by Rev. Janet Onnie
February 16, 2025

The offertory this morning was the familiar song by The Beatles, “All You Need Is Love.” I have always been slightly uncomfortable with this sentiment.  It was the same sort of general discomfort – manifesting itself as annoyance – at the Hallmark sentiments on Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Grandparents Day, and all the other “days”.  Too often these Hallmark holidays excuse perfectly awful behavior toward the one being honored the rest of the year. 

But I generally exempt Valentine’s Day from my bashing of Hallmark holidays because it has a long history.  You former Catholics were taught that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of St. Valentine’s death or burial–which probably occurred around A.D. 270.  Others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia.  Lupercalia was a fertility festival, involving flaying with strips of sacrified male goats and dogs and random matching of men and women to encourage pregnancy.  Not exactly the same thing as our modern celebration of love via chocolates and flowers. 

Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages, though written Valentine’s didn’t begin to appear until after 1400. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London.  Chaucer mentioned it, and Sam Weller in Dickens’ The Pickwick Papers bought a valentine for the object of his affection. All those loves are lovely, but there are lots of definitions of love.  What are we talking about?

[Read more…]

by Rev. Janet Onnie
February 6, 2025

In the Word for All Ages this morning you heard the story of a Taco falling apart and, with the help of friends, one in particular, pulling itself back together.  Then in the reading you heard the very abbreviated story of David & Goliath, found in the 17^th chapter of the first Book of Samuel in the Hebrew bible.  This is a familiar story to anyone who attended Sunday School, corporate motivational workshops, or psychological roundtables on bullying.  This morning I’m going to start by explaining how King Saul is like the Taco, and David, the Nacho.  Yes, I know it’s a stretch.  Here goes: 

Think of the Taco as King Saul.  Kings have a lot of stuff to hold, so it’s no wonder that they crack from time to time.  The King Taco fell apart with some regularity and was soothed and encouraged by the nacho, David.  How?  David played the harp and wrote and sang some songs.  It was through the power of David’s music that he came to be known to King Saul as someone to be trusted.  So when David Nacho approached the King Taco for permission to slay a giant, he had a lot of credibility.  Permission was given, the stuff that had fallen out when Taco cracked returned to their place,, and Nacho declared victory. 

I could – and probably should – sit down right now.  But I can’t ignore the fact that today – about 3 weeks into the new U.S. administration – might be a good day to talk about what we can learn about falling apart, encouragement, and bravery.

[Read more…]

By Bill Faw
January 26, 2025
Good morning. Merle asked me 2-3 months ago if I could speak on “evil” at HUU. So this is a “commissioned address.” For my 15th message at HUU, I will talk about how folks, who don’t believe in Satan or hell, can talk meaningfully about evil.

This talk draws upon research I did a few years ago for a conference lecture on psychopaths; also draws on philosopher Todd Calder’s article on “The Concept of Evil” in the on-line Stanford Philosophy Encyclopedia; and on a chapter titled “Confronting the Demonic” in a book on the theology of Unitarian theologian James Luther Adams, from a book brought to my attention by Les Grady.  

DOES ‘EVIL’ EVEN  EXIST?

If evil does not exist, then maybe the terms “very wrong” or “very bad” are sufficient, without getting into controversial terms like ‘evil’. Perhaps the concept of ‘evil’ is outdated, that is, maybe we have to believe in an actual “devil” or “dark spirits” to use the concept of “evil”. And, perhaps calling persons or situations “evil” stigmatizes and dismisses them unfairly.

There has been a definite tendency in progressive religions like UU to see human nature as being basically good – and not “depraved” — and to look for the good in even the most despicable person.

We see this in 3 of the 7 official UU principles, with phrases like “affirming the inherent worth and dignity of every person;” “acceptance of one another;”     and “respecting the interdependent web of all existence.” So, maybe UUs cannot think of any person as ‘evil’.

But, on the other hand, the official UU “living tradition” speaks of the challenge “to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love”. So, maybe UUs can talk about ‘evil’ – at least evil powers and structures.        

[Read more…]

By Rev. Janet Onnie
January 12, 2025          

  I want to talk with you today about transformation and the story we tell ourselves about it.  Along the way we’ll touch on process theology — the notion that we are co-creators in our lives with God (however you define that) and how relates to transformation.   And we’ll end with the idea that maybe what we in this religious community say what we’re about – transforming lives – maybe that story isn’t true.  Maybe what we’re about is something else.

Transformation is the extreme form of change.  The standard example of transformation is the process by which a caterpillar becomes a butterfly.  Transformation transcends individual worldview.  Change is an occurrence that happens in the context of our own worldview.  Everything – animal, vegetable, mineral — changes over time.  The wearing away of mountains into hills by wind and water, the decay of vegetable matter into the soil, and the human process of aging all speak to the inevitability of change.  When change occurs, the identity of the thing is left pretty much intact.  Slushy water changes into ice, which will then return to water.  But the basic chemical structure remains the same.  Whether it’s water or ice, it’s still H2O.  It hasn’t changed.

            So it is with us.  Consider physical appearances for instance. The message that seems to permeate our society is that – whatever shape or size or color your body parts are – you’re not alright.  In order to fit in socially you need to change your appearance.  This gets communicated very early in life, so many many people grow up with an identity that becomes part of their worldview.  In other words, a world viewed through the lens of someone whose appearance is out of sync with whatever the norm happens to be at the moment. A few cutting remarks in middle school, a few snubs in high school, a few missed jobs and/or jobs with lower pay and your self-image as less-than is fixed. You can make changes, but those external changes are competing with your internal identity.  You can change your appearance with surgery, but personal identity is stubbornly fixed and it takes tremendous force of will or event to transform it.

            I’m sure you have similar stories.  The aging process is about nothing as much as it’s about change.  The change in our bodies – from the maturation of our brain to the wearing out of our physical parts – affects our self-image.  Social institutions – schools, religious communities, groups of all sorts – serve to fashion our identities from birth onwards.  Retirement communities exist to help us retain and even enhance our identity as active, capable, and vibrant people.  These environments don’t ask us to change our worldview.  In fact, they do everything possible to avoid the discomfort of change.  Of losing our identity.  To avoid the fear and uncertainty of transformation.

            It might be a lot easier to transform if there were some assurance of exactly what we would change into, such as changing from a caterpillar to a butterfly. There is no way the caterpillar can imagine what is on the other side of the chrysalis.  It is the biological imperative that drives the caterpillar to risk everything, to go beyond its worldview.  We have no such mechanism.  We are the original DIY (Do It Yourself) project.  If we want to grow into our full humanity, we need to decide to make that leap.

Lately I’ve been thinking about the transgender community and how they might fit into the definition of transformation and the issue of identity.  A question – to which I have no answer – is Has a person transformed through surgery or other means to become a different person?  Or has the surgery simply brought the identity into alignment with the person’s perceived gender.  Unlike the caterpillar, an individual does have a sense of what’s on the other side of the change.  So is this really transformation?  I don’t know.  Nor do I much care to parse words.  What I do know is that those individuals who have made this profound change are as faced with the uncertainty of outcomes as is the caterpillar in the chrysalis.  In many cases, they face a hostile reception when it turns out they aren’t a beautiful butterfly.

“Metamorphosis” is a section in a poem by Rachael Hadas: Why does transformation/ sneak up on us so?/ In life, not just narration,/why does transformation/ creep up—yes, in slow motion,/inexorably, though?/ Why does transformation/ sneak up on us so?

I am indebted to my colleague, Rev. Sandra Lees, for helping me think through this question.  The simple answer is: because transformation is a creative process. Because it is a process of becoming more whole, more fully human, and none of us gets to be in total control of that. The creative process is not linear, and it is not predictable. It sneaks up on us, grabs us, and will not let us go.  A call to a vocation – ministry comes to mind — is exactly like that.  Once you give into it you no longer worry about conforming to someone else’s standard or judgment about anything.  Nothing matters except answering the call to full humanity; warts and all. 

Henry Nelson Wieman, one of the pioneers of process theology, called this process of transformation “creative interchange.” He wrote extensively about how the creative process transforms the heart.

One of the questions that drove Wieman’s philosophical pursuits was: what can transform us? What power or what force or what event can propel deep-seated change? He wanted to know, in his words: “What operates in human life with such character and power that it will transform [people] as [they] cannot transform [themselves], saving [them] from evil and leading [them] to the best that human life can ever reach? “ Creative interchange was Wieman’s God concept. He believed God is a natural creative process or structure. And that natural creative process increases human good. This happens when people or communities create new meaning and enrich human life.  This creative process is what transforms people, said Wieman. It does not shape the world to what a person desires, so much as it transforms a person’s desire.  According to Wieman: “The creative event cannot be used to shape the world closer to the heart’s desire because it transforms the heart’s desire so that one wants something very different from what one desired in the beginning.”  Let’s hear that again.  The creative process is what transforms people. Stated differently, transformation is the result of the creative process. 

Pedro Reyes is a Mexican artist who began he career studying architecture.  But he lives in a place that’s been shattered by decades of violence by drug cartels.  In 2013 he called for people to trade in their guns, and more than 6,700 weapons were exchanged for vouchers which could buy household appliances.  From these guns Reyes collaborated with six musicians to build from these weapons an entire orchestra of musical instruments.  He created lutes and violins, clarinets and harps, marimbas, drums, trumpets.  They’re beautiful and terrible,  In each instrument you can still see the shape of the weapon, the barrel, the trigger, the magazine, the place to fix a bayonet – but it has been utterly transformed. 

I don’t know the details of Reyes’ journey from architecture to making musical instruments from discarded and confiscated weapons.  He wrote “The transformation was more than physical.  It’s important to consider that many lives were taken with these weapons; as if a sort of exorcism was taking place, the music expels the demons they held, as well as being a requiem for lives lost.”

The story the religious community tells itself is that it’s in the business of transformation.  Or are we?  Rev. Douglas Taylor notes that the work of a faith community is to build a better world and to help each other become better people.  The HUU mission statement implies this: “”Our purpose is to support each other in our various inward journeys toward truth. We endeavor to do this in an atmosphere of mutual acceptance, openness, and friendship. Committed social action on behalf of the local and global communities will be a natural expression of this purpose.”  Is this a promise of transformation into a better, more patient, more generous, more involved person if you belong to the Harrisonburg Unitarian Univeralists?  Probably not.  It’s not just about getting involved at the Islamic Center or contributing to the food bank or hosting people like ourselves talking about issues that we care about.  It is not about taking a step toward self-improvement.  Transformation is the whole deal, total metamorphosis: caterpillar to butterfly, liquid to solid, guns into musical instruments.  When you are transformed you are a whole new person.  And that’s not something to step into lightly.  The call to become something totally new is why religious institutions everywhere are struggling to be relevant in the twenty-first century. 

But here’s thing.  It’s a paradox:  Our Unitarian Universalist theology calls us to meet each other where we are; it calls us to promote each other being who we are without the need to become something or someone else.  We can’t accept each other’s inherent worth and dignity – just as you are —  AND enter into the business of transforming you into something else.  We can’t play both sides with integrity.  The church doesn’t need to cleanse you or bless you or give you something to make you whole.  It is inherent.  You do not need to become something more or better to be welcomed here.  Come as you are and be blessed. 

You say that the Harrisonburg Unitarian Universalists is a place of acceptance.  That in itself is powerful and rare and allows you to be an amazing community of grace in your own unique and authentic style.  Being accepted is no small thing: As Carl Rogers said, “It wasn’t until I accepted myself just as I was in this moment, that I was free to change.”  A pre-condition to true transformation, then, is to accept ourselves in the moment.  Let me say that again: A pre-condition to true transformation is to accept ourselves in the moment.

One way Unitarian Universalism can find an authentic way into the idea of transformation is to start with acceptance.  Acceptance. Perhaps we can hear the call for transformation NOT as a hint that we are somehow not good enough as we are, that we are flawed and unacceptable.  Maybe instead we can hear it the way a Zen Buddhist master once put it: “You are perfect just the way you are…and you could use some improvement.”  Mr. Rogers, God rest his soul, said the same thing.  “I like you just the way you are.”  You are acceptable, even perfect.  You are who you are and it is beautiful.  But don’t stop!  Keep growing, keep improving, keep getting better.

Remember the fox in the word for all ages story?  The fox was who he was and was perfect just the way he was.  But it was his internal desire for change – for transformation – that led him to explore options.  But having seen those options, he decided to stay as a fox.  A fox who – for the first time — danced.  But he wasn’t transformed.  And that’s perfectly okay.

Maybe the call to transformation is a call to continue to grow, not because who you are now is not good enough, but rather because who you yet can be is still more amazing!  It is not static.  Nothing is.  Change is a constant, and what is transformation but the most extreme form of change? 

Perhaps the work of Unitarian Universalism is not to help anyone transform, but to get us through a transformation should one sneak up on us.  Our call may be to help build up community support and strength of spirit to sustain us through a transformation should we find ourselves in one.

Our work here is acceptance.  Acceptance is our first task.  And in accepting ourselves, may we provide the resources for each of us to also be more accepting of each other, and of the unfolding of life.  As we create this community of support and acceptance, may we also build the capacity for each of us to weather our storms, and, perhaps … should it sneak up on us … to be transformed.  May it be so.  Amen.

By Tom Hook
December 1, 2024

Advent: What Does It Mean?

In Christianity, Advent refers to the period of four weeks leading up to Christmas. It begins on the Sunday closest to November 30 and ends on December 24. It is a time of anticipation and preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day.

The word “Advent” is derived from the Latin word adventus, which means “coming” or “arrival,” which translates to the Greek word parousia. Parousia means: . . . present presence, a being present, a coming to a place; presence, coming or arrival.  Scholars believe that during the 4th and 5th centuries in Spain and Gaul, Advent was a season of preparation for the baptism of new Christians at the January feast of Epiphany. During this season of preparation, Christians would spend 40 days in penance, prayer, and fasting to prepare for this celebration; originally, there was little connection between Advent and Christmas.

[Read more…]

 November 17, 2024
Rev. Janet Onnie

The story of Nehemiah is my go-to story whenever I think about the challenges of building the world our Unitarian Universalists values dictate.  Values we share with those ancient Jews. Last week those values came under attack.  As did many other congregations, we at HUU participated in a grief vigil.  Last Sunday the Unitarian Universalist congregations nationwide reported overflowing sanctuaries with people expressing their fear, anger, shock, confusion, and despair:  all appropriate responses to the outcome of the national presidential election.

          The pundits have been working overtime analyzing what went wrong, many looking for someone or something to blame.  Although this is probably a useful exercise it’s more useful to strategize on ways to restore – repair – the damage.  To move to Plan B.  I have been doing a lot of reading this past week and found that some of the authors have offered ways in which to move forward.

          The most helpful advice I found is in a newsletter entitled “Waging Nonviolence”.  Author Daniel Hunter offers 10 Ways to Be Prepared and Grounded for the days ahead of us.   I have framed my remarks on this article.  Noting that the autocrat’s goals is to perpetuate our fear, isolation, exhaustion, or constant disorientation Hunter counsels that we must closely and continually monitor our inner states.

          First, we need to trust.  Trust our own eyes and our own inner voice.  Have you actually witnessed an influx of pet-eating immigrants?  If not, be wary of reports stating this as true.  We also need to be trustworthy — not just with information, but with emotions. Acknowledge what you know and admit the parts that are uncertain fears nagging at you. Then find others who you trust.  We have a ready-made community at HUU.  Further, we have the smaller covenant groups and affinity groups like the Red Tent Book group.  Use that trust to explore your own thinking and support each other to stay sharp and grounded.

The next thing to do is grieve.  We started that grieving process last week.  No matter what we try to do, there’s going to be a lot of loss. Name and allow feelings that come to the surface.  Name all the bad things we knew we’d lost and things we think we’d be likely to lose. Grief is a worthwhile use of our time because it leads to acceptance of loss. Ultimately, this helps us cope with the reality of what has happened to our country.  

Once we have accepted the reality of our situation we need to release that which we cannot change.  Theologian Reinhold Niebuhr what we know as the Serenity Prayer as he was watching the rise of Nazis in Germany: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.”

We don’t need to respond to chaos by thinking we need to change everything now.  Hunter suggests a journaling exercise that invites you to reflect on which issues you’ll spend energy on. It asks: what are issues you’ll focus on, issues you’d do a lot for, a little for, or — despite caring about it — do nothing at all for? Internalize the fact that we cannot stop everything.  Love, grant us to know the difference between what we can and cannot change.  At least in the short term.

Let’s focus on how to change what we CAN change.  We know the initial weeks of the Trump presidency will look chaotic no matter what.  While we may need to post outrage on social media, commiserate with friends, share awful news, make public statements, and/or attend marches – like the upcoming women’s march in DC — these actions have been shown to have limited long-term impact. There are other, more effective ways to engage.

 Hunter identifies four differentiated resistance pathways that begin to emerge in any response to facism.

One pathway is called “Protecting People.” These are folks surviving and protecting our own —  especially those directly targeted, such as trans people, folks choosing abortions and immigrants. This might mean organizing outside current systems for health care and mutual aid, or moving resources to communities that are getting targeted. I understand that HUU individuals support Climate Action Alliance of the Valley, Solar and sewing projects for Gemeinschaft House, Friendship homeless lunches, Democratic Party, LGBTQ and Pride organizations and events, Valley Interfaith Action and Council.  Collectively we contribute financial resources to DANA and hold fundraisers from Ukraine and Helene victims.  Are there groups in the local community under threat?  How can we identify them? 

Another pathway is “Defending Civic Institutions.”. Insider groups – think federal civil servants — will play a central role in the battle against fascism. These insiders will need external support.  Can we celebrate people getting fired for the right reasons?  Can we then offer them practical help with life’s next steps? I know I joke that I only use my full title — Reverend Onnie — when handcuffs are involved.  I’m now wondering if this is prophetic.

A third pathway is “Disrupt and Disobey.” This goes beyond protesting for better policies and into the territory of people intervening to stop bad policies or showing resistance. In effective disrupt-and-disobey- type actions the ultimate goal is paving a path for mass noncooperation: tax resistance, national strikes, work shut-downs and other nonviolent mass disobedience tactics.  Training is available on how to do that.  (Erica Chenoweth and Maria J. Stephan. Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict (New York, NY: Columbia University Press, August 2011). (Strategic Escalation in a Trump Era, Google docs)

Lastly, there’s a key fourth role: “Building Alternatives.” We have to have a vision. This is the slow growth work of building alternative ways that are more democratic.  Fortunately, Unitarian Universalists have that vision expressed in our values.  We center love as we work to build a world that is more just, equitable, transformational, pluralistic, interdependent and generous. 

Your path may not be clear right now. It may not even be represented here. That’s okay. There will be plenty of opportunities to decide how to respond as events unfold.

Moving on from these pathways, Hunter recommends that we do not obey in advance; that we do not self-censor.  The refusal of the Washington Post to endorse a candidate is a classic example of self-censorship.  Maybe they thought their non-action would keep them safe.  But if autocrats teach us any lesson it’s this: Political space that you don’t use, you lose.

That’s why it’s necessary to reorient our political map.  When your party is out of power, it’s easy to unify — but their coalition’s cracks will quickly emerge. We have to stay sharp for opportunities to cleave off support.  That means we need to turn away from our Unitarian Universalist tendency to preach to the choir or engage in ideological purity tests.   There is a lot of pain in high-ranking people of great power admitting a kind of defeat.  Compassion for powerlessness is in order.

Speaking of which, let’s talk about power.  It will be helpful to have a power analysis in our minds, specifically the tool that’s known as the upside-down triangle. This tool was built to explain how power moves even under dictatorships. The central tenet is that like an upside-down triangle, power can be unstable. It naturally topples over without anything supporting it. To prevent that, power relies on pillars of support to keep it upright. 

Removing one pillar of support can often gain major, life-saving concessions.  Remember the response to the 2019 government shutdown? Flight attendants threatened a national strike that would ground planes across the country and disrupt a key transportation network. Within hours of announcing they were “mobilizing immediately” for a strike, the president capitulated.

In these times power will need to emerge from folks no longer obeying the current unjust system. This tipping point of mass noncooperation will be messy. It means convincing a lot of people to take huge personal risks for a better option. I’m remembering the civil rights movement and the number of people who risked – and lost — their lives to change their circumstances. 

This naturally leads to the question of how to handle fear of reprisal; of political violence.  Handling fear isn’t about suppressing it — but it is about constantly redirecting it.  I understand there are at least 4 militias in Rockingham county.  The key component to political violence is to intimidate and tell a story that they are the true victims. Making political violence rebound requires refusing to be intimidated and resisting those threats so they can backfire.  Although I don’t see much risk of widespread militia activity HUU might want to look into training on this backfire technique. (see the HOPE-PV guide.)

Hunter’s tenth suggestion is to envision a positive future.  Go for a walk.  Consider the lifespans of trees and rocks, heading into spiritual reminders that nothing lasts forever.  Already there are signs of hope: many states and municipalities voted in favor of expanding health care, reproductive rights, voters’ rights, and economic ballot measures that will increase minimum wage and paid sick leave for workers.  In an Arkansas school district, banned books were returned to the library shelves.  Virginia is still a state with reasonable abortion access.  I subscribe to the Americans of Conscience weekly newsletter, which describes positive actions taken by state and local communities across the country.

Now MY suggestion to you; a plea, really.  Let’s all take a deep breath.  No one has DONE anything yet.  Yes, there’s been a lot of handwringing about what could go wrong.  There’s been … and probably will continue to be … scary nominations for high office.  But Nehemiah didn’t actually post armed guards on the wall until it was clear that the workers were in danger.  Neither should we.  Let’s not get ourselves whipped up into action before we know the specific threat.  While we are developing strategies to limit the damage of the incoming administration we need to offer a path back into right relations to those who saw a different solution WITHOUT SHAMING THEM.  Without shaming them.  There is a tremendous amount of ignorance around the consequences of the majorities’ choices.  Compassion for those suffering the consequences of their choices – including those of us who will also be impacted – is imperative. 

As Nehemiah repaired the city walls he also repaired the gates.  Remember the gates.  There’s a tension between the reality that walls function to keep people in and, at the same time, they keep people out.  We relieve that tension by the use of … gates.  Gates are the mechanism by which people can come into the safety of their community and go out to be engaged in the world.  Let us resolve to keep the HUU gates of compassion and love well-oiled as we the people turn our minds to work for a more perfect union.  May it be so.  Amen.

Rev. Janet Onnie
September 1, 2024

Last week Rev. Paul Britner described ministry, quoting Gordon McKeeman, as ‘the quality of a relationship between and among human beings that beckons forth hidden possibilities.’  Rev. Britner gave striking examples of individuals doing ministry.  I need only to look around at HUU and see equally striking examples of people doing ministry.  So why did you feel you needed a minister?  To address that question that I’ll need to reference our history.  Back to 1648 – more than 100 years before the American Revolutionary War.

In August 1648 a group of ministers from Massachusetts and Connecticut gathered in Cambridge, Massachusetts to craft a declaration of principles of church government and discipline, forming a constitution of the Congregational churches; the churches from which we evolved. The Cambridge Platform is the foundational document upon which our free faith rests.  It almost nothing to do with matters of doctrine and belief but is very specific about the ways in which groups of like-minded people – congregations – would be in communion – in association– with each other.   It defined matters of church officers, ministry, membership, and cooperation between churches. Another way to say it is the Cambridge Platform is a statement of behavioral expectations rather than beliefs.  The Cambridge Platform is a statement of behavioral expectations rather than beliefs.  Although changes in practice were being made as early as the second generation, the Cambridge Platform remains a defining document for the denominations, including Unitarian Universalism, that continue to practice congregational polity. Of the 65 congregations that voted to ratify the Platform in 1648, 21 of them are members of the Unitarian Universalist Association today. 

[Read more…]