My Own Amen Choir

By Alicia Forde

I wrestled with what to share with you…today being father’s day…honor and glory to the fathers in our midst…and I’m going to hijack your moment of glory to talk about the topic I finally settled on. Now I know a few of you probably looked at the title of my sermon and thought, “umm, this ought to be interesting"…with interesting in italics. So I’ll try to keep it interesting…not wanting to disappoint anyone, least of all myself.

So why ministry? This is the question posed to me most frequently by the people I meet. Why ministry? I’ll share a secret with you…a story about a little girl growing up with her grandmother, uncles, aunts and mother in a house that over looked an evangelical church. And though I cannot recall the name of that church, I do remember sitting on my grandmother’s porch, feet dangling ~ dolls and imitation china tea set in hand…listening to their Sunday worship. Now this worship would sound nothing like my own at the Anglican Church earlier that day. This worship ~ at that little church opposite my grandmother’s house had the power to fill me with awe and trepidation. This worship left me trembling with delight, confusion, and a desire to know just what occurred behind the wooden doors of that little church.

You see, from that little church I could just hear the minister preaching “the word” until he was hoarse. I could just hear the hollering, and cries of affirmation that his congregation responded with when he spoke “the word” ~ and I could always hear the language I did not understand…the speaking in tongues that brought fear to my soul…. What was this “word” that held these people captive from 11 am to 3 pm every Sunday? What was this "word" that led grown women and men to cry…what was this "word" that invoked speaking in a language foreign to my ears?

Well now, that little girl grew up ~ and I encountered the word in many shapes and forms. I encountered the word in a variety of colors and hues…this word came at various speeds, and an array of sizes…and oddly none of these sizes fit. Too big, too small, too awkward, too narrow, too wide…unflattering, gaudy…you name it, this “word” did not fit me. And as a consequence, I walked away from religion – I walked away from what intrigued me back when I sat on my grandmother’s porch, feet dangling…swinging free ~ what I believed to be so passionate…what I believed to be desirable, what I believed to be the secret to moving whole congregations to their feet – to leading them to be inspired as if touched directly by God, was not fitting for me.

I had to ask myself, was it me? Was I the problem? Did I have some internal barrier to receiving “the word”? To be sure // I sought that “word” again, and this time, I tried to make it fit. I forced myself into its narrow confines; I squeezed my ever-growing understanding of who I was continuously becoming into its tiny spaces…. As you might guess, it didn’t work for very long. And fate…the Great Mystery…the Universe, led me to a place where I was put in charge of creating “a word” that fit. Friends, I was given the liberty to honor - not “the word,” but “a word.” One that I could outgrow, one that may only work for a moment, one that I could try on and experience…friends I found a church home that allowed me to seek and seek in good company. I found a family that welcomed me as a unique being and made no attempt to stuff me into a prefabricated “word” ~ but took the effort to explore with me what it was I needed to keep growing closer to my understanding of God ~ or as I like to say “not-God.” In this home I discovered a family ready to travel with me as we all continue to awaken to our own spiritual selves.

Well now, if that isn’t worthy of a resounding Amen, I don’t know what is.

You know and I know that Unitarian Universalism strives to provide safe space for all of us who come seeking shelter…who come seeking to understand and yes, be understood. You know and I know that we offer many “words,” we recognize many truths…we respect each other as we travel diverse paths ~ and we should be proud of that. Once in a while I wonder why we’re not telling it from “the mountain,” why we’re not shouting the good news of Unitarian Universalism from every street corner…. I could see myself carrying a banner - it altered my life…maybe it could alter yours…. Giving my testimony: I was low, I was adrift, I had lost my spiritual center, feeling like maybe the Divine had forsaken me…and found “salvation” (if you will) in these very simple words that we uphold by our actions:

“We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote: The inherent worth and dignity of every person.”

Not just some people…not just the rich, or the heterosexuals, or the educated, but ALL PEOPLE. All people. . . the full, complete, body of humanity. As a young, black, woman coming to terms with being a lesbian, this principle…this principle that was embodied in everything the community did was sweet, cool water to my parched, and cracking soul. Now, if that isn’t deserving of an Amen…folks tell me what is.

Many ask: what is my faith about? What keeps me here? What is it that inspires me to serve as ordained clergy for this denomination and not some other? That little girl had hoped for her own Amen choir…that little girl had hoped for a congregation so moved by “the word” that they danced in the aisles as if their feet were on fire. Here’s what I got instead…a community so moved by their understanding of and “respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part,” that we devote our energies to working for social change. We actively seek “justice, equity, and compassion in human relations” and work incessantly toward “the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.”

And there’s more of course. William F. Schulz in The Unitarian Universalist Pocket Guide says ever so eloquently of our faith:

“Unitarian Universalism is different. We respect the answers offered by Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, and the world’s other great faith traditions – we even draw our inspiration and some of our forms of worship from those traditions – but, [he says] but we respect the mystery more. We believe, in other words, that no single religion (or academic discipline, for that matter) has a monopoly on wisdom; that the answers to the great religious questions change from generation to generation; and the ultimate truth about God and Creation, death, meaning, and the human spirit cannot be captured in a narrow statement of faith. The mystery itself is always greater than the name. [… the answers to the great religious questions change from generation to generation; and the ultimate truth about God and Creation, death, meaning, and the human spirit cannot be captured in a narrow statement of faith. The mystery itself is always greater than the name.]

Well now, how cool is that? How exhilarating is it to realize that we are part of a community that understands just how dynamic beliefs, passions, intellectual pursuits…humanity and concepts of God truly are? We honor the truth that change is inevitable. I am inspired by our willingness to continue being different…and to engage in the struggles that being as diverse as we are often invites. For with that struggle comes celebration…we walk this religious and spiritual path with many we would not have intimately encountered if we chose to be elsewhere instead of right here. Right here in the midst of a community who defines itself as one without creeds…but as one who has “covenanted with each other, with previous generations, some would even say with God – to live as a community united around certain precepts.” And these precepts can be found in our Principles and Purposes ~ several of which I’ve quoted this morning.

So I don’t have my choir…but I have much to say “amen” about. Schulz summaries quite nicely my own thoughts on what it is we do have as members of the Unitarian Universalist community. He says:

“Unitarian Universaliam seeks to heal a fractured world and the broken lives within it by calling every one of us to the best that is in us. Beyond nationalism and ethnic prejudice, beyond materialism and greed, beyond the petty and the shallow – we invoke a global loyalty, an ecological ethic and a deeper mercy….

He remarks:

We would treat the wounds of a narrow spirit with the salve of a generous heart. How better to eradicate fear? How better than that to honor life’s mysteries?”

Someone out there knows what he's talking about…hears what I’m saying and have experienced the joy of discovering a church home, such as this one. Maybe your heart doesn't want to exclaim "amen" as mine does…but I am willing to bet that a similar symphony plays in your heart when you enter and exit through those doors. It's a symphony that dwells within us every moment of our lives. Not just on Sunday, but every living and loving day.

In his article “Our Beliefs” David Rankin closes by saying:

“[His] return to organized religion has been one of the most significant events of his life. He found in the Unitarian Universalist faith a religion that suits his needs and temperament; that offers joy and hope in daily living; that provides impetus for ethical commitment; that encourages a community of love and trust. It is [he says] good to be home.”

It is good to be home…I’m happy to have finally found my home. My size…my word which changes as I change – as I grow. Sweet Honey in the Rock sings a delightful song that I wish I could sing for you…not being a singer I’ll recite the lyrics for you:

“We are the ones, we are the ones we’ve been waiting for.”

Those who traveled before us on this path left a legacy…a rich and wonderful legacy that empowers us to keep on building ~ keep on visioning ~ creating ~ honoring and celebrating. Friends we are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the builders of UU communities; we have it within our hearts and souls to make our communities a home for those who come seeking. No one else will do it for us. We are charged with the awesome responsibility of upholding our Principles and Purposes and changing them when they cease to touch our hearts and minds; when they cease to be effective. We are charged with making our communities a safe and comfortable environment that offers compassionate challenges for all who wish to walk with us. For that awesome responsibility, for this bountiful blessing of community, I say Amen and Amen.

For all that you have given to each other, to those who come seeking…for all that you will continue to give…thank you, blessed be, so be it, shalom, amen and welcome home.