August-Sept.
'08 | June-July 08
The
Messenger
August-September
2008 Vol. 24, Issue 5
Below are articles from this issue. To view/print
the entire issue, click on the thumbnails in left column.
PASTOR'S MESSAGE - KEEPING SABBATH |
IM4U - POLITICAL ADVICE | SPOTLIGHT
ON SERVICE
Keeping
Sabbath
By Rev. Jim Fuller
Spiritual teachers and writers often
address the danger of becoming “human doings” rather than
human beings. This concern is not new. When Moses received the ten inspired
truth teachings we know as the Ten Commandments one of them was to set
apart a time of Sabbath. In English language Bibles it is usually rendered
as “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.” (Exodus
20:8) Did our Creator want us to spend one day each week talking and
singing about how great “He” is? Was that commandment given
to encourage inactivity or laziness? Was this commandment given for
God’s benefit or our own?
In the era of the Old Testament
observing the Sabbath was mandatory. Those who violated its rules and
traditions could be banned from the religious life, severely punished
or even killed. The tradition of an enforced Sabbath continued even
in modern American life. As a young man I remember stores and businesses
being required to close on Sundays. Violators would be taken to court
and fined. Today you can buy or do anything on Sunday, just like any
other day of the week. But has something been lost when each day becomes
just like the one before it? Is there value in setting aside some time
each week for a sacred Sabbath?
In Unity we know that God is present
every day, every where and in every one. “There is no spot where
God is not” is a powerful truth teaching. But in our business
we often lose awareness of this important truth. We may become so caught
up in our work that we may put off taking needed vacations; no time
for that now. Many people work long hours, perhaps including Saturdays.
Our minds may become numbed by the ever accelerating pace of life. On
Sunday mornings we may feel too tired to do anything but sleep and brace
ourselves for the week to come. When we do attend church we may rush
off afterward hoping to cross a few more things off our “to do”
lists. Somewhere in the middle of all this activity we may sense that
something is wrong or missing. Could it be that what is missing is our
sense connection with the Sacred, with God?
What might happen if we carved out
a time of Sabbath for ourselves each week? I’m not talking about
time for church; most of us find time to work that hour in. I am talking
about a personal time of Sabbath, a time either alone or with friends,
to help us connect with the Sacred in our lives. Your personal Sabbath
could be a day, a morning, an evening, a special meal or prayer time.
Let it be a time you choose to set aside to remember and celebrate the
Sacred in your life, in whatever way feels appropriate to you. How might
you create a regular Sabbath time for yourself?
I believe that keeping a Sabbath
is primarily for our benefit. When we set aside time to rest, appreciate
our world, celebrate our lives, and remember who and what we truly are
the all of creation benefits. And if you imagine the Spirit of God smiling
appreciatively in response to your Sabbath practice, you might just
be onto something. “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy”
is more than a Divine edict or a noble practice. It is a key for unlocking
sacred doorways that have long been overlooked in the business of daily
life. For more thoughts on creating a Sabbath practice that nourishes
and blesses you please consider reading our August/September Book Club
selection, Sabbath, by Wayne Muller.
“May we each love ourselves enough to carve
out a time of Sabbath in which we celebrate and nourish the sacred ‘God
Seed’ within.” Amen
Unsolicited
Political Advice From Your Minister – IM4U
Many Americans have become discouraged by our
political processes. Some have simply given up and stopped participating.
Others have become hyper-vigilant, noting every flaw or deception. But
let us always remember that what we see around us, including in the
world of politics, is simply a reflection of thoughts and beliefs that
lie within us. Ideas held in mind; whether true or false, sacred or
self-centered, inspired or connived always show up in our world in some
form. Avoiding or attacking the effects of these ideas will never resolve
the problem. I believe that the secret formula for finding solutions
and achieving good outcomes in the world of politics is - IM4U.
As the political season winds up into high gear
in preparation for the fall elections I invite you to take a radical
position. I invite you to look around and find the candidates and issues
that you are for, and to focus your attention to these. IM4U means I
am for you. We know that whatever we give our attention to is strengthened,
both in our own mind and in the physical world. Negative attention only
strengthens what we don’t want and is always counterproductive.
Yes it is important to notice what isn’t working, but only long
enough become aware that “that’s not it.” Once that
discovery has been made it is time to prayerfully begin looking for
inspired ideas and directing our full attention to them. In this election
season I invite you to look for the people and places where you see
inspired ideas emerging and to give these your attention. Think of this
as an “attentional prayer” for good.
If you can’t find anything or anyone good
enough to support perhaps you need to look inside a bit. Our own internal
anger and judgment may blind us to the good that is present all around.
Releasing these can help clear our view. Most of us can benefit from
a quiet prayer for new eyes and new vision to seek and find the good,
and willingness to keep our minds focused on good alone. I personally
believe that the Mind of God is always thinking IM4U. As we become willing
to seek and direct our attention toward good we will succeed in finding
solutions and success, right in the middle of the election season.
SPOTLIGHT
ON SERVICE:
Gary Allocco
By John Daubney
Known by his trademark hats, ready smile, humorous
quips, and love for singing, Gary’s willingness to serve others
through various activities at church has brought happiness and a greater
sense of purpose to his own life.Those in need of someone to talk with
will never find a kinder, friendlier ear than Gary’s.
I BEGAN ATTENDING UNITY IN 1998 when a friend of mine
suggested that I give it a try. I was brought up in the Catholic tradition
but at the time I was increasingly conflicted about many of the concepts
and dogma of the church. Many things no longer made sense to me,so I
decided to leave. I did it without anger and in coming to Unity I’ve
had the chance to let go of what no longer worked for me.
Today I see Unity as a logical extension and out-growth
of my Catholicism. I like the inclusiveness of the congregation, the
emphasis on an inner spirituality, and the lack of dogma. Here I’ve
been able to question and define my spirituality, and explore my own
questions about the nature of God, and what it means to be human. I’ve
been able to discover what is true for me.
Father Paul Smith, the Catholic chaplain at SUNY Albany
while I was a graduate student there, was an important role model for
me. He was and is involved in a variety of service projects. He is a
modest and unassuming man, always concerned with the welfare of others.
Paul served us students through his friendship and guidance, and by
being a wonderful listener when someone needed to talk. He was a surrogate
father for me at a time when I was spending an ever increasing amount
of time away from my own family.
Service has taught me to stretch myself. I’m
doing things now that I never thought I could or would do. It reminds
me of a line from Charley Thweatt’s song, “Spirit of Joy”:
Yes, I believe in a
spirit of good,
That helps me to walk where I never would.
I find it a terrific challenge to be more than I thought
I ever could be. I’ve also discovered that when I serve others,
I serve myself. I’m the one who benefits from it most of all,
particularly since we’re all one.
I’ve also learned to perform service because
it helps me to make real, the vision I have of how I want to live in
this world. So you see, I’m a very selfish guy when it comes to
serving others.
My path of service has always been determined by doing
things that I enjoy. I have been involved with public and private education
most of my adult working life. I’m certified as a teacher and
guidance counselor, so working with our youth was a natural place for
me to begin performing service at Unity. I like working with my hands
so I helped painting the music room, tarring the roof, and participating
in sea-sonal clean ups. Since I like to sing and make music, joining
the Fourth Sunday Singers was a natural for me. Similarly, making music
with you (John Daubney) and Ron Allen as “Misspent Youth”
for several years is something Ienjoy, so helping to organize the Unity
Coffee House and Open-Mic nights fits real well for me. Finally, I have
been teaching the Unity new member class as part of the teaching team.
It falls in with my interest for teaching and learning more about Unity.
I remember when I took Bill Bird’s Unity 101 classes and liked
them so much I went back and attended Unity 201. I pretty much give
service in areas I’m already interested in. I find that I grow
and learn as I participate.
Service helps me to let go of my stinking thinking,
get outside of myself, and stay connected with others. It helps me to
get out of bed on those Sunday mornings when I just want to pull the
covers over my head and fade off into oblivion. Sometimes when I see
others in need, I see myself. There are many situations— some
very tragic—that people endure, which I can relate to. “There
but for the grace of God go I!”
One of the nice benefits of maturity is that we discover
how common many of our life experiences are. I think, Hey, I remember
what that feels like.
Service can be as simple as a friendly greeting, lending
an ear to listen, or a kind remark. I know how good that feels when
I’m on the receiving end of that.
The
mission of Unity Church in Albany is to
