ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½

Good morning.
Today’s guest editor, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, must be one of the best-known Unitarians in the world; more correctly, Unitarian Universalists, their name in the United States.
One of the principles of Unitarian Universalism is ‘respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part’ – a phrase that embodies our connection to each other, to the world, to all that is .
Nine years ago today, what became known as the Boxing Day Tsunami caused devastation in 14 countries around the Indian Ocean. Right round the world though, people responded generously to appeals for help – it was a powerful example of how we are all part of this ‘interdependent web’.
And the thousands of people caught up in the severe weather in Britain today will be in need of the same social solidarity and help.
Unitarians in Britain have historically reached out to others and have a long tradition of being champions of Reform – against the slave trade, and in promoting religious freedom.
We respect difference, both within our own ranks and without. And that includes a tradition of bringing different faiths together. Our Unitarian Meeting House in Ipswich, where I minister, helped found the annual multi-faith celebration of community there more than 30 years ago, and we hosted it for many years.
In recent months our Unitarian and Free Christian denomination has been prominent in the campaign for equality in marriage, which has now passed into law. Together with Quakers and Liberal Jews, we showed there are religious organisations who want to carry out same-sex marriage ceremonies in their places of worship, believing, as we do, that love between two people is a gift of God – a gift to be celebrated.
We well understand that many mainstream religious bodies don’t share our understanding of marriage. But the world we live in, and our understanding of it, is ever-changing.
Change is hard - we cling to old ways of doing things, including, of course, to our much loved Christmas traditions. But this festive inheritance, rooted in the Nativity story, points to something deeper – to love within family, love for others.
This is what we ask in my own congregation – can we allow the Spirit of love to come into our hearts this Christmas, the Spirit that demands change -- and help for those most in need.