First Unitarian Society
Sermons (2006-2007)
By
Rev. Kendyl Gibbons
Sermons on tape and as printed booklets are available in the FUS Bookstore.
(FUS Bookstore webpage under construction)
*Sermon in Spanish/Espanol*
The Unfolding Gesture
May 13, 2007
The poet Denise Levertov writes, “So much is unfolding that must complete its gesture; so much is in bud.” The ritual of sharing flowers at this time of year when so much is in bud is one of our tradition’s most meaningful gestures. Bring a blossom for each member of the family, from your garden, or from the local flower stand. Add them to the vases as you enter, and when you leave the Assembly, receive a different flower to take home with you, as a symbol of the way our gifts are shared in community. This morning we celebrate our the newest members of our Chalice Lighters club. A special collection in support of the work of the UU Service Committee will also be received.
Color My World
April 29, 2007
The 2006 auction sermon topic, as assigned by the winning bidders, Jean Toll and Gary Blegstad, is to say something about ‘The Mark and Kendyl Gibbons Story;’ who we are, how we got here, and why we do what we do. Since I’m the designated public speaker in the family, I’ll give you my version of our shared journey; Mark is far more comfortable in private conversations. Our 34th wedding anniversary will occur in August, and we’ve long passed the point where we have been married for more than half our lives. Like all partners, we live in the paradox between marriage as a demanding vocation, and a thrilling joy ride; add ministry into the mix, and it’s quite a trip.
Jesus NOT for Dummies
April 8, 2007
Jesus is once again in the news, with claims of his tomb, bones included, having been discovered. Easter morning seems an appropriate time to consider how we as skeptics could think about this person; who he might have been historically, how his identity and role evolved in the Christian church as we know it, and some of the many different ways in which his life, death and teachings have been understood over two thousand years. If the last time you thought about Jesus was in Protestant Sunday School, it’s time for an update..
Tipping Points
March 25, 2007
As we celebrate the arrival of the vernal equinox, the season shifts toward spring and the return of warmth and new life. As there are these periodic shifts in the earth’s energy, so there are moments in human history when the tide of events turns, and a new kind of life becomes possible. Such turnings are never permanent, but we can, as the old saying goes, “make hay while the sun shines.” What might we be intentional about planting for justice, compassion, and human well-being in the season now beginning?.
The Virtue of Survival
March 18, 2007
If one considers the huge number of prescriptions for anti-depressants currently being issued in this country, it appears that a large group of us are clinging to the thin edge of being able to cope. And some of us wonder from time to time whether we have not slipped over into something like real craziness. The good news is that over the generations many of the most creative of human souls have faced the same struggles. To be totally comfortable in this life is either an unusual achievement, or means that we are not paying attention. Are there any answers to these dark nights of the soul?
Obedience to Reality
March 4, 2007
In 1620, the Enlightenment philosopher Francis Bacon wrote that “Nature, to be controlled, must first be obeyed.” Religious liberals have long rejected obedience to arbitrary divine authority as being unworthy of a free human mind – but there are other authorities that we discount at our peril. One of these is the finitude of the earth’s resources; abundance is not the same as inexhaustibility. And yet, as we will see in the example of emerging “green” ecologically responsible building techniques, when we become willing to obey, we often have more options than we first thought.
Encountering Islam
February 18, 2007
It is no historical exaggeration to say that were it not for the influence of Islam, Unitarianism as we know it today would not exist. While our world becomes ever more truly multi-cultural, how can we better understand about our Muslim neighbors, and appreciate a tradition of which many us know very little?
Of Wars and Crimes
February 4, 2007
What happened to me at Yad Vashem, as I described last Sunday, was an event, over which I exercised very little conscious control. My choice lies only in whether or not to share it, with you or anyone, and I suppose that this congregation enabled and blessed my journey with the expectation that I would tell you the truth about the experiences I had along the way. Sifting the deepest genuine meaning of those experiences is a process that will unfold over time, in part through the act of seeking to describe and interpret them. That process will also include the urge to learn more about the history and context of what I saw – it already has, – and most importantly, it will also include conversation, with you and with others, as I endeavor to sort out and make sense of what this journey in faith has really taught me. As I said last week, there is more to tell...
Holy Land
January 28, 2007
This month I have the unique opportunity to travel to Israel and Palestine with an interfaith group of my colleagues from the downtown Minneapolis faith communities. As of the time this newsletter is published, I do not know exactly how that trip will go, or what impact it will have, either on my political opinions, or on my spirit. I do know that I go into it with both anxiety, and an open heart and mind, trusting that I will learn and grow in the process, and that I will come back with some stories worth sharing. I look forward to telling you about it.
Identity and Ideology
January 21, 2007
At last year’s UUA General Assembly, one of the delegates presented a resolution that each congregation carry out at least one program to address racism or classism in the next year, that congregations be asked to report such efforts (or lack thereof) on their annual certification form, and that the results of those reports be shared with General Assembly next year. It is, she said, “imperative to work on this process, and having a single program is a very low bar…” Such work, it seems to me, begins with an effort to understand one another as we struggle with these difficult topics; lately, I have been impressed with the thinking of a scholar from Ghana, whose perspective might be helpful.
Spiritual Maturity
January 7, 2007
Both ancient and modern philosophers have engaged with the question of what it means for human beings to live well. Some have differentiated between morality as the study of right and wrong, and ethics as the examination of what kind of lives we ought to try to lead. While Humanism and its other liberal religious cousins emphasize freedom as an indispensable condition for the creation of a good life, we do not mean to imply that such a life consists merely in getting whatever we happen to decide that we want. The concept of spiritual maturity implies that some ways of living are qualitatively better than others; is this so? And if it is, what does spiritual maturity look like?
We Have Need of Gifts
December 17, 2006
Generosity and reciprocity are some of the most basic building blocks of culture, which bind together many communities of creatures other than human beings. What is it about our physiology that makes giving so necessary, and at the same time, both a morally complex and seemingly irrational behavior? If the holiday season didn’t exist, would we have to invent it?
Church and State: Can This Separation Be Saved?
November 26, 2006
When Unitarian Thomas Jefferson affirmed “a wall of separation between church and state,” he and his contemporaries were responding to centuries of European monarchy, in which religion and government worked together to ensure the privileges of rulers, and the oppression of the ruled. The unfolding of our nation since that time has maintained an uneasy tension between the institutions of law and of faith, which is experiencing a renewed impatience in the current administration. Have we transcended the risks that the founders feared? Or are there some lessons from the past that we ought to be heeding today?
The Judgement of History
October 8, 2006
Do you understand what happened last Friday? The congress of the United States, your representatives and mine, passed a bill; they do that all the time. But this one was different. This one rips from beneath our feet the most elemental liberties that citizens of civilized western nations have trusted for the past eight centuries.
…Two of the most critical parts of the Magna Carta were articles 38 and 39, which established the foundation for what is now known as "habeas corpus" law (literally, "produce the body" from the Latin - meaning, broadly, "let this person go free or else give him a trial - you may not hold him forever without charging him with a crime"). The concept of habeas corpus in the Magna Carta led directly to the Fourth through Eighth Amendments of our own Constitution, and hundreds of other federal and state due process provisions.
I can only suggest…what will save us in the end is faithfulness to the values of the covenant that we and our ancestors have long professed; in our case, to the moral laws of human decency, and to what was once the constitution of this nation. There’s only one other thing that I know about the answer to this mess – silence isn’t it.
Intelligent Designers
October 1, 2006
As our new banners proclaim to the larger community, this congregation has a long history of welcoming the advance of scientific truth in understanding the origins of our world. Even when it challenges our settled ways of thinking, we advocate for exploration, discovery, and recognizing the extent of what we do not yet know. Yet the truth is only half known until it told in the form of a compelling story, and we need to be able to do that for the universe as we understand it. We will celebrate the dedication of families and children at this Assembly; speak to Jan Devor if you would like to participate.
What is a Humanist Identity?
September 17, 2006
As the FUS Strategic Planning Committee works to weave a structure for the future of this congregation, I am struck by how important the idea of “a humanist identity” is to so many of us. What are the implications of calling one’s self a humanist in today’s American society? What does it mean in practice to be a humanist? Are these the same thing? What personal qualities are required if we are to do either, or both, effectively? What kind of community might help us in these endeavors?