{"id":27929,"date":"2020-12-13T08:32:34","date_gmt":"2020-12-13T16:32:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/?p=27929"},"modified":"2020-12-13T10:15:00","modified_gmt":"2020-12-13T18:15:00","slug":"the-rites-of-religion-a-small-meditation-following-the-ordination-of-the-reverend-lisa-garcia-sampson-to-the-unitarian-universalist-ministry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/2020\/12\/the-rites-of-religion-a-small-meditation-following-the-ordination-of-the-reverend-lisa-garcia-sampson-to-the-unitarian-universalist-ministry.html","title":{"rendered":"The Rites of Religion: A Small Meditation Following the Ordination of the Reverend Lisa Garcia-Sampson to the Unitarian Universalist Ministry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

This Saturday I had the enormous privilege of being one of the two featured speakers at the ordination of Lisa Garcia-Sampson. Excuse me, the Reverend Lisa Garcia-Sampson. Lisa is currently the Executive Director of the Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry in North Carolina<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve known Reverend Lisa for many years, ever since she wandered in the First Unitarian Church of Providence<\/a> while working her first job out of college. Among my last tasks as minister at Providence was presiding at her & Ry\u2019s wedding. As I watched her grow into her vocation and keeping in touch during her seminary years at Boston University, I\u2019ve often thought I might be a small part in the formation of one of the Association\u2019s great ministers.<\/p>\n

But important on larger stages or not, what she will be is a wise and generous minister. I am a bit of an agist in these matters, suspicious of giving the care of souls to the too young. One\u2019s heart needs breaking, and then there needs a marinade of loss and gain before one can genuinely take on the mantle of ministry. However, that noted, I would have no problems with Lisa being my minister. I feel and profoundly that I could put my heart into her hands and it would be cared for with gentle wisdom. So while age is a factor, and so is formal preparation, neither is an absolute. Mostly it is a matter of the heart. I\u2019ll come back to all that in a moment.<\/p>\n

But first a thought about ordination itself. The rituals of it. Unitarian Universalism has a congregational polity and that means ordinations are performed by congregations. For Lisa the First Unitarian Church of Providence did the honors.<\/p>\n

First there was an invocation of the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n

<\/iframe><\/p>\nAnd then the act of ordination.<\/p>\n\u201cWe the members of the First Unitarian Church of Providence, recognize and affirm your calling to the ministry of our faith. By these words and by the authority of our common spirit and heritage, we ordain you, Rev. Lisa Garcia Sampson, to Unitarian Universalist ministry.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\nAs the words of ordination were pronounced, after the full flush of the moment itself, I thought how for UUs the various issues around ordination in a time of Pandemic that cause significant problems for other religious communities such as Catholic or Episcopal churches, where one must put hands on head as a signal part of the rite, are not an issue.<\/p>\nHere words convey the act. \u201cWe ordain you\u201d carrying all the magic to make the moment.<\/p>\nLike other professions such as law and medicine, there are acts signaling the completing of preparation and the inauguration of the work. So, Lisa\u2019s spouse Ry is a medical doctor, and has gone through such moments, as well.<\/p>\nAnd the ceremonial acts are not absolutely necessary. Ministers in the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Church in Great Britain simply have their names added to a directory. They have no necessary, and I believe, even expected public rite. And while I think that\u2019s fine, each community does what it finds necessary and sufficient, I think it a small sadness.<\/p>\nThere is a place in human affairs for decency and good order. And we need markers along the way of our lives.<\/p>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/81\/2020\/12\/lisa-ry-wedding.jpg\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-27934\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/81\/2020\/12\/lisa-ry-wedding-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"350\"><\/a><\/p>\nWe live in an era where the place of religion is less and less sure. In Europe religion is almost vestigial, a civil service department providing those rites of passage for the community, where historic buildings are otherwise more museums than anything sacred.<\/p>\nBut, and this is so important. They still have those rites. In Japan another country where religion is in rapid decline, there remains a profound need for these markers in our lives.<\/p>\nAmerica is still a very religious country. But the hold of organized religion on hearts and minds is increasingly part of a subset of the culture. Religion\u2019s hold on the formally educated is ever more tenuous. And for everyone religion is increasingly a private matter.<\/p>\nPossibly the only growth area in professional ministry is chaplaincy. Itself a sign of the increasing privatization of religion, where so many are unchurched. But there remains a need, someone with whom one can address the fundamental matters, especially as they arise in sickness and, often, facing death. That meeting in the confines of baring one\u2019s heart can be vitally important.<\/p>\nAnd actual rites of passage remain the major task of religious professionals in our culture. Weddings, for one. Although increasingly that task is taken on by friends who pick up a technical authorization upon payment of a small fee. I think it usually a mistake. Back to that adequate preparation.<\/p>\nOkay, there is no adequate preparation. But the three years Lisa spent at the school of theology at Boston University provided in addition to history and theology and practical things, also gave her a cloister for her heart and companions with whom to explore the mysteries of a religious life. That time mattered.<\/p>\nNow what that mistake in not being prepared is, doesn\u2019t become painfully apparent until we get to the ends of life. We all need markers for coming into the world. For Christians that\u2019s either baptism or a dedication. Some sort of dedication seems important for all of us. And very important is some marker at death. Those who ask there be no funeral or memorial for them are missing the point. The rite isn\u2019t for them, it\u2019s for the living.<\/p>\nAnd in between, there are those tasks that are increasingly taken up by chaplains. Where do you go in a crisis? When is it that the matter is not best taken up with a therapist?<\/p>\nThat part of religion is going to continue for a very long time.<\/p>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/81\/2020\/12\/Lisa-Garcia-Sampson.jpg\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-27935\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/81\/2020\/12\/Lisa-Garcia-Sampson-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"325\" height=\"400\"><\/a><\/p>\nSo, we\u2019re going to need people like Reverend Lisa, whatever happens to the churches themselves.<\/p>\nCultures need priests. Ideally priests with a bit of the shaman in them, as well. People who will tend to the rites of religion as they\u2019re needed. People who will bring their hearts to the grave matters of life and death.<\/p>\nA bit of preaching is rarely out of order, as well. People who will harangue on occasion, reminding us of our better angels, and our obligations to others.<\/p>\nAnd with that whether small or large, gatherings of hearts with some regularity, attending to the deep matters, I hope we don\u2019t lose those.<\/p>\nAnd most of all, \u00a0those who are prepared and can accompany us through the dark valleys of our lives, to bring gentle hands as we come into the world, and as we depart.<\/p>\nWe need them.<\/p>\nSo, thank you, Reverend Lisa, for taking this on.<\/p>\nWe need you\u2026<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LzfZafFIqjE\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u00a0 \u00a0 This Saturday I had the enormous privilege of being one of the two featured speakers at the ordination of Lisa Garcia-Sampson. Excuse me, the Reverend Lisa Garcia-Sampson. Lisa is currently the Executive Director of the Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry in North Carolina. I\u2019ve known Reverend Lisa for many years, ever since she wandered […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":120,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n<title>The Rites of Religion: A Small Meditation Following the Ordination of the Reverend Lisa Garcia-Sampson to the Unitarian Universalist Ministry<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"    This Saturday I had the enormous privilege of being one of the two featured speakers at the ordination of Lisa Garcia-Sampson. Excuse me,\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/2020\/12\/the-rites-of-religion-a-small-meditation-following-the-ordination-of-the-reverend-lisa-garcia-sampson-to-the-unitarian-universalist-ministry.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Rites of Religion: A Small Meditation Following the Ordination of the Reverend Lisa Garcia-Sampson to the Unitarian Universalist Ministry\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"    This Saturday I had the enormous privilege of being one of the two featured speakers at the ordination of Lisa Garcia-Sampson. Excuse me,\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/2020\/12\/the-rites-of-religion-a-small-meditation-following-the-ordination-of-the-reverend-lisa-garcia-sampson-to-the-unitarian-universalist-ministry.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Monkey Mind\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/james.ford.1029\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-12-13T16:32:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-12-13T18:15:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/81\/2020\/12\/Lisa-Garcia-Sampson-2-231x300.jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"James Ford\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"James Ford\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/2020\/12\/the-rites-of-religion-a-small-meditation-following-the-ordination-of-the-reverend-lisa-garcia-sampson-to-the-unitarian-universalist-ministry.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/2020\/12\/the-rites-of-religion-a-small-meditation-following-the-ordination-of-the-reverend-lisa-garcia-sampson-to-the-unitarian-universalist-ministry.html\",\"name\":\"The Rites of Religion: A Small Meditation Following the Ordination of the Reverend Lisa Garcia-Sampson to the Unitarian Universalist Ministry\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2020-12-13T16:32:34+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-12-13T18:15:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/#\/schema\/person\/3f37f475fb5078d1e7faa93a63a0fddb\"},\"description\":\"    This Saturday I had the enormous privilege of being one of the two featured speakers at the ordination of Lisa Garcia-Sampson. Excuse me,\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/2020\/12\/the-rites-of-religion-a-small-meditation-following-the-ordination-of-the-reverend-lisa-garcia-sampson-to-the-unitarian-universalist-ministry.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/2020\/12\/the-rites-of-religion-a-small-meditation-following-the-ordination-of-the-reverend-lisa-garcia-sampson-to-the-unitarian-universalist-ministry.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/2020\/12\/the-rites-of-religion-a-small-meditation-following-the-ordination-of-the-reverend-lisa-garcia-sampson-to-the-unitarian-universalist-ministry.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Rites of Religion: A Small Meditation Following the Ordination of the Reverend Lisa Garcia-Sampson to the Unitarian Universalist Ministry\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/\",\"name\":\"Monkey Mind\",\"description\":\"Easily distracted...\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/#\/schema\/person\/3f37f475fb5078d1e7faa93a63a0fddb\",\"name\":\"James Ford\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fa18971b225a3bb79f0c4c381a5fae20?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fa18971b225a3bb79f0c4c381a5fae20?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"James Ford\"},\"description\":\"James Ishmael Ford is a writer and spiritual director. He has been authorized as a teacher within two traditional Zen lineages. James has washed dishes, assisted a crab fisherman on the Florida keys, worked in bookstores up and down the California coast, and served as a Unitarian Universalist parish minister. He currently lives with his spouse Jan and her mother in Los Angeles. His next book the Intimate Way of Zen is due from Shambhala Publications in July, 2024.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.emptymoonzen.org\",\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/james.ford.1029\",\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/James_Ishmael_Ford\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/author\/jamesford\"}]}<\/script>\n","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Rites of Religion: A Small Meditation Following the Ordination of the Reverend Lisa Garcia-Sampson to the Unitarian Universalist Ministry","description":"    This Saturday I had the enormous privilege of being one of the two featured speakers at the ordination of Lisa Garcia-Sampson. Excuse me,","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/2020\/12\/the-rites-of-religion-a-small-meditation-following-the-ordination-of-the-reverend-lisa-garcia-sampson-to-the-unitarian-universalist-ministry.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Rites of Religion: A Small Meditation Following the Ordination of the Reverend Lisa Garcia-Sampson to the Unitarian Universalist Ministry","og_description":"    This Saturday I had the enormous privilege of being one of the two featured speakers at the ordination of Lisa Garcia-Sampson. Excuse me,","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/2020\/12\/the-rites-of-religion-a-small-meditation-following-the-ordination-of-the-reverend-lisa-garcia-sampson-to-the-unitarian-universalist-ministry.html","og_site_name":"Monkey Mind","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/james.ford.1029","article_published_time":"2020-12-13T16:32:34+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-12-13T18:15:00+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/81\/2020\/12\/Lisa-Garcia-Sampson-2-231x300.jpeg"}],"author":"James Ford","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"James Ford","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/2020\/12\/the-rites-of-religion-a-small-meditation-following-the-ordination-of-the-reverend-lisa-garcia-sampson-to-the-unitarian-universalist-ministry.html","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/2020\/12\/the-rites-of-religion-a-small-meditation-following-the-ordination-of-the-reverend-lisa-garcia-sampson-to-the-unitarian-universalist-ministry.html","name":"The Rites of Religion: A Small Meditation Following the Ordination of the Reverend Lisa Garcia-Sampson to the Unitarian Universalist Ministry","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/#website"},"datePublished":"2020-12-13T16:32:34+00:00","dateModified":"2020-12-13T18:15:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/#\/schema\/person\/3f37f475fb5078d1e7faa93a63a0fddb"},"description":"    This Saturday I had the enormous privilege of being one of the two featured speakers at the ordination of Lisa Garcia-Sampson. Excuse me,","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/2020\/12\/the-rites-of-religion-a-small-meditation-following-the-ordination-of-the-reverend-lisa-garcia-sampson-to-the-unitarian-universalist-ministry.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/2020\/12\/the-rites-of-religion-a-small-meditation-following-the-ordination-of-the-reverend-lisa-garcia-sampson-to-the-unitarian-universalist-ministry.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/2020\/12\/the-rites-of-religion-a-small-meditation-following-the-ordination-of-the-reverend-lisa-garcia-sampson-to-the-unitarian-universalist-ministry.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Rites of Religion: A Small Meditation Following the Ordination of the Reverend Lisa Garcia-Sampson to the Unitarian Universalist Ministry"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/","name":"Monkey Mind","description":"Easily distracted...","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/#\/schema\/person\/3f37f475fb5078d1e7faa93a63a0fddb","name":"James Ford","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fa18971b225a3bb79f0c4c381a5fae20?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/fa18971b225a3bb79f0c4c381a5fae20?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"James Ford"},"description":"James Ishmael Ford is a writer and spiritual director. He has been authorized as a teacher within two traditional Zen lineages. James has washed dishes, assisted a crab fisherman on the Florida keys, worked in bookstores up and down the California coast, and served as a Unitarian Universalist parish minister. He currently lives with his spouse Jan and her mother in Los Angeles. His next book the Intimate Way of Zen is due from Shambhala Publications in July, 2024.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.emptymoonzen.org","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/james.ford.1029","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/James_Ishmael_Ford"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/author\/jamesford"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27929","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/120"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27929"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27929\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/monkeymind\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}