Ever Hopeful, Ever Faithful
Sunday, December 1, 2024
Rev. Diana Johnson, IM, RScM, with Chris Johnson, RScP.
Video Chapter Index
| 0:00 | Taizé | Clicking on a chapter link will play the segment in a new YouTube tab. Your link to this page will remain open in this tab, but the video will play in the new window. Clicking on the Play arrow in the video screen above will play both Taizé and the Conscious Conversation on this page. To make the picture bigger, you may click the full screen icon in the lower right corner:  To cast the video to your Smart TV, click the Play on TV button:  . Also, we now have Closed Captioning available! To access Closed Captions, start the video and click on the CC icon next to the gear in the lower right of the video screen:  |
| 21:44 | Guided Meditation | |
| 44:07 | Conscious Conversation |
Taizé
Invitation of the Bell – 3 Bells
Lucinda – Opening Prayer
Rev. Diana – Welcome…if you’re new with us here this morning… my name is Rev. Diana Johnson, and I am the Pastor and Spiritual Director of Mystical Heart Spiritual Center. We are an Independent Interfaith Community. We teach Universal Principles and Practical Spirituality. May you come to know this Community and choose it as your Spiritual Home. And may you Be Led Home to the Guidance and Wisdom of your own Mystic Heart.
Today is the first day of Advent on the liturgical calendar, the Christian Calendar of Feasting and Celebration. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve. No matter the tradition you practice, this a time of stillness, of quiet waiting for what is yet to come…for the physical light to return…and for what is to be born in us and in our lives.
In the spirit of Advent, we will be lighting a candle each week to bring our awareness to a particular quality of the Divine…a quality that infuses many of the world’s traditions, and that we seek to embrace in our own lives. This week we light the first purple candle representing Hope, or Faith.
I see these as two places along one continuum. Hope is a place to begin…a desire or expectation of Good. And Faith is that deeper trust, or even a knowing that all that is unfolding is ultimately Life-Affirming, no matter the appearance. Hope is more passive, faith inspires action.
(Lucinda lights the candle.)
Now let your body, mind and soul be completely at ease, becoming absolutely still as you allow yourself to be taken by the meditative tone of Taizé…allowing the words and music to fill and wash over and infuse you…
Rev. Diana & Chris – Taizé Chants
- Welcome Home to Your Mystic Heart, written by Diana & Chris Johnson
- In My Awakening, written by Karl Anthony
Rev. Diana – We turn the gaze inward…settling into the breath…noticing any tension, and letting it go…breathing in, then pausing…breathing out, then pausing…and again…savoring the experience…remembering that it is Life Itself breathing you…grounded in this Powerful Presence, we enter into sacred ritual…we form and hold a powerful Vision.
As we continue in the flow of meditation, we acknowledge our connection with all Life. Seeing with the inner eye, sense with me now a global web of consciousness, each of us a point of Light, all connected across the planet…like the Net of Indra…all beings, who in this moment, are sitting in meditation or prayer, or attending their own sacred services…all of us, acknowledging the Presence of the Divine…consciously connected by our common purpose…feeling the collective intention that brought us here…feeling the deep communion with that which is greater than we can ever know or understand…feeling the impulse to grow and evolve that’s awakening within us…
And now expanding our awareness, and sensing that same Light shining in and from every human…no matter what they may be doing this morning. Moving beyond our human family, we acknowledge every creature as an expression of Light…every plant, every rock and grain of sand…the soil and the water…the clouds…the heavenly bodies…all expressions of One Light, of One Life.
We know that there is no separation between us…we feel our inherent connectedness. As one human family, we acknowledge our personal responsibility and our role as caretakers…in Sacred Service to one another…to all life forms…and to the planet that sustains us all.
Grounded in our Oneness, we acknowledge this season of peaceful waiting… an important capacity if we are to find contentment in our lives. And yet, there are two sides to waiting…one that is patient and open to what is trying to unfold…and one that more closely resembles procrastination…avoidance…
taking the path of least resistance. Let us take the opportunity this morning to ask ourselves a couple of questions, taking a moment of silence with each one: “Is the apparent path of least resistance really the easiest in the long run?” (1 minute)
“Is there something I am putting off? Something I could do to make my life richer, or more peaceful? Something I could offer to make the world just a little bit more beautiful?” Something either small or large…”? (1 minute)
“If there is, then What Am I Waiting For?” (1 minute)
The season of Advent offers us an opportunity…it invites us to pause, to take a breath, to become comfortable with not knowing what lies ahead…with admitting that we never know what lies ahead…to accept that we cannot know how our lives or the world would be different if we were to take the leap of Faith…make the change…offer the gift.
Chris – Guided Meditation
Most of us don’t wait very well… raised in a culture that values instant gratification, we have become impatient… We dislike the uncertainty of waiting… the lack of stimulation… the loss of perceived control… We use phrases like, “I can’t wait…” but we can… and we do… waiting is part of the human condition…
Waiting is a uniquely human phenomenon… with the exception of domesticated animals, Nature never waits… wild creatures use every bit of their time… they graze… they hunt… they interact… they rest… There is no expectation that others will fulfill their needs… In Nature there is no boredom… no anxiety…
Waiting confronts us with the unknown… how long we will have to wait… what we are missing while we’re waiting… what we may find when it is finally our turn… We cannot actively engage in our goal… we’re on hold… we feel stuck… powerless… and it seems like there is nothing we can do about it…
At the root of our dislike of waiting is the human desire for closure… we need to know how this episode ends… to tie up the loose ends and move on… Creatures in the wild have no such need… they recognize no episodic endings… each moment flows into the next… and the next… content to live in the Great Mystery…
I invite you now to reflect on your tolerance for uncertainty… Does lack of closure cause anxiety?… or irritation?… Or can you – like the wild creatures – simply allow what unfolds… and flow into the next moment?… In our three minutes of shared, silent meditation, let us contemplate the nature of living in this Great Mystery… What would it be like to release our need for closure?… to admit that control is just an illusion?… to trust that the Divine always guides and protects us?…
Silence – 3:00
O Great Spirit… the Infinite Intelligence that gives rise to all of Creation… thank you for this Sacred Time of Self-Inquiry… this communion with you and with my spiritual siblings in this Beloved Community… Thank you for the courage to fully participate in this Great Mystery… with faith that you are guiding me from within…
Waiting leaves us helpless… unless we actively engage in it… like musicians counting empty measures… or hunters sitting still and alert… We are instruments of the Creator… As Rev. William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, said, “I am not waiting for a move of God, I am a move of God!…”
As Taizé continues this morning, we receive Rev. Diana’s inspired message eagerly… And as Advent calls us to be patient, we participate fully in this time of waiting… not anxious… but Ever Hopeful, Ever Faithful…
Rev. Diana – This first week of Advent, we give attention to what it means to be Ever Hopeful, Ever Faithful. What do we mean by hopeful? Having a desire, a wish, an aspiration or expectation that something will happen. It is a state of mind and heart, and it is passive.
And what of faith? Our faith is what we know to be true…it is our deepest held beliefs in embodies form…it is what we live from. Faith is an active force…not merely a static set of beliefs, but a dynamic and emergent Spiritual process. When practiced consciously, faith is a powerful and active force for Good. True Faith is alive!
The Season of Advent, of waiting for the Light to return, of knowing that the Light of Spirit is forever shining within us, invites us to consider and contemplate the Divine Qualities required to make that leap of Faith…the qualities of integrity…presence…honesty…compassion…humility…
surrender…gratitude…and a real and abiding faith in a Powerful and Mysterious Presence that is so much bigger than we are.
Closing Prayer – We close this morning’s Taizé in Prayer and Musical Meditation.
Sinking into the Presence of the One Great Mystery, I go within…present to what is here and now…mindful of the many blessings of this life…and the blessings present in this moment. Ever Hopeful, Ever Faithful, I give thanks for the deep knowing that there is only One Source of all of Life, a Source of Order, Timing, and Intelligence that goes by many names, but that I can place my faith in. I know that I Am a perfect and intentional expression of that Divinity, for there is nothing else I could be. And I trust that my life is forever unfolding as a perfect and intentional expression of God in form, so that It might experience Its life as mine. I have faith, and I choose to consciously place that faith in Spirit.
Musical Meditation – I Have Faith, by Karen Drucker
Rev. Diana – I give thanks for this time of remembrance. It serves as a touchstone…a reminder of Who and Whose I Am. I give thanks for this blessed day…I give praise for all that is, has ever been, and will ever be, knowing that Spirit if now and forever turning all things to Good, in my life and in the world. In closing our Taizé this morning, I know and fully accept the graceful unfolding of my Word in form and experience, as a prayer imagined, spoken, and felt is a prayer answered. And so, I release it now to the Power and Presence that I call God, simply letting it be. And so it is! Amen!
Coming back into the awareness of our bodies…our senses…the atmosphere in the room, we open our eyes and allow our gaze to take in whatever is before you. Feel free to look around and say good morning to everyone who is here celebrating with you this morning. This is your Spiritual Family…one of your support systems. These are some of the people who care about you and are there for you if you need anything.
Rev. Diana – Love Offering
As we close our Taizé Meditation, we offer the opportunity for you to share your financial good in support of the work we do in the world. If you’re joining us online, you can find a Donate Button and our mailing address at mysticheart.org. We are an independent, self-supporting organization, and your financial gifts are what make it possible for us to do our work and provide this beautiful and safe space to gather. We thank you in advance for your gifts. We acknowledge and give thanks for the infinite abundance of Spirit.
As we honor the Spiritual Practice of Circulation, please Matt Maher’s Let There Be Peace.
Offertory Music Video – Glory (Let There Be Peace), by Matt Maher
Rev. Diana – Blessing for the Offering
Rev. Diana & Chris – Taizé Closing Song
- A Soul’s Blessing, written by Chris Johnson
Conscious Conversation
Lucinda – Opening Prayer
Diana – Welcome…if you’re new with us here this morning… my name is Rev. Diana Johnson, and I am the Pastor and Spiritual Director of Mystical Heart Spiritual Center. We are an Interfaith Community that teaches Universal Principles and Practical Spirituality. In this month of Thanksgiving we are giving our attention to the Amazing Grace that fills our lives. And this morning we explore how Grace Can Lead Us Home. Let’s get started by joining our voices in song and giving our bodies a chance to wake up!
Rev. Diana & Chris – Opening Music
- Welcome to the Mystic Heart, written by Diana & Chris Johnson
- One Big Family, written by Robin Hackett & Gary Lynn Floyd
- Song – I Release, and I Let Go, written by Rickie Byars
Rev. Diana – Let’s take a moment to feel the Presence of Spirit in the body…the Life moving through…the Love filling you up…and join me in our Sacred Practice of Visioning for a Love-Soaked World.
…where all humans are embodying and living from their Highest Selves, their deepest Wisdom, their most generous and Loving nature…honoring and caring for one another, and for our beautiful planet as the Sacred Home that sustains us.
Feel and know with me, a world where all needs are met…where all beings have plenty of nourishing food, the safety of a warm and comfortable home……where mental/physical health, education, and healthy relationships are ensured by social systems grounded in Integrity and Wholeness…
where all beings work and play at what feeds their soul and are well compensated for their Service…This is a world in which all beings are valued and respected for their inherent Goodness and Light…where authenticity and vulnerability are not only welcome, but celebrated…where the Peace we cultivate within shows up as a world free of hatred or violence.
Feel and know with me, a world where greed is no more, where there is abundance in having enough…where generosity is the norm…where every being receives all that is needed for a full, rich, and contented life.
By the Power of our collective intention and powerful imagining, we are writing a new story…we are creating a world that works for all beings. We know that our Good Work is bearing fruit. We pay no mind to appearances, knowing that all is always being turned to Good.
We walk in gratitude, respect, reverence, and humility as we recognize the sacred in everyone and everything…there is a general sense of thriving…authenticity is valued…vulnerability is celebrated…and it is Good.
We have come to understand that it is through our hands, feet, hearts, and voices that positive change happens. And so we choose to align our actions with our Vision, living these changes in our own lives, with our families, friends, and neighbors…a new world is being born. As this paradigm for living changes, this Community stands as an open and welcoming place for all who seek support, belonging, a sense of Family.
By the power of our deep faith, clear Vision, and inspired action, this prayer is acted upon, answered even as it is spoken. In full acceptance of its Reality, and with the deepest humility and gratitude, we release our Word to the Great Mystery that I call God…we release it to the One That Gets It Done…
And so it is!…Amen!
Let’s take a moment to bask in that creative and powerful energy…look around to say good morning to your Spiritual Family…some of the people who care about you…people you can count on when you need a hand.
If you were with us at Taizé this morning, you know that our topic of Conversation this month has been What Are We Waiting For. At this morning’s Taizé, we looked at two sides of waiting…how it reminds us that we never know what the day or the week will bring…how it helps us learn to become comfortable with not knowing…how it can allow time for us to process, pray, and listen for Guidance…and how it can encourage us to practice patience, surrender, humility, and gratitude. And we talked about how we can use this view of waiting as a cover story, as an excuse for not changing…not moving forward…not doing something we know we should do, or offering a gift to the world that we know is ours to give. Waiting for clarity can actually become an excuse.
Our theme for this week is Ever Hopeful, Ever Faithful. I would like to suggest that many of us spend more time grounded in Hope, which is a state of mind and heart that is more passive, than we do in Faith, which is the deep trust that allows us to make a leap of Faith. Don’t get me wrong…I think Hope has its place on the Faith Continuum. Hope is a starting place and can often keep us going during tough times. But true Faith is more Powerful.
Sometimes Hope can lead us to take the path of least resistance and less action, while hoping that things will change on their own. Faith means believing in Goodness unfolding enough to take the leap. I’ve heard it said that living in Faith is living in between the leap and the landing.
So I’d like to go back to some questions I asked during our contemplation this morning, and allow time for some conversation, and see where it goes from there. Are you ready? Here we go.
Is the apparent path of least resistance always the easiest in the long run?
Why do we choose that path?
“Is there something you are putting off? Something you could do to make your life richer, or more peaceful? Something you could offer to make the world just a little bit more beautiful? Something either small or large…something you care to share?
Okay, What Are You Waiting For?”
Let’s talk a little bit more about waiting. Waiting is often a prudent thing to do. But let’s look more deeply into passive waiting, versus active and engaged waiting.
What does passive waiting look like?
What does active, engaged waiting look like?
So, if you are thinking about something you are waiting for, is it an active and engaged waiting, or a passive waiting?
Does passive waiting have more to do with Hope, or with Faith?
How about active waiting?
On a nationwide, and a global level, we are in a state of waiting right now.
What do I mean by that?
Do we know if this past election will impact us directly? Or how?
Based on today’s Meditation and Conversation, what is our best course of action?
Is there anything else that wants to be spoken right now?
Closing Prayer – Let’s close our time together in prayer.
Sinking into the Presence of the One Great Mystery, I go within…present to what is here and now…mindful of the many blessings of this life…and the blessings present in this moment. Ever Hopeful, Ever Faithful, I give thanks for the deep knowing that there is only One Source of all of Life, a Source of Order, Timing, and Intelligence that goes by many names, but that I can place my faith in. I know that I Am a perfect and intentional expression of that Divinity, for there is nothing else I could be. And I trust that my life is forever unfolding as a perfect and intentional expression of God in form, so that It might experience Its life as mine. I have faith, and I choose to consciously
I give thanks for this time of remembrance. It serves as a touchstone…a reminder of Who and Whose I Am. I give thanks for this blessed day…I give praise for all that is, has ever been, and will ever be, knowing that Spirit if now and forever turning all things to Good, in my life and in the world. In closing our Taizé this morning, I know and fully accept the graceful unfolding of my Word in form and experience, as a prayer imagined, spoken, and felt is a prayer answered. And so, I release it now to the Power and Presence that I call God, simply letting it be. And so it is! Amen!
Welcome back! So good to have you with us this morning…such a blessing to have time with Spiritual Family. Time is our greatest gift, and it does not go unnoticed that you are sharing your greatest gift with me…with us.
Love Offering
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 are an independent, self-supporting organization, and your financial gifts are what make it possible for us to do our work and provide this beautiful and safe space to gather. We thank you in advance for your gifts. We acknowledge and give thanks for the Infinite Abundance of Spirit.
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 budget and plan for our growth.
As we engage in the Sacred Practice of Circulation, I invite you to consider this important holiday question:
Offertory Music Video – Who Spiked the Eggnog, by Straight No Chaser
Lucinda – Blessing for the Offering
Diana – Brief Invitations
The Mystic Heart Book Club meets on Tuesdays from 3-5 pm. We are reading Conversations With God, Book 2 by Neale Donald Walsch.
Fast Track to Wellness Club meets on Thursdays from 3-5 pm. This week we are having a Community Cooking for Health and Wellness day. Please rsvp if you plan to attend so that we can all be prepared.
Metaphysical Bible Study meets on Thursdays from 3-5 pm. We are reading The Gospel of Thomas.
We are taking part in Giving Tuesday again this year. Please let your friends and family know and consider offering a gift online to Mystic Heart anytime up through this Tuesday, December 3rd at www.northstategives.org.
12 Days of Kindness…continue to bring in gloves and hats. As we move into December, we’ll be adding instant coffee packets, hot chocolate packets, and toward the middle of the month, home-baked goodies. We’ll put the bags together after lunch on December 15th.
Mark Your Calendars…
- Share the Light – Join Mystic Heart for our annual Candle Lighting Ceremony on Wednesday, December 18th, 6:30-8:00 pm. This year’s celebration brings lots of music, a bit of message, and closed with our ritual of Sharing our Light with the world. We will have child care this year for this Sacred Time.
- New Classes Coming Up… more information next week.
- Emotional Intelligence & Prayer (daytime), beginning January 8th
- Shadow and Story (Evening), beginning January 9th
- Metaphysical, Allegorical Bible Survey, Beginning January 15th
- Connecting the Hoop, Saturday, January 18th, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm. Please join April Jiménez for the Sacred Wheel Workshop that brings us back to the time of Winter, and of Deep Connection and Inner Knowing. This is a four-hour workshop and will include a Sacred Cacao Ceremony. Lunch will be provided. Your RSVP and purchase of a ticket in advance is required for this event, as food and other supplies will need to be prepared. Tickets go on sale today. The cost is $30. Please contact April or Rev. Diana for more information, or to purchase your ticket.
- Namaste Café has been moved to Friday, January 31st , 6:30 – 9:00 pm at the Mystic Heart Gathering Place. Join Mystic Heart for its first Open-Mic Night. Mark your calendars…tell your friends.
There is more information available in the November Bulletin and on our website.
Information Cards only if new people
Prayer Requests: Lucinda is available after service for prayer, in our beautiful Prayer Room or fill out a prayer card and I will get your request to our Prayer Team for daily prayer.
Rev. Diana & Chris – Closing Song
- Love Be With You, written by Lainey Bernstein & Gary Lynn Floyd
©2024 Mystic Heart Spiritual Center, All Rights Reserved
Permission is granted to duplicate for non-commercial educational use only.
All rights to music performed remain with the copyright owners.
Diana Johnson’s music is © by Barefoot Angel Publishing, ASCAP.
Chris Johnson’s music is © by SeaJay Music & Publishing, ASCAP.