Family Matters
Sermon Given at Brookfield Unitarian Universalist Church
October 20, 2013
The Rev. Craig M. Nowak
This sermon begins with a confession of sorts. People who know me as a lover of art, architecture, antiques, museums, classical music, poetry, and travel among other of the so-called “finer things” in life...people who know me for these things....are often surprised to learn I like really silly, often physical, stupid, or raunchy comedies. When it comes to television or movies, I’d usually rather laugh than have to think.
One movie I particularly enjoy starts appearing on television right around Thanksgiving, which, it seems hard to believe, is fast approaching. The movie is National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. If you’re not familiar with it, it centers around the genuine, if not naieve, intention of Clark W. Griswold, played by Chevy Chase, to have what he calls an, “old-fashioned family Christmas.” Clark envisions generations of family gathering together to share a magical holiday with another that no one will ever forget and everyone will always treasure.
As anyone who’s ever hosted a holiday with multiple generations of family present can guess, things don’t go quite as planned. For the Griswolds events that might normally be mere inconvieniences become major catastrophies when paired with the added stress of attending to hyper-critical in-laws, whining teens, a bumbling, penniless cousin, a confused aunt who brings a Jello-mold made with cat food, and a boss who cut out Christmas bonuses.
Towards the end of the movie as things really come to a head and the entire affair is all but completely ruined, Clark, utterly disillusioned, finds himself surrounded by his family who rallies around him as he rails against his boss and the loss of his annual bonus. Here, Clark is reminded of the bond of love that keeps the family together, however difficult, annoying, clueless, or infuriating its members might, at times, be.
What strikes me about this ending is that in the moment of greatest tension despair, when all seems lost, there emerges a realization...we are all in this together...and the things that have heretofore separated each person from the others, recede. This creates a more complete image of Clark’s family...once seeming woefully human, they, bound together in love, now appear woefully and wonderfully human. Their actions demonstrate their ability, if not commitment, to transcend differences, personalities, and agendas. In rallying around a member in need, they demonstrate family matters.
While we might usually think of families as comprised of individual persons… institutions, including churches, are sometimes understood to be families or part of a family. Indeed, our church is part of what we might call a family...the Unitarian Universalist Association or UUA. The UUA was formed in 1961 through the merger of two denominations, the Universalists, organized in 1793 and the Unitarians, organized in 1825.
Like any family, the UUA has its share of dysfunction, though generally not as humorous as the Griswold family’s. Dysfunction in the UUA family is often manifest as skepticism or resistance to UUA initiatives, statements, or positions which are sometimes taken as directives...or in more plain language, “telling us what to do.” This can, in part, stem from a misunderstanding not only of who or what the UUA is and does, but also a lack of understanding of who we are.
As the Rev. Erick Wikstrom notes, “When most people think of the UUA they think of the people who work at the UUA headquarters in Boston, (especially the president, board and moderator) or the people around the country who work with them (our district staff for example). But those people, Wikstrom reminds us, are more properly called “the staff of the Association. They’re the people who work for the UUA.”
“The UUA itself,” Wikstrom reminds us, “is better known by its full name: The Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations.” In other words, the member congregations of the UUA are the UUA. The primary purpose of the UUA, including its staff is, according to its bylaws, “to serve the needs of its member congregations, organize new congregations, extend and strengthen Unitarian Universalist institutions, and implement its principles.”
The spirit of mutuality evident in this statement of purpose can be traced back to our Puritan ancestors and the congregational polity to which we are heir, outlined in a document from 1648, known as The Cambridge Platform.
Within The Cambridge Platform is a section entitled, “On the Communion of Churches One with Another” which begins, “Although churches be distinct, and therefore may not be confounded one with another, and equal, and therefore have not dominion one over another, yet all churches ought to preserve church communion one with another...”
Here a familial relationship is established comprised of autonomous congregations in communion with one another. The document then explains the ways this communion or relationship ought to function, including, but limited to...”mutual care in taking thought of one another’s welfare...By way of consultation one with another, when we have occasion to require the judgment and counsel of other churches touching any person or cause wherewith they may be better acquainted than ourselves...in case of need, to minister relief and succor one unto another....and a way of propagation of churches.”
Today, our communion or association of congregations we call the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations works to honor our relationship one with another by:
* Assisting congregations in transition through the Settlement process
* Supporting the Ministerial Fellowship Committee which establishes criteria and clears ministerial candidates for ordination.
* Creating and making available Religious Education materials and curricula.
* Training consultants to assist congregations with capital campaigns, stewardship services, and planned giving programs.
* Connecting us with resources and programming for LGBTQ welcome and equality, Racial Justice and Multicultural Ministries, Reproductive Justice, and Environmental Justice, and provides opportunities for us to participate in service learning experiences through the UU College of Social Justice.
* Helping mobilize UU’s to do justice work on a much larger scale than any of us can do as individual congregations.
(Source: uua.org and stewardship.blogs.uua.org/search/UUA)
That contemporary Unitarian Universalism remains rooted, in part, in certain basic relational ideals expounded upon in a 17th century document, is a humbling reminder, as our first reading notes, “We did not begin when we were born; our origin goes back to our parents, our grandparents, and beyond this to all who have gone before us.”
Though the specific tasks carried out in support of one another changes with the times, the awareness that informed and motivated our forbears remains the same, “We all belong to each other...we are all bound together in love.” In other words, family matters.
And this brings me to another aspect of our relationship with one another as an association. “It was a wise person” writes Donald Culross Peattie, “who said that it is important not only to pick the right mate but to be the right mate.” As a member congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association of congregations we have picked our mate, or if you prefer, we have chosen to be part a particular family, the UUA. As such we have a responsibility to be the right mate or member of that family…to “stand by this faith” as Olympia Brown implored in our responsive reading.
As a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations....
* We stand by this faith by supporting the work of this congregation and the larger association of congregations to which we belong.
* We stand by this faith by attending Sunday worship and district workshops.
* We stand by this faith when we participate in the life of this community, serve on committees and in the community beyond our walls.
* We stand by this faith when we exercise our right as members to vote at a congregational meeting or via our delegates at the UUA’s General Assembly.
* We stand by this faith when we transcend the occasional personalities or statements of our co-religionists here or at UUA headquarters that that irritate or offend us in favor of our larger purpose.
* We stand by this faith by availing ourselves of the resources, programs, and opportunities developed and provided here at BUUC and through the UUA to nurture and deepen our spiritual well-being.
* And we stand by this faith when we share with one another and give of our own resources, financial and otherwise, that the hope and promise of this faith might shine more brightly and pierce the gloom of a hurting world.
Though we are many congregations..we are one association. Together we can and will be a faith for our time and for generations to come. Ours is a labor of love, though not without its challenges, to which we are called to lend our support as we walk, work, and build together in a spirit of mutuality, trust, and care a more just, peace-filled, and compassionate world.
And so, in the words of Olympia Brown, “Stand by this faith”...“Rejoice that we are worthy to be entrusted with (its) great message.” A message we bring to one another and to the wider world....
A message that proclaims… Proclaims “We are one.” One woefully and wonderfully human family...
A message that promises… Promises “I will not leave you comfortless.”
A message that demonstrates…Demonstrates in words and deeds, family matters.
Amen and Blessed Be
Sermon Given at Brookfield Unitarian Universalist Church
October 20, 2013
The Rev. Craig M. Nowak
This sermon begins with a confession of sorts. People who know me as a lover of art, architecture, antiques, museums, classical music, poetry, and travel among other of the so-called “finer things” in life...people who know me for these things....are often surprised to learn I like really silly, often physical, stupid, or raunchy comedies. When it comes to television or movies, I’d usually rather laugh than have to think.
One movie I particularly enjoy starts appearing on television right around Thanksgiving, which, it seems hard to believe, is fast approaching. The movie is National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. If you’re not familiar with it, it centers around the genuine, if not naieve, intention of Clark W. Griswold, played by Chevy Chase, to have what he calls an, “old-fashioned family Christmas.” Clark envisions generations of family gathering together to share a magical holiday with another that no one will ever forget and everyone will always treasure.
As anyone who’s ever hosted a holiday with multiple generations of family present can guess, things don’t go quite as planned. For the Griswolds events that might normally be mere inconvieniences become major catastrophies when paired with the added stress of attending to hyper-critical in-laws, whining teens, a bumbling, penniless cousin, a confused aunt who brings a Jello-mold made with cat food, and a boss who cut out Christmas bonuses.
Towards the end of the movie as things really come to a head and the entire affair is all but completely ruined, Clark, utterly disillusioned, finds himself surrounded by his family who rallies around him as he rails against his boss and the loss of his annual bonus. Here, Clark is reminded of the bond of love that keeps the family together, however difficult, annoying, clueless, or infuriating its members might, at times, be.
What strikes me about this ending is that in the moment of greatest tension despair, when all seems lost, there emerges a realization...we are all in this together...and the things that have heretofore separated each person from the others, recede. This creates a more complete image of Clark’s family...once seeming woefully human, they, bound together in love, now appear woefully and wonderfully human. Their actions demonstrate their ability, if not commitment, to transcend differences, personalities, and agendas. In rallying around a member in need, they demonstrate family matters.
While we might usually think of families as comprised of individual persons… institutions, including churches, are sometimes understood to be families or part of a family. Indeed, our church is part of what we might call a family...the Unitarian Universalist Association or UUA. The UUA was formed in 1961 through the merger of two denominations, the Universalists, organized in 1793 and the Unitarians, organized in 1825.
Like any family, the UUA has its share of dysfunction, though generally not as humorous as the Griswold family’s. Dysfunction in the UUA family is often manifest as skepticism or resistance to UUA initiatives, statements, or positions which are sometimes taken as directives...or in more plain language, “telling us what to do.” This can, in part, stem from a misunderstanding not only of who or what the UUA is and does, but also a lack of understanding of who we are.
As the Rev. Erick Wikstrom notes, “When most people think of the UUA they think of the people who work at the UUA headquarters in Boston, (especially the president, board and moderator) or the people around the country who work with them (our district staff for example). But those people, Wikstrom reminds us, are more properly called “the staff of the Association. They’re the people who work for the UUA.”
“The UUA itself,” Wikstrom reminds us, “is better known by its full name: The Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations.” In other words, the member congregations of the UUA are the UUA. The primary purpose of the UUA, including its staff is, according to its bylaws, “to serve the needs of its member congregations, organize new congregations, extend and strengthen Unitarian Universalist institutions, and implement its principles.”
The spirit of mutuality evident in this statement of purpose can be traced back to our Puritan ancestors and the congregational polity to which we are heir, outlined in a document from 1648, known as The Cambridge Platform.
Within The Cambridge Platform is a section entitled, “On the Communion of Churches One with Another” which begins, “Although churches be distinct, and therefore may not be confounded one with another, and equal, and therefore have not dominion one over another, yet all churches ought to preserve church communion one with another...”
Here a familial relationship is established comprised of autonomous congregations in communion with one another. The document then explains the ways this communion or relationship ought to function, including, but limited to...”mutual care in taking thought of one another’s welfare...By way of consultation one with another, when we have occasion to require the judgment and counsel of other churches touching any person or cause wherewith they may be better acquainted than ourselves...in case of need, to minister relief and succor one unto another....and a way of propagation of churches.”
Today, our communion or association of congregations we call the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations works to honor our relationship one with another by:
* Assisting congregations in transition through the Settlement process
* Supporting the Ministerial Fellowship Committee which establishes criteria and clears ministerial candidates for ordination.
* Creating and making available Religious Education materials and curricula.
* Training consultants to assist congregations with capital campaigns, stewardship services, and planned giving programs.
* Connecting us with resources and programming for LGBTQ welcome and equality, Racial Justice and Multicultural Ministries, Reproductive Justice, and Environmental Justice, and provides opportunities for us to participate in service learning experiences through the UU College of Social Justice.
* Helping mobilize UU’s to do justice work on a much larger scale than any of us can do as individual congregations.
(Source: uua.org and stewardship.blogs.uua.org/search/UUA)
That contemporary Unitarian Universalism remains rooted, in part, in certain basic relational ideals expounded upon in a 17th century document, is a humbling reminder, as our first reading notes, “We did not begin when we were born; our origin goes back to our parents, our grandparents, and beyond this to all who have gone before us.”
Though the specific tasks carried out in support of one another changes with the times, the awareness that informed and motivated our forbears remains the same, “We all belong to each other...we are all bound together in love.” In other words, family matters.
And this brings me to another aspect of our relationship with one another as an association. “It was a wise person” writes Donald Culross Peattie, “who said that it is important not only to pick the right mate but to be the right mate.” As a member congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association of congregations we have picked our mate, or if you prefer, we have chosen to be part a particular family, the UUA. As such we have a responsibility to be the right mate or member of that family…to “stand by this faith” as Olympia Brown implored in our responsive reading.
As a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations....
* We stand by this faith by supporting the work of this congregation and the larger association of congregations to which we belong.
* We stand by this faith by attending Sunday worship and district workshops.
* We stand by this faith when we participate in the life of this community, serve on committees and in the community beyond our walls.
* We stand by this faith when we exercise our right as members to vote at a congregational meeting or via our delegates at the UUA’s General Assembly.
* We stand by this faith when we transcend the occasional personalities or statements of our co-religionists here or at UUA headquarters that that irritate or offend us in favor of our larger purpose.
* We stand by this faith by availing ourselves of the resources, programs, and opportunities developed and provided here at BUUC and through the UUA to nurture and deepen our spiritual well-being.
* And we stand by this faith when we share with one another and give of our own resources, financial and otherwise, that the hope and promise of this faith might shine more brightly and pierce the gloom of a hurting world.
Though we are many congregations..we are one association. Together we can and will be a faith for our time and for generations to come. Ours is a labor of love, though not without its challenges, to which we are called to lend our support as we walk, work, and build together in a spirit of mutuality, trust, and care a more just, peace-filled, and compassionate world.
And so, in the words of Olympia Brown, “Stand by this faith”...“Rejoice that we are worthy to be entrusted with (its) great message.” A message we bring to one another and to the wider world....
A message that proclaims… Proclaims “We are one.” One woefully and wonderfully human family...
A message that promises… Promises “I will not leave you comfortless.”
A message that demonstrates…Demonstrates in words and deeds, family matters.
Amen and Blessed Be
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