Share the Laughter at SEUUMA

 

 

Note to Reader:  SEUUMA is the SouthEast Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association.  We meet twice a year.  This message was shared on April 7, 2026 at the Mountain Retreat and Learning Center, Highlands, NC 

 

This year for my sermon themes, I’m using phrases from Ric Masten’s

Let it be a dance!

I’ve always loved that song and always loved to dance.

Actually, my doing the dance of the seven veils after a sermon based on Tom Robbins’ Skinny Lets and All  almost got me fired in Brunswick, GA – although the folks at SEUUMA loved it –

 especially Chris Buice who reminds me about it

 every time he sees me.

Ric Masten’s song, “Let it be a dance” includes these words –

 “Share the laughter, bear the pain.”

And the word in “bear” in the hymnal is spelled – “b-e-a-r.”

But in Ric’s other publications of his song –

the word is spelled “b-a-r-e.”

 I was in communication with Ric back when I was in seminary,

and he told me what happened.

 He decided to make it “b-a-r-e” rather than “b-e-a-r”

after hearing one of his earlier listeners to the song, say:

“We must learn not to bear (b-e-a-r) the pain –

not to keep it bottled up inside.

 

 

Rather we should bare (b-a-r-e) it – share it,

unburden our selves of the sorrow and pain

that comes along with life."

When the UU hymnal committee asked if they could use his song – with some revisions in the rhythm to make it a little easier to sing,

he agreed.

And he sent them a copy of it from an earlier publication

that had obviously been proofed –

 but he didn’t comment or call attention to the word “bare”—

and he didn’t do that on purpose just to see what would happen.

 Sure enough, when the proofs came back to him,

they had “corrected” his spelling and it was “bear.”

Because he had a playful nature –

 he decided not to correct it.

He wrote to me, “That typo has given me the punch line for every concert and reading I've done since then. I even use the “bear/bare” spelling difference when I officiate weddings -- counseling the couple about how the word must be spelled in a successful marriage.”
So that’s the story of the two bears.

But you know – I think we have beared & bared enough pain lately so-

 

    enough said” about that phrase.

Today – we are going to “share the laughter.”
I told my son John that I was going to attempt to focus on laughter in my next sermon and he said –

 “Mama – how are you going to tell jokes in a UU church –

any joke you tell about anything is going to be offensive

 to SOME one at a UU church.”

And I said --- “I’ll talk about myself and about Unitarian Universalists. That should be funny enough.

And in any case – the main point is too laugh –

whether anything funny is going on or not!”

Now you may not believe this – but it’s true,

that the very ACT of laughing can heal you.

I’m not going to share all this research with you – you can

email me, or google or ask your favorite AI app.

Instead, I’m going to demonstrate a little laughing yoga with you. Here’s how you do laughing yoga. You just laugh.

 You don’t have to hear a funny story. You just laugh ---

and you will begin to feel the healing.

 Now I will attempt to facilitate this by at least giving you some stimulation –

and demonstrating various ways of laughing

 and encourage you to join me.

Fortunately, laughter is rather catching, – like yawning,

 so glance around at your neighbors and share the laughter!

 So relax, shake your hands and let go of your inhibitions –

 and let’s warm up a little with this laughing yoga.

Now, let’s remember back to the days when we were children –

or if we can’t remember our own childhoods –

we can at least remember seeing children and children laugh –

 and it’s especially joyful to watch a baby laugh.
Can you laugh like a baby? – just let yourself go, and try it.

Now let’s go to the other end – and laugh like a really old person –

(that should be easy for many of us) -and old geezer laugh.

And how about the wicked witch laugh?

Now we need to stand as you are comfortable and take a deep breath, -- so that we can laugh like Santa Claus!

(You may be seated)

Now imagine someone is tickling you!

Ah, that’s invigorating!

I’ve always enjoyed laughing myself

and facilitating laughter with others, too.

Well – I say always.

My mom says I wasn’t always an outgoing extravert.

She says I was extremely shy as a young child.

She attributes – or perhaps blames – my personality change

on the fact that I was run over by a car when I was three and a half

 and suffered from a head injury. It did something to me, she said.

And yes, since that time, if there is something I can’t do

 or do differently, she attributes it to that accident.

Even now, her friends may say,

“Christine – why in the world did Jane write that letter to the editor? How come she turned so liberal?” And Mama says – “well you know she was in that accident when she was 3 and a half.”

Maybe that is what happened to me.

 In any case, like many of you, I was blessed (or some may say cursed) with a questioning mind.

For example, I remember standing with my dad  in the “white’s only” line with me at the Dairy Queen when I was about 5.

 And I asked him why we were in that line

and the colored people were in the other line. My dad said

 “Well, you see Jane – we’re white.

 So we stand in this line and get vanilla ice cream.

And the colored people stand in the other line

 and get chocolate ice cream.” –

 Well you know – I was in that accident --- so I said –

 “Well, I want chocolate.”

 And my dad said,

“No, you’re white – so you have to have vanilla.

That’s just the way it is.”

 I’d like to think my dad was teaching me a lesson

about acceptance of difficult situations –

 but in reality, I know he was trying to aggravate me

– because he licked the curl off of my cone.

 What kind of dad licks the curl off his little girl’s cone.

The same kind that says to her,

“Jane, be ashamed – you’ve got ancestors, yes, you do, lots of them.” And when I’d protest, he’d say: “Go ask your mama.”

 Another one was:

 “Oh my goodness, Jane – just look at you,

you’re covered with garments. You’ve got garments all over you.”

And the worst was: “Mmm Mnnnn (wrinkling his nose) –

 you slumbered in the bed last night.”

 At least he improved my vocabulary.
And my curiosity and questioning

 led me to some other things as a child.

 I wondered what it looked like from the steeple of

 First Baptist Church. There were no steps.

 But, I heard that some boys had found out

how the custodian got up there once a year

to clean the windows and they were going to go.

 There was a panel in the ceiling of a room behind the baptistery – where they baptized you –

 at the other end of the sanctuary up on the top floor of the church. And to get to the steeple, you had to go through that panel

and then cross over the whole sanctuary to the steeple.

Now the attic over the sanctuary wasn’t floored –

so you had to walk on a narrow catwalk -- -

and they warned that if you fell through the sheetrock –

you would fall to your death on the pews below,

and wouldn’t that be a sight –

 so since I was a girl, I could not go with them.

And I didn’t go with them…

 I went with Jamie Sue, Maureen, and Aris.

 I also went up into the clock tower of the courthouse

 and stood behind the clock faces and saw the old big bell.

 Hey—it was Statesboro in the 1950’s

and we had to entertain ourselves someway.

Now, I also became curious about the Bible.

 And when I was about 12 – I decided to really study it,

not just the parts the Sunday school teachers taught us –

 but all of us. Have you folks read the Bible?

If you haven’t – I’ll go ahead and tell you

that the main character dies about ¾ of the way through it.

 So – I found some strange things in that book,

 things like a donkey that talked (and he spoke English

in the Bible that I was reading)

 and gods that came down and had sex with women (oh god) –

 and then they gave birth to giants (OH GOD!).

 Strange stuff indeed. And not just in the Old Testament,

in the New Testament there were folks that were dead

and came alive – and not just the ones who had just died recently,

 like Jesus or Lazurus

 After the crucifixion of Jesus,

 it said that the graves opened up

and the folks came out of them and walked around.

Well, I undertook this study at about the time

that young folks also begin to think a little more rationally.

And it sure didn’t make sense to me.

 However, I closeted my doubts and disbeliefs

 enough to get along okay –

then finally had the freedom in my late 40’s to come out and be free. And I became a Unitarian Universalist. Hallelujah!
Of course, some of my relatives were worried about me –

and one asked, “But are UU’s saved?

To which I responded, “We are not LOST – we’re exploring.”

Of course that’s a UU joke.

And although I’ve studied Unitarian, Universalists, and Unitarian Universalists for many years now –

I’ve found that there is much truth and understanding

 that can be found through the jokes made by them and about them. They are not all true – but they hold a glimmer of the truth

that we can see in ourselves.

So  – I’m going to share some of those jokes and stories with you today.
First for our new folks – just what is this Unitarian – and Universalist – that became Unitarian Universalists?

Well, these were originally two different denominations.

 Rev. Starr King provided a classic explanation of the two back in the 1800s when he said something like:

“The difference between Universalists and Unitarians is that Universalists believe that God is too good to damn men, and Unitarians believe that Man is too good to be dammed.”

So – how does a Universalist make holy water?

 They boil the hell out of it.
As you may know, the Universalists were the ones who preached salvation for all and were therefore none as the “no hell” church. There are actually some little Universalist churches in the rural south – because they did send missionaries with this good news.

 There was one little town that just had two churches – a Baptist church and a Universalist church.

 And a visitor asked why two churches were needed

in such a small town.

 A resident replied: That church says, “There ain’t no hell. The other church says, “The hell there ain’t.”
Now the Unitarians were the ones who believed in One God –

 more or less.

The Unitarians were not so much interested

 in getting people into heaven as they were in

getting heaven into people.

 Anyway – these churches evolved so much

that when they decided to join together in 1961,

 they decided not to have any creed!

One visitor to a UU church asked,

 “What do you mean, it’s a creedless religion?

 That means you don’t believe in anything, right?”
“No,” replied the member, “that’s not what it means.”
“So what do you believe in?”
“Well, for one thing, we believe in creedless religion.”
We have to constantly correct folks

 on these kinds of misunderstandings.

One fundamentalist Christian said to her UU neighbor,

“I hear you UUs deny the divinity of Jesus Christ.”
The UU responded,

 “No that’s not true. We don’t deny the divinity of anybody.”
It’s true that we have a diversity of beliefs and ideas

within Unitarian Universalism. And that’s okay with us.

Like Francis David supposedly said,

 “we do not have to think alike to Love alike.”

But it’s problematic for others.

A person from one of the mainline churches Christian churches asked,

 “I hear that you have all sorts of weirdoes in your church, …Atheists, Buddhists, Pagans,….
To which I replied: “Oh yes, we even allow Christians – we’re very open minded.”

(That’s a joke – didn’t happen, but I’ll be ready if it does.)

Now after finding Unitarian Universalism,

many folks say –

 “Oh I was a Unitarian Universalist and didn’t even know it.”

 So maybe we need to put an ad in the paper to help folks find out if they are UUs… kind of like that Jeff Foxworthy fellow who helped folks understand whether or not they were rednecks.

For example,
If you are unsure about the gender of God,
You might be a Unitarian Universalist.
If you begin your prayers with “To whom it may concern,”
You might be a Unitarian Universalist.
If you read ahead in the hymnal to see if you agree with the words before singing them:
You might be a Unitarian Universalist.
If you gave up pot in the 70’s

because no one could guarantee it was organic,
You might be a Unitarian Universalist.
If the vanity plate on your electric car reads “Thoreau”
You might be a Unitarian Universalist.
If your teens rebel by becoming more conservative,
You might be a Unitarian Universalist.
If when you dress for a formal evening out, you wear Birkenstocks,

You might be a Unitarian Universalist.
If you approach every subject with an open mouth,
You might be a Unitarian Universalist.
If you’ve ever been in an argument

 over whether or not breast milk is vegan,
You might be a Unitarian Universalist.
If your children think the holy trinity is “Reduce, reuse, and recycle.”
You might be a Unitarian Universalist.

Yes, our children get a different view of things

 than those in more conservative religions.
The older neighbor, trying to be helpful,

 said to one of our little UU girls,

“I know you’re sad, but right now your kitty cat is with Jesus.”
To which the child replied, “What would Jesus want with a dead cat?”
And you may have heard the one about the little kid trying to give the kittens away.

On the first day, her sign by the box on the road said:

 “Adorable kittens – Free.”

The next day, the child had her box in front of the Methodist Church saying, “Adorable Methodist kittens – Free.”

Then she had it in front of the synagogue with a sign that said, “Adorable Jewish Kittens Free. “

And the following Sunday she had them in front of the UU church with a sign saying,

“Adorable Unitarian Universalists Kittens Free.

 And the minister, questioning her advertising ethics asked her,

 “Why do you think I’ll believe that all these are UU kittens now,

 all of a sudden?”

“Well,” said the child, “Now they have their eyes opened.”
And here’s a few more:
What do you get when you cross a UU with a Jehovah’s Witness? Somebody who knocks on your door but doesn’t know why she’s there.
Why is Jeopardy the favorite tv game show of UUs?

 Because you get to guess the QUESTIONS to the answers.

Why did the UU cross the road?
To support the chicken in its search for its own path.

How many UU does it take to screw in a light bulb?

 I have two answers – one provided by a mature adult UU who said:
“We choose not to make a statement either in favor of or against the need for a light bulb. However, if in your journey, you have found that light bulbs work for you, that is fine. You are invited to write a poem or compose a modern dance about your personal relationship with your light bulb. Present it next month at our annual Light Bulb Sunday Service, in which we will explore a number of light bulb traditions, including incandescent, fluorescent, 3-way, long-life, and tinted, all of which are equally valid paths to luminescence.”

And the other response was written by an eighteen year old boy in a rather unsupervised youth group in another city – who responded, “UU’s don’t screw in light bulbs –

but check out the sleeping bags in the church basement.”

Okay – I probably went too far with that one,

so I’m going to sing a song I found on the internet to make amends. Randy is going to help me with this one. You know I mentioned earlier that we are very differing beliefs as UUs.

 So I am going to sing the part of Ruby, a young energetic theist,

And Randy is going to sing the part of Barry, an aging humanist.
(to the tune of “You are Sixteen, I am Seventeen” from The Sound of Music.)

(Randy Sings)
You are theist I am humanist
I think that you're naive
You have no proof to offer as truth,
You simply say "I believe"

New age bubbles get you in trouble
Lost in a feel-good fluff
True understanding is quite demanding
Praying is not enough.

Totally unprepared are you
To make a case that's plain
Maybe the incense, chants, and drums
Have ruined your poor brain.

You need someone older and wiser
Telling you what to do,
You are theist, I am humanist
I--will think--for you!

(Jane Sings)
I am theist, you are humanist
You're locked inside your head.
You're existential, self-referential
Claiming that God is dead,

Occam's razor, Pascal's wager
empty tautology
Wisdom, traditions, not erudition
Make much more sense to me.

Totally unprepared are you
To let go of your mind.
How 'bout a leap of faith, my friend
You might like what you find.

When you find that you're out of answers
You won't know what to do
I am theist, you are humanist,
I -- will pray -- for you.

Amen.

 

If Nothing's Wrong, then Nothing's Right

 

It’s been more than 40 years ago now – December 21, 1985. 
Tracy Ham had thrown that touchdown pass

into the hands of Frankie Johnson

as the final seconds ticked off the clock,

and the Georgia Southern Eagles had won their first National Championship, in Tacoma Washington.

My family had traveled with the Eagles on the chartered plane

and now we were headed back to Statesboro with them.

Our noises of happy celebration were mixed

with the growling stomachs of the ball players

who had not eaten since breakfast many, many hours before.

And for some reason, the flight attendants served them alcoholic drinks –

but not food, till after they had served

those of us who were boosters riding with them. That was a mistake.

The players got a little rowdy and a couple of them

started harassing one of the female flight attendants. 

 

Legendary Coach Erk Russell was sitting on the front row

and heard some of the commotion.

He got up, walked to the mid-section of the plane

where the boys were acting out, and all got quiet.

He looked at the young men, pointed to them, and said two words:

(click) “Do Right!” Then he turned around and went to his seat.

No yelling and screaming at them, no lecture on how to treat women,

no discussion on the etiquette of behavior on planes,….

Just those two words: “Do Right.”
And they did.
It was Erk’s belief that by the time they got to college,

these kids KNEW right from wrong,

so, they just needed this ONE rule – do right.

Now I greatly admired Coach Russell.

I still remember many of his sayings and teachings.

But in the case of these young adults – or even old adults like some of us,

it’s not that simple, is it?

In the song I’m using for my sermon themes this year,

Ric Masten says:

“If nothing’s wrong, then nothing’s right.”

 I’m not quite sure what Ric meant by that – and alas,

 he’s no longer with us, so I can’t ask him.

I’ll assume that since most of the phrases in this song

are lifting up opposing aspects of life as meaningful,

perhaps he is doing that with wrong and right.

As if, if we never do anything wrong,

we won’t know that we are doing anything right.

I can go with that… mistakes are important learning tools.

But there is a difference in getting something wrong – by mistake –

and doing wrong intentionally.

And is that a wrong we lift up as well – just for contrast?
Then there is the even bigger problem of the ambiguity of the world,

 in terms of right and wrong.

How do we struggle with morality in today’s complex world?

Ric’s song tells us that we should “Let it be a dance,”

and I’m willing to move in all those directions –

sometimes tango, sometimes waltz, and sometimes do the boo-ga-loo.
This wrong/right dance is an age-old dance

that folks have done for many, many, years ----

AND even passed down some of their conclusions about right and wrong

and morality for us to ponder.

In addition to the words during our meditation time by Maya Angelou –

and the short quote and information from Erk Russell,

I’ll share a few more quotes from

famous and infamous people on this matter.
“The time is always right to do what’s right.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Success is the sole earthly judge of right and wrong.” Adolf Hitler
“I know only that what is moral is what you feel good after and what is immoral is what you feel bad after.” - Ernest Hemingway
“For there is nothing either good or bad, thinking makes it so.”
William Shakespeare from Hamlet
“Contradictions do not exist. Whenever you think that you are facing a contradiction, check your premises.

You will find that one of them is wrong.”
Ayn Rand
(Use Mae’s Voice) “When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I’ve never tried before." Mae West

This morning, I invite us to explore right and wrong through three lenses:

 

 

1.   What science and use of the scientific method tell us about how humans make moral decisions

2.   What this means for humility and responsibility

3.   What guidance can help us live ethically in the 21st century

---

So, what does the science tell us about

How Humans Actually Make Moral Decisions

The short answer is – we are still trying to find out.

For a long time, Western culture imagined morality as a rational process.

We picture ourselves weighing pros and cons,

carefully reasoning our way to ethical conclusions.

But science tells a more complicated—and more human—story.

 

You remember learning parts of the brain –

and which part was responsible for what.

So, most of us perhaps thought that making decisions

about right and wrong happens in the prefrontal lobe.

 But it’s more complicated than that.

Neuroscience shows that moral decisions begin in emotion, not logic.

Research using brain imaging reveals that when people confront moral dilemmas, the limbic system—the brain’s emotional center—activates before the prefrontal cortex,

the region associated with reasoning and deliberation.

In other words:

We feel first. We reason second.

And although the reasoning aspect lights up the front part of the brain,

 the feeling aspect is more complex.

I read some of the latest biology on this –

and it’s really too complex for me to share in sermon –

especially since I didn’t quite understand it all. 

But I did gather that –

It’s more like various processes that are happening in the brain

(and elsewhere in the body)

that provide us with that initial gut feeling of what we should do –

not a single part of the brain –

though certainly the limbic system is involved.

That’s what biologists tell us.

Now psychologists using the scientific method

feel it’s okay to lump these into two categories –

since they are not trying to connect it necessarily with parts of the brain.

In 2013, I read this book by Jonathan Haidt

 to use with a sermon I was sharing –

 and my more recent research seems to indicate

that folks are still looking to his ideas to understand morality. 

Haidt describes moral reasoning as a rider on an elephant.

The elephant—our intuitions, emotions, gut reactions—moves first.

The rider—our reasoning—

often explains afterward why we went where we did.

While preparing for the sermon I’m sharing today,

I came across a little video that helped me understand more about this

and how we can perhaps encourage the elephant

to make the right path choices. Because we are going to go where

the elephant goes!

 I’m going to share that with you now.

https://youtu.be/X9KP8uiGZTs?si=QGyoEkW5tLH4gQrn

This is why I try to include stories, poetry, or music in my services and sermons – because if we don’t feel it, we are not likely to change.

 

When we can feel another’s suffering,

we are more likely to act compassionately.

But science also reveals empathy’s limits: We feel more empathy:

• For people who look like us
• For those close to us rather than far away
• For individuals rather than large groups

       

This is why one child’s photo can move the world,

while statistics about thousands may not.

But we can’t just use our feelings to make decisions. 

Our moral instincts evolved in small groups.

They did not evolve for global crises, digital anonymity,

or decisions affecting future generations we will never meet.

Going with your gut is not enough.

And that’s especially true –

 because our sense of right and wrong are shaped by our culture.

What one society sees as morally obvious, another may question.

You know how some foods perfectly acceptable to some cultures seem disgusting to us – yet we have no problems eating something like oysters.

AND - Even within a single culture, moral views change over time.

I asked via an email for folks to share with me some things

they may have thought were right – but now see as wrong or vice versa. 

Since I got no responses,

I’ll share another story regarding my own upbringing –

that I hold some shame about – but it makes the point.

I have shared with all of you that when I was growing up,

 I thought that segregation based on race

was the way it was supposed to be.

And I’ve shared about how I began to question this some in high school.

I’m not sure whether I’ve ever shared this story –

but I think it makes a point about how our culture

affects even our emotions, instincts, and gut reactions.

 

In the summer before the 9^th grade – in 1964, I was very privileged

because my parents took us to New York for the World’s Fair.

Did any of you go? It was fascinating and HOT. 

Well, on one of the days we were there,

we got on the subway and rode out to Coney Island.

My brother and I even got to ride that bad roller coaster.

But that is not what turned my stomach that day.

I remember looking out on the beach –

and among the sunbathers was a black man with a white woman.

I had never seen an interracial couple in my life.

And I was still at the point that I thought that

even school integration was wrong.

Well, when I saw that – I had a gut reaction --

Like you might get if you see a rat running across your bedroom at night.  Repulsive, - my stomach turned. 

The sight literally made me feel sick. 

My instincts, my gut, told me this was wrong.

 I’m rather ashamed to tell you this.

But I share it as an example of how our culture, our society,

affects our feelings, instincts, and reactions.

And having that example always with me reminds me that –

NO – I cannot necessarily trust my gut, my instincts.

I do need to pause and THINK.

Am I making a judgment about someone based on how they look perhaps,

or how they talk.

I know I had a fellow seminarian that announced in a group

 that she didn’t want to sit next to me because she was afraid

she would fall back into speaking with a southern accent. 

And, though I felt an ouch then - I actually understand her concerns,

because some folks hearing me speak, do indeed,

have some perceptions that are not correct.

They have shared that with me.

 

 Now, I have changed how I feel and think about lots of “so-called”

 morals and ethics through the years.

And I imagine you have as well.

Even we UUs –

 have changed our views on many things through the years,

so, that even we feel compelled from time to time to review our shared principles or values – and yes,

we modified and shifted them to be more inclusive through the years.

This doesn’t mean morality or rules for good behavior are meaningless.

 It means morality is developing, relational,

and responsive to new understanding.

Science teaches us something humbling here:

Our sense of right and wrong feels universal,

but it is partly inherited, partly learned, and always incomplete.

---

That brings us to our second lens – Humility.

If moral certainty comes so naturally—and moral error so easily—

then one of the most ethical virtues we can cultivate is humility. 

Humility does not mean moral relativism.

 It does not mean “anything goes.”
Humility means acknowledging that:

• I may be wrong
• My perspective is partial
• Others’ experiences matter

This is deeply aligned with our Unitarian Universalist tradition.

As Unitarian Universalists, we do not claim a final revelation.

 Just as our cousins in UCC state “God is still talking,” we perhaps modify that to “The Truth is still being revealed.” 

We affirm the continuing search for truth and meaning.

And we know we will not always agree,

but we covenant to remain in relationship.

Moral humility allows us to say:

• I hold this value deeply—and I am still listening.
• I am committed to justice—and I am open to learning how my actions affect others.

In a polarized world, humility is not weakness. It is moral courage.

---

The final lens is Guiding practices for living in the 21^st century.

Wow, didn’t we think it would be better by now? But it is not.

And the science tells us that though we’ve changed rather quickly –

 our bodies and brains have not caught up with what we are facing.

So, we have to really pay attention – and take action.

I’m going to share 5 guiding practices

that we can take away from what I’ve already shared

and start practicing today.

1. (Read slowly) Slow Down Moral Judgment

Because our brains move quickly to judgment,

 ethical living requires pause.

Before reacting, ask:

• What am I feeling right now?
• What values are being activated?
• What might I be missing?

Slowing down interrupts the automatic response

and invites wisdom to enter.

2. Widen the Circle of Moral Concern

Science shows we care most about those closest to us.

Ethics calls us to stretch beyond that.

This means intentionally considering:

• People we will never meet
• Communities historically excluded
• Future generations
• The more-than-human world

Justice requires imagination.

3. Pair Empathy with Analysis

I have to do this constantly – because I care and I’m a helper. 

But I’ve found that my help sometimes goes too far in some cases

and not enough in others.

Empathy moves us—but systems shape outcomes.

Ethical action today requires both heart and mind:

• Compassion and data
• Stories and structures
• Care and accountability

And concerning those “thoughts and prayers” we send out –

Feeling bad is not the same as doing good.

4. Choose Values Over Certainty

We may not always know the right answer,

but we can choose the values that guide our questions:

When answers are unclear, review your values --

values become our compass.

Our Unitarian Universalist Association – at least for now – emphasizes these values:  Justice, Equity, Transformation, Plurality, Interdependence and Generosity all centered in LOVE. And you may have others that you can name that are important to guide your actions.

5. Practice Moral Repair

We will make mistakes. That is guaranteed.

Ethical living is not about moral perfection. It is about:

• Acknowledging harm
• Making amends – be responsible to one another
• Learning and changing

The ability to repair may be the most important moral skill of all.

 And often we have to do it again and again.

The words the choir used in their welcoming song are based on these words from the Sufi prophet RUMI:

 

 

“Come, come, whoever you are. Wanderer, worshiper, lover of leaving. It doesn't matter. Ours is not a caravan of despair. come, even if you have broken your vows a thousand times. Come, yet again, come.”

And we can do all of this with help from one another.

In the world we have today, I do want justice!

But I need to be careful about judgment.

For you see, morality is not about standing above others in judgment.

It is about standing with one another in responsibility. 

And sometimes, even when we try to do right – it all goes wrong.

Yet we still have LOVE and one another. Hallelujah for that!

As the choir sang in Cohen’s anthem:

(Sing( I did my best, it wasn't much
I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch
I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you
And even though it all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah

(sing with us)

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah – Hallelujah

---