Month: May 2012

Inspiration: 

 

 

You have the right to remain silent – but you also have the right to speak out.

We Honor …

Unitarian Julia Ward Howe, who became famous for writing the words to “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” However, although the “Battle Hymn” was her most famous piece of writing, she ended up feeling embarrassed that people knew her for this song which made war seem very noble and wonderful. She wrote the “Battle Hymn” during the U.S. civil war, and was dedicated to the cause of freeing the slaves. However, she also saw the terrible cost of war—the killed or injured soldiers, the families who had to manage without loved ones, the homes and farms that were destroyed. When she saw war break out again, this time in Europe, she began speaking out on the horrors of war, as well as working for the rights of women and Arfican-Americans. In 1872 she wrote a stirring call for women to demand peace  and established a yearly Mother’s Peace Day as a way for women to work for peace.  Mother’s Day has since become a more general holiday honoring mothers (you can find out more about its history under the Mother’s Day link above), but we still remember Julia Ward Howe, who believed so strongly in the ability of women to change the world for the better.

If you’d like to learn a lot more about Julia Ward Howe, including her difficult marriage to Unitarian reformer and educator Samuel Gridley Howe, click here.

Inspiration: 

“If I am not for myself,
then who will be for me?
And if I am only for myself,
then what am I?
And if not now, when?”

–Hillel

Day of Service

Take a few minutes to write down your best ideas of what you would really actually do for a day of service, and some things that you have actually done to make the world a better place. It doesn’t have to be huge stuff—reusable shopping bags and speaking up when someone tells a racist joke count, as well as letters to the editor or calls to your senator, helping out at your school, going to a rally or march, helping someone with their homework, walking or biking instead of taking a car, choosing not to cross a picket line, buying fair trade or organic products, collecting food for people in need, helping kids work out an argument without hitting, planting trees, sharing your skills through teaching or coaching, listening to someone who needs support, etc., etc., etc. You might want to start with everything you can think of that you did in a day or a week that made the world a bit better, and then fill in some bigger stuff from other parts of your life.

 

BY LYNN UNGAR, MINISTER FOR LIFESPAN LEARNING, CHURCH OF THE LARGER FELLOWSHIP  TO READ MORE

Inspiration: 

 

“Justice cannot be for one side alone, but must be for both.”–Eleanor Roosevelt

Inferno of the Living

When most people imagine an inferno, they think of Dante ’s The Divine Comedy. However, I was raised on another story about hell, a parable told by Jesus, in which a rich man goes to hell and a poor man to heaven. The rich man is surprised to see the poor man in heaven by the side of Abraham. In his suffering, the rich man pleads to Abraham to send the poor man to give him water to quench his thirst. Abraham says that the chasm is too wide to be crossed.

Martin Luther King, Jr. and other preachers have interpreted this story to mean that the rich man went to hell not because he was rich, but rather because he allowed the poor man to become invisible to him. He passed this poor man every day and failed to help. The rich man was blind to the need of others. Even in hell, he still believed he was better than the poor man and could expect that the poor man should serve him. The callous rich man wanted the people in heaven to care and help him, but he had failed to do this in his own life on earth for others.

BY ARCHENE TURNER, COMMUNITY MINISTER, WASHINGTON D.C., FORMER YOUTH MINISTER, CEDAR LANE UU CHURCH, BETHESDA, MARYLAND  TO READ MORE

Inspiration: 

 

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart lead me into the work of love, which is called justice.

What Are We Missing?

This month I offer you a spiritual practice. Find yourself a bush, a tree, a nook, a path, a place on the edges of life organized by humans. Visit it when you are burned out, and let your attention go deep into the particular life of that place. Visit it when it rains, or when the sun comes out, and see how it responds and grows.

Spring is a particularly exciting time to notice a place, because change happens so quickly and with such artistic flourish. Take a child or a friend to your special place, and see what they might notice that you have missed. And when you know it well, and it becomes part of you, remember that this ordinary bit of wildness is just as much a miracle as the Amazon rainforest, and as deserving of our attention.

Environmentalism is not just about protecting the earth: it is about letting the earth renew you, letting it transform you, body, mind and spirit, and letting the earth and all her creatures be your companions on this journey

BY DARCEY LAINE, MINISTER, UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF ATHENS AND SHESHEQUIN, PENNSYLVANIA  TO READ MORE

Inspiration: 

 

How does serving others serve your soul?

Nothing Short of Evangelism

In the traditionally action-oriented Unitarian Universalist church, the meaning of evangelism goes beyond pronouncement of the Good News, and beyond mere passive listening by the congregation. Through not only listening but also dreaming boldly, our faith will be awakened, prompting us to translate the Gospel into transformative service. The Good News for the church, therefore, will be about spiritual transformation through the power of meaningful action. Such a church is worth attending.

Many Unitarians practice only an inner evangelism, an inner mission, and don’t reach out. But Unitarians in Transylvania do not stop at preaching the Gospel; they put their words into work. This action orientation, translating the Gospel into service, is a strong Transylvanian characteristic.

Sixteenth century Unitarian leader Francis Dávid brought ethical, values-based Christian thought to light. “God’s word flows as the water and flies as a bird,” he wrote. “Nobody can raise mountains nor any impediments in its way.” The good news Francis Dávid preached is this: as humans, we have the divine potential to follow the example of Jesus, our ultimate ideal and teacher. And because we can, therefore we must. Ours is not a comfortable religion. It has the ultimate challenge of perfection. As another sixteenth century Transylvanian Unitarian leader put it: “The future will ask us not how many we are, but what values we represent.”

BY REV. DR. JUDIT GELLÉRD, PHYSICIAN AND FOUNDER OF THE PARTNER CHURCH COUNCIL  TO READ MORE