Happy Birthday Simpsons

Dear Friends,

It seemed odd to me when I read in the worship bulletin one Sunday at a church I served in California that the chancel flowers were dedicated “To My Parents, Homer & Marge, from Lisa.”

Must be a joke, I thought. But not at all. Matt Groening, creator of “The Simpsons” and alter ego Bart, grew up attending Unitarian religious education classes, and some members of his family continue to be active in our churches, including Lisa, who co¬chaired the R.E. committee.

As The New York Times noted last week, The Simpsons deftly blends highbrow humor with slapstick cartoon antics, social satire, irony, parody, and political commentary. Each summer, here at First Church, the middle school-age youth eagerly anticipate the much-loved Gospel According to the Simpsons curriculum featuring episodes as springboards for discussions about greed, racial and sexual equality, and the social and political implications of what we buy and eat.

And so I join in the 20th anniversary celebration this week of the television version of The Simpsons by reflecting on the creativity our religious education program may well be fostering in our children and youth. Not all our children will grow up to be famous cartoonists, nor president of the United States, nor legendary journalists (Barack Obama attended Sunday School at the First Unitarian Church of Honolulu; Walter Cronkite here at First Church), but wonderful things do happen in their classes where love trumps dogma and creativity and critical thinking are encouraged.

None of it could happen without the many, many volunteers who give so much of themselves to our children and youth. You are invited to join in a salute at the Teacher Appreciation Dinner starting at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 23 in Channing Hall. It’s a pot luck, and more information will gladly be given if you email your request to natalie@firstuu.org.

Bart Simpson writes on the blackboard during the birthday episode of the long-running show, “The world may end in 2012, but this show won’t,” which we might adapt as, “Our R.E. students may grow up and their classes end, but the contributions made to their lives by their volunteer teachers never will.”

Best,
David