April 21, 2019
The unifying themes of this program are justice, love, learning and hope. The messages come from sermons and readings from Unitarian-Universalist sources. The program title comes from a beloved Unitarian-Universalist hymn, “Spirit of Life,” which includes the words, “Sing in my heart all the stirrings of compassion” and “Move in the hand, giving life the shape of justice.”
This week on the program, we’ll explore the paradox of possibility. That is, the idea of letting go to hold on. Click on the sermon below for the audio.
Commentary
Written by Orlando Montoya
There are cathedrals destroyed by fire. And then there are fires that become cathedrals. This week, as the world mourned the loss of Notre Dame in Paris, I learned of the death, in late January, of Savannah Civil Rights activist Abigail Jordan. This blaze, this burning, this inferno of steel and erudition, wrapped in a grandmotherly retired teacher’s slim frame, Jordan was the force behind this city’s only monument to our slaving past. I first met her 20 years ago when she stared down, shouted down and named names when it became clear that many people in high positions had lied to her, backstabbed her and tried at every turn and in every way to thwart the monument. That waterfront bronze wouldn’t be here without her fury. Jordan became church to me years later when I, too, tried to do great things and got lied to, undercut, backstabbed and thwarted by people who feigned help. She became my church of fury. They called her every name in the book. They told her to play by the rules, but then kept changing the rules. They told her to sit down and she stood up. I’ve learned only recently that there are people in this country who have the right to leap into flames and to rage with fire. Jordan was one of them. To date, I’ve kept under flame-retardant blankets my inner incendiaries telling me to rocket like her. One day, maybe. But for now, I revere, as if they were crumbled Catholic timber, those departed women who dared to challenge. When backed into a corner, nevertheless, they insisted, they resisted and, in the end, they twisted history toward justice. There are cathedrals destroyed by fire. And then there are fires that become cathedrals. Rest in peace, Abigail Jordan.
Sermon
“Socialism and Religious Utopia” (1/13/19)
Rev. Tom Goldsmith
First Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City, Utah
Sermon
“Possibility’s Paradox: Letting Go To Hold On” (1/13/19)
Rev. Jennifer Nordstrom
First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Braver Wiser
Used by permission of Braver Wiser, a publication of the Unitarian-Universalist Association
Quest Monthly
Used by permission of Quest Monthly, a publication of the Church of the Larger Fellowship
UUA Statements
Messages from the Unitarian Universalist Association
Natural Silence
Used by permission of ListeningEarth.com
UUA Principles and Sources
Our liberal faith as defined by the Unitarian Universalist Association
World Religions
Written by Orlando Montoya
Interfaith Calendar
Written by Orlando Montoya
UU FAQ
Written by and used by permission of John Sias from interviews with Rev. Steve Edington
Published by the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Nashua, NH
