Real Whip Cream

There are many things that divide our world-beyond mountains, and oceans and rivers- constructs of humanity that seem to reverberate ‘us versus them’ – ‘right versus wrong’ – ‘me versus we’. I have long held the belief that the only hope there may be for world peace will be when we see the ‘us’ the ‘we’ the ‘unity’.

I don’t often blog about religion, church, faith – I have mine; you have yours. In a changing world religion has frequently been a topic to tip-toe around. But this week, Old Whalers’ Church in Sag Harbor opens its doors to the community, hosting one of the most wonderful gatherings of clergy and community for an Interfaith/Interspiritual service of Thanksgiving. This has been a tradition here for many years before I donned a stole. It offers a time of peace and a hopefulness that resounds with the anthem “We Are One”. A universal call that knows that we are better together than apart-that we share a common bond with which we are called to live and breathe and stand with and for each other. Had that not been the plan in place when creation decided we’d be approximately 99.9% genetically identical? Is it that 0.1 percent that wreaks all of the havoc in this world?

I was raised with a fear of attending any other church-of even walking in the door. But now I say- open the door and let me see the beauty, the splendor, and the faith living there. Let me hear what fills your heart– and I will tell you what fills mine. How could this sharing not make for a richer, more enduring life-preserver for the torrent waters of life.

There is a story from the ‘Tao of Joy’ that has always resonated with me- it goes something like this….The world is like a mansion with many rooms, each room representing a particular tradition of religion or spirituality. Try to picture all the rooms having a window that looks out at a beautiful garden surrounding the mansion. Every view is beautiful, and every view is somewhat different.

Some of the features of the garden that you can see are not visible to your fellow guests, and the reverse is also true. Due to the orientation of your room, some of the things they can see out their window are beyond the range of your vision. And some of the things you can see are beyond theirs. This is not unlike how different religions have uniquely different perspectives.

Some of the guests prefer to stay in their room and don’t want or need to go into someone else’s room to look at the view from there. They are comfortable and comforted right where they are-their view is enough; their view holds their faith. Other guests welcome the chance to visit as many rooms as possible, they believe that admiring the special beauty from each room will offer an understanding of the garden’s magnificence.

That is what it has been like studying to be an interfaith minister. It has given me a chance to look out some of the other windows and I have found so much life and inspiration there.

And so, we look at the things we share rather than the ideas that divide us-we come together as a community in celebration of how we stand in unity-all parts of the whole-all spokes on this great wheel of life- living, breathing, working and needing each other. It is fair to say that many find our inspiration, our god, our hope in nature and I am among them – but we gather, and share and exist in community - in church, temple, mosque, meetinghouse, zendo and wherever two or more may be gathered. No longer needing to be told what to believe but rather to explore our own faith and what might be brewing within us- what might be calling our names. We come together to be companions for the journey and lift each other up when we’re weak or when we’ve fallen - to share, to inspire, to weave this tapestry of life together.

In a world where community may be more and more fractionalized, we offer an opportunity to join together, to care for each other, to support our food pantries and each other- and after all of that- we’ll all sit down and break bread- or rather pie - together- with real whip cream!