First
Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany
“On Seeking a Language of Reverence”
Rev. Samuel A. TrumboreSeptember
21, 2003
Readings
for Reflection
Presentation
by Paint Branch Players: You Matter to God
Imagine
a young woman walking slowly across the stage. There is nothing special
or different about her. Suddenly, she is confronted by a person, who, in
skillful mime with dramatic background music, makes it clear that he finds
her hideous. She shrinks a bit.
Next
she encounters another person, who with equal vigor silently tells her
how stupid she is. Her body shrinks again. She is barely standing.
Finally,
on her path she meets someone who in no uncertain terms informs her that
she is unlovable. Completely undone, she falls to the floor, a sorry mess
of a person.
There
is a pause for the audience to recognize their own feelings of identification,
anger, guilt and shame bubbling up.
Another
woman entered. She put her arms around the first woman and, as words came
over the loudspeaker, she told her in mime, “You matter to God.” At first,
our shriveled piece of humanity didn't believe her. But gradually, she
began to mime the same action. She then retraced her journey and at each
encounter, as she reminded herself that she mattered to God, her confidence
returned, and the degrading actions of the others did not touch her.
The
scene ended with all of them together, including those who had hurt her,
miming that powerful phrase, “You matter to God.”
From
President Sinkford’s sermon in Texas that got this controversy going:
When
I came to Unitarian Universalism, I was an ardent, some might say even
a rabid, Humanist. If you had told me as a teenager that at age 56 I would
be an ordained minister, using religious language in this pulpit, and have
a prayer life that centered on thankfulness and gratefulness to God, I
would have laughed out loud. The Humanist tradition was mine for a long
time.
But
we don't have this all permanently figured out at any discrete moment in
time. In my case, it was direct experience of something I hadn't counted
on--the kind of "direct experience of transcending mystery and wonder"
which we also affirm as a source of our faith tradition--that changed my
mind. It was in the midst of a crisis--my son Billy, then 15 years old,
had overdosed on drugs, and it was unclear whether he would live. As I
sat with him in the hospital, I found myself praying. First the selfish
prayers for forgiveness…for the time not made, for the too many trips,
for the many things unsaid, and, sadly, for a few things said that should
never have passed my lips. But as the night darkened, I finally found the
pure prayer. The prayer that asked only that my son would live. And late
in the evening, I felt the hands of a loving universe reaching out to hold.
The hands of God, the Spirit of Life. The name was unimportant. I knew
that those hands would be there to hold me whatever the morning brought.
And I knew, though I cannot tell you how, that those hands were holding
my son as well. I knew that I did not have to walk that path alone, that
there is a love that has never broken faith with us and never will.
My
son survived. But the experience stayed with me. That is my experience,
and my vocabulary for that experience. But "religious language" doesn't
have to mean "God talk." And I'm not suggesting that Unitarian Universalism
return to traditional Christian language. But I do feel that we need some
language that would allow us to capture the possibility of reverence, to
name the holy, to talk about human agency in theological terms--the ability
of humans to shape and frame our world guided by what we find to be of
ultimate importance.
I
was at a loss for words.We’d opened
with a prayer, closed with at prayer.Biblical
imagery had been drawn upon.But
I had to agree that we hadn’t explicitly discussed the theological grounding
for our organizing strategy.Nor
did I feel that comfortable doing it given we have secular neighborhood
organizations as part of ARISE and non-Christian religious organizations.Still,
I felt disturbed that I couldn’t immediately answer him in a language that
was mutually affirming.
Sometimes
when I speak with people who have just been through a difficult, traumatic
experience or have discovered they are suffering from an incurable disease,
I hear a need to speak theologically about their situation.I
hear a subtle, stifled cry to ask, “Why are you doing this to me Lord?”“What
have I done to deserve this?”“Is
there something I can do or say to appease you?”“Rescue
me Lord, from my affliction.”
But
I don’t often hear those words because they are, frankly, theologically
incorrect in the rugged individualist approach of many Unitarian Universalists
that might be expected to say something sobering like, “Buck up you sniveling
coward.”Rarely, do we ask each
other for help.Given our reluctance
to ask for help, I am pleased to report the generous support we do offer
each other, in times of need.
In
dialogue with other faiths or in response to the needs of those suffering
amongst us, what I think we lack as a religious community is a commonly
held theological language that allows us to pour out our hearts in grief,
supplication, devotion and reverence that compels us to action.
Participants
at General Assembly in Boston this year were all buzzing with Unitarian
Universalist Association President Bill Sinkford’s call for a language
of reverence.In his President’s
report, he told us nothing had generated as much mail and email in the
recent history of our Association as his recent remarks.He
seems to have touched a nerve.
For
some people this is a new and threatening concern.It
stimulates fear of a regression back into the grips of traditional religion.
For
everyone who enters the Unitarian Universalist ministry, President Sinkford
is speaking about one of our daily concerns.Every
time I am called upon to pray at an ARISE meeting, every time I meet someone
in need, every time I stand in this pulpit, I’m cautious about what words
I can or can’t say and who might be offended.
We
have this difficulty largely because of our non-creedal approach to religion.Believing
there are universals in religion that cannot be contained in language,
we have relegated matters of belief and faith to individual conscience
as the final arbiter as a way to fight religious oppression.This
is a good thing.Unfortunately this
hasn’t solved the problem, just buried it.
You
see, having different beliefs under one roof, at times, creates friction.If
the minister reads from the Bible, prays to Jesus, or proclaims God’s demand
for justice, all consistent with our purposes and principles, the atheist
objects and may even walk out.If
the minister never refers to theological concepts, the theist complains
that the services aren’t spiritual enough.The
effect of these conflicts over the last seventy years in our movement has
been to water down or drive out theological language from our services
and from our interpersonal conversations.I
know Unitarian Universalists, for example, who pray but would never admit
to it in their congregation for fear of being shunned by those who don’t.President
Sinkford believes the net effect of our non-creedal approach, as we practice
it today, has been to limit our practice of religion.
So,
to enhance our practice of Unitarian Universalism, President Sinkford is
calling on our congregations to begin defining a “language of reverence.”To
indemnify himself from the atheist attack that he is driving us toward
God-talk, he quotes one of our most articulate and inspiring humanists,
The Rev. Dr. David Bumbaugh who said:
"We
have manned the ramparts of reason and are prepared to defend the citadel
of the mind, but in the process of defending, we have lost…the ability
to speak of that which is sacred, holy, of ultimate importance to us…”
The
word reverence is an interesting one because it straddles the atheist/theist
divide.The word stretches beyond
the mundane but doesn’t quite leap into sacred terminology.To
revere is to regard as worthy of great honor, to admire profoundly and
respectfully.Reverence presupposes
intrinsic merit and tenderness of feeling.Love
and devotion, awe and wonder, are all compatible with feelings of reverence.
Paul
Woodruff, in his book, lent to me by Lois Griffin, titled, “Reverence,
Renewing a Forgotten Virtue (Oxford University Press, 2001),” captures
well this middle ground in these words:
Reverence
begins in a deep understanding of human limitations; from this grows the
capacity to be in awe of whatever we believe lies outside our control—God,
truth, justice, nature, even death.The
capacity for awe, as it grows, brings with it the capacity for respecting
fellow human beings, flaws and all.This
in turn fosters the ability to be ashamed when we show moral flaws exceeding
the normal human allotment… Simply put, reverence is the virtue that keeps
human beings from trying to act like gods.
Woodruff
gets right to the heart of why I think we need a language of reverence.If
we do not look beyond ourselves for sources of reverence, we run the risk
of trying to act like gods, projecting our views as the embodiment of truth
or denigrating those sniveling cowards with whom we do not agree.
A
good minister knows intimately the temptation to usurp God’s throne.Most
of us have tried to do it on occasion and suffered the humiliating consequences.The
wings we fly with are made of wax, married to the earth not to the sky.
All
of us must acknowledge there are powers greater than ourselves that limit
us.As I learned quickly after being
hit by a car that badly broke my leg in 1977, these bodies are frail.Without
a few minutes of breath, we perish.Staying
up more than 24 hours will begin breaking down our mental functioning.Witnessing
the devastation of a hurricane, tornado, volcano, or earthquake, the fearsome
weapons of modern warfare, or the institutionalized violence that can be
applied by the IRS, the FBI or the CIA, can make one feel very small, vulnerable
and alone.
Thankfully,
there are other powers greater than ourselves which draw us beyond our
individual limitations.Have you
ever been struck with a profound, yet wholly unexpected, creative inspiration
that seems so odd as to make you wonder about its origin?Have
you ever had a moment of awe-filled wonder that literally drove you involuntarily
to your knees in gratitude?Have
you ever been in the presence of someone whose talent seemed to soar beyond
human limitations?Do you know any
ordinary people who have become caught up in a moment of heroism you know
they wouldn't have rationally chosen? Do you know any researchers who are
inexplicably driven by a frenetically inquisitive mind?Do
you know of any martyrs whose spirit could not be broken while everyone
else around them recanted.These
are examples that suggest a source beyond the self that can inspire reverence.
Where
we get into trouble is trying to name that source.Is
this source the power of Fate, God, Allah, Ahuru Mazda, Satan, a guardian
angel or a spirit guide, or just social conditioning and brain chemistry
mixed with dumb luck?
A
language of reverence arises through our mutual recognition that there
are humbling powers beyond us we don’t fully understand that can control
and shape us.Whether there are or
are not gods, we definitely are not their equals.
Implicit
in our approach to religion has been the belief that at the core of the
various world religions is a common reality grounded in human experience,
an unspeakable Universalism that allows us to translate each other’s language
of faith.We can penetrate each other’s
language by connecting each term to human experience.
Embracing
the possibility of multiply true languages of faith can allow me to worship
in an African American Missionary Baptist Church and translate the minister’s
appeal to give your life to Jesus into a call to make a firm commitment
to love-–a translation that is meaningful to me.It
allows me to pray with the Rabbi, Shema
Israel Adonai Elohenu Adonai echad Hear O Israel, the Lord our God,
the Lord is One,
and translate this as an affirmation that there is one and only one Ultimate
Reality.It allows me to chant with
the Sufi, “La Illaha, Il a’allah.” There is no other God but Allah which
I can translate and use to point to the same Jewish concept of the universality
of Ultimate Reality.
To
be sure, these terms are not equal, each is unique and independent of the
other, and, common threads of meaning can weave them together to show their
compatibility in the realm of human experience.
For
those who remain uncomfortable or unwilling to translate traditional theological
languages, you'll be happy to know new languages of reverence are emerging.I
strongly encourage you to come to this room Saturday, October 11th
and hear the Rev. Dr. David Bumbaugh speak to us in person and articulate
a Humanist Language of Reverence derived from the Humanist Manifesto.I
and the ministers in Glens Falls, Schenectady and Saratoga Springs will
respond with our languages of reverence.I
will offer a class starting at the end of October for us to explore and
share our own language of reverence so we can practice this process of
translation and perhaps find some common terms.
This
is what I believe President Sinkford is calling us to do.He
is not pushing us toward becoming liberal Christians and praying to God.He
is not banishing secular humanists from our movement.He
is challenging us to leave our theological closets, risk talking about
our beliefs with each other, try doing a little translating and seek a
language that is generally acceptable for this congregation.Each
of our fiercely independent congregations has a unique language that can
be enriched with a larger vocabulary.A
larger vocabulary will deepen, and enhance the quality of our Sunday services.Being
able to use both contemporary and traditional language and translate between
the two will greatly enhance our ability to persuasively share the good
news of Unitarian Universalism with others.
Dwelling
in irreverence will only isolate us and make this congregation irrelevant.We
carry precious insights into how to do religion that defend against authoritarianism
and idolatry through respecting the integrity of the individual.Let
us not fall prey to over-inflating the greatness of these insights.We
have much to relearn from others that we have forgotten or fearfully rejected.
The
phrases “you matter to God” and the inherent worth of every person do not
mean the same thing.And I believe
they point toward the same life-affirming human values.The
key to understanding and translating multiple languages of reverence is
listening for the human dimension.At
heart, they are all languages of love.
President
Sinkford’s inspirational story of praying at his son's bedside and feeling
his hands held by something greater than himself was a human experience.However
we symbolize these experiences, the stories that describe them have a resonance
that communicates a greater truth than language can impart.
Human
experience is the universal language we can speak together.Let
us use it to find a common reverential language that will set our hearts
free.
Let us find our own language of reverence
that both expands our possibilities
for meaning
And contracts our desire to conquer
them.
Once we find some reverential words grounded in human experience
Then let us begin learning how to translate
Our personal language into the language of others.
You are in the right place to do that kind of learning and growing.
May we find a way to recognize and translate
the reverent human experience that inspired these words:
“there is a love
that has never broken faith with us
and
never will.”
Go from this place,
Filled with the spirit of love
that extends beyond us,
Chastened by a broader awareness
of our human limitations
Awed by the gift of human possibility,
And energized to make a positive
difference,
reverently.
Copyright
© 2003 by the Rev. Samuel A.
Trumbore. All rights reserved.