If Only Our Hearts Were Big Enough - Stewardship Sunday, March 14, 2010

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"If Only Our Hearts Were Big Enough"

         I love our banner parade each year, showing off many of the programs in our church that enliven our members. But when I see it, I imagine it being much larger, even larger than a Mardi Gras parade, because in it I see all those who have loved this church and are no longer with us, all those who love this faith and are active in it around the world, all those who have ever lived out the spirit of our faith, a spirit of love and liberation. I see Jesus of Nazareth and Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks and Ralph Waldo Emerson and an endless line of others, including Anne Frank.

         I mentioned a couple of Sundays ago that when I was in Amsterdam last fall on my sabbatical leave, I visited the Anne Frank house. I've always been deeply moved by the story of Anne Frank, but to be in the very place where she and her family hid for two years from the Nazis was very moving.

         For those of you who have been there, you'll remember that in the last room before you leave the house, there are two memorable items. The first is the original diary itself protected under glass and prominently displayed on a podium in the middle of the room. People gather around it like a sacred scripture.

         The other item is a monitor with a video of Anne's father, who was the only member of the family who escaped. He explains that during those harrowing years of hiding he had no idea what Anne was writing and no idea that she had such a radiant internal life. You can tell that he blames himself for that, and his message to us is to pay attention to your children, listen to them, and don't let their inner world escape you.

         Can you imagine his turmoil, witnessing the soul of this phenomenal girl spread across our planet and his not even knowing what was in her heart all that time. Welcome to parenthood, right? Not enough time or energy, and no matter how incredible their souls may be, they have to eat their vegetables and get to bed on time.

         But to be honest, it's not just our children we take for granted. We forget all too easily that each and every one of us has a mysterious and miraculous world within us. Each and every one of us has a heart that beats its own unique rhythm and yet in rhythm to all other hearts.

         We come to this sacred place on Sunday mornings – and other times as well – so that we may peer into our own and each others hearts and see there a sacred scripture. We come to this sacred place so that we may grow our hearts in compassion and courage and generosity, and so that we may join our hearts with all of the others here and around the world and throughout history who yearn for a heaven on earth.

         This is a good church. I'm proud to be a minister of such a good congregation, perhaps even a very good congregation, that has such a welcoming spirit and compelling programs and dynamic worship and impressive religious education and active social justice.

         But as proud as I am, as wonderful as I think we are, I don't believe we're a great church. I'm sorry, but I don't. We haven't lived up to our potential. We're working at it, but we are far from creating a heaven on earth, and I hate to tell you this, but that's our purpose and our goal.

         What does it take to be a great church? It takes a congregation of people whose hearts are passionate and courageous and generous. If only our hearts were big enough! What could we do? Can you imagine?

         How about growing a heart so large that we embrace not just one community or even many communities but all communities, that we push these walls so far outward that we become full-fledged members of the community of humanity, the community of Earth, putting ourselves on an equal basis with the people of all nations, ethnic groups, religions, and classes? And we could welcome all of these people into our church – it might get a little crowded, and into our lives, and into our hearts – which of course will grow our hearts even bigger.

         Can you imagine? It would mean not just welcoming their presence but their pain, listening to the stories of fear and repression and loss, wiping away the tears, mourning the losses, learning from their journeys, being inspired by their courage, celebrating their victories, and struggling together for liberation – for them as well as us.

         Can you imagine changing the way people think of religion? If our hearts were big enough we could teach people that religion is not about chosen people and vengeful gods and crusades and jihads, but about holding every person in our hearts.

         Throughout history some of the worst things ever done in the world have been done in the name of religion. But I believe our church and our faith can be at the forefront of redefining religion as where, in the words of the Unitarian Universalist songwriter, Nick Page, in our anthem this morning, we "Choose to Bless the World".

"In the midst of a broken world
A benevolent rage, urging, insisting,
Bind the wounds. Work for justice.
In the midst of a broken world,
Beauty and grace, an embrace of kindness.
Those who bless the world, and those who love the world,
This beauty and this rage
Are drawn to each other, a heritage passed on."

         Yes, this is our heritage, to bind the wounds, to work for justice.

         If only our hearts were big enough, we could end this hatred of gay people. Religion has been largely responsible for the creation of an “other”, someone who is different and thus dangerous, and we must work to end this demonization.

         Gay people continue to be persecuted throughout the world, but the good news is that our hearts are growing big enough to recognize the legal right of gay people to marry in several states – and now in Washington D.C. itself. Hallelujah! Once again our faith is in the lead in fighting for gay marriage and now in the joyful celebration of many weddings. Have any of you attended one of the gay weddings in D.C.? Have any of you been married in one? If you have, or if you have worked for gay rights and gay marriage, say "Amen!"

         Could Virginia be next? I'm afraid not. Unfortunately we have an attorney general whose job is to protect the rights of every citizen who has told the state universities not to protect the rights of gay people. So we still have a lot of work to do folks, but it's good religious work.

         If only our hearts were big enough! We could break down the barriers that divide the races, continuing the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who proclaimed that, “Our goal is to create a beloved community and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.”

         In this church we are growing our hearts big enough to recognize our lack of diversity and our desire to welcome people of color into our community. But it's hard work, and we struggle with how to see through each others eyes and into each others hearts.

         Our work with VOICE, Virginians Organized For Interfaith Community Engagement, is growing our hearts, isn't it? What could be better heart-work than working hand in hand with fifty other interfaith congregations for justice?

         Let me make it clear that instead of running away from churches that preach social justice, as the conservative commentator Glenn Beck suggests, I recommend that everyone run away from churches that aren't involved in social justice and from Glenn Beck as well. How can any church not commit itself to living its beliefs in the world!

         Our hearts are big enough to work for justice in Guatemala and to reach out to the Hispanic community around us, to help rebuild New Orleans, and to empower the poorest of the poor in India, to celebrate the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King with our sister churches, to make this a green sanctuary church dedicated to greening our planet, to helping the people of Haiti and demanding the freedom of women around the world and saying no to torture and the death penalty and yes to life and liberation.

         Our hearts are big here at UUCA, but if only they were bigger, so many lives could be saved, so many people could live healthier and happier and with the freedom to be who they were meant to be.

         If only our hearts were big enough, even our worship could be more heartfelt and passionate. The purpose of worship is to grow our hearts, isn't it? That's why we hold each other in our hearts during joys and sorrows, as well as in our many covenant groups. That's why we sing in Spanish, not because there are so many Spanish speakers in our church, or even that we expect them to come flooding in the door, but to remind ourselves that we are members of the diverse community of humanity. And that's why we celebrate the human spirit on Sunday mornings with music and the arts – thanks to our many singers and musicians and artists, and speak of things that matter, of issues that may be controversial but that we need to think about and discuss and take into our hearts.

         And let us not forget the children. Our hearts beat for them, don't they? But there are so many children who need our voices to speak for them and our hands to help them. In this church we are helping our children to be compassionate activists, who will be at home anywhere on the planet, who will have hearts so big that they will think they might burst sometimes with sorrow and sometimes with joy?

         When I hear our children singing in the choir or acting in Chalice Theater or in their classes, I can see their hearts growing by leaps and bounds, and that thrills me. That's why we're here. We should see all of them as Anne Franks with mysterious and miraculous inner lives that yearn for ways to express themselves. If our hearts were big enough, we could grow their hearts so much more. Let's hear an "Amen" from all of those who work with our children...

         If only our hearts were big enough, there is so much more we could do as individuals and as a congregation. As Margaret Mead said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

         We do have the whole world in our hands, but to change the world we need courage as well as compassion.

         Bishop Gene Robinson is the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church, and since he was ordained, the church has split wide open, and his life has been threatened many times. And yet he continues to urge a loving response to those who hate him. Recently I read that when Bishop Robinson and his partner were strapping on bulletproof vests, which they have to do every day to protect themselves, he told his daughters that there are worse things than death, and that he is freed from that fear.

         May we have the compassion of Anne Frank to embrace those who hate us. May we have the courage of Bishop Robinson to be freed from the fear of death. May we have the commitment of Dr. King who never gave up or gave in. And may we commit ourselves to growing our hearts here in this church so that we may bring love and liberation to the world.

Call to Generosity:
If only our hearts were big enough we could do so much more here at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington. Our ministry to each other, to our community, and our world could be so much greater.

         Winston Churchill said that, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” I ask you to make a generous promise to this congregation this morning, a promise so generous that it makes you feel good all over, a promise that proclaims your faith in the spirit of our Unitarian Universalist movement and in humanity itself.

         You may want to reflect on what our community would be like without the many ministries of our church. You may want to reflect on what our church has given to you and your family, how you have been changed and transformed. You may want to reflect on how our church has made a difference in the lives of so many others in our community and around the world. Our hope is that you will find it in your heart to promise between five and ten percent of your income, or that you will work toward that goal. If you are having significant financial problems in these difficult financial times, we understand. We only ask you to promise what you can afford with generosity.

Embracing Meditation
Let us give thanks today for the air we breathe, for the many gifts of the Earth, and for the life that is so precious to us all.
Let us give thanks for the mysterious and miraculous inner world within each of us and for our ability to sense the sacred within each other.
Let us give thanks for the generous hearts amongst us who are willing to share what they have so that we may build a heaven on earth.
May our generosity give us joy and meaning and purpose in our lives.

Amen.

Photos From The Service