"My Last Memo..." by Rev. Thomas Schade

[Memos from Rev. Barbara Merritt and Rev. Tom Schade]

M I N I S T E R ‘ S   M E M O

“My Last Memo. . .”

This is it – my last memo before I get a puppy. Tonight my older daughter
will deliver a little puppy to us. A little apartment sized dog, but just a
puppy. By the time you read this, we will be deep into puppy ownership. We
have picked out a tentative name, but are waiting for her input when she
gets here.

Sue and I thought that we needed someone lively around the house. We even
wanted to have someone that we could take care of. We are hoping that our
little dog will be suitable for our living situation and life style. We
realize that someone watching the way that we live, would think that a
“suitable animal roommate” would be one who might put dinner on the table
when we come home late, do the dishes and run errands when needed. We will
settle, however, for a friend who loves us unconditionally, and makes a
sincere effort toward being housebroken.

In all honesty, I have never wanted to be one of those ministers who writes,
talks, preaches, teaches and prays about his dog all the time. You know the
kind that draws deep inspiration from the doings of his dog. The preacher
who salts his sermon illustrations about how his dog exemplifies faithful
service, and peppers his reflections with how God will always take us for a
walk when we can stand it no more. Such theologizing about one’s dog or cat
always struck me as a cheap ploy to appear human, and even likeable, which
we all know is a slippery slope.

But now I am getting a dog, so a new revelation may be at hand. In a couple
of weeks, I might be planning a dog biscuit communion for one of next year’s
summer services.

But in these last few hours of pre-puppy sanity, I want to remember some of
the questions that UU ministers get asked all the time:

Questions like:
How can a church not have a creed?
Is it true that you can believe anything you want and be a Unitarian?
Are you trying to combine all religions into one?
Why can’t you answer a simple question like “Are you Christians?” with a
simple yes or no?
Is it true that some Unitarians don’t believe in God?
Why do they go to church?
Unitarian Universalism – that’s 11 syllables. What is the short version of
what you believe?
How come there are so many Buddhists in your church?

And then there are the questions, all ministers get asked:
What does God want from me?
Will God really forgive my sins?
Does it matter if I go to church, if I am trying to live a good life?
Can I be spiritual but not religious?

You only have to come by the First Unitarian Church in Worcester once to
know that our way of being religious is not a new wrinkle. We have been
worshipping in the Unitarian manner for over two hundred years here and
longer elsewhere.

Modern Unitarian Universalism arises out of a rich and detailed tradition of
theological thinking. It is an interconnected set of answers to some of the
most troubling questions in religious life, including how to sustain
religion that does not become rigid, stultified and eventually oppressive to
the human spirit.

If you want to deepen your understanding of the theology and history of
Unitarian Universalism, you will want to attend the “First Unitarian School
of Theology and History”. I will be leading a yearlong series of classes
about Unitarian Universalism and liberal religion classes will be about
every other week, and held in Room 1 (The Mirick Room) from 9 a.m. to 10
a.m. on Sunday.

Our first session will be this week and will be a general introduction,
including identifying those most troublesome theological concepts that need
to be explored. The subjects for the rest of the year will be refined.

It is not necessary to come to every class, so come when you can.

                                          Tom

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