Category: Sermons

By Rev. Terry Davis Delivered at Northwest Unitarian Universalist Congregation on March 19, 2017 What does it mean to be spiritually awake? Hannah described it as a place where she sees beauty in everything and has a deep feeling of contentment and peace. We might say that the people in Dana’s story who dug clay and cut down trees to […]

Regardless of our philosophies or politics, if we can agree that the earth is stunning, generous, and needs our care, then perhaps we have a more hopeful and mutual path to its conservation than we previously imagined. Perhaps our inner naturalist, guided by an ancient instinct to connect intimately with our sacred planet, will help us find even more common ground and a shared sense of holy purpose.

When we witness actions in our country and communities that threaten the well-being of these vulnerable people and our vulnerable planet, we are called to do more than claim that we stand on the side of love. Like Summer and Malala, we must take action. We can’t stop now – especially today. So, what can we do?

What may be needed when times call for courage is not peace and politeness, but, rather, some rough and tumble impatience. Perhaps it’s when we allow ourselves to get in touch with our angry impatience that we’re finally able to get in touch with our nerve.

Denial is not a river, but it can be a stubborn obstacle to transformation. To deny that any individual has the power to change things is to deny the power of the human spirit. We are stronger than we may think.

Don’t let anything or anyone flip us into a place of hopelessness . . . a place where we forget how beautiful, powerful and important we each are. For the sake of our world and the sake of our spirits, we must keep Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of the Beloved Community in plain sight . . . a vision of a world filled with love, compassion and justice for all people.

And, I believe the only way to achieve this is for each of us – when we’re feeling frustrated, angry, discouraged or even faint – to look closely into our worried hearts and our upside-down faces and ask ourselves, “Have you considered doing something else?” And, then decide what our one small thing might be . . . and do it!

Despite our forward journey along the arc of the moral universe toward justice, we still have much to do. More than 150 years after the death of Theodore Parker, we are still living with oppressive laws. And nearly 50 years after the death of King, we still seem to be stuck in the mountains of materialism, racial injustice, indifference to poverty, and hate and violence. Parker and King might encourage us to get busy to help move our world along the arc of the moral universe. And, I believe we can start with something right in our own backyard.

E.O. Wilson writes, “If there is any moral precept shared by people of all beliefs, it is that we owe ourselves and future generations a beautiful, rich, and healthful environment.” In other words, regardless of who or what is our God, no matter whether we think Earth is 6,000 or 4.5 billion years old, we all share the common ground of our common planet.

So, let’s not stop our good individual efforts and advocacy for environmental sustainability. But, let’s also consider in the days ahead how we might reach out to those with whom we feel so far apart philosophically, religiously, and politically and come together around an environmental concern that is in all of our best interests.

As we go from here, my hope for you and for me is that we will take inspiration from these stories of new houses and new commitments. My hope is that we’ll each continue to do our part for change and justice . . . knowing that, while we may have to wait on outcomes that we desire, we certainly don’t have to wait on taking action.

It seems to me that hope doesn’t release us completely from anxiety or grief during our darkest times. Rather, hope’s gift is the feeling that we can go on in spite of our suffering. The answers to our questions are complicated details . . . . They can and must wait for another day.