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Rev. Chris Jimmerson
January 14, 2018
First UU Church of Austin
4700 Grover Ave., Austin, TX 78756
austinuu.org
Despite his life being taken from him early, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. left behind a legacy of human/civil rights advances and a strong call toward justice. What will the legacy of this generation of Unitarian Universalists be?
Reading
– Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Even a superficial look at history reveals that no social advance rolls in on the wheels of inevitability. Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.
Sermon
“I am sure that most of you have read that arresting little story from the pen of Washington Irving entitled “Rip Van Winkle.”
The one thing that we usually remember about the story is that Rip Van Winkle slept twenty years.
But there is another point in that little story that is almost completely overlooked. It was the sign in the end, from which Rip went up in the mountain for his long sleep.
When Rip Van Winkle went up into the mountain, the sign had a picture of King George the Third of England.
When he came down twenty years later, the sign had a picture of George Washington, the first president of the United States.
When Rip Van Winkle looked up at the picture of George Washington – and looking at the picture he was amazed – he was completely lost. He knew not who he was.
And this reveals to us that the most striking thing about the story of Rip Van Winkle is not merely that Rip slept twenty years, but that he slept through a revolution. While he was peacefully snoring up in the mountain, a revolution was taking place that at points would change the course of history – and Rip knew nothing about it. He was asleep.
Yes, he slept through a revolution.
And one of the great liabilities of life is that all too many people find themselves living amid a great period of social change, and yet they fail to develop the new attitudes, the new mental responses, that the new situation demands.
They end up sleeping through a revolution.”
Dr. King’s legacy is that he led a revolution in civil and human rights. Though incomplete, the gains he was able to bring about by waking people up have made real differences in real people’s lives every since.
And though as is clear from current events in our news, we still have far, far to go Ð though there have been efforts every since to curtail and find ways around the civil rights gains he and his movement brought about, still, I believe he led a powerful and peaceful revolution.
And I believe that if our democratic laws and institutions hold up against the assault they are currently under, we may be living in a time when the potential for another powerful and peaceful revolution is brewing.
So we, each of us, must decide what our legacy may be.
Will we stay awake for this revolution?
All around us, it seems that a sleeping giant is awakening. Disturbed and dismayed by the racist, classist, misogynistic, bigoted behavior and policy making of so many of our political and other leaders, oppressed peoples and their allies are engaging at a level not seen since perhaps the days of Dr. King’s movement.
Now, I want to pause here to say that I know that we likely have folks here today with a wide spectrum of political points of view. We likely have folks who would prefer not to hear about politics and public policy from the pulpit, and I can understand that. I can understand the desire for spiritual nourishment during worship and I return to the subject later.
And yet, I also feel compelled to talk about what is happening in our society at large on this Sunday before Martin Luther King Day because our mission that we say together every Sunday states that we gather in community to nourish souls, transform lives and do justice.
Our Unitarian Universalist principles say that we affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person. We affirm and promote justice, equity and compassion in human relations; The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large; The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all; Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
So, for me, I cannot, as a Unitarian Universalist minister, feel that I am living out that mission and fulfilling our principles, let alone providing religious leadership, and yet ignore racist statements like the also ugly and vulgar one Mr. Trump made just three days ago, much less the policy making being attempted both administratively and through legislation that has the real potential to harm people.
For me, this is a spiritual matter.
There is a revolution brewing that sides with love, that recognizes we are “caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny”, as Dr. King said.
There is a revolution brewing that is congruent with our religious values, and I can’t sleep through it without damaging my spirit, my very soul.
All around us Indivisible chapters and many, many other groups, are making phone calls, organizing town hall meetings and conducting visits to government officials offices to resist harmful legislation.
All around us, disparate human rights movements are joining forces like never before to build more power for demanding justice.
All around us, committed folks are identifying ways to counter the forces of hatred and tribalism with love and communalism.
The “me too” movement that Meg will be talking about next Sunday resulted in millions of women and also many men sharing their stories of sexual harassment and assault, powerfully demonstrating just how large this problem is.
In response, 300 prominent women in the entertainment industry formed the “Time’s Up” movement to combat sexual assault and harassment through a legal defense fund set up especially to help less privileged persons, advancing legislation to combat harassment and through several other initiatives. The women wearing black you may have noticed at the Golden Globe Awards, did so at the request of the Time’s Up leadership to raise awareness about these issues.
In special elections in Virginia, Alabama and elsewhere, people of color, especially African Americans, younger people, and women, particularly single women, voted in huge numbers for candidates that ran against the forces of oppression.
In Virginia, such candidates swept all of the statewide offices.
Also in Virginia, an openly transgendered female defeated an anti-LGBTQ incumbent to become the first openly transgendered person to be elected to a state legislature in the United States.
Virginians also elected the first two Latina women to their state house, as well the first Asian American woman and the first openly lesbian woman.
In Alabama, Doug Jones defeated Roy Moore, a vocal anti-LGBTQ bigot, who had also made racist statements and stood accused of inappropriate sexual behavior with several women, some of whom had been under-aged at the time. <> Doug Jones is a former federal prosecutor who put away the Ku Klux Klan perpetrators of the 1963 Birmingham church bombing that killed four African American girls.
He also has a son who is openly gay and who attended his swearing in to the U.S. Senate by none other than Mike Pence.
I’ll admit that I enjoyed watching that.
Immensely.
Folks, these are the seeds of a powerful, peaceful revolution, if our democratic institutions stand. I fear that those who are trying to undermine those institutions might well heed the words of John F. Kennedy – “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible”, he said, “will make violent revolution inevitable.”
So, I believe the possibility for that powerful and peaceful revolution is upon us, and that our religious principles, values and mission are calling us to stay awakened for it.
But how do we do that? Especially when it can seem like there is this constant barrage of anger and conflict coming at us and so many issues to address that it can become so tiring and seem so overwhelming. How do we avoid freezing up, retreating to the comforts of our homes and families and, like Rip Van Winkle, sleeping through the revolution?
Well, let me be the first to admit that I don’t have all of the answers. I admit that I feel like hiding in my living room with Wayne, my now three dogs and a glass of chardonnay myself sometimes.
But I think it can sometimes help with the sense of being overwhelmed, the constant barrage blaring from our televisions, to get engaged in some way. Taking some sort of active role can help restore a sense of at least some personal agency when our world starts feeling so tumultuous.
I know many of you are already actively working for justice and to improve our communities and our world in so many terrific ways, and I am so thankful to you for all that you do. I hope that it brings you a sense of fulfillment and spiritual nourishment.
And if you are not as engaged as you might like, know that you do not have to become an out-front, outspoken social justice or political activist to be a part of revolutionizing our society for the better.
There are great organizations with which to volunteer. You can help register people to vote. You can make a difference just by showing up at events like the Martin Luther King Day Celebration tomorrow or the Women’s March next Saturday.
There are all kinds of ways to get involved with some our social action and community support activities here at the church. Just talk with the nice folks at the social action table after a service sometime to find out more.
You can also support or get involved with any number of our national Unitarian Universalist groups, such as “Love Resists”, which works to resist criminalization of people of color, migrant, Muslim, LGBTQ and other targeted communities. This is just one example of the many opportunities you can find out about by going to www.uua.org on the web.
OK, public service announcement over now.
Once we each have found our way to get engaged, I think the other way we stay awake is to take care of ourselves spiritually, emotionally and physically.
Some of you have heard me say some of this before, but it bears repeating in times like these.
Building a revolution, a true legacy of change for the better, is long-term and can be challenging sometimes, and it is easy to get burnt out or even collapse into cynicism or despair.
That makes it even more important if you have a spiritual practice that nourishes and sustains you to create the time to engage in it on a regular basis and to think about picking one up if you do not currently have a spiritual practice.
Meditating, praying, chanting, singing, knitting, simply sitting in quiet contemplation, being in nature, it doesn’t have to be anything complicated or even overtly religious as long as it soothes your soul.
Based on recent personal experience, I recommend getting a new puppy.
Puppy breath as a spiritual practice is the greatest.
Identify where you experience beauty and spend some time there whether it is by the ocean, a creek, a river a lake, the mountains or in an arts museum. Make time for beauty in your life.
And let yourself experience joy. Whether it comes from playing with your kids or your kitties or both, making music or art or whatever brings you joy, we need the experience of joy in our lives to sustain and enliven our spirits.
Every Sunday, we say that we come from a long tradition of seeing a spark of the divine in every person.
I like to think of that as a light that is unique to each of us. I encourage you to tend to that light in these ways so that you can shine it out most brightly to better our world in the way that only you can.
Combined together, our unique lights and those of so many others working for justice and a more sustainable world can radiate out into that world and fuel a powerful and peaceful revolution.
We are witnessing forces of racism and bigotry emboldened in our society right now. Almost as terribly, we are also witnessing leaders from across the political spectrum who are failing to speak out forcefully against this and are thereby complicit in it.
However, in response, we are also witnessing a potential revolution based in compassion, community and solidarity.
My beloveds, our faith is calling us not to sleep through that revolution.
Let our legacy be that we awakened and became the revolution.
May each of our sparks of the divine unite and shine brightly together with many, many others to light our way.
Amen.
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Most sermons delivered at the First UU Church of Austin during the past 17 years are available online through this website. You will find links to them in the right sidebar menu labeled Sermons. The Indexes link leads to tables of all sermons for each year listed by date (newest to oldest) with topic and speaker. Click on the topic to go to a sermon.
