Midweek Faith Lift
Love Everywhere Present
Su Podraza-Nagle, LUT
February 14,2024
Good morning to those of you here in the Sanctuary and those of you viewing through technology. Welcome.
Before I start, to those of us in the Sanctuary, please make sure you have a paper heart in your hand. For those of you who are participating at home, please find a small item and hold it in your hands. We will be doing a small exercise of Love in a few minutes.
This is the 3rd part of our Love series. As a review, In the first part, we invited love in, by rediscovering and accepting self-love.
As Paul wrote to the Colossians in chapter 3:4, “Above all, clothe yourselves with love., which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”
Last week we uncovered Love as a Spiritual Power:
Revealing Word states, “Love is the pure essence of being that binds together the whole human family. Of all of the attributes of God, love is undoubtedly the most beautiful. Divine love is impersonal; It loves for the sake of loving. It is not concerned with what or who it loves, nor with a return of love.
This week, we’re going all in. It’s all love. It surrounds us. It flows in and through us. It is everywhere.
1 John 4:7-8
Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.
John 13:34: A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
Ready for some fun? Hold in your hand the paper heart or for the folks at home, the item you chose earlier.
I have used an example similar to this before as a Youth of Unity Sponsor.
Consider your many life experiences. The evolving of you. All of you. Past and present.
Answer these questions silently by switching the item in your hand, from one hand to the other.
- If you ever thought love left you. Switch hands
- You ever became so devoid of love, you had none to give. Switch hands.
- If there was a time you were so filled with love, you thought you would burst. Switch hands.
- If your understanding of what love is has changed through the years, switch hands.
- If you have ever attempted to give unconditional love and failed, switch hands.
- If you ever attempted to give unconditional love and succeeded, switch hands.
- If you think Love is everywhere present, switch hands
In this exercise, what was the variable? What was the constant?
Your conscience choice of switching hands was a representation of your spiritual evolution. The variable. The growth. Be encouraged in that. See how far you come?
The item in your hand represents the Absolute. It is always there. It’s the constant. The item, or in this case my little paper heart is an attribute of God. Divine Love is of God and was always there. And it’s all good.
Principle One:
God is Absolute Good, everywhere present.
Charles Fillmore, in the Revealing Word states, “God is not a person but Principle. The Infinite. God as principle is absolute good expressed in all creation.” Yep, that’s what he said, in ALL creation. Some folks may not be awake yet.
Love, the attribute of God or the revelation that in 1st John states, “God is love” is in everyone. In you, in your significant other, parents, your neighbor, the screaming child in the store, a person at work your not in agreement with and with others who we are having challenges understanding their thought processes.
They are all attributes of Divine love. Sometimes love is hard. It’s hard because there’s a lesson we have an opportunity to roll around in. A message, a learning experience just for us. I find it fascinating when I hear graduates exclaim, “Finally done with school!” An adult who says, “Yeah, I took that course. Passed it. All good. I’m done.” …..Maybe not. …. The next level of that subject is just around the corner, getting ready to bump into you.
In our continuing spiritual education of Love being everywhere present;
Where or when do we have the opportunity to find these experiences to expand our consciousness of Love in others? Seeing the attribute of God in others? Seeing the divine love in others? These lessons are in the interactions of those we encounter throughout our day. Our friends, neighbors, and strangers. Sometimes they are showing us God within them. Sometimes, like I said last week, we appreciate that Elephant but it’s not coming home for lunch. I’m talking about that person who challenges your resolve.
We are called to love others. No exceptions. When we remember that the eyes looking back at us are mirrors of us and have the potential to express that Divine Love which is in all of us. That’s the lesson. Sometimes, it’s how to accept love and sometimes it’s how to see through the chaos of the outer and love anyway. A while back I talked about seeing the windowpane and then seeing through the window pane? Yeah, do that.
Tall order? You betcha. Jesus our Master Teacher through interaction with the Pharisees tells us there are no exceptions.
Matt 22:37-40
When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, an expert in the law, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Jesus didn’t complain about the Pharises attempting to trick him or trying to one up him. Jesus stated fact. Love.
We find it in the holiness of prayer practice, and meditation, becoming more connected to the fullness of Divine Love.
We fully see that attribute of God, Love, when we can see with acceptance, feel with love, and speak with compassion.
Before I end, I’d like to leave you with this quote from Rev. Dr. Caleb J. Lines:
“ Imagine how it would change our theology if we didn't look up to heaven for God, but saw God in the face of neighbors.”
Namaste~
Let’s Sing our way into Meditation-
Meditation
Hold your item in your hand again. Renewed, aware,
You now understand love has always been in you.
You have never been devoid of love, you now recognize this as error in thought
Your heart is now so filled with love, you willingly expand that love outward.
You accept and embrace your understanding of love and know it has evolved,
Affirm that you know Love is everywhere present
Let’s now sit in the silence with this Power of Love resonating in us and through us, sending it outward, releasing our abundant supply of Divine Love in the silence………………
And we come back this present moment and say Amen……
