What does it mean to have spirituality in our lives? What should we explore? How do we explore and what can spirituality bring to our lives. Come, come whoever you are. Though you have broken your vows a thousand times, come yet again, come.
Readings
A valley and above it forests in autumn colors.
A voyager arrives, a map leads him there.
Or perhaps memory. Once long ago in the sun,
When snow first fell, riding this way
He felt joy, strong, without reason,
Joy of the eyes. Everything was the rhythm
Of shifting trees, of a bird in flight,
Of a train on the viaduct, a feast in motion.
He returns years later, has no demands.
He wants only one, most precious thing:
To see, purely and simply, without name,
Without expectations, fears, or hopes,
At the edge where there is no I or not-I.
Wisdom teaching about waking up: There is something in us that feels compassionate and strong, patient and wise, indomitable, and of great value. This something is who we actually are. It is the “I” beyond name, without personality—our True Nature. (The Wisdom of the Enneagram, 37)
Truth be told, happiness is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with them.
Rumi once said, “The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” Nothing could be closer to the truth. Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most powerful characters in this great world are seared with scars. See your scars as a sign of “YES! I MADE IT! I survived and I have my scars to prove it! And now I have a chance to grow even stronger.”
And the world cannot be discovered by a journey of miles,
no matter how long,
but only by a spiritual journey,
a journey of one inch,
very arduous and humbling and joyful,
by which we arrive at the ground at our feet,
and learn to be at home.
Sermon
Exploring spirituality can be a big black whole just waiting for U.U.’s to fall into- with have the capacity to dabble in an undisciplined way because we to do not claim one creed, one theology or shared spiritual discipline- We do not even share a consistent definition of spiritual growth or maturity to strive for- and that makes it hard to explore, with the depth and commitment that experiencing spiritual growth and maturity requires.
ESUC’s vison statement about Exploring Spirituality says this;
The church of the Larger Fellowship is our UU “on line” church- a place for people who do not live close to a U.U. congregation to share, discover, grow. Each month CLF sends out a newsletter with a sermon, readings, a religious education offering and lots of other tidbits. This month Rev. Lilli Nye, an intern clinician at the Lahey Clinic of Behavioral Health in Salam MA asked readers what they do when they reach a critical juncture in their lives- Do you weigh out all the options, making lists in a reasoned, rational way or do you meditate, reflecting on the universe, a divine presence looking for guidance on your path seeing yourself of something larger unfolding seeking a call to a particular path?
Then Rev Nye went on to do something I found brilliant- and pretty unique- she held both paths- up as spiritual- as discernment- as valid.
Because spirituality is not connected to a belief in God, or not, in the reasoned science of humanism- or not. Humanism, reason and rational thinking and a spiritual calling, that affirms something greater than reason or rational thinking are both and part of valid responses to human uncertainty. Theologies grew out of the human need for meaning, purpose and our need to live with the certainty of the ending of our lives with some integrity and honest acceptance- Our vision statement, and our mission are our place to beg
