I hope that all of you are safe, warm, and dry. If you aren’t in that situation, please reach out to let us know so we can be of assistance. A storm is a reminder that we all have need of one another at one point or another.
Our church community is a place where we have opportunities to practice asking for help when we need it and offering help when we are able. This practice of mutuality, of self-care, and care for others matters a great deal.
Relationships of giving and receiving are the basis of human existence. They are what makes life meaningful. They are what makes life possible at all. Contrary to the myth of individualism, we could never go it alone.
On a practical level, as infants and young children, we are helpless for longer than any other species on earth. We need the care and nurture from older people around us for food, shelter, learning how to communicate, and more. That isn’t necessarily the only time in our lives where that is the case. We are interdependent creatures.
On a social level, to be human is to be in relationship. We understand ourselves in relationship to and with others. We interdepend with others for safety, learning, identity formation, intimacy, help, emotional well-being, fun, and more. In fact, social well-being is the leading indicator for a long life.
On a spiritual level, relationships are what bring life meaning. While people hold many and varied religious beliefs, we are searching for a connection to something larger than our individual existence. We are looking for relationships centered on meaning – to feel our connections with the interconnected web of all life or the beloved community or the holy source from which all our lives flow.
This month, we are reflecting on the quality of our relationships and how they orient us towards generosity. We are reflecting on the proposed language around generosity in the new UUA Article 2 proposal: “Generosity. We cultivate a spirit of gratitude and hope. We covenant to freely and compassionately share our faith, presence, and resources. Our generosity connects us to one another in relationships of interdependence and mutuality.”
It occurs to me that this statement beautifully sums up what we offer at First Unitarian Portland and why we exist. Communities like ours bring a space to life where we can practice creating relationships based on mutual care, social and emotional well-being, and meaning-making. We are a port in the storm for one another when we are in need and the beacon of the lighthouse pointing the way to our yearned-for destination: a place of joy, integrity, justice, and love made visible.
As I write this, the lights and heat have just gone out in our home for the second time this week. You see, there are weeks when life reminds us more than once that even though we are called to be a caregiver, that is only half correct. We are also called to be a receiver of care – for life itself was always meant to be that way.
Sending you all warmth, light, and blessings in whatever storms you are moving through this season.
In faith,
Rev. Alison