A Sermon by Geraldine Zurek

for the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Winston-Salem

July 30, 2006

            When I was a child attending Catholic grammar school, part of my daily religion lesson involved studying the Baltimore catechism. The Baltimore catechism, so named because it was first published after the third Plenary Council on Baltimore in 1885, was used extensively in Catholic schools as a means of teaching the basic tenets of the faith to children. The usual method involved memorizing the five or so questions and answers every night, and Sister would quiz us on them the next morning. And when I say “memorize” I mean memorize. None of this paraphrasing stuff.

The Baltimore catechism was a marvel of expressing complex truths in simple language using a question-and-answer format:

            Q. Who is God?

            A. God is the Creator of heaven and earth, and of all things.

           Q. Why did God make you?

           A. God made me to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him in this world, and to be happy with Him forever in the next.

            My reason for living – where I came from and what I was doing here – was explained in just two questions – and I didn’t have to do all the research myself. Someone had gone through all the theological texts and canon law to save me the time and effort, and they presented the results in a user-friendly format – at least as user-friendly as things got back in the ‘60s.

            In many respects, the Baltimore catechism was like a TripTik. Many of us are old enough to remember TripTiks. If you belonged to AAA and were planning a road trip, you simply gave them a week’s notice and they would prepare a little map booklet that was personalized just for you. Each page covered a portion of the journey, and there would be this big green arrow showing you just what route to take and what to expect along the way. You could measure your progress along the way as you turned every page. If you followed the directions faithfully, you would arrive at your final destination, which was conveniently marked by a big circle.

            Most Catholic schools no longer use the Baltimore catechism, and I don’t think AAA does TripTiks anymore, since we have entered the age of MapQuest. As most of you probably know, you can enter your starting point and desired ending point in MapQuest, and in less time than it took to dial AAA on the phone, you have a detailed set of directions. And some of us have an even more sophisticated Global Positioning System installed in our cars, where a nice, soothing voice will give us turn -by-turn directions to get us to where we want to go.

            I don’t have a GPS system in my car, and I often wondered what the voice says if you make a wrong turn. Does it shout out “No! No! That’s not the way! Don’t go there!” just as I imagine some of my grade-school nuns would have shouted at me if they had been around when I joined this fellowship.

            Unitarian Universalism doesn’t have catechisms or road maps. As a matter of fact, I doubt too many of us agree on just what our final destination is.

             Not having a creed, not having a catechism, not having commandments do not make being a Unitarian Universalist easy. On the contrary, it makes it more difficult than a creedal religion. As UUs we undertake a free and responsible search for truth and meaning. But we have abandoned the TripTiks and catechisms, and we’re not sure about the street signs and creeds. Maybe we need a new model of how to proceed on the journey. Or maybe we need to revisit an old model.

            Years before GPS and MapQuest and TripTiks, years before maps even, there was another way to find out if you on the right path. You found someone else and asked – someone, or a group of someones, who seemed to be familiar with the territory. Maybe they had made the trip before; maybe they had heard stories from other travelers. But this model demands two things: You have to be willing to ask, and you have to be willing to listen for the answer.

            In this fellowship we have plenty of opportunities to ask and listen for the answer. And sometimes we are even called upon to be the ones familiar with the territory. These conversations happen every day in dozens of different situations. There are the formal “religious education” programs, like the one Pam Lepley is conducting this summer on “Our Chosen Faith.” What a great way to discover, or re-discover, Unitarian Universalism. The discussions will start up again on August 6, and if you’re interested, I’m sure Pam or Gregg Jamback would be happy to sell you a book!

            On Sunday mornings the Forum meets before the service, and the programs offered are varied and informative. It’s a chance to learn about current events, faraway places, new books and what your fellow congregants do for a living. And thanks to Ernie [Schmid], there’s always coffee and cookies. I’ve always found that food enhances the educational experience.

            For me, the Sunday service is the primary venue for meeting my fellow pilgrims in their search for meaning. In the sermons, the readings and the music, I find glimpses into the great mystery, and I leave here inspired to create meaning from what I have heard. And I want to commend the Sunday Services Committee for filling this pulpit with speakers during Charlie’s absence who continue to inspire me, just as Charlie does.

            Beyond these formal venues, there are dozens of other opportunities to participate in the give-and-take that leads us on our search for truth. It happens at Dinner Circles, choir practices, and softball games. It happens when we clean the kitchen and when we mow the lawn. It happens when we bake cookies for Hospice and run in the Mercy 5 Miler. It happens at Hanging Rock and the Mountain. And yes, it even happens at committee meetings. Every time we interact with our fellow UUs, we are giving directions to and getting directions from our fellow pilgrims.

            Our search for truth isn’t easy, not only because we don’t have a creed but because the commitment to it requires a commitment to each other. Choosing to be here on Sunday mornings instead of at home with the newspaper is not always an easy choice. Setting aside time from our busy lives to come to the meetings and work on the fund-raisers isn’t always a priority. But taking part in the conversations about our faith and our fellowship and participating in the breadth of activities we offer is how we shape our vision of truth and how we progress on our journey toward meaning.

            This dialogue, this conversation, is for me the essence of Unitarian Universalism. It is in the give-and-take of our interactions with each other that I find my truth and meaning. It is in the company of this group of travelers that I feel supported and safe in my journey, and where I feel free to explore any of the detours along the way.

I no longer believe that God made me to know him, to love him and to serve him in the world and to be happy with him forever in the next. I think my purpose in life is much more important. I think my purpose is to be in community with my fellow travelers. I think my purpose is to enjoy the journey in the company of people who can make me laugh, make me think and make me crazy, sometimes all at once. It’s not always easy, this journey we’ve undertaken together, but dang, it can be a hoot. When I look around this room I see the people I love, the people I have learned from, the people who are my street signs as I travel on my journey toward meaning and truth.

I don’t need no stinkin’ TripTik – I’ve got YOU!