We teach that there is only One Power active in the Universe which expresses uniquely and individually within each one of us as the Christ. This Power cannot create pain or suffering because it is All-Good, All-Love. Because that "spark of the Divine" is within us, we each have the potential to grow in our expression of that All-Good, All-Love, and we can learn to use that Power to lead more useful, creative, and productive lives. There is no opposing "power" of evil. This doesn't mean that there is no evil in the world- it means that it has no power except that we give to it. Unity co-founder Charles Fillmore calls evil a "parasite"- when its host (our mental energy) is withdrawn, it cannot survive. Evil is the result of human misuse of our free will. Just as there is no "god" up in the sky judging and punishing, there is no "devil" pulling puppet strings making us do bad things.
We are also- simultaneously- fully human. Because we have free will, we are at all times free to choose whether to live in accordance with the Divine within, or to live according to the limitation of our human existence. Our work is to remember that we are each Divine expressions of the One Power, and to Be that Divine Love in humanity.
Not everyone has yet awakened to this Truth, and many are still acting in the belief that the visible human world (which we have created through our own human thoughts and actions) is all that there is to life. When someone is functioning in darkness, their actions cannot reflect Light. Divinity is within them, but they don't know it. They are still acting as limited humans, operating in fear, and some of their choices will have terrible, awful results. Because we have free will, Spirit cannot 'force' us to act in alignment with It.
With free will, we get to choose what we believe in any given moment. I believe that there is an innate divinity within each of us, and that because we are each a part of that One Presence, eventually we will all "remember" and learn to live in Love and Light as the Oneness we are. When events such as happened on Friday occur, it is Faith in that as-yet-unseen Truth that allows me to remember that this was the act of a human who has not yet awakened. We cannot make sense of it because it was an insane act. Insane acts do not make sense. Human compassion requires me to recognize and see this terrible mistake, and use my faculties of Dominion, Will and Strength to steadfastly refuse to move into condemnation.
Our Unity principles call for us to actually live the Truth that we know. In the aftermath of an event like this, I can choose to live believing that the world is a scary place filled with awful people doing terrible things or I can choose to believe that eventually we will all remember and learn to live together in the Love and Harmony that God is. I claim Order, knowing that the Christ within is capable of correcting and adjusting our human path, of resetting our compass to Truth.
This is how we do the work that Jesus called us to do when he blessed the PeaceMakers and told us that our great commandments were to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. We choose Faith, we choose Peace, we choose Love, we choose Joy. We ask again: How can I express the Christ in this moment? What words can I speak, what action can I take, how can I express Love and Peace in this moment? Then pause and listen. Allow yourself to Imagine the highest possible outcome for all concerned and act based on your very best Understanding in that moment.
We also teach that what we give our energy to increases: the mental energy that we give to Love helps Love to grow. The mental focus we give to Peace allows Peace to increase. With so many people focusing on the negative energy of this event, it seems important to me that I do my best to remain enthusiastic (Zealous) and motivated in my commitment to live my belief in the inherent Goodness of all. This work is done one thought, one word, one act of kindness at a time. We Release our own error thoughts every single time we recognize that they are not in alignment with our intentions. I choose to listen to my own mental and spoken words. I choose to claim Wisdom and give Life only to those which express the Truth I know.
There are no words that will ever remove the horrible pain of these events, and the wider our hearts are open, the more we feel that pain. Each time we remember to act from our Divinity we have the opportunity to be the Love that God Is in expression. How to do this today? Each time you realize you have a choice to respond to anything that occurs, be still for a moment and claim, "I choose Joy" before you speak or act. Each time we choose Joy, we have the opportunity to be the hands and hearts of mercy and compassion which will ultimately bring about the Peace on Earth which seems so elusive. Choose Joy. It is not disrespectful. It is the loving expression of the Christ you are. The quote above is correct - we, as humans, cannot cure the world's sorrows. But we, expressing the Christ, can restore Wholeness by choosing Peace, Faith, Love and Joy.
Blessings and Light to each of you.
Namaskar (which means, the Divine in me recognizes the Divine in You),
Rev. Nita
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Merry Christmas!
Mark your calendar and plan to join us for the following special services:
Christmas Eve Candlelighting Service
Monday, 12/24, 5:00 - 6:00pm
On Christmas Eve, we come together to honor, bless, and acknowledge the birth of our Elder Brother and Way-Shower, Jesus as we also honor, bless, and acknowledge the birth of our ever-increasing awareness of our own Christ Nature. There will be Christmas Carols, prayer and meditation, a re-telling of the Christmas story and what it means to us in our lives, and the symbolic candle-lighting ceremony representing the Light of the Christ within ourselves.
A Family-Style Christmas Morning Service and Potluck
Tuesday, 12/25, 10:30 - 11:30 (Potluck follows)
On Christmas morning, we come together to sing Christmas Carols (family-style, which means a LOT of laughter and NO expectations other than fun!). We'll pray together, enjoy some Christmas Silence, and perhaps share a Christmas memory or two. Afterwards, we'll share a meal. If you don't have other plans, plan on joining us. If you've got a special dish you enjoy cooking, or a special treat you'd like to share, bring it with you! (and... its perfectly okay if your 'specially prepared' Christmas treat comes from the grocery store!)
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UPCOMING LESSONS and EVENTS
12/23: Advent: Joy
12/24: (Monday) Christmas Eve Candlelighting Service: 5:00pm
12/25: (Tuesday) Christmas Morning Service & Potluck: 10:30am
12/30: Another Trip Around the Sun... (End-of-the-month POTLUCK)
12/31: New Year's Eve "Cleansing Release" Service: 6:00pm
DID YOU KNOW...
Audio of our Sunday lessons is available online at our website?You may click here to listen. There's also always a button along the left side of these emails that will take you right to our "Listen" page. You may also listen and subscribe to our channel at Sermon.net And- if you have a mobile device, you can download the Sermon.net app from your App Store and subscribe to our podcasts. When you do, you'll be notified when new audio is available. New lessons are usually posted every couple of weeks.
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Sunday School and Child Care is always available on Sundays
Our Sunday School teachers look forward to sharing Unity principles with your children aged 4-12. If you've got questions, please speak to our YOU teachers: Cindy Cawthorne, LUT, Barbara Richman, LUT, Judyth Willis, and Sunni Adams. Our nursery is available for the very young ones, as well.
