Expanding Horizons

Schadenfreude

An address by Jennie Dyster - recorded on Sunday,15th September, 2019 in the Unitarian Meeting House in Adelaide. Jennie's sermon today was - in the absence of a succinct word for it in English - all about what the Germans call schadenfreude (schaden - "harm" ; freude - "joy") - that often fleeting, opportunistic mix of elation, pleasure, joy or self-satisfaction we may feel at another's misfortune, failure, or humiliation.

Life on Moore Street

This service was recorded on Sunday, 8th September, 2019 in the Unitarian Meeting House in Adelaide and conducted by the Rev. Rob MacPherson - with guest speaker, Brother Martyn Paxton, of Saint Francis Xavier Cathedral, Adelaide - and the Moore Street Mission. Our church supports The Moore Street Mission via our a weekly food basket. Brother Martyn spoke on homelessness. He described how a capitalist-centred political ethos has led to increasing disparity in wealth between the rich and the poor and the privatisation of public housing. This has led to sharp increases in the cost of rental accommodation and the demise of public housing - traditionally provided by the States, resulting in the current crisis of homelessness amongst the poor.
It is common practice for many Australians to blame the poor for their homelessness. Brother Martyn dispels some commonly held myths about why people become homeless and argues that the real barrier to providing safe accommodation for all is the abrogation of responsibility by successive State and Federal governments for the current and growing crisis caused by the shortage of affordable accommodation.

The Goodfather

An address by the Rev. Rob MacPherson - recorded on Sunday,1st September, 2019 in the Unitarian Meeting House in Adelaide. Being Fathers Day, Rob's sermon was all about raising to worth the role of Fatherhood. Nothing prepares fathers for the role of fatherhood - other than just doing it. It's knowledge acquired "on the run"! As high-stakes improvisers, fathers are bound to get some things right and some things wrong and this relationship is crucial to our development - as children - into adulthood. Love is the key element. A mature, differentiated relationship is also a reciprocal one. Differentiating from one's own father as we mature also requires us to decide what to keep of him and what to leave behind. So there's a bit of sorting out to do!

Things that Make You Go Hmmm_5: Freedom of Religion-Unitarian Universalist Style!

An address by the Rev. Rob MacPherson - recorded on Sunday,25th August, 2019 in the Unitarian Meeting House in Adelaide.
Rob's address today is about religious freedom. In the context of the recent Israel Folau media controversy, Rob comments on recent claims by conservative Christians that they are being persecuted for their assertion that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/ transsexual, and asexual (LBTGA) folk are sinful and will "go to Hell". This is based on their "Christian" understanding of scripture (e.g. Leviticus 18). Today's reading suggested otherwise.

In contrast, Unitarianism was founded on religious freedom, originating from the 1568 Edict of Torda of Unitarian Transylvanian preacher, Francis David. It guaranteed "Freedom of the Pulpit" and "Freedom of the Pew".
Rob asserts that we Unitarians must proclaim and promote LBTGA and other (religious) freedoms. However we must first get our own house in order before being tempted to criticise others. While we may disagree from time to time, Unitarians must love those of us with whom we disagree and do this with mutual respect - and in celebratory, worshipful fellowship within loving communities.

While other churches may pore over the meaning of scripture before judging who is to be worthy of their love, we Unitarians must always put Love first before deciding the meaning of scripture.

Hakuna Matata

An address by John Hall, a member of the congregation - recorded on Sunday,18th August, 2019 in the Unitarian Meeting House in Adelaide.
Just days after returning from Africa, John shares his observations about the natural wonders of the vast "game reserves" and wildlife Parks and the animals to be found there. He also suggests that we can also learn from the attitudes of Africans in times of trial and challenge and other unexpected events that life inevitably brings - captured by the Swahili phrase "Hakuna Matata", and made famous in the film - The Lion King. Roughly translated - it means "no trouble" or "no problems".

Things That Make You Go Hmmm-4

An address by the Rev. Rob MacPherson - recorded on Sunday,4th August, 2019 in the Unitarian Meeting House in Adelaide.
In today's service, Rob dispensed with pews and arranged us in 'round-table discussion groups of half-a-dozen, with tea or coffee to loosen our tongues/inhibitions. The service begins with a reading of Louis MacNeice's poem, "Prayer Before Birth". Rob invites each group to undertake a little thought experiment. Imagine that each of us - like the yet to be born foetus of the MacNeice poem - is in a conscious, intelligent state before birth - but knowing nothing about race, sex, gender, social class, health system, abilities or disabilities, the wealth of the family we will be born into, our religion, our personal preferences. What sort of society would we like our infant selves to be born into? If we had to decide the principles that underpin that society - what would they be?
Rob ends his introduction with an aphorism - perhaps "caveat" - to guide group discussion - "Pride wants to know who is right; humility wants to know what is right". Each group reported back one idea about the ideal world for the young to be born into.

Rob then draws the threads together with some concluding remarks relating to our Unitarian principles and leaves us with a challenge to take us out of our Sunday morning comfort zone.

Things That Make You Go Hmmm_3-Success and Failure

In this third address of Rob's - on the "Things that make you go Hmmm..." Rob focusses today on our attitudes to "Success and Failure". He asks: "How can our church cast its seeds of free and loving spirituality out into a world so in need of the nourishment such seeds can provide?" As a church we have made - and can make - a difference! It was farming at Wistow that taught Rob that we might measure our success less by our immediate return than by the possibilities we engender. We need to continue sow our best seeds lavishly - notwithstanding a devastating failure rate.

"Seeing is Believing"?

An address by John Hall - recorded on Sunday,21st July, 2019 in the Unitarian Meeting House in Adelaide.
In this address, John raises a fundamental question about our individually unique - even idiosyncratic - perceptions about the nature of reality - about the "real" world that surrounds us and with which we are continually interacting.
Is seeing - believing? Or am I really only "seeing" my individually unique constructions of that reality - revealing more about me than the nature of reality itself? It raises the question that as social beings, how much consensus must there be about our shared sense of "reality" for each of us to be able to remove the "perceptual blocks" to our spiritual growth and live happily and cooperatively together in socially, spiritually-cohesive, and loving communities, within which diversity is valued and celebrated?

NB Some of the interaction between John and his audience has been edited out owing to its reliance on PowerPoint images that this audio-podcast is unable to include.

Things that make you go Hmmm-400 Rugs!

An address by the Rev. Rob MacPherson - recorded on Sunday,14th July, 2019 in the Unitarian Meeting House in Adelaide.
A very chilly and wet Adelaide winter morning provided an appropriate backdrop for the second address by Rob on the "Things that make you go Hmmm". So it's fitting that we celebrated our Unitarian Ruggers making their 400th rug for the charity "Wrap With Love".
Val, a member of our Unitarian community - and organiser of our Ruggers Group outlined the history of the Church Ruggers Group who, for a decade - have sent their rugs to the Charity, Wrap With Love - whose motto is "providing warmth for cold humanity" and who distribute rugs to over 75 countries.
Rob used the work of our Ruggers to show how we might build a community that supports each other's free, individual, spiritual paths…each other's free individuality without resorting to dogma.
He distinguishes between promoting -
- individuality, a healthy personality trait and part of the process of maturing - a growth stage but not an end in itself - and -
- individualism - where individuals focus on getting what they, themselves want.
Rob warns that Individualism may easily morph into dogma - despite Unitarians priding themselves in being free of it.
The answer for churches, Rob suggests - is exemplified by our Ruggers growing in connectedness and mission and collectively engaging in service to needy others.
Listen on!

Things That Make You Go Hmmm

An address by the Rev. Rob MacPherson - recorded on Sunday, 7th July, 2019 in the Unitarian Meeting House in Adelaide. Rob's address today is all about canvassing members on the hard questions of Life and is using the July newsletter to identify issues that make us go "Hmmm..." - questions we get stuck on - that "bug us" - that keep us awake in the wee small hours and which we never seem to get resolved. Rob is not suggesting that he can provide neat and ready answers to perennial and intractable problems but is seeking direction from us on those relevant and important issues we might want looked at through the lens of our Unitarian Principles.
Rob asks "How do we move forward as a church in changing and challenging times?". He suggests that part of the answer lies in a story - "The Stone Soup" - first told to him by his Grandmother and carried down through the generations from his Great-Great-Grandmother. It is set during the Irish Potato Famine.
At least some of the answer lies in the development of a "We Consciousness" which is the very essence of the Kingdom of God - here on earth. Rob closes with a benediction of some new and relevant beatitudes for a Unitarian Church like ours, seeking to stay and grow together during times of challenge and change.