Dear Friends,
Helen Keller once said, “Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into light.” When we look at this shattered world, we can choose to view it as brokenness or the beauty of a mural or like stained glass.
November brings a reminder that winter is coming and the potential isolation, cold, and loneliness, but it also reminds us to cultivate gratitude and thanksgiving; it reminds us to be a better friend and to more readily offer the comradeship to our neighbors.
I’m asking that each of us, in our own health aware and safe way, engage our communities.
You could do so many amazing things!
You could lead a small drive—non-perishable food or clothing, hats and gloves. This could be here at church, but it could also be in your neighborhood, workplace or volunteer place.
You could buy someone dinner. Sometimes people pay for the meal at another table at a restaurant or in a drive thru line. Sometimes people just bring a pizza to a group of people who are homeless.
You could send care cards–a postcard that says–”Hey there my friend, I care about you. Remember the time when we laughed at ________, those were some good times.”
It is our responsibility to continue to help our communities to be inclusive, to notice when we fall short and when we succeed; it is also our responsibility to speak truth to power–sometimes that is corrective and sometimes it is celebratory.
Elandria Williams, former co-moderator of the UUA said that, “We are the children of freedom fighters, visionaries, and radical liberal theologians. We are the phoenix rising out of the ashes of the McCarthy era and the civil rights, women’s, and queer liberation movements. We are the survivors and beneficiaries… We wear our faith as tattoos on our bodies and in our hearts as testaments to the blood, tears, dreams, and inspirations of our community ancestors and elders.”
The radical inclusivity of our movement, of our tradition calls us to connect and to hear their stories and to share ourselves. This seemingly mundane act of listening, and caring by offering non-judgement and presence–make no mistake–it isn’t mundane, it is revolutionary and it is Love. Love, all we need is Love!
Peace,
— Rev. Will