My sermon last Sunday seemed to resonate with many. I want to thank those who wrote to me in response. Let me affirm that holding our hearts open through these divisive days is no small feat. It is a real spiritual discipline, for me and for many of you it seems, to remain true to ourselves and to the values we hold dear. I have had to screen out much of the news this week. The attacks by our national leaders on yet another parent of a dead US soldier would have been unthinkable in other times. Another woman of…

This morning, when I opened my newsfeed and read down through the tragedies of the day, I discovered a collection of images of Dewali, the Hindu festival of lights which begins today. I found myself stopped and scrolling through all the many images of the Dewali lights and remembering that the seasons are turning once again. I found myself so thankful that my attention had been captured, grateful to be reminded to notice the changed light of the early morning sun and the spread of yellow and red on the leaves of the Sweet Gum tree outside my kitchen window.…

Every plane leaving Puerto Rico is full and 80% of them land in Florida. The “natural disaster” of Hurricane Maria has been followed by the human-made disaster of failed emergency support. The response of many on the island has been to leave. Florida with a population of over 1,000,000 citizens of Puerto Rican descent, already, is the destination for many. The Guardian reports surveys suggesting that between 10 and 14% of Puerto Rico’s 3.4 million people are considering moving to the US mainland. US Congressperson, Darren Soto, Florida’s first Puerto Rican representative writes: “Only time will tell whether we have…

The tragic slaughter of human life in Las Vegas calls up in me a demand for a positive and final solution to gun violence and our national love affair with firearms. I want such violence never again to take place. I want our elected leaders to give back every dime they have received from the National Rifle Association. I want them to outlaw individual ownership of assault weapons again. I want to eliminate the phrase “bump-stock” from our vocabulary.  I feel that flood of desire and yet I know that my wants and wishes will not “come to pass.” At best, my rational mind tells me, we…

I get stuck. I confess. Whenever racism dominates the news, as it does so frequently, it gets a response from me. I am like a Pavlovian dog, and I know it. The focus on NFL football players “taking a knee” during this last week is the latest example. A significant number of the players are people of color. And whether the players are Black or White, they “take a knee” to protest the police murders of young African American men. My reaction is solidarity with them...and it is instantaneous. I want to get down on my knee, just as my…

The politics around immigration continue to challenge us to defend the value of a pluralistic America and our dreams for the Beloved Community. This week Attorney General Jeff Sessions visited Portland to berate us as a “Sanctuary City” and to beg us to stop being “the trafficker, smuggler or gang member’s best friend.” At issue is whether our police will help enforce US immigration laws. Oregon’s position has been clear since 1987 when state law made such enforcement by local police illegal. Oregon was the first “Sanctuary State.” In March of this year, the Portland City Council affirmed that position…

This Sunday we will be installing the members of our Board of Trustees. It is an opportunity for all of us to see these congregants whom we have selected and who have said “yes” to senior leadership at First Unitarian. It will also be an opportunity for us to thank them and to bless them for their service. Their leadership was authorized by their election. That is the legal side of things. It will also be authorized by our blessing. That is the religious element. Both elements are involved in leadership of our church. We speak of Unitarian Universalism as…

Last Sunday’s “Question and Answer” service was wonderful. At least I enjoyed it…as I do each year. The unscripted, more informal quality speaks to many of us, but the questions you submit are its great strength. I responded to questions on theology, social justice, church finance, the culture of white supremacy and the erasing of racism. There was also one question about our worship at First Unitarian and why it is so similar to traditional, Christian, Protestant worship in form. Let me say a few more words about that one. In their book, Worship that Works, UU ministers Wayne Arnason…

Much of the American public is already wearying of news from Houston and the Gulf Coast. But the real story of the devastation will only be revealed as the waters recede. I find myself bracing for much more heartbreaking news. Living through this disaster and through the inevitable ups and downs of the recovery process will take many years. I remember my many trips to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. I was serving as UUA President and we had raised money to support both rebuilding of our churches and to contribute to the community at large. Viewed from Boston, distributing…

The eclipse is now old news, dimmed by the daily rush of images and messages in our politics and happenings in our personal lives. Yet I remember the power of the gathering darkness and the stillness as the world seemed to enter a time-out-of-time. One person I spoke with described the experience of watching the eclipse as a life-changing event. She spoke of being awed, of feeling small and of remembering that the universe moves on despite the challenges of her own life. Religiously, humans have been reeling from the realization that we are neither the center of the universe…