To simply be alive is a gift to be cherished. And yet, simply existing may not always be enough to satisfy us. Instead, we may find ourselves longing for a sense of purpose that frames our days with a larger sense of meaning. Or perhaps we desire a sense of direction towards a goal to orient our living. In her poem “Summer Day,” poet Mary Oliver captures this longing for purposeful direction as she asks, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

In many ways, authors, poets, composers, artists, cartoonists, and others have wrestled with this question of purpose. Is life more than existence, more than keeping boredom at bay? Such questions are apt for individuals seeking purpose as well as for institutions trying to define their mission.

With all that life demands of us to simply exist—paying the bills, showing up on time for an appointment, or remembering to pick up the kids—asking questions about larger purpose may feel like an unnecessary or even burdensome endeavor at times. Yet perhaps sometimes purpose is the very question that dogs your mind: is this it? Is there anything more?

For me, questions of purpose are at the heart of what it means to be religious. Asking questions of meaning and purpose are part of what it means to be human as we navigate the experience of living.  As a Unitarian Universalist congregation, we aim to support these questions, recognizing that we may come to different understandings and/or draw upon varied resources to help us along the way. For example, you may or may not believe in a God or gods. You may find insight in the arts, science, ancient scriptures, meditation, and/or activism.

Throughout this year, our annual theme invites us to ask questions of purpose, meaning, and mission. We start the year by reflecting on who we are as individuals and as a religious institution as we explore what we value and what we think is “wrong” with the world. We then move to asking how we live by our values with integrity and through intentional actions, such as rituals. In the new year, we turn to what it means to live with others in community and how our actions impact others.  Drawing on these months of reflection, we will then attempt to express what we have learned, experimenting with possible words or other means of expression to convey our sense of purpose and mission. Having tested these expressions, we end the year by examining what it might mean to commit to the purpose or mission we have articulated.

We do not need a mission statement as individuals or even as an institution to exist. However, identifying a sense of purpose may help us live more meaningfully and expressing a clearer mission may help us act with more intention.

Whenever you may be reading these words, I hope you will join in this spiritual journey. You can find monthly resources and sermon archives online. You can learn about related upcoming events on our website calendar or by signing up for our weekly e-news here.  This is a journey co-created by all who participate. I hope you will be a part.