Rev. Babcock's sermons in 1999

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12/12/99	Slouching Toward Bethlehem	The new millennium is upon us, and many in the Christian world dream of a Second Coming. But as the poet Yeats reminds us, what we get may not be what we bargained for.
12/5/99	The Right to be Different	My sermon this morning will look at some of the major themes of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, especially its emphasis on the right to be different. Hanukkah, which begins this year on December 4, is, like Christmas, a festival of light. It celebrates the light which, even at the darkest times, cannot be extinguished.
11/21/99	Let Them Eat Grass	We all know the story of the original Thanksgiving - or do we? My sermon will look at some of the myths and realities surrounding the beginnings of our Thanksgiving observance, particularly in their relation to native American culture.
11/14/99	Individualism and Our Needs for Community	Liberal religion has always emphasized the value of individualism; indeed, individual freedom of belief is one of the cornerstones of our faith, but when does individualism become an impediment to religious community?
11/7/99	Honesty	This morning's sermon will look at the importance of being "true to" or "honest" with oneself and others. Honesty is concerned with truthtelling versus lying, but being truthful is not always clear or easy. The truth, on the other hand, may sometimes be necessary.
10/24/99	Religion, Sex, and Lies	This winter our religious education program will begin offering for the first time "Our Whole Lives" (OWL), a comprehensive sexuality education curriculum for 7th and 8th graders. OWL, which was developed jointly by the UUA and the United Church of Christ, replaces the 1960's "About Your Sexuality" curriculum used at this church for many years. As Unitarian Universalists we have a commitment to telling the truth about human sexuality. We believe that we are both spiritual and sexual beings. The sermon will investigate religion, sex, and lies.
10/17/99	Solitude	My colleague Forrester Church, minister of the Unitarian Church of All Souls in New York city, has called solitude "the fullness of being alone," as opposed to loneliness, which he calls "the emptiness of being along." The theologian Alfred North Whitehead once defined religion as what a person does with solitude.
10/10/99	To Grow A Soul	I think that it was Martin Luther who once said, "Life is just an opportunity to grow a soul." Whoever said it, it contains a lot of truth. The sermon will investigate what growing a soul might entail.
9/26/99	Humility	Asked to list the four cardinal virtues, Saint Bernard replied, "Humility, humility, humility, and humility." As I grow older (and I turned 48 this week!), the truth of Bernard's answer becomes more evident to me. The sermon will investigate the virtue that some theologians have called "the foundation...of the spiritual life." I look forward to seeing you in church!
9/19/99	Your Tears and Your Suffering: Wisdom of the Hasidic Masters	In honor of the holiest day of the Jewish year, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, my sermon will explore the Hasidic tradition of Judaism. Storytelling is a strong component of Hasidism; I will share some of the wonderful tales of the Hasidic masters. See you in church!
9/12/99	Snapshots from a Summer Past	This Sunday we will regather our worshiping community from its summer hiatus with an Intergenerational Family Service. There will be an opportunity to register your children for Young Church School classes, and there will be nursery care for children 3 and under. We will dedicate our church school teachers in a special ceremony. It will be good to be together again; I look forward to seeing you in church!
8/1/99	Beautiful Dreamer	Thirty years ago this summer, in 1969, I graduated from high school and was preparing to leave home for college. It was the summer of the Apollo II moon landing, and of the Woodstock rock concert. The Vietnam War was raging. For me, it was a time of idealistic hopes and dreams, many of them to be shattered against the hard realities of the world. Yet, I still believe that it is important to dream. My sermon will investigate the necessity of aspiration.
5/30/99	In Memory of What?"	This morning I will offer some reminiscences of Memorial Day from my childhood and impressions from my first and subsequent trips to Washington, D.C.: of Arlington National Cemetery, the Vietnam War Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial. I will reflect on the origin of Memorial Day and on the meaning of patriotism. And, finally, I will suggest what it is we really gather "in memory of." This will be my last sermon of the 1998-1999 church year - hope to see you in church!
5/23/99	Loneliness	The 20th century German theologian Paul Tillich wrote that "existence is separation." The sermon will investigate some of the roots of loneliness and suggest ways that we can cope with this universal human condition.
5/9/99	Parenting and Other Misnomers: Reflections of an Amateur Parent	Back in November, Walter and Julia Farwell Clay purchased a "sermon topic of your choice" at our annual church auction. Julia asked if I would speak about being a father. As my sermon title suggests, I can claim no special expertise in the area of parenting. However, I will try to offer a few reflections based on personal experience. Hope to see you in church!
5/2/99	Home is Where the Hurt Is	In recognition of the Greater Newburyport Partnership for Peace's Violence Prevention Month, my sermon will investigate anger and some other problems of family life. It's been said with truth that "home is where the heart is," but all too often it is also where the hurt is.
4/25/99	Waste	Earth Day (April 22) is a yearly reminder of our need to care for the earth and its creatures. One of the greatest problems facing people in a "throw-away" culture is the problem of what to do about our waste. Actually, the greatest waste problem currently afflicting our nation and the world is the problem of human waste: that is, the waste of human beings. The sermon will look at the problem of waste from a spiritual and human point of view.
4/11/99	Come, Let Us Reason Together	My sermon title this morning is taken from a passage in the biblical book of Isaiah: "Come, let us reason together, saith the Lord." It speaks to what we are about as a free church community. As we consider the nature of our church and our responsibility to support it spiritually and materially, we might also reflect on what its message could mean to a troubled and troubling world.
4/4/99	The Two Resurrections	Thomas Aquinas said that there were two resurrections: this life and the next. What happens after we die is veiled in mystery. But we can and sometimes do experience resurrection in this life. One poet even urges us to "practice resurrection." The sermon will investigate.
3/28/99	The Jesus We Hardly Know	Down through the centuries, much has been written about and claimed for Jesus. But just how much do we really know about this man whom so many claim to have been divine? One obvious, though oft forgotten fact about him, is that he was a Jew (he wasn't a Christian). Surprisingly, very little is actually known about him, though recent scholarship claims to be learning more. The sermon will investigate the Jesus we hardly know.
3/21/99	Some Stories to Live By	A couple of years ago, I spoke to the Women's Alliance of our church about some of the uncommon wisdom I have gleaned from former parishioners. This morning I will share a few of their stories: stories to live by.
3/7/99	The Beautiful Things	I cried over beautiful things, wrote Carl Sandburg, "knowing no beautiful thing lasts." Change is inevitable. It is also difficult and risky. It can be painful, and so we may try to avoid it. Or we may feel that we are "too old" to change. In truth, where change is involved, it is never too late. Whether we welcome change, fear it, or wish to avoid it, we need to know that we can still be accepted for who we are.
2/28/99	Ordinarily Sacred	Religion is not a discrete category within human experience; it is rather a quality that pervades all of experience, writes Lynda Sexon in her book, Ordinarily Sacred. The sermon will investigate the sacred in the ordinary, in part through the poetry of Puritans Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor.
2/14/99	Love in a Time of Changing Values	We live in a time of changing values when many of the old understandings no longer apply. This can make our relationships particularly difficult as we try to work out new understandings of relational roles and responsibilities. The question is, is it a problem or an opportunity? The sermon will investigate.
1/31/99	Happiness	All of us seek to be happy. But what is happiness, and how do we go about achieving it? Emerson once wrote, "Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself." The sermon will attempt some definition of happiness and suggest some ways that it might be found.
1/24/99	Our Secret Lives	All of us live secret lives. By concealing our true selves, we can cause pain to ourselves and others. The sermon will investigate the balance between secrecy and self-revelation.
1/10/99	Reverence for Life	January 14th marks the birth of Albert Schweitzer in Kayersburg, Alsace in 1875. In a remarkable life of 90 years, Schweitzer fashioned a life which included mastery in the fields of theology, music, and medicine. The sermon will investigate Schweitzer's ethic of reverence for life and how it might be applicable in our lives and the lives of our children. An antidote to impeachment proceedings.