February 02, 2025: "Love is the Center"

Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray

In June 2024, the UUA adopted new language to articulate the shared values and covenant we hold as Unitarian Universalists. The new language says “Love is the power that holds us together and is at the center of our shared values.” What does it mean to understand Love at the center of our faith?

Graphic made by Tanya Webster.

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Sermon Transcript

02.02.2025 "Love is at the Center"

UU Church of Bloomington, IN

Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray

READING

Our reading this morning is from a personal letter written by June Jordan, one of the most highly-acclaimed Jamaican American writers of second half of the 20th century. Jordan was a poet, playwright and essayist – and a committed human rights and
political activist.

These words were shared by one of the most well known Black women writers, Alice Walker, in her book of poetry “Revolutionary Petunias.”

June Jordan writes:

“And for ourselves, the intrinsic “Purpose” is to reach and to remember and to declare our commitment to all the living, without deceit, and without fear and without reservation. We do what we can. And by doing it, we keep ourselves trusting, which is to say vulnerable, and beyond that, what can anyone ask?”

SERMON Love Is At the Center

This month, we are exploring the theme of compassion, and what compassion
means for our lives, our relationships and as a cornerstone of our faith as Unitarian
Universalists.

Another word for compassion is love. In English, we don’t have that many words for love – yet love can mean so many different things. I can love a person, love this community, love a piece of music, love my car, love my neighbor, and have love for all beings.

Yet, while English doesn’t have many words for love, in Greek there are many different words to describe these various forms of love. In his essays and sermons, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would often delineate these forms of love in order to explain what he understood as the final, or highest form of love. King would describe how how in Greek, eros refers to romantic love, and philia means love of brother, family or tribe. Philadelphia literally translates as the city of brotherly love. And then there is agape, which King defined as the final form of love – an overflowing and unconditional love for all human beings.

In the Christian Scriptures, in the Book of John, the scripture tells us that “God is Love.” The verse in Greek is "Theos Agape.” Agape love is not some sentimental or passive form of love, but a powerful one – a Love so big, so strong – so demanding even, that it is equated to God. This is the love that knows no borders and leaves no one out. And in one of my favorite lines from Dr. King, he said of agape, that it is “the love of God operating in the human heart.“ (Sermon “Levels of Love” – September 1962, Ebeneezer Baptist Church)

Because English doesn’t have the specificity of Greek when in comes to speaking about love, compassion is the word that gets closest to what is meant by agape. Compassion is not the love of one person, or the an object, or a community. Compassion is the ability to feel another’s suffering, or to “suffer with.” It describes how we can feel connected to people we don’t even know, to feel their suffering as our own and want to respond with kindness, care or action to alleviate the suffering.

The great mystic, writer and Trappist Monk, Thomas Merton, who lived for many years in a monastery in our neighboring state of Kentucky, said of compassion, “The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all living beings.”

This understanding of compassion, this meaning of agape love, this is what is meant by Love in our UU shared values. As Unitarian Universalists, we don’t have a creed – we don’t have a profession of faith that requires us all to believe the same thing. But throughout our history, we have had covenants, ways of articulating the values, promises and principles we hold in common. Our entire denomination just went through a four year process to review and renew our covenant and core principles. The result was the adoption, last June, of a statement of Covenant and Values – and the language begins “Love is the power that holds us together and is at the center of our shared values.” And as Stephanie showed us with the “JETPIG” – our shared values emerge foremost from our understanding of the centrality of Love as at the center.

(J=Justice • E=Equity • T=Transformation • P=Pluralism • I=Interdependence * G=Generosity)

This new articulation is powerful – naming Love as at the center of our faith and tradition offers a compelling theological foundation for who we are – and what we value as
Unitarian Universalists. I use this term “theological foundation” because while naming Love at the center isn’t creedal, it does point to the deeper “why” behind the values we hold in common.

Why do we care about justice? Why are we committed to the inherent dignity and
worthiness of every person? Why do we seek to live generously - giving of our time,
attention, care and resources to help others and our communities? Why do we celebrate diversity, pluralism, and individuality? Why do we want everyone to be able to live and thrive fully as who they are?

Why? Because of Love.

Why points to our essential reason, our purpose. As June Jordan reminds us in our reading – speaking from her work as a writer and an activist for human rights, she says, “the intrinsic ‘Purpose’ is to reach and to remember and to declare our commitment to all the living, without deceit, and without fear and without reservation.”

Love reminds us that we belong to each other – that we are fundamentally interconnected and because we are connected – because we belong to each other, we want equality, opportunity and human flourishing for all. It also reminds us that, because we belong to each other – the diminishment of another human’s dignity, diminishes our own.

And this is why it matters that we remain committed to Love, to keeping Love and compassion at the center of our community and how we live — for these values and practices are needed now more than ever.

For what we are experiencing on a national stage is the result of a long and growing investment in, celebration of – perhaps even worship or exalting of – cruelty, persecution, vindictiveness and blame. This lust for punishment and cruelty is not new, it has always been a part of American culture and many cultures, but it has been intentionally fed in ways that are tearing apart at the fabric of our interconnectedness, denying the reality of our interdependence – and in the end it diminishes our humanity.

Do you know the old story about the man who says there is a war going on within him? That itis like two wolves fighting. One wolf is angry and greedy, it seeks power over
others, it is arrogant and vindictive. The other wolf is generous and kind and loving and wants to help others, wants to see all be well.

And a child asks the man, “who will win this battle?” And the man answers, “the one that I feed.”

This story reminds us that human beings have the capacity for tremendous compassion and generosity. But that we each also have the capacity for cruelty and violence. These impulses both live within each of us; but which manifests, which dominates depends on which aspect of ourselves has been fed more and which we continue to feed.

This is why it is so dangerous when our national leaders feed our impulses to fear and cruelty – blame and punishment, rather than feeding our impulses for compassion and unity. It is how atrocities happen – and have happened throughout history.

When will we learn that violence and vindictiveness, blame and cruelty are not signs of strength? And that the highest strength – the greatest strength of character – and of humanity is the strength to love and to keep choosing love and compassion even in the midst of heartbreak and injustice.

Does this seem counterintuitive? That choosing love is our greatest strength? In our reading, June Jordan writes, “And for ourselves, the intrinsic ‘Purpose’ is to reach and to remember and to declare our commitment to all the living, without deceit, and without fear and without reservation. We do what we can. And by doing it, we keep ourselves trusting, which is to say vulnerable, and beyond that, what can anyone ask?”

Jordan is reminding us of the truth that when we are committed to Love, when we
declare our commitment to all the living, that we keep ourselves trusting, which is to say vulnerable.

Vulnerability too often seems like weakness. And one human response to vulnerability – which none of us can fully avoid – is to try to eliminate all threats – real or perceived. Indeed, fear has throughout history been a compelling tool to make people feel especially vulnerable such that they will tolerate cruelty, violence, loss of freedom, and clear moral and human violations to “make them feel safer.”

But this is not the path of strength – it is a path of fear – and fear is an ever-narrowing path that leads only further into isolation and despair. Choosing love is choosing to
remain trusting – to remain connected to the humanity of others and your own. It is powerful – even if means we are more open to heartbreak. And it is the only path that leads to peace, the only path that fosters a deeper and widening connection to others, to a greater understanding of our interdependence and connection with all life and creation, the only path to growing in our humanity.

Now, I want to end by getting practical. Because I am aware that the chaos and cruelty, and the dramatic and swift action taken in just a few days has upended – or threatened to upend – so many people’s lives, jobs, security. It is intense. And it creates more stress and anxiety in all of us. How can choosing love – choosing compassion – help us?

First, the call to compassion – to love – is about responding to needs we can address right around us. It is about continuing to show up with love and care to our neighbors and our own community right here. We won’t be able to avoid every tragedy and loss. The policies being enacted have real-world, life-and-death, consequences for people.

But, we also can provide care and support where we are connected. To immigrant and refugee families, to trans and nonbinary loved ones and neighbors, and to our own UU community right here.

It was my Unitarian Universalist Church growing up that helped me see the difference that love and care make. And more specifically, it was my religious education, my RE teachers that did that. It was my UU church that taught me (showed me through the
example of their own dedication) that love and justice are at the heart of our faith, that we all belong, that we are all connected. And in this moment, when our kids know too much stress, they need our love – and not just from their parents, but from a nurturing community.

I know I said this a few weeks ago on Martin Luther King Sunday, but it bears repeating. None of us can respond to all the injustice that is happening around us. But each of us can find a way to contribute to the work of love and justice. For some it is feeding people, collecting clothing, raising money for organizations serving those most in need in our community; for some it is investing here – teaching our children, helping out with our greeting and safety and welcoming teams, making sure that this community of love and justice continues to bloom as a source of sanctuary and resilience for all who need it; for some it will be advocacy and political organizing to resist regressive and anti-democratic efforts – there are so many ways to show up and all are needed. Find the place where you feel called and be consistent in showing up. Focus on what is yours to do – which will not be everyone’s to do – and do the piece that is yours. Keep showing up where you are with love, with kindness, with care. Take care of yourself when you need it. It is easy to get anxious and overwhelmed – which can lead any of us to be short, unkind or angry with others. Take care of yourself when you need it. So that you can bring love and kindness to the places where you are showing up – in your family, in your work, in community. Because kindness matters. Love and compassion matter.

• • •

Next week, we’ll explore more into when compassion is hard – and talk about
boundaries. But for today, let us go remembering to nurture love at the center of our community and our lives. And may we know we are not alone, but have others around us – including this community to help us when we need it.

BENEDICTION

Friends, as we leave this sacred place today, recognizing all the challenge and tumult
of our days, let us attend to the practice of love.
May we remember to praise this gift of life, to be awakened to its wonder and its beauty. May we kindle more joy, more love and more song in our hearts and into our days. 
May we be led out in peace and may we give back love.