Sermons

Life becomes religious whenever we make it so: when some new light is seen, when some deeper appreciation is felt, when some larger outlook is gained, when some nobler purpose is formed, when some task is well done.
~ Sophia Lyon Fahs

READING
The Great End in Religious Instruction ~ William Ellery Channing   (1837)

“The great end in religious instruction, is not to stamp our minds upon the young, but to stir up their own;

not to make them see with our eyes, but to look inquiringly and steadily with their own;

not to give them a definite amount of knowledge, but to inspire a fervent love of truth;

not to form an outward regularity, but to touch inward springs;

not to bind them by ineradicable prejudices to our particular sect or peculiar notions,

but to prepare them for impartial, conscientious judging of whatever subjects may be offered to their decision;

not to burden memory, but to quicken and strengthen the power of thought;

not to impose religion upon them in the form of arbitrary rules, but to awaken the conscience, the moral discernment.

In a word, the great end is to awaken the soul, to excite and cherish spiritual life.”

SERMON

Unitarian Universalists are rarely accused of being too conventional. Often we are criticized for being too innovative or too non-conformist or too quick to abandon tradition in support of the newest shiny thing we see. Well, probably there is truth in all of this – both praise and critique.

When it comes to religious education – our history is a history of innovation and non-conformity. From our early days as Universalists and Unitarians in America, our educational philosophy ran counter to the conventional wisdom. Thankfully, it still does.

Let me back up – briefly – there is coffee and cake waiting for us and I know we all want to wish Kay a very happy and inspiring retirement. Kay has operated in a long line of educators who share a few characteristics.

They love children.
They do not forget that adults are children with a few extra yars piled on.
They respect children and their ability to learn from their own interest and excitement.
They reject the catachism as a useful tool in helping children learn about faith.
They know that we learn best when we combine action with intellect and when we embrace all the ways people learn, not just lecture and rote memorization.

Two people contributed more to our understanding of religious education than any others.

Angus MacLean and Sophia Lyon Fahs – he a Presbyterian turned Universalist and she a Presbyterian turned Unitarian. Both committed their lives to improving the methods of teaching children.

His biographer, Charles Howe, describes Angus MacLean.

Angus MacLean's contribution as a religious educator: "His quiet and humble demeanor concealed a dynamic and courageous creativity which made him an outstanding leader in introducing the new religious education. . . . He was a champion of the spiritual rights of children and a wise interpreter of the liberal spirit to their parents."

He promoted a child-centered, experience-centered, rather than a Biblical-centered, approach; asserting that how religion is taught is more important than what is taught.

He put children at the center of learning. He wanted them to use their own experience and curiosity to fire their imagination and their thirst for knowledge and understanding.

Sophia Fahs was also a champion of age and interest appropriate teaching methods and materials. She believed, for example, that children ought to learn about the Bible only when they could learn it alongside history and science and, therefore, she opposed using Bible stories to teach our youngest children. She thought that experience and curiosity were critical components of children’s learning.

What if, she wondered, today’s children were allowed to express freely their reactions to their observations of life — birth and death, sun and moon and stars, dreams, shadows, wind and rain? Children’s inescapable confrontations with and reflection on these realities should be the beginning of their religious education rather than Bible stories about people of long ago and far away? She wanted education to be relevant to the actual lived experiences of children. Fahs said that the building blocks of such a religion are a sense of wonder and a questioning mind.

Her work developing curriculum for the Unitarians took place in the second half of her life the between 1937 and 1965. It was therefore most appropriate that in February 1959, at the age of 82, Sophia Fahs accepted the invitation of one of the Montgomery County Unitarian Church of Bethesda, Maryland, to be ordained into the Unitarian ministry. It was a booming church with the largest church school in the country.

Of her ordination, the Reverend Dr. Sophia Lyon Fahs said:

I have accepted the incongruity of my personal ordination in the later years of my life, when my own ministry is nearing an end, in order that I may join my voice with yours in pleading that we put the children in the very midst of us.

Today, we are still putting children in the very midst of our congregations. Faith development is now multigenerational with an emphasis on the spiritual and intellectual and ethical aspects of a mature and whole person - - ready to confront or embrace all that life brings from a center of faith and reason ignited and fanned by lifelong learning and faith development.

Faith development is embodied when Unitarian Universalists (UUs) of all ages live out their religious values in their lives, communities and the world.  This is our goal.

River of Grass UU Congregation is a growing Florida congregation with lots of kids and lots of adults – multiple generations learning and worshipping together.

The River of Grass Unitarian Universalist Congregation values children and understands the impact that faith development can have on the life of a child. 

Unitarian Universalists believe that the search for truth and meaning is a life-long process. Our mission is to provide our children and youth with a spiritual foundation based on our Unitarian Universalist principles and a sense of reverence.

We will develop opportunities to nurture their spiritual, emotional, and intellectual growth through faith development classes, community building activities, and service. Our intention is to foster responsible stewards of our faith and its future. . . . where every age group is a participant, leader, and recipient of every part of the life of the congregation:  worship, social gatherings, and social justice work.

And so it is. We here in Castine seek the same for our members and friends – from infants to sages. We seek a learning environment that respects the learner and provides a variety of activities and experiences that will help each one of us strengthen and deepen our spirituality and embody our faith in the world – for the future of ourselves and everyone.

“In a word, the great end is to awaken the soul, to excite and cherish spiritual life.”
William Ellery Channing said it in 1837 and we’re still working it out today – in very good company.

Blessed Be. I Love You. Amen.