February 5
Unitarian Universalists of Coastal Georgia (Brunswick)
From 2001 to 2005, I was taking classes at Meadville Lombard Theological Seminary while completing my final years at Georgia Southern
before retiring and beginning ministry.
During this time, I would often preach sermons at the UU Fellowship of Statesboro and other area UU churches as well.
Almost 20 years ago, on February 9, 2003, I shared in Statesboro a sermon entitled, “Can you say GOD?”
It was a sermon in which I felt called to reclaim some religious language –
and I actually started on those sermons
before I heard that Bill Sinkford shared that plea with UUA.
Soon after that, I preached the sermon to this congregation – which was then a small group of UUs that met at the Old Post Office at St. Simons.
The congregation had a practice at that time of the speaker answering questions immediately after the sermon.
So, after I completed the sermon, “Can you say God?”
I asked if there were any questions.
Is Rappaport, a humanist curmudgeon of sorts, said:
“I don’t have a question – but I have a comment.” I braced myself and said, - “Well, go ahead Is.” And he responded, “That was a god-damn good sermon.”
So Is demonstrated that he could say God. Not exactly what I had in mind, but nonetheless, the word was lifted up.
Since that time, our UU congregations have become more tolerant of some
“God talk” being used by folks who find that meaningful –
and we can even sing the words – if not asked to do so every Sunday.
As our language has evolved to be more inclusive, our congregations have evolved somewhat as well.
So here I am today in my sermon series on Big Questions asking,
“Who or What is God?”
And I asked the supreme knower of all known, Wikipedia.
Here is the first part of that response:
In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith.[1] God is typically conceived as being omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and omnibenevolent, as well as having an eternal and necessary existence. God is often thought to be incorporeal, evoking transcendence or immanence. (end quote)
There have been many efforts to PROVE the existence of God – and we had to learn about these proofs in seminary. I mean some of these dudes had long formulas and charts and graphs with lots of interesting new words for me to learn. But I saw no proof – just speculation.
I remain unconvinced that God can be proved.
Perhaps explained from a particular viewpoint, but not proven.
God is a word – derived from the Old English – which was taken from a German word – and this word when capitalized is used to translate a host of other words that may be in scripture or other writings to describe that ultimate deity that many believed in and still do. Allah is the Arabic word for this same being.
And there are many other names.
But all of that does not matter to UUs – I think – as much as how we ourselves might conceive of and use the word. All words are tools to convey meaning.
Do we use this word, personally, and if so – what meaning to we attribute to it?
I sent out a survey on Facebook and via constant contact asking you to share from your own perspective the response to the question “Who or What is God?”
As I began revising this sermon to share with this congregation, I had 31 responses. Four folks said they don’t really think about this or dwell on this.
And two of you had such traumatic experiences in other church settings with how this word was used against your very being, that you find it triggering.
I hope that this congregation is a place of healing for you.
Several people used the word LOVE in their response. God is love. Several referred to nature or energy. Others – that awareness of connection and awe! Two used the word force or life force. A couple of you quoted AA’s words of a “faith in a power greater than ourselves.” One referred to goodness or good works being the exemplification of God. A couple of you gave more specific definitions tied to your own theology – example Buddhism or Wican. Here is a lovely quote from one who appears to practice an earth centered spirituality.
God is a word to which we ascribe our own, individualized meanings. For me, he is the warmth of the sun on my face in the morning. She is every heartbeat and the innate, harmonious connection between all living beings. God is neither person, nor force of nature, but simply the life I recognize in myself, in others, and in the world around us. Sometimes it is helpful to give god a face (or a few!) for personalized comfort, peace, or strength. For me, I choose to see the faces of Cernunnos, Hecate, Selene, Persephone, or Rhiannon when I need a personalized god to speak with. Most days, the sun, the moon, the wind, the ocean, the trees, the birds, rain, the focused breath in my lungs, and the feeling of grass beneath my feet are enough to remember that I am loved, safe, cherished, and wanted. I recognize that the gods I choose to connect with are not what others may choose. As long as our choices bring us closer to each other, promote healing and love rather than harm, and give us peace and strength to endure hardships, then we have made the right choice for ourselves.
Oh Yes!
One person quoted me – and I was quoting Forest Church saying God was “That which is greater than us but is in us.” And one used Paul Tillich’s definition that God is the Ground of being. None used the words described by Wikipedia for the all supreme being, creator, who is omni – everything.
One sent this poem as a response.
The breath I take fills with air
Yet I cannot see it
Unless the bitter cold of Winter shows it
My love inside I feel must be outwardly shown to manifest
The wind in the fresh green leaves of the trees, the birds that sing, the foam between my toes at the Ocean shore
God is Earth, the creatures the marvels . God is in me .
God is creation of the cycle of life
I do not with my limited eyes see God.
I feel God
That loving warmth is my joy.
I like that! Some say God is a verb. But perhaps God is a feeling. In any case, for this poet, it’s inspirational.
As a minister, I attempt to use words with others – especially in pastoral care – as tools to inspire and give comfort. And, as a Unitarian Universalist pastor, that means sometimes using words that I may not use in my own spiritual practices.
I can translate – and I often ask you to do the same when we are singing, praying, or listening to others. We are intentionally welcoming - and we should increase our tolerance and use of reverent language if we want to be more welcoming of all who need us in this community.
My Professor, David Bumbaugh, at Meadville Lombard was an avowed humanist, but he knew the importance of this. He writes:
“We have manned the ramparts of reason and are prepared to defend the citadel of the mind. But in the process . . . we have lost . . . the ability to speak of that which is sacred, holy, of ultimate importance to us, the language which would allow us to enter into critical dialogue with the religious community.”
I have loved Bishop Shelby Spong’s writings since I first read, “Saving the Bible from Fundamentalism.” And I think that his beliefs are not far from mine. And he does use the word God. He knows it has different meanings to different people like us heretics. Here is what he shares about the meaning of God.
If the word “God” refers to the experience of recognizing the Source of Life, …then the only way we can worship that which we call God is by living, living fully, and the more fully we live the more that which is ultimate, real and holy is seen in us.
If the word “God” can be identified with the Source of Love that flows through the universe, always enhancing life, for that is what love does, but only coming to self-consciousness in human beings, then the only way we can worship that which we call God is by loving, loving wastefully. Wasteful love never stops to ask whether love is due or deserved, one simply gives it away….
If the word “God” can be understood to refer, not to a being, but to the Ground of Being in which everything that exists is ultimately rooted, but which comes to self-consciousness only in human beings, then the only way we can worship that which we call God is by finding the courage to be all that each of us can be, and then by allowing, indeed encouraging, others to be all that they can be….
True religion is, at its core, nothing more or less than a call to live fully, to love wastefully and to be all that we can be. That is finally where life’s meaning is found. All else is background music.”
John Shelby Spong
My challenge for you here today is that we be open and that we practice those principles and values of inclusivity that we hold dear. I know it’s not that simple. But we can begin to have the conversations that will help us to understand each other and understand what we each hold as sacred.
So whether your beliefs (or non-beliefs) regarding God or the ultimate are based on theism, deism, pantheism, atheism, or agnosticism – whether you identify as a buddhist, Christian, humanist, Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Pagan, just plain old Unitarian Universalist, or none of the above or all of the above ----
I leave you with this hope -
May the Spirit of Life fill you,
May the Mother Goddess hold you,
May the Universe enfold you,
May Peace be with you,
May the Light of the World Illuminate you,
May the Truth set you free,
May the Force be with you,
May Love guide you every step of the way,
May the strength of your own mind and body give you courage,
May this Community lift you up,
And on and on and on and on
Including those words familiar to us all,
May God bless you.
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