Most things aren’t for everyone. There will be some things you like, and some things you don’t, just as others may like the things you don’t, or dislike the things you do like.
I love carrot cake (maybe some of you to, too). But some people? No thank you, no carrot cake for them. “Why would I want a vegetable in my cake?!?” someone once said.
[Optional: Ask the children/the congregation if there is a food they like that other people they know don’t like.]
Similarly, I like to watch sports—at the game, on TV, whatever. And I have friends and family members who don’t. They love spending time with me, but they would rather do just about anything than watch a game.
[Optional: Ask the children/the congregation if there is something they like to do that their family or friends don’t.]
And here at church, I love to sing, and a lot of people do. But not everyone does, and there are some people for whom the music is just something to wait through until the rest of the service happens.
For almost all of us, there’s something like this in your life—the thing you like that no one else around you does, or the thing you don’t like that everyone else seems to love.
Our congregation is like this, too; it’s not going to be for everyone, and that’s OK. Some people will check us out and realize this wasn’t what they were looking for. But we offer what we have for everyone, and let them decide whether it makes sense for them or not.
Moreover, not every single part of our congregation is going to be for everyone, and that’s even more OK. There are parts you might love that the person next to you doesn’t care for. And there might be something that you really don’t get, but you can tell it’s incredibly important to the person next to you. That’s good.
Our congregation tries to welcome all people: whatever they look like, whomever they love, no matter their age, or whether they like carrot cake or not.
[Optional: Ask the children to name ways the congregation welcomes people.]
But we don’t try to be the perfect thing for everyone, all the time, because that’s impossible. Instead, we try to be who we are: Unitarian Universalists, who put love at the center of all we do. And then we try to have a lot of different ways people can connect and show that love: music, words, children’s and family activities, shared meals, small groups, events both in the building and out in the community, and many more.
I hope this congregation is special to you, and whatever way it’s special for you is great. Just remember that the thing you don’t necessarily love might be the thing someone else needs, even if it’s carrot cake.