Sharing the Divine

I believe it was Alice Walker, a humanist, who said, “They come to church to share God, not find God.” And given her theological bent, I’d say that comment says more about people and community than it does about the nature of God. It says to me that there is something holy, sacred, even divine, about what we experience when we come together and maybe also in how we are when we are with each other. (I invite you to look elsewhere in this newsletter for the latest information on our draft covenant of good relations, which speaks to the intentionality of our contacts here.)

Recently, when our liaison to the district Growth Committee phoned to check in with us, I shared with her my excitement about all of the wonderful people and activities at our church. We have the great fortune to have recently welcomed into membership a number of new folks, and it has been a joy to see visitors each week gracing our doors, bringing hopeful hearts and minds. I have found that this influx of people has infused us with a spiritual virus of which we’ve had both want and need. One of the participants at a workshop a number of us attended last weekend wisely remarked, “When I look at these new people I see the missing pieces of our congregation!”

I know for me, the notion that God is in the relationships so often tells the story. In other words, our religiously liberal community inspires passion when I see and hear people connecting with each other, discovering new parts of themselves and listening deeply to others. I believe that we offer transformation and growth when I see us reach out to others in our community and when we look outside ourselves to make the world better. Our members tell me they are moved by the candles of prayer that others light during worship, that they are stirred by the sharing that takes place in our small groups, and they are overjoyed when we come together at events such as our Martin Luther King, Jr. march, a South Hayward Parish community activity that just celebrated its fifth successful year and that was inspired in large part by this congregation.

There is Good News about Unitarian Universalism and some darn-good news about Starr King Church . This is a place where we can come to be authentic with each other, where we can come to grow and learn and discover a richer and more meaningful inner life. I invite you to find a way to share your wisdom, your discoveries and even your uncertainties and struggles with each other, whether you do that sitting in the sanctuary, washing in the kitchen, digging in the gardens of the grounds or visiting in the office. Come to this church to share. Share God or yourself, or share the love of life.