“Embracing Possibility”

It is a great joy to be able to be with all of you during this time. As many of you have told me in person, this has been a hard and chaotic few weeks. Many families are preparing children for a return to school, some are starting new jobs, and many are doing all they can to take care of ill family members and friends. On top of these concerns, many, including myself, are still shocked by the images and stories related to the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, and Hurricane Ida which have flooded the region and left many stranded/homeless. We are certainly living in the midst of both natural and human-made disasters, both reaching epic proportions.

This is why I’m so grateful to have you as traveling companions in spirit during this time. During my tenure here, you have shown me what true resilience looks like in everyday life. You have shown me what it means to unflinchingly face the world, without being defeated by what is happening in the immediate context. You have shown me through your often quiet perseverance the meaning of grace, and the true meaning of hope. Both grace and hope are related to the ability to notice possibility. The greatest possibility there is, is compassion.

I’m becoming increasingly confident that compassion is almost always a possibility, even in acute disasters, and during acute moments of fear and uncertainty. The acute moments make us vulnerable, and the pain of them can transform us into more compassionate, kind, and attentive human beings. But I’ve also learned this is not usually a given. It can be too easy to become so mired down in the pain we witness, that we can fail to notice these possibilities for compassion, including compassion for ourselves as witnesses.

But take heart, because that is why our church community on Elm Street exists – to help us find the possibility of compassion – again and again in every season. This time is no different.

We are fortunate to have the leadership of wonderful leaders in our church, including our new Director of Religious Education, Kathleen Hogue who joined us in August. If you are a family with children, I recommend you reach out to Kathleen directly at DRE@uuyo.org. We are a resource for your family, and another circle of support for you and your children during this time.

I also invite you to consider joining a new small group ministry called Starting Point, which is grounded in the principles and way of life of Unitarian Universalism, facilitated by Melissa Smith and Karen Lapidus. This small group is open to all friends and members. I believe this small group will serve as a lifeboat for those who choose to join it, another circle of support and inspiration.

The church we are part of has weathered unspeakable events over its 125 year history, and has continuously found the possibilities for compassion in every age, in every generation. This time is no different. You are always welcome to contact me directly to schedule a coffee or a zoom call, and it would be my pleasure to meet with you. You can email me at jboyd@uuyo.org, and I will respond to you promptly.

We are fortunate to have so many loving, intelligent, and experienced leaders in this church community. I think all of us have the capacity to be leaders in helping discover the possibility for compassion. But it begins with having compassion for our predicaments and our own struggles. That is what the church is for, and that is what we will continue to be about in this new season – a season of embracing possibilities for compassion – for ourselves and for our world.

See you in Church, Rev. Joseph