Messages from First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Antonio

– with immigration attorney Joe DeMott and the Rev. Bret Lortie

Where has the motive power of love taken us, and where will it lead? How will we harness love’s power to stop oppression?

Beginning Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and culminating with Valentine’s Day, “30 Days of Love ” is an association-wide Standing on the Side of Love visioning process about making sense of the present moment and discerning what difference we are called to make in the world.

Emerson wrote that a “person will worship something, have no doubt about that…That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and our character.” In this new year, let us be mindful of what we are worshipping, and becoming.

The Rev. Phil Schulman shares some principles of “Nonviolent Communication” that can help us claim our peace and have more joy with family gatherings through the holiday season.

It was later that week that I realized I had witnessed the beginnings of the Occupy San Antonio group, yet unformed. The Occupy Wall Street protest was just getting ramped up, and a few forward-leaning people in other cities were seeing where it was going: a national outcry against greed, corruption, and unjust practices. A cry for justice!

There are different kinds of justice. Social justice  refers to the extent to which society’s institutions ensure that benefits and burdens are distributed in ways that are fair and just. This is not to say that everyone gets the same compensation, but that everyone has enough when there’s enough to go around.

We have enough to go around, and enough for the risk-takers that drive our economy to be rewarded substantially for their investments. We must also ask, how much is enough reward? As much as can be taken? As much as legal loopholes allow?

What we’re seeing in the Occupy movement is not protest in the traditional sense where we work to change one thing. The Occupy movement is an expression of national outrage for a set of unjust practices that need reform. What we’re seeing isn’t revolution but democracy in action. We are witnessing the heart of a nation that feels betrayed, and thank God, as the motive power of Love, we also live in a nation where we need not remain silent about that betrayal.

In a national climate where liberal and mainline religion are becoming less relevant, the unique message of Unitarian Universalism becomes more valuable for what it has to teach the world about acceptance, radical love, and the value of free and non-coerced relationships. We also have much to share with other denominations that value and want to embrace more fully their embodiment of a free and liberating faith. We do not have to be big to be powerful. Come and gather with others who share a vision of a better world and a better way of doing religion.

This Sunday we will explore what Buddhists call “right livelihood,” Christians call “vocation,” and others might call “calling.” To what vocation (this month’s theme) is your life called? Many of us are blessed with paid work that is fulfilling and aligned with our values, but what about those of us who struggle with our work? Perhaps it fails to live up to our expectations or we are surrounded by those who don’t share our values. No matter the circumstances of our working lives, intentionality and inner purpose (and finding places to feed our callings, paid or not) might just help us get through to… well.. to payday.

Moving away from tragedy doesn’t just take strength or brute determination. It takes vision — the ability to see clearly.

In the practice of “insight meditation,” also called Vipassana, the primary task is to cultivate what is called (no surprise) insight. In studying various meditation practices, I’ve come to understand that while the beliefs of various Buddhist sects may differ, the basic goals of meditation are remarkably similar. It’s no surprise that when you examine the Buddha’s earliest teachings, cultivating mindful attention is emphasized more than anything. The “object” of focus for meditation may differ among practices (the breath, a koan, a teaching or feeling), but honing one’s ability to see clearly, to examine the truth of situations and circumstances, to perceive illusions and falsehoods, all these remain consistent.

Our country was hit with the most significant tragedy of our time exactly a decade ago this month when two jets were driven by terrorists into the World Trade Center buildings in New York City. Our country encountered true evil in those moments as we witnessed how far fundamentalist doctrines based on hate and misunderstanding can push individuals and groups. To call it anything other than evil avoids confronting the universal aspects of that terrible day, that the capacity to hate and to love are innate in all. Given the right circumstances would we be capable of committing atrocities? We think not, but the evidence contained within the history of human conflict says otherwise.

That is where cultivating vision and insight can save us. Our is a tradition of applying reason and understanding to all doctrines and teachings, including ours. This is our practice of insight.  Reason calls us to question freely that which does not feel right. Yet reason without insight is like weather forecasting without radar. A forecaster may have all the schooling and knowledge available, but without that clear picture of what’s going on and how systems are interacting with each other, predictions are made half blind. Insight lets us see what is actually happening. It is clarity of vision that will heal the wounds that have festered for a decade, leading us to perpetual war and fear of others. The scars will remain, certainly, for we cannot forget what has happened — but healing must be possible for the world to be right.

My prayer for our country is that the seeds of reason be able to take root in places where fundamentalisms have too long dominated, and that insight be the water that nourishes and quenches the ever growing spirit of humanity.

Moving away from tragedy doesn’t just take strength or brute determination. It takes vision — the ability to see clearly… It is clarity of vision that will heal the wounds that have festered for a decade, leading us to perpetual war and fear of others. The scars will remain, certainly, for we cannot forget what has happened — but healing must be possible for the world to be right.

A pilgrimage is a journey of some spiritual significance, great or small. Sometime you know what you seek (or think you seek); other times you have only a destination and the quest is unknown. In any single pilgrimage there are usually three journeys you undertake: the journey you plan, the journey you think you’re on while you’re on it, and (if you’re lucky) the journey that surprises you in some way. Using Wes Anderson’s film “The Darjeeling Express,” we will explore the meaning of pilgrimage in the context of our faith. The minister will also share his plans for his pilgrimage next week to Black Rock City, aka …

I was asked to share my thoughts on “how UU has changed my life” at the Southwestern Conference’s Summer Institute last month. It was part of a series of sunset talks given by the side of a beautiful Oklahoma lake. Come Sunday to hear what I said.