The Mythmakers of Our Congregation

The mythmakers of our congregation (those founders who have gone before us here) shared with me when I first came to this congregation that the name for our church, Starr King, was chosen not only for the man but because they loved the wonderful sound of the name. At this time of year, when we celebrate the season of lights, the holidays that include Christmas, Hanukkah and the Winter Solstice, we are reminded of the beauty of the name Starr as it was sought out in the days following the birth of the baby Jesus.

The three kings were Zoroastrian judicial astrologers or magi from Ancient Persia who, according to the Gospel of Matthew, came “from the east to Jerusalem ” to worship the infant Jesus, whom they describe as the Christ “born King of the Jews.” According to Matthew, they followed a star. Upon finding Jesus, the magi gave him an unspecified number of gifts, amongst which are three highly symbolic ones. The other reason for our congregation’s designation, the person of Thomas Starr King, gives us much to be proud of. Unfortunately, most people no longer know the history of this great humanitarian. Starr, as he was called, lived in the state of California for only four years before his untimely death at age 40. But in that short time, not only was he an eloquent preacher with a powerful draw to the Unitarian church he served in San Francisco , he felt called to campaign for the presidency of Abraham Lincoln and became an advocate for the preservation of the union. According to General Winfield Scott, the Union Army commander-in-chief, Starr King “saved California to the Union .”

He was an environmentalist and an activist, working as a fund-raiser for the Sanitary Commission. His statue stands in Golden Gate Park as well as Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol. As you’ve probably heard by now, on a holiday weekend early last fall, a quick vote in our California legislature asked for removal of this statue, to be replaced with that of Ronald Reagan. Our brand new Secretary of State, Deborah Bowen, a Unitarian Universalist from Santa Monica , has written the governor to ask him to reconsider the request. If it does nothing more, let us hope that a few more people are educated as to the civic and religious importance of great historical leaders like Starr King.

At this time of year, when we focus on the holiday hope of a star, we remember these magi, or “kings” who believed that the star would lead them to the hope of the world. We still have that star, that hope and a great legacy of prophesy in our own religious movement.

In the Spirit of the Season, Katie

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