A homily for Paint Branch Unitarian Universalist Church, Adelphi, Maryland
March 19, 2017
The Rev. Evan Keely, Interim Minister

When speaking nowadays of the executive branch of our country’s federal government, I am increasingly inclined to forgo the usual protocol of employing the surname of the chief executive. I think from now on, I am going to refer to it as the Kerberos Administration, after the monstrous, three-headed Hound of Hades in Greco-Roman mythology (also known by his Latin name, Cerberus) who guards the gates of the underworld. It seems that nearly every policy and pronouncement of this government offers to the nation and the world a three-headed monstrosity, each marked by incompetence, mendacity and cruelty. Take, for instance, this ludicrous border wall. The staggering ineptitude of a policy that pretends that a two- thousand mile border wall is a useful and feasible project is matched only by the preposterousness of the lies that either Mexico will pay for it, or that this undertaking, probably the single largest public works project in the history of humankind, will cost a mere $25 billion when ten times that would probably be a conservative estimate; we might also contemplate the absurd falsehoods that such a border wall will make us safer, or that it will make any contribution whatsoever to solving the very real problems with how immigration is managed in this country. But of course, the cruelty of the proposal, the invidious and naked racism of a wall separating our country from lands of brown-skinned, Spanish-speaking peoples (many of whom have a First Nations ancestry) is its most diabolical feature — and perhaps for that very reason its most significant. It is both a literal and a figurative wall, a concretizing of “America first” xenophobia, a titanic monument to fear-mongering, scapegoating, and a desperate failure of imagination, courage and compassion.

I had hoped, as the months rolled by since the election, that somehow, in sincere and earnest reflection, I would gradually come to a place of greater insight as to how this malevolent charlatan ambled into the Oval Office with nearly 63 million votes. So far that understanding has eluded me. Indeed, I admit to being increasingly baffled as well as more and more horrified by the clumsiness, the rank dishonesty and the cold-heartedness of this administration and the simpering sycophancy that daily enables it. Yet I yearn to understand, and what I find myself wondering more and more is if the appeal of this government (for those to whom it does appeal) lies in the allure of the phony strength it offers. “America first” presents, for some, an appealing illusion of power and the false yet seductive sense of security that comes with it. Our world presents us with inescapable realities: that we have always coexisted in an indissoluble network of mutuality; that socially, economically, technologically and even biologically, now more than ever before, we are bound to one another and to all creation; and that those ties will inevitably grow closer and more intricate, no matter how ardently President Bannon may contend to the contrary. We can therefore try to help one another in an interdependent world, try to work toward mutual interest, and try to rely upon one another to solve problems and continue, together, the work of progress; or we can choose, as our president and his coterie of racists, xenophobes and self-serving cowards clearly have chosen, to embody a narrow and ruthless competitiveness, a world of triumphalistic winners and cowed losers.

The answer that these times demand of all people of conscience is altruism. The altruism of hospitality, compassion and justice is the antidote to the poison of xenophobia and racism. The altruism of fervently embracing freedom of religion for everyone is the remedy for Islamophobia and nativism. The altruism of believing that everyone deserves a chance at prosperity and security is the answer to rapacious greed, short-sighted protectionism and callous policies that knowingly deprive millions of human rights like education, housing and health care.

Altruism is therefore not only a time-honored spiritual discipline across innumerable faith traditions within countless religious communities: it is, in these times, an act of resistance, a defiance of the forces of narrow self-interest and brutish tribalism that are by no means anything new in and of themselves, but which are now newly ascendant and emboldened in our country and elsewhere in the world (though we should be encouraged by the high turnout in last week’s elections in the Netherlands, which dealt a blow to the hateful Geert Wilders: as both a lover of freedom and as a person of Dutch ancestry, I take heart in that glimmer of hope). We know, as generations of Universalists and Unitarians that came before us knew — and taught, and lived — that altruism is an indispensable discipline of our faith. Where we often struggle is in trying to discern, from day to day, from year to year, and from generation to generation, exactly how it is that we are to live this discipline: what, exactly, must we do to be altruistic?

Answering this question is the work of a lifetime, the work of generations. One component of that answer, however — as we know — must be seen through the lens of another discipline, that of generosity. We know that giving money is by no means the only way to make a difference, but we also know that individuals, groups and organizations that are doing good work in the world need money, and that generous donations can build and sustain robust efforts to solve problems and achieve great things.

We know that altruistic, generous giving raises very complex questions. How much should we give? To whom should we give? How do we know our giving makes a difference? How do we choose wisely and well among the seemingly endless number of entities that might benefit from our altruism and generosity? I’m grateful to Worship Associate Van Summers, who will be thoughtfully exploring these questions later in this morning’s worship.

We recognize the timeliness of exploring altruism and giving not only in light of the challenges we see in our country today, but in the opportunities that this organization, Paint Branch Unitarian Universalist Church, now embraces. Some people are surprised when I mention that fund-raising is one of the aspects of being a clergy leader that I most enjoy. Why shouldn’t it be? Fund-raising is not just about spreadsheets and P&L statements. It is about relationships, it is about trusting in one another and what we can accomplish together, it is about making our aspirations real. As we continue this year’s stewardship campaign and continue to love, organize and resist in these exceptional times, we continue to reflect together on the aspirations of a Unitarian Universalist congregation in Prince George’s County, what this faith community is called to do and to be, and what it will take to keep this church strong and vital, recognizing that the altruism of this church and its people are needed now more than ever before.