by Bill Faw
April 16, 2023

Part One: Theodore Parker, James Luther Adams and My Call to Ministry

As a Peace Studies major at Manchester College, I took my obligatory two religion courses and one psychology course, and yet, after we graduated in 1961, Martha and I moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, for me to attend Harvard Divinity School on a one-year financial scholarship, even though I had no plans of becoming a pastor.

But I enjoyed my first year so much that I went a second year, with no vocational focus until toward the end of that second year, during which time Martha and I were getting involved in the civil rights movement in Boston. Seeing pastors and churches becoming central to this exciting movement, I started to feel the call to inter-racial and inter-cultural pastoral ministry. That led me to take the third culminating year at Harvard Divinity, to receive what is now called a Master of Divinity – what a neat title!

This past December, I was looking through my files of sermons and sermon notes, which include a few college and seminary term papers which I thought might feed into sermons someday.  I discovered a 1964 (senior year) Harvard Divinity School term paper which I had forgotten I had written, titled “’Property’ in the thought of Theodore Parker” (one of the most influential Unitarian theologians of the 19^th century), for Ethics 177 (Christian Ethics) taught by James Luther Adams, who I recently discovered was one the most influential Unitarian theologians of the 20^th century.

I read a lot of Parker for that paper. I wrote that “I plowed through good portions of the 13 volumes by Parker in his Centenary Edition, American Unitarian Association, Boston, 1910.   (Pardon the uses of ‘men’ and ‘he’ in quotes by 1964 me and 1850 Parker.)

I ended my term paper with a 2-page epilogue that I titled “The Role of a Minister”. In it I wrote: “I am including this epilogue because in it I have a chance to talk about what will probably be found to be the most lasting effect of Parker on me. If he has inspired me in any way he has led me to a glimpse of how the Christian minister can talk to his people and the world.”

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By Bill Weech
April 2, 2023

What makes you happy?
What fulfills you?
What makes your life work living?

These are questions that are explored in the field of positive psychology, which is something I have been interested in for roughly two decades now. This morning I would like to share with you some of the things I have learned from this field, as well as some of the questions that I still have. (By the way, it is important right up front that I emphasize my utter lack of credentials or expertise in this area. Don’t confuse me with the other Bill, Bill Faw – he is the real psychologist! I am just an amateur wannabe.)

I’m guessing that the field of positive psychology is something that is familiar to many, if not most of you, but for any who might not be familiar with the term, let me offer a short introduction. Modern psychology – experimental psychology – is almost 200 years old. For much of its history, there have been two broad areas of focus. The first has been definition and measurement of key concepts: intelligence, cognition, perception, emotions, and personality, for example. The second focus of psychology has been mental illness – what is it, what causes it, how can we treat it, and so on. In 1980 the then-president of the American Psychological Association, Martin Seligman, proposed a new area of focus: the study of what makes life most worth living. Seligman coined the term “positive psychology,” and it stuck. Today we have more than 40 years of research in the field and that is what I want to talk about this morning.

Actually, I don’t want to do all the talking. I’d like to make this message at least a little bit interactive. So let me ask you a few questions. A central question in positive psychology is, what is happiness? Let me ask you: what is happiness, anyway? What is your definition of the term?

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By Rev. Kirk Ballin
March 5, 2023

Readings

1. “Sustained shortfalls in emotional intelligence are, sadly, no minor matter. There are few catastrophes, in our own lives or in those of nations, that do not ultimately have their origins in emotional ignorance…Soberingly, despite all our advances in technology and material resources, we are not much more advanced in the art of delivering emotionally healthy childhoods than generations before us. The number of breakdowns, inauthentic lives, and broken souls shows no marked signs of decline We are failing to offer one another tolerable childhoods not because we are sinful or indifferent, but because we still have so far to go before we know how to master that improbably complicated subject: Love. – from The School of Life: An Emotional Education, Alain de Botton, author, philosopher, psychologist (co-founder).
2. “Cherish your doubts… Doubt is to the wise as a staff to the blind… For doubt is the attendant of truth.” From Cherish Your Doubts #650, Robert T. Weston. UUA, Singing the Living Tradition
3. “…train wholeheartedly… to be warriors of nonaggression who hear the cries of the world…If we find ourselves in doubt that we are up to being warriors-in-training, we can contemplate this question: Do I prefer to grow up  and relate to life directly, or do I choose to live and die in fear?”  – from Comfortable with Uncertainty, Pema Chodron.
4. “If we understand the direction of evolution—toward balance, or evenness—we will also realize that this is the purpose of everything that happens: to lead us toward balance. Because there is a clear direction to evolution, and reality is not yet there, nature keeps pushing toward increasing balance. As a result, the only thing that is guaranteed in reality is that yesterday is not as today, and today will not be as tomorrow. Change is the only certainty. – Michael Laitman. founder and president of Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

Sermon

If you were here the last time I was with you, you might recall that I spoke about my bifurcated mind and the experience I had back in 1971, when, while high on pot, I had an existential crisis that engulfed me; that I had this split-mind-experience of trying to be present in an everyday, normal conversation while simultaneously feeling like I was nothing; that I was psychologically naked;  that I was in an extreme state of vulnerability.  I mentioned that that moment of deep chaos, fear, and uncertainty could have driven me to a complete emotional breakdown, even suicide. It was by inhabiting that realm of stark vulnerability, being at risk as I stood before that open psychic window peering into the inherent reality of Creation, that standing face to face with Chaos, which would either break me down or ignite profound change.

So, it did the latter. It dramatically, and at first, traumatically, redirected my understanding of my being human;  it made me profoundly aware of the need to redefine my relationship with being alive; a redefinition that greatly determined the trajectory of my life and, eventually, my decision to become a Unitarian Universalist Minister.  The symbiotic relationship of Vulnerability feeding on itself could have destroyed me or recreated me. I chose the latter.

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By Linda A. Dove
February 19, 2023

I ended my last talk at the point when, in 1961,  Unitarians and Universalists finally united to form one religious community. Today, in a brief overview, I select a handful of the significant issues the UUA and UUism have faced over the last, challenging 63 years. But, later, the main focus is our own Harrisonburg UU and its evolution since its founding. David Lane and Cathy Gardner will share their perspectives on HUU.

Initially, the UU Association took a directive, clerical stance towards the many UU districts even while it gave congregations financial support, including newly forming fellowships. Today, it primarily performs an educational and advisory role for our five, recently consolidated, regions. It focuses particularly on congregational governance and UU faith. Earlier, Virginia was in the Thomas Jefferson district along with Charlottesville but is now the northern-most state in the Southern Region that stretches to Alabama in the deep south.

A few years ago, pushed by vigorous grassroots protest, UUA diversified its all-white, mostly male, leadership to attract and include UUs marginalized by race, ethnicity, gender, and so on, and to abolish unconscious bias. And Beacon Press Books too has made its publications much more reflective of diversity.

UUA’s website, uua.org, has developed over the years. I do urge you to take time to dive into its well, clicking on surface links to discover many deeper pools. The quarterly UUWorld magazine is also free to UU members. The latest edition headlines Facing the Climate Crisis. The UUA was late taking on this existential issue but has divested its funds from polluting companies and speaks out to such companies’ boards to get them to change their harmful practices.

What are some other significant UU organizations you can find out about on the website? One I admire is the UU Service Committee. Its recent Annual Report recognizes HUU for our donation. In 22 countries, large and small, volunteers work in social justice programs. Poor countries initially invite UUs in rich countries to be equal development partners with them, not to act like big brother donors.

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By Tom Hook
February 5, 2023

I appreciate being with you this morning to share some thoughts on the path of love in our lives.

Most of you know that HUU subscribes to a UUA spiritual resource called “Soul Matters”.  Each month there is a new resource for communities to reflect on during that month.  Hopefully, you have noticed that this theme is featured in the  Enews each week with pertinent reflections. 

I do hope you enjoy the Enews.  I try to keep it informative and relevant to all HUU members and friends.  The Worship Committee also strives to incorporate the Soul Matters theme in the speaker’s message either the first or second Sunday of the month.

To that end, I was invited to speak on February’s Theme “The Path of Love”.

My talk is entitled, “The Primacy of Love”.  The first part of my talk looks at love as “The very physical structure of the Universe” as a “Cosmic Force” in play since the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago.

The second part will give some examples of how we can love more and reflect on how well we are proceeding in our quest to love.

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January 29, 2023
By Linda A Dove

Lighting the Chalice: Reading 

 “Life is protected and saved by those who embody presence, wisdom, resistance, gratitude, humility. These are the gifts people can bring to one another and can foster through long participation and practice as members of religious communities devoted to saving and protecting life, rooted in rituals of praise and thanksgiving.” Rebecca Parker

SLT Hymn No. 113 Where is Our Holy Church?, verses 1, 2, 5.

Way back last November, I traced how the Unitarian and Universalist movements grew in fits and starts during the 17th. and 18th.centuries and how, in my view, their theological disputes held them back from becoming mainstream denominations in the Christian tradition. (You can read my two earlier messages on our HUU website, HUUweb.org). In the mid-19th century, exhausted and leaderless, both branches were weak and dispirited. Today, I’ll trace how they gradually came to define themselves in the USA through the next 150 years until they became a unified UUism in 1961.

As the story unfolds, see if you can discern which of our Principles became prominent. Also, see if you can detect where UUs followed or led religious trends emerging in the wider society, and how today we still deal with similar issues.

To get us in the right frame of mind, let’s stand, if we are able, and Dee will lead us in Singing the Living Tradition Hymn:No. 389, Gathered Here. We’ll sing it twice.

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January 22, 2023
By Bill Faw

My outline is quite simple: An emotional episode begins as we make snap, gut-feeling or rational judgments that a person, thing, or situation is threatening or rewarding in some way. Our emotions then change as our judgments change. Our judgments change when the external situation changes, or when we clarify an ambiguous situation, or when we place the current situation into the context of past experiences, present concepts, or future expectations. As we look at some of these ways that we do this in our daily life, notice how several familiar proverbs are designed to moderate emotional responses.

First: Changing or Leaving a Situation Changes our Judgments, which Changes our Emotions

We are constantly changing situations to make them better and to decrease our negative emotional responses: everything from cleaning the house, to trying new work procedures, to apologizing for our thoughtless comments.

Of course, many changes are out of our control: especially the death of a loved one, which brings dramatic changes to our mood and emotional responses. In ‘grief work’ we change back our mood a bit, by reminding ourselves of pleasant and humorous episodes involving the loved one, by finding new activities, and by establishing new relationships which somewhat replace the loss.

In addition, adopting Tennyson’s perspective that, “’Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all” can temper our grief by the consolation that we grieve so deeply – why? — because we loved deeply, and that deep love and grief somehow give meaning to life and  deepen our character.        

More generally, being able to affirm that “what I have gone through has made me who I am”places our sorrows, disappointments, and guilts within a wider ‘judgment’ which mellows the emotional pain of those sorrows, disappointments, and guilts.

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