The Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano
You carry Mother Earth within you. She is not outside of you. Mother Earth is not just your environment. In that insight of inter-being, it is possible to have real communication with the Earth, which is the highest form of prayer. ~ Thich Nhat Hanh
Whether we and our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do. ~ Wendell Berry
A human being is a part of the whole called by us “the universe”….[But we] experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of our consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. ~ Albert Einstein
Much as I enjoy popular New Age commentary on love, I am often struck by the dangerous narcissism fostered by spiritual rhetoric that pays so much attention to individual self-improvement and so little to the practice of love within the context of community. Packaged as a commodity, spirituality becomes no different from an exercise program. While it may lead to the consumer feeling better about his or her life, its power to enhance our communion with ourselves and others in a sustained way is inhibited. ~ bell hooks
Whether or not we reckon with our relationship to the Earth, as Wendell Berry suggests, it will be Nature that has the last word. Wouldn’t it be more sensible—literally, more in line with a longing for survival—to accept, with Thich Nhat Hanh, that we and the Earth are inseparable, that we are, in his words, in inter-being with the Earth. It is appropriate that, in this month of April, which includes Earth Day, our theme is interdependence. Our individuality is, as Albert Einstein reminds us, an “optical delusion of our consciousness,” which, rather than making us more secure, actually serves as a prison, keeping us from so many of the relationships—with other people, other beings, the Earth, the Universe—that would allow us to live more abundantly. It is when we focus on our communion with others that true spirituality occurs. As bell hooks writes, a spirituality locked in individuality becomes merely a way for us to feel better about ourselves: it is in community that a sustaining spirituality is achieved. Just as, when we gather each week for worship (“a shaping concern for all that is of worth”), we create the sacred space by our being with one another with intention, so too, a life lived in close awareness of our interdependence with all that is will yield riches of consciousness we simply cannot achieve on our own.
So it is that, this month of April, we engage in some of our most beloved of Sunday observances. We begin with the lectureship endowed by former congregant Myra Zinke to promote appreciation of issues affecting women, and enhancing equality among genders. Our very own Karen Geer, along with her partner Jay Blotsky, will present a worship service focused on domestic violence and gun rights seen through the lens of an important U.S. Supreme Court case. We are grateful to her, not only for being our Myra Zinke speaker, but for helping to fulfill our commitment to work interdependently across UU congregations. When ministers take sabbaticals, an organization called Leadership Leaves (of which UUCMC has formed a part since its inception) organizes two Sundays of services a month during the sabbatical duration. On April 7th, while Karen is in the pulpit, I will be with our sibling congregation in Ridgewood, NJ; and, later in the month, Karen and Jay will take their Zinke service to share with that congregation. Thank you, Karen and Jay!
April is also the month for the celebration of Passover, coinciding this year with Earth Day. On April 21st, we will look at the connections between these two observances in a multigenerational service that will feature the folk music of the Sunadas and the Fischells! Aferwards, Family Ministry invites us all to an “Unbirthday Party” in the Community Room. Unless your birthday is April 21st, that Sunday is your Unbirthday—and that calls for a celebration with all the other Unbirthdays in your birth month, don’t you think? The week prior, we welcome back to UUCMC, the now Rev. Kerwin Webb. Rev. Kerwin is a fellow Princeton Seminary graduate who, since he was with us, has been ordained in the American Baptist tradition and is engaged in important work with its mission arm. I know we will give him a hearty “welcome back.” And the month ends with a service where we examine more deeply our monthly theme of interdependence, focusing on how this concept plays out in our congregational life in the form of volunteerism. UUCMC is only as strong as its members and friends make it through their talent, time, and treasure. In March, we zoomed in on the treasure element of that equation, launching our “Seeds of Love” Stewardship campaign for the upcoming 2024–25 fiscal year beginning July 1st. This month, we’ll look at the talent and time elements, celebrating afterwards in the Community Room with a Volunteer Appreciation Ice Cream Social sponsored by the Committee on Congregational Ministry (CoCM).
I hope to see you this month for many of the events we have planned. It will be a beautiful month of flowers, sunshine, perhaps some showers, and a whole lot of interdependence.
Rev. Craig
April Worship Services
April 7 The 2023 Myra Zinke Lecture: Hopes and Prayers for SCOTUS: United States v. Rahimi
Karen Geer; Jay Blotsky, Guest Worship Coordinator
This significant Supreme Court case wrestles with the intersection of domestic violence and Second Amendment Gun rights. We will look briefly at the court case and the issues presented, and visit a glimmer of hope as the Court searches for a new standard to evaluate gun issues. The Unitarian Universalist Association joined in a brief with other religious leaders to support the government’s ability to limit domestic violence perpetrators possessing guns.
Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky
A congregant of UUCMC, the late Dr. Myra Zinke, a Holmdel internist and psychiatrist, recognized very early how cultural issues impinged on women’s physical and mental health. She held a steadfast ethical vision and left a bequest to us for an annual speaker on women’s issues and to promote equality among genders.
Karen Geer is a member of UUCMC, the Worship Committee, and the UU Choir. Karen received her J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and received the Keith Miller Award and other Senior Prizes. She also has an L.L.M. from Pace University in Environmental Law. Karen is licensed to practice law in New York. She practiced at Harris Beach, LLP in the Science and Medical Devices Unit and served as National Coordinating Counsel in various Multi-District Litigations. The firm was located in Two World Trade Center and, after the terrorist attack, Karen transitioned to non-profit management and is a non-profit consultant specializing in Restructuring and Turnaround Management. Karen served as the Interim Executive Director for a large domestic violence center in New Jersey until March, 2024.
Rev. Craig is at our sibling congregation in Ridgewood, NJ as part of the collaborative Leadership Leaves program which allows for ministerial sabbaticals.
April 14 Cycles in Life Rev. Kerwin Webb, Guest Minister
Seed. Time. Harvest. These are three c components that are part of the cycle in our lives. Based on Matthew 13:3-9 (HCSB), this message will explore the parable that Jesus spoke to his disciples and how the lessons of the parable can be applied to our lives.
Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, UkUlele Orchestra
The Reverend Kerwin Webb is an ordained Baptist minister currently serving as a Visiting Minister at Martin Luther King, Jr. Presbyterian Church in Neptune, NJ. Rev. Webb earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Alabama State University (2004) and a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary (2019). Rev. Webb’s guiding scripture is Romans 12:2: “And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” (NKJV)
April 21 Community and Renewal: A Multigenerational Celebration of Passover and Earth Day
Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano and Michelle McKenzie-Creech, CDFM
The celebrations of Passover and Earth Day aren’t as separate as one might imagine, for the Jewish festival had its origins in harvest rituals associated with the emergence of Spring, and both involve communal gatherings with promises made for an interdependent future. This morning, all ages will profit from the lessons of the seasons of the Earth.
Music: Dr. Louise Chernosky, UU Singers
Following the Service, all are welcomed by Family Ministry and our young people to an “Unbirthday Party” in the Community Room.
April 28 Spirituality as Communion: Interdependence and Volunteerism Rev. Dr. Craig Rubano
As we stressed last month, UUCMC is only as strong as its members and friends make it through their talent, time, and treasure. This morning, we celebrate the time and treasure aspect of our giving, with an emphasis on volunteerism. Our spirituality is centered in communion—in our being in community with one another. Let us gather, once again, to create a sacred space in which to thrive together.
Music: Betsy and Craig Sunada; Sarah and Dr. David Fischell