Dear Ones,
Our February theme is inclusion, and we mean it. Universalism was born in the United States in the late 1700s because our ancestors knew the love of the holy is infinite and all-inclusive. No one is ever separated from love, the holy, or the whole. All separation is the product of human error, a figment of our sometimes-terrible imaginations.
Unfortunately, human beings have made such terrible imaginings real in the world through domination, exclusion, and hurtful hierarchies. The tenets of our faith call us to tear down all those human-made barriers, and to keep loving and dreaming across all imaginary lines of exclusion, be they race or age or gender or citizenship status or ability.
This call is getting real this month, and we will practice inclusion in our congregation and in our work in the world. If you are feeling frustrated, angry, or scared, empower yourself by taking action to get connected. You can get connected with one of our social justice teams working on trans inclusion, immigrant safety, and anti-racism. You can give generously to our church during the Pledge Drive, which launches on February 2, protecting this institution and our beacon of Unitarian Universalist values in the world. You can show up for our youth and learn from their wisdom on Youth Sunday, February 23.
The seeds of change are alive deep within the earth. It is time now, and in this great turning we shall learn to lead in love.
With love,
Jennifer
Rev. Jennifer Nordstrom, Senior Minister