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Rev. Chris Jimmerson,
Susan Thomson, and Toni Wegner
July 9, 2023
First UU Church of Austin
4700 Grover Ave., Austin, TX 78756
www.austinuu.org
As a faith without creed, Unitarian Universalism is deeply rooted in relationship. We are a people of shared values, mission, and covenant, and through these we make sacred promises to care for one another and our world. Join Rev. Chris and the leaders of our First UU Cares Team as we explore how we can create an ever-increasing culture of caring at First UU Church of Austin.
Chalice Lighting
This is the flame we hold in our hearts as we strive for justice for everyone. This is the light we shine upon systems of oppression until they are no more. This is the warmth that we share with one another as our struggle becomes our salvation.
Call to Worship
WE NEED ONE ANOTHER
by George OdellWe need one another when we mourn and want comfort.
We need one another when we are in trouble and are afraid.
We need one another when we are in despair, in temptation, and need to be recalled to our best selves again.
We need one another when we strive to accomplish some great purpose, and realize we cannot do it alone.
We need one another in the hour of success, when we look for someone to share triumphs.
We need one another in the hour of defeat, when with encouragement we try to endure, and stand again.
We need one another when we come to die and seek gentle hands to prepare us for the journey.
All our lives we are in need, and others are in need of us.
Affirming Our Mission
Together we nourish souls, transform lives, and do justice to build the Beloved Community.
Reading
BLESSING WHEN THE WORLD IS ENDING
by Jan RichardsonLook, the world
is always ending
somewhere.Somewhere
the sun has come
crashing down.Somewhere
it has gone
completely dark.Somewhere
it has ended
with the gun
the knife
the fist.Somewhere
it has ended
with the slammed door
the shattered hope.Somewhere
it has ended
with the utter quiet
that follows the news
from the phone
the television
the hospital room.Somewhere
it has ended
with a tenderness
hat will break
your heart.But, listen,
this blessing means
to be anything
but morose.
It has not come
to cause despair.It is simply here
because there is nothing
a blessing
is better suited for
than an ending,
nothing that cries out more
for a blessing
than when a world
is falling apart.This blessing
will not fix you
will not mend
you will not give you
false comfort;
it will not talk to you
about one door opening
when another one closes.It will simply
sit itself beside you
among the shards
and gently turn your face
toward the direction
from which the light
will come,
gathering itself
about you
as the world begins
again.
Sermon
LIVING OUR MISSION
Susan Thomson
I had the privilege in 2010 to be on the church board that created our first mission. We led a worship service to introduce the mission, and as we walked out of the sanctuary someone said very excitedly, “We should write that mission on the wall above the sanctuary doors!”. This was very gratifying as we had no idea how it would be received. Well, it ended up on the wall inside the sanctuary and we of course recite it together every week. The mission you see was revised a few years ago to add the beloved community, and it will be reviewed periodically by future boards with your input.
At some point it occurred to me that as a member of this church I have a role to play in living our mission. This may be a direct result of my Methodist upbringing. One of my major takeaways from the Methodist church of my youth is this quote from John Wesley, a founder of the Methodist church.
Do all the good you can,
by all the means you can,
in all the ways you can,
in all the places you can,
at all the times you can,
to all the people you can,
as long as ever you can.
That’s a very tall order! I shared this quote with my spiritual companion who I have been meeting with regularly since my first year in Wellspring in 2016. The context was that I struggle with feeling that I’m never doing enough. She shared some wise insights as she usually does. When I later told her I wanted to give her credit in a homily I was preparing, being the very ethical person she is, she asked me not to use her name. So I am referring to her as “she who will not be named.”
She who will not be named pointed out to me that John Wesley did not say you have to do it all. He said, do what you can. Then she shared with me a quote often attributed to Rabbi Tarfon. He was commenting on Micah 6: verse 8. He said:
I keep this on a sticky note on my computer.
Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justly, now,
Love mercy, now.
Walk humbly, now.
You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.
So how do we do what we can to live our mission? Our wonderful social justice leaders give us many ways and means to do what we can to do justice. We are not expected to do it all.
We have opportunities to transform lives as well. If we have gifts of music or art or helping with worship services, we can share those. The second verse from the hymn, “Love Will Guide Us”, is as follows,
If you cannot sing like angels,
If you cannot speak before thousands,
You can give from deep inside you,
You can change the world with your love.
My husband Tom and I always smile at each other when we sing that verse because neither of us sings like angels!
So how can we nourish souls? This part of our mission speaks to me of how we nourish souls by caring for one another. Two of our 5 values also speak directly of caring:
Community-to connect with joy, sorrow and service with those whose lives we touch
Compassion-to treat ourselves and others with love
Our service today is focused on creating a culture of caring within this congregation. First UU Cares is our formal caring ministry. We work alongside our ministers to provide care in a variety of ways. We now have a great group of volunteers who are literally able to nourish souls by bringing meals to congregants who are ill or who are welcoming newborns into their home. They bring food to memorial service receptions. They are also available to visit congregants who are hospitalized or ill at home. More volunteers are always welcomed.
But we can nourish souls as well by simply caring about each other and reaching out when we learn that someone in our community is facing the challenges life sometimes presents us, be that dealing with a serious illness, grieving the loss of a loved one, or even a happy event such as welcoming a newborn.
The announcements under “First UU Cares” in our Friday newsletter and the announcements from the pulpit before we light candles are a new means of informing our church community about these challenges. We can’t reach out to nourish souls if we are unaware of who might appreciate this. We encourage you as you feel comfortable to either let our ministers know of your own situations you wish to share or those of others in our church community. None of these announcements are made without the permission of the persons being referenced. But they give each of us the opportunity to do what we can to nourish souls.
CULTURE OF CARING
Toni Wegner
I want to talk a bit today about what a culture of caring might look like, because I was fortunate to experience this firsthand. My husband, two daughters and I moved in 2000 to Winchester, MA, a suburb of Boston, far away from any family. We both had jobs at Harvard and kept busy with work and child-related activities. We were not church goers. When 9/11 hit, we felt the lack of community in our lives and wandered into the UU church in our town. We loved the services and kept going back, but the only activity we did outside of Sunday service was a Circle Dinner Ð where 8 of us met 4 times for pot luck suppers. A year later, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and had major surgery and chemo. We were totally blown away when two different people from that group dropped by with dinner, and then a couple more that we didn’t even know. My husband did all of our cooking and would have never asked for help, but I can’t express how helpful it was not to have to think about a meal, and how touched we were that these people reached out. This is when I realized what it means to be part of a community. The interim minister also visited me in the hospital, apparently after one of my daughters mentioned something in youth group. Mind you, we weren’t even members of the church, but we were definitely embraced by the community.
We were fully engaged members of the Winchester UU church community seven years later when my husband was diagnosed with ALS, which our most recent minister had just died of. The disease progression was gradual, mostly predictable. Being quite capable and independent people, it would never have occurred to us to ask for or accept help from others – we could manage it. But offers of help poured in, or sometimes people just showed up. People really wanted to do something to help. One fall morning we heard a bit of commotion outside as we were getting dressed to find 8 church members armed with leaf blowers, rakes and bags cleaning up the fall leaves. That was great! My husband was a big man and feared that I wouldn’t be able to get him up off the ground if he fell. His physical therapist offered to teach a class on how to get someone off the ground, no matter how big they are (but it took 2 people). We invited interested church members to attend and had over 20 participants. He fell twice after that, and both times I called people from the class; they came right over to help. It was a challenging time for sure, but the love and support of members of the church really held us up and carried us through. The type of help ranged from meals to rides to dog walks to cards, flowers, visits and check-in emails. It was comforting to know we were not doing this alone.
When my husband died, the memorial services team walked me through everything to help create a perfect celebration of his life. As with most people who do this for the first time, I had no idea where to begin, and it really meant a lot to have someone guide me through that. That’s the reason I signed up for the memorial services reception team after I joined this church.
Based on my experience, here’s what I think are key elements of a culture of caring:
1. Let the ministers and First UU Cares know when you are in need or experiencing a life event – and let them spread the word. Sharing your news helps us to connect as a community, and no matter how minor it may seem to you, it’s helpful to know that others care.
2. Say yes to help, even if you think you don’t need it. People want to help, and there is very likely something they can do to be helpful (even if it’s not a casserole). Having one less thing to do can make a big difference, even if it’s something you can do.
3. Keep in mind that you don’t have to know someone to offer to help. We are all part of this community.
First UU Cares gives us an opportunity to engage in a culture of caring, which we need now more than ever.
Through a culture of caring, we can continue to grow and develop our shared values, mission, and covenant.
Benediction
In the night, I dreamt of a world made better by our togetherness.
Of reaching toward never before imagined horizons, Made knowable and possible only by living in mutuality.
I saw distant lands made out like visions of paradise, Replenished and remade through a courage that embraced interdependence.
We dwelt in fields of green together, Fertile valleys nurtured by trust.
We built visions of love and beauty and justice, Nourished by partnership, cultivated through solidarity.
I dreamt of lush forests thriving with life, Oceans teaming with vitality,
Mountains stretching toward majesty,
Our world made whole again.
These things we had done together.
These things we had brought to pass with each other.
These dream world imaginings seemed possible in the boundless potential we create by caring for one another.
I awoke,
And still, the dream continues.
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