by Kate Lore, Director of Social Justice

A sermon given September 3, 2006

First Unitarian Church

Portland, Oregon

I like to start my day slowly and peacefully, waking up with the first light of morning instead of an alarm clock.  Then I like to go downstairs, make a good strong cup of coffee and head out the back door to go gaze out over the river. 

I love sitting there, taking it all in: the steady flow of the water, the whistling cries of the osprey overhead, the sun coming up over the trees.  It’s all so beautiful and tranquil that I could sit there all day.  But the world asks more of me than that, I’m afraid, so I never linger there as long as I’d like. Rather, I lift up a grateful prayer for the wonder of it all and brace myself for the next step in my morning ritual: reading the newspaper.

I am not what one might call a casual reader.  You know, the type that skims the headlines on the way to the comics and advice columns.  No, reading the newspaper is the one time in my day when I intentionally immerse myself in the goings-on of our world.  And it’s an act that requires courage.  Sure, sometimes the articles I read hold good news but usually they do not.  There are the explosive conflicts in the Middle East, the threat of global warming, widespread famine and genocide, failures in America’s schools and healthcare system . . . the list goes on and on.  So many big and pressing issues—all in need of serious thought and action.  It can feel so overwhelming at times that some days I just have to set the paper down and cry about it all.  

Do you ever have days like that?  When it seems we’re all doomed?   I bet you do.  And I bet those days are coming at a faster pace as our country seems hell bent on perpetuating greed and war.  This is indeed a difficult time in the course of our history.  But we can’t allow ourselves to give up in despair and cynicism, can we?  No, the world needs us to stay engaged and empowered so we can help turn things around.  Yet it’s a daunting task, staying engaged and optimistic.  For to do so requires some sense of hope.  And hope is hard to come by these days, isn’t it? 

Well, maybe yes and maybe no.  I’ve personally come to the conclusion that there are still some good and concrete reasons to be hopeful about our future and I’m going to spend the rest of this sermon telling you about them.  Then I’m going to encourage you to share with one another your own reasons for hope.  This could happen today during coffee hour or in the week to come. Together, by sharing our stories of hope, I believe we can open up a deeper truth: the times they are a changing. Although most of it is still taking place beneath the radar and from the fringes—those fertile growing edges of the culture—people in virtually every sector of our society are pursuing a new type of vision and they have been busy.  I’ve learned about them by reading alternative media and hearing some of these visionaries speak.  Let me tell you about them now.

The first group of people I want to lift up are the thousands of ordinary citizens who are working for peace and reconciliation in conflict zones around the globe.  They are in groups such as International Fellowship of Reconciliation, Nonviolence International, Women Making Peace, Solidarity International, Voices in the Wilderness and, of course, the United Nations.  These people—many of whom are American—are going to the sites of war and violence in places such as Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Darfur.  And they’re doing this to bear witness to a reality that is often not covered accurately—if at all—on the nightly news.  Then they are coming home to write books and articles, give testimony at Congressional hearings, and to speak their truth around our country.    Ann Jones, who wrote “Kabul in Winter” is just one example.  Kathy Kelley, Rachel Corrie and Cindy Sheehan are but a few more.

Yes, these people of courage are putting their own lives in danger even as they are being accused of being unpatriotic, of disrespecting our troops, of being idealistic and naive.  Yet I rest my hope in these people who refuse to accept the argument that long-lasting peace and democracy require preemptive strikes and governmental secrecy.  These folks choose instead to practice diplomacy, solidarity and active peace-making.  They also, I might add, believe in the goodness of the American people.  They have faith that we will do the right thing once enough of us know what is really going on.  I share that hope.

There was a time just recently when good and hopeful news did grab the headlines in our mainstream media.  It involved the May Day Immigrant Rights protests that took place around the country.   Did any of you here participate in the march here in Portland or in Salem?  I’ve got to tell you: it was phenomenal.  There were more than 10,000 people but not a single one caused any problems.  Laws were respected, the police were respected, and no one was carrying any rude anti-Bush signs (you know, the ones that read Bleep Bush).  Quite the contrary, there was a sense of fun and celebration in the air.  In fact, it was as if we were at some big party!  Folks were singing and laughing and freshly scrubbed children were everywhere.

The bright mood of this particular event contrasted starkly with the dreary atmosphere that chokes most protests nowadays. On this march, I saw no resigned shuffling of feet. No sea of scowls.  Nor could I spy a single person dragging behind her the weighty conviction that resistance—though obligatory—was futile.

To the contrary. Beaming, brown-skinned families walked down the streets with their heads held high. Sure, they may have been poor, facing tough challenges in the near term. But they stepped like they were marching into a future of limitless promise and potential. Their optimism brought tears to my eyes and a song to my heart.

I’ve been going to protests all my life and have noticed that recently, the ones attended by large numbers of Latinos are distinctly different in the very ways I’ve just described.

These precious neighbors from the south—many of whom have fought their entire lives for justice—are showing us the difference that can happen when people are organized in the spirit of joy.  And what better antidote to fear is there but joy?!  I tell you, these peaceful protesters even passed their magic on the black-clad youth who show up at all the protest these days to destroy property and get on TV.  The youth in black were there alright, just like usual.  But instead of throwing bricks, they were handing out bread and water to people in the march.  I don’t know how these Latino organizers did that but I want to learn.   

Here’s another hopeful trend and it involves global warming.  It’s hard to imagine that there is any good news associated with this rapidly growing threat, but there is.  As signs of climate change grow, and leaders consistently lack the political will to change course, people keep coming up with their own ways to deal with the problem.  Growing numbers of us are converting our diesel cars to bio-fuel, and are commuting via bicycle, scooter, motorcycle, bus and train.  We are voluntarily purchasing clean energy from electric companies-even though it costs more.  We are installing solar panels and buying hybrid cars and are continuing to press our elected officials to sign the Kyoto Accord.  And what’s so amazing is that folks were already making these inroads before Al Gore’s “Inconvenient Truth” movie came out.  I can only imagine that this trend is going to escalate as more people see the movie and read Gore’s book.

Did you know, by the way, that Climate Change was just recently voted as a UU Study Action Issue?  This means that educational materials and action ideas on this issue went out to every UU congregation in the U.S.  One of the things included in that packet was the 1-2-3 Campaign to End Global Warming developed here at this church under the leadership of Rick North and our environmental action group.   For those of you who weren’t around when we launched this campaign, let me tell you just a little bit about it.  This effort offers three concrete steps you can take to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.  It’s called the 1-2-3 Campaign for a good reason.  The “one” involves lowering your thermostat by one degree in the winter or raising it one degree in the summer if you have air conditioning.  The “two” involves reducing your speed by two miles per hour when you’re driving at speeds above 60, and the “three” involves replacing three light bulbs in your home with compact florescent bulbs.  We launched this campaign here at First Church several years ago and something like 600 families took the pledge. This collective action ended up preventing 450,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions from entering our atmosphere each year.  That’s a lot.  And the best part of it is that the campaign is spreading quickly—not only to other UU churches but to Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians and all sort of environmental groups, even the Sierra Club.    It is inspiring to witness what small groups of committed people can do to help change the world.   So keep those great ideas coming and share them!  If the people lead, the leaders will eventually follow.

Here’s another hopeful trend that is global in scope: the emergence and growth of the World Social Forum.  Have you heard about this group? The World Social Forum is relatively new, having started five years ago in Brazil. The people who attend these gatherings are intellectuals and activists who favor policies that nurture fair trade, environmental sustainability, peace and human rights.  Our very own members Curt and Linda McKim-Bell and Marcia Meyers have been among their ranks.   The forum started out small with about 10,000 people meeting in 2001, but has grown to 100,000 in 2006.

I lift this group up because it appears to be the beginnings of some sort of world-wide populist movement.  Their motto is “Another World is Possible” and they meet all around the globe to coordinate campaigns, share and refine organizing strategies, and build relationships.  Curt, Linda and Marcia have shared stories and photos from their experiences at these forums which have left me feeling very excited and optimistic. Here we have a large and growing number of people living throughout the world who care less about borders, profits and religious difference than they do about peace, justice, and human rights for all—and they’re getting organized!   Not surprisingly, the World Social Forum is big news in Europe, Asia and Latin America but hardly anyone knows about it here at home.  But now you do!

And here’s a hopeful trend that is more specific to our country.  Americans are finally realizing that money can’t buy love or happiness.  And we don’t have my generation, The Baby Boomers, to thank for this one.  It is our younger folks, the ones who are currently in high school and college.  Their generation is coming to the collective understanding that the pursuit of money is ultimately unsatisfying, that joy and meaning cannot be bought and sold.  Rather, it comes from making meaningful connections and living a life of purpose.  Those of you who like the study of generations know that different generations tend to share certain characteristics and that each consecutive generation tends to follow the other in predictable cycles.  The good news for all of us is that the people who are now just coming into their power are the very ones slated to save us from destroying ourselves. So it would behoove us to get to know our young people better and to listen to them.  We older folks still have a lot to learn.

And now, last but not least, the final hopeful trend I will be discussing today: unlike mainstream Protestant denominations, Unitarian Universalism is growing in this country.  Mind you, we’re still relatively small . . . but we’re growing by 1 or 2 percent per year.  Why do I consider this a hopeful trend?  Because our country and our world are in dire need of our particular message right now.  For it is among Unitarian Universalism that we find a church of humanity—where everybody is welcome and no one goes to hell.  We are un-dogmatic in theology, democratic in organization, progressive in spirit, and respectful of all spiritual traditions. This is just what our world needs during this age of rising fundamentalism! 

We have always been an optimistic people who believe in the goodness and capability of people.  So rather than reading our current crises as a sign of the biblical End Times—and therefore doing nothing but wait for the rapture—Unitarian Universalists are choosing to treat our moment in history as an opportunity—a time when we can be founders of a new era. 

Yes, I rest my hope—perhaps my greatest hope—in all of you.  Let us take the power of our message to the streets, to the halls of Congress and to the White House.  And let us do it a new way.  Let us do this work in the spirit of joy.

I want to emphasize that the journey ahead of us will be long and at times arduous, and sometimes our hope will lag.  But during those times, may I encourage you to look at hopefulness in a new way.  Yes, there are times when hope manages to appear in our lives from an outside source like a breakthrough in the Senate or a growing discomfort of our war in Iraq.  But most of the time, hope will be something we must cultivate and nurture from within ourselves.  So being hopeful, then, becomes something akin to a spiritual practice.  What does this practice look like?

Here are four possible ways to get this process going.

1. The first one may surprise you.  It is: Be kind to yourself.
Think about what you need most, and then do it. Is it a cup of tea, a brisk walk, some downtime, quiet music, a little rest, or reading inspirational literature? Whatever it is, grant yourself permission to do it, even for just a few minutes each day.   These small moments accumulate and transform the texture of our days.

2. Consider creating a 5-minute silence ritual every day.
Light a candle, pray, meditate or simply reflect. You don’t have to believe in any particular deity to make this work. In fact, my colleague Katie Radditz and I have figured out a way to do this during the workday.  Rather than taking a cigarette break, which several of our colleagues get to do, we take 5-minute “mindfulness walks” instead.  We simply walk around the block in silence to observe the beauty around us.  A fallen leaf, a flower growing in a sidewalk crack, a smile.  And what we’ve discovered is that just being silent is extremely nurturing and healing.  It provides us a break each day to touch base with our souls and the sacred web of life.  This, of course, grounds us and affects the nature of our work.

3. Try to treat each day like the precious gift it is.
Look for things and people to appreciate each day. It will help you let go of the countless petty annoyances that tend to throw most of us off balance. Shift your gaze to appreciation.  And express that appreciation frequently.  

And lastly . . .
4. Make a difference with your life.
Don’t deprive the world of your great gifts; share them generously.  Reach out to someone in need, be it your neighbor, a loved one or a stranger.  For each time you make a difference in the lives of others, you add a little more hope to the world. And over time, our accumulated gestures of care and compassion will ultimately transform our lives and the lives of others. We are each the source of that transformation and knowing this fosters hope. 

So in our quest to save the world, let us not forget to savor the world as well.  Let us uphold the wisdom of our younger generation by making meaningful connections with one another.  Let us emulate our Latino protesters by intentionally embracing joy. 

Among all of us, we have the ability to create solutions to the problems that now exist.  Let us get moving and make it so.  Or as they said over and over on May 1: Si se puede (that’s Spanish for “we can do it”).

Amen.

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Copyright 2006, Kate Lore.  All rights reserved.