So much is happening. So many existential issues are facing us at one time. What does that mean for us individually and as a community? We are in uncharted waters, but that doesn’t mean our behaviors have to be uncharted. It is natural to feel anxious about what is happening and this is an opportunity for all of us to lean into what it means to be in this religious community.
Our beliefs or observances are not dogmatic but it doesn’t mean they don’t exist. We are called by the Cambridge Platform to journey together in the spirit of love. Beyond that, we have a historical theology that speaks to our commitment to trying to create a heaven here on earth through our deeds and not our creeds. Deeds include how we act, how we treat ourselves and how we treat each other. This idea is part of the religious education we teach our children. It is in the worship services we attend. It is in the actions we take in the community. It is guidance as much for when we feel low, fearful or angry as it is for when we experience joy, celebration or connection.
I wanted to write this blog the week after the election not knowing how the election would turn out. My guess is that many of us have some pretty deep feelings about the outcome; however, this is not a time to back away from UUCF or from your commitment to our Unitarian Universalist faith. It is a time to lean in deeper, to connect more, to listen more closely, to be more involved, to find the time, space and wherewithal to connect with the spirit that drives our community.
The return to “normal” at this point is more than likely a memory but that doesn’t mean what is to come won’t be meaningful. There will be much to navigate in the coming months and perhaps years and, retreating from community, although understandably needed at times, in the long run serves disconnection more than connection. We have things to work through. Mistakes will be made. We will have to plan, implement and reflect on our actions before we plan again. Perfection is a foolish dream. Our commitment to love, our covenant with each other, our call to create heaven here on earth – even if UUCF is just a little piece of that heaven – is vitally important as we face whatever the future holds.
There is a love holding all of us. I have to believe that. I know that as grandiose as it may sound, Rev. Christin Green and I truly do love you. We have chosen this path because we want to foster transformation, healing and love in this world as is the call of the mission of this congregation. This is no easy task but it is a worthy call for all of us and at the center of who we are as a community and who we hope we can ever more so be.
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