[printprofilepic]“We pledge to walk together in the ways of the Lord, known and to be made known to us . . .”
~ from the original covenant of the first parish in Plymouth, Massachusetts – now First Parish Unitarian Universalist
Most every religion on the face of the earth has some central idea or tenet that binds its people together, the binding together of people being, of course, the primary work of religion (from the Latin religare – “to reconnect, to bind together”). In most religions, that work of binding is accomplished through some profession of faith or other – Catholics have their Nicene creed, Anglicans their common prayer book, Muslims their five pillars, etc.
But what of us? What of Unitarian Universalists?
We are somewhat famous for our lack of a binding creed. We have no one statement of faith connecting us. Our own congregational vision statement makes it clear that we celebrate our diversity in belief. What, then, binds us together?
The passengers on the Mayflower had the same question. Some had arrived in Plymouth for religious reasons. Others had come seeking fortune or a life not available to them in their native England. How were they to survive with disparate reasons for being? They knew they needed a general agreement to work together – to walk together – if they were going to survive. The Mayflower Compact they produced was a very general promise, but a very important one, and the word they used provides us with the answer to our own conundrum: covenant.
“We covenant & combine ourselves. . .”
In a strictly etymological sense, covenant comes from a Latin word meaning “to come together.” The spirit of the word, especially in the religious sense, means something much deeper. A covenant consists of the promises we make to one another as we try to build community together and make meaning out of our lives. The very simple covenant of the Mayflower passengers led almost directly to the covenant of the first Separatist congregation in the Plymouth colony, which includes the pledge I quote above. From out of that pledge, a new religious movement was born – a movement that would eventually lead to Unitarian Universalist congregations as they exist today.
“We pledge to walk together . . .”
Within that simple promise are contained, perhaps, more complex pledges to one another – the “how” of walking together. How do we treat one another as we take up this journey together? How do we deal with one another when the walking becomes difficult, or we trip on one another? How do we welcome one another back into community when we stumble upon the walk?
Some congregations are explicit in their covenants. Others are less obvious, growing out of the ways that we learn to live out our principles and celebrate our values together. Our own congregation has a covenant I believe is contained in our vision. “We celebrate diversity in belief, and seek unity in action.”
We pledge to walk together, in spite of our differences.
Do we need to promise one another anything more? Perhaps. But it’s a perfect place from which to begin. I hope that our exploration of covenant, and the celebration of our other shared values in the coming year, leads us to an answer. Together.
See you in church,
Rev. John Cullinan
