Because Renewal Means Survival
Reminders about the importance physical, emotional, mental, spiritual renewal abound in the vast and vaguely boundaried world of health and wellness: 8 hours of sleep, more or less; 8 glasses of water–or has that been debunked–10,000 steps a day; stand up and move around for five minutes out of every hour; limit screen time; pay attention to gratitude; no blue light before bed; try to be mindful; no screens in the bedroom; 3 meals a day or six small ones or grazing or intermittent fasting; four food groups, food pyramid healthy plate; work/life balance; prioritize supportive relationships. And on and on. We can’t escape scores of variations on this theme coming at us every day from dozens of sources.
Like most of you, probably, I’ve long known that proper nutrition, hydration, sleep and exercise are good for our physical being. That work/life balance, solid friendships, meaningful engagement with the world, and some sort of spiritual practice are good for our mental, emotional and spiritual being. And I’ve known in that sort of here’s-a-curious-fact-that-seems-impossible way that most of our physical being is replaced regularly. I’ve always heard that about every seven years all of our cells have completely overturned. It turns out, according to that brief article from Scientific American, that it’s much more frequent than that! It’s mind boggling. We don’t look or feel or act appreciably differently every 80 to 100 days, yet 30 trillion cells have switched out, leaving, broadly interpreted, a whole new person in their wake!
While I’ve known that all those acts of renewal I listed earlier (and more) are good for us–body and soul–even vital for our survival, and I’ve known, as I said, that our bodies replenish themselves regularly, until I read the Scientific American piece in preparation for this sermon about how renewal means survival, I hadn’t thought very much about why enough sleep and sufficient calories from the proper sources and exercise and liberal use of sunscreen and all the rest are important to our survival at the most basic, biological level. That is, because our cells, the very physical stuff of our being, work so hard to keep us alive and functioning optimally that they are in a continual state of dying and being replaced. Of course, they need all the help we can offer through deliberate healthful acts in support of what our body does all on its own: renew itself every few months because that’s what it takes to stay alive, and staying alive is the body’s job. In other words, all of the intentional actions we take as a means of renewing our body and our soul are, at their core, are renewal in service of survival.
A church, like a human body, is a kind of organism that requires continual renewal. The rate of turnover in a congregation may be considerably slower than the rate at which cells replace themselves–measured in decades and multiplies of decades before none of the members who belonged to the church at one point in time belong to it any longer at a second point in time–the rate of turnover in a congregation may be slower than the turnover rate of human cells, but it too is a continual process. And churches, like human beings, require renewal as a means of survival.
A church, unlike a human body, has no biological or otherwise systemic, automatic means of renewal. Survival is all up to our intentional acts of renewal. Today, as we recognize XX new members who have joined this church over the past 16 months, we could say this is how we renew the congregation and ensure its survival—by adding new members. But we would be wrong. The desire of these people to join our church is the tangible result of all the acts of renewal we engage in as a matter of course.
Instead of proper nutrition and hydration, the church provides carefully curated offerings of worship and faith development for children, youth and adults. Offerings grounded in our Unitarian Universalist values; that invite us to access and release the divine spark within us; that evoke wonder, engage intellect, nurture empathy; that both satisfy and stir curiosity; and that acknowledge our connections to one another, to our surrounding communities, to the world community, and to the natural world.
Instead of 8 hours of sleep or work/life balance, the church provides social and recreational activities–Sunday hospitality, Game Nights, Art Saturdays, a men’s group, a women’s group.
Instead of exercise routines, the church has building and grounds work days, board meetings, committee work, stewardship drives and annual meetings.
Instead of individual spiritual practices, the church has, well, spiritual practices–covenant groups and Taoist meditation and, perhaps, the choir.
Instead of individual meaningful engagement with the world, the church participates in JUST, serves meals to participants in the Strengthening Families court program, marches in the MLK Day parade and the Pride parade, brings in speakers related to the work of our Green Team and our Anti-Racism Committee; opens its doors for use by the Girl Scouts and other community not-for-profit organizations; and broadcasts music, worship services, and talk shows on WRUU.
Each year some of members of this congregation die and others move on to other places or other faith communities. Our continued existence is ensured when our numbers are replenished by new people joining the church. And they, we–for we all were new here at some point in time–we join the church not because of marketing or social media, not because of our beautiful historic sanctuary, not even because of one event or another–though sometimes it is a concert or speaker that first brings new people through our doors. The new members we recognize today–including me–join this church because the intentional acts of renewal I’ve mentioned, and others like them, keep UUCS vital and relevant and inviting to individuals and families who seek community or religion grounded in expansive Love or something ineffable they can’t name but know they need.
I said a few minutes ago that staying alive is the body’s purpose. Staying in existence for the sake of staying in existence is not the church’s purpose. Continuing to exist because we are needed, in the world, in Savannah, is the church’s purpose.
And we are needed. We are needed because, as the small rainbow banner on the Macon Street gate declares, all are welcome, and that’s not true very many places in Savannah. We are needed because we preach–and strive to live–a gospel of universal Love, a gospel that says not only are all welcome here but we believe all are welcomed and loved by God or the Spirit of Life or the Holy Mystery of the Universe. We are needed because we know our paths to truth and meaning differ one from another in this community, and we believe in supporting each other along those paths, and we believe that together, because of our differences, we come closer to Truth. We are needed because we affirm that you are who you know yourself to be, and that we are blessed by your presence. We are needed because we don’t claim to be the one true religion for all times, and places, and people, but we know that we are the right religion for this time and this place and all who call this their church.
Which brings us back to renewal meaning survival. If we are to continue to be the right religion, the right church, for ourselves and all who need us in this time and this place, then we are called to continually renew this beloved institution. I’m just wrapping up my second church year here yet I know that this congregation, like every congregation of every faith across the land and probably around the world, questioned its ultimate survival as the COVID pandemic forced it to change all the familiar ways of doing and being the church. And I know that I came here to be your minister, and all the new members we recognize this morning chose to join UUCS, because this congregation rose to the challenge of adapting to survive. And I am grateful, on all of our behalfs, that together we have moved beyond the challenge of adapting rapidly and radically and uncertainly in order to survive, to the more joyful, steady endeavor of renewing to survive. Renewing our sense of purpose, renewing our ministries of worship and religious education and WRUU and social justice and green team and anti-racism, renewing our physical plant, renewing the spirit of our congregation.
Some publishing company contacted me this week, wanting to help us create a book in honor of the church's 175th anniversary this year. Their research department clearly failed–both in not discovering that Unitarianism was present in Savannah much earlier than 175 years ago, and in not understanding Unitarian Universalism’s presence in Savannah has not been unbroken in all the years since wealthy New England Unitarians first organized themselves here. But I kind of like the idea of this church one day celebrating 175 years of existence. All it will take is our intentional acts of renewal–the very ones that will bless us every year, every week, every day along the way.
Amen.
