Grace Can Lead Us Home
Sunday, November 16, 2025
Rev. Diana Johnson, IM, RScM, with Chris Johnson, RScP, and musician Dalton Fitzgerald.
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:  |
| 25:12 | Guided Meditation | |
| 51:01 | Conscious Conversation |
Taizé
Call to Awareness – 3 Bells
Chris – 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, following the common threads of Truth that run through the world’s great traditions. This morning we center our reflections on the idea that Grace Will Lead Us Home if we let it. I trust that this morning’s Gathering will help to lead you Home to the Guidance and Wisdom of your own Mystic Heart.
We begin our meditative journey this morning by joining our voices, deepening our intimate Connection.
Dalton – Taizé Chants
- Welcome Home to Your Mystic Heart, written by Diana & Chris Johnson
- Thank You, written by Narayan and Janet Baltzo
Rev. Diana – Moving more deeply into our meditation, we make a Conscious Connection with the Global Community, gently allowing the eyes to close, and taking a couple of deep breaths…as you continue to ground yourself, imagine the breath dissolving any distracting thoughts…moving the energy of the mind down into the heart…you may want to place your hands on your heart and breathe, connecting with your heartbeat…Imagine that your heart is beating with the pulsing energy of the One Life, beating in tandem with the Heart of the Mother…with the Heart of the Father…with the Infinite Intelligence back of everything…and now imagine that your heart is beating with the hearts of all beings…human, other-than-human…and that all of creation is pulsing with this same Life…acknowledging the global web of consciousness that is created as we feel ourselves united by the pulse of Life Itself…sensing the Radiant Light of Spirit that shimmers through all of it.
We are not alone…we are never alone. We feel and know our oneness with All That Is…and we acknowledge our responsibility to one another as human family, and as caretakers of this beautiful and life-giving planet. With every breath, and in every moment, we turn once again to Grace…to the recognition that we are always in the Presence of Grace…that Grace carries us through every moment, with every breath…and that Grace Will Lead Us Home.
What do we mean by Home? What are the qualities of Home? Ideally, Home is a place of safety… comfort…belonging…peace…a place where we are loved and respected…where we can be fully and authentically ourselves…where we can replenish our energy and prepare ourselves to interact with the world. As important as our human home is to us, this is only the surface level of what it means to go Home.
This Transformational Journey of Life invites us to go deeper…to find a more profound and eternal sense of Home. Each one of us, as we walk this path, is required to make room for the full range of human experiences…to create space for opposites and for paradox…to sometimes let go of our attachment to everything we think we know…to embrace the unknown…and to be willing in every moment to begin again. It invites us to open ourselves to exploration, trusting that as we traverse new circumstances, our True Home lives inside of us…we are never far from Home.
Ultimately, we all long for Home. The archetypal story, The Wizard of Oz reminded us that the power to go Home is always with us. In Truth, we require nothing and no one else to take us there. We are at Home when we remember Who and Whose we are. What would it be like to move through the world, through your life, and no matter where you found yourself, to recognize yourself as fully at Home? It would be living a life of Grace…
…a life Guided by the recognition of the Goodness that is always available…a life lived in Alignment with the very Nature of Spirit Itself. (Pause) We experience Grace to the degree that we place our faith in that Goodness as the Guiding Principle of our lives. When we choose to live in the flow of Grace, we feel our connection with the one Living Universal Presence…one Essence, one Substance, one Process, that expresses as all of creation…and when we align our thoughts, words, and actions with that Presence, it is like going Home. We find Peace and Comfort…we know Love and Belonging…because this is our Native State. And the Divine Impulse at the heart of all things will not rest until we have returned.
In the words of St. Augustine: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”
And yet this journey of transformation that leads us back to the Truth of Who and Whose we are is not for the faint of heart. The poet Rumi says that it is not for “brittle, easily-broken, glass-bottle people.” This path is for those who are courageous enough to re-write their stories…to face the untruths they have been living, and living with, in service of discovering the deepest kind of Truth.
We are heading into the winter season…a time for being still, for rooting ourselves in contemplation and reflection, for becoming better acquainted with ourselves and finding nourishment for body, mind and soul. In the words of Tagore, “Now it is time to sit quiet alone with You and to Sing a re-dedication of my life in this Silent and overflowing joy.”
These words call us to sit in silence in the Presence of God, the Source, and the ground of Love, and to re-dedicate ourselves to the spiritual path… to rediscover what we already know most deeply within ourselves. In so doing, Grace Can Lead Us Home.
Dalton – Musical Meditation
- Always Home, written by Steven Walters
Rev. Diana – What beautiful poetry…and deep Truth.
Maybe we have wandered into this labyrinth of illusion so that we can end all doubt, and erase any confusion… and find within our minds what our hearts have always known… that there’s always, always Home.
Wandering, falling, dreaming, waking… it’s so worth the Coming Home. Each face reflecting one Truth, each voice needed for the song, (sing along). There’s always home, there’s always Home.
For every soul, the road has wandered, through so many lives it winds; till slowly we begin to see the dance we do in time. In a moment of Grace we wake and find that Truth was always known… and there’s always Home, there’s always Home.
Chris – Guided Meditation
Few of us these days live where we were born… we moved because of a job… to go to college… to be near loved ones… We may have lived in many different houses… but we always instinctively make our dwelling into a home… a place where we flourish… where we thrive… a place where we belong…
Centuries ago, Pliny the Elder said, “Home is where the heart is…” An anonymous poet added, “A house is made of walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams…” Home is more than just a building… more than the people who live there… it is a shared vision of mutual love, support, belonging and deep connection…
Spiritually, our home is our sense of Oneness with our Creator… In the Bible’s second creation myth, humans are given a home in Eden… They don’t like the rules, so they run away from home… and the rest of the Bible describes humankind’s quest to reconnect with Spirit… to experience Oneness… to find our way home…
The Christian Bible ends with the Revelation of a new heaven and a new Earth… a vision of a new garden… a new Paradise, where all beings live as One… connected to God… to one another… and to the beautiful planet we are part of… It is a vision of a family reunited… the prodigal species returns home…
In our three minutes of shared, silent meditation this morning, I invite you to contemplate your relationship with Spirit through the metaphor of home… a place where you are loved beyond measure… supported unconditionally… encouraged to be just who you are… just the way you are… a place where you can thrive… unafraid to fully express your true self… where it is safe to make mistakes… to fall down… and get back up again… your spiritual home… where you rest… basking in Divine Love
Silence – 3:00
Abwoon… Divine Mother and Father of all that is… thank you for this grace-filled time of communion with You, and with these Beloved Saints in my spiritual family… Thank you for inviting us back home… to your Holy Dwelling Place… within our own hearts… May we never forget who and Whose we are…
The apostle Paul asks us… “Don’t you know that you are the temple of God?… and that the Spirit dwells within you?…”[i] The Creator has made its home within your heart… and it desires to shine its radiance through you… The light is on… Somebody is home…
As Taizé continues this morning, we receive Rev. Diana’s wisdom gratefully… we open our hearts, minds, and souls… with greater awareness that as we follow the Divine Guidance that flows from within us, Grace Can Lead Us Home…
Rev. Diana – As we walk more and more closely with Spirit’s Wisdom, allowing Her Truth to guide our lives, we begin to see Life as a gift…a blessing…freely given, for our growth, our joy and delight. It is as if we are being invited… “Drink freely of the life you have been given.” Don’t hold back…receive all that is being offered. Don’t allow the pain in the world, or in your own life, to hold you back from fully receiving the gifts of Spirit…don’t allow the voices of criticism and judgment to keep you from the deep calling of your heart. When you do, you are rejecting the generous Love of God.
Instead, experience your feelings fully, knowing them for what they are…transient human experiences…let them come and let them go. They are here for your Good. Remember that the depth of your pain, the depth of your sorrow over life’s happenings are simply the measure of how deeply you have loved. From author Christine Valters Paintner: “Drink freely of the life you have been given…meaning the one, brilliant, beautiful, and unique experience of being me in this moment of time.”
She bids us “savor the inner landscape of our lives…recognize that we are here to experience the fullness of ourselves in ache and in joy. We are to welcome in the entirety of our person…” Body, mind, emotional body, spirit…perhaps beyond this lifetime…the soul’s journey – past, present, and future. This is beyond merely accepting it all…it is trusting that your journey is perfect in all of its imperfection, it is uniquely yours and it is a gift. Welcome in all of it…This is what life is for…This is what Coming Home is all about.”
Let’s anchor all we have heard this morning in Prayer.
We end where we began…bringing awareness to the heart…feeling our connection with all that is…feeling the pulse, the Rhythm of the One Life. Beneath the external noise in our world, “a rhythm pulses – a steady, ancient hum, like the earth breathing beneath our feet. It is not dramatic or loud. It is subtle and sacred.” (Rev. David Ault)
We are invited to join our Indigenous Elders in remembering…Listen to the wind. It talks. Listen to the silence. It speaks. Listen to the heart. It knows. Everything around us is pulsing with the Sacred Rhythm of Life…you are no stranger to this pulse…you feel it as your very heartbeat. You breathe, and in doing so, the Rhythm breathes you. The Rhythm does not rush, it invites…You are part of the Rhythm…you are already Home.
In sensing the Presence of the One Life, forever expressing and experiencing Itself in, through and as all of Creation, I Am at Peace, for I know that I Am part of Its Graceful Flow, Its Powerful Rhythm…and I am grateful. I know the way to say thank you for Life is by fully enjoying every moment. And the only way to enjoy every moment is to Love, to Serve, to Remember.
Today I Am expressing all the Love and happiness that exist in my heart. I show my Love to Your creations, I practice self-Love, and I demonstrate my Love to the people who share this Life with me. I know that life is too short to waste in misery and drama, so I enjoy the Presence of the people I love, Serving them and receiving their gifts of Service.
I graciously receive Your Infinite Flow of Blessings, finding Joy and Beauty in each gift. I share generously, just as You share Your gifts so generously with me. May I become a master of Gratitude, Generosity, and Love as I allow the Power within to do the Work.
Resting in Spirit’s Loving Presence, and with Faith in the Power of Prayer, I release my Word, trusting that a prayer sincerely felt and spoken is a prayer answered. May I have the eyes to see that everything that unfolds from this moment forward is answered prayer…And so I let it be. And so it is! Amen!
We gently return our awareness to our bodies, connecting once again with our senses…noticing the sounds in the room…allowing the eyes to gently open and taking in whatever is before you.
Feel free to look around, to acknowledge the beautiful souls who are here with you in prayer and meditation…say good morning…offer your Love. These are members of your Spiritual Family…people who are here for you in times of need and times of celebration.
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 thank you in advance for your gifts. We acknowledge and give thanks for the infinite abundance of Spirit.
Dalton – Offertory Music
- Amazing Grace, written by John Newton
Diana – Blessing for the Offering
Brief Invitations – Holiday Boutique/Game Day
Dalton – Closing Song
- A Soul’s Blessing, written by Chris Johnson
Conscious Conversation
Opening Prayer – Chris J
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 Interfaith Community that teaches Universal Principles and Practical tracing the threads of Truth that run through the world’s great traditions. Let’s get started by joining our voices in song and giving our bodies a chance to wake up!
Dalton – Opening Music
- Welcome to the Mystic Heart, written by Diana & Chris Johnson
- One Big Family, written by Robin Hackett & Gary Lynn Floyd
- Thank You for this Day, from Native American Church
Rev. Diana – One way we can give thanks for this day is to join in the Sacred Practice of envisioning a Love-Soaked World.
And so we enter the imaginal realm together…that space of Infinite Potential, where Spirit and matter are working together, turning all things to Good. Go with me now to find yourself in a world where all humans are living from their deepest Wisdom and Generosity…their most Loving nature…thoughtful of the impact their thoughts, words, and actions have on one another, on the community, and on the planet…
This is a world without greed…where there is abundance in having enough…where all needs are met gracefully and easily…where nutritious food, clean water and air are readily available to all, no matter where you live, the color of your skin, or which family you’re born into…where warm, comfortable, and affordable housing is a given…where all beings feel a sense of safety, belonging, and contribution…
Ours is a world where mental/physical health, education, and healthy relationships are ensured by social systems grounded in Integrity, honesty, and Wholeness…where all beings work and play at whatever feeds their soul and are well compensated for their Service…are valued and respected for their inherent Goodness.
Authenticity and vulnerability are not only welcomed but celebrated. The Peace we cultivate within ourselves shows up as a world free of violence, hatred, or indifference. The Love that we are here to share is given freely to whomever our hearts are called to love. We have moved beyond all lines of separation, and live as one human family, caring for one beautiful planet with the reverence she deserves.
By the Power of our collective intention, imagining, and inspired action, we have undergone an amazing transformation…we are living in a world that works for all beings. Giving no power to appearances, we live according to our highest aspirations…we do not lower our Vision no matter what the world may say. We are at Peace with our families, friends, neighbors, and other nations.
As we Gracefully step into a new story for humanity and the planet, this Community stands as an open and welcoming space for all who seek support, belonging, and a sense of Family…it redefines Church as a place of Self-Discovery, Authenticity, Kindness, Radical Inclusion, and Love.
Giving thanks for the Beauty of our world, and trusting that a prayer powerfully spoken and deeply felt is a prayer answered, my Word is acted upon here and now. In full Acceptance and great Joy, and with the deepest humility, I release this Prayer to the One Who Gets It Done…And so it is!…Amen!
Bringing awareness back to the body, to the room, to this beautiful life, and to the amazing beings who share this space with us this morning…
Welcome back. Doesn’t that feel good? We just shifted the energy for the entire planet. Our prayer is rippling out into the race consciousness, doing its Good Work. And there’s nothing that anyone can do about it…our loving act of defiance for this week.
This month of Thanksgiving we are acknowledging The Spirit of Life as Forever Graceful. And this morning we have been exploring how Grace Will Lead Us Home.
If you were here this morning during Taizé, this will serve as a brief reminder, and if you weren’t, you might want to catch it online, to complete the picture of today’s message. This is just a bullet point summary to use as a springboard to our Conscious Conversation.
We talked about Home as a place of safety… comfort… belonging… peace… a place where we are loved and respected…where we can be fully and authentically ourselves…where we can replenish our energy and prepare ourselves to interact with the world…and that as important as our human home is to us, this is only the surface level of what it means to go Home.
We went into contemplation of deeper ideas… that each of us is required to make room for the full range of human experiences…to create space for opposites and for paradox…to sometimes let go of our attachment to everything we think we know…to embrace the unknown…to be willing in every moment to begin again…to open ourselves to exploration, trusting that as we traverse new circumstances, our True Home lives inside of us…that we are never far from Home. And that we are at Home when we remember Who and Whose we are. This is what it means to live a life of Grace…to allow Grace to Lead Us Home.
We also said that this journey of transformation that leads us back to the Truth of Who and Whose we are is not for the faint of heart. The poet Rumi says that it is not for “brittle, easily-broken, glass-bottle people.” This path is for those who are courageous enough to re-write their stories…to face the untruths they have been living, and living with, in service of discovering the deepest kind of Truth.
I have a question for you…
Have you had any opportunities this past week to Practice the actual creation of a Love-Soaked World? What did that look like?
You know it takes practice, right? We might not get it right the first time. It might be uncomfortable. We might be called on to put our reactive tendencies and preferences aside, or at least make compromises in the interest of Harmony, Love, and Wholeness. This life is really challenging sometimes. But we can’t give up. The world needs our help, especially right now. We cannot continue to do things the way we’ve been doing them and expect positive change to happen.
Did anybody feel like giving up any time this week?
Hang in there, we’re going to be okay. We have each other. We have the support of Spiritual Family…and the Love and Power of our Source.
What is it that made you keep on keeping on?
(I Am committed to the Path of the Heart, to the Path of Loving, Serving, and Remembering. It is my commitment and devotion that bring me back.)
This morning in Taizé, both the opening and closing prayers were centered in the heart and its pulse…they brought our awareness to the Rhythm of Creation…the Rhythm of Life.
What does that mean to you…the Rhythm of Life?
There are three passages I want to share with you this morning. They are from a piece written by Rev. David Ault. Following each one, we can have a Conversation. Are you ready?
First of all, the word rhythm is derived from the Greek and means to flow. Okay, here’s the first passage: “Everything around us is pulsing with an innate reminder of symmetry. You are not a stranger to the flow. You are already home. We do not lose the rhythm. We simply tune it out. As spiritual beings caught in changing cycles of human doing, we spend years gathering – names, roles, goals – building structures of meaning, trying to be enough. And all the while, the innate pulse of life’s givingness flowed beneath every achievement, every heartbreak, every attempt to get it right.”
Okay, let’s break this down. “Everything around us is pulsing with an innate reminder of symmetry.” The world we live in is a place of opposites, of paradox, of balancing forces…of yin and yang. “You are not a stranger to the flow. You are already home.” Mirroring the world we live in, human beings also experience life in terms of duality. “We do not lose the rhythm. We simply tune it out.”
What is coming up for you right now?
Okay, here’s the second passage: “The rhythm does not rush. It does not shame. It invites. It reminds us that we are not outside of peace seeking entrance. We are within peace, watching everything move and shift like clouds across the sky – no arrival, only unfolding. We breathe, and in doing so, the rhythm breathes us.”
Let’s break it down again…“The rhythm does not rush. It does not shame. It invites.” What does this mean to you?
Here’s the next part. Maybe close your eyes and give this a minute of silence when I finish…notice what you are feeling. “It reminds us that we are not outside of peace seeking entrance. We are within peace, watching everything move and shift like clouds across the sky – no arrival, only unfolding.” (Pause)
What are you feeling right now, and where in your body are you feeling it?
Okay, here’s the last part: “We breathe, and in doing so, the rhythm breathes us.”
What does this say to you?
Is there anything else that needs to be spoken before we close in prayer?
Closing remarks and call to action:
Enlightenment is not something we attain. It is what we already are. In the eyes of Creator, there is nothing to fix in us. Our human aspect feels the Divine Urge to grow, to expand in Consciousness and Clarity, but this doesn’t mean that we are broken. Each of us is perfectly imperfect, intentionally made. Have you seen the sign, “God doesn’t make no junk”?
We move into greater Clarity as we shift from effort to allowance, when we learn to love what is, not because it fits our preferences, but because Love is what we are.
In The Lazy Man’s Guide to Enlightenment, we are reminded “that anything that feels expansive is aligned with enlightenment. Anything that feels restrictive is not. This isn’t a moral judgment. It’s a vibrational recognition. We feel our way to truth.
Read from Page 40 of SOM Magazine, November 2025.
Let’s close in Prayer: I Am so grateful to know that the Grace and Goodness of God is forever shining in my life, as every little blessing…It shines as me, as you, as all beings everywhere, as all of creation…that Grace fills our lives to overflowing if only we have eyes to see and ears to hear. This week, I commit to spending time in reflection…taking time in silence…asking for Guidance… “Spirit, lead me Home to You.”
Thank You, Holy One, for our time together this morning. I know that it nourishes and supports me in the week to come. Thank You for each one here and for the time, attention, and intention it has taken to be here. Thank You for all of the blessings of this beautiful day and thank you for the blessing of Life Itself. Thank You for the countless hands and hearts it took to bring our feast to the table today…may I never take for granted my dependence on so many Sacred Beings. May I be forever grateful. I release this prayer in deep faith and absolute certainty that a prayer deeply felt and powerfully spoken is a prayer answered. It is coming into form and experience for each one, right here and right now, exactly as spoken…Grace is leading us all Home…In deep humility, I receive…I let it be…And so it is! Amen!
We gently return our awareness to our bodies, connecting once again with our senses…noticing the sounds in the room…allowing the eyes to gently open and taking in whatever is before you.
Diana – Love Offering
I 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.
I invite you to consider joining our Gracious Giving Program by committing to a monthly gift of any size to help us in our budgeting and financial planning. We are an independent, self-supporting organization. We appreciate every dollar that comes our way, and every pledge of support. If you have found value in our time together, feel free to share the Love.
As we receive your gifts today, I encourage you to stand up and join in.
Dalton – Offertory Music
One Love / People Get Ready, written by Bob Marley & Curtis Mayfield
Chris – Blessing for the Offering
Chris – Invitations
- 12 Days of Kindness – Call April up to talk about it if she’s there.
- Mexican Train Game Day is cancelled due to lack of response. We will resume in January.
- The Mystic Heart Book Club meets every Tuesday from 3-5 pm. We are currently reading Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
- This Wednesday, from 11am – 1pm, beginning The Dhammapada (Buddhist Scripture for the householder) this week, November 19th.
- Mid-Week Re-Set…Sound Bath with April and Maile this Wednesday evening, 6:30 – 7:30.
- Fast Track to Wellness meets every Thursday from 11:30 to 1:30 pm. This is a body/mind/spirit support and education circle.
- The Seven Spiritual Gifts of Waiting Please join Rev. Diana Johnson, this Thursday, November 20th from 2:00 – 4:30 pm for the reading and discussion of Seven Gifts of Waiting by Holly W. Whitcomb.
- Our Holiday Boutique is fast approaching…next Saturday only, November 22, 9:00am to 3:00 pm. This is a Mystic Heart Holiday Fun Raiser. Bring your gently used items for resale…donate baked goods…help set up the Boutique on Thursday or Friday morning, help work the sale…and come shop 😊Contact Rev. Diana for more information.
Looking Into December…
- Cat Cox will be presenting a Dream Workshop on Saturday, December 6th from 10am – 12:30 pm. Again, there are more details in the Bulletin, and online.
- Celebrating the Light – Our Holiday Candle Lighting Service will be held on Wednesday, December 17th from 6:30 – 8:00 pm. It will be a beautiful blending of music and Interfaith Message. Please RSVP Rev. Diana if you plan to attend. Seats will be reserved. Heidi will have a children’s program planned for the evening, as well. More information to come.
There is more information available in the November Bulletin. Or check online at MysticHeart.org.
Information Cards only if new people
Prayer Requests: I am 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.
Dalton – Closing Song
- Love Be With You, written by Lainey Bernstein, RScP, and Gary Lynn Floyd
Notes:
[i] 1 Corinthians 3-16
©2025 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.