Unique Expressions of God

This fourth of July was unlike any I have experienced in my lifetime. A global pandemic has brought about the unavoidable fact that we are all connected and affected by the actions, words, thoughts, beliefs and attitudes by every other individual on the planet. In the midst of this awakening to our innate oneness, we are now faced with looking at the ugly darkness of separation and those things we must eliminate from our consciousness and our society. All these things have come up for healing and we are called to be the healers.

Of course, the first and most glaring example of separation in our world today is the ugliness of racism, which may seem like a daunting task to eliminate from society; but we can take the steps to banish it from our individual consciousness, and thereby ensure we do not enable the darkness of hatred to perpetuate in our communities. This is how we can be both independent and recognize our interdependence simultaneously. By our individual commitment to being an example of inclusion, we promote and further inclusion in our communities.

What could be simpler than to love your neighbor as yourself. If God is love, then we too are born from that love, and our nature is to love one another. We are called to be unique expressions of that love. Anything else we layer onto this equation is an attempt to veil our hatred and hold onto our embedded racism. Loving our neighbor is the first step in undoing the centuries of hatred born of separation and attack. Loving our neighbor is not only a prerequisite to calling yourself a Christian, it makes good sense, both spiritually and socio-economically.

The one thing which drew me to the teachings of Jesus (Yeshua) of Nazareth is the idea we are all equal in the eyes of God. He maintained a constant focus on love and inclusion, an insistence that the kingdom of Heaven was the inheritance of all humankind, that we are all children of the Most High. If one of the sheep wanders off, we leave the others to find that one. If someone asks you to go a mile with him, walk with him two, and if someone takes away your coat, give him your cloak also. He went so far as to tell us to love our enemies and pray for them that curse us and abuse us. These are some of the reasons I follow the teachings of Yeshua the Christ.

The important thing to remember in this day and age is that these teachings are not passive suggestions, but active directions on how we must conduct ourselves as unique, individual expressions of the divine on Earth. It makes perfect sense that our spiritual nature must be expressed through our human nature if we are ever to discover and experience the truth of our being and that of our creator. This is why I love Unity so much.

Unity has a firm foundation of inclusion, One in which God is love and only love. (1 John 4) Unity does not believe in god which can be angered or condemn, a god which capriciously judges who is worthy of freedom, dignity and equality. Unity states in its second principle that every human being has the spark of divinity, the Christ light within them. It is not, therefore, in our best interest to judge others if they are hiding their light under a bushel of false and negative beliefs. It is ours, however, to seek for that light, and allow that light to shine away the darkness as the Christ in our brothers and sisters emerges to take the place of the darkness and turmoil the ugliness our belief in separation has wrought upon our world.

These teachings are not exclusive to Christianity, but sound, simple directions for each and every one of us to help heal our human family and bring us into a peaceful, prosperous and compassionate future for all. The only thing we need to bring about this collective shift in consciousness is your unique expression of God active in the world.

Often, in times like these I like to recall the words from the Jewish Talmud…

“Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do Justly now, love mercy now, walk humbly now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.”

Keep the Faith my friends…

Be blessed and be a blessing!

Rev. Tony