I Don’t Believe in God, But I Believe in Church

I Don’t Believe in God, But I Believe in Church by Jordi Comas is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at netsweweave.wordpress.com.

This is the sermon I gave at UUCSV in February 2009.   A few people asked me for copies.  If you want to use or cite, please reference me.  Maybe this will finally be the nudge I need to figure out how to use CC licenses.

This includes readings used which were essential for the sermon.

Call to Worship:

From Tennyson’s “Ulysses”

Come, my friends,

‘Tis not too late to seek a newer world.

Push off, and sitting well in order smite

The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds

To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths

Of all the western stars, until I die.

It may be that the gulfs will wash us down:

It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,

And see the great Achilles, whom we knew

Tho’ much is taken, much abides; and though

We are not now that strength which in old days

Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;

One equal temper of heroic hearts,

Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will

To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

 

Powerful Words about Resilience

One of the congregants at TVUUC, site of Sunday’s shooting, is a Knox County Commissioner.  At today’s meeting, we spoke some powerful words.

“Commissioner Mark Harmon, a member of the church, said, “Hate entered a house of worship. Hate will not last there; the people will.”

Well put.

Knoxville Shooting (TVUUC) Hits Close to Home

Busy, weird day yesterday as the church targeted in Knoxville is my Mother’s church and church I grew up in.

She did not see it because she was shielded by the organ.  She is shook up , of course, but is being resilient as is whole congregation. They are cleaning up today and are already mobilizing to support each other.

One of the fallen was a friend of my Mom’s.  Greg McKendry was on the church finance committee and was always around the building figuring out how to save money.  He used to be a purchasiing agent before retiring, and brought that frugality to the church.  I’m sure it was appreciated.  He was a loving person who had recently become the foster father to a teen ager who had bee bouncing around in the foster system.

Monday news:  Shooter apparently blamed “liberal movement” for his woes.  That is why he targeted TVUUC, a church active in civil rights for African-Americans, Central Americans (part of sanctuary movement), and LGBT.
Seven principles of UU faith:

There are seven principles which Unitarian Universalist congregations affirm and promote:

• The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
• Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
• Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
• A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
• 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.