Sunday Service: Modern Judaism - June 14th, 2015

Modern Judaism

By Reverend Tom Capo

06/14/2015

From the Babylonian Talmud, comes these words:  

 “In the hour when an individual is brought before the heavenly court for judgment, the person is asked:  Did you conduct your [business] affairs honestly?  Did you set aside regular time for Torah study?  Did you work at having children?  Did you look forward to the world’s redemption?”  

Please note that “Did you believe in God?” and “Did you observe all the rituals?” are not considered as the first questions to be asked of a Jewish person when they are reunited with God, according to this Rabbinic text.

I titled this sermon Modern Judaism, but that is not an entirely accurate title.  I am actually going to talk about Rabbinic Judaism, the Judaism that all sects of the Jewish people recognize as their faith.  What is Rabbinic Judaism?  We will need to consider a little Jewish history to answer that question.

In the fourth year of his reign, around 833 BCE, the Jewish King Solomon found himself at peace with his neighbors and began the construction of the Temple, a place where the Jewish peoples could come to ground themselves in the practices and rituals of their faith. The site chosen by King David was the top of Mount Moriah, where Abraham had once proved his readiness to offer up his dearly beloved son in obedience to G d's command.  The practices and rituals of the temple were led by Jewish priests.  Now many of the Jewish people made regular pilgrimages to the Temple--the temple and the priests were in Jerusalem--but for most of the Jewish people that was a very long way to go.  They needed people to teach the children Hebrew and to hold a recognition ceremony when a child became an adult, a Bar Mitzvah, and to help the Jewish people in the towns and villages remember, practice, and interpret the basic tenets of their faith, and those were the Rabbis.  Rabbis were and are Jewish scholars, people trained in Jewish law, ritual, and tradition, discerning what is lawful in Judaism and performing Jewish ceremonies.   It was during the first destruction of the Temple, when Israel was defeated and the Jewish people were exiled to Babylonia, that the role of the Rabbi increased in significance.  

By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, we also wept, when we remembered Zion. We hung our lyres on the willows in its midst. For there those who carried us away captive required of us a song; and those who tormented us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How shall we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember you, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy. (Psalms 137:1-6)

While the people of Israel grieved the loss of their country and their Temple, they still practiced their faith.  The Rabbis, rather than the Temple or the priests, were called upon to ground the people in their faith.  It is also believed by many scholars that during this exile the Talmud, the central text of Rabbinic Judaism, was written.  This text contains commentaries and stories written by Rabbis to help the Jewish people interpret the Jewish Bible, its laws and traditions.

The story that Jo Linsley shared with us today is an allegoric Rabbinic story of the final sacking and destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE by the Romans.  The jewels are the tenets of the Jewish faith, G-d’s teachings.  The Jewish people are the pigeons.  The castle was the State of Israel or the Temple in Jerusalem.  Rabbi Tzvi Freeman writes of this story: “In our history, the pattern of destruction and exile has repeated itself many times. We began in exile, in the land of Egypt. Then there was the destruction of the first Holy Temple and exile to Babylonia, and then the second destruction and a very lengthy exile, which we still endure. There is no other nation that has been spread so far apart, yet retained identity as a single whole, always with hope to return. And all of it was part of G-d’s divine plan, to retrieve all the sparks of holiness. Which is what we did, because wherever we go, we use the materials, the foods, the music, the customs of that place in a Torah way.”  

“But now has come the time for us to all return home” is how the story ends.  This can mean the country of Israel; the spiritual home of the Jewish people has returned.  Or it could mean that the Jewish people have created new homes for their faith wherever they live in community with one another.  The latter meaning is closer to a Rabbinical vision of the Jewish faith.  This tradition, with all its destructions and exiles, had to find a new home, a home wherever they were.  The Jewish people carry their faith in their hearts and through their lives, not in a Temple or even in a country.  Those externals are fragile and can be taken away.  Only when a faith lives within the person and through the way they live their lives can it never be taken away. 

Sunday Service: Where is the Love in the Political Parties? Sunday May 10th 2015

Where is the Love in the Political Parties?

By Reverend Tom Capo

Preached on 5/10/2015

In Washington and in most state capitols, finger pointing, blaming, yelling, discrediting, and finding fault in the “other” political party is how our government is working, or rather not working.  Calling Republicans Nazis and Democrats Communists is not uncommon for political pundits on the left and on the right.  Gerrymandering districts and huge amounts of money, with the accompanying political influence, are the way politicians stay in power.  

Here is Political Scientist, Paul Enrique C. Casas’ view of today’s political conundrum.   Liberals feel change is good.  And those on the extreme left want lots of change/change everything. Conservatives want to change slowly and have very little change.  And on the extreme right, they want no change or even want some of the changes that has happened reversed.    Both Democrats and Republicans who are moderate in their political views want to change some things and leave others alone.  At least right now few of those moderates are getting elected or even want to be involved in politics because they believe that the radicals and reactionaries in the two political parties have taken over and are unwilling to compromise.   

With the extreme left and right controlling the political parties, it is not surprising that the party who is in the majority acts like the crocodile man who owns fire and refuses to share it.  Is it any wonder there is so little love between our politicians and political parties?  Where is the rainbow bird to whisk away the fire, to show them how to share that power?

Sunday Sermon: Affirm and Promote that Black Lives Matter, Sunday March 29th 2015

Affirm and Promote that Black Lives Matter

By Reverend Tom Capo

Preached on 3/29/2015

How do we put value on lives?  There is a movement in our country called “Black Lives Matter.”  Our Unitarian Universalist Association has a web page devoted to the “Black Lives Matter” movement, which continues to build as more and more awareness of systemic racism is raised.   Trayvon Marin, Michael Brown, Jr., Eric Garner.  How many more Black men have to be killed before America wakes up to the racial injustice inherent in our daily lives?  What will it take for us to stand up as white allies and speak truth to power?

In the book Soul Work: anti-racism theologies in dialogue, Reverend Patricia Jimenez writes: “Unitarian Universalist minister Reverend Paul Rasor has suggested and others have affirmed [that] racism [and oppression are] problems of “othering” people, of holding some up as superior and putting others down as inferior.  It is embedded in our way of doing things in this country and gets played out in many ways, including personal disdain and hatred, institutional discrimination, and cultural domination.  All of these represent power-over—domination, which is a fundamental evil, a theological problem that we [Unitarian Universalists] are seeking to address.”

I have heard some people, some liberal voices say, “Instead of promoting ‘Black Lives Matter’ why don’t we affirm that ‘All Lives Matter’.  Making the movement about ‘All Live Matter’ would raise everyone’s worth and value to the same level, rather than focusing just on people of color.”  Well, before I answer that, let’s hear from Peter, a white man.

“Here and now, I don't feel affirmed living out issues of race. This is a dirty business willed to us by people who looked like me. However, what doesn’t kill me makes me stronger, and I can do nothing without doing some harm. I am moving from being an etherized White man ignorant of race to being a European American man discomforted everywhere...My participation at a self-consciously diverse Unitarian Universalist church dismantling racism in fits and starts has offered consolation. Despite my being and my action, my brothers and sisters remain authentically engaged with me in things that I get right and things that I get wrong. Like an unreformed drunk (since my culture will not yet allow me to live one hour, much less one day at a time, privilege-free), I must lean on the good will of my fellow travelers in this religious community I have chosen to join. It’s their good will and its reflection of their perception of my good will that offers affirmation.”

The voices you will hear throughout this sermon are those of Unitarian Universalists struggling with racism and oppression—none of them are from our church.  I will also share some of my experiences and insights.  My hope is something you hear today will touch you, reach you, and perhaps motivate you to look at racism and oppression differently.  Our faith calls us to intentional work to dismantle racism and oppression, in our churches and in our world.  Our Unitarian Universalist Principles and our heritage as change agents in society call us to do this work.  However, we need to remember as we do this work that we are human, and humans have blinders.  Even Unitarian Universalist humans have blinders.  We don’t always recognize when racism or oppression happens around us, even when it happens in our denomination or in our church.  I know it has happened in our churches.  

Sunday Service: Not Just I, Community is We - September 21st, 2014

Not just I, Community is We

Reverend Tom Capo

9/21/2014

A long long time ago

I can still remember how the music used to make me smile

And I knew if I had my chance

That I could make those people dance

And maybe the’d be happy for a while

But February made me shiver

With every paper I’d deliver

Bad news on the doorstep

I couldn’t take one more step

Great works of art, music included, ask the viewer or listener to bring a little of themselves into the experience.  Thus, the meaning of art or music is constantly shifting little, nuanced by whatever the viewer’s or listen’s life, wherever they are on their journey.  Don McLean, the writer and composer of “American Pie” never really talked about what he was trying to say when he wrote the song.  Many other people have attributed meaning to it.  Some say that McLean was talking about the turbulent 60’s, some that McLean was expressing regret over the death of the civil rights movement, some that McLean was bemoaning the death of danceable rock and roll music.  Some have written that McLean was grieving for what he perceived as the death of religion and other traditional ideas from his childhood.   Others have found what they believe to be references to rock musicians Buddy Holly,Janis Joplin, and the Beatles, civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. and politicians President Jack Kennedy, and Senator Bobby Kennedy.  And we hear names in the song, including communist and socialist revolutionaries Vladimir Lenin, and Karl Marx, in addition to the Catholic Trinity, the father, son, and holy ghost, and actor James Dean.  What could this song have to do with beloved community?  So, how does “America Pie” speak to us about being in covenant with one another as a beloved community?

Sunday Sermon: Ingathering Service & Water Communion - September 7th, 2014

Ingathering Service 2014

Water Communion

Reverend Tom Capo

Story--The Water Bearer's Garden  (Reverend Tom)

(From uu & me! Collected Stories, edited by Betsy Hill Williams; Boston: Skinner House, 2003). 

A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on one end of a pole that he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it. At the end of the long walk from the stream on the master's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full, while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. For two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his master's house.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."

"Why?" asked the bearer, "What are you ashamed of?"

"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house.

Because of my flaws, you have to do all this work, and you don't get full value from our efforts," the pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt sad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again the pot apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on our side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house.

"We all have our own unique flaws. We are all cracked pots. In the great web of life, nothing goes to waste. Don't be afraid of your flaws. Acknowledge them, and you too can be the cause of beauty. Know that in our weakness we find our strength.

Sunday Sermon: Where Are We Going - August 17th, 2014

“Where Are We Going” 

By Reverend Tom Capo

8/17/2014

Here is a future of Unitarian Universalism: Chalice Man and his Friend, the Flame, save people from fundamentalist beliefs and spread the message of Unitarian Universalism to all those in need of our free faith telling everyone that they meet about a faith home where people can responsibly search for truth and meaning without creeds or dogmas.

Actually, this probably isn’t the future of Unitarian Universalism.  But what is? 

Sunday Sermon: Who We Are (in Unitarian Universalism) Today - August 10th, 2014

“Who Are We (in Unitarian Universalism) Today”

By Reverend Tom Capo

August 10, 2014

The God of Abraham said to Moses: “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”

Now you might wonder why I started out with this excerpt from the Jewish Torah.  Well, to explain this, let me start with a little about myself.  I grew up Catholic and when I was in High School I realized that I no longer held the same beliefs as the other people in my church.  I did not believe that women shouldn’t use contraception; I didn’t believe that a woman shouldn’t have the right to choose whether to have a child or not; I no longer believed in the Trinity—a Father-God, Son-God, and Holy Spirit-God, all in one.  I found myself unable to participate in Communion or Confession; I could no longer even say the Lord’s Prayer.  I felt in exile from the faith of my childhood.  And I quickly realized that I would no longer fit in any Christological faith home.  I was in exile from all Christian churches, an exile that was imposed by myself, yes, but also imposed by churches that would only welcome me if I accepted and professed their dogma.

The Human Spirit with Rev. Tom

Sunday marked the beginning of a new chapter at DuPage Unitarian Universalist Church (DUUC) as Reverend Tom Capo lead his first Sunday service.

You can read all about Rev. Tom's journey join DUUC HERE and share in our excitement to have him as the minister to our congregation and local community.

Rev. Tom will be contributing to this blog and in time we hope to have his sermons (both video and script) available for all through this forum.

In addition we are pleased that he will be journaling his own experience in ministry at:
http://reverendtomcapo.blogspot.com/

His first posting is up and we invite our congregants and friends to read his First Reflection.

We also welcome you every week to join us on Sunday for our service, coffee/lemonade social hour, and youth religious education. 

*Remember - through August we hold one Sunday Service at 10:00am*  

Heart Talk: Youth Religious Education

Photo Credit: "Rainbow paper heart bunting" by the green gables Flickr 

©Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License

We are midway through our Spring session of Youth Religious Education (Y.R.E) 
here at DuPage Unitarian Universalist Church. It is great to see our young congregants meeting together, forming friendships, and discussing great things together. 

This session, in our 1st - 6th grade classes we are using a new (to us!) curriculum called Heart Talk for Kids©. 

Heart Talk for Kids© is based on Compassionate  (Nonviolent) Communication. Curriculum designers Debbie Berkana and Veronica  Lassen, were inspired to create Heart Talk because of their passion for creating  more connection and peace on the planet. 

The main intention is to create a space where people truly see each other. This space of respectful connection is a place that honors the ‘inherent worth and dignity of every person.’ It is a space that allows us to live our UU values. Each lesson in the curriculum includes specific references to one or more UU Principles.

Sample of Lesson Topics:- Heart Talk Introduction - Observation - Feelings - Human Universal Needs- Requests - Self-Empathy - Exploring Anger - 6th grade classes, we are using a new (to us!) curriculum - Gratitude and Celebration - Observation in Nature - Empathy and Conflict Resolution Empathy for Others - Anger, Empathy and Conflict Resolution - Peace and Contribution 

If you have a child in the Y.R.E program we encourage you to spend some time discussing their classroom theme for the day and their thoughts on the topic. OurY.R.E children have amazing insight and the lesson themes encourage openness and discussion.

For more information on Heart Talk for Kids© or the research that led to its creation please visit:www.heartvistas.com Debbie and Veronica live in the Pacific Northwest and arecommitted to growing luscious tomatoes, happy children and peace. 

www.cnvc.org : international Nonviolent Communication (NVC) website with information on NVC activities worldwide. You can also find a list of feelings and 
universal needs there.

www.nonviolentcommunication.com : Puddledancer Press, publisher of NVC-related materials. It includes many articles on parenting, NVC in schools, mediation, restorative justice, interviews with Marshall Rosenberg, etc.

The Seventh UU Principle—Respect for the Interdependent Web of All Existence of Which We are a Part

Human rights, equity, justice, tolerance, respect, and a peaceful coexistence among all peoples of the world, are important values to me. Nature is something I appreciate, value and respect also—a peaceful coexistence with nature is part of my belief system, too. The seventh UU principle—respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part—is an important tenet to me. Its presence as a stated value of Unitarian Universalism weighed deeply in the decision I made to embrace this church. I believe that we are a part of the earth—not apart from the earth, and  try to live my life in coherence with this idea.

Planet Earth is a wondrous place with incredible physical formations, abundant natural resources, and biodiversity of which we should be in awe. Multiple interacting systems exist having achieved dynamic equilibria over billions of years. Yet a multitude of problems now trouble our world because humans have not learned to live in harmony with Earth’s formations and resources, its biodiversity and those interacting systems. We have used natural resources as if all were in infinite supply, without regard to the needs of future generations, and taken nature’s capital and ecosystem services for granted. We live as if we are apart from the earth, not a part of the earth.1 It is critical that we educate ourselves and other citizens about the problems human civilization has brought to this planet, yet equally important, we must utilize our knowledge of science, engineering, and technology, in tandem with our creativity, innovation, spirituality, knowledge of human psychology, and the law, to change our human places and practices. We need to think globally, yet act locally—in our homes, schools, and places of worship, in addition to where we earn our livelihoods, and carry on the other businesses of our human civilization. In short, we need to live as a part of the earth if we are to live sustainably. Indeed, we need to respect the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

In subsequent posts DUUC Green Sanctuary members will blog about environmental issues, local green events, and everyday actions we can take to live our seventh principle.

Susan Camasta

1 I recall this idea from reading John Marshall III’s, To You We Shall Return: Lessons About Our Planet From the Lakota (2010).

The Right of Conscience and the Use of the Democratic Process within our Congregations and in Society at Large

My first experience with the exercise of this principle came shortly after I started attending our church. The morning announcements included one that there would be a congregational meeting to vote on an expenditure. I’d often heard that visitors were welcome at all meetings, so I decided to stay and observe. I’d been involved in another volunteer organization that had been distinctly non-democratic for many years and had witnessed the growing pains around its attempts to distribute responsibility and decision-making to the local level. So I was intensely curious about how this new-to-me community managed such a feat.

Our congregation uses Roberts’ Rules of Order to organize congregational meetings. I was familiar enough with those rules that I could follow the talk of motions and seconds and calls. Although I don’t remember the substance of that meeting, the conduct of it felt fair to me.

Over time, I’ve seen our congregation use Roberts’ Rules and democratic process with varying degrees of familiarity and skill. But the sense of fairness has remained. We embody the spirit of democratic process. Some people have more to say than others, but the group works to be sure that everybody has a chance to speak if they want to. When one person has trouble expressing themselves, others will help them clarify and express their ideas. When the meeting starts to run long, someone will mention that and encourage us to reach whatever consensus is possible rather than talk the issue to death.

People occasionally become overwrought about one issue or another. But they seem to remember that they want to live in peace with one another, so they don’t burn bridges even over issues that burn in their souls. They trust that they will get a chance to speak about their concerns again or to act on them in some other way. They trust that they won’t be ostracized for having minority views.

We work to teach these principles to our youth in our religious education program, too. We have our principles on plaques on the walls of all our religious education classrooms, although written in simpler language. I’ll never forget the time I was teaching a class of 5 to 6-year-olds and the kids were all talking at once. “Hold on,” I said, as I pointed to the plaque on the wall. “We believe that everybody should have a chance to talk about things that are important to them. Let’s speak one at a time.”
They stopped talking all at once and gave the floor to the one who had been trying to say something. They did it peacefully. I was amazed. As I looked around the room, I got the sense that they really understood the value of the idea and agreed with it. They weren't complying with me as an authority figure. They were living the spirit of democratic process. They were practicing fairness. That’s just one of the reasons why I love my community.

Submitted by Jo Linsley

Seven Principles of Unitarian Universalism

There are seven principles which all UUA member congregations affirm and promote.

1. The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
2. Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
3. Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
4. A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
5. The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
6. The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
7. Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

(UUA Website, www.uua.org/beliefs/principles)

Children’s version

1. We believe that each and every person is important.
2. We believe that all people should be treated fairly and kindly.
3. We believe that we should accept one another and keep on learning together.
4. We believe that each person must be free to search for what is true and right in life.
5. We believe that all persons should have a vote about the things that concern them.
6. We believe in working for a peaceful, fair, and free world.
7. We believe in caring for our planet Earth, the home we share with all living things.

(UUA Website, https://www.uua.org/re/tapestry/children/creatinghome/session2/sessionplan/leaderresources/60019.shtml)

As part of our blog series The Seven Principles of Unitarian Universalism, I would like to share my thoughts on the ‘Adult’ version and ‘Child-Friendly’ version of the Principles. Maybe it’s just my child-like mind, but I prefer the simplicity and straightforward readings of the children’s version. For example, when talking to my sons about this (8, 4 and 4) they immediately grasp the children’s versions, as well they should. But talking to adults, it seems much more thought goes into understanding what they mean.

Perhaps it’s good that, as adults, we need to think about what the Principles mean and more reflection is needed to internalize them. Most Unitarian Universalists need to analyze, dissect and discuss before accepting statements as truth. We prefer to know rather than believe. So let’s remove the belief from the statements:

1. Each and every person is important.
2. All people should be treated fairly and kindly.
3. We should accept one another and keep on learning together.
4. Each person must be free to search for what is true and right in life.
5. All persons should have a vote about things that concern them.
6. We should work for a peaceful, fair and free world.
7. We should care for our planet Earth, the home we share with all living things.

To steal from a great document: We hold these (above) truths to be self evident. As UU’s we can still analyze, dissect and discuss the principles, but now the discussion would be more on implementation and not meaning. How do we treat people? How do we keep learning together? How do we create a peaceful, fair and free world?

When we talk about Unitarian Universalism to others, we can give them the nuggets of truth in our principles. There is no need to explain what we value, it’s very obvious. Our own ‘Shared Values, Many Beliefs’ is a great way to summarize our congregation; the children’s principles are a great way to summarize our values.