Sunday Sermon - Creating a better world in Brockport

Today, 12/30/12, at the Brockport Unitarian Universalist Fellowship which meets at the Historic Church in Garland we had a service which was lay led by Matt O'Donnel, Libby Clifford, and Bill Clifford. As part of the service people who asked to bring a poem, article, story, and/or statement that deals with light, and renewal. Here is the statement I prepared and shared with the congregation:

I have been reading Rebecca Ann Parker and John Buehrens book, A House For Hope: The Promise of Progressive Religion For The Twenty First Century, and in one chapter John Buehrens writes “Covenant is a concept not just about a commitment to a particular community. Because of its connection to hope, it is also about a community’s commitment to a vision without which we all perish.”

And this idea about a covenant to a vision as well as to a community got me thinking about whether things might have gone differently if Nancy and Adam Lanza, and William Spengler had been members of BUUF?

Millions of people have asked, witnessing the tragedies of Newton and Webster, “How could God Allow This To Happen?” One answer is that God didn’t allow this to happen, God gave us free will and we allowed it to happen. There were many factors that contributed to Adam and William’s behavior such as easy availability to guns and ammunition magazines, lack of mental health care, a culture which indulges in violence as entertainment, and the social isolation brought about by stigma.

What is an appropriate response to this situation? It is the existence of a faith community that offers different cultural values and practices, that points out that there is a better way.

Here in Brockport, BUUF is unique. There is no other church quite like ours based on the seven principles, and our six sources. We covenant with each other to promote and affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every  person; justice, equity, and compassion in human relations, acceptance of one another and encouragement in spiritual growth in our congregations and the world; a free and responsible search for truth and meaning; the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large; the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all; and respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

This congregation is a beacon of light and hope. We are inclusive and value diversity and have faith that working together we can create a better world right here on earth. As Rev. Kaaren Anderson said one time at First Unitarian of Rochester, “We, as Unitarian Universalists are not as concerned with helping people get into heaven as we are helping heaven get into people.”  If more of heaven had been a part of Adam Lanza’s and William Spengler’s lives, the tragic acts which they engaged in might not have happened.

As we enter a New Year, 2013, we, as a Unitarian Universalist people can move forward knowing that our hope is based on our covenant to work together to create a more loving world bringing about  heaven on earth. It is our covenant to affirm and promote our seven principles drawing from the six sources that provides light and hope for the world. Let us renew our vows to that covenant and move forward with faith, optimism, and joy.

A slogan which we might consider is "It is good for BUUF to be seen in 2013!" May our hopeful light based on our seven principles drawn from the six sources shine throughout the world at this time of grief and sorrow as we work to create a better world.

Another congregant shared a story about visiting his mother-in-law in a nursing home where there is a sign which reads, "Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth sharing?" This person went on to say that as a school bus driver he is encouraged to share a positive attitude with students as they board his bus because he might be the first person that child has met that day, and the driver's attitude might well set the mood for that child for the rest of the day.

I am privileged to know this man and if Adam Lanza had ridden his school bus, I wonder if Adam would still have wanted to kill all those people in the Newtown school?

Editor's note: You can learn more about the Brockport Unitarian Universalist Fellowship by clicking here.  I also recognize and acknowledge that many other churches in the Brockport area also are comprised of people of faith who are committed to making a better world. Working together, we can be a significant positive force for improving the quality of life in the Brockport area, our county, state, nation, and world.