Grateful for Absolutely Everything
Sunday, November 30, 2025
First Sunday of Advent
Rev. Diana Johnson, IM, RScM, with Sherri Dotter, RScP, & 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:  |
| 24:10 | Guided Meditation | |
| 49:36 | Conscious Conversation |
Taizé
Call to Awareness – 3 Bells
Sherri – 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 Mystic Heart Spiritual Center. We are an Independent Interfaith Community. We teach (and endeavor to live by) the Universal Principles and common threads of Truth that run through the world’s great traditions. This morning we center our reflections on being Grateful for Absolutely Everything. My prayer is that you will be led to the Guidance and Wisdom of your own Mystic Heart.
We move into the flow of Taizé by joining our voices in musical prayer.
Rev. Diana & Chris – Taizé Chants
- Welcome Home to Your Mystic Heart, written by Diana & Chris Johnson
- I Just Want to Thank You, written by Narayan and Janet Baltzo
Rev. Diana – Today is the first day of Advent on the liturgical calendar, the Christian Calendar of Feasting and Celebration. I wasn’t raised with the observance of Advent, but in recent years I have found that reinterpreting this Ancient Tradition has deepened my experience of the holidays. They have become much more sacred…they have become Holy-Days.
The Season of Advent begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve. It is a season of stillness, a time to bring conscious awareness to the many gifts that have blessed us this past year, and to feel grateful…and it is a time of quietly 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.
Each Sunday of Advent, we will be lighting a candle to bring our awareness to a particular quality of Spirit…a quality 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.
Let’s begin our meditative journey this morning by closing our eyes and turning 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 that is breathing you. Grounded in this Powerful Presence, we enter into sacred ritual…we share in sacred Communion, in Sacred Community…slowing the pace of life for just a little while, opening ourselves to the Voice of Spirit…giving ourselves this most precious gift of time…time to breathe…time to be present…time to listen…time to feel. (Pause)
Together, we honor and give thanks for our connection with all of Life as we envision a web of consciousness…a Holy Presence…that surrounds, contains, and infuses the planet, giving Life to all that is. With the Inner Eye, we see ourselves and one another as sparks of Divine Light…perfect expressions of the One Source. Every human…every more-than-human creature…every plant…shining with the Light of Spirit…
…we acknowledge the Light shining from the soil beneath our feet, and from the network of life that lives beneath the surface, invisible to the naked eye…from the rocks and minerals…water and wind…the heavenly bodies…
All of Life is aglow with One Radiant Light. There is no separation between us…we sense and know our inherent Connection with All That Is. As a human family, with unique gifts to offer, we acknowledge our role as caretakers…
…in Sacred Service to one another…to all life forms…and to the planet that sustains us all. As we share this time, we set a prayerful intention…we are leaving an imprint of Peace on the world…a ripple of Compassion that Comforts all who are in need…we consciously offer our Love and our time together to the Well-being of the Whole. (Pause)
The topic of Gratitude, and the benefits of having a Gratitude Practice, are nothing new. Something deep inside us knows that being grateful for our many blessings is a good idea. Appreciation is a creative act that grows more Goodness in our lives. And yet we forget…we get wrapped up in the day-to-day experiences, some of which can be challenging, even downright painful…and we lose sight of the gift that every moment has to offer. We take for granted the people and circumstances in our lives…we forget that not everyone wakes up in a warm bed…has access to hot coffee or tea…and the luxury of a hot shower. The little things…
We are often made grateful when our bodies return to health after an illness… or when we find the perfect job after a long period of financial challenge…or when someone we love returns safely after a long period of time away. Take a moment to recall a time when you were flooded with gratitude…How did it feel? (Pause) How long did that feeling last? Is that level of gratitude with you still? (Pause) My guess is that it comes and goes. Maintaining a grateful perspective is Truly a Practice.
Just as keeping our muscles strong takes commitment, so does grateful living. The capacity for a grateful perspective is a muscle that needs to be built and used, nurtured and tended daily. The practice of looking at my life, and at the world, through grateful eyes, and with a grateful heart, is an amazing gift in and of itself. It helps me to focus on what is working and what is enough. It helps me to stop and notice the amazing beauty that surrounds me…the breathtaking moments that sprinkle themselves throughout my day.
Even in the most challenging times, from a grateful perspective I can see that there is an opportunity to learn, to deepen trust, to love, and to breathe. Fixing my awareness on what is available and possible in each moment – what is sufficient and sacred – I am less inclined to take life for granted…Grateful living reconnects me with a fidelity to life. And fidelity reminds me what a gift it is to be alive, and that it could always – and will someday – be otherwise. (Waking Up Grateful, Kristi Nelson)
Imagine being able to have gratitude that is sustainable…unconditional… that comes from the inside out…not a “reaction to something, but a proactive approach to life.” As Zen Master Sono offered more than 200 years ago, “Thank you for everything, I have no complaints whatsoever.” Imagine feeling thankful as you open your eyes in the morning. This is Gratefulness. Gratitude as we know it waits for something good to happen…Gratefulness asks only that we are awake….paying attention and acknowledging the Great Fullness of Life. Please don’t misunderstand…I am not making light of the many challenges we face in our lives and in our world, or suggesting that we deny our suffering, or make it worthy of praise. We all experience things that leave us feeling disconnected and disoriented. Loss, disappointment, abrupt changes, heartache, tension…can knock us off course in any given moment. To navigate our way through takes resilience. Maintaining a grateful perspective builds resilience; “it can offer a compass and trail markers to help you find your way back to a state of well-being…(Gratefulness can) become(s) your True North.” Sharing her hard-earned wisdom, Kristi Nelson, author of Waking Up Grateful suggests that:
we can learn to feel grateful in every moment, and better able to recognize and seize opportunities for learning, insight, love, and action in the midst of our challenges. Gratefulness is an activator, not a pacifier. To acknowledge that something is True does not mean that it is acceptable (or preferable), but we can only respond effectively once we see clearly what is happening. The more we are in touch with the great fullness of life, the more we can respond with great fullness of heart.
Chris – Guided Meditation
Brother David Steindl-Rast reminds us that every day… every moment of our life is a Divine Gift… freely bestowed on us by our Creator… He goes on to say that the only appropriate response to this Gift is gratefulness… to be grateful for each breath… for every heartbeat… and for all that comes our way…
Rev. Michael Beckwith defines three levels of gratitude that we may experience… the first is counting our blessings… I am grateful for waking up today… for my sound mind and body… for my home… for the people who love and help me… At this basic level, we are thankful for the good things that are in our life…
We are then invited to expand our gratitude to include our challenges… difficulties that may arise in our life… How might we develop a genuine appreciation for the bad things that happen in our life?… by remembering that they grow our resilience… they activate talents and capacities within us that are dormant…
At the third level of gratitude, nothing external to us initiates our thanks… we are simply grateful for no reason at all… Like the songbird who sings just because she can… or the rose that shares its scent freely, expecting nothing in return… we dwell consistently in a state of gratefulness…
As we share our three minutes of Sacred Silence this morning, I invite you to evoke the feeling of gratitude by remembering something for which you were very thankful… a great blessing in your life… savor that feeling… where in your body do you feel it?… Now, think of a past experience that challenged you to grow in ways you might not have without it… that made you a better person… a happier person… a freer soul… expand that feeling of gratitude to include that experience… and all your challenges…
Silence – 3:00
Thank you, Divine Spirit, for your precious gift of Life… for the many blessings offered in every moment… Thank you for surrounding me with these beautiful souls in our Beloved Community… our Spiritual Family… May we never forget who and Whose we are…
The Japanese Zen Master Sono taught radical acceptance of what is, and gratitude for all of life’s experiences, no matter how challenging… Her teaching was simple… contentment can only be found through gratitude… and gratitude is a choice we make… we can choose to complain… or we can choose to be grateful…
As Rev. Diana continues her Taizé meditation this morning, we are reminded of how blessed we are to be alive… and here in this loving place… We have no complaint whatsoever, because we are Grateful for Absolutely Everything!
Rev. Diana – Gratefulness is a way of being that helps us to “focus attention and navigate life with gratitude as our compass.” It is not so difficult to live a grateful life. I look at it this way…my life is made up of days, which are made up of moments. All it takes to move into a more grateful perspective is to slow down…savor the moments…be grateful for some person or experience as often as I can. There is a simple Practice offered by Br. David Steindl-Rast that lends itself to Gratitude…it is this: Stop…Look…Go.
That’s it…Stop everything for just a moment…Look for any blessing or opportunity, no matter how big or small…and Go…give thanks and return to what you were doing.
Let’s try it together now…Stop…Stop doing anything for just a moment…and Look for any blessing that is present in this moment. Savor the blessing…savor the feeling…and Go…now we’re back, listening.
Such a simple practice, but always easy to remember. So let’s take a moment now to consider…how will you remember to Stop, Look, and Go?
Will it be anytime you get up to refill your water glass? Or every time you receive a text message? Will you connect it to going into a particular room in your house, or going through any doorway? Choose something that will help you remember to practice gratitude…to stop, acknowledge and give thanks for a one blessing, and return to what you were doing…to live from a more grateful perspective. (Pause)
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 in this moment, Grateful for Absolutely Everything. Giving thanks for the tools that help to keep my mind from worry, complaint, or sadness, I settle into this experience of Peace…Contentment…Gratefulness…allowing it to become familiar, so that I might come back to this feeling in the week to come. I give thanks for this time of remembrance. It serves as a touchstone…a reminder of Who and Whose I Am…an invitation to ask, “Where am I?” and to receive an answer… “You are here, in this present moment. Give thanks for all that is.”
Musical Meditation – Give Thanks, by India Arie
Rev. Diana – I give thanks for this blessed day…I give praise for all that is, has ever been, and will ever be, knowing that Spirit is 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, knowing that a prayer Powerfully spoken and deeply felt is a prayer answered, And so I simply let it be. And so it is! Amen!
Coming back into the awareness of the body…the senses…the atmosphere in the room, open your eyes and allow your 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.
Love Offering
It is time for us to close our Taizé Meditation. As we do, we offer the opportunity for you to share of your financial good in support of the work we do should you choose to do so. If you’re joining us online, you can find a Donate Button and our mailing address at mysticheart.org. And we thank you in advance for your gifts. Rather than a video this morning, I encourage you to join in the singing.
Offertory Song – So Many Blessings, written by Steven Walters
Rev. Diana – Blessing for the Offering
Rev. Diana & Chris – Closing Song
- A Soul’s Blessing , written by Diana & Chris Johnson
Conscious Conversation
Sherri – Opening Prayer
Rev. Diana – Welcome…if you’re new with us here this morning…
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
- Thank You for this Day, from Native American Church
Rev. Diana – One way we can serve in a Wholly Holy Way 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.
Are we ready for a Conscious Conversation?
If you were with us at Taizé this morning, you know that this is the first Sunday of Advent, and we are bringing awareness to the Spiritual Quality of Hope, or Faith, which we said were two ends of one spectrum. Hope is an optimistic stance in life, and Faith is knowing that all things are always being turned to Good. Our topic of Conversation this month has been Spirit of Life, Forever Graceful. At this morning’s Gathering, we acknowledged the benefit of being Grateful for Absolutely Everything. We considered the idea that Gratitude is a state of mind, a way of being in the world…that we begin by taking the time to make being grateful a living practice…and that it is a Practice.
And I would like to suggest when we don’t make a Practice of being grateful and giving thanks, we can begin to take things for granted.
Does anyone here ever take anything for granted?
What kinds of things do we take for granted?
I would like to use our Conscious Conversation this morning as a great big Gratitude Practice. Let’s start with…
Name one thing that happened this past week that you are most grateful for.
What about in the past year?
Okay, if I asked you to look back over the course of your lifetime, what one thing are you most grateful for?
Is there something that all of these things have in common?
(Likely…They are all positive things, things we would call good.)
Now, let’s up the ante a little bit. Can you think of one thing that you might have judged as bad in the past, when it first happened, that you now count as a blessing? That definitely changed your life for the better somehow?
Grace comes in many forms. What do I mean by this?
I believe that there is an Intelligence always at work, using all things for Good, using all things for our growth and expansion. It doesn’t matter to me what you choose to call It. I call It God, or Spirit.
My personal understanding of God is that It is a Universal Living Presence, an all-powerful, all-knowing, ever-present Sentience that is the heart and the mind in and of all that exists, and that It goes beyond existence, beyond what can be seen or measured. So for me, Grace comes in many forms means that if there is something that my soul is ready to learn, if there is something that my particular expression of Divinity is ready to know as part of its journey onward…and if, in my humanness, I am not heading in the direction of that experience…then by God’s Grace, by the Infinite Intelligence at the heart of all that is, I will be redirected.
If I’m paying attention, if my ego is not in complete control of this body and I’m listening and correcting, the redirection will be gentle. If I’m not, whammo!
Just because it’s painful doesn’t mean it isn’t Graceful.
One of the most challenging aspects of this spiritual journey has been learning to surrender all that I think I know…to submit myself to God’s Grace in all of its forms. It takes emotional maturity to move into that kind of humility.
How do you define humility?(It is the Father within that does the work…I my will but thine be done. My perceptions are not always aligned with Truth…they are incomplete. I don’t really know anything for sure.)
One final question to bring us back around to our topic this week, Gratefulness…How are humility and gratefulness linked?
(Only when I am truly humble do I recognize everything as Gift. I know that my life and all that it offers are freely given by some Mysterious Something that I will never comprehend, and I am grateful for the experience. I take nothing for granted.)
Closing Prayer – Let’s close our time together in prayer.
There is, in this and every moment, only One Thing going on here…One Life unfolding as all of creation. I am now and forever one with that Life. Nothing else exists…there is nothing else I can be. It is ALL Spirit experiencing and expressing Itself, Himself, Herself, Themselves. Can I grow my perception so as to see it as that? I can and I do. I accept the experiences that I do not prefer, the circumstances that I would not have chosen, trusting that they, too, are for my Good. I forgive those people that I deem wrong or hurtful, knowing that learning to forgive is a necessary part of my Emotional and Spiritual growth. I look at the world and see Beauty and Blessing, even amidst the pain and suffering. I enter the closet of my deepest awareness…into my inner sanctuary…to pray for my own understanding, acceptance and forgiveness. I make of my life a prayer…my every action flows from the intention to serve, to comfort, to be a living example of Peace, Love, and Compassion.
I believe this is why we are here…to first connect with our own Divinity, and then, with the majority of our time and life energy, to be in Sacred Service to God by serving one another. We are here to accept and love one another for who we are. We are to honor ALL that has been in recognition that it has brought us to this moment…and in this and in every moment, we recall the words of Julian of Norwich…”All shall be well, and all shall be well. All manner of things shall be well.”
I give thanks for this blessed day…I give praise for all that is, has ever been, and will ever be, knowing that Spirit is now and forever turning all things to Good, in my life and in the world.
I know and fully accept the graceful unfolding of my Word into form and experience, as a prayer imagined, consciously spoken, and deeply felt is a prayer answered. May I have the eyes to see all that is unfolding as answered prayer.
And so, here and now, I release my Word to the Powerful and Loving Presence that I call God, simply letting it be. And so it is! Amen!
Welcome back! So good to have you here 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 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. We are an independent, self-supporting organization. We depend on, and very much appreciate, your generous gifts.
We haven’t danced with Jason for a while…enjoy, straight from the Mranch, Gratitude.
Video – Gratitude by Jason Mraz.
Sherri – Blessing for the Offering
Sherri – Invitations
- 12 Days of Kindness – We have over 140 pairs of socks…time to shift focus to hats, gloves, and coffee packets. Thanks to all who are participating.
- The Mystic Heart Book Club meets every Tuesday from 3-5 pm. We are currently reading Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.
- Wednesdays from 11am – 1pm, join Chris Johnson for the study of The Dhammapada, Buddhist Scripture for the common person.
- Fast Track to Wellness meets on Thursdays from 11:30 to 1:30 pm. This is a body/mind/spirit support and education circle.
- The Seven Spiritual Gifts of Waiting is back this week Thursday, hoping to shift the time to 3 – 5 pm, so that some who work can take part. Rev. Diana will send out a confirmation to those who are interested.
- Cat Cox will be presenting a Dream Workshop on Saturday, December 6th from 10am – 12:30 pm. There are more details in the Bulletin and online.
Looking Ahead
- 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.
Rev. Diana & Chris – Closing Song
- Love Be With You, written by Lainey Bernstein, RScP, & Gary Lynn Floyd
©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.