“Love and Restoration”

If we are paying close attention to the latest insights of climate science, we have a lot to fear about our future as human beings, the future of this planet, and the future of all life that shares this precious and beautiful home with us. Our Universalist tradition promises that divine love is a saving power for all. Over time, we’ve come to recognize that it is up to us to realize this promise here on Earth by “loving the hell out of this world.” But if we honestly examine climate change and climate justice, we see that our planetary impact is accelerating faster than we thought, climate change is now inevitable, and the most vulnerable have the least power to change our global future. Given this, does the saving love of Universalism still have any relevance for UUs and the world? Perhaps its relevance is less about saving our world and more about restoring our relationship with it. We’ll explore stories that serve as examples for this shift, offer hope, and provide a new way forward.