Marlene J. Geary
Co-Chair, Sunday Services Committee

Restlessness

The quotation that immediately comes to mind when I think of restlessness is this:

“I was born in a crossfire hurricane, And I howled at my ma in the drivin’ rain.”

— From “Jumping Jack Flash” by The Rolling Stones

Here are some other thoughts on restlessness from three diverse sources: Judaism, Buddhism and Humanism.

Judaism
“One of the cornerstones of Judaism is the centrality of study. We come from a strong intellectual tradition that asks us to probe our world deeply. This daily command and legacy is perhaps the most significant way in which Judaism fights boredom. It asks us to study our universe carefully and engage it with our minds.”
—From Jewish Study as Antidote in the book “Spiritual Wonder: Rediscovering the Wonder of Judaism” by Erica Brown.

Buddhism
“Uddhacca means distraction. It may also be called the unsettled state of mind. Just as minute particles of ash fly about when a stone is thrown into a heap of ash, the mind which cannot rest quickly on an object but flits about from object to object is said to be distracted. The mind arising together with uddhacca is called the distracted mind. When one is overpowered by distraction, one will become a drifter, a floater, a loafer, an aimless person. In meditation restlessness is considered as a hindrance, because it prevents mindfulness.”
From: http://thebuddhisttemple.org.

“Dreams and restless thoughts came flowing to him from the river, from the twinkling stars at night, from the sun’s melting rays. Dreams and a restlessness of the soul came to him.”
- Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha

“So even if the hot loneliness is there, and for 1.6 seconds we sit with that restlessness when yesterday we couldn’t sit for even one, that’s the journey of the warrior. (68)”
- Pema Chödrön, When Things Fall Apart

Humanism
“Life does not stand still for long. All of life is a cycle of motion and rest. We grow, we push ahead, we exert
ourselves, we rest, and then move forward again. For humanists, such we are, the purpose of life is to live – to live fully, to live comprehensively, to live strenuously, to bathe ourselves in the riches of experience. But motion, which is unguided, is erratic, chaotic, unsatisfying, and sheer restlessness. It is a cliché that life is a journey. But as much as we are inspired by the wanderlust of life’s journey, at some point we need to return home again. We need to come home so that we reflect upon where we have been, renew our energies, and chart our future as much as it is in our
power to do so. Life presses us onward toward the expansion of our energies and the assertion of our wills. But as much as we driven to roam through life, we also need fixed points, anchorages and safe harbors within which we can restore ourselves and take a moment to reflect and get our lives in order.”
—From: Dr. Joseph Chuman

Peace

Shall I, I wonder, ever find
Peace at home in my own mind;
Or must I to live at all, incur
Daily the rumor, heat and stir
That blind the heart and wag the tongue
Of restless men I move among?
Is this at every breath the toll
To twist and fragmentize my soul?
Must I before I sleep, survey
Each night the rubbish of each day,
Meet love in flickering light, hear long
Dissonances in every song,
Forsee the sun fade, the dark end
Shatter the luster of each friend,
Watch noisy disillusion dart
Brusque through the quiet of my heart?
And shall I only when I cease
To be at all, be all at peace?

by Irwin Edman

Marlene J. Geary
Co-Chair, Sunday Services Committee

“Vocation at its deepest level is not, ‘Oh, boy, I get to go to this strange place where I have to learn a new way to live and where no one, including me, under­stands what I’m doing.’ Vocation at its deepest level is, “This is something I can’t not do, for reasons I’m unable to explain to anyone else and don’t fully un­derstand myself but that are nonetheless compelling.”

– Parker Palmer

“The challenge for [Unitarian Universalists] is to make sure we are providing evidence of what we love and serve more than secretly. Actions speak louder than words. Do we care about conventional wisdom more than justice? Do we care about keeping up with our neighbors more than enlarging those who are truly our neighbors and inviting all persons to the party? Where are our hearts leading us, not just in secret, but here, publicly?

This challenge means we are talking about vocation— a calling to something. Here we are, having cove­nanted, having promised to affirm and promote these principles and draw upon these many traditions. Here we are answering this calling, which sometimes we might struggle to define, answering this calling here, to work in this church and in this faith.” – Rev. Naomi King

The ministry theme for January is vocation. This is at first glance a more secular choice for a theo­logical theme. We’re all familiar with the definitions of vocation – a life’s work, the purpose of a group, a strong inclination toward a particular state or a course of action. The word has been connected to a divine sense of work, traced to the Christian Bible.

But I am particularly interested in the etymol­ogy of the word for this month’s column.

The first known use of the word is from the 15th century. It comes from the late Middle English vocacio (1400-1500CE). This sourced from the Latin vocare, which meant a call or a summons. And vocare came from vox, which meant voice.

And what I see from tracing the etymology is that the call grew out of the voice. The voice became the call that became the vocation. The voice is the vo­cation. Out of the vocation comes the voice.

What is the voice?

The voice is what you hear inside you that calls you to grow, think, move, change, act.

The voice is what people hear together that causes movements, protests, changes. It founds new religions. Unitarians and Universalists heard a voice that they could not ignore and they answered the call to found a new religion. From this group vocation, they created a new voice that speaks to us today through the principles of Unitarian Universalism.

At some point, you made a deliberate decision to become a Unitarian Universalist. It might have been as a child, as an adult, as a senior. But something within in you spoke and you listened. It might have taken a few steps or many, but you followed the call to find a Unitarian Universalist congregation. And here you are today, at Unitarian Universalist Society: East.

So I would ask: now that you have been called here to be a part of this faith community, how are you participating in your vocation as a Unitarian Univer­salist? What is your work within this faith? The UU Principles begin with the statement “we affirm and promote”. If you affirm, do you also promote?

This vocational work of promoting the princi­ples is a core function of our covenant together. Uni­tarian Universalism is not a passive religion. At its heart is the deep justice work of building equity and compassion in human relations. At its heart is a stag­gering goal of a peaceful world community. The voices of Unitarian Universalists are heard the world over, promoting these principles.

This is the vocation of the faith community of which you are a part. I invite you to listen to your voice and ask where your UU voice fits into that com­munity vocation. What is your UU vocation? Where is your voice heard? Where is your voice not being heard?

If you are proud of this church, become its advocate. If you are concerned for it future, share its message.  If its values resonate deep within you, give it a meas­ure of your devotion. This church cannot survive without your faith, your confidence, your enthusiasm. Its destiny, the larger hope, rests in your hands.

-Michael A. Schuler

MEANING

By Marlene J. Geary

From the Unitarian Universalist Association’s “Spirit in Practice” set of workshops:

The things that are holy and sacred in this life are neither stored away on mountaintops nor locked away in arcane secrets of the saints. I doubt that any church has a monopoly on them either. What holiness there is in this world resides in the ordinary bonds between us and in whatever bonds we manage to create between ourselves and the divine. —Patrick O’Neill, ” Unitarian Universalist Views of the Sacred ”

For our Unitarian Universalist congregations to reach their potential as spiritual homes, we need to provide rich and meaningful opportunities for spiritual develop­ment. The Eight Spheres of Spiritual Growth is one model, one structure upon which such an integrated program might be built. Inspired by the Eight Gates of Zen training devel­oped at the Zen Mountain Monastery in Mount Tremper, New York, Spirit in Practice articulates eight spheres in which one can develop his/her spiritual life.

You can think of the eight spheres model as a spiri­tual analogue of the USDA’s “food pyramid.” To be well balanced in nutrients, you must eat from all of the different food groups in the food pyramid, yet not every meal need include food from every group. Similarly, engagement with each of the eight spheres over time can lead to a well-balanced spiritual life. To continue with the “food pyramid” analogy, our Unitarian Universalist tradition will not tell you specifically what foods you should eat, but the collec­tive wisdom of the world’s religions and the insights of modern psychology do point to a general outline of a “healthy diet” for spiritual well-being.

Personal Spiritual Practices: These are practices done alone and, perhaps, daily—such as meditation, dream work, journaling, prayer, and so on. They’re what most people think of when they hear the words “spiritual practice.”

Communal Worship Practices: Although Unitarian Uni­versalists affirm the uniqueness and individual nature of a person’s spiritual path, our movement is also founded on a belief that community is essential to that journey. Regular engagement with communal worship—the ongoing and collective search for truth and meaning—is one way of sup­porting this belief.

Spiritual Partnerships: Spiritual development is hard work, and most faith traditions affirm the usefulness of companions on the journey. A spiritual partnership can take the form of participation in a small group, a one-on-one relationship with another congregant, spiritual guidance with a minister, or one’s own personal therapy. What mat­ters most is the intentional relationship with another person and a mutual commitment to the journey.

Mind Practices: Could a program of spiritual development be Unitarian Universalist without an intellectual compo­nent? This is a role of adult religious education: book stud­ies, film discussions, lectures, adult forums, scripture stud­ies, courses in UU history, and other RE offerings are all ways to fulfill this dimension of a “rich, integrated pro­gram.”

Body Practices: We know that mind, body, and soul are interconnected. Doesn’t it make sense, then, that a well-rounded spiritual practice includes some kind of physical practice? It might be running, sitting, gardening, tai chi, massage, or virtually anything else that keeps us in touch with the miracle of our physical selves.

Soul Practices: These are the practices that exercise our creative selves—drawing, painting, sculpting, music, po­etry, and other creative endeavors. It has been said that the Biblical expression that humans are “made in the image of God” means that we are made to be creative.

Life Practices: Religious traditions from around the world agree that we eventually need to take what we do in private and in our congregations and bring it out into the rest of our lives—in our relationships with our family members, in our workplaces, in our interactions with strangers.

Justice Practices: A fully mature spirituality does not stop at the goal of transforming oneself, but must extend beyond oneself—to others—and include a vision of transforming the world.

Share the “Eight Spheres of Spiritual Growth” model with a friend, housemate, or family member. Talk about the kinds of spiritual practices you have engaged in and those you wish to learn more about, and ask the same of your conversation partner.

If you have children in your life, discuss spiritual­ity with them. Try coming up with a definition of spiritual­ity that is meaningful to you and also makes sense to them. Talk with them about things you do, and things they can do, to connect with the Spirit of Life—things like prayers at the table or at bedtime, or sitting quietly to meditate.

Take some time in your journal to reflect on your lifelong spiritual journey. When you were a child, what (if anything) were you taught or shown about practicing spiri­tuality? What practices have you engaged in as a child, youth, and adult? How have your spiritual ideas and needs changed throughout your life? What practices might speak to those ideas and address those needs today?

Compassion

Watch for updates.

ATONEMENT

By Marlene J. Geary
Chair, Sunday Services Committee

Hosea Ballou, an influential 19th century Universalist preacher, redefined the Christian doctrine of atonement in his book A Treatise on Atonement. Ballou came from our back yard, a man of the central hill country in New England: southern New Hampshire and Vermont and western Massachusetts. He was raised a Calvinist Baptist and in his teens he became exposed to the concepts of Universalism and Unitarianism being preached in the pulpits of the time.

Atonement in this case would mean amends or reparation for an injury or a wrong that’s been committed. Strict Christian doctrine on atonement stated that Jesus was the source of expiation of the sins of humanity: his death satisfied divine justice and appeased the Christian God. This God was disillusioned and angry, but Jesus’s death managed to fix that by absorbing humanity’s sins and restoring the relationship of God to the world.

It wasn’t up to humanity to feel better about God; it was about God feeling better about us. And seeing as how only Jesus could do that, there wasn’t much hope for humanity. Combined with the doctrine of Calvinist predeterminism, Protestant Christian life was pretty harsh, stern and severe. You were either definitely going to burn in Hell, or if you weren’t going to Hell, chances were God hated you for your weaknesses anyway. I suppose it’s no small wonder that other ways of interpreting a relationship with God started developing, including a migration away from the concept of God altogether.

The Shift

Hosea Ballou took issue with this doctrine of atonement, reflecting this theological shift in Christian thinking. He took the idea of a God of infinite love and ran with it. He said that a God of infinite love could never have been offended by humanity. Ballou said that instead of appeasing an angry God, we have the task at hand of figuring out how to reconcile ourselves with a loving God, especially given our human shortcomings. We have to figure out how to love God again, he said, especially because all God wants is love and salvation for everyone.

Ballou felt that people would naturally gravitate toward a life of love and good works if they felt it brought them closer in synchronization with their universal
infinite notion of God.

What This Means for Us

My interpretation of Ballou, then, says that we are called to grow ever closer to that notion of universal love. The practice of atonement, then, brings us in sync with that universal love by addressing actions that may have caused harm or injury. Atonement, then, might be said to be an act of love.

As Unitarian Universalists, we are asked to consider the concept of the universal, interdependent web of all existence – some may include a concept of God or gods in their interpretation, some may not. When we contemplate making atonement for an injury or wrong that we have caused, we are considering our effect upon one locus of the web. But, our belief in the interdependent connections of existence lead us to the idea that our efforts at atonement affect the entire web, not just one point. How does this play into the role of atonement in your life?

Questions to Consider

What place does “love” as an abstract concept or an attribute of the divine have in your personal theology? How does it affect the way you approach atonement? Do you resent practicing atonement, expecting resentment in return? Do you approach making amends as if the world is an endless source of light and love? What is your core purpose for atoning for your actions? Do you practice atonement in order to feel closer to your God or gods? Do you practice atonement in order to feel closer to other people?

IDENTITY

To be updated.

JOURNEYS

by Marlene J. Geary – Chair, Sunday Services

Sun, my sail and moon, my rudder
As I ply the starry sea
Leaning over the edge in wonder
Casting questions into the deep
Drifting here with my ship’s companions
All we kindred pilgrim souls
Making our way by the lights of the heavens
In our beautiful blue boat home

- Peter Mayer

The ministry theme for July and August is journeys. During our services this summer, we’re going to hear the stories of a variety of people at all stages of life. Some will come to talk about how being a part of UUS:E has helped inform their young adulthood. One will talk about the guidelines she uses on the journey from day to day. One will talk about the journey of her life. Still others will tell their stories about how a connection to their body has informed their spiritual journey. And Josh will round out the group, bringing us his perspective on journeying in our lives.

A journey is an act of traveling from one place to another. The journey might be physical, intellectual, emotional, or spiritual. Some folks plan their journeys. They select a destination and map out the route to get there. Others simply set out and go wherever the road leads them.

The summer is a good time to stop and ask: what’s your journey? It’s a good time to imagine yourself on a plane, looking down over the landscape of your life. What does your life look like, viewed from 10,000 feet? Are you on a meandering path, wandering but not lost? Are you wandering and feeling lost? Are you on a path of your own choosing or are your steps chosen for you? For your life, is the journey more important than the places you’re going? When you look at your life, no matter how short or long, where have you been on your journey? What stories can you tell? What do those stories say about your life?

And then, take a moment to look ahead at the journey in front of you. What stories do you want to tell, a year from now? Last year I spoke of mid-summer as being the time for the harvesting of crops. What life seeds did you plant last year that are coming to fruition now? What seeds do you want to plant for next year? What kind of journey do you want to go on this year? Where do you want life to take you? Do you need a destination or is the journey enough?

The Journey

by Mary Oliver

One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice–
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
“Mend my life!”
each voice cried.
But you didn’t stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do–
determined to save
the only life you could save.

Services and Children’s Programs (Sunday School)

at 9:00 and 11:00 am (unless otherwise noted)

Click here for a list of upcoming Sunday services.

GRACE

by Marlene J. Geary Co-Chair, Sunday Services

Words of Grace

Go in peace.

May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born to you of gratitude and of hope.

May you use those gifts that you have received and pass on the love that has been given to you.

May you be contented knowing that you indeed, are a child of the universe.

May this presence settle into your bonesand allow your soul
the freedom to sing and dance and praise and love.

Go and be blessed and be a blessing.

Amen.

- Adapted from St. Therese de Liseaux

“Grace is not a strange, magic substance which is subtly filtered into our souls to act as a spiritual penicillin. Grace, unity, oneness within ourselves …” – Thomas Merton

“I do not at all understand the mystery of grace—only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us.” – Anne Lamott

We are exploring the theological concept of grace for the month of June. Grace is one of my favorite names. I picture grace as a strong wooden ship that sails through re¬freshing whitecaps and tumultuous swells.

There are lots of sea metaphors here—ships sailing together find a collective grace within fellowship. Finding in the midst of a storm, a moment of grace. Sailing on the brightest of calm winds, another moment of grace.

What does grace mean to you?

Would you call unexpected blessings grace?

From where do you believe gifts of grace come?

Have you found grace within the fellowship at UUS:E?

TRUTH

by Marlene J. Geary Co-Chair, Sunday Services

“I call that mind free which…calls no man master, which does not content itself with a passive or hereditary faith, which opens itself to light whencesoever it may come…” – Rev. William Ellery Channing

“What may appear as Truth to one person will often appear as untruth to another person. But that need not worry the seeker. Where there is hon­est effort, it will be realized that what appear to be different truths are like the countless and apparently different leaves of the same tree.” – Ghandi

It requires a certain amount of freedom to be able to seek the truth. In April our ministry theme called us to consider freedom. We affirm and pro­mote the free and responsible search for truth and meaning in our lives. But what is truth?

We start out believing as true the things we feel, taste, touch, see and hear. Then we discover tangible evidence that sensory truth is distinct and subject to biology. It’s a surprise when we learn that humans interpret colors differently. We’re amazed to find that cilantro reeks of stinkbugs and soap to some and offers a sharp lemony flavor to others.

Our circle of learning expands: we begin to see that experiences shape truths as well. Family, home, neighborhood, education and religious up­bringing all contribute to how we filter truth in our lives.

As Unitarian Universalists, we seek to ex­pand the filters of biology and experience. We are invited to examine the validity of what we believe is true. We are asked to keep searching to stretch the boundaries of our beliefs as a part of our spiritual growth.

Consider these questions when you are thinking about truth this month:

What does truth mean to you?

Who gets to decide when something is true?

How do you seek the truth?

Has the truth ever changed for you?

How would you respond to someone who be­lieves their religious creed is truth?

Are the UU Principles & Purposes a form of truth?

FREEDOM

“Free and Responsible”

by Marlene J. Geary

Have you ever found yourself saying “Being a Unitarian Universalist means that you can believe anything you want?”

The Rev. Liz Strong writes: “Unitarian Uni­versalism is not the freedom to believe anything or nothing. It is the freedom to reason and feel your own way to what the evidence leads you to believe. You have the freedom to form your own beliefs. [But] there are responsibilities that go with this freedom.”

The Rev. Tim Kutzmark takes it from there: “Just because Unitarian Universalism doesn’t have a rigid structure doesn’t mean there is no structure at all. Just because Unitarian Universalism doesn’t have a rigid set of beliefs doesn’t mean there are no beliefs at all. Just because Unitarian Universalism has an open embrace doesn’t mean that any belief is welcome here. Just because Unitarian Universalism affirms us as individuals doesn’t mean that our own mind is the be all and end all of religious discernment.

Our faith is rooted in radical beliefs, revolu­tionary concepts about divinity and humanity and the nature of life that reach back several thousand years. Timeless truths taught by our Unitarian and Universalist forebears are at the core of our faith. These core beliefs are anchored in this present day and age by what we call our Seven Principles and Purposes. These Seven Principles and Purposes are not inconclusive or inconsequential vagaries. They are seven specific action statements, seven specific mis­sion statements that, if we really guided our day by them, would cause us to upend our lives and upend the world around us.

The Principles are the heart of our faith. We are called not just to affirm these, which is easy. We are called to actively promote them in our home, our workplace, our neighborhood, our town, our state, our country, and our world. And if our own beliefs are not in sympathy with any of these seven—then this Uni­tarian Universalist faith is not a place for us. I can’t be here, you can’t be here, we can’t be here, and simply believe whatever we want. Our own search for truth and meaning must be guided by these seven religious principles.

My mom used to say: ‘There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.’ Well, I’d echo that and say: ‘There ain’t no such thing as a free search.’”