Can You Say HALLELUJAH? (4-12-09)

Can You Say HALLELUJAH?

Easter Sunday, April 12, 2009

Rev. Jane Page

 

At our story time, we often share the stories that inspired the celebration of the holidays and holy days for the world’s major religions.  So, last year I decided that on Easter Sunday I would share…..the Christian Easter Story for the “Story for all Ages.”  Now I was careful to include all of the usual disclaimers – telling the children and adults that this Bible story, like many of the others we have told, was an old story that had been told by many people before some folks decided to write it down.  And the written down versions in the Bible had some differences as well – so that like other old stories from the Bible and many other religious texts, we were not sure which part of it may have really happened or not.  But that we could always learn something from these stories.  And then I began to tell the story of this great teacher Jesus and what his followers had told about his death and what some later told about his resurrection.  After I completed the first sentence or two of the story, a little girl sitting near the front said softly – “but that didn’t really happen.”  I went on with the story – and her phrase became a little refrain that would be lifted up by her throughout the rest of the story.  “But that didn’t really happen…. But that didn’t really happen….but that didn’t really happen.”  I smiled in acceptance of her critique and kept going each time.  And we made it through the story just fine.

 

You know – I later thought about this little girl and that she was reflecting my own refrain about this story through much of my life.  Well, not when I was HER age – but rather when I an adult – especially in my 30’s and 40’s.  Perhaps like her, I didn’t really even want to HEAR that story – because I could not believe it REALLY happened, and therefore I felt I had no use for it in my life.  I much preferred to think of Easter as a time for renewal – a springtime celebration.  But as some of you know (if you have heard or read my sermon, “Can You Say RESURRECTION?”), this resurrection story became a comforting metaphor for me later in life as I discovered that in our darkest times – when we feel that we are in a tomb, we can listen for that stone to move, and see that crack of light – and know for us that Easter will come.

 

The original Christian resurrection story emerged from a dark time in the lives of the apostles.  Their spiritual leader and best friend and been killed on a cross.  They were devastated.  But something happened to them in that upper room.  They experienced together that transforming living spirit – that connection that many of us sing about regardless of our theologies, and they knew that their lives could be better with that connection – that living spirit which they interpreted as the risen Christ.  The early Christians began the celebration of the resurrection to coincide with the pagan Easter holiday – and they have been singing and rejoicing at Easter ever since.   And one of their favorite words of rejoicing through the centuries has been HALLELUJAH!

 

The name of this sermon is:  Can you say HALLELUJAH?  Did you know that the word “Hallelujah” occurs only four times in the Bible.  It means “Praise the Lord” or “Praise Yahweh.”  The H precedes the phrase in Hebrew while the Greek word is “Alleluia.”  If you include the times that words meaning Praise Yahweh or Praise the Lord are used in the Psalms – then you find it 16 times altogether (still not as many as you might think).  So its greater use and popularity came later and it has since been used as a word to praise, rejoice, and celebrate – regardless of one’s theology. 

 

I submitted the title for this sermon some time back – then realized as the time approached that it might not be the best of times to “say” Hallelujah. 

After all, we are in the worst economic crisis – many say – since the Great Depression.  And we’ve recently seen so much meaningless violence in our nation and the world.  We’ve also had lots of folks in our own congregation who have recently experienced deaths in their families as well as critical illnesses.  Can we say HALLELUJAH?  Yes We Can – for we are indeed blessed in many ways.  And when difficult times occur – it’s okay and normal to take time to feel the pain, but we also need to listen for that stone moving, and look for those cracks of light – focus on them and celebrate the good things in our lives. Hallelujah!

 

So I wrote an email to our listserv earlier this week and asked for you to share some of those good things with me.  And many of you identified events or special happenings that stimulated you to rejoice in recent times.  So now I’m going to share some of these on this Easter Sunday so that we can all rejoice together.  And how should we rejoice? – By saying “Hallelujah.”

 

Some of you reflected on how this recession has actually stimulated more joy for you.  Here’s one quote:

Some of the personal benefits I've experienced because of the recession are related to deeply appreciating the small things in life. I'm much more content with a simpler life these days….. I've also found that I'm a much more creative cook. In "better times" I would plan out a menu for the week & then shop according to the recipes. Now I make a list based on the specials at the grocery store & create new dishes each night using the items that I now have "on hand." It's way more fun, and there's no anxiety having to follow a recipe.  And to that love of simplicity and joy of kitchen creativity, we celebrate with you by saying ____ Hallelujah.

 

One of you had a very long trip to make this week.  And you shared some data that helped you along the way.  You said:

Traffic fatalities in 2008 were the same as in 1961 thanks to people driving a little less, seat belts, and much better made cars.  Gasoline is also cheaper than in 1961 when adjusted for inflation.  So driving today is cheaper, safer, more comfortable and with far more radio stations to choose from.  And I’m VERY HAPPY to say that this very special person made it back safe and sound from Pennsylvania with his two children Thursday afternoon – and we can all rejoice with him by saying:  _____Hallelujah!

 

Another of you wrote to say:

Our rejoicing will come in May with the arrival of our second son - thus completing our family.  I also rejoice at self-imposed "poverty".  I have found that all the "stuff" we are doing without pales in comparison to the time I get to spend watching and participating in our son(s) growing up…  A new appreciation for life, love, and happiness has and is growing around these two boys.  And to that new appreciation – we say:  _________Hallelujah!

 

Another of you shared your joy in your work – all three jobs that you have!  In fact, your business is doing well enough that you’ve actually hired your ex-husband to help out!  WOW – I suppose to that we have to all say:___  Hallelujah!

 

Some of you shared your joy with recent decisions legalizing same sex marriage in Iowa and Vermont.  The tide is finally turning – and we join those waves of justice by shouting:_________ Hallelujah!

 

We had word very recently that two of you passed certification exams – and we say: ______Hallelujah

 

One of you defended your master’s thesis this week

 – and your friends toasted you with:  ____________Hallelujah.

 

I heard that one of you recently received the multicultural advisor of the year award and certainly deserve a _______Hallelujah!

 

At least three of you are receiving degrees or diplomas next month – and YOU and your teachers and advisors and family members all should say: ___________Hallelujah!

 

And many of you can’t help but rejoice at our renewed hope in the country’s leadership.  One of you identified three reasons to rejoice.  And – you know folks – you may not ALL agree with these – I’m just reading them – but if you do, you know what to say:

 

1. I rejoice that our President is an involved, compassionate, intelligent, and articulate leader. __________Hallelujah!

2. I rejoice that the current administration believes that global warming is an actual phenomenon and that they will be taking an active role at home and abroad to work on this serious problem. __________ Hallelujah!

3. I rejoice that our President AND "Mighty Michelle" were so well-received on their recent trip abroad. ________Hallelujah!

I’ll add to those points this recent AP headline story:

Cheered wildly by U.S. troops, President Barack Obama flew unannounced into Iraq on Tuesday and promptly declared it was time for Iraqis to "take responsibility for their country" after America's commitment of six years and thousands of lives.  And we join the celebration of those troops by shouting:  ________Hallelujah!

 

The most feedback that I received was related to the joy that many of you feel about connecting with friends and family.  So many of you have the amazing grace to realize that your time spent with family and friends is SO very precious.  Yes, you are treasuring and savoring each moment with your children, your grandchildren, your parents and partners, other family members, neighbors, your precious pets and very special friends – and this fellowship!  We cherish our relationships and rejoice by saying: _______Hallelujah!

 

I thought that I had received all the feedback from my email request that I was going to get – then I received one more Wednesday evening.  This email brought me back to spring and Easter and our reasons to sing and rejoice together.  Here is a quote from that email:

The orchid my son gave me last Mother's Day bloomed until November when he entered the hospital.  Then it rested without blooming until the morning of March 2nd when he died.  By that afternoon it had 6 buds ready to open.  For my heart that was the beginning of spring & the true meaning of Easter.

 

And you know folks – That REALLY did happen!

 

  Hallelujah, Hallelujah, ____Hallelujah!

 

AMEN.

 

Can You Say COVENANT? (8-23-09)

Can You Say COVENANT?

Rev. Jane Page

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Statesboro

August 23, 2009

 

This past Monday morning after completing some of my morning routine, I announced to Greg – “Oh – Tomorrow is the 18^th and that is my Boniva Day!  Help me remember that!”  -- And he chuckled and said, “Okay.” 

 

Now for those of you who may not have seen the Sally Field advertisements – Boniva is a monthly medication that folks – especially post menopausal women – take to increase bone density.  (Don’t want to break a hip while dancing.)  And you take it once a month – first thing in the morning before you eat or drink anything -- with a full glass of water.  And you have to remain upright for at least 30 minutes.  It’s a big deal.  So it was important for me to remember.

 

Later that Monday morning, I was sitting at my computer thinking about what I might include as an example for this sermon on covenants.  And I thought – well one example is found when two people marry.  They make promises to one another.  And I thought – oh, I could use the promises Greg and I made at our wedding.  Then I remembered.  OH tomorrow’s our wedding anniversary!!   So I immediately emailed Greg to share with him that August 18 was not only my Boniva Day, it was also our wedding anniversary!   He had forgotten too.  It seems that after only two years of marriage, we’ve already fallen into the forgetful habits of an old married couple.  Maybe because we are.  My son made the wise decision to get married on Valentine’s Day – so he won’t forget! 

 

Well, the day is not so important.  What is important is that Greg and I live in a covenantal relationship.  We’ve made promises to each other.  And a covenant is not really like a contract.  When you “break” a contract, the contract is null and void.    With a covenant, you might mess up – but the bond is too important and you just keep recommitting to it as long as you both agree to it.

Now unlike some couples who write separate sets of promises, Greg and I decided that we would make the same promises to each other on our wedding day – and these really were to be just a restatement of what we had been LIVING for the previous five years together.  But since we wanted to say the same thing, we had to find words we agreed on.  Needless, to say, our wedding vows were very short. 

 

I, Jane Altman Page, take you, Gregory John Brock, to be my husband –

to have and to hold from this day forward,

in times of joy and times of sorrow,

and to grow with you throughout the seasons of life.

May our home be forever filled with peace, joy, and love.

 

Nuff said.  That’s a covenant.  And that’s our covenant.

 

The title of this sermon is “Can You Say COVENANT?” – and I decided to do this in correlation with the first lessons the children are getting in their RE classes as they prepare to form their own classroom covenants.    I thought this might be a good time to address this as a congregation, since we really never have adopted a congregational covenant – of how we would be with each other. 

Now like my other “can you say” sermons related to traditional religious language, I’m going to share a little with you about the etymology of this word and some history of how it’s been used – then you can decide whether or not you can say – (and do) covenant. 

 

A covenant, in its most general sense, is a solemn promise to engage in or refrain from a specified action.  It’s etymology  can be traced to a French word meaning “agreement” – and on back to a Latin word meaning “to come together” – from which the word convene has also evolved.   Although we use the word in legal matters – especially regarding real estate, the history I’m going to share relates more to how it has been used religiously.

 

Do you remember “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark?”  That was the Ark of the Covenant.  Oh, Harrison Ford was so impressive.  There he was the boring anthropology professor – then the next thing you know he was the daring young man fighting the bad guys – including a pit of snakes that stands out in my memory.    The Ark of the Covenant that they were searching for in this movie was the self-same Ark described in Hebrew Scripture and contained the Mosaic Covenant.

In Hebrew Scriptures, Yahweh God establishes this Mosaic Covenant with the Moses and the Israelites after their exodus from Egypt.   The Qur’an, however, has the Israelites as the initiating party, offering the covenant to Allah.   In any case, this was not God’s first covenant.  There was a covenant with Adam and Eve in the garden – till they opted instead for a “free and responsible search for truth and meaning” in a tree; and one with Noah after the flood – sealed with the rainbow; and a covenant with Abraham – with circumcision presented as a token of the covenant.  God was going to make sure they were committed that time.  In any case, Yahweh God made promises in exchange for promises and laws to be kept by the people. 

 

Now one often hears of these covenants as part of the “Old Covenant.”  Many believe that the idea of a “New Covenant” came with Jesus.  But it is described in the Hebrew book of Jeremiah.  And it’s a covenant that, again, was for Israelites.  It was in the letters written by Paul in Christian Scriptures that a claim was made for non-Jews who proclaimed Christianity to be a part of this New Covenant. 

SO that’s a taste of the biblical use of this word that is translated as covenant.  This word also came to have widespread use in theology and Christian doctrine.  John Calvin’s entire theology was known as “covenantal theology.”  And this very prescribed doctrine is what I think got me in trouble with one of our long time members – who wrote me a letter when she saw this sermon title and thought that I was going to preach a specific doctrine to you.  She admonished “The founding members of our fellowship will be turning over in their graves.”    I wrote back and reassured her that I would be encouraging no prescribed doctrine from this pulpit.

 

Instead, the covenant that I’m referring to is more akin to the use of the word by the early New England Congregationalists – who were our UU ancestors in the United States.    These folks, known as the Puritans and the Pilgrims, came from England in the colonial days.  They were separating from the hierarchical Church of England.  And they wanted no part of that kind of authority which they felt had moved the church away from the purity of the gospel.  So since they had no church authority to tell them how they were to be with one another within and among their congregations, they just had to get together and decide for themselves – make agreements – often called covenants.   

 

The big one we learned about in seminary was the Cambridge Platform – adopted by a church synod at Cambridge, Massachusetts.  It had little to do with matters of doctrine and belief.  Instead, it points to the very early Christian churches in the Bible and notes their independence – yet support for one another.  It also describes how their own New England churches have agreed among them to certain aspects of church governance and polity.  In other words – a statement that “You are not the boss of me – but we will walk together.”  They  often called themselves a free church.  And we still use this terminology; because we are not bound by creed or hierarchy, but instead by covenants that we agree upon.

 

Now while I was in seminary learning this history, we had a revival of the concept of covenants among Unitarian Universalists.  The small covenant group was gaining popularity and some folks were beginning to write behavioral covenants for their RE classes, their boards, and their congregations.  In one of my first seminary classes at Meadville Lombard, we had a difficult situation to arise as we discussed one topic.  And one of our members said, “This would have never happened if we had a covenant.”  So our student association took some leadership in this matter and developed a sample class covenant to read at the beginning of each class we were in, develop modifications depending on that particular class, and then come to some agreement with our class members – including our teacher.  We also developed a covenant for our student association and encouraged covenants to be developed in other areas of our seminary.  One of my fellow students made this a major part of her calling and spreads the covenant gospel as a Unitarian Universalist community minister. 

 

At the same time that we were doing this and UUA churches were jumping on that bandwagon – and it was a good bandwagon – I was a part of this congregation doing practicum activities and preaching – but not an “official” leader in any way.  And I really didn’t do anything to move that idea forward here.  Besides, we all seem to get along pretty well.  Perhaps because we have had good leaders who would see potential problems in our relationships and lovingly address them before they became obvious to others. 

 

So now here we are in 2009, the year preceding our 25^th anniversary, and we have no behavioral covenant.  We do have bylaws and a mission statement – but nothing about how we will treat each other in the congregation.  Now some say – what about our principles.  Isn’t that a covenant?  Yes, it is.  It’s our Unitarian Universalist Associational covenant.  Our UUA congregations came together in our general assembly and agreed to affirm and support these principles as congregations.    Now I do think we’ve often pointed to some of these in our efforts together and perhaps they have become our implicit congregational covenant.  But the principles are broader reaching than what one normally thinks of as a behavioral covenant for a congregation. 

 

We also have an affirmation that we state at the beginning of our services.  We say it’s our “congregational affirmation” as if it’s some official statement – but we’ve never agreed to it as a congregation.  Several years ago, one or more of our worship leaders began using this modification of a reading in the back of our hymnal at the beginning of the service and it just became part of our ritual.  It includes these words: 

 

“This is our great covenant:  

To dwell together in peace, to seek the truth in love, and to help one another.”

 

Maybe that’s enough – or maybe not.  It’s just three little guidelines.  (Of course, Unitarians are skeptical about honoring THREE of anything!)  And Erk Russell, the legendary coach of the Georgia Southern Eagles and a real hero of mine, would have said “That’s two more than you need.”  Erk and his teams had one rule.  Who knows what it was?

“DO RIGHT!”

 

Erk felt that by the time most students reached college, they had a pretty good idea of how they should really treat each other.  He thought they just needed the right encouragement and motivation to do that.  And he was a truly great motivator.  I saw first hand how his “one rule” worked back in 1985 after the Eagles had one their first national championship in Tacoma, Washington.  I was fortunate enough to be on the chartered plane bringing this Cinderella team back home.  On the way back, a couple of the players began to sort of harass one of the female flight attendants.  Erk observed this – walked down the aisle to where they were seated – just looked at them and said, “Do Right.”  Then he turned back around and walked back to his seat.  That’s all it took.  They did not have a rule that specifically stated:  Thou shalt not harass the flight attendant.  Just one rule:  Do Right.

 

But most of the experts say we DO need something more specific in our UU congregations.  Perhaps because we are not led by some divine figure like Erk Russell – that we follow without question.  The joke is that leading UU’s is like herding cats.  We are all very independent, finicky kinds of folks.  So this is something we probably should think some about.

 

When I shared with the board the idea of our adopting a behavioral covenant for the congregation, one of our board members questioned the value of a bunch of UU’s sitting around a room trying to come up with something and causing dissension where perhaps none was necessary. ( Hmmmm. …  Yeah.)   I was glad she raised that concern.  And I agree.

 

I believe because we have said those three guidelines as “our great covenant” for several years, they have, indeed, become our implicit covenant.  And that there probably is no reason to throw them out and start over from square one.  Instead, I’m proposing that we use keep these three statements as our broad guidelines for our congregational covenant.  However, I DO think that we may need more specifics to point to when folks join us as members – or that we can point to when there is a problem.  Now you may be saying:  What kind of problem are you talking about Jane?  Well, here’s something that comes up more often than you might realize in congregations – especially with our ability to spread information so rapidly via the internet.    Someone will have a problem with or criticism of a leader or member, and instead of addressing that in the most direct manner feasible, they’ll express that concern over a listserv or perhaps to just some few folks they are connected to via email or facebook or even the old fashion way – over the phone or over a cup of Joe.  Then the next thing you know – this concern – which may not even be true or fact- based will have spread throughout the congregation --- and the more it’s said, the more people believe it.  We’ve seen that happen recently in our country with the misinformation spread about health care reform.   So including a guideline about how to express criticism more directly is often included in a covenant.   

 

I watched a consultant doing a whiteboard demonstration on the web about the most efficient way to create a covenant with the broadest participation possible.  And she suggested that the congregation do an anonymous open-ended survey where folks can share their own statements of how we should be together.  Then after these are done, have one or more of our good wordsmiths combine and word those that seem to be agreed upon into a few statements for a congregational review and vote. 

With that in mind, my plan is to send out a link to a questionnaire on survey monkey that is open-ended and asks for you to describe specific guidelines or statements of behavior that can support the three major ones we currently recite in our services.  Then we’ll have a good wordsmith or two put it all together, send it to the board, and hopefully have the board present it at our congregational meeting on November 4 for adoption.   Then, if adopted, we can publish this statement in our directory and post it on our bulletin boards.  We’ll share it with folks in our UU 102 seminar we do about membership and we can point to these if we see problems arising.

 

 Folks, this is like taking my Boniva or going for a mammogram.  (Well, maybe it won’t hurt that much.)  But it’s a preventative measure that a healthy congregation should take to make sure they can maintain that health for a long time.  I hope you will be willing to participate and bring your thoughts and ideas to our stew pot.

 

Just as those folks in the village added their good vegetables to that pot of stone soup, when we all give what we have, we can create something truly nutritious and delicious.

 

May it be so!

Videos of Sermons

This year I have moved away from using a script and no longer have many sermon scripts to post.  However, you can access videos of my sermon by going to our web page at http://uustatesboro.org and clicking on the link to my sermons! 

Come Go With Me! My Message at Eno River

The following message was part of the service at the Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Durham North Carolina on Sunday, October 26, 2014.  Representatives of 12 congregations in the Southeast District met that weekend at a Mozaic Makers Workshop.  We worshiped with the ERUUF congregation on Sunday.  You are invited to "hear" this message with a Southern Voice.

Annette Marquis  (one of the leaders of our Mozaic Makers gathering) called a couple of weeks ago and asked me to share a little with you today.  She indicated then that she was hoping for diversity in the three speakers selected.  And I wondered -- what demographic am I representing?  Then she mentioned my southern voice – and I knew.  I am here to represent the Steel Magnolias among us.  And I am happy to do so.

Indeed, I was born in Statesboro, Georgia in 1950.  I’ll wait for you to do the math.  I have lived there my entire life – except for brief periods of time away studying.  So I grew up very much in the Jim Crow era.  But, of course, I was in the privileged group.  I drank from water fountains that were clean with refrigerated water and walked right into the front doors of the restaurants and entertainment spots in my town.  My parents did not teach me to be a racist.  They didn’t have to.  Racism, sexism, xenophobia, and homophobia were pervasive in my environment and I learned it as easily as I learned to walk or talk.    But at least I was born with a questioning and curious mind, and a love for reading.  So gradually – with the help of books and the friendship of one of the African American schoolgirls who was the first to integrate my high school, I began to open up. It wasn't a sudden change.  It was gradual.  And it's still ongoing.   My former classmates would say,  “Bless her heart, she turned liberal.”   Yes, indeed, hallelujah! – I did see the light, and have worked continuously with others to move our communities to a more just and peaceful place.   But I NEEDED others in my efforts or I would have retreated after the first failure and perhaps returned to a closeted liberal existence.  I found that community of support in Unitarian Universalism.  Here was a place where I could work together with others to break down barriers that were separating and oppressing folks.   Now when I joined the Unitarian Universalist congregation in Statesboro, I was told that the Baptists put me on their prayer list.  That's okay -- I'll take their prayers.  They finally gave up on me though.  And I went on to become an evangelist for Unitarian Universalism in southeast Georgia.

Now there are many important things we do as Unitarian Universalists.   And I relish all of these activities.  But I believe none are as important as what we do in our journey to moves ourselves and our world to one in which diversity is celebrated, justice for all rolls like mighty rivers, and love is for everyone.  

Several congregations came together here at Eno River this weekend to learn and grow in our understanding of how we can continue this work together more effectively.  We have seen great things happen from our work in some areas – and in other areas we continue to struggle. You know we do!   But we do not struggle in vain.  I am 64 years old --- which is not that old, but old enough to see great changes in my lifetime.  I know at one time I shared that I would probably not live to be in a position to officiate at a same-sex marriage in Georgia.  But, you know what?   I think I’m going to make it!  

What else can we accomplish?  I am fired up and ready to go!! And I hope ALL Y’all will make the journey.  YES!  I said I want ALL Y'ALL to (Sing) "Come and Go with me to that land where I'm bound -where I'm bound."

AMEN