Expanding Horizons

God and Nature

On Sunday 22nd November, 2020 the Unitarian Church in Adelaide was in lockdown, so I gave this address  from my study. It was prepared on PowerPoint and converted to an Mp4 and link will be sent to church members soon. Today, it's about God and Nature.
Modern Scientific understandings are causing many of us to question traditional notions of God - whilst not discarding many of the other wisdoms -- both ancient and modern - that have served us well for millennia. There is a growing recognition of the inadequacies of traditional Church theologies and dogma about an omnipotent and omniscient deity that transcends nature. More of us are recognising the primacy of Nature, the importance of biodiversity and our responsibilities to our Planet. This is reflected in a shift away from traditional theism towards a more global, scientific neo-pantheism (World Pantheism). There is a growing recognition of the importance of aboriginal, natural wisdoms in song-lines and stories about Nature. These wisdoms were being applied at Shady Grove in our "cool burn" in early April - the first fire at Shady Grove for over 164 years and, with the careful management by our bush-carers, we are already seeing the benefits to the biodiversity of our eucalyptus obliqua woodland as it rapidly regenerates.
Listen on!

Boxes and Labels

Jennie's address today is called "Boxes and Labels". She challenges us to consider the following  - that we are born  - not with a purpose  - but with potential. Let the true person unfold as freely as a flower.
This service is the second of our annual LGBTQIA+ services. The acronym has expanded from the traditionally binary  - male/female  - model. Jennie calls into question why there is this need by some to label others according to judgements made about their sexuality or sexual preferences. Being forced into a "box" or given a label that doesn't fit a person's understanding of themselves is, to quote Søren Kirkegaard "the deepest form of despair ". Jennie offers some practical wisdoms and insights formed and shaped from her own life experiences. Listen on.

Being Unwell - a reflection

Nicholas's address today coincided with the US Presidential Election and the general malaise or "unwellness" being felt by many as we ponder the fragility of the democratic process  - at home and abroad. This malaise has coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic. It is driving the rise of extremist, right-wing politics that thrives on inequality, fear, ignorance, and denial, and threatens to fracture civil societies  - especially those that allow their citizens to own and carry assault weapons along to political rallies to intimidate those with whom they may disagree.

Nicholas commences today's address "Being Unwell - a reflection" with Jennie reading W.B. Yeats's "The Second Coming". 

"....The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.....
...And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?"

Yeats wrote this poem in 1919  - in the aftermath of the First World War and the bitterness and violence of the "Easter Rising" in Ireland. Instead of celebrating the end of hostilities in Europe, the poem captures the general malaise and sense of foreboding felt in Ireland and exacerbated by the Spanish Flu.

Comparisons between these two pandemics, and the political turmoil and the malaise being driven by them are palpable. Yeats's fear was that "the centre cannot hold"-  that civil society will be torn asunder. Nicholas asks: "How do we listen to the wildness in our own soul  - the wildness of our yearning?" He offers wise spiritual counsel and sees hope and renewal through the creative arts, through our histories, through our stories and through the social "glue" of community  - the "UU wheel of practice" to "hold our centres together" and help us through the current malaise. This is essential listening for all!

Doubt

Our service on Sunday, 25th October, 2020 was conducted by our President, Jennie Dyster. Jennie's address was on Doubt and its antonymn - Certainty.
Any genuine spirit of enquiry must proceed with open-mindedness. It is a journey from uncertainty/doubt - towards certainty. If we believe at the outset that our doubts will be misconstrued by our critics as weakness, our minds are immediately closed to all the possibilities; our enquiry will be compromised and we have saboutaged our efforts.
In the end - facts matter; integrity matters; honesty matters and our own opinions are not always right. It's vital to be open to the views of others.
Listen On to a challenging address!

On Compassion

Rob's address today is on  Compassion and the vulnerabilty in others that should prompt us to show it. He re-visits the "Charter of Compassion", read for us by Richard - and based on Karen Armstrong's book "Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life".
Rob recalls his vivid memory as a young baseball player where he later regretted his failure to show compassion. He discussed the circumstances with his dad later and was able to understand why this had happened. At the time, it had a profound effect on the young Robert.
Rob discusses the consequences that so often follow our failures as individuals and as communities to show compassion to others in need. 
The Charter of Compassion talks of the need "to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there..."
Rob urges us all to sign this charter if we haven't already done so. You may sign the Charter of Compassion at the following link: https://charterforcompassion.org/.
Listen on for a memorable and riveting address in Rob's inimitable style!

A Celebration of the 250th Anniversary of Beethoven's birth

Our service on Sunday, 11th October, 2020 was conducted by our President, Jennie Dyster.

In her address today, Jennie celebrates the 250th Anniversary of Beethoven's birth. This Unitarian Tribute to Beethoven by our Adelaide Church is supported by Barbara Willow's reading of Beethoven's poignant letter to his brothers - to be read on his death. A selection of music for piano composed by Beethoven is performed for us today by Margaret Lambert. It is recorded in its entirety. Enjoy!

Desiderata Revisited - some reflections.

In his address on Sunday 27th September, 2020, John Hall revisits Max Ehrmann's poem, "Desiderata" - written nearly a century ago. John reflects on the Charleston period of the "Roaring Twenties" when Max Ehrmann wrote it and its enduring relevance for us today. Listen on!

Spring, Seeds and Faith".

Our service on Sunday, 20th September, 2020 was conducted by our Minister, Rev Rob MacPherson. Rob's talk was called "Spring, Seeds and Faith". Spring reminds us that life is precious. Rob reflects on the essence of Faith that is expressed in the planting of a seed and reminds us that we are the inheritors of a rich legacy of faith passed down to us through the ages. The founders of this church planted seeds in faith and we sit today in the substantial shade of what they planted. And before them, the traditional owners of our land, the Peramangk and Kaurna showed faith in their traditional custodianship and management of the land that has enabled us to reap that benefit today. Extending back, even beyond them are the lasting forces of Nature - ripe for human partnership and collaboration. Fathers Day reminded us that we are all evidence of a joyous sewing of seed - a parental leap of faith "a faithful, hopeful shot at how things ought to be one day". Whether or not that faith has found purchase is not the point. What matters is our ability to shape the future in Faith. Listen on!

Community: What does Community mean to you?

Our service on Sunday, 13th September, 2020 was conducted by John Hall, a member of our Unitarian Community in Adelaide.
John's address this morning is especially relevant to us as a Unitarian Church Community working its way through the challenges of Covid-19. It's all about "Community" and what it means to each of us.
Humans - generally - are social beings who need to belong -  thereby aspiring to achieve something greater than themselves. As individuals accepted as members into a community, we each gain a sense of identity. However this acceptance comes at a price. It requires commitment to common, shared community goals and values. It also requires trust and a preparedness to enter into caring relationships with other members. Such a commitment is likely to ensure the successful achievement of external and long-term goals. Lack of commitment will lead to cultism and a community's early demise. However, "therein lies the rub". Communities also need to grow. This required members to value and embrace the diversity of insights and talents within a community framework of shared values and beliefs.
To illustrate the need for diversity, John also reads a poem by The UU Minister of the Ventura Church Community - Rev Dana Worsnop - "I want to be with people...".

Listen on!

You might also like to paste the following link to the Ventura UU Community into your browser: https://unitarianuniversalistventura.org.

"All the World is Mad...?

This service - recorded on Sunday, 6th September, 2020 in the Unitarian Meeting House, Adelaide is conducted by our President, Jennie Dyster.

In today's address, Jennie discusses the contagious spread of misinformation, fueled by prejudice and anxiety. It is Fiction masquerading as Fact - especially within social media "bubbles", and it spreads with the contagion of Covid-19. Misinformation is also far more difficult to correct than it is to spread. Jennie suggests some practical strategies to test the veracity and the sources of (mis)information that we suspect is masquerading as Fact. Essential listening!