By Rev. Rebecca
(Transcript from a recording of Rev. Rebecca’s sermon that was delivered extemporaneously.)

​How many of you know who this is? Mr. Potato Head. Yes, and Mrs. Tater. The female is smaller, but don’t let that fool you – make no assumptions about people or things based on appearances.

I love toys, especially toys from the past. Over time, we learn that some toys are good and helpful, and others are not so much. The same is true about books, traditions, school, church, and the like.

Mr. Potato Head, as far as I understand it, is still a good toy.

The reason I love this is that I can create so many different looks for these potatoes.

I can put things together that seem to go together, like mustache and top hat. Even better I can put things together that I may not realize go together.

Put down toy

These toys model what in improvisation is called “Yes and…” or what in developing relationships multiculturally is called “Both/And.”

This approach to life recognizes that there is no one truth. That truth is contextual and relative to experiences, culture, and many other things.

We can assume in relationships that we know people based on what they look like, what they do for work, even what kind of food they like, or because we’ve known them a long time. And then we learn more.

It reminds me of when my daughter, who was four years old at the time, learned our minister liked ice cream. We saw the minister in the store buying ice cream, and my daughter nearly fell on the floor. “She’s a minister and she like ice cream!”

We all have many parts of ourselves that coexist inside of us and make us who we are. As Unitarian Universalists we promise to celebrate all parts of people.

When we pass judgment or think things or people should be different from what they are, it dishonors them deeply and prevents their genius, meaning their magic, from emerging.

Acting differently sounds easy, but it can feel complicated because we tend to want to know “the truth,” “the one single truth, “but in reality, multiple truths co-exist all the time. Things that contradict each other can be true at the same time. We can love going to church and love spending time walking on the beach on Sundays. We can love people and need time alone. When these apparent opposites occur, we learn to compromise, really listen to what is called for in that moment and accept what is.

It gets even more complicated when we are committed as Unitarian Universalists to honor the worth and dignity of all people, and there are things happening that we disagree with.

Here again we lean into “Yes, And”

When something is wrong, do we stand up and try to change what is happening? Yes

Do we strive to understand the person or people who are doing this and to find compassion or deeper understanding? Yes.

Is it difficult to hold things that seem irreconcilable? Yes.

Do we gain strength and learn from each other? Do we need each other to do this? Yes.

I believe that the greatest gift we have to offer ourselves and the world, what sets Unitarian Universalism apart from other religions, is our commitment to pluralistic spiritual community. Here we value and seek to understand differences. We know that we live in a liquid world and that binary thinking leads only to division between people and within ourselves.

This year in church we are going to be charting our course together in Young Church and developing our mission and vision. It’s hard work, and it’s transformative work.

Like the flowers we are about to bring onto the alter, we all need to participate if we are to co-create the most beautiful path. We don’t know exactly what it will look like, and it will be more beautiful than anything we could ever do alone.

Amen and blessed be.