What Would Love Do Now?
Sunday, December 14, 2025
Rev. Diana Johnson, IM, RScM, with Chris Netto, RScP, Chris Johnson, RScP, & musician Marsh Brodeur
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:  |
| 25:21 | Guided Meditation | |
| 50:27 | Conscious Conversation |
Taizé
Call to Awareness – 3 Bells
Chris N – 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 are committed to living by, the Universal Principles or Common Threads that are woven through all of the world’s great traditions. It is my prayer that you find a sense of Home here, and that your experience this morning helps to lead you Home to the Guidance and Wisdom of your own Mystic Heart.
Today is the third Sunday of Advent on the Christian liturgical calendar. We have been lighting a candle each week of the Advent Season 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. The white candle in the center is the God candle…it represents the Spirit by which, and from which, all of creation comes into being. This week we light the first purple candle of Hope, or Faith, add the second purple candle of Peace, and the pink candle of Love. We understand that Love is our natural state…it is not an emotion, but rather our desire to give of ourselves, just as Spirit gives of Itself as all of creation.
Today also marks the first day of Hannukah, which is the Jewish festival commemorating the recovery of Jerusalem and the rededication of the Second Temple by the Maccabees in the 2nd century BCE. We light the two Star of David candles to remind us that religious freedom is important to all people.
We begin our time of Taizé Meditation with musical prayer. Feel free to join your voices with ours.
Rev. Diana, Chris J, & Marsh Taizé Chants
- Welcome Home to Your Mystic Heart, written by Diana & Chris Johnson
- In My Awakening, written by Karl Anthony
Rev. Diana – Settling into this sacred moment, we breathe, allowing the Presence of Spirit, to fill our being, bringing us awake even as we settle into the here and now…grounded…awareness pointing inward…breathing in the Love in this place…allowing every out breath to be an expression of Love. In the Silence, breathing in Love, breathing out Love…(Pause)
We share this time of reflection…making time for prayer and meditation, opening ourselves to the Voice of Spirit…opening ourselves to Loving Presence…(Pause)
We take a moment to remember…to feel and know our connection with all of Life. We envision a web of consciousness that surrounds and contains all that is…eternal, no beginning, no ending…all-knowing…Infinite Light…and seeing each of us as an individual expression of Light in that web. Every human…every creature…the plants and the soil…all shining with the Light of Spirit…the rocks and minerals…water and wind…all that lies below and that which stretches into the heavens…each and every part, an expression of Infinite Love…of Spirit’s boundless Self-Giving-ness …All of Life aglow with One Radiant Light.
We take a moment to sense, feel, and know that we are connected to All That Is…As human expressions of the Divine, we are caretakers, in Sacred Service to one another…to all life forms…and to the beautiful and intelligent planet that sustains us all.
We trust and know that we are leaving an imprint of Lovingkindness on the world…a ripple of Compassion that Comforts all who are in need. By the joining of our hearts and minds, Wholeness is being revealed here and now.
This month we are considering the question, What Are We Waiting For? and this morning, we’ll be adding another related question to our reflections with…What Would Love Do Now?
In the lighting of the Love candle this morning, we remember that each of us, as an intentional expression of the Creator, is an expression of Love. We are called to embody and express the Love that we are.
In whichever Spiritual Tradition we explore, we find similar ideas. Let us take time for reflection:
From the Franciscan tradition –
Love is not really an action that you do. Love is what and who you are, in your deepest essence. Love is a place that already exists inside of you but is also greater than you. That’s the paradox. It’s within you and yet beyond you…Your True Self, God’s Love in you, cannot be exhausted…You get more Love by letting it flow through you…If you Love, you will become more loving…Love is your very structural and essential identity—created in the image of God. When you are living in conscious connection with this Loving Inner Presence, you are in your True Self. God is forever united to this Love within you; it is your soul, the part of you that always says yes to God. (Fr. Richard Rohr)
Pause
From the Buddhist tradition:
Unselfish Love, Loving-kindness…this is the meaning of Love. It is a natural quality that we all have latent inside us. We can cultivate Loving-Kindness—and even perfect it—as the foundation of a happy, meaningful life.
Pause
From the Sikh tradition:
God is Love and Love is God. As God cannot be confined, restricted or limited to any particular creed, cult, or race, similarly a Religion of Love cannot be restricted or confined in geographical limits and boundaries. God is all…Love is all.
Pause
From the Mormon tradition:
Love is the very essence of life. It is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Yet it is not found only at the end of the rainbow. Love is at the beginning also, and from it springs the beauty that arches across the sky on a stormy day. Love is the security for which children weep, the yearning of youth, the adhesive that binds marriage, and the lubricant that prevents devastating friction in the home; it is the peace of old age, the sunlight of hope shining through death…Love, like faith, is a gift of God. It is also the most enduring and most powerful virtue. (Standing for Something, Gordon B. Hinkley)
Pause
From the Toltec tradition:
Love is unconditional…Love is everything that exists. It is the energy that allows us to create a bond with other beings and within ourselves. (excerpted from don Miguel Ruiz)
Pause
From the Unity tradition:
Born of the One, we have the same features and carry the same character as the One. Our atoms carry the binding signature we call Love, our True Nature. Love is of God and is God. Our hearts are full of Love, which must be lived and expressed. (Rev. Claudell County)
Pause
From the New Thought/Ancient Wisdom Tradition:
Love is the self-givingness of God. Human Love is our own giving of ourselves, in the image and likeness of the One Source. (Ernest Holmes)
And,
There is no difficulty that enough love will not conquer, no disease that enough love will not heal, no door that enough love will not open. (Emmet Fox)
Pause One Minute
Bell
Chris J – Guided Meditation
On this third week of Advent, we celebrate the Divine Quality of Love… Love is so much more than an emotion… more than a romantic sentiment… If God is Love… and we are made of God-Stuff… then Divine Love is our very nature… it is our essence… it is what creates us… sustains us… and maintains our very Life…
The yearning to Love and to be Loved is deeply instilled in human nature… The desire to give of our Love is hardwired into us… and when we share our Love with another, we impart to them the essence of who and what we are… we allow our souls to intermingle… and we find ourselves in the Divine Presence…
Kahlil Gibran wrote, “Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself… Love possesses not, nor would it be possessed… For love is sufficient unto love… When you love you should not say, ‘God is in my heart,’ but rather, ‘I am in the heart of God…’ And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course…”[1]
And the Apostle Paul taught us that “Love is patient and kind… love is not jealous or boastful… it is not arrogant or rude… Love does not insist on its own way…it is not irritable or resentful… it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right… Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all thing…”[2]
We feel God’s Love most powerfully when it flows through us to another… when we lose ourselves in service to them… when we get out of the way and let Infinity flow through us unimpeded… As we share our three minutes of Sacred Silent Contemplation this morning, I invite you to consider times when your heart was filled with Divine Love… until it overflowed out from you… Remember that experience with your whole body… and ask, “What am I waiting for… Who needs my Love in this moment?…”
Silence – 3:00
O Divine Beloved… thank you for the Love in my Life… for the Love in this room… for these loving souls who share my journey of Spiritual Evolution… May we always remember that the Love we feel is your Divine Presence within us… and that the Love we give to others is a sacred expression of yours…
Just as Faith prepared us to receive last week’s gift of Peace… that Peace empowers us to give our love freely… Centered in Faith and Peace, we can share our Love without neediness… without expectation… we Love because it is our nature to do so… and our Love is pure… complete… and perfect…
As Rev. Diana continues our Taizé meditation this morning, we embrace her inspired words with Love… we allow Divine Guidance to help us answer our questions: “What am I waiting for?…” and “What Would Love Do Now?…”
Rev. Diana
In this Season Advent, we look to the teachings of the Rabbi Yeshua in his two great commandments:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind;” “Love your neighbor as yourself, and ‘Love your enemy”…in other words, they who oppose or disagree with you.”
And to the teachings of Paul:
“Let all that you do be done in love.” (1 Corinthians 16:13)
And finally from the book of 1 John:
“Let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.” (1 John 3:18)
Love is truly the greatest Medicine the world has ever known. It takes life from a passive state, being alive, to an active state, truly living. Our very Life Force is activated by Love. Love has the uncanny ability to transform everything it touches.
Things become infinitely possible when Love is present. As Light has the Power to overcome darkness, so Love has the Power to overcome fear.
Imagine standing in the darkest cave, or the darkest night of the new moon…the darkness is complete, you cannot see anything. And then, someone lights a single match. Suddenly there is Light. No matter how much darkness there is, Light overcomes it. Darkness cannot persist in the presence of something as Powerful as Light.
In the same way, Love overpowers fear…always. In the presence of Love, fear cannot persist. And so, in every moment, we are faced with a choice. Will we direct our attention toward Love or fear?
We are born to Love. The only True Power we have is Love. The only thing that will bring True and lasting healing to our lives and to our world is Love…Fellowship…Compassionate Connection…all of the Divine Qualities of Spirit expressing through us. These are powerful questions that we ask this morning…What Would Love Do Now? What would the infinite Givingness of God do now? And What Are We Waiting For?Musical Meditation – What Would Love Do Now? by Eddie Watkins, Jr.
Rev. Diana – Closing Prayer
We bring our Taizé to a close by calling to mind the ancient Sarum Prayer.
God be in my head, and in my Understanding.
God be in my eyes, and in my looking.
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking.
God be in my heart, and in my thinking.
God be at my end, and at my departing.
God be in my head, and in my Understanding…May I discover a more Enlightened Understanding as I move through the world.
God be in my eyes, and in my looking…May I set my expectations high…may I see the Goodness of God in everyone and everything.
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking…May my words serve only to express Compassion, Kindness, and Generosity. May they be used consciously as tools for building bridges. May they always promote Peace.
God be in my heart, and in my thinking…May my Compassionate Heart lead to Peaceful thoughts. May I become a more Peaceful and Loving presence on the planet.
God be at my end, and at my departing…May the world be a better place because I was here.
I Am so grateful for this space, for these teachings, and for the amazing Spiritual Family that is growing here. Thank you, Spirit, for the countless blessings of this and every day. I Am…we are all…so blessed.
I humbly release my Word to the Loving and Lawful Presence, trusting completely that a prayer Powerfully spoken and deeply felt is a prayer answered. May I have eyes to see everything from this moment on as answered prayer. And so I let it be…And so it is! Amen!
Rev. Diana – Offertory
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, enjoy The Best Christmas Commercial Ever!
Offertory – Best Christmas Commercial Ever
Rev. Diana – Blessing for the Offering
Rev. Diana, Chris J, & Marsh – Taizé Closing Song
- A Soul’s Blessing, written by Chris Johnson
Conscious Conversation
Chris N – 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 Interfaith Community that teaches, and is devoted to living by, the Universal Principles that are woven through the world’s great traditions. This month we are giving our attention to the Season of Advent, and to the many celebrations of Light that happen throughout cultures and traditions all over the world.
No matter the tradition you practice, this a time of stillness, of quiet, but mindful and watchful 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.
Let’s get our Conversation started by joining our voices in song and giving our bodies a chance to wake up!
Rev. Diana, Chris J, & Marsh – Opening Music
- Welcome to the Mystic Heart, written by Diana & Chris Johnson
- One Big Family, written by Robin Hackett & Gary Lynn Floyd
- Song – Peace Like a River, traditional African American Spiritual
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 used What Would Love Do Now as our point of reflection. We said that Love was not an emotion, but rather, Spirit’s Self-givingness as all of creation, and therefore our desire to give of ourselves, as well. We reflected on teachings about Love from a variety of spiritual traditions. And we closed with the ancient Sarum Prayer.
I’d like to begin our Conversation by repeating that prayer, then talking about what each line might mean. Then we’ll see where we go from there. Are you ready?
God be in my head, and in my understanding.
God be in my eyes, and in my looking.
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking.
God be in my heart, and in my thinking.
God be at my end, and at my departing.
Let’s start with the first line: God be in my head, and in my Understanding. What does that mean to you?
(May I discover a more Enlightened Understanding of myself and others as I move through the world)
God be in my eyes, and in my looking. What about this line?
(May I set my expectations high – may I see the Goodness of God in everyone and everything; may I see with a clarity of perception)
Next line…God be in my mouth, and in my speaking.
(May my words serve only to express Compassion, Kindness, and Generosity. May they be used consciously as tools for building bridges, and for lifting up, and never for tearing down. May they always promote Peace.)
Next line…God be in my heart, and in my thinking.
(May my Loving and Compassionate Heart lead to Peaceful thoughts. May I become a more Peaceful and Loving presence on the planet; may I find Truth and Wisdom as my brain, heart, and gut work in harmony)
And finally…God be at my end, and at my departing.
(May I be at peace with myself and my life, and at peace with death; May the world be a better place because I was here)
I find it interesting that the prayer does not say God be in my heart and in my feeling, but in my thinking.
How do you make sense of that? (May my Compassionate Heart lead the way to Peaceful thinking. May I not let the reactive tendencies of the brain have their way.)
This is the third week of Advent, and we have lighted the candle of Love. During Taizé we spent time reflecting on the many ways that different spiritual traditions define and talk about Love. These Qualities of Advent…Faith, Hope, Peace, and Love…seem to run as Common Threads through all of the religious teachings, particularly when we look at the mystical end of the spectrum.
In our Visioning a Love-Soaked World, we talk about everyone being well-supported by doing work that they Love. I’d like to share a couple of quotes that speak to listening to your heart…and then let’s talk about what comes up.
The first is from Howard Thurman…you may have heard it before, but it bears repeating:
Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
The second one is from American Theologian Frederick Buechner:
The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s hunger meet.
This one might be less familiar, and maybe even more powerful. Let me repeat it: “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s hunger meet.”
What does that mean to you? (It would mean that I absolutely love what I’m doing, and it is filling a particular niche…serving a specific purpose)
Do you believe in Love as a Power? What do you mean when you say Love is a Power?
Could we go so far as to say that the only True Power is Love? (That would depend on our definition of Love. If we say that Love is the self-givingness of God, then yes. Our only True Power comes from our connection with the Divine by whatever name we call it.)
Is there anything else that wants to be spoken right now?
Closing Prayer –
Join me in knowing this Truth for yourself as I speak it aloud:
Infinite Spirit, Loving Presence…You are All in All…You are All That Is. Every part of creation, from the smallest of the small to the vastness of the cosmos, is an expression of Your Light, Your Love, Your Power. And so, I Am That! I Am an individualized expression of Spirit.
In knowing this as the Truth of my existence, I can relax my heart and mind…relax my need to control…and surrender to the flow of Spirit in my Life. In this Holy Moment, I acknowledge the Loving Presence and Power of that which is beyond all names, trusting in Divine Order and Timing as It guides my life.
I approach each new day with wonder and curiosity, listening deeply for what is mine to do. I allow your Grace to lift and empower me…to be my strength and compassion…to guide my thoughts, words, and actions. God be in my head, in my eyes and mouth, in my heart, so that at my end of days, I know that I have lived fully and well.
Thank you, Spirit, for all that you have given me…for my life and everything in it. I trust and know the power of the word, the power of deep feeling, and so I know that this prayer is being acted upon even now. In gratitude, I release it fully, calling it done. And so it is! Amen!
Thank you so much for joining me here today. We’re going to bring this part of the morning to a close, but before we do, we’d like to…
Love Offering
…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 generous hearts. We acknowledge and give thanks for the Infinite Abundance of Spirit moving through you.
As we engage in the Sacred Practice of Circulation, I invite you to consider a child’s perspective on the Christmas Story.
Offertory Video – A Christmas Story According to Children
Chris N – Bless the Offering
Chris N – Invitations
- The Mystic Heart Book Club meets this Tuesday from 3-5 pm. Then we’ll be taking a break until January 6th.
- Shining Light on Scripture, Fast Track to Wellness, and Rev. Diana’s classes are all taking a Yuletide Break and returning the week of January 12th. Sundays will continue as normal…this is your opportunity to stay connected, during the holiday season.
- 12 Days of Kindness… We’ll put the bags together after lunch
- 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.
Looking into January…
- Friday, January 9th – Join April and Maile for a potluck and dance party reception, in celebration of their marriage on December 20th.
There will be more information available on new classes and activities coming in the January Bulletin and on our website. We thank you for your patience as Rev. Diana and Chris take this slower time at the Center to move into their new home.
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 J, & Marsh – Closing Song
- Love Be With You, written by Lainey Bernstein, RScP, & Gary Lynn Floyd
Notes:
[1] Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet
[2] I Corinthians 13:4-7
©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.