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Waht Is Your Star?
December 20, 2009
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One of the reasons I love the Christmas story is because I identify with the magi as they make their long, hard journey to follow a star. Imagine that. They follow a star based on their faith that it will lead them to witness the birth of a new king.
Now, I do not believe that this story really happened. That is not important, because it is the spirit of the story that speaks to me of doing two important tasks in our lives – of finding our own star and then following it. To find our star means to know what is important to us, what gives our lives meaning, and what will transform our lives. That begins with an honest appraisal of our lives. Alcoholic Anonymous, which had based their much of their structure and philosophy on the early Christian church, makes self-knowledge their first principle, meaning that alcoholics must first admit that they are powerless over alcohol and that their lives have become unmanageable. In other words, for them to even see the star, they must first acknowledge the truth of their lives. Dr. Richard Gillett in his book Change Your Mind, Change Your World: A Practical Guide to Turning Limiting Beliefs Into Positive Realities speaks to this: When I worked with alcoholics, I would always ask: “What does drinking give you?” [If they offer reasons] such as “It makes me relax,” or “It gives me relief from feeling lonely” . . . I would know there was at least some chance for them to stop drinking.For those who have addictions to a way of thinking or being, life becomes more difficult, more painful and less joyful. But if they are to overcome their addictions, they must first acknowledge them. That can be difficult, but when it is done, then there can be hope and a glimmer of a star can appear. But the second task can be equally difficult, that is, following the star. Some would like the star to appear to them easily and then be given instructions in how to follow it. They may want a spiritual leader to tell them what to do or a religious text to guide them. We Unitarian Universalists do not have that luxury. We honor and support each individual’s journey in following his or her star. It is the basis of our liberal faith. But some have difficulty with that notion. Some believe that we are not a religion and that we have no right to practice our faith by using the sacred texts of other religious traditions in our own way that may help us to find and follow our star. Garrison Keillor is one of those critics. In a recent column in the Baltimore Sun called “Nonbelievers please leave Christmas alone”, Mr. Keillor complained about us Unitarian Universalists revising the words to the song “Silent Night”. You can blame Ralph Waldo Emerson for the brazen foolishness of the elite. He preached here at the First Church of Cambridge, a Unitarian outfit (where I discovered that “Silent Night” has been cleverly rewritten to make it more about silence and night and not so much about God). . . Unitarians listen to the Inner Voice and so they have no creed that they all stand up and recite in unison, and that’s their perfect right, but it is wrong, wrong, wrong to rewrite “Silent Night.” If you don’t believe Jesus was God, OK, go write your own damn “Silent Night” and leave ours alone. This is spiritual piracy and cultural elitism, and we Christians have stood for it long enough.Given that many of us have enjoyed Mr. Keillor’s work, especially his radio show Prairie Home Companion, it is a little disconcerting to read such sentiments. But I differ with him in that I would not call us Unitarians, and by extension, Universalists, non-believers, but rather we simply believe differently. And we honor other people’s beliefs. We do listen to the Inner Voice, that Mr. Keillor disdains, but I believe so, too, does every man, woman and child in the world. As a guru once said, there are 6 billion religions in the world. Thus, it is not our intention to dishonor Christianity or “Silent Night.” Quite the contrary. As a group, I believe that we Unitarian Universalists love the spirit of Christmas and love to sing “Silent Night” this time of year, even if we do not believe that the Christmas story literally happened. And it is true that we do revise hymns and other sources of literature to fit our theology. The oldest Unitarian Universalist church in America is King’s Chapel in Boston which was once an Anglican Church back in the 18th Century. When it became a Unitarian church, the congregation kept the Common Book of Prayer and uses it to this day, but with a revision – all references to the Trinity have been expunged. It is our way. It reflects our kind of reformation if you will. We have been led in that direction, a direction that makes sense to us. Even so, we are not alone in the revision business. Revision of hymns and re-interpretation of sacred texts has been the business of clergy, scholars and ordinary people of all denominations down through the ages. For example, Charles Wesley revised thousands of hymns for his brother, John as they created the new religion, Methodism. And Martin Luther did the same as he helped in the Protestant Reformation. And while Mr. Keillor’s beliefs are different than mine, I would not object if he used, for example, our own Ralph Waldo Emerson to guide him in his life to help him to make sense of his own life. For you see, the Christmas story and “Silent Night” belong to us as much as they belong to anyone else. Who is to say what is the right way or the best way to interpret a story or sing a song? God help us from the Grand Inquisitors who know what is the best way to worship.
Rather, I say to each of you on this day that you do listen to that Inward Voice and find that star in your life to follow. It is often not easy to see your star and often harder to follow it. It takes wisdom to see and courage to make the journey. But, let this Christmas time be your time that you find the wisdom to see your star and the courage to follow it. |
| Sermon Copyright © 2009 Harold W. Beu |
