Do you know this way? It is the way of attunement. It is the way of being one with the way of things.

Transcription

1 When I Pray I am now in the presence of pure Being, and immersed in the Holy Spirit of life, love, and wisdom. I acknowledge Thy presence and Thy power, O blessed Spirit. In Thy divine wisdom now erase my mortal limitations and from Thy pure substance of love bring into manifestation my world, according to Thy perfect law. This is one of Charles Fillmore s most well known prayers. It is a prayer, an invocation of Spirit, an affirmation and a perfect way to center in God. So what exactly happens when we pray? There are billions of ways to pray because there are over 7 billion people on this planet. People pray in many languages and in many traditions. Do atheists pray? Do foxhole prayers of desperation count? Do prayers work? What is the scientific evidence? We create a lot of beliefs around prayer but I am going to throw out some beliefs that are my personal beliefs. They are a product of not only Unity experience but my life experiences. First, I think the best thing that happens when we pray, no matter when, where or how, is that for an instant, we connect with Spirit. Those are the simple healing, renewing, life giving moments our soul, knowingly or unknowingly, longs for. My personal definition of prayer is my soul s longing for its Source. I was challenged, by someone in this congregation, that this definition implied separation. Not in my interpretation. Longing for me is more like a tidal movement than a separation. Rivers run to the sea water seeks its own level. It is a principle of flow, not separation. I believe that we all seek to be a part of something greater than ourselves. It doesn t matter what we call it or name it or identify it. For Humanists and Unitarians, it can be hoping to do good and be a part of compassion in our world. I do not think it is necessary for you to believe in the Universe for it to exist. I do not think you have to know God or name God for God to exist and respond to you. This does bring up the interesting concept of God. The Pure Beingness; the Holy Spirit; the Divine; Divine Mind; Love; Allah; Yahweh; Brahman; the list is endless. Prayer invites us into the mystery of God and our relationship. Many of us were raised with the concept of a God located somewhere outside us. Usually up high. Greek gods lived on the mountaintops. Our God lived in heaven, somewhere really, really high. Above the clouds. Space travel sort of messed with that concept because we got to see what really was above the clouds. Vast emptiness. Stars. More planets. Hmmm none of those seemed 1

2 like places our God would live. Still, many people have a concept about an outside God, above us. We may have been taught this God had human qualities like judgment, vengeance, love, compassion, and mercy. This God could give and could take away. Generally, the male pronoun was used in teaching us about God and we were all exposed to the Michelangelo paintings of God. Then we came to Unity. Here we are. Unity introduces the idea of the Divine within us. Actually, it s not a new concept. It feels new because previously, the idea of the Divine within was more prevalent among mystics, not the general population and not the general congregations. Rumi says, I looked in temples, churches and mosques. But I found the Divine within my heart. Rumi was a mystic. Saint Patrick says, Christ shield me today against wounding; Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me; Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me. Saint Patrick was a mystic. We all become mystics when we move into that place of exploring what is our concept of God and what is our relationship? Right now I invite you to be comfortable with the idea that you are a mystic. Not weird, not above others, not isolated, not special. Just someone willing to be in the mystery of God. While we are here in the mystery, let s consider that this Divinity is more than within us; it is everywhere present. It is beyond our understanding. Rumi says, Stop acting small. You are the Universe in ecstatic motion. Saint Patrick says, I arise today through the strength of heaven; Light of the sun, splendor of fire, speed of lightning, swiftness of the wind, depth of the sea, stability of the earth, firmness of the rock. In Acts chapter 17, Paul is trying to explain his concept of God to the Athenians, still worshiping many deities. It is written that he said, The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things. From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him though indeed he is not far from each one of us. For "In him we live and move and have our being'. 2

3 Remember Fillmore, I am in the presence of pure Being. So Unity s concept of prayer is not a conversation with something outside us or even a conversation with something inside us. Prayer is an experience of or consciousness of Being. We create that opening and I call that opening prayer. I consider prayer to be an exchange of energy. I don t think the Universe hears words or needs a translator because the Universe responds to energy. In the vastness of the appearance of emptiness is energy. Alive, vibrating, substance forming energy. We generate energy with our thoughts, our emotions, our words. Eric Butterworth, in The Universe Is Calling, says this about prayer: So prayer is not something we do to God, or a ceremony we perform for God. It is an experience of our own God-potential. We do not really pray to God, rather we pray from a consciousness of God. Prayer is not conditioning God with our needs, but conditioning our lives with the activity of God. Prayer is self-realization, self-expansion. It is getting centered within, and reestablishing ourselves in the flow of the infinite creative process. James Dillet Freeman, not only a writer but also a director of Silent Unity prayer ministry, says this: There is a way to get the power of God to do what we want it to do; to heal us when we need healing; to suppoly our needs when we feel lack; to comfort us when we are troubled; to bring us friends when we are lonely, joy for grief and peace for pain; to light our path when we are lost and wander frightened in the dark. It is the way a rainbow is made after rain. It is the way that morning is made to follow night and spring is made to come after winter. It is the way that a bare branch brings forth green leaves. It is the way the mist rises out of the sea, and the way that an ugly waterbug changes into a dragonfly. Do you know this way? It is the way of attunement. It is the way of being one with the way of things. At the core of being is a rhythm; when you place yourself in tune with this cosmic rhythm, all things work together for you and you work in harmony with all things. There is a way of things. That is all you can say of it. But learn the way of things and follow the way walk in the way, work in the way and everything will go your way. 3

4 The Universe is God s work. God made it to move and grow, to unfold and expand. When you move with the universe, the universe moves with you and through you and for you. all the forces of the universe all the expanding energies of life are focused in you and pour through you to come into expression. Learn the way of things Freeman says. According to Thy perfect law Fillmore says. In the flow of the infinite creative process Butterworth says. This sermon was difficult to write. Not because I didn t know what to say. Not because I don t like the topic. Because I had trouble finding a space in the busy-ness to become still and let the sermon flow. My days this week began early and ended late. My prayers were in the car in traffic, breathing to connect with a truth beyond what I saw. My prayer was in a line at Giant, sending compassion to the two gentlemen in front of me spewing hatred born out of fear and sending protection to a young woman potentially a target for their kindled hatred. My prayer was feeling the beautiful energy that filled this sanctuary on September 11 th, and an exchange with the channel 69 cameraman touched by our service. My prayer was finding a recent Unity booklet on Prayer under my hand, right on my desk. Lots of connections, flows of energy and perfect unfolding. Lots that challenged me to see beyond the appearance of war, of death, of injustice. Prayer is an experience I cannot explain, I cannot exactly define and I cannot give you. Prayer is an experience centered in you. What I want to do today is to take some time for prayer. It began with our opening prayer, continued through the Daily Word, perhaps sparked during this sermon. In our meditation time, I will lead us through Unity s 5 step prayer process. Let us prepare by singing, right here, right now, When I Pray. We begin with relaxation. I invite you to close your eyes. Get comfortable in your chair. Put away anything in your lap. Gently move your head to the left, as your ear moves towards your shoulder. Bring your head but up to center and then move it gently to the right. Don t push too hard but feel the tension we hold in our neck and shoulders relax. Shrug your shoulders up and then down. Feel the back of the chair support your back and relax the muscles in your back. Flex your feet up towards your body and then release them to rest naturally. Let your hands rest in your lap. 4

5 Now begin to focus on your breath. We move our concentration to the activity of Spirit in us, as us. We allow our attention to move, with our breath, out of our head and into our heart space. We are in the presence of pure Being, immersed in the Holy Spirit of life, love, and wisdom. We can feel our thoughts slowing. Our focus is attuning to the way of things. As we move into meditation, I invite you to find a centering prayer thought. Carrying forward our World Day of Prayer, center on I AM the light of God in this world. Or I AM pure Being. If you have a concern, center on the Truth beyond your concern. I AM Divine Life. I AM Love. I AM Wisdom. I AM Peace. The prayer thought on our peace pole: Peace prevails on earth. Find the place for your intention today and open to that energy. XXXXXXXXXXX In the silence of your soul, know that you are one with God. Allow this realization to permeate your being. Know that the activity of Spirit is ongoing; that time in prayer is always productive. XXXXXXXXXXX Because we pray from a consciousness of God, and because we live centered in the activity of God, we are grateful. We claim the manifestation according to God s perfect law, moment by moment, and we say Thank You God. And so it is. Amen. 5