Adventures in Unitarian Land: Part 2- Additional Thoughts

Last week I wrote on my recent encounter with the Unitarian Universalists of Murfreesboro. I was actually so surprised by the similarities between my beliefs and theirs as well as stunned by their symbolism that I questioned if I wasn't already a UU. What I didn't get around to mentioning in my last post is the second half of the service.

As Sharon concluded her talk (I hesitate to use the word 'sermon' to describe this very informal talk) the UUs passed the collection plate (everyone's got to eat) and moved to extinguishing of the Chalice.

"And now we extinguish our chalice, but not the one that
burns forever in our hearts.
It glows bright to help us face the world's shadows,
with a chalice of light.
To face the world's coldness,
with a chalice of warmth,
To face the world's terrors
with a chalice of courage.
To face the world's turmoil,
with a chalice of peace.
May its glow fill our spirits, our hearts, and our lives,
until we meet here again in peace, hope and love."

At first I wondered why they would even extinguish the flame. Why not keep an eternal flame burning (again forgetting they were meeting in borrowed space)? I had overlooked the simplicity and symbolism of the extinguishing of the Chalice: the chalice is merely a physical representation of the symbolic flame we have within ourselves. Through community connection and reflection we keep spirit alive: that which binds and interweaves us with each other. I believe it points to that primal energy, the core of our humanity. The lighting and extinguishing of the chalice is a reminder of where we came from, who we are now, and the hidden potential of our future.

During the second half of the service we had the choice between going on a meditation walk or participating in a Q and A with the guest speaker. Although I found the idea of a meditation walk intriguing I'm drawn to discussion and dialog. The comments and questions circled around the theme of our difficulty to control ourselves during pressure situations. Belief and dependence on a deity for assistance, and even the concept of a deity itself, was never mentioned. I was tempted to bring up the Hebrew phrase hevel havalim, "breath of breath", from the wisdom of Ecclesiastes and the concept of living in an impermanent and chaotic world. But I'm not a good public speaker and I enjoy hearing others speak more than myself (I do enough of that here) so I kept my mouth shut. What I did enjoy was the open interaction as well as the themes of connection and unity you don't see at other churches. I believe these are vital for the human spirit although the symbols, language, and imagery are just what they are: symbols, language and imagery. They point towards what we struggle to name yet the tangible is just as impermanent as the rest of the cosmos, frail and extinguishable.

Adventures in Unitarian Land: Part 1- Am I a UU?

No, I'm not talking about a place on the Candy-Land board, but a little adventure I partook during my first Sunday off in years. The day actually started off during an early 4-8am session in the recording studio. Early morning sessions are not productive without plenty of caffeine. So with all that caffeine buzzing in my blood stream I found myself unable to go to sleep when I got home at 8:30. So I thought it's Sunday morning why not attend church, but there are so many, which should I attend?

[In my head I imagined a room full of pastors with their hands in the air shouting "pick me, pick me!"]

I decided I would either attend a Baha'i meeting or meet with the Unitarians of Murfreesboro. The Unitarians met at 10 and the Baha'i at 11. Guess the Unitarians lucked out.

[I found this clever version of the chalice here.]

---

I was nervous and scared. I don't know why, it's not like they would kick me out for being overly accepting of other religious faiths. So to pass the time and calm my nerves I took a stroll through the Square in Murfreesboro. After a 15 minute stroll to calm the nerves and tame the curiosity I got tired of looking at Law Offices and barber shops (I swear there are 4 of each on the Square) and headed towards the Center for the Arts. The first thing I noticed when I walked in was the coffee being served.

Do I really need more caffeine, I asked myself. Yes, yes I do.

Not the smartest choice but if I couldn't calm the nerves maybe I could overload them and blow a circuit. The first thing I noticed was the art on the walls, and I was trying to figure out why the Unitarians would hang paintings on the wall, for reflection on the variety of art, perhaps? I felt foolish 30 minutes into the service when I realized that the Unitarians met at THE CENTER FOR THE ARTS. The service was directed by Bob and Jill (went up a hill to fetch a pail of unity...) who noticed my unshaven new face and were eager to welcome me. There were about 30 people in attendance, mostly young people in their late 20's early 30's including a few families. (I also noticed I was 1 of 2 in attendance who weren't white. This didn't really bother me as much as I thought it was a curiosity.) They began by welcoming everyone and describing what it means to be a Unitarian Universalists: UUs learn from multiple religious traditions, live with more questions than answers, are more spiritual than religious, and always seek out love.

Pause. Raises left eyebrow.
Am I a UU? I asked myself. These beliefs are waaaaay too close to my own. My thinking almost slipped into egotistical paranoia thinking the program was tailored to my arrival, but only for a nanosecond until rationality shifted into gear: there are many people out there with similar beliefs to mine and the chances of them gathering to share in that unity is almost certain.

Then came the community meditation. Meditation? As the music coordinator played soothing synth music everyone retreated into themselves and connected. With what or whom was up to the individual yet you could feel the intensity of the individuals collectively embracing the All. Of course it all sounds New Age-y when you put it into words. Some things you can't, or I should say shouldn't be put into words. Hence the Chalice. I picked up literature in the foyer about the chalice before entering the meeting room describing the flaming chalice to symbolize everything from community and sharing to sacrifice and love. But what really lit the spark was the call and response during the lighting of the Chalice at the very start of the service.

For every time we make a mistake and we decide to start again:
We light this chalice.
For every time we are lonely and we let someone be our friend:
We light this chalice.
For every time we are disappointed and we choose to hope:
We light this chalice.
For every time we face hate and we choose love:
We light this chalice.
[Chalice Lighting by M. Maureen Killoran]

The guest speaker that day was the Reverend Sharon Weaver on "Dealing with the Unexpected" which was more of a self-help guide to anxiety than anything else. I was hoping for something with a bit more substance, but I found it intriguing nonetheless. What was REALLY interesting was the lack of reference to any religious language. The words prayer, Jesus, God, faith, belief, and the like were completely absent. In fact the whole service was completely devoid of any religious symbolism (except for their string of flags representing the various faiths hanging above the podium) that I began to wonder what these people got from being Unitarians. And then it hit me (kind of): these people congregate for the sheer pleasure of congregating, not out of obedience to God nor to purchase afterlife insurance. They meet every week because as humans we feel drawn to each other and to that which draws us together: love. I thoroughly enjoyed their non-traditional service except that I also need tension, drama, and controversy to stimulate spiritual growth. Although I've been seeking a sense of connection through community I fear the entrapment of echo chambers, constantly hearing and validating my own beliefs week after week. I'll be checking out the UU community in Chattanooga in the next few weeks, I just hope they have better chairs than the UUs in Murfreesboro.
Extremely late update! 
I completely forgot to link part 2 on this page for those perusing my archives. Here's the link.