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“Choosing to Grow Spiritually”Rev. Jeanne Lloyd, 2-10-19Page 6 of 10their previous understandings of G*d4 and the meaning of life. Neither Christianity norhumanism could justify or explain the destruction witnessed in the wars of the 20thcentury. Tillich, as a teacher, philosopher and theologian sought answers for hisstudents, in particular, and for humanity in general. As the second world warapproached, “Tillich [was critical] . . . of Hitler and the Nazi movement[.] [In] retaliationhe was barred from German universities in 1933[.] [He was] the first non-Jewishacademician “to be so honoured,” as he wryly put it.”5 He ended up in the UnitedStates, first at Union Seminary in New York City, then Harvard, and finally at theUniversity of Chicago, where he became one of our most influential theologians. Howdid he do this? He challenged all the boxes into which G*d had previously beenpackaged, and established new ways to look at what drives humanity, and how it canstill find spiritual health and wholeness.Tillich recognized that in the aftermath of the war, at a time when G*d had beendeclared dead, the inevitable outcome for humanity in its deepest psyche was aheightened sense of fear and anxiety about the meaning of life. He understood thatmany were simply trying to put one foot in front of the other, perhaps trying to grow inpositive and healthy ways, but something was missing. They/we’d lost our spiritualcenteredness, the ground, the foundations upon which we’d relied for resilience andfortitude. It was a superficial way of living because there was no deeper there, there.Previously, western religious thought had stepped in to address all our anxieties aboutmortality and our non-existence after death (our future “non-being”). It had providedus comfort by offering answers about what happens when we die. It gave us rules tosuggest that we had some control over our mortal lives, and our afterlife. But, in itsabsence, once the veil had been pulled aside, our greatest fears became more obvious.Without those comforting rules and dogmas, our greatest fear of “non-being” becameclear, and with it, its primary symptom, anxiety.What Tillich saw is that that which destabilizes us and holds us back is our unconsciousanxiety and mortal fear of death, of “non-being” . . . of not being. That at the root ofour many fears and anxieties, is not just the fear of failure or hurt or loss, but the fearthat our lives (after all is said and done), do not have meaning. When the balm ofinstitutional religion that rewards right and wrong behavior went missing, he sought toanswer these questions: 1. What types of courage is needed to move through the4Rev. Lloyd does not spell out the word, “G*d,” because the term is loaded with many misconceptionsand preconceptions. That which is the spirit of life and community, the spirit of love and death, the spiritof humanity, cannot be relegated to one three letter word. Rev. Lloyd invites others to reconsider themeanings of this word, and, to contemplate whether it is a noun or verb. Is G*d Love? The reader isinvited to expand their vision and understanding . . h February 8, 2019 2019. All notes, research, sermons and other products are the sole intellectual property of Rev. Lloyd,unless otherwise noted as the intellectual property of another. Sermons may be copied for individual use,only. If quoted, appropriate attribution to Rev. Lloyd is expected.

“Choosing to Grow Spiritually”Rev. Jeanne Lloyd, 2-10-19Page 7 of 10anxiety and fear that daily threatens our attempts to grow in spirit and love? 2. How dowe again find a spiritual centeredness from which to draw that courage?In his book, The Courage to Be, here’s the gist of what Tillich says:“Courage is not bravery. It is not climbing into a really really tall tree to rescue a kitten,nor is it standing in the way of a charging bull. Courage is a [quality of character]” thatone has in response to [a] perceived threat of non-being.”6 (emphasis added) In otherwords, though we have many worries, it is how we understand them and what we doabout them that matters. True enough, “[we] have anxiety about life, we haveexistential crises . . . [we] worry about control of our lives, the problems of fate anddeath. We worry about [our] purpose . . . and we worry about our own abilities [whenwe feel] . . . guilt and condemnation. All of these are linked, and they point to the same[source].”7 As humans, we are anxious about our mortal threat of “non-being”, and, atleast subconsciously, we know this. This fear of “non-being” is the root of the anxietythat threatens our spiritual centeredness and wholeness.Now you might ask, “What then, is being [as opposed to “non-being”]?” Tillich wouldsay that “being is to be, which is to say, to exist, to act, to be in a dynamic [state ofbeing].”8 To achieve that state of being one must demonstrate the courage to be in twodifferent ways, ways that must be held in balance with each other.The first way, is when we demonstrate the courage to affirm our own being even as weacknowledge that “non-being” exists. That means: to have the courage to affirm one’sown selfhood; to accept yourself (warts and all) and to be affirmative towards life andlove . . . even in the face of a future “non-being”. The second way is to have thecourage to be vulnerable enough to be part of a group larger than yourself, a group thatoffers values that help you make sense of life. He calls these two ways, individuationand participation9. True “courage to be” is when we align and unify our individuationand /02/paul-tillich-courage-to-be.html February 3, ich-courage-to-be.html February 3, lich-courage-to-be.html February 3, 20199Shelby Condray, Boston University, ources/review-tillich-paul couragetobe.htm February 9,201910Shelby Condray, Boston University, ources/review-tillich-paul couragetobe.htm February 9,20197 2019. All notes, research, sermons and other products are the sole intellectual property of Rev. Lloyd,unless otherwise noted as the intellectual property of another. Sermons may be copied for individual use,only. If quoted, appropriate attribution to Rev. Lloyd is expected.

“Choosing to Grow Spiritually”Rev. Jeanne Lloyd, 2-10-19Page 8 of 10So . . . to be a dynamic vital being, (1) affirm your own self-hood even in the face of“non-being”, and (2) choose to participate in a group that offers wisdom and support, inspite of a future state of “non-being”. (Both types of courage must happen inrelationship, in balance, to each other. They inform the other and neither is wholewithout the other. It is both/and, not either/or. Otherwise, one’s self-affirmation candeny the value of others and our relationships to them, or, groups can become toopowerful and require you to subjugate your authentic self to them.)PAUSEOn the front of your order of service is a quote from Tillich that says, “One cannotremove anxiety by arguing it away.” What he is saying here is that our naturalanxieties over fear of loss, failure and meaninglessness, cannot be argued away. Theywill always exist because mortality exists, our “non-being” over which we are anxious,will someday exist. But, what one can do is to have the courage to BE, to choose toaffirm your own self-hood in the face of “non-being”, and to choose to participate ingroups that inform you and can lend their courage to you.So far, that’s a lot of work for us, as mere humans, to do by ourselves. It might be hardfor us to demonstrate these types of “courage to be”, all the time. You might feel asthough you’re alone, as though you’re missing a spiritual center from which to also drawcourage. That’d be true, if it weren’t for one more concept that Tillich offers us. Thefoundation from which individuation and participation arise, is a foundation that hecalls, “Being-Itself”. In so doing, he reintroduces us to g*d, but in a new way. “BeingItself” can be described in as many ways as there are words to do so, including, “theground of being”, “the ground of all power and being,” “Grace” and I would add, the“Spirit that is Life”. It is from “Being-Itself”, the Ground of All Being, Grace, the Spiritthat is Life, that our courage to be our authentic self and to be part with others, arises!Tillich says, “The courage to be is rooted in [the Ground of All Being] when [for us] Godhas disappeared in [our] anxiety [and] doubt.”11 Repeat: “The courage to be is rootedin [the Ground of All Being] when [for us] God has disappeared in [our] anxiety [and]doubt.”12 It is a grace that accepts us even when we have trouble accepting ourselves.It accepts us as an act of grace, one that we neither deserve nor earn.He says,“Grace strikes us when we are in great pain and restlessness. It strikes uswhen we walk through the dark valley of a meaningless and empty life. Itstrikes us when our disgust for our own being, our indifference, our1112Tillich, Paul. The Courage to Be (New Haven, Yale University Press) 190.Tillich, Paul. The Courage to Be (New Haven, Yale University Press) 190. 2019. All notes, research, sermons and other products are the sole intellectual property of Rev. Lloyd,unless otherwise noted as the intellectual property of another. Sermons may be copied for individual use,only. If quoted, appropriate attribution to Rev. Lloyd is expected.

“Choosing to Grow Spiritually”Rev. Jeanne Lloyd, 2-10-19Page 9 of 10weakness, our hostility, and our lack of direction and composure havebecome intolerable to us. It strikes us when, year after year, the longedfor perfection of life does not appear, when the old compulsions reignwithin us as they have for decades, when despair destroys all joy andcourage. // Sometimes at that moment a wave of light breaks into ourdarkness, and it is as though a voice were saying:“You . . . are . . . accepted.”13 (emphasis added)14I believe there is a Spirit of Life that sustains us even when we can’t explain who or whatG*d is. It is with this type of courage and ability to accept our mortality as part andparcel of life, that “[the] true power of [our spiritual] being is revealed.”15 (emphasisadded)A storyYears ago, driving home on the last day from a job that I hated, I left the window halfdown, to enjoy the summer breeze and my freedom! As I drove along, a black fly clungto the edge of my driver’s window. It crawled ever so carefully, tensely, rigidly, alongthe edge as though afraid to fall off. I drove faster, thinking he would fly off quicker asthe car sped up. But, he clung tighter, he hunkered down even more. I talked to him! Ireminded him that he had wings and could fly away! That, he would not fall! I drovefurther, and then, entering a curve in the road and changing the aero-dynamics, he flewoff.Projecting, it seemed as though he may have been challenged by his own fear of “nonbeing”. But he was released from his anxiety, moving past his stuckness and flying on tolife. It was a reminder to me of the cycle of life within which we all exist. Within ourchallenging and sometimes frightening lives, may we each have the courage to be,knowing that we are each a part of the larger force of life, that grounds us and gives lifemeaning.So may it e-strikes-us-when-we-are-in-great-pain-andFebruary 9, 201914Note: If you think of these concepts as a triangle, where “Being Itself” is the base of the triangle, andthe courage to love and accept oneself is one leg, while the courage to be part of a larger and affirminggroup is the other leg, then, as I see it, what is created within the triangle is a field of faith and confidencefor approaching life, even the risky and scary parts.15Jenn Lindsay, Boston University, 2012. s/reviewtillich-paul couragetobe.htm February 8, 2019 2019. All notes, research, sermons and other products are the sole intellectual property of Rev. Lloyd,unless otherwise noted as the intellectual property of another. Sermons may be copied for individual use,only. If quoted, appropriate attribution to Rev. Lloyd is expected.

“Choosing to Grow Spiritually”Rev. Jeanne Lloyd, 2-10-19Page 10 of 10*Hymn 1020Woyaya*Closing Words & Extinguishing the ChalicePlease remain standing as you are able, and join hands as you are willing . . .We extinguish this flame, but not the light of truth, the warmth of community, or thefire of commitment. We extinguish this flame but not the sure knowledge that we holdfor each other the courage needed to live a life of love and faith. These we carry in ourhearts until we are together again.Closing Hymn 1057Go Lifted UpGo lifted up,love bless your way,moonlight, starlightguide your journey into peaceand the brightness of day. A Moment of SilenceAnnouncementsLiz MirankerBoard of Trustees* Please rise in body or spirit.# Latecomers may be seated. 2019. All notes, research, sermons and other products are the sole intellectual property of Rev. Lloyd,unless otherwise noted as the intellectual property of another. Sermons may be copied for individual use,only. If quoted, appropriate attribution to Rev. Lloyd is expected.

“Choosing to Grow Spiritually” Rev. Jeanne Lloyd, 2-10-19 Page 3 of 10 2019. All notes, research, sermons and other products are the sole intellectual property of Rev. Lloyd, unless o