Archived Sermons

Introductory Words
These words come from the Rev. Scott Alexander

In a world with hatred and violence,
We need religious people to proclaim the inherent worth and dignity of every person.
In a world that is so often moved by brutality and fear,
We need faith communities to seek justice, equity, and compassion in human relations.
In a world with so many persons abused and neglected,
We need a religion that calls us to accept one another and encourage one another to spiritual growth.
In a world with abundant dogmatism and falsehood,
We need a faith that challenges us to a free and responsible search for truth and meaning.
In a world with so much tyranny and oppression,
We need religious principles that affirm the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process.
In a world with widespread inequality and strife,
We need to hear voices encouraging us to strive towards the goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all.
In a world with tragic environmental degradation,
We need people of faith that advocate respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
In a world with so much uncertainty and despair,
We need a religion that encourages us to deepen our understanding, expand our compassion, and spread hope.
Here is such a place. Let us make it real in our lives.

I begin with the question that I believe underlies so much of our lives. The question is, “what do you want?”--What do you want in your life. What do you want in your daily existence. What do you want in your future? It is a common question. This morning it is a question asked in the hope that we can use it to transcend the superficial and dive deeper towards the essential.

I ask this question because I believe in the power of human understanding. I believe that knowledge has the potential to shape our lives for the better. I believe the deeper our understanding of the truth; the richer will be our lives. For this reason I think it is very worthwhile to periodically ask ourselves such fundamental questions. In fact I believe this question of want--of “what do you want?”-- is actually religious at its core. It is religious because it has great significance to human wholeness—human fulfillment. Granted it is too often not used in this manner. Most of us know this question as an invitation to a self-centered roll in materialism. Most often it leads to focusing on a list the material things we wish to consume. I want a new computer, I want to go on a cruise, and I want sushi.

But this same question has the potential to lead us in a different direction as well. The question “what do you want?” can also lead us to greater selflessness, to a greater interdependence, and away from those things that distract us from our search for wholeness. Where you end up in response to this question all depends on how deeply you search for your answers.

So I ask myself, “What do I want?—deep down what do I want?”, and my answer comes in parts. What first comes to mind is that humans, perhaps all creatures, want to simply maximize joy and minimize pain. I suspect this comes from my background in biology but I have read similar statements in the writings of philosophers, therapists and theologians. Humans are motivated by the desire to increase the amount of joy/satisfaction/sense of wholeness in their lives and diminish the amount of pain and spiritual dissonance. I believe this drives a lot of human behavior whether we are aware of it or not. For instance we seek food sources that taste good and provides us nutrition rather than those that poison us or taste bad. For instance we vote for candidates that we believe will make the world a more justice and peaceful place because we believe this will improve our lives. For instance we pick up the liter in our neighborhoods because we feel better and safer when it is cared for. Through their actions humans strive to maximize joy, satisfaction and wholeness.

The follow up question is, of course, how does one do this? How do we maximize joy and minimize pain. What are the conditions that bring us joy and which ones bring us pain? How do we achieve greater satisfaction and wholeness?

Well these questions have been the focus of thoughtful men and women for ages. Many of those who are considered great thinkers have pondered and written about such matters. A lot of impressive thought has gone into articulating these conditions. But the truth is you don’t have to be a theologian or a philosopher to figure out what you need do. All you need is common sense and willingness notice what is going on within you.

When I ask myself what are the fundamental things that increase the odds that I will experience joy, satisfaction and a sense of wholeness I come up with a pretty short list. The list includes:

• A sense of meaning - knowing who I am, what I want, and letting that guide my actions
• loving connection – having relationships characterized by honesty and compassion),
• Gratitude –approaching life from a perspective of thankfulness.
• An understanding of my place in existence and a peace with that.

The absence of these brings pain.

Maybe you didn’t see at first how the question, “what do you want?” is religious. But maybe now you are starting to hear how all this is fundamentally in the religious realm. We are talking about meaning, we are speaking of understanding our place in existence, we are encouraging thankfulness, and we holding up the importance of love. These are essential aspects of religious life. Asking ourselves “what we want” and following that question below the superficial brings us to the religious realm. And it brings us here--to this church. It brings us here because participating in a religious community is supposed to help us create meaning and connection, and gratitude and understanding.  This is what we want. And in the end this will bring us the greatest sense of joy and satisfaction and wholeness that human beings can experience.

Hymn: Look Not Far For Holiness

The holiness is to be found within. Out of it arises the joy, satisfaction and sense of fulfillment that we seek. To experience it we need to journey into the religious realm—that place where we encounter the wholeness of existence—the blinding light of the awesome realities that underlie our lives. There we must over time strip away the layers of misconceptions that we have acquired—peel them off so we see more clearly ourselves in the naked truth. As we do this we will come to more clearly perceive and understand ourselves, our humanity, and our world. As we do this we will understand more deeply and essentially who we are. We will have a deeper sense of meaning, we will understand more about our place in the universe and our interdependence.

This is not a one time event—not a moment of enlightenment. It is rather a learning process that takes place over time--a process of awakening to the realities around us—a process of growth. Never complete—always more to understand--but each step opens up the possibility of more wholeness and joy. And so we are called to follow the path.

For the purpose of these words there are two things you must know about the path. One is that what unfolds a long the way is unique for each person. Each of us has a unique set of gifts, passions, experience, and genetics that go together to make us. Our ability to recognize and integrate these elements into our lives determines our sense of wholeness. This is a key element in our religious journey—being wholly our unique selves.

The second thing to know about the path is that all who make the journey and deepen their understanding also deepen their compassion. This is common to all. As we approach the holy we become more compassionate beings. Wholeness and compassion are linked. This too is a key element in our religious journey.

One of the things we are called to do on our path to wholness is express our authentic selves in the world. This means we live out our deep feelings and convictions. This means we act in the world according to the meaning and truth we have discovered and the compassion we have unleashed. . Wholeness doesn’t come just from accumulating understanding—it requires that we act on that understanding.

I call such action personal ministry. Personal ministry is how each of us expresses our inherent compassion in the world using our unique gifts, values, interests and experience. Personal ministry is a key ingredient to spiritual development. Personal ministry is essential to building a life through which we experience joy in our human being.

Now in general ministry has to do with people acting on their beliefs to make things better in the world. Too often, though, people do ministry out of guilt or obligation. Such ministry does not arise out of compassion shaped by the individuals unique gifts and interests. Such ministry does have some benefit but it is not as fulfilling as personal ministry—it does not encourage our religious growth to the degree personal ministry does. Too often ministry becomes a burden to bear rather than a pair of wings to lift. To often it is an energy drainer rather than an energizer.

But ministry that grows out of genuine compassion and is shaped by our unique talents, interests and experience does energize and lift. This is personal ministry—ministry that grows compassion and the human spirit. Churches like ours can be communities through which people find meaningful ways to express their authentic selves—through which they can create personal ministry—through which they can grow towards holiness—through which they can help heal the world.

Roy Phillips who has written quite a bit about the power of personal ministry wrote, “the environment the congregation provides is that of a fertile and cultivated field in which the uniqueness, preciousness, and power of the divine seeds people carry in them can send roots into the rich ground of the culture, tradition, and community and can unfold from within, reaching outward and upward, actualizing their potential, coming gloriously to flower, and bearing fruit for serving the needs of the world.&rdquo. We do not engage in ministry to solely save the world, but to grow a soul. We engage in ministry not only to lift up those in need but as a way to fulfill our humanity. I am interested in ministry that is religious not because we do good deeds but because it is part of a process that develops compassionate beings.

Today after the service you have the opportunity to explore more thoroughly the notion of personal ministry through a workshop offered by the Vitality and Growth Team. The workshop will help you identify your unique combination of skills, interests, and compassion. I do not see this workshop as a recruitment tool for our social justice programs or church committees, but hopefully an exercise that furthers our journey along the religious path. A path that doesn’t require you to fly off to exotic places and sit at the feet of spiritual teachers, or that doesn’t require you get a masters degree in theology. It is a path that begins with the simplest of questions that can lead us to some of the most profound understandings about our unique human being. It is a path too often ignored even though our desire for wholeness and joy is constantly calling to us. It is a path use by those intent on spiritual growth. It is a path always awaiting our decision to travel below the superficial to more deeply understand the essential. It is a path home.

©2008 Rev. Daniel S. Brosier