Rev. Ann C. Fox
(508) 992-7081
minister@uufairhaven.org
Unitarian
Universalist
Society of Fairhaven
"Simple Gifts"
a sermon by Rev. Ann C. Fox
August 23, 2009
Note: A reading is attached, which you might like to read first
Something simple, precious, and world changing is being born within
us, especially those of us whose values are already those of the “cultural
creatives,” identified in the reading (at the end of this sermon).
I searched the Internet to find a
symbol for
simplicity. The most common was a circle, sometimes not quite
complete, which has been adopted by the Zen Buddhists. They long ago also
adopted the symbol on your Order of Service, commonly known as the Yin/Yang
symbol (a very symbol of ancient
Know the strength of man,
Know the white,
The circle represents the Tao, the infinite, or the
Universe. The black and the white represent opposing forces; one cannot
exist without the other, and one is contained
in the other. This is life—very
simple, as long as we keep in mind the oneness of the Tao. Perhaps you don’t
think this is so simple on an
intellectual level but a Zen master would say that it is best to
flow with the Tao and all would be known and all would be well.
All of the world’s religions counsel simplicity. In Judaism,
righteousness is the goal. In Christianity, love to God and neighbor
are the two commandments or guidelines. In Buddhism, following the
eight-fold path of righteousness alleviates suffering. In Hinduism, treating
all persons and creatures as they were God itself ensures ending the cycle
of lives, eventually. Some boil
down this similarity to the Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have
done unto you. I think this is contained in the
second of the seven Unitarian
Universalist principles: justice, equity, and compassion in human relationships.
At their best, the religions have counseled support for
the poor and less fortunate. All have examples of communities that gathered
to share wealth in common, including the early Christian church. Nowadays,
religions are searching their scriptures to find words for being stewards of
the earth.
As we look over the spectrum of human history, it is replete with
stories of empires clamoring after wealth and power. The many are sacrificed
to render wealth and power to the few. With the advent of democracy and
social-democracies, ordinary people, like us, in the 20th century
onwards finally had the opportunity to accumulate wealth in goods, and
accumulate and
accumulate and accumulate we have—to the detriment of our earth and
our fragile web of life.
Perhaps we had to go through this stage of knowing what it is like to
possess things, to play with the
toys of the modern world, and to experience
excess. Perhaps you, too, remember
a time when things were not so
readily available. I recently roomed with a woman who had a similar
experience to mine. She had been an immigrant from
When we went to work in an office as young adults, we wore only dark
green, brown, grey, or black dresses, skirts, and blouses, a sort of
work uniform. Life was definitely
simple; couldn’t be more so. We couldn’t afford anything else. For
me, life has become more complex the more things I’ve acquired. I have moved
so often that this is painfully clear. I recently read somewhere, “If you
have a library and a garden, you don’t need anything else.” This is
absolutely true for me but the library is in my
tiny house!
Last week, I told you Part I of a joke about the conversation God and
St. Francis had about earth’s inhabitants’ who covet perfect patches of
grass. See last week’s sermon for Part I. Here is Part II:
St. Francis’
Lawn Maintenance Joke, Part II
Note: Part I
was in Aug. 16th sermon.
GOD: Now, let me get this straight. They fertilize
grass so it will grow. And when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to
throw it away?
ST. FRANCIS: Yes, sir.
GOD: The Suburbanite Tribe must be relieved in the
summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows
the growth and saves them a lot of work.
ST. FRANCIS: You aren't
going to believe this, Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag
out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and
pay to get rid of it.
GOD: What nonsense. At least they kept some of
the trees. That was a sheer stoke of genius, if I do say so myself. The
trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer.
In the autumn they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep
moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. Plus, as they rot,
the leaves form compost to enhance the soil. It's a natural circle of life.
ST. FRANCIS: You'd better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have
drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them INTO great
piles and pay to have them hauled away.
GOD: No! What do they do to
protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter and to keep the soil moist
and loose?
ST. FRANCIS: After throwing away the leaves, they go out
and buy something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it
around in place of the leaves.
GOD: And where do they get this
mulch?
ST. FRANCIS: They cut down trees and grind them up to make
the mulch.
GOD: Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore.
St. Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled
for us tonight?
ST. CATHERINE: Dumb and Dumber, Lord. It's a real
stupid movie about ....
GOD: Never mind, I think I just heard the
whole plot from St. Francis.
It is a wonderful thing that our relationship to landscaping is
changing dramatically as many of us have stopped fertilizing our lawns,
instead, leaving the grass cuttings to provide a
natural fertilizer. God and St.
Francis might be glad to see the extensive
clover and dandelions that
are thriving and competing with the grass.
David Wann points out that far more valuable than manufactured things
are “the values that make us feel
the most alive [such as] good health, relationships with people and animals,
connection with nature, satisfying work, a sense of purpose, abundance of
personal time.” (p. 10, Wann)
I wonder whether the reduced spending nowadays is also due to how
some of us have found we have more time because we’re not spending time
shopping. There is such a lot of concern expressed on the nightly news about
how consumers aren’t spending like they used to. But the fact is, we
absolutely have to make radical changes in our patterns of consumption. I wish
there were more talk about how good
it is that we are finding more wholesome ways of spending our time and
money. Our economy has to thrive
on more simple gifts of life, like
gathering together for potluck suppers, or having country dances for us to
enjoy in community. These radical changes will give us more happiness. The
happiness from consumer goods is soooooo transitory. Cultivating
relationships is long-lasting happiness! One person says, “Happiness is a
way station between too much and too little.” (p. 27, Wann)
One example of how at least one of our European neighbors is becoming
comfortable with less spending is when the prime minister of Holland
“acknowledged that their GDP was not growing but that he was not concerned
because quality of life was
growing in the form of bike paths, industries that take responsibilities for
their wastes, and policies that ensure a fair distribution of wealth.”
(p.38, Wann)
An emphasis on the activities of life that bring us deeper riches
will lead us from an orientation of
self towards the community;
from “me” to “us”! We have before us today a prime example of how we can
change dramatically for the
greater good. A huge majority of the nation expressed that its greatest
concern in the last election was the need to reform
healthcare. Now that we are close
to this possibility, look at the fear that has erupted as people resist sharing wealth by extending a
public healthcare option to the 50 million people without healthcare. This
is fear of
change; it is fear of
sharing; it is fear that by loving our neighbors and blessing them with
what we have that
we will somehow have
less. Actually, we will have
so much more for we will have
loved our neighbors as ourselves and I mean this truly, not idealistically.
It would be a good beginning. It is a
simple gift to extend to our neighbors.
To come back to the Tao and the yin-yang symbol: we might say that the Tao is like our environment. While it has everything to nurture and support us, if we do not preserve its balance of yin/yang and all its opposing forces of light/dark, soft/hard, water/earth, animal/vegetable, weak/strong, etc., we may find it hard to “flow” with the Tao for we will lose our own inner balance, our spiritual life. May we reach for the simpler things and activities that foster a more wholesome life.
Reading from
Simple Prosperty
by David Wann
(pp 248-249)
Rev. Fox’s question: Are you a “cultural creative” type?
[“Cultural Creatives”] pay attention to what is
going on in the world as a whole……They believe that by aligning their
actions with their values, a much more enjoyable and sustainable future
will take shape. Because their worldview is grounded in moderation and
richness of experience, this population sector offers great potential
for instigating a new American lifestyle that provides twice the current
level of satisfaction for half the resources. [These are
some of the values of
Cultural Creatives:]
- [They read more books and magazines than watch
TV…]
- [They prefer natural and healthy foods.]
- They volunteer for [or contribute to] one or more
good causes.
- They want access to
nature, walking and biking paths,
ecological preservation, historic preservation…
- They care…about both psychological and spiritual
development….
- They are consumers of
experiences rather than
things…
- They love
nature and are deeply
concerned about its destruction.
- They place great importance on developing and
maintaining relationships.
- They care about holistic health: body/mind/spirit
is a single entity.
Rev. Fox’s note: If most of these are
your values, you are a
cultural creative, and you are
the visionaries, the
“change-makers” of our culture today.
© The Rev. Ann C. Fox