The coronavirus continues to be a roller-coaster of hope and fear and sadness. There is definitely cause for hope. Personally, I just passed the crucial milestone of 3 weeks since my second dose of the vaccine: fully vaccinated by the CDC guidelines. I keep reminding myself to pause in gratitude at how significant that is. Six months ago there was no vaccine or it was just beginning to come out, and I thought it would be much longer before I would get my shots. Being vaccinated means, for me, that I can travel to see family and friends for the first time. It also means that I feel more comfortable meeting with members of the congregation one on one or in small groups.
 
A few weeks ago, I was optimistic that so many of us are getting vaccinated, and therefore we could start meeting in person again for worship services. We gave a survey to the congregation, and indeed it shows that almost everyone who is a regular part of the congregation is vaccinated (at least the 66 people who filled out the survey).
 
That’s the good news. The bad news is that Michigan is still considered one of the highest-risk places for the virus; and the truth is that being vaccinated doesn’t mean 100% immunity. The CDC still recommends that vaccinated people shouldn’t gather in crowded spaces indoors. Therefore we (the coronavirus task force and myself) aren’t recommending gathering in person for worship yet.  Maybe the steps back toward being together again are small groups, individual meetings, and outdoor gatherings. We need to keep thinking creatively, keep being safe, and find ways to meet our need for community. The survey of the congregation also showed an even split among three groups: those who are mostly ready and eager to start meeting in person again; those who are unsure; and those who are mostly hesitant to start meeting in person again. This is complicated for all of us, and we’ll keep moving forward one step at a time holding the complexity of it as best we can.
 
PRAYER:
Father-Mother God, hear this prayer: may we emerge from the isolation of this pandemic with cautious joy. May we embrace the miraculous science of these highly-effective vaccines…and may we honor their limitations.
 
May we embrace the joy of seeing loved ones after an absence of long months. May we take safe steps towards reuniting with the people in this faith community whom we have not seen for long.
 
May all of us be true to our values of love and caring as we navigate the still uncertain world of re-opening and re-connecting. May love hold all of us as we do so.
 
Amen. Blessed be.
 
Rev. Andrew Frantz

I have one Sunday free per month, and this month it was Easter Sunday. Some of my friends and family were very confused by this -- how can the minister have the day off on Easter? It felt a little bit strange to me also, because my Christian upbringing tells me that Easter is an important holiday. The more I think about it, I think that the minister being absent on Easter shows how far Unitarian Universalism has come from its Christian roots, and how far I have come in my personal beliefs. 
 
Unitarian Universalism is a historically Christian religion. The Unitarian Church and the Universalist Church, two liberal Christian denominations, merged in 1961. Since then, UU has become less and less Christian and more and more theologically diverse. Officially, “Jewish and Christian teachings” is just one of the six sources of faith that today’s UU church claims--alongside world religions, earth-centered traditions, and others. At the UU Fellowship of Central Michigan, a congregation of 100 people, I know that some people consider themselves Christian and would therefore consider Easter an important holiday...and many don’t. About 20 of us right now are doing a class called “Building Your Own Theology,” which asks everyone to figure out exactly what they believe. It will be interesting to see how many name Christianity as a primary part of their religious beliefs.
 
Personally, I was thinking about this as I walked by the river on Easter Sunday. The holiday felt less significant because I had already ritualized and honored spring, hope, new life beginning--the classic themes of Easter--on the spring equinox two weeks ago. Spring equinox is the pagan holiday of Ostara, from which the word Easter is probably derived. And I realized that my beliefs and practices have evolved to be more pagan than Christian.
 
Pagans today recognize and honor the cycle of the year with their holidays. To me this has become a core of my spirituality: marking the time that I spend on this planet, rotating daily and going around the sun yearly. This is my 53rd trip around the sun. Spring equinox, marking light ascending, days growing longer, spring arriving--this is the main religious story for me. The story of Jesus being killed and resurrected is one example of that for me: an example of death and rebirth, like the trees and flowers, like the sun and the river. The bigger story for me is the earth circling the sun and where I am placed on the earth to observe it. Happy Easter to all who observe the holiday; happy spring to all who live in this hemisphere and see light and warmth returning; may hope bless all of us, whatever our religious beliefs.
 
PRAYER:
Divine and undying spirit of Jesus, be with me now. Nurturing energy of Mother Earth, be here now. I pray for all people, and all living beings, to have peace and life and hope today. May spring bless the fields and rivers, the marshes and hills, bringing food to sustain the deer and the rabbits and the birds.
 
May people in their families and by themselves be renewed and blessed by the spring. May the story of Jesus dying and being reborn give hope and meaning to those who connect with that story.
 
May the whole world know peace and hope, with no exceptions.
 
Amen.
 
Rev. Andrew Frantz
​April 7, 2021

May nothing evil cross this door,
and may ill fortune never pry
about these windows; may the roar
and rain go by.
 
By faith made strong, the rafters will
withstand the battering of the storm.
This hearth, though all the world grow chill,
will keep you warm.
​
 (hymn #1 in the Unitarian Universalist hymnal)
 
Last week I moved into my new house, across town from where I had been renting an apartment. Spiritually this means settling more firmly into this place; claiming this city as my new home; creating a space for love to thrive, for rest and recovery, for welcoming loved ones and visitors. Physically this means being surrounded temporarily by piles of boxes, and trying desperately to dig through them when I need a baking sheet to make dinner.
 
I live within sight of the Sacred Heart Catholic church, and I can hear their bells ringing regularly. Walking from home to the UU Fellowship building last Sunday, I cut through Sacred Heart’s parking lot. It was full of cars. One person was hurrying toward the door and putting on her face mask: it was 9:05 and Sunday mass had just begun. I looked in the window as I passed and saw the congregation gathered for Palm Sunday.
 
Having a church as a neighbor is even better than having a school as a neighbor--not quite as good as having a park or a forest; and much better than having a highway or a shopping center as a neighbor. My goal is to be a good neighbor to the people (and the church) around me. To clean up the yard and plant new gardens; to put salt on the sidewalk when it gets icy; to let sweet music flow at times from the open windows.
 
The Sacred Heart building is a neighbor to the UU Fellowship building too. Their theology may be different from that of many Unitarian Universalists, but I see them as partners, as cousins—as neighbors in faith. They are celebrating their highest holiday of Easter this week. They are meeting in person, while we are waiting a little longer before we do that. They gather to honor the sacred and to be in community. We have differences and we have things in common. As a faith community, may we be good neighbors to all the other faith communities around us.
 
PRAYER
For every human dwelling and house of worship, with no exceptions:
 
May the walls keep out hate and hold in love; may the roof shelter from rain and from the hardship of the world; may the hearth warm bodies and spirits; may all be welcome as friends and neighbors.
 
Blessed be.
 
Rev. Andrew Frantz
March 31, 2021