PRACTICING RESISTANCE

Religions in general tend to be counter-cultural, asking us to love people we don’t know, forgive people who wrong us and believe in the power of goodness and grace despite all evidence to the contrary. Unitarian Universalism is at its heart an extremely counter-cultural faith. We are called to recognize the dignity of EVERY person; to promote justice; to take care of the environment; to work for more love in the world… (read more about our shared values at: uua.org/beliefs).

This month our ministry theme is “Practicing Resistance”, and it speaks to our personal and congregational resistance against systems of oppression and injustice. As Unitarian Universalists, we must resist what goes against our values and we must stand strong in promoting a just and compassionate world. January’s spiritual practice is to resist an injustice in the world. This be through volunteering with a nonprofit, writing a letter to a representative, promoting recycling at home, going to a rally, donating money, starting a school group… the possibilities are as endless as the injustices you notice. For more ideas about how to resist injustice, see these ideas from the University of Kansas: tinyurl.com/PracticeResistance.

From Martin Luther King, Jr., “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Let us all live fully and not be silent about that which matters.

Keep up the resistance and keep up the love! If you want solidarity in your resistance, I can be contacted via phone (412-327-3731), e-mail (minister@tpuuf.org) or in person at TPUUF (Thursdays, Sundays I preach & other times by appointment).

In resistance,

Rev. Andrew L. Weber