Every action or inaction, every encounter and connection, sends ripples out into the larger community, as we explored last month. The term “Beloved Community”, coined by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., imagines a space where all are beloved and embraced, where no one is left out or left behind, especially those impacted by structural violence. Just this year, the constitutionality of a local ordinance targeting houseless people in Grants Pass went to the Supreme Court and changed the landscape of how people experiencing visible poverty across the nation are impacted in a devastating way. This week we go deeper into the ways our actions, decisions, and encounters can be grounded in mutuality, reciprocity, and loving-kindness in order to work toward creating Beloved Community, and also examine the perils we face as interconnected individuals and communities when we labor under the illusion of separateness.

Our tradition, along with many others, has long been centered on “capital-L” Love. How do our stories as individuals, as communities, and our historical journey as Unitarian Universalists intersect and reflect this commitment, and how can we lean deeper into relationship with ourselves, each other, and our individual and collective values in order to build more caring, relational, and connected communities and a more just and equitable world?