"And Service is Our Prayer"
A Sermon by
Reverend Bill Clark
On February 22, 1943, Sophie Scholl and her brother Hans appeared before the People's Court in Munich Germany. Sophie and Hans were part of a small group of students known collectively as the White Rose. They were about to be convicted for their participation in the revolt against Hitler and the Third Reich. Armed only with leaflets and a conscience, convinced however, that Nazism was responsible for unbelievable horrors, these children of German Protestants sought to reassert the values of human dignity and civility in the midst of the horrendous oppressions. They knew their words alone could not destroy the Third Reich, yet to remain silent was unthinkable. And so when asked why they had even attempted to stop Nazism, Sophie said, "Somebody, after all, had to make a start."
And so service begins in just the same way.. somebody has to make a start. Our Unitarian Universalist heritage has always been in the forefront in making that start -- in making a difference. There was our own Theodore Parker's passionate advocacy of abolition in the mid-nineteenth century. There was Adin Ballou's critique of an industrial society. There was Clara Barton's founding of the Red Cross. All Unitarian Universalist making a start -- making a difference.
Our religious heritage is a rich, powerful, and vociferous one. Elaine Noble, a former member of the Massachusetts Legislature, and a former professor of mine at Emerson College, suggested that the Unitarian Universalist signature in support of any piece of legislation puts lawmakers on notice that the issue will eventually be taken seriously by the larger liberal constituency. Our liberal religious voice is a loud and echoing cry for compassion, equality and justice.
This is our history. This is what has brought us to where we are today as a religious denomination. This is our Unitarian Universalist echo to the letters of James; by my works I will show you my faith. This is our faith asking of us to do whatever we can, wherever we can, whenever we can, for as long as we can, with whatever we have, to try to make a difference. This is our faith put into action. This is our service.
For a shining example of this faith in action -- this idea of service -- we need not look further than our own church basement.
On May 14th, 1948, Mrs. James Pierce, Chairperson of the Ways and Means Committee of the Ladies Alliance at FP, held a meeting where it was proposed in using the "Scout Room" one day a week for selling articles of clothing -- to sell on consignment or give outright -- or both. By early January of 1949 Mrs. Pierce reported that in 3 months -- 14 selling days they had cleared $278.51 and now had over 1000 garments. By the annual meeting of the Alliance on May 12th, 1949, the clothing exchange gave $400.00 to the church and had a total profit for the first year of $666.17. And so, someone had to make a start -- to help make a difference.
The First Parish Alliance Clothing Exchange changed its name in 1998 to the Steeple Shop -- it was more descriptive and easier for check writers than to have to write; "First Parish Alliance Clothing Exchange."
The history and heritage of the Steeple Shop is a beautiful example of volunteerism at its best, service to the community at its height, and out and out ministry to its fullest extent. As these ladies gathered on Thursday mornings and afternoons and once a month of Saturdays, they provided the community with alternative ways of buying clothes at very reasonable prices, we could very well call that re-cycling nowadays, with a portion of the funds collected going to First Parish as well as other charitable organizations. Many members of the Lexington community and beyond did their back to school shopping, holiday shopping and birthday shopping, at the Alliance's Steeple Shop.
And so we hold up and honor the ladies Alliance and their work in the Steeple Shop this Sunday as one of the finest examples of our affirmation; "and service is our prayer." We do so on this particular Sunday, because for the first time in fifty-seven years, the steeple shop will not open its doors this week. The Steeple Shop at First Parish is now closed. (some one places sign over "open")
Even though we in this community were told of this closure last year, the reality of this closure is just not reaching into the larger community. Cindie Umans, our church administrator, fielded numerous calls this week, from members of the larger community, anticipating the re-opening of the Steeple Shop. She recorded the genuine sadness in their voices at this loss as one women commented; "it always gave me a warm fuzzy feeling to come there, even though I am Catholic I liked to support it because I felt the money was always going to good causes."
And let me make it clear it is not how much money this project made. Although over their fifty-seven years of operation they turned over to the Alliance a total of $213,349.00. For me as a minister, it was how they choose to give the money away. They supported their home church, but also numerous other charities; including Theological Schools as well as METCO scholarships, Rosie's Place, the ACLU, the Ecumenical Resettlement Programs and Hospice Care.
For more important than the money, was the ministry that happened here on Thursdays. If ministry, to quote UU minister, Jack Mendleshon, is participating in the lives of human beings, than the Steeple Shop and its numerous volunteers did ministry to it highest degree. These ladies listened, loved, cared for and consoled one another and their customers too, as Thursdays this church became bustling with ministry. (stories of picking out ties for me)
In looking over the journals and records of the Steeple Shop it was clear to me just how important this work was to the ladies of the Alliance. The record keeping was precise, the numbers exact, and the cry and need for more volunteers continual. Like any volunteer run project, there often times were never enough people to help out. I recall last year and walking down into Parker Hall and seeing perhaps only the tops of the ladies heads, as the piles of take-in clothing stacked higher and higher. Yet they forged onward, determined to do the ministry they had set out to do.
As the painful decision was finally made at an Alliance Meeting to close down the Steeple Shop, the conversation began to turn to what can they do next. I recall one conversation with Mary Semon and some ladies about helping them find something to do now that the shop was closing. And Mary saying to me, "now we don't want to sit around and talk and knit, we want to help people. We want to do some good for the community and possibly the world."
And so it is that spirit of doing good, of wanting to help people, to service as our prayer that we honor on this Sunday. We honor all of you wonderful, generous, hard working ladies (and Carleton) who week after week and year after year for 57 years came here on Thursdays to offer a service to this community.
Words fall short in expressing gratitude for what you accomplished over the years of service at the Steeple Shop. You helped to give the name of First Parish a place of prominence in the community. You helped to provide an economical service offering valued clothes at affordable prices. And most importantly you helped one another in times of stress and distress on this journey of life. You, all of you wonderful women have lived out our affirmation -- and service is our prayer.
I always find that such an interesting line -- and service is a prayer. What does that mean? Does that mean we offer a clothing exchange program and stand there and pray people come to it. Oh please come and buy or clothers? Or we go to a house as part of a habit for humanity and stand there and pray, "Oh you old house in need of repair.get fixed up..get fixed.get painted beautiful colors." And we simply stand there and pray for it to happen? Is that service is our prayer? If it is..and it works.please let me know. We could have something here that may be marketable.
But of course in reality that is not what our service is all about. And still we say and service is our prayer. What do we mean? To me the answer is found in that fine line between teacher and student or art and the artist.
Have you ever seen a Michelangelo sculpture -- perhaps not the David but one of his other pieces of work? I remember on a trip to Florence, Italy I was introduced to the works of this amazing artist. As you walked into the museum where his famous David is housed, there were six unfinished pieces of work, three on either side, which eventually led you to the David standing in the back of the grand room. As I approached each unfinished piece, all were being made for the tomb, I believe of Pope Pius, (I am not sure which one) you could see these amazing forms and figures being almost pulled out of this marble. The one that particularly got my attention was an unfinished pieta. There was the unfinished form of Mary holding a very finished figure of Jesus after the crucifixion. It was as if you could actually see all the pain having left the body and face of Jesus as he lay in his mother's arms. His arms and muscles were lifeless. His face had all the pain and suffering removed and it was at a peace. I was moved to tears by the life and emotion, which emanated from this sculpture.
Then I remembered. It was a piece of rock. It was marble. It had no life. It had no emotion. And yet there was a soul to this piece of art that you could see and feel and almost touch.
It is said that Michelangelo's own soul was revealed through his partnership with the stone. This was how he served art, and through art, humanity. As a sculptor, Michelangelo saw in his mind's eye the figure within each massive piece of marble. As he chiseled and burnished its surface, Michelangelo and the marble spoke and cooperated with one another until together they revealed both the sculptor's and the marble's perfected potential.
And so it is with service as our prayer. Like the sculptor Michelangelo, we reveal our souls through our service -- just has the steeple shop ladies have revealed their souls -- their spirits in their work -- "we want to help people -- we want to make a difference." This is service as prayer. To recognize and relate to another's fullest potential is to honor another's soul. Through service we become equal partners joined together in a common purpose rather than separated individuals doing something to one another. Sometimes we are the sculptor and sometimes the marble; sometimes we are the student, sometimes the teacher. Joined in this way, we release something far greater than is otherwise possible; a holy relationship in which we support the emergence of each other's highest potential into a joint masterpiece.
The goal of all work, of all service, according to Dr. Susan Trout, author of the book Born to Serve, is to simply bring out what is already there, to unveil the soul. In this way our service is like Michelangelo's art. Bringing out what is all ready there.
This, to me, is what is meant when we say service is our prayer. It is to prayerfully unveil the deep and beautiful, very human and very bright light (of the soul) within. It is to look out into our brother's faces and into our sister's eyes and see the reflection of our own soul, our own humanity. It is to build that holy relationship. It is to affirm always that we are not isolated beings, but truly connected in mystery and miracle to the universe, to community and to each other.
My friends, where will you start to make a difference in the world? Like the Ladies Alliance and our Steeple Shop, there are many creative ways to begin to make a difference in this world. There are many ways for all of us to live out our affirmation of service is our prayer. Find the arena that answers the call of your passion. Where can you best serve as sculptor and artist, teacher and student to carve out a community and a world of love, peace, justice and compassion? Listen to the call for your personal ministry as it asks you to respond to do whatever you can, wherever you can, whenever you can for as long as you can, with whatever you have.. to try to make a difference.
Let us all recall the fine example of the Alliance of First Parish and put our faith into action. Someone, after all, has to make a start.
Blessed Be.