Faith in Action

This is the moment; this is the time when I decide to trust in God and also in my own experience. I have made so many leaps before, each one more successful than the last. Yet here I am, again, in the middle of a leap of faith, seeing the other side and still I wonder if I will safely land there. What held me up in all my previous attempts will surely do so again. What is this question which seems to creep into my mind at the most inopportune time?
Could it be I am doubting my strength or my ability? Could it be I am questioning the power and perfection of the Universe? Is it perhaps a question of actually not wanting to reach the other side? Have I lost the desire and the adventure of faith? Have I become complacent and comfortable, or am I just worn down by the world and all the seeming conflict and destruction?

Whatever the reason for my doubt, anger and fear; there is no turning back from here. The leap has begun. I am almost there. Would I turn back even if I could? No, it is not possible. For as Emerson reminds us, “The mind once stretched by a new idea never returns to its original dimensions.” It is just that moment of stretching that seems a bit uncomfortable. And yet, isn’t it new dimensions I have asked for? Wasn’t it new heights of spiritual awareness I was seeking to find? Was it not the experience of God I came here to experience within myself? Even if I doubt my self or the rest of humanity, surely I can still have faith in God? This is where the true test of faith begins.
Perhaps every great story of healing and miracles begins with a crisis of faith; the person who was told they will die of cancer, only to recover through prayer and focused application of spiritual principles, the one who was down to their last dollar who has now become a millionaire, the lonely individual who unexpectedly finds his/her soulmate… or the spiritual community that applies faith to their finances in order to eventually grow into a worldwide movement!

That is Unity my friends. That is the community you have joined. We have arrived here, both Unity Worldwide Ministries and Unity on Cape Cod have grown to be what they are through a series of leaps of faith, of trusting in the power of principle and putting feet to our faith. The Fillmores had a series of circumstances which required deep spiritual action, not just conceptual acceptance, but activating these principles as a way of life.
Right now, as a spiritual community, Unity on Cape Cod is faced with this very same test. We have taken a leap of faith in heading in the direction we have chosen, to build a vibrant and viable Unity spiritual center here on Cape Cod that will survive and thrive. What is needed now is for all of us to remember the scripture from James 2:26, “As the body without the Spirit is dead, faith without works is dead also.” A spiritual center without continuous financial support will also wither away, no matter how good the music is, no matter how dynamic the minister, no matter how many loving people you have or social activities you attend. Faith has to be put into action, and that action has to have support.

Faith in myself alone will always fail. Faith in a God outside is variable at best; but faith in the power of God in all of us, the Divine Spirit within every living being will always carry us to the other side, for the energy of love and light within us all is a power that cannot be opposed. It reminds me that my mind is not the only thing that has been stretched, my very being has been stretched by new experiences of universal truth working its way in my life… And I have not been alone in this adventure. Many wonderful, caring and spiritual people have been on this journey with me. I cannot go back; nor would I want to if I could. The only question is, who will join me now in putting my faith into action. Will it be you?

Always yours in Christ Consciousness
Rev. Tony