..."A diverse, spirit-growing, justice-seeking community"   PAST SERMONS "Making a Difference" October 24, 2004 Rev. Robert M. Hardies READING Reading: The reading this morning is from the teaching of theologian Reinhold Niebuhr about he need for hope, faith, love and forgiveness. SERMON Last weekend I was away in Michigan, officiating at the wedding of one of our members, Libbie Buchele. Lots of All Souls folks were at the wedding, and because Libbie comes from a long line of Unitarians, there were a number of Unitarians there from around the country. After the ceremony, at the reception, Libbie's father brought me to his table to introduce me to some of these Unitarians. One of them, an older Japanese-American woman, called me over to her seat and said she wanted to tell me a story. It turns out that during World War II her family had been locked up in an internment camp in Utah. After the war, she and her parents moved to Virginia. She was in her early 20s back then, and she quickly met a young man and they decided to get married. They went from church to church but no one would bless this union between a Asian American woman and a white man. "No one would marry us," she said "except for the Reverend A. Powell Davies." The couple was married here in this sanctuary 50 years ago. She told me, "All Souls will always have a special place in my heart." I told her that there would always be a special place for HER here at All Souls, and invited her to come see us the next time she visits DC. This kind of thing happens to me a lot when I travel across the country. Lots of folks can tell a story about how this church made a difference in their life. But I was particularly struck by how THIS story illustrated a continuity in All Souls' prophetic ministry. You know the sacraments of a church -- its rituals of marriage and child blessing and memorializing -- these sacraments are one of the ways that a church takes something -- a life, a union of two souls -- and pronounces it holy. Blesses it. In other words, a church's sacraments are ritual expressions of God's love for human beings. In the 50's and 60's, All Souls was one of the only churches in the area that would marry an interracial couple; now -- decades later -- it's one of the few that will marry a gay couple. Time and again, this church has used its sacraments to bear witness to a love far beyond the wildest imaginings of other churches. Times change, but some things remain the same. I pray that one thing that will NEVER change is this church's commitment to equality and justice for all souls. Making a difference. That's what churches are for. Making a difference. Churches exist to help people discover meaning in their lives. To bring justice to our communities. To bring peace to our world. That's what churches are for. But making a difference is also what people are for. Isn't that how we find meaning and purpose in our lives? By devoting ourselves to something greater than the self? By seeking to make a difference? Whether that be for our family, our community or our world. By caring for people or for a cause. Human beings exist to make a difference, too. But it's hard to make a difference all by ourselves. Reinhold Niebuhr was one of the great theologians of the 20th century. He reminded us in our reading this morning that "No virtuous act can be accomplished alone; therefore we are saved by love." A love that brings us into community with one another to make a difference together. He goes on to say, "Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime; therefore we are saved by hope." Hope that we place in communities and institutions that will carry our struggle forward, long after we've returned to the earth. Churches are communities where love and hope mingle, and lonely souls come together to accomplish more than they could on their own. Making a difference. We all have our own stories about how this church or this faith has made a difference in our lives. I've never told the story from the pulpit before of how I became a Unitarian. I've shared it in smaller groups, but I've never told the whole story in church. I'm going to tell it to you today. In May of 1993, I graduated from college in Upstate New York. The day after commencement, I tossed my diploma and my few personal belongings into the backseat of my car, drove off, and didn't stop until I arrived in Portland, Oregon, 3,000 miles later. The reason for my eager and immediate departure was that earlier in my senior year I had realized that I was gay. Anxious for a new start, I left to begin a new life of honesty and integrity. Portland -- a hip, young, progressive city -- seemed the perfect place to begin that new life. Or so I thought. Not too long after I arrived, the Oregon Citizen's Alliance -- a right-wing Christian group -- put a referendum on the state ballot that would've prevented gay folks from being public school teachers, and would've outlawed sexual orientation as a classification eligible for civil rights protection. A few weeks later, the Religious Right's well-funded campaign hit the airwaves with advertisements that said gay people were sinners and pedophiles. Polls showed the measure leading by a healthy margin. But there were signs of hope, too. People who worked to defeat the hateful measure hung signs from their windows declaring their home or business a "Hate Free Zone." As a sign of solidarity with gays and lesbians, they draped their doors and mailboxes with pink ribbons. One day, while walking through the streets of Portland, wondering how it came to be that my inherent worth and dignity had become the subject of public debate, I turned a corner and saw a church. An old church whose red brick walls and white columns were dotted with "Hate Free Zone" signs. A large church that occupied a whole city block, and that had wrapped that entire blockÑbuilding, street lights, trees and allÑin flowing ribbons of pink. This is how I stumbled upon the First Unitarian Church of Portland. Amazed that a church would show such demonstrable support for gays and lesbians, I inquired within. I discovered that on the day the ribbons went up the minister of the church had held a press conference declaring the church's support for gay people. Coincidentally, the Women's Alliance was meeting at the church that same day. Now, you've got to understand that the Alliance decided to adjourn their proceedings so they could stand behind their minister at the press conference. That night on the 6:00 news, it looked like all the grandmothers of Portland had rallied to the defense of their gay and lesbian grandchildren. Over the course of the next few months, the church worked together to beat that hateful initiative. And beat it we did. Friends, this is the Unitarian Universalism that I fell in love with. A generous faith that proclaimed loud and clear the Universalist gospel of God's love for ALL people. A vigorous faith, that made that scandalous love manifest in the world through concrete action. This is the faith that, at the age of 22, I committed my life to. Sometimes people ask me why I'm such an evangelist for this church and this faith. I always think back to how I felt the day I discovered UUism. And it breaks my heart to think of all the people out there who have yet to hear the good news of a love that embraces all souls. Let me just give you a snap shot of the church this week. On Thursday, a handful served dinner to the homeless then reflected theologically on that experience at a UU theology class. When we let out Thursday night, I noticed that a bunch of people was also getting out of "Grief and Recovery" group. We all left to the strains of the choir rehearsing on Friday, the front page of The Washington Times reports that All Souls Unitarian Church has registered more than 400 voters at local Metro stations, community meetings and nightclubs. They could not get over that a church would register voters at nightclubs! Tomorrow, I will be among a handful of pastors who will meet with the mayor to ask him to make a simultaneous and equivalent investment in housing, schools, health care. Thursday, we will pack City Hall to deliver that message to the Council. Our message: "Lets all play ball!" Friday, we send a group of 32 to Tampa, Florida to make certain that this year, every vote gets counted. Sunday, All Souls Day is our annual service in memory of those we've lost over the last year. Friends, we're doing important work here. Each year, when I make my pledge, I don't do it with a sense of duty, but with joy. I support this church because it stands for the values that I care about and the people that I love. I support it because I want to be a part of such a community. Because I believe in this church. Because this faith once changed my life forever. And I know it can change others too. I hope that you, too, have come to know the importance of this church for you and the world. And that you will join me today in supporting it generously. This church DOES make a difference. Have you ever looked around in worship on Sunday morning and seen your neighbors visibly moved by the sermon or the music? Have you felt the energy flow through the sanctuary when we sing "Spirit of Life"? Sunday services at All Souls provide us with the spiritual sustenance we need for our living. Did you join us for the March for Women's Lives? Have you helped register voters through our All Souls/All Vote project? Did you read about my testimony on Capitol Hill against the Federal Marriage Amendment? We live in a nation where many of the values that we hold dear are contested. All Souls Church allows us to be part of a community that publicly and forcefully stands up for those values. Did you get to see our musical production of "Free to Be You and Me," or have you ever watched the faces of the DC Children's Choir when they sing in church? If so, then you know that All Souls empowers our children to discover their voice, and teaches them the progressive religious values that we hold dear. Did you happen to watch the evening news the night we gathered with local tenants to protest substandard housing in our community? Through our partnership with the Washington Interfaith Network, Sacred Heart Church, and local tenants, All Souls helped prevent the displacement of residents at 3145 Mount Pleasant Street, preserving affordable housing that is critical to our neighborhood. Have you ever participated in a Covenant Group or an adult spiritual development class when you or someone else experienced one of those "a-ha" moments, recognizing a glimmer of spiritual truth? All Souls provides active encouragement, guidance and support for the growth of our spirits. In closing, let me just acknowledge what is on the minds of so many of us this fall. The presidential election. In just over two weeks time our country will choose its next president. This is one of the most important elections of our lives. So many things that we hold dear are at stake in this election. And the truth is, that right now, we don't know who our next president will be come November 3rd. But we do know one thing that will be true on November 3rdÉand that's that this church will still be here... Standing up for justice. Witnessing to the values that we hold dear. Caring for the people and the causes that we love. The bell of this church was forged in the foundry of Paul Revere. Forged in the foundry of freedom. In 1859 it tolled for the death of the abolitionist John Brown. And since then, there hasn't been a time when the bell of this church hasn't rung for freedom. It rang for freedom during the struggle for the emancipation of slaves. It rang for freedom during the effort to integrate the city of Washington in the 50's, during the movement for Civil Rights. It rang for freedom during the struggle for equality for women, for gays and lesbians. And come November 3rd it will still be here, to proclaim the values that we hold dear. Friends, may there never be a time, when the bell of this church doesn't ring for freedom. May the good news that is packed into those two short words, All Souls, forever bring solace and comfort to those who need it. And may the Spirit of Life and the God of Love shine its blessings down on this community and all that are in it this day and always. Amen.