Unity Church of Castro Valley
Sunday Message for August 17, 2008
LOVE
The lesson today is about Love, unconditional Love. This is the Love that is extended to us from God. It is the love that is within us just waiting to be expressed to others.
JONAH
Let me tell you a story, the story of Jonah. There are so many lessons on Love in this story and I'm sure you will recognize someone you know or maybe yourself in this story.
The Book of Jonah was written about 350 B.C. and the destruction of Nineveh happened in 612 B.C. It was written as a protest against racial and religious exclusiveness.
The Jews of that time believed that they were God's chosen people and deserved special favors from Him. The story of Jonah brings out the truth that all people are special to God and that He extends his mercy to all of them.
As a practical spiritual lesson, The Book of Jonah is very valuable. Jonah is an individual who lives close to God and is receptive to divine direction. But he is a little narrow minded in his concepts of righteousness.
In the Metaphysical Bible Dictionary, Charles Fillmore says that Jonah represents, "that prophetic state of mind which, if used without divine love, fixes man in bondage to belief in a law of cause and effect wherein error sowing cannot be redeemed or forgiven."
God told Jonah, (Jonah 1:2) "Go at once to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before me." If the Ninevites of Assyria did not repent, their great city was to be destroyed.
This was an exceedingly disagreeable duty for the prophet, because he hated the Assyrians. They had inflicted great distress on the Hebrews. Moreover, according to Jonah's point of view, they were godless men and had no right to be saved.
I'm sure there have been times when we all have felt as Jonah did. After all, we have worked at growing spiritually. We listen to God's guidance. But why is God urging us to perform a service for one who, from our point of view, is not only a sinner but has proved to be an enemy? We become very reluctant to extend a helping hand to a person like this. We are prone to feel that justice should be done. The wrongdoer should have to pay the penalty for his transgressions.
But our reaction to the wrongdoer should be entirely different. Charles Fillmore writes, "When error effects are revealed to one by the prophetic faculty of mind, which is open to receive the outpicturing of thought causes, one should fearlessly tear away the error and immediately proclaim the saving Truth, in the spirit of forgiving love. 'Jonah' must be glad and must rejoice in omnipotent good." Jonah should have been grateful for the opportunity to help his fellow man; instead, he attempted to evade his duty - just like you and I do sometimes.
So after God told Jonah to go to Nineveh, he, instead, made a run for it. He fled to Joppa and took a ship to Tarshish. (Right! Like you could actually run away from God!) But when we disobey our highest leading, no matter what excuse we make, we bring trouble to ourselves. Actually, I prefer to call them heavy-duty lessons.
So a great storm came up on the sea and Jonah was tossed from the ship. The condition that we think will save us often proves to be our undoing. We, too, are swallowed by (Jonah 1:17) "a large fish," meaning that we fall into a disastrous state of affairs. Then, like Jonah, we are terribly sorry to have started this whole thing and we cry out to God.
God, who is love, always gives us another chance. We, having learned at least part of our lesson - the futility of attempting to resist our revealed duty - resolve to perform it. Jonah proceeded immediately to Nineveh. He met his enemy and rendered the service designed by God.
Even though we finally do the job we were sent to do, we may act with the wrong spirit. The good deed without the good motive behind it adds no jewel to our crown. Jonah was still certain that the Ninevites should perish. He had no concept of the spiritual teaching (Matthew 5:44) "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." When the Jonah state of consciousness rules in us, we may do our job capably, but as love and mercy are absent from our hearts, we are disappointed in the outcome of our work.
Anyone with a strong sense of justice, as viewed from the human plane of thought, is likely to fall into Jonah's dilemma. His preaching was successful. The Ninevites, from the king down, repented so effectively that their city was saved. If we help a person against our personal will, he may receive great benefit but we go away empty-handed, disappointed that things didn't turn out as we thought they should.
Jonah was angry at this unexpected turn of events. He sulked under the gourd that God, in His mercy, had caused to grow to protect Jonah from the sun. The gourd pleased Jonah, as we are pleased when any good is manifested for us, though we may be reluctant to give God the credit. However, when we fail to give Him credit we also fail to retain the good.
A worm destroyed the gourd. Jonah, who had not yet recovered from his disappointment that the Ninevites had been saved, found the destruction of the gourd quite too much. Bitterness and self-pity overcame him. (Jonah 4:8) "He was faint and asked that he might die." (He's a bit of a drama queen!) God then reminded him that he showed pity for the gourd though he was without compassion for the people of a great city.
We feel a certain amount of sympathy for Jonah, because most of us have been in his shoes at times. Through an experience similar to his, which we are quite likely to have, may we learn this, as Charles Fillmore wrote: "The true prophet must see as God sees - that only the good is true. Evil and all its effects pass away when men repent, and the compassion and love of God should always be proclaimed to the sinner. By asking, the suffering one may obtain forgiveness; and he who is soul-sick may receive the divine compassion." As we willingly share God's forgiving love with others, even those who in our eyes are unworthy, we receive our own freedom and joy.
So, are you ready to give up your enemies? Your resentments? Your judgments? Are you ready to stop being the sheriff of the universe and turn it back over to God? Because the rewards for you will be wonderful.
MARY & MARTHA
Another story in the Bible about different types of love is the story of Mary & Martha. This one is a little more subtle than the story of Jonah.
It says in (Luke 10:38-42) "Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her."
So Jesus traveled to Bethany, a small village a few miles to the south of Jerusalem. In this village lived His three friends, Martha, Mary, and their brother Lazarus. The three comprised a family that was well off financially and well respected in their community.
Martha welcomed Jesus and began to prepare a feast for her renowned guest. Mary (Luke 10:39) "sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying."
In the Bible, women represent the emotional or feeling nature, and the two sisters symbolize love operating on different levels. Martha's love was expressed by ministering to the physical needs of Jesus; whereas, Mary's love urged her to listen to His words.
It is good to serve in an outer way, but it is better still to take time to sit at the Lord's feet and give attention to what He says - or to study and pray. Jesus commended Mary, for she had chosen the higher office of love, which is worship. "There is need of only one thing," He said. That one thing is what we should have above all else, even to this day - a devotion to Christ and a willingness to devote some time to the contemplation of that which is divine.
MARY & THE OINTMENT
There is another account of Mary & Martha that happened after Jesus had raised their brother Lazarus from the dead. It says in (John 12:1-8) "Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, said, "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?" Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."
Mary represents the devotional aspect of man, which is filled with love for the Christ. The anointing of Jesus' feet symbolizes the willingness of love to serve. Judas typifies the sense thought, which is filled with selfishness.
Charles Fillmore writes in his book Mysteries of John, "The Judas consciousness believes in poverty and has no understanding of the true law of supply. All that comes into consciousness is selfishly appropriated and dissipated by this thief, yet he produces nothing."
Jesus' words, "You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me," mean that our service to the down-trodden is laudable, but there are likewise times when an expression of love should be given to our Lord. We are not always aware of Him (you do not always have me) but when we are aware of Him, the precious ointment of our devotion should be freely spent on Him. If we have a true prosperity consciousness, we know that one type of giving need not curtail us in any other form of helpfulness.
I always give out a card as you leave the sanctuary, just as a reminder of what we talked about. But today I am giving you a card to pass along to someone else.
This week in the lesson for the Quest class there is a story told in the text. Everyone at a seminar was given a pack of little cards which read, "You are loved." Their assignment was simple: give away all of the cards over the weekend and, as you do, give the energy of your love with it.
Cards were put into letters, some were left with tips at restaurants, others were put anonymously in people's books and on their desks. The cards were symbols of love expressed, and everyone felt good getting one. It was the givers, however, who felt the best. To them, it was a renewal of a connection with love, and each time they left a card, they allowed this connection to become stronger - and it felt so good.
So your assignment this week is to give your card to someone, and as you do, give the energy of your love with it. I will give everyone a card, then put the rest of them on the table in the back. Take as many as you want - and give them away.
SCRIPTURE: The Book of Jonah; Matthew 5:44; Luke 10:38-42; John 12:1-8
REFERENCE: Let There Be Light Elizabeth Sand Turner; Metaphysical Bible Dictionary Charles Fillmore; Your Hope of Glory Elizabeth Sand Turner; Mysteries of John Charles Fillmore; Adventures on the Quest Richard & Mary-Alice Jafolla
--------------------
