BROOKFIELD UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH
  • BUUC Home
  • Events
  • About the BUUC
    • Our History
    • BUUC Committees >
      • Executive Committee
      • Worship Committee
      • Membership Committee
      • The Women's Alliance
      • Flower Committee
  • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
  • Stewardship and Gift Policy
    • Saints We've Known
    • Charitable Giving and the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
  • Sermons 2022-23
    • The Seventh Principle
    • Make Light of It
    • A Turn of the Screw
    • America: Part II
    • What Do You Expect?
    • Good Mourning
    • Beyone Repair?
    • No Signal
    • Absolutely, Maybe, Definitely Not
    • Do Guardian Angels Exist?
    • Right Here
  • Our Covenant
  • Minister's Welcome
  • Religious Exploration
  • Music & Choir
  • We Rise: Social Justice Resources
  • Newsletters
  • Church Calendar
  • Unitarian Universalism
  • Driving Directions
  • Photos of Us
  • Making the BUUC Accessible
  • LOVEUU
  • Community Resources
    • Mental Health Providers, Worcester MA
    • Southern Worcester County Parent Guide
  • Contact Us
    • Sermons 2021-22
  • Sermon Archives
    • Finding Joy in Uncertain Times
    • The Arithmetic of Joy
    • Of Muck and Martyrs
    • Doing Dishes
    • Idle Worship
    • The Fear of the Refugee
    • It's Not Just You
    • If We Choose
    • Lazy Busy
    • A Most Human Season
    • Running on Empty
    • Alone Together
    • Come Home
    • Winter Warmth
    • How Big Is Your Circle?
    • Thanksgiving Life
    • Kurt Vonnegut: Humanist Hero
    • In Costume
    • Again
    • Borderland
    • The Geometry of Life
    • Transformation and Growth
    • Come Build a Land
    • Our Brains, Our Minds and Our Hearts
    • Gifts
    • Repairers of the Breach
    • The Times They Are A-Changin'
    • Mission Possible
    • It Matters
    • Thanksgiving Reflection
    • Shoes That Fit
    • Winter
    • Ignorance, Answers, and Bliss
    • Questions, Questions
    • Living to the Point of Tears
    • Lost in the Shuffle: UU's Less Popular Principle
    • On the Turning Away
    • A Matter of Degree
    • A Collection of Near Death Experiences
    • I Know Her So Well, I Think. I Thought.
    • Faith-based Resilience
    • To Abet Creation
    • Who Cares?
    • A Matter of Life and Depth
    • Pass/Fail
    • Enough
    • O Holy Light
    • With New Eyes
    • Coming Alive
    • Beyond Words
    • Becoming
    • A Miracle Even Thomas Jefferson Could Embrace
    • Fear Not!
    • The Miracle of Change
    • Meeting Grace
    • R-E-S-P-E-C-T
    • Serving with Grace
    • The Pursuit of Happiness
    • When Heresy Met Sally
    • The Souls of All Living Creatures
    • What Are You Looking For?
    • Beloved
    • Let Me Count The Ways
    • Happiness
    • Chosen
    • Faith and Belief
    • Room To Grow
    • Blessed Fools
    • Don't Be a Superhero
    • Getting There from Here
    • Unfinished Business
    • Universalism's Origen
    • Yearn to Learn
    • Beauty Saves
    • Commentary on Freedom
    • Being Human: Religious Community in a Plastic Age
    • Questionable Certainties and Faithful Doubts
    • Commentaries on Murphy's Law
    • Children of a Lesser God
    • Fragile Nets of Meaning
    • Life Incarnate
    • So You Want to Be Happy
    • A Year's End Resolution
    • Where Stars Are Born
    • Thanking Eve
    • Anger, Our Teacher
    • Everlasting Punishment
    • Comprehending Moral Imperatives in a Me-centered World
    • Promises Kept
    • Dancing With The Stars: Science and Religion
    • Two Steps and Missteps: Church Membership for Human Beings
    • Light of the World
    • Dear God
    • Imago Hominis
    • CESA: Reflections on Drug Addiction
    • Falling in Love Again
    • How Does Your Garden Grow
    • Repent! No Guilt Trip Required
    • Go Out into the World
    • Thanks-living
    • Life and Not Life
    • Guilty As Charged
    • Dare To Hope
    • Don't Forget To Chew
    • Break the Silence - Stop the Violence
    • Living Among Strangers
    • What Is Religion Anyway?
    • East of Eden
    • Praying Attention
    • Wholly Human
    • The Healing Power of Forgiveness
    • All I Want for Christmas
    • Let It Be...Let It Go
    • Why Not?
    • People Like You
    • Vulnerable Trust
    • Thin Places
    • Now What?
    • Courageously Humble
    • The Last Butterfly
    • The Good, The Bad, and The Whole
    • Sacred Souvenirs
    • Made Whole
    • This Wild and Precious Life
    • Fragile Nets of Meaning
    • Where Our Future Can Begin
    • Taking Stock: Managing Our Spiritual Inventory
    • To Convert Life into Truth
    • Are We There Yet?
    • Family Matters
    • Ordinary Saints
    • All I Wanted Was Everything
    • Giving Thanks
    • To Be or Not To Be
    • Entering the Christmas Story
    • A Great Light
    • What's Real?
    • Troubling the Water
    • The Amazing Mr. Wedgewood
    • Lend Me Your Ears
    • Work That Is Real
    • Happy Melba Toast Day
    • The Great Pacific Garbage Dump
    • Plastics, Benjamin!
    • Surprise Beginnings
    • A Place at the Table
    • Norbert Capek’s Flower Communion: A Call To Honor Life
    • Voices of God
    • Hold On To What Is Good
    • The Little Stone Church That Rocks
    • What Would Jean-Luc Do?: A Tribute to Humanist Hero Gene Roddenberry
    • From Who am I? to Whose are We?
    • Turning
    • Spirituality
    • R & R
    • Spritual F-Words
    • Does Anyone Really Like Herding Cats?
    • Prepare to Be Amazed
    • The Greatest Gift
    • The Impossible Will Take A Little While
    • Taking Sides: Journey to the Center of the Universe
    • Help Wanted, Apply Within
    • Two Truths & Plastics and Water Don't Mix
    • The Third Conversation
    • Good People >
      • UU You >
        • Twitter and Covid and Wall Street, Oh, my!
        • I Do Believe in Spooks >
          • Holy Homophones >
            • What's in a Name?
            • So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye!
            • Open-Mindedness, As Assigned
            • Going on a Journey
            • Cheap Love
            • Nonproductive Delight
            • The Persistence of Memory
            • Thoughts about the Historical Jesus
            • Lindens and Tiarella and Bearberry, Oh My!
            • Season's Greetings
            • I Still Have A Dream
            • Peace Corps - A Lesson in Caring
            • Spiritual Engineering
            • Thanks for the Memories
            • Our Stories, Ourselves
            • Anxious Gardeners
            • The Best Sermon Ever!
            • UUnited
            • We Are Courageous
            • A Right Way to Be Wrong
            • Sacred Ideals
            • This Wild and Precious Life Revisited
            • 20/20
            • Home
            • What About Now?
        • Fragile
        • Time Ravel
        • Now Is Not the Time for Hope
        • The G Word (It's Probably Not what You Think)
    • No Thanks, I'll Walk
    • Be the Change
    • I Don't Know
    • What Lies Within
    • Guest Perspective
    • Growing Panes
    • De Colores
    • Roots and Wings
  • BUUC Home
  • Events
  • About the BUUC
    • Our History
    • BUUC Committees >
      • Executive Committee
      • Worship Committee
      • Membership Committee
      • The Women's Alliance
      • Flower Committee
  • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
  • Stewardship and Gift Policy
    • Saints We've Known
    • Charitable Giving and the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
  • Sermons 2022-23
    • The Seventh Principle
    • Make Light of It
    • A Turn of the Screw
    • America: Part II
    • What Do You Expect?
    • Good Mourning
    • Beyone Repair?
    • No Signal
    • Absolutely, Maybe, Definitely Not
    • Do Guardian Angels Exist?
    • Right Here
  • Our Covenant
  • Minister's Welcome
  • Religious Exploration
  • Music & Choir
  • We Rise: Social Justice Resources
  • Newsletters
  • Church Calendar
  • Unitarian Universalism
  • Driving Directions
  • Photos of Us
  • Making the BUUC Accessible
  • LOVEUU
  • Community Resources
    • Mental Health Providers, Worcester MA
    • Southern Worcester County Parent Guide
  • Contact Us
    • Sermons 2021-22
  • Sermon Archives
    • Finding Joy in Uncertain Times
    • The Arithmetic of Joy
    • Of Muck and Martyrs
    • Doing Dishes
    • Idle Worship
    • The Fear of the Refugee
    • It's Not Just You
    • If We Choose
    • Lazy Busy
    • A Most Human Season
    • Running on Empty
    • Alone Together
    • Come Home
    • Winter Warmth
    • How Big Is Your Circle?
    • Thanksgiving Life
    • Kurt Vonnegut: Humanist Hero
    • In Costume
    • Again
    • Borderland
    • The Geometry of Life
    • Transformation and Growth
    • Come Build a Land
    • Our Brains, Our Minds and Our Hearts
    • Gifts
    • Repairers of the Breach
    • The Times They Are A-Changin'
    • Mission Possible
    • It Matters
    • Thanksgiving Reflection
    • Shoes That Fit
    • Winter
    • Ignorance, Answers, and Bliss
    • Questions, Questions
    • Living to the Point of Tears
    • Lost in the Shuffle: UU's Less Popular Principle
    • On the Turning Away
    • A Matter of Degree
    • A Collection of Near Death Experiences
    • I Know Her So Well, I Think. I Thought.
    • Faith-based Resilience
    • To Abet Creation
    • Who Cares?
    • A Matter of Life and Depth
    • Pass/Fail
    • Enough
    • O Holy Light
    • With New Eyes
    • Coming Alive
    • Beyond Words
    • Becoming
    • A Miracle Even Thomas Jefferson Could Embrace
    • Fear Not!
    • The Miracle of Change
    • Meeting Grace
    • R-E-S-P-E-C-T
    • Serving with Grace
    • The Pursuit of Happiness
    • When Heresy Met Sally
    • The Souls of All Living Creatures
    • What Are You Looking For?
    • Beloved
    • Let Me Count The Ways
    • Happiness
    • Chosen
    • Faith and Belief
    • Room To Grow
    • Blessed Fools
    • Don't Be a Superhero
    • Getting There from Here
    • Unfinished Business
    • Universalism's Origen
    • Yearn to Learn
    • Beauty Saves
    • Commentary on Freedom
    • Being Human: Religious Community in a Plastic Age
    • Questionable Certainties and Faithful Doubts
    • Commentaries on Murphy's Law
    • Children of a Lesser God
    • Fragile Nets of Meaning
    • Life Incarnate
    • So You Want to Be Happy
    • A Year's End Resolution
    • Where Stars Are Born
    • Thanking Eve
    • Anger, Our Teacher
    • Everlasting Punishment
    • Comprehending Moral Imperatives in a Me-centered World
    • Promises Kept
    • Dancing With The Stars: Science and Religion
    • Two Steps and Missteps: Church Membership for Human Beings
    • Light of the World
    • Dear God
    • Imago Hominis
    • CESA: Reflections on Drug Addiction
    • Falling in Love Again
    • How Does Your Garden Grow
    • Repent! No Guilt Trip Required
    • Go Out into the World
    • Thanks-living
    • Life and Not Life
    • Guilty As Charged
    • Dare To Hope
    • Don't Forget To Chew
    • Break the Silence - Stop the Violence
    • Living Among Strangers
    • What Is Religion Anyway?
    • East of Eden
    • Praying Attention
    • Wholly Human
    • The Healing Power of Forgiveness
    • All I Want for Christmas
    • Let It Be...Let It Go
    • Why Not?
    • People Like You
    • Vulnerable Trust
    • Thin Places
    • Now What?
    • Courageously Humble
    • The Last Butterfly
    • The Good, The Bad, and The Whole
    • Sacred Souvenirs
    • Made Whole
    • This Wild and Precious Life
    • Fragile Nets of Meaning
    • Where Our Future Can Begin
    • Taking Stock: Managing Our Spiritual Inventory
    • To Convert Life into Truth
    • Are We There Yet?
    • Family Matters
    • Ordinary Saints
    • All I Wanted Was Everything
    • Giving Thanks
    • To Be or Not To Be
    • Entering the Christmas Story
    • A Great Light
    • What's Real?
    • Troubling the Water
    • The Amazing Mr. Wedgewood
    • Lend Me Your Ears
    • Work That Is Real
    • Happy Melba Toast Day
    • The Great Pacific Garbage Dump
    • Plastics, Benjamin!
    • Surprise Beginnings
    • A Place at the Table
    • Norbert Capek’s Flower Communion: A Call To Honor Life
    • Voices of God
    • Hold On To What Is Good
    • The Little Stone Church That Rocks
    • What Would Jean-Luc Do?: A Tribute to Humanist Hero Gene Roddenberry
    • From Who am I? to Whose are We?
    • Turning
    • Spirituality
    • R & R
    • Spritual F-Words
    • Does Anyone Really Like Herding Cats?
    • Prepare to Be Amazed
    • The Greatest Gift
    • The Impossible Will Take A Little While
    • Taking Sides: Journey to the Center of the Universe
    • Help Wanted, Apply Within
    • Two Truths & Plastics and Water Don't Mix
    • The Third Conversation
    • Good People >
      • UU You >
        • Twitter and Covid and Wall Street, Oh, my!
        • I Do Believe in Spooks >
          • Holy Homophones >
            • What's in a Name?
            • So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye!
            • Open-Mindedness, As Assigned
            • Going on a Journey
            • Cheap Love
            • Nonproductive Delight
            • The Persistence of Memory
            • Thoughts about the Historical Jesus
            • Lindens and Tiarella and Bearberry, Oh My!
            • Season's Greetings
            • I Still Have A Dream
            • Peace Corps - A Lesson in Caring
            • Spiritual Engineering
            • Thanks for the Memories
            • Our Stories, Ourselves
            • Anxious Gardeners
            • The Best Sermon Ever!
            • UUnited
            • We Are Courageous
            • A Right Way to Be Wrong
            • Sacred Ideals
            • This Wild and Precious Life Revisited
            • 20/20
            • Home
            • What About Now?
        • Fragile
        • Time Ravel
        • Now Is Not the Time for Hope
        • The G Word (It's Probably Not what You Think)
    • No Thanks, I'll Walk
    • Be the Change
    • I Don't Know
    • What Lies Within
    • Guest Perspective
    • Growing Panes
    • De Colores
    • Roots and Wings
BROOKFIELD UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH

The ‘G’ Word (It’s Probably Not What You Think)
Brookfield Unitarian Universalist Church
December 6, 2020
The Rev. Craig M. Nowak


Some people have the gift of gab. They can start and maintain a conversation with just about anyone about anything. For better or worse, I am not one of those people. And my choice of career hasn’t helped. For in my experience nothing stops a conversation between strangers faster than responding to the common question, “What do you do for living?” with, “I’m a minister.”


At least when I could say I was studying for the ministry, people would often respond, “Why?” Admittedly, I asked myself that question many times as I ventured further and further down the path towards ordained ministry. For those you who are unfamiliar with the process, it is, to be frank, quite daunting. 


The basic requirements are an M.Div (Master of Divinity) degree, which is a professional degree requiring at least three years of full time study to complete; completion of an exhaustive mental health and career assessment; lots of interviews, recommendations, and endorsements by various committees comprised of clergy and lay leaders, hundreds of hours of chaplaincy training, an internship and final approval by the ministerial fellowship committee…all of this requiring an enormous commitment of time, energy, and money. I’d be lying if I told you I had never once thought about quitting this pursuit.
So what kept me going during those times when I was tempted to give up for any number of reasons? It was the repeated realization that ministry is not simply a career choice for me, it is a response to a deeply felt calling…which includes a call to grow.


Now, I’m willing to bet that most, if not all of you here, whether you’re a longtime member, friend of the congregation, or a visitor here today are here in response, on some level, to a deeply felt calling. I’m further willing to bet that if you look into your heart that call that has brought you here this morning has something to do with a hunger or need to grow. And so today I want to engage you in what I hope will blossom into a continuing conversation with yourself and among each other about that all important religious “G” word, growth.


There are of course many ways people may feel called to grow. I want to touch upon three in particular I encounter regularly in church meetings, casual conversations before or after church, and pastoral visits: spiritual growth; growth in wisdom, and relational growth.


Maybe you’ve come here today, as Douglas Taylor writes, “beset by sorrow and hurt in your life.” Perhaps you or a loved one is struggling with loss…or with an illness or addiction. 


Perhaps you’re wrestling with questions about what it all means, what life is all about and where you fit into this world or... if you fit in at all. Such questions point to a call towards spiritual growth.


Spiritual growth concerns the who, what, why, and how of our existence. The so-called “universal questions” about life and death. These are the questions that form the very foundation of religious exploration and, for some, an explanation itself. Indeed, the late Rev. Dr. Forrest Church summarized religion as, “Our human response to the dual reality of being alive and having to die." Spiritual growth is rooted in the formation and continual refinement of our personal response to this dual reality.
Of course you may instead or also be here today, “beset by frustration and anger at the world around you.” Week after week you find your heart aching from the brokenness in the world…the hollow promises of numbing materialism or the pervasive presence of violence in the world, often in the name of some god. You want to make a difference through service to others. Or discover a way to transcend self concern for the betterment of your community, both local and worldwide. You feel stirred to serve something larger than yourself. This suggests a calling towards growth in wisdom. Wisdom is rooted in awareness or mindfulness, practices which help us to see and embrace our potential and accept our limitations, aiding us in the cultivation of compassion for ourselves and others. A call toward growth in wisdom is often awakened in us as we face uncertainty about how to live with or put into practice the sense of purpose and meaning arising from our spiritual exploration.


Still, others of you here today may feel, “beset by confusion and emptiness in your soul” and so you come seeking community. A place to be with others who will support and stand by you in good times and bad, A place where you feel welcome, safe, and affirmed. Such places are increasing rare in our culture.


If this is why you are here today you are likely responding to a call toward relational growth. A call to increasing our sense of belonging and ease our existential loneliness. A call to join with others in building beloved community.


Now, up to this point I have been talking about individuals responding to their own personal call to grow…but just as individuals are called to grow, so are those institutions which support our individual growth, like the church. And like their individual members, churches, as a body of members, experience calls to spiritual growth, growth in wisdom, and relational growth.
Unfortunately, Unitarian Universalism is sometimes jokingly referred to as the best kept secret in religion. Given the depth of our roots as a faith, which stretch back nearly 2,000 years and the significant roles our religious forebears played in the history of the United States as presidents, poets, social reformers, artists, scientists and so on, it is scandalous that our faith is so little known to many of our neighbors today.


Some years ago, former Unitarian Universalist Association president Peter Morales said, “The potential for us to be a vital participant in American religious life and really touch the lives of tens of thousands of people is a very real possibility.” Rev. Morales challenged Unitarian Universalists to consider growth “a religious and moral imperative.” His words were nothing less than a prophetic call to live deeply and share this faith, which has supported and continues to support our growth. Of course, as Clinton Scott Lee reminds us in one of our readings from today, “It is always easier to pay homage to prophets than to heed the direction of their vision.”


I know this congregation is committed to ensuring Unitarian Universalism has a presence in its corner of the world. It is clear you possess hope and a vision of BUUC (Brookfield Unitarian Universalist Church) as a vibrant, active religious community. From steadfast service to the surrounding community to efforts toward improving and increasing accessibility, not to mention the ability to adapt and willingness to innovate to keep worship, music and programming going strong through a global pandemic, this community exhibits faith in its present and future relevance. This cheers my spirit as your minister. There is much to be proud of, so much in fact that I feel compelled to reiterate these cautionary words by Walt Whitman from our call to worship, “However sheltered this port, and however calm these waters, we must not anchor here.”


For churches, although often lauded as symbols of stability or derided as staid relics in a world of unceasing change, are actually not meant to be static. 


Indeed the most “stable” churches are those best able to move out of their own way over time. That is, they are able to grow, not with or in reaction against the times, but in observant response to them.


You have heard me talk about or reference BUUC’s (Brookfield Unitarian Universalist Church) mission many times over the last several years. The church’s mission is simply a statement in response to the question, “Why does our church exist?” While it is worthwhile to ask and feel good about the ways in which the church is fulfilling its mission, it is equally as important to ask where it isn’t. And to pay special attention to the parts we actually, perhaps strongly, resist, as this may indicate a call toward growth in wisdom, requiring deeper engagement and greater spaciousness of heart and mind.


And what of spiritual growth? How is worship, our ministries, programming, religious Education and yes, even committee meetings reflective of our mission? If they aren’t or we, as a community aren’t sure, that may indicate a call to deeper spiritual growth as a congregation.


Relational growth, as I apply it to the church as an institution, refers to an increase in the number of people entering into relationship with the church. And not just as visitors or potential new members, but any people or groups with whom the church might engage, partner with, or serve in the larger community. This type of growth is greatly influenced by the degree to which we are able to hear and respond to the call of the first two types of growth.


In addition, responding to a call towards relational growth will include seeing the church through the eyes of the first time visitor. To see as they see. Is the church welcoming physically inside and out with clearly marked entrances and other signage? Or is the church confusing, even frustrating to a visitor? What about virtually, online? An especially important consideration right now. Is the physical and virtual atmosphere warm and inviting? Are visitors left alone or are they greeted and made to feel welcome and affirmed before, during, and after the service? Is the visitor left with the impression they have intruded upon a private club, insider or family event to which they were not invited?


While aesthetics like a beautiful, clean sanctuary and a well crafted and presented service are important, studies show the most important factor in a person’s decision to return to a church is the degree to which they felt truly welcomed by the membership. In other words when people come in or visit online they are asking themselves, “Are these people I could be in relationship with?” As the old saying goes, “First Impressions are lasting impressions.”


Having said all this, it is in the spirit of the wisdom of Walt Whitman’s words, “we must not anchor here” that I’m about to present you with a challenge:


Our worship theme this month is sharing. And Unitarian Universalists are notoriously reluctant to share their faith with others…there are many reasons for this…but for our purposes I’m asking you to set aside whatever reasons you might have and step outside your comfort zone. 


My challenge is simply this: Invite someone new to attend church via Zoom on one Sunday before the end of the month or on Christmas Eve. The person could be a family member, friend, or acquaintance. Don’t worry about what to tell them about Unitarian Universalism, just warmly invite them to attend, no strings attached.


I know this might be difficult for some of you to try but I strongly urge you to try it anyway. My aim is to stretch, not stress you. Of course you can’t make someone attend if they truly don’t want to or can’t, but I’m hopeful a few new faces will grace our screens this month.


We are all called to grow both as individuals and as a church comprised of many individuals bonded by covenant in community. If we are serious about our faith, if we are committed to living it, it is important that we come to understand growth, whether spiritual, wisdom, or relational as a religious and moral imperative. This need not, however, be a chore. Indeed, it is a gift we’ve been entrusted to share. Sharing requires stepping outside our comfort zone and taking risks. But we who have come to know and love this church and its people also know that to remain the best kept secret in religion is an unacceptable choice, for this faith community is a place where we have and can still change the world; make life sweeter; and save lives.


In the words of the late Universalist minister, Frederic A. Mooney, “Religion helps us make satisfactory adjustments to life as we find it day by day….We are a branch of the Church Universal. Let us resolve that it shall be a live branch, a vital branch, an increasingly influential branch. We are able; let us carry on with the spirit that wins.” May it be so here, at the Brookfield Unitarian Universalist Church.   
​


Amen and Blessed Be.

Proudly powered by Weebly