UUs need to do more than just "respect" the interdependent web, we need to come to love it.

Unitarian Universalists covenant together to affirm and promote a respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. This principle needs to go farther, beyond "respect" to love. We need to love existence not only because we are a part but because Existence created us and the whole shabang. However, our fear of loss of the ego keeps us stuck.

The opposite of love is not hate, the opposite of love is fear.

What is the basis for most of our fears? It is the loss of our specialness, our ego.

Do you see your brothers and sisters as special or do you see them as part of the divine like everyone else?

If you give up the idea of specialness and look at the divine, what Peace Pilgrim called the divine spark, you will see yourself and the world in a whole new way which will bring you great peace because your looking at the divine instead of the specialness eliminates conflict.

Specialness is the basis of the lives we have chosen to live up until now not knowing any better. But now we know there is another way and we have to choose. We can take our time. There is no rush. The ego should not just be stripped away, it should be voluntarily shed like a snake sheds its skin. It is like being born again into a new reality which we always intuited was just below the surface but we couldn't see it clearly because of all the blocks and obstacles we placed in front of our awareness of Love's presence.

Love is still there, as it always has been, but our fears have kept us from being aware of it. It takes a lot of effort, energy, and stress to invest in and maintain specialness, and once past our fear we can let all that drama go and relax into Love's presence. Happy New Year!

Prophetic voices and events - Rev. Dr. William Barber - Moral mondays

In case you were wondering.........

Question of the day

Do you believe that human beings need salvation? If so, from what?

Prophetic voices and events - Leonardo Da Vinci, Salvator Mundi

From USA Today 11/15/17

One of the most exciting paintings to go under the hammer this century, Leonardo Da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi or ‘Saviour of the World’ is the last Leonardo that remains in private hands, and will be sold on November 15 as the star lot of Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale.

Painted over 500 years ago, the moving portrait of Jesus Christ by one of the art world’s greatest ever masters has been on show to the public at Rockefeller Center in New York City for the past few weeks, where over 20,000 people from all walks of life have come to be awestruck by the artwork, which is often described as ‘The Divine Mona Lisa’.

Leonardo Da Vinci, Salvator Mundi | via WikiCommons

But one artist, globally renowned Israeli portrait photographer Nadav Kander, has decided to give the painting a view of its own to admire. Imagining what the eyes of the Leonardo would see were he looking out on to the adoring crowds, Kander has created a four-minute video piece showcasing the reactions of those viewing the work, from the perspective of the painting.

The dramatic lighting in the space adds to the drama of the film, and it’s truly quite amazing to see how touched everyone on camera seems to be. Leonardo DiCaprio, who is a known art lover, makes an appearance in the video as well.

The world will be watching as this painting exchanges hands yet again, and thanks to Nadav, everyone will have a reminder of this historic moment for years to come.

Why are we afraid of the "transcending mystery and wonder?"

We are afraid of Love.

Unitarian Universalism draws from many sources which often are numbered as six. The first source is "the direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life." That "transcending mystery and wonder" is often called "Love" or the "Spirit of Life". Interestingly, and often not talked about, is our fear of this "transcending mystery and wonder."

We, in essence, are made of Love. It is the ground of our being. To recognize this fact, acknowledge it, embrace it means we have to give up our egos. We have to surrender that which we have made to embrace Love and giving up our egos scares us. We defend our small self. We protect it. We protest its surrender.

Rather than be One with Glory we cling to the mundane, to the little arrogant, isolated island we have made in the oceanic universe.

The ultimate question is, "How is that working for you, the defending, the protecting, the isolating, the clinging, the protesting?" Get a gun why don't you and see how that works.

The biggest joy in life is letting go of the ego. Surrender that sucker, the sucker that sucks all the joy, peace, and bliss from your life.

You, my friend, we all our God's children. We share in God's glory. We can enjoy this glory all the more when we crack open and get out of our shells.

Prophetic voices and events - Nia, the fifth day of Kwanzaa

Today, 12/30/17, is the fifth of the seven days of Kwanzaa. On this fifth day, the value of Nia (purpose) is celebrated. Nia means "to make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

The value of Nia seems very similar to the third principle of Unitarian Universalism which is to covenant together to affirm and promote the acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations.