First Unitarian Society
Sermons (2003-2004)
By
Rev. Kendyl Gibbons
Sermons on tape and as printed booklets are available in the FUS Bookstore.
(FUS Bookstore webpage under construction)
The Future is Now
June 6, 2004
The challenge before us, in these anxious days, as in all days, is whether we will be guided by our hopes, or by our fears. The fears certainly make for more spectacular books and movies, about the end of the world and how we were right after all and everyone should have listened to us, but they don't make good politics, or effective diplomacy, or compassionate neighborhoods, or a freer, safer, more livable world. Those are the things that we build out of our hopes, using the tools of reason and trust and generosity, of human intelligence and welcome to the stranger, and commitment over the long haul and the age-old longing for peace. These are the promises that every tempest-tossed immigrant comes seeking, this is the life that our forbears sacrificed in order to bequeath to us. Still it beckons us onward, as the world spins down the ringing grooves of change, and the future shimmers with all the challenges and possibilities of the yet unknown. We do not control the future, and yet we build it; it is a function of our courage and our faith as together we encounter its demands. For the days that are to come begin today, and the future is now.
On Being Cursed
May 9, 2004
Specialist Joseph M. Darby didn't know that he was making history that day, or creating an international incident. The people who just do what their insistent humanity calls them to do rarely are making history; as often as not, they're tilting at windmills, knocking their heads against brick walls. But you know what was in those pictures on that CD; the whole world knows, at this point. They are pictures taken at Abu Ghraib, a prison twenty miles west of Baghdad, and a name once synonymous with the most arbitrary and sadistic excesses of Saddam Hussein's corrupt tyranny...
From What We Know on Earth
April 25, 2004
From what we know of the early religious history of humanity, the earth and the natural world were regarded as powerful and sacred. The western philosophical tradition put forth a dualistic perspective that divided the changing realm of material things from the eternal, spiritual sphere, and regarded the natural world as dangerous, deceptive, and impure. As present generations begin to realize just how vulnerable and delicate the earth and its environments are, neither of these historical attitudes serves us all that well. On this Earth Day, we ask what it means to live with reverence on a planet that is both more resilient and more fragile than we know. We will celebrate the dedication of children and families at this Assembly.
Life that Maketh All Things New
April 11, 2004
Easter, the ultimate evidence that ancient pagan celebrations live on, disguised with a thin varnish of Christianity! Having already dealt with the New Testament narratives last week, today we consider the older roots of the cycle of the year -eggs, rabbits, the goddess of the eastern light, and the realization that life goes on even in the face of tragedy, cruelty, and death. How can we be at home in such a world? How can we not? How can we live on the edge of paradox and make it all worthwhile? Children will follow their time in the Assembly with special stories and a cooperative candy hunt.
Understanding "The Passion"
April 4, 2004
Mel Gibson's cinematic recounting of Jesus' final days and death has been variously hailed as accurate history and great art, as well as excoriated as unscholarly and anti-semitic. What are we to make of this graphic movie, and all the cultural tides that are flowing around it? Palm Sunday seems a good opportunity to address this topic, chosen by the 2003 Service Auction sermon buyers, Bob McCaa and Gretchen Clemence, and to inquire whether the story of the crucifixion has any meaning for religious liberals in the 21st century. The chorus has prepared an outstanding vocal contribution related to the subject.
Covenants of Love
March 28, 2004
One of the joys of serving as the spiritual leader of a particular religious community over time is the opportunity to become part of the lives of its members. It is a joy to watch children become competent, adventurous young adults; it is a joy to dedicate brand new babies and see them move through toddlerhood and into articulate, energetic childhood. It is wonderful to see couples whose weddings I have blessed becoming pillars of the congregation, and bringing their little ones into the care of our community. It is a deep satisfaction, if not exactly a joy, to give shape to the enduring memories of people I have known and laughed with and admired in life, when those lives come at last to their end. Those of you who have worked with me in celebrating your weddings may remember my telling you that this process is not "just a piece of paper"; that something changes in your relationship to each other, to society, and to the whole universe, when the promises of marriage are made.
Except for Me and Thee...
March 14, 2004
How does one identify themselves as a humanist? Whose responsibility is it to decide whether or not they are correct in claiming that identity? What makes a congregation "really" humanist? And how will our answers to these questions give shape to the future of the humanist heritage for the coming century? As we kick off "The Last Canvass," we rejoice with some very special music, and a grand celebration of why a faith of freedom and reason means so much to each of us.
Love, Theoretically
February 15, 2004
Love, like death, is one of the greatest mysteries on the landscape of human experience. For those who do not rely upon supernatural realities, love may constitute one of the highest human realities we know. And yet, what do we really know about love? How is it that the chemical reactions, the genetic impulses, and the cultural conditioning that make us who we are can combine to produce such an exquisite and powerful experience as that of love? And how might our lives be enriched and strengthened if we had a better theoretical understanding of what love really is? On the day following Valentine's Day, a more or less rational look at a highly emotional subject.
Exploring Reverence: Honor and Disgrace
February 8, 2004
The idea of gaining or losing honor may be one of the very oldest motivators in human society; we can even see it at work in the gatherings of social primates. Status and power becomes linked to both moral behavior and to the achievement of success, while loss of it can devastate people's lives. In today's world, one can observe a kind of shamelessness, in which brazen individuals appear unconcerned by any sense of disgrace. How are guilt, shame, and disgrace a function of our capacity for reverence? And what role do these experiences play in maintaining a human, and humane, culture that is free of theological coercion?
Exploring Reverence: Duty
January 18, 2004
Humanism generally takes its moral imperatives from practical consideration of personal and collective well being; the traditional utilitarian calculation of the greatest good for the greatest number. Yet this approach does not always completely satisfy the thoughtful conscience -why is that? Conventional religions suggest that we have some responsibility to god, but that perception is often more harmful than helpful. Can we understand the idea of our 'duty' as something more than emotional manipulation? How does the virtue of reverence figure in this equation?
On Becoming Executioners
December 7, 2003
...the appeal of the death penalty is fundamentally an emotional response, and it is at the level of feeling, not thought, that people make their decision about this fraught question. Indeed, I shall argue, it is and has long been a very specifically religious issue; the impulse to execute has its origin in a failure of moral and ritual imagination in society, and those who would wish to banish this ancient terror from modern civilization would do well to understand the dynamic of its enduring appeal to the baser instincts of popular sentiment.
Humanism and the Leap of Faith
November 23, 2003
Every religious tradition asks its adherents to believe something incredible, and to accept seemingly irreconcilable realities--including ours. The question is not whether we as rational people will swallow implausible ideas; it is, rather, which implausible ideas are we prepared to countenance. As we receive new members into this Society, this will be an attempt to be forthcoming and thoughtful about the kind of credulity we expect from one another. At this assembly we will also honor those reaching the tenth anniversary of their membership.
A Fable for Our Time
November 16, 2003
George Orwell published the book he called 'a fairy story', Animal Farm, in August of 1945,the same month that the atomic age was initiated by the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It was, its author said, his first conscious attempt to fuse political and artistic purpose into one whole, and it was intended as a cautionary tale directed at those then enchanted with the promises of socialism. It is a story that citizens of the United States should read again today, with an urgency much greater and more personal than that of fifty years ago. This morning we shall confront its powerfully discomforting images together.
Out of the Flames
October 26, 2003
This day marks the 450th anniversary of the burning of the Spanish physician and theologian, Michael Servetus. Along with being the first person to describe accurately the circulation of blood in the human body, he was a religious thinker who dared to challenge the old and new orthodoxies of his day. Modern Unitarian Universalism traces its intellectual history directly to his ideas. Even though he and his books were burned, his bold and defiant spirit changed western religious thinking forever. Does his heritage still live in our faith?
The Language of Reverence
October 19, 2003
Our U.U.A.President Bill Sinkford inaugurated a lively conversation earlier this year by suggesting that Unitarian Universalism lacks what he called a language of reverence. Since then, much ink and breath have been expended by many members of the U.U.community, seeking to clarify what we might mean by these words, and what the implications would be of agreeing or disagreeing with the Rev. Sinkford. It seems to me that it is precisely the essence of religious humanism to create a language of reverence for human experience that does not descend into irrational superstition or annoying cliche. I will offer my contribution to this conversation, and we will celebrate the dedication of children and families at this assembly.
What We Need is Here
October 5, 2003
The poet, philosopher, and farmer Wendell Berry offers a vision of life constructed with an integrity and a connection to the earth which few of us are able to achieve. His poems are deft, thoughtful praises for the elusive meaning that shines through our most ordinary days, and for the beauties of nature. His life and work are inspiring examples of what an authentic language of reverence can be. The choir will sing pieces with texts by Berry, and we will share some of his words in essays and poetry.
The Sweetest Word
September 14, 2003
"There is a word sweeter than mother, Home, or Heaven. That word is Liberty." So said the often forgotten feminist activist, Matilda Josyln Gage, who had these words engraved on her tombstone when she died in 1898. Today, as the Religious Right anticipates the Biblically-envisioned apocalyptic end of the world, and our nation's government panders to fears about homeland security and traditional values, it is time to remind ourselves of the wisdom of our foremothers and forefathers, who struggled for a future of freedom in this world.