In this time of heated rhetoric, political posturing and heart-breaking violence, we have a choice. We can succumb to fear. We can build walls, fences and make policies that protect us from the outside, from those who are different than us. We can raise our voices and shout, “Keep out! I’m afraid.” But the real cost of a defense built out of fear is not in dollars or even in lost opportunity to expand our diversity; it is in the callousness, cynicism and hatred with which we embalm our hearts.

The other choice is one of love and generosity of spirit. It is the opposite of scarcity and fear. Love says our hearts have the capacity to be challenged, to risk being welcoming and to dare to live in a world filled with people who are diverse not only in race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, income, ability, but also in religious beliefs. Our country was founded on the belief in religious freedom; it is enshrined in our founding documents. The Statue of Liberty sits in the harbor welcoming all. There is no religious litmus test.

Love is not an esoteric term. Beyond opening our hearts into ways of generosity and compassion, love is just and kind. To those who terrorize, cause harm, or use violence (in word and deed), there must be justice. But love does not slander a whole group of people who might be different than us. Love says you are my neighbor and a fellow human being.

What we can do is reach out – speak up when you hear hateful speech. Say hello instead of walking by or ignoring. Have coffee with someone you don’t know. Attend a service of a religion that you are unfamiliar with. Do something out of your comfort zone that helps you understand or learn.

In this season when many celebrate the birth of a savior, let us remember what we are being saved from. No longer do we have to encase our hearts in fear, we can choose instead to open our hearts and walk the path of loving our neighbors as ourselves.

Rev. Dr. Marian Stewart, Northlake Unitarian Universalist Church in Kirkland