"Freedom From or Freedom To"
Preached at Throop UU Church, June 15, 2014
When I think about the word “Freedom,”
the first image that comes to mind
is a youngster running wildly through the yard,
hands spread out,
head thrown back,
laughing.
Children enjoy a unique gift in experiencing exhilarating freedom.
They have their worries and stresses and concerns, just as adults do.
But they also have the ability to give themselves over completely.
To “dance like it’s 1999” to take a line from Prince and the Melissa Etheridge piece the choir just sang.
Thinking about the young people in my life,
and the ways they embrace freedom,
it also looks a lot like joy to me.
Remembering my own childhood and the times I felt free ...
they were intimately linked with independence.
Getting dropped off at the roller skating rink.
Spending the summers away from my parents.
Once I could drive, taking off in my car,
going wherever I wanted, feeling like the world was at my fingertips.
What did freedom feel like to you, as a child?
Once you reached young adulthood, if you attended college away from home, you might have embraced the new-found independence offered there:
And whether you went to college ...
Or served in the military ...
Or started working ...
Or began raising a family ...
You most likely came to a big realization.
That the life we children imagined that our parents or other adults led ...
with all the independence we longed for ...
were actually bound by responsibilities and expectations and demands that felt a long way from freedom.
And just as children dream about finding freedom from homework,
or overbearing parents,
or restrictive bedtimes ...
We adults dream about finding freedom from exhausting jobs,
worries about money,
schedules overflowing with tasks and appointments,
friendships or partnerships that no longer sustain us.
The image of joyful release in childhood ...
changes as we assume more roles in life
and begins looking more like the lady in the Calgon commercials from the 80s.
Do you remember her? Surrounded by bubbles and sighing, “Calgon, take me away.”
We dream of letting go of responsibility.
Letting go of details.
Letting go of making sure there is food on the table.
Letting go of all the stresses involved in keeping life afloat.
Freedom becomes more associated with Peace. Tranquility. Financial stability.
The idea of freedom carries theological importance in Unitarian Universalism. The core values of our religious tradition are often named as these three:
Reason is the bedrock on which we place our beliefs. Rev. Kathleen Rolenz says,
“Throughout history, we have moved
to the rhythms of mystery and wonder,
prophecy, wisdom, teachings from ancient and modern sources,
and nature herself.” *
And we do this in a way that honors science and knowledge,
allowing space for revelation to continually unfold
as new information comes to light.
Acceptance is a key value and practice for us.
For a people who know there are multiple ways to experience truth,
multiple ways to stand in awe in front of the mystery and wonder of the universe,
we have to move beyond mere tolerance.
We strive to not just say “It’s OK that you believe what you believe.”
But we seek to understand why you believe that way,
How it shapes your identity,
Perhaps incorporating some of your learned truth into our own.
And finally, freedom of belief.
Sometimes, that one gets a little mushy. I hear all the time, “OH, UUs. You all are the ones who can believe anything you want.” Have you heard that?
Well, you know that’s not true.
We don’t believe in racism.
We don’t believe in taking someone’s rights away.
We don’t believe in religious practices that harm others.
And I just did something that we are famous for.
At least famous among ourselves.
Did you catch it?
I framed my answer in a list of “don’ts.”
How many of you ... when asked “What do UUs believe” start off with “Well, we don’t believe in ...”
Honestly, the “what do you believe” question - it’s scary for me.
I’ve been in this faith since 1994,
and served as a religious professional since 1996.
And every time I’m asked that question -
my heart skips and I momentarily freeze.
I wonder what in the world am I going to say.
Does that happen to you?
We feel this way - not because we don’t know what we believe ...
But because we believe in SO MUCH!
We believe
We believe
We believe in
We believe
We believe in
The list could go on and on ...
adding more and more ...
until we are like the image of the child I mentioned earlier,
arms flung wide open,
dancing to Prince,
awake and alive with joy and hope and anticipation.
You know I want you filled with that joy and hope and anticipation.
But, our question today is,
are there boundaries to the theological freedom we enjoy,
other than doing no harm to others?
This morning’s responsive reading came from William Ellery Channing, the father of American Unitarianism. That reading is from a longer piece titled “Spiritual Freedom” written in 1830.
Grab your hymnal, and take a look at those words again.
It’s reading number 592.
This isn’t the whole piece.
The editors of our hymnal took some phrases out.
A reference or two to Christ.
About confidence in God.
About an oracle within.
But the heart of his message is there.
When we read it today ...
his words may not seem special.
HIs ideas are reflected throughout our hymnal,
and likely in any secular reading we do on our own.
But in Channing’s day, the theology of freedom he lifted up
came at a time where most Protestants were Calvinists.
Believers in pre-destination -
the idea that said your future has been set.
There was very little belief in free will.
Channing insisted that our spiritual freedom came only
when we put up some barriers
between ourself and the material world.
When we stopped judging ourselves against others (which is so hard to do),
and instead used our minds and hearts and hands
to connect with the sacred,
and understand ourselves in that capacity.
In our faith tradition,
there have been times when we’ve read passages from Channing - or Emerson or Thoreau - and taken their call to freedom too far.
When we’ve taken it only to mean personal freedom,
at the expense of the greater faith community.
That one person’s independence
has precedence over the health and wholeness
of the larger gathered group.
Over the past twenty years, we’ve come to a much deeper understanding of this.
And rather than relying on each person
to create their faith claims on their own,
separate from other church members ...
The focus now is on offering ways
for people to be in conversation and relationship,
to forge beliefs that are grounded in our covenant together.
Where what you know and understand and believe
informs and inspires my own thinking.
We are stronger together than we are apart ...
not just when it comes to social justice
but in forming strong, thoughtful, reasoned statements of belief.
And therein lies the boundary - that our personal freedom cannot come at the expense of creating covenanted, meaningful, love-filled communities.
This is my last time in the pulpit until August. I’m taking time to plan and prepare for next year. As well as attend our national UU conference and serve on staff for a week-long leadership school. I’ll be around here, too, participating in worship and other events.
There’s something I want you to do this summer. I want you to practice answering that question, “What do UUs believe.”
But instead of answering with our long, joyful litany of all the things we do believe in.
Let’s begin framing it a little differently. Something that I think honors Channing’s call to our Spiritual Freedom, as well as honors the reality of how we all live out our faith.
Let’s begin framing our answer as our Life Vows, to take a cue from my friend Janine's Zen Tradition. They are guiding vows that you recommit to every day, and each time you engage in your spiritual practice of choice.
How can you commit to living your life in a way that strengthens the communities you are part of? That strengthens your connection to the sacred?
Many of you made an intention to follow, during our Thirty Days for the Earth.
Is that intention something you want to keep working on?
Perhaps there is another intention that makes your heart sing.
As you name it, claim it, say yes to it, may it help you experience joy, peace, tranquility, and spiritual freedom.
* Accessed at www.uua.org on June 13, 2014.
the first image that comes to mind
is a youngster running wildly through the yard,
hands spread out,
head thrown back,
laughing.
Children enjoy a unique gift in experiencing exhilarating freedom.
They have their worries and stresses and concerns, just as adults do.
But they also have the ability to give themselves over completely.
To “dance like it’s 1999” to take a line from Prince and the Melissa Etheridge piece the choir just sang.
Thinking about the young people in my life,
and the ways they embrace freedom,
it also looks a lot like joy to me.
Remembering my own childhood and the times I felt free ...
they were intimately linked with independence.
Getting dropped off at the roller skating rink.
Spending the summers away from my parents.
Once I could drive, taking off in my car,
going wherever I wanted, feeling like the world was at my fingertips.
What did freedom feel like to you, as a child?
Once you reached young adulthood, if you attended college away from home, you might have embraced the new-found independence offered there:
- keeping your dorm room as messy as your roommate could stand.
- staying up all hours, finishing assignments at the last minute
- choosing your friends and social engagements, without any interference from parents
- creating a new identity, free from familial or community expectations and obligations
And whether you went to college ...
Or served in the military ...
Or started working ...
Or began raising a family ...
You most likely came to a big realization.
That the life we children imagined that our parents or other adults led ...
with all the independence we longed for ...
were actually bound by responsibilities and expectations and demands that felt a long way from freedom.
And just as children dream about finding freedom from homework,
or overbearing parents,
or restrictive bedtimes ...
We adults dream about finding freedom from exhausting jobs,
worries about money,
schedules overflowing with tasks and appointments,
friendships or partnerships that no longer sustain us.
The image of joyful release in childhood ...
changes as we assume more roles in life
and begins looking more like the lady in the Calgon commercials from the 80s.
Do you remember her? Surrounded by bubbles and sighing, “Calgon, take me away.”
We dream of letting go of responsibility.
Letting go of details.
Letting go of making sure there is food on the table.
Letting go of all the stresses involved in keeping life afloat.
Freedom becomes more associated with Peace. Tranquility. Financial stability.
The idea of freedom carries theological importance in Unitarian Universalism. The core values of our religious tradition are often named as these three:
- Reason
- Acceptance
- Freedom
Reason is the bedrock on which we place our beliefs. Rev. Kathleen Rolenz says,
“Throughout history, we have moved
to the rhythms of mystery and wonder,
prophecy, wisdom, teachings from ancient and modern sources,
and nature herself.” *
And we do this in a way that honors science and knowledge,
allowing space for revelation to continually unfold
as new information comes to light.
Acceptance is a key value and practice for us.
For a people who know there are multiple ways to experience truth,
multiple ways to stand in awe in front of the mystery and wonder of the universe,
we have to move beyond mere tolerance.
We strive to not just say “It’s OK that you believe what you believe.”
But we seek to understand why you believe that way,
How it shapes your identity,
Perhaps incorporating some of your learned truth into our own.
And finally, freedom of belief.
Sometimes, that one gets a little mushy. I hear all the time, “OH, UUs. You all are the ones who can believe anything you want.” Have you heard that?
Well, you know that’s not true.
We don’t believe in racism.
We don’t believe in taking someone’s rights away.
We don’t believe in religious practices that harm others.
And I just did something that we are famous for.
At least famous among ourselves.
Did you catch it?
I framed my answer in a list of “don’ts.”
How many of you ... when asked “What do UUs believe” start off with “Well, we don’t believe in ...”
Honestly, the “what do you believe” question - it’s scary for me.
I’ve been in this faith since 1994,
and served as a religious professional since 1996.
And every time I’m asked that question -
my heart skips and I momentarily freeze.
I wonder what in the world am I going to say.
Does that happen to you?
We feel this way - not because we don’t know what we believe ...
But because we believe in SO MUCH!
We believe
- that change is possible
- that humans are inherently good
- that there is a God
- and that there isn’t a God
We believe
- that people have harmed the planet
- and the earth needs healing
- and it is possible for us to collectively stem the tide of that harm
We believe in
- LED lights
- permaculture gardens
- eating locally
- and feeding those who suffer from food insecurity
We believe
- that music heals
- that positive thinking AND putting our hands to work in the world are equally important
- that children matter
We believe in
- libraries
- public education
- the separation of church and state
- the power of people coming together to make the world a better place
The list could go on and on ...
adding more and more ...
until we are like the image of the child I mentioned earlier,
arms flung wide open,
dancing to Prince,
awake and alive with joy and hope and anticipation.
You know I want you filled with that joy and hope and anticipation.
But, our question today is,
are there boundaries to the theological freedom we enjoy,
other than doing no harm to others?
This morning’s responsive reading came from William Ellery Channing, the father of American Unitarianism. That reading is from a longer piece titled “Spiritual Freedom” written in 1830.
Grab your hymnal, and take a look at those words again.
It’s reading number 592.
This isn’t the whole piece.
The editors of our hymnal took some phrases out.
A reference or two to Christ.
About confidence in God.
About an oracle within.
But the heart of his message is there.
When we read it today ...
his words may not seem special.
HIs ideas are reflected throughout our hymnal,
and likely in any secular reading we do on our own.
But in Channing’s day, the theology of freedom he lifted up
came at a time where most Protestants were Calvinists.
Believers in pre-destination -
the idea that said your future has been set.
There was very little belief in free will.
Channing insisted that our spiritual freedom came only
when we put up some barriers
between ourself and the material world.
When we stopped judging ourselves against others (which is so hard to do),
and instead used our minds and hearts and hands
to connect with the sacred,
and understand ourselves in that capacity.
In our faith tradition,
there have been times when we’ve read passages from Channing - or Emerson or Thoreau - and taken their call to freedom too far.
When we’ve taken it only to mean personal freedom,
at the expense of the greater faith community.
That one person’s independence
has precedence over the health and wholeness
of the larger gathered group.
Over the past twenty years, we’ve come to a much deeper understanding of this.
And rather than relying on each person
to create their faith claims on their own,
separate from other church members ...
The focus now is on offering ways
for people to be in conversation and relationship,
to forge beliefs that are grounded in our covenant together.
Where what you know and understand and believe
informs and inspires my own thinking.
We are stronger together than we are apart ...
not just when it comes to social justice
but in forming strong, thoughtful, reasoned statements of belief.
And therein lies the boundary - that our personal freedom cannot come at the expense of creating covenanted, meaningful, love-filled communities.
This is my last time in the pulpit until August. I’m taking time to plan and prepare for next year. As well as attend our national UU conference and serve on staff for a week-long leadership school. I’ll be around here, too, participating in worship and other events.
There’s something I want you to do this summer. I want you to practice answering that question, “What do UUs believe.”
But instead of answering with our long, joyful litany of all the things we do believe in.
Let’s begin framing it a little differently. Something that I think honors Channing’s call to our Spiritual Freedom, as well as honors the reality of how we all live out our faith.
Let’s begin framing our answer as our Life Vows, to take a cue from my friend Janine's Zen Tradition. They are guiding vows that you recommit to every day, and each time you engage in your spiritual practice of choice.
How can you commit to living your life in a way that strengthens the communities you are part of? That strengthens your connection to the sacred?
Many of you made an intention to follow, during our Thirty Days for the Earth.
Is that intention something you want to keep working on?
Perhaps there is another intention that makes your heart sing.
As you name it, claim it, say yes to it, may it help you experience joy, peace, tranquility, and spiritual freedom.
* Accessed at www.uua.org on June 13, 2014.