Sanctuary is Our Claim that Hope Can Become Truth
Sanctuary is more than a concept. Sanctuary is our claim that the realm of God and goodness is here, now, in this time and place. Sanctuary isn’t the room where we wait for things to get better. Sanctuary is the space where we claim peace and justice, hope and love right now, among us.
I recently preached on the topic of Integrity. I had this sermon completed before Christmas because I wanted to not stress about it. Good for me.
The day after Christmas I realized it wasn't "right." I wasn't sure what was wrong, but as I do when I'm looking for more than I have, I delved into quotes by people I think know what I'm trying to figure out. James Baldwin amazed me.
The park ranger described the paths one could choose to hike across the island. I picked the that one he said was the easiest. When he was done talking, I walked to get a drink at a building that was a distance away, behind some trees. When I came back out, I couldn’t quite see what was a path and what was the field, so I walked back to where some people seemed to be hanging out.
This was this last Sunday’s service in the United Unitarian Universalist congregation in my town. This was entirely written by five of us - the “United We Writers.” I told friends that I would post this on my website. The service was wonderfully received.
I preached this sermon at United Unitarian Universalist /23/2019.
(I preached this sermon at my church, United Unitarian Universalist, in Waukesha. 3/3/2019)
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One day a young Buddhist on her journey to find True Happiness, came to the banks of a wide river. Staring at the great obstacle in front of her, she pondered and pondered how to cross such a wide and mighty barrier.
While on the space shuttle Columbia, which would explode during reentry a few days later, astronaut Laurel Clark wrote some emails to family and friends.
This is from one of them: Subject: Hello from 150 NM above the Earth
“Why do we attend church? Um, I can’t remember.”
There are so many reasons to not belong to or attend church - even liberal Unitarian Universalist churches.
I have liked the Old Testament story of Ruth ever since I was a kid. But in seminary, when I learned it is not an “Aww Shucks, Ma’am” cowboy romance, I started liking it even more. The story of Ruth is not the particular romance of Ruth and Boaz. It IS a story of dangerous poverty, racism, and sexism – and what happened when good adults welcomed each other in an unsafe place and time.
I first encountered Julian of Norwich in a seminary class on mysticism when I was in my 20’s –back when I could read for hours without falling asleep. I had been raised in such a religiously patriarchal culture; that reading Julian for that first time was as if someone had turned a light on in the room.