UU Christian Journal: “Naming The Holy”
Make this special book a gift to yourself, for someone you know, a church library, seminary, friend interested in UU Christianity…
A special issue of the UU Christian Journal, vol. 59, devoted to the writings of the Rev. David B. Parke, author of The Epic of Unitarianism. Purchase copies of the book for $20 by sending a check to the UUCF at P.O. Box 6702, Turley, OK 74156, or by email to UUCFOffice@aol.com or calling Rev. Ron Robinson at 918-691-3223.
Here is an excerpt from a sermon in 1992 called “What is Faith?” published in this collection.
“…Faith is the inner confidence that enables you to live your life on your own terms in spite of setbacks, to stand with the oppressed, the marginal, and the despised, whatever the cost to yourself, and to wager everything you have loved on behalf of the integrity of your own mind and the sacredness of your own covenants, come what may. As one born into a Unitarian family, I belong to the eleven percent [of adult members of UU churches who were reared in the tradition] rather than the eighty-nine percent. But my spiritual journey has not been less dramatic or less interesting for that fact.
It was discovery of faith in my mid-twenties, the faith of the church, the faith of the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, the faith of the cross, that brought my life to fullness. I did not cease to be a Unitarian Universalist. Rather, I discovered what Unitarian Universalism truly is, a biblical faith, a transcendent faith, a humanistic faith, a mystical faith, a liberating faith. I discovered that I could invest my life in this faith, writing its history, fighting its battles, loving its people, while only scratching the surface of its diverse global traditions and profound spiritual gifts.”
And an excerpt from the Easter sermon “Naming the Holy” in 1996:
“The holy is the solemn, inner, creative, judging, transforming presence that makes tangible the divine intention. In three words, the holy is the energy of God. It has been described as the signature of the divine, the innermost reality of the Holy One of Israel, “the revelation of the holy presence which gives rise to the impulse of worship” (Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible)…I experience the holy walking in the woods with nature my only companion. I experience the holy at the seashore, the sand and sea and sky unimaginably deep, extending as if forever. I experience the holy when I am with those I love–my parents, my children, my chosen companions–in whose company, wherever we meet, I am home.
“Let I be misunderstood, let me emphasize that holiness is not a human quality or attribute. “You cannot say God by saying man in a loud voice,” Karl Barth has written. Holiness displays the power of the absolutely Other, totaliter aliter in the Latin, the godward aspect of the universe, the “personal nature of Yahweh” (IDB)….
“The world is full of holiness not because we are holy, but because here and there, now and then, the Universal God, the Holy One of Israel, comes down to our level and, without ceasing to be God, enters our lives. The Hebrew and Christian scriptures tell one part of the story. The other part of the story is what happens to us, and through us, today, tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow as we live out our lives….”
The Rev. David B. Parke recently retired from 50 years of ministry. He was born into a family lineage of Unitarian ministers. He studied theology at the University of Chicago and received a doctorate from Boston University. He is author of “The Epic of Unitarianism” and He taught at the Universalist Theological School at St. Lawrence University and at Crane Theological School at Tufts University. He served as a parish minister in New Hampshire, Pennsylvannia, and as interim minister in churches across the country.
Naming the Holy is divided into three sections of his writings—”Sermons,” “Editorials” (especially from his time as an editor and writer for the UU World magazine); and a “Biographical Sermon.”
Don’t miss this deeply enriching collection of work from one of our esteemed UU ministers.