Theodore Parker Church - Unitarian Universalist

With Brains in Your Head and Feet in Your Shoes
Rev. Lilli Nye
April 5, 2009

It's one of my faves-"Oh, the places you'll go."
I first heard it, oh…many short years ago.
It was read on the day I received ordination
to warn me about this peculiar vocation.

But this story of life,
told with such great acumen,
expresses the pathway of every human.

Out there things can happen and frequently do.
The news is not pretty, the world is askew.
We all need a place, a peaceful abode,
to sort it all out, and to lighten our load.
So, in good days and bad, whether lighter or darker,
it feels good to gather at Theodore Parker.

By now, you have noticed, I've claimed as my muse
Mr. Theodor Geisel,
that is-Dr. Seuss.

I had thought I might sprinkle a rhyme here or there-
give the sermon a soupçon of Seussian flair.
To make sure that my message would not go unheeded
I suspected that rhymes might be just the thing needed.

But once I got started, the rhymes kept on going.
Anapestic tetrameter wouldn't stop flowing!
I just couldn't stop and it kept getting worse.
It seemed the whole sermon was coming out verse!

You see what I mean? I just cannot drop it.
Soon you'll be screaming, "Oh, please, Lilli, stop it!
Just stop! You are driving us all a bit batty!
Before long, we'll all sound all Cat-in-the-Hat-ty."

But I'm sorry to say, it's already too late.
If you want it to stop, you will just have to wait.
I'm sorry to say, at the risk of offending,
this Seussian discourse is not close to ending.
Oh no! There are points that I still wish to make,
to grapple with life,
and to keep you awake.

On this fine Sunday morn, as we welcome new friends,
it seems a good time to recall, and contend
with the wild winding roads that all seekers must wend.

Here, among UU's, we think that it's best
to find your own path.
We believe in the quest.

With those brains in your head and those feet in your shoes,
you've a right to explore any route that you choose.

There may have been one day a few years ago
when the thoughts in your head needed more room to grow.
So you laced up your boots and you threw on a pack
and set out on your journey, without looking back.

You were hunting for truth, you were looking for clues,
to see what was real, to see what's a ruse.
You decided right then there'd be no sacred cows.
You must search to the limits that reason allows.

No premise is safe from a seeker like you
once you set out to find what is spiritually true.

Now ...
you'll come to a place where a fork in the street,
presents a deep question which all seekers meet.
It's that question of whether your faith is theistic,
or whether your leanings are pure humanistic,
or whether you'll straddle this tough diagnostic,
or choose not to choose ... just say, "I'm agnostic."
Or whether you'll find a way more syncretistic,
like Buddhist and Jewish, or humanist mystic.

But whether we trust hard, cold facts the most,
or see Jesus appear in a burnt piece of toast,
we all face the toughest of truths existential,
and seek out the best part of human potential.

And yet,
when it seems the light's not getting nearer
you start wishing someone would make it all clearer.
All this questing for answers,
and posing of questions ...
you can feel kinda lost with no map or directions.
You can try to sort out what is false, what is true,
but it's heavy to think it all comes down to you.

So take some time out when your noggin gets weary,
and clean off your specs when your vision gets bleary.
But please don't give up on this quest or this story,
'cause look where it brought you: to Centre and Corey!
After years of being a daring embarker
your path led you right here to Theodore Parker!

Just when you were thinking, "I'm all on my own,"
you discovered this place where you're not so alone.

So look to your left and your right and around you.
You'll see you've got friends who are walking beside you,
who'll lend you their boots when your own boots start leaking,
and challenge your attitude when it needs tweaking.
Who'll counsel you when you are not thinking clearly,
and pray for the wellness of those you love dearly.

A community helps us live to our ideals,
and strengthen our values and express them for real.
We learn how to love
and transcend animosity
and cultivate feelings of great generosity.

And so,
without dawdling or ducking or hedging,
I'd like to turn now to the subject of pledging:
making a gift-and by that I mean money.
This is serious business. I'm not being funny!

On the other hand, please do not get all depressed.
It's just that this point really needs to be stressed!
Workdays and potlucks will keep the love flowing,
but without the cash,
other things will stop going.

By the end of this poem, before we have parted,
please consider making a pledge that's big-hearted.

You know if your bank account's loaded or lean.
Only you can decide what big-hearted will mean.

With a big-hearted pledge you'll be curiously affected.
You will find that you feel far more deeply connected
and proud when a daring new project is started,
knowing that you are among the big-hearted.

So whether we're rich
or just medium wealthy,
or medium broke,
or financially healthy…
whatever the state of our personal coffer,
there's always some kind of a gift we can offer
to keep the view bright and to keep the church growing
and to pay for the mowers when the front lawn needs mowing.

So much fun to be done!
And films that need showing!
There are bells to be rung
and hearts that need growing,
and songs to be sung
and seeds that needs sowing.
There's justice to do,
and folks that need caring,
and a whole wide world for which peace needs declaring!

And so, my good friends, my dear sisters and brothers,
the world needs our care, and we need one another.
We're called to high purpose in difficult days.
So let's all pitch in. We've got money to raise!

Turning once more to our sage Dr. Seuss-
he left us with one all-encompassing truth:
to proceed with humility, kindness and tact,
understanding that life's a great balancing act.

It's grand to have such intellectual freedom,
but let's keep our hearts present (we really do need 'em),
and care for our bodies, test our ears and eyes yearly,
and most important, let's hold our friends dearly.

Now I've come to the end!
This is good news to some.
It's time to start singing "Morning Has Come!"