At our services auction a couple of months ago, one of the items put up for bids was the choice of a sermon topic.  Actually, two sermon topics.  Well this morning’s topic was one of those bought and paid for that night.  Bev Henshaw asked me to preach on a book that had caught her attention: One River, Many Wells by Matthew Fox.  Many of you may be familiar with Fox through his work on Creation Spirituality, perhaps best known through his book, Original Blessing.

     In the present book, subtitled Wisdom Springing from Global Faiths, Fox attempts to articulate “a faith of the common heart and a religious vision that soars beyond the constricting walls of dogma and received practices to illuminate the divine within us and all people.”  The term Fox uses for his approach is Deep Ecumenism.

     In explaining what he means by deep ecumenism, Fox quotes Meister Eckhart, who wrote that “Divinity is an Underground river that no one can stop and no one can dam up.”    Fox then suggests that while there is but one underground river, there are in fact many wells that tap into that river.  There is an African well, a Taoist well, a Buddhist well, a Jewish well, a Muslim well, a goddess well, a Christian well, just to name a few.

     One reason I chose to preach this sermon now is that I think it can serve to punctuate the series I completed recently on the varied sources of our Unitarian Universalist tradition.  The basic theme is very similar.  There is one underlying reality, and yet there are many ways to encounter, to engage that reality.  There are many sources to draw from, many paths to follow.

     But if all the paths really lead to the same deeper truths and understanding, why not simply leave each tradition to its own path?  And if we dabble in several different traditions – if we sample from many different wells – don’t we risk failing to reach the depths of any one well?  To use another water metaphor:  if you just stick your toe into many different ponds, you’ll never really get wet.

     These are some of the issues that must be faced by religious pluralism.  As such, they are important issues for us, since Unitarian Universalism is an inherently pluralistic religious movement.  And while we may all agree to the basic principle that no one religious path has a monopoly on Truth, we won’t necessarily agree on the implications of that principle.

     One approach to pluralism is to think in terms of people of different traditions walking different parallel, or non-intersecting, paths.  There is an implied mutual respect for other paths, but no real interchange or meaningful dialogue.  To stay with the river and well metaphor, this would mean each group would be content to plumb the depths of its own well.  There’s no need to sample from the others.

    At an opposite extreme would be the attempt to remove the boundaries separating the many wells.  To either create one huge well, or to pump the output of all the wells into one common pool for mass consumption by all.  Yet a third approach is to encourage everyone to tap into every well.

    Within Unitarian Universalism, the first approach is suggested by the existence of some organized subgroups within the movement:  Unitarian Univeralist Christians, Unitarian Universalist Buddhists, Unitarian Universalist Jews, etc.  The second approach is reflected in much of our worship that tries to grapple with life or religious issues without focussing on a particular theological approach or tradition.  The third approach is characterized by the piecemeal use of resources from many different traditions.

    Each of these approaches has its own inherent challenges.  The first, which I might call “separate but equal,” raises barriers to group cohesiveness, to communal experience and action.  It may lead to a federation of communities rather than to one community.  The second approach,  which I might call “please all, offend none,” is likely to end up nourishing no one as well.  And finally, the third, which I might call “all things for all people,”  may skim the surface of many traditions, but will enjoy the richness and depths of none.

    These challenges that are a part of religious pluralism make life as a Unitarian Universalist minister difficult but interesting.  How to honor and acknowledge the variety of backgrounds and traditions represented in our midst?  How to tap into a wide variety of religious sources and at the same time to encourage ever deepening religious life?

    Matthew Fox’s answer to this challenge is deep ecumenism.  And that answer involves fixing one’s attention not on the individual wells, but on the common river from which they all draw.  Fox has gathered together great amounts of wisdom from many sources.  And he has done the work of trying to discern those common waters from which all traditions draw.  He concludes his work by attempting to remythologize for the twenty-first century.

    Fox reminds us that myths are not stories that are not true.  Rather myths are stories that are too true and too large for facts alone.  He says, “A myth is not primarily about analysis but about seizing imagination.”  And so, based on his deep exploration of religious traditions, Fox proposes a set of eighteen myths that he feels capture the spirit of the river.  He sees these myths as fertile ground for artists, for theologians, for scientists, for parents, for grandparents, for children, for all peoples.  A rather ambitious undertaking, but in my judgment, a good start.

    I don’t have time this morning to consider all eighteen of Fox’s new myths.  But I do want to mention and comment on a number of them.  I recommend the book to you if you want a more complete picture.

    Fox’s first myth is “that all our spiritual traditions can learn from each other and offer something fresh from their experiences and teachings.”  This he calls the myth of Deep Ecumenism.  The idea is that we don’t merely respect one another’s paths, or tolerate them.  Instead, we really try to listen to one another and learn something.  If all traditions are tapping into the same ultimate source, then comparing notes should be enriching, and need not be adversarial.

 Next is the myth that “all Creation is sacred and we humans are part of it, integral to it, though late on the scene.  Ecological care and concern is part of being here.”  This is simply another way of stating our Unitarian Universalist principle calling us to respect the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

    Another myth is that “all Creation is on fire with sacredness; that the Buddha nature and the Cosmic Christ and the image of God reside in the very light (photons) present in every atom in the universe.”  That is, divinity infuses every bit of physical reality.  It is not some external supernatural force set apart from the world that we live in.

    Fox’s next deep truth is that “community already is because all things are interdependent, nothing stands alone.” He says that "Isolation and rugged individualism are lies that betray the very manner in which the universe operates.  The truth is that interdependence exists at the microcosmic and macrocosmic and psychic levels of existence.”  I talked last week about how intentional community requires hard work.  I don’t think Fox would disagree, but he makes the point that, difficult as it may be, community is the natural order of things, reflecting the inherent interdependence of reality.

    Then there is the myth that “whatever name we give the Source of sources, the Artist of artists, the Creator of Creation, all are accurate and none are sufficient.”  Clearly the Divine cannot be captured or encompassed by a word, or for that matter, even by our finite minds.  Naming or talking about the Ultimate may provide dim glimpses into the essence of things, but it will never all be tied up neatly and completely.

    Yet another myth is that “we experience mindfulness, a state of being more and fully present to the “I Am” and to our deepest self through meditations of various kinds.”  The spiritual discipline of quieting the usual internal chattering of our minds allows us to hear the still small voice that comes from deep within.

    Only two more to go!  And these last two hit the closest to home for me.  First is the myth that “our imaginations are holy, that the Holy Spirit works through us when we create and participate in the ongoing Creation of self, society, universe, and mind.”  This is something that, if a fortune teller said it to me, I’d almost have to believe in fortune telling.  Over the past several years I have developed the conviction that the goal of my spiritual life is to be a participant in creation.  To envision and to realize new possibilities of relationship, community.  Likewise my vision of ministry is to encourage and empower others to join me as co-creators of new possibilities.  And when that work clicks – when I somehow say the right thing to help someone face their pain and suffering – when the words of a sermon touch someone’s heart – I do get a sense of something larger moving and working through me.  Call it the Holy Spirit, or the Force, or whatever.  All I know is that I am humbled, but honored to be a part of it.

    And finally, there is the myth that “compassion is the imitation of the Divine and compassion includes celebration and relief of pain and suffering and the active struggle against injustice.  That service is something we can commit ourselves to that is worthy of full commitment.”  The importance of this statement is that it takes spirituality beyond navel gazing into engagement with the world.  If our spiritual insights include the ideas of interdependence and community, then a rich and healthy spirituality must take us beyond our individual selves.  One important spiritual link between ourselves and others is service grounded in compassion.

    And so, having explored a number of spiritual wells, Matthew Fox has attempted to understand and articulate something of the one great river that is their source.  And he suggests that if we allow the great life-supporting myths to seize our imaginations, healing is possible.  He quotes theologian Howard Thurman that “Myths can assist us to move from our little walls, little altars, little God, little lives of defending our little barriers to living in a universe that sustains great adventure.”  May we all join together in that adventure.