Minister’s Letter 4/15/2024
Dear Friends,
I wonder if you got to see the eclipse. Did you travel somewhere to see the totality? Did you get a pair of glasses and take a break from work to witness the magnificence of it? During a recent meeting Ellen Rockett shared how the eclipse could be particularly meaningful for UUs as both a profound scientific experience as well as a magical one. There is something both spiritually profound and cosmically rational about watching the sun disappear behind the moon. Magic and science. A beautiful convergence, just like the convergence of the giant spheres themselves.
As I write this letter, I am preparing to deliver a set of lectures over the coming months as part of the Minns Lecture Series. I am very excited to have the opportunity to share in this way with leaders in our faith. This project has been long coming for me. I was invited to submit a proposal nearly two years ago. It was at a particularly challenging moment in my life and it was such an honor to be considered for a prestigious lecture series such as this. I was flattered and overwhelmed by the prospect. The invitation was to specifically reflect on prison abolition and Unitarian Universalism. I was very excited when my proposal was accepted, even if also feeling daunted by the task ahead of me.
My lecture series is very different from a sermon I would deliver before our congregation. I will say things in my lecture that I would not preach about from our pulpit. I am not couching my words much and will make some pretty radical statements about punishment, theology, and prison abolition. It is my prayer that as I do so, I do not alienate but hopefully inspire. I hope to be challenging but not overly divisive. The idea that we can live in a world free from punishment is one that I see deeply rooted in universalist theology. Freeing ourselves from conceptualizations of punishment broadens possibilities of accountability and transformation. If we understand that punishment causes greater suffering, what might we replace it with that could lead to greater healing? Even if we decide that replacement is not exactly the need, as punishment often serves no authentic purpose, how might we envision theologies and ideologies that not only object to punishment rationales but offer liberatory frameworks of care? This is what I am planning to reflect on.
Two of my lectures will happen in Boston. One will be at First Church Boston the other at Kings Chapel. If you wish to attend virtually, you can. The registration information is available at the link above. I am, additionally, excited to spend a week in Boston with people I love while preparing for and delivering these lectures. The third and final lecture will occur on Thursday, May 9th at 7:00pm in our sanctuary. I am very excited that members of the choir will open up the event with a rendition of “Circle Round for Freedom.” You are certainly welcome to attend in person. This third lecture will be more personally focused than the first two. This lecture will look at the intersections of prayer and abolition. I will share quite a bit about my own journey with prayer while striving to highlight that abolition is, itself, a form of prayer in the universe.
When I offer these lectures, I am not speaking on behalf of our church and yet, I am still the minister of our church. I do not think that anything I say will be particularly surprising to you, though the delivery of it will certainly be different (among the differences, these lectures are looooong). If things come up for you based on the things I say, please never hesitate to let me know. I always want to talk with you and look forward to being in relationship with you while navigating complexities as we face them.
I am so thankful for your support as I take on this responsibility to articulate something for our larger faith.
With appreciation,
