by Rev Mike Quayle
June 5, 2011
Some of us may seen today’s sermon title felt a little pain or apprehension. We may carry baggage from our days in other churches or from a bad experience with someone trying to shove their religion down our throats.
One of the struggles being identified by many leaders in the UUA is this: UU’s are very good at saying what they do not believe….  We have a knee-jerk reaction when we hear something that for us, is not truth. We can spend a great deal of time talking about what is wrong with other theologies and churches, but perhaps, too little time talking about what makes UU’s different, distinctive, and needed in our world today.
I am going to ask you this morning to set aside the baggage, bad experiences, and the stereotypes. I am asking for open minds and hearts to hear what I believe is a vital message for UU’s today.
Let’s start with the word EVANGELISM. The word comes from Greek. The root of the word is EVANGEL– One who tells good news. Evangelism is the act of telling good news. Nothing more, nothing less. Let’s not confuse the meaning of the word with the abuses we have seen.
That leads to the next question;Â Do we as UU’s in 2011 have any GOOD NEWS to tell ? If we do, what is that Good News ?
Our theologies are as varied as the number of people in this room. We draw truth from many sources; We speak of the 6 sources of UUism, but there are in reality, many more than 6. Let’s sum it all up by saying we approach this thing called life in many different ways. That’s a good thing !
We may not be able to agree on what we consider to be Good News. But, you are here, in this room, gathered with others on a journey of discovery. So is it safe to assume that none of us came here to make ourselves miserable.
Maybe it is the open minds, lack of creeds, freedom to find our own way, being part of a community of people, mutual support, the strength of uniting with others to promote issues we consider important…. We all have a reason for being here and I doubt that it is to punish ourselves by enduring these weekly sessions where we see nothing good !
Now, let’s dig a little deeper. How did you get here ? Did someone invite you ? Did you find our website and decide to visit ? Were you driving by and saw the sign or building ? Did you see a bumper sticker that caught your interest and made you want to know more ? Did your search cause you to stumble across the words Unitarian Universalist and you decided to give it another look ? Maybe you married into it. Maybe you were born into it. ALL OF THESE ARE EXAMPLES OF EVANGELISM…. Even if you were born as a UU, you had to find that it had meaning through your interactions with others or you would not have stayed UU.
How might we define evangelism ?  What if we simply could agree that evangelism is SHARING OUR GOOD NEWS AND DREAMS WITH OTHERS IN ORDER TO BRING ABOUT A BETTER WORLD.
The people called Unitarian Universalists are a people of a dream. There are principals that guide us. When we join the UU way, we pledge in public that we will support and promote the UU Principals.
Is there a way to SUPPORT and PROMOTE the principals without some action being involved ?
I carry this UU way of ours even a little further. I grew up with the language of being saved. Today, that means something far different than it did when I made my first trip to an altar to accept Jesus as my personal Lord and Saviour. That language and understanding is no longer part of my beliefs. But, I DO BELIEVE we have a SAVING MESSAGE. I do believe we have a message the world needs to hear. I do believe we have something life-giving to offer the world and that if we don’t do the offering, someone else will with a message that could be more harmful than good.
I am not talking about proselytizing. I am not talking about getting into endless debates with people or grabbing them by the collar and making them listen.
I AM talking about sharing our stories, telling what matters to us, offering another way for folks to consider. I am talking about sharing our visions for a world that is just, kind, merciful, and at peace. AND THAT IS EVANGELISM !!!
Rev. Scott Alexander edited a book that addresses this for UU’s. The book is titled Salted with Fire Listen to what he writes:
In a world with so much hatred and violence, we need a religion that proclaims the inherent worth and dignity of every person.
In a world with so much brutality and fear, we need a religion that seeks justice, equity, and compassion in human relations.
In a world with so many persons abused and neglected, we need a religion that calls us to accept one another and encourage one another to spiritual growth.
In a world with so much dogmatism and falsehood, we need a religion that challenges us to a free and responsible search for truth and meaning.
In a world with so much tyranny and oppression, we need a religion that affirms the right of conscience and the use of democratic process.
In a world with so much inequity and strife, we need a religion that strives toward the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.
In a world with so much environmental degradation, we need a religion that advocates respect for the interdependent web of all existence, of which we are a part.
In a world with so much uncertainty and despair, we need a religion that teaches our hearts to hope and our hands to serve.
Let me say it again…… We have a saving and life giving message. It is a message of hope for all of the world. There would be something inherently wrong about saying: I’m glad I found this message, but really don’t care if others find it and don’t want to tell anyone else about it……
Let’s not allow our beliefs or journey to be controlled by negative experiences. If we do that we may reject the negative experiences, but in the end, they still dominate and control us giving them more power than they deserve. Growing in our journey means being able to forgive the past and rather than focus on how wrong THEY are, focus on what I can do to make the world a better place and to share a message that has the power to transform the world for good.
It is important that our actions in the world match the words we speak. If our lives together in this community are marked by justice, mercy. compassion, acceptance, and encouragement,  people will sense that and will be drawn to this spiritual path.
If, on the other hand, we are known as negative, contentious, argumentative, and defensive, that will also shine brightly as who we are and what we stand for.
Let each of us find our Good News. Let each of us be open to telling that Good News as it was told to us, remembering, it has given us hope, meaning, and a way of living That makes sense in a world marked by senselessness and where people are searching, searching desperately, for some Good News.
So may it be. AMEN.