Consistency Bears Fruit… Sunday, October 24, 2021 Taizé
With Rev. Diana Johnson, RScM, Sherri Dotter, RScP, and Chris Johnson, RScP.
Call to Awareness – 3 Bells
Opening Prayer – Sherri
Introduction – Rev. Diana
Good morning. My name is Rev. Diana Johnson, Pastor and Spiritual Director of Mystic Heart Spiritual Center, and I welcome you Home to our Beloved Community… and welcome Home to your own Mystic Heart.
In the past couple of months, we have been looking at way we are forever sowing and reaping in our lives, both consciously and subconsciously. And we know that once the seeds are planted, they will sprout and grow. Last week we gave special attention to Growing Gracefully. And this morning, we will be exploring the idea that Consistency Bears Fruit.
As we begin our Taizé Meditation, I invite you to relax into your chair, letting yourself be fully supported, and gently allowing your eyes to close…taking a couple of deep breaths, and tracing the breath all the way down into the belly…and then letting it go…releasing any tension in the body…letting go of all that has come before this moment…breathing in the Peace of Spirit, and allow Peace to flow from you on the outbreath. Peaceful within…Peaceful without…surrendered to the Presence of this moment.
I take a moment to acknowledge the miracle of life…the miracle that is my body…my mind, and its capacity for reasoning, and making conscious choices…my emotions that allow me to feel, to love, to experience gratitude…my intuition that guides me toward the Good…and I give thanks for all of it, for the privilege of being alive.
We join our voices as one…we are Dropping Down into the Truth of who we are…
Dropping Down, written by Karen Drucker
Rev. Diana
The act of chanting, of singing as one voice, creates a shift in our consciousness…which affects the global consciousness as it ripples out…Chanting is an act of devotion…yet another way to sit in the Presence of God…to experience the sacred. It is our holy expression of praise and thanksgiving…of connection to our deepest Wisdom…and to one another. Let’s take a moment to acknowledge our Oneness with the global Community… knowing that we are intimately connected…of the same Essence and Substance…and our lives unfold according to the same Divine Order.
There is a field of Intelligence, a web of consciousness that encompasses the earth…We see it with the inner eye, and we feel its Presence. Each of us is one radiant point of Light in the web…as is every creature on the planet. We sense the Light in each one. The Light in the mind’s eye grows even brighter as we recognize the oneness we share with every plant, every rock, and every grain of sand. The soil and the water now shining with the Light of Spirit…teeming with Life and Intelligence. We extend our vision into the heavens, and we realize that the clouds, the stars, and the galaxies are all radiating the same Divine Light…there is no separation. We are one continuous field of Intelligence…sharing everything…interdependent, co-existent, eternal…the Light of Spirit, expressing as all of creation.
Feeling our Oneness, we share a heartfelt intention for our time together. We acknowledge the Light that we are; we accept our responsibility to one another as members of one family, and as caretakers of the earth; and we commit to doing our Spiritual Work so that we might make a positive impact on human nature.
We join together in Prayer and Meditation…where two or more are gathered, our Work is empowered. We create a ripple of Peace, of Love and Compassion that leads to great transformation. In the silence, we feel the Power of our collective consciousness…and Wholeness is being revealed.
SILENCE – 2 Minutes – Bell
Rev. Diana
Consistency Bears Fruit. Consistency always bears fruit. Whether we are talking about following a new pattern of eating or exercise, or house training a puppy, or washing our dishes following each meal, or doing our Spiritual Practice…consistency bears fruit. Consistency is a Quality of God…we might even say Constancy is a Quality of God. The two words come from the same root and mean ‘standing firm.’ The book of Malachi in the Hebrew Scriptures tells us that “God is always the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He never changes. He is so faithful, so constant, so loving and so true!”
The New Thought and Ancient Wisdoms traditions have all taught that there is One Thing going on…that there is an Infinite Intelligence at work, emanating Itself, expressing Itself, experiencing Itself, giving of Itself…becoming all of creation. This means that you and I, as emanations of the One Source, as expressions of God, have all of the Qualities of the Divine embedded…they are inherent in us. Each of us has access to Peace, Love, Joy, Wholeness, Freedom, Integrity, Consistency. These are some of the Qualities that lie within each one of us…in potential.
Here is the tricky part…in order to find Peace in my life and in my world, I have to first believe Peace is possible and available to me. Then I must become willing to be Peaceful myself, in thought, word, and action.
In order to experience Love in my life and in my world, I have to first believe that I am worthy of Love, that I am Loveable. I must be willing to be Loving towards others, in thought, word, and action. The Master Teacher Jesus reduced the 613 Jewish Laws and the 10 Commandments to these two simple practices:
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind…and love thy neighbor as thyself.” And he made it clear that everyone is my neighbor: “But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you.”
The same is true for the other God Qualities…If I want to experience my inherent Wholeness, I must first believe I Am Whole, even in the midst of apparent illness. If I want Joy to be the overarching tone of my life, I must believe that in every challenging circumstance, Joy is always available…I will find Joy again.
Belief is the key… “It is done for you even as you have faith to believe.” “According to your faith let it be done to you.”
This is Spiritual Law…it is working within me, through me, and all around me in every moment, whether I know it or not…whether I like it or not. This is where Consistency Bears Fruit…whether that fruit is sweet and juicy, or sour, or even rotten is completely dependent on me. Do I consistently choose to place my faith in the Goodness of Life, or am I looking for the next shoe to drop? Do I consistently take care of my physical body, or do I give in to unhealthy habits, putting it off until later? Do I consistently treat the people in my life…friends, family, and those who I might call enemies…with Love, Respect, and Compassion? Or do I get caught up in self-righteousness?
Once I come to accept the Constancy of Spirit and the Consistency of Its movement in my life, I can begin to work with It…letting go of my resistance, checking in on my beliefs, and making adjustments as needed. The Healing Has Begun.
Musical Meditation – The Healing Has Begun, by Charlie Nimovitz
Rev. Diana
We like to believe that we are always at choice, that we have absolute freedom in our lives. I think that in an absolute way, this is true. I may not like what I am choosing between in any given moment…another person or circumstance may be setting the options before me. But I can and will make a choice from the options presented. Or I will choose not to choose, which is also a choice.
And I am free to experience the consequences of my choices with loving and compassionate acceptance, angry resistance, or anything in between. Viewing my life as though I am free to choose in every moment…even if it is only choosing how I will experience what is before me…gives me a sense of agency and removes the tendency to feel like a victim.
I become more responsible…able to respond, rather than react.
Moving into the silence, letting go of what I already think I know, I ask the Wisdom within…what do I believe? Do I believe I am always at choice, that I am free in every moment to choose how I will think, feel, and act? Or do I believe this is an illusion? Is my belief serving me? Seeing that Consistency does bear fruit, how are my beliefs impacting my experience of life?
Meditation – Chris
Right here and right now, we affirm the Divine Presence… The Infinite Intelligence and Love that I call God is fully present and available to us… We take this sacred moment to open our hearts and make ourselves available to Spirit… Allowing Divine inspiration to guide us… inform us… and enlighten us…
We are all unique expressions of the One Spirit… designed to be co-creators of our world… Designed to be responsible and responsive stewards of this beautiful planet… We are created with the same creative power as the Divine Source of All Creation… How then shall we use that power?
Saint Paul advised us to “pray without ceasing…” to turn to God consistently for wisdom and inspiration… to persist in our spiritual practices so that we are always a beneficial presence in the world… Paul asks us to stay connected to our Divine Source so that what we co-create blesses ourselves and others…
Perhaps he was also reminding us that we are constantly creating through our thinking, feeling, and speaking… That there is no time when God is “not listening…” That the Law of Creation receives and responds to every thought… every emotion… every word…
By consciously monitoring our mental and emotional habits, we may develop a more consistently positive atmosphere… and Spirit responds by bringing more good into our world… Let us ponder in the Silence, “Is my inner dialog predominantly positive or negative? … What might I do to remind myself occasionally to check my train of thought? … What might my world look like if I were consistently positive?”
Silence – 3:00
Letting the music guide us back from the Sacred Silence, we give thanks… Grateful for this time of unity with Spirit and our Beloved Community… Grateful for the knowing that our affirmative meditation has made our world a better place…
Thank you, God, for everything…
Please affirm with me that our thoughts, words, and actions align with our deepest spiritual intention, and that we are all inspired daily to give full expression to the gifts given us. The light of our souls shines brightly as we express powerful spiritual qualities in this world.
We remain positive, open, and receptive to the Divine Inspiration, Guidance, and Love of Spirit as Rev. Diana continues to remind us that Consistency Bears Fruit…
Invitation to Practice – Rev. Diana
Each of us has both conscious and subconscious beliefs. Each belief rests on an assumption. Not one of us has any proof whether our assumptions are correct or not. We have no way of knowing whether our belief in God is grounded in Absolute Truth except by our experience of It. And our experience of It is affected by our belief about It. We could go round and round, questioning our assumptions, arguing for our beliefs. But I would like to suggest that there is a more productive and peaceful way to live our lives.
Why not use what we can see? The Law of Gravity is consistent. If I were to step off of the roof, I would hit the ground. The same would happen for you, or for any object that was dropped. When I respect this Law, and use it for my Good, it bears good fruit. When I don’t, the fruit is not so good.
The Law of Electricity is consistent. When I plug in my toaster and use electricity to toast my bread, it bears good fruit. But the same electricity can be used to start my house on fire. These are physical laws, but Spiritual Laws are just as predictable, just as consistent. We can test them in our lives. And the test is very simple. How are my assumptions about the way life works serving me? How are my beliefs impacting my experience? Is what I believe, in any area of my life, working for me , or working against me? Might I benefit from questioning my assumptions, changing my beliefs, and directing my faith in a new direction?
What could we do, have, or be in the world if we knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that God’s Grace and Love were there to change our darkness to Light, to turn our hearts from hatred to love, to strengthen our faith, to strengthen us in body, mind, and Spirit, to Guide our thoughts, words, and actions?
We allow this heartfelt prayer to become a full-body experience, feeling the Truth of each word, and opening every heart to the Infinite Possibility that lies within us. In this Holy Moment, I accept and know for myself, and for each one listening, that there is a Loving and Lawful Presence at work…I choose to call It God, but by whatever name, It is the Source of all life.
By Its Power and Intelligence all things come into being. And so, I know that each of us is a full and complete expression of the Divine, offering a completely unique experience of humanity to the One. Only by experiencing Life as form can Spirit know Itself fully. Knowing that each of us serves as the hands, feet, heart, and voice of God, we take this time now to move our world toward the experience of Peace, Joy, Abundance, and Freedom. Knowing that Peace exists, that Love is real, we feel and know our world as a Peaceful place…where all beings practice loving kindness, compassion, and generosity with each other…where all humans respect and care for our planet as a cherished Home…where all beings have everything needed to experience fullness of life…nourishing food, the safety and comfort of home, medical care and education, healthy relationships, right livelihood, creative contribution, and a sense of belonging. We feel and know a world without greed, where there is abundance in having enough…where every being, as a precious creation of God, is deserving of all the blessings life has to offer. Take a moment to bask in the feeling of living in such a world…
As we consciously place our faith in the consistent givingness of God, offering our heartfelt Vision, the world will never be the same. The entire planet is shifted, is lifted in consciousness…and for this knowing, I give thanks.
I give thanks for each one who is here today, in community, in communion, in celebration of this beautiful life.
I give thanks for all who came together to make this time of celebration possible.
And I give thanks to the One Life that I call God…for all of the blessings of this and every day.
From this place of gratitude, I release my Word, in deep faith that it is being moved into form by the ever-present Power…the ever-present Life…Creation Itself. And so I simply let it be…calling it done…And so it is! Amen!
Musical Meditation – What Kind of World, by Daniel Nahmod
Rev. Diana – Moving Into Celebration
Please repeat after me as together we affirm:
There is Power in our Prayer… I feel it…
There is Power in our Vision… I know it…
We feel and know it is done.
And so it is! Amen!
So I guess we have homework again this week. I invite you into contemplation, maybe with a journal in hand.
- How are my assumptions about the way life works serving me?
- How are my beliefs impacting my experience?
- Is what I believe, in any area of my life, working for me, or working against me?
- Is what I think I believe what I actually believe?
- Might I benefit from questioning my assumptions, changing my beliefs, and directing my faith in a new direction? That probably gives you enough to think about 😊
We take the time each week to celebrate all the Good that is happening in the world…all the amazing people who bring the best of themselves to Life. Celebration is a vital part of our Mission and our Spiritual Practice.
Please join me in celebrating an amazing woman…Maria Da Silva…as she follows her heart and makes a difference in these children’s lives.
Maria da Silva, Nanny and CNN Hero
https://www.karmatube.org/videos.php?id=1691
Blessing for the Offering – Rev. Diana
We celebrate Maria Da Silva. And we celebrate this Beloved Community.
And each Sunday, we invite you to join in the celebration of the work we are doing in the world by sharing of your financial Good, should you choose to. If you are at home, you can go to mysticheart.org to use our Donate Button or to find our mailing address.
We also have a Gracious Giving Program for those who would like to make a heartfelt monthly commitment of support so that we can more effectively plan for our growth and our monthly spending. I would be happy to give you more information.
As we move into this time of giving, let these words reverberate in your heart and mind, and know how much we appreciate your gifts:
As I awaken to the God within me and all around me, I see Abundance everywhere I look. I consciously step into that flow of Abundance by this act of giving. I bless this gift, sending it forth to heal and prosper. It is evidence of my deep faith. It does good work in the world and blesses all of Creation. I give from a consciousness of Abundance! And so it is! Amen!
The song we share today invites us to be grateful for EVERYTHING…and of course, to dance!
Offertory Video – My Kind, by Jason Mraz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esZSrn7ND7g
Gratitude Prayer – Sherri & Rev. Diana
Invitation to the 12 Days of Kindness – April Jimenez
This Week’s Invitations – Sherri
- Tuesdays, 3-5 pm – an on-going book club facilitated by Michael Bordeaux (Drop-ins always welcome.) A new book will be starting on October 12 – Secrets of the Lost Mode of Prayer by Gregg Braden. Michael Bordeaux returns as your host! Get your books ordered now!
- Thursdays, 3-5 pm – Metaphysical Bible led by Chris Johnson and Rev. Diana(on-going, drop-ins always welcome)
Looking Ahead…
- Mystic Morning Brew w/ Prayer Practitioner, Lucinda Alton, Saturday Nov. 6th from 10 am – 12 pm. Contact Lucinda or the website for more information. Please RSVP.
- Praying in Color w/ Ellie Thompson – Opening to Advent – Saturday, November 13, 10 am – 12 pm. Join Ellie in prayerfully creating an Advent Calendar Wreathe. Contact Ellie for more information. Please RSVP.
- Reserve your space at the 1st Annual Be the Change Spring Retreat at the beautiful Coram Ranch…May 12-14, 2022. You can reserve your spot with a $50 non-refundable deposit. Contact Rev. Diana for more information
If you’d like prayer support, we have prayer request cards and envelopes in the backs of your chairs. If you would like to meet with a Prayer Practitioner in person, I am available for a quick prayer after the service. Or contact one of the Mystic Heart Practitioners for a full Session during the week. Our contact information is listed in the bulletin and on our website, as are all of the Mystic Heart events and activities.
To continue the celebration, there is food and fellowship next door immediately following the service. So let’s stand and sing our closing song.
Closing Song: Love Be with You, written by Lainey Bernstein, RScP & Gary Lynn Floyd
Close of Service