Today, as in ages past, some of our brightest minds are speaking from the pulpit, offering insights both theological and secular. As we emerge from a pandemic, faith leaders offer perspectives that transcend charts, graphs, maps, data points and social media. Following, we continue our semi-annual compilation of wisdom culled from recent columns in the Faith Matters series on Saturday’s Religion Page.
From the Rev. Dr. Megan E. Leary, Central Congregational Church, Orange: “There are many voices in our world today that try to tell us that we are not smart enough, not thin enough, not fast enough, not good enough, just not enough. However, Scripture tells us that God made us in God’s image. If God made us, not only are we enough, we are good.” (July 10, 2021)
From The Rev. David Neil, United Church of Bernardston: “The Nautical Rules of the Road (from the U.S. Coast Guard Licensing Exam) remind us of a different approach to life and faith: To always give way to those who are powerless and to do all we can to make their way one of smooth sailing. If Jesus were to develop a new Beatitude, it might read something like this: ‘Blessed are those who are buffeted by life’s winds, for their way shall be made smooth.’” (July 24, 2021)
From Dr. Paul J. O’Reilly, President, Thomas Aquinas College: “Far from being an impediment to intellectual curiosity and the hard work of learning, faith is the light that illumines all human inquiry. It’s up to us to decide how much of that light we allow to guide our steps.” (July 31, 2021)
From The Rev. Christopher Carlisle, director of Cathedral in the Light: “Every one of us has a story to tell. Whether a novel, a letter or a passing conversation with someone on the street, the stories of our lives are nothing less than part of God’s unfolding story. Every story matters, because without every one, God’s story is incomplete. The process of writing, of remembering, of telling and retelling the stories of our lives, is part of an all-inclusive process of telling the story of God.” (Aug. 21, 2021)
From The Rev. James Koyama, First Congregational Church of Montague Center: “Two people, with no place to go and with the (World Trade Center) building under them burning, hold hands and jump off the top of the building together. Our civilization is badly shaken and burning, and the time is now to lean as fully as possible into that same love that was represented when two (strangers? friends?) joined hands atop the WTC. That love that joins us together in mutual support is the answer to all that goes wrong in this world.” (Sept. 18, 2021)
From The Rev. Marguerite Sheehan, Trinity Church of Shelburne Falls: “This past year I read a blog about churches that are called to become schools of love. We need each other and this alternative education. We need to become schools of love. If what you are seeing in the world does not look and smell and sound like love, there is something wrong and you need to re-think your teachers and the teachings. Because it is true that just as we have to be taught to hate, we also have to be carefully taught to be students of love. It is time to go back to school.” (Oct. 2, 2021)
From the Rev. Dan Dibble, Pastor, Trinitarian Congregational Church of Warwick: “What if there were nothing — no human, no animal, no plant, no element, no atomic particle or energy — no thing that existed outside of God? What if we were all a part of God and all we had to do was acknowledge that and act in that truth? … God is in us, with us and what we need to do is let God love us so much that we can’t contain or control that love; we must share it. That’s not an easy task; we have a lot of unlearn. But the God with us and within us will help us.” (Nov. 13, 2021)
From The Rev. Melissa Carvill Ziemer, Affiliated Minister, First Parish of Northfield, Unitarian: “First, open the door. To be hospitable is to open the door to one another and to meet as people. In this stage of pandemic life, many of us are more aware than ever of the cost of isolation and looking for opportunities to reconnect. To be human is to desire authentic, meaningful and satisfying connections. To extend and receive opportunities for connection is part of how we can practice the art of hospitality in our personal lives.” (Nov. 20, 2021)
From The Rev. Alison Cornish, Unitarian Universalist minister: “Here’s the thing: I don’t think anyone out there wakes up one morning and thinks, ‘I need a place to figure out this heaven and hell thing … I think I’ll start going to services.’ No, I think people arrive on the threshold of a faith community because they are hungry — maybe literally, but also hungry for meaning; because they hurt, and need company and compassion; because they are withering away, for no one has encouraged their dreams; because this world can be cold, hard and cruel, and deep in their heart, they know it doesn’t need to be that way. What they seek — what I long for, too — is to put everything we have into building heaven here on Earth.” (Nov. 27, 2021)
From Lis McLoughlin, Ph.D., Pagan: “For many of us, the sacred does not have a face, or even a name, does not require our obedience, worship or even belief. It just is, and being able to tap into that energy is both a gift and a right, for all people. Because Nature, in and of itself, is whole, it includes the sacred and it includes humans. We humans are part of nature and thus it is our obligation to treat the rest of Nature with the respect due to sacred kin, and not as a resource put there for our exploitation.” (Dec. 4, 2021)
From The Rev. Dr. Candi Ashenden, Senior Pastor, Athol Congregational Church: “Commentator John Berquist says that we need to start with the recognition that some days, we feel like stumps. And once we acknowledge this fact, we need to read ‘the rest of the story.’ Scripture goes on to tell us that precisely from a stump, such as us, such as you and me, the shoot and the branch grows forth. That means that even in an apparently dormant stump, new life simmers and one day, when conditions are right, a new shoot will burst forth. We need to make room to see not just the problems and the lack in the world, but also to see the potential that exists in every stump.” (Dec. 11, 2021)