March Forth

Michelle Favreault served as our Interim Minister of Religious Education a couple of years ago. She taught us many things, including the celebration of her favorite holiday. You may not have heard of it: March Fourth…as in “forward march.” Michelle suggests that once a year, every year, we need to take time to move forward to be who we want to be. What better day than today to March Forth?

Be present. Seize the moment. Stand your ground. Speak your mind. Step boldly into the future you want to help create.

That’s not how I felt when I woke up early, way early, on Thursday morning. After getting myself out of bed, going downstairs, and looking out the window, eventually I wrote:

When I awake early and wonder
“What is the gift of this dawning moment?”
maybe I get up to see.

This morning it was the huge glorious golden full moon
perched on the ridge over San Rafael.

A minute later,
in the blink of an eye,
this heavenly gift was gone,
leaving a fading reddish purple mist above Mt. Tamalpias.

Can this gift of the ever present moment
live now in my heart?
What would it take for me to be open to
on-going transformation,
to be one with the evolving light
ready for early morning enlightenment?

Have you noticed how the flowering fruit trees
are already beginning to lose their petals?
The magnificent bursting blossoms of last week
are sprinkling their offerings on the sidewalks below,
as if to say “Don’t miss this lovely moment.”

They call out:
Cherish sunshine on pink and white.
Step lightly on this soft carpet of possibility.
Open yourself into conscious awareness.

Can I be present to the mystery and the majesty?
Can I be present?
Will I March Forth?

Mary Oliver wants to get back to the moments between the darkness and the first light when, in the grace of Nature’s revelation,

I want to remember such moments — the glorious golden moon, the touch of a hand, a warm “hello.” Each moment offers possibilities to begin again in love, to march forth.

Can I believe that? Can I live as if it is true? Can I march forth in my encounters with the larger community? Can I be present with you, be present with the stranger?

It is not easy, and there are so many distractions, so many seeming demands to take my attention from the sacred present. It requires my willingness to allow the perspectives of others to shape my own. It requires that I be willing to change.

We will participate next fall with sixteen other congregations in the Bay Area to get the word out about who we Unitarian Universalists are and what we affirm. Through radio, television, newspaper inserts, billboards, BART placards, and direct mail, we will invite the people of this area to learn about us, to visit our web sites, and to come to our services.

Last fall, seven congregations in Southern California cooperated on a similar project, and have been pleased with the results. The preliminary numbers of visitors are impressive. People showed up on Sundays, with postcards in hand, wondering, “Is this a congregation where I can feel I really belong?”

Rev. John Morehouse, from Pacific Unitarian Church, in Rancho Palos Verdes, reported:

“…the ultimate testament to the campaign’s transformative nature can be summed up in one short story. About three weeks ago a lesbian couple showed up for our worship service. They had seen the insert in the L.A. Times. After the service they asked to speak to me and told me they wanted to have a union ceremony to bless their domestic partnership.

Over the past few weeks I have been working with them on this. Just the other day, one partner stopped me after church and asked to speak to me. She told me that what I didn’t know was that her partner is dying of cancer. ‘You see,’ she said, ‘while that is sad, it is so wonderful we found this church. At least we will be blessed by this community; at least she won’t die before she knows there is such a religion for us.’“

[John says] “We have a world waiting to be saved. This campaign is a brave step into that work.”

It is a marching forth!

We have six months before the media campaign begins here in the Bay Area. We have six months to prepare. Sometimes in our congregations, like in our personal life, or family life, or work life, we see only what needs to be improved, what needs to be fixed. We tell our stories as if they are saturated with problems.

How will our stories sound differently if we remember and speak of the sparkling moments, the moments we were truly present and open and moved to deeper gratitude?

In recent weeks, these are some of the sparkling moments I’ve heard people name:

I have sparkling moments each time our 10-person Chalice Circle meets and I experience deep and meaningful sharing.

I love the music here, and our growing Youth and Children’s Choir.

I cried each Sunday for the first six months I visited. I felt so at home, so welcomed to be myself.

In the McCarthy era, this congregation stood up for their minister who refused to sign the Loyalty Oath.

We sparkle when we have an impact on the community, like with our Bring Your Weight in Food holiday program, filling a truck with food for the Richmond Pantry. And I liked Undie Sunday, too, when we gave over 350 undies to the homeless shelter.

Here was the first time I heard the word “transgender” said in a church in affirmation.

I like celebrating the generations, the mix of elders, and all the new babies.

A sparkling moment for me was when I was sick and received a “Super Card,” signed by so many people. I hung it on my wall and I felt loved.

I love the Christmas Eve candle-lighting service, and this year walking the glittering holiday labyrinth by candlelight.

It’s a sparkling moment for me that we keep improving our website. Now I can invite my friends to listen to the podcasts and watch the UTubes.

We are sparkling as we are becoming more green: car pooling, improving lights, talking about a solar project, and cutting down on paper usage.

As we March Forth into the future, may we create sparkling moments like these, writing our story with memories of authentic presence, meeting face to face, reminding one another of our best selves, sharing what we’ve loved with those who come looking for a spiritual home.

Being present in the world calls us to stand up and march forth for the principles that form the heart of our deepest commitment. We affirm the worth and dignity of all people and we encourage people to do what they love. When the forces of society fail to honor the nobility of the person we speak out.

This week Steve Stanton, the City Manager of Largo, Florida for the last fourteen years, was suspended after it was revealed that he is transgender and taking the first steps toward gender reassignment. It is unclear whether or not there is a legal basis for his firing. The City Commission will consider the matter again on Tuesday, and ultimately it may be determined in the courts. What calls for our attention is the response of some in the community, particularly some of the religious leaders who were responsible for the issue being raised in the first place.∥

A pastor argued that the religious freedoms of Christians will be trampled if they have to call Steve by his future female name Susan. He said, "Do we want what's controversial or do we want what's best for Largo?"

Another pastor said, “Mr. Stanton is not a role model. He’s proven that. I think for the sake of our young people today, you need to do what’s right, and that’s terminate him…if Jesus was here tonight, I can guarantee you he’d want him terminated. Make no mistake about it.”

My guess is that Jesus would side with the two dissenters to this action. Mayor Patricia Gerard voted against the measure and said, “He’s done a great job for us. He’s done what we asked him to do and taken the heat over and over and over again, and now we’re going to turn on him.” Commissioner Rodney Wood, the only African American on the commission, also dissented. He said he could never vote in favor of dismissal because he knows the pain of discrimination himself.

Chuck Wolfe, president of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, said “The decision to fire Steve Stanton is discrimination in its purest form. The Largo City Commission is succumbing to the laziness of fear, bias and ignorance. Hundreds of openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender elected and appointed officials serve their communities with the same distinction Steve has for years. These public servants deserve to be judged on their performance in office, not their gender identity or sexual orientation. The Largo City Commission could take lessons in courage and leadership from Steve Stanton.”∥

Here we want kids and adults to be seen for who they are. We want all people encouraged to be true to themselves. So, if you want to learn more, let your voice be heard, and March Forth for justice, after the service look for Stephanie Ann Blythe and the Support Steve Stanton table in the Social Hall. We can courageously march fourth to speak for justice.

 ♦