Unitarian
Universalist Fellowship of Corvallis
Corvallis,
Oregon
The Mayflower Covenant
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Rev. Gretchen Woods
Opening Words:
As we light this chalice, we are
reminded of our forebears: those who helped create this faith in which we have
found a home. May this flame light and warm our hearts and minds, so that we
continue the process of creating an ever more enlightened community.
Reading:
“The Mayflower
Compact”
In the Name of God, Amen. We, whose
names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord King
James, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King,
Defender of the Faith, &c. Having undertaken for the Glory of God,
and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country,
a Voyage to plant the first colony in the northern Parts of Virginia; Do by
these Presents, solemnly and mutually in the Presence of God and one another,
covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our
better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid; And by
virtue hereof do enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws,
Ordinance, Acts, Constitutions, and Offices, form time to time, as 1620shall be
thought most meet and convenient for the general Good of the Colony; unto which
we promise all due Submission and Obediance (sic). In WITNESS whereof we have
hereunto subscribed our names at Cape Cod the eleventh of November, in
the Reign of our Sovereign Lord King James of England, France, and
Ireland, the eighteenth and of Scotland, the fifty-fourth. Anno
Domini, 1620 (signed by 41 men)
Reading:
“Thanksgiving
Is Living by Choice” by Richard Newlin
Each of us has come here today as a
result of choices, actions, and yes, circumstances.
There are many of our community that
are not here today as a result of choices, actions, and yes,
circumstances.
Today, we come together to celebrate
that we are an intentional community:
An intentional community that is
aware that our choices, actions, and yes, circumstances – have brought us to
this moment, to this place, with those that are here today.
Today, at this moment, I am here in
this place, with each of you.
When I reflect on the choices,
actions, and circumstances that have brought me to this here and now –
I declare that this is my moment,
this is my life. I am “Living by Choice.” I declare that I am grateful, I
choose to be in Thanksgiving.
Each of us at any age, in any
situation, can experience, understand, believe, and commit.
I.
We
have a common experience of life. – Hold your breath, feel your heart beat.
II.
We
have a common understanding of life. I am alive. I am a person I am not alone.
I am independent.
III.
We can
hold common beliefs. This is a “good” place. I am responsible for my thoughts.
I am responsible for my choices and actions.
IV.
We can
make a common commitment. I choose to live, act, and share with others.
I choose to be in Thanksgiving. I
choose to share in common with you.
Sermon:
“The Mayflower Covenant”
At 19 Town Square, in the heart of Plymouth, Massachusetts,
stands a church, in front of which is a sign which states simply: First Parish
Plymouth (Unitarian Universalist), founded 1620. It has 106 certified members,
reflecting the 75% of all UU churches across the continent which comprise less
than 150 members. We, as members of the Unitarian Universalist Association, are
all descendents from that congregation in some meaningful way, yet we know so
little about them.
On the front page of Wednesday’s Gazette-Times, we learn a
bit more about one family who came over on the Mayflower: John and Eleanor
Billington and their two sons, John and Francis, whose direct descendent, Paul
Harding, lives here in Corvallis. I also am a direct descendent of someone from
the Ayres family who was also on the Mayflower. I know nothing of that person,
unlike John Billington, who, because he murdered John Newcomen, was the first
man hanged in the colonies.
All those who sailed on the Mayflower were not fleeing
religious persecution, because the organizers of the trip realized that they
needed more than just their company from Leiden, Netherlands, to create a
viable colony. Hence the presence of
“strangers” (those outside the religious covenant of the Pilgrims), who were largely
“. . . servants, merchants, and others looking for a fresh start in a new
world.” (G-T, 11/23/05, p. 1.) We shall never know the full effect of those who
were not among the “saints” (those who identified with the core group of
Pilgrims), nor how many of them were running from the law, as opposed to
running toward religious freedom. I suspect my forebears were among the former.
In any case, we can draw a direct line from the Mayflower
and the Puritans to the congregational movement in the colonies and, thence, to
Unitarians. The Cambridge Platform of 1648 laid out the basis for
congregational polity, but the Mayflower Compact, asserted that the signatories
had the right to “. . . enact, constitute, and frame, such just and
equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitution, and Offices, from time to time, as
shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general Good of the Colony.”
By that very statement, they asserted that they could govern themselves, and,
being far from the “Mother country,” they did so without much restraint from
England.
This compact is the basis for the notion of “free
association,” as described by James Luther Adams. Adams states that the genius
of Unitarian Universalism includes the fact that each person chooses to join,
making a conscious commitment to become part of a spiritual community, rather
than being born into a religion. This idea was not common in the world of the
Pilgrims. In their time, one was born into one’s place in the world. Certainly,
commerce allowed some freedom for the newly emerging middle-class, but, by and
large, one did not get to “choose” one’s associations. Then, as religious
ferment grew, a new group in a new settlement chose to make their own place in
the world. Heresy indeed! Of course, the word “heresy” means “to choose.” And,
as meaning makers, human beings did not then realize they had a right to choose
the meaning they made.
In the litany Richard wrote and read for us, he voices
assertions that deserve attention, for their meaning to us as Unitarian
Universalists has depth. Let us explore them for a bit:
I.
“We
have a common experience of life.” This of course, emphasizes an aspect of our
experience that we often lose track of in our concern for autonomy and
individuality. Yet we each breathe and hear our hearts beat. As Maslow notes,
we each must have basic needs met: food, clothing shelter, meaningful work.
Geneticists force us to come to terms with the reality that we are not a race,
but a species, that we have far more in common with one another as homo
sapiens, than sets us apart by ethnicity. We are one – and that one is not far
at all from all the great apes. Watching the new baby gorilla at Busch Gardens,
one can only be aware of the similarities with them as well.
II.
“We
have a common understanding of life. I am alive. I am a person. I am not alone.
I am independent.” This takes our common experience as animals to another
level. We assert that our living matters, that our personhood matters, that we
are part of a larger whole, and still we are distinct in the whole of life. The
latter two statements may seem paradoxical, but actually complement our
awareness of our selves in the world.
The
ongoing struggle for autonomy and community is what brings us together in this
spiritual gathering. We know we are alive and unique. We also know we are
connected to other human beings, to all of life as we know it, and to
consciousness beyond our ken. Still, our particular and distinct being is
important in the whole, therefore, our choices matter to the whole. We have
impact. And, thus, we have responsibility to be intentional, to think about our
choices.
III.
“We
can hold common beliefs. This is a ‘good’ place. I am responsible for my
thoughts. I am responsible for my choices and actions.” This deepens our
awareness of the importance of our place in the world. We may hold other
beliefs than those Richard articulates, ones that are negative and
life-destroying, ones that make us feel powerless and irresponsible. Living by
such beliefs allows us to damage the environment, hurt other people, and deny
our responsibility. They are not good choices.
But,
as Unitarian Universalists, we do assert that the planet is “good” and
valuable, worth saving. We also assert that we are responsible and should be intentional.
We know we can and may take charge of our thoughts and redirect them into
positive and life-affirming images, in order to co-create a better world for
the greater good of all. These are not glib words; this is a call to action, as
are the final words:
IV. “ We can make a common commitment. I
choose to live, act, and share with others.” Here is the heart of “free
association,” that we know our choices matter, that our intentionality has
power to change our world for the better. And that we do not do this alone, but
with others in intentional community. This is radical responsibility:
responsibility for self as a co-creative part of a larger whole. We need to
co-create a mission that is clear, articulate, and guides us in our life
together. We need a vision/mission that makes it clear where we say no and
where we say yes in our common life. We need a vision/mission that is willing
to focus our efforts for the common good even if we offend someone.
When I came here to serve as your minister, I was truly
unclear about the vision/mission of this congregation. Many people here told me
that there really asn’t one; that we are a people who just want to enjoy each
others’ company, sort of a country club without dues.
But serving with you shows me something else entirely: We,
as a spiritual community that acknowledges deep connections among us and with
all of life, wish to be inclusive of all those who share our values. We wish to
make space for those who share our search for meaning that makes sense
according to our experience. In fact, our deepest commitment is to religious
exploration throughout life, to pursuing the search for “that meaning that has
power to give shape to our experience, purpose to our existence, and motivation
and moral energy to our human enterprises (Dr. Lloyd Averill).” It is for this
reason that you hire professional leadership, people trained in facilitating
that search for all ages.
But that
is not all we want to do together in this community. You also tell me that you
want to take the values we share out into the world, to improve the common
good, much as the Pilgrims sought freedom to do as they understood it. Hence
the fine Social Action lunches that raise funds to support groups in our
community that are caring for the common good. Hence the Social Justice Action
Group’s fora that study our concern for this planet and how fast we are
changing it for the worst, and what we can do concretely to stop those changes
from happening so quickly. Together we are deepening our understanding of our
place in the circle of life and how we may make better choices. Our studies
make us more effective witnesses and actors in our world.
We truly
come together to study life and to serve life. Finally, we come together to
celebrate life: to honor the rites of passage which assert our place in the
larger community: birth, coming of age, marriage, accepting leadership roles,
and, finally, honoring our lives in death. We will be dedicating our children on
Christmas Eve, to give one example of this process. This is the “work of the
people,” which is the Greek meaning of “liturgy,” the work of the people,
honoring and celebrating each life in its own time. All of which creates the
“beloved community of memory and hope (Josiah Bartlett)” for which we hunger
and through which we find our meaning in life. For this we are truly grateful
in this time of “Thanksgiving.”
There is
much for which we cannot be responsible, a consciousness beyond our own that
connects all of life, chance that renders our responsibility powerless at
times, but that does not discount our power to choose. Richard Fewkes offers
gratitude for grace unbidden and for that for which we can be responsible:
For the sun and the dawn
Which we did not create;
For the moon and the evening
Which we did not make;
For food which we plant
But cannot grow;
For friends and loved ones
We have not earned and cannot buy;
For this gathered company
Which welcomes us as we are,
from wherever we have come;
For all our free churches
That keep us human and encourage us
in our quest for beauty, truth, and love;
For all things which come to us
As gifts of being from sources
beyond ourselves;
Gifts of life and love and
friendship
We lift our hearts in thanks this
day.
We are
an intentional and welcoming spiritual community
That
studies, serves, and celebrates life
With
respect, responsibility, and relish for the process.
So Be
it! Blessed Be!
Order of Service
“The Mayflower Covenant”
Sunday, November 27, 2005
9:30 and 11:00 a.m.
Welcome and Announcements
Prelude
Chalice Lighting
Opening Words
Opening Song #349 “We Gather Together”
Reading:
“The Mayflower
Compact”
Celebrating with Music
Reading
“Thanksgiving Is
Living by Choice” by Richard Newlin
Sung Response
#358 “Rank by
Rank Again We Stand”
Sermon:
“The Mayflower
Covenant”
Musical Interlude
Spoken Response
Candles of Joy and Sorrow/Offering
Closing Song
#360 “Here We
Have Gathered” (verses 1&2)
Closing Words
Closing Song
#360 (verse 3)