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Rev. Marisol Caballero
Laine Young
July 31, 2016
First UU Church of Austin
4700 Grover Ave., Austin, TX 78756
www.austinuu.org
“Hogwarts Intergenerational Service” We celebrate the closing of another Camp UU year by looking to Harry Potter and the lot from Hogwarts to teach us life lessons.
Call to Worship
– Nora Roberts
“Magic exists. Who can doubt it, when there are rainbows and wildflowers, the music of the wind and the silence of the stars? Anyone who has loved has been touched by magic. It is such a simple and such an extraordinary part of the lives we live.” Welcome to this magical hour.
Sermon
-Mari
Hey Laine, there were a bunch of little witches & wizards here this week, right? I heard that this church turned into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, complete with professors. games of quidditch, and magical creatures. I even heard there was a magical pig here on Friday! Now, I like’ Harry Potter as much as the next gat welL.. maybe not if the “next gal” is YOU! You’re one of the biggest fans I know! But, we do this camp every year here & sometimes f like to think about why. When you think about it,. the characters in the Harry Potter series seem like they really live out our UU Principles. don’t they?
-Laine
One of my favorite characters is the Keeper of the Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts, Hagrid. He lived with his dog Fang, took in and cared for a 3- headed dog named Fluffy, hatched a Norwegian Ridgeback dragon from an egg, took care of Buckbeak the hippogriff, and one of his first pets was a giant tarantula. He also looked after the students at Hogwarts. I love when Hagrid meets Harry Potter on his 11th birthday, and brings him a homemade cake that says HAPPEE BIRTHDAE HARRY. Hagrid is one of my favorite characters because he always tried to do the right thing, and help everyone out. He believed in the best in everyone, and every living creature.
-Mari
Yes, he sure does! You know, it’s funny that you say Hagrid’s your favorite character because he reminds me that there are two meanings of the word “character.” He is one of the people in the story of Harry Potter, but he also has character, doesn’t he? I mean, he really has the qualities of a good person. If he doesn’t yet know about Unitarian Universalism, he sure behaves like he does! Think about the first and second principles – they teach us to remember that everyone is important and that they deserve to be treated with kindness. r remember when professor Dumbledore told Professor McGonagall that he would, “trust Hagrid with his life.” Because of this, I have referred to some of my best friends as “my Hagrid.” Everyone should have a Hagrid in their lives, huh?
-Laine
Absolutely!
-Mari
And then think about the third & fourth Principles. It’s all about helping each other learn and using what we learn to decide for ourselves what is true and good and what comforts us in tough times. Hagrid knew that Harry and Ron would be afraid of that giant Tarantula and of that three-headed dog, but he also knew that all animals should be cared-for and that Ron and Harry could learn and grow through getting to know these “pets.” Hagrid’s love for all creatures reminds me of the story of a Unitarian minister who lived a long time ago, Theodore Parker. When Theodore was a little boy, he saw the big boys hitting turtles and other small animals with sticks, but when he had the chance to do the same, his conscience stopped him from doing it. He knew it was wrong to mistreat animals. I remember a ton of lessons like this from the Harry Potter books and movies …
-Laine
Oh! OH. Do you remember in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” when Hermione started the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare after she saw how horribly house elves were being treated during the Quidditch World Cup? That’s such a great part of the series! Hermione saw that house elves were being worked very hard, without any payor holidays and realized that wasn’t right. I like when she says, “You know, house elves get a very raw deal! It’s slavery, that’s what it is! Why doesn’t anyone do something about it?” and I love that instead of waiting for someone to do something about it, she did it herself! And she didn’t give up when her friends didn’t want to join, or when they made fun of her group and started calling it SPEW, either! Hermione is one amazing witch!
-Mari
Are you sure Hermione isn’t Unitarian Universalist?! Fighting for justice, peace and equity in our world is what we do. In fact, it’s pretty much what our sixth principle is all about. Hermione reminds me of so many Unitarians and Universalists. Julia Ward Howe is famous for writing The Battle Hymn of the Republic, but she was also a fierce abolitionist long before the Civil War. She believed that it was evil to make people into slaves and wanted to make sure that black people in this country were freed.
Another gutsy woman is Clara Barton, who helped organize the American Red Cross, an organization that still helps thousands of people recover from tragedies and natural disasters every year. Right now, UUs an over the country are participating in a boycott of Wendy’s fast food, since the people who work in the fields growing their fruits and vegetables are fighting for fair treatment and pay. These workers have asked us to stop eating at Wendy’s so that the company will pay attention to what the justice-seeking farmworkers are saying.
But, let me tell you. Just like Hermione, doing what is right and being in solidarity with people who are fighting to be treated fairly isn’t always easy … I have really missed Wendy’s frosties! But, when I drive past a Wendy’s and think about all the frosties I missed out on eating this summer, I think of Hermione, Julia Ward Howe, Clara Barton, and other freedom fighters and especially those brave people who risked so much more whose lives they were hoping to help make better. When I do, I don’t feel so sorry for myself and my sad lack of frosties in my belly. I wonder if there are any other ways that the Hogwarts crew has things in common with UUs …
-Laine
The students of Hogwarts get to learn so many wonderful things, like Potions, Herbology, and Defense Against the Dark Arts! You know what class I would really like to take even though it is an elective? Muggle Studies, the study of non-magical folk! For awhile, “He Who Must Not Be Named” made this class mandatory, but he didn’t allow them to teach Muggle facts. Instead, the class was used to tell lies about Muggles so that wizards and witches would look down on Muggles and no longer associate with them. Some witches and wizards thought that Muggles shouldn’t exist at all: however, there were lots of witches and wizards that knew that they could learn, live, and work with Muggles. That’s part of why I think Arthur Weasley is so great! He approached things with an open mind and curiosity – including Muggles. He was a firm believer in the equality of magical and Muggle folk alike, and knew that they could live together peacefully.
-Mari
Yeah, the Weasley’s are such a cool family. I’ve kind of secretly wished that I could have been a Weasley kid, but it would have been so much effort to keep dying my hair red! I just loved the way that Mr & Mrs Weasley never let their kids talk bad about Muggles, even when so many witches and wizards were discriminating against Muggles. They would always rise above that sort of bullying. It reminds me of something that our First Lady, Michelle Obama, said this past week. She said that she teaches her girls not to be bullies, even when someone is being a bully to them. She said, “Our motto is, ‘When they go low, we go high.”
But like I said, taking the high road isn’t always easy, though, is it? Sometimes it means reaching deep inside and reminding ourselves of who we are when we are being the best possible versions of ourselves. I guess this is what Professor Dumbledore meant when he said, “We must choose between what is easy and what is right.” Harry and his friends seem to always end up in dangerous situations while they’re trying to do what is right, but somehow love and kindness always wins, even if it takes a very long journey to get there ….
-Laine
Speaking of Harry … Mari, did you know that today is Harry Potter’s 36th birthday?!
-Mari
That’s awesome! I had no idea that Harry Potter and I were the same age! Does that explain the cake in Howson Hall? Thanks, Laine. I’m glad we had this talk.
-Laine
Me, too! I learned about so many amazing Unitarian and Universalist leaders today! I hadn’t realized how magical our UU principles really are!
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