05/29/2026
Dear Friends,
Unitarian Universalism is a relational faith. It is a lived faith. It is a covenantal faith.
Rather than agree on a set of beliefs that function as a private check-off list, we agree on values that guide us in how we live.
As Dr. Takiyah Nur Amin reminds us, “our tradition cares little about what you stand up and say you believe. The evidence of your Unitarian Universalism is embodied in the depth of your relationships: how do you live in relationship to self and other?...It’s not about what you have to say. How are you living?”
Years ago, I used to run workshops in which people were asked to clarify the values they held most dear and compare them to the values they expressed through their actions. I’m currently in the middle of such an inventory with my therapist–it’s a good thing to do every few years. I commend the exercise to you. Make a list of the things you value and then look through your calendar, your bank account, your sent email box, and other things that can tell you how you are actually living your life.
How are you living, beloveds? Do your actions match the values you think are most important? Do they match the values of Unitarian Universalism? Love? Justice? Equity? Transformation? Generosity? Pluralism? Interdependence?
I think a lot about what it means to be centered on the value of love.
It is important to know that love is not amorphous, unboundaried, or devoid of power. Actually living a life that reflects the value of love means clarity to and with those you are in relationship. It means accountability–especially when you have harmed someone or someone has harmed you. It means real actions in the world that help make real the world we dream about.
In his essay in the book Love at the Center, former UUA President Rev. Bill Sinkford wonders if embracing love as central to our values might help us collectively “gather confidence in possibilities that we can only glimpse.” “The real question,” he writes,” is whether we can experience and find joy in a love that holds us and can help us live as we want to live, even in a world that is demonstrably indifferent to suffering.”
Bill hopes the answer is yes. I do as well.
How are you living, beloveds? May your actions reflect the values you hold most dear. May your deeds match your lips. Amen.
In Faith,
Rev. Dr. Michael Tino
Lead Ministry Team
