Rev. Ann C. Fox
(508) 992-7081
minister@uufairhaven.org
Unitarian
Universalist
Society of Fairhaven
“Garden Graces”
a reflection on Transcendentalist
influences
on modern Unitarian Universalism
a sermon by Rev. Ann C. Fox
August 16, 2009
Note: A reading is attached, which you might like to read first
As I turned into our driveway after almost a week in
The reading this morning ended with: “I hear the triumph song of crickets and the satin swish of ocean-tumbled pebbles and my heart reminds me that God is here, not commanding, judging, threatening, or punishing, but creating a world so wonderful, a prayer so obvious that…I could witness its beauty…” [Tarbox, p. 31, see the attached reading]
The late Reverend Elizabeth Tarbox and other Unitarian
Universalist poets and writers are keenly aware that they tread in the
footsteps of Ralph Waldo Emerson, an early nineteenth-century essayist and
former Unitarian minister. Here
is a little of Emerson’s belief about Nature, God or Spirit, in connection
with humankind (which Emerson calls, simply, “man”):
“To speak truly, few adult persons can see nature. Most persons do not see the sun. At least they have a very superficial seeing. . . .The lover of nature is he whose inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other…His [communication] with heaven and earth, becomes part of his daily food…..Nature says, ‘he is my creature………’
Not the sun or the summer alone, but every hour and season yields its tribute of delight….
In the woods too, a man casts off his years, as the snake his [skin]…In the woods is perpetual youth. Within these plantations of God, a decorum and sanctity reign, a perennial festival is dressed, and the guest sees not how he should tire of them in a thousand years. In the woods, we return to reason and faith. There I feel that nothing can befall me in life—no disgrace, no calamity…which nature cannot repair…I become a transparent eyeball…I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God….”
I am the lover of uncontained and immortal beauty….
Nature always wears the colors of the spirit….”
(From “Nature, Addresses and Lectures,” Chapter 1, about 1830. To read more of significance on this subject, read also the Chapter 7, called “Spirit.")
How is it for you to hear Emerson’s words? Do they resonate with you? Do you see that God and nature are in him? And God, through nature, heals and rejuvenates? If so, then perhaps you are partly a Transcendentalist UU.
Emerson and other 19th century
Transcendentalists brought world religions into Unitarianism. They looked to
Hindu scripture to find a continuous thread that ran through the universe of
humankind, nature, God, and the stars, or the “cosmos.” This is where we got
the notion of the “oneness” of all life. From this, we can see that Emerson
had to leave the ministry because his “scripture” had become nature, truth, and beauty. It wasn’t that
he denied Christian scripture—not at all; he just couldn’t do the ritual of
communion or be confined in his
thinking. He looked to his own heart
(and, of course, to nature)
for truth and inspiration. He sought to look
beneath life to discover its
essence, Spirit, and kinship with
nature.
I remind us once more that this building was completed in 1904. Up on
the wall in the Parish House is painted the saying:
“Christian church, pagoda, mosque, and dome, God has in each and all a home.”
This is clearly an acceptance of the world’s religions,
and certainly Emerson’s influence. He was a great influence in
Emerson was disturbed (as was Thoreau) with the
materialism of his age. He felt
that materialism distracted people from the truth of the world and separated
us from sensitivity to nature.
Many of our modern day ecological philosophers have said the same
thing about today’s world—that we have become insensitive to and separated
from nature or the environment. And so it is only recently that we have paid
attention to how we are using the earth. In the past few years, a great
human awakening has taken place on earth; you must surely agree.
Recently, I encountered a new
word that has been created in the spirit of saving the planet. The word
is: precycle. It is a verb
that means the action of considering before purchasing whether something
will be detrimental to the environment and if we think it
will be, we make the decision not to buy it. May we
precycle often!
While it is easy to become disconnected from nature if we’re very
busy with our work and family, it is also easy to
reconnect. We can just go into
the garden and sit, be, and notice. We will soon experience the “grace” of
the garden.
Now here is a joke about God and the environment, BUT, because it is
very long, here is part one. Part
two is next week!
St. Francis’
Lawn Maintenance Joke, Part 1
GOD: St. Francis, you know all about gardens and
nature. What in the world is going on down there in the
ST. FRANCIS: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord—the Suburbanites.
They started calling your flowers weeds and went to great lengths to kill
them and REPLACE them with grass.
GOD: Grass? But it's so boring.
It's not colorful. It doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees, only
grubs and sod worms. It's temperamental with temperatures. Do these
Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there?
ST. FRANCIS:
Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green.
They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant
that crops up in the lawn.
GOD: The rains and warm weather probably
make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy.
ST. FRANCIS: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut
it, sometimes twice a week.
GOD: They cut it? Do they then bale it
like hay?
ST. FRANCIS: Not exactly Lord. Most of them rake it up and
put it in bags.
GOD: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they
sell it?
ST. FRANCIS: No, sir -- just the opposite. They
pay to throw it away.
[Dear
Reader, In the town where I live (and many others in
Part II next week!
Twenty years after Emerson and the Transcendentalists blazed onto the
scene, the theories of
The last 30 years have been important for Unitarian
Universalists. We tried to express our beliefs in common, but our minds and
hearts were too influenced by Emerson and
In recent years, we have interpreted the interdependent
web to include all persons and nature as well. More mystical UUs include
God, spirit, or the divine principle, and even the Universe in this and thus
come full circle with Emerson. A proposed change to the seventh principle
substitutes one word: it replaces “respect” with “reverence”.
So the seventh principle would read “reverence
for the interdependent web of all existence, of which we are a part.”
Would that change the meaning for you?
For me, it gets closer to Emerson’s notion of the inclusiveness of nature,
spirit, and humankind.
Notice that I put our Mission Statement on the front
cover of the Order of Service. Look at the words of the last statement:
Celebrates our lives together through
worship and music with reverence and connectedness to the universe.
I like it. How about you?
For those of you who are new to Unitarian Universalism, be assured that the words of scripture have not been tossed aside by us. However, we do interpret scripture liberally in the light of our own inner knowing and we tend to see the metaphorical meaning much more than more conservative religions. (And we’ll be resuming our Bible study class again in the fall, a daytime session and an evening one.)
I am aware that my allusions to
nature have been primarily
pastoral. I prudently acknowledge that for many of you, ocean, lakes, and
rivers are equally inspiring for there are
many sailors amongst us and they
are likely “worshiping” or at least “connecting” out there as we speak! The
Gardens of our lives are wide indeed and can also include the inner garden
of our souls. But the garden of the earth is the greatest gift that goes on
giving if we tend it well.
"Reverie on an August Afternoon
From Evening Tide by Elizabeth Tarbox (p. 31)
With tired feet I scrunch the pebbles at the shoreline,
walking hard, pushing my body at the wind as if I could break through
the choices and enter the place of peace. A long tree trunk, white with
ocean washing, soft with the long slow tempering of time, beckons my
body and I sit, then lie along its narrow surface.
And from that prone and precarious balance, I see a tree whose
fruit, above the picking line, waits for autumn winds to gather.
I see a hedge of foxglove and blueberry, Queen Anne’s lace and
ragwort, audience to the butterfly ballet choreographed by the unseen
master of the dance.
I hear the triumph song of crickets and the satin swish of
ocean-tumbled pebbles and my heart reminds me that God is here, not
commanding, judging, threatening, or punishing, but creating a world so
wonderful, a prayer so obvious that could I but cease in my fever of
petition, I could witness its beauty, too.
Unitarian
Universalist Principles and Sources
We, the member congregations of the Unitarian
Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote
- The inherent worth and dignity of every
person;
- Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
- Acceptance of one another and encouragement to
spiritual growth in our congregations;
- A free and responsible search for truth and
meaning;
- The right of conscience and the use of the
democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
- The goal of world community with peace, liberty
and justice for all;
- Respect for the interdependent web of all
existence of which we are a part.
The living tradition which we share draws from many sources:
- Direct experience of that transcending mystery and
wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the
spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life;
- Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which
challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice,
compassion and the transforming power of love;
- Wisdom from the world's religions which inspires
us in our ethical and spiritual life;
- Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to
respond to God's love by loving our neighbors as ourselves;
- Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the
guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against
idolatries of the mind and spirit;
- Spiritual teachings of Earth-centered traditions
which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in
harmony with the rhythms of nature.
Grateful for the religious pluralism which enriches and
ennobles our faith, we are inspired to deepen our understanding and expand
our vision. As free congregations we enter into this covenant, promising to
one another our mutual trust and support.
© The Rev. Ann C. Fox