Practicing The Presence

When in the presence of pure being, I can realize this as my true nature, unlimited and endowed with all the attributes of my eternal source. Focusing my attention on the divine, creative spirit within and all around me, I remain aware of the perfection of this moment. This has been called by some, “practicing the presence.”

You might ask, “if I am already the light of the world, and live in the power and presence of God, why do I have to practice the presence?” Because my dear friends, we have forgotten who we really are. We have been in a deep sleep of forgetfulness and have been dreaming of separation, guilt, blame and attack. The thing we are not aware of is that we have been judging and attacking ourselves, and it is this we have projected upon the world we see.

By practicing the presence of God, we demonstrate our own true reality. We are bringing into manifestation the fruits of the Spirit and extending the eternal love that we are. Yes, you are the love, you are the miracle, you are the light, you are the evidence of a singular source of all creation here in this world. However, in order demonstrate the presence of pure being, there must be a willingness to let all other images of ourselves go. If we are made in the image and after the likeness of Divine Spirit, then we must accept the attributes of that Spirit in order to experience it for ourselves.

In this world, nothing will ever bring you more peace, satisfaction and joy than the experience of yourself as the pure being that you are. It is known to some as the Holy Instant, the moment when the presence of the Divine is all you know and all you are.
Let this new season bring with it a renewed passion for attaining continuing awareness of that moment. Let this summer truly be the summer of love, and extend your love everywhere to everyone all the time. Be grateful to share of your eternal, divine, perfect, all-pervasive love. Let us be determined this summer to bring forth the memory of pure being and the experience of the presence of the living, loving God within us and everywhere present at all times.

I would like us to remember this call of our Higher Self with this prayer from Unity’s co-founder, Charles Fillmore: “I am now in the presence of pure being and immersed in the Holy Spirit of love, life and wisdom. I acknowledge Thy presence and power O blessed Spirit. In thy wisdom now erase my mortal limitations, and from Thy pure substance of love bring into manifestation my world, according to Thy perfect law.”
(Charles Fillmore, Jesus Christ Heals, page 22)

Always Yours in Christ Consciousness
Rev. Tony

Welcoming The Change

Spring is finally here! As the beauty of the first days of Spring have finally arrived at our doorsteps, it seems the frustration of the long, storm-filled months still lingers in our minds and emotions, and yet now can be a time of great healing and renewal. This is the time when we emerge from the cocoon of winter and enjoy the new being we are becoming. The healing and relinquishment of the past is what we call upon every moment we turn in gratitude to what is before us right here and now. The acceptance of change as a good and beneficent and necessary part of the growth cycle can help speed us along into the greater prosperity and happiness we desire. When the new energies emerge it is important to remember, “You cannot put new wine into old wine skins.” (Matt. 9:17)

What is making itself available to us is the inevitable cycle of growth. It is such a relief indeed to see the sun again. What a joy to sit outside in her warmth, or walk on the beach during a spectacular sunset. The birds are singing their sweet songs once again. The grass is getting greener each day, the flowers are adding color to the landscape around us; and yes, those tiny little buds on the tips of the tree branches will turn into leaves (eventually) before our very eyes, as the miracle of the changing seasons reminds us that Spirit/God is actually still in charge of all things in the universe, despite our temptation to think otherwise.

Just as the seasons of nature are constantly moving into new growth, we too can use this time to shed our fears and frustrations, as a new level of awakening and awareness is born in us. We can embrace the change going on in us as wholeheartedly as we embrace the coming of spring. In fact, it is my challenge to you this year to do just that. Will you open yourself up to new possibilities and greater growth? Will you enter this new moment and this new season will a fierce optimism to allow all of God’s abundance to be manifest in you, through you and as you? Are you ready for the new you to step out into a new and wonderful world, one full of love and healing and adventure? If you are, then you can say, “I am welcoming the change.” And I then must say to you, “Welcome Home!”

Always Yours in Christ Consciousness…
Rev. Tony

April Message From the Minister
He is Risen/ Are You ?

Coming away from a joyous Easter celebration and a lot of discussion about the resurrection and what that means to each of us personally, I am challenged to look more deeply at the truth of my being. I am challenged to open my awareness to greater forces at work in the universe and in my life. I am also challenged as how to action the truth I know in a way that can be reflected in the world around me. The fifth principle of Unity reminds us that it is not enough to know these spiritual principles, one must live the truth he or she knows. The resurrection is a symbol or a reflection of a very real experience of the Christ principle being fully realized in an individual human being. It becomes, for us a way to view the unfolding of our own experience of spiritual awakening. It gives us a standard by which we can gauge the level of our compassion. Eric Butterworth called this the raising of ourselves to the “Christ standard.” It is the place where our higher mind is in charge of everything we think, everything we say or do. It is the place where we are acting out of love and not fear; and this love we are acting from is an eternal, unconditional love, one in which we know the truth of our being and of everyone else.

It is the place of healing power and harmonizing divine ideas, where we enjoy a sublime certainty that all is well forever. This is the place of resurrection, where we are not only allowing the love of God to flow through us, we are aware that we are the love of God itself. I know for most of us, this awareness may come and go, or we may only have a conceptual understanding of such things; but I assure you the one thing Jesus always attempted to teach us was that we are like him. He made this abundantly clear in the Gospel of John 14:12 when he said, “He that believes on me, the works that I do shall he shall do also; and greater works than these shall he do…” If we are going to do the greater works spoken of in this scripture, we must face the glorious challenge to “be transformed by the renewing of our minds” (Romans 12:2) and accept our own resurrection Here and Now! We have the example in the risen Christ Jesus, now it is our time to step up to the challenge and demonstrate the Christ Spirit within us. Now is our time to be resurrected.

Always Yours in Christ Consciousness

Rev. Tony

Message From The Minister March 2018

Lent: A Journey of Awakening

As this season of Lent continues, and the storms of the world seem to intensify, let us remember this is a time of great opportunity for spiritual growth and development. This is a season which begins the final journey of our experience separation to the glorious resurrection of the Christ in us.

Charles Fillmore wrote in his book, Keep a True Lent, “Lent is a season of spiritual growth, a time for progressive unfoldment. When we can blend and merge our mind with God-Mind, the way is open for the Lord to glorify us and to lift us into a higher, more purer, more spiritual state.

The only thing I might add to that from our Unity perspective is: the Lord of our being is not a man separate from us, but the Christ within. This is a season of opportunity for each individual consciousness on Earth to experience that merging and blending with God-Mind, that resurrection of our minds into the sphere of Oneness and awareness of our eternal nature.
The simplicity of awakening lies in our desire for the transformation of our world, through the transformation of our own hearts and minds. If I want to eliminate something during this Lenten season, it is the way of seeing others as outside of myself, it is the way I speak of others and of myself in terms the limitations of the separate mind. I want to eliminate fear and judgment and anger and suffering.

If the dead thoughts of separation has led me to a world of suffering and sorrow, then I have to transform that world by bringing the awareness of Oneness and healing, first to my own mind, and then to the ones around me. A Course in Miracles has a wonderful statement of truth concerning this. It says: “The Light of the world brings peace to every mind through my forgiveness.”

The true path to resurrection might then lie in the action of forgiveness. When we allow our mind to merge with God-Mind it will necessarily include all of creation. To understand what forgiveness really means is a journey of true courage and commitment; but what we are committing to is becoming our own perfect self, established in God and as God. This divine reality is what we discover in the process of our own personal transformation. The Bible says in (Romans 8:11), “If the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies…”

This is evidence that our own journey of transfiguration and resurrection is not only inevitable, but it is available to us here and now. The immanent reality of the manifest Christ in us… that is what we are making room for in our spiritual practice of Lent. Keep it a True Lent.

Always Yours in Christ Consciousness

Rev. Tony

Message From The Minister February 2018
“Finding Peace in the Eye of the Storm”

As another winter storm rumbles through our little town by the sea, a blanket of snow covers the Cape, and a blanket of confusion covers my heart. With all that we give, and all the ways we seek to serve the community, why would someone break into our spiritual center? One can only surmise that it would have to be the same reasons why we still have human slavery, massive poverty, drug addiction, hunger, oppression, homelessness and war throughout the world, the same reason hatred and inequality are tolerated and perhaps even encouraged at the highest levels of our society. It is a reason so fundamental to the human species, that I cannot comprehend why we haven’t made greater strides in abolishing it. There is this one, all-pervasive condition which seems to strangle our peace and thrust us into fear. It is the opinion that we are not enough!

This is an opinion based on the belief that we are born imperfect and sinful, that somehow we are not good enough just the way we are. I see many people, young and old seeking escape rather than solutions. Escape into drugs and alcohol, escape into whatever might seem to fill that void and make one feel, even for just a moment, they are actually enough, that their life makes sense. If no one seems to care for these people in the margins of our society, they will try and find a way to fill that emptiness inside, one way or the other. The way we offer at Unity is the way of peace.

It is ironic that we at Unity are seeking the same thing, however turn to God to fill that void we have felt deep in our sub-conscious mind; a void we have felt between each other, and even between our loving source and ourselves. The illusion of separation was born from this mistaken feeling of something missing from the very core of our very being. This empty feeling is sometimes sought to be filled by substances of this world instead of spiritual substance. Whether it be drugs, money, sex or power… it is all still a feeble attempt to fill the void that only God can fill. It is not in my human power to ascertain what an individual might need in form, but I can say without hesitation, that the Spirit of the Living God will always remind you, you are enough!

After all we are made in the image and after the likeness of the One Power and One Presence. All that God is, we are; but we have to discover that truth for ourselves. I don’t pretend to know all you may need to begin your discovery of that true self; but I do know it is available and present for each of us equally, in every moment of every day. In whatever place you find yourself, and whatever condition or circumstance has brought you to this place, whatever rage or uncertainty you carry with you in your heart, I know it can be healed, and the void can be filled.

To the folks that broke into our building this week, took what was put in the collection
plate to serve the greater good of our community in an attempt to fill that empty place in your heart… next time, come in the front door, sit among us and find what will satisfy your real need. Among this congregation you will always be honored as the child of God that you are, you will always be seen with the eyes of Christ and accepted just the way you are. I know right now there is a storm in your heart; it is a storm we all share to some degree. My only prayer is that you find peace in the eye of that storm.

Always Yours in Christ Consciousness

Rev. Tony

Message from the Minister/ January 2018
A New Way to Peace

As the storm rages around me I find a certain calm, I fall into an active peace no human can dare describe, yet I am sure everyone has felt it at one time in their life. And as feeble as the words may be, we attempt to describe our mystical experience so others may catch a glimpse of the the eternal nature within their own being.

The Bible calls it the peace which passes all understanding, The Hindus use the Sanskirt term shanti, which speaks of tranquility, calm, bliss, eternal rest, and happiness, or the ultimate state of perfect enlightened experience called Samadhi. The Hebrews say Shalom or they may pray Selah. In Arabic it is Salam. The Buddhist call it Ahisma. A Taoist can experience the yin and the yang as being perfectly balanced, in a state called Heping for the Chinese, or Hewa if you are Japanese. The Native Americans have so many different words for peace one can hardly count them. Each tribe has a unique language and expression and many states of peace exist. We might call it bliss, comfort, care, calm, serenity, relaxation of body, mind and soul; but I prefer to think of it as our natural state, a feeling of heaven on earth, an absolute awareness of our unity with the whole universe.

Indeed there are as many varying expressions for the sublime experience of inner peace as there are people who have found it; but for many of us who desire this peace as a way of life, we know it to be something that finds us. When we are made ready by the miracle and guided by grace, the peace we seek knocks at the door of our consciousness and completely envelops our hearts, as we fall into the
realm of the unexplained mysteries of God.

In this new year, perhaps we, as students of Truth will recognize the way to this experience is not a way at all, but the total acceptance that everything we were seeking is actually here now. Perhaps a very thin veil of perception was the only thing blocking our vision from seeing the Truth of this peace as our one true reality and the only constant state available in all the universe.

We always sing, “Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with me.” I believe the most important word here is “let.” To allow peace to be what it is, to refuse to throw the veil of my mistaken ideas across the face of peace any longer, to finally let go and let God be exactly what it is, to discover the beauty and the mystery and the majesty of my own being in oneness with everything there is.

Happy New Year my amazing friends !
Rev. Tony

December message from the minister

Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Everyone!

In the course of human history, perhaps no other event has more mystical appeal than the birth of the Christ. Heading into this Christmas season, let us remember the real reason we celebrate the coming of the Christ. It signifies the dawning of the light into the consciousness of human beings, God being recognized in every individual and the remembrance of our own divine nature.

Unity has long supported the idea of development of our Christ consciousness as a way of following the teachings of Jesus, not to worship or bow down to idols or religious doctrine; but rather an ongoing discovery of what lies within the depths of our own hearts and minds. To accept the birth of new ideas and new experiences for each individual has such powerful life-changing implications.

We are free to determine our own beliefs and spiritual views based on real experience and direct revelation occurring within our own consciousness. The birth of the Christ in us is more of a memory of Spirit than of receiving a special favor from an outside power. We are discovering the power within ourselves. Gaining knowledge of that power is what I call the birth of the Christ in us.

The sign of Christ is a star, shining within the bright heaven of our holy minds, one with everything there is and ever was and ever will be. Our true identity has been revealed to us at last, and now we can celebrate the coming of knowledge into our hearts and rejoice. The light of God is with us and within us. It always was and always will be, but now the time has come to acknowledge that eternal truth and allow our light to shine upon the world without limit or reservation.

This is the month we celebrate the birth of Christ, not in Jesus alone, but in each and everyone. The great shift in the consciousness of humankind is now and will signify the end of the seeming separation and a world born out of conflict and fear. A new world which reflects the laws of divine mind is being born along with the Christ in you. A new and magnificent experience of life awaits us all as we accept the emerging Christ in us.

Merry Christmas and Happiest of Holidays my dearest friends!
Always yours in Christ Consciousness

Rev. Tony

Message From The Minister November
Our One Year Anniversary

I can’t believe that one year has already gone by since I was officially hired as the Spiritual Leader of Unity on Cape Cod. So much can happen in a year, and yet so much still seems before us to accomplish. In truth, we have only to accept our abundance and claim our peace right now, in this moment. As we relax ever deeper into our eternal relationship with God and each other, a certain calm comes over me. I give thanks.

I am thankful for the truth of our being and the sacredness of our joining together in this amazing adventure of spiritual evolution. I know it has been a difficult year for many of us; but healing and wholeness have prevailed and will always bind us together in bonds of joy, understanding and peace; understanding our neighbors struggles as well as celebrating their victories, understanding the true essence of each individual as the perfect love of God, and understanding how precious is each and every soul among us.

Our joy has manifest itself in steady, increased attendance on Sunday mornings, a growing membership base, an amazing youth program, dynamic guest speakers and musicians, top notch spiritual events and workshops throughout the year; and most of all, a certain peace and excitement I see glowing in the eyes of everyone who joins us at Unity each week.

We are one third of the way through our heating and cooling upgrade. We have a beautiful website, a magnificent stained glass altar box, a solid prayer team and many steady volunteers on every ministry team, new board members and a leadership council forming soon. Many building improvements have been made, with many more to come. I believe the future of our spiritual center has a firm foundation, built from within.

Our tithing to the community has reached thousands of people, young and old, and we envision doing more for our community in the future. With Spirit at the core of all our thinking, speaking and acting, with Truth and Divine Principle leading the way, we will continue to grow together in healing and in love.

For me, this is a time to be grateful and celebrate the gift we have been given, and that is the gift of each other. Happy first year together my friends. Thank you for choosing me as your spiritual leader, Thank you for your commitment to Unity on Cape Cod. Thank you for the opportunity to give and to serve. Thank you for you!

Always Yours in Christ Consciousness
Rev. Tony

Message From the Minister October

Change of Season, Change of Mind

In this world of paradox, the difference between truth and illusion becomes more apparent. The world of separation is screaming at us in an attempt to prove its reality. Last month ended with yet another deadly monster storm and this month begins with the worst mass shooting in modern history, not really very long after the last worst mass shooting and the one before that. All these tragedies, one after another makes you wonder, where is God in all this?

What is your best answer? What would you say to the parent of a child killed at Sandy Hook elementary school? What could you offer to a wife who survived the massacre in Las Vegas as her husband covered her from the bullets? Can anyone comfort those who survived the night club in Orlando? What words can you offer to the person who has lost everything following hurricane Harvey, or Irma or Maria? How do we find truth beyond all this?

What more can we say? How much more can we pray? When every possible alternative has been exhausted, when no more words come and all the prayers have run dry, that is when we finally turn to Spirit with authentic desire.

The answer is always there. Staring us in the face, but again and again we refuse to look. We refuse to listen. I don’t know if I can say it one more time. I am not sure I can say it another way, or with any more passion. There is not one more parable or story I can tell that can express it with any more clarity. With all our teachers and teachings and prayers and miracles, and with everything that is available to us, it should be clear by now that Heaven or hell is the choice of the individual mind. The choice is always and only, separation or oneness, God or the ego, truth or illusions, love or fear.

All the violence and evil in this world is born of that one idea that “we are separate!” The ego screams again and again the same refrain and Spirit simply remains itself, constant and unyielding. When all the foolishness is done and the illusions have gone down to dust, we look straight into the heart of God once again; and once again face the choice to remember who we are or continue our attack upon ourselves. With the changing of the season, perhaps each of us can change our minds, and this time choose to remember “We are One!”

With Love and Gratitude
Rev. Tony

Message From the Minister September
A Season of Change

In the wake of yet another climate disaster, this time in Houston, I am forced to go deeper into what I truly believe. I have four friends on the ministerial ordination path that live in the Houston area. So for me, I have had to look at this disaster from a personal, yet global perspective simultaneously. No longer can we live in our little bubbles and pretend we are not connected to everyone, everywhere. If someone is trapped in a flood in Houston, that’s me. If someone is experiencing a famine in Yemen, that’s me. If someone is going to help and heal, hey that’s me!

Yes, people have helped each other in miraculous ways to escape and recover from the floods recently. The physical recovery will take many years to come, and for some, the death and destruction will have overcome their life here on earth. If we can respond so wholeheartedly, and with so much love and care in these times of crisis, why do we not choose this loving attitude always? If we can respond in times of great need, can we not act out of love at all times as well? If there is the capacity for such focused cooperation for survival, can we not see that the entire human race is at a crossroads of its very existence? What is stopping us from taking similar action to save our planet for our future generations? What stops us from ending the scourge of racism, sexism or any other prejudice in our world once and for all?

I truly believe it is because we, as a species, still operate from a fundamental error in our thinking. If thinking leads to our beliefs, and beliefs lead to our actions, and our actions give us the world we experience; then the thought system based on the idea of our differences must be overcome by reason. It is not reasonable that we allow our climate to change and people to suffer needlessly. It is not reasonable to me that the illusion of our separation be the foundation of our thought system, when in fact we are all equal and we are all one. What do those two things have in common? What does separation have to do with climate change? These are two dots that can be easily connected if we care to look at them from the perspective of spiritual principle.

The thought system of separation and fear is at the core of our laws, our societies, our governments, our educational systems, businesses, and religions as well. In order to protect our separate selves and separate lives and separate interests we have to compete.
Finally it is a competition no one can ever win. All we do is build up the ego and try to replace God with the this false idol we have made to take God’s place. Fear rules the ego’s world and drives the machine of separation. Fear of each other keeps us in the mad rush for success at the expense of all our natural resources. The quest for human/ego power has placed profits above human the value of human lives, and this is not something people of faith can afford to tolerate any longer.

I am going to suggest that September be the month of change, the change of our minds about our purpose for being here, the change of our hearts about joining together in the truth, the change of our thinking as to who and what we really are, and most importantly, the change in our attitudes toward each other and the planet on which we live. If something must die in the autumn season, then let it be my apathy toward the great need before us. Let that unconsciousness be swept away by the winter winds, and let us be witness to a powerful rebirth of positive and practical solutions for Humankind, solutions that come from the One Power and One Presence active in the universe and in me.

Always yours in Christ Consciousness,
Rev. Tony