By Rev. Rebecca Bryan
“I never envisioned that a religious community would have such a significant impact on my life… my entire extended family has been supported and influenced by the spirituality and teachings that we have received here” 

These are powerful words offered by Jay Iannini this morning. How true they are, at least for me, and I know that they are also true for many of you. If they are not, I invite you to try again or stay awhile. 

There are many powerful things about community. Genuine community, grounded in principles and virtues of love, truth and justice, like ours, accepts us as we are. At the same time, it draws us into a better version of ourselves. 

Buddhist teacher and author, Larry Yang, describes in detail the transformative potential of community in his book Awakening Together. He writes, “I’d needed a community that I could call home in order to embody and internalize deeply for myself that I am worthy of belonging in this world, regardless of external conditions. When my life itself, the worthiness of this precious life, becomes my true home…I have achieved a measure of freedom. It was not something that I could have done by myself.” 

Ours is a faith tradition built upon covenant, or promises, that we make about how we aspire to live with ourselves, each other, and the world. Speaking these covenants aloud each week in our Affirmation of Faith and Unison Benediction makes them, like anything that we spend time with again and again, a part of ourselves. We say them together, and they change us, often without our even realizing it. 

We often speak about the hope and promise of our faith. We rejoice in our coming together and celebrate the promises that we make with one another (think Installation).

We also hold one another in this space. We set aside time each week for holding each other’s joys and sorrows. We spend time in prayer, meditation and contemplation.  

We open our hearts and our minds. We show up for one another. When illnesses, losses, and death come, we grieve for one another and with one another. 

We are community. All are welcome here.

We also all make mistakes. We come with our stories, flaws and defenses. We make promises, spoken and unspoken, and we fall short. We intend to write that note, check out that group, and come every Sunday; but we get busy, forgetful, or otherwise engaged. 

We promise ourselves that we will do better, and instead, we stay the same and, sometimes, even do worse. We are humans in community. Jewish philosopher Martin Buber aptly describes people as the “…the promise-making, promise-keeping, promise-breaking, promise-renewing creature.”

In a few minutes we are all going to be invited to do two things. Both are invitations, not requirements, that I hope you will consider seriously.  

First, you are going to be asked to write down your hopes and your promises for this community. These can take many different forms, and you are really writing them for yourselves, not me or the staff or the canvass team. This is not an exercise in the strategic planning that will come next year. It is an exercise in self-reflection and renewal. It is an invitation to give yourself a gift by consciously stating your intentions for this place and how you want to be here.

Some of you may write down how you hope to be involved or what you hope that we do next year collectively. Others of you may take this time to write something far more personal. Perhaps you need time in community to heal a heartbreak or have a safe place to go and be with yourself. Maybe you have changes that are coming or that you are currently hoping to make. All of those and whatever else speaks to you work. Write what you need from this community, what you need to bring and receive. 

Second, I invite you to write your financial pledge on the other side of the card. (There are cards in all of your pews as well as pens and pencils.) I invite you to take a moment and really consider what you can give to support this place. We need everyone’s support.

I know that Bart and I made an increased gift from last year, and then we increased it again. We increased it again because I needed it to feel just enough uncomfortable. Because we grow in commitment and discomfort. I hope that everyone here pledges – to yourself and to this community. I hope that you do it because you deserve it and commitment turns wishes into reality. 

As Jay said, “We all have our reasons for being here, and all of them deserve support.”

As we all write, Don Ketzler is going to play for us. Relax and take in the music. Open your mind and your heart. 

When Don finishes playing, I will invite all of you who are willing and able to come forward and to place your card and your offering in the basket on the alter. Do so knowing that your wishes are being held and uplifted and ever so gratefully received.