Greetings to you all,

This month’s Soul Matters theme is “Beloved Community” a phrase first coined by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. I was thinking about the phrase “beloved community” when I was watching the inauguration and in particular Amanda Gorman’s inaugural poem. “A more perfect union” is what strikes me as the heart of what is meant by beloved community. The notion of striving to get things right, and resting in the striving, rather than assuming we have reached perfection, is key. More perfect implies that nothing will ever be finished, that we are each tasked with the responsibility of looking to the next horizon.

Nothing shuts us off from others in our community- whether we describe that as our town, our faith community, or the spheres of friendship and connection we have through civic groups and interests, then a belief that we have nothing else to learn, nothing to strive for. If we think of ourselves as having reached a state of perfection, then we will be unlikely to look to others for more guidance. If we think we have nothing to answer for, we will descend into arrogance.

Beloved community requires a faith in one another that is sometimes difficult to cultivate, even when things seem calm. It requires a willingness to let go of trying to have everything you wish from your community, in order to have most of what you wish for- of making space for letting others have their voices represented, too. Beloved Community also creates a sense of joy, and maybe even surprise as we continue to include more and more people and ideas into the circle of our concern. I think of the Unitarian Universalist idea that no one should strive to answer life’s big questions alone, and that our faith communities, rather than places to receive dogma, are places to seek questions- in community.  King’s life and work was dedicated to helping bring about the beloved community- a place where economic and social justice would prevail, and that the sin of oppression would not be tolerated. It is

easy to think of this as some sort of far-off goal, but just like the never-ending pursuit of something more perfect, the beloved community is found in the striving itself, and in those we meet and grow to love along the way.

Both of my services this month will focus on our UU principles- but instead of focusing on the principles themselves, I am going to discuss what qualities we need to cultivate in each other in order to truly embrace them. The first, forgiveness (necessary for us to see the inherent worth and dignity of each other) and secondly, perseverance (necessary for the cultivation of justice, equity, and compassion).

All the best of health and joy to you all,

Rev. Valerie