Miracle stories, if intended to be taken literally, have long since been “outlawed” by science. There are still certainly many objects of wonder in the universe, things and occurrences not expected or explained by normal standards, but science regards them as just not yet explained. Rejecting supernatural causes, it regards them as susceptible eventually to rational explanation as our knowledge of the universe grows.
There is, as well, a looser definition of miracle that we all use; the unexplained or unaccountable that seems to happen through grace, serendipity or the surprising power of love and good will. This kind of “miracle” happens when good things that don’t need to happen do happen, when people do kind and loving things they don’t need to do for people they don’t even know, when people sacrifice their time, talent and treasure for causes that might not benefit them in the least. This is the kind of “miracle” I have in mind when I say that every Unitarian Universalist congregation is an ongoing miracle.
Unitarian Universalism holds out no promise of supernatural rewards for believing and belonging; we hold out no threat of supernatural punishment for not believing and belonging. We offer next to no absolute answers to the persistent questions of the religious life, or perhaps, a bewildering variety of different answers. In any case, those looking for absolute theological certainty will not find it in our churches. Any three UU’s will have at least four opinions on most religious issues. (We joke about UU “evangelists” knocking on your door for no particular reason or burning a question mark on your lawn.)
So why, given all that openness and uncertainty, do so many nonetheless give up their Sunday mornings, sometimes their only free day of the week, to come to church? Why do so many give their time, talent and treasure to an enterprise that does not always reflect their particular beliefs, or perhaps, evinces more belief than they care to espouse? By normal standards, we should be found sleeping late on Sunday or holding on to our precious free time with family and friends instead of going to one more evening meeting. We should not be spending substantial amounts of time and treasure on an institution that seems to pay no obvious dividends and, in fact, is prone to asking for more.
Why do we do it? Personally, I call it a miracle—and leave God out of it, if you wish. I believe that there is a concatenation of divine grace and loving, human serendipity that moves us, week by week, year by year, to create these ongoing miracles we call UU congregations. We don’t have to, we want to, we choose to, in part because the “dividends” they pay are personal and spiritual. (In your case, you have been doing it since 1842, a pretty good track record.) Hopedale Unitarian Parish, as all UU congregations, is an ongoing, living miracle, and for that, I humbly offer thanks.
See you in church,
Rev. Steve
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