As we celebrate our nation’s independence this week, it’s good that we also celebrate our interdependence. Every moment reminds us of our interconnectedness. It’s at the core of our societies and our religious traditions.
Love is the spirit of this church, and service its law. This is our great covenant: to dwell together in peace, to seek the truth in love, and to help one another.
~ #473 Singing the Living Tradition
Covenant words of Unitarian Universalist Church of Fargo Moorhead by James Villa Blake written in 1894. These words are our promise to one another as a congregation. Our covenant words refer to the fact that we dwell together in peace, not alone, and that we help one another. It’s never about “me,” but about “we” — everyone together looking out for the other.
Compassion, love, forgiveness, kindness, creativity — all the qualities that we associate with our Spirit or Higher Power draws us deeper into our interdependence. We can’t live those values without encountering another and experiencing another. The more we see ourselves as independent of others — other people, other countries, other religions — the less we love. We know from experience how self-interest ruins any society, any government, any religion. We stop thinking about the common good — about the “we” — and ignore our deep, divine need for each other.
It’s fitting that we celebrate independence together, reminding us of the blessing of our interdependence. We’re thankful that we have the freedom to care for each other and the liberty to love one other.