"Challenged and Inspired"

My name is Amos. I am a shepherd from Tekoa who visits Jerusalem only when I have to! I suppose in your frame of reference I would be someone from a farm in Los Olivos who finds himself occasionally on Rodeo Drive. The people of Jerusalem call me a "red- neck, clod-hopper." They laugh at the sheep manure on my sandals, to say nothing of my unsophisticated accent. At best they think I just cannot accept modern reality.

My problem with these city folk is that they seem to have lost their ability to see! They go through all the motions of religion while ignoring the needy widows and orphans. I know I'm not an economist, but I also know that a rising GNP which does not benefit everyone is not beneficial to society. Some of the leaders in Jerusalem have come up with a slogan about "trickle down" being good enough. Well, my understanding is that justice for everyone must "flow like a mighty river; like a flooding stream."

My name is Matthew. I have been asked to write what I remember about Jesus of Nazareth. What I remember best is his uncanny ability to see. We would walk down a road and he would see things none of us even noticed. He seemed to have a "sixth sense" about the people we met; often seeing potential which the rest of us missed.

I remember a story Jesus told about seeing. The story was about people - ordinary folks, as we are ordinary folks - who cared for other people by doing such things as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting people who were sick or in prison. Jesus said that people who care are people who see. People who do not see are so tied up in their own selfishness they just don't notice.

My name is Jim Grant. This morning I am sharing with you my understandings of the second "Source of the Living Tradition." These "sources" help us to know where Unitarian Univeralism came from; and provide enrichment for our pilgrimage. The second Source says:

"Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge
us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion,
and the transforming power of love."

The language is plain, the concepts obvious. The words and deeds of prophets, whether ancient - Amos, for example - or modern - Dorothy Day - challenge and inspire us to care enough to work for justice and compassion. On the surface this sounds perfectly reasonable. Most everyone would agree.

However there are problems in application. One of the problems has to do with sensitivity. Even though most people in most religions would agree, the problem of application has to do with the ability to see. Here is a horrendous example of what I mean. Someone wrote that the people who lived near Auschwitz began NOT to see or smell the smoke. Janet Aviad, an Israeli sociologist called this inability to see by an unusual word: "rhinocerosization." Think of a rhino in a zoo - "rhinocerosization." Here is what she wrote.

"Your skin just keeps getting thicker and thicker, year after year,
until you stop noticing things." [Quoted by Thomas L. Friedman in "My Neighbor,
my enemy," "The New York Times Magazine," July 5, 1987, p.31]

If we are to be challenged and inspired by prophetic women and men, we must cultivate the ability to see. We will seek justice and compassion through an intentional determination to see, to notice, to pay attention. Most of us are not hardened to injustice and evil. Rather we grow incrementally accustomed to society's lack of compassion, until, little by little we fail to see what's happening.

Insensitivity is only one reason we fail to be challenged and inspired. Another reason is what Forrest Church, one of authors of the little book we are studying on Sunday evenings, calls "sophisticated regisnation." Here are Forrest's words:

"(Sophisticated resignation) allows us to feel strongly about injustices
without prompting us to do anything about them. . . .We know so much
about the world's problems, and their enormity, that however much we
want to do about them we feel impotent." [John A. Buehrens and Forrest Church,
"A Chosen Faith," p.50]

In other words, sometimes the more we see, the less we do. We are overwhelmed by our knowledge and resign ourselves to a kind of withdrawal: "Oh well! There's nothing I can do anyway!"

That is why I chose the quotation from Marian Wright Edelman as the Opening Words for this Service. One little candle can make a difference. The old axiom is still true: It really is "better to light a candle than to curse the darkness."

James Luther Adams talked about "the prophethood of all believers." Namely, We who find ourselves as religious liberals are called to be prophets. In his view any religion - liberal or otherwise - which does not seek justice and
compassion is disembodied spiritualism. He wrote, "A purely spiritual religion is a purely spurious religion." (James Luther Adams, "Guiding Principles for a Free Faith," in On Being Human Religiously," edited by Max L. Stackhouse, p.17.)

However, what is a "prophet?" A prophet is not someone who seems to enjoy the "kickative mood, contrary tense." I am not talking about disruptive, antagonistic or oppositional people who are addicted to rebellion. Rather I am talking about thoughtful people who are sensitive enough to see and who will accept responsibility to raise questions which "confront powers and structures of evil or injustice."

About forty years ago I was responsible for a conference which featured Harry and Bonaro Overstreet as keynote speakers. The Overstreets were well-known for their work in adult continuing education. Bonaro Overstreet quoted her poem, "Stubborn Ounces," which I used as today's Reading. She later told me how she came to write it.

She had attended a meeting dealing with some community problem. As the meeting progressed she became aware of an individual who denigrated every idea with words such as, "Oh, well, that won't do any good." Or "That's too little, too late." Bonaro Overstreet said she went home and in a flash of inspiration wrote,
"Stubborn Ounces" with the sub-title, "To One who Doubts the Worth of Doing Anything if You Can't Do Everything." The Reading bears repeating:

"You say the little efforts that I make
will do no good: they never will prevail
to tip the hovering scale
where justice hangs in balance.
I don't think
I ever thought they would.
But I am prejudiced beyond debate
in favor of my right to choose which side
shall feel the stubborn ounces of my weight."
[Bonaro Overstreet, "Hands Laid Upon the Wind," p.15]

Bonaro Overstreet used the analogy of ounces on a balancing scale. Dorothy Day talked about pebbles in a body of water. Marian Wright Edelman talked about candles in the darkness. Why do we sometimes have trouble being "challenged and inspired" by these prophets? Why do we not "light a candle" or "cast a pebble" or add our "stubborn ounces" to the scale of justice?

One reason is that we live in a results-oriented society. We want to see immediate results for our actions. Incremental results are most often unseen, and therefore do not make an impact. We need to remember that we are challenged to be faithful, even if not always successful.

There are other problems with this idea of being challenged and inspired to seek justice and compassion. I can think of three issues with which we have to deal: (1) People seldom agree on exactly what problem should be tackled; or
(2) what method should be used to tackle the problem; or (3) what a just solution will look like. Here is an example of what I mean.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian participated in a plot to assassinate Adolph Hitler. Bonhoeffer was criticized by other German Christians who felt the plot was too "extreme." Bonhoeffer responded, "It is not only my task to look after the victims of madmen who drive a motorcar carelessly in a crowded street, but to do all in my power to stop them driving at all."

The issue has to do with prevention versus reaction. There is a story, perhaps apocryphal, about a small town in the mountains which had developed an outstanding ambulance service. They were known throughout their region as the town with the most advanced emergency medical equipment and technicians. A city newspaper decided to send a reporter to do a feature story.

When the reporter visited the town, he learned that just a few miles above the town there was a mountain road with a "hair pin" turn. For many years motorists who were either driving too fast, or were unfamiliar with the road had missed the turn and crashed down the side of the mountain. Thus the town had developed their excellent emergency medical service. The reporter's suggestion that better signage and a barrier at the offending curve would suffice was met with derision. There are people whose approach to injustice is reactive rather than preventive.

How may we as individuals and as a Congregation become challenged and inspired enough to act for justice and compassion? I will mention a few ways, you will know of others. The four I have chosen are suggestions by John Buehrens, found in the little study book.

First individuals and congregations can engage in concrete acts of human service. You are doing that through your weekly offering for the Westside Food Bank and your "Generous Congregation" program with 15% of the offering assigned to organizations serving people. In other words, you have responded to the challenge to act.

A second way individuals and congregations can be challenged and inspired is through moral reflection and social education. In practical terms this means not only bringing food or money to feed the hungry, but also taking the time necessary to learn what conditions cause hunger. You have an excellent example of education in this Congregation. This little newsletter, published periodically, by the Faith in Action Committee is a great way to learn more about social issues.

A third way individuals and congregations can exercise prophethood is by supporting those individuals and organizations which are attempting to make a witness about issues of injustice. Buehrens notes that issues of injustice change with time. In one generation it may be admission of women to medical schools; in another generation it may be the right of people to marry regardless of race; in our generation it is the civil right of all people to marry, without regard to gender orientation.

One more: Individuals and congregations can exercise caring by taking appropriate corporate action when necessary. I realize this is tricky. The laws pertaining to non-profits and religious corporations are clear. We may encourage people to vote, but we may not encourage people to vote for a certain candidate. We can, however, explain the issues and propositions which come before the public for vote.

The words and deeds of prophetic women and men must challenge and inspire us not only to feel and to think but to act. Some Congregations I have served use what is called the "Children's UU Affirmation." The words are:

"We are Unitarian Universalists
A people of open minds, loving hearts, and helping hands."

The words, "open minds" deal with what educators call cognitive learning. The words, "loving hearts" have to do with affective learning. The words, "helping hands" with behavioral learning. In other words, thinking and feeling must result in acting, and all three are necessary.

Both thinking and acting are necessary. As noted earlier in the words of James Luther Adams, belief without action is "disembodied spirituality." However, action which is not grounded in good thinking tends to be haphazard if not faulty. There have been instances of well-meaning action which were wrong because misinformed. There are good reasons not to move an accident victim too quickly. There are good reasons certain fires should not be extinguished with water.

Our "river" of Unitarian Universalism" has been and is being enriched by the words and deeds of prophet women and men who have confronted and are confronting structures of injustice. However, a river not only enriches the soil
through which it flows, it is enriched (or polluted) by that soil. How do we respond to the challenges which confront us? Will we be inspired to act for justice and compassion?

In a few moments we will sing the hymn setting of James Russell Lowell's poem, "The Present Crisis." Please note the words as we sing the Hymn.

Thank you.