Last week, in our Memorial Day Sunday, we remembered and honored all those who have died in war, and also reminded ourselves of the need for each of us, soldiers and civilians, to perform the work of peacemaking - doing what we can in our lives to ease suffering, promote freedom, and manage conflict. The topic of Peacemaking is being examined by the Unitarian Universalist Association as a denomination. It’s an interesting question: what does it mean to make peace? To learn some answers to that question, take a look at http://www.uua.org/socialjustice/issuesprocess/currentissues/peacemaking/index.shtml. I’d love to hear your answers, as well.

Peace!

Rev. Bob

Beloved reader,

Last Sunday I preached on the subject of leadership in anxious times. It is important that leaders (and everyone else, too) not get too caught up in “the anxiety of the moment” but are able to think long-term. To do this, leaders need to be connected with their center. Your center might be your deepest held values, or God, or the spirit. But whatever it is, it’s important to put that first. If you know your center, and you’re true to the mission of whatever it is your serving as a leader, leadership is considerably easier than it would be otherwise.

As usual, country music says it best. Here’s a great, timeless song about not getting too caught up in the anxiety of the moment and the pursuit of worldly gain at the expense of putting first things first. It’s written by Red Hayes and Jack Rhodes and has been covered by just about everybody.

Money can’t buy back your youth when you’re old
Or a friend when you’re lonely, or a love that’s grown cold
The wealthiest person is a pauper at times
Compared to the man with a satisfied mind

As you go about your life, friend, may you find that most precious of treasures: a satisfied mind.

Rev. Bob

We had a great this past week, with our Coming of Age ceremony. Unitarian Universalist Coming of Age is a little like confirmation in Catholicism or a Bat or Bar Mitzvah in Judaism, but with our own unique version. The youth in the program learn about Unitarian Universalist thought and traditions - but just as importantly, they consider what they believe about the world. After months of soul-searching, talking with mentors and teachers, and being in community with their peer group, on Sunday our youth shared their “credo statements” with the congregation. The statements were wonderful, and the youth are even more so.

This year, as well as planning the service one of the youth drew the picture on the front of the order of service. It was a flaming chalice, the symbol of Unitarian Universalism. On the base of the chalice was written “FUUFHC”, to show that the congregation was the support for the entire Coming of Age program. The sides of the chalice were composed of the names of the teachers, who helped lift up the youth. The youths’ names were in the bowl of the chalice - they are the heart of it all, where the flame of the Coming of Age spirit comes from. The top “rim” of the chalice was the mentors - their names were above the youth, because they are people the youth look up to. Finally, the chalice flame said “Coming of Age”, which is what happened when we all gathered together.

Just like the service, the picture really reminded me of what is possible when people meet together with a common purpose. Each can strengthen the other, and produce something lasting and beautiful. The youth reminded me afresh what I so love about this faith of ours.

with gratitude,

Rev. Bob

sabbath time is the opportunity to realize
the most important thing in the world
is a Dad playing with his kid on the swings.

Nobel prizes, peace accords, effective CEOs are all vital,
but if they don’t serve a Dad playing with his kid on the swings,
then
they’re nothing.

On Saturday, I had the great pleasure of joining many others in the Friends of Suzanne annual Walk-a-Thon. Friends of Suzanne helps people living with cancer with their medical expenses and other costs, as well as providing vital emotional support. The organization was started by the amazing Kathy Koltowski to help her friend Suzanne, and sustained by a wonderful core of volunteers. We were fortunate to have a beautiful day to be outside, and everyone had a great time.

Below is a prayer offered to anyone affected by cancer. It is based on the invocations I gave this year and two years ago at the Walk-a-thons.

Great spirit of life and love,
Spirit of hope,
Spirit that is present in our lives in the most joyous celebration
as well on the loneliest road,

Let us be aware that there is always something in our life to be grateful for:
whether it is the sunshine that warms our day
or the food we get to eat or
being able to move around or
the people we are connected to by love.

We pray this prayer as a connected people -
connected as fellow human beings on this wonderful earth,
all in this together 
connected to our friends and neighbors,
connected by acts of love and compassion.

May those living with cancer,
whether for a day or a decade,
find, on this day, enough strength,
enough patience and endurance and hope
to get them through to tomorrow.

Wherever they are, at home or in hospital,
whatever they are currently going through,
may those living with cancer know that they are not alone,
that there are a great many who are hoping and praying
for their recovery,
for comfort in the midst of pain,
for joy and hope in difficult times.
Wherever their journey may take them,
through every valley of despair and sorrow,
they do not walk alone.

For family and friends,
who do their best to support their loved ones with cancer
even as they themselves are coping with
all the emotions that
come with a diagnosis,
the fear and the anger,
the grieving what is lost, the bitterness,
may they find courage as they walk with those who are suffering.
All of these emotions are
part of being human,
they are part of our spiritual journey,
and they bring us closer to what some know and love as God,
and some do not name at all.

And for all those who are grieving
a lost loved one,
may they be given the assurance
that their beloved is free from suffering,
held in the arms of God,
and may they also be assured that no life is ever really over,
that the wonderful personality, the good deeds, and love of
those that have died
continue forever to be a part of our lives and
a part of our world.

May we enjoy our life today,
aware of life’s suffering,
aware of the potential for healing and recovery,
and aware that this is the day we are given.
For all the things in life we cannot control,
there is so much we can:
not the great and terrible events that happen to us in our lives,
but how we deal with those events,
how we live our life each and every day.

For all that is required of us
is that we do justice,
love mercy,
and walk humbly with that which sustains us, and takes us home.
AMEN

Happy Earth Day!

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, the Unitarian Universalist Association has given us a great challenge: asking 40 people in each UU congregation to make an environmental change in their lives for 40 days. What change you make is up to you, as long as you do it for 40 days and it helps the environment. There’s lots of good suggestions and ideas on their website:

http://www.uua.org/socialjustice/issues/environmentaljustice/159611.shtml

I’m going to use this as an opportunity to finally try composting. About time I did that. Wish me luck! What change will YOU make?

In sustainability,
Rev. Bob

A freethinking people to a fault, we Unitarian Universalists are often getting in trouble for changing the verses to the hymns we don’t agree with. But why should the deacons get all the really good tunes? At any rate, I hope no-one takes offence if we change around a few lyrics to a favorite campfire hymn. If campfire hymns are sacred ground too, please forgive the transgression…
Universally,
Rev. Bob

“You’ll always go to heaven”

O, you’ll always go to heaven
if you’re UU
cuz’ in UU heaven,
we take UUs, too.
CHORUS: Oh I ain’t gonna grieve, I ain’t gonna worry,
I ain’t gonna leave this world in a hurry,
I ain’t gonne grieve, my Lord no more.

O you’ll always go to heaven
if you’re Universalist
because if you didn’t go to heaven,
why, you’d be missed.
CHORUS

O you’ll always go to heaven
if you’re Unitarian
because if you’re Unitarian
you probably know Marion.
(congregational in-joke - can subsitute “you can take the MTA, or the Star Island Ferry in” for a more universal Unitarian in-joke)

O you’ll always go to heaven
if you’re an atheist
cuz an atheist
makes the most of this

O you’ll always go to heaven
If you made a sin
Cos God said she’s gonna love ya
And she don’t give in.

O you’ll always go to heaven
If you’re broken inside
You know the Mississipi River
Is a mile wide.

O you’ll always go to heaven,
if you give a pledge away,
Because when you get to heaven,
you won’t need it anyway.

O you’re gonna go to heaven
At the The First Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Hunterdon County,
Because at The First Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Hunterdon County,
we’re a place of bounty.

In the timeless tradition of campfire songs, feel free to add verses and change the words!!! See ya in heaven, if not before!

A couple weeks ago, I had the privilege of spending the day with sixty eight-grade future leaders, along with their teachers and counselors, at the 1st Annual Lehigh Valley Youth & Ethics Leadership Conference. Gwen Pongracz, founder of Kids of Character (and a friend of mine), created the organization with a vision of creating opportunities for character education. We had a great conferenece - including an amazing presentation by a Military Cadet on how we always have a choice in our life and we need to speak up for what is right (”your silence is your consent”, as he put it.) As well as leading a workshop on Appreciating Differences, I was kindly invited to provide the Inovcation. Here it is, below:

We are gathered together –
Young men and women, teachers and role models –
We are gathered together in pursuit of the best life we can possibly live.
We want our lives to be fun, to be meaningful,
We want our lives to help others, and to help build a better world.

I invite everyone here to take a moment to think about everyone that brought you to this moment
In your life,
Everyone that makes you, you:
Your ancestors, your families,
Your friends, who give you support and encouragement,
Your schools and teachers, who help teach you things and bring you to this conference.
We all have cause to think with gratitude about all that we have been given.

And now it is up to us to make the most of our lives.
This is not just a random collection of 8th graders:
Gathered in this building today are young women and young men who
Will be some of the future leaders of the world.
Friends, the way you live your life will
Have an effect on the people around you.
The way you live your life will have an effect
On the world you live in.

You don’t have to be brilliant, or a straight-A student,
You don’t have to be popular, you don’t have to be perfect.
If you live your life with courage, with determination,
With compassion,
With a willingness to take risks to help others,
You will become a leader,
And you can help others to live a good life.

Fellow teachers, we know how daunting it is to teach,
And may the spirit of understanding and wisdom
be present to our humble offerings so that they might help a young person
In their life.
Fellow students, we know how difficult it is to learn,
And may that same spirit of understanding and wisdom help you find something in this day
That you can use in your own life.

May we all be grateful for this opportunity to be together today,
May we all enjoy ourselves and have fun,
And may we live the best life we possibly can

Amen

I was guided to this poem yesterday, too good not to pass along. What a beautiful poem for Easter week (and it’s Passover too!). It’s written by a UU minister, now deceased. So glad his poem survives.

And so we come on our donkeys,
Some from Detroit and some from Tokyo and even a few from Seoul.
With horns blaring and brakes screeching,
We enter the city, the holy of holies.
We know what Caesar wants:
Testing ranges and new arenas while the homeless haunt church basements
and the poor shuffle in the streets.
But we march to a different drummer.
Not many rich, not many mighty.
A vagabond crew in a strange land,
Whose ways are not our ways
Nor thoughts our thoughts.
But let us be of good cheer.
Let the word go out.
The donkey is mightier than the missile.
And flowers have been known to split a rock.
This week moves inexorably toward Friday.
It is Caesar’s week.
But it is God’s world.
And so we take heart and rejoice. Amen.

We’re doing something a little different this year for our pledge campaign - thinking about stewardship first, why this congregation is important to us and why we want to care for it, before diving into the “nuts and bolts” of the budget. To learn more about stewardship, I invite you to check out our pledge information on this website to get informed and get inspired: http://hunterdonuu.org/wpmu/pledge-campaign-2010/. Soon, we’ll have up a few members reflections on why they give, as well.

May your life be generous, may your life be a gift,

Rev. Bob