{"id":1665,"date":"2013-06-10T07:49:58","date_gmt":"2013-06-10T13:49:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uucollective\/?p=1665"},"modified":"2013-06-10T07:49:58","modified_gmt":"2013-06-10T13:49:58","slug":"a-people-of-promise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/uucollective\/2013\/06\/a-people-of-promise\/","title":{"rendered":"A People of Promise"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

We are all in this together, beloveds. All of creation is ultimately and intimately relational. Our faith is grounded in and continuously points us toward relationship. Covenants, promises about how we will be in relationship, cannot be made by one\u2019s self. There are no solitary covenants \u2013 only communal ones.<\/p>\n

It may surprise a few of you to learn that the Principles and Purposes Unitarian Universalists often speak of are part of congregational covenants. We covenant to affirm and promote the Principles and Purposes as member congregations \u2013 with other UU congregations. Indeed, in spite of the historically individualistic tendency of liberal religion, our strength has always lain in our relationships.<\/p>\n

\u201cNone of us,\u201d writes psychotherapist Marilyn Peterson, \u201ccan survive alone. Our capacity to trust, therefore, is precious because without it, we are isolated from the human community.\u201d (At Personal Risk, 1992).<\/p>\n

During my \u201cyear abroad\u201d in California as an intern minister, I learned an important lesson from the ancient redwood trees of Northern California (author unknown).<\/p>\n

Huge as they are,
\nThey have very shallow root systems.
\nYet they [are] not be blown over by strong winds.
\nThe secret of their stability is
\nThe interweaving of each tree\u2019s roots with
\nThose that stand by it.
\nThus, a vast network of support is formed
\nJust beneath the surface.
\nIn the wildest storms,
\nThese trees hold each other up.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Redwood roots photo by Impressive Magazine Team<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So it is, I believe, with our liberal religious faith, Unitarian Universalism. Because we are an evolutionary faith, described by UU historian Susan Ritchie as \u201cthe Protestant Reformation that never stopped,\u201d it is actually unfaithful for us to send down deep roots of certainty. Instead, we are called to send out many roots in a covenantal interweaving of commitment and accountability, becoming stronger through our relationships with each other.<\/p>\n

May you find joy in the weaving, dear people of promise.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We are all in this together, beloveds. All of creation is ultimately and intimately relational. Our faith is grounded in and continuously points us toward relationship. Covenants, promises about how we will be in relationship, cannot be made by one\u2019s self. There are no solitary covenants \u2013 only communal ones. It may surprise a few […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1207,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,167,158,15,147,187,421,1,115,441,240,256],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-diversity","category-environmental-issues","category-evangelism","category-faith-development","category-relationships-2","category-social-justice","category-sustainability","category-uncategorized","category-unitarian","category-universalist-2","category-values-2","category-world-community"],"yoast_head":"\nA People of Promise<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We are all in this together, beloveds. All of creation is ultimately and intimately relational. 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