I will seek to possess an open mind and a respect for views different from my own.

-UUCL Congregational Covenant, 5th line

Open your mind. Open your heart. Listen. Break down the walls. Tear down the fence. Come out of the cave. Step outside of the box.

When we covenant with each other to have an open mind and respect for views- and experiences- different from our own, then we have to let down our defenses. We need to trust that we are not under attack but rather are being called to listen to someone that needs our compassion and understanding. So often on social media- especially when it comes to addressing racism and white supremacy in this country- people immediately put up their defenses and close their mind. The bickering starts, insults follow, and the whole system deteriorates. This interaction is then carried out into our real world experiences.

UUCL is a sanctuary. And I don’t mean a sanctuary meant to isolate us, but rather a sanctuary in which we can trust each other, open our minds, listen, and change. When we change our small community and learn how to be together in love despite our differences, we can duplicate that in the rest of our real world experiences, changing the larger culture in which we live. That’s what we’re saying when we extinguish our chalice each week and promise to carry the light of truth and the warmth of love out into the world.

And so it should be that worship is a time and a place that we can open our minds and hearts and listen so we have truth and love to carry with us. If you were listening carefully to Alma and me last Sunday, you may have heard that there is a call for worship to change. Worship needs to be more inclusive, more thoughtful, more spiritually moving, and a place where we can all connect to ourselves, to each other, and to something larger than ourselves. As the Rev. Erika Hewitt states, “Worship is an emotionally-driven spiritual experience, not an intellectual exercise. The purpose of worship isn’t to convey information or to prove how ‘intellectual’ we are. Meaningful worship entails movement, a change; a journey; something occurs internally, collectively- or both.” (Check out this link for more: https://www.uua.org/worship/words/worship-leaders-tool-kit)

I put a great amount of thought and energy into creating and crafting our worship. I listen carefully to everyone in the congregation and I research ideas from others outside of our walls to figure out what people we haven’t met yet are looking for. It’s among my highest priorities to create something that is meaningful to everyone in some way, at some point. My mind is open and I’m willing to be respectful to anyone that wants to come to me and talk about worship and what feeds them.

So, when you come to a worship service and it’s different, are you willing to open up your mind and your heart and know that I created it as such because I’ve been listening? Are you willing to listen and understand that worship is meant to feed all souls and sometimes- maybe eventually often times- that means something besides the traditional white, protestant “hymn sandwich” service? It’s the only way we can grow into a diverse community, and it certainly serves our mission to “Unite in Diversity, Advocate for Love and Justice”.