Of leaks and light...

(This is slightly modified from a piece that originally appeared as my March "Plumb Line" column at the UUCiA) 

There are so many things to write about… I’m excited (yes, plumb excited!) for the upcoming Jazz Concert at the UUCiA on March 28. I’m excited about the upcoming St. Patrick’s Peace Parade – hopefully on March 15.

This is also an exciting week on the multi-religious calendar. The Jewish holiday Purim begins at sundown on Wednesday, March 4 (as I type this, actually). The Lantern Festival (celebrated in China and in Taoism) is Thursday, March 5. The Hindu holiday Holi is Friday, March 6. And we are also in the Christian season of Lent. What rich traditions!

But today I find myself thinking of something more mundane: leaks. In part, that’s because there was

a leak in the minister’s study on February 22. Thanks to our Property Committee, that was quickly resolved. But I’ve heard from other friends and colleagues who had leaks in their studies/offices, and I know many folks have been dealing with this in your homes.

I’m in the habit (thanks to my dangerous dabbling in the writings of Carl Jung) of thinking in terms of synchronicity and the collective unconscious. So when lots of folks I know are having leaks, I wonder: What could it mean? I don’t literally think the universe (or God/Goddess or Tao) is trying to send a message, but I do feel spiritually compelled to look for meaning.

One thing that comes to mind are all the messages about water in the Tao Te Ching, as we discussed on Sunday, February 22. Water is indeed powerful. As it says at Chapter 8 of the Tao Te Ching, “The greatest good is like water.  It flows even to the lowliest places where no one chooses to be and so it is very close to the Tao”.  Or as the late martial artist Bruce Lee once said, “…. be like water. Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water…  you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup; You put water into a bottle it becomes the bottle; You put [water] in a teapot and it becomes the teapot…. Be water, my friend.” Are these leaks telling us to “go with the flow”, so to speak?

Maybe. But that doesn’t feel quite right. Too many folks are having a really hard and demoralizing

time with this winter weather for that meaning to seem exactly right.

I think it’s more basic. What causes a leak? A crack or a hole causes a leak. I think the message is, many of us are feeling worn out and “leaky” after a very rough February. There is good news, though. Our Unitarian forebear Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “There is a crack in everything God has made.” Emerson’s quotation reminds me of even better words by songwriter Leonard Cohen: “Ring the bells that still can ring / Forget your perfect offering / There is a crack in everything / That’s how the light gets in.”

So, friends, we might be feeling leaky and cracked, but that’s how the light gets in. The light is coming! Hang in there.

And that, of course, reminds me of something else: “spring forward” your clocks Saturday night when you go to bed. Daylight Savings Time is here; can Spring be far behind?

Super Bowl and Souper Bowl of Caring

Brady's locker, with Ganesh (photo found here).

Okay, I'll just cut to the chase here. I'm a huge New England Patriots fan. What a Super Bowl that was, huh? Unbelievable.

I was interested to learn that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has Ganesh in his locker ("remover of obstacles" from the Hindu tradition). Who knew?

But as much as I enjoy watching football, at the end of the day, it's just a game. The Super Bowl is the most watched television show in the United States, but that doesn't make it the most important thing happening, of course. One of the most important things happening is that there are people right here in this country who need some help getting by. That's why the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Andover participated in the Souper Bowl of Caring on February 1.

According to the website, this was the 25^th anniversary of the Souper Bowl of Caring, which was created in 1990 when a simple prayer (“even as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game, help us be mindful of those who are without a bowl of soup to eat”) inspired a youth-led movement to fight hunger. Since then, millions of dollars have been raised for soup kitchens, food banks and other charities in communities across the USA.

The UUCiA collection went to the Merrimack Valley Food Bank, which (according to the website) has been transporting, storing and distributing food to disadvantaged members of the community since 1991. 

Considering that we decided to do this only days before the Super Bowl, our collection was pretty successful! We'll have to do it again next year, perhaps with an earlier start!

Catching up... Carnism

I have been remiss in posting lately. I apologize. I want to write something about Black History Month, and "30 Days of Love", and even the Patriots winning the Super Bowl! But right now, I just want to share a video: "Beyond Carnism and toward Rational, Authentic Food Choices". It's a TEDx talk by Melanie Joy, who explains the psychology behind eating some animals, but not others.  It is about 19 minutes long, 2 minutes of which are difficult to watch because they "make the unseen, seen". (You can forward through that if you need to; it is hard to watch.) This TED talk explains the ideology of carnism. People tend to think that vegans and vegetarians have a certain ideology or belief system that keeps them from eating meat, and that is true. But as this talk explains, those who eat meat are also operating with a certain ideology/belief system. I don't expect that you will watch this and become a vegan or vegetarian overnight; I don't assume anything about your reaction to it. I just ask that (if you are willing) you watch the video and think about it.

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"Have a Nice Day: The Dy-No-Mite Spirituality of the 1970s"

Preaching under disco ball, with roller skates!

We had a lot of fun at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Andover this past Sunday with a worship service about the 1970s. I attempted to tease out the spiritual, theological, and philosophical issues in my sermon (in two parts) "Have a Nice Day: The Dy-No-Mite Spirituality of the 1970s". You can listen to the sermon here.

To the left is a picture of me in my 70s outfit -- polyester shirt with big pointy collar, and a vinyl jacket from the era (Sears & Roebuck!)... bell bottom jeans... and roller skates! I'm under a disco ball. I'm pretty sure I'm part of a very small subset of clergy persons who have ever preached under a disco ball wearing roller skates!

Below are more pictures from the day, which included special decorations...

One of our members proudly displays ERA swag fom the 1970s... The smiley face was on the cover of our bulletin.

Just part of the special 70s display. Notably missing from the photo: an awesome lava lamp.

Two talented members perform "Love Will Keep Us Together". Note special 70s facial hair grown just for the day!

A disco ball hanging from a beam of our lovely sanctuary...

The UUCiA choir rehearses their number for the day, "Dancing Queen". Such fun! (There's that lava lamp...)