Rev.
Ann C. Fox
(508) 992-7081
minister@uufairhaven.org
Unitarian Universalist
Society of Fairhaven
Let It Be, or Not
a sermon by Rev. Ann C. Fox
August 19, 2007
Note: A reading is attached, which you might like to read first.
Two 19-year old women were on the television recently being interviewed about what music they like the best. They both said that it wasn’t so much the type of music but that they looked for songs with lyrics that were “deep” and “meaningful” to them. Some songs were “oldies” like the Beatles and others were rap songs. I was glad to hear this. I thought, “People of all generations are not so different. We are all moved by meaningful lyrics.”
If you are like me, there are songs you have known that arrest your attention for one reason or another. The Beatles song “Let It Be” is one of my favorites. (As an aside, the Rolling Stones magazine rated it number 20 on the list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.) I heard Stevie Wonder singing it recently and felt, “Oh but that is the Beatles’ song.” Paul McCartney did write it, of course, but it has been sung by hundreds of other singers, even by Aretha Franklin in her album called a Soul/Jazz Tribute to the Beatles. I am really interested in hearing her sing. If you have the recording, please let me know.
Anne Lamott, whose words we heard today, says in another part of her book that she loves “Let It Be” because it reminds her of Jesus’ mother, Mary and she has a thing for Mary. However, Paul McCartney was not writing about Jesus’ mother but his own mother whose name was Mary.
You might have heard or read that the Beatles were together as a group for only about 10 years. The last four of these years were very difficult. John Lennon wanted to break away from them. Paul tried hard to please John and tensions were high as they all bickered most of the time, particularly since Yoko Ono had come into John’s life and also Paul’s wife, Linda. The Beatles were growing and changing!
“Paul said he wrote [Let It Be] inspired by a dream he had during the most tense period when it seemed the Beatles were certainly breaking up. He dreamt of his mother, Mary…who died of cancer when he was 14 years old. He said, ‘It was great visiting with her again. I felt very blessed to have that dream…’” (information from the online resource Wikipedia) It must have meant a great deal to Paul because he, George, and Ringo performed “Let It Be” during Linda McCartney’s memorial service in 1998.
What did you imagine about who Mary was in the song? Except for George, I knew the Beatles were not very religious or spiritual so I suspected Mary was a real person. I imagine that in those extremely tense days, Paul awakened one day knowing that he had dreamed about his mother and that he had a sense that all would be well and this was the message: ‘Let it be and all will be well.’
We have all had the experience of being very worried and perhaps confused and stressed about something and finally thought ‘I’ll sleep on it!’ and indeed found it was better in the morning. We may even have gained insight into a situation or found the solution to a problem. We may awaken with “The Answer.” At some deep level of himself, Paul knew that he could not hold the group together. But it had been worth trying. This is a dilemma for all of us at sometime in our lives: Should we try to keep things the same? Should we try to adapt to the way things are? Or should we try to change the circumstances?
Our country has faced the same dilemma about the war in Iraq. We heard that Anne Lamott was angry and depressed with the current Administration. Although I think that Anne’s sense of humor would have kept her going, it was her Jesuit friend’s comment that cut through the tension and relieved Anne’s upset. When she asked, “How are we going to get through this craziness?” There was silence for a moment. [Then] he said, “Left foot, right foot, left foot, breathe………….”
Father Tom’s response jogged Anne Lamott out of her attachment to the outcome and need to control and this allowed her to let go. This isn’t to say that she cared any less about justice; it was only that she was able to bear the situation better. She was taking a more expansive view of the situation. What a great lesson for us all! If we are to progress personally and spiritually, this is precisely what we have to learn to do: detach, let go of control, and get a more expansive view. Paul McCartney knew he had to let go for there was nothing he could control.
All of our lives are about knowing when to adjust or let go—how much to push, how much to pull—when we don’t get what we want. Democracy requires that we adjust to a majority vote that sometimes rends our hearts. Mature people stick it out. The less mature (or less committed) stride away or have a tantrum. Our UU congregations are like this. Committed, mature UUs, accept the majority vote and then carry on. This doesn’t mean they can’t work to change what was voted on but the way they work is not from fury.
If we haven’t had time or been able to “sleep” on things, there is a spiritual practice we can do to help us shift our perspective and see the larger picture. That practice is prayer and/or meditation. When we get beyond thought marvelous understanding can come in. Prayer or meditation need not be the silent going inwards that we did this morning. It can be accomplished by sitting on the beach close to the rushing waves; it can be walking in the forest; pondering the beauty of a flower; it can be drumming. These are the ways of the shaman and the most ancient of spiritual practices. The important thing is for the mind to take a back seat; thought must recede. This is almost unbelievable for we often say, “I’ll think on it,” when actually we must often get out of thinking mode in order to solve the problem. What is happening when we do this is that our ego self—our thinking self—must step aside in order for our greater self, our Spirit to step forward with its wisdom, with its “still, small voice.” If we can do social justice work from this place, we would do very good work indeed.
Having said all this, I do not mean that we should do nothing to alter a situation. We must work against social injustice. I mean that we have to know deeply when it is time to let go and “Let It Be.” With a nod to the Serenity Prayer: may we have the courage to change the things we can the wisdom to know when we should ‘let it be.’
Reading from Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott
On my forty-ninth birthday, I decided that all of life was hopeless, and I would eat myself to death…. Better to go out by our own hands than to endure slow death by scolding at the hands of the Bush Administration. However, after a second cup of coffee, I realized that I couldn’t kill myself that morning—not because it was my birthday but because I’d promised to get arrested the next day. I had been arrested three weeks earlier with an ecumenical bunch of religious peaceniks, people who still believe in Dr. King and Gandhi. Also, my back was out…Plus, there was no food in the house, so I took a long, hot shower instead and began another day….
While I was thinking about all this, my Jesuit friend Father Tom called. He is one of my closest friends, a few years older than I, a scruffy aging Birkenstock type, like me, who gives lectures and leads retreats on spirituality…. He called to wish me Happy Birthday.
“How are we going to get through this craziness?” I asked. There was silence for a moment. [Then] he said, “Left foot, right foot, left foot, breathe.” (pp. 2-5)
“LET IT BE” by John Lennon
When I find myself in times of trouble
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
And in my hour of darkness
She is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
Let it be, let it be.
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.
And when the broken hearted people
Living in the world agree,
There will be an answer, let it be.
For though they may be parted there is
Still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer, let it be.
Let it be, let it be. Yeah
There will be an answer, let it be.
And when the night is cloudy,
There is still a light that shines on me,
Shine on until tomorrow, let it be.
I wake up to the sound of music
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
Let it be, let it be.
There will be an answer, let it be.
Let it be, let it be,
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.
© The Rev. Ann C. Fox