First Unitarian Church

The Bitter & The Sweet —Rev. Geoff Rimositis
November 9, 2008

Church member, Kristin sat with her son Julian on election night watching Barack Obama’s victory speech in Chicago and told him that our new president was blended,bi-racial just like him and that one day he too could become president. And Julian looked up at his mom and said in a matter of fact voice, I know. I know, as if it was commonplace and normal and not the monumental achievement that had Jesse Jackson crying all evening as he stood in front of the stage in Grant Park seeing all his work for civil rights, justice and equity find a world of possibilities in the election of our 44th president, Barack Obama. They’ve been saying that Rosa Parks sat so that Martin Luther King, Jr. could march and Martin Luther King marched so that Barack Obama could run. I think all of our steps are lighter now believing that a new era is dawning for our country and for race relations in America. Obama’s victory was sweet, oh so sweet.

But Kristin and Jean who joyously celebrated their marriage in this sanctuary also have a bitter taste in their mouths with the passage of Proposition 8. If we want to get married or not what difference does it make to anyone else? It is a private and personal decision between couples. It shouldn’t be anyone’s business but our own. Unfortunately many people did make it their business to deny thousands of couples and families across our state their fundamental right to live their lives as Americans, free—free to love those they love. We stood up for love and we had our houses’ egged, No on 8 signs stolen and bumper stickers scraped off our cars. All we want to do is love each other and raise our families and contribute to our communities. Intolerance and hate reared its ugly head and it is hard for us to feel safe in our own neighborhoods after experiencing such violence.

And so here we are with the bitter and the sweet. I know we have much to celebrate with the overwhelming mandate for change that was given to Barack Obama. And yes, we came very close to defeating Proposition 8 and in the process created allies from all corners of the state and nation. The interfaith coalition that formed was amazing. The co-workers we thought were on this side of red startled us when they came forward and said in plainspoken language that Proposition 8 was wrong. Many sectors of society: teacher’s unions, Santa Clara County, The Mercury News, even Google said that it is time to give our friends, neighbors, co-workers, and fellow citizens the rights we all enjoy. And I do believe that it will happen.

But for now we can’t see the future for the tears in our eyes. We are tired of fighting the good fight. We are weary to the bone. We are angry. We are scared. We are deeply disappointed. Thank God we have each other to hold when the weight of the world comes crashing down on us. Thank God we have this community and this Unitarian Universalist faith that believes in the inherent worth and dignity of all people—that has put itself on the front lines across our state and across our nation time and time again throughout our history for the liberation of all people.

And once we collect ourselves, get some rest and perspective we will be back to make things right. We will be victorious because we have love on our side. I am hoping with all my heart and soul that Barack’s presidency will be the beginning of a cultural change in this country that will restore the rights that have been denied for same sex couples, for the environment, for working people, for the sick and disabled, for children who will no longer be left behind in education or policy. In Barack’s own words: “This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time—to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm the fundamental truth—that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us we can’t, we will respond with the timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes We Can.”

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul,
what wondrous love is this, O my soul?
What wondrous love is this that brings my heart such bliss,
and takes away the pain of my soul, of my soul,
and takes away the pain of my soul.

Out of the many, we are one. This is the Universalism whose name we bear and whose creed is written on our hearts. This is the great love that compels us to wholeness. As Universalists our task is to discover what it is we love and once we find it to give ourselves over to it.

This is a love that holds the bitter and the sweet, the good and the bad, success and failure. Everyday we experience pleasure and pain. In a day, life can bring us joy and happiness and it can be hard—frustrating and infuriating. We as spiritual people, as Universalists, have to hold the tension between those polarities, between the shadow and the light—for out of that nexus a third thing can be born—the creative third—the place where the Holy Spirit dwells.

Our spiritual task is to live with the tension between our extremes and embrace both as essential parts of ourselves. The middle way is not a cop out, a median point of equal but opposite views. It is a place of possibility where something new, something unexpected, may emerge, if we but surrender to its awakening.

The work we did against Proposition 8 was a labor of love. At times we felt angry, frustrated and overwhelmed with the enormity of the task set before us. But at the core of that work was love and it motivated us to come down to the phone bank week after week. It inspired us to stand on rain soaked corners with our children to wave placards and let it be known what side we were on-the side of love.

The Reverend Alice Blair Wesley who inspired me to go into the ministry twenty-five years ago when I served with her as the religious educator of The First Unitarian Church of Cherry Hill, New Jersey said that once we find those things that are truly worthy of our attention and devoted service

“…we are called upon-or love asks us-to be loyally and freely active on behalf of our beloved. We are asked to spend - our labor, our talent, our brain power, our money - whatever we have to spend that seems to us needed. Not for nothing do we say, “Love makes the world go ‘round,” or “Love conquers all” or “Love casts out fear” or “Love is stronger than death.” All these saying report the truth that when love is strong - for what is worthy of love - nothing can separate us from it - not flaws in or problems with our beloved, not the dangers of service in behalf of what we love, not the rewards of competing attractions, not even the death of those we love.

… The worship or spiritual practice of a free congregation is best understood as the deliberate return of a faithful and loyal community of people who come together - again and again - to be receptive to all that is worthy of renewed love. We come to church to be reminded of, stirred up to recall, and brought again to feel the charm of all that we love and cherish most.”

We may not have defeated Proposition 8 but we have gained so much because we put our love out into the world and by doing so it has made its way into the hearts of many people that would have remained closed to it. We increased the capacity of people to love outside of their preconceived notions of what constitutes love. And this love will continue to grow and transform lives. The election may have signified an end but our work lives on in those that have been changed.

So where do we go from here? Yes, the lawsuits have been filed and new strategies are being designed. I am not talking about our political objectives I am talking about what are we going to do with the power we have experienced in this campaign? How do we bring this power home to transform our own base—The First Unitarian Church of San Jose? We have proven time and time again Margaret Mead’s words: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.”

We have been outwardly directed, rightly so. We have multiplied our power in coalitions. We got in touch with power within ourselves we didn’t even know we had. And our small band of liberal religious thinkers has accomplished more than our numbers would suggest. But we can’t forget the source of our power and how much we need each other’s courage, strength, and commitment. This religious community is our rock upon which we can build our dreams. But it must be strong as we are strong. It needs us to also look within to see what needs to be done to move us along to our next stage of growth to meet the spiritual needs of our families—of all of us.

Gordon McKeeman, former president of Starr King School for the Ministry, Universalist preacher and a past candidate for the Unitarian Universalist Association presidency wrote in an essay titled, A Theology of Power in the Ministry that as a minister he seeks “to help people realize that the religious community’s health and their own are intimately connected, and that their contributions to it of time, talent, health and self, are for their own welfare. We devote our lives to realizing the soul, the holy spirit, the inner light within ourselves, and try to practice what we preach by asking whether we can preach what we practice.”

One thing that Barak Obama’s historic campaign and No On 8 has proven is that an engaged citizenry is alive and well. The passive consumer culture does not speak to our values. We are taking back our country from the moneyed interests and in doing so we will take back the soul of our nation. We understand that it matters what we love and how we make that love manifest in the world. And it matters if this religious community thrives because our youth need it when they are faced with the dysfunction and intolerance of those who would dismiss who they are and what they believe. And it matters if this community thrives because we provide a place where every voice is heard regardless if they are theist or atheist because here the divine spark in each one of us is recognized and respected. And it matters if this community thrives because there is still much work to be done in the cause of justice.

We are a spiritual cooperative, a grass roots religion. We don’t know about the here-after but we do want to know what it is that you love and cherish most and how we can bring that transformative energy into our community. In January we will have discussions about our social justice and religious education ministries. We will ask ourselves how we as a church community can become a more effective instrument for the change we want to see in the world. How can we best organize ourselves to do the work of social justice? For example what if we voted on one major effort not to the exclusion of others but to create greater community and a more effective presence? What if we involved our whole church in the work of justice, by bringing together religious education, worship, hospitality, young and old, so we could learn together, worship together, act together and celebrate together as one community?

I look forward to this and many more ideas that may arise in our conversations together on how best to live out our Unitarian Universalist principles that get us closer to the goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all.

We will also be holding a summit on Re-Imagining Religious Education early next year. We would like to invite all those who work in the field of education, primary or secondary, public or private, to spend some time together helping us to begin to envision on how we can best serve our children and families by creating a new educational model. We want to think out of the box, get out of the old classroom paradigm, and provide a meaningful spiritual experience that builds relationships among our youth and adults and enriches everyone’s community experience.

In the words of Unitraian Universalist William Doherty in his essay on Home Grown Religion, “We need an approach to faith formation that puts family and home and intentional community at the center, that combines the I and the We, spiritual freedom and rich tradition. We will have to go beyond our traditional programming silos of worship, social justice, and separate faith formation activities for children, youth, and adults. Instead we will have to bring the generations into closer involvement and create experiences of spiritual depth and participatory engagement. It will have to address powerful cultural forces that inhibit spiritual living and active citizenship.”

As our affirmation states we are all about helping souls grow into harmony with the divine. We are all about transforming lives. It is not easy work and it takes all of us to make it happen. So keep a lookout for upcoming discussions about our social justice and religious education ministries and come with your ideas to help us craft this next phase in the grand history of The First Unitarian Church of San Jose.

What an exciting time we live in. The election of our country’s first black president is amazing beyond belief. Many of us thought we would never see it in our life time. For the first time in many years we have an optimism about our country and its future. As the anitracism curriculum, Building the World We Dream About, comes to a close after a year of semi-monthly meetings, we can see hope on the horizon for creating the beloved community where race and class unite.

Yet, our work is far from done. The economy is heading for a severe recession, thousands upon thousands are losing their jobs. Our state is in severe financial crisis and services may be cut for the most vulnerable among us. Our religious leadership is needed now more than ever. Our voice must be heard at the public square and our presence must be felt wherever the marginalize and the dispossed are ignored.

This is what it means to declare oneself a Unitarian Universalist—to walk in the footsteps of our ancestors like Susan B. Anthony, suffragist and women’s right activist and like her believe that failure is impossible when you have right on your side—and when you find what you love and devote your life to it.

Blessed Be
Amen
Shalom
Salaam
YES WE CAN!