I planned today’s sermon to create an opportunity for people to rest and reflect during this Labor Day weekend, and to start framing a conversation in my congregation about the future of our music program in the wake of a beloved staff member’s departure. Enjoy.
Peace,
Rev. Laura
***
What Should We Do?
Spiritual Practices for Discernment and Decision-Making
The Rev. Laura Horton-Ludwig, Minister
First Unitarian Universalist Church of Stockton
September 5, 2010
Rabbi Zusya tells us:
The Sufi poet Rumi tells us,
if we waste the gifts we are born with,
It’s as if a king has sent you to some country to do a task,
and you perform a hundred other services,
but not the one he sent you to do.
So human beings come to this world to do particular work.
That work is the purpose, and each is specific to the person.
If you don’t do it, it’s as though a priceless Indian sword
were used to slice rotten meat.
(from “The Real Work”)
And I must tell you:
these teachings have saved me, over and over again,
the call to be who we are, to embrace the gifts we have,
and let those gifts set our path
in all those times when we don’t know what to do,
the times when the path is not clear
and we struggle to figure out what is right. Continue reading
