Litany of Pride and Healing

For Sunshine Cathedral and spiritual communities that refuse to put conditions and limits on divine love,

Welcoming Grace - HEAR OUR PRAYER

 

For an informed, compassionate, and responsible electorate,

Spirit of Cooperation - HEAR OUR PRAYER

 

For those who have died from homophobic or transphobic violence, and those who mourn, and those who fear they could be next,

Spirit of Indomitable Hope - HEAR OUR PRAYER

 

For those whose governments and religious traditions condemn them, sometimes to literal death, and who experience hell on earth as well as threats of perdition beyond,

Spirit of Compassion - HEAR OUR PRAYER

 

For those who died from AIDS, and those who live with HIV but dare not take their health for granted,

Spirit of Life - HEAR OUR PRAYER

 

For those who know the joy of LGBTQ+ pride, and for those whose hearts cry out, “maybe next year,”

God of the Eternal Now - HEAR OUR PRAYER.

 

Queer Saints in heaven and earth, pray for us, pray with us.

 

AMEN.

--Litany prayed at Sunshine Cathedral on June 30, 2024

Connection Through Religion

"When liturgy works…something truly remarkable happens. We transcend our sense of being unconnected individuals. We are lifted out of our individual isolation and transformed into a single organism…" Rabbi Harold Kushner, Who Needs God

I've chanted with Nichiren Buddhists. I've sat in deep silence with Zen Buddhists (and Zen Christians). I've observed Tibetan Buddhist rituals. I've shared Sabbats with neo-pagans. I've worshiped in Jewish synagogues.

I've enjoyed exuberant Pentecostal worship, highly choreographed Anglican and Catholic masses, and quiet Protestant services. I have listened to beautiful string quartets, contemporary readings, scriptures of world religions, and intellectually stimulating sermons in Unitarian Universalist Churches/Fellowships/Societies.

I have observed silence with Quakers, sang prayers in the Taize tradition, and prayed for peace with Baha'i devotees. I have participated in guided meditations, folk songs and show tunes, and listened to lectures about the power of mind at New Thought churches and conferences.

I have been blessed by a Santero (a priest in the Santeria tradition). And I have experienced over 35 MCC worshiping communities (no two alike).

Additionally, I am a graduate of an ecumenical seminary where I studied and worshiped with Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Buddhists, Unitarian Universalists, Quakers, and Eastern Orthodox.

Do you know what is amazing about these extremely varied religious experiences? I've encountered the Sacred in each of them! The ritual could be as simple as sitting in silence, as dynamic as uncontrolled shouting and dancing, or as mysterious as large portions of the service being offered in an ancient language (i.e., Sanskrit, Hebrew, or Latin). But in every case, I felt reverence and wonder and I felt connection to those with whom I shared the experience and even to the mystical Web of Existence to which we all belong.

In other words, regardless of what we called Ultimate Reality, and regardless of how we expressed our hopes, longings, and gratitude, that which is so often called "God" was always accessible; and sharing the experience with others was always personally enriching.

I'm religious not to appease a far away deity, and not to guarantee some privilege for my soul, but because sharing religion with others brings me hope, encouragement, challenge, and comfort. I've seen it transform people in positive ways, and I have certainly been blessed by the experience. Religion, at its best, reminds us of our unity with all life and with the sacredness that longs always to express in, through, and as us. I remain, unapologetically, religious. I invite others to explore the benefits that healthy religious experience offers.

Sunshine Cathedral
www.sunshinecathedral.org
Durrell Watkins, M.A., M.Div. – Senior Pastor

Making Room for Silence in Balanced Spirituality

Christianity, I’m afraid, has done away with the Silence, which has stunted our spiritual growth. We either want religion to be a school, where we constantly think and learn, or we want it to be a show, where we are entertained. Nothing is wrong with either camp, per se, but without the Silence they are incomplete. Without the Silence, “God” (or spirit or the universe or one’s higher power…pick your own name) doesn’t have a chance to speak to us. We can speak to God and we can speak about God, but the conversation is still one sided until we have a time to listen.

Catholics have the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament (meditation) and the rosary (mantra), and the Eastern Orthodox have their “Jesus Prayer” (mantra), and Anglicans sometimes borrow from one or both of these other contemplative traditions. Quakers sit in the Silence and contemplate the “Inward Light.” Some churches (such as Grace Cathedral in San Francisco) now offer a labyrinth (walking meditation), and Christian monks and nuns sometimes practice Centering Prayer (sitting in Silence, perhaps focusing on a single word or image); so Christianity has within its traditions the means of going within and listening to the Voice of Wisdom. But popular Christianity continues to opt for “Christian Rock,” emotionally charged services, cognitive preaching, and other practices that fill the Silence and distract one from connecting to intuition, compassion, or inner guidance. Again, there is nothing wrong with cathartic experiences or joyful exuberance, but why must the Silence be totally sacrificed for these other practices?

At Sunshine Cathedral, we offer a quiet midweek service on Wednesday evenings that includes a time of silent prayer and guided meditation. The staff meets daily for intercessory prayer and that daily prayer includes 30-40 seconds of Silence, and we have recently added a 45 minute “zazen” style meditation service two mornings each week at the Cathedral. We also publish Spirit & Truth, a monthly booklet of devotions for people to read and contemplate during their personal times of quiet reflection.

Of course, at Sunshine Cathedral, we also have Sunday services with organ music, an orchestra, a 40 member choir, preaching, liturgy and ritual, and all the fun stuff, and we have Light University that offers bible and theology classes, but we are also trying to make room for Silent reflection and contemplation. We are trying to not only talk to and about God, but also provide space for listening.

A balanced spirituality will both “make a joyful noise” and will also “be still and know that I am God.”