This time of year is spiritually significant for several religious faiths. This week in particular includes the Jewish celebration of Passover and the Christian holidays of Holy Week and Easter. As Unitarian Universalists from many religious and cultural backgrounds, we are invited to ponder the human stories inherent in the world religions, as part of our search for truth and meaning.

Passover is the commemoration of a great human story. The journey of the Israelites out of Egypt is the story of life’s astonishing movement from oppression to liberation. It is a human story full of courageous risk-taking, squabbles, and doubts- and a divine story full of astonishing moments: the parting of a sea, manna from heaven, water from a rock.

That great miracle- the movement from suffering to freedom- is one we long for today. There are still tyrannical pharaohs in our midst, ruling over people’s lives. We cry out still to let our people go. We long for people in war-torn nations to find refuge and peace. We long to feel safe in our own public spaces that are too often invaded by gun violence. We long for LGBTQ youth to feel safe in their homes and their schools. We long for women to feel safe in their own bodies. We long for an end to oppression- that we may rejoice like Miriam and her tambourine with praise and joy on the shores of freedom.

The Christian story of Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection also connects us to the great human story. A few years ago I walked the Stations of the Cross at Maryknoll Center in Ossining, NY. This walk includes a guide with reflections that connect each station of Jesus’ final journey to those still experiencing persecution, isolation, and abandonment in our world today. It was the story of the human experience, including moments of ordinary compassion and mercy: a woman who wipes Jesus’ sweaty face, a man who helps carry the cross. The reflections were a reminder to speak out against injustice and alleviate suffering, as we continue to long for miracles of hope and new life.

In this season of remembering, may these human stories move us to act from oppression to liberation, from suffering to compassion. And may we awaken to ordinary miracles that are all around us as we journey through this life together.

In Peace,
Rev. Terri