“A Real Incarnation”
Rev. Roberta Finkelstein
Sunday December 3, 2006
Prolegomena. A word that rolls off the tongue, a word that I learned in seminary, and never get to use in day-to-day conversation. Prolegomena – that which comes before, that which goes without saying. In systematic theology the prolegmonena are those principles or tenets of faith that form the core – usually the unquestionable core – of faith. No wonder I don’t get to use the word much. What, if anything, would be unquestioned at the core of our faith? And yet there are some things that I consider prolegomena as far as my personal credo is concerend. And since you still don’t know me well, I thought I’d mention some of them this morning.
First, and I realize that I risk losing some of you in the second paragraph by saying this, I reject outright the distinction between spirituality and social justice. To talk about ethical issues, issues of justice and peace, is an intrinsic part of Unitarian Universalist spirituality. Like Mary Oliver, whose poem Kari read, I believe that spirit needs a body. Spirituality is not an ethereal, other-worldly experience. It is a practice of intentional presence in the world. The well-known Buddhist teacher Thich Nah Hanh tells of a group of Vietnamese monks in a monastary, in prayer. The nearby village was bombed, and through their prayers they heard the cries of the injured. They asked themselves, is it more important to keep to their practice of prayer and meditation, or go to the aid of the village? And then they realized that their question had no validity: there is no difference between prayer and binding the wounds of the injured. In other words, when they rushed to help the wounded villagers, they weren’t ending their meditation, they were incarnating it.
Second, I firmly believe that the absence of a creed in Unitarian Universalism does not mean that the core of our faith is a null set. In the place of a creed – a required statement of belief – we have a covenant. A covenant is a promise that we make to each other, and in agreeing to live by that covenant, we define ourselves as Unitarian Universalists. There may be some who reject the terms of our covenant, and still refer to themselves as Unitarian Universalists, but without giving our minds and hearts over to that promise, that ideal that we strive towards, we are not truly people of this faith. Furthermore, the difference between holding to a creed and holding to a covenant is the different between intellectual assent and action. Deeds, not creeds. In other words, we don’t talk about beliefs, we incarnate them.
The third and final item of prolegomena this morning – I am convinced that all of the myths and metaphors of the world’s religions are reflections of deeply held, common human desires. The idea of God being born among us, coming down from the sky and taking human form, repeats itself across time and space because we humans have a common yearning to know intimately and comprehensibly what is of ultimate value for life on this earth. I honestly don’t know for sure if the spirit needs a body, but I do know for sure that we embodied spirits need to know that the ultimate is part of our lives. In other words, if God didn’t incarnate himself or herself regularly throughout human history, we would invent stories of incarnation and tell them over and over again as if they were true. And our invention of them would not in any way diminsh their truth.
End of prolegomena, beginning of sermon. John Buehrens, a former president of the Unitarian Universalist Association and co-author of A Chosen Faith, writes that the work of social justice in Unitarian Universliast congregations can be thought of as a pyramid. The base of the pyramid, the widest and most wide-spread, consists of hands-on work done by the members of the church. Serving meals in soup kitchens, buying Christmas presents for needy children, operating a homeless shelter in the church, planting trees, picking up trash from road sides and streams, bringing dinner to Families First, registering college students to vote. These are the ways we have built the base of our pyramid here at South Church. And an excellent base it is. How many of you have participated in some hands-on social action project through South Church? Thank you to all of you who have asked, “What can I do to incarnate my faith?”
The second layer of the pyramid involves moral reflection and action of a different sort. Instead of feeding hungry people, we ask ourselves, “why does hunger exist in this community? What social programs could be put in place, what practices could change, that would address the root causes of hunger and help eradicate it?” This is the level of advocacy, of working in small groups or task forces to learn about relevant issues, and then bring about changes in policy. How many of you have worked together with other South Church members to address an issue of peace or justice or socail welfare? Thank you for writing and speaking up as a way of incarnating our faith.
The next layer of the pyramid builds on the previous – it consists of individuals acting in socail witness even when there isn’t a group at the church that is working on a particular issue. I suspect that many of you have lobbied or written a letter to the editor or otherwise made your opinion known in the public square. And many of you were moved to take the stance that you took by the principles of our liberal religious faith. How may of you have been motivated by your faith to take a position on a social issue even when South Church wasn’t formally involved? Thank you also for incarnating your faith.
The final layer of the pyramid, narrow at the top because it is the most uncommon, is what Buehrens calls corporate social action. Every once in a while – about once a generation, I would guess - an issue comes along that pretty much everybody can agree upon. And then the whole church goes to work together on that issue. Marriage equality may have been an example here, though I don’t know for sure. Or perhaps back in the 1960’s the Voting Rights Act. It is possible that global warming/climage change might be such an issue for South Church.
What is important is that we – ministers, staff, leadership, membership – together, are always about the business of building and maintaining our pyramid. We cannot rest on the work done in previous generations, basking in the reflected glory of those great Unitarain Unviersalists back in the good old days. We have to be constantly searching out the places where we are needed today. Because we are the people of deeds not creeds. Because we know that the spirit needs a body if spirituality is to have any meaning in our lives and in our world. Because we recognize the univerasal human yearning for incarnation, and as Unitarian Universalists we choose not to wait for some future time when God, if God there be, chooses to be born into the world. For us, the holy, the spirit of life, is born into the world every day, every moment when we allow ourselves to be vessels for grace. In a moment you will be hearing from several of the Outreach Associates who will be asking you how you would like to see fiath and spirituality incarnated here at South Church. Before I turn the pulpit over to them, I’d like to share an Advent poem with you. Pause for just a moment to consider whether this poem, written by an anonymous 15th century mystic, might be an your invitation to become a partner in the ongoing incarnation of divinity in the world. (Please forgive this 15th century author the use of the word ‘man’. There is no way to fix it without destroying the meter.)
Lo, in the silent night
A child to God is born
And all is brought again
That ere was lost or lorn.
Could but thy soul, O man,
Become a silent night!
God would be born in thee
And set all things aright.