lot more. As a world we fumble in to climate change. We were warned to 25 years ago. That. Play more by more than 100 1,500 prominent scientist. Including half of the living nobel laureate. Who issued a warning sister humanity that there was danger coming. But we did not listen to those voices. That we didn't want to hear. That ice be different. Let us prepare for a future of ai. Whose significance to abby. Untold different more different. That is open to the possibilities that may arise. We don't know. A spiritual growth unlike anything which we have ever been previously exposed. And that is take the advantage of a window author opportunity to examine the shadow side of ai. And in the meantime to shape our future today. With charity and compassion. So that if the nei is indeed learning. Why do we humans put in. That will be input also. So that we may contribute. Towards a common humanity. And to our own personal future. With fine ass. With courage. With equanimity. And with a lot of a.

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Sermonpodcast-9-18-16.mp3?_=8

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. It has been many years since i have had children at home. And therefore many years since immersing myself in the back-to-school ritual of middle and working-class families. Minister working plan the start of a congregational hear that parallels. The public school calendar i am aware of the big dates. Hannah seal our director of religious education and i are planning. Family worship in other events we are checking school calendars as well as the society calendar. However i no longer plan shopping trips around the school dates as i did. The result when i recently ran into staples on route 17 in paramus to quickly buy some writing pads. I was met with long sneaking limes. Children are parents waiting to pay for school supplies. When i saw them i recalled an even. Those trips is my daughter when she was in junior and senior high school. When she would have a list of required supplies from her school. And an addendum was something she wanted at the same time sound familiar to some of you. So i did was i needed to get those pads that day. I got on the longline i did not experience my usual impatience at slow lines and big-box stores. Sometimes i think they compete to see how long they can keep you waiting. Calgary used to hold the record but they went bankrupt. No rabbit being impatient i casually observed family interactions. And much to my relief observe no particular dramas that day. You know sometimes there are dramas when you go shopping with children. But it was back-to-school time in bergen county. Back-to-school interesting phrase. And i identify two common usages of that phrase. What is that. Time in late august early september. Primary secondary schools are reopening. Parents. Are doing their shopping for new clothes hoping the children won't grow out of them before the spring. And shopping for school supplies. This back-to-school is seasonal and is part of the family's life until the children are launched as adults. Now the children met with excitement or possibly with this may be awaiting the start of school. Most of my favorite favorite comic strips of children are dismayed about school coming. Back-to-school continues. Even when the children go to post-secondary education college and so on but if they figured out how to buy their own clothing and supplies. And some half. My parents were involved in my back to school from kindergarten until high school. And not at all once i left for college. It is interesting know that once the back-to-school rushes over stores will start gearing up for the winter holiday shopping season. And the next big round. Well the other usage of this phrase back-to-school. Is about a choice to return to education some point in one's life. As an adult. I have done this at least three times after working for three years after college tour in a seminary degree. After 10 years of active ministry to earn a degree in public policy and management with a thought that that might be a happier career path for me. And it was for 10 years. Then i came back. And nearly 20 years after that masters during a doctorate in ministry. Think of your kind of a slow learner who kept working at it. Went back to school for the doctorate in part to recondition my career. And more important to reflect upon what i had learned. For more than 30 years of parish and community ministry. Here's a different example. Car was a business owner i know when you lost the lease on his store a few years ago the typical story of this store had been in that location. And more than 40 years after graduating from college he decided to do a second bachelor's degree and is sheer intellectual curiosity and delight. Brunette versus back-to-school. With the children in public school is. Part of the normal course of life one aspect of the flow of the seasons. In the second back-to-school is a response to an intellectual. Professional even emotional need. That further education we hope can address. Not taken either literally or metaphorically there many times when one of us decide. That he or she needs or wants to go back to school. And i say metaphorically cuz it may not take place in the classroom. But it may be a chosen path to learn something new. I consider my 7 years of psychotherapy definite case of going back to school. Understand myself how i functioned in the world and i can function better in the future i think it worked. It's like the school in the sense of expanding knowledge of oneself in the world of understanding religion better. Exploring issues of ethics and justice. And at the most basic level figuring out what each one of us is an individual believes. One of my late colleagues in ministry who was a mentor when i was younger the reverend sydney peterman reminded me every year. Because every year they're newcomers i need to learn it. And long-term members who need to be reminded. Which leads me to an important point sometimes adults need to relearn things they have forgotten. We're learning things they should have known. Already. How about history. Yesterday in case you didn't notice with a 5th anniversary of the start. Which changed the course of american political. Discourse to this day. This enduring change but devils the entrenched leadership of both the republican and democratic parties. Since both have long hitch their wagons on the concerns of the wealthy. Populist rhetoric notwithstanding. Olivia occupying the movement is still out there. Another bit of history. Last week we marked september 11th 2016 as the 15th anniversary of the terror attacks. Using hijacked airliners that killed not quite 3,000 people that day. This anniversary brightly weighs heavily on many americans especially new yorkers. The death toll among first responders continues to rise from illnesses related to their presents at ground zero. Well that same day september 11th 2016. Was the 43rd anniversary of another. Horrible event. The true that with united states support overthrew chili's democratic. Italy elected socialist president salvador allende. Datcu ended nearly 40 years of peaceful democracy in chile. And that was done with the support and encouragement of the united states government because our government didn't like socialist even if they were legally elected. By the chilean government account 3095 people were killed or disappeared that day. Broccoli 20,000 people were arrested mediately. And between the day of the coup in the end of the dictatorship of augusto pinochet in 1988. Somewhere between 28000 and 36948 individuals were arrested and or tortured. Both of those numbers which are fairly wide range come from. Co qualified analysts of the of the records which you're obviously fragmentary and incomplete. There is no available counter those who disappeared or died after the coup. Why is this important to know. Well because you involvement in chile. Which is only one of a number of who's our government had a hand in. And penetrant. Only one of a number of dictators are government has supported in opposition to democratic forces. It was the one where we were actively engaged our people were actively engaged in undermining and taking out of power a deck democratically-elected government. Neoliberal leaders did not like. Under general and with the guidance of the university of chicago economist who advised him chili's social security system. Remember and i remember when you ready here now next time someone talks about privatizing social security in the united states. The results were disastrous. They were recounted in last sunday's new york times that i mentioned the fact that it was the anniversary of the coup. The average pension under the. Privatized system. Is $312 in a month. We can censored world countries would be livable but not until 8. Far from it. Will these do horrendous act. 911 in the us and the coup in chile. Share the same anniversary date on the calendar. And in one our nation was the victim in the other the victimizer. They do not cancel each other out we just need to remember them both understand and park how we got to where we are today so back-to-school candy harsh. It can be demanding it can be good. And it can also be encouraging. Now as most of you know i am an advocate for public education. Would you understand us all by a politicians of both major parties. They call themselves reformers but the reform has nothing to do with the well-being of children. It has to do with who or what education servers. Does it exists to provide a compliant workforce. What does exist to teach people how to function as free person. In a pluralistic. An interdependent world. I personally prefer the second one. Has the answer. And in recent weeks i have seen an example of how public education can succeed in that function. Colin kaepernick. Is the biracial birth child of a single black mother. Who put him up for adoption a white couple that died from cancers. Adopted him. He attended public schools. He played football. But excelled in baseball john h pitman high school in turlock california. He wanted to focus on football rather than baseball sports scholarship to state university the university of nevada-reno he now plays professional football. Two weeks ago he refused to stand for the national anthem before the game. Asked why he named the racial injustice has he and other black americans indoor other athletes another team professional amateur black and white has since joined. In that protest. And university enough among those publicly voicing support for kaepernick is jesse ventura. Former navy seal professional wrestler and third-party governor of minnesota from 1999 to 2003. In a video he said i salute colin kaepernick. I don't have to agree with him but i was in the military protect your right to protest. Lenny said something much deeper. He said what i was governor i vetoed a bill requiring schoolchildren to say the pledge of allegiance in elementary school. It has to earn it. Colin kaepernick ever had a teacher like mr. phelps. My junior year high school english teacher. Mr. phelps. One day in discussing the meaning of symbols pointed to the us flag hand hanging in front of the classroom. That he said is a symbol of honor patriotism and power. But first of all is a hundred percent. Cotton with non-toxic dye for your little brother can chew on it and not get sick. This was before the us and shipped the textile industry overseas. Is it a 1965. Divisive an untenable war in vietnam or other political topics. How to explore with an object. Really is in order to understand what it really means. And so we go back to school again here other places many of you take courses. The mind electric discussion. Hear other events in the community. Even if it don't you have come here to the unitarian society learn and understand and the grass. Your own faith in what it demands of you. Here to the seven months of learning reflection and discussion before the vote. You put up the banner that says black lives matter. Learning about racism how do undo it must continue in that is one reason why we have the solitary confinement cell in front of the building. Use is part of a structure racial disparities that has people of color disproportionately represented in our prison population. The solitary cell remind me that this is part of a long tradition in our religious movement immediately in the years following the establishment of republican republic. Rehabilitation rather than merely. Punishment. So if you didn't know that you learned we've been at this for a couple of centuries. And today is our children's first day back in school for religious education. Something very important is a core part of our ministry it is the vehicle. And about morality as they go through life. Among the classes that start today the 8th and 9th grade class begins with. Your bowel our whole life a curriculum that addresses issues of sexuality gender and ethics in relationships a very important part. Why what we do to raise children who can live well. And ethically in the world. In a pluralistic society in which we live different religions will teach their children different beliefs different values and different behaviors. In a religiously pluralistic society. Such as the one in which we live religions must accept the secular nation of the society itself and of the public square and recognize the public school education exist. And it still rolls of education and socialization are essential to democratic. Free and open society. They may learn specific knowledge to achieving our economy. But they also learn how to live with people who aren't like themselves in appearance religion. Freakonomics background and this kind of socialization is essential to sustain a free open. And democratic society. How to get back to the reading the great writer james baldwin. I'm very poor in harlem in the thirties early forties. And then became one of the great writers the mid-twentieth century. In his classroom sooner or later blacklisted from teaching. Seem him from life on the streets. By respecting him by demanding excellence from him. By being there for the students no matter how difficult the lives they came from. And what did baldwin say that is one becomes conscious one challenges the society and he did that and much of his writing. That's a colin kaepernick has done with his anthem protest and that's what many unitarian universalists do. In living out our faith. Means thinking for oneself and is and as baldwin road challenging the rules. So we are here in this religious community to make our lives good. Crossett help our children to have good lives. We are here to learn and to grow. For our own sake but also for the sake of those who follow. Because we live in a flow of history we must keep learning again and again it's back to school.

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Sermonpodcast-4-17-16.mp3?_=27

Welcome. To a podcast of a sermon. Delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation. It's a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs. And the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. Good morning. I'm glad i was able to make it here you know i heats time i. Come here i come a different way. And this was totally different. So i'm very glad to be here at this very nice music. Gentleman. All of you i appreciated that i got a chance to look over your shoulders and read some music haven't done that in a long long time. But i could do. Follow the notes. I could follow the task. I'm glad you gave me that opportunity. This is when i thought about that topic that i suggested. What i said well maybe that's a little bit too competitive. Maybe that's. Little bit of parts on a sunday morning when you come out to commune with your innermost being and with the high-power. To whomever you may address that as such. But i said what. Maybe we'll see who still comes. And you showed up. So it was a worthy gamble. I tend to you know i was. Reared as a baptist. In richmond virginia. I have some. Preachers in the family and the matter fact my wife is a preacher right now she's. Preaching at our home church bethany baptist. What about to do so. And so i tend to think of. Myself as big an old testament person. And so perhaps that's why i chose. Something that maybe a little bit above a comparison and. And. Something that may be a little competitive there. I tend to stay away from the new testament i like the old testament. Because the lord seem to be a little more direct. You know i will smite you with my hand my right hand and i like that i like that. My wife tells me to get into the new testament because i need it. And i keep resisting. So i'm going to stick with the old testament this morning. Because really what i want to talk about to be kind of conceptualize capsulated in one particular verse that i really like. Where there is no vision. The people perish. Where there is no vision. The people perish. What does that have to do with education because we have to have a video. You have to have a vision to even go forward. And that's really what i want to compare here. Today. Since we all about children perhaps there's. More unanimity than we think about. But let's see. As we go along now i happen to be. Knowledgeable about one of your schools in this area. And that is ramsey high school. We got any ramsay high school aficionados here. Anybody know they my rent. Okay 12 okay. Well i want to educate the rest of you about what you have up here too. So why did i come to know about ramsey because at one point. There was a an article in the star-ledger saying the top school passing the high school i don't know how many years ago. So i said okay let's get on the bus. So we took a group up the ramsey high school's thanks to my friend richard smith said that he got us in there we were able. To take some parents and students and education advocates. And we were. Quite frankly impress. So we went back and did some more reading on and then i'm going to. Talk a little bit about their vision suburban community whose vision like that of the staff is to provide a quality education. What you. Realizing the interdependence. Skills. Content and changing technology the school will establish an atmosphere in which students increase their competence. In acquiring information and thinking about issues and in communicating ideas and opinions. An additional role of the school is to develop intellectually and vocationally inform students. Capable of participating in both domestic and world affairs. Does the school will instill in its students knowledge of and respect for the diverse. Cultural heritage. Of the united states. Follicular added divorce i'm sorry diverse. Heritage of united states in the world. And if i had time i will talk to you more about that. What it says ramsay high school shirt serving 930 children or just is serving 930 ramsey in saddle river students. So. If i were to read the. Preamble. Again division of any school and any. It is city it would probably read like that. But then. You have to read. Between the lions. Because you see. The state of new jersey. Has imposed itself on any vision that the herb that those of us in urban education. Want to have and want to bring with us. For example. I have to refer to some of the. Priority schools in messages about. Focus coupe all of this part of what the state needs says we need to focus on in order to. Justify the money that they give us. And they have to give us money because unlike suburban schools. We don't have the kind of tax base to raise that property. Locally that's what the average case. Was all about. So we have things like priority schools the lowest-performing 5% of title 1 schools in the state over the past three years or any non title 1 school that meets that criteria in other words and it's cool in the city. High schools with less than 60% graduation rate. Wait a few high school. Urban schools. Urban districts. Tijuana nortier to under federal school improvement grant whatever that means because everybody didn't get a federal program improvement grant. Focus schools about 10% of the schools with the overall lowest subgroup performance. A graduation level. Below. 75% and the widest gaps in achievement between different subgroups of students. Booker schools receive targeted at 22 solutions to meet the school's you need. And with focus schools in new jersey department of education seeks the opportunity to develop interventions and supports that may be targeted to a subset of a school's population. To address. It's low achievement. Translated what is all that legalese mean. It means. That a vision. Predication. Has been substituted with a. Recipe. When equity. A vision of education. Has been substituted. With a recipe for any quality. What do i mean by that this language was used to close several schools in newark new jersey starting in 2011. This recipe will use. 2. Put some schools in total shutdown. For some schools. To become charter eyes and other ways charter schools took over. Make some schools co-located with charter schools. And it was a justification for cutting down the amount of money. Moving into the urban education. As opposed to that which should have been something. Bill been available under the now available. School. Act. 4. Use of the money. So some of the schools with empty. For sale. Like 18th avenue. And then you had programs like renew schools. Renew schools renew school. Does that matter well. Are we knew school was supposedly a formula. For how you get schools better. You had one set of school 17 rules for the charter schools and then you have for the general population to renew schools. Well as it turned out over the two years that the renew schools were running in newark. The testicles got worse. It was supposed based on five principles. Is that weird vision again but clear mission and vision. Great school principals excellent teachers a safe building and engage students and families. Well. Some of that may have happened but the result was. Failure. The result was failure you do have some high-flying charter schools in newark that are very good. And i say hi flying i mean they make good on the test scores. English and math basically. What how does that compare with let's go back to our friends at ramsey high school. See we went out to see because what what is good education in the suburbs then. We went out and we found for example that in the english department. Ramsey has. The regular schools things that people would expect. English 1 english to english 3 world literature. Advanced level but advanced language with his now we start getting a little different advanced language and composition. Short story. Modern and contemporary american drama. These are regular glasses. And then you get to the elected creative writing in journalism. Film and electronic media introductory reading course for those who need that. Developmental reading for those who need that english-as-a-second-language for those who don't speak that. You gotta move different picture of what a suburban school was looks like. Because in newark. For example. Even though the number of people going up and don't speak. Don't speak english as their first language. The amount of money to tip to afford the teachers. Who supplied that kind of help. People coming in who do not speak english as their native language is going down. You have developmental reading here. That was wiped out totally. In newark. You don't have those tutors anymore which was guaranteed under the abbot program because they are kids behind. Remember all those statistics about behind schools in the various degradation why you going to get the people up. If you don't have that. It ramsey has that built into a you must have teachers to teach. Introductory reading and developmental reading. Filmon electronic media. A couple of schools have that. In newark. But here it is incorporated into a general population schools as opposed to a magnet school. In new again generally available for people. Let's look at the math offering. I'm not going to go through the ordinary classes but. Calculus ap calculus ap statistics java programming ap computer science. Wow. Will have that. We don't have java programming you got to wait till college to get that ap computer science ap ap ap. Let me give you a little example. The what one of all schools look like university high school. Used to be one of the great high flying high schools. Interstate. At that time this is. 6 years ago. Just six years ago. There were 19 ap courses available. Now. They are only four. The ranking among the kid to pass the test. Does in hessville now whatever they call it depart that's after i post. Has been going down. Down down so that. University high is no longer in the top 100 schools. Interstate. Look look some more at randy and make a comparison. Ramsay high school scientist. Geoscience college prep. Geoscience modified science prep. Of course you have biology we have that chemistry we have that but we don't have. Laboratories. In most of the schools. How you going to do physics. How you going to do chemistry. Without a lap. It just can't be done. Not in this real world if you want to go on to something else but listen to this this is what really got us. Science anatomy and physiology advanced placement chemistry. English and physics ecology oceanography. Dna technology. We don't have that. What happened to al vision about good education. Why children world languages. French yes we have that. Spanish yes we have that. I think maybe one school. In the east ward has chinese. But what about all of this german 1234. Japanese. 12. Latin. Spanish 5 years of spanish. Social studies world history us history american government political science yes some of that but you know what i had to do. And i'll tell you a little bit more about that if i timekeeper allows me at the end here. We have a program for young people and had to teach him about the elections about the democratic party. And the republican party because they're not studying that. In school. Only one or two kids. Knew and understood that why because we don't have social studies teachers. Like we used to have. We don't have social studies. School has been. Taken down. What it used to be. Because the emphasis is on the test. An emphasis is on. Emphasis. It's on meth. Social studies. Science even to certain extent even though science is part of the testing. Has been. The emphasis has been decreased. They want you to pass. The test. I could go through in and show you some more about what's in here but the main thing i want to point out in the conversation with the principal. Because remember now this is a number 1 at the particular time. In passage. It was what was called a reward school. They have those two a rewards school is a school with with hopper fishing sea levels. Will high levels of growth including progress or closing the achievement gap. And let's see proficiency rate above 90% graduation rate over 90%. Who were their reward schools well at that particular time in this was in 2012. But it is an article by the education law center that said the commission that was to intervene. N75 predominantly. Priority schools. Or. Priority schools are the lowest even school. What were the three years and among those. Among that distinction. He was prepared to close. Best middle schools. As was necessary. Because the schools he said was not working but among the the high. Schools at work i'm sorry the reward schools. Newark only had two of them even in one of the charter schools had it. But that particular school only applies only allowed. People who come in who were much above the poverty level. Had aaa do not speak. Foreign language. And we're very much. In or not very much in need of special education. And that was. The steve adubato school. Up in the north ward. So. I'm looking for the statistic i had on the rewards to yesterday's rewards school that was 31 in the states and they win the state's wealthiest district. 14 + highly-selective county vocational school. But which entry was based upon testicles. Five schools of from the middle wealth district and seven from high-poverty districts of which. Newark at 3. So what happened. We have a lot of school closings. Under that period of great education. Been great understanding about what the problem was. But i wanted to find out what mean. This school ramsey school become one of those. Great reward schools. Any said. I have specifically how do you get them to pass the test. And he said. He looked at me kind of strange. They pass the test. Because they're interested in school. They passed the test because they want to pass the test. We equip them to become interested. In education. I suggest to you that is the hallmark. Of the difference between the vision of education here. In division of education. In cities like new. With drill and kill baby drill and kill. Will you learn about the test. And if you don't learn about the test you will fail that for we will fail we look bad. So we will do everything we can to help you. If you cannot. Then you will get pushed aside. Warehouse in that 60% that does not get into one of these public charter schools. And the band will play on. So. It's not a friendly outcome. So far is it but because i did grow up again in the baptist tradition. I understand that. You know your your message for the morning has to be something that has some kind of relief. I can't leave you here feeling this week i might leave you in my class. G feeling like that that's kind of reality that we feast at the leadership institute but i can't leave you like this it sucks so what can i bring you again from the new testament. This is what isaiah 40 28 to 31. Do you not know. Have you not heard i love that. Do you not know have you not heard. He will not grow tired and weary and his understanding no one can fashion. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the week. 30:30. Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall. But those who wait on the lord will renew their strength. They will rise up on wings like eagles. They will run. And not grow weary. They will walk. And not faint. And that's what we teaching all young people to do. An abbott leadership institute youth media symposium. It's up to the parents but it's up to the ugc we saved two young people. You have a voice. And your voice is worth listening to. Hello they don't tell him that it's cool. But we say if you learn the skills associated with the media like learning how to use a camera work doing doing interviews doing. Public speaking. Learning how to become a leader in this area. You can become somebody who will be heard. And i'll children. Take it seriously. They have been encouraged to look at their education look at their vision versus the actual operation and they see the contradiction. So we have them as ambassadors sms.. As advocates. For they only for their own education. Give you a little example. All young people said we are tired of the disparity between the kind of counseling some people get in some schools. About college and none or very little and others. So we said okay what you want to do about it we want our college success center. Do we apply for some funding. And we got it the setup. 10 college success centers around newark. We have one in records. We have one in various other schools. The young people help running we are teaching college knowledge we are helping. Remember i told you about that recipe for any quality we are closing the gap on who knows about college and who does not. Young people say but we need some help we need some some some tutoring because we're not getting everything we need in school okay so we put the word out we need to.. If people have flocked in come in and say okay we going to help in tutoring. Some of which we doing most of which we doing the love you're not for the high school students before the junior high school students to get them ready so they can be on track. Djibouti college we need tutors if you're interested in doing that. Simi. So is sam collis knowledge what else can you learn about a lot of kids think they can't go to college. Because there's no money. Nobody is taught them about money. They learned about the street. To the extent that we have been able to open their eyes and take off those blinders and give them some kind of hope for a better future. Give them some kind of knowledge and some kind of skills to speak up for themselves at to clear their own path. We have said okay now it's our responsibility to find the money so on every friday. We have scholarship friday. And kids come from all over not only just some new out of town as well. We help them. Find the scholarships. To get the money. To go to college. Now i could go on. But. Dip the point i'm making to you is that there is. Some hope. Belizean people and for the others that we touch in one way or another throughout classes with the abbott leadership institute our parents do i do use media symposium young people that we break that we come in contact with and the college success center which goes beyond the youth media symposium in terms of people. We think of it is the old song that says ain't no stopping us now. We're on the move. So i asked i thank you for listening to this. Appreciate the fact. That you all are interested in what's going on as a result. But we are. Enthusiastic about coming to visit you at all times thank you very much. Thank you very much.

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Sermonpodcast-7-24-16.mp3?_=16

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. This my dear glaucon. Is a time of great danger for a person. Did you prepare forward we must be. Extremely careful. Putting aside every other pursuit. I'm focusing on how. The to distinguish among good. And bad lives. And finding teachers who can foster that ability. Well that might be a question for us. Andy's days. The time of great danger. For a person. Terror. And terrorism. Other words of the day. We are like a country under bombardment. Our psyche. Prepare us to. Run for our lives while i head stella's. There is nowhere to run to. We do not have to be told that this. Is a time of great danger for a person. But then time what what time has not be. A time of great danger. Was there ever a time. Everett pro long time. A freedom from anxiety. From fear. From real danger. I came across a remarkable passage from. A speech. Venerable senator robert byrd. Made some years ago. Remarkable eyes salt for it. Relevance for today. In an address to congress. Senator byrd said. People are being warned of imminent terrorist attacks. With little guidance. Has two window where such attacks might occur. Family members are being called to active duty. With no idea of their do oddity. Of this day. What what horrors they may face. The mood of the nation. Is deep. My opening quote comes in fact. From long ago and far away. It is ostensibly part of the dialogue. Between plato. And the con. Plato's. Older brother. Both brothers were students. In socrates esteemed. Circle. The play two orphan acting as the spokesperson. 4 socrates his. Teacher and mentor. In a massive work known as. The republic. Written about. 2000. 500 years. Ago. After all those millennia. There are still something like. 2500 scholars at last. Counts committing there. Academic lives. To the continuing analysis and interpretation of the republic. In many cases. 1 line. Only slightly few. Then those devoting their lives to a letter by letter analysis. Of the christian hebrew scriptures. And there's good reason for continuing. To attend to plato. Even this short. Excerpt from the last pages of the last book of the republic. Still has the ring of urgency to it. The republicans are huge. Coffin dance. You complicated work. I'd like you to think that i have read it from cover to cover but you wouldn't believe me. But the question at the center. All of the work is fundamental. The question is whether it is better to live. Just leave that is to live good life. Or unjustly. Badla. Obviously it is. The better to love. Justice league. Well you and i know it isn't that simple. As the apostle paul says in those christian scriptures. The good that i would do. And i do not. The evil that i would not do. That i do. And play to like so many of the early philosophers and the later for that matter. New welded while we are rational beings. Most of us are rules. More often by hour. Passions and desires. Then we are by reason. We may try to be good in thornton deed. But it doesn't take much. Two troopers up. And cinders falling. Happily and gratefully into our failures. Nothing is more. Satisfactory. Them satisfactory self. Justification. At the very best we are in a constant struggle among such conflicting crompton. I just what reason tells us is good. What are desires tell us we must have to be happy. And what conscience tells us. We could get away with. The apostle paul the game said the good that i would do that i do not. The evil i would not do that i do. Play-doh used a rushing chariot. As a metaphor for a. Human condition. With two horses. Representing the passions. 1 wild horse. With base passions the other with noble passion. Each talking against the other. Determined to have its way. And the chariot driver. Reason. Attempting to balance them. One against the other surgeon some headway. Might be may. It's significance that plato says that this is a dangerous time. For a person. He does not say it is a dangerous time. For the world. Or human kind of course it is. And he doesn't say it is a difficult time for the nation. No. Cook pork sausages. He says it is a difficult time. For a person. It is the person. That most interested play-doh. Because in all of his massive work. About the ideal republic. Plato's republic. He is actually a metaphor. For the human soul. It's the soul. That interested plata. Because has the soul goes. So goes the nation. And it is the human soul. Did plato believed to be in danger. In dangerous times. If we do not live good lives. If we are not just if we do not choose the good it is the human. That suffers disorder. And decay. Now preacher play-doh course believes in a literal. Human soul and actual entity. An entity engaged with other ideal forms. He believed existed in the universe. We not believe we may not believe that week. Have souls. Literally. Has actual entities. Infused at birth. Slipping away like. A formless mystic death. Like those miserable beings floating pod. Scrooge's window. I do believe however that there is a ground of a. Peeing. I believe we have what the theologian. Henry nelson wyman cold. I know tentik exist. A true. Shelf. Coffenberry. Deep. He needs a lifetime of self-deception. And social adaptation. Words with. Speaking of rubber throat. That we come. Tralee. Cloud. Of glory. No course eventually most of that glory. But in most of us. Though. Weakened. Did rabbis with inner still the source. Ova best intentions. I'll ring for nation. 202 good. Capacity. For love and compassion. And empathy. But these are times of great danger. For our souls. And plato we must be very careful. Putting aside every other pursuit. And focusing on how to distinguish. Call mom good lives. And bad love. Always being sure to choose the better life. To the extent. Took that. His possible. Register rob. To the extent that that is possible. How do we distinguish. Between the good. Antibiotic. We are so enamored. I'm skepticism relativism sophistry and. I wish you not know. What the good is. I mean what's a little fever if it's not too much and. Nobody notices. What's the small lie here go there if it get you what you want. And nobody's the wiser. What's a little modeling of our own inner cry. For truth. What's the smaller mortgage on the soul. We won't do it again. Not much. Hey you i'm really good heart. Wealthy showtimes. Dangerous times for a person that come pain is said these are the times that try men's souls. These are times dangerous to our souls. Because times of fear. Anxiety. Of uncertainty these are the times in which we are most likely. To turn from the good. To the convenient. From what is right to what comes. Is. From to. To whatever uplifts. I just spent. And those choices for the bad at gates. The good. Silently shredder sold. And diminishes. How can we choose. How can we know. What is good. Some believe. That intuition of the right. To do good is implanted. In humankind by god. Believe. Did we know justice intuitively. Because justice he believed. Is inherent in nature. And we are part of nature. Philosopher immanuel kant said. He was sure of two things. The starry heavens above. And the moral law. Within. Full count. The right thing to do. Is it given. He was so sure of the reality of the truth within us. I sure of the innate lords of the good. Absolute and immutable. As he was a star. In the heavens. In the hebrew scriptures. In the book was a prophet micah. It is written. He has shown you. What is good. And what does god require of you but to. Do justice. And to love kindness. And to walk humbly. With your god. Note that michael says that god has shown us. What is good. Meaning that as country insisted knowledge of the good. Is your nate. Intuitive. Part of our nature. No excuses. From the prophet. We know what the goat is. Given a reasonable degree of sanity we know what the good is. And could not pull dog ourselves or mother nature. A note to that among god simple essential requirements. The first. Is to do justice. The first requirement of what is absolute in the universe. Is that we do the right. Thing. All this is to say that unless the soul is dead unless the mind is warped by illness play existentialism or simply by the world. The knowledge of what is good. And what is bad is within us. And we can. Choose. By considering all these things. Play-doh set. We will be able to determine. Which is the better. I'm which is the worst. And he said when the time comes to choose. We will be able to call bad. The kind of life that would make a soul unjust. And the good. That will make it. More. Just. This place hotel. Is the way of genuine happiness. For the human being. It comes down finally to that. We know in our hearts. We know within intuitively. We know what the good is. And if we choose to good. We will do justice. Which is all that is required of us. And if we are just. We will do what is good. We will be happy. For doing good. Is what happiness is. Hold it is open to stunning and robust critique. Unless tour of course. Uberhumor salt. Knowing deep inside what the good is. It is stuff so easy to muddle. That philosophy students. Can sound-wise. We only has. Simply by muttering with each other about such things as determinism and enlightened self-interest. But i believe god. I believe ralph waldo emerson. I believe plato and michael the prophet. Skylanders hello maybe. And more importantly. I believe. Myself. I believe myself when i remind myself. From time to time. Do do i do know. What is right. And what is just. And choose to go with what i know. Or not. Play-doh. Also. Admonishes us to attend to another source of knowledge. Of what is good and what is bad. He says we should focus. On how to distinguish. Among good and bad lives and signed teachers. Who can foster that. Ability. I say again. He says we should focus. How to distinguish. Among good and bad life. By finding teachers. Who can foster disability. Find the teachers. Who can help us distinguish. The good from the bad the just. Family unjust. To what extent. Do teachers. Transformers. Into what extent do we choose. Our teachers out of. Whom we trulia. We all known by all heroes. By those persons we proclaim. Has great. Has truth-tellers. The student is known. Buy those. At whose feet. She or he. Think about it. Who taught you. What is good. And what is that. Who would. Who taught you. What is the right. To do. Weather teachings good. Have they stood the test of time. And your experience. Who are your teachers now. And no matter my age or yours we still have them. To whom do you turn. In books. In person. Two other meteor. To whom do you turn when you need help. In knowing what is good. In these times. I can still remember the first teacher. Who touched my soul. The young woman i know now if she was a young woman at the time. Who took his little children of her class. Through the bond up street your hands held tightly together. 2. The opera. Photo washer play. Repent a mine to go to a concert. Who read poetry too often through tears. As i later learned. Tears were shed for. Her husband. Who had been a spitfire pilot lost. Somewhere over the channel. Her name still blessed. After all these decades. Was nora. Amsty. And some years later there was a widow. Public school superintendent to took it upon herself. To be my tutor. When i was in danger of flunking out of high school. No she lived. I don't know why but she lived. In two rooms over there shocks. On the main street of all time. Rooms that smells. Exotically of her persian cigarettes. Of old books and stack. Albums of 78 rpm records. She brought my latin up to snuff. And my english and my history. We listened. Tupelo tree. I remember the recorded voices of. T.s. eliot and dylan thomas. Poetry she said was good. Poetry. I listened until my own soul proclaimed it. Good. Her name blessed be was. Mrs. perry. I don't. Know her first name. I don't think it was ever mentioned. And she would have considered it. Highly impertinent. Tbs. In later years that have been. Teachers. Who sent me out into the desert. To learn from all life there. There is very little in the desert. That is lifeless. To learn from the eagles. The slithering creatures that fly coyote. And a whitetail deer. I went to those teachers to be reminded. When i began to forget. When i began to be deceived again. I want to be reminded of what my soul. New to be good. Well my buddy will no longer carry me to the mountains my spirit. Bears me. Dead still. There are many heroes still and many teachers. And there is much. We need to know and how much of which. We need to be reminded. This is a time of great danger. For a person. Did you prepare for it we must be extremely careful. Putting aside every pursuit. And focusing on how to distinguish. Among good and bad lives. And finding teachers. Who can focus. Foster. That ability. And these are times that try men's souls. Payment. Try. In terms of. Testing testing a metal. Seeing what we are made of. Fear. Anxiety. Uncertainties the times. I made of this. And we must know what we have made our own. What we know to be good and strong. Answered with a nurse. These are the times to look within. To look into our souls. Good-looking to be authentic. So. The shelf that is. Mostly. Most often. Undeceived. It was socrates. The teacher. Who said the unexamined life. Is not worth living. How far have we strayed from. What we once knew. To be the good. The truth. And the beautiful. Now is the time. To us. In times that may. Foreshadow the worst. This ancient teacher from an ancient time. Urges us to faces. With the best. Urges us to make choices. As we once did. Urges us to seek. Teachers as we once. Did rooster once again that ability to know the good and to do it. In this. We shall be good. Citizens. Of the republic. In this we shall grow. Good shows. Which will resist. Tornante. Ignorance. And other evil. I want to end this sermon by. Where the benediction from the talmud. You have heard me give. Do not be daunted. By the enormity. Of the world's grief. Do justice now. Love & mercy. No. Walk humbly. No. You are not obligated to complete the work. Nor are you permitted. To abandon it.

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Sermonpodcast-1-21-18.mp3?_=53

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. You hear a lot these days if you spend time in circles that care about such things you hear a lot about the death of the congregation. That the traditional model for congregational life is unsustainable. That with the church ladies of yesteryear now working. Unless stigma around not belonging to a congregation and people having so many more choices. For how they spend their sunday morning. The because of all of these things and more. Congregations are going to disappear in the next decade or two as some other. As yet undetermined form replaces them. And i'm just not convinced. We do live in a world where our technology makes the world seem much smaller but it also seems to help us put on. Blinders so that we only listen to those we agree with. We can self-select into online spaces that reaffirm our biases and we can be connected without ever having to leave the house. Technology is part of what people worry about when they worry about congregational life survival. No i love certain things about technology i do not want to give the impression that i'm a total luddites. I love especially for church certain thing. For example just last week i sat down with fred who abele managers rav text that help us every sunday and i said to him that i wish we could live stream our services. So that people who cannot be here physically can still watch and participate. We're not using it today but i love the screen. Because it means that you're all looking up and out when you're singing instead of burying your faces in the hymnal. I adore video conference capability because it means if there's ice and snow we can actually still have a meeting. There are still very many ways. The technology is and will continue to help the work of a congregation. But there's something that makes me think a congregation will never disappear will never all be sitting at home alone watching the livestream. And it's the heart of that kenneth patton reading from this morning it's the heart of the congregation itself. Which is connection but this pairing. Connection. In a piece in psychology today from 2016 doctors shobha srinivasan and linda weinberger argue. That aloneness can lead either to a sense of loneliness. A negative sense or to a sense of fulfilled solitude kind of like what kenneth patton was talking about sitting together but feeling solitude. Depending on the individual and the circumstance. But for those in whom aloneness manifest as negative loneliness accompanied by mental and physical effect. There are treatments and generally all of them involve increasing meaningful social interaction. In the peace they write. Humans because of necessity evolved into social beings. Dependence on and cooperation with each other enhance our ability to survive under harsh environmental circumstance. Although the survival threats of these circumstances have lessened in today's world. People continue to have a need to affiliate with others. In our advanced digital age one of the prevalent concerns regarding the increasing emergence of loneliness. Is how we have become less caring of others. At one time our very survival depended on trusting and supportive relationships. Fundamentally it doesn't matter how technologically sophisticated we become. Emotional connectivity remains a core part of being human. We need each other. Maybe not in the ways that characterize us evolutionarily. But franny that remains essential for psychological survival. We need each other they say. And yet there's this piece that's fear that we are coming to take less. Care of each other. For centuries. Communities like this parishes churches. The people that attended the same local groups they took care of each other. Someone was in need and meals were made a barn was built the children were looked after. Small communities nits tightly around a church home theoretically took care of one another. And you may not realize it. But that hasn't actually change. And it remains one of the most essential functions of a congregation. How many of you knew before marty said it that we have a caring committee. Good that's good anna and pastor associates had those. Okay but it's not everybody and everyone needs to know that's why we're talking about it today. How many of you have ever benefited from the services of caring committee or pastoral associate. Okay. In a community of this size it would be very hard for the parish minister to attend to all the different individual needs. So we have these structures. The caring committee has marty said is that group that sends a card when you're experiencing sorrow or joy they're the ones that provide rides that the ones that bring you meals or a baby hat when you bring home a newborn or they send you flowers in the hospital. This group of people stands ready to respond in all of these different. And we might say almost material kind of ways. When any congregants is facing difficult times or celebrating joyous time. If you're a part of the caring committee can you raise your hand. Does a handful of you in here today. There's quite a few of them more than are here this morning but the reality is we always need more. We need more people willing to take care of caring for each other in this way. Julie mcmurray who isn't here this morning and merry more girly i'm going to point to mary huso lovingly runs the kitchen every sunday morning are the co-chairs of the caring committee. So if you want to be on that list of people ready to knit hat or make a meal or give a ride those are the people to talk to you can also just tell me and i'll make sure that you find your way to them. The pastoral associate group does work a bit differently they don't offer so much material support as they do emotional and spiritual support. They are trained. Each year there's at least one training and lay pastoral care offered by our denomination in our area. Passero associates must attend this training and also they must demonstrate. Some particular qualities that make possible the work of deep listening and loving presence that they are asked. Apostle associate needs to be able to make their work not about themselves. Needs to be able to sit in awkward and difficult silence to be present without judgement and perhaps most importantly needs to be able to spot when it's time for someone with even more training to be called in. The password associates here essentially take on cases for lack of a better word. When it seems that someone is in need of longer-term care more than just a single visitor a phone call a pastoral associate commits to checking in over the long haul. If you're a train pastoral care associate in this congregation can you raise your hand. They're more than raise their hands this morning but you can also see there we are definitely in need of more trained. Pastoral care associates so if you are interested again. Talk to martin talk to me. We will find a way to help you get there. Beyond the caring committee in the pasture associates there's something else that happens here. We know it julie and mary and martin and i we know that without any fanfare. You are already taking care of each other. We know that you're calling each other you're bringing each other food your scheduling visits and organizing other people visiting. We know it's happening and it is a wonderful thing a beautiful outcome of a committed community working to build itself up overtime. We really want you to know. That you whether you are in crisis or celebrating something wonderful or giving support to someone experiencing those. That you have the support of these structures. 2. You have my support and dylan support you have these. Hearing committee folks and the pastoral associates. But there's a little secret to how it works. We can't help and support if we don't know what's going on. So i know that your first thought and might not be i'm going to call the minister or i'm going to call the caring committee or the pastoral associate but i hope you'll consider bumping it up to like your top five stops when something happens. Because we're ready and we want to be there that's part of the work of being together in a congregation but we can't do it if we don't know what's happening. But this this is the heart of what congregations do and have done. For centuries that word religion. It finds one of its deepest roots in the latin word lagara to bind and bind again to connect we might say. Taking a little bit of license. The creation of connections the binding together of people is the deep and foundational purpose of religion and i know that some of you might say unitarian-universalism isn't a religion and we can have that debate another day i promise. But i don't think we want to debate the connected nature of our congregational lives. The aspirational ideal. The our congregation is a place where people feel connected and cared for and feel love that is what we strive for. We want there to be a clear way for each person who walks in the door. To get their need for care met. Tell me about your despair yours and i will tell you mine. Mary oliver. This is what we try to do. To share with you share with each other the moments of spectacular glory and the moments of just crushing despair. Meanwhile the world goes on 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 your imagination. Calls to you like the wild geese. Harsh and exciting over and over announcing your place in the family of things. Over and over the geese called you no matter how lonely they remind you of your place. Geese fly in that v formation and it helps them survive and thrive. As they move through the blue sky they remind us that we too must fly in formation. That we too have a place among each other that we do need each other in order to survive and to thrive. And that we do this by finding and building and creating over and over. Communities of real deep connection that intentionally offer care to each other. We don't do it by being perfect. By being the best at anything. But simply by taking the gifts we have to offer an offering them as we are able. We do this by recognizing and prioritizing the work of caring for each other. Now the government shutdown this week i'm sure you know. And more and more comes out of the white house that would have been unthinkable not that long ago. There is so much to do. And many of us are feeling the effects i know i am not alone that sense of. Anger that comes with so much stress or the anxiety that comes from that constant layer of fear and the feeling of being. Disconnected from our own reality a little bit. One of the best defenses we have. Against. Burnout against defeat against becoming completely disheartened and dispirited is to come back to the local communities of care. Remember what it is to lean on each other to love each other to care for each other over the course of a lifetime. Remember what it is to be willing to be scared and broken hearted in front of each other. Remember what it is to feed each other and sit with each other to show up. For each other. Time centuries teach us that this is meaningful work. Works it is the foundation of all the other work of congregation does if you stripped away. All of the justice work in the music and the art and everything else you would still have. People needing each other. And caring for each other. All that other stuff comes is possible because we lay this solid. Foundation. We are able to reach our destination because we fly in formation. We need each other. This week a college shirt a poem with me titled what i learned from my mother and it's by julia kasdorf. Goes like that. I learned from my mother how to love the living. Have plenty of vases on hand in case you have to rush to the hospital with peonies cut from the lawn. Black and still stuck to the buds. I learn to save jars large enough to hold fruit salad for a whole breathing household. The cube home canned pears and peaches to slice through maroon grape skins and flick out the seeds with a knife point. I learn to attend viewings even if i didn't know the deceased. Depress the moist hands of the living to look in their eyes and offer sympathy. As though i understood lost even then. I learned that whatever we say means nothing. What anyone will remember is that we came. I learned to believe i had the power to he's awful pains materially like an angel. Like a doctor i learn to create from another's suffering my own usefulness. And once you know how to do this you can never refuse. To every house you enter you must offer healing. A chocolate cake you baked yourself. The blessing of your voice. Your chaste touch. What anyone will remember is that you came that you didn't let them fly solo down to the ground. Unattended by the rest of the flock. Once you know how to do this you can never refuse once you know what it is. To fly in formation when you've been the one needing support or the one offering it once you know what it is. The care in these ways you can't refuse to offer that gift ever again. No because it somehow becomes obligatory. But because i think. You can't unlearn the depth of its meaning and value. Until you can't bring yourself to deny that deep connection to someone else. Each of you has i'm sure. Had occasion to be cared for and to offer care. And perhaps your skills run to baking a chocolate cake. Or perhaps to the blessing of your voice or your chase touch. Perhaps your gift is your presence you're listening your knitting of blanket i don't know. But what i do know is it a congregation exists and the outward-looking work of a congregation happens. Because people feel a connection. Hair and a trust. But they will not be left to fall on their own. So whatever your gifts. This right now. What i'm about to say. This is the call for you to offer it. Offer to this one of your most local communities the gift of your love and your care and whatever form you are able. If we can't provide for ourselves in this way information together we will never be able to build the world of love and care that we dream of. May we as a congregational community always be mindful of the joys and sorrows of our people. Offering them what they need providing compassionate attention and the all-important gifts of connectedness and healing. So that we might go out and change the world. Samantha.

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02-Introductions-by-Dorothy-Feola.mp3?_=2

Thank you everybody. Very nice to be here this evening. I'd like to thank the education justice committee for inviting me. To speak and certainly sally. For helping me to organize. The panelists have been very gracious the last few weeks we've. Chatting on emailing and by phone. To organise the event for youth. Thank everybody. Participating. I just have a few opening remote. Before i enter. The panelist. What am i to say is that we live in interesting. Right now. Everyday education is under fire from somewhere. In the media we've seen it on nbc's education nation. Films like waiting for superman. And a recent issue of time magazine devoted to bad teachers. All feeding into a frenzy of a crisis in american education. According to diane ravitch. An over-reliance and misuse of testing and data. Have created the sense of crisis in public education. Which lends credibility to claims. That american education is in decline and failing. Public education is in crisis. But only so far as society is. And only so far as this new narrative of crisis has destabilized. To be sure there are some political and private entities. Pushing an agenda with solutions to this perceived crisis. They have money and they have influence. They want more high-stakes testing they want to close public schools. They support privately-funded public charter schools and vouchers. And they are okay with children being taught by minimally prepared teachers. Their rhetoric is couched in democratic language about equity. And high-quality education for all children in america. But their reform agenda. Seems to contradict their language. By offering solutions that cut funding to public education. And then require that everyone. Compete for what's left over. And race to the top of what i'm not sure. Tonight's panelist use their experience and expertise. And give their time to grassroots causes. That are taking on some of these irrational fears and behavior. And they are. Deborah cornavaca. Who is the legislative director for new jersey working families. An organization that works for social and economic equity for all people in new jersey. As part of her job she coordinates better choices for new jersey. A broad and diverse coalition of partners. That unites to advocate for revenue and funding. To the programs and essential social services that our state should provide. Deborah has been a public school activists for many years. And has worked previously for save our schools new jersey and njea. She lives in east brunswick where her three children attend public school. Deborah is president of the east brunswick library board of trustees and is on the board of pulse. She has a phd in anthropological archaeology. Christine bowie. Is the mother of two public school children. She became active on school issues in 2010 when she organized sos montclair. To stop threatened school closures due to state budget cuts. Shino advocates for progressive education locally with montclair cares about schools. And statewide with sos new jersey. Junius williams. Is a nationally-recognized attorney musician educator an independent thinker who has who has been at the forefront of the civil rights. And human rights movements in the country for decades. His life in the movement. In the south and the north has been chronicled in a civil rights history project. A collaborative initiative of the library of congress. And the smithsonian's national museum of african american history and culture. He was the youngest president of the national bar association. The oldest and largest organization of black attorneys in the us. And was listed as one of the 100 most influential blacks in america and ebony magazine. Junius ran for mayor of newark. And now teaches leadership and community organization at rutgers university-newark. Based on lessons outlined in his new book. Unfinished agenda urban politics in the era of black power. Sharon smith. Is a wife and mother of five children and an organizer. She is po founder and executive director of pulse. And since pulses inception. Sharon has organized around policy change to ensure that parents and students. Have a voice in the decision-making process. Jean mctavish. Is a 28-year veteran educator. And since 2001. She has been the principal of edward a reynolds westside high school in new york city. Jean has earned degrees in anthropology and education special education. And is a doctoral candidate in education administration a teacher's college. Jean frequently participates on panels. And presents workshops focusing on her school's implementation of the common core standards. In addition genes to children attend the ridgewood public schools. Gene is an organizer for united opt out an sos new jersey. And she works with a variety of other like-minded organizations such as change the stakes. Reclaiming the conversation and edu for. We will hear from each panelist about the work they're doing and their communities. And then invite the audience to ask questions. And have a conversation about our issues and concerns. Union.

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05-Deborah-Cornavaca.mp3?_=5

Good evening i want to start by thanking everybody for giving up sometime underfunded. Friday evening to come here for the organizers and i'm like so deeply honor. Defined by this panel. It is such a treat so i'm excited to be here i spend a lot of time in a lot of important meetings but there's really nothing that thrills me more to be able to come out and talk about the work that's going on in the things are being done. And reaching out to people who want to engage alarm because that's at the core of what's going to be the success of the of the pushback that. You've heard about already. As a backdrop to my comments we're going to focus a little bit more on school funding and new jersey specific budget issues. I want it. Remind us that there's a law of the land it's a school funding reform act that was passed in 2008 as a means to. Fairly fun school to provide equity it was a national model considered one of the most progressive in the nation and what did was established funding that follow the child regardless of zip code regardless of where they live suburb. Rural-urban if a child had additional needs beyond the basic educational needs they got the funding for the basic needs and then they got waited increases in the funding per child so if you had an iep if you were an english language learner. Whatever it was the demand additional funding the state would work that in. So districts were allotted a certain amount of funding according to this very complex formula. That i don't even pretend to parse. They were allotted the money that each child should need. Right so you were you were following the money was going where the child. And that's our law. Avalanche. It's not a perfect law there changes if people would like to see may there's adjustments for geographic. For special education but it was an improvement over what we had theoretically if it had worked if it have been funded. And it is the law. In 2010. The school funding reform act was fully funded with the assistance of a great amount of federal money that came in that year. Not a hundred percent of the district but nearly all the district's got what the school funding formula. Said they should have. And it was complex cuz it was. The ruling in of this plan so it takes certain different forms of his role in but it was doing pretty well. And that was until 2010 when we hit the budget cuts. And in the middle of the school year the middle of an academic school year and the budget school year the government hearing out that there would be mid-year cuts to every school across the state. Virtually. That you would not be getting your last payment of school at the state promised you. And that became a downhill i can't even call it a roller coaster cuz it hasn't gone back up since but a downhill spiral basically of school funding. Since 2010 the cumulative. Underfunding of education according to what the formula would dictate has been nearly six billion dollars. Spread on equally across the state. Because. A percentage of your school-aged comes from the state and a percentage is paid your local fair share based on your property. So as you can imagine when the state cuts back its funding. The districts are impacted the most. Are those districts that rely most heavily. On state funding and less on their on their property taxes. And if we look at what those areas are the delineation is pretty clear. Urban areas rely more heavily on state aid. Suburban areas with higher property tax basis rely more on their local fair share. Some suburbs get nearly 90% of their school funding from local fair share. Some urban districts get nearly 90% from the state. So while six billion across the landscape is a huge amount and is hurt every school district i would argue. It is disproportionately impacted. Urban areas of schools. And there's an excellent report by journey for justice right. Call death by a thousand cuts which is a national study. Of the peeling away of funding to urban schools in the impact it has had. The impact everywhere are increased class sizes decreased and rich curriculum. Many other things loss of guidance counselors attendance officers. Nursing staff funding for. After-school activities athletics it it happens differently across-the-board it's very very hard to distinguish and delineate it every single place. But without a doubt every district has seen and felt this in some way. So in 2010 when this happened k through 12 advocates got to work. Went down to the statehouse went to our legislators to how can this possibly happen. And at the same time the governor started to propose changes to the formula. It would reduce the weights that students would get with special needs or additional needs. So we were fighting a multi-faceted battle here right one is the protecting the formula the other one is protecting the funding consistently there's been more success in protecting the formula. And there's been less success in protecting the funding and getting additional funding. The governor does talked about the fact that the state is investing record amount of money in case through 12 education. And to some extent that's true because the dollar amount is going up. That doesn't mean that the percentage that we're getting closer to fulfilling the what the school formula says we should have. And we've lost a lot of federal money and other grants in addition to that. So. It's one thing to say i'm putting more money in this than i ever have and it's another thing to say are we meeting our obligation are we fulfilling our needs to our students. Nevermind following the law. Sew-in 2010 2011. New jersey working families which is where i'm at has a coalition called better choices which is a budget focus campaign and we became very engaged in advocating for k through 12 funding and protecting it. It was at that point where i was functioning at the k through 12 advocates it's something became glaringly obvious to me. I could go in and advocate for school funding and the legislators would even tell me i agree with you we should be funding the schools more where would you like me to take the money from. Wichita come from affordable housing. Healthcare. Where would you suggest i take it from because i got no money in this budget and so i was led down a path. Not very. Uplifting one i meant to understanding the budgeted its entirety but what i began to realize wasn't we could not effectively advocate for k through 12 funding. Unless we participated in the broader discussion of the budget in the state of new jersey. Evidently i said that a lot. Because this year i was asked to take over the better choices campaign. You got to be careful what you talk about. And so. I work now across the spectrum of areas of budget. And one of the things that i find it is most important and effective k through 12 advocacy is this idea of function within the entire budget. An understanding it because our legislators are. Not perfect. Butter is almost as frustrated as we are. And we need to give them tools and means to move forward to find solutions which they're not naturally inclined to do. I don't mean that to judgmentally but there's a certain lethargy and legislature. So right now currently new jersey is 48 in the country in economic recovery are unemployment rates remain high. We have nationally. Across the nation. Record high corporate subsidies. Right which result in less revenue every year as we give additional tax credits to large corporations. Those are revenues that are not going into school funding for example. We have a millionaire's tax it was upon the richest people of the of the state orting i think 450,000 and more that expired in 2010. Which cost us nearly a billion dollars in revenues and we have no appetite in the government to reinstate it. There was an overall lack of appetite to do anything to increase revenues across the board. So if we want to effectively protect school funding and advocate for school funding we have to talk about things like the transportation trust fund and this is where i lose a lot of education advocate. You want me to talk about the transportation trust fund like a week i do cuz it's almost broke. And when it goes broke. We not only will we not find road. Road projects and repair our roads. But the debt that we owe on the transportation trust fund will need to be paid and that will come out of our general revenue fund. Which is where we get education funding from. Now where is bad enough for not following the law to fund education but when we stopped paying our debt we get in real trouble like with credit ratings and agencies and we lose our borrowing ability. So you can bet your bottom dollar. They're going to reach for it to that you're going to pay the transportation trust fund out of the general fund before you going to find education. So if we want to be part of the solution for k through 12 education. We have to be part of the solution for the transportation trust fund. And there may be some other things along the way i'm just using that as one example. Because when we stabilize that we have the opportunity to go in and say. Okay now let's talk about education funding. If we refuse to participate in the discussions for those solutions. We continue the cycle of asking for what can't be given. And causing frustration. The one thing i know is that we have it effective formula that is the goal we should be working towards. And while i work with advocates who simply go well it's the law. Why aren't we funding it. And they're right there not wrong in saying that the reality is we're not going to get to fund it overnight we're probably not going to get to fund it in the next two to five years. But if we work together to a reasonable goal and say let's try to work there in 5 years or in 5 years is how much closer would like to be in these are the means and the tools by which we'd like to get there and be part of the broader solution. Then we can all come together to be effective. And when we work across. Areas of the budget. And we ally ourselves with the people who are fighting to solve the transportation trust fund the nice thing is bill come back and support us in our fight for education. Because right now we're all fighting for parts of a. Diminishing pie. Right and sooner or later we're going to. Stall ourselves out fighting over those pieces but if we come together. And we work together in it and that includes people who work incarceration issues in healthcare issues and transportation issues. United we can push the government in a direction where everybody is going to benefit and we should start to see the economic growth in the development we want. So. That's that's education funding in very brief. Synopsis and also why it's not just about education but it's about issues beyond that that need to be part of our vision when we want to fix what's wrong with.

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03-Junius-Williams.mp3?_=3

Thank you for that introduction. And i'm very glad to be here this. My second time. Coming to a ridgewood. Telling helen i don't know what ridgewood looks like during the day. But i've been able to find my way around in the dark so i'm very happy. Tula have learned to navigate. I guess i'll. An instrument flyer. As opposed to one who navigates by the sun cuz i've never seen the sun. So my job is to start us off by kind of setting the tone. I have a group call the abbott leadership institute. At the rutgers university. And. We've been around since about 2000. 2. As a matter of fact. Three of your. Speak three of the four speakers in addition to me have been. Regular. Members of the class for oil from time to time anyway. And so they understand. Who we are and what we do we started out with 19 parents and one teacher. And now i'll classes go up to anywhere from 50 to 75 to 100 people depending upon how hot the issue is. I know how interested people are in that temperature. So we we have parents. Now we have peaches. We have young people who are teenagers young people who are in. College learning to be teachers. And we have what we just called community advocates. And what do we do. We are involved in. Empowerment in the empowerment process in the. Process of empowering people from a parental perspective. How to get involved in schools. And make them better. Not the. Outline. Show the scene that was just described by moderator. Is based upon a definition of quote-unquote school reform. That has evolved over the last few years. Actually you can take it way way back but we don't have to go back that far. It's party fits most. Recent iteration of the far-right. And they just happened to not be focused on privatization of school. But before that before we had any idea of what was coming. The new. There were a bunch of us. Struggling. For school reform. Real school reform. And i was happy to join that. Struggle when i came back from. Living and working in irvington. Where was town attorney for a while. I came back and i said well. We need to take a put together a group of people who are going to work in the context of the avid program. Which some of you may know was of the result of a school of a decision by the supreme court that said. Urban school districts need to have more resources. Equal to the best. Suburban district. Probably like ridgewood. And that needs to be school before. Based upon among other things i'm giving you a shortcut version here. Parental involvement. So we wanted to make sure that happen. But as time went by we saw that it was harder. To do. Then we expected let me just read a little bit this was not when you when you write a book this book has been out. Since january and i've got a few copies here for some people have already bought some. What's all the rest of you may want to do it as well. But when you write a book. And you say well the book just came on january actually. The book was written. Now almost 3 years ago. It takes that long to get it ready after you get. Yourself. Interposition way you think. So what what i found out when i came back. Join the struggle to get people involved in in school. This is what i had to say i tracked a lot of people who have already been involved in advocates if it better school. Some people are very good. Head banging at the door to gain entry for right they are entitled to have. However few people understand what they have to do once to do is open in the power structure says come on in and sit down at the table. Such a situation with the advocates remedies that no child left behind. The advocacy skills are far different at the table that those used in demonstrations take over the picket line. As we learned in the medical school fight that was an urban renewal struggle in newark. People today are frustrated confused and angry because the advocacy process is more complicated. Then they have learned. People are looking for ways to make the changes they need to have but tend to repeat the same answers. They may have been. May have been good then. But i no longer valid. As my friend and protege lucius jones says. The fight is in a. But we don't understand the nature of the fight. So the abbott leadership institute was designed to bring people such as you see right here at the table. Who all of us come from a different perspective. But we get together and we teach each other and we learn from each other. Everybody up here. I can say i have learned something from. And i hope i have been able to teach as well. So as years have gone by. There's a different set of players is a different game. The game was define. By our moderator. So we have had to learn to adjust. In the struggle. To make sure we can accommodate the people who we want to help which are the parents. And the children and ourselves as as people interested. And not only democracy. But in empowerment. So here's our kind of a formula. That all of us have used at one point or another whether we be in new york whether we be in montclair weather will you be in newark. Whether we are all over the state as a as as deborah is. One of those things that we've learned. Collectively is number one collected information about the school policy that is troublesome. Use information collected to formulate a perception. Of the problem. Get together with a critical mass of people and share the information and used information and initial perception to raise questions. Use that information and perception to formulate an appropriate. Organize. Not individual but organized response to make schools better in conjunction with other stakeholders and go out. With at least five people. And put that response in action. So i think what you going to hear here today is how people have negotiated that kind of formula in one way or another in different localities at different time. All in the context of this new thing called. School reform which they have visited upon us. Pushing and try to push all definition and what's best for the children. To the curb.

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09-Junius-Williams-Summation.mp3?_=9

I accepted this assignment gladly because. You see i used to be a trial lawyer. And. Trial lawyers. Have to sum up. To the jury. And you don't have a script. I mean it's like jazz improvisation. But. Sometimes if you have a losing case. You really are scrambling. But something tells jewelry. And sometimes it's just best to just be quiet. And to submit. But in this case i think. I'll proponents for justice here have given me a great deal of material. To work with so i want you to. Kind of hold on here. The ladies and gentlemen of the jury. Because. All you have to do is to connect the dots. Sharon smith told us about one newark. And 1 newark. Is a plan. I could under this concept of. Voice. Where all the choices are being made by somebody else. For somebody. Would let me give you an example. Why would. Me as a parent or the student want to transfer from one feeling school in my neighborhood. Tua failing school. Two and a half miles away. That's the kind of choice. That the students and the parents have. In newark. Not a choice comes with. Some real problems. Some of you may have seen. The man's effort to bring attention to this mayor baraka. In newark when he went over to barringer high school. Based on some video footage that my students dead. To show. For example. That there were 50 and 60 kids in a class at barringer high school. That there were no seats. For many of them. And for 80 minutes at a time they either have to sit on the floor stand up or sit in the window seals. Where there were. Kids. Who were english i'm sorry who were spanish. Speaking. In classes where they only teachers. Spoke english. These conditions continue to exist today. The class size me have been adjusted that no more classes. 50 60 70 all hoorah they've been brought down to guess what 35 to 40. And that's supposed to be progress. So you got. A horrendous churn going on. In the school district. In newark. Petit juice. For parents. And for students. No the second aspect of this. Connection that i want you to see is. What's happening with the money. What we learn. Next. From deborah. If you follow the money you see what's happening in another level with the school. The i think the number that she told us was that over since 2010. 6 billion dollars. We are six billion dollars in the whole based upon the sra not the album. Decision which was. Killed in 2008. But democratic. Governor made. The sfra let's just use that formula. Billion dollars in the whole statewide. So is it any wonder that in the city like newark you don't have enough teachers. Teaching a class. But you do have classes that are 35 and 40. You don't have the social workers they help the children who come to school with the issues that jean talked about. That there's nothing in school to make the school interesting for the kids to want to pass the test. I had a principal say to me sometimes doing this intervening.. Where he was at a school where there were thirty-seven percent of the kids with special ed. 37%. That's one-third of the kids. Special ed by laura they're supposed to have extra. They did not have extra. He said i go to bed at night. Thinking that what can i do to make. Listing for these kid. Because. Just don't have it. He cared and next year course he was gone. Another symptom. Continual church and turnover of teachers. And principles. Teachers pulling something called a pool teacher without assignment with somebody said that's not a good teacher. Some of those teachers not good. But there's a process that weed them out. What's up i want to get smoked out. And said i wonder why. They take away auto mechanics from eastside high school. I wonder why they did the the cooking program they don't have food for the kids to cook. So what we'll look at what we don't have focus upon. In one newark is a fact that slowly but surely the resources necessary for urban education is being drained. Not just from newark. But all over. But at the same time there's another level. Of ii search for the word there's another level of of of of obvious. Pain that's being visited upon these kids and their parents. And this whole question of parking the test. Because he ultimately these kids who are in schools that don't have the equipment that they need who don't have the quiches went they need who don't have the social workers at. Then they have to take that test. And if they don't pass the test their consequences. Not it doesn't take too much to understand that somebody is up here who understands. That we have an impossibility. That is been aligned. Urban school. They know these kids will not pass the test. They know they're for the dependencies can then be put in the play. Ending up with them taking the school and giving it to another charter school. Or whatever other kinds of resources that are in that school. Wake me up when you got people now buying schools in newark. Turning from public. Ownership to absolute private ownership. Cuz you not have a resource that's been built up throughout the years you say what school is bad and is it sold. Nothing good can come from that school. Well. There are two sets of money. Piles of money if you will two sources of money available in the state of new jersey. What is the average money. Our governor has said. We're not going to spend that money. Why. Spending. Maybe 9 any trickles out something hope you all remember that. He took about a little building one here and there he goes and stands out and gets the credit for. Badoing school. But newark is supposed to place a 10:30 new schools pepper. No. It's only three been built under that abbott money. In the meantime. The charter schools. Which app. Said what we can take over these schools all these old schools to schools that are not being properly maintained or not adequately maintained because there's no money. We can use some of the federal money that's available and rehabilitate those schools. And guess what that's saying rehabilitation money was available and is available. The public school. But not $1. Love it. Has been allowed to go. To the public. 127 million dollars has gone since. 2008 i believe. 22 charter school networks in newark. Money that could have gone into. The public schools for those same villains. So finally. You see that there's a vicious cycle here you got something that's called choice but the choice is not being made you got a diminishing settle returns coming from the school district and the. Children are put into a position where they can never prove the point that they are successful. Because the test is dependent upon them having well-funded well-resourced. Happy. Professional. Teachers in. Working with them and for them. So if you think there's a conspiracy going on. I think you're right. Pass the word on. Now what can be done. Well is working at. Both ways to pass the test. But i would suggest that it requires a principal and a relatively stable staff. In order to do that we don't have that in new it. We don't have that kind of stability. Even the best. Well minded person who wants to teach in newark. Understand you coming until situation you wait if you even open your mouth you could be gone. If you complain 1iota you could be gone. Do you don't have that possibility in newark and some of the other. I would imagine what especially in newark because we're under cami anderson. So what else is a possibility. Well he says what we need to withdraw enthusiasm from the test itself. That is. A possibility. But i come back to the angel. Possibility that i talked about in my book and i talked about in my classes and we just been my life. And that is the people. Must come together. Organize. And take back their school. I don't. Remember exactly which one of our panelists said it but i think they all alluded to it and if we all stick together that can be made possible. That boys can be amplified the parent boys that's crying out. In newark. In places in new york and in montclair. This is the voice that we need your help. How can you help. We have a governor. Right now. Who's running for president. We have a governor who's running for president. You get my point. You all who vote for him in ridgewood from you. He needs to know that you know what's going on. In this particular situation. He needs to hear from more and more ridgewood. All around the state so that you can see that cycle. That craziness starting with the one newark in the so-called choice with the diminished resources than the imposition of the tested the kids can't possibly pass so that the thing just continues to privatize privatize. It's in your interest. That we do this. As well as out what because a thriving vibrant economy. Means less of a problem in other areas for you we don't have to pay for prison. Will you paying 50,000 $40,000 a person to keep a prisoner over. When wall we want in in the school district is 25 or 30 not even that i don't know how much you paid for education per person. In the ridgewood. Not that. How much do you pay. 14. Do you see the difference between 14 and 50 to keep a prison bed open. You paying for both of those. Why should there be one and not the other. Do we need resources but more importantly we need your voices. To come to the table on behalf of of the folks. Who are south. Orig. Thank you very much. Queso at what. Say is that if you think they want. Closed schools can you imagine what they want to do two places where they prepare teachers. We're really in trouble.

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Sermonpodcast-5-1-2016.mp3?_=25

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. I got an email this morning. Let me bring it up here. It says the folks who run the planet. Have 364 days in their honor. More in leap years the people whose labor makes it run have only one. So happy may day. Well that's the conception of mayday i've always had the international workers holiday. That's been what's called the red mayday. It's also green mayday. Which is much older. And i have often been annoyed i'll admit this with liberal congregations doing the green mayday and ignoring the red mayday. Yahsat nature thing. Green the spring festival of fertility an ancient festival with many ancestors in various european cultures. The flora festival in ancient roman. Germanic festivals whose names have been lost to memory but later got attached to a saint wall burgess. After christianity took over and found it impossible to get rid of the pagan customs. The red mayday is more recent since 1887. The background to that. Was that a year earlier in chicago on may 1st 1886 a general strike. Was called in demand of the 8-hour working day. 200,000 workers walked out. On may 4th there was a rally in haymarket square in chicago where a bomb was thrown into this day it's still not clear who really threw it. But both police and civilians were killed a number of the leaders of the strike. Were arrested tried and executed. By may 1st of 1887. Workers organizations around the world had agreed. Did mark that as a day and honor the labor leaders who were killed and all workers. Now you should see these two holidays as being very different they are however connected as peter linebaugh demonstrates in this little book. The incomplete true authentic and wonderful history of mayday. Connect both the. Ancient holiday of fertility and green. In the modern holiday. The struggle. For the rights of working people. Is a holiday of labor mayday is about the rights of those who provide the actual labor that makes things and does things in. Move stuff around. To get their fair share of the value. They create. Now we understand how that works. With industrialism. And production of things that are sold at a profit. Issue goes much farther back. Long before the industrial era long before the birth of modern capitalism. It goes back to the irin in britain of the enclosures of the comments. We're used to be the case of anyone could graze their cattle on commonlands orpik. Wood from common forest. But then. The second millennium 1213. Even earlier the lands began to be enclosed. And turned into private property owned by various. Nobles in royalty. That was in fact the invention of private property as we know it today. And this. Led to an exploitation of both land and labor by the owners. People. Paying rents to farm on land that had once been common land. People paying. Taxes to royalty. For the use of rose. And commonly. This exploitation of land and labor was so extreme that the political economist and unitarian. David ricardo. Judge that landlords who live solely on rents. Were morally depraved in comparison to actual capitalists who took risks. David ricardo for those of you who. Don't know live from 1770 to 1823 he was jewish by birth and wanted to bury a quaker woman. So he sort of became a christian by becoming a unitarian. This is a story that continues to this day. And he was one of the major intellectual influences on karl marx. Living about a generation or two before. The private possession of land and other means of production have historically been the means by which. A disproportionate share of the value of land and labor. Does not to the common person be that a farmer craftsperson. A factory worker. Code writer. But you those who own. The factory the farm the computers. The land. As a green holiday. May day celebrates the rebirth of the earth following winter. The climate has varied radically over the centuries. And northern europe was much colder 8 900 years ago than it is today. So things might not a sprouted to what's now may. And it existed way before christianity. Came to europe. And in spite of britain's conversion for christian to christianity for example. In spite of christianity's eventual domination of europe through the middle ages. Mayday with the maypole at the center of a celebration more than survive christianity. More than survive catholicism protestantism. Capitalism and urbanization it just wouldn't disappear. This is getting more and more attractive all the time. Connecting the earth to primal struggles for survival and sustenance. And creativity. Mayday can be traced to the ancient festival floralia in rome. Predated christianity and ancient germanic. Cultural festivals in scandinavian germany and northern europe. Whose names with long-forgotten and it has throughout the christian era been a popular holiday in britain in europe. Major celebrations and britain in the 1500 and 1600 reason being held at churches. As well as in public squares. And associated with a holiday with the character of robin goodfellow. A man of the forest not unlike robin hood who if he actually lived. What event about. 700-800 years earlier. So there's a connection again cuz you know the story of robin hood don't we. Coming out of the woods with his band of merry men as it says to rob from the rich and give to the poor. Reversing what they viewed as the rich robbing the poor. And accumulating wealth. Well during the brief period of the calvinist commonwealth in england when there was no king for a few years. Mayday was outlawed. Chrissy chrissy auntie at large didn't do it but the calvinist went after mayday. Calvinist rule about work and guilt. And fear of damnation why have a party in the spring to celebrate life. But it never disappeared. And the puritans is you know oliver cromwell not only died he was ill he was. He died of natural causes but it's humid as body that executes after the restoration of the crown. But the puritans survived that the movement. Went to massachusetts. And not knowing it became the ancestors of american unitarianism. And they hated mapleton massachusetts. It was an english settler any promise morton 1627. Went to massachusetts and started a settlement called marymount that's merry. Mount mount. Between the massachusetts bay colony. Center in boston and the plymouth colony. He was in what's now the city of quincy. Massachusetts and in the merrymount settlement. Which was approved for the crown one way or another just get out of here they he set up a 80 ft high maple. That's a heck of a tree at the cut down to make that. And. Instead of trying to drive the native americans away. He said of trade and join farming with them. And much. Did the fear of the plymouth colony to the south in the mass bay colony of north. He taught the native people how to use guns. He was driven out of the colony twice and shipped back to england. I mean it was so serious that william bradford was sent up from plymouth to capture him and put them on a ship governor bradford. And they cut down and bring the maple and there was a large cedar tree that they use also is a place to gather. Eventually cut down but a piece of it is still preserved in the museum in quincy. What's that 300 500 years later. 400 years later through a couple of centuries that go fast. Beginning c there is a kind of a connection here isn't there. Peter line down his book connects to to the green mayday on the red mayday. Anybody called him here. It doesn't care if he cuz he quoted. Complicated ways where there is was positive and negatives on all sides. I quote under the rainbow our methodology must be colorful. Green is a relationship with the earth and what grows their from. Red is a relationship to other people and the blood spilled there among. Green designates life with only necessary labor. Red designates death with surplus labor. Green is natural appropriation red is social appropriation. Expropriation. Green is husbandry and nurturance. Reddit proletarianism in prostitution. Green is useful activity. Red is useless toil. Green is creation of desire. Bread is class struggle. Mayday he concludes is both. So maybe they can be a celebration of both life and labor. Workers at port have a right to a fair wage reasonable working hours safe conditions and benefits to be sure but also the two of fulfilling life and. You heard that him bread and roses it wasn't just about wages it was about having a life with meaning. Enjoy. There's a song from the knights of labor who cleared up briefly in the 1800's of the predecessor to organized labor. Innovation. Dribble the lawn for another half-century their height was in the 1800's. And they had a song called the 8 hours song. Is it golden 8-hour working day. It goes like this i'm not going to try to sing it i don't know that you and i just have the words. We want to feel the sunshine we want to smell the flowers. We're sure god has willed it. And we mean to have a h. We're summoning our forces from shipyard shop and mill. 8 hours for work 8 hours for rest 8 hours for what we will. Balanced life sounds like doesn't it. Now one of the things i didn't mention. About the haymarket affair which gave birth to the labor mayday. Was that one of those executed was albert parsons. Albert parsons had fought for the confederacy during the civil war. After the war he travelled around and experience different things. Became not only an advocate for free white labor. But for free labor in general. And married a woman who is part african-american and part native american. Quite a movement over 20 years from a civil from a confederate soldier. To a radical labor leader. But he was one of the people executed for that but his widow lucy parsons for the rest of her life work. For the rights of working people. She was friends with william morris the british designer and poet. Who wrote a poem that her request. Is there two parts to it one the workers are speaking and one the earth is speaking. The earth in the workers are speaking to each other. The workers. They are few we are many and yet or mother many years were worthless and not was our deed. But now the word slit us from brother to brother we have furrow the acres and scattered the seed. The earth responds. When i'm an unyielding through fair and foul weather. Impasse not a day. That you're deshell availing and hope every spring tide come gather together that unto the earth. You may tell all your tail. So made a becomes a celebration of the labor struggle for the year preceding. As well as a celebration of the abundance. Of the earth from which all people whatever kind of work they do ultimately. Draw their sustenance. Today may day is celebrated not just in europe but around the world as workers holiday and was it a call for. Labor day it was supported by many leaders in various labor groups including. Samuel gompers was far from being the radical that albert and lucy parsons were. But he supported the celebration of may day. No recently sweden. Has pushed the spring holiday from mayday back april 30th which is the known as saint walpurgis night so that may day could be solely labor day in sweden. And that's true in some other countries as well. In the us however where mayday started. It fell victim to the anti-communism of the mid-twentieth century. Unions were attacked. Branded as being communist infiltration. And during the eisenhower era. There were. Proclamations that may 1st would be law day. And then loyalty day. And then the first monday in september was established as. A labor day at a different time. Dissociated. From the violent struggle of the early union organizing the 1880s and 90s. I was a child in the 1950s when all this was happening it was also when they added under god to the pledge of allegiance. The methodist minister who wrote the pledge of allegiance did not have under god in it. But that's another story and i got all of this through the media i could have had my world you come to conform to that anti-communist did. However. I am willing to bet that not only because my parents were union members. Do not particularly radical ones. And not just because we grew up in a working-class community. But because i avidly watched one of the best and early at the most subversive tv series of all times the british produced adventures of robin hood. Now robin hood his member forest dwellers defending ordinary people from the effects of enclosure. And taxation by crown and landlord. Which ross in one in the same. Representing both the spirit of green mayday and red made a bump. No. Some of you may not know this but as part of that auntie communism in the united states in the 40s and 50s. Many people entertainment listed industry were blacklisted. And couldn't find work actors writers producers. The producer of the british tv series the adventures of robin hood was american womanhood. Working hollywood hudon blacklisted. And move to england to work. The writers of most of the scripts for the first two seasons. We're writers have been blacklisted in hollywood. Including ring lardner junior. Their name never appeared in the credits. I went back and watched the whole first season a couple years ago. No wonder i turned into a leftist but my brother who watched it didn't so you know who knows. But. When was not just tv like many baby boomers are now middle-class i grew up in the working-class. And those are the values i grew up with. Today i am definitely remember the middle class and my job is not like those of my father who's the most of my childhood was a member of the international brotherhood of electrical workers. Nor my mother who before i was born. Was a member of the united electrical. Radio and machine workers of america and later after she was widowed with young children still at home. First a teamster driving school buses. And then as a teacher's aide member of connecticut education association. And since she never graduated from high school teacher's aide was as far as she could go. But they did find out when i got her high school transcript from evander childs in the bronx that she had more credits and required for graduation in connecticut. So the local school board gave her diploma. Decades after she dropped out of high school. Definitely part of the. Of the middle class and an interesting discussion i had with a colleague of mine he said he wanted to join the industrial workers of the world. But they wouldn't let him because there's a minister he was management. And that provoked a very fruitful discussion. Well. Unions were strong and powerful when i was growing up. Yeah i grew up in not middle class. But in what the sociologist richard sandy called the affluent working-class. People with well-paying jobs good benefits. Protection for the union so they have job security. In the book reviewed on the front of the new york times book review this morning thomas franks. Has a. Read the book called listen liberal or whatever happened to the party of the people. About how the democratic party has gone from being a party primarily oriented toward working people. Two-party oriented primarily towards professional-managerial class which is where i live now. But what a difference that makes and what kinds of policies a particular party. Promotes. What kinds of candidates uses. And union membership is a fraction of it once was in 2015 frontier of labor statistics 11.1% of the us workforce. Down from 21.1% in 1983 and much higher numbers in the 50s we should be ls seems not to be able to come up with today's workforce. The public workforce is 35.2% unionized the private work for 6.7% unionized and african-americans are more likely to be any union than white workers. Are unionized worker. Has an average weekly wage of $980 and non-union workers median wage of $80 and non-union workers $776 which there comes at magic 79% number again that pops up in all sorts of. Things about job discrimination. And differentials. And what is. $900 a week that's just under $51,000 a year. And wages have barely grown since the all-out assault on the union began 35 or so years ago. David lots of attacks but 30 years ago. Democrats as well as republicans started doing things undermined organized labor and the kinds of jobs that organized labor. We're in. Free trade accept move good thing. Manufacturing jobs overseas. The weakening. Of labor protections. And so on. Wages of barely grown over the last 30 years when you account for inflation unions have shrunk and corporations have had free rein to shop shipt good jobs overseas. And under pay. Workers. The minimum wage when i started working in 1964 but i believe a dollar and twenty-five cents. Adjusted for inflation that still much more valuable than today's minimum wage. But about a dollar and a half in corinth. Dia. Push for $15 minimum wage would actually. Produce a living that someone could survive on modestly. But still would not be after. So we can celebrate life and the earth and that is good and we can celebrate. The people who do the the hardest dirty work of the world who are still often underpaid and insecure. And we can celebrate as i do those organizations at work on behalf of the people who do the hard and dirty work. Of the world. The unions. Workers associations and other such groups. And we can push back against. The proletarianization of even professions. We're people like teachers who are educated and professional. Are more constrained and how they do their work. And other. Well-trained. People. Mikuni drag evening graduate education to do the job. But are now finding less and less of the satisfaction and. Compensation and authority that comes. With entering a profession. So. The people who run most of the world have 364 days a year to be honored. And those who do the hard dirty work at 1. And that's today. Happy may day everyone.

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Sermonpodcast-5-8-16.mp3?_=24

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. Mom is the world over learn to expect the unexpected and this morning is no exception. For the mom is on the reproductive justice committee at 8:30 i received an email and a couple of minutes later a phone call. Sommore speaker chanel porsche albert. That she is with not able to be here. Chanel is. Eight and a half months pregnant with her fifth. Child. And she's not in labor. She had a baby shower yesterday and i find it as founding that somebody is. Kylie having a baby shower for somebody for the fifth child and she woke up this morning she said she probably overdid it and she literally had back pain and spasms so she couldn't get out of bed. So. We are going to have our members of our church members of our committee will be. Reading her words which she kindly sent to us. Before before they do that i want to read to you greetings from chanel porsche albert. It is with a heavy heart that i won't be able to make it today. I woke up with severe back. Upper back pain and have been trying to remedy yet. But you know avail. Please accept. Expect my deepest apologies and let the congregation know that i am with them in spirit. But on this mama's day i charged them with taking up the arms of truth and reconciliation. To choose mom is day as a day to stand in solidarity with our sisters and brothers. In our push to acknowledge that reproductive justice inverse justice. Is something that we must constantly fight for. I'm attaching the message. Intended to give today. Please let me know if i can support you in anyway and hopefully i can come and have my little new little one inch o. So i personally as co-chair of reproductive justice and i know suzanne furman joins me. Thanks very much gabriella and. Do i do dick who are going to be reading the message which they received at 9:25 this morning. All mama's know this movement this moment for sure when things don't quite work out. This is the script by chanel. My motherhood is like an unspoken truth. Crushed by the non-believers and exalted in the hills by truth-seekers. When i was asked to speak to you all about a month ago and. Over the course of that time it took me awhile to get to a place to speak about motherhood. It's funny because i'm a mother of four beautiful children. I'm currently expecting my fifth child due any day now. You can see i don't stand in for her very well. I'm personally assisted over 100 individuals through their birthing experiences. And still i feel unprepared. Every friday i go and speak with a group of women who have lost custody of their children for various reasons. Whether it be because of a systemic oppression that many women of color have faced and continue to face for years in this country. Petty drug offenses. Poor parenting skills mental illness etc. Does that make me qualified to speak on motherhood and what that means. I thought of the rikers island meeting. The women there talking to them. About their pregnancies while i'm currently pregnant and knowing that my child will be born in a safe space and then i will soon be leaving those walls. These realities are not the same for them and whether the circumstances around them being there. Were valid or not. The fact still remains that they to our mothers in every way. As mothers we are often silenced. Silence. And ashamed by parenting alone or parenting and having too many children. Or for not parenting enough in the eyes of others. This mother's day i think about my own mother who my lost to asthma at the age of 14. And her struggle upon getting divorced. I'm a physically and verbally abusive man. And the strength it took to raise two daughters while alone. While still trying to maintain herself sense of self. The shame of being sick and having to rely on a system to support us. Animals of strength and courage to ensure her daughters were provided for. I reflect on how motherhood has become a secondary thought. Are we all ready to present itself to me constantly. Whether i am assisting a twelve-year-old who is raped by her cousins. Or thirtysomething deciding to have children for the first time. We are a nation unprepared to talk to our women and girls about who they are. Animal ptonomy that they hold over their beautiful bodies. We are a nation that would like to suppress the stories of so many women. And people of color. As trivial matters that don't constitute a second thought. Because we brush it off with her it's not me attitude. But reality is that if one woman and girl is not safe. Then we all are not safe. Our interconnectedness. Is reflected in the current state of media. Chilling images from around the world of young women being raped in india. Child trafficking through various nations and black women like sandra bland who. Being unjustly silent. It is our duty as human beings living a spiritual existence to defend those whose voices are silenced for unjust reasons. Is our duty to stand up to the various forms of systemic oppression that seek to maintain power. Adidas our duty to teach our women and girls that in the face of oppression. We will not stand for system that seeks to silence us. It is a responsibility of our allies to trust in the process. The women of color have set before them. Were they too will continue to live off the privilege their race has provided for them. We must never forget the history that women of color have faced in this country. Those who have been seen as breeders. Welfare queens. Those marginalized populations of color that have witnessed or experienced the act of forced sterilization. Experimentation and neglect. Up until 2003. It was still feel awful to sterilize a woman in some states without consent. So when i speak of motherhood as a form of resistance. I am talking about. The direct choice. To choose to birth a child into this world under your terms. The choice to birth free from harm stigma and shame. The right to bring a child into this world and not have to think about how racism may impact their lives. The right to raise your child in a safe space free from harm. The right to parent alone. Or in a partnership of their choice without reproach. Let us make a commitment that mama's day. Will be a day of resistance. A day that all those who choose to parent. Condition under a banner of protection that your life is no less valuable than the neck. That when we begin to see the intersectionality of the various social determinants that affect how and when a woman birth. And truly embrace your framework. A reproductive justice. Flash versus justice. And it actively becomes a part of our daily lives in assisting others. Then we are living and breathing resistance. Enclosing. I leave you with this scripture. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love is not jealous. Is not proud. Is not conceited. Is not act foolishly. Is not selfish. Is not easily provoked to anger. Keeps no record of wrongs takes no pleasure in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth. Love bears all things believes all things hopes all things and indoors all say. 1st corinthians 13. Purses for thursday. It is our love for one another. That will continue to strengthen us in times of uncertainty. And give us the strength we need. To see motherhood as a form of resistance. And not.

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Sermonpodcast10-21-18.mp3?_=25

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. Over the course of my life i've had to participate in a bunch of different team-building exercises i'm guessing some of you have as well. And there was one in particular that i was thinking about this week as we got prepared for today. And maybe some of you have done this you stand in a circle and you have to reach across and grab hands across the circle. You can't. Grab the same hands of the same person so i couldn't grab both of ron's hands. I'd have to grab genies and ron's and ron would have to grab somebody else's. And they can't be the people next to you. But you all grab a cross. And then it doesn't work every time and i know this because i actually looked at a mathematicians blog about this question but sometimes it does work out that you can without letting go. Untangle all of the arms in the circle. And come out creating just an actual regular circle. Some people facing forward some people facing backward but a circle nonetheless. If we think of all the places and people in our lives that make our lives possible. Your school community that helps you learn your work community where you do your best work. Your congregational community your neighborhood and so on all of us operate in a lot of different. Circles. And we all know that sometimes one of those circles can get. Tangled up. Someone wasn't totally honest or someone said something that hurt someone else or. Mistake gets made. Usually with care and calm and kindness we can untangle those circles. We might have to let go for a minute to go over some really big obstruction but we can always grab right back for those hands. And make sure that if we stay there. And help. We can work to untangle it. The circle only actually gets lost if we let go and walk away. Mindful of the many circles in which each of us lives our lives and grateful today for this circle right here. We gather together this morning. Every sunday morning when we gather in the circle together we make a special time to be quiet. To step back from the noise and the stress of the everyday rush. And just focus on the things that are most important. So we're going to enter into that time now together. Aware that some of us will use this for reflections others for deep breathing still others for prayer it is your time. The please settle into your seats. Take some deep. Preston. Try to relax your body. Roll your shoulders back. Unclench your jaw. Close your eyes if that's what's comfortable. And take a slow breath. As you sit and breathe deeply. I invite you to imagine that you are in a circle. All the other people creating that circle with you are the ones you hold. Most dear. The ones whose loves stains you. I want to listen to you when you need to talk. To share their lives and stories with you. Breathe deeply and look at those face. Smile at those. See them smiling back. In the silence. Be with them and feel their. Slow. We gain strength from the communities that care for us. And hold us. May you always feel safe and held in a circle of love. As some of you know for my e-blast piece this past wednesday once again issues of racism erupted at the uua. You may remember that a couple of years ago there was a hiring controversy that resulted in some of the really good work that's being done across the ua now the unitarian universalist association. At that point. Christina rivera a latina women with passover for a job for which she was qualified in favor of a white man who was a better fit. And a lot of discussion and conversation about what that word fit. Mint and the. The resulting controversy erupted. And in all of that again you may remember christina was on the receiving end of a nasty threatening racist note delivered to the congregation at which she worked. She has since moved on to work at the uua and this week. Her child. Received a threatening anonymous letter. So unitarian universalist youth. Iga volunteer a use of color. Received a threatening anonymous letter filled with expletives and insults and language intended to intimidate and frightened after his family has already. Been subject to harassment and threats. The past few years the unitarian universalist association and many of its member congregations have been doing. A lot of work. Trying to understand the ways in which. White supremacist culture operate even among us who profess to be champions of racial justice. We've done a lot of work. Educating ourselves and each other about the black lives matter movement with the result that many congregations including our own took firm stands and hung banners outside our doors. We've done a lot of work trying to educate ourselves and each other about the insidious ways. The racism and prejudice and the protection of privilege impact all of us. And it is work that we should be proud of even as we acknowledge that there is so much more work to do. And so many ways in which we continue to fall short. Continue to make mistakes continue to break the hearts of as reference caballero says. Our religious professionals and our fellow you use. Distension of being committed to racial justice and rallying around that identity. As justice seekers. But also feeling in so many ways makes sense in the context of such a deeply entrenched american culture of racism and oppression. And it's not new to unitarian universalist either there's a history worth knowing that help shed light on the current situation. And this is going to be a more history heavy sermon then i will usually give. Introduce the history of how unitarian-universalist have dealt with issues of race go back. Into the 19th century and even earlier when they were unitarians and universalists working for the abolition of slavery. And others who would have been fine with continuing the status quo. The tension existed even then not everyone was committed. But things really came much more potently to ahead for you using particular in the 1960. And for this history that i'm going to share i'll be relying pretty heavily on the work of reverend mark morrison reed. And an article from the uu world by warren ross. So in 1963. At the annual conference of the relatively new at that point unitarian universalist association. A resolution to compel congregations to drop. What morrison recalls racially discriminatory restrictions. From their bylaws. Failed. Okay so the the ga delegates choose to side with congregational polity. Which is that foundational uu concepts that each congregation has a right to govern itself. And the assembled folks rejected a resolution that would have protected open access to all in our congregation. They chose instead to pass a resolution that incourage. But did not require. Congregations to practice the kind of radical welcome that did not discriminate based on race. The same resolution did require non-discrimination bylaws. From new congregation. Any congregation that formed after that date would have to adhere. The old ones could continue to do as they please. That resolution also created a commission on religion and race which was a 10-member group. It would begin to address how we might as unitarian universalist. Respond ethically and morally to the time. As a religious body. That 1963 ga resolution happens amid others over a decade-long.. In which our denomination did denounce segregation support civil rights and more. Indeed are then uua president. Dana greeley marched on washington not same year in 1963. And two years later many you use would go to selma to march at the call of the rev dr martin luther king jr.. Including the reverend james reeb for whom the house next door is a name. Reverend reed was out with some other ministers who had heeded the call and they were attacked by a group of white supremacists. He was beaten so badly that he died from his injuries. Other ministers and other lay people arrived in the wake of his murder. And many you use participated in that march from selma to montgomery. Reed's dedication and his martyrdom. Are often held up as a means of convincing ourselves and others of our unitarian universalist racial sanctity. But as warren ross also note even at the time there was an awareness among some. That our racial justice was not as pure as we might have wanted it to be. Hayward henry was the first chair of the black unitarian-universalist caucus about which i will say more later. But he wrote hayward henry wrote this in 1968. We unitarian-universalist like to keep saying but we went to selma with you. Why are you blacks rejecting us. In selma a black man named jimmy jackson was killed and at that time you could count the number of unitarians in selma on your fingers. A few weeks later a white man was killed and all unitarians ran to selma. Races. That's what it was. That's what a word henry says. And yet at the same time reverend mark morrison read notes. Selma marches to change and unitarian universalism. He writes 500 you use participated over 140 of them uu clergy. Representing 20% of the ministers and final fellowship. Across the country menu use organizer joined protests and marches. The intensity of experience transformed them. The consensus about racial justice sharpen. The level of commitment rose. Well you use head from promoting integration and equality of access since the 1940s. Selma signal the seriousness of the you concern for racial justice. A commitment reaffirmed when in 1966. King delivered the where lecture at the general assembly. Over the next couple of years from the days of that march. Those civil rights legislation passed tensions in this country didn't ease. In response. An emergency conference of unitarian universalist was held in new york in october of 1960. Shortly after that emergency conference began. 33 of the african americans in attendance left the planned meeting and held their own caucus in a separate space. Reverend morrison reads mother was among those you use who left. Secaucus. And he writes. Seminarian tom payne and imposing presence with posted at the door to shoe white interlopers away. This black caucus method the evening and lead into the night. As they talked they tapped into the wrong emotion hidden behind middle-class reasonableness. They search for an identity more authentic. Then the futile attempt to be carbon copies of white people. The white liberalism's emphasis on integration. They saw a white liberalism emphasis on integration as a one-way street that elevated white and debased black. The group called for a new agenda. And by the time they emerged the black unitarian-universalist caucus steering committee had been formed. That steering committee later rejoined that emergency conference. And they're the black you you caucus insisted using an up-or-down vote. That without debate. The emergency caucus vote on the agenda they had created. The agenda that they created called for the creation of a black affairs council. And a one million-dollar commitment over the next four year. from the usa. The emergency conference in that upper downvote. Pass the agenda. Along with the financial commitment. But of course that had to go up to the uua itself. And the ua board of trustees refused to form a black affairs council. It also refused to provide the million dollars in funding. Amidst this other groups had started to form the black-and-white alternative group and others. Creating splits among even those who favored fully funding and abiding by the agenda of the caucus. There were calls at that point to boycott the annual fund of the uua. In 1968 at the general assembly in cleveland. President greeley and others asked congregation. To voluntarily raise the money that one million-dollar commitment and offer it to the caucus. And to agree to the affiliation of two of those splinter groups that had four. The delegates however voted to form the black affairs council and to fund the first year for a quarter million dollars through the usa. So they stood up and said that's what we want to do we want you to abide by what you said. The following year in 1969 again an attempt was made to renew that funding. A separate group black-and-white auction that had formed intention with the black affairs council also wanted funding. Until when the resolution came up to fund the black affairs council during the second year it failed to pass. Many delegates walked out of general assembly though they came back. Others came forward took control of the microphone one person shoved it under his shirt so no one else could access it. Later more walkouts happened. Eventually the funding was granted. But later that year financial crisis led the uua to make significant cuts and among them was its commitment to the black affairs count. That cut was then reaffirmed. In 1970. At the seattle ga. When the delegates voted not to fund the black affairs council at all. The story continues with the disaffiliation so that. The different groups could raise money and money from shelter rock on long island. And the schism within the racial justice groups and eventually the end of the black affairs council as well as all of those other. Grips. No story is much more complicated and i realize i was already complicated it's much more complicated even than that and i would really encourage you. To look this up you will find you uworld articles you can read mark morrison's read book reads book on the subject. And the fox really the problem is to that the facts outlined as i have done them here do not as ross puts it. Grasp the pain the fury and the consternation of those days. Only individuals telling their stories. Can truly illuminate what happened. The accounts that ross and others have been able to capture really do list up. The pain as well as the turmoil that many felt. During that time. They were holding together tensions of congregational polity a centuries-old concept in unitarian universalism. Democracy. Financial crisis and the absolute imperative. To support the work of racial justice. Ross quotes norma poinsett who was a member at first unitarian church in chicago who voted to fund the black affairs council at the cleveland ga. She said in an interview. There are so many interpretations. As to why the denomination got cold. At the seattle gia. Some say it was financial problems some say it was the issue about audit reports. I still believe that they really didn't like the idea of black people deciding what to do with the money. The denomination felt it was a nice thing to do maybe even the right thing to do but they didn't want to be inconvenienced by. I didn't leave i stayed on. I knew enough about the uu8 understand some of the frustrations that everything moves so slowly that you don't change minds that fast. Anyway. Norma poinsett rights i wasn't unitarian universalist because i thought they were non-racist. I was a member because of what the religion means to me. Norma points at new what many of us white you use have only really been coming to understand recently. And she knew what reverend lafleur nose. The despite our racial justice efforts and our calls for equality. We unitarian-universalist are as susceptible as anyone. To our dominant american culture. The privilege is whiteness and maleness. We don't realize it because most of the time our normal is the normal. We're in trench in a system that absolutely privileges the experience the views the culture and the mannerisms of white people. We are entrenched in a system that values the protection of privilege and happiness. At the protection of privilege over equality. And the pursuit of power and wealth for the few over the prosperity and happiness of the many. Entrenched in a broken system that works tirelessly. To oppress and punish your siblings of color. And we are complicit we have been complicit. Even if we have also tried to work for justice and even as we have tried as a movement to come closer and closer to that dream of equality we have also been complicit. Reverend mark morrison reed wrote in 2012. The many wish for but perhaps few are ready for reconciliation. Even after all those years. He noted in that piece that all sides and the episode felt misunderstood felt righteous felt wronged. He writes to that all the people caught up in that moment of controversy deserve our care. Because they cared saudi. About what was happening. And it wasn't a total failure he writes. The events set in motion by the black rebellion traumatize but also transform some. An educated us all. Only a couple of years after morrison read wrote that you might be ready for reconciliation once again civil rights took center stage in our nation. In response to the black lives matter movement. Black lives of unitarian universalism was formed in july of 2015. Its purpose is. To expand the power and capacity of black you use with an r face. To provide support information and resources for black you use. How to make justice and liberation through our faith. At its meeting in october of 2016. Following a presentation by the founders of black lives of unitarian universalism. The unitarian universalist association board of trustees agreed to immediately provide $300,000. To blue. Black lives unitarian universalism and blue long-term with $5000000. 5 million is approximately the value of that 1 million that the you i never made good on. In 1970. The five million is being funded in various ways with a guarantee against the unitarian universalist association endowment. This month we here have been giving half of our plate collection to blue as part of supporting that commitment made by the ua board at that october meeting. We're working to make up for lost time. We're working to correct wrong. We're working to stay at the circle to look at each other and to fill the commitments of our ancestor. See you aboard and posting about the decision wrote this. This commitment is just one step in a long journey towards fulfilling promises made. Two black unitarian universalist in the. Our history is not so perfect. We know this if you didn't know it before you know it now. But we do keep trying. Trying again and again to get it right and we do commit to stay together. We try to untangle the knots to come into a circle of love and forgiveness and to atone for what went wrong. We do this. Knowing the even though we may not have been the ones to make those decisions. We have to be part of writing those wrongs. It's all part of the same set of realizations right. I may not be. Personally racist but i participate in. Deeply benefit from a system of racism until i have an obligation to work to it. I may not personally have declined to fund the black affairs a council in 1960s. But my people my white you you forebears did and if i can help correct that messed up then i must. I may not have picked anyone out of the circle but the choices i make as a minister as a u u impact. My fellow you use. But either upholding or dismantling. Culture and expectations that center whiteness. And as a result either welcome or don't welcome. People whose culture and history doesn't mirror my own. We've a lot of work to do this past week's events at the ua show that. What you use have a long way to go and learning and teaching each other and committing in ways beyond just the sunday sermon. All you use continue to have work to do on reconciling together finding a way forward that honors the many cultures and histories that fall into this religion. Finding a way that privileges the content of justice over the form in which we get there. As a nation we have so much work. But there are leaders among us leaders the weekend follow. The leaders of the black lives matter movement the leaders of black lives of unitarian universalism others they are leading the way calling for our ally ship. But also calling for us to continue doing our own work. Of overcoming the system in which we were raised. This work is necessary not only because the system oppresses and harms people of color. But because as reverend caballero wrote and as we have said here before. The system as it is. While protecting those of us with white skin in certain ways. Compromises us morally and spiritually. If we choose not to do the work we are the ones stepping out of the circle. So this morning's imitation is to stay in the circle with me in all the ways that you can and we can. Let us commit and recommit. The understanding the culture of oppression and privilege. That we are apart of. Let us commit and recommit. To taking it down. Let us commit and recommit to making right what has been so wrong. Let us commit and recommit. Do a circle that offers love and forgiveness and hope and life. To all. May we keep on moving forward step by step. Remaining together even in the hard work untangling the knots making good on promises old and new and ever widening the circle of love and care making room for all in the world of justice and equality. Go in peace.

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Sermonpodcast-3-31-19.mp3?_=3

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. Now if you'll please join in the words for lighting the chalice they're in your order of service. We light this chalice. Now i invite you to take a deep breath. Let your body relax into this time together. But the quiet of this space fill your mind. Let the calm of this place feel your heart. Let the solace that can be found here. Feel your spirit. And listen. As this sound rings out. Calling us home to ourselves. To our community and to our highest aspiration. Breathe. And listen. As many of you know kenneth patton was the minister of this congregation for many years he was also a prolific preacher and writer and if you look. In the author list of your gray hymnal you will find him quoted many times. I thought often about his ministry here because it was interesting. May be daunting for me to be coming into ken patents pulpit decades later. I thought a lot about the changes wrought in our wider unitarian universalist world and right here at the unitarian society of ridgewood since his retirement. Nothing stays the same not really. Time marches on we move forward taking steps intentional ones hopefully. Toward a future that we vision and then build. But along with the inevitability of change there is something else a deep need in the midst of that change to honor what has been to offer gratitude for all the good even as we recommit to a vision of the future. Today we're going to talk about what it looks like the hold gratitude for the past. Envision for the future. To commit ourselves wholly to what we might build. They want to open this morning with a reminder of what this place has been from the words of reverend kenneth patton. He wrote. This house is for the ingathering of nature and human nature. It is a house of friendships. I haven in trouble and open room for the encouragement of our struggle. It is a house of freedom. Guarding the dignity and worth of every person. It offers a platform for the free voice. For declaring those in times of security and danger the full and undivided conflict of opinion. It is a house of truth-seeking. Where scientists can encourage devotion to their quest. Where mystics can abide in a community of searchers. It is a house of art. Adorning its celebrations with melodies and handiworks. It is a house of prophecy. Out running times past end-times present. Envisions of growth and progress. This house is a cradle for our dreams the workshop of our common endeavor. Tentenyu as we all do the power of a community such as this. The possibility in parent here. And so welcome this morning as we leaned into possibility and purpose with gratitude and with commitment. Every sunday that we gather we make a special time in our service required reflection meditation prayer. This time of silence that we hold together is yours to observe as you please. So settle yourself. As you are comfortable in your seat. And begin to breathe deeply and slowly. This morning as we gather we do so with gratitude in our hearts. For all those in the past who have built this house for our present. Those who gave of themselves to create this. Heathen. This place of action this place of love. We are filled with gratitude for their work. And their commitment. In the silence we think too with gratitude of all those whose lives have enabled our own. Loved ones who cherished us. Helped us grow. Built for us paved the way for us. Held. In the silence we offer our thanks each in our own way. We hold the truth of our gratitude alongside the truth of our own striving. Tour the larger vision. Toward a better world. May we never forget the past that has created us. And may we never stopped looking toward the future that we can help. The future of more peace. More hope. More joy and more love. This weekend many folks from around the country are converging on boston to see the ministerial fellowship committee known as the msc this is the body that assesses and judges candidates for the ministry and unitarian universalism. I saw them about six-and-a-half years ago now and i remember the trip pretty clearly and i certainly remember the preparation. Candidates have to put together over 100 pages of material transcripts psychological career evaluation. Self-assessment supervisor reviews essays signed reading list. And then once you're there. You preach a 10-minute sermon in front of the msp panel. And then they ask you questions for a good long while. Then you're ushered out of the room and after such time as is needed for their deliberation. The panel calls you back in and lets you know how you've done. Can you go out and serve do you need more preparation. Have they found you so lacking as to deny you ordained uu ministry forever. It happens rare but it happened it is a nerve-wracking experience for most. Truly harrowing foursome. And generally an exciting time in the small world of uu ministers as we welcome new. Candidates into our ranks. It's also an interesting aspect of our tradition this centralized wedding of ministers because really in truth. Our congregations can ordain whoever they want. And call whoever they want. The unitarian society of ridgewood could add a meeting of its membership decide to ordain any among you. And then put you in this hope it right here. That reality is part of this thing that we have called congregational polity and some of you i'm sure have heard me talk about this before. Congregational polity means is that every unitarian universalist congregation determines its own. Pass its own future. This means that we make our own decisions it's all up to us. The bit of a blessing a bit of a curse. We have no diocese no central group telling us how to be or where to be or how to serve with each other. Our congregations are independent. Responsible for themselves. And there's a good reason that we have this. Privilege and challenge. The forms of unitarianism in this country developed out of early 18th century congregational churches in the northeast mainly mass. These congregational churches were solidly in the vein of the protestant revolution which declared that priests and their inaccessible rituals were inconsistent. With the actual scripture. In 1648 there was a document produced called the cambridge platform. And it laid out all the ideas of congregational religious organization. The authors of this text believed that they read in their scriptures that the congregation was the highest and most important form of church leadership. But jesus and other early leaders envisioned not avast. Hierarchy. But a devoted and committed group of believers who supported and helped each other. One of the key aspects of the cambridge flat platform was the notion that what bound them together was desire meaning. They weren't compelled to be there. Buy society or god or heaven or hell. Individuals and congregations associated voluntarily. They argued in the platform that because churches were voluntary and their connectedness across congregational lines with voluntary. Did the congregation itself was v highest authority. They believe congregations were autonomous. This is very consistent with a protestant belief in the ability of individuals to interpret scripture. To understand god to grasp the higher concepts of life and meaning and to make choices for themselves. The protestant revolution made possible these congregationalist churches that gave rise to our modern forms of unitarian universalism. These were folks who believe. In the human capacity for depth and understanding. In the human ability to reason and be rational. Congregational polity was a natural outgrowth of their theological understanding of the human being. But it also embodied efface in the individuals capacity to commit to a community over the long haul. To challenge a chain. So this is a blessing and a curse because it tests our ability for compassion and gentle listening and it tests our commitment. I think all of us probably know the temptation to walk away when something isn't going our way. We are as susceptible to that temptation in our congregational life as anywhere else in our lives. When change comes as it inevitably does. The individualism inherent in congregational polity. Can be a challenge for us. It makes me think of this show that i know i have told you about before and i know some of you were gone and found it and if you haven't please do it's called the vicar of dibley. It's a british sitcom about a small-town priest named geraldine please go watch it. There's one episode where the windows of the church are destroyed in a storm. Big beautiful stained glass windows. And it turns out that no one can remember what they actually depicted. Something it was jesus feeding the masses others the sermon on the mount it turns out in the end it was noah's ark. They start asking around in the parish what do you want in the new windows. Birds dinosaurs and more are suggested. Do geraldine the priest she goes out and she raises money for these new beautiful stained glass windows. And then she sees a bit on the news about an earthquake half a world away. Did you end up sending most of the money they raised to the relief effort and puts in clear windows where the stained-glass work. At the end of the episode the surprise parishioners lookout as the sun sets over the village. I may find that they're happy because it's tv they're happy to have to be able to see the glory of the earth. Course it doesn't cover this but i like to sing. But none of the congregants left because of the window decision i like to think that they're little anglican community had plenty of folks that were disappointed but they stayed. Because in the end the window is a window. But the community that's built and made over time is something that cannot be replaced. We have a fiercely independent history built on the protestant revolution and on congregationalism in this country and that's good. But sometimes we can err on the side of thinking that congregational life is just for us. But if we don't get our way we're not going to commit ourselves is fully. The window is replaced clear rather than with noah's ark we're done. But a congregation is not its windows it's not as building it's not as minister or its town of congregation is not even just. It's already program or adult seminars or fellowship feast. What the congregationalists new is it a congregation is its people. The congregation is it self-governing community committed past honoring future looking people. And it is the home that those people create together. I think ken patton was right about what was here. What continues to be here. A haven. A place of dignity and peace a place that is also ever-growing. So there are gifts your gifts that i can clearly see and i'm sure you can clearly see to. Yes for which i am deeply grateful as i'm sure you are. There is a gift of music and art every single sunday there's music from ron or the choir or guests music that pushes the musicians and pushes us music that comes from the heart and the spirit to help expand our experience of being together. There are hymns that are familiar and remind us of childhood and also hymns that are new and confusing and horsa to come together to try and figure. There's music that helps us unlock feeling and memory and emotion. And every month. I get to see it you don't get to see it cuz you face the wrong way but every month there's art on the walls that helps us look beyond this space. 50 more than this building and ourselves. There's also the gift here of congregational herring. It happens in small ways that coffee hour or in committees or in small groups it happens to pastoral care in the caring committee when. Rides are given or cards are sent meals are delivered hospital visits made. Their support that happens through life challenges. There is the gift of providing a safe and open please for our children to grow in their own understanding. And their commitment to equality and compassion. And their understanding of their own journeys every sunday when our children are up here with us or if they're downstairs in their classes. Whenever they gather together. We are giving them the infinitely precious gift. Of a place where they can be exactly who they are. There's a gift of love and support that all of you give each other that invites all of us no matter our age to be exactly who we are. There's a gift of working for what is right in the wider world. The justice work and the education and the advocacy being done on so many very topics with. Enthusiasm and with joy and with who. And there's generosity everywhere here. People give the gift of their time and their talents and their love and that's one thing can patent didn't mention this is a house of generosity. House of voluntarily associated individuals brought together by a desire to give and receive so that we might live the best way we know how in this world. This is a community committed to giving each other gifts and receiving gifts in so many different forms. Because we know that it is both in the giving and in the receiving. That we find joy. We find joy taking care of each other and being taken care of. We find freedom and rounding and homeless. Sharon salzberg notes in that reading that we are better able to confront the entirety of our lives. The good and the bad when we are constantly cultivating in ourselves the ability to give and to receive. That's who we are. Community of givers and receivers making space in our own and in each other's lives. Creating strength and solidity so that we can embrace and endure all that is difficult. This is a house that pours out love. Without expectation of return. Simply because we know it's what's right. Because we know that a life grounded in love will help us be our best selves and will help us help the world. I am grateful for the gift of this haven this congregation and it's peep. I feel gratitude for those who built this place that we get to call home. And i absolutely believe that one way to honor the past one way to thank those who came before is to build on their vision. One way to say thank you is to keep striving toward the good creating a world of hope looking to the future to expand. Division. We take what they built and we add. We integrate new learnings new understandings and we stretch their vision even further than they could ever have dreamed. One way we honor them and the work and the sacrifices they made. Is it we commit ourselves. To the work. To the sacrifices. To the building the generosity the visioning and the creating. Because we're all that is wonderful here. And there is a lot. For all that is to be respected and honored. We can still grow. Just as foundational in some way is as congregational polity is our unitarian universalist belief that our face our lives our growth and development is a journey. An ongoing process we are not ever done. Becoming. We are always reaching toward something as individuals and as a community. Part of continuing on that journey is envisioning what might be. We can't predict it we know that life hanzus many unexpected things but we also know that we have to set a vision. Set priorities and try to get there. We have to adjust and adapt when surprises come our way but we also have to be taking steps forward. As individuals we set goals for ourselves often at the new year. Being kinder being more forgiving having more patience with our children being more generous spending more time with our partners we set goals and we try to achieve them. We talk here about our goals for the wider world. We talked about wanting and working for a world community of peace where justice and equality or the order of the day. Where people are safe and secure. Four people i cared for and no one goes hungry we set those visions and we work for them out in the world. We don't think it's enough to simply want them or wish them we work hard for them. So two we have to set goals for this place and this community. Because his vision for who we can be. Built on who we are. The people of commitment grounded in love bound together by voluntary association. And what we can become i think. Is a community even more relevant in the lives of those of us who are here. But also even more relevant in our community at large. We can go deeper further become more. Offended minister circles we talk about something called full week face. The idea here is that instead of just being something we do on sundays. Are unitarian-universalism. Our values are concerns our demands for justice must become something that we live all week long. Not just on sundays but everyday. We want to be thinking about our lives living them with intention. We want to be concerned with the most important matters of life every single day. And similarly we want this place to be vital in our lives. Integral but also living vibrant and ever-changing everyday. We talked about what it looks like here to be welcoming and inviting. We do this pretty well. We can always do more. We can make sure that people know this is a safe place where they can be themselves we can make sure that everyone who walks through our door or meet us out in the world. Knows that there is a place a people a home. Then accept them. And embraces diversity and longs for a world that is loving of all people. And we can always do more in the world of justice we do a lot already. But what more could we be doing to work against poverty against hunger against the drug epidemic. What more could we be doing to fight racism to ensure equal treatment for women immigrants minorities. What more could we be doing to partner with other agencies in our area so that everyone knows us as allies. Supporting the work of other local institution. Grounded in sustained by the karen love we give each other. We have so much to offer the world in terms of good works and we can always be taking steps to do more. A vision of this community becoming part of our everyday lives. If this community coming more deeply part of our local fabric. Evans community supporting and sustaining each other unless enabling justice work in the world is not a new vision. But we're talking about truly is a recommitment to the journey we are already on to grow ourselves and to transform the world. That's our mission. We are talking about. A deepening a widening a furthering of the work we already do. We're talking about walking at step-by-step along our journey of congregational becoming. Aware that we will never reach an end destination. The journey goes on. The journey toward greater faith greater understanding greater justice greater love. Every year as you know from sally's announcement this morning we have an annual pledge drive so that we know what kind of budget we have for the next marie chandelier. Each year or most years at least i will stand up here and i will preach about generosity and fullness and how we have to fight against a culture of scarcity and fear. And often i'll ask you to think about what this place means to you and to think about how much you spend on coffee every month or your cable bill. But this year. I just keep coming back to the privilege and responsibility of congregational polity. To commit ourselves to building on the past and creating a new future. Because congregational polity doesn't just mean that we govern ourselves. It means that we support ourselves. Unitarian universalist congregation zar entirely self-funded. It is the generous giving of committed folks that an evil congregations to run and do good work. No central body gives us money in fact we give them money. Congregation is it people and also a congregation and unitarian-universalism its budget is from its people. That's a heavy responsibility. Because it means. All on us. And it's a privilege because it affords us the opportunity year after year to live into a full commitment. To give openly and freely enter feel the joy inherent in that. The connection and expansiveness identified by saltsburg and sins in our readings. Each year we have an opportunity to practice unselfish commitment. And faith grounded in love. Because every year when we make our pledges we make them not knowing what changes the next year might bring. We make them because we believe. The our community. Our beloved and devoted community will do good things. Will make strides as individuals and as a collective toward greater growth in mind and spirit and toward a world of justice and equality. We pledged unsure of the future. But committed to bringing about something beautiful. When we pledge we take a step that creates spaciousness of the sort saltsburg. Identifies. We take a step that generates life as incest. The continues the miracle of constant becoming. We take a step toward energy positivity creativity the expansion of all these things by whatever means we can envision. Saltsburg road about how we can give gifts in many forms material time energy love talent. In that giving and receiving we are continuing our commitment to the law of sharing. Not the law of scarcity. You moving into a belief in abundance we expand our ability to create life to give new life to generate new passions and interests and creation then to. Depends. Build and expand the best of what we already are. In doing we honor those who built this home and we express our commitment to continuing the journey. So what we're asking of you when the pledge drive comes around each year is that you exercise your privilege of liberal faith by committing yourself to this community in every way you can. Aware that you will be part of creating what comes next here. Where that change is constant but a community is sustained by its people. Aware that you are part of the self-sustaining nature of this place. Not just in terms of pledge support. Goodbye your very presence. By the sharing of your unique life here you helped create this home. This year i especially want to invite you to share your vision of the future with me. Let me know what you want for this home. What do you think it looks like. For us to build on the past. What is your vision of our shared future. I really do want you to tell me i'm not just saying that please tell me. Right. What do you see us doing to build on the place that ten patent described. Together this morning we commit ourselves to creating a community evermore filled with hope love peace and joy. Ever more welcoming ever more active evermore transforming and transformative. With gratitude and commitment in our hearts we open ourselves once more to the possibilities of this beloved place. Maybe become ever more truly the description that ten patent offered of this house that is a home. But even more. Maybe push the limits of that description. Expanding our vision and building something beyond even our wildest dreams. Samantha. Remain standing enjoying in the worst roasting wishing the challenge they're printed in your order of service we extinguish this place. Energy of action burnbright in our hearts until we are together again. What we can be is vast open full of possibility. Together we can achieve our goals become the people the congregation we are meant to be and create the world we want to live in. So maybe. Go in peace.

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Sermonpodcast-8-12-18.mp3?_=33

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. Welcome again friends on this rainy day there has been a lot of rain this summer. Sometimes when there has been day after day after day of clouds and rain when the warnings for floods role in one after the other it can become easy. To get a little discouraged. It can be easy to forget all the ways that rain is actually vital. Fresh survival for the earth survival. And remember that there are places starved for rain. Deserts that persevere through the driest days. Can be hard to remember that the rain will clear. But indeed it will. The storm has offered a strange opportunity for my family it turns out my kids love to watch lightning i did not love that when i was little. So we've been turning out the lights and opening up the blinds and watching the streets just went down through the sky. And there's this sense of. All and excitement tyndall little bit with fear especially for the little ones. And i have strangely found a measure of hope in their love for this display of natural majesty. I realize that may sound a little odd but for me watching them watch the lightning. Watching them feel safe and sound inside and appreciative of the wonder of life and this earth. Watching them delight in what is in this moment. But also hearing them repeat back the reminder that the rain will stop eventually. It gives me hope for the cycles of rain and sun. He reminds me of the power and possibility held within all existence. The capacity we humans have to cultivate appreciation and all and resilience. As we gather we are mindful of the ways that our bodies and hearts and minds cycle with the weather. The seasons the earth itself. And we commit ourselves. Just hope born from the knowledge of our own power. And born from the inevitable truth so that all things change with time. Welcome to this place of all appreciation and hope. Each sunday that we gather together here. As part of our shared experience. On a sunday morning we make special time for quiet. For some of us this means a focus on breathing and on our presence in this moment means meditation. For others of us it means a form of prayer speaking the silent words of our hearts. And for still others it means holding a space for gratitude for all that sustains us in our lives. However you use this time. I invite you now to sink into it with me. To settle your feet onto the floor. To put down anything you're holding. Try and relax your body as much as you can. Release the tension wherever you find it. And breathe in. Deeply and slowly. Our world moves very fast. Our news cycles are constant. A sense of worry can come to permeate. Our beings. Deep. Breathing. A chance to stop. Can help yous. That anxiety. So be still. And breathe. Deeply. As we move into a time of silence together. Feel the power of the quiet. The strength in sitting side-by-side. With others who dream and hope. For a better world. May you know. But even in solitary moments. Even in moments of quiet. Lord of loneliness. You are not alone. You are part of a great company of hopeful. Persistent. Stubborn people who believe in something better. Me that deep knowledge that you are not alone go with you every moment. Every hour. So maybe. Almost eight years ago i was lucky enough to spend nearly two weeks in israel i went to attend a conference but extended my trip so that a friend and i could tour around. Israel's a fascinating place for very many different reasons. It's a land called holy by three major religious traditions of the world it's an area historically rife with violence and danger. It's defined in some sense by the mainly highly polemical and debatable political positions that abound within the country and that exists. Concerning the country the world over. My travels. november many years ago were prompted largely by academic concerns. No i didn't enter graduate school planning to work on anything related to israel jerusalem came to figure centrally in my work. I had thought for sure i would focus on italian franciscans and dominicans and how their vows and lies were reflected in their art and architecture. Instead the focus of my work became european pilgrimage to the holy land. Specifically how pilgrimage did or did not relate. To the late medieval early modern development of the ritual of the stations of the cross. The commemorative practice that marks 14 moments along christ walk. To calvary and his crucifixion. Over the years as i've described my doctoral work to folks the eyebrows have almost invariably gone up what possessed a born-and-bred unitarian-universalist to spend years focusing on this catholic ritual on pilgrimage and on a city that is at least institutionally pretty irrelevant to unitarian universalism. As my last name might suggest on my father's side i come from a long line of italian catholics. I've always found religious art and architecture fascinating any religion all over the world. Has been of interest and was a gateway to the topic i eventually landed on for my dissertation and i have come to think that my affinity for that. Time and that art was largely a product of wanting to feel closer to my father's family who we never saw. Until when i embarked on that trip jerusalem between the work i was doing with european christian text. My own sense of my christian familial ties and his desire to connect in some way. I assumed that i would find the christian sites the most compelling and i was prepared for a reaction of fascination and longing and wonder at the architecture and relics related to jesus's life. Get what i found during our trip was that instead i was far more moved by the jewish sites. Without question the power of the simple church at tom do with it light spilling through windows onto mosaics that commemorate the multiplication of the loaves and the fish has affected me strongly. And i certainly found the landscape around the gallery beautiful. But my heart was stirred last by the holy sepulchre and the church at bethlehem and more by the western wall the holocaust museum and the hilltop fortress of masada. The sporting of my expectations may be explained by the fact that i do also have jewish ancestry and the reality is that my fiala g is much more consistent with that side of my inheritance. I don't know for sure but what i do know. From having spent years reading endless texts about travels to the holy land. Is it my experience wasn't unique. Which is to say. Many travel writers record experiencing something completely other than what they anticipated. And i think this is part of the power of the place it has. So many meanings for so many different people so many layers to its own history and story. They will never be exactly what one imagines when one sets out. This morning's reading came from a seven-volume work. Alternate lee known as the wars of the jews or the jewish war by the first-century historian josephus. The reading describe the site of masada. After this description josephus goes on to relate the story of a famous seed. Providing though the only extant copy account rather of this particular battle. In the first century bce josephus tells us. Herod the great. Had fortified hilltop. Call masada in case he needed to hide out in the event of a war. He built palaces and an armory a system of store rooms that were developed to provide enough food and water. For a large roman garrison four months in case of a siege. But by the time of the story josephus tells us about a hundred years later. The site was occupied by a small enough garrison of roman. The when the jews were at war with rome. A group of jewish rebels called by josephus the sicarii. Could overtake the romans station there and set up camp. To reach masada with my friends at november we traveled out of the bustling and crowded city of jerusalem. East until we hit a road that ran south along the edge of the dead sea. All around is the judean desert. Dusty brown with hints of red. Not entirely unlike the american southwest. Cliffs and plateaus rise out of the desert earth-like strange eruption. The area is relatively small and has few people living in it and when you travel through there's little to look at aside from the landscape itself. Does the occasional tiny shantytown with lean twos made of salvaged pin and fabric. As you travel alongside the dead sea you can see evidence of the sinkholes. That are part of what makes this area so treacherous. Any deviation from the road can result in a vehicle running over unstable ground and sinking into salty earth along the coast. And as a reading described out of this empty almost lifeless area on one of the plateaus that rises up is the site of masada. 1300 feet above the ground. Masada juts out a rhomboid piece of land. There are two ways to reach the top still to this day for the intrepid walker there exists still that serpent trail mentioned in our reading a steep and winding dirt trail that for millennia has led up to harrah's the fortress and actually that's how my mother reached the top when she traveled there decades ago. For the more leisurely inclined among us there's now an aerial tramway that can take you up to the top. And when you reach the top of this plateau. The space opens up in a way that's pretty hard to describe what from below looks like any other desert topographical element become suddenly this whole settlement covered in ruins. The day i was there the views of the judean desert and the dead sea we're striking not in their clarity but because they were so muddy that. Are in every direction was just sick with dust and heat. It was on the guided tour that we took that i heard the story of masada for the first time actually. After wandering the top of the plateau in the heat of the middle eastern sun we stopped. In the ruins of a room that some archaeologists identify as the site of the synagogue during the jewish occupation. The shattered walls and ledges that perhaps once served as seating for religious services. Provided little relief from the heat. And there were so many of us that i stayed standing leaning against the wall in the doorway of a millennia-old structure. I push my sunglasses on top of my head and i listened as our guide told the story. The rebels he said had overtaken the garrison after jerusalem had been destroyed and burned in the year 70. Fleeing roman persecution other jews had joined this initial rebel group. Until there were nearly 1,000 people living on masada. Eventually. Inevitably the roman legion arrived and began a siege. The romans erected a ramp of rubble of the side of the plateau which can still be seen today. Finally after enough days they had created a path sufficient to launch an attack on the stronghold. They employed battering rams against the exterior wall forcing the rebel forces to build another wall within. Determined to gain entry the romans launch burning torches at the new interior wall that had been erected largely out of wood. The walburn successfully calling joy among the roman who decided that the next day would be the day they entered masada. And yet. Josephus tells history that do the romans arrived and took the site. They were unable to get their desired revenge on these rebellious jews because when they entered herod's former palaces. Everything was silent. There was no resistance no noise. No life. According to the story two women and five children survived hiding in the grain stores. And they lived to tell the tale that. While the walls were burning. The adult males among the rebels had met in the synagogue. Supposedly the very room that we were standing in. And they had agreed at the urging of their leader elliot's are. Did they would rather die than be slaves to the roman. Elliot sorry and passionate speeches quoted by josephus argue to his men. The god was clearly not going to come save them as he had saved the jews at the red sea and so better god should punish them. Punish them for the murchison of murder and suicide. Then that they should allow the army the satisfaction of killing them abusing their women and enslaving their children. And so the plan was each man was to go home. Killed his family and then meet back again at the synagogue were ten men would be chosen to kill all the others. From there according to josephus those final 10. Cast lots to see who would be last. Until kill the other nine and then himself. As a last act of defiance as defined by elliot's are. The rebels didn't destroy the green stores or taint the water supply. They wanted to show the romans that they could have held out longer. But they say had continued to be besieged. They could have survived. And they were choosing god's punishment and mercy rather than that of the incoming army. For longtime the story of masada was pretty lost. In part because josephus himself a jew was considered a traitor to his relationship with a roman elite. And his works didn't form the basis of much study among rabbis and other jewish intellectual. It's also not hard to understand that for a long time the story was seeing negative. Right it was a tale of rebellion that ended up costing. Thousands of lies. The rabbis were not about to list this story up as hopeful as a model to follow. In the early 20th century admits the growing zionist movement and growing persecution of jews around eastern europe. The poet isaac lambdin wrote a long work titled masada. Himself an immigrant to palestine from russia land and brought the story back into popular consciousness. The poem does not. Does not valorize the murders and suicides. But rather valorizes the notion of a last stand. Overtime landon's reintroduction led to an enlarging and elaboration suddenly the siege had lasted much longer than josephus describes and the rebel forces had defended themselves vigorously. For many years israeli soldiers took an oath on the site declaring masada shall not fall again. The story had become a national symbol for not giving in. It was used as a rallying cry. Rebellions and for taking a stand especially in the wake of world war ii. The other stories of heroism have come to dominate. The masada tail had its moment as a rallying cry for resistance. I was extremely affected by the story of masada eight years ago and periodically it comes back into my mind's. Certainly the pride that our guide seem to feel as he related josephus is account. To group of terrorists did not resonate with me that sense of pride. Certainly i didn't hear the tale and think that it was brave and courageous for these rebels to take their own lives and lives of their family. Standing there. Aware that i was in a spot possibly occupied by a member of this rebel force from nearly 2,000 years ago. Would i primarily felt. With sadness. Tears to my eyes and i was struck muesli by how strange it was that the story should be understood in such courageous and positive terms. Because to me the story screams. Here were a people forced into a horrible choice no one should have to make. Here is an example of how helplessness. Can overwhelm here is an example of how sometimes living just seems impossible. Here's a story of one way that people react when they feel abandoned. When they feel alone when they feel powerless. To me in the end it seemed more a story about hopelessness than of bravery. And please don't misunderstand me i don't think that my interpretation or experience of the story is any more or less accurate than any other. This is just how i felt about this story. History and stories are interpreted and reinterpreted over and over for personal agendas and for political ones but for me. The story was so powerful and has had such sticking power. Exactly because it teaches me that hope is absolutely vital for resistance and resilience and action. Is i have processed my reaction to the story over and over over the years. It is also help me to crystallize what hope is. In the context of my beliefs and our shared tradition. The rebels in the story the ultimate hopelessness was when elliott's are told them that their god would not come to save them. And their solution was to remove themselves from this world and face their god in the next. They had hope in their god. Not in saving them now but in that after peace that forgiveness and understanding was possible in death. Until what the hope and hopelessness look like if you're someone like me who doesn't believe in a god that acts in this world. Many of us are unlikely to ever face the terrible choice the rebels face on masada. But most of us do know what it means to hope for things. And to have those hopes forwarded. We know what it is to lose faith in our fellow humans. To watch history unfold and wonder why justice seems so far away still. We know the power most of us that hopelessness can have. We know the capacity of anxiety to overwhelm we know the distress that can accompany changes over which we don't feel we have control. We know how days and days of rain can make it feel like it will rain forever. We know what that ragged and pointed edge of hopelessness can feel like. So then what does hope. Look like and where does it come from. Some people say. Hope is like a liar because life is so terrible no matter what hope tries to sell you. It's awful. I cannot and will not believe that it is antithetical to my theology which maybe at the end is actually a theology of hope god as a word for the human capacity to work for change to envision something better to overcome the overwhelm and continue to see the beauty and value in life even in difficult times. The writer anne lamott puts it this way. Hope begins in the dark. The stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing the dawn will come. Hope is the belief that even the darkest feelings and even the worst moments are a temporary part of this life. Hope is the belief that things will be better in time because living. Being has value. And we humans are even more powerful than we realize. Because we do indeed have some measure of control. No matter if in the end that control is just over how we feel or how we see things. We can make things different by looking at them differently. By making changes by participating in our own lives we can look at lightning. And see a terrifying force of fires beyond our control. Or we can look at lightning and see a powerful reminder of earth's ability to replenish and renew itself and the sources of all life. Somewhere over time i came across this anonymous quote about hope it says hope is putting faith to work. When doubt would be easier. That link is really important. Hope and faith are intertwined but faith doesn't have to be in god. It can be in oneself. In one's family and one's community and humanity as a whole. Hope is putting faith to work. Went out would be easier. Often when i describe unitarian-universalism the words hope and faith never actually crossed my lips. They seem to carry too much for a lot of people. But i really do think that these things aren't as central to our movement as to any other even if they looked a bit different for us. I think they're what keep us coming back each sunday and keep us doing the work of justice of building and transforming ourselves. I believe that my time with you makes a difference. When i feel lost its centres need to be here. It reminds me what i have. Face in my head facing austin our capacity to move the world. And i believe that my presence in the world and your presence in the world can help others. If we live our lives with hope and with joy and perhaps that serves as a reminder to people in dark times that there can be light again. Poop isn't easy. It's hard work. Putting up a census face and hope against doubt. And holding on. And i consider myself a realist so i will just say sometimes we do reach that point. When it no longer makes sense to hope in vain for something that simply cannot be. Because that hope prevents us from actually living. Fully. But more often than not the hope is what helps as working towards the things we want to see in the world. And it's given a choice between living a life with hope or with none. I would take a life with hope every time. Even if it comes in strange places. And even if that that choice of hope becomes an act of rebellion and itself. For me then that was sort of the lesson of masada standing there on ground level 2000 years ago in a fortress built onto a plateau that rises up out of the barren desert land like hope in the darkness. Standing on reddish dirt in which you would think nothing can grow. But which has trees forcing themselves up and out of the earth. Among ruins that serve as proof that all things however strong and however terrible. Change with time. What i heard the lesson i heard was a reminder to never give up hope that life can get better that we can make things better. I heard the reminder that we have an obligation to help each other embrace hope. Deeply. To care for each other when we are in our darkest moments. May we hold on to our hope strengthen and our belief in the power of humanity to overcome and to create a better world. And maybe be for each other reminders of the beauty and possibility of life. Maybe earth itself remind us of the reality of change and the opportunity that brings. And when times of challenge would overwhelm us. Maybe nurture and 10 the glimmers of hope wherever we find them. So may it be.

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Sermonpodcast_10-19-14.mp3?_=1

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. Cassandra leahy. Wants to be a witch this halloween. No scratch that. Cassandra leahy. Wants to be a witch. All year long. She puts on her dark. Dark lipstick in the mirror. Her eyes beneath her eyeshadow are deep caves of mystery. She has no eight-year-old girl wearing a hat fast-fashion by her mother from cardboard strips and a strip of black felt. Nor is she one of the gangs of sorority girls roaming the streets tonight and they're identical sexy fill-in-the-blank costumes. No. Cassandra is a woman. And a witch have a woman. She has thighs hips secrets and regrets. And is ashamed of none of it. And is ready. The chant incantations into the night. This is a new facebook cassandra. All her life kathy has been almost pathologically nice. She was so nice she would carry on relationships with men she did not love for months because she did not want to offend anybody. She is so nice that just last week when what coworker was spouting horrible things about immigrants her response was to say i'm sorry but i have a different perspective. She immediately hated herself for saying that i'm sorry. What was she sorry for. Cassie has never been the wicked witch. She has been the dutiful daughter she has been the responsible sister to a brother that has gone down just about every rabbit-hole of catastrophic curiosity and addiction. She has been a loyal friend. The shoulder to cry on until her shoulders were ground down to your b e r to almost nothing. Well no more. Is the time of courage a time to try on a new face. Two friends at the halloween party would not suspect that chassis was in any way a real which they would just see the same old cassie in a witches costume. Little did they know the change went deeper than that was infused into her bones. Cassandra census in the spellbook of her soul some bold magic in her. But she has been reluctant to call call forth. She feels a wicked streak that is wider than the full moon and still growing in the night at delightfully wicked. It isn't that cassie wants to be evil. Far from it she gets no frill at all from causing harm to others none at all. And she still wants to save the world. Desperately. She just wants to do on her terms. Careless to the artificial limbs of human society in closer to the rhythms of the earth. What is more she wants to have fun with it all with saving the world a delightfully wicked kind of fun. See pictures of self drawing into the 7-eleven carrying their homemade ceramic mug. To walk right up to the slurpee machine a guilty pleasure of her so what. And without any guilt at all she would fill up her homemade mug at the fountain. And if the clerk behind the counter dares question her on it she would throw back her head and cackle and say just ring me up sweetie. Cassandra is through living someone else's life. She wants to live in the deep and misty woods of her true self. Anyone who dares getting her way had better like being green and 6 in tall. Cassandra has powers even she doesn't know about. And she's ready now. Start giving them a try. Otherwise shadow. Some lipstick lots and lots of black layers and the casting of the soul's desire. Perhaps this was enough to change a human being. Cassandra smile to smile so deep. It rattles the music of her life. After all. Halloween is a time possibility. A time when fear is faced and courage is rewarded. Perhaps out there tonight there is a spirit. Moving. For those who wait. To hear change. Come knocking. If the gentle spirits of the night with a fly down from cassandra's window and travel just a stone's throw away they would reach upon oscar santos walking down the street with his two boys one in each hand. On one side of oscar's iron man superhero. Any other of ferocious lion. Puddles along the sidewalk. Both of his boys carry plastic pumpkins filling with candy as fast as the boys can make the magic happen. Oscar is dressed in jeans and a sweater. But what oscar really wants to be. More than anything. Is to be a mermaid. Bomberman maybe it isn't about the cross-dressing go oscar has no problem with anyone dressing up however they want but if oscar would have suddenly sprout fins and discover an extra sense set of gills beneath his skin without even stopping to wonder about it he would run. Run as fast as he could to his favorite beach feel the sands on his feet and then dive in to travel deep. Into the oceans of god. Oscar isn't sure he believes in god. He hasn't told his mother about his agnosticism she pick up her walker and chase after him if she heard such blasphemy. But nonetheless the idea of some cosmic force pulling the strings behind the curtain. Now the idea just doesn't hold oscar like it used to. When he remembers the tiny storefront pentecostal church of a childhood as everyone raise their hand and they sang those songs pikipek ideal smeal that he felt the spirit. Moving among the people a present that was separate from any individual. Get tie them all together as one. He felt that presents so close as a child he could close his eyes and feel like he could be picked up. By the spirit and pick you picked up and carried wherever he needed to be. Which always turned out to be. Simply where he was. Nowadays a grown man well oscar loves his life. Even though it's mucho trabajo poco dinero a lot of work for not much working at the hospital is deeply meaningful and he gets a lot out of it. He loves his boys of course and his husband more than words can say his life is a good life. He means to be grateful. But sometimes. I just seen but he's skating on the ice. Careening from moment-to-moment without ever learning how to ice skate. He gets it done somehow we put one foot in front of the other in his life but it takes so much strength just to stay upright. And then like pushes in a little further along the ice. It's exhausting. He wants to be able to keep going and yet at the same time let go somehow. Swim beneath the surface of life to relax in the waves of the love of god. A mysterious love that is. It's not about a vacation. The lord knows he needs one there is a death to life glimpsing out of the corner of his eye. But he never quite finds himself immersed in those.. He's gasping for air on the brink of a vastness that seems so serene. Only you could learn how to get below the frost. Life on land is fine. Take a moment of celestial time out now and again step away from his life and rest in infinity. That's exactly. But not the surface tumult of everyday life if you can only change shape. Go out into the ocean frolic and play with dolphins and then bring that frolicking back home somehow play with his family with the same abandon. Life is urgently. Important. Far too important. Taken seriously. Iron man in the lion are vying for oscars attention he squeezes juniors hand as he takes his tired toddler up in his arms perhaps oscar is on the beach of the oceans of god's still to this day. And perhaps. With a little practice you can breathe deeper into the depths of everyday life. Then you have a. After all halloween is a time a possibility. A time when fear is faced and courage is rewarded perhaps out there tonight there is a spirit moving for those who wait. To hear change, knocking. Spirits of the night if they're traveling alongside those children as spirits are want to do if we come upon the house of natalie bobbitt. With natalie herself on the front porch. Natalie is dressed in a cat's ears and whiskers. Truth be told natalie doesn't really care what she is. She just. Doesn't want to be a monster anymore. Oh she knows most people don't see her that way as a monster maybe maybe no one ever did it was so long ago that it happened and how many people really knew or cared about it even then. A public opinion was one thing. Under the pitchforks of her own self-regard madly still felt a lumbering and terrible beast. Less than worthy of the mantle of humanity. Can a monster ever change. But she condemned to be created by one act. All those years ago. She tried all the phrases of self-help find your bliss just move on i'm okay you're okay and so on but they had bounced off her like paper airplanes off king kong. Time was a slightly better healer than catchphrases. Nowadays after all these years she could go days at a stretch not thinking about it. I just feel like a normal human being glory hallelujah. But then the night would come when she would get up to use the bathroom and all of a sudden for no reason it would all come flooding back. That feeling of reproach the groaning sense of horror for her misshapen past. And when she woke up she felt strangely hangover though she hadn't drank in years. Molding to escape her life and just wanting the world to go on without her. It is a beautiful night though. The jack-o'-lanterns winking at her with a flickering light. Look at these adorable children walking up how easily they become one thing and then another first a pumpkin and then a princess. Then a ballerina and a soccer player. Only sheep natalie could muster up. The courage and the know-how to become something else find some other masks change into. It's a monster she knew herself to be with somehow. Underway. What could she be then. Play a phoenix of course. Rising from the flames isn't that what they did. All these years natalie had tried to no avail to keep a clamp on the shame and the sorrow these emotions threatened to become so intense as the burner up. But as a phoenix. She had nothing to fear. The flames that were her destruction. For her salvation. Deepest fears could burner up. And a new her. Forge and flame. Would take wing. Sounded an unlikely. Magic. Maybe it was like that silly old man had said to her at the pharmacy the other day another day. Another chance to be a human being. Corny sure but he must have been through enough changes that old man old as he was what doesn't kill you makes you stronger no. What does kill you. What takes out your insides and feel it leaves you feeling so raw it's as if you've been burned alive. That makes you human. And what then. Maybe. You can fly above it all. Fuel by the embers. After all halloween is a time a possibility. A time when fear is faced and courage is rewarded. Perhaps out there tonight. There's a spirit moving. For those who wait. To hear change. Come knocking. Not far from cassandra the now witch. Only a little ways from oscar the mermen of the soul and nearby to natalie who had been a monster but now is a phoenix. Norman lewis. Is becoming a ghost. He's slipping through the cracks of the home. Homes disappearing into the night. Norman was a biology teacher for 39 years. Explain the processes of life to the incoming sophomore over and over and over again. It's time you saw some new magic in it. How photosynthesis turn the light into life how mitosis turns life into itself and something else. It was all a miracle. And every day mr alouettes was honor to live and breathe and talk that miracle in the halls of his high school. But that was a long time ago now many years. Since his retirement he had dogs in golf and sailing and learning about pokemon and rap music from his grandchildren because hey mr. roberts was not about to let the kids have all the fun without him. And then his body. Did what bodies index inexorably managed to do. And he was subject to another set of processes that he had studied. The processes of the end-of-life happened in spite of the best medical care available on his health plan. Mind it not much. He knew what he was coming. And he had lived long enough to experience that gentle softening. In the obsessive need to always be vibrant and young and alive. Get faded well. But sometimes. He got lost in the plot of a book forgot where he was a little bit. Forgot that his home with his home. And then. When he did mr. elowitz thought to himself. Well the book will go on norm. But you might not. He even said that out loud on occasion. It gave him a curious kind of. He died a few days before halloween. And the textbook that describes what happened. After has not been written. But we do know. That is spirit came through the trees as surely as the moonlight and live upon the lives of the men and women girls and boys of that little town. Mr alouettes was there haunting the home of cassandra lee he his former student to whom he had once given two points extra credit for a goofy drawing in the margins of a test. It was against the rules for her since she's got the answer wrong but cassie a straight-a student was such a stranger to mischief it seemed only right to encourage it. And it was no question that all that norm was striding alongside oscar junior and jose even though he had only seen them in photographs proffered by their father his nurse at his bedside at the hospital. But the love and joy and gratitude in connection with oscar and norm had felt in that moment have to go somewhere it couldn't be contained in a test tube for goodness sakes so it only stood to reason that it must be floating around in the aether. I'm at sacred night in october. And just as surely norm rally with still floating into and out of the lives of 1,000 people like natalie bollinger. Spouting his glorious nonsense into their ears still years after he crossed their paths at a pharmacy. Talina little into the wind. This halloween. And make a wish. You never know who might be listening. After all. Halloween is a time of possibility. A time when fear is face. Encourage. Is rewarded. Perhaps out there. Tonight. There is a spirit moving. For those who wait. To hear change.

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Sermonpodcast-9-30-18.mp3?_=28

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. I don't remember how old i was when i first read the book the giver by lois lowry i suspect some of you have probably read it. It's a relatively small book. The recounts life in an alternate reality maybe a dystopian future. The protagonist jonas is a twelve-year-old and he lives in a world in which sameness has been cultivated. Choice is limited nearly non-existent there's no color. Life is tracked and determined by the powers-that-be and at 12 years old children are assigned to learn some sort of work. Caring for the very young or the old providing games and recreation for the society giving birth to babies that are then placed with families and more. Jonas is chosen to become the next receiver. We learn that the receiver is the one who carries memories memories of the past and of difference. In this world have seen that the climate is controlled so there's no rain or snow but the receiver knows what those are. The receiver sees colors. Knows about pain and suffering and war. And also we learn the receiver knows about real feelings. Including love because in this land of sameness into that individuality is eliminated and uniformity is mandated and so there is no. Dep's to anything. But the receiver holds generation upon generation of memories and truths that are not spoken in the community. So the old receiver to train jonas has to transmit to him all of these memories. He starts with a sled ride on a snowy hill. In this way then jonas becomes the receiver and the old receiver becomes the giver. The giver explains to jonas that the receiver is necessary in this community because without him. The memories would be released. And the community doesn't want to deal with the reality of the full range of human emotion. So instead memories and knowledge are held by one individual. Who sees and hears and knows holness. The good and the bad. Everyone else exists in a state of ignorance completely dispensed exiled from the fullness of human experience. The giver knows and jonas knows too that as long as they hold the memories to themselves the community will live in this suspended place. Not really living. The thrust of fully live. Definitely be ourselves to philly be at home in our bodies and in our lives. We can't turn away from all that makes us different. From all that makes life hard. From the truth of our own experiences. As we gather together this morning we know that embracing difference and wholeness is the first step toward a changed world. This week has been full. On the national stage in congregational life in the lives of members of this community. And i am mindful today is i am every sunday of our need to be together outside of the noise and tension and busyness. Of our day-to-day lives. I am mindful of the need some of you have to sit. In silence. Others to pray others to hear the concerns of your heart. Listed in words that you may not want to speak aloud yourself. This morning to honor the complexities of this week and the diversity of need in our community. We're going to spend a little extra time in our meditation time. So first i'm going to ask you to settle yourself where you are. Define the most. Comfortable position for your body in this. To close your eyes if that feels safe. To breathe in deeply and slowly. Consciously slow down your breath. Inhaling and exhaling not in the hurried way of everyday. But in a way that declares here now. I will stop and breathe. As you keep breathing deeply. I will offer some words. After that we'll move into a time of silence together. And then we will come into a time of song. During that song feel free to sit. Quietly or join in as you wish. Breathe deep. This morning many of us come with weary hearts. There is so much. This morning. We pray for all those finding themselves triggered by the national news. For all survivors. Whether their stories have been told or still remain there is alone. May they know that the moments that altered their lives do not define them. May they know that they are loved. That their survival matters that their living is a gift. To the world. We pray for all of us feeling overwhelmed and emotional and anxious. May all of us find. Comfort in our communities of loving care. Maybe remember that we are more than this moment. In our nation. We pray that our leaders will have the wisdom to move slowly to breathe. Deeply themselves. And to take care as they determine the fates of all of us. May they make decisions with a deep sense of compassion and love. And may they know that all of us are counting on them. Can we pray for those right here in our community who are facing times of grief. Who are facing. Illness. The death of a beloved family member. May they know they are not. We are here to hold them and offer them our. As we breathe deeply and slowly we each of us use the time of silence. In ways that best. Comfort hours. Breathing. Each breath. In and out. Testament to the strength of. I first encountered the sculpture that you see when i was in high school we were lucky enough to have an art history teacher who believed in on-site visits. And i was privileged enough to have a family that could support my participation in such a trip all the way to italy. On that trip we went to the villa borghese now the galleria borghese in the gallery are numerous john lorenzo bernini sculptures. Pluto and persephone there's a david there are many busts and then this one. This is apollo and daphne. Created in the 1620. It captures a moment in the ancient greek myth concerning the two characters for which it is named. The story tells us that apollo. Struck by cupid's arrow becomes enamored with daphne. A beautiful daughter of a river god. A nymph. But daphne has been struck by. A different kind of cupid's arrow one we never really here about. The arrow that causes its receiver to. Issue love altogether so she has no desire. For apollo's love. And she flees. But apollo pursued her relentlessly. As she flees she tires and apollo catches up. In her fear. David writes in his metamorphoses daphne cries out to her father the river god saying. Help me my father if i flowing streams have virtue. Cover me oh mother earth destroy the beauty that has injured me. Or change the body that destroys my life. David continues. Before her prayer was ended torpor seized on all her body and a thin bark. Who's around her gentle bosom and her hair became as moving leaves. Her arms were changed to waving branches and her active feet as clinging roots were fastened to the ground. Her face was hidden with encircling leaves. Daphne prayer is granted in that last moment and she turns into a laurel tree. Before apollo can fully capture her. And you can see that moment. In this piece. He's just grabbing out for her in the transformation has begun. Her fingers are turning to leaves on her feet up her legs bark. Creeps. Apollo sees her changed form and is shocked. But still finds the tree appealing beautiful and decides that the laurel will be his symbol. He declares that just as he never cuts his hair the leaves of the laurel will never fall. And indeed the laurel then comes to hold a place of great importance in terms of ancient symbolism a wreath of laurels is used to crown at gyros. Apollo had a twin the goddess artemis. Goddess of the hunt of vegetation and wild animals and chastity and childbirth. Apollo on the other hand. Was the god of design distance who sent or threatened from afar. The god who made men aware of their own guilt and purified them of it. Who presided over religious law and the constitutions of cities. Even the gods feared him. In time apollo also eclipse helios became associated with the sun. The sculpture is astonishing as with. Moose bernini works there is a realism to the marble rendering the flesh gives as flesh wood. The leaves are thin as leaves are the bark appears rough to the touch. The sculpture is an object of incredible beauty. And i love it. For that reason. There's something visually soothing and it's perfection and smoothness. And yet. It is an incredibly difficult piece to look at. And the story is no less difficult to hear here is a powerful god feared even by other gods. Pursuing a river maiden who has no desire to be pursued. Inner efforts to escape she has to change herself completely. She becomes because she feels she has no other choice. Exiled from her own wholeness from her own very body. I can temporary poet say george reflects on the story of apollo and daphne and a brief piece writing. Unsure of her own nature she cried out to her father the river to save her from the ardent god's intent. Great as her fear of the gods rock pursuit her own self-doubt floater step dog to the brains where she must perish or healed. Or barring the choice alter herself. The blood drain for her limbs where she stood pale is mist blown from the river's mouth. Her bruised feet. Punished from the hard passage. Welcome to coolsmooth mud of the bank. In an in she sank until she felt something rising in her like breath. A voice softer than the purling river. It knew her name. Lifting her head she found herself on her own ground now. Before a baffled god. Amazed at the shape of his changed woman. The story this piece of art and not poem are at once a recognition of what is. The real fact. A frequent sexual violence and the denial of female bodily autonomy. And of what also is. That those who are oppressed and pursued and deny their full humanists find ways to become strong. Ways to endure. When i first thought about this final sermon in this month in which are larger theme is home. My thoughts let me toward exile and i thought. Perhaps i would speak about homelessness the ongoing crisis in our nation that finds so many people of all ages without physical shelter exiled and so many ways. From a typical life. When it truly is within the capacity of our society to provide this most basic human right. I thought perhaps i would tie it into sukkot. The jewish observance that took place this last week. How much jewish people sleep in outdoor temporary shelters to commemorate the time they spent in exile after being freed from egypt. Maybe i thought. An overlay with reminders about the tragedies of humanitarian crisis unfolding around the world. And yemen. For the rohingya people in myanmar in syria. What it means to be exiled from the only home you have ever known. And to live in temporary shelter at the mercy of other nations who will not prioritize your health and safety. Let alone your homeless. I could have talked about these things probably four days and we probably will talk about these things. For a moment i thought i would that i'd leave them in there be a subtle undercurrent it's about mental and emotional and psychological exile. But it couldn't be a subtle undercurrent not this week. Because i listen to the senate judiciary committee hearings on thursday in between a visit with our board president a visit to hospice and a visit with a racial justice team. All i kept coming back to. Was the undercurrent. The notion that each day every day we didn't i each other our wholeness in ways small and large. And the result is a whole bunch of people and a whole nation. Living in exile. Exiled from our highest ideals exiled from deep truth and real love and from. Full-bodied complete and whole personhood. An old friend deserves a shout-out he helped me connect the dots in my thinking this week. So thank you goes to my friend eric. I couldn't get apollo and daphne out of my head because on thursday. We encountered a modern-day daphne and apollo. Christine blasey ford like many women and men around this world experience to trauma. And like many of us in the immediate aftermath of such an experience she withdrew. She found a way to push it out of herself wall herself up. Push forward. We find ways to survive exile. The resilience of the human spirit is. Incredible. We see it time and time again as individuals and communities weather tragedies that it seems ought to break them. For some of us. That surviving is what we can manage and there is a strength in our very living in our very breathing. Nancy shoppers poem that we heard before the meditation affirms that. Life can be cruel still we find ways to keep going we find ways to turn ourselves into trees compartmentalize separate to do what we need to do to survive. Others others of us may in time find a way to integrate that trauma into our understanding of ourselves. Dr. ford found a way to do this through supportive communities and loving friends and therapists. She confronted the reality of her own memories difficult though they were. And then some of us. Find ways to speak out as she did. To rise up before others and tell her stories but. For each survivor the path is different there is no correct. Way and there's no correct. Timeline. Every survivors journey is their own. And however they find a way to survive is no one else's to judge. Dr. ford exemplified one way. To survive. I don't know how many of you watched on thursday or listened. It was not easy. To hear someone recount those deep personal experiences is challenging. To watch a woman relive her trauma is uncomfortable for many. Has been triggering of their own trauma for many others and i. Really do hope that you have been gentle with yourselves this week. And with everyone in your life. I found challenging to though the performance of our modern-day apollo. Privilege and patriarchy were on display. Amidst also the obvious partisanship the begin to show itself as the day went on. Refusal to engage in the normal processes of investigation that could corroborate or cast doubt the determination to move forward no matter what blustering and is eating. All of the folks doubting dr. ford story not unlike apollo pushing and chasing and trying to use. Strength and volume to wear down the other side and gain victory. Those tactics of shouting and then abruptly crying of. Playing the victim and then digging in on small lies about which truly surely the truth could have been told. The self-assurance and the self-righteousness. Absolutely calls to mind. That apollo like sense that daphne was his due. Perfect god that he was. Doreen st. felix wrote in the new yorker. At the time of this writing composed in the a sour of their protest historic activity happening in the capitol hill chamber. It should be plain as day that what we witnessed was the patriarchy testing how far its politics of resentment can go. And there is no limit. There was in this performance not even a hint of the suggested e one expects from a potential supreme court justice. More than presenting a convincing rebuttal to ford's extremely credible account. Kavanaugh and others seem to be exterminating live for an american audience. Destinos ocean that a massively successful white man could have his birthright question. Or his character held the most basic type of scrutiny. The sense of entitlement the idea that kavanagh's life will be ruined if he's not confirmed to the supreme court. What's the subject of late-night talk-show monologues and many a tweet. There wasn't hearing but also the weeks that let up and in the days since a perceptible sense among some that he is somehow owed that position. But his success his maleness his privilege his. Academic high school career. Make it his to lose rather than to gain. Tell read to me at least that hearing and i just kept thinking. My god how far we have strayed from our ideals. How far we have been exiled from the possibility that this nation represent. Because of the greed and entitlement and privilege and anger and fear. Of a few. How often and for how long must some of us be exiled from our fullness in order to preserve the system as it is. System. Many will say is patriarchy. And patriarchy i want to be very clear in exiles all of us. From our wholeness male and female identified alike. And another piece discussing the issue of patriarchy and power in america. Umair haque wrote this. This was the day american patriarchy took off his mask. And revealed its true self to the world. Men and patriarchal hierarchies only have two behaviors available to them. Those who will climb to the top of such systems must do so by becoming the most dominant and controlling. Famous threatened the most violence. When they cannot do that. They must become obsequious maybe even weepy playing the victim. That way they're potential power is maximized those below them fall into line or those above aren't threatened. The reason that men in such structures make sport of abuse is that abuse is what establishes the hierarchy. And america is made of just such hierarchies such a pecking orders of dominance and violence. Maybe implicit. From work to politics to culture. Intense america is a place where abuse and predation have become endemic. Systemic and normal. He goes on to note that we america come by this patriarchal hierarchical system honestly. Social structures he writes which go on selecting for violence not say for courage truth kindness wisdom intelligence or compassion. Are the grimm residue the toxic waste. Of centuries of supremacy of racism of slavery of genocide if we are honest. That is america's curse. Only a fool would suppose that they can go on destroying everything in their path and get away with it either as a person or as a country. What we saw on thursday. As modern-day daphne was given her chance to tell her story was the angry response of apollo and a system that supports apollo's. And that system hurts us all because it leaves apollo only able to be. Angry violent entitled and aggressive not his whole self either. Daphne can only be an object. Pursued and in her escape less than human. It's a system that exiles all of us. But there's another way and we see glimpses of it. Last week i quoted parker palmer quoting thomas merton. Without idea that in all things there is a hidden wholeness. We talked about how in living in dying in the cycles of our earth there is a hidden. Hummus. And this week it occurred to me not for the first time but it shouldn't have to be hidden in us. We. Women of color people of color marginalized and oppressed people should not have to hide alter or conceal our wholeness simply in order to survive. In order to maintain the rights and dignity and autonomy that should be inherent in all people. We should not have to exile parts of ourselves any of us. Any of us to experience the oppression of prejudice or stigma or entrenched. Patriarchy which is all of us. Should not have to hide the wholeness of who we are just to survive. So how do we come back home from that exile how do we. Come home to the best in each of us. Home to our homeless individuals and a nation. We can follow those glimpses of another way. That we see. Whenever we survive whenever other survivors share their stories. And whenever we allow ourselves to see each other. As more than partial. When we allow each other to be whole. I always come back to that shaffer poem. My theology is not included god as unmoved mover or as the one that saves or kills or the one who gives or withholds love. Just as she writes. My theology includes something some unknown thing that offers us all the deep knowledge of our wholeness. The deep knowledge that we are not alone. Something she writes that is the beginning of love. Something so large wherever we are we are not separate. And that's where i start that i think is the beginning of the end. A cultural and emotional exile. And hopefully ultimately the end of a patriarchal system of power that perpetuates violence. We must see in our own very breath. In our own very determination to survive something larger than us that affirms to us over and over that we are not alone. We are not. I have said before and i'll say it over and over again that my very simple understanding. Unitarian universalism my face and my fiala g is that we are loved beyond measure even their darkest moments with all our flaws. We are loved and we are whole. And we are part of something much larger than our own individual lives. Love and oneness a theology that affirms this can be the beginning of a return home. My theology teaches me that each of you. Each of us. That we fail and fall and are broken we are also whole and that whole mess has to be celebrated and embraced. And recognized each to each. It also teaches me that exile is probably part of the cycle and always will be but there we are called over and over to return home. The truth and justice in our highest ideals. I know we who believe in these things cannot give up. We have to believe truly and deeply that each and every day is an opportunity to welcome one more person into the struggle to come home. Do the best in themselves and in all of us. In her poem the low road marge piercy writes about the power of community. She writes that one has the power to survive like daphne. To do what must be done in order to survive. The sacrifice and change and become whatever is needed to ensure that life remains. When can fight and refuse and even take revenge she says. But two. Maybe like doctor ford and her husband perhaps. Two can fight back-to-back hold each other up. Three are a wedge and i pictured dr. ford and her lawyers. And 46 a dozen and so on 100 filhall. 10000 have power and your own paper. Millions witness. Do the courage and strength of doctor for den to the disheartening shouts of american patriarchy on thursday. She writes that we we. Can do so much more. When one at a time we stand up we care we act. When one of the time we come together to form communities that will not sit idly by. One after another adding slowly but surely to the movement. It will be released from fear and will act even when we are told no. She knows that it takes more than one. What is daphne had had a community of river nymphs that had her back. Who believed her and stood up even against the most powerful god. What if we value connection and truth and community more than we value individual success and wealth. And the clubs are demographics. We don't know what's going to happen this coming week or two with this supreme court nomination. But we did witness on friday. With the power of one then two then three and a dozen and thousands can do. With their breasts and their words and their strength. They can shake the self-righteousness. Shake the self-assured foundations of the patriarchy that exiled us all from wholeness. The giver tells us a story of a community devoid of death. Everything is bland on the surface there's no color no music no real emotions. Even in that community they couldn't figure out how to deny the power of wholeness altogether. Enter the memories in the knowledge had to be contained. Transmitted from generation to generation but only to a chosen one. The end as you might guess fines jonas in the giver finding away. To release the memories slowly. So the community can again begin to know what it is to be whole. Rather than transmitting from one generation to the next our systems of oppression and exile. We have to find ways to transmit. The fullness of human life with all its messiness and sorrows and joys we must find ways to teach all our children all of them. They don't need to put themselves into the boxes of hunter or hunted. All of us need to learn and then relearn over and over again that we do not need to prove ourselves to be loved. Neither does anyone else. We do not need to hide ourselves and neither does anyone else. We can be whole and full and real. And in that wholeness that we refuse to hide. We will find our and others perfection. It's only an embracing and respecting the autonomous wholeness of each and every being that we will begin to find our way home to ourselves and to each other. Maybe take steps along that journey each and every day. Breathing deeply and slowly. Returning from exile. So maybe.

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Sermonpodcast-1-17-16.mp3?_=37

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood in new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. The arc of the moral universe who bends it the answer is we bandit. 1853 theodore parker unitarian minister in. Abolitionist who was a radical even among the abolitionists. Both of the moral universe is arc is long and bends toward justice. More than a century later martin luther king jr declared the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice. And two years ago the journalist rebecca solnit. An article. About the. Arc of the moral universe for tom dispatch. Dot-com saying sometimes martin luther king's arc of the moral universe that bends toward justice. Is so long few can see the curve. So what is this talk. About bending the arc of the moral universe toward justice all about. What much a science tells us that the universe is impersonal and morally neutral. But the sound a bit like my nineteenth-century predecessors conscience and history tell us something else. There are four different ways of knowing and their different kinds of truth. And the truth is which i speak today is moral. Even if it sounds metaphorical. And just as true as scientific truth. The arc of the moral universe is something closer. To my experience of human beings. Then an experience of an impersonal. And neutral physical universe. And even the difficult times in which we live today. We know that since the 1950s that orc has been toward justice. But we also know that their persons enforces today trying to bend it back. The question is who bends the moral arc of the universe toward justice. And the answer is we bandit. What was the experience of parker in the 1850s and king in the 1960s. Such a thing could assert the hope. Even the deeply held belief that the arc of the universe bends toward justice. Both were speaking in times of racism economic injustice and war. Parker sermon of justice and the conscience. Reads rather analytically an abstract lie by today's standards for sermons. It's full of ideas. But it fits in a historical context. In 1804 haiti became the first colony to throw off your opinion rule. An active independence much celebrated. Amongst progressives and liberals of that era. In the united states. 1846 1848. There was widespread opposition to the mexican war. Including acts of civil disobedience. It 1848 they were revolutions in europe. Do not successful. Proof of the wheel of people to rise up against oppression. And many of those who could no longer live. In germany because their roles that came to the united states. And some of them became military officers and one is actually an undersecretary in lincoln cabinet. And contributed a great deal. Purchase travel here in fact one of those german military officers does the us military officer when effort was taken. Whenever it was made to take over. The united state armory in st louis and he led the forces that defended it. 1850 the passage of the fugitive slave act. A major step backward. In the midst of the period from 1830 to 1860 with. And possibly 100,000 slaves. Came to the north in canada via the underground railroad. Fugitive slave act enacted. Was widely disobeyed. And there is parker at 1853 looking at this. And saying yes they're steps forward and steps backwards. But the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice. Between parker's death in 1860 and kings rise to prominence. Just under a century later. It was more a history. The civil war 1861 1865 bring about emancipation. Followed by the enfranchisement of black men as voters. There was reconstruction. Then it was a demolition of reconstruction and the establishment of jim crow racism. And the girls have both legal. And de facto segregation. The clan rose up. And terrorize people across the country. Then there was the populist movement. Sometimes race is sometimes not but fighting against economic. Inequality. In the beginning of the 1880s the golden age. When corporations dominated everything the rise of the labor movement. Striking back at those corporations. And fighting for the rights of working people. A movement that peaked in the 1950s. There two world wars there was the new deal there was the cold war. And even before king became prominent the beginning. Have a labor and civil rights coalition. Prophetic words indeed prove true and effective. And justice justice triumph not steadily not all the time. But now and again and bit by bit. Bending. The arc toward justice. Enduring kings public career the 1955 montgomery. Bus boycott. The 1963 march for jobs and justice. And freedom freedom jobs and justice he know people remember king speech from that. About the dream and all that. And forget that a big part of the point of that march was jobs. 64 freedom summer. White college students going to the south and work young voter registration. And kings. Receipt of the nobel peace prize in 1964. Which led him to miss an event he very much wanted to attend. A dinner in honor of norman thomas's 80th birthday. Head of the socialist party who'd run for president several times. And it got more votes as a third-party candidate than anyone before or since in usa. But king wrote. An essay in honor of thomas's. 80th birthday. Title the bravest man in the world. 1965 the selma-to-montgomery march. And following that the introduction of civil rights legislation by president lyndon johnson. The same time growing opposition to the war in vietnam which king joined in vocally 1967. And then gave increasing emphasis to poor people's rights in the poor people's campaign. A supporting sanitation workers striking in memphis when he was assassinated in 90. 58. His last speech. Which is called the sermon and some texts. Was actually speech to union gathering at a church in memphis. His i've been to the mountaintop. American federation of state, county and municipal employees would organize the garbage workers in them. Prophetic truth-telling inaction switches. King exemplify canister. A great deal of support but it can also stir opposition for aloo supported from previous efforts. What skin came out against the war in vietnam which he saw as a racist towards wells an imperialist war. You want some of his labor and political support. A lot of good labor jar of jobs are in the. War industries. And a lot of the union to chafed under his criticism of their whiteness and unwillingness to integrate. Even as they supported. Voting rights. From the star king was clear. The three evils in the world and they were connected. Speaking to the 1960 convention of the retail wholesale and department store union district 65. King said there are three major social evils. The evil of war evil of economic injustice. An evil of racial injustice. And although racial injustice is the one. Most of us remember. He always connected them. Coretta scott king told cornel west of the stark. I've heard martin's relationship. He quotes her as saying on my first date with mark and i was surprised cuz i never met a black socialist before. But he was. Kings connections with the peace movement fellowship of reconciliation socialism go back. To his early days. And it's an interesting by a biographical. That he grew up in relative comfort in the solid black middle-class atlanta. And for the first time so poverty upfront when is a college duty took a summer job harvesting tobacco. In the. Tobacco fields used to exist these depart for connecticut. Ed slott. Extreme poverty among white farming families. And that interesting enough sparked his interest in economic just. Now where is theodore parker in 1800s full of vitriol. King's nonviolent demanded that he loved. Reonomy. Use force. Soul forces gandhi put it but love the enemy. Love the person. His idea of a loving person will god. Demonstrated with human being. Needed to do. And this is what he said in his speech titled beyond vietnam in 1967 and i quote. Here is the true meaning and value of compassion and nonviolence. What it helps us to see the enemies point of view. To hear his questions. To know his assessment of ourselves. For from his view we may indeed see the basic weaknesses of our own. Condition. And if we are mature. We may learn and grow and profit. From the wisdom of brothers we're called the opposition. Justice and kings you could not be complete without reconciliation. The triumph of civil rights laws yes was good civil rights was changed behaviors. But they did not bring about reconciliation between. Nonetheless because of civil rights laws. Two generations later children and young people growing up in a world that is much different. But it's still clear that we have not achieved the beloved community of which king spoke. After two generations of changed behavior as many hearts. Remain unchanged. We see the hearts and changed. In the virulent denial over the last seven years that barack obama is legitimate president. That is racism pure and simple. We see the reality of hearts and change them push back in with michelle alexander has labeled the new jim crow. The use of imprisonment to disenfranchise black males. The disenfranchised of mostly. Black voters. In places like florida and other states. Partly because. Partly through. The use of felony convictions prevent people becoming voters again. After completing their terms and finishing parole. And partly through the use of id's that are burdensome. For people who are poor. I really isolated a racially isolated. Increase keeping of guns at home and carrying them in public. As if. The white man's frontier. Had returned. Can i see the changes. An open carry laws. And people like. Who call themselves militia. And i remember some forty-five or so years ago in a group of black students carry guns onto college campus saying we are not safe here with all these white people around us. And the horror that arose from that. How much greater horror. Then we see. Please open carry laws. And the spread of weapons. Indeed we live in a time where there seems to be a wave of violence. The list of names of. Black men in black. Teenagers even black children who have been killed by police is too long. Trayvon martin. In florida eric garner and staten island tamir rice and clevelander just three. There many more. Many more. Those in the black lives matter movement are rightfully angry. But they're not. Violence. And the black lives matter movement. Is a manifestation that same struggle. It's been going on. Did slavery dominated this country. Anger is seething. Around this country apart because it's with few exceptions. We have never done the work of. Truth and reconciliation. That the union south africa did it in effort. Not to blow up after the change in regime. And not to let old angler's inn hatreds. Prevent. A new reality from developing. There's one noteworthy example of that the united states in greensboro north carolina. We're a group of plan with the cooperation of police shot and killed. Erase a diverse group of demonstrators. 1978 i think it was. And people in that community stayed and worked on that and done. Processes of truth and reconciliation in order to rebuild. That community. And move beyond that violets. The threat of violence against african-americans is nothing new. I mentioned it here before but the. First time i was involved in. Struggles with the police around. Misconduct in violent towards young black males was in the 1970s in los angeles. It's not news. But the news is getting better. Showing it. The 1850s the reverend theodore parker kept a loaded gun in the pulpit. Why. Because black members of his congregation escape slavery. I could be returned under the fugitive slave act. And he made it clear that if anyone wanted to kidnap any members of his congregation. They were going to have to get past. The minister. He was not going to let them be taken away. And we know today. That something is happening at ben's the moral arc away from justice there's a lot of it. But the struggle to bend towards justice continues. In recent years we've seen the occupy movement. Take on economic injustice and although it seems to have disappeared. The conversation about economic injustice has changed. Received a rising last 2 years black lives matter. Like hitting insisting on bending. The arc of the moral universe. For justice. So again i ask the question i want you to answer it this time who bends the arc of the moral universe. We bandit. Now parker in kingsville the arc of the moral universe is god's work. Both felt compelled to work for justice. And. And if you've ever. I may be the only one here was red kings doctoral dissertation but it's well worth reading. It's about the nature of god. And it's very interesting cuz it help us understand have. Although he believed in a personal lovett and justice making god. He understood that youman beings had to do the work. Both these men felt compelled for justice to work for justice they were not alone they built up congregations and other organizations as manifestations. And driving forces to create with king. It's called the beloved community. The build the beloved community in the world at large. The beloved community is a just world in which all persons can share the wealth of the world and freely developed. Their gift in the potential and solidarity with one another. Where they can disagree with respect. They can live together. In freedom. And neither of these heroes 141 century and the other from another. Did this work alone. Parker had good friends were all seen the struggle henry david thoreau. Who now he spent two years at walden pond but was a conductor on the underground railroad. Louisa may alcott who not only wrote children's books. And listen attentively to parker sermons when she was young working woman in boston. It was a civil war nurse. And a lonely voice in favor of interracial marriage. Woodhaven most. Are the abolitionists. Scared of that. Ralph waldo emerson him cornel west called the greatest. Literary figure of nineteenth-century america. Spoke out against slavery though not in the rousing voices good friend theodore parker. But did much more behind the scenes. When henry david thoreau road knocked on his door late at night and said. Waldo i need your horse and buggy. Waldo said i knew what it was for instead of course. It was one more stage of the underground railroad. And parker was among those who raise funds for john brown's attempted guerrilla war against slavery. And king had many colleagues. And allies in the struggle. His closest infighter advisors in. Conrad's included fred shuttlesworth ralph. Abernathy and james lawson. Who continued the struggle the rest of their lives long after king was dead. Thousands joined them on marches and boycotts in jail and in the struggle. And when you think about how easy it would be for black men to disappear from a jail and be lynched. It is amazing how. Brave. That civil disobedience was. When the call the selma was issued many unitarian universalist ministries answer the call including the reverend james reeb. Who is killed. In selma. And whose memory this congregations office in classroom building next door is named. Now many of you have bent the arc of the moral universe toward justice. Many of you have been involved. In civil rights in the anti-war movement the reproductive rights movement. In the work for immigration reform. Glbtq rights. And your ongoing engagement in and support to the people's organization for progress. I could go on. I just want to say it's a slow bending. It was ninety years in the end of the civil war to brown v board of education. And the montgomery bus boycott. Do we have to keep bending it. We do. We do. Just two years ago rebecca solnit wrote at length about the ark. She talked about henry david thoreau. I called her henry david thoreau books that not many people read when they were published. He famously said of his unsold copies i now have a library of nearly 900 volume over 700 of which i wrote myself. But it sounds african lawyers indian descent named mohandas gandhi. Read thoreau on civil disobedience. And found ideas that help him fight discrimination in africa. And then liberate his own country from british rule. Martin luther king study thoreau and gandhi and put their ideas to work in the united states. Quality 1852 the african national congress and the young nelson mandela. We're collaborating with the south. African indian congress. On civil disobedience campaign. You wish you could write through a letter about all this. Hit no way of knowing. That what he planned it would still be bearing fruit 151 years after his death. She concludes but the past. Doesn't need us. The past guides us. The future needs. Bending the arc of the moral universe is not a weekend project. Is i have stone famously said if you've taken on a problem you can solve in your own lifetime you haven't taken on a big enough problem. And that's why i put parker in king's rhetoric. In the context of history. We see that they possessed with the unitarian minister steve and whole fritchman who is one of my models and mentors. Call revolutionary patience. We must have revolutionary patience. As more recent struggles sold it wrote nearly three years after the first parts of the arab spring began it's wiser to consider it to barely begun. Rather than ended in failure. More than two years after the first members of occupy wall street begin decapping in the camping in zuccotti park. That movement is not over either. The almost all the encampments of subsided and engagement has new names. Occupy sandy strike debt and more. The everything continues to metamorphose. Seems a better way to think of social upheaval. Staind obituaries and epitaphs. Black lives matter began less than two years ago in his already bent. The arc of the moral universe. Toward justice. There are times when we feel the furious russian history forward. They're rare but from time to time we feel them. In the civil rights movement the anti-war movement we felt them. More often it feels as if we're being pulled backward. And a lot of the time that's how it feels today. But the arc of the moral universe is long and it does been toward justice. The work of bending is not just a matter of winning battles on issues it is a matter of changing hearts. Including our own. So i ask you again who bends it. Who band. Who bends it all right.

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Sermonpodcast-12-6-15.mp3?_=40

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood in new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. Who goes on the holiday tree is a recurring theme for me. I've been having fun with it for years. But the fun really began. Shortly after i separated from my second wife. And my daughter is spending weekends with me and after a year of being essentially homeless i just say sleeping wherever friendswood let me sleep. I i rented a room in a house in fair haven new jersey. From one of my fellow members of the unitarian universalist congregation in lincroft. I wish i was a member while doing community ministry for quite a few years. And how. It was someone who. A jewish background. That's been part of his life living in africa. In an arab africa both places. Add was now settled in semi-retirement in. In fairhaven and. Had a room he like to rent out in the second house on the same property. I could afford the room not the second house. But i asked if he would mind if i put up a christmas tree for when my daughter visited around christmas time. He was jewish. He never had a christmas. So i went out and we agreed on where i put it up and i went out and i bought some sets of lights and some cheap ornaments and i got a tree that stood about maybe so high. And he agreed. Reading where i set up living room i said that my daughter's over there. She decorated it with me. And up and we went off and did other things and came back. An owl. For whom. The descriptions unitarian buddha versalus fit. I turn my first heard close to 40 years ago. Had hung a buddha statue in the tree. And that's what got me thinking about is unitarian universalist particular universalist. Side and inclusivity. Well why not a booger on the christmas tree. So excuse me for a moment. Well i put a put a. So we now have a buddha on the holiday tree. Why i found the secret any representations of anything related to jesus. We'll let that go. Is everyone knows that the christmas tree. Has many possible origin. Yo the mystery tree from medieval. Mystery plays in some places these plays will be done on christmas eve and there'd be a tree in the middle of a representing the tree in the garden of eden. And the actors with pick apples off of them and then these became decorations. We're fruitwood behind the trees. Boston apples. It's interesting how you know. They would celebrate what was supposedly the fruit that led to the downfall. And. But you know. Religious and cultural customs don't always make a whole lot of sense. Does today then there are other stories that maybe was adapted from old germanic customs having to do with trees. And how central trees were. Did northern european culture. Some people don't think that counts because. Already. In the mediterranean. Really in the christian era. Christian's head adopted or adapted. Roman custom of building. Triangular shells and putting candles on them is as. Saturnalia decorations. And then the. Some of the early christians adopted that sort of look like a tree because. The actual origin of christmas trees. Confused. But interesting. Yeah that mystery play tree of life and you also had a history. In pre-christian times of the. In northern europe. A putting green boughs on the doors of houses to ward off evil spirits. The origins of the christmas wreath. And i suspect my father being swedish. And having no great love for the state church of sweden which he grew up. Was probably going on deep pagan roots in making that wreath every year. He also truly love the woods in the trees. And that land we lived on in connecticut which. Look a lot like southwestern sweden where he was from. But actual christmas trees. Their records are those going back to the 1400s. It was now estonia and lithuania. There was a customer sitting up. Taking the tree. From the the mystery plays the christmas plays. And carrying them out to the talent square with candles on them dancing around them with the young men in the young ladies of the village getting to meet each other. I've been burning the tree in the town square. There are definite records of christmas trees being kept up his decoration from the 16th century. In that part of europe. And well-established in germany by within a century after that. And even with germans in canada that have christmas trees in the 1700s. Sorry we can't claim that the unitarian minister charles fallen who is german was the first one to bring it to north america. But he did popularize it amongst the. The yankee elites of new england. And there had actually been some german prisoners during the revolutionary war who set up a tree. In a prison camp where they were held in connecticut. During the revolution more revolutionary war. Lots of great stories about how we got the christmas tree. And there's lots of great stories about how immigrants and other cultures have related to christmas trees. I have may have mentioned my aunt kidding uncle mikey who were really migrate and kitty and great-uncle michael. Uncle mikey in my whole extended italian sicilian family in the bronx was the only devout catholic. He went to mass everyday use apartment building super in the bronx. He went to mass every day. Aunt kitty was jewish. Can you imagine a catholic. Jewish wedding in the bronx in the 1930s. I mean that was pretty far out then. And so you know when we visit them and their three daughters my cousins. In their basement apartment in the bronx where the sun never shown. They had what they referred to as a hanukkah bush. And they had drawings that represented both christmas and hanukkah. And rabbi joel plowed his reno whole book. On the 12 days of hanukkah. And christmas trees and jewish christmas trees and christian jewish customs. And most of the great. Pop music songs of american songbook that happy with christmas written and performed by juice. Mel torme. Gyro uno. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. And also made when the best recordings a good king wenceslas i've ever heard i mean that's that's the standard. That song is recording. And and. So. Mix these cultures up and and made pastiches of them. End. And so and then we have what we call neutral holiday trees i think that's what we have here until the buddha went on it. But it's okay. There are other trees that little bit. Voluspa. But yggdrasil the world tree. In the world tree motif in norse mythology. I mentioned that to my my sister maria the other day i forgot about a drizzle i used to read those when he was a kid. But idris idris elba. Is an evergreen ash tree town ash tree. Is a hardwood tree that does drop its leaves ordinarily. But it griselda world tree in norse mythology stay green year round and it was the center of the world. Just as in many other cultures going back at least the ancient mideast and in. Other continents in other cultures. Trees have represented the center of the world. What. Merced ellioti called the axis mundi. The axis of the earth. And houses would be built to resemble trees. And there be a center post resembling a tree pointing to the axis of the earth. It's okay drizella in norse mythology represented that. And there were springs at the base. And deer that drank from the springs and ate of the tree but never traveled eat enough to hurt the tree. And the norns were up what we have, which is but that's not really quite the right there more like. Forest spirits. Wahoo who lived at the base of the tree. And then there's a whole story about the creation of the world in the last battle at ragnarok. And how the leaves of the tree will be seeing but it was deals. Beforeitsnews. That's some of the symbolism that's tied up in our holiday tree. It's amazing to athol when people look at it no matter what the particular decorations are depending on what culture they're from. But there are other important trees. And another one that comes up at this time of year is the bodhi tree. The bodhi tree under which. Bordeaux was enlightened. December 8th is voting day in japan. A holiday where trees are decorated with lamps in three colors. To represent. Enlightenment the dharma and tsonga. And. It is a celebration. Are the teachings of buddha. The enlightenment. Now what the bodhi tree has anyone has ever seen a bodhi tree. I bet you have some of you. I'll turn on isabella or banyan tree. Shakyamuni or gautama depending which version. Sat under the tree for. For seven weeks. Fasting. Until he was enlightened. 347 weeks you know but 7 weeks under that tree. Well as you know about. A ball or banyan tree. Cast out secondary trunks that drop down as runners from the. Branches. I finally got this. Understand understand it in lahaina in maui. Which is you know when new england whaling shipping village in hawaii. That was a stopping point for the whaling ships crossing the pacific in the house it's all look like they're on the coast of massachusetts. But are the town square. There's a banyan tree that covers over third of an acre when tree. And also at least. When i was there about 25 years ago. The largest statue in bhutan outside of asia. So many new buddhist temples are built around the world since and i'm not sure it still is but at that time it was. And there was a third of an acre sure you could stay under there for weeks. I'm still working on the fasting for seven weeks at when i don't get. What shelter. What a shelter that is and. And there are banyan trees in this country there's one in the grounds of the museum of fine arts in st. petersburg a magnificent specimen. And another one in the parking lot in st petersburg senior center. Which. It's sort of protected. But the curb going up to the main trunk doesn't help it. So but that's kind of a magical tree in their stories about how cuttings from that tree have it planted elsewhere. For a reference and meditation. In in the indian subcontinent. And even that one of them was planted with. Historical but his own permission to help. His followers. Meditate. Trees as. The actress of the world also place of. Shelter. There is a kind of a. Ever evolving. Christmas review called me casa tu casa that's done by a bunch of art musicians and actors from the jerk from jersey city area. As in three languages english spanish in spanglish. And the first time i saw this review maybe 7 or 8 years ago. This girl. Who'd come to. New yorker new jersey one of the densities from. Puerto rico. And is living with her mother. And father and brother and sister in a one-bedroom apartment. Until the children are sleeping in the living room. Which he never liked very much but then there would be christmas. And they put up a christmas tree. And instead of sleeping in the regular fold-out sofa. Should get to sleep under the tree and she felt so happy and safe there. The tree. It's a very different kind of shelter than the windows of their apartment. A shelter that. Then just protect them from the storm but. Held them in a warm way. And help them feel. Even more love than they knew they were by their parents. And we certainly. You need that kind of shelter these days. Where we can field safe. And. Warm. And. Who out. I told you i've done several services with this team. On december 16th 2012. It was two days after the shootings in newtown connecticut. And i was at church about 40 miles from newtown. There was no way not to incorporate that. Into that sunday. And that was the sunday we had a mitten tree in that congregation where children came up and brought gifts to go to poor families. And as they were bringing the gifts up and putting them on the tree. The flaming chalice started melting down. It looks like we might have our own disaster there. Silverstone. With the sterno can of alcohol and salt in it which is where the flame came from. The sterno can melted the burning alcohol 30 going down through this phone and coming out through the side of the chalice. One of the members of congregation saw this happening went up and stood between the. Now melting down chalice in the christmas tree. Ophir tree. Translates into christmas tree oh christmas tree. The kids get finished he turns around and grab the towels were just now pulling flames down the sidewalks. And puts it out. That was really brave. He said. Phases my do for a living on a firefighter. So if you're a good person have your congregation if you're claiming chalice meltdown. Undergraduate degree in theater so he really knew how to make it work. But we do need you know but we needed not to have a problem that sunday cuz there's almost already so much hurt in the room. And he and i'll do when. After children had left. We did talk about that as part of the service the shootings and how to talk with children about that. But why the children with their we needed not to have our own catastrophe. And good david moore who helped us not to have our own catastrophe. There. And then you're later i did a service on this team in. Clearwater florida. What was it. 3 days after the death of nelson mandela. And so part of that service. Was devoted to the memory of mandela. Including a poem written by his daughter about a how a tree was cut down in the forest today. Which ian written today or father died. And so yes we had our christmas celebration. And our tree. But also another recognition of loss. And now we have. But becoming almost a daily occurrence. In this country. The mass killings. One statistic says there's a killing with at least four victims almost every day in the united states. And there is a lot of pain and hurt in the world. And is important. That there'll be letters at the social justice table today about solidarity with. People planned parenthood colorado springs. And the minister of the unitarian universalist church in colorado springs was probably the first person in public to call an act of terrorism. And was roundly criticized for doing so as they were holding memorial service in that church. But yet we live at that fear every day and how do we keep our children safe. And how do we keep ourselves safe and how do we keep warm and loved. Alive. Does one thing. That these sorts of. Troublesome becoming closer and closer to home. And clothes and closes the holiday season. But i'm not sure that's true in particular an idiot just four more heightened. In our awareness. But i remembered something i heard they'll quigley who's a lawyer from new orleans. Whose house was wiped out. During the hurricane. In 2060. At a meeting in new orleans about 15 months after. Katrina and rita head. He said there was a disaster in every community in this country. Our challenge is to walk softly. And to be in solidarity. And that indeed is. Part of the challenge in for me much of the part of. The message. Of the various holidays that we celebrate. Time of year. Walking softly and being in solidarity. You may have seen the. Quote in the nation last week. Wouldn't it be great if we had a seasonally appropriate story about refugees being turned away. Oh we do. Call the gospel narratives of jesus's birth. Not technically refugees been homeless people. People need a welcome to get turned away. And how do we respond to these fears return. More people away or do we find ways of being loving and welcoming and sharing the shelter we do have. Even as we. Strive to be sure our children and those we love and those around us have the shelter. And the care that they need. Tree in shelter. Entry is celebration. This is a tree of celebration here. Not your typical christmas tree i don't see angels by sea ornaments by city lights. Is there any cop. Gosh you know i don't. I am relieved. I was looking all these ribbons in these flowers needs butterflies and he's a great life symbol but where is the christmas stuff. There it is. Well maybe maybe nice have a little bodhi-tree to. With whites and beads and their three ornaments representing the buddha the dharma and the song. But you got booed up there. And maybe the idea of the buddha in the tree is not such an idea. That idea that so odd as i first thought it was. When al did that but it still is intellectually a little odd but. As you know some of you may know some years ago of christians colony markets boring lined up saying for the buddha and sayings of jesus and was. Children incredible number similarities. And ivan book i got more recently. Jesus. Buddha. Hindu texts and loud sue. And many parallels. Not that they're all the same but they're parallel. Homemade we need to celebrate. As well as we arkansas be concerned people need shelter. A danger people who are hurt and harmed. We need to be welcoming and loving. But also to affirm. Life. And to keep nurturing life. In ourselves and around us. No-bake that hymn of reflection. Being whole. Being healthy. And along that vein i started thinking a little further. 7 years ago. During my first intravenous tree i was. I was at the newark museum and there's this lovely print. Depiction of the. Hindu deity ganesha. The one with the. Elephant tusks. Multiple hands. Elephant head the human body. Multiple hands. And i did some reading on that. And i thought. And good nausea. Is a manifestation of deity and in hinduism there who many manifestations of deity. Of the one deity. As well as a particular gods and goddesses from their own practice. But then i read on ganesha success hair remover of obstacles. I thought this must be the patron saint of interim ministry. The remover of obstacles. I bought that print and i've had my office but then i thought your go. Wonder. And i look and i got a good nausea ornament for the tree. He believed that there were. Insight to be found in all religions. Even if he is present himself very pared-down kind of humanism. He collected all sorts of religious symbols and artwork. To demonstrate that. And so in a time when there was stress and danger and war and terrorism in poverty. And like bill quigley said the disaster in every community in this country every day. Young black man shot by police in the back by police officers terrorists. Invading healthcare centers. You know. The poverty that is endemic and parts of our country. The infrastructure that is falling apart. Producing dangerous for people just going about the wrong legal normal business. We need to affirm life celebrate life and celebrate. All the sources of life. Biological sources the spiritual sources of philosophical sources of things that hold us up and nurture us and keep us. Thinking and alive and active even when we're struggling. With deep challenges. And seemingly insurmountable challenge. So however you celebrate. And whatever you call your decorative tree. I like a bush christmas tree holiday tree. Whatever. Let's make it. A place of shelter. For your spirit. And celebration. For the love. That we would bring to this world. So may it be on that.

www_uuridgewood_org

Sermonpodcast-3-6-16.mp3?_=32

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood in new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. So ambitious generosity i want to start. By reminding you of two documents of this congregation. One is the mission statement which loric regrets you earlier. This morning. Growing in mind and spirit we act together as a beacon for justice and love. Transforming self and. World. The other is the longer. Vision statement. Will be a vibrant religiously progressive community of all stages and ages of life. We will celebrate our differences and welcome those who share our values. The unitarian society of ridgewood will be visible to the larger community. As a voice of unitarian universalist principles and purposes. Will stand boldly in the forefront of the struggle for justice and peace. Actively addressing needs in our local community and beyond. Will stewart our buildings and grounds. Making them more accessible and environmentally sustainable. Our facility will have space to meet the needs of our growing membership. An expansive lifespan faith development program. We will welcome and integrate innovative practices and technologies that will enhance our ministries administration and outreach. Will foster a sense of belonging and fellowship among ourselves. New opportunities for celebration and dedication. Supporting one another. The respect. And compassion. Those two documents are the documents of an ambitious people. This is. Ambitious congregation. Is also. A generous congregation of generous. People. So that is why it's appropriate for me this morning to explicitly link condition and generosity. Under the heading of ambitious. Generosity. That we can agree. That both ambition and generosity are virtues. Although and religious and philosophical texting even everyday conversation. They are rarely connected. Ambition. The effort or attitude of process of seeking to achieve. Generosity. Openness liberality. With one's time and. Resources. Many centuries ago. The 6th century before the common era confucius said. Did able to practice five things everywhere under the heavens constitutes perfect virtue. Gravity generosity of civil. Sincerity earnestness. And kindness. He also went on to say if one is generous when will be able to. Enjoy the service of others. Ralph waldo emerson as a young minister ron 1830. Said something similar. And you heard these words earlier advice and seeking our own advantage. We are promoting the good of others. I believe the next place that the converse of this proposition is true. When we aim at others good we are really obtaining our own. So the ambition of one good ones good in the good of others the giving out to others. But also the receiving from others. Combined generosity and ambition. Even in those early years as unitarian christian minister that is to say. A liberal puritan. Emerson having sensor karma. He was intellectually ambitious spiritually ambitious. An institutional ambitious. He also said explicitly in the sentence after the words i just read. That. He was not saying those words to prescribe people's behavior. But to describe. The reality of the effects of generosity. For example another sermon he challenged his congregation at the second church in boston. To be ambitiously generous by making a large expenditure for new hymnals. You didn't know emerson was a fundraiser did you. He said that this would elevate the religious and musical quality of worship. The sermon was apparently affected because of the members of the second church purchase the new hymnals that he recommended. Ministers are typically ambitiously generous. Often on behalf of their congregations. Many of us work too many hours. For two little compensation and often in the process. Short change our own religious lives and family lies. Others are able to find a balance. Unitarian society of ridgewood is a congregation were a minister can find a balance. An ambitious generosity of balance with the reality in part because. You are ambitious lee generous. In compensation and staffing. Now it's harder to on ambition and personal in. Personal vision. 1002. Late legal scholar and civil rights attorney derrick bell published ethical ambition. Living a life of meaning and worth. Can i keep going back to this book it's about 130 pages it's not a long. But it's worth reading and rereading. Innisbrook warehouse throughout his career he had striven. Tucci personal and professional success. Well acting on what he described as his and i quote clearly perceived if not critically examine need to stand up and articulate my opposition to wrongs taking place around me. End of quote. It is extending from his early practice. As an assistant to the future supreme court. Justice thurgood marshall and landmark civil rights litigation. To leaving a tenured professorship at harvard law school in the 1990s over that school's failure. 210 you're qualified female legal scholars. That was personally ambitious and deeply conscientious. With the barriers of race and classify others a good thing he wrote of course not. They were built into a playing field i have worked to level. None the last they created a clear and consistent enemy against which i could attempt to build a life of excellence and achievement. Resistance he wrote. Motivates us to resolve our ambivalence about success. By giving us a reason to succeed that is embedded in history. Hope struggle. Social and personal. They have made success possible for us. Resistance motivated success or ethical success is he called it allows us to balance our desires in our beliefs. This balance gives meaning to our work in substance to our lives. Now i suspect they're good many of you in this room this morning to know exactly what he's talking about. Who experienced it. This kind of struggle between ambition and ethics and generosity and your own lives. Many of my generation who are white are children of a working-class. Shepard middle range incomes by hard work but. Equally important. The struggles of labor union. To bring some fairness to the intrinsic inequities of industrial capitalism. I doubt that i'm the only middle-class professional here this morning. Who owns his or her education status. An earnings to the labor unions to which our parents belong. And to those who struggle in bill to defend those unions. Yeah and just among my parents with the united. Electrical and machinist union. The international brotherhood of electrical workers. And. The new jersey education association and the teamsters for my mother. I'm at new jersey connecticut education association teamsters. For my mother. Beach at least two unions in their lifetime. And they made a difference. What they were able to do neither them ecorce. Not of course but either than being high school graduates. So we many of us. How much to struggles in these shape our attitudes and views towards the world. Now. A different aspect of ambitious generosity. A my favorite example chuck feeney. You heard a part of that new york times article couple years ago about him. The founder and so lindauer. Atlantic philanthropies which will shut down completely in 2020. Following service the us air force charles feeney attended cornell university with the help of the gi bill of rights. But he also had to earn money while he was there so. He and a partner. Free money by selling sandwiches to students at cornell. He was a born entrepreneur. And is a lifelong liberal democrat. 1960 co-founded duty-free shoppers if i 1984 he was one of the world 400 richest individuals which at that time were all men. In 1982 established atlantic philanthropies. In bermuda. There's a story there. Any 1984 gave this charity the bulk of his fortune and dropped off of that list of the 400 richest individual. Like that. He just wasn't there anymore. He corporated bermuda. In order to maintain anonymity. He struggled through his wife and we should create a great deal of wealth. To maintain the anonymity that allowed his children. To grow up. Not in the shelter privileged environment. Open environment similar to the one he grown up in. He insisted that they were. Hurting part of their way through college even though he could readily pay for everything at that point. Do all his kids work as waiters salespeople. Laborers whatever. Work they could find. Incorporating butte bermuda to maintain anonymity for his giving. So he received no charitable deductions tax return for giving away billions of dollars. But 1997 anonymity was no longer possible. Tiffany and the charity went public. This is five years after you. James a smith and i. Had researched and co-authored a paper atlanta could commission done religious and philosophical teaching in support of anonymous philanthropy. Not knowing the name of the individual who is paying for our work only the attorney who is representing him. And recruited us. To do this project. Did long enough. An advocate for anonymous philanthropy many buildings have been built with feeney's money and his name is on none of them. But then. Now known he became a public advocate for giving away 1/12 while one was still alive. He said an interview everyone knows when they're born but nobody knows when they die if you want to give it away think about giving it away while you were alive because you'll have a lot more satisfaction than if you wait until you're dead. It's a lot more fun. Giving gave me a lot of pleasure. But it's not just about the giver. Again from that interview. Money is more worthwhile to the people in need when times are tough then when times are good. If i have $10 in my pocket i do something with it today. It's already producing $10 worth of good. The dollar you give today can be doing good tomorrow. Giving 5% if it doesn't do much good. Yeah the customary practice and foundation is suspend 5%. Of of of the value each year. And that's maintained yappity. So if you gave someone a million dollars and spent 5% of it that would be $50,000. That's real money. But you can't do grand things that changed the world on $50,000. In 2002 atlantic adopted the donors desire to give away everything while he was still alive. By the end of this year all assets will be spent. I'm with intensity bowl problem-solving grab themselves perpetuation. And after several years of study and evaluation. And assistance to group they supported to ensure that they can sustain themselves. Atlantic will close its doors in 2020. So what are some of the things they've supported. Work for at with risk youth and people with aids in south africa a time when the south african government was denying that aids existed. Peace efforts in ireland. And a serious upgrade of ireland's universities. Issues of aging human rights and population issues. Although baptized the catholic fini has his arguments with the catholic church has been a staunch supporter of reproductive rights. On their website they summarize. Achieve. Promoting reconciliation through grantee organization promoting reconciliation peace in northern ireland and south africa. Prince wimpy university infrastructure and capacity in ireland northern ireland south africa in the us. Suggest a campaign to abolish the juvenile death penalty. In united station 2000s penalty in five states. With further significant prospect underway. Advanced same-sex civil partnership in the republic of ireland. And gay marriage in south africa. Transform major health care facilities enhance health care system practices. In vietnam. Strengthen world-class biomedical research in australia. And change the perception of hiv-aids and secured access to antiretroviral. For millions of people in south africa. The list goes on. Recovering billions of dollars unclaimed government benefits for 2 million older adults in the us. And northern ireland. And on and on. Atlantic this year and study the outcomes as i said. And work to ensure that the organization safe supported can be self-sustaining. Chuck seeney said in that interview a credit from before i want the last check i write to bounce. He really means it about giving it all away. So what does this have to do with the unitarian society of ridgewood. Well. The most important thing about us are is not the facility certainly not his financial assets. These assets exist only to serve your vision and mission of religious community and social justice. Liberal religion and social justice are your ambitions. The other for congregate and you are very generous in supporting them. Now before congress as i previously served as the interim to demonstrated truly ambitious generosity. One congregation i served as interim actually surprised me with its ambition the leadership. Had concluded that in order to grow and fulfill its mission in the city where he'd been for a century-and-a-half it needed a highly-qualified full-time minister. What's a booming church with hundreds of members including the industrial leaders of central connecticut. It shrunk down to 50. Members and had not had a full-time ministry. Almost 50 years. I was there for you ambitiously generous 3/4 time salary and they struggle to pay that. There was a point up to about 70 members. On the recommendation of the church's finance committee. The congress has voted to spend down its endowment. And conduct a special growth campaign to move from part-time to full-time ministry. They go to the budget containing a level of compensation if brought them a seasoned and talented minister. As opposed to the newbies. To whom they been accustomed over half a century. And what a difference it has made. Attorneys had a vision it hadn't dishes generosity and it has succeeded in growing from just over 80 members when i left to over 100 there's a ways to go but they're moving in the right direction. Thank you i needed that. Another congregation i served in this case full time. Had less than $50,000 in reserves. An organized about 55 years earlier and had never had a full-time minister. Engaged. It challenged itself to raise enough in its annual budget. Drive to fund through current income its first full-time ministry. Just now and it's. 34th year. Economies had a vision that demonstrated ambitious generosity it's exceeded its efforts to me the stewardship goal. The neighbor hundred 10-member congregation. Tikal a full-time minister. At a package it was attractive to a young minister. Is already larger than these two congregations combined. And you its members have already shown in vicious have already shown ambitious generosity. Vision and ambitious generosity enable you to expand and remodel this original church building. And buying expand rib house. Some years ago. Vision ambitious generosity neighbor view. To bring. Not justa ministers compensation. To ferron competitive levels but the compensation of all staff. The fair and competitive levels. Now let me tell you that makes the society much more attractive to high-quality ministers. And if you just pay the minister well and not the other staff. That matters. A lot of congregation to pay the minister well and skimp on the support staff. With the result that they have unhappy support staff. Conflict in high turnover. Ambitious generosity allows you to support his social justice or social service organization one sunday each month. And today you'll be giving you offering to the advocates for children new jersey. In the cottage meetings we have in the formative expressed a hope in the future of growth. And also financial stability and security for the society. Yeah i've peter duran our treasure will tell you the society is not as fragile as you may fear but it's not as strong as it needs to be in the financial area. So there is work to do. You spoke of growing the religious education program and getting. An excellent minister in your search. Who would attract new members and work well with strongly leadership and staff. That's ambitious. And require ambitious generosity to achieve. You spoke with pride of a social justice work but also the need for involvement by a greater number of members. That's traditionally been involved in social jail. You spoke of the aging of much of the current leadership in developing leadership forum on newer and younger members of the society. This congregation is doing much and it has a potential in the ambition to be and to do much more. And some of those things that came up in the cottage meetings no. You tell me that you know. You know these things. I have a sense of what you need to do. To move ahead. To where you want to be. You have the ambition to do much more for your current members for your future members and for the world. And you have the potential to grow in numbers. Two grown effectiveness to grow in-depth internally under growing influence. And this involves. Ambitious generosity. Now showing you some of the billion dollars to give away this year. Would give some of that to us. If there's anyone here this morning with a billion dollars to give away. I'm sure that the budget ride. Co-chair stephanie gannon talk with you. But actually. That might not be a good idea. The financial support is whether we stated explicitly or not. Part of the covenant of membership in a liberal religious society. A liberal religious society. Is created to stay in shape and reshaped by its members. Neither the sunday collection nor the stewardship campaign that will begin a couple of weeks. Is solely about collecting money. These are rights of commitment. To the community. You can call the religious rights. You are sorry does not have fixed dues but it does need. Fierce your support from all of its members and friends. The signing of a pledge card and the passing of the plate during the service. Are substantiv and meaningful rights of kin. Now for those of you who are new members or visitors this morning not yet members will take time. In the membership class after next sunday service. Explain how the society works. You clean the privileges and obligations of membership. Today's session will talk about history and theology so if you're a newcomer and haven't signed up. Just doing this on the first floor read house next door at 11:30 and get started. The back to topic. The people that society are and ambitious people. The budget drive is your opportunity to match your ambition with your generosity. Fellowship feast is still two weeks away in the stewards will begin calling you during the week following the fee. But it is not too soon to consider. How ambitiously generous you'll be for the next society year. To consider the shared old ambition that you will support. To be generous to this congregation be ambitious for to do great things. Be generously ambitious. And you will build. The bridge. To the future.

www_uuridgewood_org

Sermonpodcast-5-29-16.mp3?_=21

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. Tomorrow is memorial day. A holiday formerly known as decoration day. For the practice of decorating the graves of those killed in the civil war originally. With flowers and flags. What's the earliest events identified with this holiday. Occurred on may 1st 1865 in charleston south carolina. We're former slaves. Exhume the bodies of 250 union soldiers from a mass grave and reburied them. In respectful improper manner in separate graves. Giving honor. Expressing gratitude to those with died in a battle. Then help these former slaves. Pain their freedom. A year later waterloo new york. Hair day for placing flowers on the graves of soldiers in the villages three cemetery. The national date of may 30th. As first proclaimed by the commander-in-chief of the grand army of the republic john a logan. It 1868. In these words. For the purpose of screwing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves. The comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion. Decoration day later became known as memorial day. Increasingly an occasion to honor all wore dead. United states. It was marked on may 30th until 1971. When the last monday in may was designated as the holiday. Can some places it is not only the graves of those who died in combat. Are decorated. Usually with small american flags. But also the graves of all veterans was they died in combat or later. Play my daughter was 11 or 12 years old we visited. The sleepy hollow cemetery in concord massachusetts. We were on the adolescent daughters little women tour. The alphas house in all. And we went to the alcott family quad. In sleepy hollow in town that louisa may alcott's grave. Was decorated with the seal of the grand army of the republic and a small flat. Alcott was not one of the ward that of concord. But the veterans group in that town had decorated the graves of sleepy hollow. Apparently marking all veterans graves and including. Her in that number because of her service as a nurse. During the civil war. In a more innocent time than the one in which we live in. Before the vietnam war i remember memorial day is a community holiday with a large parade. In which i participated first as a cub scout and then is a boy scout. A my brother is a boy scout and later as drum major the high school band. It was the major community patriotic holiday of my youth not a lot happened around july 4th it's a fireworks at the flare at the fairground. My patriotism was simple in the 1950s it was the cold war era it was us against them. The major cultural shift took place in the 1960s. The war in vietnam disillusion many people. Young. And old. That change was hermes symbolize in a funeral at which i preside in the late 1990s. For korean war veteran. His son's a man about my age both of the differing attitudes of generations. It's hotter than a korean war vet. I was just waiting for g. But the two sons and several friends spoke about bill. And the older son steven spoke eloquently about how people his father's generation did things without question. And that indeed some of these things were very good. But his father was a bit old-fashioned did he put it. I did not take kindly to him growing his hair long and being. In his words. One of the first six hippies in new jersey. Now this was in a funeral home in monmouth county prior to cremation and we did not go to the cemetery. At the conclusion of service the funeral director and his assistant. Went to the casket and carefully remove the united states flag that was on it. And fold it exactly the way i'd learned how to fold it in boy scouts are the only the blue stars would show. In a perfect triangle. The funeral director walked to the widow mary and said. I'm behalf of the president of the united states and the secretary of defense. And with the thanks of a grateful nation. I asked you to accept bills flat. I have attended or officiated at many. Funerals. Help with arrangements when family members that difficulty making their way through the decisions and the paperwork. And sometimes when there was no next of kin for a member of the congregation i made the arrangements. And often i have written in or behind a hearse with the folded flag in the triangle showing through the rear window. Of the hearse. But i've never associated the funeral someone killed in action only veterans who died in later age. And i never before seen the ritual acted out. The planted already arrived folded. And it was powerful. It reminded me of the memorial days of my childhood but. One more image from that funeral comes to mind. Following the service 150 or so people. Present file past the family sitting in the front row when the. Chapel in the funeral home. Is evening cuter clothes even stood next to his mother. Who's a full-fledged or more shorter than hate. He was dressed in black unlike his father's business associates. Not a black suit. But a black shirt black hauser's trousers black boots a black bandana and a black leather jacket. And standing by his mother. I overheard. This image became for me a symbol of both the differences and the connections between generations. And how they view the world and how generation that has rejected. Meant to say the simple patriotism. That generation and its action. Now the sun is well known for his work. In civil and. Human rights and some of this work involves criticism criticizing his country. In ways that clashed with his father's attitudes of my country right or wrong. But has not always been simple perhaps it's never been simple. And there's always been conflicting visions. Louisa may alcott. Is brave my daughter and i visited. Was not only a nurse during the civil war. But she was among the most radical of the abolitionists. Prior to the civil war. She was a proponent of levels of equality between the races. And racial integration. Even many of the other abolitionists would not go for. She even encouraged the notion of interracial marriage. Later in the history of women's suffrage elizabeth cady stanton equated patriotism. With the expansion of rights. Lamenting that the virtue of patriotism in her words is. Subordinate in most sold the individual and family aggrandize. The folded flag has come to symbolize for me the complexities. A patriotism. Not just because of that funeral because of another one. This remember of my former congregation in east brunswick new jersey. Trudy was from vienna. She and her younger sister just. Barely escaped the nazis. Like many jewish immigrants she worked in the garment industry here. And then she joined the women's army corps so that she could go fight the nazis. By this time her first husband and her father. We're in concentration camp. She served as a translator in europe and was always proud of her military service. Am i first came to know her in 1981. She was active for peace and nuclear disarmament. Trudy and bonnie in her long and complicated life a complex notion is patriotism. Kid become a u.s. citizen she finished college in the united states. And was for many years of devoted school teacher. And fired from several school districts because we're political activity. And the absolute uncompromising stand. She took in support of her students. For number of years he's respectful needs students. She and her second husband had both been members of the unitarian society of new brunswick before my time there. But it left in a dispute with the former minister. Very 1950s thing to do. Walter hard-workers devoted parents he was a teacher husband and electrician. And they're both communists. In fact both of their funerals i officiated at both we had letters from the central committee of the communist party usa to read. But there was never a cause related to peace civil rights fair housing. In the suburb of east brunswick in which they live or issues related to the neighboring city of new brunswick. Who is trudy and john did not wholeheartedly give themselves. There's there was not an issue of fair labor practices of treatment students in the schools where she taught for which she did not put her job on the line. John died 12 years to the day before trudy. And she never stopped missing him. He came back to the unitarian society during my ministry there and stay long after my departure. When she died in 1997 the then current minister asked me to co officiate. At the funeral and memorial service. The writing to the same cemetery road officiated the john's burial 12 years earlier. My colleague and i followed the hearse with the folded flag in the back window we were in the car right behind it. And both of our sons it's building does about how trout rudy was. Over military service. And how she believes until the day she died at the communist party was the best hope for the working class in the united states. Not keeping with jewish customs he was buried the day after she died. Happy done with john who is an irish catholic atheist. 12 years earlier. In keeping with unitarian universalist custom there was a memorial service several weeks later. In which ship with the standing-room-only. And it's fighters my best efforts went on for 3 hours. Recent paul put together case of the classical music she had played as a young violinist. And the folk music should come to know through her younger son gene who is a rock musician. Jean enlarged to poster size old photos including one at rudy and her wack uniform with respect. On a table next to her folded flag. A bill who might mention earlier at a fairly traditional idea of patriotism. Something like stephen decatur's my country right or wrong. And trudy though described by an attorney who is a friend and that fellow activists. As a liberal do-gooder and he meant it as a compliment. Was truly radical in her paula. She was critical of her adopted nation. Bacio serving uniform. And she worked with involuntary groups for union. Purple sash in the electoral process and yes the communist party. Very different was harry. Unitarian universalist and a registered republican. He did a bombardier during the second world war. His plane was shot down. Just captured by the germans in hip hills in the infamous stallard p o w camp. He survived went on to successful career in business. He was a gun owner and a hunter. And. Long before columbine and. Charleston. And sandy hook. He also worked diligently for handgun control. In the 1990s in the early 2000s before he died. 2004. And in 2004 not long before his death he had joined a group called republicans for john kerry for president. Another complicated story that doesn't fit the stereotype those of us with gray hair grew up with. One more saturday night one dimension is malcolm. Whom i knew very well i was as minister for nine years. He lived for nearly six decades after receiving a silver star in the european theater during the second world war. And never talked about his war experiences very much. He's a calligrapher in the army charge of receiving and sending messages to and from the front. His wife son and daughter it sometimes noticing tapping morse code on the dining room table. Is he was thinking your brooding or something. In their home in east orange new jersey. Only my grandson asked about his experiences 55 years earlier did he finally talked about. Only to the grandson. No no white person was more committed to racial justice than malcolm was. And when the city of east orange where you purchase and tired. Teaching career and live for more than sixty years. Being nearly all-white annually all black hand connie. Who shared commitment to justice at the unitarian universalism. Refused to join the white flight to the suburbs. These are all examples of. Veterans to. Hey complicated notions of patriotism except maybe for the first bill who. It's pretty straightforward about it. When is simplest definition patriotism is the love of one's country. Love me not be blind. Image of a folded flag. Has become for me through these experiences an image of an open-eyed critical love of one's country. The political progressive active son holding the flag of his more conservative father. This way i can honor in the garment worker union. Let me escape the nazis went back to fight them. And continue the rest of your life to fight for. For students rights. And for justice for all. Unitarian who was a republican of independent mind. Who did not walk in lockstep with the radical right. High school teacher in new jersey. Preferred not to speak of the horrors of war for more than half. Is the critical patriot the deployment audrey and rich defines in these few lines. The patriot is not a weapon. Patriot is one who wrestles for the sole of her country. For the soul of his country as he wrestles for his own being. Now for the members of true teasing. Malcolm. Bills and harry's generation the second world war was the good war. Anyways essential defining event in the lives of that generation and those that follow. For my generation their children the vietnam war was a defining event and it was not a good war. Is rather park. Of what nadra enriches words in her poem burned out our country's dream of innocence. And yet many members of the world war. 2 generation came to see it. As wrong. I remember. Being at a luncheon at the church in boston. After william constant radical attorney had spoken during the sunday service and remember that church board who is a carpenter in the union leader. We're talking about each other hadn't saved both served in the pacific during the second world war and they were these two radical leftist were trading war stories. Yeah i almost 40 years or more later. But they had become. Anti-war activists as well. And during the vietnam war you may recall the senator j william fulbright writing about the arrogance of power led to criticize one's country is to do it a service. Criticism in short is more than what right it is an act of patriotism. A higher form of patriotism i believe in the familiar rituals and adulation. This higher form of patriotism fulbright knew was not the creation of any one generation. It is part of the tradition that historians such as howard zinn. Himself a wwii bombardier. People on the first raids that use napalm in combat. Reminded us. That dissent and criticism is the essence of american democracy. And used his long teaching career. To teach that to young people in. He was an influence on my campus is an undergraduate during the vietnam war. Many veterans of the vietnam era have developed a critical patriotism in the arm only opponents. Of the current unending wars in a rat. And pakistan. An active-duty service members and veterans of foreign conflicts. Conflicts include true believers and critical patriots. Vietnam war veterans are often badly treated. And one member of my family reserve next conflict had to wait more than 40 years for the veterans administration acknowledged the long-term health effects of his service. Today we are much fairer to returning veterans. Even if the current conflicts make no more sense. When did the vietnam war. Meaning of noted it's the second bush administration. The second bush presidency we've been in continuous warfare for the longest time. And without benefit of a congressional declaration of war. And regularly they were still more. Young soldiers who do not speak. Being returned home to be buried. Memorial day i want to honor those who died in those who survive. And those who fought and those who argued for peace. And sometimes it's the same person. I want to refute those who argue. The patriotism is a simple matter. One can love his or her country. Without agreeing with the policies. Abbott's government. And i know a number of active service military now. Who are critics. Yet fastidious in performing their duties. At military leaders. What i want most of all is the able to hold for time when we will no longer see. Folded flags at funerals. That will not happen in my lifetime i know. But i'll have to settle for this hope. May the folded flags remind us of the important part of each person's life was honored with one. And of the moral complexity. Was that life and each one of our lives. In this imperfect world. Maybe so.

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10-Q-A.mp3?_=10

We can open it up for some questions now. From the audience. Thank you for your time i have. 2 questions an obvious very obvious question. Is the for sharon and for deborah. This the schools in newark are run by the state correct. Arapahoe county anderson works for the state of new jersey okay. I just want to clarify that i thought so i poured me for my ignorance. Do you know what the pert student. Funding is for newark students. Okay. I want a slave. You hear that. Two things that are really important the first is that doesn't translate to have much that's how much money the students are actually getting. Charter schools get 90% per pupil when they get funded so they're getting 90% per pupil of that 19,000 but when you look at elementary school budgets the actual budgets of the actual elementary schools are getting in newark. You'll find a per-pupil they're getting about $8,000. Because the rest is going to cammy's overhead. Very high administrative costs. So a lot of the money doesn't actually make it to the student and disproportionately high amount of it in newark doesn't make it to the student in the school. The funding for your schools. Come to the state of new jersey in a large portion of that comes from bergen county. Statistically speaking. So is is there a. Plumbing. Yes exactly property taxes and state income tax as well. Is there a parent. Pta or board of education excuse me of pta in newark that is active. Yes there are ptas that are active but. A superintendent has push for. The ptas to be. Converted to pto. What is less. Restrictions less accountability to mondays and. A lot of the principles actually act. Those parent groups for money for certain. Events in the school and so the money is. Turn around 3 to paris. And mondays are not given to. Or the monies that are raised by the pto are not used separately for. Students or parents against it's it's actually events that the school wants to hold for the parents in. Claim that they don't have money for it and so then the parent is up. Paying for those events so initially we did have a lot of ptas. In newark. I'm a lot of them which. We're not. Active. Because of the lack. Avant parents participating in them. And so when cammy anderson became superintendent that's when it was a change in pomona. Pto instead. No not really because most of the parents are. Discovery. Somewhat. And so most of the time ptas have a voice in the school. But lately there is no voice in the school out of school. And so there's. Activities. So like one parent told me they were giving ice cream special. Something like that but in regards to training parents to understand. How to build a school how to make it a better school those type of trainings are no longer available in. When i was listening to chris. Earlier when she was talking about. Bill gates right. And i can remember being a part of the. Minority leaders for the pta. And we had an event where bill gates. I don't know if she was. Ceo. But she came to the. State. Pta. To ensure that we were going to promote common core and we had to vote on it. At the pta. And pta became a tool to push. For the common core and they were. Fighting to get each state to join in and that's really how. The common core was pushed through the pta initially. So the parents and the teachers got together and actually push. For the common core. I wanted to add really quickly what this is happening across the state with the pta that they're increasingly being asked to fund through independent fundraising for the schools fundamental parts. Of curriculum necessities in particular they're being asked to supplement technology. Creating tech labs. Find keyboards which is facilitating the administration of these high-stakes tests. And in it you're right cuz there's that there's a very vicious circle here but it is a point at which parents have to say this is how much i pay for property taxes this is how much my school should be getting from the state and on top of that you're telling me is a pca. To go raised $20,000 for the technology to administer a test that i don't want my child to take. Like there has to be a point at which the ptas are willing to get engaged and speak up and say no. Can i just ask just make one more comment perhaps it is. The pond. Are due diligence. As taxpayers in this state to let our governor know that we are fed up with the wasteful and abuse. That goes on in schools. Across the state specifically like newark. I mean how can you get that kind of money and i'll be funded. Corcoran. I mean it seems to me that these organizations. Should be working with superintendents as well. Because if we really want to make a difference at superintendents who are pushing the score. Rick lehman. And is. Enhancing the. Standards that are expected of children and the demands made on. You're so why aren't we. Why aren't we using some app. Advocacy against. We're with them in new jersey our superintendents just had their salaries. Not too long ago. So i think there's a lot of fear. On the parts of superintendents to speak out and as strongly as they might. I know our superintendent in ridgewood has. Done some speaking out not as much as. Courses i would like him to but. He's done some speaking out against teacher evaluation in the use of the test. But in new york state. Superintendents in the lower hudson valley are absolutely getting together and they're not afraid and they're speaking out. Loudly very clearly in their superintendents across the. Doing the same i'm john kuhn just wrote a book. Intex. I'm about to. Testing miracle that really sent us down this road. So superintendents are speaking out what it is you know. You're putting your job on the line. And it's a it's a risks. I just want to add that i know if you know where bloomfield. This is a suburb over from montclair and. We are beginning to see in new jersey i'm superintendents who are saying enough and who are starting to speak out. And in bloomfield the superintendent and the board of education. I said well you know we're bound by law to do these things but we're going to do is tell our parents. We don't believe in him we don't believe in testing they organized parents to write to congress. I'm to urge congress to change legislation and they can't tell parents to opt out but they are giving them all the information they need to do it. And i think this is so important. People like gene superintendent educators the people who are in the school can you see this in new york you see it that it happened in new york. Are able to talk about what's happening in the schools and connect with parents in the outside and together that's a very powerful force. You know for change because his parents. Sweet you know where you said we listen to the teacher we listen to the principal and even when we sense it something's wrong with curriculum if your superintendent to tell you it's great it's great. The other thing i would say is take the park. Take the park you can take it online and then that starts by discussion in your community we just did it in montclair and people were. Floored. Floored. Change lot of opinions. Yes there are sample test online that you can go to intake and you can get groups of people together to take them and have conversation and it really. Where you can have your kid take the sample test to i want to add one one thing to the question about the superintendent of the 2% cap is really important cuz it's not just that they've become scared. Is it a lot of experience veteran superintendent's have left their jobs when their contracts were up and they were faced with a huge pay loss. We're going across the connecticut or pennsylvania retiring they they left and so what you're doing is you're replacing them with a cadre many of times trained in this whole notion of school reform out of what we call the brode school. They're trained to administer that so the 2% cap creates fear. And it creates the turnover so it's connecting the dots that junius is talking about it's it's part of the way to destabilize the system to replace it with a cogs in the wheel that will administer your agenda. Not to be too. I'm a retired teacher i retired in 2008. I did see. How. No child left behind. Affected my students. I still have teacher friends who are working. And i hear horror stories all the time. I wish. That this had been televised or recorded. Because i do love to take this. I'm the president of the passaic county retired educators. I would love to present all this material to them. I'm also a member of the league of women voters. I'd love to present this material to them. Is there anyway i can get. Kind of a synopsis of what you've done have you ever thought of doing that thank you and thank you very much. And if you ask. Volunteer myself to either the njrea order league of women voters to come speak on this. And one of the things that i have been. Over the last several years. Is exactly what we. Spent. In textbooks. In new professional development. And equipment. That pretty much everything. Can i get a straight answer out. Has the same. Jersey done any kind of an audit. That would be. And then what you were saying about the. Eta is in. Pti was possibly. Missing money. Why i'm at the dedication association. And in my tiny little. $100,000 a year. Appearances giving an extra money on top of our taxes. And those things are going to pay for. Computer so that the district is ready for park. Also but what i want to know is the state of new jersey. Hair. Is that going to be part of an audit ever. Or do i have to stand up in front of my board of ed. And be the person with the target on my forehead. Thank tell us how much you. The quick answer that in our experience is that the. You're the one with the target on your for. The state sent out a survey to ask for park readiness. Now catch-22 here stick the district don't want to tell them they're not ready. Because it makes them look like targets it puts targets on their forehead so most districts will. Embellish their readiness or be optimistic about it. It's very hard to distinguish how much they're spending for park preparedness and because it's also tied to how much spending for common core and that's been embedded in their budget for sometime. You have to ask really specific questions which i'm happy to help with crafting there's some information that's going to be going up on a facebook page called parents not-for-profit which will be providing toolkits and asking these specific questions. It takes really a good board member to give you that information to sit down with you or a good ba right who's willing to share that. Because they'll have a technology line and we'll say well but not all of its four park. Right. But suddenly that technology like doubles. Bright. And then. And then the other thing you have to do is actually look at the audited spending versus what they're projecting cuz they'll often make it look one way and then be forced to spend it another way so it's very hard to get these answers we have asked and surveyed some districts. Through various studies last year with the early stages might district estimated spent $700,000 last year. On park preparedness which is. Not nearly what they're going to end up spending some districts of estimated about a million dollars within a year. So it depends and remember those are districts which actually had that money to move around when you go to a financially strangle district like an urban district they're not investing that money which feeds this this hypocrisy that were actually about trying to help the kids who have less opportunity because we're testing their computer literacy through park but we're not giving them computers in the classrooms or access to computers absent the test-taking. And we're not teaching the teachers how to use the computers that are there. And you don't have the access to the web. And most of these places. And you don't know i'm talking about the urban communities and you don't have enough computers to go around. So just it but specifically to answer your question. We teach. People how to use how to analyze budgets from time to time. I would suggest. And there's a there's a woman. In paterson. Whose name i can't think of she just retired. Irene sterling. Are easterling just retired from the paterson education fund. And she is an expert on teaching. People like you how to analyze the budget the other thing is once you figure out the questions you still have questions you can open you can file an open request. Open public meetings act request. And if they don't answer you then and you need to go to court but that's that's that's a process for getting i think it was christine who had mentioned it's really beneficial for superintendents and boards to get on board and fight. Did the effort for parking to prepare for park but for district 2. Districts that don't have. Superintendents who are that progressive or brave or don't even have an effort to opt-out districts who are very focused on. Elite colleges bergen academy acceptances for the children how would you recommend building. Some kind of force in those kinds of districts. You don't mind clear has a broad superintendent every knows the road academy where they teach. People who want to be superintendents had to go in and disrupt the district. A better strategy to disrupt the district. We just determined that we paid 1.9 million dollars. To upgrade our technology but it wasn't just offer the park. You know it's really kids. And our taxes went up on 4%. We know we've been hoodwinked and part of the problem. When you can't have a dialogue right it's very easy to get anything going so what. We've done. Is we've begun to organize in town and we do a lot of informational forums. And now it's starting to happen with the approach of the park. Is people having living room meetings. And and talking and we're doing a lot of a writing we're doing a lot of editor letters to the editor where do eating a lot of organizing sending to the state. And we just going in who said the target on the forehead. Inter board meetings over and over and over again and this has gotten a little bit more than uncomfortable because with a. Coming of them. Kim anderson's old pr guy to montclair. His name is matt franco. He searches you out he he finds you on the internet east are suing bard you they have written a like assertive about nasty block anybody who speaks up you know your. Your attack on the blog they put your your questions up on the board webisode this stuff can get very. Very ugly but i think what it is is joining together it's joining together and what we're all singing montclair is. The art the classroom is changing. It's changing. And people are beginning to feel it. And so is the children begin showing harm. The parents are waking up and that's what's happening to us because even though our teachers are trying very hard to maintain a good progressive education right where you meet the child with a child is and try to bring the child along that's not how common core works right it, course you have to be here now or you you're a failure you are a failure and you gotta perform or we all go down. So as people are seeing their children hurt i'm homework changing as we come up to the park and taking the parcc test. You know so i would say those things and networking with state organizations so that you have that platform cuz changes going to have to come locally. Right where you educate each other you going to your board meeting to write your letters to the editor you start talking to your local representative. It's going to come in a state-level you know an emergency at the federal level so just begin and and don't don't give up and i'm up here i just finished i'd walk in the room.. What they're from the pta let's talk about a fundraiser no no. Can i get. For those elite. The school's you're talking about here's a couple of things my son's junior and high. There's a guinea pig year for parcc testing. These tests are not going to be given to him with no benchmark set. Potentially go on their permanent record. Right between the graduate schools could be looking at them. I don't want my son to be part of an experiment thank you very much there is no reason that i wanted to be. And at the same time that we're instituting this is the case through 12 level the higher education schools that you know your district trying to send kids to are turning away from standardized tests. As a means of judging. Preparedness for admission they're recognizing that the standardized test is basically a socio-economic measure they already know most kids can't afford their college they don't need that measure right. So it's it is a conundrum because that higher education people are moving in one direction indicator 12 or trying to push us in a different direction and our kids are the guinea pigs if you want to. Get it the heart of the parents in your district. Talking about the fact that your child is being treated as a commodity. To make money off of them and they're being treated as a guinea pig. Untested form of testing that will go on their permanent record that we don't even know what a passing mark is the benchmark will be decided a year after they've taken it before it's been implemented a second time which is. Statistically. An egregious error. Right and this could haunt them and we don't know for how many years it will be guinea pigs. Is it harmful for my child to take this park test once absolutely. Cuz i could be a permanent part of their record. We don't have time to thank everybody. For attending this evening it was a lot of information very very good thank you all very much.

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Sermonpodcast-2-10-19.mp3?_=10

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. Now please join in the words for lighting are chalice their projected. We like this child. I take a deep breath. Let it out. As we sit together in the quiet. Let yourself be here. Now. Just be. And as the sound rings out. Here in it a welcome cry. Calling out to you. To bring all of yourself here. Here in it's a welcome cry. Calling out to you to be just who you are. Breathe deeply. And listen. A long time ago now i read a very small book called space by sharon salzberg i don't know if any of you have read this book. In it she writes this. I once had a dream in which someone asked me why do we love people. I answered because they recognize us. I think this is true. When someone recognizes a basic goodness within us beyond our habits and conditioning when someone recognizes who we fundamentally are. It is the most important thing that can happen to us and we responded with great love. I've always loved that little passage and i believe it to be true it tells us about what love is what the gift of love is born from. Seeing someone for who they really are recognizing them with all their flaws and in all their glory. Love and its biggest and best sense happens when people see each other deeply and truly. And it comes in many shapes and forms and ways of being given but at its heart it's about knowing another person. Seeing the basic goodness in them looking for the heart of them. There's something freeing and loving in that way. And there's something freeing about being loved that way. This coming week is valentine's day as i'm sure you're aware and there will likely be cards and chocolates and flowers and many of our futures and it's fun to have a day to recognize the importance of love. But all too often we focus on romantic love. But love that is deep and true isn't only found there. We find it for ourselves among friends among family so on thursday i'm going to urge you to recognize and think about all the different people in your life. To see you for who you are. Honor that knowing and not gift of loving. Every sunday we make time for practicing generosity but we also make time for practicing silence mindfulness. We sit together take our time to breathe and be. We'd use this time in ways that are meaningful to us this morning i invite you to settle into your seats. Get comfortable. Take a deep breath. I'll speak some words will move into our silence. And then we will sing together. Take a deep and slow. Spirit of life spirit of. Love and difference and change and sorrow and joy. This morning we collectively express our longing for the strength. Love. We hope for the strength of love that leads us to work for peace and justice. Equality and mercy. We hope for the strength of love that empowers us to forgive and move forward. To heal and let go. We hope for the strength of love that enables us to live each day with gentleness. Compassion. With generosity and openness. We hope for the strength of love that helps us to overcome fear. Confusion. To overcome defensiveness and anger. We hope for the strength of love that teaches us to love our neighbors as ourselves. And ourselves as our neighbors. We hope for the strength of love that allows us to be true beacons of light in the darkness. To be bearers of the spirit. Me hope for the strength of love that reminds us that each and every person. Is made in the image of the holy the sacred. It reminds us that each person we encounter and we ourselves. Are beautiful. Worthy. Loved and full of love to give. In the silence. We looked up the hopes of our own heart. My junior year of college i went abroad for this fall semester and i got lucky that when i came back in the spring room was open in the suite where my dear friend live. I moved in right next door to her and across from roberts. All i knew going in was that my friend was halfway if not fully in love with robert. And it was not reciprocated they were just friends. When i arrived i don't honestly remember how it happened but before too long robert and i were friends then good friends and by the fall of senior year he was my best friend. And he gave me permission to share this story just so you know. He would hang out endlessly in my room. And then when he walked home he would call me and talk while he was walking back home. This went on for a year and then we graduated and it went on again while i lived in texas and he was in new york city. I can talk to robert about anything. Except of course my own developing feelings for him. Until it became necessary because i had no idea where we stood in what we were to each other. The conversations that followed were difficult and awkward. And before too long we simply didn't speak. What had been one of the most integral relationships of my young life became nothing virtually overnight. The most painful part truly was losing that daily communication with a friend. Fast forward many years later for 10-year college reunions. They're under a tent at our class dinner in a quiet voice after so many years this erstwhile best friend of mine came out to me. Robert told me who he was in a way he'd never been able to tell me before. All those years ago robert had known who he was but for reasons of his own hadn't felt free to live in. He had even felt that he could tell me who's room he sat in for hours on end. Me the person who otherwise he shared freely with of his life. I wasn't altogether surprised when he told me and it wasn't mad mainly i was sad. I wonder if i had done enough back then to let him know that with me he would have found a safe place to be himself. I wondered if i had ever inadvertently made it harder for him. It pained me. Barbie hacks really that he had felt the need to hide part of himself for me and it made me feel for just a moment. Like maybe we hadn't been to and for each other what i had always thought that we had. Purchased a few moments after he told me i hurt because i thought perhaps we hadn't seen each other truly. Hadn't really love each other. And this is the important part at the end of the day his choice to share this piece of himself with his to make. It was his choice back when we were young and it was his to make 10 years later. My pain in that moment was nothing compared with what he must have been doing it as he navigated living as himself. And sharing his deepest reality is with the world. My job in response was not to rehash what had been or wonder about lie. My only job was to love my friend then and now. Enter trusted the friendship we had was as real as anything. As true and deep as anything. Because in this is again the important part as a cisgender heterosexual person i can't possibly know. What is struggle headband. What factors played into his decision to share when and where he share. I will probably ask him that one day and if i'm lucky he'll feel comfortable telling me that story. But it was his journey to determine not mine to judge not mine to mourn and not mine to doubt. The minister at the congregation of my childhood was for a long time the reverend doctor forest church. At 60 forest was diagnosed with a terminal cancer. In his writings after his diagnosis he articulated his thoughts on life and love and death. In a book titled love and death he quoted from the letter he sent to his congregation informing them of his illness. In that letter he wrote. I can also happily report that the theology i have hammered out in your good company. Religion as a human response to the dual reality of being alive and having to die. And the purpose of life being to live in such a way that our lives will prove worth dying for. Offers the same comfort to me during my own time of trial that i pray it has given you and yours. As for my mantra. Want what you have do what you can and be who you are. I practice each everyday. Feeling myself blessed beyond measure. Someday we'll engage with the first two parts of that mantra want what you have and do what you can. But today we're bringing that third element into our conversation be who you are. It's an admirable goal. Certainly. Another colleague of mine the reverend peter friedrichs preached in his congregation near philadelphia a series on that mantra and in the third sermon on the peace be who you are. He unpacked it and spoke about how we are socialized to be certain ways. How we are taught throughout childhood by societal messaging and by our families of origin that certain behaviors are good or bad or certain things are expected of us. Peter speaks to the ways our culture tries to prevent all of us from becoming who we are. He says. The forces that dictate against being who we are are powerful and many. To be who we are can be like swimming upstream against the strong current of expectations and what i call the tyranny of the shoulds. And as if these forces aren't enough to defeat us. To be who we are is made all the more challenging by our lack of self-knowledge and self-awareness. I think peter is right in his working through this third piece of forest mantra. Our work the work of our lifetimes is to figure out who we really are. Two attempts that discovery to undertake that journey to our deepest and truest selves. It's important work it's the work that enables living fully and honestly in the world. Such that we can actually identify our gifts and our talents and make the best use of them to heal the world. I have a little bone to pick. It's all well and good to suggest that we ought to undertake the journey of discovery and then live our lives. Honestly and truly as exactly who we are. But the reality. Is it when some of our human family try to do that. The encounter. Hatred. Vitriol. Disbelief. Consider the crayon in the children's story the crayon had a sense of what it was. Wasn't red. But all around the crayon or others saying you don't know yourself we know you your red. But that crayon was blue. It just was. And it took courage for the crayon to try and figure out what it was and tell the world and the response was not uniformly positive all along the way. To say simply be who you are. Doesn't account for the narrow-minded oppressive prejudice world we live in. Disable who you are. Doesn't account for the number of transgender folks especially people of color being killed across this country for being who they are. It doesn't account for the hatred and danger that someone might face because they are simply trying to be themselves. It doesn't account for family pressure to marry someone of the opposite gender and produce a family. To be who you are is absolutely an admirable goal but it won't do. For us to insist that other people be themselves on our timeline. They need to feel safe. Held. Assured that their identities will be celebrated. Each of us. Gets to choose how and when to tell the important truths of our own lives. Our gender or sexuality our health or illness. Are reproductive choices. We get to uncover who we are. Learn about our own lives and intentions and then we get to determine when and if we want to share that with others. Of course. We want everybody to be who they are we hear want everyone in the world to have a chance to discover their truest and best selves and live that without fear without danger without sacrifice. Our desire our shared unitarian universalist desire. For a world in which everyone can be themselves. Means that we have an obligation. We have an obligation to create a world. Where everyone's truths can be assured of a warm and embracing welcome. A world where all identities are affirmed. And until that world at large is created our work is to make sure that we each of us. Are known in our circles. As safe and trustworthy confidants. And the our community here is known as a safe space. I want anyone who walks through our doors to feel confident that here. Regardless of their gender expression or sexuality they will find a warm welcome and a loving embrace a group of genuine and stalwart companions on their life's journey. Part of being able to offer that. Is educating ourselves. Just a minute ago i describe myself is cisgender i realize you may all know these terms well. We're going to take a minute to review some of them today and just in case. Because i think it's important that we share language needed to create a different world. Because i don't want to assume that we're all on the same page understanding the regnant terminology in lgbtq issues. Does cisgender means that a person's gender identity is aligned with a physical sex organs they were born with. Okay. Transgender means that a person's gender is opposite from the physical sex organs they were born with. Non-binary gender queer gender questioning are all terms that refer to folks who don't understand themselves to fall neatly into male or female as categories. These terms all refer to a person's. Gender they have nothing at all to do with sexuality. The address of person self understood denver. The terms heterosexual lesbian gay bisexual asexual and more. Refer to a person's sexual orientation meaning. Who they are attracted. With all of that information. We actually do a decent job here we haven't all genders bathroom here on this floor. That we don't downstairs. We have a pride flag flying out front. We try to be sensitive on our sunday services to the language and pronouns were using. But. We could rewrite our bylaws into gender-neutral language. And all of our policies. We could as some congregations do indicate our preferred pronouns on our name tags. There are things we could be doing to be even more welcoming to others whose identities make them vulnerable in the world at large. And i do often feel like that congregation in the reading by victoria safford. Full of hopes and ideals often falling short but determined to keep honoring the vastness of human experience and loving. And to become the congregation that loves all. Education is important but so is exposure conversation and a thoughtful effort to be ever more inclusive. You may have noticed earlier this week our governor phil murphy just signed a bill requiring that children be taught in schools about the contributions throughout history of lgbtq. The law requires that the boards of education quote. Provide instruction on the political economic and social contributions of persons with disabilities and lesbian gay bisexual and transgender people in an appropriate place in the curriculum of middle-school and high-school students. Starting in the 2021. 2020 to 2021 school year. New jersey's only the second state to enact such legislation and i think we ought to be quite proud actually. Education. Exposure and a thoughtful effort to be ever more inclusive. Or what shifts this world to being one in which folks can truly be themself. It helped turn the tide of a world in which right now. Differences in tender expression or sexuality are still considered. Threat. Victoria's secret calls it human life in all its incarnations. Teresa in and soto's poem our second reading from this morning cuts a little deeper. She writes with the risks and the dangers exposed she writes. The way you survive is everything. I know you feel invisible. Like nothing and no one knows your name. And she concludes you are worthy. Of witness. You are beautiful. She echoes what are him of reflection reaffirms. You are beautiful you are worthy your loving is a miracle. You and all your glory are whole and one dress. The poem gets to the heart of what is at stake because it's not just about. Welcoming. It's about seeing. Loving. Embracing so that others can survive so that other humans are not rendered invisible. So that all. My truly know that they are beautiful and that their lives have worst and they're being whoever they are are deserving of our witness. It's about life lived fully and openly and joyfully and safely. My own deep belief in the value of being seen is why i always come back to that sharon salzberg quotes. I read during the opening words. Again what she writes is. I once had a dream in which someone asked me why do we love people. I answered because they recognize us. I think this is true. When someone recognizes a basic goodness within us beyond our habits and conditioning. When someone recognizes who we fundamentally are. It is the most important thing that can happen to us. And we responded with great love. That passage resonates so strongly with me. I've had calls in my own life to experience that feeling of being seen finally for who i am. It happened again recently with a new acquaintance who i feel has seen and known and heard. And appreciated me with all my quirks and oddities. When that happens when someone looks at us and sees us. Allows us to be vulnerable to speak our needs and to be exactly who we are. It is life-altering. Game changer. Life-saving. It may indeed be the most important thing that can happen to us to be. Recognize beyond all the stuff that a cruise in a lifetime. To be recognized for the heart of us. As ourselves. It almost feels like there's no choice but to respond with love and again i'm not concerned here with romantic love alone i'm talking about. Soul swelling love that we feel for friends and family and lovers and. That happens when we truly feel seen and known in the world. Truly free to be who we are. I have also had caused. Especially since becoming a minister. To be on the other side of the equation. To be the one to see. To know. To recognize. An interesting lee i think the impact is somewhat the same. When we take that time. When we open our hearts when we really try to know someone to see the heart of them. We almost can't help but feel for them that kind of cosmic love that recognizes. A fellow human being struggling and determined and journeying through self-discovery. If you've ever offered that gift. That gift of knowing. Then i suspect you know that it is a gift of loving that can change a life indeed save a life. Our deepest beliefs in love and our shared humanity call us to work for a world where everyone is free to be who they are. Have you seen a known and loved for just who they are. So we will educate ourselves we will work for that day and until it comes we will stand ready to bear witness to the fullness and truth of others lives. With a warm welcome a commitment to their safety and a loving embrace. We. Will stand ready to offer love and recognition. Knowing that this gift. Given and received. May well be the thing that ensures our or another's survival. Please join me in responsive reading that reaffirms our commitment it's not in your book so don't go reaching. Just going to be here is our commitment to creating a world where everyone can be themselves. He'll read the italics. In the face of hate. In the face of exclusion. In the face of homophobia. In the face of racism. In the face of xenophobia. In the face of misogyny. In the face of demagoguery. In the face of religious intolerance. In the face of narrow nationalism. In the face of bigotry. In the face of despair. As unitarian universalist we answer the call of love now more than ever. May we continue evermore to learn and grow and to offer to others a judgement-free love for their whole flawed and beautiful self. You each of you all of us. We are nothing less than beautiful nothing less than whole. Each of you all of us. Our loving is indeed a miracle a gift. The tool that will enable all of us to be who we are. Maybe love boldly and freely and in our own time each find a way to being ourselves. Remain standing in joining the words for extinguishing are chalice. We extinguish the flame. The energy of action. Burn bright in our heart until we are together again. Be who you are but perhaps even more importantly may you go out and make this world 1 of welcome and love for others so that they may be who they are. May you be seeing an offer the gift of seeing. May you be welcomed and offer the gift of welcome may you be loved and offer the gift of loving. All the days of your life. Go in peace.

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Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. We like this challenge. And please take a deep breath. As we move into our time together try to shed the noise and the busyness of life. Breathe deeply. And be here. Now in this place. Nowhere to go nothing to do. But to be present to yourself. And to your community. Breathe. And listen. So our little corner of the world has gone cold in the last couple days. But here we can find warrant. Here in this special place during this hour of special time we find ways to convey to each other our love. To lift up our care for the wider world. To dig deep into the heart of what matters most. Earlier this week i was with a colleague and she was describing her trip last summer to transylvania for those of you who don't know there is a large unitarian population in transylvania. The community has been there for over 400 years and i learned from this colleague that they're your boring unitarian and you've unitarian. Unless maybe if you marry out or you've married in it is much more. European. Muchmores of old school if you will. And it made me think about the realities of our unitarian universalism. We are a religion of choice. None of you have to be here. They're probably scores of other things you could have been doing this morning. Instead you've chosen to be here and i can't even threaten you with hellfire and brimstone your families won't disown you for choosing not to be here. Your presence in this community your presence here on sunday mornings is a choice that you are making. A choice i'm grateful for and the whole community is grateful for. Because you buy your presents. By choosing this. Make this place what it is. Here in this gathering among these people you have chosen to give your time your attention to be. Part of something. Building something. Lasting. You've chosen to contribute yourself to the creation of something larger than yourself. The hope of which is nothing less than the transformation of the entire world. This morning as we gather i offer gratitude for your choice. Each and everyone of you make this community better more hole. Each and everyone of you with all of your differences and joys and struggles and hopes and fears. You create this living breathing loving community. Thank you for being with us this morning. May you find hear the space to dig deep and know yourself. The time to reflect and think about your cares for this world we share. And may you find to a welcome that reminds you that you are loved. This morning as we do every sunday we take time to sit together in silence. To lift up the cares of this community to acknowledge the cares of the world. As you move into this time i encourage you to use it however best soothes your soul. Through meditation reflection or prayer this is a time for you to cultivate your center. The please take a deep breath. As we come into our time. Try to relax. Your body. In your seat. Comfortable. Breathe deeply. And slowly. Lifewell a gift. Is not always easy. It asks us to face many challenges. We know that to live our most. Moral most true lives. We must keep our eyes open. Not only to our own suffering but to the suffering of those around us. This morning we think of the family of soul goldberg. Especially his wife barbara. Neither hearts find solace. In memories of saul. We think two of all those who are impacted by the ongoing government shutdown. They are lawmakers seasense enough. To end the suffering soon. We think of those whose lives and futures are at stake as our nation considers its borders. May this country remember the promise it has never quite met. And begin to live it. We think of all those around this world. Facing. Greece. Illness. Anger and fear. May they know comfort. And peace. Even as we hold in our hearts those broken and hurting parts. We offer gratitude for all those around this earth who in ways small and large. Work to make life better. We offer gratitude for nurses and.. Emergency personnel. For healers and comforters. Friends and family from mentors and teachers. It is our communities of care. People of kindness and love helpers and creators. That make our lives complete. In the silence. Cultivate your scent. A long time ago now i had a conversation with my family that i remember quite vividly to this day i must have been in high school. My brother was home from college and we were sitting around the dining room table that i sit around now with my own children. I can't remember what sparked the conversation but i do remember that it was heated impassioned. Probably at times less thoughtful and more reactionary. The content was choice. My father stood on one side of the argument and i sort of hesitate to call it that perhaps it would be more properly called a debate. And my brother and i held the line on the other side. At stake was essentially the paralysis or privilege of choice. With all the fervor of youth that had always had choices. My brother and i were arguing that too many choices could be paralyzing. Like when you stand in the grocery store staring at the cereal aisle. Because you cannot fathom how you could possibly choose between one of the hundreds of brightly colored boxes staring back. It's hard we argued at the time. To know what career path to choose to nowhere to live how to spend your life. When you have so many choices. Because once you reach out and put that granola with dried strawberries in your cart. You may well be preventing yourself from choosing the chocolatey one down the line. The cereal analogy doesn't hold well so we'll drop it. But you can see in life that it's certain points certain choices can be somewhat revocable. You turn down a scholarship you can't get it back again the next year. You accept that job offer you can't then take the one that comes a week later without impacting your life and career. You choose to be with that person in many cases you're shutting a door on other options. There is in our world of abundant choice we argued a deep fear about what it means to make decisions that eliminate. There's a fear of lost opportunity. A fear of making the wrong choice. A fear of imperfection or failure or the inability to go back again. We were trying to explain this idea that. Well when one door opens another door closes another one opens right. We were trying to say that when you open a door and you walk through it you're closing yourself off from walking through the other doors. And that we said. Felt hard that felt like. Inviting potential grief inviting being and wrong. How could we choose we said. Without knowing what would happen. Without knowing what was right without being sure that it would be the perfect choice. For his part my father who had not known much choice in his life. Was struggling to grasp this downside of privilege. Better he said to have that downside than the alternative. He could not understand where we were coming from and we couldn't understand why he couldn't understand. We were coming at this conversation from totally different places. Totally distinct childhood. Different roles and different responsibilities. My father. Well not necessarily having a language back then to call us on the privilege of being paralyzed by choice. Was able to say clearly. The well we might have that feeling of fear about choice. Choice was still better than no choice. My memory is it at the time my brother and i grumbled that we were not feeling fully heard and understood. But far more important as the years have gone by was that point that my father was making. We were lucky to have so many choices that fear of making the wrong one was a feeling we knew. I thought about that conversation as i reread that passage from the bell jar. The narrator imagines sitting in the branches of a fig tree each stretching limb of wood representing a different possible path. At the end a ripe fig waiting to be plucked. Each beautiful and interesting and different. None clearly more right than the others all waiting. And there she is rapped by doubt and uncertainty. Frightened into inaction because to pick one is to give up on the others. The end result of course is it all the things shrivel and drop to the ground. The image and my own story speak to lives of choice and privilege i recognize that. Not all has that privilege of choice. Too many are constrained simply by the need to survive. But for those of us even those of us whose lives are relatively set in stone at this point or for those of us who don't confront choices of great magnitude on a daily basis. Still we are faced with choices. Small ones and large ones the impact of which is sometimes predictable and sometimes impossible to foresee. What we do when we faced when we are faced with choice. Is an enormous part of who we are and how we are in this world. Are we people that make choices on a whim. Are we people that make choices that are expedient. Self-serving. Life-giving. Dangerous. One of the ultimate choices we can make is to decide how we will choose. Sometime after that conversation i first encountered the sanskrit texts the bhagavad gita. Has anyone read this. Maybe some. It's a portion of the mahabharata. The mahabharata is a hindu epic that details the story of this particular war and the princes who fought in it. In the telling of the mahabharata there are various philosophical and devotional passages among them is the 700 verse bhagavad gita. Likely written around the second century bc. The verses of the gita relates a conversation between one of the princes fighting in this epic war. The prince arjuna and his charioteer krishna. Who is an avatar of the god vishnu. Prince argentina is a warrior that's his identity his cast. His place in the social system. The scene of their conversation is the battlefield. Argentina asks krishna to drive into the middle of the field. So he can see the armies on either side. He looks around. He sees on both sides members of his own family. In the 1979 translation of the text bikies bola it reads. In that place arjun of sauce father's grandfather's mentors uncle's brother's sons grandsons playmates fathers-in-law and close friends in both armies. Seeing all these kinsmen in a ray. The son of quincy was overwhelmed by emotion and in despair when he said. I feel paralyzed. My mouse becomes dry. I tremble with in my hair stands on end. The boat slips from my hand my skin feels hot. I cannot keep steady my mind worlds. I see but evil signs. I see nothing good resulting. These men here drawn up in battle giving their lives and possessions are the ones for whose sake. We desired kingship. Pleasure. Happiness. This sets off an ethical dilemma about which arginine krishna speak for the subsequent verses of the peace. Arjun wants to know if it is immoral to kill. Given that among the highest virtues in hinduism is non-violence ahimsa. He asks krishna if he should stay and fight. Or condemn the war. Denying his warrior identity and leaving the battlefield before the fighting begins. He knows. His warrior identity demands that he fight. But he also knows that killing is wrong. His sorrow is so great that he can't decide which to follow he sits down on his feet in his chariot his weapons at his feet. He's faced with his impossible choice. And he fears making the wrong one. He fears failing he fears the implications of choosing the wrong fig. In hinduism the term dharma means duty. It means the set of responsibilities that come with our identity our work our place in the world. Sergeant is faced with these competing dharma's. The duty to fight as a warrior. And the duty as a brother a son a fellow human being not to kill. Argenta has choices both have positive and negative implications in the social system he lived in. And they are mutually exclusive he can't both fight and not. He faces a quintessential moral dilemma. Krishna offers advice. The begins first with the affirmation that to not choose is also a choice. Choice paralysis in action in the face of a difficult decision these are actually still. A choice. It's important remember of course that christians advice comes wholly and entirely within a hindu context. Epic. World. Krishna first respond by essentially telling arjuna that he has misunderstood existence and if he understood it he wouldn't be so sorrow filled. Christian explains that reverse in the nature of the soul mean that the deaths of these people don't really matter. Do christian tells arjuna to fight that is his advice in the end. Fight because the war is just. It's one argument he uses. And uses that term repeatedly. It's a just war it's okay to fight. But also fight because reincarnation and krishna's true identity is vishnu the maker and destroyer time and being means that their death isn't really real in the way that. Arjun understands at. In the cosmology of hinduism krishna points out. I am time who destroys man's world even without you all these warriors drawn up for battle in opposing ranks would cease to exist. In the time and place of this. Story. In this religious world. Arjun is dharma. As a warrior takes precedence over any other. And the lord tells him to fight. I want to just note here for a second that the bhagavad-gita was also extremely important in the life of mahatma gandhi. He understood that war as a metaphorical one. Between the forces of good and ill. To krishna's encouragement to fight need not actually be taken as an endorsement of definition. Right. Rather we can understand his encouragement to fight as making a larger point. About how we choose. What we choose to privilege when we determine which dharma to follow. Even is krishna is convincing argena to fight. He's also teaching arjun about the best way is to venerate the holy and how best to live a righteous life. There are many options laid out in this text it doesn't give one perfect way. A one-point personal list of the danger of false prophets. He says. Undiscerning manfield legends preoccupied with scriptural or who claimed there is nothing else. Their words promise better birds through cultic act. Dwell at length on various rights and amite pleasure and power. These men are full of desires ls4 heaven. They cling to pleasure and power and are fooled by their own discourses. They have no knowledge consisting in commitment fixed in concentration. The scripture speak to the worlds we've of integrity passion and slaw. Transcended archana. Forever in integrity. Detached from things. In command of yourself. Krishna promotes. Meditation and discipline and figuring out and staying true to some sense of who you are. Well also being aware that you are very being in space is transient. Later he tells archana to be wise you should be modest sincere gentle forbearing. Just. Turn away from what the senses tell you. Stop seeing yourself in the center. And ultimately krishna explains to arjun of the each person has their role to play. And it is in playing that role that they reach their highest life. He says. If a man is engaged in his proper work he attains the highest end. One's own duty in its imperfection. Is better than someone else's duty well performed. Man should not give up work natural to him even though it is imperfect. Imperfection marzal undertaking. I smoke the clouds the fire. No human pursuit is perfect. Krishna reminds arjun. Imperfection marzal undertake. Not a reason to give up. The call to pursue one's duty is a called beyond the divide of perfect and imperfect. Knowing the hindu context of this work one's duty isn't chosen. The system at work in this text places people into certain social strata certain roles and responsibilities because of the family they are born into. There's a clarity and simplicity to the system though of course it is one that oppresses and denies full humanity 20 people. It's a system that doesn't actually allow choice very much. We live in quite a different system most of us. Well there are some ways that our lives here in northern new jersey are constrained. Many if not all of us here live with an abundance of choice. We can acknowledge that others not even that far from us live with far less choice. Every choice that we make is not going to be particularly significant i don't actually think your choice of cereal is going to have some extreme ramification. But many of our choices do have farther reaching implications. Will i push it and run through that red light. Will i cut this corner while doing my job. Where am i going to live. Will i drive or will i walk. How will i use my money. To what will i devote my time. Will i be impatient or patient in this moment. Will i take this or give that or speak this way or share that information or offer kindness or refuse compassion. Some of our choices may even feel like impossible ones. Will a radically change my lifestyle. Because i know that doing so would be better for the planet. Will i quit my job because it asks me to do things that don't actually connect with the ideas i hold dear. Will i cut ties with that friend or family member because their values fundamentally clash with my own. Let me consider our lives. This world of relative privilege in choice that we live in we might do well to consider the advice that krishna gives. That too however imperfectly. Live one's duty is the highest calling. Remember that clause however imperfectly. We can understand here in our culture duty not as something that is imposed on us. But something we choose to take on. We might say that the duty of this congregation is the fulfillment of its mission. That's why articulation of mission become so important. Our duty as individuals we might say. Is to live our highest ideals of justice and compassion and love regardless of what the senses tell us. Regardless of the siren song of pleasure and privilege. That requires figuring out what our highest ideals actually are. Our duty we might say is to face each choice with careful thought and consideration aware that our choices have consequences. How will we do this will we do that. We give in to fear that leads us to choose in action. We answer the calls of our spirit and our highest ideals. However imperfectly. That's the question that jan richardson asks in her poem the blessing of the burning bush. She's referring of course to that scriptural moment when god speaks to moses through a burning bush. She asked how we would respond. To such a call. From god from our own deepest values. How would we respond. Would we answer a call that asks us to give up pleasures and privilege and devote ourselves to something wholly new and strange. Something we may not be able to accomplish perfectly something we might fail at. Would we dig deep enough into ourselves to make radical changes that take us down a path we never thought we might tread. What compromises might we make in order to refuse that car. What sacrifices might we make in order to accept it. Because although my father was right and i can see that so much more clearly in retrospect. My brother and i were also kind of right. Every time we make a choice especially the hard ones something is lost. Archana with krishna's guidance m near impossible choice. And in his case the result was the death of beloved friends and family and unbelievably high price. Even his argentine meeks that choice confident in the advice of his charioteer. We must imagine it's something in him also changes a reprobate. Because of what his dharma called him to do. The changes to his own being are yet another price. Despite krishna's godly conviction in our humanity we know that almost no choice would be perfect. We know that very rarely are the important races in our own lives. Totally clear. Perfect in their spiraling effects. Every choice even the ones we know deep in our bones are right. Have a cost. Every choice has consequences known and unknown. Every choices of risk. Some more than others. And every choice and how we make it helps determine who we will become. You don't have a lot of answers. Slotocash. When your battlefield moment comes when your burning bush moment comes. Will you be struck by fear and moved to inaction. How will you choose. Will you risk in perfection and the unknown because it means becoming ever more who you are truly meant to be when you live by your deepest values and highest ideas. Will you as richard and richardson rights. Know your past not by how it shines before you but by how it burns within you. Leaving you hole. As you go from here blazing with your inarticulate your inescapable yes. When the call comes my hope for you for me for all of us is that we are ready to answer however imperfectly in spite of our fears. So that we can live our fullest and truest lives. Please join in the words for extinguishing the chalice there in your order of service. We extinguish this flame. May your life be filled with options and may you never let fear keep you from action. Rather may you face your choices embracing the shining light inside you with your community as your charioteer. Go in peace.

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MINSearchCommPodcast2016.mp3?_=30

Welcome to the search candidate statements we begin with my kozara who is in the middle of his presentation. And i was chair of the governance committee which recruited new directors. I've also been a founder of bergen volunteer medical initiative which the society has generously supported over the years and i conducted the first executive director search as chair of that committee. Most recently i've helped the children's aid and family services organization by. Being a member of their search committee to replace none other than bob jones who is well-known. To all of us. So i understand the search process i know what it takes for a search to be successful. And i know how important it is to invest at the front end in asserts to really. Identify where the organization is its history its culture its challenges and its vision for the future because that really defines the type of leader the type of minister in this case that we will be looking for. I also understand the importance at the back-end of asserts to really go into a due-diligence process to make sure. We're getting what we think we're getting. And that's fundamentally critical 20 search. So in conclusion i'd be honored to be a part of the process i think i can add some value to the process i care deeply as kathy does about the society where the very important i'm and i think the work we do here will really drive our agenda for the future thank you. Thank you. Okay next step. Is mary berry. And by the way this is an alphabetical order by last name so might mike was lucky enough or unlucky enough to be the first and carol wolf i'm sorry. Good morning i marry byron i became a member of us are about 15 years ago when johnson was our interim minister. I was searching for a spiritual community. Where i could raise my daughter and continue learning on my own journey. I was going through a difficult time in my life. Newly divorced and adjusting to life as a working single mother. And i was introduced to the society by. Some friends and i found my spiritual home here. Over the years i've been involved with all aspects of usri taught re45 years i chaired the membership committee i served on the music committee. Iko facilitated connections group i worked on the fiberarts fundraiser. And was part of a steward in the budget drive currently i'm a member of the racial justice committee. And i recently joined the president's council for the uua. Just over a year ago i retired from my job as a partner at goldman sachs in the technology division where i had worked for 25 years. I started as a network engineer and then i spent six years in japan as the cio for their businesses and asia. And then for the last few years i managed technology and execution. I was always an active leader in our diversity and inclusion initiatives as well as our philanthropic activities. Currently i'm investing in women founded companies in advising startup. Helping to close the wealth gap for women and communities of color. I'm an active philanthropist serving on the boards of the auburn seminary which trains faith leaders in the multi-faith movement for social justice. And room to read which works on combating illiteracy in asia and africa. I believe we all have time talent and treasure to share. I'd like to serve on the ministerial search committee because i love you with our. This community has sustained me many times and i would like to give back in this way. I believe the minister is central to. But not the center of a thriving society. I am interviewing listening and consensus-building skills that i will bring to this process. I'm pretty organized and clear communicator. And i work well in collaborative endeavor endeavors and on committees. I believe it'd be an honor to serve you as our in this capacity and thank you for. Consideration. Thank you mary next up. Is don campolo. The picture look more like george clooney when we took it. So in my haste to get here today i forgot my red baseball hat with my slogan. Make us our great again so just imagine my name is don campolo i've been a member of the us are since the early 1990s. I served as a prosecuting attorney for 25 years. The last four years in essex county where i was the acting prosecutor probably hired over 100 people. Investigators attorneys and administrative staff. I now do consulting work in the field of. Construction project integrity. Just realize that's an oxymoron. My wife marilyn and i live in midland park in our two sons grew up attending our teeth this congregation. Was marilyn and i were raised catholic but we were long laps. When we found this place. Which has provided us with so much fulfillment friendship and inspiration. During my years at usrf been active in the following areas. Tarrare. Co-chair to pledge drive been a pledge canvasser served on the committee on ministry. And safe congregations committees. Chaired the ordination committee for carlos martinez. Share the task team to develop a long-range plan share the task team to revise our bylaws. And serve the four-year term as trustee. It felt like a prison sentence. I have also volunteered to assist at school 12 in paterson and have cooked lunch at the mlk celebration with cam for the past 3 years. Be honest i've enjoyed the friendship of many members and friends over the years. And even better around a softball or two in my earlier days actually broke my ankle playing us are soft as a result i've come to appreciate the joys and challenges of working as part of a team towards a shared goal. I can think of no more important goal. Then helping to choose our next sell minister. To this end i would bring common sense. And appreciation of us are as history. An understanding of human nature. And a sense of empathy and a sense of humor. Whenever i've been privileged to lead a committee or task team i've worked hard. To respect the opinions of others and maximize their skill sets. In order to accomplish our goals in a timely manner. Through all my experience as part as part of this congregation i've come to appreciate its diversity and the strengths and challenges that this entails. I believe that i'm in an excellent position. To communicate us our strengths weaknesses and needs 2nd ministerial candidate. I also believe that i'll be able to evaluate its candidates. Tools and temperaments for helping us to achieve our aspirations as a congregation. 2-channel donald again this is huge. Reggaeton. Okay next up is tom dibella. Morning i'm trying to bella in march of 97 and i began attending services at us us are which were then being held at the washington school. When the cottage place building was undergoing renovation. We were looking for a community whose values were more compatible with their own. Rather than the catholic parishes that we had been apart of going on. Terry allen was the minister and he conducted our infant daughters dedication ceremony in the spring of the following year. Now is keep repairs for college it's it's hard to believe so much time has passed. My daughter was raised unitarian at us are over the years i've taught 45 our whole lives. Classes in corpus illustrated connections group. I had less time for work at us are when i was fully occupied with career responsibilities. But now is a semi-retired individual that there's time for more things that matter to me greatly. I've been a member through two cycles of ministerial search have absolute respect for the efforts and responsibilities of past search committees. The tireless work of our board of trustees is what's inspired me to want to be of service as part of this search committee. My background is in business i hold it in being financed. And i worked in our family heating oil business for an initially then for citicorp investment bank. Before starting my own business as a professional photographer doing commercial and social engagement photography for over 27 years. Currently i manage our commercial real estate holdings. I was a president of ramapo mountain lakes a conservative conservancy in northern bergen county for 3 years. I've served as the director of the community chest of teaneck. And the teaneck rotary club. I see myself as a skilled communicator who's able to work effectively as part of a team made up of diverse members. The password for those who've come before in our congregation and at the national level is provided a well proven process. To help the committee find one who is called to service at us are. And the 1853 remarks of the secretary of the american unitary association quoted in the us. 10 seasons ministries seem to me is dollar today is. When they were first offered. Congregations would be well advised to set seek the solid rather than the shining parts of a minister. I'm ready and willing to be of service as part of the committee. And i have facebook. Whoever the board selection will move forward. Thoughtfully and heartily as others have done before then i believe we need to be mindful of the past as we create the future. Thank you. Next up is steve gripoix. Hello my name is steve gregoire many of you know me already but there may be some people here who don't and i'd like to tell you a little bit about myself. I've been a unitarian universalist my whole life. I was raised at the first parish old ship uu church in massachusetts and i attended religious education classes there. As an adult i belonged to three other uu congregations. I've been very fortunate in most cases these congregations have had strong and well-regarded ministers. I was a member of the first parish uu church in cambridge massachusetts harvard square. Why served as the senior deacon into our family moved to new jersey. My wife and my two children isn't sophia move to the area 6 years ago. Probably the biggest factor for me to move to the area was. The fact that there was a unitarian congregation. In the area. How you do with a unitarian congregation in the area i know i can find a community of like-minded people. Since i've been at usor i've been a founding member of the men's discussion group in that ran for many years. I family has been very active in the religious education program. I just like to say i'm being very pleased to the already program. Especially recently and the different programs that they're offering now hooting child's choir i see some really great stuff going on there. I would like to serve on the search committee. Because i've been part of the process as a regular member did two other occasions. And i'd like to take a more active role in finding the next minister. I believe my many years as a you do and my prior experience working with other ministers will make me a value addition to the team. My name is steven gregoire and i'm running for search committee and i hope you vote for me. Thank you but you save. Next up is bernie josefsberg. Let me begin by saying that i'm fully confident that i can channel bernie. I've been auu backbencher since 1998. Going back to terry allen's last year. As societies minister. The backbench provides an expansive and for me. Comfortable view of things. I've witnessed much change and seen much of what makes the society. Exasperating. Endearing and enduring. I've had a long career in public education across several parts of the country. As a high school english teacher. High school principal. And also to school district superintendent. In new jersey and connecticut. His current school year my last before i retire. I'm working an interim capacity. As a human resources administrator for school district in westchester. Over the past several society auctions i performed impeccably. How's the absentee bitter. With the exception of this last auction when i was absent. Expunge my responsibilities off upon angus pungent. Some years ago i played to several seasons on society softball team. I called you back all my last ending love work. As a short fielder on a rising line-drive at tents game. Against the league powerhouse. When the ball explode from the bat. I moved last explosively to my right. Jumped as high as i could and hope for the least possible embarrassment. We lost that game but. Dodgeball at that moment in that leap of faith. Was caught. But wasn't in fact merely one week a face. Might have been a singularly criss-crossing many-faced. Or maybe multiple leaves arising from one face. Or even the numerous leaks of multiple face. Landing upon the head. Planet planet has every single pin. Thereby preserving the better angels of our nature. And dispersing the meaner ones. One week. Many beliefs. The backbench has taught me that each of us. Expect i minister to answer such questions. As each one of us prefers. Without offending the beloved others in the congregation. Who's different answers to those same questions. Clearly demonstrate. How wrong-headed they all are. With this in mind we should all know why selecting someone to stand behind a pulpit. Poses a challenge. If some higher power charted societal index of ministerial satisfaction. Weather recorded daily weekly monthly or annually. The resulting trendline would resemble. An erratic electrocardiogram. Financial and demographic challenges of baked into our current congregational identity. It wouldn't hurt to have more money and more youth. Likely these concerns have always been. You're not unique to this moment. In one of my favorite lines i'm still able to retrieve. From when i memorize poetry. That which we are we are. And although some recent experience. In the congregation can't be lamented. Much abides. Including much that should appeal to prospective ministerial candidates. I subscribe outreach were minister we are quote and exciting vibrant caring. Justice seeking and generous liberal religious society. We steward a place of welcoming and seeking. Unquote. The candidates we see to welcome here will probe the search committee to determine the degree. To which we are as we proclaim ourselves to be. Fortunately our timeframe provide to congregation and needed respite from commotion. It also provides a search committee the opportunity to proceed with due care. Diligence and deliberation and i thank you for your consideration. Okay. Next up is not here so they're a couple of people that could not attend today kosovo vacation plans. Sent me their statements. So. Next is. Marty levin heart. Your luck. Okay. So this is. Martin lavin hard statement. Martin caroline move to ridgewood the north to sterling forest in 1980. When martin owned-and-operated to design and engineering company until his retirement in 2000. Here at usor he serves on the board of trustees would start which included a stint as board vice-president back into the ken patanaro. He chaired the stewardship drive a couple of times. Facilitated connections groups. Cook congregational dinners. Ran and helped with major events and sat on and share numerous and varied committees. As as usos denominational. New york metro district. Sorry. As you are swords denominational representative he is intended to uua general assembly almost regularly for over a decade as well as going to new york metro district annual meetings & conferences. He was awarded the winifred latimer norman award in 2009 for extraordinary commitment and service in the area social and racial racial justice that his and carolyn's. 10 year-long program to siena project during which they built schools in guatemala. With a lot of help from our congregation. Currently is he is the chair of our pastoral associate associates. And last year martin was appointed by the board of trustees to be the sole contact. With reverend kathleen during her medical leave. You might recall his reports at the town hall meetings during her absence. He says there were three qualifying assets that will that he will bring to the table. Martin studies. Homiletics. The art of writing and preaching sermons. For the work he and caroline did in writing and performing over 20 les services as uuuu congregations all over the country. For the sienna project fundraising effort. He brings a very broad view of unitarian-universalism and fifty years of down in the trenches experience hoping to uu congregations work through good. I both good times and bad. From his 35 years at usor martin has a good sense of institutional history about congregation he brings an understanding and appreciation of how we fit into the uua. And the role they and metro district play in the life of our congregation. On why he wants to serve. Aside from his hope. That he will be around for a long while yet. He believes that even though the future of the congregation belongs to the youth. City young. That the understanding of the battle-tested well-seasoned elder will be a benefit to the search committee. Thank you martin. Okay and. Lucky for me the next person up sally lewis couldn't be here either. Okay so. Let me read sally's statement. My name is sally lewis and i'm candidate for the ministerial search committee. Having attended this congregation for more than 25 years i can offer the search of perspective on the seasons of membership. In the beginning i was a young mother living far from my own parents working and raising three young children. I was drawn to this religious body because it offered me an hour each week in which i was surrounded with art. Add music as a spirit of social activism and spiritual renewal. Then my children grow and participation changed. I remember sitting in my driveway many sunday mornings waiting for reluctant children to join me. I felt that religious education was a part of my job as a parent. But also wished that taking my kids to sunday school wouldn't be such a struggle. During these all-consuming years of parenthood. My husband and i handled coffee hour once once a year my husband took out children and others to volunteer at camp in paterson i taught religious education as together we attended fellowship feast and pledged money us are. That was a wall. About what we could handle and sometimes it felt like too much. The unitarian society served our family during the family tragedy. The settled minister terry allen broke wisdom and comfort to us in a time of great need. My appreciation for the us are deepened. Now the children are independent my husband and i have retired. And the current season of membership is quite different. At last i have the time to take. Pardon usor social justice work and to attend social justice events. I am the chair of. The education justice committee. Billy azar the camp. Ydp in in paterson and a member of the children in use religious education committee. In addition to experiencing the passage of time at usri worked for 38 years in the field of education. In this work i often cooperated in the small group. It was important. To be organized and be flexible. Daily tasks involve reading writing. Collaborating. Deadlines were reality. These skills honed my. Home during my career will serve me well on the search committee. Just as important. Having been here for a long time. I have some appreciation for the ways in which this religious organization. Perhaps the energies and serves the needs of members as their lives and fold. I know the importance of the minister who speaks to us all. And is able to serve the youth. And elders and those in-between. Thank you. Alright. Our next. Speaker is. Holly nolan. Imagine the privilege of being on such a committee. Paypal. Well. Obviously i would love to work on such a committee. I want a minister who can stir and inspire us and. I want that minister to be inspired by us i see that is. Extremely necessary. I'd love to have an enthusiastic minister with intellectual.. I have from. Reverend tony. Compilation of notes that he took on the. The cottage. Meetings. And i think that's very important for our future choice of a minister. My role in us are big and eight years ago when i came to to new jersey. From new york. And i had i came here. Because i retired and because i had been not because i had been the executive director. Of the capital region humanist society in the. General albany region. Reaching into massachusetts and vermont in. Olive upstate new york. So i have a strong sense of what it takes to manage an organization and. Hopefully inspire it. I have the. Discovered really though through this organization. Usr. That. Unitarianism is a more soulful. Enterprise. Then straight humanism. Even though we incorporated great deal of humanism in our in our belief patterns. But it is a soulful organization. For us are or five us our activities have been my focus for these that 8 years. I started out with the. Peace and justice organization primarily because helen lindsay and. And tommy hunter blake. We're in charge of it. And dynamic people. So my first two years here were involved in visiting the immigrant. Detainees. Add hudson prison. Of all the god forsaken. Places to be. In your adult life it was depressing in the extreme. And we became very very active in that regard dealing with the entire image. Crisis. I also was tapped early by carolyn 2. Co-chair and then share the congregational dinners so that's than organizing enterprise if there ever was one. Connections when bob falanga. Regenerated the connections operation. I joined his group and under step is very important to understand the power of connections in this organization. So i got to meet people and. And so i facilitated call facilitated. At least two. Connections groups after that. I am in the process of teaching re for that coming of age group are high school group and i hope you'll be here the first two sundays in may to hear them. Give their kratos because we've worked hard on. I was born and raised in a. Chicago and the suburbs. And attended the congregational church for years. Attended denison university. History and english double major. With a strong minor in theology. I spent my junior year in germany. Adam married the man who inspired me to become an english teacher which seems self-evident but i didn't see it that way. So he inspired me ultimately we got great jobs in new york state so we moved from chicago to new york. In the capital district that is had our son. And. I got a master's in english lit from the university of albany. So i really had to careers each career with 17 years. First one was. Teaching english in high school in. In. Chicago and new york state. And. And. I got a wave just them. Oh i wrote the curriculum english curriculum for the state of department of new york. Then i made a fabulous shift by becoming a an economic development research her for a senator. For his campaign. Learned about policy writing and this made its way into the job of a lifetime as. A program director in the brand new. I love new york campaign which is a campaign. To build economic development in the entire city and state of new york. So that was a thrilling job i gave up over 1,000 business seminars. Two business organizations all over the state and ultimately the country. I am to the media. I wrote and produced five films for. The i love new york campaign. Retired to new jersey. Because my kids moved here so here i am. I have moved just this past year from wanaque out west. 22 wyckoff. So that i could be closer to this society. + 2. So i hope my intense little interest in literature and theology and my adoption of humanism and then. Unitarianism my career in public speaking. And my commitment to in mi of this society. Can help me represent you. In this. Important search thanks thank you holly. Okay next up is elise pleastic. Good morning. Emily's pleastic. And i am interested in running for the ministerial search committee. My husband and i have been members of the us are for about 15 years. And we raised our three children in his congregation. I often say that we came here for our children. But we stayed for this community. I began my service. Hereby teaching re. As most new parents do. And they bring their children in. It's a great way to learn about unitarian universalism. As i was raised in the jewish household. And from there i progressed to charing the fellowship east. Which i did for 10 years. And serving on the religious education committee. I was then on the search committee. Retired laura beth brown was our previous religious education director. And i served on the search committee for our previous interim minister. Weapon roberta. I then joined the board as a vice president. And i continued on to the presidency of this society. I currently teach elementary owl. And i have coats facilitated a connections group for the past 8 years. I've also served on the. On the. Fundraising committee i have. Meals and. Except on the fiber festival. In addition to all the other work i've done at this society. I am a cpa. And i worked in the financial services industry for 20 years. After i was after i retired i. Took some time off to raise my children. Be at home with them an opportunity that i didn't have while i was working. And then i took a position as a consultant. Which allows me flexibility hours and a flexible work schedule. Being calm and raising my children will also give me the opportunity to serve on the board and that was the time that i. Began to take service. On this at this time rogation. My training as a cpa. Has taught me to be thoughtful. To consider most things from medi viewpoints. And to form opinions after having waited all of the facts. I am not predisposed to position or to an opinion. And i am a consensus builder. I believe that this committee and the work that it does should be comprised of people with varying backgrounds and viewpoints. And i believe that this committee work helps to get the best results. When you have this different type of ideas and. Composition of people serving on a committee. I. Have been i have seen a few ministers over my time at this congregation. And i will not allow my personal opinions. Aw his congregation should have. Swag. The committee work will work hard to gather the views and the consensus and the opinions. Of this congregation and to bring those ideas and thoughts together to bring in the best possible candidate to serve this congregation. I truly love this congregation. And i want to see it thrive and to prosper. I want to serve on this committee because i value service to this congregation. And i really think i would be very good at it. I helped the select two individuals who are highly confident. And valued by our congregation. And i believe that my nature my history. And my talents would be of excellent value to this committee. Thank you. Thank you elise. Next up is steve riskin. Hi. I'm steve riskin. Mary and i have been married and i have been coming to the unitarian society of ridgewood since the early 2000s. Usir is an important reason why i want to stay in northern new jersey. I care about this congregation. I wanted to be here for us in the future. For three years i was a member of the board of trustees. Some of my activities while on the board were helping to organize the camp at and weekend. Leading a task team that studied our church management software. And member of the team that interviewed potential replacements for our administrator. I've song in society singers. And served on the website and the policies and procedures task teams. I facilitate a number of connections groups. More recently i have begun to serve as co-chair of the sunday services committee. I was honored. To be a part of the team that organized the awakening to white privilege service last month. And i'm working on a team coordinating with rre director and board members as we implement improvements for our website. Years running my own small computer consulting firm serve me well in my volunteer work. This was true for both technical and interpersonal reason. It was critical to listen. And meet my clients needs. If i'm elected to the ministerial search committee you need to know what i would do. Here are some kegels. Us army leadership has provided the continuity. The resources and the directions. That have kept us going. I will be looking for a minister with a proven record. I'm strong collaboration with les leadership. Before recommending a minister to our congregation the search committee must have a complete picture of the minister's work at other congregations. While respecting confidentiality. We must look beyond references to ensure we have a full picture of a candidate's previous ministries. I'm not at all certain we will find an outstanding minister in a one-year search. I'm prepared to go the distance. We are a vibrant and an active congregation. We deserve. And we will find a center. And highly experienced minister. We deserve. And we will find. A minister who will lead with intellect. And humanity. I'm a humanist and i want to find the minister who supports our humanness roots. But in the last few years i've learned something important. There are unitarian ministers who can create an environment in which theist. Humanist. Indeed all kinds of you use. Can worship together. So i want to help us select the minister who can erect. A big tent. One where we can all come together. A place where we can. Can continue to grow and prosper. As a congregation. Thank you. Thank you steve and last but certainly not least. Carol wolf. We are so lucky to have so many great candidate. Can't even. Good morning my name is terrible. I'm a self-employed graphic designer. And i've been a member here for just over 10 years. I first came to the unitarian society of ridgewood. Looking for community. To both grow spiritually. And to find a way to apply my creative skills as a tool for social justice. The us are has made my life richer. And more fulfilling on so many levels. And i treasure the time i spend here. In the last 10 years i felt. Fortunate to be able to contribute my skills across a wide range of us are groups and activities. This is allowed me to get to know many of you personally. And enhanced my deep appreciation for the many facets of our community. For example. I have been chair of the art committee since 2009. A responsibility which i've enjoyed immensely. I'd assisted other committees by creating graphics flyers and logos for them. Including fundraisers like the fiber arts festival. The craft show and the annual budget drive. I've helped the social responsibilities and programs council. Promote their activities. And i've helped administer the us our website and facebook page for several years now. I've also had the profoundly rewarding experience. Of mentoring youth in the coming-of-age program. Perhaps the most valuable with my experiences here at us are in terms of getting to know the people who make up the society. With participating in the committee to develop our mission statement and community covenant six or seven years ago. This experience allowed me to. Interact firsthand with many members. Ensuring what we value most about our society. And to work collaboratively as part of the committee. To create to unified statements that represent us all. I'm deeply committed to the future success of the society. This is my beloved community. I have a profound appreciation for the diversity of our interest and rc ologies. And also for our commonalities. During my 10 years here. This society has had for minister. I want to help find a minister. Who will service all for many years to come. And i would be honored to be able to serve on the ministerial search committee for you thank you.

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Sermonpodcast-12-2-18.mp3?_=19

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. Please join in the words for lighting the chalice they are in your order of service. We light this chalice. Circle of community. Now please take a deep. Breath. Try to get your body as still and as quiet as you can. And listen. To this sound as it rings in the silence. Be patient and listen carefully. The sound will start. Strong. But. Chase it with your ears as it fades. Hold on to this moment of stillness as long as you can. Take a deep breath. And listen. The cold has come. I assume you have felt it this past week. Those breasts almost bitter winds that we've our cheeks stinging in our fingers almost numb. And with the cold has come the darkness. We're slowly making our way to the shortest darkest day of the year when. Late last but a little while and evening extends its reach. But the cold and the dark bring opportunity. Letting if we get a good snow. Hot chocolate warm mittens sweaters and firesides and huddling together for warmth. I think perhaps the snuggliest snuggles happen in the winter. This season also brings us an opportunity to practice. Patience as we wait for the light to return. Attention as we look. Closely to find all that is beautiful about the dark. Care as we work to ensure that all of us find comfort in this season. This is the season of advent of waiting and anticipation. This is the season when we can practice what it means to wait with intention and purpose. Together as we sink deeper into the winter. We gather to honor the values and current in this special time of year. Welcome to this place of warmth and light and care and patient. Each sunday that we gather we take time and our service to come together in reflection meditation. Prayer each using the silence and the stillness in ways that are most meaningful to us. Today as we come into this special time together i want to ask you to take a moment with me to remember that yesterday was world aids day. Add a created 30 years ago to raise awareness to support those living with aids and to commemorate. Those who have died of aids aids related illnesses. For so many especially those in the lgbtq community and for so long the silence and stigma around aids and the prejudices against lgbtq folks. Meant that advances in care and treatment were. Painfully slow. And there were so many needless deaths. So this morning we're going to light a candle to remember those millions who have died these last decades. And as i like the kindle i invite you to speak aloud to the names of any loved ones lost to or affected by hiv aids. We also light the candle to remind ourselves that when fear rules there is a real and heartbreaking human-caused. And to commit ourselves to helping end the kinds of prejudices. Batik. Please take a deep. Slow breath. Let your body. Relax into this moment. Try to steal your mind. In our own lives and all across the world. People are waiting. Breathlessly achingly.. Sparingly and joyfully. Waiting. For change. Hope. For joy for love. In our own lives and all across the world the patient and impatient alike. Are trying to live each day as best. The winter brings with. Quiet. Stillness. A seeming. Fairness. As the year ends we in all our flawed glory. Try to embrace this time. Even as we await this. This morning we honor all of us who wait. However we wait. Whatever we are waiting for. In the silence as we breathe deeply and slowly. We each reflect on those things for which we have a deep. And let your heart. As many of you know i've got three and a half year old twins and lately they have been to put it kindly. Difficult at bedtime. Last night after i sent them to bed one of them was shouting for his grandmother and i called back. Just be patient please. And i was struck by my own use of the word just. Just be patient as if patients were actually easy. Any of us who've ever waited for anything no waiting isn't actually easy. It isn't just it is wearying and sometimes painful waiting is not something we instinctively know how to do. Just ask any child. And weeding can look so different. Waiting can be patient or impatient. Passive or active. Life-giving or sold raining. Today is the first sunday of advent if you count by traditional religious methods if you count by a modern chocolate advent calendar as my preference it began yesterday. These are the last days in the lead-up to christmas day that day that we mark as the birth of a baby named jesus. I love advent. So i don't consider myself a christian particularly. The story of jesus filled important and relevant to me. I consider his life and words and example among others of how best to live our lives. They don't orient my life around jesus and i don't understand his living and dying as salvific. A prophet yes a teacher yes among the most moral yes. But christ meaning messiah or savior for me know. But i truly believe that advent has a message for even us non-christian unitarian universalist. Who claimed to find truth in many different places and ways. Until i love the story of this time of year. But i love word actually begins long before the first window is opened on an advent calendar. It begins with the story improbable though of course it is of a young maid becoming pregnant by god. The annunciation is that moment. Told in luke. When an angel gabriel is sent by god to see mary. He comes into where she is an officer greeting and then the story tells us she's perplexed. And he says to her do not be afraid mary. For you have found favor with god. And now you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you will name him jesus. He will be great and will be called the son of the most high and the lord god will give to him the throne of his ancestor david. He will reign over the house of jacob forever and of his kingdom there will be no end. Imagine for a minute that you are that perplexed girl and that's how the angel follows do not be afraid. Do not be afraid you're going to get pregnant by god. Mary responds how can this be since i am a virgin and the angel replies. The holy spirit will come upon you and the power of the most high will overshadow you there for the child to be born will be holy. He will be called son of god. And now your relative elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son and this is the six-month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with god. And marry again speaks and she says. Here am i the servants of the lord let it be with me according to your work. And then the angel disap. I'm in space it's a kind of simple story angel visits girl tells her god will get her pregnant girl gets confused but ultimately agrees angel disappear. But when you try to put feelings and detail into that story it's. Complicated. Why does mary agree. She knows that unwed motherhood in her historical context is not going to be seen as a gift. And why was she really chosen. When she feel like in that moment. Did you want to scream and see her what she proud that she had been chosen. The story goes on to tell us that she tells joseph and at first he decides to denounce her but then he received his own heaven-sent visit in a dream and determines to stick by her. But go back for a second and imagine if you will that conversation between her and joseph. Just try for a minute she has to tell her fiance she's been impregnated by god. Joseph must have gone through the emotional wringer. And what about gabriel. And the god he represented what does god do and feel once mario breves and the deed is done. Is gabriel please with his own work does he worry about mary does he watch over her. Because this is the thing adventure starts all the way back at that annunciation. Then there's a heck of a lot of time. 9 months give or take. And we learn that mary goes to visit her relatives elizabeth and we learn that mary's sings a song of praise to god. And then other than that we get nothing. Until the decree goes up from the emperor that everyone needs to be registered. And then we begin the last days that lead up to jesus's birth. We go from implantation as it were. Two births in just a few short chapters. What do they do for all that time. The weight. They just wait. All of us have had to wait. At one time or another in our lives they wait in simple moments ones we can imagine if we try. But simple moments that don't rise to the level of needing to be captured in scripture. Moment still that may well have changed lives. The townspeople wondering and gossiping about what had happened and how it making knows what kind of assumptions about mary. Maybe some being convinced that indeed a miracle had taken place. And you can imagine maybe joseph the carpenter worried about building a crib or a box for the baby to sleep in when it arrives. Mary fretting about what childbirth will be like maybe consulting with elizabeth once elizabeth's baby has been born. All the normal fears and preparations and worries. And the feeling that the waiting is endless. And maybe we can imagine the god of the story waiting to. After god has commanded this thing to occur but then has to operate on human time. Waiting with knowledge but also excitement. We started our advent calendars at home yesterday. And the twins were ready to open every single door right away we actually had to take some and hide them. So they wouldn't do it advent calendars are something of a countercultural lesson in waiting and impatience. And not rushing ahead to the end as we so often do in our modern world. But advent calendars the semicircular time that start december 1st and end on christmas day are born from in some senses advent wreaths did anybody have these in their tradition growing up an advent wreath. Some of you. Their circles of evergreen boughs and they usually have four candles. Around the circle sometimes for the 5th in the center. You light one on each of the four sundays before christmas day. The advent wreath as a concept has been around since the 16th century when it was used in german lutheran contact. But it only became popular in the 19th century. A german pastor and missionary who worked with the urban poor is credited with popularizing it. Johann heinrich griffin founded a school in hamburg. The children would ask everyday if it was christmas yet. And so in 1839 evidently he built a large wooden ring and put 20 small red candles. Within 44-640 would be a lot for large white candles interspersed. And he would lights one of the small candles each weekday and saturday and then the big white candle on sundays. Overtime the wreath was pared down to just those four large candle. Each one of which is associated with a specific virtue. The first week symbolizes hope. The second piece the third joy and the fourth love. Dusenberry depending on tradition but we're going to work with those this morning hope. Peace joy and love. Those are the virtues that an advent wreath lift up and undergirding all of them. Patient waiting. The lessons of this time are lessons in waiting patiently with hope peace love and joy. Front and center. And that's a lesson deeply embedded in the story. Election that is a value to all of us. Whenever i think about mary. Answering that angelic messenger. I think that she must have had a lot of hope in her heart. Hope that the message was real. And if she would bring into this world of being of goodness and light. Hope that her friends and family and fiance would be understanding. Hope that she was making the right choice. She says yes and then she waits and i expect that she leaned into that hope as much as possible during those nine months. I would think it was that hope that made it bearable. Whenever i think about joseph changing his mind and deciding to stick by mary i think he must have had a lot of love in his heart. The angel that visits him and his dream tells him not to be afraid. And i've heard it said that courage is not the thing that overcomes fear but love is what overcome. Joseph must have had enough. Love in him to embrace mary despite this. Strange tale. Enough love to embrace this child that was not biologically his. And as he waited and watched mary's belly grow it strikes me that his love must also has brown. Whenever i think about the god of this story i think. That god must have felt at peace with god's own working. God had put in motion a plan and that plan was working. Mary the chosen one had expected. Josephine listened and stayed. Everything was proceeding as it was meant to. God must have felt utterly pleased with god self. And having according to story both created humanity and cursed it with childbirth god must have been peacefully awaiting the arrival of this child. God in this story knew what would come to pass. So could wait with calm and peace. Whenever i think about the rest of the folks in the story all the family and townspeople and the characters we hear nothing about. I think that they as many of us to do. Must have been been filled with joy at the prospect of new life. However that life was arriving whatever story began at. All those who were waiting for this new baby's arrival must have been waiting with. Some trepidation but also great joy. That's the piece that makes the waiting bearable for most of us. The expected joy that will happen when the waiting is done. When we wait. We can wait. Restlessly impatiently or we can wait with hope and love and peace and joy. We can meet with purpose. Impatient. Aware that are patient. Purposeful waiting might be the thing that changes someone else's life. Or our own. Our first reading from the taxi cab driver encouraged us to do just that too. Slow down. Be more patient because we never know what might come of it. Our second reading encouraged us to consider what the substance. Of our purposeful slowing down and waiting might be. Are we waiting not for salvation from afar. But waiting with mindful action and care so that we can help create. What we are waiting for. Mary joseph and god in the story are all. Active participant who choose a course. The work to make. Their future possible. No one is presented in this story as. Faultlessly passes because waiting at its best isn't. Passive. Waiting at its best isn't. Impatient it isn't sold raining. Waiting if we can learn to do it well. Can be filled with all of those virtues. That's the heart of why i think. Advent is relevant to all of us. Even the non-christian. None of us were born knowing how to wait. And like any other skill it requires practice. Here we have built-in each year. A reminder and an opportunity. Instead of rushing ahead and wishing the holidays were just over. We can savor this time to be together and engage in a little mystery and magic. Instead of wishing that winter would end we can remember all that is. Wondrous and amazing about this time. Instead of opening every window at once. We can experience the thrill of knowing there's another one tomorrow though there won't be another tomorrow forever. Instead of stopping at stories of virgins getting pregnant we can hold on to the inherent. Truths that speak to what is possible. When we move through the world focused on hope and peace and joy and love. That is my wish for all of us this advent season. That we embrace this chance to slow down. That we sink deep into our relationship into the darkness and the wonder into the. Pregnant possibilities of this moment. Into the truth of story. And into the magic of christmas. May it be so for each and everyone of us. Please remain standing enjoying in the words for extinguishing the chalice they're printed in your order of service and i'm going to encourage you to look even if you know them by heart. Because we are testing out a slight adjustment. To correct a grammatical challenge and to make the words more positive so take a look you can always give you feedback later. We extinguish this flame but may the light of truth the warms of love. And the energy is act. Until we are together again. Maybe is coming weeks bring you opportunities for waiting and may you meet those opportunities with purpose do is hope go in peace go with joy and go knowing you are loved.

www_uuridgewood_org

Sermonpodcast-4-7-19.mp3?_=2

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. We are going to light the chalice. And say these words together. They might be projected but they are definitely printed in your order of service here they are. We light this chalice for the light of truth. The warmth of love. The energy of action as we gather together in the circle of community. There is hurry and scurry out. There. But you have crossed a threshold. Let this time this hour before us be a chance. To be here. To be now. May the sound of this time. Help you. To be present in body. And spirits. Listen to it. As it comes to its end. Are opening words today come from the from the reverend gretchen haley. Let's put the lights on our to-do list today. After all there is not enough time in this life for all the beauty. For spring that is here. And then gone. Redbuds on brown trees suddenly everywhere. Four singing together out loud in public for this noticing of life. And us. This paying attention and for this chance. For this chance to begin again. We are already past due on this party this praising of everything big. And small for this our let's get to work at wonder enjoy so big. The ancestors feel it. We are healing backwards and dreaming forwards. Opening our hearts wide like the sky. Letting ourselves be loved for no good reason. Learning to believe it's possible to receive love like a gift. We already have not turn it away and to rejoice like breath. For this gift of life that keeps flowing. In. And out. Come. Let us worship together. The flow of today's service will be a little bit different than usual i'll be speaking in four parts in at the beginning of each of the parts of the story or the reflection ioffer i start with a poem. Or part of a poem or a song in part because what i speak of. Goes to some of the most heartbreaking things that are happening in our world right now and when i experienced heartbreak or come closer to it. I always seek relief and comfort in poetry. Poetry and music when we cannot when words are not enough. So i begin with the poem the hasta by aurora levins morales. This is. She. Say these words when you lie down and when you rise up when you go out and when you return. In times of mourning and in times of joy inscribe them on doorpost embroider them on your garments tattoo them on your shoulders teach them to your children your neighbors your enemies recite them in your sleep. Here in the cruel shadow of empire. Another world is possible. Best spoke the prophet rollercade biltong. Altogether they have more death than we but altogether we have more life than they. There is more bloody death in their hands than we could ever wield. Unless we were to lay down our souls and become them and then we lose everything. So instead. Imagine winning. This is your sacred task this is your power imagine every detail of winning the exact smell of summer street's. In which no one has been shot. The muscles you have never unclenched from worry. Gone soft as a newborn skin. The sparkling taste of food when we know that no one on earth goes hungry that the bedrooms are fed the old man under the bridge the woman wrapping herself in thin sheets in the backseat of a car the children who suck on stones. A nest under a flock of roof that keep multiplying their shelter. Lean with all your being towards that day when the poor of the world shakedown or rain of good fortune out of the heavy clouds and justice. Rolls down like waters defend the world in which we win as if it were your child. It is. Your child. Defendant as if it were your lover. It is your lover. When you inhale and exhale breathe the possibility of another world into the 37.2 trillion cells of your body until it shines with hole. Then imagine more. Imagine rape is unimaginable imagine war is scarcely credible rumor that the crimes of our age the grotesque inhumanities of greed the sheer an astounding shamelessness of it the vast fortunes made by stealing lives the. Horrible normalcy it came to have. Is unimaginable to our heirs. The generations of the free. Don't waver don't let the spare think it's sharp teeth into the throat with which you sing. Escalate your dreams make them burn so fiercely. But you can follow them down any dark. Alli weight of history and not lose your way. Make them burn clear as a starry drinking gourd over the grim fog of exhaustion. And keep. Going. Hold hands share water. Keep imagining so that we. And the children of our children's children. Met live. When the world is sick. Can't no one be well. But i dreamt we was all beautiful. And strong. Ambos nogales. That's what the locals call it both nogales. Declaring one community undivided by a wall. Not two different cities. You can see how this one city has not changed. And has changed over the past century. One city. One community with a wall in the middle of it. There was a ragtag. Group of unitarian universalist minister as we had planned. To pay our respects to the memorial to jose antonio elena rodriguez the 60 year old shot and killed in 2012 by the us border patrol. He was on the mexico side. Outside their jurisdiction and this past november those who killed him were acquitted. We can change the slide. Upon arriving we discovered that the memorial on the us side had been omnist. I've been taken away. Removed. Much to our chagrin but it continues. On the mexico side. When we got there it was dusk when we got to this place the morley street entry point when we arrived. Visiting the wall smack-dab in the middle of the city. We must have been quite a sight the border patrol trucks were idling nearby. And the wall had been recently covered. With razor wire. The locals talk about how recently in the past 18 months they've been seeing more and more of the semi trucks coming and delivering the south. In fact the monday after i was there. So much razor wire had been added. That it is now in 6 rows. Including down to the street level. This is all on the us side. While we were there. Some of us were silent as we were overshadowed by this monstrosity. Some of us. Named allowed our resistance to the wall some of us laid their hands on it. Others prayed from across the street and i found myself saying over and over i do not consent. I do not. Consent. To this vulgarity. I suppose it is possible to not notice. Possible definitely to stop paying attention possible for this looming vulgar wall to become normalized to become semi invisible mere inconvenience. Passing through on the highway one of the supposedly temporary checkpoints that have been there for a decade now. I was exquisitely aware of my privileges. My white skin my passport my sense of belonging. Even in the very few days we were there my attentions alerted less and less each time we went through one of these checkpoints. They now. the highways up to 100 miles from the border. It's possible to become a newer to the militarization of the region. Yet what do we lose if we allow that to happen. It's essential we do not. We spend time with folks from the unitarian universalist congregation in amado arizona. They are so rooted in place so connected to their geography and to their emerging mission that we that they have changed their name we were actually there in the week between 1 sunday they took away their old name and then we were there and the following sunday they were going to announce their new name. Borderlands. Unitarian universalist. There we listen to stories of bloody footed thirteen-year-olds knocking on random doors and hope of finding help or refuge. Choosing not to call border patrol when a migrant shows up at your door in the morning as you're reading yourself for work because. And i quote. If someone makes it to my door. Out of bat. Desert. I will not be the reason they will be sent back. I may not be able to save them. But i won't be the reason. We heard stories of networks of people who are willing to bend. And sometimes break. Laws. To ensure safe passage. It very much felt to me like the underground railroad. There was a story of a man who showed up at the church. And knocked on this church's door which is good because only two of the many churches in the area won't. Call the border patrol. He showed up at the right church at the unitarian universalist church he met the right people and ended up in another state. Meeting his newborn daughter. For the first. Time. Not a dry eye in the house. There was reference to those who hid jews during the nazi reign of terror and it did not feel off the mark. One of these people was this woman barb lemon 77 year-old retired nurse. Who feels that as an elder giving safe harbor to migrants is the best way to live out the rest of her life. She asked of our group that we return and tell our own people. Mynewjersey people. How bad it has gotten how militarized the country has become how wrong it is how everyone must subdue something to stop the evil she used that word. How there is so much suffering how she is not sure we can stop it but that we must try. She said these hunting words i haven't found a body. But i'd rather find one then have it go unfound. She said. Why do i do it. I can't accept that we will go to total evil. I know enough good people. And then this heartbreaking observation. The ground keeps shifting. And always for the worse. So ends the first of my four reflections. I want to ask to let it. Stay with you. I want to ask you here now. To take not a deep breath we often hear that. But a comfortable bra. Inspired. By the role modeling of rev theresa soto. To take. Comfortable bra. Here. In the spotty the skiff. That sound you awake this morning. Perhaps with pain. Perhaps with ease. Certainly with longing. And with hope. May the stillness that we share and build together now. Be one that brings reflection to you until the time. Rings for us to come back together. There are moments of deep synergy and that's song is a beautiful way to come into. The poem excerpt you are about to hear from the poem home. Written by warsan shire. The kenyan-born london raise los angeles residing somali poet. No one leaves home unless home. Is the mouth of a shark. You have to understand that no one puts their children in a boat. Unless the water. Is safer. Then the land. No one burns their palms under trains beneath carriages. No one spends days and nights in the stomach of a truck. Feeding on newspaper. Unless the miles traveled means something more than the journey. When the world is. Can't no one be well. But i dreamt we was beautiful and strong. We were in tucson as faith-based witnesses to operation streamline. At the federal special proceedings courtroom. Where each business day 75 people. Detained migrants largely from central america and mexico. In the course of. 2 hours. Are processed. Charged with and found guilty either of illegal entry or of illegal re-entry. 75 people on this day 72 men and three women all. Shackled at the feet. Risk. Waste. Walking that recognizable perp walk. Except. What have they perpetrated. Saving their families saving themselves seeking reunions with their family already here up north they perpetrated love and longing livelihood and largesse. They perpetrate acts made criminal not by their nature but by a domineering government exercising racist immigration laws. The judge in this courtroom asked these questions of each migrant defendants. Are you thinking clearly today. Has anyone promised or threatened or forced you to plead guilty. Do you understand the offense with which you are charged and the maximum penalty. Do you understand the consequences of pleading guilty and your trial rights. Are you willing to give up those trial rights. And plead guilty. 16 for whom this was their first entry into the us were given time served. Then deported immediately. For those for whom it was a case of re-entry each received a sentence between 30 and 180 days. Collectively they received 2640 days of imprisonment. For a misdemeanor charge. When was the last time you served in a private prison for jaywalking. We were told that private prisons receive $161 a day for each of these. Criminal. In that. Two hours corecivic which used to be called corrections corporation of america cca. Reaped $425,000. Just one day in a single courtroom that operates five days a week and there are other courtrooms who have operation streamline. Big. Business this criminalization of migrants crossing the border big business completely choreographed. Theater with no other outcome than the predestined one of crime and punishment. Operation streamline started under president bush increased pace under president obama and has become a linchpin for the current administration in tucson alone while the average number of people charged in this program had been 12,400 in the five years previous the pace picked up in 2018 heading towards 15,000 by the end of that calendar year. Did i mention that the legal representation for these migrants is barely adequate if that. A 2013 study by the university of arizona say says so. And so did this woman. Louis martin our host and guide as we provided witness to these horrendous court proceedings another fierce elder who i want to grow up to be a quarter-century from now. She has attended these court proceedings on a regular basis since they started over a decade ago. Right now she is 84. It was better than eating an ice cream sundae to meet louis. An unexpected cherry on a sunday was to find that the magazine vogue. Not teen vogue which is pretty woke right now did a wonderful spread on the the work that she's doing. And had this wonderful picture of her here. Just a few weeks ago. She's one of my heroes. My third reflection begins with an excerpt from the poem imagine the bread of angels written by this man martin espada. He calls on us to make this the year of liberation. This is the year that sjould refugees deport judges who stare at the floor and they're swollen feet as files are stamped with their destination. This is the year that those who swim the borders undertow and shiver in boxcars are greeted with trumpets and drums at the first. Railroad crossing on the other side. If the abolition of slavery manacles began as a vision of slave of hands without manacles. Then this is the year. If the shutdown of extermination camp began as imagination of a land without barbed wire or the crematorium. Then this. Is the year. So may every humiliated mouse. Teeth like desecrated headstones. Phil. With the angels of bread. When the world is sick. Can't no one be well. But i dreamt we was all beautiful and strong. No more death the month worth it. It's a humanitarian aid organization that began in 2004 as a coalition of community and faith groups dedicated to stopping the deaths of migrants in the desert. And advocating for humane policies related to immigration reform. Since 2008 it has been an official ministry of the unitarian universalist church of tucson. It does far more than advocate and educate. When they receive word that someone is lost. In the desert. They lead search parties. When a family knows that a loved one has died. In the desert. They get a call. And are sometimes asked to make recovery efforts. Place. Water and socks and medical supplies. In the harshest regions of the desert. Border patrol is hostile towards no more deaths and they're placing of water and medical supplies in the desert they say it encourages. Migration. No more deaths knows that people will cross the border no matter what. They place the water they're so that they do not die in the process. No more deaths collects and publishes data shining a light on the cruelty of this evermore militarized system. Like this map you see here of the arivaca corridor. Noting. So. Many. Death. Each. One of those. Red dots. A human. Who died. Who was found. Those who are not found. Not there. Just. In a very short. of time three years. So putting water. Publishing data. As damning as this. Does not make no more deaths friends with border patrol. So not only are migrants who are crossing the desert being criminalized in ever more punitive ways like i told you about with operation streamline so are the people who are trying to help them. Just over a year ago in 2018 nine volunteers with no more deaths were charged with federal misdemeanors for abandonment of property for littering. In the cabeza prieta national wildlife refuge. In january 2019 natalie hoffman una holcomb. Madeline who's insecure orozco. Were put on trial. And convicted. Just a few days before i went out at the end of january. A month ago they were sentenced to 15 months probation and fine. A brief transcription of the trial. Has the assistant us attorney asking why did you write huayna suerte on the gallons of water. Good luck with what. He asked. Condescendingly. I imagine the condescension. The defendant una holcomb in this case replied. Good luck with surviving. Rev susan frederick gray president of the unitarian universalist association and who. Used to survey uu congregation in arizona made this statement. About. Those arrests. She wrote i am deeply troubled by this verdict. And my heart goes out to all who are impacted by the decision. Criminalizing humanitarian aid sets a dangerous precedent both to those who struggle for survival as well as those who seek to faithfully save lives. I echo the words of no more deaths volunteer catherine gaffney when she asks. If giving water to someone dying of thirst is illegal. What. Humanity is left in the law. This. Country. Mid-february four of those nine not the four already convicted. Had their charges dismissed. A spokesperson for no more deaths said this reminding us to keep our focus on those who are the two targets. Today might be a victory for no more deaths but people continue to die and disappear every day. In the desert our hearts remain with the families of the disappeared. And as long as four door policy funnels migrants into the most remote corridors of the desert the need for humanitarian responses. Continue. The 9th. Of those no more death volunteers dr. scott daniel warren. Was not charged with this misdemeanors he was charged with felony harboring. And felony conspiracy because he provided medical care. 22 migrants. Based on the timing and severity of these charges no more deaths believes that this was retribution for a report they had published just hours before. Showing the border patrol in a damning light including evidence. Over a four-year.. Of destroying nearly 4,000 gallons of water that had been left out to keep migrants from dying. In fact about 10 days ago the lawyer is for no no much more at this submitted evidence of surveillance by border patrol. Of the no more desks activist. Prior. To the arrest. Showing that they were targeting doctor warren. Indeed. What. Humanity. Is left. In the law. When the world is sick. Can't no one be well. But i dreamt we was all beautiful and strong. Ultimately the border is arbitrary where it lies now has not been in existence for all that long 165 years. Particularly when you consider that humans have been moving across the continent north and south for millenia. It is so clear to me that the government's and in modern times corporations make deals but that people live our lives making our way as best we can trying to save the lives of those we love and our own lives. Border or not. If i were facing any of the things these people were facing and are facing i would make the same choices good bad or ugly i held that intellectual opinion before my trip to the border it is now my deep visceral conviction after having learned what i learned. After seeing what i saw. There are some media outlets willing to look beyond the newly branded criminality of border crossing in from them we hear stories of gang activity in central america spurring people to risk their lives in order to find safety and asylum in this country freedom from their son's being forced into drug-dealing their daughter is being sexually assaulted. Not to mention that if you are trans or queer there is no protection for you. But this is not the whole story we must look further back in history further still but definitely at least to nafta and the mid-1990s which destabilize the campesinos the farmers by flooding the mexican. Market with us goods undercutting the ability to make a livelihood causing both urban migration and economic insecurity. And the so-called crisis at the board of this problem down south it's on us friends it's on our government. And not just the current administration though it is doing its best to lengthen and strengthen its authoritarian grip that is true. The friends i say this to myself as well as to you is on our desire for cheap goods it's on our consumer culture it is on us. And then we must also look not just a history but to the future to a climate change the future and in fact the climate change now a 2014 report by scientists. About guatemala caution how susceptible that nation is to the destructive vagaries of climate change. You can see it in yesterday's guardian you can see it in this week's new yorker. As we listened to the polite judge asked those questions of each of the defendants it occurred to some of us that perhaps turnabout. Would have been fair play perhaps we should have asked the judge or the prosecutor that day if they were thinking clearly. Perhaps we should have asked those at homeland security or the justice department if they fully understood the consequences of their actions. The quonset the consequences for their own soul and for the soul of this nation. What exactly were they promising and really what were they threatening for the guilty pleas of those 75 these thousands of migrants. And if they are going to ask these beloved humans to give up their right to due process to a fair and free trial what are they these people wielding such power what are they willing to give up. Some might say our. In addition to witnessing operation streamline the group of 10 unitarian universalist ministers and i canvassed the neighborhood in tucson inviting residents to place d signs. On their property to grow community support for the necessary humanitarian aid work and hopefully to influence the future sentencing processing around the charges and maybe it worked right because those charges of the second group were dismissed. It was a joy every time someone took a sign and of course it was disappointing when those refused. During this visit in meeting so many powerful engage determined people i was struck by how dire situations raise up heroic actions in us. The ability to sacrifice to risk to show up for the vulnerable and mistreated among us. This editorial cartoon by david fitzsimmons published soon after those first four humanitarian aid volunteers were convicted has a judge a different judge pronouncing them guilty. And then the judge names what they are guilty of. Four charges of premeditated compassion. Four charges of first-degree humanity. Four charges of involuntary kindness. I was struck by what it takes. Elvis and what it takes in us to do what jesus directed when someone is thirsty give them a drink. And well i am not personally very much interested in a christian nation i am interested in a humanitarian nation that follows such a compassionate and fierce and obvious. Directive. So i say long live modern-day life-saving underground railroads. Long live the network of healers and heroes who know beyond all knowing that no one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark long live the searchers and responders who declare that this is the year of no more manacles and no more barbed wire. Long live the fierce water leavers who affirm another world is possible loving that world as if it is their child as if it is our child so that our children and the children of our children's children. Maelove. All men. It's time to extinguish the chalice let us speak these words together. We extinguish the flame but not the light of truth. The warmth of love and the energy of action. Burn bright in our hearts until we are together again. May you know the blessing you already are. And may you sense the blessing you yet can be. And may we all go out and be a blessing in the world.

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Sermonpodcast-5-22-16.mp3?_=22

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. Hi i'm miriam flynn. Okay so i don't really know what i believe cuz i'm pretty indecisive person about basically everything. And. I don't know if there's a god i don't know why things happen. I don't know if there's a reason. Why things happen. I feel as though religion is created to answer all the questions that we don't know how to answer. For example people always want to know what happens after you die. So people came up with. The idea of heaven and hell. Also, question i've heard is what our purposes on earth. Saucy idea of a higher power like god. I believe oftentimes. Most religions people are told what to believe. I believe that believe should change and develop into something meaningful to you. I learned a lot about what i believe throughout my entire life. Even though i don't know exactly what i believe yet. I know that my beliefs will change. And. There are a lot of things i don't really know if i believe because you're so so many questions about life that i still can't answer myself. I do know that many of my beliefs will change over the course of my. Hi everyone my name is kai jensen. So you're not lost like midway through the speech. We as humans work better together it's a well-known fact. Sure sometimes there are disagreements. And arguments but in the end. It's always better to work with someone. Currently i don't have any huge goals in mind. But when i do i won't hesitate to reach out for advice. This is one of the many characteristics that represent who i am. I'm someone who's not afraid to ask for help try something new. Help someone else. Obviously i could keep going on for a while as could really anyone but. I want to get across the larger pieces of the puzzle that i am. One of the most frequently asked questions in our world today is. Do you believe in god. Personally know. Do i have an issue with anyone that does. Absolutely not. We all have different perspectives on life. And no one has the right to judge each other. Judge each other. Unless of course what they believe in is. Just morally wrong. Cruel. But. But back to the point. I don't regard me not believing in god as a negative or positive attribute of mine. Is simply a part of me. There are certain qualities that cannot be described as bad or good. For example your nationality. Should you be proud of it i say no. Why you ask will did you decide where you were going to be born. There's nothing wrong with being thankful for where you live but pride is something else. The things that we can be prideful in our optical 2:04 goal that we have conquered. And even then being humble doesn't hurt. As a man who went by st. augustine once that it was pride that changed angels into devils. It is humility that makes men. You're probably thinking i didn't you just say that you don't believe in god. Why would you choose a quote from a religious figure. Although this is a. Religious quote the message and purpose is still there. Now what you makes it. Go back to the main. Qualities of myself. We all have unique or important aspects that separate ourselves from one another. I think for me that's my constant reminder to try and help others. This was something that was necessary that. It's always been necessary for like humanities. We were not to assist each other in desperate times. Who knows if the world would be where it is today if you would even be alive. Helping others not only aids the person who requires. Assistance. But it makes the person receiving the help want to do the same thing for others. This just leads to a chain of people helping. By spreading her positive qualities among others. We create a better world. Which is the ultimate goal of our species. To create a better world. Not for the people to fight over power. Not to rid of anyone that doesn't appeal to your likings. Not to become as rich as possible and not to deceive anyone into false ideas. Freon benefit. Not for any selfish reasons but to simply make the world a better place. Good morning i'm chloe. The universe an endless expanse of swirling stars in dancing dust. Ever-changing never the same from one day to the next. I believe that the universe represents my belief. My beliefs are different everyday shaped by the people in the events around them. I cannot choose one set of beliefs that encompass everything i tune my heart to. But rather. I can create a simple list of how i wish to live my life. I believe that accepting i am and being independent is the first step. Making my own decisions is very important to me. I hope i will always be able to support myself without depending on others. This way i can harper self-confidence and reach for the stars. My deepest commitment. The playing my instrument. Percussion. I'm not really sure about the exact reason why i love it. I just float on the adrenaline while i play and swim in the joy and satisfaction later. There's nothing else like the feeling of just having performed a perfect concert. Making music is the thing i love most about my life. Having having a hobby that you will always love is important. It offers an escape when things go wrong and you can always depend on it to cheer you up. Appreciating nature connect me with something larger than myself. It is a special connection to the world that makes me feel whole. I cannot even begin to describe the contentedness i feel when i noticed a single water drop perched precariously on the edge of a verdant leaf. Are the way the clouds seem to slide across the sky on a clear day. I'm glad i have figured out how to overlook the negatives once in awhile and just observe the sun shining through. My dreams and hopes to give meaning to my life. I hope to have many adventures to travel all over the world. I dream of becoming a musician and experiencing the great feeling of performing almost everyday. Everyone has goals they hope they can accomplish. Go give a sense of purpose to life and entering. I believe in maintaining an open mindset and having the courage to follow these goals. Oh no i was to get a lot of my time on this earth. After all i've been given the gift of life. Why not stretch it to its full. Good morning. My name is neil and phone. Avoid the question and what i believe in. What does not that i did not want to say. Rather it was i had really no idea. This year in coming-of-age class we focus on our values and our lives. And i don't think about god and what he did for us. I tried to figure out what makes me me. And i came to the conclusion that a person that every person life is shaped by the actions they take. My dear make people who they are today. And maybe life events show us our most important values. I have proof to back my id up. Throughout my life i have learned my true values by going through great experience. And even some top ones. I'm fixed story even though my mom's going to kill me for telling it. I'm a child anyway. Minister does not show i want a photo of a kid i am i really did change my outlook on the meaning of life. This past summer i was involved in a little bit of trouble. I was duped at the kids ever caught throwing eggs at people on the sidewalks of my time. No i did not throw anything i was still in trouble. I first thought i thought my mom my mom's going to kill me. Spice made my mom ticket morrison learning experience anything else. At the time i only my only excuse for doing something so stupid. That was a teenager and that's what teams do. That's his first few days went by the incident. The only thing i would tell myself was to forget about it. But you know looking back in the story i find a greater lesson. Other than don't throw eggs at people. Mormon philosophy and i was able to uncover was that every choice in my life directly affect me. Are people around me whether it be good or bad. Colonel store is not the only thing that gives me perspective on life. Sports has really taught me a lot. Ivan the true meaning of sacrifice commitment and teamwork. I hope you continue to play sports. For my whole life because i love to be active established some of the most important lessons i will ever learn. I mean it's not what life's all about dealing with situations that occur in your life. I believe everybody story. Life is like a story. And you're the author. Even though it might be cliche i really do believe it. Don't decide if there's no god that controls you. It's only you and the driver seat and everybody's there along for the ride. Thank you. Good morning. My name is alan david swing. Humans always ask questions. How did we get here. Why are we here. What is the largest larger purpose in life. We yearn to see greater knowledge of how the world around us functions. One question that arises often is. What is god. A twelve-year-old self explore this question darlene 7th grade year was relatively uneventful and i often found myself alone pondering this question. Initially in my head i pictured a great all-knowing kinds generous and loving overseer. That was god but maybe not. God given individual has the best of intentions. But can't control every aspect of life. Or worse what if god wasn't even forgiving. Cruel even. I personally would like to believe that god is kind. Tell her when i dig deeper i find that i do not truly accept this image in my mind. Watching my uncle suffer and die from leukemia at the age of 33. The sudden death of my grandmother and seeing my close friend fear for his life during the attacks on paris. Made me question how god can you kind and loving given all of the awful events that occur every day. So i consider this deeper my viewpoint has evolved. I cannot see how you're being above us controlling or guiding us. I've come to see that every single individual has free will and controls themselves. Virtue and vice existing everyone even if there seems to be little order. This reminds me of the story of two wolves from cherokee origin. Their story behind explaining how people make choices. In the bible that happens inside individuals really speaks to me. They believe that individuals have two wolves inside of them. One wolf represents good. The opposing evil. The story represents how member of society needs the help. And i not only themselves but the overall societal group. These tools find sardis individual attempting to inflame donovan's. Dominance over the other. Every action you do feeds one of the wolves inside of you expectedly. Dictating which one will prevail. Swear i've come tonight. For myself that is ultimately up to you what you choose and which will feed. I personally believe that there is not someone watching us. And even if there was they've given up on us completely. Humans are alone in our own goodwill husker in the world. Kindness kindness and hostility both exist in the world. And it is our responsibility to choose who and what we want to be. We have to be your own person and strive to raise the quality of our life as well as others. I'd like to thank you hannah and mike my mentor for helping me and guiding me along this program of course my parents have given me support as well. Good morning everyone. My name is deirdre corrigan and i wasn't really sure how to get started so i've decided to read a poem i wrote english is too i think the scarves and pretty well. His whole life to school. My irish heritage shines through my skin creating my eyes my hair and all my physical features. My family shakes manchester. From the home on the volleyball court i share with my sister. The love for adventure my brother teaches me so well. I'm always learning and changing. My friends have shifted throughout the years supplying with both good and bad experiences. Like i need teenager faces come and go like the type. From excessive macaroni and cheese. The wilds runaway dreams of being a rockstar. I'm always learning and changing. My school still didn't eat people stressing about a serious drama or sports teams. I'm a member of this community. Anticipating the dismissal bell that takes years to arrive. To go home finish homework and finally relax. I'm shaped by everyday events and always discovering more about myself. I'm always learning. Start off i will tell you a little bit about myself. I'm an avid procrastinator. So reading that poem was absolute torture. And so is writing this credo. But in the end it helped me discover more about who i am and what i believe in. So with the help of my amazing mentor be. And my family. I was finally able to sit down and really think about what i would like to say to the us are committed today. About who i am. The first thing that you should know is that my family is incredibly important to me. I couldn't ask for more support a set of parents. I'm a care so much listen to all my problems and is always wanting to jam out with me. Or dad who does as much for me like working out with me and always pushing me to my limit. I'm also lucky to have my siblings running pat. They played one of the largest roles in shaping who i am today. With both of them is remodels learning from their accomplishments and their mistake. Overall i couldn't ask for a better more loving group of people that make me happy everyday. My extended family is very very big. All of my grandparents are so loving and i share so many laughs with all of them. From beating grandma in rummikub. Battling for the last time with grandma fuchsia. And catching the daughter that my grandpa jobs. Oso field 2. I'm also so grateful for all of my cousin. Especially mariah berry and matt so i can always count on to make me laugh and go on adventures with. Another important aspect of my life is volleyball. I play for ramsey high school and do volleyball club. Volleyball is definitely one of my passions and is certainly my favorite hobby. Not only does it teach me about hard work and discipline in the game. But it also teaches me that i need to work hard to achieve the result i want other functions in life. School. Hard work is one of the things i faith. Other than hard work. I believe in love. And the goodness in people. I don't have to experience a prominent event to know that there are good people in this world. Because it's around me everyday within my family and in my community with my wonderful. And even though i haven't experienced much and i haven't figured out the world at 15 years old. That doesn't mean i haven't learned from events and develop certain valleys because of them. I've learned to forgive people have self respect. To always stand your ground and supposed to adversity. We don't swim or spiritual sense i would like to talk about my grandpa pop. He was an incredibly kind and generous man. When he passed my family decided to see a medium route. I can say that i truly believe in a life after death because of the experiences she has brought my family. She says things that no one can know but pops and this helped me believe that there was something more afterlife. But a person still has purpose. Others eternal happiness. My medium experience helped me realize that you have to live your life to the fullest while you have it and give true meaning to your life. I'm incredibly excited for my future and learning more about who i am and what i believe in. In the end my tortures english poem and the coming-of-age program did me a huge favor. They taught me that i'm shaped by everyday events. And i'm constantly learning in.

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Sermonpodcast-6-19-16.mp3?_=18

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. A week ago today. The news was coming out of the worst domestic shooting in the united states and its. Agunda london and. 49 victims he targeted died. Catapults. Nightclub in orlando. Ironically just a few days after. This and other communities around the country. Had come out strongly. Anna gunn. End gun violence day gun safety day. The week before. People attentive to the dangers. And yet unable to. Stop. The dangers are end. The dangers. And a group of people targeted for who they were. Killed with. What weapons. Guns that have no business except in an actual. Armed conflict. Yet people own them. And more than once this particular weapon in ar-15. Was used to gun down people is the same weapon use. At the sandy hook school in newtown. Connecticut. Children and educators. Gay men and women. Victims. Victims of some sort of hate and madness. Made easy to carry out. Because he's got into our out there. So today we will pause for time of remembrance some of you were at the vigil last night at van ness park. Time remembrance for those who died in orlando. I'm going to ask me too young to light memorial candle. That we have here. The scandal was it last night's vigil and it will burn through the service. Want to share with you a poem. My brett axel he wrote this in. Just after. But it seems. Appropriate. Call thai time. It's taken me this long just to get the idea that people are really dead. One of those people could have been any friend. Or family. Or stranger i might have met one day and love. Or you. The next disaster could take you from me. Before i got to love you. Think of all the people already that i never got to love. I don't want to wait until i know you to tell you how i have felt all this time. I love you now. I need to tell you now. Tomorrow may be too late. 5 minutes from now might be too late for you to hear me tell you and mean it. That i love you very very much. But you are dear to me. All my friends. All my family. And my stranger. So to those who died in orlando today. I love you. To those with you in this. Auditorium today say. I love you. To those who were absent but whose face is rdr2 you say. I love you you. Now lettuce. So some lives and another lives continue. We are here today continuing our lives. Is that we can say to other people i love you that we can. Work for justice that we can spread love that. We can keep our rainbow banner flying. And what does a rainbow banner say glbtq live matter. That we can make life. Continue. Even though there's suffering everyday even though there is pain. Even though on average 91. People in the us die of gun. I'm done everyday. Our lives continue. And what can we do with our lives but live them the best. We can for as long as we can. So that point menards end. It will matter that we have lived. Most of our lives are measured. Evenly with calendars and clocks. And we can plan. We can measure time. But then disasters happen whether intentional like a. Mass shooting. Warren earthquake. Or something. In the. Rhythm. Of life. They were going to make a transition now. 2. More of an affirmation of life and a celebration of. Life continuing. By taking the even pace. Time. And syncope.

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Sermonpodcast-10-23-16.mp3?_=3

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. Good morning every. Is great. Be here with you today. I've had a fantastic town. Time in this town. With many of your members. Great food. Fantastic conversation. And a lot of community building. I am so thankful for all the assistance. That was given. To bring me here today to join in your service. And to share in your. Research. And your search. For your new minister. Today i'm going to share a bit about. My story. And i think each person shares. In life so many things that are similar. And as i share parts of my story today. I would like for you. Kind of walk down the path of a journey. You have taken. Perhaps you're familiar. With some of the things that i may share. I am only one. But still. I am one. I cannot do everything. But still. I can do something. And because i cannot do everything. I will not refuse. To do the something. That i can do. I believe the words of. Reverend. Edward. Everett hale. A unitarian clergyman. He said these words and i'm learning to embrace them. And i use them as a mantra. For the way i intend to live my life. These words are written in your gray handbook. And i consider. These words to be important for the way that i live my life beyond categorical thinking. You might say what in the world is categorical thinking. We were all born with the ability. To make distinctions. And to make choices. As a result. Accusing different things that we observe. Different experiences that we space face. And that's a good thing. Sometimes when we make distinctions. We can. Place. If we do it for people. Place them in a box. That doesn't allow them. To be their whole selves. And some of those kinds of things that we used to. Lock people in a box. Could be. Race. Ethnicity. Disability. Sexual orientation. Gender. Height. 5. Social class. You name it. We can watch. Ourselves in boxes. But we can also unlock others in boxes. And that categorical thinking those things that we gathered from. People who we value. Appearance. A friend. Are teachers. All ministers. Oops. People we adore. We choose some things from books. Our favorite offers. We choose something from television. My favorite shows. We choose something from. Media newspaper tv. Internet. And we form opinions. And sometimes opinions lock people in spaces. That deny them. They're full. Write a life. As i stand before you perhaps some of these things you can see. And some of them you may identify with. Alright i will start. I am african-american. Do you see that. I am female. Yes. I was born in a rural southern town. I consider myself to be an appearance of unitarian universalist principles. And a practitioner of the soka gakkai international. Nichiren daishonin buddhism. I have to i had two parents who were married to each other for 50 years and one month. I have. Several siblings. I had a husband for 28 and a half years. And before his death we had two children. And i have. I am the grandmother of two. Grandsons. I started my education in a two-room schoolhouse. Did any of you do that. I was a stay-at-home parent. Doing my children's early development. I now work with computers. At a telecommunications company. I am a snorer. I am right-handed. I have earned two college degrees. I am number five. Setting of my. Parents children. I am multifaceted. I am ever-changing. I am a server. A seeker of wholeness. I am a volunteer. Beyond categorical thinking facilitator. And i will tell you. At an early age i think i chose to make a difference for good in the world. I was about 8 years old. When the signs above doors. Made an impression. On my being. The signs plastered. On doors and walls. Red. Colored. Only. White. Only. The images remain seared in my memory. They were on the doors at the doctor's offices. At the county courthouse. At restaurants. They were above water fountains in public places. They were on the restroom doors at service station. Laundromat. Bus stations. Just about anyplace you can name. There was a separation. There was to be no commingling between the races. You could enter the same building. But you were required. To do so through different doors. One door directly in front of the establishment. Boy the sign that read white only. There was a side door or a bat door. The signs that read. Colored only. I began to be aware of our school being separate like that. As well. But we were in different buildings at on different sides of town. Provisions for two of everything must have had. Great impact. In place of great strain on m. Economic budget. Two sets of schools for educating. All grace. Two races. Two sets of buses transported. Two different races of children to separate schools. For their education. Two doors were required. For the two races of people to enter. Where the saying common needs were to be met by a single group. A service providers. Two sets of restrooms. Two sets of water fountains. Sitting side-by-side. Most of the time. But designated by those words. Colored. Only. White only. My parents as you can imagine probably. As your parents would have. Kept you from entering. Some of those 48. To keep you safe. We live separate as well. We lived on grandpa and grandma's land alongside other family members and other folks whose family owned the land on which they lived. We will all of african descent. And mixed. With indian and white jeans as well. I tell you this story because these conditions caused a yearning inside of me. To help make a difference in our town. New stories again to have an impact on me during this awakening. As well. You see the civil rights movement with dogs and fire hoses and people running and people marching and demonstrating. Touched me. Deeply. And i thought the separation in this meanness. Was a big misunderstanding. According to my thinking questionable solution was the answer. At 8 years old. Everyone needed me. The help. Make a difference here. Didn't you think that eight years old but you could change the world. My baptist religious education had shown me. Away i thought to handle the problem. I wondered why. Jesus. Oops. Had shown them the way had shown me the way and not them the way. Like love one another. Regardless. Differences. Nobody ever asked me. To solve this problem. And the urgency for the resolution eventually subsided. But it did not go away. As i matured high school age. There was an opportunity for me. To make a contribution for the good of togetherness. The law of the land mandates for integration. Came to my town in the late 60s. Each student received a form from school to take home to parents to feel in their consent. For participating in school integration. I read that forum. Guess what i did. I feel in my parents name and i turned it in with very intense for me to integrate the school in my county. I never told my parents what i done. Knowledge of it. Came to light however. One day. My elementary school teacher stopped by our house to congratulate my parents. I sent all how she said how brave you are to allow your child to attend the school. Next year. They thanked her. As if they knew what she was talking about. When the teacher left they asked me what was this all about. I keep ashley told them. Well. Now that the decision was made. My parents allowed their unapproved consent. To remain as i had decided. The teacher said it was something to be proud of. Therefore how could they not follow through under these circumstances. I joined five other students and one teacher who integrated the school system. In my town. Those fine eventually came down from the doors. Walls. Public buildings. But for a few years longer the signs continued unprivate. Establishment. I remember the remaining images that those signs left behind. Imagine. There was a clean blank space. But it was surrounded by the residue of intolerance indifference inequalities and ignorance. Segregation oppression and discrimination had deeply discolored. All but a small space. On the walls of buildings. And in the hearts of many people. Queen space. A beautiful image. Think of it. A clean slate. If you will. The opportunity for something brand new. To take place. I'm still backspace. If only we could see. Years later i imagine what new things could replace those negative writings on the walls. My mind was opened to the fact that something more humane could replace those negativity. That hung in that space. When ripped clean of the ugliness that hate had built the space was now ready for new seeds to be planted. Peruvian fruits. To take group. And sprout. And bear. New things. The fruit of love. Compassion. Truth. Justice. Human kindness. Respect. The seeds of hate planted in the soils of our heart. Bear the fruits of our intent. Action. And behavior. Whatever is our intention. It never fails that we reap the harvest. It is important. That each of us is acutely aware. Of what it is we want growing in our own. Garden. The garden of our hearts. In the den. Of our lives. And spread it across the world. I intend to plant seeds of peace. Acceptance. For a healthy harvest of respect. Compassion. Peace and harmony. To grow. And for me to share. In my small town when the not came on the door. Of integration. It gradually open and a new way of human. Kindness. Took place. For the human race. Some opened. And allow the new while some chose to maintain the status quo. If the door for new opportunities. Has opened here. What will you choose to do. For this new person to join this family. That's a question you can ask. An answer for yourself. Just recently. After i see her this story. A gentleman books. Seriously at me and asked. Don't you just hate people who treated you like that. I answered him no. He said. I would. I would just hate them. I would be angry and i will just pay them. When i heard this passionate hate confession. I pause the second. To rummage through the many reservoirs of my own hatem boxes. We all have one. Maybe two. Amor. I did a quick inventory to see whether hate. Was sprawled. Broadly and. Comfortably. And one of my hate box corners. Because the gentleman was driving. He could not hold me. In a fixed there for very long. Which was long as he could he appear to be looking in my face for hands of deception. In the answer. I told him as i tell you now. I felt nohay. And i feel no hate. I work to remove the placards from the wall. That hate built and nurtured. I work to see the opportunity for new messages to grow from the creams face left behind. It has the power to spread the desire for change. To change the residue. To cleanse. Myspace. This is how i intend to live an authentic and honorable life beyond categorical thinking. The flip this house reality tv show. Have you ever seen that. Comes to mind as an example of how a rundown home can be stripped of its. Useless pieces and rebuilt. Into a stately manor. This is the way i want to build and live my life. I want to represent a steady contribution to the good. I want my actions to produce opportunities that stem the growth. Andrew doubt discrimination oppression. Intolerant. Lack of respect. And all sorts of other. Inhumane things. I want to stimulate the abundant growth. Of all the ingredients that produced. The greatest representation of humankind. Respect. Love. Justice. Trust. Joy. You might say these words i have shared outline a tall order. And never are to be fulfilled. A chinese proverb says that. If you want to correct the world. You must first. Correct the state. If you want to correct the state. You must first correct the family. If you want to correct. The family. You must first correct yourself. Working at self-correction is of the first and perhaps only importance. By making one own attitude correct. Great changes and others attitude are made possible. When your call. To see the sign. And you. Make the decision. To rip them down. That's when change. Can feel. Bathroom space with something brand new. Something that we carry in our hearts and in our lives. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

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Sermonpodcast-6-12-16.mp3?_=19

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. Lol. The little waxy things are being distributed i just make a comment. About how much. Without going into detail about how much significant. Unitarian. Universalist. Has happened in new jersey. But because of massachusetts. Centris. We don't hear much about it. But there is a lot. Including female ministers before they were common. Racially mixed congregation. Set a time when unitarianism universalism wrong. Charlie white. And things like that. Add places in new jersey being places of refuge. Phora. Suffrage leaders in. Peace leaders. They tried also have family lives. Doing their hard work. The world. But maybe. Later on. Year we'll hear some of that today. It's about the flower festival or flower communion which is a uniquely. Aryan. Custom now unitarian universalist custom. And a lot of this story. Involves new jersey. Or sunday. And i'll start with the sunday june 12th. 1921 that seems to have been exactly 95 years. In a matter of weeks the reverend norbert fabien the shop heckin. His wife miyavi topic. Would leave their last home in the united states. United states. And their home church. The first unitarian church of essex county. New jersey to return to their homeland. Organize unitarianism in czechoslovakia. They were going home to prague. The capital the newly unified czechoslovakia. To organize a liberal religious movement. In the country where they had both been born. The some years apart. And dr. capek had with the help of the reverend walter reed hunt. The minister of the unitarian church. Obtain the support of the american unitarian associate. For a dreamy had interest and nurturing for at least 10 years. And 10 years earlier had made an approach to the american unitarians. And then brushed off. This time. It is going to go home with or without the support of american unitarian. But he and his family had in the meantime found a church in new jersey. That supported them and that discovery had made the difference. With reverend hunts help. It was financial support for the chop xmission. They're unitarian mission. Czechoslovakia. Not just from the american unitarians but from the british unitarian associate. Can as well. It seems that dr. hunting from massachusetts. Was very close to the president of the american unitarian assoc. Samuel elliott. And was able. To pressure him to give a difference response and he had initially given. The capek and tomas mothrakk. Who would be the first president checklist. When they had approached. 10 years earlier. Now that's sunday. Tropic ava farewell address to the congregation that had was warmly welcomed him and his family. And to the members his fellow members of the church he said. I'm only quoting and park here. When coming to east orange. I was chiefly concerned about finding a good sunday school for our children. The natural solution of course was to find the nearest unitarian church. But i had some prejudice. It dated from the time. 10 years ago. When together with professor maserati. I tried to interest the american unitarians for service in czechoslovakia. I presume that the unitarians here. Are all reason but to little hearts. So i came and expected to find clear heads free from superstition and be satisfied. I thank you for the way you have disappointed me. Why found not only clear heads but warm hearts 2. He goes on i like the deep and inspiring sermons of mr hunt i enjoyed the warm and sweet music of mr. decker. I love to join in the boynton lightwing singing of the congregation. And especially. I was enthusiastic. About my kitties. What they told about their sunday school and their teachers. It is certainly the best sunday school i ever saw. But above all. I like what is so difficult to describe. What is more than a friendly smile. More than a kind word of greeting. It is the personal touch of a soul. That has a vision. It is the heart of religion. In the heart. This congregation. The reverend walter reed had preached the sermon that morning and his topic as announced in the church bulletin was the same as mine today the heart of religion. And as choppa complied speaking at that service that sunday morning 95 years ago. The heart of religion was to be found in the heart. The congregation. Not an abstract idea not a doctrine. But in the heart. The congregation. Is also to be found i believe in. This congregation this society. Something the members of this congregation. Treasure that those words could describe. The personal touch of a soul that has a vision. The heart of religion. In the heart. Of this congregation. I could go on a long time and not touch it. Everything that is contained in that one sentence. I just want to see if. A little bit in just a few minutes. For the heart of the heart of religion is not really that difficult. It is just that we clutter it up with so much else. As much as i love this unitarian universalist movement of ours. As much as i've devoted my life to its message and to its growth as a movement. I have to say that to few congregations. Succeed at getting at the heart of religion. 95 years ago in new jersey the reverend mister hunt. Also preached the war against war. And he wrote in the bulletin in union with 100,000 churches of the united states we shall express desire. That means may be provided to render war less probable in the future. Then it has been in the past. Social justice work is nothing new. Piecework. Is nothing new. The great wars it was then called what now we call the first world war. Had been over only a short time. And that war had contributed to the independence. About park. Of the austro-hungarian empire which was now known as czechoslovakia. The newly shape nation to which the topics would return. But that war had been the most deadly bloody cruel and widespread war. Then even those who. Still alive with lifted the civil war and the crimean war. Had known. It was a great desire for peace. Fritz the success of something like the league of nations that would be formed. By the victorious allies. There was a vision of peace. And that was also. Part. Of religion. The concern howard was personal as well as global. And on the front page of that same church bulletin you could read these words. Is church extends a cordial welcome to you. To attend its services and if you have no other such affiliation. To make it your church home. It's dan's here is an opportunity for the development of the religious life and service of mankind. Those whom this opportunity makes an appeal. Are welcome. To its membership. The i like to think. The habit shopx with the bergen county rather than essex county. Either the ridgewood or the hackensack church. Would have been as welcoming as the people in the orange church were. And it was a welcome. I remind you that traffic is not felt that welcome when he first approached the american unitarians association a decade earlier. At that time he had the support encourage. Natomas maserati. A leading check. Who had married an american unitarian in brooklyn. And who would become the first president of the united czechoslovakia. Mazarick and capek. We're friends and had envisioned to unitarian mission to their homeland. Even before they were living here. Their homeland which was then. After this first world war emerging from political domination by the austro-hungarian empire. And religious domination by roman catholic. And orthodox christianity. Now it was in a quest for a way to express through ritual the heart of religion as he understood it. The chipettes devised the flower. Festival. Call dad. That was first presented in prague in june 1923. We now call it the flower communion. And it is now practicing unitarian and universalist congregation. Around. The world. And after the first one. Topic wrote a letter as a report to. Samuel adkins elliott the president of the american unitarian association. On which he depended in part for the financial support of the mission. He wrote a report about that first flower communion these are his words. We're trying to find new expressions of our religious life very slowly and carefully. Whereas the dedication of a child. Weddings and burials. What kept rather close. To the general unitarian custom. We have made a new experiment and symbolizing our liberty and brotherhood. In a service which is so powerful empressive. The i've never experienced anything like it. The most dry and rationalistic members. Removed. And many and i brighten through tears. I'm not very sunday it was the last before holidays. Everyone was supposed to bring a flower. In the middle of the big hall was a suitable table with a big vey's where everybody put his flower. Some lady members helping to do it very nicely. Okay it was 1920. Free. Hugo's on the sight of so many beautiful flowers was wonderful. And more and more than we're coming solemnly let you joyfully. With full understanding. Of the meaning. In my sermon. I put emphasis upon the individual character of each. Member flower. On our liberty as a foundation of our fellowship. Then i emphasized our common cause our belonging together as one spiritual can you. As brethren. And when they go home that each has to take one flower just as it comes. Without making any distinction where it came from and who it represents. To confess that we accept one another as brothers and sisters. Without regard to race class or other distinction. Acknowledging everybody as our friend. Who is human and wants to do good. The following new england unitarian tradition the prague church. Suspended formal services during the summer. Flower community must be held at the last formal service in june. It was to be a ritual that emphasized both the individual freedom by which the members join themselves. 20% calling the free religious fellowship. And the inclusiveness of the fellowship itself. And why a flower. Why not. Something else. Years later maya chapa croach. When asked that question. Because of the name of a flower or flowers know wars were waged. As was the case with the cross. Or chalice. Not the time of the first flower communion the flaming chalice. Was not yet in use as a unitarian universalist. Symbol. For the chop exit chalice was associated with the divine right of kings and the crusades. So they built up that congregation eventually had 5,000 members it was the largest. Unitarian church in the world. Following the munich pact in 1938. With impending nazi occupation. Maya would by now been ordained minister by the congregation and prague prepared to go to the united states. To rally support to protect czechoslovakia for nazi occupation. And to raise funds. For the joint unitarian quaker refugee relief. That was the beginning of the unitarian universalist service to. He left in february 1939 just weeks ahead of the nazi occupation. It was not return until after the war's end. And when she left she was never deceive your husband. Add march 28th 1941 zora capek. Adage seven country unitarian sunday school today. New jersey and was now a working adult. Was arrested along with his her father by the gestapo. Their crime. Listening to foreign news broadcast. Shortwave radio. There were also charged with treason. Although both were cleared of the charge of treason. Their sentence too short term for the crime of listening. Define news broadcast. Zora was released at the end of her term but her father was not. He was sent to the concentration camp dachau and was executed. On october 12th 19. Norbert chopok was a martyr for his nation's freedom. And also a martyr for spiritual freedom. Whatever path each might choose. He was utterly committed to what he called brotherhood. What we would today call solidarity. And those words that he wrote. To elliott. Still echo in my mind and when they go home. Each has to take one flower just as it come. Without making any distinction where it came from and who it represents. To confess that we accept each other as brothers and sisters. Without regard to race class. Or other. And this is one way to express the heart of religion. The acceptance of ourselves. And others. And if each other is one of our unitarian universalist. Principles. Was that. The heart of tropics notion of what religion was. It is what norbert amaya capek experienced. In that with along with their children in new jersey 96 years ago. Another expression is the desire for peace. Which having lived through the second world war. And being connected with countries on both sides of that war. Both felt the very great pain of that war. It's always maya chhapakkai was to write 19. T1. In the name of a flower or flowers no wars where wage. And also at the heart of religion is the personal. Touch. Brotherhood and solidarity or not abstraction. This is the way of living. The chop x found not only clear heads but. Warm hearts 2. The personal touch of a soul that has a vision. And also a vision of a world where there are peace freedom and justice for all. Where each individual was accepted respected and loved. And where each person like. Each of these flowers. Is precious. Regardless of size shape. Color. Origin. We're each is known and loved. Face. Kiss face. This is the heart of religion. May you know it here. In this society. Blessed be.

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Sermonpodcast-9-25-16.mp3?_=7

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. There's a slight change from the announcer title it's. Humanistic christians parenthesis unitarians all close parenthesis, walking together. The cam is important. I learned to understand poetry by diagramming sentences. Grammar counts. You may have read the article in the times this week about robert gottlieb. Book editor in new york. With some comments it with the team him and toni morrison in their arguments about commas. How many there should be. We're not going to worry about commas anymore from this point.. Yes. Until the next piece of written material has to go out. I'm going to quote recently from the book of amos and hebrew scriptures can two walk together unless they be agreed. Can two walk together unless. Baby agreed. This is a first. That is often used by religious conservatives to insist. Doctrinal conformity. That one must agree to be able to walk in good faith with others. The late church historian. See conrad write a lifelong unitarian unitarian universalist. Has written several essays. In which he argues why that is not the case. Except for the fact that it's true they won't people must be agreed but it's not necessarily on doctrinal matters. That enables community to walk. Together a group of people to walk together as a religious. Community. Am i walking together. I mean. Being in this space. Working together for the. Testing into this community for the welfare of our children. For the value. We want to see. In the world. And we do not have creed but neither than. Do some other. Religions of protestant origin. That indeed many of the early congregational church covenants of new england refer not to specific beliefs about god or jesus. But about walking together. Has god has revealed his way to us which is not the same thing as saying exactly the way it's written in genesis whatever. And that of course is one of the historical secrets about how so many congregational churches went from trinitarian to unitarian. Without having to split off into other organizations do unitarians numerous enough to take over. Walking together is important in right who was one of my teachers. When i was in school lifted the ripe old age of 94 dying just a few years ago. That there had to be some kind of consensus for people to walk together. Not necessarily in agreement on a set of beliefs. Consensus on the values. And practices that guided their life together is a religious community. And developing that consensus was important in his ongoing process and it would change through history. Important. What the first was avoid making trivial matters part of the binding consensus. Your little things that will change over time and they're not the ones to decide who's in and who's out on the basis of. And part of the consensus that we have. Is what we have agreed to disagree about. And if you look at the unitarian. Statement of purposes and principles is a kind of consensus for the whole association. You see there are definitely spaces in there. That. Acknowledge disagreements as well as agreements. And the third that consensus. Is created. Sustain and develop by the persons who have chosen to walk together. It is not. I cajun doctrines are scriptures handed down. The consensus may be inherited but it has to be revived revitalize. Restated generation. Regeneration. Now because activity that is open-ended church covenants in colonial new england. The founding document could. Headspace. For exchanging consensus. Churches use the same covenants they had in the 1600s. And they can still use those early, because they were so open not all of them. Morning. What is important to note that whatever consensus we have is he out growth of change and sometimes great disputes. First with unitarians and electric simmons with. Dominant christian churches. And controversies within and disputes within. What is known as the unitarian controversy is what the forest to split. The new england congregational churches in trinitarian in unitarian. It was a reluctant split on the part of the trinitarians. Find the part of the unitarians with reluctance on the part of the trinitarian they were happy to see us go except in the dedham court case. The court decided the property could go with the unitarians. If they were the majority of the membership and split among. Using the gift of reason. To apply it to the reveal scripture that they had received. Came to different conclusions then. The standing order had come to before the protestant churches of the catholic church is a come to before but they saw no reason why. Different understandings of scriptures have been handed down over centuries. Needed to divide people. They were ready to stake out areas of disagreement which could be part of the consensus. And they could be about something as important. As the nature of god. Because as historians note the real dividing issue was the nature of humanity. Whether you maddie was insane here at least sinful or not that was the real dividing line. So that was a bad depending who is in and who is outside what were the boundaries. Of the churches. And then within the unitarian movement as it developed independently in the 1840s and 50s. You have the rise of. What is absolute religion first articulated by theodore parker. That's sad. The religion of these churches is not answering the revealed religion of christian scriptures. Which most unitarians. Adhere to even if they interpreted them generously and liberally. But the true that are embodied with your body to another ways and stated another way. And which we are nowhere true not because they're in an ancient scripture. But because our consciences can see that they're true. That there was a moral sentiment that's a phrase unitarians that time like is a moral sentiment. Inherent in every person. I could discern right. And wrong and the ancient scriptures would be a guide to doing it better and to provide inspiration. Not to define what. What was right or wrong because we all that had the capacity. To the basic consensus. That developed was one that overtime. Controversies. Expanded. Who could be part of a unitarian church. After the. Absolute religion controversy 1940s and 50s get the starting of the free religious association. In which unitarian ministers. Explicitly said they were not christian. They were still see us but they said they were not christian. And then we had this obscure bit of history called the yearbook controversy as to which ministers would be listed in the unitarian yearbook in which would not. And with some of the nine christian ministries asked not to be listed and some complained when they weren't listed. 19:33 the humanist manifesto a statement of. Scientific. Atheistic humanism. And the majority designers were unitarian ministers. Though there were some other semantically culture and outside of organized religion altogether. And that became a force. Free humanism in various forms not just atheist ecumenism but also. A religious humanism that. Had some sense of spirit if not supernatural being. To become over the next couple of generations the majority identity of unitarians in unitarian universalist. Show me shows in 1945 the unitarian christian fellowship was formed. To maintain. The vitality of christianity with the unit within unitarianism not to deny the presence of humanism. But this is staying the vitality. Paris. Of the movement. It is a historian says. These are not so much arguments about doctoring as a bad. Who is in and who is out how wide is our community. Stand. The walking together is not always easy we have congregations that are overwhelmingly humanists. Car races that are majority but not overwhelmingly humanist we have christian congregation. The king's chapel book of common prayer kings chapel was the first church to identify itself is unitarian. It's called king's chapel. Because that is where the king of england would worship if it came to the colonies. It was the seat of the church of england in the colonies. And at the conclusion of the war of independence. When the archbishop of canterbury refused to send them a minister. Probably because of the war of independence partly because. In the absence of an ordained clergy their theology hits traded it. The congregation appointed a lay reader james freeman and then ordained him as a minister on their own authority. And they wrote. This prayer book reads like the book of common prayer in the anglican church. What is strictly unitarian and its theology. The god is in there. But jesus is a teacher a prophet. Not one with god the father so instantly became almost instantly but. Congregational having been hierarchical before. Unitarian congregational and its own place. And remains anglican and its worship style to this day this is the ninth edition of the prayer book. Walking together is not always easy and indeed how we worship. In concrete in human is congregations logical functional term today. How we worship how we gather together sunday service is how we celebrate our values. And she is a major factor in in sustaining the consensus. Not only by offering up aspect to the second sentence for celebration as we do for instance in our chalice lighting words. But also. By putting forth the particular religious identities of the people. Present. Example that is today service which has both christian. And. Humanists identities built into it. At 2. Religious traditions that are represented in this congregation. I discovered at the unitarian universalist of clearwater rise interim before i came here. This stridently of valid the humanist atheistic congregation. A good 15 maybe 20 per-cent of its members were liberal christians. Which is a sizable minority. But their voices could not be heard in that culture the consensus was not working as well as it could do the british troops. Had an easier time being heard and they were much smaller number. In that congregation. So they were not 15 or 20% of the membership. So it's. How we behave. How we identify ourselves and how we worship. Helps define who we are and how well we lived the consensus we have time to. And the importance of. The continuity of styles of worship is something that. Conrad ray. Spoke to in a different essay than the one i mentioned earlier. They talked about how in the first church in cambridge massachusetts. Which his family had been members of probably since the war of independence. They had a style of worship that was fairly traditional. But not at all like that at king's chapel. Traditional congregational worship. The ham sandwich a couple of prayers couple of readings. Not high liturgy. But. That tradition. He argued it would help. Find the congregation together. Even though included christian humanist buddhist people of various practices. Because it tied them to the past and united them in the present and it evolved over time. You can change. But it didn't ever oil change it once. Worship was a binding force the building of solidarity. The king's chapel. Never would have survived because of the. Disruptions of the revolution sociological changes in boston the movement of its long-term elite members to the suburbs. Had the prayer book not united people of a liberal christian perspective in a liturgy that they found meaningful. And that affirmed. Their beliefs is liberal chris. There is an intellectual contact. Right road to. It in commenting on the apostles creed fritz's but there's also its social meaning the human solidarity means more than divisive issues in theology. Play i briefly rehearse that. History of. Dispute within the liberal religious movement that began is. Liberal congregationalists in. New england. But also an important piece of it is the efforts to define america as a christian. 1920s and 40s. Which i'll say more in a few weeks. This part of the forest i think that pushed. And the growth of fundamentalism didn't exist. Okay sweetie for 1900. Pushed people more liberal and scientific and rationalistic persuasions. Can you much more assertive. About their humanism. And even at times to be hostiles liberal christianity. Which if fundamentalism was here and humanism was here. The human some liberal christians were about that far apart and their way far apart from the fundamentalist. Because. The liberal christians use rationality. When william ellery channing preach. Onion attarian piety most conduce the unitarian christianity most conducive to pie at 8. He made the rational argument that the particular teachings of unitarianism. Encouraged and empowered individuals. Give me more deep in there. Piety and worship and love god then trinitarianism didn't that's a that's a long and complex discussion. The long and short of it is if jesus is human he's a much more challenging figure than if he's god. And you take the his teaching seriously. Ic. Intellectual and moral integrity in both liberal. And unitarian christianity and in religious humanism in fact i am a human is but i also support the uu christian fellowship fellowship we have a mixed marriage one christian. And. With scotty inscribed his copy of the book you said for tony and jody with all my best to you too and your personal religious journeys. And your interface life together scotty. Also supports the humanist organization. Even though he puts his identity is christian but it's not all the supernaturalist it kind of christianity. Its reliance upon a sensitive. Power good in the universe. But the teachings of jesus as an ethical call as to how to live in the world. So you ministering christians. Walking together willits. It's essential. And i want to give you an example. A1 outstanding unitarian walking. Together. Nice word to ministerial colleagues of mine the reverend dean star who died a few years ago who was once the minister of the unitarian churches summit new jersey. And reverend carl scoville who is minister for 30 years of more than 30 years of kings chapel. And is now living in retirement in jamaica plain massachusetts. You're his grandchildren at the age of 84. In 1994. Remember a few years pearl scoville. Gay what's known as the berry street essay. Precedes the start of the uua general assembly but it's part of the ministers meeting. But it's the last part of the ministers meeting. And a lot of lay people arrived early to make sure they can attend it it's a big deal. And carl scoville that your gave the essay i'm beyond spirituality. And what he was talking about there. Is that specific spiritual practices. Are not so important. Has a sense. Are there being a good intent at the heart of the universe at his notion of being a unitarian universalist christian. There is a good intent at the heart of the universe. Which some people would call god. And that was. What his essay was about but he said he was dissatisfied with the essay. As he was writing it and even as he presented it. Now. The sas gets to pick one or two respondents. And the two respondents he picked where the references and spencer is a contemporary of mine. And we know each other since before either of us went to divinity school. Is now known as the reverend suzanne redfern campbell. Just now minister in taos new mexico and the reverend dean starr whom i mentioned. And he and i were neighbors on beacon hill when i was in the middle school in houston. if not working in minute in congregational ministry. For personal reasons. And suzanne had been one of charles global insurance at king's chapel. And carl tells a story. Dean's response. Up to his affirmation of the good intended the heart of the universe. And all the ways that he he could explain that. And find exemplified in. He is carlos word buddhist and other traditions other than christianity and doing this. And this is i'm going to quote from scoville to counter this because i can't tell if he does. The second responded dean starr friend of more than 30 years. Forget that you already got a humanist in the christian walking together for 30 years here. Carl says that he sees goodness at the heart of the universe. I don't see that at all. I look at the universe. Conflict an indifference. Sublime indifference to our human species or any other species for that matter. Demon on with the grand eloquence of a robert ingersoll and other great naysayers. Describe going to portland oregon for his sons funeral. And after the service going on an evening cruise. Dean said i didn't find peace in a church or in a prayer. I looked into the sunset. And i found peace there. Vending took attack i did not expect you so i'm not going to leave you and seeing him at the him i learned as a child in the nazarene church. You don't have the words in front of you about bet you know it. And then he started singing. I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses. And the voice i hear falling on my ear. The son of god discloses. And then the chorus. And he walks with me and he talks with me. And he tells me i am his own. And the joy we share as we tarry there. None other has ever known. Kroger's on what is dean doing. Until we joined him again chorus. Dean was right almost everybody knew it. Well it was quite a sight and quite a sound to see and hear 400 unitarian universalist ministers and spouses singing an old chestnut like in the garden. And this isn't the end of the story. Hear it. Earlier that day they've been a presentation by text samples of ministry. And a renowned storyteller and that's what his presentation was about storytelling. In ministry. And he and sample and both carl and dean miss that they knew nothing about it. You're not talk about last-minute preparation. And since i couldn't get his new laptop pen. And then got a photocopy for his respondent. And text samples apparently do head talked about that him. And how much he hated it and it sentimentality and its brightness and giving a toddler group of fundamentalist he sang in the fun of it. And after estaca woman came up to him and said. I want to tell you something about that him. From the time i was about 10 years old until i was about fourteen. My father raped me almost everyday of my life. After he finished i put on my clothes and go out. Into the backyard i walk around the yard slowly and icing that him. It was the only thing that kept me sane the only thing that kept me from killing myself. Because when i saying that him i knew i was somebody. I hope you remember that the next time you sing it. And this explained why. Carl and dean sitting up at the platform had noticed everyone crying during the him and they had all heard that story this morning. Charles white face who didn't tell him about it but he was too busy writing. And then had called carl embossed week later to tell him about it. The back by the people were crying face. I realize why i felt the ledger was incomplete. It was incomplete. It wasn't complete. The lecture alone could not make the point. It took that song to complete it. And that gave me a new angle on unitarian universalism. Inter-community we're christians give the lectures and humanist sing the hymns. Now that math may not be your experience i'll tell you is three or four general assembly. Late at night. You'd find a bunch of people in hospitality suite and dean star be linking that leading them in oldham z of 20 people with their arms around each other singing hymns they would never allow. Adelaide people administers both. The christians gave lectures in the humanist lead him. On one level at the flip flipping description but on another it's a recognition that reason is not the exclusive property of anyone belief system. Nor for that matter. Is emotion. 50 singing bodies. The possession of sports only one belief system. Finally that the boundaries are as conrad right says sometimes fuzzy. But within those boundaries wonderful things can happen. And the space that was allowed that day. At the general assembly. Allowed wonderful things to happen with people who didn't know all the pieces all the time. So you want me to sing christians unitarians all walking together. Albina carl did that over nearly 40 years of friendship dildine died. And also want to hear they're hindus buddhist dallas. Pagans goddess worshippers unitarians all we can walk together. Because we choose to walk together. But as we do. We do draw boundaries. Because not everyone will be able to engage. In a tradition with a identify. And one that is liberal and says basically. Not that they're all the same. But that they were all equally valid. And that is the heart. The consensus we have to have. To walk. Together. Unitarians whether christians humanists buddhists whatever. A deep and abiding not just tolerance. But respect for an appreciation of. The other traditions that fit within our broad consensus. And may we live so that is true, and blessed be.

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Sermonpodcast-9-9-18.mp3?_=30

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. And so here we are back again. From whatever corners of the earth we may have been too. From summer from storm-tossed he's maybe cool mountaintops or steamy city streets. We gather together here again. Constituting and reconstituting this congregation of people. Each with unique individual lives and gifts. And we bring them here. To share and learn to question and grow. To give and work and serve together with joy. Even in the face of challenges. We bring our individual lives and gifts here to celebrate and affirm to welcome and rejoice. To love. So that. Beauty and truth and joy might be ever known. Wherever our lives took us these past months whatever journey we might have been on whether the waters were calm or riotous. We are here now to be together and to recognize one another's humanity. To find common ground and to welcome each other home. In our world of change and political uncertainty. We realize the importance of steady companionship. A fellow journeyers that help keep us safe. Welcome our questions and our theories. Who helped us to become the best versions of ourselves. And who open their arms to us. Just as we are. Here in this home we open our doors we open our hearts we open our arms and our lives to each other and to the wider world. Acknowledging that our differences matter and that our common humanity matters. And the together with love. All our journeys are made safer more possible more joyful. So with loving welcome rejoicing to find old faces and new ready to begin new relationships and to continue our searching journeys. Committed to helping heal the world. We gather together this morning. Every sunday when we come together as part of our shared experience we make a special time for quiet. For some of us that indians deep breathing and meditation. For others it means prayer for still others just holding a space for silent gratitude. So however you use this time i'm going to invite you now to settle your feet onto the floor if they don't reach the floor you can go criss cross applesauce. Put down anything you're holding. Try to relax your body as much as you can. So unclench your jaw. Roll your shoulders back. Try to release the tension. And take a deep. Breath in. Slowly. Find the place inside you. Blossoms in quiet. Our lives are like. Journeys across great. Waters. Sometimes, sometimes riotous. Boats have ballast. Bags of sand or other means that. We took them down. So they can stay steady. Each of us is a unique and beautiful being that brings gifts to the journey of our lives. Ballast that helps keep us steady. To breathe deep. And in the quiet think of what you bring to your life. Into this gathered community of companion. It helps steady. Take another deep. When you're ready. You can open your eyes. With your order of service. You hopefully received a blue slip of paper. Small pencil. On that little slip of paper. You can take your time. And you can chat with your neighbors if you need to. I want you to write on that small piece of paper. The gifts that you bring. The ballast that is yours. It helps steady the boat of your own life studies the boat of our community. So what is the gift that you bring. Okay. And when we collect the offering i'm going to ask you to put that little slip of paper in there cuz we're going to use them later. I love that little book about the little boat there is a little boot goes journeying through treacherous waters across this giant ocean and in some ways right he's clear-eyed and steady he dropped his own anchor he has his own course. Be also very much sees the dangers the whirlpools in the lightning field storms the big waves at tossing this way and that. The giant sea monsters. We don't know how long he's sales this way bravely chugging along through these waters. But then who does he find. As friends. He finds a whale and octopus a couple of seagulls from dolphins he finds friends that want to swing alongside him. And with his friends quite unexpectedly the little boat goes down deep under the water. One of my kids say wait how does he go down deep but he does. And he climbs all the way to the top on the nose of the big whale. With his friends he goes all over the wide ocean down up sometimes just in circles and circles. And they pick up some other friends along the way i don't know if you noticed they pick up some penguins at 1 points. There's always room for another friend and together the friends just one i keep on going. The little boats and the buddies he's got they never want to stop they go. i'm ahead. To the edge of the world. The depth the height the edges. They aren't as scary anymore because the little boat is with friends. He isn't sailing the ocean alone. Do the boat didn't get any bigger. He didn't get any more brave. He just found his fellow travelers. In our reading elliott keller quotes kathleen mctigue. A pronoun is singular loves pronoun is plural. We're in this together and together we can grow things that will blossom even in a time of drought. Love pronoun is plural. I love that. Together bringing all the wonderful things about our unique selves we create something larger we make. The impossible seem possible. This is echoed through all of the ways that we engaged together as a community. Are offering every sunday is an act of love a plural lising of the work of justice. Are meditation time the time of silence is a time to acknowledge albeit quietly all the things that we hold as individuals and to let. Love and a sense of commonality soothe us in this space where we are together. Our committees and are potlucks and services and lectures and all the things we do are opportunities to engage in community building with love to make h i a wii. To hold that. Plural we. Not a closed we. A wii that is wide-open that welcomes new friends just as we say every single sunday morning regardless of race gender expression sexual orientation politics well sage education ability or anything else. It's a weed that helps us see the vast ocean as slightly smaller. A little more travelable. I will clean that word. The journey of life gets brighter with all the waves and storms. All of this is what the water communion represents. The water communion or ceremony as we usually call it here began in the 1980s and is done all over and unitarian universalist congregation. It's a way of signifying the community regathering becoming one once more. The water ceremony is an invitation to remember that your life. While unique and wonderful is not lived in isolation. You are not a lonely boat alone on the ocean. You with all you have to whether have others to travel alongside you. Other unique individual beings that bring their own precious gift. Gifts that when combined with yours make the depths easier and the height higher and the circling around times slightly less boring. If you have brought water from somewhere. I'm going to invite you to come up and pour it and if you haven't i'm going to invite you to come up and poor anyway. We have ridgewood tap water. Over here. As in many congregations the single body of water that we creates when we are done. Will be used for rituals and landmarks in the life of the society this year for example. For blessing new plantings around the the face or dedicating babies i promise we will purify it before we touch a baby with the water. I'm going to help you poor and as i stand there and help you poor jeanne is going to read some of those gifts. That we all bring from those blue slips of paper. Okay. You also notice there are some boats up here. There are not enough for everybody but if you are moved by a boats and you would like to take a boat with you please do and will also post somewhere the instructions on how to fold them if you get inspired to go home and fold your own boat. Okay. 19. What is my ballast. What gifts do i bring. Family. Humor. I can see both sides of an opinion my gift is my love. Uniqueness commitments. Imagination. Have time. Whenever doing takes twice as long. Problem solving. Optimism. Peace. Experience. My gratitude. Authenticity. Honesty. Teaching ability. Laughter. Sacrifice. Enthusiasm. Giving. Generosity. Tearing. Kindness sincerity. Organizing. Almost always trying to do the right thing. Calmness compassion. Steadiness. Determination. Compassion and a turtle. Dinner. Meals. Service. And friendship. Cookies. Drawing skills. Being present listening perseverance presents understanding and caring. An open loving heart curiosity sharing this community with my children. Being welcoming to new people. Making friends with new kids. Creativity. Music. Fun. Exploration. Development. Well inspiration. Art and its many forms equals love. Vision. Spirit. Pushing tradition on bound end. Pushing tradition on and boundaries. Leadership. Gratitude appreciation of growing up in newark ballast crossword puzzles emotional intelligence. Passionate to serve others and heal their pain vitality. Idealism. Words and singing. I allow others to be themselves. A love of being around others. The desire to help. Humor. Help and nabal and atmosphere to work together. Attention. The gift of inclusion. Enthusiasm. Commitment. Organizational skills. Contentment. Advice. Smiles. And much more. Thank you for your pouring for the gifts that you bring. Sometimes in unitarian universalist congregation. Blessings can feel a little bit high church for us. But it has been my custom as long as i have been an ordained minister to bless the water created through the water ceremony. To me what this means though is that we all of us. Take time and space to acknowledge the beauty and the power of water in our lives not just as a symbol of the journey of our lives but it's necessity for our. Very being. So we together use our power as human beings to mark the water a collection representing all of us as something special. Until if you feel comfortable i invite you to participate in this blessing with very simple words your part is simply to say we bless these waters and what i'll do is i'm going to say something and then i will gesture to you and you just say we bless these waters going to give it a try. Okay. With gratitude for nature which has brought forth this water. With joy at being together as one strong body once more. With humbling knowledge of the importance of water for life. Committed to helping preserve the beauty of the waters of earth. Remembering those whose journeys have enabled our own. Hopeful at the thought of those who will come after. By our sharing and our giving by our presence here with our loving hearts. Singulair boats but together on a journey maybe his waters be blessed.

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06-Christine-McGoey.mp3?_=6

Thank you for that there is really very informative. So i'm chris mccoy and i'm from a monkey. New jersey. And i just wanted to say you know this is broader landscape in. What's happening with schools which is determining what is happening to every child now today. And i would say from my point of view that we are losing control of our school. We no longer have a say in what our children are being taught to the degree. Four issues are being taken out of our hands and why is this you know it's it's not a mystery. There are two pieces of legislation. That i think everybody should know about sew in 2002 you probably have heard of no child left behind. Ethika. Ansi probably afraid of the no child left behind act and no child left behind. Hedges of few pieces i'm going to speak in a very broad. Brush right under no child left behind every state had to develop standards. And then. Those standards were going to be tested till it would be tested data would be generated from those tests. And then certain sanctions would be levied against school so no child left behind came to be known as test and punish. And the sanctions levied against the schools could be everything from you do an intervention to have patience. To feel certain achievement gaps. To actually taking of the school. And there were even percentages of how many schools could fall to the bottom of your portfolio every year in be under stress. The no child left behind law said that by 2014 100% of the children in all of the schools had to be proficient. This was not an achievable goal. I mean if one kid throws up on testing day here you're killed you know you don't have a hundred percent of the kid. So you know for many years educators struggled with this. And we're hoping for relief law was not generating the kind of. Changes anybody would think we kept. Captive the standards kept teaching kids kept testing kids. By 2012 massachusetts which is often considered the best education state you know except. Massachusetts had 80% of its schools under some form of sanction or another. Write messages. So you can see how this this scheme was not really reflecting what was going on in school and we starting to drive a very unhealthy school atmosphere. When president obama was elected. Many people including me i were very hopeful that the. Stringent no child left behind would be. A change in the legislature and congress that didn't happen. What did happen instead. Is that our secretary of education arne duncan. Said well i'm going to give you waivers. From your child left behind if you do a couple things for me. And then attach the money to them that's race to the top. And the things i'm going to do. I'll give you the money but this is what you have to sign on to. And you can read. And i have a handout and you can go. To your home your computer click on it and the first thing you have to do is have to sign up for the common core. Right and when race to the top was first issued. A lot of estate signed on before ever seen common core because it wasn't done. They're selling out to the common core standards number one. You have to ecorce then have a test. That relates to the common core standards and they out here in new jersey is going to be at the park right. And then that test is going to generate data just like no child left behind but guess what this time we're going to do with that data we are going to evaluate your teachers with it and your principles with it and if they don't meet their. Achievement mark where can i get rid of them we're going to fire him and you have to create a. A method within your state every state kind of approaches slightly differently to evaluate your teachers according the kids test scores. Right so kearny new jersey. This last year. With 30% and now we're going to go 10% 20% 30% of a child of a teacher's evaluation will come from how her kids. Do orchids kids do on the darkness right. And i know when i used to take my kids grocery shopping when they were little and one of them would have a bad day and start screaming and everybody would look at me like i was the worst mother in the world you know if anybody judging me and my kids behavior that day i would be in trouble. So i just want to say there a lot a lot of concerns that people statistical analyst have looked at these. Measures that they're called a wii cost. Growth objective they're very problematical and we have great. Bloggers and writers hear bruce baker school finance 101 jersey jasmine you can read about it they're very shaky shaky anyway okay so then then we can do is. You know we can come in and we can take your school. And. Race to the top also said there's no caps on charter schools anymore. And races hot said and you have to keep this datastream. It's going to follow the kids. Forever right you're going to keep a data stream on your children and if you read that what it says reach the top. We we you have to have an estate a longitudinal data system you have to have that and we. Courage you to have a horizontal data system. Which means collect every piece of data you can and put it in. There's a lot of confusion about what day does being. Collected i know appear in richwoods are going to have a whole nother symposium on student privacy and that date in december so. So. This is the framework now. So the kids in school right now how we're having common core it's because someone signed on the comment. Right. And all you had to do to sign on a common core is your department of education had in your governor had a sign on to it. There was no discussion beforehand there was no everybody looking at it let's all get together and decide how this is going to work let's get our boards of education in our superintendents and everybody. That didn't happen. So. Why is it so important. Because what's happening in education today. Is that. A small group of people. Are deciding. What is. Good fortune. How they want things to move. And they're deciding what they believe is that it's testing honey. Or maybe they don't believe that maybe this is just a you noticed. Write a scheme that that drives every. So i just want to. Talk about two words. Oligarchy oligarchy and democracy. And an equity. And i just i don't want to get into a debate about what the standards are or what they say people have many different opinions. On that so don't want to debate that but i want it. Talk about the development of the common core standards in light of those two. So the common core standards when they were developed here's what happened. Disgaea. A david coleman. I went with one of the chief state school officers to bill gates and they said you know we like to do we would like to develop this, instead of standard. And we need somebody to pay for. And bill gates said okay i'll pay for him and they so they decided that they were going to do this totally off the books totally outside of government now why would you have to do that because the federal government by law can not. Right. Standard that's supposed to be left to the state education supposed to be left to the states. This is how we'll get around it and i called off the books. You know what you might call it like dark education. They say dark money you know so they they got together they got. Nobody really knows cuz there's a big secret 2627 people together to write the standards. I'm in the articles that i give you have all this in there there were really no teachers in there maybe two of them had a little high school experience everybody was collect at otherwise connected to a testing company a data company. And they wrote what they thought were good standard. And they wrote the standards this way. Here's where we want the kids to end up in high school will just kind of chunk i'm all the way down. So when they released the first draft of the standards. The childhood development specialist. When out of their minds they said this is not i'm physically appropriate for children this is not developmentally appropriate for children and they began to live 500 of the best childhood development specialist wrote a letter at the time and nobody listened. And what happened instead of that. Was that the standards were then floated by a larger bodies are they got to sign off. A teacher's got the table and comments never heard back what happened and i think you know cuz you was sandra stotsky up here. That the only two continents. The standard sandra stotsky and james milgram refused to sign off on them because they didn't they don't like that right. But now we're stuck with these. Twist up with them. But because they were scalable right you can bring them to scale. You could make everything the same. In every school across the country. That kids would be learning at the same rate right and this is a big word education now can we can we bring it to scale and equity. Right equity is supposed to mean sameness. It supposed to be in the same on the same page at the same time doing the same standard to the same test. And how attractive is that someone. Like bill gates. So how we going to do this we're going to test online. We're going to keep the date online everybody's going to have a chromebook. You know the materials are all going to be generated by pearson so we suddenly have and when you can go online and watch bill gates say the opening of marcus never before have we had such a market in education. And. I believe that what has happened is that this. Huge. Financial marketing this is how they talk about if it education has become a huge financial market now when you so now you're bound and so you can see how this olegard. Right influences you can follow the money. Bill gates himself 2.3 billion dollars has been sent. To advertise a common. Place writing in the country have groups to promote it push it through the through teacher un he's every time you turn around your hearing how fabulous is right but it really has not undergone any examination by the public i think we're starting to have trouble with it because it would never feel tested. But if you go to your school board and say. But you know what this isn't this isn't working for me. What what can your school board do. It's signed on by the state it's signed sealed and delivered. So this is a context that we're facing an education now. You know and we're facing the loss of our school. I live in montclair. Newark. Is just on bloomfield avenue from us. Right and bloom newark is marching down. Bloomfield avenue montclair. All the people all the reformers who work in newark they live in montclair. People. Now who have been working in newark the pr representative for cammy anderson who shut down communications with the people of newark guess where he works now. In montclair. We can't ask a question at a school board me. We do not get an answer. So. But i want to close with his to say. We're in a framework. Where decision-making has been taken out of her hands. In this we are all the same. If the people in newark have no voice and their schools were taken. Long before you know race the top but if the people in newark have no voice if they have no local control i want you to remember that you are rapidly moving into the same position. And i know that your local school boards want to be responsive but their hands are tied to. So i heard you it is time to get involved in the educational discussion to understand that legislation must be changed. That government must be made. Unit 2 play at the appropriate role that local control has to come. And i just i will close with reading you. A very short bed. At when i read it almost fell off my chair i was driving in the car with a this on the radio and npr and i. Pronounce article. So in kenya. There is a. Private school company that runs academy's bridge international academies. And they set up over 200 schools in kenya over the past 4 years. So let me read you this and see if it sounds like your school's now. To accomplish this bridge has set up a highly structured technology-driven model that relies on teachers reading standardized lessons. From handheld computers. The e-reader not only delivers the lesson script to the teachers but it also acts as an electronic timesheet gradebook and supervisor. The tablet tracks what time the teacher arrives what time she leaves. And how long she spends on every lesson. The administrative side of the school can be run off a smartphone. The exact same lesson being taught in this classroom is being taught in every other 6th grade class at bridge schools across the country says bridge co-founder shannon may. If you are at one of the other 200 locations right now you'd be seeing the exact same thing she says. In some ways it is kind of the magic and. That magic is standardized lesson plans changes the role of the teacher. It allows bridge to hold on cost because it can hire teachers. Who don't have college degrees. Tsa. Teachers are not content are not content producers any longer. Desmayo fridge school. So when we talk about equity in schools. We're talking about the children were talking about the teachers we talkin about the administrator. The police get involved you got your great ridgewood cares about school sandown let's hear with. What they have to say.

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Sermonpodcast-1-31-16.mp3?_=36

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. Morning. From the second each of you were born. You came into contact with another human. Almost everyday after that. You did too. When we feel down. We long for a hug. Pork rib cut. Physical contact. Bring the feeling of safety. You may have been the person to consult someone with a pat on the back. Or maybe during a job interview. You shook hands with. Potential employer to affirm your trustworthy. We decided this. Because as humans contact with another. That only makes us feel at ease. But helps us develop. Emotional. When my brother was born. I got to hold them for the first time. That was the first time i touched him. Ever. And it wouldn't be the last. Going forward in my life. Send those to physical connection. May not have been so loving. We were both there for each other if you needed a hug. Even when we were younger. And even now sometimes. We learned from young age to understand how a person is feeling. For a message they wish to convey. Imagine you're in a bus. There's a toddler. You seem scared or maybe worried. His mother takes his hand in hers. She squeezes softly to reassure him. Everything will be okay. Beer then. Is an older woman. She sits quietly in a window seat. Squishy. Between the bus wall and the young man. She pumps the young man slightly. With her elbow and hip. Moved over but realizing. But she does not have enough room. Something most humans can instinctively understand somebody as intense as i. Now. You may go forth into the world. And hug someone. Good morning. My name is helen reddy. 17 years and 1 month old. I am between childhood. And adulthood. As with every 11th grader who would looking at colleges. I think to myself. This is not go only going to impact me educationally. But it is also preparing me. To become an adult. I can tell you right now. My first thought was. I am not ready. To accept the responsibilities of adulthood. The responsibility of having to pay taxes to the government every year. Be responsible for my massive insurance bill. That comes with having a cochlear implant. On one ear and accumulated on another. Or having to sit under duty. As a child i had babysitters over the weekend. Md teenagers team. Like they were the coolest human beings on earth. Cool that my parents. Cooler than my teachers. Fast forward 8 years later. And i am the cool babysitter. For the toys. And ideas. Who are more radical. Then the kids. Parents. Or teacher. How could this have happened. I certainly did not desire that you take place. However. I like being the cool babysitter. Proventil kids look up to. Have fun with. Better yet. For being a babysitter. Bakery by 31st.. That suggested. I'm adult might not be so bad. Draw my life i had been involved in community service. I love volunteering. Rather it is organizing a book drive for school in paterson. Reading to kids in an after-school program. Or spending an afternoon. At the homeless shelter with fidget group. The combination of these activities. I realized. I desired to make a difference in the world. I got. Bistro 41. Would be a cool job for me. It makes a difference in others lives. And you can do it everyday. I mean. Being an adult. Cannot do so bad. If you're helping others. Another thing to look forward to. Building. Really how did he die. That is one great thing about being an adult. Do you actually have the opportunity. Do you have a say in how the country is run. High schools in political 27 club. Adjust. We often imagine what would you do if we had a say. What our government does. Going from healthcare to foreign affairs. However we do not have a say in the government. Because we cannot vote. Therefore all of ideas about how to make this country better in ballard. Are all about ideas about how the world works. How we should treat others. How people form. How prejudices can be diminished. All of these desires for this world. Are all of the design for this rowland ballard because i am 17 years and 1 month old. Do i have to wear the ugly 11 more months. Until my voice can matter. My main desire is that adults in this congregation will hear the voices of our youth. Just because our youth group missing the afternoon. Did not mean that voices do not exist. Make this year the bushes. Make this year video of wish it can be heard. Don't know about peach valley. Signatures on petition for good causes. What makes. What makes do you. This way i do not have to wait a moment. To be treated. As an adult. You can be treated like a doll now. This was written by charlotte samuels but she cannot be here today so i'm reading on her back. Bright interchange. Where desire lives in the soulja. What travels with the astronauts in the locked cabin. Tights with air pressure sweats and urine. What kind of debris. What reminds them of their bedside table. End of home cooked meal. Years from now. Back on earth. What will remind them. Sorry black vet. And the white otter moon. When i was little. We live in a yellow house at the top of a hill. There we never had to suffer from the flooding. My first memory was the blood colored deck. With its enormous summer umbrella. And my last. What's the day i realized the trees in the backyard. Wouldn't be my trees anymore. In between the beginning and end. Was simply a mess of planet landbeforetime john denver and ladybugs. Affixed to the sliding glass door that opened up on to the blood color deck. Was a masterpiece of stick and peel planet. Touched by little hands. In an attempt to learn their names and perhaps their school picture height border. I imagined them. Deflatable raft. Lonely. And longing like me. Aching to be picked up. And placed. And the window. In the blood light of the sun. I remember holding saturn in my palm. The curly rings the same as the ones in my hair. Before pressing it hard into the pvc plastic. Like a brand-new bruise. Each planet have its own personality. Jupiter needed two hands is bigger than my head. Earth look awfully familiar. Maurice felt hot in my hand even when it was pancake against the northern winter raging on outside the door. When it was time to grow up. We got a different colored house on the other side of town. No one talks about planets. The ship sails on. I tried not to spend too much of my childhood. Ostrich. About how many stick and peels we were passing by on our yearly circuit. Sometimes the debris of the past was hard to swim through. At times it felt sick. Like tomato soup. How can you live in the leftovers of something you have once and always love. For a long time i thought nostalgia. What about the loss of innocence. And the inevitable journey into the dark. I used to long for the simple time as if it were simple at all. As if i were completely detached from the me i once was. Fixing now. Nostalgia is for the self. The real journey is not away from corruption. But a journey home. To home. 2 snippets and debris at schaefer and re-emerged time and time again. Is a heavy stone in my backpack. It is an ache. But has not left me. This kind of love. Capable of being scattered through time. Capable of transcending. And moving and bending. The feeling of the planet in between my fingers. What it meant to belong in a little yellow house. Sleeping in a bed how much bigger than me. B8. Is what i desire to replicate. In the cancer like fashion. To reproduce. To live again. To bathe in and seized in. To delete everything but. Sometimes i see a planet on the wall of the physics classroom. Or in the night sky. And i remember what it felt like in the pads of my fingers. I remember being little and having paws. Did rekindle something in me not only hold that planet in my hands again. But to stand on it. Hooda math of debris. Sometimes if i look closely now. I can even see that planet. With a singular red ring. And uncomfortable far out glow. Spinning inside of me. My name is hannah and lake helen and also junior in high school. Battington catholic most of my identity these days. I'm sure that if you were to see me a coffee hour you might ask me what college is i'm looking at or maybe inquire as to what i'm thinking about studying and you wouldn't be the first to ask or probably the last. Because either questions i ask myself almost daily because frankly i have no idea and i would really like him answer. Trainer service for talking a lot about what a healthy spiritual feeling desire is. It is all well and good to have your many desire the firm's but it's a little frustrating if you're like me and lacking a little in the desired apartment. There plenty of things that i desire like an extra hour of sleep or more time to read. But when it comes to dreams and aspirations for my life i'm a little lost. It's funny though because when i think about my future i see myself having figured it all out i'm living a great life i study my life passion whatever that maybe and working in a job that i love. I guess i was doomed that one day i'll wake up and feel a pull to a certain academic fields or i'll have an epiphany we're suddenly it will all make sense. However i'm getting a little impatient waiting for that to happen and it come to this unfortunate conclusion that as nice as it sounds maybe it doesn't work quite like that. Recently liked this week recently. I've decided that enough was enough. I'm done stopping at my peers were already passionate about a certain fields. Gordon secondly going on college visits every weekend or those who are burning the midnight oil studying for the sats. Know what good for them. They know what they want and they aren't afraid to go get it which is more than i can say about myself. Their tenacity and hard work is going to pay off for them where is my go-with-the-flow whatever happens is fine apathetic outlook isn't doing me any favors. So i brought home the fish guide to colleges and sat myself down and read the whole thing. I made a spreadsheet of schools that made me actually feel a little spark and desire which is a good feeling. I spent time perusing these foods website checking out fun things like farmers market thursday. But also serious things like major options and special programs. Absolutely shocked to find that i was interested in quite a few things. 3 didn't need a sudden epiphany of realization. Unknown to me there's a teeny tiny spark of desire burning in me all this time. It only needed a little attention from me to grow. It's not quite yet a roaring passionate fire but i find that the more that i feed it the bigger and brighter it gets. To my question to you today is what do you desire and what are you going to do about it.

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08-Final-Thoughts-From-The-Panel.mp3?_=8

Thank you all very very much before i we open it up to questions and before junius make some remarks i just wanted to see if any of the panelists. Had anything else they wanted to add based on what others have said one aspect of the finances of it is that as we have the high-stakes testing and you have a chronometer stealing all of the funding of schools you're. Increasing the percentage of the funding that's going towards the test. The common core purchase curriculum. The equipment necessary for the test. The broadband necessary for the test. And so it is a synergy a particularly. Tractive synergy that's happening. Because you have. Limited funds to begin with the don't even if it's still the basic needs that you're supposed to be funded for and then you're also being told by the way if you don't succeed in this one particular area. You could get taken over you could get clothes and everything else so the impact of these policies and the way they play with the finances is exponentially more destructive than one or the other on their own. I just wanted to add that. You know we have been sold the idea of. Common core in the testing. To make everything the same. Create equality. But i wanted to say that in the states where the testing has already gone for. Do you can look in new york you can look. Kentucky you can look in. Colorado weather report 7 coming out. Everybody fails you know 70% of the kids failed but but who it hits more hardly it hits our kids were an opportunity gap. So and there's a lot of riding in this i just wanted to. Just to let you here. Carol burris and alan iser. Coworker from new york harold's award-winning high school principal you may have written many of her read her post on the. Answer sheet answer sheet. By valerie strauss in the washington post anyway she says the below-standard on ccs third grade language english. Language. Eyemart west went from 15.5% to 50. Under, corgis are for kids and opportunity gap. And in 7th grade math. They had been at 16.5 to 70%. Right. So the people that work pretending we're going to help the most. Are getting hurt the hurt the worst. And i am a little concerned and many riders are starting to say we're beginning to see if this continues a ranking and sorting out of. Society across-the-board. Which helps nobody helps nobody right and moody's i just read a report from moody's saying that in los angeles. We are many charter schools and districts are being downgraded their bond rating. Because the charter schools are failing to provide. Education is required in a course in all that money is lost. At dunkirk.

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EducationJustice.mp3?_=11

Good evening everyone. I'm sally lewis and i'm chairperson of the education justice committee at the unitarian society of ridgewood. On behalf of the members of committee i want to say that we're really delighted. To have you here. Talk about what is happening in public education. And how we can draw together. To create the best education for all of our children. Now little bit about ass. We're a liberal religious organization. With a strong belief in the democratic process and the inherent dignity and worth. Of every individual. We believe in justice and equity and compassion. And these principles have brought us here together tonight pretend to be an opinionated bunch. But we endeavor to listen points of view that are different than our own. So we asked you the audience to put aside your own beliefs and to honor those of others if they may be different. Those of the moderator those of the panelists and those of. Audience members. With that. I'd like to like to introduce our moderator. Whisper a lot of time and effort into this evening. Dorothy feola about dorothy. She's worked at william paterson university for 17 years. And it currently is associate dean. In the college of education she served as president of the new jersey association of colleges for teacher education the end jacee. Dorothy has represented william paterson. And several state committees. Task forces related to teacher education and teacher evaluation. Her areas of research. Include literacy. As well as teacher education. With that i'd like you to welcome dorothy. Thank you everybody. Very nice to be here this evening. I'd like to thank the education justice committee for inviting me. To speak and certainly sally. By helping me to organize and. The panelists have been very gracious the last few weeks we've been. Chatting on emailing and by phone. To organize the event for you this evening 61at thank everybody. Participating. I just have a few opening remarks before i introduce the panelists. What have i to say is that we live in interesting times. Right now. Everyday education is under fire from somewhere. In the media we've seen it on nbc's education nation. Films like waiting for superman. And a recent issue of time magazine devoted to bad teachers. All feeding into a frenzy of a crisis in american education. According to diane ravitch. An over-reliance and misuse of testing and data. Have created the sense of crisis in public education. Which lends credibility to claims. That american education is in decline and failing. Public education is in crisis. But only so far as society is. And only so far as this new narrative of crisis has destabilized. To be sure there are some political and private entities. Pushing an agenda with solutions to this perceived crisis. They have money and they have influence. They want more high-stakes testing they want to close public schools they support privately-funded public charter schools and vouchers. And they are okay with children being taught by minimally prepared teachers. Their rhetoric is couched in democratic language about equity and high-quality education for all children in america. But their reform agenda seems to contradict their language. By offering solutions that cut funding to public education. And then require that everyone. Compete for what's left over. And race to the top of what i'm not sure. Tonight's panelist use their experience and expertise. And give their time to grassroots causes. That are taking on some of these irrational fears and behaviors. And they are. Deborah cornavaca. Who is the legislative director for new jersey working families. An organization that works for social and economic equity for all people in new jersey. As part of her job she coordinates better choices for new jersey. A broad and diverse coalition of partners. That unites to advocate for revenue and funding to the programs and essential social services that our state should provide. Deborah has been a public school activists for many years. And has worked previously for save our schools new jersey and njea. She lives in east brunswick where her three children attend public school. Deborah is president of the east brunswick library board of trustees and is on the board of pulse. She has a phd in anthropological archaeology. Christine bowie. Is the mother of two public school children. She became active on school issues in 2010 when she organized sos montclair. To stop threatened school closures due to state budget cuts. Shino advocates for progressive education locally with montclair cares about schools. And statewide with sos new jersey. Junius williams. Is a nationally-recognized attorney musician educator an independent thinker who has who has been at the forefront of the civil rights. And human rights movements in the country for decades. His life in the movement in the south and the north has been chronicled in the civil rights history project. A collaborative initiative of the library of congress and the smithsonian's national museum of african american history and culture. He was the youngest president of the national bar association. The oldest and largest organization of black attorneys in the us. And was listed as one of the 100 most influential blacks in america and ebony magazine. Junius ran for mayor of newark. And now teaches leadership and community organization at rutgers university-newark. Based on lessons outlined in his new book. Unfinished agenda urban politics in the era of black power. Sharon smith. Is a wife and mother of five children and an organizer. She is po founder and executive director of pulse. And since pulses inception. Sharon has organized around policy change to ensure that parents and students. Have a voice in the decision-making process. Jean mctavish. Is a 28-year veteran educator. And since 2001. She has been the principal of edward a reynolds westside high school in new york city. Jean has earned degrees in anthropology and education special education. And is a doctoral candidate in education administration at teachers college. Jean frequently participates on panels. And presents workshops focusing on her school's implementation of the common core standards. In addition genes to children attend the ridgewood public schools. Gene is an organizer for united opt out an sos new jersey. And she works with a variety of other like-minded organizations such as change the stakes. Reclaiming the conversation and adieu for. We will hear from each panelist about the work they're doing and their communities. And then invite the audience to ask questions. And have a conversation about our issues and concerns. Junius introduction. And i'm very glad to be here this. My second time. Coming to a ridgewood. I was telling helen i don't know what ridgewood looks like during the day. But i've been able to find my way around in the dark so i'm very happy. Tula have learned to navigate. I guess i'll. An instrument flyer. As opposed to one who navigate by the sun cuz i've never seen the sun. So my job is to start us off by kind of setting the tone. I have a group call in abbott leadership institute. At the rutgers university. And. We've been around since about 2002. As a matter of fact three of your speaker three of the four speakers in addition to me have been. Regular. Members of the class for all from time to time anyway. And so they understand. Who we are and what we do we started out with 19 parents and one teacher. And now i'll classes go up to anywhere from 50 to 75 to 100 people depending upon how hot the issue is. I know how interested people are in that temperature. So we we have parents now we have peaches. We have young people who are teenagers young people who are in. College learning to be teachers. And we have what we just called community advocates. And what do we do. We are involved in. Empowerment in the empowerment process in the. Process of empowering people from a parental perspective. How to get involved in schools. And make them better. Not the. Outline for the scene that was just described by moderator. Is based upon a definition of quote-unquote school reform. That has evolved over the last few years actually you can take it way way back but we don't have to go back that far. It's part of the its most. Recent iteration of the far-right. And they just happened to not be focused on privatization of school. But before that before we had any idea of what was coming. The new. There were a bunch of us. Struggling. For school reform. Real school reform. And i was happy to join that. Struggle when i came back from. Living and working in irvington. Where was town attorney for a while. I came back and i said well. We need to take a put together a group of people who are going to work in the context of the avid program. Which some of you may know was of the result of a school of a decision by the supreme court that said. Urban school districts need to have more resources. Equal to the best. Suburban district. Probably like ridgewood. And that needs to be school before. Based upon among other things i'm giving you shortcut version here. Parental involvement. So we wanted to make sure that happen. But as time went by we saw that it was harder. To do. Then we expected let me just read a little bit this was not when you when you write a book this book has been out. Since january and i've got a few copies here for some people have already bought some. What's all the rest of you may want to do it as well. But when you write a book. And you say well the book just came on january actually. The book was written. Now almost 3 years ago. It takes that long to get it ready after you get. Yourself. Interposition where you think. So what what i found out when i came back. Join the struggle to get people involved in in school. This is what i had to say i tracked a lot of people who have already been involved and advocacy for better school. Some people are very good. A banging at the door to gain entry for right they are entitled to have. However few people understand what they have to do once to do is open in the power structure says come on in and sit down at the table. Such is the situation with the advocates remedies that no child left behind. The advocacy skills are far different at the table than those used in demonstrations take over the picket line. As we learned in the medical school fight that was an urban renewal struggle in newark. People today are frustrated confused and angry because the advocacy process is more complicated. Then they have learned. People are looking for ways to make the changes they need to have but tend to repeat the same answers. They may have been. May have been good then but i no longer valid. As my friend and protege lucius jones says. The fight is in a. But we don't understand the nature of the fight. So the abbott leadership institute was designed to bring people such as you see right here at the table. Who all of us come from a different perspective. But we get together and we teach each other and we learn from each other. Everybody up here. I can say i have learned something from. And i hope i have been able to teach as well. So as years have gone by. There's a different set of players is a different game. The game was define. By our moderator. So we have had to learn to adjust. In the struggle. To make sure we can accommodate the people who we want to help which are the parents. And the children and ourselves as as people interested. And not only democracy. But in empowerment. So here's our kind of a formula that all of us have used at one point or another whether we be in new york whether we be in montclair weather will you be in newark. Whether we are all over the state as a as as deborah is. One of those things that we've learned. Collectively is number one collected information about the school policy that is troublesome. Used information collected to formulate a perception. Of the problem. Get together with a critical mass of people and share the information and used information and initial perception to raise questions. Use that information and perception to formulate an appropriate. Organize. Not individual but organized response to make schools better in conjunction with other stakeholders and go out. With at least five people and put that response in action. So i think what you going to hear here today is how people have negotiated that kind of formula in one way or another in different localities at different time. All in the context of this new thing called school reform which they have visited upon us. Pushing and try to push all definition and what's best for the children to the curb. And with that i turned it to speaker number. Sharon. Sharon smith. From newark new jersey. Thank you. Thank you janice. I said to dorothy i said mm. This is so junice is going to go before you. And then your next said wow. I won't have anything to say. But. He loves his face for me to say something. Oh yeah. So pulse is parents unified for local school education. It is an organization that was created by parents and is led by parents. But we also support students. And initially. In 2007/2008. We began to work on policies that allow parents and students to have input. And the decisions of budget curriculum and status of their principles. A nice way to say that they make the decision to hire and fire principles. Of course we were told it was a little aggressive and that we needed to rethink. About the policies and so. We began to write policies that were very similar to hiring firing principles but. But it down a notch. But since the appointment of our state. Superintendent cami anderson in 2011. Many of the local school teams have been dismantled. And others are not functioning as governing teams in our local public schools. The fight began with parents fighting for their public schools. In the direction of the policy has changed now and now we're fighting just to make sure that the school stay open. In the past three years superintendent cami anderson has recited. Renewed relocated. And converted to chartres at least 20 public schools in newark. In december 2013 superintendent anderson. Rolled out the 1 north plan and universal enrollment. Both plans. Had little to no input from community. Yet the impact. Of the plan affects one-third of newark public school students. Specifically in the southward close to forty-thousand weather residence. Are impacted by the reorganization plan. There are many concerns for the children and parents of newark public school. To name a few. In my opinion the major concern. Is that the universal enrollment is presented as an opportunity. For parents to have a choice. Are we school. But yet. That's not the reality. The reality is is a mere chance that the parents will get to school of choice. From the application. And that is why you've been seeing parents on the news in the media. Fighting for a school for their child because they're not assigned to the school that they originally. Requested. And most of the time. These schools are crosstown. One of the problems also is transportation is under it's unsafe and callus. For the superintendent to think that children from the ages k2 eighth-grade can travel across the city on their own. And if you know if you getting up 6 in the morning is still dark outside. And so these children are 7 8 9 years old who are asked to get on the bus. Sometimes to get to another bus which is a hub. To go to another school. The parent. Is not allowed to have a ticket. Or provide. Money or transportation. For the child to travel with a child to school so the child has travel on their own. The other thing too is the area that's most heavily hit is the southward. In the south ward has the highest level of single moms. As a highest level of poverty. It's okay. For these parents to make a. A consideration to ever either get on the bus with their child to go to school. Or to save that money for other responsibilities that they had to take care of for their children. Special needs. Special needs is another area which is not really first of all. Special needs was not an area that newark public school was actually effectively taken care of in the first place. But now that this one newark enrollment is in place. There is less chance for a child with special needs to get a school. That they have services in that school. I met a parent. I put snow for myself i met a parent last saturday at an event. And she has a special needs child. It hurt y'all first day of school was october 13th. So all of those days. We're missing. There was no education. There was no teaching there was no. Learning for that child up until october 13th. We still to this date. Have children that are not assigned to school and that there are whole. And it's close to 3 to 4,000 students. That are not in school at this point. So. What we decided is that pulse has joined alliances in newark. And nationally to fight the corporate reform. In may we filed a title 6 complaint. To investigate the discriminatory practices of the one newark plan. And the federal government has married it for investigation so there's an open investigation on the one newark plan. We also know that the race to the top money which was just talked about with dorothy. Has not produced the results. That it hasn't ended. The sig which is a school in provement grant. From the us department of education. Allotted to states through an application a process. That mostly everyone gets who applies for a process to get money. That is meant to use to improve most struggling schools in the country. Until now. They're only four models for the state's school districts could choose from. It's a turner school over to a charter operator. Remove half of the teaching staff and the principal. Close the school or transfer it through a removal of staff but less. According to the usda zone data there has been some donut very significant results but these four models. In the spring at the pressure from the national. Alliance that i belong to journey for justice alliance. Congress included new language in the federal budget. To allow the fifth state determine option. The regulations for the fifth option. Won't be released until december but we believe that funding could be used for the new model. It's so what we're doing is. Proposes that we are pushing for our state's to use a more holistic approach. And making sure that student achievement happen. As i've always said and said in a lot of interviews that you don't have to smash a system in order to make it work again. That moving a child from one area of town to another does not prove that student achievement would happen. So. We are looking forward to making sure that students have an opportunity to stay in their neighborhood schools and still learn without this disruption of education. Thank you. Good evening i want to start by thanking everybody for giving up sometime or funded. Friday evening to come here for the organizers and i'm like so deeply honored to be flanked by this panel. It is such a treat so i'm excited to be here i spend a lot of time in a lot of important meetings but there's really nothing that thrills me more to be able to come out and talk about the work that's going on in the things are being done and reaching out to people who want to engage alarm because that's at the core of what's going to be the success of the of the pushback that. You've heard about already. As a backdrop to my comments we're going to focus a little bit more on school funding and new jersey specific budget issues. I want it. Remind us that there's a law of the land it's a school funding reform activist passed in 2008 as a means to. Fairly fun school to provide equity it was a national model considered one of the most progressive in the nation and what it did was established funding that follow the child regardless of zip code regardless of where they live sub-urban if a child had additional needs beyond the basic educational needs they got the funding for the basic needs and then they got waited increases in the funding for child so if you had an iep if you were an english language learner. Whatever it was the demand additional funding the state would work that in. So districts were allotted a certain amount of funding according to this very complex formula. That i don't even pretend to parse. They were allotted the money that each child should need. Right so you were you were following the money was going where the child. And that's our law. Overland. It's not a perfect law there changes if people would like to see may there's adjustments for geographic for special education but it was an improvement over what we had theoretically if it had worked if it have been funded. And it is the law. In 2010. The school funding reform act was fully funded with the assistance of a great amount of federal money that came in that year. Not a hundred percent of the district but nearly all the district's got what the school funding formula. Said they should have. And it was complex cuz it was it was the ruling in of this plan so it takes certain different forms of his role in but he was doing pretty well. And that was until 2010 when we hit the budget cuts. And in the middle of the school year the middle of an academic school year and the budget school year the government here announced that there would be mid-year cuts to every school across the state. Virtually. That you would not be getting your last payment of school at the state promised you. And that became a downhill i can't even call it a roller coaster cuz it hasn't gone back up since but a downhill spiral basically of school funding. Since 2010 the cumulative. Underfunding of education according to what the formula would dictate has been nearly six billion dollars. Spread on equally across the state. Because. A percentage of your school-aged comes from the state and a percentage is paid your local fair share based on your property taxes. So as you can imagine when the state cuts back its funding. The districts are impacted the most. Are those districts that rely most heavily. On state funding and less on their on their property taxes. And if we look at what those areas are the delineation is pretty clear. Urban areas rely more heavily on state aid. Suburban areas with higher property tax basis rely more on their local fair share. Some suburbs get nearly 90% of their school funding from local fair share. Some urban districts get nearly 90% from the state. So while six billion across the landscape is a huge amount and is hurt every school district i would argue. It is disproportionately impacted. Urban areas of schools. And there's an excellent report by journey for justice right. Call death by a thousand cuts which is a national study. Of the peeling away funding to urban schools in the impact it has had. The impact everywhere are increased class sizes decreased and rich curriculum. Many other things loss of guidance counselors attendance officers. Nursing staff funding for. After-school activities athletics it it happens differently across-the-board it's very very hard to distinguish and delineate it every single place. But without a doubt every district has seen and felt this in some way. So in 2010 when this happened k through 12 avicus got to work. Went down to the statehouse went to our legislators to how can this possibly happen. And at the same time the governor started to propose changes to the formula. It would reduce the weight that students would get with special needs or additional needs. So we were fighting a multi-faceted battle here right one is the protecting the formula the other one is protecting the funding consistently there's been more success in protecting the formula. And there's been less success in protecting the funding and getting additional funding. The governor does talked about the fact that the state is investing record amount of money in case through 12 education. And to some extent that true because the dollar amount is going up. That doesn't mean that the percentage that we're getting closer to fulfilling the what the school formula says we should have. And we've lost a lot of federal money and other grants in addition to that. So. It's one thing to say i'm putting more money in this and i ever have and it's another thing to say are we meeting our obligation are we filling our needs to our students. Nevermind following the law. Sew-in 2010 2011. New jersey working families which is where i'm at has a coalition called better choices which is a budget focus campaign and we became very engaged in advocating for k through 12 funding and protecting it. It was at that point where i was functioning at the k through 12 advocates it's something became glaringly obvious to me. I could go in and advocate for school funding and the legislators would even tell me i agree with you we should be funding the schools more where would you like me to take the money from. What should come from affordable housing. Healthcare. Where would you suggest i take it from because i got no money in this budget and so i was led down a path. Uplifting one i meant to understanding the budgeted its entirety but what i began to realize was that we could not effectively advocate for k through 12 funding. Unless we participated in the broader discussion of the budget in the state of new jersey. Evidently i said that a lot. Because this year i was asked to take over the better choices campaign. You got to be careful what you talk about. And so. I work now across the spectrum of areas of budget. And one of the things that i find it is most important and effective k through 12 advocacy is this idea of function within the entire budget. An understanding it because our legislators are. Not perfect. Butter is almost as frustrated as we are. And we need to give them tools and means to move forward to find solutions which they're not naturally inclined to do. I don't mean that to judgmentally but there's a certain lethargy and legislature. So right now currently new jersey is 48 in the country in economic recovery are unemployment rates remain high. We have nationally. Across the nation we have. Record high corporate subsidies. Right which result in less revenue every year as we give additional tax credits to large corporations. Those are revenues that are not going into school funding for example. We have a millionaire's tax it was upon the richest people of the of the state orting i think 450,000 and more that expired in 2010. Which cost us nearly a billion dollars in revenues and we have no appetite in the government to reinstate it. There was an overall lack of appetite to do anything to increase revenues across the board. So if we want to effectively protect school funding and advocate for school funding we have to talk about things like the transportation trust fund and this is where i lose a lot of education advocate. You want me to talk about the transportation trust fund like a week i do cuz it's almost broke. And when it goes broke. We not only will we not find road. Road projects and repair our roads. But the debt that we owe on the transportation trust fund will need to be paid and that will come out of our general revenue fund. Which is where we get education funding from. Now we're it's bad enough we're not following the law to fund education but we stopped paying our debt we get in real trouble like with credit ratings and agencies and we lose our borrowing ability. So you can bet your bottom dollar. Looking to reach for it to that you're going to pay the transportation trust fund out of the general fund before you going to find education. So if we want to be part of the solution for k through 12 education. We have to be part of the solution for the transportation trust fund. And there may be some other things along the way i'm just using that as one example. Because when we stabilize that we have the opportunity to go in and say. Okay now let's talk about it station funding. If we refuse to participate in the discussions for those solutions. We continue the cycle of asking for what can't be given. And causing frustration. The one thing i know is that we have it effective formula that is the goal we should be working towards. And while i work with advocates who simply go well it's the law. Why aren't we funding it. And they're right there not wrong in saying that the reality is we're not going to get to fund it overnight we're probably not going to get to fund it in the next two to five years. But if we work together to a reasonable goal and say let's try to work there in 5 years or in 5 years is how much closer would like to be in these are the means and the tools by which we'd like to get there and be part of the broader solution. Then we can all come together to be effective. And when we work across. Areas of the budget. And we lie ourselves with the people who are fighting it to solve the transportation trust fund the nice thing is bill come back and support us in our fight for education. Because right now we're all fighting for parts of a. Diminishing pie. Right and sooner or later we're going to. Stall ourselves out fighting over those pieces but if we come together. And we work together in it and that includes people who work incarceration issues in healthcare issues and transportation issues. United we can push the government in a direction where everybody is going to benefit and we should start to see the economic growth in the development we want. So. That's that's education funding in very brief. Synopsis and also why it's not just about education but it's about issues beyond that that need to be part of our vision when we want to fix what's wrong with education. Thank you for that there was really very. So i'm chris mccoy and i'm from a month. And i just wanted to say you know this is broader landscape in. What's happening with schools which. Terminator. What is happening to every child now today. And i would say from my point of view. That we are losing control of our school. We no longer have a say in what our children are. Taught to the degree. Did before. Issues are being taken out of our hands. And why is this. You know it's not a mystery. There are two pieces of legislation. That i think everybody should know of. So in 2002 probably gift. Heard of no child left behind. Ansi probably afraid of the no child left behind act and no child left behind. Had just a few pieces i'm going. A very broad. Brush right under no child left behind every state had to develop stand. And then. Those standards were going to be tested. Should be tested. Data would be generated from those tests. And then certain sanctions would be levied against school so no child left behind came to be known as test and punish. And the sanctions levied against the schools could be everything from you do an intervention to have patience. To feel certain achievement gaps. To actually taking of the. And there were even percentages of how many schools could fall to the bottom of your portfolio every year in be under stress. The no child left behind law said that by 2014 100% of the children at all of the schools had to be. This was not an achievable. I mean once it throws up on testing day. Your kilt you know you don't have a hundred percent. So you know for many years educators struggled with this. And we're hoping for relief law was not generating. The kind of. Changes anybody would think we kept. Captive the standards kept teaching kids kept testing kids. By 2012 massachusetts which is often considered the best education state you know. Except. Massachusetts had 80% of its schools under some form of sanction or another. Write messages. So you can see how this this scheme was not really reflecting what was going on in school and we starting to drive a very unhealthy school atmosphere. When president obama was elected. Many people in. Putting me i were very hopeful that.. Stringent no child left behind would be. A change in the legislature in congress that didn't happen. What did happen instead. Is that our secretary of education. Arne duncan. Sad what i'm going to give you waivers. From your child left behind if you do a couple things. And then attach the money. That's race to the top. And the things i'm going to do. I'll give you the money but this is what you have to sign on to. When you can read. And i have a handout and you can go. To your home your computer click on it and the first thing you have to do is have to sign up for the common core. Right and when race to the top was first issued. A lot of estate signed on before ever seen common core because it wasn't. The common core standards number one. You have to ecorce then have a test. That relates to the common core standards and they out here in new jersey. Going to be at the park right. And then that test. Is going to generate data just like no child left behind but guess what this time what we're going to do with that data we are going to evaluate your teachers with it and your principles with it and if they don't meet their. Achievement marks where can i get rid of. We're going to fire him and you have to create a. A method within your state every state kind of approaches slightly different. Evaluate your teachers accordingly. A kid test. Right so kearny new jersey. This last year. With 30% and now we're going to go 10% 20% 30% of a chart of a teacher's evaluation will come from how her kids. Do orchids kids do on the parkside. And i know and i used to take my kids grocery shopping when they were little. And one of them would have a bad day and start screaming and everybody would look at me like i was the worst mother in the world and if anybody judging me and my kids behavior that day i would be in trouble. So i just want to say there a lot a lot of concern. People statistical analyst have looked at these. Measures that they're called a wii cost. I'm growth objective they are very problematical and we have great. Bloggers and writers hear bruce baker school finance. 21. Jersey jazz. Read about it. Are very shaken evaluations. Checking anyway okay so then we can do is. You know we can come in and we can take yours. And. Race to the top also said there's no caps on charter schools anymore. And races hot said and you have to keep this data stir. It's going to follow the kids. Forever right you're going to keep a data stream on your children and if you read that what it says. The top. I'm we we you have to have an estate a longitudinal data system you have to have that in. Encourage you to have a horizontal davises. Which means. Collect every piece of data you can and put it in. There's a lot of confusion but what day does b. Collected i know appear in richwoods are going to have a whole nother symposium on. Student privacy in it. In december. So. So. This is the framework now. So the kids in school right now how we're having common core it's because someone signed on the,. Right. And all you had to do to sign on a, court is your department of education had in your governor had a sign on. There was no discussion beforehand there was no everybody looking at it let's all get together and decide how this is going to work let's get our boards of education in our superintendent and everybody knows. Bethany. So. Why is it so important. Because what's happening and education. Is that. A small group of people. Are deciding. What is. Good fortune. How they want things to. And they're deciding what they believe is that it's testing. Or maybe they don't. That maybe the suggest that you noticed. Write a scheme that that drives every. So i just want to. Talk about two words. Oligarchy. Oligarchy and democracy. And an equity. And i just i don't want to get into a debate about what the standards are or what they say people have many different opinions. On that so don't want to debate that but i want it. Talk about the development of the common core. In light of those two. So the common core standards when they were developed here's what happened. Disgaea. A david coleman. Went with one of the chief state school officers to bill gates. They said you know we like to do. We would like to develop this. Common set of standards. And we need somebody to pay. And bill gates said okay i'll pay for him and they so they decided that they were going to do this totally off the books totally outside of government now why would you have to do that because the federal government by law can not. Right. Standard that's supposed to be left to the state education. Who is this is how we get around. And i called off the book. You know what you might call it like dark education. They say dark money you know so they they got together they got. Nobody really knows cuz there's a big secret 2627 people together. To write the standard. I'm in the articles that i gave you have all this in there there were really no teachers in there maybe two of them had a little high school experience everybody was collect at otherwise connected to a testing come. A data company. And they wrote what they thought were good standard. And they wrote the standards this way. Here's where we want the kids to end up in high school will just kind of chunk am all the way down. So when they released the first draft of the standards. The childhood development specialist. When out of their minds they said this is not i'm physically appropriate for children this is not some developmentally appropriate for children and they began to live 500 of the best childhood development specialist wrote a letter at the time and nobody listened. And what happened instead of the act. Was that the standards were then floated by a larger bodies of they got to sign off. A teacher's got the table and comments never heard back what happened and i think you know cuz you was. Stop get up here. That the only two continents. The standard sandra stotsky and james milgram refused to sign off on them because they didn't they don't like them right. But now we're stuck with you. We're stuck with them. But because they were scalable right you can bring them to scale. You could make everything the same. In every school across the country. That kids would be learning at the same rate writing this is the big worden education now. Can we can we bring it to scale. An equity. Right equity is supposed to mean sameness. It's supposed to be the same. We're on the same page at the same time doing the same standard to the same test. And how attractive is that someone. Like bill gates. So how we going to do this we're going to test online. We're going to keep the date online everybody's going to have a chromebook. You know the materials are all going to be generated by pearson so we suddenly have and when you can go online and watch bill gates say the opening of market. Never before have we had such a market in education. And. I believe that what has happened is that this. Huge. Financial marketing this is how they talk about if it education has become a huge financial market. Now when you so now you're bound and so you can see how this olegard. Right influences you can follow the money. Bill gates himself 2.3 billion dollars has been sent. To advertise. Place writing in. Country have groups to promote it push it through the through teacher. You eddie's every time you turn around your hearing how fabulous is right but it really has not undergone any examination by the public i think we're starting to have trouble with it because it was never feel tested. But if you go to your school board and say. But you know what this isn't this isn't working for me. What what can your school board do. It's signed on by the state. Signed sealed and delivered. So this is the context that we're facing an education now. You know and we're facing the loss of our school. I live in montclair. Newark. Is just on bloomfield avenue from. Bright and bloom. Newark is marching down. Bloomfield avenue montclair. All of the people. All the reformers who work in newark they live in montclair. People. Now who have been working in newark the pr representative for cammy anderson. Shut down communication. The people of newark. In montclair. We can't ask a question. We do not get an answer. So. But i want to close with his to say. We're in a framework. Where decision-making has been taken out of her head. In this we are all the same. If the people in newark have no voice and there's. We're taking. Long before you know race the top but it's the people in newark have no voice if they have no local control i want you to remember that you are rapidly moving into the same. And i know that your local school boards want to be response. But their hands are tied to. So i heard you it is time to get involved in the educational discussion. To understand that legislation. Change. That government must be made. Unit 2 play at the appropriate role that local control has. And i just i will close with reading you. A very short bed. When i fell off my chair i was driving in the car with. Turn the radio on npr and i. Pronounce article. So in kenya. There is a. Private school company that runs academy. Ritenour national. And they set up over. 200 schools in kenya over the past 4 years. So let me read you this and see if it sounds like your. To accomplish this bridge has set up a highly structured. Technology-driven model that relies on teachers reading standardized lesson. From handheld computers. The e-reader not only delivers the lesson script to the teachers but it also acts as an electronic timesheet gradebook. Supervisor. The tablet tracks what time the teacher arrive what time she leaves. And how long she spends on every lesson. The administrative side of the school can be run off a smartphone. The exact same lesson being taught in this classroom. Is being taught in every other 6th grade class at bridge schools across the country says bridge co-founder shannon may. If you are at one of the other 200 locations right now you'd be seeing the exact same thing she says. In some ways. It is kind of the mets. That magic is standardized lesson plans changes the role of the teacher. It allows bridge to hold down costs because it can hire teachers. Who don't have college degrees. Tsa. Teachers are not content are not content producers any longer. Desmayo fridge school. So when we talk about equity in schools. We're talking about the children were talking about. Teachers were talking about. The police get involved you got your great ridgewood carousel. Full send. So why there's not much to say. So i come to the conversation. School reform as a high school principal in new york city. I run the largest transfer high school which is an alternative. School means that my students have been in other high schools and have nots. Experience. Are between the ages of 17 and 21. And they. Today this year at this moment i have somewhere. Between 85 and 90. Of my students who are entitled. They have missed a tremendous amount of education for a variety of reasons some. Have been incarcerated. Some kids are parents we have a daycare. The school. School-based health clinic we try to provide just about everything that we can. Including sound. So new york city. Had the privilege of being. At the forefront of the school reform movement in the united states we had mayor bloomberg. Who was also a big funder of school reform and his favorite chancellor chancellor klein. Joe kleine. Who also now works for rupert murdoch and amplify selling some really great and stuff. So high-stakes accountability is something that i'm very familiar with and i used to worry a lot about. We had no child left behind and we had very strict performance target. And as you can imagine. Kids who are not really interested in school don't do well on tests. So my test my data. It when we look at. The attendance test scores. It's in the toilet. And it has. About that somebody told me a very long time ago that's your data on it. Don't. Apologize for it that's what it is. But my teachers work very hard i work very hard. Our students work. Extremely hot. And have been up against some educational failure that i would have turned away from. If i were them. So. We have. No child left behind sanctions that we had to face. We had something called school report card. There was also another way that we could punish schools in new york's. The scoreboard card really looked at the same data that was. Collected for no child. But it just kind of ratcheted up a level by comparing youtube. So luckily for me. We do well compared to. So my school was able to. Every year kind of. Bye and not get threatened with closure. But what i did get to see. Was what happens to schools when they're closed. When students who really love their tea. In the teachers who loved. Students who know we're trying very hard under some extremely.. Cold circumcised. Are told you may no longer go to this school you have to leave and go someplace. I've sat at hearings and watch. The children. For their schools. In the begging and the tears and the videos and pleading just falls on deaf ears so that to me is what's what what they call. Structural violence where we have created. That punishes. The people who suffer the most. And it's a really horrific thing to have. Watch the eye. Struggling the last thing i want is for my school. It's been. Open as an alternative high school now for 42. And we like to refer to it as a port in the storm. It's a place where kid. Can come and get some refuge in a city that's not always. I where they can get an education and hopefully. To go to call. So i had to make a choice as a principal. Do i. Do what i know pedagogy. We are instructionally is the right thing to. Do the really great. Teaching. Or. Do we. Do that kind of. Data analysis item analysis. The test that were being held accountable to and do we teach. So i'm. I'm going to own it. Publicly i chose to teach to the test. Actually that's why my school is. I'm still open to the. Baby cuz we do. We analyze the test scores. We focusing on what. Skilled deficits are. We make sure that. Kids can pass the. Is the next time it's given and i'll tell you my. Probably most. Shoes on the planet. Because our survival depends on. And we need to do it for the kids so we need to. The school open but in the big picture what i was hearing was my students were coming home from college. There's after their first year in so you know jean it didn't really work out and i'm coming home. And so i knew that what we were doing was not right. And i really. Starting to lose sleep. So i thought. I have to. Start speaking up. And i have to start speaking out. So i learned from a group of folks we went to washington d.c. one spring. To go sit outside arne duncan's office and tell him what we thought about school reform. And they said. The folks i was with. You know if they don't have. The testing data. This whole system. That they have of accountability falls apart. So i thought. So if. I don't. Have my kids too. Then they can't use the data. To hurt. Children ultimately enclose their. So the first year i opted out i wasn't really concerned. About my own children at that point cuz i thought you know we live in this nice tree-lined street. 2 ridgewood. And we pay a lot of thai. Suzanne arscott. Systems really good. And i thought all this isn't going to get to ridgewood but i need to speak out for my stew. So i opted my kids. And then i. Noticing that the conversation in ridgewood. We're talking about the common core and then we're talkin about. The new jersey asked but then the park and i'm paying more attention now to who's publishing the homework that's coming home. What is looking like test prep and i'm noticing. That we're doing a lot of teaching to the test in ridgewood. And i know that test scores and ridge. And if they drop. Are property values dropped to so there's some steaks. Then i thought maybe didn't exist here that do exist. So i thought. Alright so. Is junius. You just do it by yourself. Nobody's paying you any. Attention. So what you have to do is. Get people organized income. Do it together. So i've worked with folks across the state of new jersey to organize parents. To deny. This day. Ar testing data. Because if they can't count it. They can't use it against us. So that's one piece. The other piece that i've learned during these years. Is that. There's plenty of data to be cool. Did the king tell ad. So it my own school. I have what we call an alternative data. Estimate are other alternative high schools to do the same thing. Where we collect the same data that the department of education collect. That are school. But we analyzed it. Currently and we can tell a very different story they can tell us a failure story with weeding. There's a lot of smoke and mirrors that they use when they do the school report card. But if we just look at straight up how many kids passed him. Kids failed who's graduating who's not. Who's moving forward. We can tell some really great stories of. That's so what i have to say. It was all is that we really do have more power sometimes it feels. How can we fight. System what can we do. We have a lot of power. But we. The realize. That we have it and we have to. Work together. And we especially. Have to amplify. So. One last thing i had to work for tammy anderson was my directs. And i usually like. Peaceful loving kind of person but i have. Anger toward that woman. I forgot what she did. To the alternative high schools in new york city she really destroyed our superintendents. We're just now beginning to build it back we have four. First time since. Have to go to newark we have a. A superintendent this year and i'm very hopeful. That with the new mayor de blasio that will be able to build something really positive back. But my heart goes out to. Folks in newark cuz i know. From experience what she's doing to them it's wrong we need to pay it. Mention we need to. We need to document we need to tell the story. She should. Thank you all very very much. Before i. We opening up the questions and before junius make some remarks i just wanted to see if any of the panelists. Had anything else they wanted to add based on what others have said. One asked. The finances of it is that as we have the heist. Testing and you have a curtailment or stealing. Of the funding of schools you're. Increasing the percentage of the funding that's going towards the tasks. The common core purchase curriculum. The equipment necessary for the test. The broadband necessary for the test. And so it is a synergy. Particularly. Struct is synergy that's happening. Because you have. Limited funds to begin with the don't even if it's still the basic needs of your supposed to be funded for and then you're also being told that by the way if you don't succeed in this one particular area. You could get taken over you could get clothes and everything else so. The impact of these policies in the way they play with the finance. Disc is exponentially more destructive than one or the other on there. And i just wanted to. You know we have been sold the id. To make everything. Right to create equal. But i wanted to. In the states. The testing has already gone for. So you can look in new york you can. Colorado weather report. Everybody say. Yeah 70% of the kids failed but but who it hits more hardly it hits our kids were an opportune. So and there's a lot of riding on this i just wanted to. To let you here. Carol burris and alan iser. Coworker from new york hair elsa or award winning high school principal you may have read. Brickmania. Read her post on the. Answers answer sheet. By valerie strauss in the washington post. Anyway she says the below-standard on ccs third grade language english. Language. Eyemart went from 15.5% to 50. Under, corgis are for. Is an opportune. And in 7th grade math. They had been at 16.5. To 70%. So the people that work pretending we're going to help the most. Are getting hurt the hurt the worst. And i am a little concerned and many riders are. Starting to say. We're beginning to see if this continues a ranking and sorting out of. Society crossover. Which helps nobody. Moody's. I just read a report from moody's saying that in didn't. Los angeles. We are many charter school districts are being downgraded their bond rate. Because the charter schools are failing to provide. Education that required intercourse. That money is lost in. I accepted this assignment gladly because. You see i used to be a trial lawyer. And. Trial lawyers. Have to sum up. To the jury. And you don't have a script. I mean it's like jazz improvisation. But. Sometimes if you have a losing case. You really are scrambling. Does something tell jewelry. And sometimes it's just best to just be quiet. And to submit. But in this case i think. I'll proponents for justice he have given me a great deal of material. To work with so i want you to. Kind of hold on here. The ladies and gentlemen of the jury. Because. All you have to do is to connect the dots. Sharon smith told us about one newark. And 1 newark. Is a plan. I could under this concept of. Voice. Where all the choices are being made by somebody else. For somebody. Would let me give you an example. Why would. Me as a parent or the student want to transfer from one feeling school in my neighborhood. Tua failing school. Two and a half miles away. That's the kind of choice. That the students and the parents have. In newark. Not a choice comes with. Some real problems. Some of you may have seen. The man's effort to bring attention to this man baraka. In newark when he went over to barringer high school. Based on some video footage that my students dead. To show. For example. That there was 50 and 60 kids. In a class at barringer high school. That there were no seats. For many of them. And for 80 minutes at a time they either have to sit on the floor stand up or sit in the window seals. Where there were. Kids. Who were english i'm sorry who were spanish. Speaking. In classes where they only teachers. Spoke english. These conditions continue to exist today. The class size me have been adjusted that no more classes. 50 60 70 all hoorah they've been brought down to guess what 35 to 40. And that's supposed to be progress. So you got. A horrendous churn going on. In the school district. In newark. Petit juice. For parents. And for students. No the second aspect of this. Connection that i want you to see is. What's happening with the money. What we learn. Next. From deborah. If you follow the money you see what's happening in another level with the school. The i think the number that she told us was that over since 2010. 6 billion dollars. We are six billion dollars in the whole based upon the sra not the album. Decision. Which was. Killed in 2008. But democratic. Governor. The sfra let's just use that formula. Billion dollars in the whole statewide. So is it any wonder that in the city like newark you don't have enough teachers. But you do have classes that are 35 and 40. You don't have the social workers they help the children who come to school with the issues that jean talked about. That there's nothing in school to make the school interesting for the kids to want to pass the test. I had a principal say to me sometimes doing this intervening.. Where he was at a school where there were thirty-seven percent of the kids with special ed. 37 +. That's one-third of the kids. Special. By law they supposed to have. They did not have extra. He said i go to bed at night. Thinking that. What can i do to make. School. Thing for these kids. Because. He cared and next year course he was gone. Another symptom. Continual churn and turnover of teachers. And principles. Teachers pulling something called a pool teacher without assignment with somebody said it's not a good teacher. Some of those teachers not good. But there's a process that weed them out. What's up i want to get smoked out. And said i wonder why. They take away auto mechanics from eastside high school. I wonder why they did the the cooking program they don't have food for the kids to cook. So what we'll look at what we don't have focused upon. In one newark is a fact that slowly but surely the resources necessary for urban education. Is being drained. Not just from newark. But all over. But at the same time there's another level. Of ii search for the word there's another level of of of of obvious. Pain that's being visited upon these kids and their parents. And this is whole question of park in the test. Because he ultimately these kids who are in schools that don't have the equipment that they need who don't have the key. They need who don't have the social workers at. Then they have to take that test. And if they don't pass the test their consequences. Not it doesn't take too much to understand that somebody is up here who understands. That we have an impossibility. That is been aligned. Urban. They know. Kids will not pass the test. They know they're for the dependencies can then be put into place. Ending up with them taking the school and giving it to another charter school. Or whatever other kinds of resources that are in that school. Wake me up when you got people now buying schools in newark. Turning from public. Ownership to absolute private ownership. Will you not have a resource that's been built up throughout the years you say what school is bad and is it sold. Nothing good can come from that school. Well. There are two sets of money. Piles of money if you will two sources of money available in the state of new jersey. What is the average money. Our governor has said. We're not going to spend that much. Why. Spending. Maybe 9 any trickles out something hope you all remember that. Echuca got a little building one here and there he goes and stands out in. Instacredit for. Doing school. But newark is supposed to place a 10:30 new schoolsplp. No. It's only three been built under that abbott money. In the meantime. The charter schools. Which app. Said what we can take over these schools all these old schools to schools that are not being properly maintained or not adequately maintained because there's no money. We can use some of the federal money that's available and rehabilitate those schools. And guess what that's saying rehabilitation money was available and is available. The public school. But not $1. Love it. Has been allowed to go. To the public. 127 million dollars has gone since. 2008 i believe. 22 charter school networks in newark. Money that could have gone into. The public schools for those same buildings. So finally. You see that there's a vicious cycle here you got something that's called choice but the choice is not been made you got a diminishing settle returns coming from the school district. And. Children are put into a position where they can never prove the point that they are successful. Because the test. Depending upon them having well-funded well-resourced. Happy. Professional. Working with them. For them. So if you think there's a conspiracy going on. I think you're right. Pass the word on. Now what can be done. Well is working at. But ways to pass the test. But i would suggest that it requires a principal and a relatively stable staff. In order to do that we don't have that in new. We don't have that kind of stability. Even the best. Well minded person who wants to teach in newark. Understand you coming until situation you wait if you even open your mouth you could be gone. If you complain 1iota you could be gone. Do you want have that possibility in newark and in some of the other. I would imagine but especially in newark because we're under cami anderson. So what else is a possibility. Well he says what we need to withdraw enthusiasm from the test itself. That is. A possibility. But i come back to the angel. Possibility that i talked about in my book and i talked about in my classes and we just been my life. And that is the people. Come together. Organize. And take back their school. I don't. Remember exactly which one of our panelists said it but i think they all alluded to it and if we all stick together that can be made possible. That boys can be amplified. The parent voice that's crying out. In newark. In places in new york and in montclair. This is the voice that we need your help. How can you help. We have a governor. Bright now. Who's running for president. We have a governor who's running for president. You get my point. You all who vote for him in ridgewood from you. He needs to know that you know what's going on. In this particular situation. He needs to hear from more and more ridgewood. All around the state so that you can see that cycle. That craziness starting with the one newark in the so-called choice with the diminished resources. Then the imposition of the test that the kids can't possibly pass so that the same just continues to privatize privatize. Is in your interest. That we do this. As well as out what because a thriving vibrant economy. Means less of a problem in other areas for you we don't have to pay for prison. Will you paying 50,000 $40,000 a person to keep a prisoner. When will all we want in in the school district is 25 or 30 not even that i don't know how much you paid for education per person. In the ridgewood. Not that. How much do you pay. 14. So you see the difference between 14 and 50 to keep a prison bed over. You paying for both of those. Why should they be one and not the other. Do we need resources but more importantly we need your voices. To come to the table on behalf of. Other folks. Who are. South. Orig. Thank you very much. Queso at what. Say is that if you think they want. Closed schools can you imagine what they want to do two places where they prepare teachers. You're really in trouble. We can open it up for some questions now. From the audience. Thank you for your time. I have. 2 questions an obvious very obvious question. Is the for sharon and for deborah. This the schools in newark are run by the state correct. Arapahoe county anderson works for the state of new jersey. I just want to clarify that i thought so i poured me for my ignorance. Do you know what the pert student. Funding is. For newark students. Okay. Two things that are really important. The first is that doesn't translate to how much that's how much money the students are actually getting. Charter schools get 90% per pupil when they get funded so they're getting 90% per pupil of that 19,000 but when you look at elementary school budgets the actual budgets of the actual elementary schools are getting in newark. You'll find a per-pupil they're getting about $8,000. Because the rest is going to cammy's overhead. Very high administrative costs. So a lot of the money doesn't actually make it to the student and disproportionately high amount of it in newark doesn't make it to the student in the school. The funding for your schools. Come to the state of new jersey in a large portion of that comes from bergen county. Officially speaking. So is is there a. Army. Yes exactly property taxes and state income tax as well. Is there a parent. Pta or board of education episodes me of pta in newark that is active. Yes there are ptas at our act. But. A superintendent has push for. The pta. Converted. Pto. What is less. Restrictions less accountability to. And. A lot of the principles actually act. Those parent groups for money for certain. Events in the school and so the money is. Turn around buddha paris. And mondays are not given to. Or the monies that are raised by the pto are not used. Ripley 4. Students or parents events. Exactly events that the school wants to hold for the parents in. Claim that they don't have money for it and so then the parent is up. Paying for. Those events so initially we did have a lot of ptas. In newark. I'm a lot of them which. We're not. Active. Because of the lack. Avant parents participating in them. And so when cammy anderson became superintendent. Change in promoting. No not really because most of the parents are. Discovery. Somewhat. And so most of the time ptas have a voice in the school. But lately there is no voice in the school out of the school. And so there's. Activities. So like one parent told me they were giving. Something like that but. In regards to training parents to understand. How to build a school how to make it a better school. Those type of trainings are no longer available. When i was listening to chris. Earlier when. Was talking about. Bill gates right. And i can remember being a part of the. Minority. Leaders for the pta. And we had an event where bill gates. But she came to the. State. Pta. To ensure that we were going to promote. Common core and we had to vote on it. At the pta. Mpta became a tool to push. For the common core and they were. Fighting to get each state. To join in and that's really how. The common core was pushed through the pta. Initial. So the parents and the teachers got together and actually push. I wanted to add really quickly what this is happening across the state with the pta that they're increasingly being asked to fund through independent fundraising for the schools fundamental parts. Of curriculum necessities in particular they're being asked to supplement technology. Creating tech labs. Find keyboards which is facilitating the administration of these high-stakes tests. And in it you're right cuz there's that there's a very vicious circle here but it is a point at which parents have to say this is how much i pay for property taxes this is how much my school should be getting from the state and on top of that you're telling me is a pca. To go raised $20,000 for the technology to administer a test that i don't want my child to take. Like there has to be a point at which the pts are willing to get engaged and speak up and say no. Can i just ask just make one more comment perhaps it is. Upon. Are due diligence. As taxpayers in this state to let our governor know that we are fed up with the wasteful and abused. That goes on in schools. Across the state specifically like newark. I mean how can you get that kind of money and i'll be funded. Transcendence in working together against. I mean it seems to me that these organizations. Should be working with sue. As well. Because if we really want to make a dip. Superintendent. Enhancing the. Standards that are expected of children and the demands made on. You're so why aren't we. Why aren't we. Using some app. Advocacy against. We're with them in new jersey our superintendents just. Had their salaries. Not too long ago. So i think there's a lot of fear. On the parts. Superintendent. Speak out and as strongly as they might. I know our superintendent in ridgewood has. Done some speaking out not as much. He's done some speaking out against. Teacher evaluation in the use of the. But in new york state. Superintendents in the lower hudson valley or abyssal. Together and they're not afraid. I'm very clearly in their super antenna. Doing the same i'm john kuhn just. Billy sent us down this. So superintendent. Speakingout but it is. You're putting your job on the line. And it's a. I just want to add that. I know if you know where bloomfield. This is a suburb over from montclair and. We are beginning to see in new jersey i'm superintendents who are saying enough and you are starting. Speak out. And in bloomfield the superintendent and the board of education. I said well you know we're bound by law to do these things but we're going to do is tell our parents. We don't believe in him we don't believe in testing they organized parents to write to congress. I'm to urge congress to change legislation and they can't tell parents to opt out but they are giving them all the information they need to do it. And i think this is so important. People like gene superintendent educators the people who are in the school can you see this in new york you see it that it happened in new york. Or able to talk about what's happening in the schools and connect with parents in the outside and together that's a very powerful force. You know for change because his parents. We can overused we listen to the teacher we listen to the principal and even when we sense it something's wrong with curriculum if your superintendent tell you it's great it's great. The other thing i would say is take the park. Take the park you can take it online and then that starts by discussion. Community we just did it in montclair and. People were. Floored. Change a lot of opinions. Yes there are sample test online that you can go to intake and you can get groups of people together to take them and have conversation and it really. Where you can have your kid take the sample test to i want to add one one thing to the question about the superintendent the 2% cap is really important cuz it's not just that they've become scared. Is it a lot of experience veteran superintendent's have left their jobs when their contracts were up and they were faced with a huge pay loss. We're going across the connecticut or pennsylvania retiring they they left and so what you're doing is you're replacing them with a cadre many of times trained in this whole notion of school reform out of what we call the brode school. They're trained to administer that so the 2% cap creates fear. And it creates the turnover so it's connecting the dots that junius is talking about it's it's part of the way to destabilize the system to replace it with a cogs in the wheel that will administer your agenda. I'm a retired teacher i retired in 2008. I did see. How. No child left behind. Affected my students. I still have teacher friends who were working. And i hear horror stories all the time. I wish. That this had been. Televised or recorded. Because i do love to take this. I'm the president of the passaic county retired educators. I would love to present all this material to them. I'm also a member of the league of women voters. I'd love to present this material to them. Is there anyway i can get. Kind of a synopsis of what you've done have you ever thought of doing that thank you and thank you very much. And if you ask. Volunteer myself to either the njrea order league of women voters to come speak on us. Yours. Is exactly what we. Textbooks. Personal development. And equipments. That would be. And then what you were saying about the p. Bryant today. And my tiny little. Hundred thousand dollars a year. Appearances giving an extra. Top of our taxes. And those things are going to pay for. Computer so that the disc. Is ready for park. Also but what i want to know is. Doesn't. Is that cool. To be part of an audit ever. Or do i have to stand up in front of my board of ed. And be the person with the target on my forehead. Thanks helen. The quick answer that in our experience is that the. You're the one with the target on your for. The state sent out a survey to ask for park readiness. Now catch-22 here stick the district don't want to tell them they're not ready. Because it makes them look like targets it puts targets on their forehead so most districts will. Embellish their readiness. Or be optimistic about it. It's very hard to distinguish how much they're spending for park preparedness and because it's also tied to how much the spelling for common core and that's been embedded in their budget for sometime. You have to ask for really specific questions which i'm happy to help with crafting. There's some information that's going to be going up on a facebook page called parents not-for-profit which will be providing toolkits and asking these specific questions. It takes really a good board member to give you that information to sit down with you or a good ba right who's willing to share that. Because they'll have a technology line and i'll say well but not all of its four park. Right. But suddenly that technology like double. Bright. And then. And then the other thing you have to do is actually look at the audited spending versus what they're projecting cuz they'll often make it look one way and then be forced to spend it another way so it's very hard to get these answers we have asked and surveyed some districts. Through various studies last year with the early stages my district estimated spent $700,000 last year. On park preparedness which is. Not nearly what they're going to end up spending. Some districts of estimated about a $1000000 within a year. So it depends on remember those our district which actually had that money to move around when you go to a financially strangle district like an urban district they're not investing that money which feeds this this. Hypocrisy. There were actually about trying to help the kids who have less opportunity. Because we're testing their computer literacy through park but we're not giving them computers in the classrooms or access to computers absent the test take. Teaching the teachers how to use the computers that are there. And you don't have the access to the web. In most of these places. And you don't know i'm talking about the urban community. And you don't have enough computers to go around. So just it but specifically to answer your question. We teach. People how to use how to analyze budgets from time to time. I would suggest. And there's a there's a woman. In paterson. Whose name i can't. Just a retired. Irene sterling. Are easterling just retired from the paterson education fund. And she is an expert on teaching. People like you how to analyze the budget the other thing is once you figure out the questions you still have questions you can open you can file an open request. Open publix. Meetings at request. And if they don't answer you then then you need to go to court but that's that's that's a process for getting. I think it was christine who had mentioned it's really beneficial for superintendents and boards to get on board. Fight. Did the effort for parker. Prepare for park. But for district 2. Districts that don't have. Superintendents who are that progressive or brave or don't even have an effort to opt out. Districts who are very focused on. Elite colleges bergen academy acceptance is for the children. How would you recommend building. Some kind of force in those kinds of districts. You don't mind clear has a broad superintendent every knows the broad academy where they teach. People who want to be superintendent's had to go in and disrupt the district. A better strategy you just dropped the district. We just. Determined that we paid 1.9 million dollars. To upgrade our technology but it wasn't just a. Park. And our taxes went up on 4%. We know we've been hoodwinked and part of the problem. When you can't have a dialogue. Right. It is very easy to get anything going so what. We've done. Is we've begun to organize in town. And we do a lot of informational forum. And now it's starting to happen with the approach of the park. Is people having living room meeting. And and talking and we're doing a lot of a writing we're doing a lot of editor. Letters to the editor. A lot of organizing sending to the state. And we just going in who said the target on the forehead. Inter board meetings over and over and over again that this has gotten a little bit more than uncomfortable because with a. Coming of them. Kim anderson's old pr guy to montclair. His name is matt franco. He searches you out he he finds you on the internet he starts to bombard you they have written a like assertive about nasty block anybody who speaks up you know yer. Your attack on the blog they put your your questions up on the board webisode this stuff can get very. Very ugly but i think what it is is joining together. It's joining together and what we're all singing montclair is. The art the classroom is changing. It's changing. And people are beginning to feel it. And so is the children begin showing harm. The parents are waking. And that's what's happening to us because even though our teachers are trying very hard to maintain a good progressive education right where you meet the child with a child is and try to bring the child along that's not how common core works right it, of course you have to be here now are you you're a failure you are a failure. And you got to perform or we all go down. So as people are single children hurt homework changing as we come up to the park and. Taking the parcc test. You know so i would say those things and networking with state organizations. So that you have that platform cuz changes going to have to come locally. Right where you educate each other. You going to your board meeting to write your letters to the editor. Start talking to your local representative. What's going to come in the state level. You know in a country's name with the federal. So just begin and end don't don't give up in. I'm a pizza i just finishing a pta officer at the school so i talked about on the pga i'd walk in the room.. But they're from the pta let's talk about a fundraiser no no. For those elite. The school's you're talking about. The junior high. They're the guinea pig year for park testing. These tests are not going to be given to him with no benchmarks. Potentially go on their permanent record. Right between the graduate schools could be looking at. I don't want my son to be part of an experiment thank you very much there is no reason that i wanted to be. And at the same time that we're instituting this is the case through 12 level the higher education. Schools that you know your district trying to send kids to are turning away from standardized tests. As a means of judging. Preparedness for admission. They're recognizing that the standardized test is basically a socio-economic measure they already know most kids can't afford their college they don't need that measure right. So it's it is a conundrum because that higher education people are moving in one direction indicator 12 or trying to push us in a different direction. And our kids are the guinea pigs if you want to. Get it the heart of the parents in your district. Talking about the fact that your child is being treated as a commodity. To make money off of them and they're being treated as a guinea pig. Untested form of testing that will go on their permanent record that we don't even know what a passing mark is the benchmark will be decided a year after they've taken it before it's been implemented a second time which is. Statistically. An egregious error. Right and this could haunt them and we don't know for how many years it will be guinea pigs. Is it harmful for my child to take the spark test once absolutely. Cuz that could be a permanent part of their record. We don't have time. For attending this evening to sleep a lot of information very very good thank you all very much.

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Sermonpodcast-7-15-18.mp3?_=36

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. As some of you may know. I'm a chaplain in manhattan. Currently i'm a full-time staff chaplain at mount sinai beth israel in the east village. When i was still a chaplain resident that is a chaplain and training. At mount sinai hospital in the upper east side. I received a referral. To visit a patient before he had a scheduled surgery in and he really. He's one of those patients that has stuck in my mind. Ever since. I'm not sure if he asked for a chaplain or someone noticed that he was anxious or depressed. He was on a regular floor devoted to heart patients. The referral sheet. Listed him as a mister john ahold layla. A status pseudonym. 64 years old. And mormon. Clearly mormon missionaries had made it to polynesia. When i arrived mr. a holiday was seated in a chair. And the other bed in the room was temporarily empty. He was a lien 64 year old man. With a beard. Curly hair and dark golden skin. His appearance along with his name. Made me think that he was perhaps hawaiian or polynesian. His heart surgery was scheduled for two days later. When i asked him how he was doing he said. I am in a wonderful piece because i have put my face in the one. He said that before that he was quote. Filled with worry a wreck with worry for a week before today. I asked him what changed. He said. Yesterday everything change. I just put my faith in god. And now i feel very relaxed. Wichita. And i learned that john. I'll call him john. Explain the history was to put in a pump. He said. The pump is to keep me alive until i can get a transplant. He explained. They say it's an 18 to 20 months wait on average for a new heart. With my blood type maybe a little more. I'm having this now because of the mistake i made. He spoke of this mistake. With a tone of self-recrimination. Even discussed with himself. What was that mistake. I asked. John said. In action. In 2010. I procrastinated. He explained. I didn't supply all the information that was necessary which i could have done was very little work. I was perfectly capable of doing it. And due to my own negligence i didn't get the insurance clearance. So now i'm 6 years older and what would have been a $250,000 procedure is now a million-dollar procedure. Because of some technicalities that i could have easily dealt with. The surgery didn't happen. I could have had this done 6 years ago. There was a bed for me and the doctors were waiting and i didn't come. He shook his head with disgust. John explained that much more thoroughly than i've rendered the conversation. It was full of technical details that i can't possibly remember and didn't understand even then. Even though he told the story in a flat tone. His rage and contempt for himself was palpable. The weight of it was heavy. Even just for me a listener. Finally. After his long explanation. I said to john. Can you forgive yourself. John tossed off casually. Oh i know i'm forgiven. I said. God has forgiven you. But have you forgiven yourself. There was a long. Pause. Finally john said. No. I haven't forgiven myself. I asked. What stands in the way. A forgiving yourself. And even longer silence. Followed. And when he spoke. John didn't answer my question. He gave a rueful laugh. And he mused. God gives us so many gifts. All my life. And we just drop them. Gift. After gif. I answered. Yes. But he keeps giving them. John repeated. Yes. He keeps giving them. I said. What a wonderful description. Of what it means to be human. I was referring to what i see is the human condition. One of continual flaws and mistakes. Yes continual hope. And if we're lucky opportunities. For change. John continued. We look back when we are in our fifties and sixties and we see the gifts that we were given and dropped. When we were young. And we wasted them. And then finally we see. Maybe that's why there was only one mozart. When guggenheim. 1 frank lloyd wright. Maybe there was some young boy who was given the gift. Of being a frank lloyd wright. And he drops it. I never knows what he could have become. While if we took all those gifts. There is no limit. To what we could become. I responded. Maybe that is what it is to be human. For if we took all the gifts we are offered. It sounds like. We could be infinite. And we are only human. Not gods. John grinned and said. Yes. I asked john. What gifts were you given. And he said that before retirement. He had been an economist. I asked. What did you do with that gift. John said calmly. I wasted it. I only worked in finance. You see i never taught. I was too greedy. He paused. But that's a small mistake one that is easily forgiven. I wonder if john ever gave himself credit. For not wasting a gift. So i asked him. What's gifts were you given that you did not drop. Thought. And then spoke slowly. With difficult. He said. 1gift. That i was given. What's my wife. She died. 8 years ago. I'm so sorry i said. John added. We had thirty years together. 30 years. Of happiness. I looked at john and said. So you did not waste that gift. John responded. No. I did not waste. He began to cry. And i still miss her you said. To this day. There was a bit more to the visit. But this is the part. That stays with me. And several things strike me about it. When was john's powerful metaphor of the gifts we are given that we either drop or hold onto. And. If we hold them. Realize to fruition. That led to the question i asked john. What gifts did you drop. And what gifts did you keep. Another thing that struck me was the starkness of john's notion of gifts. For him there they are. Clear and recognizable. And in the fullness of time we will notice if we drop them. This raises the question. What constitutes again. And do we always know it when we see it. And then finally i look at how harshly john condemned himself. For not getting that heart transplant earlier. And his refusal to forgive himself for that. You might even say that. As a believer. He had the hubris to not forgive himself even though god had forgiven him. Where was his understanding and compassion. For himself. Asking which gift john or any particular person dropped and didn't drop is not a particularly thoughtful or philosophical question. In my visit with john it was a tool to get him to talk more about himself. So i can see how he felt. About his life. At this critical juncture. Did he feel he had blessings. That he'd been smart or lucky enough to accept. Or was he equally hard on himself or bitter about every sphere of his life. I learned that he saw himself as dropping the gift of his intellect. By choosing a career in finance rather than academia. I didn't think that was that important. He saw his wife as a tremendous gift. One that he did not waste. One that was much more important than his career choice. The question of what gifts were given. And whether we drop or keep them captured my imagination. Am i started to ask friends and family members the same question i had asked john. What's jeff's did you draw. What gifts did you hold on to. And it wasn't long before this question of gift got more complicated. Then john stark vision. As i asked earlier. What is a gift. Well that one's not too far. I think of it is any talent opportunity or relationship anything we would think of as a blessing in our lives. A deeper question is whose responsibility is it. To ensure that a gift of potential or talent is realized. How much power do we have in choosing to accept the gifts we are given. John said. Maybe there is some young boy who was given the gift of being a frank lloyd wright. And he drops it and never knows what he could have been. Exactly. How many people are born in poverty or suffering. I never even get the education or opportunity. Understand. Or know the gifts. They've been given. That's certainly true of talents are aptitudes and also opportunities. Many of us were given the gift the families with enough means our parents that valued our development. So that we can identify and nurture our talents. Imagine if beethoven or ella fitzgerald had never had the opportunity. To blossom. And of course. The fact is. There are millions. Of beethoven's and ella fitzgerald. Whose talents are never allowed to blossom. This is our human tragedy. Are personal limitations. Are social and political limitations economic. Limitations. Ultimately. Simply our mortality. Even if we turn back the clock on the 2016 election. The syrian civil war. Isis al-qaeda. Every war and every famine in the world. And even if we suddenly spread the wealth more equally and eradicated poverty. It would be a comparative paradise. But it would still be our condition is humans to be finite. Imperfect. Have accidents. And drop gif. More compelling is the question how do we know when a gift is a gift. A wise friend of mine said. You can't always tell what's a gift. And she told me. A well-worn story about the old jewish farmer whose son breaks his leg. Everyone was crying lolo is me. But the next day. The russians came recruiting soldiers and he was spared because of that broken leg. Furthermore you may be given a gift in your twenties and you may not be ready to appreciate it. Sometimes it recurs or comes to fruition later. And something you regret. A gift dropped a lot. You may look back on and see you in a different way. My friend holly said. I have come to think the essence of resilience is being open to the fact. The things that happened in your life and you can't. Things happen in your life. And you can't see where your life will go. You can judge events or choices only in hindsight. She gave me the example of her own career. I remember when holly started out as a physician as an intern and obstetrics & gynecology. She loved delivering babies and working in women's health. However it was such an exhausting and demanding program. 100 hours a week easily. But she gave it up. I'm sure i felt like a real loss and maybe even a failure. Instead. She became a dermatologic surgeon which she describes as work that fits me so well that i passionately love that is perfect for me. She thought. What if i had found an easier obgyn program and never discovered this work that i love so much. You may be thinking the same thing that i thought. Well you might have loved that too. There's more than one right career. Match or love match i believe and thank heaven for that. It's the other side of limitations life puts on us. Our ability to take advantage of many different possibilities. How is onto something. She has a gift of turning tragedies and losses into possibilities. New gifts. For example. Her husband has been losing his sight for years. Now he's reached the point where he has to use a white cane to find his way around. She said to him. Yes it's too bad we can't go to plays or movies anymore. But we'll go to lectures. And we'll still have concerts. Another thing i learned in talking to friends and family is that what may look to outsiders like a gift. That's someone wasted. Maybe a different gif. To the receiver. My mother reflected on the gifts we've been given that she dropped or not dropped. The first thing that occurred to her was her talent as a pianist. Throughout her high school years her parents sacrifice both time and money. To drive her from tiny livonia new york. 2. The big city rochester. An hour away. So that she could take piano lessons every saturday on scholarship. At the famous eastman school of music. At the time it was a great gift. In expected and unexpected ways. Her gift was not a virtuoso technique. But great musical sensitivity. Not only did she develop that gift. But her piano lessons gave her other unexpected gift. As an unhappy student at her high school teased mercilessly because her father was the principal. She got one day out of town in the big city. She got the feel special. She got the travel and accompany singers and other musicians on the piano. Meet new people. And have her talents recognized. Well. Unfortunately she did not get another critical gift. The love of practicing. And furthermore she was terribly anxious whenever she had to perform. I can remember when she was the choir accompanist at the uu church where i grew up in pittsburgh pennsylvania. Every sunday morning that she had to play. She was literally sick to her stomach. Her anxiety was an unwelcome gift from an anxious and neurotic mother. So when she turned down a full college scholarship to study piano at eastman. In favor of home economics at cornell. Her parents thought she had taken her gift and dropped it. They felt that way for the rest of their lives. But my mother didn't feel that way at all. What to her parents was a gift squandered. Was a gift that she didn't drop. It opened the doors to many other gifts. Dave her love of music that literally shaped her life. She met my father because his sister a singer who my mother accompanied. Told him to call her up. Knowing they had a shared love of music. She said to me. Look at my life. The symphony the opera chamber music. And it's true she and my father built a life filled with music. A symphony and opera goers as singers and choruses. And is devoted which to me at the time as a kid seemed never-ending listeners to recorded classical music. Believe me if it was saturday afternoon it was a metropolitan opera on the radio and it was booming throughout the house. Sometimes the nature of the gifts we are given isn't clear. What may have appeared as a gift of talent in piano performance. For my mother became the love of music. And all the ways that could enrich one's life. Have i mentioned earlier the third. A last thing that. Really struck me in my conversation with john. The patient. What's how harshly john condemned himself for not getting that heart transplant earlier. Clearly it was a mistake and a dumb one. But he refused to forgive himself for it. I was struck with his incredible lack of compassion for himself. I didn't hear him probing for the reasons. But he procrastinated. If he had. He might have made some interesting discoveries. That would help explain the reason. For that choice. How many of us i wonder have made choices. Or non choices. For which we won't forgive ourselves. Another friend of mine with whom i was talking about this subject. Went through a deeply traumatic divorce when she was in her thirties. I remember her talking about her husband when they were dating. She adored everything about him. Even though they had very different backgrounds and taste. In other words they really weren't compatible for the long haul. He was very good-looking athletic. And have been very popular in high school. Now they met in their mid-or early twenties so high school wasn't that much earlier. Although classically pretty and had been very insecure and felt she didn't fit in. In high school. Been on the other hand. And this is almost impossible to believe but true he literally had to choose. Cuz it was the same night. Between being the lead in the senior class play. And playing in the final game of the high school basketball championship for the state of california. Now you can see the attraction for an. She projected all her deepest adolescent wishes and fantasies on ben. And downplayed the very real differences. Finally he asked her to marry him. Just a year-and-a-half later. He left. I have never seen a more traumatic divorce. Then that divorce was 4 a.m.. For her. It was right back to high school and the rejection was confer. Even though she remarried a more appropriate partner 5 years later she was still scarred. She dreamed about been bad dreams. She never forgave. It's at that time. Apart of her reverted the high school whenever she ran into him and i was. Dismayed. Bye. The immaturity she display. She would crow to me if he looked bad or if he looked older. She was reverting to the values and maturity level of an adolescent. But years later. When i talked with an. Long after her second marriage. She said to me. That she realized not only had she not forgiven ben. She had not forgiven herself. For making. The wrong choice. Based on. What she. Now recognize where childish needs and insecurities. And she hadn't forgiven herself for bearing some responsibility. For the break-up. Why would a husband want to be idolized based on a fantasy. One that could burst like a balloon anytime she finally saw him as the real and flawed person that he was. Given the destructiveness of their divorce i can understand her self-blame. And even shame at her immaturity. Shame reinvigorated by all her old insecurities. But. And have learned to forgive herself. For being imperfect. In other words for being human. She had compassion for herself. And thank heaven even for ben. Saying i'm just a human being. I'm always wrong. We all have insecurities. John so enraged. And himself for putting off that heart transplant. Could learn something from an. I wonder maybe he is forgiving himself by now. When i ended my visit. John asked me for a prayer. In that prayer. And by the way. In my prayers i often try and send a message. Or reflect what i've heard that that person needs. So in that prayer. I gave thanks for the gifts of serenity and compassion. And sometimes. Compassion for oneself. To forgive oneself. Is a form of maturity. That i hope. John has realize. Because no matter what we do. With our gifts. And the opportunities that we've been given. According to the buddha. In the end. Only three things matter. How much you love. How gently you lived. And how gracefully. You let go of things not meant. For you. May it be so.

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01-Welcome-by-Sally-Lewis.mp3?_=1

Good evening everyone. I'm sally lewis and i'm chairperson of the education justice committee at the unitarian society of ridgewood. On behalf of the members of committee i want to say that we're really delighted. To have you here. To talk about what is happening in public education. And how we can draw together. To create the best education for all of our chill. Now little bit about ass. We're a liberal religious organization. With a strong belief in the democratic process. And the inherent dignity and worth. Of every individual. We believe in justice and equity and compassion. And these principles have brought us here together tonight we tend to be pinion ated bunch. But we endeavor to listen points of view that are different than our own. So we asked you the audience to put aside your own beliefs and to honor those of others if they may be different. Those of the moderator those of the panelists and those of. Audience members. With that. I'd like to like to introduce our moderator. Whisper a lot of time and effort into this evening. Dorothy feola let me tell you about dorothy. She's worked at william paterson university for 17 years. And it currently is associate.. In the college of education she served as president of the new jersey association of colleges for teacher education. The njac. Pe. Dorothy has represented william paterson. And several state committees. Task forces related to teacher education and teacher evaluation. Her areas of research. Include literacy. As well as teacher education. With that i'd like you to welcome dorothy.

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Sermonpodcast-2-17-19.mp3?_=9

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. And now if you'll please join me in the words for lighting the chalice they're in your order of service we light this chalice. Now invite you to take a deep breath. Settle into your chair. And listen. As you listen to this tone. Remember that the people beside you. Are hearing the same one. We met each hear it differently. But we are bound together by our common straining to chase the last echoes of the sound as it fades into silence. Take a breath. And listen. Welcome here to this special place. Welcome to this house of hope here we find ways together to imagine a better world. Envision what might yet be. Welcome to this house of action. Here we find ways together to make dreams a reality to build a brighter future. Welcome to this house of forgiveness. He refined ways together to apologize and move forward. Embracing the imperfections of the human heart. Welcome to this house of compassion. Here we find ways together to care for those in pain and sorrow to celebrate with those who rejoice. Welcome to this house of connection. Here we find ways together to partner on our journeys to offer time and attention to each other. Welcome to this house of love. Here we find ways together to see and be seen to know and be known. Here. Among these people may you practice hope. Action forgiveness compassion. Connection and love. Never forgetting that you are part of the vastness of life. Never forgetting that you are enough never forgetting that you are beautiful. Welcome home to this place of belonging. Every sunday we also take time and our service to come together for intentional breathing intentional reflection and intentional silence. We do this in part because we know that there is value in holding together side-by-side in the quiet. The things of greatest importance in our lives. So this morning i invite you to find a comfortable position for your body in your seat. To ground yourself. Your feet on the floor. To take a deep breath in. Try to come and steal your body. So that your mind might also be come. Breathe deeply. I'm slowly. Focus on your breath. As it moves in and out. Your body. There's nothing for you to do in this moment but be here. Breathing. Existing. Inhabiting your body. Your life. Side-by-side with your fellow humans. Breathe deeply and slowly. Focus on the inward. And the outward. In the silence. He can be challenging for us to remember to just. Be. And sometimes even more challenging to remember to be. Gentle. With ourselves and with each. But we need to. Love. Kindness and gentleness help us connect to our deepest selves into the deep. Truth. Take a slow breath. So last week i stood up here and i spoke to you all about the value of being seen the gift of love that we offer when we really embraced someone in their wholeness and the love that is called 4th in us when we feel known in this world. When i touched on and will expand today though is that it isn't always easy to reach out for that kind of skiing and knowing there is a vulnerability in that work. In the work of creating real and deep connections. It takes a great deal of courage to put ourselves out there. To create meaningful relationships with others. It's always a risk. Sometimes a risk to our literal body is sometimes to our hearts sometimes to our souls but always a risk and always it requires courage. And always it's worth it. It's always worth it turns out because connection is a deep and abiding human need that improves our quality of life but also our health and longevity in general. In a recent piece for medium brianna we stripes. You've probably heard this before in different ways the opposite of addiction is not sobriety its connection. The foremost pillar of happiness is a sense of belonging and purpose. Cultures that are more communal or more mentally healthy as a whole. People who are alone off and died earlier and get sicker before they do. We are tribal species there's no way around this despite what many highly individualistic cultures and they want us to believe. No person is an island unto themselves. We are born through connection and it is through connection to others that we accomplished virtually everything else in life. We do not just prefer healthy relationships. We need them. We need them she said. Imagine that resonates for most of us. And in a 2012 peace from psychology today emma seppala right. Social connections strengthens our immune system. Helps us recover from disease faster and may even lengthen our life. People who feel more connected to others have lower rates of anxiety and depression. Studies show they have higher self-esteem are more empathic to others. More trusting and cooperative and as a consequence others are more open to trusting and cooperating with them. Social connectedness therefore generates a positive feedback loop of social emotional and physical well-being. So there actual physical mental implications to our sense of connection or disconnection. It hurts our bodies minds and spirits. We fundamentally need deep connection for our well-being. And yet it's so hard. He's observed benefits of connection and the corollary detriments of disconnection alignment nicely with that ted talk by sherry turkle. A small part of which i read to you. Her talk asserts that we are living in a time of great disconnection even as we seem connected in so many more ways. Turtle study is technological advancements in communication attempting to uncover the ways in which. Those technologies impact human beings. She notes that we are in constant communication. But that the quality of that communication is lesser. The end result is that we humans are really alone together as she puts it. We put ourselves at a level of remove from our own deepest selves and from each other through our use of this layer of technology. We remove ourselves from the most important thing is in moments by. Stepping back just that little bit with photos and meta observations. She notes that we text at funerals i let him a morial yesterday people definitely texted memorials. I saw it happening. We instagram and repost and we share everything documenting it for the vast unseen masses the town tamang are friends. But always with one move one step between what was real and what we display. You can end up hiding from each other even as we're all constantly connected to each other. Turquoise eyes. It's the quality. Peace. We're in constant communication but it's clean filtered made perfect by sepia tones and snapchat bunny ears. We can choose what to share. And when. And how. Leaving out all the pieces that are complex and painful and messy. Circle says we get to edit and that means we get to delete. And she goes on human relationships are rich and they're messy and they're demanding. And we clean them up with technology. And when we do one of the things that can happen is that we sacrifice conversation. We sacrifice conversation. For some sort of light connection. It's important to keep that in mind because connection is valuable. But it has to be connection that is honest and rich and messy. But that's scary. And that's a vulnerable. Later in her talk she explains that indeed our humans are part of what makes technology so appealing. She says it appeals to us most where we are most vulnerable. She says we're lonely and we're afraid of intimacy we turn to technology to help us feel connected in ways we can comfortably control. But we're not so comfortable we're not so much in control. I think she's right. About that. And it can be hard to face that very fundamental aspect of the human condition. We humans are not in control. We are not comfortable. Das illness heartbreak. These pains bring that truth home to us. These things are painful because we connect because we love. It was easy to understand then why the risk sometimes feels too big. Ny technology with a sanitized connections can be so tempting. We believe that if we don't connect so deeply or fully we can forestall the pain of loss. Use all the tools at our disposal to help protect ourselves. I want to be clear i'm really only a partial luddites many of you know i love facebook and i am a woman of my generation i prefer to text whenever possible i do actually believe there's a great value. In the various modes of communication that we have embraced. But just because there's value. Doesn't mean there isn't a shadow side. And this potential to a shoe real connection in favor of. Technological connection light is a definite shadow side to all our advancements. It works because it preys on our fears and our desire to keep our hearts and ourselves safe. But you know as i know. The keeping our hearts and ourselves safe is in aleutian. I've mentioned here before the researcher brene brown. Her field of research is vulnerability shame and guilt. And those things are as you might imagine deep real related to how we connect to others. We begin in connecting with others first by being able to know ourselves and from there once we've embraced our own imperfect and flawed beings we can reach out for connection. As brown puts it. Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult to spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on loving and belonging and joy. The experiences that make us most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light. She says we start with learning who we are embracing that and when and where we can sharing that. You start with being who we are. First we have to see and know ourselves. Embrace our vulnerabilities even though it's risky that asks us to love ourselves. Which i know flies contrary to the messaging many of us were given but that's the place to begin. Know yourself be yourself love yourself. And then risk real connection. So what is a real connection. What is that connection in offers a sense of belonging. It's characterized according to turkle and waste by authenticity. It isn't filter tar papered over it's real and honest. It's sharing feelings rather than information. Failure not just success. Sorrows not just joyce. Doubts and fears not just confidence and hope. It's sharing the intimate details of a life not just analysis and critique of ideas. Realconnections also transcend our base needs for attention. And sharon contrasting attention with. Meaningful interaction. They're not about. Competition origo solving. Real connection is in. Freed or demanded of others. It's something that we create and build with time and with care. The real connection is. Developed over a season of giving. Giving ourselves giving our time and listening and care to others. For no other reason. Then that were attempting to build connection. We're supposed this way. Most people believe a connection is something they earn by being good enough. When it is really something they develop by being willing enough. Through that sharing and building and creating connection is. Again as wife puts it the experience of oneness. A real connection affords us a deep sense of oneness. I know you found. That feeling of closest to another human being that helps remind you of the interconnectedness of all things. The oneness of all of it is. That connection that fills me with the deep assurance that you are loved and you are not alone in this life. I often talk here on sunday morning about our theological inheritances. Love and oneness. Love it overcomes all fear and allows us to see each other for who we are. Oneness that reminds us that we can't live without each other. No matter how we might want to pretend that we can. Love and oneness that feed the deepest longings of our hearts and the widest needs of our souls. What stops us from living into these truths every single day. Sphere. Real deep connection with other humans is almost by definition scary. There's doubt and worry as we build. Does the other person feel the same connection bly be rejected or harmed. And if this is what i think it is in the connection is real what will i do with the pain that will come when life changes and the connection must be severed. The spheres are real and the pain is real. We all know this i suspect not a single person in this room. Is unfamiliar with the sting of rejection or the heartache of lost or the grief of death. When we connect deeply when we love truly we invite. But it's brown says a deep sense of love and belonging is an irresistible need of all people. We are biologically cognitively physically and spiritually wire to love to be loved and to belong. Windows needs are not met. We don't function as we are meant to we break we fall apart. We numb we ate we hurt others we get sick. The risk is pain she reminds is nowhere near as dangerous as living a life of isolation. Disconnected from a sense of belonging. The risks and the pain pale. When held alongside the power of love and1s. We may forget that sometimes. But it's true nonetheless. I was talking with a colleague friend about this morning's topic and she shared with me a story from her congregation's life. 7 years ago a woman and her two children walked into my friends congregation. On friday two days earlier the husband and father in this family had announced he was leaving because he met someone else. He walked out. So that's sunday 2 days after his leaving. The mom and the children showed up at my friends congregation devastated. Vulnerable. Risking sharing the truth of their lives in that moment with a community they did not know. My colleague put it this way. Over the course of these seven years the congregation love them back to themselves. We comforted them befriended them help them to get grounded. This past fall my friend told me the mother got remarried. And again in my colleagues words they thinks our congregation in a hundred different ways for loving them back to life. This family rest made themselves vulnerable and found that hidden reefs king. They could have a new life anew capacity to trust and to love they found a reassurance that they weren't alone. That's the fascinating part about all of this icing. We've all known heartache and heartbreak. And we find our way home to ourselves and our sense of belonging only. By being willing to risk again. That's how we recover. It seems almost counterintuitive but it's by having the courage and the faith to attempt trust. To put ourselves back out there that we find wholeness again. By allowing ourselves to take. Confidence in our deep belief in the larger oneness and larger love and then we sat confidence moving into human relationships that are messy and risky but so very vital. That's the way that we live our fullest.. To meet our own needs the needs of others to live our best lives we have to overcome our fears about the messiness and the risk. With the move in too deep and real connections that transcend the technologies that have allowed us to play it safe. We have to remind ourselves that the value of real deep connection is worth. Way more than the pain we will face if it goes awry. We must have the courage to be vulnerable. To be honest and open and depend on others. The count on others to support them. Two entwined our lives with theirs. That's the past the wholeness the past poem. The path back to belonging. And it is i truly believe in so many different ways what we practice here. With each other. We go all-in. We don't hold ourselves apart. We bring our whole selves fard and imperfect and grasp erat the sense of belonging that is being offered to all of us. It takes courage to reach out but intern that sense of belonging becomes a source of her. There's so many ways to do that here among these people in this place. I'm one really great way that i know of is small group ministry so wash your evil ass cuz i'm going to tell you all about it this coming week. Small groups are really good way to be seen and known and to offer that gift others. To practice vulnerability and wholeness and to develop courage and i hope you'll all consider the possibility of joining a small group. But that is what we are after here. We are after. Being seen. Seeing each other. Finding belonging and having a home. Maybe i'll find ways within these walls and beyond them to have the courage to put down our devices that remove us from risk. May we have the confidence to connect deeply and openly with others intentionally creating and building relationships that are authentic. So that we might feel that deep oneness and be guided by love. So may it be. Please join in the word for extinguishing the chalice. They're in your order of service. We extinguish this flame. But may the light of truth the warmth of love and the energy of action burnbright in our hearts until we are together again. May you go from this place knowing that you belong knowing that you are connected and knowing that you are loved. Go in peace.

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Sermonpodcast-9-4-16.mp3?_=10

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. I begin with a quote from hosea ballou. Universalist preacher living 7071 1852. There's one inevitable criterion of judgment. Touching religious faith in doctrinal matters. Can you reduce it to practice. If not. Have none of it. Is this vein this morning i speak to you of a working religion for working people. Vermeer religion that works for working people. Is one that. Put forth close to teaching and the practice. The universalist tradition of the gospel of love. The gospel of love states that love is so great that it cannot be limited or denied. The 1953 universalist declaration of faith put it this way. We have our faith in god is eternal in his all-conquering love. And the power of persons of good will and sacrificial spirit to overcome all evil. And progressively establish the kingdom of god. As a humanist. I translate these assertions into these words. We have our face in the oneness of humanity. And the universal and specific solidarity in which we can and ought to live. Respecting the worst indicted e of all persons and building a world. Where that solidarity is live and known by all the language of the kingdom of god is a bit out-of-date but the language of the beloved community is what we use today which is more inclusive in more democratic. This morning messages for folks like you and me. Members of the working or middle-class who are being squeezed by neoliberalism. Which would corporations before people. It's our people just made that this culture. And this economy that is hurting us since made it that and hurting our neighbors. For people who need the gospel of love for individual comfort and solidarity in the struggle for justice. 80 years ago. I'm glad your dad was speaking those words which i quoted. Religious liberals. Unitarian universalist are liberal protestants like the congregationalists and some of the baptist. To be more optimistic than we can today about the present society fulfilling the kingdom of god or as i prefer to say building the beloved community while there was much progress. In the 21st century. We see a rollback of many of the last centuries great achievements. An economic equity in caring for the weakest in protecting the rights of all and expanding voting and then moving beyond war. The growth of labor the expansion of civil rights the modest but real movement toward economic equity. Are all under attack by neil liberals in both of a major political parties. And even most politicians. We're liberal on social issues. Will not challenge the belief in the primacy of the market and the wisdom of the entrepreneur. Quite a change from the eisenhower era where that president eisenhower proudly noted that during his term as president labor union membership reached its highest level ever in this country. He a republican noted that with great pride. So different today. We're labor has shrunken. Remote jobs are not unionized. And the effect of the shrinking of organized labor. Has been declined in wages. Today's corporatism corporation friendly politics wants to destroy resin include labor unions and civil society. It also has these characteristics the decimation of small and independent businesses. Projecting is flattening of authorities who falter galuteria nism such as school choice. An amendment station of labor costs and of public oversight. Just two years ago bob herbert who wrote. Forgot bedpage the time for 20 times for 20 years. What was the book title losing our way. Nyquil briefly from it. There was no way for the middle class to prosper or even survive in the absence of well-paying jobs. Globalized economy shaped according to the dictates of short-sighted prophet obsessed wall street's end in sears and corporate ceos would never create enough jobs. Employers had found a gold mine in downsizing. Workers came to be seen as less and less valuable. They were tossed aside as easily as used tissues. That i would be really happy if people. Tweeted with their hearing here today. But please don't take fault since 1980. Although when adjusted for inflation today's wages around 113 hundred 15% higher than at the end of the civil war. For long. and second part of twentieth-century working people did well in this. And their lot improved. But most of that growth came before the 1980s. Beginning 1980s. Free trade between the mantra of both the democratic and republican parties. An organized labor eventually became the target of both parties. And during this. the ratio. The compensation of ceos. 2. Average workers rose from 12:40 in 19. 69 or so. Too high of 376 21in 2000. With two recessions it dropped down to just below 200 21 twice in the last 10 years. But now stands at 275 point six. And the only reason it dropped. Those two times. Because much of that ceo compensation is in stocks and stocks declined in value. No corporate boards were consciously cutting the compensation of their ceos. So wages have been essentially flat over the same time. just a tiny and commit the biggest increments. Being in states and cities that have established higher than the national minimum wages. And the net growth of something at 1.3%. I would last for 25 years. Average wages for working people that is in the bottom 10th percentile has been because. More than a dozen states and districts of columbia and several cities have higher minimum wages in the national minimum wage. All that increased be traced to them and i'm walmart at now so couple of years ago. That it would raise wages for some of its workers. Did nine or ten dollars an hour. Was it mere economic blip. The federal minimum wage is $7.25. Ended. Up considerably from the dollar and twenty-five cents it was when i got my first job. In 1964. However. Have the minimum wage kept up with inflation. Buying value is a dollar and a quarter 19. 64 it would be $9.70. So the minimum wage is worth considerably less now than it was when i started working probably when many of you started working. What's $0.65 an hour whatever it was during world war ii. So wages have taken a beating in a recent study by the economic policy institute tracks of the decline and wages. For workers over all-weather unionized and non-unionized. Parallels the decline in labor union membership for the european union or not your average wages at sundown. So enough of that. Brent talk about religion this morning. And sometimes in my role is a member of the funding panel for unitarian universalist social responsibility i i see proposals for programs at lowball compensation for people doing economic justice work. I find this contradictory. And have used the bully pulpit of that little committee of five people into staff people to fight for a. The congregations related organizations paying fairly the people they engaged to do social justice work. Your community coalition. Workers. And indeed i am. Please that this congregation has long had the policy of. Providing fair compensation for all its employees whether professional administrative or custodian. That is a real commitment to social justice that not all congregations make. Will 2005. At the general assembly my colleague aaron patrick o'neill spoke at the major worship event of the living tradition. You just left the unitarian universalist church in wilmington delaware is on his way to a church in london england where he served for the next 10 years. Patrick. Spoke eloquently. What the church ought to be. What a congregation ought to be what a religious movement want to be. And he was speaking. Particularly to the new ministers being recognized at that service service living traditional recognizing retire. And patrick said remember and never let anyone forget that you are not ordained to become just someone glorified business manager of a local religious franchise. Measuring your ministries worth in numbers or in bottom lines. And your church's role and function is never merely. To serve. As just another perennially underfunded nonprofit agency in town. The church is reason for being is to make real the beloved community on earth. Nothing less. So to make a beloved community real on earth and nothing less we need. A religion that works for all people for working people are working religion for working people. And i want to describe to you the three characteristics of working religion for working people. The first is that working religion for working people. Really means it. When it says. Dad believes in the worth and dignity of every person. That is principal comes to unitarian universalism into liberal religion from universalism. A working religion for working people to firm human dignity whatever a person's race. Social position status wealth occupation income. Or level of ability. We're stark example of this i turned. To babak glad his body unitarian-universalist go to presbyterian minister in washington state where he works with migrant workers in administrative. Outreach it support and social justice. And when the things he does his conduct bible studies in the local jail. In spanish. Because many of those arrested. Are migrant workers from mexico and central america. He tells about meeting one order berto in the. Parking lot of the supermarket. Roberto asked him. How he's doing. And he recognizes said i'm doing fine how are you doing. Add repair to says i need to come in i need you to come and visit me sometime i need a beating. You need a beating. I love you busy if i sure don't want to come and give you a beating. No sister bear tonight from you i mean from here. You think god wants to beat you up. Yeah you know that's maybe what we need so we will finally change our way. An excellent response no i can't believe that god would want to do that. I'd be glad to visit you though. And then he goes on to talk about a bible study does with a group of the migrant. Workers. But you also remarks. How god for many people is. Like. What was then called the immigration naturalization service when he told this story. Or some groups. But. You can't escape god you can escape immigration. And some of them did. There's a belief that god will help me when i trial comes and i'll see what he wants i pray to gods that he'll let me out. From jail. We'll see what he decides. These are elements of the popular theology. Back where is a progressive in the social injustice seeking preacher. And neither his god nor those of unitarian universalist theist wants to be people. But here is. What we do off in here. A liberal version. I hear from lots of secular people. Believing that there is a reason for everything it will all work out. We're both these versions popular theology is corporate-friendly because. It doesn't challenge the structures of power. It says it'll work out it's these are not a working religion for working people. So and i said equid read scripture with people like roberto. And he takes the men in the jail for a reading of the story of abraham and sarah. And they are slave hagar. With whom abram has a child ishmael you recall that sarah could not become pregnant. So she tells her husband to go. And lie with their maid and maybe she can provide the child. And of course they are gets really angry when when hagar does become pregnant. And sarah and hagar and the child runs away with a baby and they run away and. While she's running away she actually meets god. Or messenger from god least. Who sends her back your masters and this is not a good ending either. But her son is recognized and blessed. And she has become the first person in the hebrew scriptures. To give a name to god. Elroy the god of seeing. Listening to this interpretation nothing standard interpretation of the story of sarah. Enablement. Haggar but interpretation. Of recognition liberation in independence. Even a very constrained situation. It in maintenance fifties an alcoholic. Here's it to say this means that god wants me to directly face my problems instead of always running away. You can say this is so obvious. What is he trying to get at. I'll just turn that back to the question did you leave religious liberals not also turn text. And teachings on their heads and. Give them. Different meanings in the average person gives them. And the bigger question do we more work with our heads then with our hearts. So the second characteristic i working really just working people is that at the religion of head and heart both. Now unitarianism as notorious history is of it as being an intellectual religion you know. And for the course. Protestant reformation it was scholarship that built the reformation and pushed it farther and farther left. The radical restorations unitarianism universalism and the quakers. And the other congregational based faith traditions. Unitarianism started during the protestant know she'll salvation by faith. And the captain notion of salvation by works. In its own notion of salvation by brains. Unitarians come out of the calvinist tradition which is your salvation. My predestination. How do you know your predestined to salvation. You're successful in the world god blesses you. In his associate logistics max weber. Noted his book the protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism calvinists were geared up become financially successful because they knew if they were they were blessed by god and therefore save. But of course the flipside of this is if you're not financially successful. Your sinner your damned it's all your fault. You are unworthy. The only worthy poor in that view are the widow and the orphan. Map to workingperson. You may be unskilled or unemployed. Or. In a difficult i'm not even literate. Are unitarianism somebody still reflects its calvinist roots. Just once humanism came to be the dominant force in unitarianism. Literal salvation of soul became a non-issue. So just being smart educated in middle or upper-middle-class became substitutes for salvation. I'm translating weber from calvinism to unitarianism here. Self-esteem based on our identities educated people of a certain class. Became a substitute for a stronger sense of self manifested in belief and purpose. Commitment and possibility. Fortunately in the last twenty or so years we moved a bit beyond that but that's a real part of our history. Doing a lot about religion or analyzing theological questions well is the same as living a religious life. Brain without a heart is like faith without works. How many works without faith i don't know. What religion is much more than knowledge in analysis is the fullness of the heart and of living. His wife. And it is indeed. Face. Rationality and thought are essential for understanding indoor living fully. An intellectually coherent faith is possible. But too often religious liberals give lectures rather than testimony. Money so clear as to what we do not believe lest we be thought stupid. That we do not declare what we do believe in indeed deeply feel. And yeah we do believe deeply and we do feel deeply. And that is true even if the most rationalists of our people. It's how they express it or fail to that matters. Yeah i had a a parishioner one congress he was absolutely many years ago. Is many years ago. He'd run up catholic and in brooklyn eat grown in poverty been able to college become an engineer. Kemet complete rationalist. In a few of the world. But he was kind he was generous. He was loyal. He would challenge people but he would never. Attack people. And he loved what may be the most emotional music. Of all-time opera. His emotions got steered into opera. But also into his marriage and his son and his grandson. But the only way you can express emotion freely. In public was through music. But he failed to believe deeply and tried to find more ways to express it. And that is part of what we do here is a dick. Fila believe deeply. Think rationally. Live fully and expressively. Search characteristic it working religion for working people has a street-level theology. I read a book last year it was so two years ago so abstract the even though that catchy title death in the afterlife. It is. It it was such an abstract work of philosophy. I thought i don't know that there's anything i can do with it. I didn't put on the shelf or give it away. Now we need street-level that ivory tower reality and facelift. Theology is more than the rigorous reading of texts in the analysis of ideas is a reflection upon life itself and how well our ideas are believed our principles work in the world. Is about experience as much as it is about ideas. Ny street level. Well at least in a metaphorical sense that's where we all live the street-level for many people the suburbs is the mall it's not literally a city street. But you get the idea. The street is where the community is made real the street is where we all meet is where we are challenged to live our own beliefs fully while respecting those of others. Pete seeger one said if there's ever going to be peace in the world it will start in the cities. Because that is where you have to live with people who are different from you. And although he was new york city native he know you lived most of his life in rural. County upstate. And the street is where in the wonderful words of andy mara mara field in his book urban dialectical urbanism life is live without rubber gloves. The street-level theology and here we're coming to some testimony folks. A street-level theology applies to my life as. A middle-class professional. And to the lines of the immigrant working-class in which i was born in which most of my family still lives. Most of my relatives are still working class. The street-level theology is where we live the gospel of love tells me that i have value and dignity whatever my social class my occupation my income of my education. When i was young. I grew up with one capital one lutheran parent and i got that kind of oppressive authoritarian christianity into versions. I think i got my stuff on the pass liberal religion by having my parents argue the reformation over the dinner table. Can graduate from high school but they knew about his new more about it than most college graduates do now. So i can relate to roberto buyback glads. Drinking. Gail bible student. In jail bible student we meet on the street sometimes. I really don't berto but finding first unitarian christianity loosen the bindings of that kind of oppressive doctorate in both the lutheran church in the calvin. And the catholic church. You'll giving my family. And then finding out malia universalistic humanism set me free. Even the kind of. Yeah that. Salvation by brains thing that unitarians. Had in the sixties and seventies real bad and which i took on. Back to the gospel of love i got the language of solidarity that saves me from the fragmented individualism of some very good things which been carried to extremes can be destructive freedom reason tolerance. They too can be carried too far. The universalism history me from salvation by brains. Street-level theology in a street-level face leave so as to challenge. The corporate friendly economy and culture in which we now live. That is what we are called to do. Because it creates so. A sauce the dignity of so many people driving down wages. Baking home 10-year insecure. Making working conditions untenable. The state of the working classes country is much worse than it was during the eisenhower administration when labor unions reached record levels of membership. What has happened over the past 35 years is also included many members of the middle class being forced into working class lives. We are a major struggle to make the beloved community possible. And in the struggle we need to have solidarity with others but not as if we were in positions of power we're helping others. The recognizing that our own positions. If not powerless. Are threatened. And that we lives at great risk in a corporate dominant economy. For even the most generous and socially liberal members of the capitalist class. Are just not likely to be on our side by side on those basic economic issues. Attract. Very wealthy people who do great contributions to things having you with education and healthcare and the like. Still use exploitative labor to make their fortunes. So working religion for working people. It truly affirms the human worth and dignity of every person. And taking a note from doctor king and when i quoted this morning. Even the oppressor. It is a face of headed hard both. Canada street level. It means the challenge of hosea bello it has to do with living wife where we live in. We can apply it to how we live. So am i. Hope for you this morning is that you. Find hearing in your lives such a faith. Because it's working people whether still in the workforce or not. You deserve to have a religion that works for you. And may it be so.

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Sermonpodcast-3-27-16.mp3?_=29

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. Easter. Is a festival or a holiday or holy day of transformation. And transformation is the main project of this in any other country. By whatever name you call it. Congregations exist to transform individual lives and to transform the war. Ed easter we called this transformation resurrection. Easter is the most important episode or day in the hole. Christian story. It marks the resurrection of jesus from the dead. After his execution. By the roman colonial government. Their story of the resurrection jesus is a story of. One of many more resurrections than i can count. The british steel ogen richard holloway count to resurrection. What is the event. Recounted in christian scriptures about which we know nothing factual. That is to say the disappearance of the body from the tomb and what happened after. The 2nd. According to holloway. Is the experiences of the people who deserted jesus and fear and here including holloway. And fled from his dying the somewhere found the courage. To proclaim the meaning of his life. That's as holloway. Is what we mean by resurrection. For many centuries. People have doubted the physical resurrection of jesus including many faithful and practicing christians. The catholic priests and biblical scholar john dominic crossan. Well-known for his participation in the jesus. Project was sick to distill from various scriptures. The app most accurate facts that can be known about jesus. Asserts that there was no bodily resurrection because there was no burial. The bodies of the crucified or either left on the cross to be picked clean by scavenging animals. Are buried in shallow graves. With a similar result. That explains why the story of jesus being laid in the tomb. Is one of the parts of that story that sets it apart from ordinary. Execution. For centuries archaeologists have been digging up graves at the eastern end of the mediterranean and as a thousands of bodies examined only one burial of a crucified body has been found. But this is storacle reality does not lessen the importance. Jesus or stifle the spirit of resurrection. Croissant. Talks about the appearances of jesus that are reported. You're after the resurrection puts him in three categories. Those it established peter is ahead of the church. Trance's that convey the authority of specific figures. A continuation of the face. But jesus's followers had in him. All of these reports. Serve to legitimize the membership and leadership of the early church. For example. The appearance is reported to the 11 remaining apostles after judas is death. And james who would replace judas. And 215 is a 500 gathered at the lake. Seraphic continue the authority of the original apostles. And expand apostleship to the entire community. Paul's conversion on the road to damascus. Took the form of an apparition. But wasn't croissants. Judgment the result of a struggle that. So all who would later be known with paul as paul was having with himself. Some scholars suggest a neurological disorder. Is being at work. Whatever was paul believe that he had met the resurrected jesus. The literal truth. Is less important. That his experience and what he did with it. So what paul did looks good in retrospect. The spreading of the teachings of jesus the organization of new churches in the gathering. The financial support for the impoverished. Church of jerusalem. It's actors old doctoral dissertation about that collection of money for the church. That was written by a british scholars and forty or fifty years ago. But some of what he does not look so good the reinforcement of patriarchy. The assertion of chastity is being superior to marriage. The acceptance of a social structure that included slavery. Now whether or not there was a miracle in the literal sense of the word that is a physical resurrection of a dead body and its return to life. According to many scholars what really happened on that first easter. Was well nothing. Let me explain. Peter gomes plummer professor christian morals. And pusey preacher at harvard university. Put it in this way on an easter sermon in 2002. I quote jesus is raised from the dead and a few women and a few jews know it but nothing happens. The sun does not stop the rivers do not reverse course. The wicked do not cease troubling. And we are we still do not have any rest. The resurrections far as the world knows. Is a great anti-climate. Anticlimax. On the first easter day and the day after the first easter day. Nothing happened in the world. All things continue as a vole. Peace did not break out kissing was not done in the streets. Dogs goes on to say so what changed. That he says it's the wrong question. The question is rather who changed. From what. To what. The most ordinary men and women were changed from ordinary to extraordinary. They did not change the world that they themselves were changed. They were no longer in all of the people who held power and terror over them. So that is what going says happened or didn't happen after the resurrection. And this is what holloway called the second resurrection the experience of jesus's followers. It is more important. Then a physical or bodily resurrection. Holloway right further. The interesting thing about the resurrection is not what it claimed but who makes the claim. The people who deserted jesus in fear and fled from his dying. Somewhere found the courage to proclaim the meaning of his life. That transformation that turn around. Is what we mean by resurrection. I would say that the resurrection of jesus is best. Understood best used. Is a symbol or sign of. Human transformation. None either gongster holloway was. A unitarian universalist. I do not personally know william holloway but i did know peter gone. He was definitely a baptist. No doubt about it. But neither of these christian theologians was willing to let. A literal understanding of the. Resurrection stories in the scripture obscure the deeper truth they contained. Gomes remark that the fact that women found the empty tomb. Is it powerful. An argument from scripture for the ordination of women. As any other. And more powerful than any arguments against the ordination of women. Not paul of course comes to mind here. Would going this remark. The holloway describes himself as a progressive christian. Who feels he should live as if what was labeled the second resurrection the transformation of person. Matters. No this is not a new argument but it is an important one. In liberation theology in latin america took the form. Have a dialogue. On the eve of easter. Before the sandinistas. Overthrew the somoza regime in nicaragua 1979. Father ernesto. Cardinal spoke with. Members of his rural parish about the meaning. Of resurrection. When philippe said. I'm also thinking they didn't leave a trace of che guevara. But it's clear the chain just like christ has been resurrected in the hearts. Has anybody who wants a new world. Laureano said what's important is for us to live resurrection here right now. And for us not to believe as many of believe. That this world doesn't count that will count as to go to heaven afterwards and all that nonsense. Further cardinal added. It's certain that they put. Jesus resurrected in heaven in another life in the blue beyond. So that the earth will go on being the same. And they'll be in justice and they'll still be poor people. But heroes to be here on earth. The laureano of course is correct the point is to live the resurrection. So there are two or more resurrections in christian history. And many more in the life of the world. And i'm not just talking about ancient legends like the dying and rising god such as isis and others. There many more than a single religious traditions wife in history or anyone nations or peoples are cultured. Any day in fact. Candia day resurrection. Just start with a reality that everyday. We have is a new day. That does not mean the slate is wiped clean or that obligations do not carry forward from one day to the next. Far from it. Which day does have within it the possibility of change. A transformation. Of rebirth. It has the possibility of resurrection. Not this is horses why. In this and other religious congregations we sing hymns of the morning and have our sunday services in the morning. It is the start of a day. At the start of the week. We celebrated each new day is not just a symbol also a real possibility. And sprott. With potential. I use the word fraught intentionally because. Resurrection or more generally transformation can be scary. Because it changes life around. Indeed we have in every life with peter gunz called moments of resurrect of resurrection that both surprised and empower individuals have new ideas or feelings. Such as a bravery they never before displayed. We're compassion where before 1 was callus. Part of the power of the story of jesus. Is that he was born lived and died. In the future corner of the roman empire indeed few knew him during his own lifetime in those who were closest to him. We're not the higher cheevers of the society. In fact peter gomes called them second raiders. Call tones again these are people who did not work in eyes a one-car funeral. Then suddenly they became the empowering agents of a whole new creation. Let's make this personal. Now don't you. Or i sometimes experience. Moments of resurrection that surprise and empower. Sure they're not as impressive as the presence of a prophet or the disappearance of a. Corpse from a tomb. Are there times every life on an individual rises above which he hurry. Expensive herself or himself rises above anything that any one person has a right to expect of herself or himself. And dozen new thing a wonderful thing. It may be something personal or private little known to others. And being a team. We're talking about the someone else. But it could change your turn a life around. It may be an experience it seems. More like a relief. Then a triumph. But here is an example i relate very well to. Let's say i tend to get angry because the way some people push their buttons and they know things that riled me up. Something that sets me off. Is that happened to you sometimes. Someone pushes one of your buttons. And it sets you off at even though you know better your respond. Yeah that's chuckle say it all. Again and again but one day someone. Probably some of his done it before tries it again on you. And this time i don't lose it. You don't lose. We stay calm. Now that is a moment that surprises and empowers. You did it once you can do it again i did it once i can do it again that is a resurrection. That is a transformation of one's life. Does that sort of stuff just gets in the way of us doing the important stuff we need to do. It's an entry into a new life where i am not controlled by anger a person that knows how to make me angry. It may take a lot of work to get there took a lot of work for me. When something that would have sent me off a day earlier didn't that was. A moment of resurrection that empower. A moment of transformation. And some days it is another moment of resurrection another moment transformation. Something else. Something else. I think of the people with addictions. For whom every day that they are sober is a moment of resurrection. Is a moment of transformation. Peter hat pete hamill in his book the drinking life. Touch about heat how he stopped drinking. And it wasn't through 12-step program it. It wasn't true. Yep behavioral therapy. He just got sick and tired of being drunk. He tells a story about being at a party. With lots of other famous new york writers and theater people. And looking around and realizing how stupid they all look being drunk and acting the way they were. Eddie had a half a drink left his last and he said it down. This is 25 years ago and hasn't had a drop since. That is a moment of resurrection. But his book the drinking life. Talks about. What that opened up for him with his children and his work. It was not just any stop drinking. It was that it opened up other things in his life. The even is a successful writer he still hadn't been able to get out. We need a victory. Of justice over an injustice is a moment of resurrection. There have been more than a few of these in my lifetime. Some of which i took part in some of them.. The civil rights movement the anti-war movement. The women's movement glbt rights movement. Each of these with move forward the first by years of hard work that led. The moments of resurrection. And i daresay we need a few more such moments of resurrection. Individually we learn how to raise up our own lives to discipline and study and consciously after the living. Are we staying the struggle be the individual or shared. Even if some days we lose. Some days before backwards. We create the conditions when moments of resurrection are possible. Resurrection occurs not going to force outside the world changes the world but when we uman beings are able to respond to the world in a way that shows. How we have changed. Whether by dint of personal effort outside pressure. Or combination of these. And then we change the world. Less than 5 years ago occupy wall street. Was a moment of resurrection. That is still powerful. By the early jesus movement. And the suppress voices within christianity it has been hidden. But it is not god. Today black lives matter is visibly creating moments of resurrection. For people that had a loved one. Torn from their lives. Police misconduct. The living as we do in a scientific age i-41 find the biblical miracle stories. Including that of the physical resurrection of jesus hard to believe. As being factual. And even. Great catholic scholar like john dominic crossan said it just didn't happen. But the change in the people who knew jesus. Who remained inspired by a teaching example who are transformed by knowing him. Now that is a resurrection i can believe in. I began by saying transformation is the project of the congregation. In adidas a project of any kind rogation of any religion. In that reading mark harris used the phrase foment a resurrection. I believe that the purpose of a kanye's transformation. And i believe it has to ask itself can this congregation fomentar resurrection. A change a transformation. That i will not try to answer that question for this congregation that's yours to answer. But i will close with two brief points. First the rediscovery and publication in recent decades. Of suppress text from the first centuries of christianity. Hold within it's a possibility. Of the transformation christianity has people realize. Just how diverse the early followers of jesus were. And how narrowly. The church and empire define the face going forward. The whole history of unitarianism and universalism. Is reclaiming. What had been dissing in positions and christianity going back to the very first century and carrying them forward. It's a broader arenas. In 2013 that working within the christian tradition how taussig professor biblical studies at union theological seminary. Compile what he called a new new testament. Include all the traditional books of the christian new testament. Plus. Text discovered in the last. 50 to 75 years. The tell about jesus tell about his followers are attributed to them. The gospel of mary is in there. Thunder perfect mind which is a collection of. Philosophical sayings is in there. And many. Of the suppressed contradictions. They're even held among the people who knew jesus in his life. Are there. And a new dynamism is possible. And even for people who aren't christians this opens up the possibility of understanding christianity. Additional levels. That haven't been known to us before. Second point kris jenner human history other. The work of the congregation of religion itself is transformation. A transformation is not limited to one day or one age of history is not limited to one profit or the one people. An easter is not the only day for resurrection. Everyday holds that possibility. The sonic white heron was written by the humanist input. John ciardi and he gave hints of it. Here's some brief excerpt from it. The muddy pond behind his house and he writes. Praying anything you please. But praise. By any name or none but praise. When saints praise heaven lit by doves and raised. I sip by pond scum. And doubt all else. But praise. When there is a resurrection there is something new in people's lives. There is no power in new freedom new possibility. A bird on a pond. An occupied park in a crowded city. Powerful acts of civil disobedience in response to police violence. Even in difficult times we cancel mint. A resurrection we did it in the civil rights movement we did it in the anti-war movement we did it in the women's movement we did it in the gay rights movement. We didn't occupy wall street we are doing it today in black lives matter. There have been resurrections in the lies. 30 individuals who fomented these resurrections in hearing them tell their stories is also powerful. And they're resurrections alliances those touched by these resurrections and they too are powerful. I close by affirming what i know that there have been and will continue to be many more resurrections and i can count. More than you can count. Blessed be ahmed.

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Sermonpodcast-8-14-16.mp3?_=13

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. Thank you rob. Good morning again it's wonderful to be back here with you all i'm not a stranger to your congregation although i've never led worship with you all before i've mostly through the work of your reproductive justice group as as steve mentioned when i was working in at in washington dc with the unitarian universalist association i was just so impressed continuously with the kind of commitment and the thoughtfulness and the energy that just seemed to radiate out of his congregation whenever i need it needed people it was i could count on the folks at ridgewood and carol loscalzo and mandy receiver. I know that the racial justice has been a priority of yours for a long time i talked with several of you about the challenges of being a predominately white congregation located where you are trying to be in relationships with communities of color and find out figure out what we mean by ally ship and white privilege and structural racism and all of these big important ideas and how are we ever supposed to make a real difference either these challenges their big ones. Racial justice is of course one of the most significant priorities of our social justice work speaking as of unitarian universalist and general. To say that like that though that it's just like a social justice project is i think to understate its significance. Those who've been working on it a long time especially for young adults and people of color i know find it to be a deeply meaningful and transformative experience that integrates into every part of their spiritual psychological economic religious and romantic lives. It helps us answer these perennial questions. On the essence of really what it means to be human. Who am i and why am i here. What is holy and what is evil. What does society want me to be and do i want the same thing. Who am i supposed to love and trust. And who not. And of course i don't need to tell you that racial injustice is a pervasive an urgent matter requiring the attention of anyone who supports the principles of unitarian universalism. No matter what your favorite justice issue might be reproductive justice climate change democracy housing and homelessness list goes on unless we are explicitly paying attention to race in those topics. Chances are there are significant aspects of the issue to which we are going to be blind and maybe even throwing under the bus at the expense of progress or victory. Right now we've come a long way on marriage equality for example. But the pay explicit attention to race on issues of lgbtq liberation is to realize that housing community violence healthcare job discrimination that these are the issues of life and death for our for our queer siblings of color. When marriage equality became a lot of the land the movement lost critical momentum right in people of color got forgotten again. There's nothing new per say. About the recent chronic murderers of unarmed black people. Or the racist targeting of immigrants and religious practitioners of color. Or the deeply seated societal fear exploitation and attempted control of women and mothers of color. For that matter there's also nothing new about these multifaceted and powerful movements. A resistance pride and justice like we're seeing with the black lives matter movement now. Note to even take a cursory glance at the history of the united states and of unitarian universalism is to find racial injustice and the struggle for liberation woven into the very fabric of who we are as a people. And frankly so it is for me personally i was 14 years old when i first encountered an anti-racism training that we thought it was at my first national gathering of unitarian universalist a training of trainers for some youth leadership project. A my little appeared group of youth and adults were asked to lead a worship one evening. At my suggestion we included an enthusiastic bouncy popular piece of music and you use communities at the time. But what i didn't know that was that it was a song from south africa that have been used as a solemn protest song against apartheid by black communities for many years that was before that you use discovered it improvised our way through syllables of words that i didn't understand and ignored the history and meaning of the song that gave it so much power and popularity. We appropriated i appropriated it for our own use. I saw a meme on instagram last week describing cultural appropriation as imagine working on a project and getting an f. And then the school bully copies you and gets an a and credit for all your work. Anyway so the community leadership at the conference i was at stage the intervention just after the worship they explained kindly where the song had come from why it might not have been the most appropriate way to use it the way that we did. And i was i was mortified. What's more the message that i took away was that it was impossible unless one was an encyclopedia of world cultures and knew everything about every community of color i thought that it was impossible to do this right and but to do it wrong was unacceptable and harmful and maybe even the cardinal sin of unitarian universalism. Yeah i was 14 years old and prone to drama and and eager to prove myself to the big kids at the youth office. And i wanted so much not to hurt anyone. But this kind of intervention had the effect of drowning me in the paralysis of white guilt. Such that i didn't touch anti-racism leadership or activism with a ten-foot pole until many years later. Looking back i i felt estranged during those years from these really important questions about humanness and so much of the purpose and joy and connection that i now find in my life. And now it's not so much that i'm trying to make up for lost time although that might be a part of it. But that i know that getting stuck in white guilt is a terribly painful place to be. And that part of my ministry is to help good people get unstuck. The basic truth of course about white privilege or white white guilt is that the cultural assumptions and embedded operations of racial injustice began long before us and will exist unfortunately long after us white guilt trying to take more than our personal share of responsibility for these system. Is not only a little self-centered. But it's also inaccurate and unhelpful. And doing nothing because we might make mistakes and i keep trying to tell myself that that's not particularly helpful either. Right and ultimately only keeps us isolated alone and probably ignorant. No rather than learning white guilt at that conference 16 years ago which was obviously just on me they were doing the best i could. I wish i could have heard this. That unitarian-universalism has so much to offer its white members as we blunder and struggle and love and listen our way towards liberation. And when i say liberation i don't only mean liberation for the people over there. I mean our liberation the messed-up standards and expectations that have evolved out of whiteness and patriarchy limits our world limit our world as well as that of other people. The idea for example that we will eventually understand and decode everything through the rational measured progress of science. Or that we should even want to do so. The idea that what is not right is wrong and that the world exists of binary choices between black and white body and soul good and evil. And that we must choose between the lofty and the lowly of those choices body or soul over body black / white and select / motion all of these are the cultural products of patriarchy and whiteness and colonization and they poisoned the well for all of us. Especially those who would not choose those assumptions for themselves. To use or respect other frameworks for morality and intelligence and language. When's characterized by relationship for example rather than individualism or embodied spirituality or story. To embrace these frameworks. Is to embrace diversity the problem with whiteness one of them is that the only way. Is that every way of knowing that is not our way of knowing and every way of being that is not our way of being falls again into this false trap of good and bad with us being right and others being wrong. Too often we default to fear instead of curiosity right. This kind of liberation is part of what james baldwin was getting out i think in the reading for today. Every time we as a culture permit the the murder of an unarmed person of color and cannot effectively ask our police force has to be trained differently. Every time a trans women of color is killed and we do not wonder what within our own wholeness is being buried alongside her. Then our own humanity slowly crumbles. Unitarian universalism asked us to be different. It asks us to notice and to witness. For ourselves and and for other people to. We affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person right that's our first principle we are firm at the open-minded and responsible search for truth and meaning. We affirm our interconnectedness and the web of relationships human and otherwise i'm which we depend for nearly everything. If these statements are true and i i think they are we as unitarian universalist are well-equipped spiritually to join the movement for liberation. Unitarian universalists are offered three gifts i'm just going to number three of them with our from our religious tradition for this work and i'll outline and briefly and then become. When we are asked to be moved. To listen. To learn interchange. Second we are asked to trust difference. And 3rd. We are called to covenant and relationship. First we are asked to be moved. The pursuit of truth and meaning calls us onward beyond what we thought we knew into an ever-expanding understanding of the world and our place in it. I know west we read the newspaper almost religiously right we believe that questions are in many ways answers. We are asked to bring those same curious minds to learn and listen and maybe even change our minds when it comes to racial difference. We are asked to find out more about what we don't know to listen to our friends and neighbors to read the bloggers and philosophers and baldwin and others. To let ourselves be affected by that which we learn. To let ourselves be moved by paying us beyond our experience to hear and understand our reality which may not be our own but is nevertheless real and important right these these aspects are part of what we are called to be as unitarian universalist. Second. We are asked to trust different as you use. We affirm the inherent worth and dignity of all people not just those who are like us. How boring would that be the only trust the people who are like us. But what does that mean to affirm the dignity of all people. I think it means i'm part to hear them out when someone asks us. About something new and challenging asked us to think about something new and challenging we are asked to listen to their story. W.e.b. dubois has kind of an extraordinary articulation of the double consciousness of african-americans. And because they live and work in the communities of white people they understand whiteness and they also live and work in communities of black people so they understand that too right there that double consciousness. Which illuminates reality in a way that single consciousness just just can't all the way. Social deficits miguel de la torre elaborates on this idea to talk about triple consciousness and quadruple consciousness based on differences of gender identity. Sexual orientation class and more. He says that as he is consciousness. Consciousnesses. Can reveal truth about culture and politics and other things. So two can they teach us about god. So let us bring our curious minds and our open hearts and let us learn to trust difference as unitarian universalist damascus to do. And lastly third we are called to covenant in relationship. Ours is a tradition of covenant right you've got one on the wall right there. Not a creed not a hierarchy of holiness but an agreement to come together as congregations and as association that agreement is what gathers us together we depend on these relationships and our commitment to these relationships. To strengthen and accomplish all that we hope to do together to raise our children to grow spiritually and to love the world. Let us use the spray stick framework of consensual commitments. Personal and organized relationships as the grounding for this work. Communities that are directly affected by the violence and the racism by the violence of racism can be trusted to be their own agents of liberation. May we bring the unitarian universalist teachings of content commitment and community to our work. These gifts and teachings of unitarian-universalism grounded in our principles and in our lives together can be really helpful guideposts as we engage the struggle for racial justice. So. If and when you don't know what to do and it feels just too big and dangerous and unclear. Be a unitarian universalist. Be moved. Trust difference. And commit to community. Be moved. Truss difference and commit to community. This is my liberation this is my faith. This is our liberation and this is our face. White guilt is no match for our love. We are the ones we've been waiting for. Thank you.

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Sermonpodcast-1-27-19.mp3?_=12

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. And now please join in the words for lighting the chalice. We like the challenge. Community. Alright take a deep. Breath. On this cold but sunny morning. Breathing slowly. Try to make your body as still as you can. Try to be as quiet. This time. Our time here together. Is different. It's special time. All of you. And all of who each of you are. Is welcome here. Take a deep breath. And listen. To every sunday we use those same welcome words whoever you are whatever you believe you are welcome here. Our desire to welcome is part of what makes unitarian universalist congregation special. When i was young there was a word that was used a lot the word tolerance right. You're meant to cultivate tolerance as a way of increasing our understanding of the interconnections of all life as a way of creating a better world. But tolerance we figured out really isn't enough. When you tolerate something you put up with it. But here we don't just believe in putting up with each other. We believe in welcoming each other embracing each other supporting each other loving each other. And when you do that when you approach the world from a position of embrace support deep love. Everything changes. Suddenly the health and safety of others matters in a way that it might not have before. Suddenly your desire to help not harm increases. Suddenly that interdependent web that we talked about is no longer simply about the fact of sharing the same oxygen and planted and being made of the same cells. It becomes a site of love and compassion. Drawing us across differences. This morning we're going to celebrate our children's work in their religious education program over these past three weeks. There they have been cultivating that sense of love and compassion for the connected web and they've learned about how many people suffer. They had chances and we will all have the chance today to put our welcoming and bracing supporting and loving faith into action. Welcome to this all congregation service as we affirm the interdependent web of existence of which we are apart. And as we rededicate ourselves to serving justice with love. Good morning everyone. I'm gene name it's on the director of religious education here. And i want to take a few moments just to walk you through. The three weeks culminating this week our fourth week. In january justice which is a time. When are children and. Most of our teams. Take a break from our beautiful curriculums. Too focused really sorted a hyper-focus on. A particular area of social justice and justice making. This year. The cyre committee which is the children use religious education committee. Decided that we would focus on hunger in our neighborhood. And that we would work with our children and teens to understand. The basic facts around hunger right where we live. And see if we could together and i have to say i was brought to tears i've seen this soul pancake a few times and it still brought me to tears. If we can journey together to understand it. And to learn how we can help. So next few minutes i want to just. Go through that with you. First of all i'm going to ask the kids. We have listed. On the first week we asked what towns they lived in. And this is a smattering of town to sort of interesting to me 11 towns i think we're a regional congregation what do you think. Look at all those towns. Some of them of the city some of them are out of bergen county warwick i was surprised. To see all the elements of where people come and how far people come. To come to us are. But let me ask the kids here. Who's from warwick anybody here. Yeah. Oh okay styles dad. So let me ask the kids hoopoe are from these towns are people hungry in your town. What do you think. Can i have one or two kids. Our people yes. Yes i think so too. Yeah so we lifted these 11 places that people are from and what we realized is that one out of five that we heard about in the soul pancake video is actually. True in bergen county. For example. One-in-five. People go hungry. And while that song was so delightful and brought smiles to our faces food glorious food. Those of you who sing all of her know that that takes place in victorian england. Where. You know orphans were warehouse. And what they're talking about gleefully and longingly. Expresses their food insecurity right so we're going to. Where we have a journey around hunger and food insecurity. And the center for food action that were working with estimates that one in five residents just like nationally one in five people as well as one-in-five children go hungry in bergen county. We also learned the kids learn. How hungry people are helped in our neighborhoods what does that look like and we looked at food pantries soup kitchens family shelters. And the kids as you know last week for those hardy souls who came out. Last week with the inclement weather. Created buttons and slogans around ending hunger and you actually bought all the buttons. And we raised over $300 for the food. Off of the center for food action. Yeah yeah it was great yeah another example is that the center for food action has a very innovative program that they called the weekend snack pack program. And this is aimed at children who school children who suffer from hunger and food insecurity. And what happened is that little pack down below which we are going to assemble after service times 500 is the thing that can go home with children for the weekend because we have found we cannot assume the children are going home to a dinner or people or children are going home for the weekend. There where there is food in the cabinets. And you know for those of us who live in the bouncing us of bergen county it's hard to imagine but the center for food action is here to remind us that it very much is a reality for some school children. So. Our children are going to pinpoint. Helping school children. Who suffer from hunger and food insecurity. Along with your help today. Then we looked at how does our government help people who suffer from hunger and food insecurity. And we looked at things that probably a lot of you are familiar with. Food stamps which is called the snap program. We looked at the idea of. Of the food services that are provided on native american reservations that actually are not an entitlement program they are part of the charter between federal government. And indian reservations native american reservations. We looked at the wic program which looks at infancy and. And mothers breastfeeding and nutritious program. Look at all these programs where the government is helping. I'm going to ask erin and jean to come forward. Just to give an example. Of what a safety net looks like because what we are what our children have journey through and understanding is. That between local. Organizations like the center for food action and our government program. We have created a safety net. Now can i ask one of the kids like if you are an acrobat. Right. And you are trying some daring things on trapezes. What does the safety-net do now i know this is sort of obvious but what does a safety net do. Yes. It'll tattoo number one the most important right what else. It'll keep you safe. It'll catch you it'll keep you safe anything else. Yeah. It'll stop you from getting hurt was there somebody behind you that had their hand up. Okay okay yes these are old really really important so when we start talking about the safety net. For hunger. Yes. Stop you from hurting. Any of your body parts. Absolutely. So we know that a safety net sometimes is life-or-death. Well it is the safety net. That makes up these programs rights food stamps and wic. And the food services that are that happened on native american reservations for the very elderly and the very young. All these programs constitute a safety net. And so when we look at the safety nets and there's the net coming out. We see that there are a lot of people. Who depend. On this safety-net now anybody want to guess how many people receive food stamps. 5 million is a good guess but its larger anybody else. No however yes. What's that. 40 actually. Isn't that it is staggering number. So there are 40 people and if you imagine. Are imagine 40 million balls right those are the people benefiting from these programs that keep them safe that keep them from harm and keep them fed. Right. So what happens when this net runs out of funds. Well. The net. Okay. What happens when the programs begin to eliminate services in food due to budget cuts or government shutdown. Write the people are out of the safety net. And what happens if programs closed down or there is an interruption in services and food. And i'm just going to say that in the government shutdown. What we know about these programs is that there was enough. Food ordered through february. But the budget that would allow to reorder and the food themselves that is in warehouses was due to run out by the end of february. So not only are we learning about hunger here but we're also learning about government programs and we get a direct experience of what happens when government shuts down. So these are all the things that the kids have learned but i tell you. What are the most valuable things we can do today after service is to stand side-by-side with each other. And actually do an action together. And that's what we'll be doing today we will be assembling and ira will. Help us assemble he's really good at this ira is teaching our right now but he's going to come back and whip us all in shape very quickly. And we're going to assemble 500 of the snack pack. For children. And i want to just end with saying you know what's next for january justice we had. For weeks now 3 weeks learning about hunger in our neighborhood. The final week celebrating together and actually doing an act of justice making together. But how does this continue. We are rev-share and i bound and determined and the committee the cyre committee. Bound and determined. That this carry-on and so what we've decided is january justice is year-long. And that our intent is to provide opportunities for the re families always to be joined. By the rest of the congregation injustice making as it relates. To hunger in our neighborhood. And so stay tuned through the year all the way through next december. We will be offering three or four activities what we hear from parents a lot is going to what what can i do with small children. How can i introduce the concept of justice making what's an appropriate activity. So that will be the committee's job and my job to come up with those activities. And also invite us into deeper community with each other by having our. Our congregation join us so thank you everyone. And thank you to the cyre committee. Thanks. So as i'm sure you heard me say before we are all together this morning no matter how young or how old normally our children are downstairs and religious education but this is what we call one of our all congregation services. It's a wonderful way for us to be in community on sunday mornings and of course it does sometimes present challenges. I know that not everybody can sit perfectly still for an hour. Right. I know that it's hard to be quiet for that long. We do always make a special time on sunday morning we call it our meditation time and all of us use it in different ways. For breathing reflecting praying meditating whatever feels right for us. And during that time i usually will say a few words and encourage deep freezing and then we sit together. For a few minutes of silence. But i want to share some things before we start to do this today and i'm going to talk to the children for a second. I just want to let you children know. Even the adults don't do it perfectly. Sometimes they sneeze or they cough or they russell their order of service in their hands or their body gets restless and i can see it happening. It's okay. Okay it's okay. This time is about being here together. Present to each other and present to each other. Humanness. Our humanness includes our need to move our bodies around sometimes. So all i ask of everyone during this time is that you do your very best to take deep slow breaths. To be as still as you can or to move quietly if you need to move. And to try to listen. First to what i say and then listen to the silence that we come into together. Okay. So take a big deep breath. If it helps you can close your eyes. It might also help to put your hands on your belly. So you can feel your body rise and fall as you take your deep breaths. Big. Deep. Slow breaths. This morning as we affirm all the ways that we are one. We offer gratitude. For this community of dewar's. Givers. Chuggers. Welcomers. We give thanks for the families that pulled us and love us. We give thanks for friends that listen to us. Play with us. That helped make our lives. Joyful. We give thanks for all that we have. For all that is good in the world. And we wish for others that they might know. Communities and friends and families that love them as we are loved. And love them just as they are. In the silence we each give thanks in our own way. So we're near where i live there's a playground and that playground has a really big metal gate. And the gate is always broken right so it's this big heavy metal thing that continuously causes injuries scrapes on the metal itself pinches in the hinges knee and headbangs from when it's swinging back and forth so lots of injuries from this one big swinging metal gate. I want you to remember the gate cuz we're going to come back to it in a minute. When we talk together about things that are wrong in the world we use this word justice a lot. It's a big word that we used here often it's in the mission this congregation that we will work for justice. We don't always talk about the word charity. Sometimes we think of that word as lesser right is not not doing as much or being as meaningful. Can someone tell me a definition for the word justice. Anybody. Okay peace. Okay. Other definitions for justice. Equal rights abby. Fairness. Not allowing violent seizure of really great answers right fairness equality. Good things for all people so what's my definition for charity. I don't get answer to you were allowed to record yes. Raising money to help people. Kindness. Any others. Hope. Okay so one way to think about charity is giving like giving actual things to meet peoples needs right. So they're different justice and charity are different thing so let's go back to the gate for a minute. It'll help us get a better idea. Imagine that a kid gets a cut on the gate. What do you think the grown-ups in that kid's life or going to do. Band-aid. Clean the car i put a bandaid on yes. Make sure it doesn't get infected right treat the cut protect the cut right. Because right then right in that moment that child needs help right you have to make it better if you can in the moment instantly that's parody. Innocence. What else could the grown-ups do though. Fix the gate thank you yeah exactly they can work on getting the gate fixed. They can put up a sign that warns people until it got fixed right because until the actual gate is fixed. People are still going to get hurt and still going to need help. Fixing the gate is justice. It's getting to the root of the things that are causing pain. It's figuring out what is preventing people from living there. hole. Liberated lives and then removing those structural blocks. Charity needs immediate needs and justice tries to remove the drivers of need. Both are absolutely necessary. You can't let a kid sit and bleed while you fix the gate and you can't just throw a bandaid on and pretend the gate isn't going to cause more injuries. You have to do both. That's what our children were learning this month as they learned about hunger in their neighborhood and it's what all of us are going to have the chance to do today. Put both pillars of a changed world into act. Both pillars of our lives faith. So the children will make available to us a petition. So you can sign that as a way of advocating for actual structural change. And then we're going to pack these snack bags so that people who need something right now. Get that help that they need. There are these are truly the pillars not only abyss congregations mission but also of our unitarian universalist faith. Are called is social justice and the caring for each other through charity is grounded in the foundational ideals that we aspire to. The idea that all people are worthy and loved. The idea that we live together in this interconnected existence. Unitarian universalist have a belief in a shared future and a belief in an abiding love. They often leads us to righteous anger over injustice has that seemed so clear and easy to fix. This love for others. And this anger at injustice. Compel us. To treat each other with kindness to care for each other and to work hard to make this world better for everyone. I went to think for a minute about that net that aaron and gene held up. It was demonstrating the safety net that holds up people who need help but i want you to picture it again that really finally moving net. Think about that as the web of existence of which we are apart. Right. That's how i think of it when i think of the web i literally think about this giant web. The earth and its creatures certainly and all of the people. Every single one of us apart. Of the fabric of that web. And it means that what affects one of us is going to affect all of us. A little ripple travels across the whole thing. In the video someone said were hurting our nation by allowing hunger to continue. We're hurting our whole world. The lost potential the moral impact on all of us. It isn't just felt by those who are in need. It's helped by any of us to allow systems of oppression. To perpetuate. This web that is made of us. Also holds us. Keep us connected to all life into the deepest meaning of things. And one thing about the web that i know is that it is suffused with. Energy and the will to survive. And it is to fuse by and maintained by. A pervading love. In its we are of it we are held by it. Each one of us making the web stronger. Each one of us when we come with love and a sense of connection to all things become part of what makes life work. Makes life beautiful makes it whole. When we understand that our lives are so intertwined when we come to love each other we can come to change the world. The librarian in that video said you can't look at the children and not feel love for them. When we look at each other and truly listen to each other's pain we do find our hearts open. And then we're compelled to do whatever we can. Both charity work and justice work. To ease the pain of our fellow human beings. It's central to what we strive to do here central to what we teach our children is a value. Central to what it means to live our unitarian universalist. Maybe never forget the righteous anger that fuels justice-seeking. The truth of our interconnections that reads compassion and gentleness. And the power of love that keeps us holding each other. Please remain standing enjoyed in the words for extinguishing the chalice. We extinguish the flame of love and the energy of action right in our hearts until we are together again. It is so important to do what we can in every way that we can for hurting people in a broken world. Because for all the pain there is hope there is compassion there is generosity and there is love. May you be a force for good all the days of your life.

www_uuridgewood_org

Sermonpodcast-2-25-18.mp3?_=49

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. This morning we gather in community bringing grief. Joy. Excitement weariness. Bringing all the stuff of our lives. Whoever you are and whatever you carry into this space this morning. You are welcome here to be. You. Today we're going to talk about the vastness of our universe you'll be reminded of our tininess in relation to all that has ever been. You'll be reminded of the incredible in normandy of all that is. But even in that vastness even as we are this tiny blythe. We are incredibly powerful. We have a vastness inside of us. A being a living a. Force and the power more than we can even understand. Today as we bring our grief and joy and frustration and hope. We honor the vastness of existence and the vastness of our human living. The force and power in being. And we begin by giving thanks for all of this all that was and is and ever will be. This morning as we gather for the first time since the shooting in florida we're going to. Take some time together to honor the grief and fear and resentment end. Hoping all the difference reactions and feelings we are. From our chalice we will light 17 candles in silence each one representing a life stolen on valentine's day. Each one symbolizing the light the fire the love of that. Person who will be remembered and forever loved. As i light them i invite you to reflect. Pray and meditate do whatever is right for you in this moment of silence. Please take a deep breath and join me in the spirit of meditation. Let yourself. Become grounded. On your chair. Feet. On the floor. And breathe. Deeply. Let yourself feel whatever. You are. If you bring a heart filled with heavy sorrow. Let your tears come. If you bring a soul filled with righteous anger let. The heat. Psyllium. If you bring a heart filled with hope. Rising. Let the lightness of what's possible. Sileo. If you spring a soul filled with unanswered longing. Let that emptiness be okay here in this moment. There is no right way. To be in grief and no timeline. For building. Just breathe in the cool air of the morning. Keep breathing deeply. May the families and friends of those killed no love and support in their grief. May all of us to learn and educate and worship and live. With that little bit of fear. Stay strong in our conviction that there is another way. May the leaders of our nation be guided by ethics and courage. Rather than greed and money. May this be the moment. The tide turns in our country and we move. Toward a greater collective affirmation of the value of all. Maytag reefs anger hope and longing. Lead our hearts and souls bravely toward. So maybe. When i was a kid i had those glow-in-the-dark stars that you canna fix. To your ceiling. And i put mine in various constellations instead of randomly i had pisces up there and cassiopeia in the big dipper. When i would turn my light off at night my own little night sky would shine bright though of course just outside my windows in new york city barely a star could be seen giving the glow of the city lights. One constellation i didn't have on my ceiling. Which is reasonable was the southern cross. In modern times that constellation can only be seen in the southern hemisphere. This grouping of stars that were identified as being in a cross formation used to be visible from britain. Until the fourth millennium bce. The way our earth spurns means that over long periods of time. Different stars will rise or not rise in different parts of the horizon. The ancient greeks could see the southern cross. Dubai 400cc that is about 1600 years ago it was too low for greeks to observe. I've always wanted to see this guy from the southern hemisphere it seems strange to me to think about seeing a different sky. And it's even more fascinating to me to consider how different cultures have understood constellations. Do our western culture knows that group of stars by the name southern cross many other cultures identified it and gave it very different meanings. The maori seeing it in the anchor. Waiting down the milky way. The inca call it a stair and it related to mysticism. The samoan college summer which means triggerfish. In tonga it's a duck flying south. In the east indies people see in this grouping manta rays. In botswana some people see in this to giraffe. So many different cultures seeing a vast array of images in a few bright docs in the night sky. A few bright. that may well be dead. We know that stars die and we know that it takes a long time for the lights of stars to travel to us. So many of the stars we see in our night sky are already long gone. But they're late is continuing to travel. Over numbers of miles it is almost incomprehensible to consider. Proxima centauri is our closest star and it's four light-years away. Which translates to nearly 24 trillion miles. Marathon is 26 mi. Many of the stars we see in the sky are 26 trillion miles or more away from us. Let me look up from this little earth of ours there is a vastness to behold its wondrous and awesome in the truest sense of that word. Almost unbelievable and when we think even more deeply about the history of those stars and this universe it inspires even more. I have a cousin who's a scientist my cousin john. And when i was pregnant with my oldest child i would ask john to do research and synthesize it for me for like ale people. And i asked him once upon a time to do a little bit of research about us this is unrelated to my pregnancy. What about us human this planet this universe. And frankly he knew most of this off the top of his head and many of you may know this information as well. But the following figures are based on scientist best understanding of the existence of everything. Based on observable facts. And full credit to my cousin john some of this freezing comes directly from him. The leaving aside the why random chance god whatever. The best explanation for how all of this came into being is the big bang theory. And this is the idea that all the energy that we can now observe in the universe was compressed into a single dimensionless point. Before that. My cousin john puts it. We don't even have the technology to make the technology to scientifically address what existed before the big bang. Then for whatever reason 13.8 billion years ago that single-point starts to expand. Expanding and expanding to create the universe. The university is still expanding today. Been about 4.5 billion years ago earth formed in the milky way galaxy. Galaxies vary in age. Summer is old as 3.2 billion years. This image is the hubble deep field extreme deep field image. This image was compiled. From images taken over the course of 10 years with long long exposure times so what you're seeing in this image each of those.. Is a galaxy. And summer is old as 13.2 billion years. What that means is that what we're seeing now as nasa puts it. Are galaxies when they were young small and growing often violently as they collided and merged together. The early universe was a time of dramatic verse for galaxies containing brilliant bluestar's extraordinary brighter than our sun. The lights from those past events is just arriving at earth now. Enter the extreme deep field is a time tunnel into the distant past. The other thing to keep in mind about this image from the hubble telescope is that this is a tiny. Fraction of the night sky. So johnny gave me a comparison if you look up at the night sky and you hold a penny at arm's length. This entire image. Will fit into lincoln's eyeball. If that's how small it is an in this picture alone r5500 galaxy. The help of you are better understand the image nasa goes on to say. Magnificent spiral galaxies is similar in shape to our milky way and the neighboring andromeda galaxy appear in this image. I'll do the large fuzzy red galaxies where the formation of new stars has ceased. These red galaxies are the remnants of dramatic collision. Between galaxies and are in their declining years. Peppered across the field or tiny saint. More distant galaxies that were like the seedlings from which today is magnificent galaxies grew. The history of galaxies from soon after the first. We're born to the great galaxies of today like our milky way is laid out. In this one remarkable image. It's one image. Joseph billions of years of history. Plead out on a scale that is. Essentially impossible for us to actually fathom. We're literally seeing cosmic universal history in this picture. And so here we are on this earth in this galaxy that is about four and a half billion years old. 3.8 billion years ago microscopic living cells appear as the video showed us 700 million years ago primitive mammals. Appear. Animals continue to evolve and by 65 million years ago dinosaurs have come and gone. Scientists have dated one hominid fossil to 6 million years ago. Hominids that walked upright. Date back to million years. But homo sapiens the modern form of humans have only been around for 100,000 years. I feel silly to say in a way only a hundred thousand years. But when you compare it to the 4.5 billion years since this planet's formation or the 13.8. Billion years since the formation of the universe. It starts to feel like an only. That video actually shows it perfectly a tiny fraction. Of a 24-hour.. And anything that shows relative scale and distance as opposed to age. Does this seem work of inspiring all. The sun is 93 million miles away from earth. In 1977 humans sent up the voyager 1 probe. Which is now about 13 billion miles away from earth. It is an inter spell interstellar space. Traveling at 38,000 miles per hour and even so it's going to take 74,000 years. Black probe to reach the closest star other than the sun. That star is 4.2 light-years away. The edge of the universe as we can observe it. Is 45.7 billion light years away. You can't i can't even do the math to calculate for you how many actual that translates into what we see at that edge. Of the observable universe is light from the afterglow of the big bang. The earth is 7926 mi in diameter the moon only 2160. About 50 moons would fit inside the earth. 1 million earth. Would fit inside the sun. And our son is tiny compared to other stars. The star that forms the right arm of orion the hunter is so big that 1 billion of our sons would fit inside of it. Here's some more comparisons courtesy of john so try to imagine this. If our entire solar system. Were the size of a quarter. We observe our galaxy rather if our solar system were the size of quarter the galaxy would be as big as the united states. As a comparison. And if our whole galaxy with a size of a quarter. The observable universe would be the size of a spherical new york city. Don't know exactly what that looks like that you can try to imagine. There are close to 200 billion galaxies in the observable universe and each of them has 100 to 200 billion stars in them. That means there are more stars. In the universe than there are grains of sand on the earth. I know that's a lot of numbers and comparisons that are kind of hard to even imagine. But the point here is that scientifically. In comparison with a raft of existence we are in terms of time and science and space. Aspec. A minut part of the history of existence a tiny blip in the physical universe. We are small. And then sometimes it's fair to say insignificant. If you examine our existence scientifically. We are to put it in on scientific terms teeny tiny. And i'll admit i am as fascinated by watching neil degrasse tyson as i am by anything else. But there are ways in which the scale of the universe and our place in it. Terrifies me. It's so big. Will give you really think of it is so big. Like hide under their bed and try to forget that it's that big big. But the facts are the facts and anytime we look up at the sky knowing we are seeing light from stellar bodies that have died. Millions of years ago. Knowing that they are unreachable far away the fact of our smallness cannot be denied. We might if we live too deeply into the fact of our smallness come to feel a sense of despair or we might come to equate insignificant with meaninglessness. Or small. With powerless. But these words are not the same they do not mean the same thing. Carl sagan has a very famous passage called the pale blue dot. Referring to how earth appears as a small blue. and some of the earliest pictures of our galaxy taken by voyager 1 we have an images of hellboy. Okay that's our galaxy. So in this passage he says. Look again at that.. That's here that's home. That's us. On it everyone you love everyone you know everyone you ever heard of. Every human being who ever was lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering thousands of. Confident religions ideologies and economic doctrine. Every hunter and forager every hero and coward every creator and destroyer of civilization. Every king and peasants. Every young couple in love every mother and father hopeful child inventor and explorer. Every teacher of morals every corrupt politician. Every superstar every supreme leader. Every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there. On a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam. Taking poetic words are right everyone we have ever known or will ever know all history as we understand it. Has taken place on this pale blue.. It is a speck of dust in the universe. But it is the speck of dust that we inhabit. And frankly the vastness of all the rest of it. Makes our existence that much more miraculous seeming that much more special. And small can be mighty tiny can be meaningful. It's up to us to make it so. That is what we do as salt. Full human. We reject the spare we grasp at happiness and joy we reject meaningless and make meaning out of thing. People across the globe in different cultures races religions has stood on beaches on mountaintops in treetops and looked up at the night sky and made meaning there. Told stories drawn images develop old histories beast. On these enormous stars that we see as pinpricks of light. In the dark knight. People have always found ways to give meaning to the universe however little they actually understood it. I first read paul tillich the courage to be as an undergraduate. When i got to divinity school i was in a mandatory first year seminar and the professors told us we'd be reading this text and asked if anyone had read it already and i figure asleep nodded my head your student that i was. And one of those professors said well do you have anything to share about it. I said it's the reason i'm here. Dale said. But that book is a compilation of lectures published in 1952 and its dense but it's filled with these nuggets of wisdom that were and remain inspiring for me. As a christian and if you read his works god is all over then and later this spring we're going to do a whole service round different theologies and we'll talk about his vision of the divine among others. But the first thing that grabbed me way back then was not anything to do with an ocean of god but this concept of. Being with a capital b and non-being. To which idea here is that big be being. Also encompasses non-being. But the sting that causes us humans anxiety and fear is the threat of our non-being in other words our actual deaths. But also there's this anxiety of guilt and condemnation and this anxiety of. Meaninglessness and emptiness. We feel the fear of non-being when we confront the fact of our finitude. The potential for our moral failings and the possibility that our lives are meaningless. But we feel all of that. As part. Of being. Being itself includes all of those threats to the end. And being overcomes them. The power of being our participation in the perpetuation of life. Is the courage to be. Our participation in creation and living is in itself. A force of being. And is an act. Occurrence. He refers to it as self-affirming oneself. Living being as a limited and airing human in this world that so often breeds despair living and being is an act of courage. It's subsumes that fear. It is in this act of self-affirmation through courageous living that we signed meaning and purpose. That we find what it actually means to be. Last week. I brought yet another tragedy to our nation. 17 people shot and killed and it seemed that we would enter the cycle we all know too well. A folks throwing up their hands and claiming nothing can be done and we all mourn and then go back to the same bs of sending our kids to school i'm sure if they will make it home. But as many have pointed out in the last week and a half something is different. Students who survived this massacre are rising up. March's walkouts postcards. Companies are now judging their partnerships with the nra. There's something different happening this time. These kids who have witnessed something. Horrible. Who have spent time believing they would die spent time deeply in the threat of non-being. Ar. Not in spite of it. But because of it. Radically affirming their living and the right to living that all of us share. They are displaying and incredible courage in the face of incredible threat. Because quite literally that threat continues as the students are attacked on social media and death threats are made against them. We humans are capable of a. Great deal of evil. Carl sagan reminds us of that in his texts at one point referencing. The rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperor so that in glory and triumph they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a.. The endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner. How frequent are misunderstanding how eager they are to kill one another. Observant. Their hatred. We are capable of touch. Awful things. And the world with all its horrors and indeed all its vastness can seem so. Hard at time. And yet there is this courage to be this courage to keep. Living. To keep living righteously even in the face of all that. Threats of non-being. And we see this courage everyday that we may not always frame it that way. The courage to be in the face of all of this looks like those students from marjory stoneman douglas school. It looks like the families and teachers and students planning to walk out and march regardless of the consequences. It looks like the founders and activists and supporters of black lives matter it looks like immigration activist and feminist and anyone and everyone around the world simply getting up each day and living as best as well and as gently and as kindly as they can. It looks like each of us trying day in and day out. To become the best version of ourselves. And to encourage others to do the same. It looks like each of us being willing to look at ourselves. And our world honestly. To see where we fall short to feel that anxiety and then say. This is all part. Of my living and my living the power of my being the courage i have to be is greater than all of that. I had those glow-in-the-dark stars because i always loved the night sky and so it's. Maybe no surprise that i love particular poem by walt whitman. It's called on the beach at night and i would like to read it to you. Women rights. On the beach at night stands a child with her father. Watching the east the autumn sky. Up through the darkness while ravening clouds the burial clouds. In black masses spreading. Lower sullen and fast the fort and down the sky. Emitted transparent clear belt of aether yet left in the east. Ascend large and calm the lord star jupiter. And write it hands only a very little above. From the delicate sisters the pleiades. From the beach the child holding the hand of her father those burial clouds that lower victorious soon to devour all. Watching. Silently weeps. Weep not child weep not. My darling. With these kisses let me remove your tears the ravening clouds shall not long be victorious. They shall not long possessed the sky. They devour the stars only an apparition. Jupiter shall emerge be patient. Watch again another night. The pleiadians shall emerge. They are immortal. All those stars both silvery and golden shine out again. The great stars and the little ones shall shine out again they endure. Avast and immortal suns and the long enduring pensive moons. Charles again shine. Then dearest child mortise out only for jupiter. Consider a style alone the burial of the stars. Something there is. With my lips soothing the adding iwispr. I give you the first suggestion the problem and in direction. Something there is more immortal even than the stars. Many of the burials many the days and nights passing away. Something that shall endure longer even than lustrous jupiter longer than the sun or any revolving satellite. Or the radiant sisters the pleiades. That image of a girl and her father standing on the beach and she weeps in fear of the clouds on the horizon. She fears the violent clouds will never go away in the sun will never return. And her father tries to soothe her. We're left with sumit did not soothe her and she continues to weep so he tries again. Assuring her that there is something more permanent than even these stars and moons and suns. There's something that survive long after individual suns and moons disappear and we know now that they do. Disappear. Whitman doesn't name that something. Baby part of why i love this poem he doesn't tell us. But that's something that indoors is god or love or being. He leaves that for us an open door. Saying yes sometimes looking at the night sky and watching those faraway stars is frightening. Sometimes watching clouds roll in for a storm or sitting inside watching snow swirl in a blizzard around us is. Terrifying sometimes the very act. Of living feels terrifying. Sometimes things happen that are. Gut-wrenching that leave us soul grieving for what humanity can do. Sometimes we want to weep. And yet there is more than these fears. There is more in our lives than we think. Something there is more immortal even than the stars. And maybe you believe that's love or god or both. Certainly science teaches us. The energy can never be destroyed it just shifts its state. All the energy that exist in the universe that was in that dense single-point that started expanding. And whatever the future hold that energy will continue to exist. And there's something comforting in knowing that. As far as we know there's no real end only change. John shared one last amazing comparison with me if you unravel all the dna molecules in all the cells in all the humans on earth. And place them end-to-end in one big thread. It would wrap around the circumference of the milky way galaxy about 100 times. And i love this one as silly as it is in some ways more than any other because what this says to me is it however small we are. We are complex intricate beings the very building blocks of our beings are vast. In their way. It took billions of years for us to develop out of that single point and we owe something to those billions of years. We are the result of so much history. The result of so much development. The we must take seriously the time and space we have. The abilities and impact we have. We must not be overcome. By the ravening clouds with the vastness of space. We have to live into our smallness and our power and pull the most meaning we can out of our lives. And this is what religion in its best sense calls us to. Make meaning live meaningfully. Just as millennia of people have taken time to give names to stars and creed homeless ologies around them so to we are called to name an explorer and define and make sense of our own lives. We are asked to learn from our mistakes to behave better in the world. To recognize that although we are small in the universe here on our pale blue dot we are incredibly powerful. We know that we humans are powerful. When it comes to each other and to this world. We know that we can make decisions about how we're going to treat each other. Treat ourselves. Treat this earth. Decisions that will affect our friends and family and environment. This may be just a pale blue.. We may just be a small blip in the history of the universe. But this is the portion we know. This is the blue. we know and we must do better by each other and buy it. If we want any hope of humanity continuing to exist. Aware of our smallness and our greatness we are called to live with a deep love for all that brought us to this point. The billions of years of which we are one product. To live with love for being for existence for all of this we must live with intention. Live. Purposely looking for meaning purposefully making meaning. Purposely doing our best in every moment to honor all that is our life. Allowing our courage to be to embrace and overcome the fear and anxiety. Causing even the most despairing moments to be out signed by our love. May we continue to live with courage. Embracing our insignificance but never forgetting that our lives are filled with meaning. Embracing our small mess but never forgetting our vastness. Embracing our fears but never forgetting our power. So may it be.

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Sermonpodcast-12-23-18.mp3?_=16

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. Just this past friday we experience the shortest day of the year the day with the longest darkness. This moment happens because of the way our earth sits and rotates on its axis and as it orbits the sun. This moment comes only once a year and invites us to enter into a different relationship with darkness. Many of us barely notice the winter solstice. Where's we do it takes awhile before we realize what that singular moment brings its the tipping point at which the light begins to return. But it will still for many weeks to come get dark. So early that it's hard to tell we've already had this darkest day. Would rather than rush to the lights we can take this time to enjoy the dark. To deepen our sense of its value and to embrace the opportunities it offers to us. This morning as we do the work of honoring the dark i offer you these words by rebecca parker. Her poem is titled winter solstice. Perhaps for a moment the typewriters will stop clicking. The wheels stop rolling the computers desist from computing. A hush will fall over the city. For an instance in the stillness. The chiming of the celestial spheres will be heard as earth x poised in the crystalline darkness. And then gracefully tilts. Let there be a season when holiness is hurt. And the splendor of living is revealed. Stunned to stillness by beauty we remember who we are and why we are here. There are inexplicable mysteries. We are not alone. In the universe there moved a wild one whose gestures alter or taxes toward love. In the immense darkness everything spins with joy. The cosmos in folds us. We are caught in a web of stars. Cradled in a swaying embrace. Rocks by the holy night. Babe's of the universe. Let this be the time. We wake to life. Like spring wigs. In the moment of winter solstice. Let this be the time we wake to life. Here together among the community that cares for us and. Holds us in our darkest moments. Let us wake to life together. We always take time when we gather together to bring ourselves to still miss. It's important for us to take this time to. Rest and be still in a world that is so busy and hurried. Knowing how to be still and be quiet. Is a skill. So i'm going to let you put down your shapes. And anything else you are holding. And i'm going to invite you to take a deep slow breath. Take another deep and slow breath. Try to relax your body from your toes to your fingertips. Through to the top of your skull. Notice that when you become still in your body. Your breathing slows down. Your mind and your thoughts have an opportunity to still. Listen carefully feel. Your body is your heartbeat slowing. Take a big. Slow deep. As we move into our time of silence be as still and quiet. It isn't easy to be. It tests our bodies and our minds and our hearts. But it helps to soothe and to calm our souls. May you find time for stillness each and every day. When i was little i was afraid of the. Don't leave me high. And somebody out there was. I always wanted a night light on or the door to my bedroom open so that a little bit of light from other rooms with spill in. And even now if i'm very very honest i can sometimes still be a little bit of. The dark. Anyone else. Sometimes i think about what it must have been like. Four lights. So stop for a minute and think about that for just a second when we go out at night. We have flashlights street lights headlights from cars the lights on our phones store signs traffic lights. So many. Lights that ensure that there's hardly ever full darkness. Not all that long ago in the course of human history aside from fire. There was no way for humans to harness the power of light. And when the sun fell. A different darkness than we have ever known. Would settle in. Sears a natural response to the darkness. Because darkness men. Possibly dangerous. One couldn't see what might be coming. Darkness also signaled the cold days of the year that might have brought other kinds of natural disaster. Given that fear response it makes sense that humans celebrated the lights. With bonfires and candles and now with. Twinkle lights and all of the things we can do. But i think sometimes that we've taken it too far. Where i live you can barely see any stars in the sky. I don't know about you all. Sometimes we ward off the darkness so much. That we forget it's. Because there are also wonderful things about the dark. It brings us stillness and quiet it gives us a chance to rest and relax. It offers a time for nurturing and growing. For creating and for healing. My colleagues reverend michael tino puts it this way. In the darkness things rest. In the darkness things grow in the darkness things heal and restore themselves. In the cold and dark of winter babies are gestating plants are resetting their internal clocks. And pests that would destroy our woods in our crops are eliminated. We should not be in such a hurry to celebrate the light. It will have its time. There's value to the darkness just as the people in our story learned. It brings a different way of being in the world. A time for a different kind of. A time for a different sort of contemplation. Because when the trees go bare and the darkness overcomes and we turn off the artificial light. We can see so much more for so much longer. 4 hours upon hours each night. We have the ability. To contemplate the vastness of all that is. That contemplation can of course bring its own kind of overwhelm. But it is also necessary to help us maintain perspective. Help us do the work of understanding who we are and what our place is in this universe. The stillness and quiet and darkness of winter invite introspection. Meditate. Without this time each year we would simply be going and going and going as the people in the story did. Never resting and learning more about the holy interior. Especially music this morning are from our choir came from a scripture tattoo. Ecclesiastes 3. The words of that text are a reminder that everything has its value and its play. To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted. If i'm to weep and a time to laugh. A time to mourn and a time to dance. A time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together. A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing. What time does seek and a time to lose. A time to keep and a time to cast away. The time to rend and a time to sew. A time to keep silence and a time to speak. Everything is best in balance. Look at how beautiful our universe is. Without the dark we would not understand the value of light and without the light. We cannot understand the value of the darkness. We need both to make a complete hole. We need to move through winter to get to spring but more than that. We actually need the winter for the spray. Winter darkness is not simply to be gotten through in search of brighter thing. Winter darkness is an invitation. My colleague the reverend ashley her and wrote this this week. At the winter solstice. Ancestral wisdom reminds us. The winter solstice night is a holy one. Inviting us to draw close to one another and our own souls and our kindred. Storing of nourishment and energy for the blossoming we are called to in other seasons. In this season. We are compelled to slow down. To regenerate. To look inward and be held by the darkness of unknowing. Humility uncertainty and possibility. Winter does not offer us answers. But holds us as we ask. It does not offer us the fruits of our labors but helps us to plant seeds for the future. We spoke together a belongings that we have. Winter is a time to nurture those. To gain insight and to make. Although we're now moving toward the light we won't realize it really for many weeks. It will still get dark early and the darkness will feel. This winter i invite you. To turn off the lights. Stop wording off that darkness. And let yourself just be in it. Even if you find it a little bit scary. Give it a try. See if you can find the opportunity and value in this time. Going deep inside yourself. To nurture the seeds of your deepest longing. And remembering always that it is in balance that we find the most beauty the most possibility. And the fulfillment of our largest. To extinguish. The chalice. Let us release the four directions. That we invoked in the beginning of our time. Together. Spirit of the east. Spirit of air. Inspire us with a fresh breath of courage. As we go forth into new adventures. Spirit of the south. Spirit of fire. Warmest with strength and energy. For the work that awaits us. Spirit of the west. Spirit of water. Flow through us with a cooling healing quietness. And bring us peace. Spirit of the north. Spirit of earth. Ground us in the wisdom of the changing seasons. As we celebrate the spiralling journey of our lives. He's winter nights bring you time to simply be may you be warm and loved in the darkness and may the roots of your longings that stretch deep in fertile soil making ready the way. Go in peace.

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Sermonpodcast-8-21-16.mp3?_=12

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. Being up here with tony johnson. Who is ben both a friend and a colleague with me since i came to new jersey. And who is now walking with you if you had a new directions. This is truly special. Thank you. So after 16 years i've decided to do three things today. The first i want to tell you just a couple stories about the past of this congregation. Release some of you newer members may not know. Second i'd like to briefly expand upon the beginning of that meditation before. Since that perspective on who we are. Is perhaps the most important thing that i've ever come across. In my own life. It's been a constant for me so many of you elders may remember this. But i think it bears repeating. And lastly third i share a bit about the issue that has grown steadily and importance for me. Over these past several years that of climate change. Now being brought together with other issues of justice in climate justice. So do the stories. The first one involves that fireplace right at the back of the room here. Because the 1930s the discussion groups the forum of this congregation gathered around that fireplace and invited speakers at on sundays. A young member of this congregation a gifted violinist by the name of helen keller. Was sent by her father who's in charge of those discussions to ask a young economics professor from the wharton school of business at the university of pennsylvania to come and speak his name was of what was scott nearing. And he had been canned because he wrote a little too passionately against child labor and also because he was a socialist so he was blackballed and became one of the big blackball intellectual freedom. Cases of the last century. But he's kicking around at his parents house crosstown she goes to invite him their eyes mead. She comes to the lecture they fall in love. And like many poor people before them. They decided to go and homestead first up in vermont then in maine. Building your own homes growing their own vegetables and writing a book called living the good life. Which inspired the whole back-to-the-land movement in this country which then eventuated and all kinds. Of other ventures coming out of that idea of going back and living a good life. On the land. Started right here at that fireplace. Then later on. You embarked on a creative and courageous adventure. When you gave a home here to one of the great geniuses of our movement kenneth pad. He would tony velonasaurs bunch of others created extraordinary environment in here for arts and for religion and science and all else. Of what you see remnants up here. At the podium now. Many other congregations. Wouldn't not have dared. To take on such a creative strong-minded and independent minister such as kenpat. What you all did. And i think you deserve a lot of credit for that. Because he went on to write an extraordinary stuff. After you came here. Then later and some of you here will know more about this. In the 1990s when our space became too small for us we need an expansion. And that coming as it did in the middle of the village of ridgewood. Demanded extraordinary tact. And persistence and patience and overall gumption. And if you ever got bob jones the president at that time with a glass maybe two glasses of wine and them and ask you about that time he'll fill you in but so can a lot of other people in this room it was a. Incredible. Achievement. The pull-off. It would not have happened without the vision in the financial sacrifice of our town who had to call upon the revolutionary spirit of his irish ancestor wolfetone. To hang in there during the early days. But everybody pitched in and what really strikes me is that the capital fundraising campaign. Was headed by delight dodic. And helen lindsay who with her female uua consultant. Made a very successful campaign and made it the first woman led one of its kind that i know about anybody other than those of a capital campaign had it all by women let me know and this is back in the 1990s. Speaking of fundraising i just want to say i hope all your new newer people know. This congregation won the highest award from the uu way. For its creative fundraising for capital for annual fundraising. On their spoofs broadway musicals you want all kind if you want some awards for that and you're known all over to you you waiting for this by the way. But you complete the building story. You all then pulled off a completed building project. Within 1% of budget. Now to my mind. That is the equivalent of robin hood. Putting his arrow right in the center of the target in nottingham splitting the arrow of the previous archer. 1% of a building program that came in within 1% of budget ever anywhere else let me know cuz i'll i'll step back. The things such as these places all you've done in terms of justice work and social action and community involvement. Have made you respected and well-known not only around here. But also knew you weigh at large. You should be sitting proud. Now second to that question of our place in the universe and our dignity. I'm not going to say too much because that opening song by isaiah barnwell of sweet honey in the rock road own unitarian universalist black acapella group. Says a lot about. Our ancestors. And we just start with our ancestors. Even though we do not know all the particulars of their lives specially back a couple of generations. We do know enough about history. And the kinds of things that we know they had to have gone through. In order to get us here each one of us here alive now. Upon this planet. And knowing their dangers and knowing their sacrifices. Ought to have us all. Standing full. And proud. And trying also to live lives. Worthy of their journeys. But even beyond our ancestors. We now know ever since the late night late 20th century when the particle physicist. And the cosmologists came together. And sold each other's theoretical problems. The cosmos has been an elegant. Unfoldment. From the extremely high-energy environment of the big bang on. Of extremely small. Did ever larger particles. From simple elements to more complex ones to molecules and on. Was each step and that unfoldment. Making possible more complex relationships. And greater creative possibilities. So alan watts is right. We. Standing as we now are. At the unfoldment. Of that whole process into the future. Don't just find ourselves years if we swear to plop down into life upon this planet. We emerge from this whole stupendous. Process. Part. Parcel. Body and psyche. And with this vast. Dignity. Of our origin. We also good at the same time. Internet. Humility. Since absolutely none of this. Is duda us. We are simply given this miracle. Of life. And this inheritance. That all of us. Come from. And i know for me that this awareness fleeting as it often is. Has made all the difference in my own spiritual journey. And i cannot help but think that many of us are drawn to spirituality and religion. In order to see ourselves in a broader context. Then a lot of the world provides us. Especially. The unceasing identification messages that are thrown at us constantly here. From those with profit motive. Trying to bend or being in our identity. Defit what they're selling. We are so much more than that. But we need some kind of practice. To remind us. As thomas berry the great beginning one of the founders of the ecological movement put in. This miracle we are all part of is in fact. The real. Greatest story. Ever told. Because it is the origin of all the various creation myths upon this planet. And all the attempts of religions to evoke. It's majesty. And thirdly. In many ways what we are up against on climate. Now needs all of us. Those within what is known as the religious the faith community. Are also those who are not. And that's why group of us began interfaith moral action on climate imac. Maybe not the best name but an attempt to say. We were trying to encourage the various faith traditions. To work together and at the time they were all still kind of silent. To meet the climate crisis. To step in and step up and add their weight to the cause. And at the same time to include everybody else in the process with a wider word moral because you don't have to be religious to be moral as we all know. Especially staged interfaith services from people from all over the earth and then processions to the white house pleading with the administration to do something about this crisis. We've endorsed when necessary risking arrest in civil disobedience actions and thus losing the bahamas. And being a little bit edgier than a lot of the mainstream religious groups. Jim hansen's been at one of our events and i remember him carrying a huge paper mache. About this big it was kind of heavy and he refused we kept saying the spelling those four hours you refused to put the earth down. You carried it the whole time. But further. We have intentionally reached out. To the evangelicals. Who are often ignored by the rest of the religious community because some of their elders are still fighting the scopes trial in the 1920s. Okay and by the way evangelicals are not fundamentalist and they're not pentecostals i am learning more about the that part of religion american i ever knew. But we met with the board of the us board of evangelicals. And we talked with them and we watched as they together we're trying to figure out. How to hold the evangelico move in together. From their elderly rush limbaugh dittoheads. To their young people. Who are either leaving them in large numbers. Or are insisting. That their elders. Finally get with this issue. Matter fact lot of evangelical young people are now dedicating your life to live who they're older call they're dedicating their lives to christ. And to the planet. Okay that's what's going on. 60 million strong. Listening to their board i know. Did the evangelicals are going to have to go. With their youth. They've got. Think about. We also spoke with the head of the worldwide evangelicals jeffrey tunnicliffe. And he assured us. That the evangelicals worldwide. Get. Climate change big time because they're looking at it everyday. And they look upon the united states brothers and sisters. As benighted family. Where are the us evengelical i can't believe how they are. And they see them as being led astray by the multi-billion-dollar disinformation campaign in this country has been financed by the petrol companies. Using the exact same two that tactics as big tobacco used years ago. With cigarettes. And smoking matter fact same lot same pr firms law firms some of the same people. The worldwide advocate evangelicos and i find this ironic and hopeful. Are actually on our side trying to wake up. They're us. Preference. Imac also decided to have an interfaith response when the pope came to address. Congress on climate. At the time we decided to do that we had $39 in the bank i remember cuz we were wondering what we were going to do. But we were the first ones on the block to go out and get permits for the mall. When the pope is going to be there to have bigger faith riley and then we knew enough obviously to reach out and form a wider coalition with other groups that had experience in organizing large events and also had financial resources such as earth day network. So the when the pope did come to address congress there were big jumbotrons up on the mall so that everybody could hear his address. And there was a huge stage on the mall with speakers and singers from many different cultures from all over the world including for the first time ever. The leader of the young evangelicals of america. Standing there in speaking beside young leaders from any other religious organizations and traditions and environmental groups. Add-on. Even more recently. Interfaith moral action on climate 12 the chairs of the progressive caucus in in congress. Add we suggested to them ask them to hold it for him. On what has come out about exxon's lying to the public and its own stockholders. About the threat of fossil fuels both to the climate. And also to prophets when the nations of the world actually start. Asking. Them not to. The extractor resources. That happened last june and we're hoping to have another such form on the trans-pacific partnership. This fall don't know if that's going to happen but we're trying. But i get ahead of myself. Because when i left here in 2000 the climate crisis was really not on my radar. Use for social justice in washington area. Donut various times with healthcare for all. With lgbtq issues. With the treatment of immigrants. With a widening wealth gap in this country with anti-racism and environmental concerns from pollution on up to climate. At that time i first arrest was after i was about darfur. Remember when we were talking about whether darfur was genocide or not. Returned out seven congressman. And a bunch of faith leaders were going to get arrested at the sudanese embassy. And you you a wanted a representative the president couldn't make it and i was the local sap. So. I was invited to get arrested i did but i'm sitting in my cell afterwards. And the head of the secret service group that had arrested us. Came up to me and he said i understand you're from baltimore. I said yeah. Daddy said what does this name mean anything to you nice showed me his name tag. And it was tom what yeller. And i reach back into my memory. And i came up with wait a minute. What's jim mutscheller a tight end for the baltimore colts when johnny unitas was there with their quarterback. April gonzalez big be tight end and defensive linebacker. Which one the lot. But nevertheless you know what looking back on that occurs to me is that not any of us thought. For a moment. That we were actually dealing with a climate war. One of the early ones. Which happens whenever you have ethnic groups. Who are getting desperate. Trying to feed their families and either they can there's not enough water for their livestock or for planning before growing their crops. And what are they do they fight each other and they get into wars. We were all in the door. On climate. So that's where we were not too long ago but gradually it became clear to lots of others and also to me. No issue. We cared about. Stood much of a chance for any kind of resolution. If we didn't also. At the same time somehow deal. With climate. Because our human achilles heel. Is our food supply. That's where we start getting desperate. And that supply is threatened with the rising oceans. With the increase of desertification or deluge. With more violent weather fronts. With disrupted weather cycle so the farmers and many places now no longer even know. When to plant their crops. Alder ancient wisdom. It's lost. The food chain in the oceans is also at risk because those oceans are taking the hit. On temperature rise protecting all of us and land. And they're taking the hit on carbon-dioxide absorption which is acidifying them and us endangering the shells of all the sea creatures in the food chain there. We all know about the loss of mountain glaciers and us the danger of river is going dry in the summer that they feed. We know about the spread of tropical diseases and the threat of sea level rise to low-lying areas. Bpa now estimates very conservatively. The doll by 2100 that'll be at least two feet everywhere. And a lot of other people are saying 10ft. Mepa's also estimating again rather conservatively a lot of people think. 3 to 12 degree fahrenheit. Temperature rise here on the land in the us so if you think these days have been hot today at 3 to 12° to him. Probably was. Coming maybe more. And we all know. They're almost always. It is the most vulnerable. And those who have done the least to bring this to pass. Who are and will. Suffer the most. Carbon tracker did the first analysis but it's been confirmed by the world bank. Standard & poor's and a bunch of other big number crunchers. Then we are going to have to leave about three-quarters of our fossil fuel reserves oil gas and coal. In the ground. To keep anywhere near the two degrees centigrade celsius or centigrade rise. That was agreed upon in copenhagen as being the most we could do. And still really try to keep civilization as we've known it. Going. We're shooting past that goal. But we also have found out. That natural gas. Is in fact as bad or worse than coal. In terms of heat rise. From leakage. Over its life cycle. Because if you take into account the fact that methane is 86 times as potent as co2 over 20 years in the atmosphere. That's why fracking. Is such an environmental disaster. Public health condition considerations not even considered. To head off into building a 50-year infrastructure for a disastrous fuel. Is sheer insanity. It's his dangerous that methane leakage from fracking. Sms thing leakages from the tundra's of which everybody's really worried cuz if that methane starts leaking into the atmosphere it threatens to runaway feedback loop which will be beyond any human control. Bad news. Goodness. There is a vigorous debate. About the place of nuclear fuel as we necessarily transition over to renewable energy resources. Jim hansen. Citing new standards safeguards. If nuclear fuel in the absolute necessity to get away from fossil fuels as fast as possible plus he thinks it's impossible to transition that quickly into other renewables. Is for nuclear energy. Other environmentalists think that we can make the transition it's not technology it's it's political will. Just saw the missing ingredient. What is clear like that debate let that tobago on it's it's a good one. What is clear. Is that we need to start a massive shift away from fossil fuels now. And that takes public policy shifts. So another good piece of good news is that there is an absolute consensus. About all the people that i know of any way that the first step is to raise the price of energy. Which can be done in a simple and affair way. It's called cap and dividend. Ophelia's put on carbon where it's extracted and that cost to send passed on by market means all the way down we all pay more. Which makes it far far more simpler than the old cap-and-trade proposal. That came before congress before. The amount raised from those fees is then divided equally. Among all citizens. So the poor people come out even. Or possibly a little bit of head on their energy costs. It levels the energy playing feels as intrapreneurs and no technologies have a chance to add creative new energy possibilities to. Citizens climate lobby is working full-time on passing this through congress if you're interested. Citizens climate lobby. But what is also encouraging is that the use of the market process. I have some fuel for republicans as well as the fact that none of this money goes to the federal government. It goes is distributed among the people. So those are that's good news. Other good news is the vastly increasing number of people who get the seriousness of this problem the young people insisting we elders actually get real about it. Huge numbers of people standing up to fracking and winning important legislative and court victories. Further. Climate change has now been incorporated into many justice issues as climate justice. Eliminating the many different silos from of traditional justice issues from climate one. So used to separate them before and the union why really led the way on that by bringing all of its different organizations and initiatives together and coming up with a plan called commit to respond and bring them together as justice issues. Have from the citizens climate march new york city several years ago to the moral mondays movement today as well as the black lives matter this broad-based coming together is creating a major movement for change. Please do yourself a favor. And go to the uu website is also in your summer newsletter here icy. And listen to reverend william barber of moral mondays. Talk about what they're up to is absolutely inspiring. Moral mondays reverend william barber. Another big favor you can do is to go see josh fox's new documentary how to let go of the world and love all the things climate can change. And if you can't find it around here set up a local feeling. The lamp for 6 minutes show all of the bad news and more that i've been talkin about. But then josh fox and he admitted that it after looking at all that he kind of felt like going into his living room shutting the door and watching old movies for a couple years cuz it was so hopeless. As climate changes. What does. Like our human creativity. Like our courage. Like our persistence in the face of adversity like our ancestors. Like our intelligence. And he didn't set out to find how others are using these qualities to deal with climate and what all over the world. And a search took him to places that absolutely let him he could not imagine. Why he'd ever thought about going into his living room and watching old movies. Because. He found it so much more joyous. Enriching. Heartening. To be with people who are using their courage their creativity their persistence. Deal with this issue. And anyway it's a great great great documentary. And lastly. When i think of the history of these times. One of its grade heroes. Has to be. James hansen. As the consummate scientist. Expert on the atmosphere of venus. He was the first person turns attention done to earth's atmosphere. And he sounded the first major scientific alarm about our increased warming and its causes. Now he still keeps to his impeccable scientific procedures. But his love of his grandchildren. Did elizabeth wrote about or read about. Turned him. Into an activist. I don't know how many times he's been arrested. By now i've been arrested twice with him and big big thanks i always go over and introduce myself and say i have values be connected with us. He knows you people he's always live on south irvine street. Here. But i know now that his hard. At is courage. Or is big. As his mind. And then we all need in our own ways. Somehow stand up for our children and our grandchildren for their vulnerable and for the other species. This is what i've learned. Since i left you good people. It's so good to see you gathered again together.

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Sermonpodcast-7-1-18.mp3?_=38

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. Few months ago when steve wiskind reached out to me and asked if i would be interested in coming back to this current location to preach. He said that you all like to hear sermons from seminarians because of what we are experiencing and what kind of considered to be like. The future of unitarian-universalism which i sound kind of. Interesting because i feel like i'm one of the older seminarians if it's because we go through so much processing while we're in the in the school and our whole process can bring up a lot of stuff for us. So if you're doing it the whole process well then hopefully hopefully you become a better unitarian universalist and a better person along the way as you keep getting face with new things. This past year had its own set of struggles that were distinctly different from my first year and i came to you last year talking about something as in one of my classes and so today i'm also talking about something that came up in another one. Throughout the entire process of being in seminary and it ended doing clinical pastoral education units with cpe. Over and over again we are confronted with our own assumptions and prejudices and we get them blown to bed. It's a liberating and painful process things you didn't know you were holding on to his ideas about people or groups of people now you get to realize that yes you were. And you get to be confronted with it and it have it all examined for you again it can be both challenging and not always welcoming but it's a good thing to go through. But it's so people think of seminary is like that it's very academic but it's also if you're bringing yourself into it it's also emotional to because your whole hearts in the process. This past spring i took a class called church history 101. That sounds really ordinary like it's going to be just we're studying facts and dates and that kind of thing. I was sure that if this of all the classes i was taking in the spring that would be the one that would be the least struggle emotionally. I was wrong. It really did push up a lot of really interesting places for me that i was not expecting. The requirements to wear that we had to do a presentation. We had to course do the readings and be engaged. And we had to write a paper on the subject that we gave a presentation on. We each got to choose our topic only from the list we were given the refresher had this list and you could choose one of those who couldn't go outside of his list. I chose this thing that i've called eric hovey and catechism. Which is a catechism that was written by the followers of faustus socinian and his nephew. I like i'm not even going a leo. Gladiolus in 1605. This is a unitarian catechism that before taking a class i never even knew existed. They were unitarians from italy but they were forced out and then eventually found their way to poland. Were they made a community with other like-minded folks there is hope community of these socinians. Overtime this community grew and they even had a school where they discussed and examines the bible from a new perspective for themselves. They were looking in the scriptures for a new understanding of jesus and doing it and a wholly different way than the catholic church. This is simeon's as they came to be called. Prided themselves on using knowledge and reason. To come to new conclusions sumps that is something that still resonates with unitarians today. Which is of course in my presentation something that i said hey we have this thing in common here with these people from 1605. The focus of my presentation and it was a sin ian's you of baptism because the presentation for that particular day with different places in time around one particular topic and that topic was baptism. So each of us across different centuries talked about baptism. So my view that day was just on how they looked at baptism. Their view was that infants shouldn't be baptized because they can't consent. Something that strongly resonates with you use today. Particularly in the our whole lives sexuality and our faith program. We talked a lot about how no one else should do anything to you physically without your consent which is why it at the beginning when i said that about holding hands realizing that of course you should ask can i hold your hand and that's not always feasible but we try to make sure that nobody is doing anything to you physically without your consent. And their context of course they were focused on the fact that infants. Can't make the decision to be christians or not. They wanted baptism only for adults or older youth who could make that decision from a fully informed place. And so they weren't making a very separate kind of statement from the from catholics who were baptizing infants and still do baptizing. When i made this presentation i was fully on board with this assessment of infant baptism. It also fits with the faith of my childhood as independent baptist. I found it fascinating that my childhood face and my adult face had this in common of course from several hundred years later but i'm always looking for connections. However my dog face and its current iteration rarely talks about baptism it all every once in awhile i do hear about ministers who say they've been asked to do a baptism for somebody but that is a rare thing and unitarian universalist world. Who actually doing that presentation brought back good and affirmative memories for me my childhood face. And affirm that there are theological threads that have run through my whole life without me even being aware of it. I had no idea at the time however how much i was going to struggle with writing the actual paper. What's the sicilians of the 1600s today's unitarian universalist are very much about reason. We like things to make sense. We are not much into mystery and we tend to get confused. When people talk about spiritual. It's kind of a new language that our movement has been talking about is like what is your spiritual practice and we look at people like what are you talking about. But we are more into what makes sense here how can we make it fit into the box i understand we're all about our understanding. This focus on reason and things making sense. Became a stumbling block for me when i began learning about this with minions. The understanding we you use have today about the bible is that of a historical document. That tells us about how our group of people. Related to their god during a particular time and place we look at his estimates kind of removed from who we are now. We tend not to ascribe spiritual significance to it from our own purposes. I would even guess that most you use today don't read the bible at all much less look at it as a source for spiritual authority. I think it's a very rare thing. I had been in you you for about 10 years before going to seminary and i remember very few times the previous ministers i encountered. Use the bible as a reference point point or even for a reading in the service. I'm guessing that's probably true he or there's not a whole lot of references to the bible itself. In our current uu world. So it surprised me to see that for the writers of this catechism. God jesus the bible the holy spirit were very much present in their lives. I really struggled with understanding how they were unitarians. That's right of the forebears who came before who we are now. I kept getting caught up. In trying to understand how these ancestors of ours. We're focused on using the bible. And looking to the authority of jesus. You see these references repeatedly throughout the catechism. When i was so i came kept stumbling over this how wide are they doing this i was so confused. I was so caught up and being irritated at them over their use of the bible. Did i lost sight of the big picture that was happening there historically. Thankfully my professor who is also an episcopal priest. But he also told me that he's actually universalist. He just doesn't really preach about that but he believes that none of us are separate from god. He took the time to sit with me and help me understand what these people were really about. He helped me see that we judge the past to our current lens. And we can't possibly know what life was like for these particular people. He patiently explained that looking back in time. We think we see people making incremental changes. But actually they're pretty major for that time. After all my invoice says these people weren't really bad different from the catholic church. That they were trying to differentiate themselves from i mean they still reference the trinity and the catechism. Through my current lens i couldn't see that there incremental steps as i saw them we're actually huge. What they were really doing. In terms of historical big-picture stuff was that they were setting the stage. For creating a space and a community where it was okay to ask question. Where people could have a space to say heretical things out loud like. Maybe the catholic church isn't the end-all be-all of all of christian truth. Maybe perhaps jesus isn't the son of god. Perhaps jesus and god have a different kind of relationship. Then what they and we have always been told. Who knew. What they knew for sure was that they wanted and needed a place that was safe to be able to ask questions. And that itself was the drastic change that we can point to and say see we are related i think that's something that humans across time or always looking to do is how are we connected to these people. Well they might not recognize who we are today. Because we don't use the bible. As our source of authority they would still recognize our questioning souls. Store use reason to make meaning of our lives. My episcopal priest professor explained to me that the sicilians questioning. Was the early days of our movements move to living in the questions that we now live in. The conversation with him helped me see unitarian-universalism as an eighth through an evolving viewpoint. Help me see it through the viewpoint of we're here were a group of people. Social scientists you could say. Who were willing to experiment. They are willing to ask what if questions. Even if it means. That baby can't they were killed. Much like michael servetus and norbert topic who created our flower convenience. People who are willing to stand up. For asking questions and being outside the mainstream of their time. Our ongoing push. Towards religious freedom. With a scary thing for the catholic church. During the time of the sicilians. And for many people now religious freedom still isn't acceptable. But it our heart it is who we truly are. Beyond all our interdenominational differences. All the ways that you use can get on each others nerves at times. The biggest things that we really support. Is religious freedom. And our search for meaning done individually or in community. That is something we have in common. With our forebears across time and culture. That paper helped me to see the importance of seeing unitarian-universalism as an ongoing experiment. We need to remind ourselves. That uuism has never been ever. Has never been one fixed thing that we have all agreed on. That has never actually happened. You ism have continuously change. And evolve over time. Over the last couple of years there has been struggle within the movement. Because we have been having direct conversations about dismantling white supremacy. Especially with an arm movement and that has made a lot of people uncomfortable. Some people have left you is i'm completely. What they fail to remember is that we are continuously pushing towards greater inclusion. That has never changed. That is always been who we are. We are a thoughtful caring people who are very much about making sure that all people have a place at the table. If we could keep remembering that. We as a movement do not come from a fixed place. But a place of openness and curiosity. We could treat each other with more patience & grace. We like to believe. That we are a people who are malleable and changing. Fun sometimes. We fall into a trap. Of wanting the movement. And even ourselves to be fixed. And even finished. In the church of my childhood they had a saying that went like this. The bible says in i believe it and that settles it for me. I have learned that that is a very close place. It is actually a scary place to be in. As an adult. I strive not to be closed. But because it's what i grew up in. It can be comforting to want absolute answers. But if there is anything i know for sure and you ism is that there are no absolute answers. And the movement itself is ever evolving. And my clinical pastoral education unit. But i'm in right now at the jewish theological seminary. Sometimes we talk about the ways we are with each other or with a residence or patience. And we we practice being together the whole 12 weeks is about how can we continuously improve how we are being together. And so towards that end we ask each other questions like. What if we acted as if. We say to each other it's an experiment let's see what happens. My curiosity about the uu movement allows me to save what if we could treat the movement and each other as if. As if we are continuously evolving. Growing. Changing moving towards who we are called to be. Would that help us have greater understanding patients and grace with each other. I used to reading earlier about a child's face. Because we are usually full of wonder when we interact with children. We see who they are now. And simultaneously we see their future potential. The ability to see both of those things at the same time. Helps us have patience with them when we are frustrated. What if we could look at each other and our movement. As we are now. And at the same time she our future potential that we are moving towards. Can we forgive each other for our mistakes from the past. Well we keep striving towards more love. More justice more inclusion. For me this is one of the key actions we need to take towards dismantling white supremacy. My hope is that we can treat each other. With awe and wonder. I encourage us to act as if. We are becoming the people we want to be. As if we are scientist. Who are willing to make mistakes and try again. Maybe so. At this moment we will take out the offering for this congregation. I asked you to give generously to support the work. That is done here knowing that impacts the world.

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Sermonpodcast-11-6-16.mp3?_=1

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood in new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. The one nation under god not. You heard a bit of the story of the pledge of allegiance from johanna steel. And i want to add a little more to that story francis bellamy was a baptist minister and is a good baptist. He strongly believed in the separation of church and state. In the establishment of the constitution it wasn't just. That. Yeah the deists like jefferson. Or the or. The small religious groups that the baptist's. Who were numerous in some parts of the colonies but. Minorities others. But he would come out of a tradition of separation of church and state in rebellion themselves against the earlier forms of the reformation. That it took. Immature alliances with the state. Francis bellamy was a strong advocate of the separation of church and state he was also. Living in the 1890s. Reacting against. Reacting to. Which is the better way to put it. What was going on culture and society at the time. This is a time of a huge amount of immigration into this country. But not all of it from northern europe. But something from southern europe in eastern europe as well. It was a time when. It was clear. That this country was become thing. Something other than a predominantly white anglo-saxon protestant nation. And bellamy like many people of that kind of background found it. Challenging. But he also found challenging. The gilded age. Which is really call that time of the men's concentration wealth among the small number of industrialists. And increasing impoverishment. People of ordinary means both middle-class and working-class. People. Because the concentration of wealth. And he was also a little scared of the immigration and thought it should be restricted. He was a founding member however of the society of christian socialists. Now christian socialists believe that there had to be a more equitable distribution of wealth and resources in this country. Then the open market of its time was allowing. To happen. Who is a baptist of strict church-state separation nest. Fearful of increased immigration. And a believer that the economic system has its function was unjust to most people. He's an avid supporter of public education as a way of integrating different cultures together as well as ensuring a competent and capable. In a democracy. He also supported what he called the nationalization of business which meant basically socialization. Have the means of production. And his cousin the same as edward bellamy. Wrote a book called looking backward. Which was a socialist utopia novel. That is still assigned in schools to this day. Even though we're past the year that he sat the future in when he wrote it. In that novel interesting lee enough had religious pluralism is a part of it too. The francis bellamy was an interesting character. Which also sold flags. He had a double incentive a multiple incentive. To write the version of the pledge of allegiance at hero. Sailor flags become very popular in this magazine support its publication part by selling flags through the mail. So partly the pledge of allegiance was to get flags use more it was a campaign to get a flag on every school building. What is also campaign to integrate disparate populations through education into a common culture. And none of it is promoting. United states is a christian nation. Even though he was a christian. What is the baptist a staunch supporter of church state separation oh and one more thing. 1892 the year he introduced his version of the pledge was the 400th anniversary of columbus's landing on these shores. And they're all kinds of celebrations. And he was connecting it with that as well and the integration of disparate peoples into one. So he put it out there and it became very popular unlike the earlier one. By the civil war veteran that you heard from joanna. But these are the words i pledge allegiance to my flag and to the republic for which it stands. One nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all. No god there. But that was how is originally written and stood that way until 1954. When under god was added. It was added in part because. Of a movement. That developed. In response. In-n-out. An oppositional response to many of the things bellamy supported in stood for. And too many of the progressive era. Reforms. Republican presidents i just theodore roosevelt promoted like the brentwood they called trust-busting which is the breaking up of monopolies. And this was this move was call christian libertarianism. Christian socialist christian libertarians. And get developed during the latter part of bellamy's lifetime. In opposition. 2. One of the developments. Of the early 1900's lady tyrese. The social gospel and this is something bellamy wasn't directly involved in though the. Freethinker the social gospel was walter rauschenbusch another baptist minister. Who put forth the theology that was adopted by christians of many denominations. That was their work. Not to focus on individual salvation. On the salvation of society for transformation. Of the economy and the social structure. Socialist. But they were all committed. Two as bellamy was building a unified and fair society. Russia bush himself was a minister. Baptist church in what was then called hell's kitchen. I think has more sheehy name now to most people. That was largely attended by immigrants. It was in fact a largely german language baptist. Church. In that neighborhood. So we have the social gospel and rauschenbusch was just the best-known exponent of it that spread across the country. There was a large movement for peace in this country after the horrors what they called the great war with lena was the first world war. And this was all scary. The owners of large businesses. Was instituted during the first world war as well. A lot was going on the scary to those people who built. Huge empires of wealth during the gilded age. And other owners of great wealth and corporations in the country. So groups such as the national association of manufacturers in the united states. Chamber of commerce. Put tide to put together campaign. To oppose the social gospel. And then beginning 1933 to oppose the new deal. And the strategy that they came with. Came up with. With a net big input from a congregationalist minister in los angeles named james fifield. Was the notion of promoting the united states is a christian nation. And free-market capitalism as the proper christian form of society. It was not a new idea but they're promoting it both in opposition to the new deal. Alton opposition to the newly-formed soviet union. An opposition to the social gospel which had brought. Liberal thinking about society even into many of angelica linfield logically conservative churches around.. So the united states chamber of commerce and national association of manufacturers. Heard. Prickly national association at their annual dinner at the waldorf astoria in 1940. The talk by the reverend. Games. W fifield junior senior minister the first congregational church of los angeles. Which he went to in 1924 fresh out of chicago. Divinity school. And built up from a carnation 452 / 4000. Including many of the protestant leaders of the entertainment industry. 11 industry with jewish. But he had cecil b demille and that gang in his congregation. The protestants. In the film history and the wealthy ones. And. The absurd opposite of walter rauschenbusch. It became. An upper class. Church. And he formed on the basis of that a group. Call spiritual mobilization. 2. Opposed. The spread of socialism to oppose criticism of business. And to join the opposition to the new deal in 1940. He beat he was a guest speaker at the annual meeting of the national association of manufacturers at the waldorf astoria. In new york city. And he electrified the audience and owners of large corporation started pouring money into his effort. And funding. This and other groups. Seeking. To talk about. Make america be identified as a christian nation in which the free market. Was the manifestation of the teachings of the bible. I will notice that francis bellamy was pushed out of one church cuz he kept referring to jesus as a socialist. And he was not the only preacher to do that at that time. The universalist. When universalist minister. Did that repeatedly but he wasn't stealing flags he also worked as a union organizer. So with lots of funding. With magazines. But your face and freedom which was published by spiritual mobilization in which fifield. Edited. Youth programs getting ministers to play. Americanism. For free markets. And for opposition to union organizing. Thousands around the country joined in this. And then others. Who are allied with this did things like started organizing prayer breakfast for members of congress. The famous prayer breakfast in washington city must now the white house prayer breakfast. Started as park. Abyss. Movement. Christian libertarianism. You heard in brief the story of. The pledge of allegiance. Well. $20 bill. If you have anything that small. And under the big one on the back it says in god we trust. That's even smaller letters. Every picture the white house on the 20. In god we trust there have been some coinage with that on it but it wasn't the national policy it was. Design decision from time to time depending on who is running the mint. A pentagon in the 1860s. To put the phrase in god we trust. Imoney. Why in god we trust. Think of the national anthem in this b is our motto in god is our trust. People wanted to spread that. Some of them just artist well-meaning christians and veterans of the civil war. But it really got momentum. Witness christian libertarian movement. There was a. Big push. During roosevelt the first roosevelt administration theodore 1901 1909. To put in god we trust on money. Theodore roosevelt who was ab leaving christian and a and a regular churchgoer. Is raised dutch reformed usually attended episcopal churches with his wife was episcopalian. But he was very clear that he had a set of beliefs that he had learned growing up in the reformed church. And these informed. His life. And he responded and i quote here my own firm conviction is that such a model and coins not only does no good. Positive harm and is in effect irreverence. Which is close we comes close to sacrilege. That is from his perspective of the united states was that putting in god we trust. On money. An assault on the integrity of his own faith. None-the-less there was pressure. Then eventually appeared. On money. But over the over at least one president subjection. 1953 1954 this hovel that was building up. Where did that point the support of the white house who was president. Dwight david eisenhower. The first president of the united states to be baptized during his term of office. He had been raised very loosely in a christian church. In kansas. I had never joined a church or been baptized. So shortly after being inaugurated. He went to the p was baptized at the. The big presbyterian church in washington where many of the presidents had gone to services including lincoln. And he. Had at his inauguration something unusual. A prayer that he wrote and delivered. He want he saw part of his role as. Bringing religion into politics. And this is important to eisenhower. In fact he started a practice of beginning all the cabin and staff meetings with prayers. Something had never been done before. Even the darkest days of the. Civil war in the. First world war. In fact was quoting what day is coming out of a meeting meeting realizing forgotten the prayer and sputtering jesus christ we forgot the prayer. Well he was career military you could be profane as well. These various groups affiliated christian libertarianism promoted this and promoted in the public. Though the bill. The actually brought in god we trusted currency. Filed by catholic in the house of representatives. And the protestants have been pushing for years had to be convinced to get out of the way because. This bill is getting momentum on the side. And let this catholic congressman. In a time that this country still flooded fields neymar to protestant. Have his name on it. And so money went on the dollar bill money went on stamps money went on currency oliver 1954 and then you had the pledge of allegiance and is part of this whole. Can i stare we say. Mishegoss of our nation. Yeah we got. God and our money got in the pledge of allegiance. And so on and so forth. But they're hopeful the whole libertarians people this was a christian nation. And completely free markets for the only way to be christian. And that is something that christians including adam smith and disagreed with. When he wrote his great books on capitalism in this eighteenth-century. He didn't believe free markets are always the best way to organize every aspect of the economy. Even though he became the first person really explain well how free markets work. So what. In a christian nation isn't it. Well there's no doubt that us civil society as we know it has. Deep roots. In religion. How many of our early settlements were established with churches. I mean the congregationalists of new england. A church in the middle of town it was also the town meeting house. And everyone had to pay taxes to support it. Protestantism dominated in the english-speaking colonies. Catholic church in st augustine that's older than any other protestant churches in the united states now. That was an earlier to spanish catholic settlers. In an earlier colony. And that it really helped shape. The society. And there's no denying that. Does that make it theologically christian. It's a radical wing of the reformation but the calvin is. Congregationalists the baptist. Who will believe that. Individual human beings. Headed direct relationship with god. It didn't go through a whole church hierarchy. And their congregations were democratically organized. Different different particular structures. And in fact church membership in the british colonies was under 20% before the revolution. 120 %. Any churches in some of the areas. But even in the developed and settled towns even wear in new england they had to pay taxes for the church lots of people didn't actually join. Church. By 1910 that had increased to 43%. Church membership. 49 + 19 4057 in 1950. Repeat that 69% in 1960 and has been declining since. So not until then. 1950 were majority of americans numbers of churches or synagogue they're counting synagogues at that point. I don't think they got counted. Did it surpassed 50% of the population. And it peaked at just under 70%. It was only during the eisenhower administration that the christian libertarians ideas were adopted by the white house this gave an impetus to people to be openly religious. And religion became an ally of the cold war against the soviet union. There were lots of reasons. Why these happened. But the notion that america is a christian nation and. It's very nature tide. Get free market capitalism. Was put forth by a group of businesspeople. Through the early and mid-twentieth century and it's all documented in this book one nation under god by kevin kruse. Who teaches history at princeton university. And the developments since which we're not going into today. Yeah that whole eisenhower era. Where we develop what a lot of people very serious about religion called in american civil religion which they thought. Was it really very serious religion at all but more of a ceremonial. Kind of religion. And. And the aclu didn't initially opposed adding under god to the statue. Pledge of allegiance because they just thought it was. Mp language. Became more troublesome. United states. Is definitely not one nation under god however you want to. Define that. That that got even just finding it expansively. Even among religious people there is an immense diversity of belief. Among christians from fundamentalist n1-n2 liberals on the other. American side no james fifield the congregation was minister who helped start all of this. Was considered rather not appropriately orthodox in his theology or is one of his wealthy parishioner said i doubt full of his doctrine on the trinity. It's a good thing though he was there not a couple blocks away at the first unitarian church of los angeles. Weather lot of communists. Even among religious liberals even religious people that great diversity. All three abrahamic religions judaism christianity and islam. Have been in this country virtually from the beginning. And we sometimes forget that the native peoples had their religions. Before. The european ancestors arrived. And in spite of the efforts of the europeans to convert them all this one form of christianity or another. The native phase never disappeared from our practice disappear completely. Andre. Have had a real rebirth over the last half-century or so. African religions and islam came with slavery. And we never completely wiped out amongst the slaves. Your customs that you see an african american christian church is now. That derive from. Native african religions. Or islam that have been adapted. And there are small pockets here and there are people who remember bit to that through the generations. And now again african religion. Have had a rebirth over the last half-century. And people are recalling their ancestral memories and reaffirming them. Religions originated in asia and africa have grown with immigration and the reclaiming of culture and tradition by descendants of slaves. Another ancestral immigrants. And this all received a boost. In 1893. When the first world parliament of world religions was held in chicago. And this is also to mark the 400th anniversary. Columbus landing on the shores but it took a little longer to organize it. Be at the world columbian exposition chicago to market. And then 1893 the second-year the exposition you have the parliament of world's religions. Which brought people. Effacement around the world including africa and india. Anastasia. Did united states. To meet and dialogue. And although it was a swedenborgian. Who kicked it off. Unitarians ran it. Jenkin lloyd-jones who is frank lloyd wright's uncle and the unitarian minister chicago was one of the leaders. And several universalist women played prominent roles in it as well. So. And at that time. The idea of different religions got a new legitimacy. They're being discussed. And celebrated at a high level. And nationally in the society. And. Vedanta as a particular from hinduism was introduced. This country at that time because. But it's great leaders coming here for that parliament and staying several years in establishing schools and groups around the united states. And all along it's right about that they're all these religious differences. And their records by the way muslims be in the continental army. Revolutionary war during the civil war. And if minutes train of rationalism this country from day one. Even among the conservative congregation list the calvinists are highly educated people interested in science and they provide reason. Did everything even if they came for the different conclusions and others might. And they promoted science and rationalism has always been a part of american religious culture. And one scholar has suggested that. There was more in common among the educated people of the colonies whatever their religious faith. Around religion. Then it was all about almost anything else even though they belong to different churches. But they all had its rationalist and. Highly literate way of approaching. Election coming up nes. The nuns nuns are in define. But the nuns and the spiritual-but-not-religious. Who pick up all sorts of strains of eastern religions in. Secular. Philosophical practices. And make us. Not a. Cuneiform. Country at all. Will united states citizens of varied religions and non will vote on tuesday. And some more vote based on the directions of their pastors. No one would do that here so i'm not even going to tell you anything about how i'm voting. But some do. And some will listen in and disagree with their pastors. Had within the roman catholic. Church. Some people will hold a hard line against anyone who supports abortion in any way shape or form. And others will weigh their votes based on the catholic social teaching saint economic justice with you're also very strong. Probably held as widely in the catholic church is any teachings on abortion are. Wfmj local christians who will ally themselves a christian libertarianism in large numbers. And there'll be others. Lacerte inclusivity. In jesus's teachings on justice and forgiveness. And i went and looked this week on the website of the first congregational church. Los angeles. And their current minister used to be. Introduce ossi administer riverside church in new york city. And they are now doing same-sex weddings and promoting economic justice. And they. Do i couldn't find james fifield name mentioned anywhere on the website. So but they're people go out there they will vote. Bill make your decisions. The call to action auto. Make some suggestions about how you make your decision but not what those decisions should be.

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Sermonpodcast-8-26-18.mp3?_=32

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. So the title of my sermon. Is likely to provoke some reaction. Why buddhism is true. For somebody who delivers a sermon entitled. Why buddhism is true it takes some nerve not to be a buddhist. But let me explain. I was exploring. The newly discovered that is for me it was newly discovered. West greenwich village branch of the new york public library. Am i saw. This glaring yellowbook. Why buddhism. True. By somebody named robert wright. Well that's audacious i thought. But then i looked at the subtitle and knew i had to read it. The science and philosophy of meditation and enlightenment. Well that's subtitles a little broad. When i read science my thoughts understandably went to the topic of how meditation works. Scientifically that is what happens in the brain. The neurology of how meditation calms our minds and body. But wright says right away. That's not what his books about primarily. And for good reason. There are hundreds of scientific studies about the way meditation were. Demonstrate. That according to modern science. It empirically does relax us. Change our consciousness and alter our mental and physical processes in other. Beneficial ways. Right is quite upfront that his book why buddhism is true is not. All-encompassing. For example he doesn't consider the supernatural parts of buddhism that is beliefs that are beyond the world we can measure such as reincarnation. He's interested in the parts that. Fall squarely within modern psychology and philosophy. And human experience. He doesn't get caught up in find distinctions among the different schools of buddhism. But he tries to address ideas fundamental to all of them. As a practicing meditator however he uses a particular approach. The positive meditation which is also known as insight or mindfulness. Meditation. It doesn't focus on visualization. Oran compassion. As other types of meditation do number of other types as well. Craigslist. As you saw in our briefs sample. It starts with a focus on the breath. But not as an end in itself. It's true goal is to increase one's conscious experience of what is. Quote really real. And true beyond our delusions. And it believes that shedding delusions and fixed ideas about things. Lead to experiences of bliss and even enlightenment. But wright says even more important than bliss enlightenment. Is viewing our feelings mindfully in everyday life. And becoming. Free sample more tuned. The beauty. Even 30 minutes of day. While not on retreat. Helps him savor the taste of his lunch more. And for instance really look. At the bark of a tree is he walks his dog. And finally by claiming that buddhism is true right means that buddhism's diagnosis of the human predicament is fundamentally correct. And that it's prescription is deeply valid and urgently important. And quote. So why am i preaching a sermon about a practice mindfulness meditation. That involves rigorous discipline and what feels like. Too many. Of us the constant failure to do it right. Do i expect you all to drop your plans for sunday afternoon sit down on a cushion fold your legs and start meditating. Well you know i don't. Do for me that would probably be great. It's really to learn more about. This great world religion. Something that we stand for as a unitarian universalist. It's also to get robert rights unique take. On where our feelings come from and why they can be delusions. And finally it's to see how we can benefit. Even from baby steps of buddhist practice and ideas. Hear something different about this book. As i said right is not a neurologist. He is in fact an evolutionary psychologist. He tries to understand human psychology in the light of evolution. His main point is that many aspects of our psychology that buddhist would called illusions. Developed because they allowed. Humans who had certain feelings and responses. To win the battle for survival of the fittest. However some of these feelings do not benefit us now. In fact many of us pay lots of money for. Meditation classes doctors therapist. Hypnotist pharmacist. And others to reduce qualities like anxiety. Which he points out helped our ancestors escape from danger. Wright believes that the human brain has developed by natural selection now. And i quote. Works to mislead us even enslave us. In natural selection some members of the species survive to spread their genes and others don't. It's not the natural selection is a goal-driven intentional process. Which we tend to speak of. In that way. It's. Really just the result of the fact. That these traits that help jeans proliferate or the did. An individual's and an entire species. Trace like intelligence dominance strength. Attractiveness to the opposite sex. These traits do better according to the siri then some other trace. Right argues of aspects of human brain have evolve. To help those that possess them to survive and pass on their genes. So if you ask the question. And i quote. What kinds of perceptions and thoughts and feelings guide us through life each day. The answer isn't. The kinds of thoughts and feelings and perceptions that give us an accurate picture of reality. No at the most basic level the answer is. The kinds of thoughts and feelings and perceptions. This helped our ancestors get genes into the next generation. So our brains are designed among other things. Toodaloo.. Buddhism claims that feelings are delusions. Some of them nice delusions. Ultimately many them unsatisfying. It's not. Downright. Forms of suffering. Free sample feelings of intense anxiety. Hopelessness. Depression. Bursts of hatred towards other people. Or ourselves. Greed. Compulsions to buy eat or drink things that are ultimately bad for us. And the seas have elements of delusion. There are aspects of what the buddha called dhaka. Dukkah is often with translated as suffering. Another way to translate it is less dramatic and extreme. Right calls it. Unsatisfactory. Which i think is kind of a hideous made-up word. I'm not sure i have a better one but. Perhaps. Dissatisfaction. Maybe. Is any of that learning to get past these dissatisfied feelings. True buddhist practice can lead to contentment. And even deep experiences of joy. Robert wright experienced all these things when he went to his very first meditation retreat in 2003. He thought he was terrible candidate for enlightenment. He had add. And he couldn't concentrate. His nickname. Was the misanthrope. As he said his problem was not with humankind perseids individual humans he had trouble with. He was judgmental. You have a hot temper. And he discovered at the retreat that he had a terrible time focusing on his breathing. Hero. Early in the retreat i can go a whole 45-minute meditation session without ever sustaining focus for 10 consecutive breath. And i know because i was counting it didn't help that i got mad at myself every time this happened. Mater and mater as the first couple of days war on. Naturally my anger was extended to all the people who seem to be doing better than i was. Which was around 80 people. That is. Everybody. But his big breakthrough came on the 5th morning of the retreat. Because he drank too much coffee. And he felt. A very unpleasant he says a very unpleasant tension in my jaw. It made me feel like grinding my teeth. I finally just surrendered to it. And shifted my attention to the tension in my jaw. Write notes that. Intentional shifting of attention is a normal thing to do in mindfulness meditation because focusing on the breath. Is in his approach or in that approach just a tool to stabilize your mind. When you do stabilize your mind feelings arising you. Sadness anxiety annoying. Relief joi. Whatever. And you're trying not to cling to the good ones or run away from the bad one. But just experienced them and observe them. He says this can be the beginning of a fundamental and enduring change. In your relationship to your feelings. You can if all goes well. Cease to be their slave. The right managed to observe the feeling in his jaw. But from a distance. He didn't identify completely with. That feeling. And it lost its hold on him. The experience that. Now when it comes to negative feelings. Wright talked about feeling anger. And many other things as he put it. My personal favorite self-loathing. Not mine would probably be like morbid anxiety. But anger is an interesting one that struck a chord for me. Recently i had an experience left me furious. This involved a friend of mine the husband of a very close friend whom i'll call lisa. I've known jay i'll call him since 1985. I performed their wedding. Not this man jay. Has been a professor harvard for 28 years. Which really makes me feel my age. Because we all move to cambridge the same year. That's why i went to divinity school. And he and lisa moved there. For him to take this position. Now he's in the applied sciences. He's been a dean. Has led major projects for the university and by all measures is a superstar. Academically. His wife. My good friend. Hypnodaddy. His arrogance has increased along with his years at harvard. Sad. Occupational hazard. So there we were few weeks ago out to dinner in cambridge massachusetts. It was research on human subjects. And he said oh yeah it's very important for committees to. To prove the ethics of research. With human subjects. Otherwise you can have famous atrocities. Like with the tuskegee airmen. Does this strike you as a little bit off. There was a research atrocity committed at the tuskegee institute which by the way he never heard of. It is a famous institute of black learning in tuskegee alabama. That was the infamous syphilis experiment in which penicillin was withheld for years. From unsuspecting african-american research subjects who did have syphilis. They were lied to. 4 years. This infamous breach of the hippocratic oath was conducted from 1932 to 1972. But that's totally separate from the tuskegee airmen. Some of you may know. These are men who were trained at tuskegee starting in 1941 and they were the first black army aviators who distinguish themselves mightily. In wwii and beyond. Well jay was very firm. But the tuskegee airmen have been the subjects of horrifying research study. When i was sitting there the table and i went to google it on my phone very earnestly just to show that the data the data he's a professor. And when i did that his wife my dear friend quietly. Waved away my phone. Both of them effectively silenced. When i knew i was right. I felt disrespected silenced and dismissed. I was so angry. Mostly because i knew i was right. Especially after that google check. I couldn't sleep that night for several hours. In the morning i talked to lisa she apologized profusely. And owns what she had done and her complicity and explain but didn't defend why she had shushed me. Had to do with. Him being a pain all day and wrangling and her not wanting more wrangling the ferry end of the night. Later that week. Life took over. And i intentionally. Made some distance between myself and the anger. I knew jay was under great stress. I emailed him after the stressful week when he was teaching the first. Of three weeks of a daily new course brand new course with a week of. Work. Each day. When he apologized by email. The big harvard man had given way to an anxious overachieving friend. He seemed to feel a bit desperately. Didn't acknowledge meant an apology was all he could give but that was not enough. That was all i ever wanted. Robert wright. Writes about anger. In the section called obsolete urges. As an evolutionary psychologist he points out that fear is anger served. A useful purpose in human evolution. Motivating self-defense perhaps even dominance. But less so today. Now. As in my example anchor still obviously gives us useful information for instance. About when something is unjust. Or or even cruel. But the problem is when we let it take us over or react to it without thought. He writes. The desire to punish people who treat you unfairly or show you disrespect is deeply human. And admit it. So there's something unpleasant about being made angry that's for sure. There's something pleasing about the feeling of anger itself. When you feel your rightfully enraged. I know that one too. The buddha said. Anger has a poisoned root and a honeyed tip. Now sometimes. I have said my own anger. In the past. Watch the crow and come up with the most insulting and high-handed come back so i can think of. In situations where i know i was in the right but was disrespected at just recreationally come up with whole lectures in my mind about my rightness. Or donald tribes that i've imagined giving. It's ultimately. It's a destructive use of energy initially. Satisfying. But ultimately corrosive. Right argues. You can see why natural selection would have made righteous rage attractive in a small hunter-gatherer village. If someone took advantage of you. Stole your food stole your mate. Or just generally treated you like dirt you needed to teach him a lesson. After all. If he learns he can get away and usually with a he. To be ashy. Can get away with abusing you he may do it again and again. In such an intimate i'm changing social environment it would be worth your while to get so angry over-exploitation. That you would confront your exploiter and be willing to come to blows. Youtube sent the message that there's a cost for disrespecting you and this message would pay dividends over time. Meanwhile today we have situations like road rage. Wright points out. The disrespectful driver you feel like punishing is someone you'll never see again. And so are all the drivers who may witness any revenge yuri. So there's no benefit whatsoever that comes from indulging your rage. Not to mention the cost. Possibly your life. So you could call road rage. False. It feels good. But the are of goodness is illusory. Because succumbing to its attraction leads to behavior that will not on average be good for the organism. Another of rights favorite obsolete urges is the lust for sweets. Something he and i share. His favorite is powdered sugar donuts. He says. This man really loves them i got to tell you. Says if i were guided only by my feeling i would eat them for breakfast lunch dinner and between-meal snacks. Yeah i'm told it actually eating that many donuts each day would be bad for me. So i guess my feeling of attraction to powdered sugar donuts could be called. False. These donuts feel good. But this is an illusion because they're not really good for me. This isn't course hard news to take. It calls to mind the plaintiff lyrics. I'm an old luther ingram song. If loving you is wrong i don't want to be right. It also calls to mind the question again how could natural selection let something like this happen. But he makes a great point natural selection designed our feelings in a particular environment. An environment with no junk food. An environment in which the sweetest thing available was fruit. A sweet tooth served us well. It gave us feelings that you might say were true. In the sense that they steer that's towards things that were good for us. But in a modern environment. They sometimes tell us something is good when it's not good for us. The right thanks. More people meditating would make the world a better place. It helps us lose the illusion of separateness from other people and things. And also lose the tribal identities. So many people have. Personally as a social scientist. I don't think it's likely that. We will get enough people taking up mindfulness meditation to bring about world peace. However i fully endorse it. And even if you were i don't. I think that buddhism. Have. And can affect. Our lives for the better. First. Meditation has proven at its most basic level to relax us. Focusing on the brass. Is the simplest. Tool. I want some right that meditation and you all know this i think it's not at all or nothing practice. 90 minutes a day might train one's mind faster than meditating 30 or 20 minutes a day. But wright affirms that their benefits major benefit. At every level. Second. For those of us who were not practitioners at all. I believe we benefit from some of the key buddhist ideas that a permeated our culture. Just a practice of examining the troubling thoughts feelings and sensations in her mind. From a critical distance. Sound like pebbles you picked up from the beach. Dinner in your hand. Is a great way to avoid being overwhelmed by. Sitting quietly. Breathing deeply. Focusing on your breath. Is a great way to start. Chinese troublesome feelings over. In your hands like pebbles. Look at them. From different angles. Realize that they will shift. They need not take you over. If you keep breathing and examining a feeling. That is bothering you. It can change. Write wrote that as an experienced meditators. Sometimes now he says. When i'm feeling very sad. And he notes this is something you can experiment with. Even if you've never meditated. Is the sit-down. Close my eyes. And study the sadness. Except it's presents. And just observe. How it actually makes me feel. For example. So i may not be close to actually crying. The feeling of sadness does have a strong presence right around the parts of my eyes that would get active if i did start crying. I've never noticed that. Before meditating on sadness. This careful observation. Of sadness. Combined with a kind of acceptance of it. In my experience. Make it less unpleasant. Example of meditation teaches us that we have enormous potential and power to give ourselves. Comfort and peace when we need it. We can recognize the painful feelings are not permanent. We can. True letting ourselves feel them. And examine them. Put some distance between painful feelings. And ourselves. And this experience can shift our negative feelings. And give us hope. May it be so.

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Sermonpodcast-8-28-16.mp3?_=11

Welcome to a podcast of a sermon delivered at the unitarian society of ridgewood. In new jersey. Our congregation is a place where you will find inspiration in the richness of diverse beliefs and the power of community. Detailed information about the unitarian society of ridgewood is available on our website. Uu ridgewood. . org. I have to tell you a little funny story before i start my sermon i was thinking so hard what am i going to preach and i wanted to preach the sermon called what's next i thought so that would be a title and i was thinking of all the things i could say. And i hope they are you're not the minister here you can't tell them what's next. So i switched gears and i'm preaching a sermon called open-hearted but then i got your newsletter and i saw that terry allen was coming the week before so terry for those of you don't know was my predecessor here for what 14 years i think terry was here and his sermon title was what what now. And that is how do we remain open-hearted in a time like this one. How do we remain open-hearted when our society is so divided and people are so seemingly angry. How do we maintain the spiritual practice of generosity of open-hearted ness. When there's so much upheaval in tragedy in the world when there are fires and floods and earthquakes and police shootings and racial tension election anxiety terrorism and war. In fact this place should be a place where we can let down our defenses right and experience the power of loving community. But how do we remain open-hearted even here. This challenge presents itself even here. When we are. Walking with one another through turmoil and change like this congregation has experience. And in our own lives we sometimes feel fraught and fragile. Does the poet mary oliver says to remain open-hearted. In a world like this. Is to be willing to be broken hearted. Is it worth it is it worth the risk and the pain. It's easy to be open-hearted in childhood when your world seems secure. I mean not all of us have the luxury of that kind of start in life but i did. And it wasn't until college for me that my heart really broke open in the way that mary oliver is talking about and could never again close to the world. And what did it for me was a lecture i went to on bombs that burn i don't know if any of you remember this campaign of that ed asner of all people. But it turned out that what i learned is our government was supplying bombs that had a burning chemical in them. 2 m being used by right-wing rebels on in the countryside. To intimidate peasant farmers in el salvador. Our government was paying for these moms and children were being burnt by these bombs in large numbers. I couldn't believe it it woke me up i became an activist i began marching and organizing like many of you. And attending more lectures. And then one day dr. helen caldicott came to town who have you ever heard her speak. She's the founder of an organization called positions for nuclear responsibility. And she came to talk about what would actually happen in great detail would a nuclear weapon be detonated in a large city. I was stunned i was amazed i went and i gathered some of my friends we went to hear her again that afternoon and then i got some more of my friends because i thought everyone should know about this and we went to hear her for a third time that same evening. I just tell you about the time i had listened to that speech for three times in a row. Something inside just turned off. I was paralyzed with fear. I was sure that i would be. That college separated from my family and loved ones a nuclear weapon would be detonated and there i'd be. I know it sounds funny but this was real for me at this moment and i thought it was really possible these were the reagan years there was a lot of tension going on. And i determined back in my dorm that i should never have children. Because it would be cruel to raise children in a world where they would simply be detonated by a nuclear holocaust. I called my phone. I wanted to talk to my mom and she wasn't home. And there is no my dad so. Even though my dad and i weren't very close or didn't have conversations like this. I told him what was going on. And he listened quietly. I remember feeling that way he told me during the cuban missile crisis did some of you live through that. I thought it was going to be the end of the world as we knew it he told me. And then life did go on. And somehow that was enough. And even though he didn't promise me that we would live happily ever after or the bad things wouldn't happen on large scales. I feel better after talking to my dad. And just being listened to and understood i didn't feel so alone. This is what we can do for one another in our brokenhearted this. And the world has gone on flawed and imperiled as it is. And sometimes and somehow that has to be enough. I forget now who said this but i remember reading once. In the days of your before we had cell phones and smartphones and they were pay phones all over new york city. That if it was announced that the world was about to end. People will be found running in the street to phone booth desperately punching in the numbers of their loved one and stammering out loud how much they loved each other. It stayed with me. And it shouldn't require internet planetary destruction for us to finally come out and tell each other right but sometimes was so much tension and threat going on the opposite effect can happen and we become closed hearted we shut down. We close our hearts to each other and we close our hearts to the cries of the world. Recently a friend of mine was changing and a sports locker room. You couldn't help overhearing a man who was being rather loud and bombastic. Declaring obama is the worst president we've ever had. Well my friend said i think he's one of the best presidents we've ever had. Please move the country more divided than we've ever had it before yelda man at my friend and my friend now seething with what he thought was racist and reductionist rhetoric couldn't think of anything else to say to him so he just came up with a new york hello. After you do he said any left and luckily it didn't come to blows. But i think this is a good example of where we are at these days. We don't know how to disagree with each other anymore. The tension between people who have won world you and those with another run so high that we can't express ourselves rationally with one another. We may as well just stick our fingers in our years ago during the other side with their points of view. And of course i'm referring to the presidential race but it's only the most obvious current example it's happening in so many places. People seem i don't know maybe it's just me but they seem impatient and curious and worn thin. Temper seen easily provoked. People seemed skeptical and suspicious and guarded. Conflicts in families and communities and churches are common and forgiveness can be hard to come by. How many of you are familiar with the words from 1st corinthians 13 episode often used in weddings have you heard those. Love is patient love is kind it does not envy it does not boast is approach is not son of others is not self-seeking it always protects the trash. Paul didn't write these words for wedding. He was writing a letter to a congregation that was fighting with each other. Church 52 turns out or nothing new they've been going on since religious community was invented. Wherever there are two or more gathered in god's name. There will be a church conflict i can tell you this from working at the unitarian universalist association. The people currently has were bickering among themselves and paul was saying this. Look people. Even though you think you're speaking in tongues in the language of prophecy. You are nothing but a clanging gone if you aren't speaking in the spirit of love. Not romantic love not wedding day love. But the more challenging big l love the love that overcomes all hurt and anger and wrong. Put away your childish ideas that you own the truth said paul. For we each see only as a reflection in a mirror we see in part until we are able to see face-to-face and no fully. And be known fully. Fully inside of a greater whole. This is what paul was trying to say. But to do what paul is asking requires. A daily practice of open hardness. Even though it means that our hearts. Will be broken over and over again. Never close to the rest of the world. Imperfect as it is. But really what is the alternative. If you build up the walls of your heart you get hardened and cynical and isolated. You choose being right over being happy. And you lose sight of what is possible. And eventually you're going to experience heart failure. So. Choose open hardness. The quaker educator parker palmer puts it this way. Her break is an inevitable and painful part of life but there are at least two ways for the heart to break. It can break open into new life. Or you can break apart into shards of sharper and more widespread pain. A brittle heart he writes will explode into a thousand pieces. And sometimes gets thrown like a fragment grenade. At the perceived source of his pain. There's a lot of that going on these days. But a simple heart he says. Will break open into a greater capacity. The whole life suffering and its joy. In a way that allows us to say. The pain stops here. The pain stops here. In a few weeks i'm going to be traveling down to fort jackson in south carolina where i'm sure it's going to be hot and humid. It's the largest army base in the world i don't know if any of you actually ever been there it's an overwhelmingly huge place it also houses the chaplain training schools for the army the air force and the navy and i will be there at 10 in the graduation of one of my air force chaplains so you may not know this. I also became the official endorser of our military chaplains. And they become 4-mile congregation i needed a congregation after this one and i'm tremendously proud of the work that they do in the military. As i speak we have chaplains uu ministers serving in war zones in afghanistan in. Iraq and kuwait we have ministers in trauma minnesota hospitals. Like bagram air force base. We have ministers onboard of coast guard cutters and an airforce hangers and military chaplains leading services this morning and counseling sessions and even running alongside the marines in a boot camp setting. Chaplains are technically there because they are there to facilitate the right to free exercise of religion. But in a deeper sense they are called. To make meaning. In the midst of the greatest insanity that we human beings inflict upon ourselves and one another. That insanity being wore. Unless we forget this month marks 25 years that we have continuously been at war as a nation. Unitarian universalist have been serving in the military as chaplain since the beginning it turns out. Affect the very first chaplain who was commissioned by george washington was william emerson. Ralph waldo emerson's grandfather and universal is history the universal is john murray who landed at barnegat bay new jersey brought universalism to our shores. In 1770. He was also in the first 20 military chaplains commissioned by george washington and when the other chap was found out that a heretic like him had been commissioned they were very upset and they complained to george washington george washington said to them i have commissioned this minister as a chaplain in our army and you will respect him as such. And so began a very interesting and long at experiment and pluralism in the military which i now find myself challenge to be a part of his well. It's a wonderful ministry. The reason i bring that up is to share a little piece by one of our you chaplains george tiger that is related to this theme of open-hearted them. And he describes in this how much courage it takes to keep an open heart. Even in the midst of war so is he writes this he's deployed in kandahar city and rolling around everyday on these essentially large cumby's visiting different installations and trying to help people keep their spirits up. There's a kind of courage she right that we often forget and don't give ourselves credit for. I called the courage to care when you choose to care you tell the world that despite all the risks there are stairs some truth larger than ourselves that makes every lost every greece and every disappointment worth the risk. Sometimes when nothing makes sense all we can do is care and that very act itself brings meaning. So it is that the courage to care may be the greatest courage we can display. It's interesting to note that the. Root of that word courage. Is cordona or to give one's heart. To what do you give your heart. Having the courage to care. Means to hold the very heart of one's being. Open to new and donning truth. To connection. And two lost. And to living into the possibility of greater wholeness for everyone. Here is a story. To break your heart. Are you willing. Are you willing to have your heart broken so that the world might enter into the very veins of your being. Allowing the greatest love big l love. To enter into your heart to occupy you. Occupy your everyday. Because this is your choice everyday. Blessings on you. And maybe so.

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First two were opened in nogales and agua prieta in 2006 with a third in 2008 in naco. No more deaths continues to support and supply volunteers to these stations.

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Aclu on the west coast team with the mexican commission on human rights to bring out a carefully researched expose on border crossing deaths in october. And in november no more desk moved it up a notch by hiring paid staff for the first time to work on abuse documentation thanks to a grant from the unitarian universalist association.

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The work of preparing this presentation is dedicated to the memory of all selena hernandez and thousands of others like her. Who perished. Attempting to cross the border into the united states.

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And yet still they come. In large numbers we can't be sure how many people walk through the desert one indicator is for example that during the year 2009 tucson sector border patrol which covers most of the southern arizona border ever headed more than 240,000 border-crossers. Along the entire us southern border the number was more than 540,000. Of course many of those were attempting to cross in vehicles they weren't walking through the desert on the other hand that doesn't begin to count the huge numbers who successfully invade the border patrol. They come out of economic necessity to find ways to somehow support their families in light of widespread poverty in mexico and central america.

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Issue number one is water. From the interviews we learned that the border patrol has in adequate amounts of it their methods of distributing it are unsanitary they deny it and they don't take into account people with particular problem. Kidney damage. A couple of examples. From actual account. A male age 25. From chiapas mexico reported that he and his group were given one liter of water to share between 8 people he also had severe blisters on his feet and was kicked in the chest. 34 men and two children were repatriated after being in custody for 24 hours. They were given no food or water.

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The city of tucson sits about 60 miles north of the border between arizona and mexico and it sits on the eastern edge of the sonoran desert the ochre colored area in this map. The 120,000 square mile sonoran desert covers large parts of arizona and california in the northwest mexican states of sonora baja california and baja california sewer and it is bisected by the border. The latter fact makes the desert itself and important character in our story.