Holding To The Light
- Details
- Created on Sunday, 11 September 2011 01:00
- Written by Elaine Beth Peresluha
Please note that this is the written text from which Elaine speaks extemporaneously. The words will not match what you hear on Sunday mornings. To hear exactly what is said please go to our podcasts of Sunday's sermons.
This month the Church of the Larger Fellowship newsletter printed a poem by Sherman Alexie- Indian Boy Love Song #1
Everything I have lost
in the closing of a door
The click of a lock
Is not forgotten. They
do not die but remain
within the soft edges
of the earth the ash
of house fires and cancer
of sin and forgiveness
huddled under old blankets
Dreaming their way
into my hands, my heart
closing tight like fists.
What I remember most about September 11, 2001- is the momentary loss of the boundaries that normally keep us separate- in our own worlds. Our connection to one another was palpable.
I found myself finding refuge and strength writing letters of reconciliation to estranged friends and family, taking the opportunity to reestablish communication. I have found myself extraordinarily courteous in grocery lines, in traffic and on the streets, seeing in every face shared grief, feeling an extraordinary connection to all beings- to living, breathing. . For one brief moment we all stopped shopping- opened our eyes and felt vulnerable, caring, and connected.
Then fear gradually replaced mourning- hate replaced love. Fear mixed up with sadness, rage and the need for vengeance- motivated this nation to pick up arms- and to this day, we war. Fear, continues to saturate our lives- Internet and media sensationalizing tragedy and catastrophe. Whether it is the angry reaction of an irate person ticketed for not putting money in the meter... Job loss, financial insecurity, increasingly inaccessible health care, and overburdening personal and national deficit weigh on the public's mind.
In process theology... as in the family systems theory of psychology... as in many aspects of science... understandings and theories are moving away from belief in a reality composed of concrete predictable substance to an understanding of the universe... as process... It is even speculated that the laws of the universe themselves are evolving. Energy...matter...spirit are one and the same. Reality is not made up of purely substance but of a string of events which continually occur within a field...which means that we as humans are constantly dealing with change... with a progression of events continually in flux... what we expect to be permanent is not... the only constants are the patterns and relationships passed on from the past...This means that every event is the inheritor of all other events... whether it be in our families or in our society...Cumulative succession of inheritance is the nature of life..... and with every gesture- we are catalysts of change. We hold the power to manifest destiny! With a word, a deed our action or avoidance- we are shaping the reality of this universe. We cannot escape- we cannot opt out- too busy- - we are the shapers.
In a recent interview, Colin Powell expressed his concern that fear of terrorist was changing who we are as a nation. He said, “We have to be on guard that we don't spend so much time worrying about terrorism and guarding ourselves that we start to lose the essence of who we are as an open, freedom-loving people, welcoming the rest of the world. … We can't take such counsel of our fears that we change who we are, even though the terrorist aren't able to change who we are.” He saw fear motivating our conflicts over immigration reform, the economy and health care - fear rather than our commitment to freedom, care, and inclusion is at the center of policy making.
Alan Paton wrote
" Cry the beloved country for the unborn child who is the inheritor of all our fears... let him not love the earth too deeply for fear will rob him of all if he loves too much."
On this 10th anniversary- we have an opportunity to reflect on where we have been, where fear has led us- and decide if perhaps there is a better course- an alternative to motivation by fear. We are the shapers of reality- how shall we respond?
Standing On The Side Of Love, Our UU public advocacy campaign promotes respect for the inherent worth and dignity of every person. They recognized that for some, “this 10th anniversary of September 11th is a moment to stoke the fires of fear, intolerance, paranoia, and scapegoating; promote a rise in anti-Muslim hysteria and attack civil liberties in the name of national security; and focus on that which divides us, rather than that which unites us all.”
The Standing on the Side of Love Campaign sent out a TWEET/You Tube to Unitarian Universalist reminding us “Sept. 11th is a moment in time to embrace the other, especially those of other faith traditions (and also those of no faith tradition at all). We are taking this moment to focus on the beauty of crossing social, religious, and ethnic borders in faith, love, and compassion.”
Today is a time to mourn the losses, heal the wounded and show solidarity as a Nation. It is also time for us to model maturity, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually- both as individuals and as a nation…. Or fear will rob us of all, 10 years- we can retell the story- or we can change the story. History can teach us tolerance. Experience can bring us understanding
Life's inevitable and unpredictable losses blend black and white into a more subtle hue of gray. 10 years older, wiser, souls- we can loosen our grip on being right, accept fallibility, and discover that simply learning to love and be loved is the ultimate human achievement
Since the first big bang sent molecules spinning into this blue green sphere- Since life emerged out of chaos- beauty out of destruction- blooming flowers- A power has held families together in times of despair, returned spring after every Winter. There is an inexhaustible eternal source at work in this universe- Call it God, Evolution, Goddess, Love, Goodness, or Allah-. that energy exists ... and there is an equal and opposite force of destruction, hatred and evil at work in this world. Forces that tear families apart, feed violence and craves power.
In every moment we choose- we decide with which power we will align our intentions. Peace Pilgrim said: “The basic conflict in our world today is not between nations. It is between two opposing beliefs. The belief that you can overcome evil with more evil…. And the belief which is my way … The belief that evil can only be overcome by goodˇ.
Standing on the side of Love- what an easy reminder- how, when and where to stand up. At any moment of choice- in the grocery line or in the voting booth- at town meeting or at the dinner table- stand on the side of love- resist the easy tumble into blame, judgment the choice to be right. Choose the relationship- the improvement of the story – “doing one better than was done before.” (Susan Werner May I Suggest) Looking back-at what was done, some not so well, we choose. We sift. We decide what and how to carry forward- what part of this human story lives to create a new story unfolding- what will we add of our strength, our wisdom, and our sorrow, our joy? Choosing how to move forward, together we can show the world- the true strength of our United States of America. Lift your voice- speak out. Stand On the side of love- the world needs us to lead the way out of violence into a new era of tolerance, negotiation, and moral maturity.
Writing this sermon, I listened over and over again to Lucy Kaplansky, song, Land Of The Living- she wrote it just days following the falling of the World trade center – she wrote of
The stories that fell from the sky that day
… Pictures of faces posted everywhere
They say "hazel eyes chestnut hair
Mother of two missing down there"
Carpets of flowers in candlelight
And thank you in a child's scrawl
Taped to the third street firehouse wall
There's shadows of the lost on the faces I see
Brothers and strangers on this island of grief
There's death in the air but there's life on this street
There's life on this street
This is the land of the living
This is the land that's mine
She still watches over Manhattan
She's still holding onto that torch for life
And she still stands there, Liberty beckoning and calling, telling people what she’s seeing, asking them what they see. She still watches over our Manhattan, over this nation- guiding the world to our shore, welcoming us home- holding on to that torch- for life- calling us one- and all to hold to the light- that torch of life- the light of love.