I want to respond to the question about obedience, both because you raise important concerns and because I stand by what I said. I couldn’t unpack it in the sermon because I knew the service was already going to be 90 minutes long, but am planning to write a fuller exploration of this theme soon.

What I will say in the mean time is that the obedience I refer to is not to ordained people, or any people at all, but to the power of that greatest goodness, the power of love, of the living God. Once we have chosen freely to join a church, part of our decision is to order our lives according to something greater than we would otherwise choose on our own — and to help each other keep to that promise, especially when it’s hard.

Stay tuned for more.

Like gluten and dairy, the obedience part didn’t agree with me. According to Dictionary.com, “obedience” is defined as “the state or quality of being obedient” which, of course, brought me to the definition of “obedient” as “obeying or willing to obey; complying with or submissive to authority.” The root word, “obey” is defined as “to comply with or follow the commands, restrictions, wishes, or instructions of: to obey one’s parent.” The word and its definitions reminded me of the outdated “bow down” phrase on the walls of our meeting house. I accept that those painted words are part of the church’s history, but is “obedience” really a relevant phrase for today when, as you noted, more people choose yoga over church?

I know that you spoke of “obedience” in response to Walter Brueggemann’s prayer that I assume Erik chose to be included in his ordination service. Still, the word gives me pause. Unlike the faith that I was raised in and later rejected, I see my participation in the UU church as a choice. I come to church as part of my desire to build a relationship with a personal, loving spirit of the universe. It is not a place that I go to worship an authority that I must submit to.

Now on to the parts that I loved, so this verbose comment will end on a high note, because I really did enjoy this sermon and MOST of your sermons.

You said: “Our job is to be the ones who hear the needs deeply and offer in response some confidence – not an arrogant confidence of unwavering belief, but the deep trust of a faith that has changed our lives. And to equip others to do the same.”

That’s what you have done for me, Parisa, and what I imagine that Erik will do for people in his church. You are human beings who, as one of the speakers said, only stand in the pulpit to be heard. You are powers of example which impresses me way more than those who to claim to be experts or chosen by God.

I will never forget a conversation we had shortly after you joined First Parish when I came to you with a very difficult decision about ending my marriage. You were then, and continue to be a real live woman who is a wife, a mother, and a minister. I didn’t feel like you were better than me but I also trusted that you could offer me spiritual guidance.

During Erik’s ordination sermon, you also said, “We are asked to make it our sacred duty to tend the holy fire so that it is big enough to melt hardened hearts and warm those brought in from the cold, but not so big that it consumes or destroys the folks who gather around its inviting glow.”

You do that for me and the rest of the First Parish community. I hope you thoroughly enjoy your sabbatical and that you re-energize yourself to continue tending the holy fire that warms so many.

Julie

Carrie Lamont