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#+title: 2022-07-02

** DONE Write a sermon - Our Communities
CLOSED: [2022-07-29 Fri 22:26]

[[file:../pages/sermon_our_communities.org][Sermon - Our Communities]]

- Note taken on [2022-07-02 Sat 19:29]

Loyalty of community over loyalty to your country. We come from such diverse
  communities across the country, but the loyalty to that community is great.

- Note taken on [2022-07-02 Sat 19:25]

The national anthem tells the story of battle, and being ensconced in your
  microcosm of the larger battle. The check on the flag is like taking the pulse
  of the country

We belong to other people. I know, I know. We're about to celebrate a big
national holiday commemorating our independence from tyranny. And much of our
national cultural identity tells us that we are, first and foremost
individuals, with individual freedom and individual rights.

But what if belonging was more important than freedom?

Our lives are shared with others. Whether that's how we see ourselves or not.
Whether we want to or not. We are our communities and our communities are us.

I would love for us all to take a minute now and think about a community we
belong to. If you have trouble, I can give you a hint that you're sitting in one
right now. But there's also hobbies or sports, families and marriages, work and
volunteer groups, your town or state, and of course, for most of us, being
American.

...

Now go ahead and hold that community in your mind. Think about who else belongs
    to it. Consider why you joined it -- if it was a choice -- or how you came
    to belong -- if it wasn't a choice.

...

Think about the values that you've drawn from that community. Do the members hold
you accountable to show up for others? Do the members listen to you when you've
had a bad day? Do the members sing you happy birthday? Do they show up when your
sick, or teach you a new knitting technique?

For me, my mind tends to wander to being part of the Castine community these
days. It's often hard to put into words the value that being known and valued
in a small community where people look out for each other has in my life.

Now, consider if you were forced to leave that community.

Growing up, my family used to have large gatherings for Thanksgiving. Family
from Iowa and Michigan would descend on our house in Illinois and we'd have a
long weekend full of cousins, aunts, uncles and food, so much food.

When my parents made the difficult decision to divorce in 2008, I understood
rationally that they were not in love anymore, and most of the time did not like
being around each other and I was surprised that, as an adult child, I didn't
feel terribly emotional about their decision.

The full weight of their divorce only hit me months when I realized the
community I was losing. Thanksgivings were never going to be the same, and
I'd never really be able to go "home" in the same way again. That was hard.

Losing a community can often be as painful as losing

And so we return to our upcoming holiday. A high holy day on the secular
calendar of the United States. We'll lauch fireworks, lead parades, give
speeches and eat hot dogs, so many hot dogs.

On the other hand, when Emma and I made the decision to move

Growing up, my parents did not do much to join their local town community. I can name
two neighbors we had, but we never got together with them. We'd see them mowing their
lawn, or checking their mail; smile and wave. That was it.

And yet, while what our ancestors did during our American Revolution, throwing off the
shackles of a government that does not represent your interests may not have seemed
so is a scary moment. It takes courage, commitment and a willingness to struggle with no promise of

"This whole idea of intentional communities is a bunch of bologna. You have to
need each other. Up in the UP, your car breaks down in the winter, you damn well
better know your neighbor."

Community can be hard to find. It can be hard to cultivate, and it can be hard to leave.

I've lived in many different communities throughout my life. They provided much
of the structure that I needed at different points in my life.

But it was only when I reflected that those large family Thanksgivings were over
that I really felt the emotional pain of my new world. I was going to miss the
community of getting together once a year, that was the most painful part.

And of course, my experience is not unique. I'm sure we can all share stories about
the pain of losing a community.

I have to be careful around the holiday on Monday. The Fourth of July seems like one
of those anniversaries that can become, without thinking too much about it, very
jinogistic, dare I say, nationalistic, if I'm not careful.  I love being an American,
I love the values that we claim to stand for. But I also know the pain that an empire
can cause outside their community, sometimes unintentionally, and sometimes intentionally.

But beyond that fear of leaning too far into pride of place, I would say being a
member of the community of Americans has brought me more good than bad.

*** Thesis

We are our communities. But the

** DONE Clean up Union House
CLOSED: [2022-07-02 Sat 19:42]