Church

Yesterday, Sunday, I dressed for church.  I figured a UU church didn’t require much dressing up, so I kept it casual.  And when I got to the church, I hid in the back behind a tall man in order to be unnoticed from the pulpit.  My purpose was to observe, not draw attention to myself.  There was a lot to observe.

I doubt I have the correct terminology for the service, so I’ll just describe.  The language of the service was very inclusive of all people, all perspectives, all belief systems and that was very welcoming.  The greeters were warm without being overly enthusiastic so as to scare me away.  The hymns were, well hymns, but the lyrics were lovely.  I especially loved the last song that described the earth as a blue boat.  There were two milestone ceremonies, both sweet if odd.  Definitely not the type of thing you’d see in a traditional church or synagogue, temple or mosque.  And the sermon was both inspirational and taught me a little something about Unitarian philosophy.

Still, I felt uneasy.  I think it’s just a knee-jerk reaction to being part of a group of people gathered to “worship” in a sacred space, especially a space other than a synagogue, a place called church (though I prefer the Quaker term: meeting house).  For all of my adult life I have avoided this.  When I meditate or contemplate, I prefer to do so alone.  There is much to admire at First Unitarian, but as with most of my resolutions, this one will take multiple visits before becoming a habit, or choosing a different path.