Winter to Spring

March is a month of transitions. Since coming to the Great Northwest, my favorite of those transitions is Winter to Spring. It's a time to focus our hearts on hope.


I love to speak from my own experience
  when I preach.

It's sometimes called "confessional preaching,"
  since it involves things that the preacher
    actually knows about from her or his own life.

That doesn't mean that I love
  to confess my sins when I preach,
    though that inevitably happens sometimes.

:-)

My experience of coming to live
  in the inland Pacific Northwest
    has brought many changes to my life,
      most of them for the better, by far.

Among those changes for the better
  has been a major change
    in the climate that I experience.

I sometimes say that Texas
  (at least the part where I lived),
    has two seasons: hot and hotter.

OK, so that's an exaggeration,
  but not by too much!

I'll never forget one year (in the 1990's)
  in which the temperature in Austin, Texas
    was 99 degrees in February!

There are plenty of contrasts
  between the weather I knew and expected in Texas
    and the weather I experience in these parts.

I could expect uncomfortably hot afternoons
  by the time late Spring arrived
    - or even earlier -
      in the parts of Texas where I lived.

I prefer not even to talk about the summer months!

The milder climate we have around here
  feels to me like a parable for better times
    that will be coming for us as a region,
      as a nation, and as a planet.

Climate change will certainly be a factor,
  but we still have the opportunity
    to make a difference.

Although authoritarianism is on the rise
  in the U.S. and in many other places.
    it looks to me like the far end
      of a swinging pendulum.

I keep thinking that we have reached the point
  at which the pendulum will begin to swing back
    nearer the balanced middle.

I also keep seeing that the return swing
  has not yet begun.

I'm an incurable optimist,
  so I still believe that the return swing is upon us
    and that we will soon see the signs of it.

If we think of our mild climate as a parable
  for more moderation in our governance,
    we can look for the signs
      of the fulfillment of this hope
        in the weeks and months ahead.

Another parable for us is the change of seasons.

The transitions are inevitable: 
  from Winter to Spring through Summer to Fall
    and finally the return to Winter's cold and quiet
      once again.

We can accept these inevitable, natural changes
  and adapt to them,
    or we can struggle against them
      and find ourselves acting in useless ways.

Likewise in the lives of our communities and nations   
  we can work to live adaptively
    while we also affirm the changes
      that are inevitably coming.

We don't have to despair.

Some pain in life is inevitable.

Letting it reach the point of misery is optional.

There is hope,
  and the signs of the coming of Spring
    are reminders that better times are coming
      in every way.

When I lived in Texas,
  the coming of Spring was not always
    an event that I welcomed!

It was a harbinger of the unbearable heat
  that was just around the corner.

Even the Winter Solstice was not a happy event
  because it marked the start of lengthening days
    that would inevitably lead to
      the painful heat of Summer.

I don't yet share the mild sadness
  that many people around here experience
    with the Summer Solstice
      because the days then begin to grow shorter.

I spent too many years with a sense of relief:
  It won't keep getting hotter forever!

One thing I really enjoy around here
  is the clearly observable lengthening of the days
    as the Spring Equinox approaches.

Today is the First Sunday in Lent,
  and the very name of "Lent" comes from
    an Anglo-Saxon word, Lengten,
      which is the origin of our word, Lengthen,
        referring to the lengthening
          of the days of Spring.

As UU's we can especially appreciate
  the positive implications of Lent,
    with the longer days
      and without the self-inflicted pain
        of giving up things we enjoy during the season.

Our spirituality draws from many traditions
  and claims the best from all of them.

Likewise we draw from the earth-based tradition
  that celebrates nature with its cycles.

We can draw comfort and hope
  as nature goes through all its changes.

Our society will change over and over
  just like the natural world.

Our political realities will change, too,
  and in our particular part of the world,
    we have great examples
      of just how fast change can come.

I'll never forget one Spring day 
  in which I was kind of freaking out.

I told Beth that
  in the microclimate of our neighborhood
    we had had snow, rain, hail, sunshine and wind
      all on that one day!

She said, "Hmm! It sounds like Spring!"

It took me a while,
  but with some reflection
    I understood what she meant.

She had lived in this part of the world
  for more than 30 years by then.

She had seen that much variety of weather
  all in one day many times over,
    and that one day often came
      during Spring.

The combination of conditions
  really typical of Spring weather around here
    has been unique in my experience.

At least it's always interesting!

Our political realities, too,
  can change suddenly.

We can expect new hope and new possibilities,
  preparing the way for them,
    each of us in our own way.

New hopes can bring long term changes, too.

I'll never forget one year up here
  in which Spring lasted about six months!

I've come to think of Spring
  as the period in which the weather
    doesn't get too hot or too cold,
      at least not for too long.

I've seen plenty of times of chilly
  and even snowy weather
    during Spring.

So Spring is a time of transition.

We can expect ups and downs
  as the changes we hope for begin to form.

Spring is a time of rebirth.

It can also represent a rebirth of hope in our hearts
  as well as in our weather.

Changes have come quite suddenly in our society
  and in the culture of what is acceptable
    and what is unacceptable.

Change in the health of nations is coming
  so fast that it's difficult to keep up with.

Change can come just as quickly in the future,
  and some changes for the better cannot come
    quickly enough for me.

I draw hope from the transition of Winter to Spring
  especially in this particular year.

I'm holding on to hope
  that the transition from illness to wellness
    from war to peace
      from authoritarianism to freedom
        and from fear to love
          will be seen all over our small planet.

There are larger forces at work
  than we can even begin to perceive.

Some of them will work to our benefit;
  some of them will work to our detriment.

There is little we can do to affect them,
  but if all of us do our own part
    we will promote positive change together.

The single most important thing we can do
  this year is vote. 

The first opportunity for residents of Idaho
   to vote in the presidential election
      is the primary election,
        a week from this Tuesday. 

The presidential primary in Idaho and in Washington
  will take place on the same day, March 10.

We don't know for certain
  which candidate would be best,
    but all of them have good qualities.

I would not begin to try to tell anyone
  for whom to vote.

I don't think it would even be right
  for me to try to do so.

I'm only going to say, "Please vote!"
  even if you are unsure about your choice.

I strongly believe
  that the result will almost always be better
    for us all
      if more people vote.

This Spring is a time of hope.

This election is an opportunity to hope.

I want to put the two together
  to encourage us all
    to work together
      to bring our hopes to fruition.

By working together
  we can make this Spring
    a time of renewal,
      not only for the world of nature around us,
        but also for us all
          in our community and our nation.

Amen

Blessed Be

Base Community

All through Latin America, house churches called Base Communities have flourished. Our beloved NIUU can resemble them in many ways.


Those of you who have been listening
  to me preach for a while
    are well aware that a have a number
      of what I call my hobby horses.

Those are my themes of special interest to me,
  and I hope, at least to some extent,
    of interest to you as well.

I would never want to be a bore
  especially to people
    who are listening to me carry on
      for so many Sundays of the year!

If you get tired of some of my hobby horses,
  please feel free to let me know.

I do so love to ride them! :-)

One of my favorites is base communities.

Those are house churches
  mostly in Latin America.

They are not specifically authorized
  either by church or state,
    and in some places, unfortunately,
      both kinds of authorization
        can be important.

There is also a house church movement in China,
  where government authorization
    is even more important
      and often hard to come by.

In recent years there have been crackdowns
  on house churches in China,
    where they are considered
      potentially subversive.

Because of those ongoing crackdowns,
  the house churches of China
    can be very different
      from the base communities of Latin America
        that I want to talk about.

Many people in China speak of
  "unregistered churches"
      because the groups can be quite large
         and may not meet in people's homes.

Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the Corona Virus,
  has 240,000 house church
   and unregistered church members.

It's not hard to imagine how difficult it may be
  to prevent contagion among people
    in house churches and unregistered churches.

Generally speaking,
  the base communities in Latin America are smaller
    and in less danger of persecution
    than the house churches of China,
      at least in most places and so far.

The base communities in Latin America
  are often associated with
    liberation theology in thought, word, and deed,
      and as such they may be in danger
        of running afoul of right wing governments.

Liberation theology tends to proclaim
  the inherent worth and dignity of every person.

As a result, right wing political leaders
  may at any time accuse those who espouse it
    of also espousing left wing ideologies.

In truth, the idea of
  the worth and dignity of every person
    is not a political ideology at all.

It is a spiritual principle,
  foundational to our UU faith,
    but it can be seen as a profound threat
      to those who practice the politics of division
        and seek to make scapegoats
          out of vulnerable minorities.

Base communities and house churches
  are an antidote to the politics of division
    because those who gather in them
      see each other face to face
        and often interact in a friendly way
          with people who may be very different
            from themselves.

A base community forms a kind of foundation
  for the lives of the people who take part in it.

Hence it is called a "base" community.

We ourselves,
  as a small congregation,
    can see ourselves as a base community.

For many of us,
  this group is a foundation for our spiritual lives.

We are a support group in many ways.

The Harding Center is - or can be -
  a home away from home
    because of the beloved community
      that gathers here.

Our mutual support and caring provide
  a sense of security in ways
    that nothing else could do.

We are free to share our lives
  - or not -
    as we are comfortable with each other.

We are a true community
  in the sense that we share a oneness
    of purpose
      of understanding
        of mutual respect
          and of a powerful sense of belonging.

When we go through difficult times in our lives,
  our NIUU base community is here for us.

I can attest to this truth for myself,
  as most of you know well.

You all have your own stories
  of having been sustained by friends
    who are more like family
      in this community that gives us a foundation.

Those stories are ongoing right now
  as we gather today,
    and all of us who benefit from each other's care
      are grateful for it.

One of my favorite sayings is,
  "A joy shared is a joy multiplied;
    a sorrow shared is a sorrow divided."

I know this has been my experience in life,
  including right here.

I'm certain it has been yours as well,
  over and over.

Of course we don't live up to these things perfectly
  by any means.

We all fall short.

We all need to be reminded of why we are here.

We all need to offer each other
  the hand of friendship
    and the word of encouragement,
      even if that word sounds something like,
        "Better luck showing that you care next time!"

This is one reason
  that we speak the words of covenant every week:

"Love is the spirit of this church, and service its law.
     This is our great covenant:
     To dwell together in peace,
          To seek truth in love,

        And to help one another."

With these words
  we remind each other
    of why we are here.

Again, we don't live up to these words perfectly,
  but the covenant means that these words
    express our intentions, our hopes
      and our commitment to each other.

The commitment is what makes us a community,
  a small group ministry,
    and not just a group of people
      who gather together.

When we are unable to be together,
  that is no denial of our oneness,
    the common unity
      that makes up our community. 

It just means that we miss being here.

It means that we are reminded
  that it really does take a village to raise a child,
    and it takes a village to care for an adult.

We cannot meet all of each other's needs,
  but we can make a beginning.

Together we can accomplish
  much more for each other
    than we could do as individuals.

Even more importantly,
  we do not want to focus all that good energy
    only on ourselves.

We want to
  - and we do -
      turn our energy outward
        to help and to serve the community around us
           especially with and through
             organizations that represent
                our values and principles along with us.

Our charities of the month
  are a sign of our service to the community,
    and I observe our members doing all we can
      to work with and help
        the charities of the month 
          and other groups
            that are of service in our world.

Hence we are a Base Community
  not only for ourselves
    but also for our surrounding communities,
      States and nations.

One of the most important things
  we the people of our NIUU Base Community can do
    is provide each other encouragement
      as we live our lives, help each other,
        and reach out
          to the vulnerable people
            around us.

It's easy to get discouraged.

And yet...

Not only is there strength in numbers,
  there is strength in the words of hope
    we can speak and hear in this place.

I have a simple mantra
  that I've developed to help me
    as I try to navigate difficult times.

I remind myself that the present moment
  is not all there is.

I won't complete the work
  of bringing better times.

I won't see their fulfillment,
  but I can help move myself,
    the people I care about,
      and the people around me
        in a positive direction.

My mantra has three parts.

In the first part,
  I recognize the way things are.

I try to be realistic,
  even though I'm an incurable optimist.

So I remind myself of the way things are:

It is what it is.
  Let go.

Next, I let my optimism have a moment:

It's all good:
  Let it be

Finally, I remind myself to keep going. 

Don't give up:
  Persist!

It may be
  that the most important task for us all
    in these times

Is simply persistence.

Don't give up, my friends.

We can encourage each other to persist
  as long as we live.

There are many ways
  to encourage each other to persist,
    and an important part of our gathering together
      is to explore those possibilities.

Sometimes all we need to do
  is express appreciation
    for the work each one of us is doing.

Sometimes something much simpler,
  like saying, "Remember, I'm here for you,"
    can be enough.

We can all be a source of strength
  as we help each other persist
    in the work of our base community,
      a foundation for us all.

We all need a secure place to stand,
  so the concept of our beloved base community
    will probably continue to be a hobby horse for me,
      and you all will probably hear about it again!

Amen
Blessed Be