My UU Journey: a reflection

MY UU JOURNEY REFLECTION

PUUF, Jan. 28, 2018

            As a preacher’s kid, growing up in a household that was quite God and Jesus oriented, I got to be an expert at winning those Sunday School contests where you tried to be the first to find some obscure verse in some obscure Old Testament prophet’s writings.

            And that’s where I think I first came across a Bible verse that has meant more to my UU Journey than just about any other scripture passage, even more than the one about loving our neighbor as ourselves.

            The reference is in the book of Micah, chapter 6, verse 8, and it starts out “What does God require of you …….”  Well, in my teenage years, confused by the norms of our small town (no movies, no dancing, no anything worldly for the preacher’s kids), the rules of Baptistness (very similar to the small town norms plus the overlay of Jesus and God language ), and then there was my good girl desire to do the right thing even though it wasn’t always popular, so it was kind of hard to sort out just what “God” did want me to do.

            It was a relief to read the rest of the verse:  “What does God require of you but to do justice, and to love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.”  A lot of leeway there for this teenager who was beginning to chafe at the restrictions of her Baptist surroundings.

            That’s why I’ve chosen a particular UU principle as one which has shaped my life.  Jimmy and Karen have spoken about their experiences with a couple of different principles and I’m glad to add my own reflection.

            We UUs, in our personal spiritual lives and in our congregational life, make a covenant to affirm and promote the principles of our faith.  We do not use them as a creed, but as guidelines for our behavior toward each other and the world.

            My favorite principle is this one:  we covenant to affirm and promote a free and responsible search for truth and meaning.

            The Bible verse in Micah was the doorway for me out of the Baptist rules about the trinity, the restrictions about normal social activities like dancing and having a glass of wine, and the prohibitions that accompany religions that adhere spottily to the purity laws of ancient Judaism, the ones about same-sex relationships, what you should do to unruly children, and so on.

            Obviously “God” wanted me to act with justice, grant mercy to others, and to be humble about the gift of life that had been granted to me.  “God” didn’t need me to tell that cute guy that I didn’t believe in dancing.  He didn’t need me to be a prude or a teetotaler.  God needed me to be fair to people, to be kind to people, and not to be stuckup, in teenage language.

            This UU principle opened a new doorway for me, to leave behind the ancient legends around creation and virgin birth and resurrection and look for real information, not fake news, about creation and the marvelous way organisms have evolved over millennia into the limitless variety of living beings, from algae and amphibians and mammals and several stages of human-like beings, to where our natural world is today.

            Through my new understandings of how the universe works and has worked for as far back as we can discover, I found a new understanding of the idea we call God; I came to see it as a natural energy or force that infuses us all with life and plants in us the ability to love and to be in relationship. 

            My love of science and figuring things out led me down a pathway into real news and an appreciation of the process of scientific discovery, to a place where I could appreciate the creativity of the ancient stories but wanted to know more about what had really happened way back when, as human beings first walked on this earth.  For me, that was more exciting than any story, no matter how meaningful it might be to my family members. 

            So, a UU principle that has made my life particularly meaningful is our principle which states that we covenant to affirm and promote a free and responsible search for truth and meaning.

            Let’s pause for a time of silent reflection and prayer.

HYMN # 324:  “Break Not the Circle of Love” (Sandy play through once for the tune.

BENEDICTION:  Our worship service, our time of shaping worth together, is ended, but our service to the world begins again as we leave this place.  Let us go in peace, thinking about how our Unitarian Universalist values have shaped our lives, how they meet deep needs in ourselves, and inspire us to reach out to others.  May we find ways to use them in our daily lives and may our lives be examples of ethical, compassionate commitment.  Amen, Shalom, Salaam, and Blessed Be.

CLOSING CIRCLE