"This is the day that the Lord has made.  

    Let us rejoice and be glad in it" Psalm 118:24

A year or so ago, I bought an angel figurine with the above Bible verse written on it. I don't normally buy things like that- I'm not really into angels, and I generally don't have "religious" decorations in my home. But there was something about this particular angel and Bible verse that spoke to me. It was on a clearance table and seriously marked down- I think I paid about $4.00 for it, brought it home, stuck it on a shelf, and didn't think much more about it.

While reorganizing my work space at home, I decided to create a small altar in the room. Nothing major, just a few items set atop a filing cabinet to serve as reminders of my priorities, I moved the angel to sit in that area. As I worked, I found myself just sort of staring at the angel, appreciating how nice she looks sitting there, and I began thinking about the Bible verse written on her skirt. I've always liked that particular verse, a simple reminder to appreciate the blessings present in each day. Suddenly I realized that this verse (and the angel itself), were much more meaningful than I had previously realized.

First, the angel: according to The Revealing Word by Unity co-founder Charles Fillmore, angels represent "A messenger of God; the projection into consciousness of a spiritual idea... The word of Truth, in which is centered the power of God to overcome all limited beliefs and conditions." My first thought was that Fillmore probably wasn't talking about clearance bin angels from the discount store, but, hey- I'll take messages of Truth and the power to overcome limited beliefs and conditions however they present themselves!

Looking at the Bible verse itself, I realized that I'd never really considered its meaning beyond the obvious, surface meaning. Looking again at The Revealing Word...

Lord--The activity of the spiritual I AM as the ruling consciousness. The Lord God of the Scriptures is Christ, the Spiritual Man; our divine consciousness; the creative power within us.  

So now the verse becomes, "This is the day that the I AM, my divine consciousness, my creative power, has made. Rejoice and be glad in it". Today - this moment, right here and right now - is the result of the creative power of our divine consciousness. Choose to claim the blessing and be glad. Looked at metaphysically, the verse becomes an affirmation of power. Rather than just opening our eyes, getting dressed, and going about our routine, each day becomes an opportunity to know Truth; an opportunity to know our Oneness within God, and the Oneness of God within us.

The verse also serves as a reminder that we are not victims; we get to choose how we experience every moment of our lives. If the outer circumstances are not what we would have consciously chosen, we still always have at least two choices: we can react from negativity or we can respond with willingness to claim a blessing.

If we choose to walk through the less-than-to-be-desired experience with our hearts open to the possibility of being blessed, we become willing participants in the unfoldment of our ever-increasing understanding. As we awaken to our Christhood, we learn to shift our thoughts, and claim our good now. Not later, when everything "wrong" has been "fixed", but right here, right now, today. We can always choose to claim awareness. We are never more than a thought away from Christ consciousness. Whatever the outer circumstances, this moment can be the one that makes all the difference, if we choose to make it so. I invite you to share the message of my clearance-bin angel:

         Today is the day that the Lord has made. Rejoice and be glad in it.

Sunday Series Through November:

Living the Five Unity Principles

Unity does not have any strict dogmatic beliefs. Our co-founders believed that each person holds the right and duty to discern Truth for themselves, and in fact, that our beliefs will no doubt change as we come to understand more and more of what is the Nature of Being, God, Divine Mind, Spirit, or whatever name you refer to the One Power. Nonetheless, there are five principles that most Unity people agree to:

• There is One Power, God, Absolute Good without opposite.
• Humans have a spark of Divinity within them and are also inherently Good.
• We create our experiences by the activity of our thinking.
• Prayer and meditation are the tools that heighten our connection with God-mind.
• Knowing these laws are not enough- we must actually live the Truth that we know.

During November, we'll be exploring that fifth principle in relation to each of the others- what does life lived with the intention to truly express our Divinity look like? How can we bring our beliefs into our everyday lives? Is it really possible to live the Truth that we claim to know?

In February we will be accepting new members into our family. Unity membership doesn't carry any requirements to reject any other faith membership, or any financial burdens, but members are expected to be in alignment with what we teach. One of our intentions as a spiritual community is to come to completion with our process of becoming an autonomous, full-status church. Part of that process involves conducting classes for new members. If you think that you might be interested in membership, please plan on attending at least three Sundays in November, which will satisfy that requirement.

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The New You - A One-Day Workshop  

with Marcia Breitenbach

Saturday, Nov. 12, 9:00am - 3:00pm, $69.00

Overview of the 5 Mindful Practices, followed by a practical set of tools for each practice so you can move through these changing times with ease and joy! If you attended one of the "What's Next" workshops or the retreat, you will take yourself to the next level. If you are brand new to this, you will be happy you came!

Preregistration is required; contact Marcia at 975-5376 or email to millmarcia@gmail.com

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The Holidays Are Just Around the Corner!

As your calendar begins filling up for the holidays, I hope you'll mark the following dates and times:

11/27: Thanksgiving Potluck

12/24: Christmas Eve service, 5:00pm (Saturday)

12/25: Sunday Morning Christmas Celebration, 10:30am

12/25: Christmas Potluck, 11:30am

12/31: New Year's Eve service, 6:00pm (Saturday)  

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 Sunday service is at 10:30. Click here for a map 

Listen to Sunday Lessons  

Download past lessons as mp3 files for your iPod or other player 

Thanks for reading! I hope we see you soon!

Blessings,

Nita Strauss, LUT

Spiritual Leader