Sermon given by Rev. Frank Clarkson, January 2, And I was one of the people who chose it! But here we are, in this together. That more people are ok with being mean or obnoxious or selfish. What happened to a sense of community? What happened to a sense of caring and responsibility for others? She writes,. We have the tools and the knowledge that should allow us to stay safe and to protect others despite the ongoing presence of this virus.
The greater challenge might be in maintaining our collective humanity during what could become yet another surge of illness among the unvaccinated. And this is the call I need to hear: maintaining our collective humanity. Particularly in hard and trying times. That, for better and for worse, we are in this together. Traveling this way of interdependence, we should be careful not to judge too quickly.
Each of us a home for the holy. On that night, I quoted Garry Wills, who takes an unsentimental view of the nativity story. Those are the truths of Christmas, yet they are just the ones some defenders of Christmas would have us avoid.
This seems to me a challenge and an invitation of these days: becoming better humans. Working through the struggle and the suffering, practicing being the kinds of people our world needs right now, the kinds of people we are meant to be. Make no mistake, I already think you are pretty great humans! To take our interdependence seriously, and work on expanding our circle of care to include even those we dislike and disagree with?
Has anyone among us accomplished that yet? And certainly a way to become a better human. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the supple moves of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. Let your enemies bring out the best in you, not the worst.
