Minister’s Musings
“Let us not mock God with metaphor, analogy, sidestepping, transcendence:
making of the event a parable, a sign painted in the faded credulity of earlier age: let us walk through the door.”
~ John Updike
Transcendence is a worship theme that makes us a wee bit nervous because it suggests that we cannot navigate this theology concept from within. Instead, we will look to stories of transcendence from stories about a few burnt out fishermen, a pandemonium of dividing voices, and a love strong enough to unite many. Stories offer us examples of the way folks tap into something larger than themselves. They can also offer folks a much-needed experience of wholeness and holiness in the midst of difficulty, but we must also remember that not all stories of transcendence are rooted in hardship.
A. Powell Davies said: “We must find our faith, not in the daylight, but in the dark. If we are ever to come to the light of morning, we must carry our own light with us through the night.” And so, transcendence stories are often tinged with trauma and the darker sides of life.
Transcendence is a spiritual concept that’s tricky to grasp, it points us to a reality beyond something we can put into words, a reality many people have experienced but few talk about. Yet it is an important theme to what we believe. In the UUA sources of authority, we find: “The living tradition we share draws from many sources,” and the first source on that list is “Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life.”
This is where we will journey in May- towards a renewal of the spirit born from transcending mystery and wonder we call the ‘Spirit of Life and Love”. We will let story be our guide to this holy wonder and mystery. This exploration requires an openness to all that upholds life to order to enter the unknown or back to where you once started. I’m unsure where we will go or whether we will have the same experience- that doesn’t matter. What does matter is that we share our stories, the ones we’ve heard, the ones we’ve experienced, and even the ones we hope to have.
Come and journey with us to this sacred place we call the united church. We will learn as we go and listen to one another with open minds and loving hearts.
Peace, Rev. Julie