Sermon given by Rev. Frank Clarkson, May 11, 2025.
I love that hymn we just sang, and how it ends:
Let every instrument be tuned for praise!
Let all rejoice who have a voice to raise!
And may God give us faith to sing always, Alleluia!
I love gathering here on Sunday morning, with you all. I need what this hour of worship has to offer, and expect you do too. A time to be fed by and restored, this place where there’s room for everyone, just as you are; where we behold one another and remember that we belong to one another, where we give thanks for this moment and these gifts.
I was just at a UU ministers’ retreat this week on Cape Cod, about 70 of us from across New England. And one of the things I can tell you, from folks that were there, is that there are some wonderful young ministers out there, and a wide diversity of people in our ministry.I felt like one of the elders—almost everyone there was younger than me. When did that happen?
Each day we gathered for worship, and we sang together. One day, during an intense program of anti-oppression work, we stopped talking and took some time to sing, because we needed that grounding. Since I entered the ministry over 20 years ago, one of the things I have always loved is singing with my colleagues. We know the songs, and aren’t afraid to sing out, and it’s a powerful experience to be surrounded and held up by a community of singers. And I hope you experience that here too. We could sing out more boldly, couldn’t we? It makes a difference—try it!
Our worship theme this month is “pluralism.” I wasn’t exactly sure what pluralism is, so I Iooked it up. Pluralism isn’t the same as diversity; rather, it’s a way of living creatively and productively in the midst of difference and diversity. Pluralism is more of a practice than a thing in and of itself. For some of us this cherishing difference and embracing diversity may come quite naturally.
But there seems to be something in the human condition that causes us to seek out what is familiar, because it’s comfortable. There is an inherent tribalism among human beings, a tendency to gather with those we know, and look like, which leads to a distrust of those who are different. Gathering in tribes may have been helpful to human survival thousands of years ago, but it’s clear that tribalism has outlived its usefulness and now threatens our wellbeing, and our very existence.
These days people talk about teaching tolerance and there’s a bumper sticker with the word “Coexist” and a variety of religious symbols on it, but don’t we want and deserve a lot more than simply tolerating and co-existing with one another? Which feels like a pretty low bar, doesn’t it? It’s better than hatred and discrimination, but tolerance implies keeping a safe distance so you don’t risk being offended by others and their different ways. Don’t you want something deeper than that? Are you willing to get close enough to someone who’s different, and risk being changed by that encounter?
There’s a dangerous effort in our country these days to take us back to an idealized past that never was, and certainly that never was ideal; and part of that mythology is based on an ethnic, racial, religious, and ideological purity that is contrary to our history and our values. The truth is, we are all people of mixed lineage and identities. Those of you who have done DNA testing know that most of us have a more diverse ethnic and racial history than we had imagined.
We can begin practicing pluralism by doing our own work of considering and celebrating the ways we are a mix of what has formed us from the start, the things that make us who we are. Because if you want to be in relationship with others, you need to first be in touch with yourself: who you are, where you come from, what you love and value, what you fear and despise. Your light and your shadow.
We all contain multiple identities that, like a patchwork quilt, make us into who we are. And the quilt that is your life is ever being stretched and mended and added to, isn’t it? A couple of weeks ago, at the Wednesday bag lunch here, we were talking about our differing religious backgrounds and beliefs, and one of you looked at me and said, “You’re kind of an Episcopal Unitarian.” I laughed and nodded in agreement. The church tradition I grew up in is still with me, whether I’m aware of it or not. I’d edit that a bit, to say Episco-Universalist-flyfisher-familyguy-treehugging-tarheel… where does one stop?
One other thing I’ve never shared with you is an identity that was bestowed on me ten years ago at Calvary Baptist Church, our neighbors across the street. Their pastor Rev. Gregory Thomas had died, and for his funeral Pastor Thomas had asked his wife Janie to invite some of his clergy colleagues to preach mini-sermons from the pulpit which had been his for 25 years. I had the honor of being one of those preachers. I hoped my words would honor Rev. Thomas, who had been a such a faithful minister, colleague, and friend. When I was finished, and sat back down, another one of those preachers leaned over and whispered in my ear: “You must be one of those Baptist Unitarians.” Now that is an identity I never expected, but one I gladly and gratefully received.
What are the identities that are central to who you are? What are the experiences and places, and who are the people, that have formed you, and made you who you are? What are the identities that you will carry within yourself for as long as you live? And what are the identities that others have bestowed upon you? Can you name and claim them for yourself?
Wouldn’t it be fun to articulate our own hyphenated life, to make a list of those identities you cherish? Perhaps to make a piece of art portraying them, or write them out—you could put them on a name tag or even a t-shirt as a way of introducing yourself to the world! How would you articulate your hyphenated life? What words would you string together to try and express that complexity that is “your one wild and precious life,” as Mary Oliver put it? Would you talk with someone about this at coffee hour, or play with this during the week?
One of the fruits of practicing pluralism is an increased spirit of curiosity about others, a genuine interest in other ways of being. It’s so easy to be critical of, or threatened by, something or someone that’s new and different. In any kind of community there can be a silent way of enforcing sameness, unless its members make a practice of seeking and celebrating diversity, genuinely welcoming those who are trying to find their way in.
When you meet a new person here, do you ask what they are looking for in a church community? Do you invite them to tell you where they came from, and what’s important to them? Do you help them make connections here, and introduce them to your friends? If not, why are you holding back?
Pluralism is the life-giving practice of being open to difference; embracing the gifts of our diverse human family and world. Which our world certainly needs more of these days. Isn’t this the choosing to bless the world that Rev. Rebecca Parker wrote about? And isn’t this our calling as people of faith and good will?
The choice to bless the world is more than an act of will
A moving forward into the world
With the intention to do good.
It is an act of recognition,
A confession of surprise
A grateful acknowledgment
That in the midst of a broken world
Unspeakable beauty, grace and mystery abide.
There is an embrace of kindness,
That encompasses all life,
Even yours…
The choice to bless the world
Can take you into solitude
To search for the sources
Of power and grace;
Native wisdom, healing and liberation.
More, the choice will draw you into community;
The endeavor shared
The heritage passed on,
The companionship of struggle,
The importance of keeping faith,
The life of ritual and praise,
The comfort of human friendship,
The company of earth
Its chorus of life
Welcoming you.
None of us alone can save the world,
Together—that is another possibility,
Waiting.
Dear spiritual companions, the invitations lie all around us: to love and to care, to receive and to give. To open our hearts to the song, and to know it all as blessing,
Now and forever,
Amen.