To Preserve What Is Sacred

Rev. Douglas Taylor

11-9-25

Sermon Video: https://youtu.be/KMEzq0n-oiw

Back in June we held a Question Box Sunday during which people were invited to write questions onto index cards, they were collected, and then (during the sermon portion of the service,) I responded to several of your questions. I did not get to all of them. One question I did not get to was this: “How can we preserve what is sacred?”

My initial interpretation when reading this question was to assume it was referring to things political; to the degradation of our democracy, the harm wrought against vulnerable people by the current administration, the rampant lies and cruelty, the obvious support of autocratic governments internationally including the ongoing collusion in genocide happening in Gaza, and the blatantly corrupt protection of people on the Epstein list. I figured the question arose in that context. How can we preserve what is sacred?

On further reflection, it may be that the question arose from a different context. It may have been a lamenting against something less sensational, something not covered in the news. It may have been a cry to protect the water or to save our earth. It may have been written in concern for too much secularism and not enough prayer. Maybe it was about wanting more music or art, or maybe a yearning for more joy, more love. I’m not sure.

So last week I asked you all to help me stay open to this question. We told the story of the Memory Jars (by Vera Brosgol). In the story, the child tries to collect all the things she loves in mason jars to preserve what she loves, safe. I then asked you write about a ‘treasured memory’ on the half-sheet insert with a picture of a mason jar. You’ll notice we have those sheets posted along the windows here in the sanctuary. What do you all say you treasure? What do you want to preserve?

Our question last week was smaller, easier to get into. What is something you treasure? It is easier to sort that out than the question: what is sacred to you? But it starts us in the right direction.

The word ‘sacred’ is a very religious word. The definition is something like – connected to religious matters, connected to God, dedicated to a religious purpose. I use the word as part of the variety of ways I talk about God.

If you’ve heard me speak enough times you may have picked up on one of my idiosyncrasies. I do this thing I call “multi-framing’ as a way to acknowledge and encourage our theological diversity together. Instead of just saying “God,” I will instead say, “God, the holy, your high principles, however you need to frame it – I’m talking about that which is greater than you which calls you into deeper relationship.” Have you heard me do that? I am treating words and phrases such as ‘the holy’ and ‘sacred’ almost as synonyms. And I know they are not, exactly.

I am a theist and I talk about God. I believe in God. God’s love is a very important part of my theology and my ministry.  And … I also serve a religious community with a plurality of beliefs. The word ‘God’ does not connect for everyone here. So I talk about the sacred, or about love, and hopefully allow you to find your way into the wording that works best when we talk about these important things in our lives. 

So I want to reflect the question back to each of you – what do you hold sacred? What does ‘sacred’ mean to you? What is included under that word? For me it is the earth. Human beings are sacred. I would say certain principles and values are sacred – or maybe at certain levels they are sacred. Truth, for example. Compassion. Equity. How about for you? What do you hold sacred? Or … I could say, what do you love?

At the top of this sermon I said that I imagined the question was about the degradation of our democracy. When I say that, I am telling you that there is some part of the democratic process I see as sacred. When I said I imagined the question was about harm wrought against vulnerable people, I am revealing to you that in some fashion, I see vulnerable people as sacred – I see protecting or empowering vulnerable people as sacred work.

What do you hold sacred? I’m not going to make us all write it down on a picture of a mason jar like last week. But I do hope you’ve landed on a few answers for yourself as I move along.

In my write up of this sermon I reminded us of the profound quote from Adrienne Rich:

“My heart is moved by all I cannot save: so much has been destroyed I have to cast my lot with those who age after age, perversely, with no extraordinary power, reconstitute the world.”

How can we preserve what is sacred?

Rich suggested that one way to preserve what is sacred is to let your heart be moved by all you cannot save. Let the grief in. Don’t numb yourself or let the overflow of news numb you. Let your heart be moved. Then, because so much has been destroyed, and it all seems hopeless and insurmountable, and who are we? You and I muttering here together about how so much has been destroyed? We who have no extraordinary power, we … will align ourselves with the sacred, with the vulnerable, with all that has been destroyed. We will pick a side and get to work. And in so doing, we will reconsecrate and reconstitute the world. We will rebuild it.

“My heart is moved by all I cannot save: so much has been destroyed I have to cast my lot with those who age after age, perversely, with no extraordinary power, reconstitute the world.”

Last week, I pretty much answered the question – how can we preserve what is sacred? – with the story about Memory Jars. In the story, the lesson was you can’t. You can’t preserve the things you love by locking them away in mason jars. You can’t wall up your heart and expect to fall in love. We can’t keep what we love in bubble wrap and expect our lives to thrive.

The lesson was to not try to preserve what is sacred. The lesson was to spend it. Give it away. Or as Adrienne Rich would have us do – perversely rebuild the world. Take the sacred out and show it off for others to see. That which is sacred does not need to be cordoned off behind a museum rope or locked up in a little tabernacle. I know, I know – in some religious communities that is exactly what they do. I’m saying, let’s not.

I’m suggesting that the sacred is not fragile, and it will grow in manifold glory when we let it. Don’t try to preserve what is sacred. Fan the flame. Feed the child. Share the news. Let the bird fly. Don’t hold it back or hide it away behind a screen or … in a sanctuary. That’s not what you do with the sacred. What we’re supposed to do is let it out, spread it around, help others discover it.

Here’s the part where I get specific. What does it mean to use it, to spread it around?

I suggested that compassion is sacred to me. Perhaps it is for you. What will be do with that now? Compassion prompted me to show up at the No Kings Rally, to show up at the voting booth. It prompted me to participate in the get angry about SNAP benefits getting held hostage for political brinksmanship. Now what. How can we get closer, get involved? If compassion is sacred, lead in and use it.

I suggested that I see harm wrought against vulnerable people as a call to preserve what is sacred. Perhaps that’s true for you as well. What will we do with that now? Many of us helped out at the community meals, we donate money for the various programs we have to support the homeless and hungry and the vulnerable. What if we can become vulnerable too? Show up at the bus station, meet some people. Get closer, get involved. It that’s sacred, lean in and use it.

And maybe circle back and really pin yourself down about what is sacred. Get clear for yourself about that and then follow up on what you uncover. Maybe it’s the music or the joy. Maybe it’s about kindness shown to a stranger or shared food.  It’s not enough to just be angry about things that feel wrong.

I get it, believe me. It feels like the important things, sacred things, are at risk. It feels like parts of the world have gone off the rails, there is some madness among us that has broken out capacity to have empathy. It is as if we’ve forgotten how to share the work of being a thriving society together. I get it. There are traumatizing things, cruel things being perpetrated in our name, under the cover or our consent as a people in our country.

And … and that doesn’t mean the sacred needs to be sequestered into quarantine for its protection. In fact, the sacred is what we need shining out in the open for all to experience at a time like this.

And by “the sacred” I mean, our love for each other, our guiding values, our joy, the way we attend to the needs of others. We don’t need to preserve it, we need to use it. That’s how God works, that the nature of the holy, that what happens with the sacred. That’s what love is for. The more there is the more there will continue to be. Our work is not to preserve it, but to help it grow.

In a world without end,

May it be so.