YouTube: The Role of Choice

“The kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad.” Matthew 13:47-48

I’ve often used this passage to illustrate the role of choice, especially as it pertains to attitudes we’ve assumed concerning the various experiences we encounter in life. If we take a very broad view of the role of choice, we’ll ask how far it extends. Did you choose to incarnate at the time you did, and did you choose the family into which you were born?

Consider this example. Let’s say you want to travel to a place, and you decide to fly. Does this mean you also choose that obnoxious passenger seated next to you? The consciousness purist will say, “We attract the people and circumstances from which our soul can learn the most. There are no accidents.”

If the flight isn’t fully booked, you can request another seat. If one such person happens to be a family member, you’ll be seated next to them for many years. You can spend your life thinking a difficult person has something to teach you, but if you cannot grasp what you’re supposed to learn, there’s a good chance you’ll carry the burden of believing your soul isn’t evolved enough, and you’ll probably keep attracting similar personalities until you finally get it.

Let’s take a step back. Did you attract the obnoxious passenger because they had something to teach your soul, or did you encounter them simply because you made the decision to fly? These are two completely different approaches. Will you allow this person to ruin your entire trip, or will you let them go the moment you step off the plane?

I like to think we’re making this earthly trip simply because we wanted to. If we get caught up in the drama and influence of our fellow passengers, it can be easy to forget why we set out on this journey. You have surely had the experience of getting lost or confused in an airport. What has this to do with your purpose for flying? Your choice to fly will put you in airports and seat you next to people with whom the only thing you share in common is the fact that you’re on the same plane. Is our earthly journey really that much different?

Rather than spend another moment wondering what we failed to learn from a challenging relationship, let’s turn our attention back to the possibilities that drew us to this earthly experience. When we boarded the “plane” that brought us here, we did it for a reason. We had something in mind. Are we pursuing this higher interest, or are we dragging ourselves down trying to reconcile unresolved issues with another passenger? We’re off the plane with feet planted firmly in our desired destination. Let us choose to make the most of it.

YouTube: Calming the Inner Storm

There arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, “Save, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O men of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” Matthew 8:24-27

When we read a story like this, we want to ask if it is intended to show the greatness of Jesus, or if it is intended to remind us of our own power to calm storms. This is an example of what I would call a modified saying, a passage containing parts of which may have originated with Jesus  but have been modified by the Gospel writer to convey the early church’s elevated characterization of him. Jesus seems surprised that his companions are cowing in fear, an indication that he expected them to do what he did. He then rebukes the storm and it subsides. The final comment is likely Matthew’s: What sort of man is this, that even the winds and sea obey him?”   

We all have our storms, but we don’t have the luxury of a special miracle worker around to rebuke them for us. Free of Matthew’s final question, the story indicates that Jesus is pointing to the power of the men’s faith, not himself, as the resolving force. He’s raising the question, Why don’t you bring to bear the power of your faith? Why do you have to rely on me? This reminds me of Meister Eckhart’s question that I’m paraphrasing here: What good does it do me to have a brother who is wise if I remain ignorant?

I believe Jesus was a spiritual teacher whose mission was to awaken people to their own ability. I think his focus was less on controlling weather and more on demonstrating power over the mental and emotional storms that devastate our quality of life. Your faith will not likely alter what the wind and sea are doing, but it can alter your reaction to whatever storms are raging in your life.

On several occasions, Jesus chided men of little faith, not because he was reminding them of his superiority, but because he was trying to inspire them to awaken their own power. In practice, the exercise of faith is a significant shift in attitude. We move from fear over some appearance to the strength of knowing the resolution is now coming forth.  

Is your faith in the man Jesus? Is your faith in the power of the storm raging through your life now? Or, is your faith in God, the one presence and one power that is, at this very moment, bringing about the needed resolution? I think if Jesus were here, he would ask this very question.    

YouTube: The Spirit of Freedom

“For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice.” John 18:37 

When I read this passage, I hear Jesus saying that he recognized his mission, his purpose in life, as one of demonstrating what it means to live from the awareness of his oneness with God.

I don’t see Jesus making this statement as exclusive to himself, but more as the ultimate objective of every person. When he said that you will know the truth and the truth will make you free, he was saying that the truth of our oneness with God is the key to true freedom.

While we celebrate freedom as a nation, it’s clear that simply living in a geographical location does not guarantee us the level of inner freedom that we long for. We can be free to move about, to pursue our interests, to interact with our family and friends and yet live in the bondage of some form of fear. Fear is debilitating at every level. It’s grounded in the perception that the thing we fear is greater than our ability to resolve it.

To bear witness to the truth is to connect with a deeper level that enables us to rise above fear and successfully meet the challenge that confronts us. How do we do this? How do we move beyond spiritual platitudes and arrive at place of understanding that assures our freedom? The first thing we do is acknowledge the influence of perception. Unlike a fixed reality, a perception, which is a mental impression that we form based on the limited facts at our disposal, can be changed. 

When Jesus warned against judging by appearances, he was talking about the mental impressions we form and react to based on information that comes through the senses. He is saying we can break this cycle and free ourselves from the emotional roller-coaster ride that we often fall victim to. We release the energy we are giving a perception and we affirm the truth we want to express.

I now release the energy that I’m pouring into this mental picture. The perfect resolution is now unfolding through this situation and through my life. 

We are each here to bear witness to the truth of our being. The spirit of freedom is alive in each one of us because, at the deepest level, we are already free.

YouTube: The Mystery of Communion

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26:26-28

According to Matthew, the inception of the ritual of Communion occurred during the last Passover meal – the Last Supper – that Jesus shared with his disciples. Today, the elements of wine and bread, or grape juice and a cracker, are ritually administered in remembrance of Jesus’ sacrifice for our salvation. The Catholic church takes it further with the concept of transubstantiation, the belief that the blessed sacraments actually become the blood and body of Jesus.

The word communion carries the meaning of communication. The mystic sees communion as an actual union, a natural communication between God and the individual. The practice of spiritual communion, going directly to the indwelling Father, was the secret of Jesus’ power. Because of the challenges involved in silencing the busy mind and becoming receptive to the still small voice of God, ritual often takes precedence over the actual practice of the Presence, as the now famous mystic, Brother Lawrence, called it.  

Few Unity leaders have adopted the formal ritual of Communion. We have preferred the route of communion, or communication, with our spiritual source, which we do through meditation. While religious institutions can withhold Communion from those they deem unworthy, Unity recognizes that each individual is one with God and all are free to establish a first-hand experience with their spiritual source. We do not advocate the use of ritual or specific elements as requirements for communion with God. We leave that up to each person.

It is easy to substitute a ritual for an actual experience. We should remember that nearly every religious ritual has its basis in a spiritual principle. In terms of spiritual advancement, the practice is the principle is mandatory. The ritual is optional.  

YouTube: The Marriage of Head and Heart

“Have you not read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female … a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh …” Matthew 19:4-5

This week, Beth and I celebrated our 43^rd anniversary. We’ve been through a lot together, including raising two children and 41 years of ministry.

The verse above is attributed to Jesus, but it’s quoted nearly verbatim in other parts of the Bible, suggesting it was a popular reference. I like to think of it as a reference to the ideal marriage between the intellect (male) and the intuition (female) of each individual. We have a physical and spiritual side, with the body being the earthly vehicle of the soul. The fact-oriented intellect is an invaluable tool for navigating through the material world, so much so that we often neglect the intuitive, spiritual side.

Metaphysically speaking, the man leaving his father and mother represents that period when the individual expands their awareness of themselves as something more than we typically associate with our body-based earthly history. To be joined with a wife is to become aware intuitively that our true essence is spiritual, that we occupy a body, but we are much more.

The marriage of head and heart is the beginning of a new understanding of how we approach life. Am I a human being seeking a spiritual experience, or am I a spiritual being having a human experience? It is a very important and meaningful distinction to make, as it opens our mind to a much larger context that quite possibly encompasses many incarnations. This thought alone is mind expanding. In this sense, we leave our earthly mother and father as our beginning point. They gave birth to our body, but not to our soul. So we turn to the soul which has always carried the larger picture of what our life is about.   

Youtube: Religion and Spirituality

“Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13-14).

Today we’re witnessing a move away from organized religion toward a more personal quest for spiritual enlightenment. It’s common to hear people say that religion in general no longer appeals to them, as they’ve grown weary of being told what they’re supposed to think. This week I was reading a blog written by a Catholic Monsignor who, using the above passage, explained why the road to Hell (the wide gate) is taken by so many. Among the items he lists that make the average human “difficult to save,” he says, “we don’t like to be told what to do.”   

If being told what we must do comes from an edict issued by either the Catholic or Protestant Church authorities, then I would agree with the Monsignor. I do not trust the integrity of my spiritual quest to either source.

The notion of the wide gate leading to destruction is probably a warning from Matthew, not Jesus, that there are consequences to falling away from the early church’s developing doctrine. When you consider the emphasis that mainstream Christianity has placed on sin and the possibility of Hell, you see that fear has always been used as a motivator.

I would argue exactly the opposite from the Monsignor, that the narrow gate is the one that leads to the experience true spiritual enlightenment. Abandoning organized religion is not a prerequisite to a spiritual awakening. But learning to go alone, think alone and seek light alone, as Emilie Cady advised, is the path to a first-hand experience with God.

Some of the most enlightened Christian teachers in history have been condemned and branded as heretics by Catholic and Protestant authorities alike. Their crime? They didn’t like to be told what to do. Though every religion makes God the centerpiece, God is not found in any of them. God is experienced at the center of one’s being, usually in quiet solitude.

If, in your quest for understanding, you find religious trappings helpful and comforting, keep them. But know the narrow gate to enlightenment is the one that usually draws the smallest crowd.   

YouTube: Believe in Yourself

“He who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father.” John 14:12

It seems clear that the Gospel writers modified certain passages that might suggest an alternative view to their portrayal of Jesus’ divine uniqueness and power. For instance, Jesus may very well have said that you can do the things I do, and greater things. But John added, “… he who believes in me … ” to keep his (John’s) only begotten designation intact. Based on the principles of mysticism—the omnipotence of God, the divinity of the individual, and the oneness of God and the individual—Jesus would more likely have said, “If you believe in yourself, if you come to know your own connection with God, your indwelling Father as I do, you’ll do the kinds of things I do, and even greater things.”

Can we afford to take such liberties with scripture? Are we just twisting it into something we want it to say? The average reader of the Gospels is probably unaware that this is exactly what the authors did. They used the voice and person of Jesus to advance the narrative of the early church. We’re left with the job of distinguishing between the teachings of the church and the teachings of Jesus.

Did Jesus make himself the exclusive gateway to God? The mainstream Christian has certainly adopted this doctrine as absolute fact. But it contradicts the truth of omnipresence, which implies all people have equal access to God, regardless of their religious beliefs, or lack thereof.

To believe in yourself is to affirm your divine makeup, which includes as your source the creative life force that is God. There’s no need to aspire to be a miracle worker. You begin with the simple acceptance that you are an expression of God. Affirm that you now let the limitless will of God work through you, to expand your understanding and to erase any limitation you have set on yourself. Believe in yourself as the worthy channel through which God is now expressing.

YouTube: What is Truth?

Jesus said: “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” John 8:32

I recently heard a podcaster say there is no such thing as truth. Truth, he said, is relative to each person, everyone has their truth. So, according to this thinking, the word truth has 7 billion meanings. What was Jesus talking about? He didn’t say, you will know my truth, and my truth will make you free. My truth, your truth or even his truth are better described as opinion, a view or judgment formed about something based on partial knowledge or facts. Just because an opinion seems true to you doesn’t make it true. The truth, as Jesus used the term, certainly implies something more than opinions we hold. Opinions often have the effect of restricting our view.

Imagine two scientists conducting independent experiments designed to determine the truth of the behavior of light. After years of experimentation, one concludes, “The truth is, light behaves as a particle.” The other disagrees. “No, light behaves as a wave.” Both scientists have their truth, but can I make their truth my truth? Which one do I believe? I want to be fair, so I read carefully all the details of the research from both camps. For whatever reason, I am persuaded by the scientist who says light behaves like a wave. So, I’ve formed an opinion that I feel good about because I’ve done my research and, for me, it seems more intuitively correct to think of light as a wave. I can explain both sides of the argument, but I’m persuaded that light behaves like a wave. This becomes my truth.    

Now let’s say a third scientist comes along, studies carefully the findings of the previous two. He decides that something is missing from their arguments. Anomalies in both cases have been ignored, left unexplained. He goes into the laboratory and begins his own series of experiments. In time, he emerges with a startling new conclusion. “The truth is, light sometimes behaves like a particle and sometimes it behaves like a wave.”

As impossible as this may sound, science does in fact acknowledge that this is the truth of how light behaves. How or why this is possible is still under investigation, but knowing what is true of the behavior of light sets the investigators free to consider a whole new range of possibilities.

In my research, I ran across a translation of Jesus’ statement on truth that I found very helpful. It reads this way:

“And you will have knowledge of what is true, and that will make you free.” John 8:32 (The Bible in Basic English).

This phrasing softens the tone of the wave-particle absolutism. Just as knowledge of what is true of light sets us free to think of light in a broader sense, so knowing what is true of God sets us free to think of God in new and broader ways.

You will have knowledge of what is true of God, and that knowledge will make you free.

For me, this simple statement provides a more accessible approach to God. I go from seeking some absolute definition or image of God, to knowing what is true of God.

When I use the term Truth – with a capital T – I’m using it in the sense of what I believe to be true of God,  the essence of the individual, and my understanding of the relationship between God and the individual. I’ve come up with a definition for Truth, which I’ll share in a moment.  I want to make clear that I’m not seeking universal agreement with this definition. I’m putting it forward so you’ll understand how I’m using the term.    

John’s statement that light shines in darkness and darkness does not overcome it is one that we can all agree on. Step into a dark room, turn on the light and the darkness disappears. The truth about light is that it dispels darkness. As we read further along in the first letter of John, we see this writer adopts the metaphor of light as an appropriate description of God:  

God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5)

We don’t think of light as a powerful, human-like being that rules the heavens. As I discussed last week, we see light as energy, the creative life force that powers all living things. The ancient Greeks considered the four elements of nature as air, fire, water, and earth. Aristotle added a fifth element, aether (ether), which he considered an underlying, incorruptible energy out of which all things are made. From my basis of understanding, I have no difficulty drawing a parallel between this invisible energy and the creative life force that is God. Further, I can see a correlation between these four elements of nature and the life, love, power, and intelligence that is God. Think of God as boundless energy, the single indisputable, omnipresent power that underlies all things, bearing no human characteris­tics whatsoever. To express itself, this invisible energy interfaces with the natural elements that make up the visible world.

This creative power moves from center to circumference, not as the concentric rings that form when we drop a pebble into water, but as a concentrated field of energy that is the essence, the very soul of every living thing. Here we find the point of contact between the individual expressions of life and the universal field of pulsating energy from which the visible aspect of creation rises.  

Think of this center as the soul, the spiritual identity, the immortal I that continues even after the physical body falls away. We don’t want to think of the soul as being centrally located in the body. Instead, we can see the body as existing within the atmosphere of the soul, condensed and compressed energy designed to reflect and serve as the interface between the finite visible and the infinite invisible realms.

Over the last few years, I’ve come to think in terms, not of many souls, but as a single soul expressing as many things. The soul is the creative aspect of God, that aspect that John refers to as the Word through which all things are made.

Thinking of the body as existing within the atmosphere of the soul is a powerful visualization for healing. The body is subject to environmental challenges. We’re all wearing masks and social distancing because of the body’s potential frailty. But if we hold that our body exists within the protecting light and power of the soul – untouched by the issues that can be problematic to the body – we literally walk in the light of God.

The mystical, or direct experience, is key to gaining knowledge of what is true of God. Otherwise, we only entertain ideas about God.

For many, affirming they are in the presence of God is like stating they have a book in their library they have never read. The book may be full of valuable information, but unless we open and study it, the information is of little value to us. We may get some gratification from owning this particular book, but it’s real value is found in the stimulating information within. Spiritual ideas can inspire us, but they do not automatically make us free. It’s the actual experience of God that imparts the knowledge that makes us free. A passage from the book of Job reminds us of this:

But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand. (Job 32:8).

And Jesus, quoting from the Psalms, makes this statement that I have referenced many times:

It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God. (John 6:45).

The assertion that we can know and be taught by God presumes that God is both knowable and accessible, and the experience of God produces the positive consequence of freedom. As I already said, God, as the omnipresent creative life force, is the core, the very essence of each individual. From this understanding, I have developed a working definition of Truth that will serve as a good foundation.

Truth is the omnipotence of God expressing as the spiritual essence of every individual.

This statement embodies the omnipotence of God, the divinity of the individual, and the relationship of oneness between God and the individual. I like to think of it as something much more than a compact, affirmative formula to be memorized and spoken. The statement describes a current activity – something that is happening right now. The full power of God is pushing out through you, as your very essence.

To make this statement real, just think of the fact that at this very moment you are desiring freedom from some condition – probably something relating to your body, which could be a health condition, finances, relationship issues, or concern for your future. Why do you desire freedom? How do you know you’re in bondage? What is it in you that thinks greater freedom is even possible?

The desire for greater freedom is literally a signal from your spiritual essence, your soul. It’s the very voice of God, your spiritual source expressing as you. Is the condition you’re concerned about stop the activity of God? No. This is why you desire freedom. Your fear or negative attitude may thwart the expression, the out-picturing of your freedom from suffering, but it doesn’t stop that healing radiance that is your spiritual birthright.   

So, let’s refer back to John:

“And you will have knowledge of what is true, and that will make you free.” John 8:32

What is true? The omnipotence of God, the full power of God, is expressing as your spiritual essence. Take your eyes off the problem and focus on the truth of this statement. Know it. Feel it. Paul suggested that we feel after God (Acts 17:27). Become still enough to feel this expansive desire for freedom as the living activity of God within. This is the living water Jesus spoke of, a living energy that is welling up from the very core of your being as eternal life.

I’ve talked about prayer as being an aligning process. Many people will pray for a thing and look outside of themselves for the answer. Here, we’re seeing prayer as the process of aligning ourselves with the truth that God is expressing as our spiritual essence. This spiritual essence is the exact same essence of God. Think of it as a light shining in the darkness, and the darkness is powerless to suppress it.

I have an 8” telescope, a Schmitt/Cassegrain, which contains two mirrors. Light from a source – a planet or star – enters a canister, hits the primary mirror in the back of the scope, reflects the light to a secondary mirror which then reflects it into the eyepiece. If these two mirrors are out of alignment, the image you see in the eyepiece will be blurry. To correct this, the scope has to be collimated. The word collimation means to make parallel. In the case of the telescope, collimation is adjusting the primary and secondary mirrors to make them parallel.

If we think of the soul as the primary mirror, and our consciousness, our belief system, as the secondary mirror, prayer can be thought of as a collimation process. I’ve pointed out many times in the past that one of the meanings of slotha – the Aramaic word for prayer – is “to make an adjustment.” Prayer is the process of bringing our consciousness – our overall awareness – into alignment with what is true at the soul level. God, of course, is the original light source expressing as the soul. There is no need for alignment at the soul level, as there is no place where God leaves off and the soul begins. Here, we’re in a perpetual state of oneness with God.

It’s our secondary mirror of consciousness that has gotten out of alignment, causing us to respond to appearances that are not true of God or the soul. Our spiritual vision has become blurred. Again, as Paul said, we’re seeing through a glass darkly.

It’s this blurred vision that people mistake for truth – their truth. The situation is dire, so I must suffer. I must be in bondage to things as they appear to be. This is reality. This is my truth. But is it the Truth? Is this condition an example of the omnipotence of God expressing as my spiritual essence?

The challenge here is that we want to fix the problem, so our attention usually goes to the thing that’s broken. This is understandable, and we certainly want the problem resolved. But again, the promise is, you will have knowledge of what is true, and that will make you free.

To bring a telescope into collimation, you use a steady light source as a reference that allows you to make the two mirrors parallel. In our case, the inner light of God is our steady light source. We stop scanning the landscape of our life and the problems we’re having, and we turn our attention to what is true of the indwelling presence of God.

And what is the Truth? The Truth is you are immersed in the healing, prospering, balancing life of God. The love that God is, is now dissolving that which is not for your highest good and is drawing to you that which is. The power of God is working through every aspect of your mind, body and affairs to establish wholeness on earth – that is, in your life – as it is in heaven, the limitless realm of the spiritual domain. The full intelligence of God is active in you, making clear your path, freeing your mind of all fear, and establishing the confidence in the truth that the greater good you seek is now unfolding through you.

I can’t agree with the podcaster that said there’s no such thing as Truth. I do understand what he was saying – that my truth and your truth can’t possibly represent an absolute Truth. It just so happens that this podcaster is a self-proclaimed atheist, and so it’s not likely that he’ll delve into anything much deeper than the appearance-driven human intellect. But to gain knowledge of what is true, we must first accept that there is an absolute Truth. And, if that Truth has the power to make us free, then it must be within our power to know.

If I hadn’t discovered the Unity philosophy, if all I had of spiritual understanding was what I gleaned from my exposure to mainstream religion, I too might set aside the whole spiritual thing as inconsequential. But Unity has helped me learn to turn within, to have my own first-hand experience with God. It’s enough to understand that it is possible to achieve freedom from lack and limitation by knowing the truth of our unity with God.

This is the mystery hidden for ages and generations that Paul wrote about (Colossians 1:26). He says the mystery, which is Christ in you, is now made manifest to his saints. But let’s not think of a saint as anything more than one who is devoted to knowing, not only what is true of God, but is willing to open our mind and heart to God as a living presence. That would be you and me.

I don’t recommend that we go around proclaiming we’re saints. But if we want to experience the freedom promised by knowing what is true, we start with the understanding that what is true of God, ourselves, and our relationship to God is within our reach. And since we’re interested in attaining freedom in this life we live, we know this Truth has practical value, that it empowers us to live freely and successfully each day of our life.

Thanks again for watching. My affirmation for each one of you is that you have knowledge of what is true, and that Truth will make you free.

YouTube: Omnipresent Healing Light

[Notice: We will be opening the Church for services on June 7.]

When you go outside on a sunny day, you can look around and see countless plants and many animals going about their business. You see grass, trees, bushes and flowers. You’ll likely see or hear birds and insects visiting flowers or just buzzing through the air. All of these life forms depend on a single source of energy – sunlight.

When you think about it, it’s pretty amazing how one source of energy can power so many expressions of life. It’s no wonder that many ancient cultures worshipped the sun as a god. We’re told that one of the jobs of the ancient Egyptian priest was to keep the sun moving across the sky. From what we know today, their job was pretty secure. And the occasional solar eclipse could actually be used as a warning that the people weren’t keeping up with their religious duties. If they wanted the sun to return, they’d better replenish the coffers.  

Our earth orbits the sun in what science calls the Goldilocks Zone. We’re in a position where it’s not too hot, not too cold, not too near, not too far – but just the right distance from our star. Because of this, we can’t say the sun’s life-giving energy is omnipresent. To be omnipresent is to be everywhere present, equally, at the same time.

Maybe you have a solar-powered toy sitting in your window. By day it does it’s little dance, but at night it stops. Sunlight is always hitting half the earth, while the other half is in darkness.

When we think of the omnipresence of God, we can use sunlight as an illustration, but with the understanding that sunlight waxes and wanes, while the presence of God never fluctuates. Many people have been trained to believe that the action and attitude of God can change in response to human behavior. But I think Jesus was trying to make clear that this wasn’t the case.

• “… for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matthew 5:45

Human behavior doesn’t affect the sun. One person can demonstrate hurtful behavior while another is loving. Unlike the cartoons we’ve seen, the sun shines the same for them both. Likewise, God is no more present for the loving person than for the one who’s displaying hurtful behavior. Both types of behavior will likely spark a completely different set of consequences, but neither will alter the behavior of God. Again, many have been trained to think that God behaves like a human being – favorably toward the righteous and unfavorably toward the unrighteous. If we’re open to rethinking our understanding of God in a way put forth by Jesus, the parable of the prodigal son can help us put that myth to rest.

The sun and God are similar in that they’re both unaffected by human behavior. As the sun fuels all the many life-forms we see, so God is incorporated as the life, love, power, and intelligence of every living creature.

When we say, “wherever I am, God is,” we’re saying that wherever I am in understanding, wherever I am in physical health, wherever I am in my level of prosperity demonstration – God is there. The full power of God is active and present in me, and in all that concerns me, right now. I’m not required to do anything to win God’s favor. I’m already the focus of God expressing uniquely as me.

This is a very important concept to grasp, as people are too often thinking they’re not deserving because they haven’t lived up to God’s expectations. Maybe they haven’t prayed enough, or they haven’t studied the Bible or been to church since Christmas or Easter. Turning to God for help may seem hypocritical. You might just assume God has better things to do than help someone who has paid little or no attention to spiritual matters.

Well, maybe you could benefit from delving into spiritual studies. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to see what happens in church between the birth and death of Jesus. But will God punish or reward you because you do or don’t do these things?

Imagine you’ve worked hard to plant a garden. Everything begins to sprout and it looks as if you’re going to have a great garden. You decide to take a little trip. You have your irrigation water set to automatic, so everything will get all the water it needs while you’re gone. But when you get home, you discover that something happened to your watering system, and the sun burned up your garden. All your hard work has gone to waste. You could shake your fist at the sun and curse it for hours if you want. But even if you do, you’ll notice that the sun doesn’t treat you any differently than your neighbor, who has been praising the sun for all the good it does.  

You can change how you relate to the sun – you can bless it or curse it – but the sun doesn’t change how it relates to you. You can plant your garden in the shade or refuse to give it water. But nothing you think, say or do, or neglect to think, say or do, will change the sun’s behavior.

We should have this same attitude toward God. I think it was Meister Eckhart who said, “I never thank God for loving me. He can’t help Himself.” Eckhart recognized the changeless nature of God. He wanted to remind his congregation that the hardships we encounter in life are not punishments from God.

God is fully active in each new moment. In God there is no past or future. There is only this now moment. If you think you sinned badly enough to offend God, then you’re the one living in the past. Your garden wasn’t scorched because you’ve sinned, and this is God’s way of saying a little repentance is in order. Your garden burned up because of a mechanical failure.

I know some spiritual teachers who insist that every calamity we experience comes about as the result of something we do wrong in our thinking. This is really nothing more than a spruced-up version of the old sin and punishment system that many of us have left behind. It’s an answer to the book of Job that raises the question: Why do the righteous suffer? The book itself doesn’t answer the question, so people have been trying to fill in that blank with their own understanding, their own spiritual logic. They insist that we experience calamity because of our sins, or because we’ve engaged in some negative thinking.

A man blind from birth was brought to Jesus with the question: Who sinned, this man or his parents? (John 9:2). Jesus took the spiritual high road by saying it didn’t matter who sinned, that this was an opportunity to demonstrate the omnipresent healing light of God. The man was healed of blindness because someone recognized the changeless power of God and called it forth.

James referred to God as,

• “… the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” (James 1:17)

It’s just another way of saying the changeless power of God is present now and is acting on your behalf – bestowing every good and perfect gift, as James says. We have not and cannot diminish it in any way. We can turn our attention to the question of who sinned. We can put ourselves in a dark cellar of guilt, or fear, or any of the countless negative visualizations we can imagine. But it doesn’t matter who sinned. It only matters that we are fully immersed in the omnipresent healing light of God. Like the prodigal son, we can come to ourselves – come to our spiritual senses at any moment and take the first step toward our spiritual homecoming.

And what is that first step? It’s the realization that I am in God and God is in me, and that which is in me is greater than that which is in the world. This is not true because I say it’s true. It’s just true. Just as the full power of the sun shines in all its glory on the other side of that closed cellar door, so the full power of God shines in all its glory on the other side of that mental door that we’ve momentarily pulled shut.

It’s very important to remember that the healing power of God is bias toward the establishment of wholeness. This may not seem true when we’re dealing with a healing challenge. But this is where we have to push past appearances, even when these appearances are causing pain.

It’s the nature of the Creative Life Force to expand, to express the life, love, power, and intelligence that it is. You and I, and all living things are channels through which this power expresses. It would be counter-productive for God to punish us for locking ourselves in some cellar. In the same way the sunlight will flood and dry out the dank cellar if the door is thrown open, so God floods us with refreshing, healing energy when we throw open the door of guilt and fear.

If you have a healing need – and this can include a healing of mind, body, finances, relationships, and any other area that may now be affected – begin this moment to throw open the door of spiritual ignorance by declaring your absolute freedom from all past mistakes. You’re not being punished. You’re not being tested. You’re not having to work out some kind of karmic debt. Lay all these kinds of thoughts aside.

Just as the sun offers its empowering energy to the dandelion, the beetle, the rabbit, and even the house fly – so God offers each one of us the healing, balancing, and prospering energy that can lift us to new heights, that shines light on our path, that establishes peace where there was chaos, and strength where there was weakness and fear.

A good practice is to sit quietly, with eyes closed, and envision the presence of God as healing light, permeating every aspect of your being. Let yourself totally relax in this light, just knowing it’s doing its perfect healing work in you and in every area of your life. Feel the peace of this quiet activity, knowing that divine intelligence is smoothing out the rough spots, bringing light to the unknown, making straight the crooked places. As you go through your day, bring this picture back often, reminding yourself that you are permanently immersed in the omnipresent, healing light of God.

How we think of God, how we think of ourselves and how we think of our relationship with God influences the way we live our lives – maybe more than we realize. It’s good to have reminders that God is always present and working for your highest good. It’s true that things don’t always work out as we hope, or as we think they should. Things can happen that, for the moment, don’t seem to be for our highest good or for the highest good of anyone involved. We may be tempted to fall back on our old beliefs that God is behaving like the vindictive old man in the sky, that harsh taskmaster that’s doing something to get our attention.

The simple observation of how the sun is giving its energy to all living forms – freely, and without condition – is a good reminder of the truth of God. It’s a living affirmation. Jesus pointed to the birds of the air, the lilies of the field and even the grass as reminders that God takes care of the simplest expressions of life. He also reminded us that if we ask for bread, God won’t give a stone. And we won’t get a serpent when we ask for a fish. What did he mean by this? For me, this is another fiber of the mystical thread, the reminder that God is the willing and able source of our good.

We’ll have setbacks because things happen that don’t always make a lot of sense. We try to put them in some kind of spiritual context, as if the universe has a message for us and we need to pay attention. In nature, violent storms are seasonal in certain parts of the country, and they can do a lot of damage. I grew up in the Midwest, where tornados are a part of life. But these aren’t sparked by bad human behavior. They would occur even if there were no people around. One of the biggest storms in our solar system is happening on Jupiter. As far as we know, there’s nobody up there doing bad things to cause that.

But there always seems to be someone who tries to make that connection. Certainly, the Bible is full of examples of bad things happening to people because they did something wrong. They get struck down by plagues, natural disasters, or some enemy as punishment from God because they strayed away from their religious values.

But again, there’s an interesting passage in Luke, which I’ve modified slightly, where Jesus seems to refute this idea:

• There were some present at that very time who told him of the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered thus? I tell you, No… Or those eighteen upon whom the tower in Silo’am fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, No…” (Luke 13:1-5)

The point is, we need to make sure that we’re letting go of all thought that God is punishing us when things go wrong. Sometimes it just takes a little time to get everything back in a balanced perspective.

The fact that we have a physical body means that we’re subject to environmental conditions that can become harsh. Earth is a living planet with ever-changing weather patterns, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, blizzards and the occasional tsunami. And of course we can’t forget the meteor impacts that can easily dwarf the destructive force of multiple nuclear bombs. Meteor Crater in Arizona was created by an iron meteor that was only 150 feet wide. The one that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago was about 6 miles wide. At the physical level, there are plenty of things that can happen to us.  

And through all time, certain people have believed that God was behind these things as attention-getting wakeup calls. This is where science shines a better light. It helps demystify naturally occurring events and remove any unwarranted sense of personal responsibility that we may heap on ourselves. We might be asking for trouble if we put a house at the foot of a volcano, in tornado alley or in the known path of hurricanes. But any harm or damage we suffer is not personal. It’s just a simple fact that when we get in the way of nature’s powerful forces, we usually lose.

You and I are eternal beings. Our bodies have gone through much, and they’ll probably go through a few more things. But we will never be separate from God. Our life, our unfolding experience will never end. We want to grasp this larger context and remind ourselves often that we’re just passing through, that this thing we call our life is like one chapter of a very grand book. Success and failure is not measured by how well we manage to dodge catastrophe. It’s measured by how well and how free we live our life.

I believe that every one of us is here by choice. If this is true, then I don’t think any of us chose to come here to cower in fear. It is in God that we live and move and have our being. This is, as Jesus said, another in the many rooms of our Father’s house. Earth is not our final home. It’s a spot that’s not too hot, not too cold, not too near and not too far. It’s a Goldilocks Zone, just right for these bodies we currently inhabit. It’s a great day to affirm the omnipresent, healing light of God is shining through each one of us at this very moment.

Thank you for watching, friends and know that you are in God and God is in you. So I’ll leave you once again with our prayer for protection.    

YouTube Video: Let’s Talk Prayer

Meditation/Meditation Exercises

As most of you know, prayer has played a vital role both in Unity’s founding and in our ongoing presentation of spiritual principles. In our ongoing examination of what I’m calling the mystical thread, I’d like to turn our attention today to a few passages that give us a pretty good indication of how Jesus understood prayer.

Preserved in the Gospel accounts are some pretty extraordinary claims Jesus made concerning the subject of prayer. He says through prayer, we can move mountains. While we don’t necessarily want to take this statement literally, we do want to pay attention to the fact that his understanding of prayer involved principles that could make a positive difference in the daily life of the people he spoke to and, of course to you and me.   

An important characteristic of the mystical thread is that it consists of principles that the average person can put into practice. So, we always want to look beyond the religious embellishments imposed by the early writers and seek to draw out the spiritual principle that Jesus was conveying to his listener. If he says that through prayer, we can cast a mountain into the sea, then we know he was telling his audience something they could actually do. We know he wasn’t talking about mountains per se. He was saying that prayer, as he taught it, was an effective tool for dealing with life’s challenges.

He was very transparent about the secret of his demonstrations. He acknowledges as his source of power the limitless spiritual resource he calls his Father. He stakes no exclusive claim on this source, but encourages his listeners to know their Father as well. He said, “Pray to your Father who is in secret.” He also said, and I’ll paraphrase here, “If you believe what I say about going directly to your own spiritual source, you will do the same kinds of things I do, and even greater things” (John 14:12).

This would be like Rembrandt’s first teacher, Jacob van Swanenburgh, saying, “If you adopt the basic methods of painting that I’m teaching you, you will do the works that I do and even greater works, because I’m giving you the principles employed by the masters.” All the world knows Rembrandt today, but relatively few have ever heard of his first teacher.

As I’ve pointed out, the Gospel writers intentionally portrayed Jesus as a larger-than-life figure, one that was set apart from the rest of us. Unless we understand the evangelical mission of these authors, this depiction can present a confusing obstacle, as it places Jesus in a class all by himself. The modern metaphysician has done the same thing, but in a slightly different way. Jesus is presented as a soul so advanced that we have little hope of expressing at that level.

The German theologian, Meister Eckhart, made it pretty clear that he didn’t find these types of characterizations of Jesus as helpful:

• “Now one authority says “God became man, and through that, all the human race has been ennobled and honored. We may all rejoice over this, that Christ our brother has through his own power gone up above all the choirs of Angels and sits at the right hand of the Father.” ‘This authority has said well, but really I am not much concerned about this. How would it help me if I had a brother who was a rich man, if I still remained poor? How would it help me if I had a brother who was a wise man, if I still remained a fool?’”

Eckhart, a country priest who spoke weekly to a congregation of average people, was a master at discerning the mystical thread and presenting it in a way that people could actually use. The Church authorities were devoted to maintaining great distance between Jesus and the everyday man and woman, so they condemned Eckhart as a heretic.

It’s an old story – church authority verses mystical insight. We have to take care, even in our New Thought depiction of Jesus as Wayshower, that we don’t continue to repeat this same mistake. Whether we brand him as Eckhart’s one who has gone up above all the choirs of Angels to sit at the right hand of the Father, or we see him as one who is so spiritually advanced that it would take the average person many lifetimes to come close to his level of enlightenment, the chances are good that we’re putting him, and the true value of his teachings, beyond our reach, an example we can never hope to achieve.

On one occasion, Matthew even gives the impression that Jesus spoke in parables to intentionally confuse the intellectual elites, the religious professionals (Matthew 13:3). But why would he do this? What teacher would intentionally confuse those who stood to benefit from the message they’ve devoted their lives to passing on?

Every spiritual teacher knows that the principles they teach must be intuitively rather than intellectually grasped. The use of the parable was intended to convey a deeper truth. Matthew actually makes this point a little later in the same chapter when he paraphrases a passage from Psalms:

• “All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed he said nothing to them without a parable. This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet: ‘I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.’”  (Psalms 78:2-4)

Yes, we study and even memorize spiritual concepts. But these are like an unplanted seed that we carry about in the pouch of our mind. They bear little or no fruit in our life. Spiritual principles do not become a living part of our consciousness until we know their truth at the intuitive level. Again, this is like the yeast incorporated into the flour and water. It was for this reason that Emilie Cady advised her readers with this statement:

• “If you want to make rapid progress in growth toward spiritual understanding, stop reading many books. They only give someone’s opinion about Truth, or a sort of history of the author’s experience in seeking Truth. What you want is revelation of Truth in your own soul, and that will never come through the reading of many books.”

She’s saying, the time comes when we have to stop reading the cookbook and actually start making the bread.

Though a given principle that Jesus was trying to impart may not have been immediately grasped by his audience, we should assume that he knew it was within their ability to understand. I think he made it clear that anyone who was willing to put aside their preconceived notions, to become as the child who so easily embraces possibilities that might confound the adult, could grasp and put into practice the ideas he taught.

In other words, I think it’s safe to assume that he was giving instruction as one human being to another, imparting information that could be utilized by the average listener. In my thinking, any teaching attributed to Jesus carries value only to the extent that he was addressing human problems with remedies that could be implemented by people like you and me.

His message was extraordinary in the sense that he spoke of a great power that is accessible to all, and yet, even today, it’s almost completely missed by the vast majority of people. The reason that it’s missed is because it isn’t understood. It isn’t understood because it cannot be empirically observed or embodied in language or formulas that can be passed from one mind to another.

In our culture, this is how we’ve been trained to learn. We’ve constructed entire religions around a conceptualized kingdom of God. We’ve mistaken the edifice for the house not made by human hands (2 Corinthians 5:1).  We’ve translated this religion into fabulous brick and mortar cathedrals, and mega churches that some claim run a mile wide but only an inch deep. I frankly don’t think Jesus envisioned this kind of development as his legacy.  

He said if you believe that you receive what you ask for in prayer, including moving mountains, it’ll happen. As I already said, the mountain-moving he’s talking about is any situation that looks bigger than we think we can handle. And I’m sure we’ve all experienced mountains that didn’t seem to budge, no matter how hard or how earnestly we prayed. We may have felt that our faith was insufficient. From my own experience as a minister, I’m sure that Jesus understood that the people he was talking to encountered the same problem. I also feel certain that he wasn’t simply hyping his message by making impossible statements with the hope of impressing his following and maybe increasing his numbers. He was sharing spiritual principles he knew would help make people’s lives better. And these are the principles that make up what I’m calling the mystical thread.

If we look at some of the other references Jesus made to prayer, we can find vital clues that bolster our understanding of the principles he taught. I think one of the most important bits of instruction he gave was to go alone to our room – and I think of this as our own inner space – shut the door – that is, turn away from all external concerns – and pray to the Father who is in secret. When it comes to establishing a productive prayer life, this is by far one of the most important practices. He’s talking about setting aside a time when our entire focus is not so much on resolving our life’s issues through prayer, as it is on getting to know God through direct communion. It makes perfect sense that we should first build an awareness of God as a living and very accessible presence. As this relationship grows, all else falls in place.

As Eric Butterworth suggested, we make the shift from praying to God to praying from a consciousness of God. With our growing awareness of God, we begin to see that it’s no longer just a limited set of apparent facts that are on the table. We’re acknowledging that infinite intelligence is working through us to bring about the best and highest solution. I may not know how to cast that mountain into the sea, but I’m bringing myself into alignment with a higher wisdom that does. I’m in alignment with Jesus’ understanding by acknowledging that it’s not me, but the Father within me that’s doing the work. Knowing this Father, this inner source of my very being, is a powerful first step to successful prayer. It’s the very bedrock upon which I build my own personal house of prayer.  

Another idea worth including is the notion of learning to lift our eyes – our inner visioning sense, the mind’s eye, the imagination – to see the completion of the answer we seek (John 4:35). I touched on this subject last week. It involves taking our attention off appearances and moving into an acceptance of the solution, even before that solution becomes apparent in our experience.

How do we do this? How do we believe we’ve received an answer we don’t actually have? This principle is illustrated in the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand. He lifted up his eyes – that is, he took his attention away from the problem – and he gave thanks that God always responds. He then began passing out the bread and the fish. He’s acting as if the problem is solved before it actually is.

Whether or not we take this story literally, we can employ the principle. We take our attention off the problem and we give thanks that the proper solution is now coming forth. How do we take our attention off the problem? One way is to begin asking how we would feel if our situation were successfully resolved. We might even jot down the list of responses that come to us. We then give heartfelt thanks that our resolution has occurred.

To some, this might seem like a form of self-delusion. And the truth is, most of the imagery that floats across the screen of our mind never materializes. Why would this be any different?

It’s different because we’re making the concerted effort to back this imagery with the power of faith. Remember the writer of Hebrews tells us that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). We may be visualizing the worst-case scenario and pouring our faith in that. We may be rehashing all the known facts about our situation, wondering how we’re going to resolve them, and asking God to intervene while frantically looking for quicker answers. We’re exercising our faith, not in the solution, but in the perpetuation of the problem.

This is reminiscent of Jesus’ parable of the farmer who sowed wheat, but an enemy snuck in at night and sowed weeds. He ordered his workers to not pull the weeds until they were fully mature. That way they could tell the weeds from the wheat (Matthew 13:24-30). In other words, the farmer was telling his workers to let go, to stop trying to resolve the problem by constantly mulling over all the known facts. By doing this, they would end up causing more damage.

How do we know that we’ve crossed that threshold of believing we’ve received? We know by how we feel. We’re at peace with our situation. Isn’t the experience of peace of mind the essence of what we’re trying to achieve with the resolution of any problem? The farmer that was telling the workers not to pull the weeds was really saying, “Be at peace about this. You’ll know what to do when the time comes. Don’t let this situation rob you of your present peace of mind.”    

There are many ways we can approach prayer using the teachings of Jesus as our basis. But let’s focus today on the three principles that I’ve already touched on.

1. We first establish conscious union with God as our source of power. I’m basing this on a saying of Jesus: “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:6). Establishing a conscious union with God, is an intuitive, experiential exercise. As Paul wrote,

• “… that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after him. Yet he is not far from each one of us, for ‘In him we live and move and have our being’” (Acts 17:27-28).

To feel after God is to seek to know God as a living presence that is working in and through us right now.

2. The second principle is this: We take our attention off the problem and turn it to the solution. I’m basing this principle on another saying from Jesus:

• “Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see how the fields are now ready for harvest” (John 4:35).

The action of lifting up our eyes, taking our attention away from the problem, is an exercise of our executive faculty of imagination. Charles Fillmore wrote: “With our imagination we lay hold of ideas and clothe them with substance.” I’ll talk more about this in a moment.

3. Here’s our third principle: We treat our faith in the outworking of the problem as evidence that our solution is now coming forth, in the right way and at the right time. I’m drawing this principle from a well-known saying of Jesus:

• “If you have faith and never doubt, you will … say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and it will be done. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith” (Matthew 21:21-22).

Believing we have received involves the two faculties of imagination and faith, which Fillmore ties together in this statement: Faith is “the perceiving power of the mind linked with the power to shape substance.” The perceiving power of the mind is the imagination. The power to shape substance is faith.

The thing we want to do now is explore ways we can implement these principles in an actual situation. Whether we’re talking about a healing need, a prosperity challenge, or some type of a disruption or conflict in a relationship, the application is the same.

The first principle of spending time alone with God is something we do well to develop as daily habit. My own best time for doing this is early in the morning, before the rest of the world begins to stir. There’s no right time for this, but I think it’s helpful to set a fairly regular schedule. I published two chapters on meditation from my book, The Complete Soul, on the church’s website, and I’ve included the link in the description area below. I think it’s important that we make this our practice, that we find ways that work best for us. Jesus said to go into your room and pray to your Father. I think he’s saying that we are to make this our experience, that we find our own way. With regular times alone with God, we’ll begin to feel the quiet surge of power that assures us we’re not alone. The more pronounced this gets, the more success we’ll have with the next two principles.

It isn’t easy to take your attention off a problem and try to see a solution unfolding. But think of this: It’s actually harder to stay focused on the problem. It’s harder on you. It’s harder on your creativity. It’s harder on your ability to be optimistic. Yes, it’s easy to worry, easy to visualize the very worst possible outcome of a situation. But look at the toll it takes. So, you have to make the decision that you’re going to use the power of your imagination in a positive and deliberate way. You’re not going to pretend that your problem doesn’t exist. And, you’re not going to stop looking for positive action you can take to resolve it. But you’re going to make a concerted effort to lift the eye of your imagination to the fields ready for harvest – the successful outcome of your situation. Interrupt your negative movie and begin seeing it play out into a happy ending. You’re not trying to force a change; you’re seeing the change unfold in your own mind. You’re now ready to move into the third principle of believing this change is real, and it’s yours now.

Whatever form your mountain has taken, think of Jesus’ call to have faith and never doubt. You’re moving past this challenge. You’re declaring it cast into the sea. Here you employ denials – the releasing of negative pictures, thoughts and feelings – and you’re affirming the greater good you’ve committed to seeing unfold, is doing so right now. If you find your faith wavering, bring yourself back on track. This is your life. It’s your mind. It’s your world, and you want your experience of each day to be the very best it can be.