May
28, 2006
You
can listen to parts of our May 28 service also
(MP3 format) »»»»
|
|
|
|
Martin Luther King, Jr., in being asked to publish
some of his sermons, wrote in the preface to his book, “.
. . a sermon is directed toward the listening ear rather than
the reading eye. . . I offer these discourses in the hope that
a message may come to life for readers of the printed words.” This
is my hope for you, dear reader.
—Rev. Linda
THE MERRY MONTH OF MAY:
THE JOKE’S ON US
This morning we wrap up The Merry Month of May, but before we
do that, I just want to again emphasize the incredible program
we have planned coming up for June—prosperity month here
at The Maine Beacon with More Than Enough.
We have some great topics for our Sunday Morning Celebration
Services; a dynamic guest speaker coming in from Denver to talk
about Money Is Funny; and a Principles of Financial Freedom class,
which is open to everyone, that will really knock your socks
off! And then we’ll end the month celebrating Infinite
Possibilities with our 2nd Annual Gathering. Whew! So do plan
to take advantage of all the abundance of opportunities here
for you to expand your prosperity thinking. And bring your friends.
They’ll want to come and hear and be part of this abundance.
I’m so excited about all that’s taking place, aren’t
you?
Okay, enough of next month. Let’s get focused as we finish
with our theme of joy with The Joke’s On Us.
I actually loved thinking about this subject because it really
made me lighten up as I kept focusing on the reality that
things are not what they appear to be.
And when I think about all the problems in the world and
my own personal issues, it can be such a relief to know
there’s
a greater truth.
And of course with Memorial Day tomorrow, and so many people
thinking about the loved ones who’ve gone on before us,
what a wonderful assurance, blessed assurance, it is to know
that this world of physicality is not the absolute truth of our
being, that we are not separate beings living in duality, but
that there is something greater that is One, total Oneness. And
so we are never away from those who’ve made their transitions
before us, but simply in a different state where they’re
no longer physically visible to us. Just as we heard about
in the reading from The Way of the Wizard a few minutes
ago.
In the Hebrew scriptures we read, “The Lord does not look
at the things that man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance,
but the Lord looks at the heart.” (I Sam. 16:7)
And what the heart sees is something very different from
what the physical
eyes see.
Things are not as they appear. It’s like the joke’s
on us.
Back when they were playing baseball for the Yankees, during
one off season, Mickey Mantel, who was from Oklahoma, invited
Whitey Ford and Billy Martin to come down and go antelope hunting.
Now Mickey knew a farmer who had told him he could hunt on his
property, so when they got to Oklahoma they went to the farm,
and Mickey went in to talk to the farmer to get his permission
to hunt.
The farmer said, “Sure. Oh, while you’re here, would
you mind shooting that cantankerous, ornery old bull I’ve
got out in the corral? I’m going to butcher him today.”
Mickey said, “Sure. Be glad to.”
So Mickey went back out to the car to see Whitey and Billy and
told them the farmer had changed his mind and was not going to
let them hunt. Then Mickey got his gun out of the car and said, “I’m
going to show him. I’m going to shoot that bull down there
in the corral.” And he proceeded to go do it.
Well, he had no sooner shot the bull, when he heard 2 more shots
go off. He turned around and Billy Martin said, “Well,
I shot 2 cows. Now that’ll show him.”
Who’s the joke on? Things are not always what they seem
to be.
Imagine with me for a moment what it was like before we came
into these physical bodies and what it will be like when we
leave them, as nonphysical beings.
In his book Love Without Conditions, Paul Ferrini says:
When you leave your body, you will continue learning in a non-physical
classroom. Learning there will be accelerated, because there
is no time or space there to modulate the creative effect
of thought.
In your world, it takes time for thoughts to translate into
visible effects. In non-physical dimensions, the translation
process
is automatic. For example, if you think “I would like to
go visit my friend Bob,” you are instantly transported
into Bob’s living room. Your journey took no time and you
traveled through no space.
Of course, Bob can’t see you. But you see, when we get
to this earthly plane where there is time and space, it doesn’t
happen so quickly, does it? We come here knowing we are not separate
from our Source; knowing we are divine beings, perfect essences
of God; knowing our thought is creative and that all our wants
and needs are fulfilled—immediately, always.
But once we get here, we’re cared for by people who’ve
forgotten who they are, and that they’re creating their
reality here, and so they can’t help us. They can’t
help us to remember because they can’t remember.
And because of the density of the physical plane that so slows
down the process of creation, we fail to make the connection
between what we think and what shows up in our lives. When
it was instant, it was easy to see, to make the connection.
And here’s the other thing about it. Since it takes time
here for things to show up, we often change our minds in the
meantime. So we think, “I’d like to visit Bob.” But
since we aren’t instantly transported to Bob’s house,
and then the phone rings and we’re off and talking to Sue,
we forget all about Bob, and we’ve stopped the creative
process in the direction of Bob. Do you see?
Now that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Because I’ll
bet you can think of a few things at least that you’ve
thought that you’re gosh darned glad took some time to
happen so you had time to change the course of it. We can be
grateful our thoughts aren’t all instantly creative here
on this earth plane.
But the good thing about understanding this is that when we’re
really wanting what we’re thinking to be created in our
lives, we can exercise more patience about it.
Meister Eckhart said, “Truly, it is in the darkness that
one finds the light, so when we are in sorrow, then this light
is nearest to us.”
In other words, don’t give up! It’s right there!
The process of creation is under way. It’s on its way to
you. But when you start doubting it, when you start getting into
fear or anger or any of those low vibrational frequencies, you’re
stopping the flow of that good coming to you. You’re stopping
the creative process.
We live in a world of paradox. Trathan Heckman in Healing Our
Planet, Healing Our Selves says, “The problem is the solution
in healing our planetary and personal pollution.” I had
a good example of that this week.
I have to update our nonprofit status for The Maine Beacon
on our annual report to the state every year, and it’s been
setting on my desk to do since March. I had gone into the website
to do it when it first came, but couldn’t quite figure
it out and then procrastinated big time, dreaded really, waiting
for Bill to help me with it, any way I could find to put off
not doing it. But since it was due June 1st, I decided this week
I’d better try again to do it.
But this time, I approached it differently. I’m really
coming to see that all these little dramas we create for ourselves
are not at all what they appear to be. They seem so real, don’t
they? I mean, I have to get this report done or we’re going
to have to pay a fine for being late. And I can’t figure
out how to make this form work on the computer. Oh, woe is me.
But when I let myself stay out of the drama (now that’s
hard because it’s so much fun to play the drama queen role),
but when I let myself stay out of the drama and see that the
whole problem is really coming from a belief that I’m separate
from my Source, that I’m powerless, and that I’m
not capable, well, then that takes the punch right out of it.
And that’s exactly what happened for me. Knowing that’s
what was going on, I sat down at my computer and declared to
myself that I am not separate from my Source; that there is only
One Life, God’s Life, and so my life must be that; and
that there is only One Mind, God’s Mind, and so my mind
must be that. And that Infinite Intelligence knows exactly how
to do this report and knows how to do it through me, so I don’t
have to know any more than I do.
I talked to myself like that until I felt completely confident
that I could do whatever I needed to do to get the report done.
And I did. I went into the website and pulled up a report,
not the right one, but there was a number there to call in Augusta
for help. I called and a very kind lady walked me right through
everything I needed to do. It was so simple!
Now here’s the question. Why did I fret for 2 months over
doing that report? Why didn’t I just pray about it in the
first place, know the truth about the belief I was operating
under in the first place and get the report off my desk and off
my mind right away?
I had to do a great deal of forgiveness work for myself to
myself for treating myself that way. But it was a great lesson
for me
that I have to accept, face what is, where I am, and laugh
at it, not take it for reality. Then deal with it with my highest
understanding at the moment. And that’s what we all have
to do.
I am convinced that we need to heal ourselves, year by year,
month by month, day by day, minute by minute, even second by
second. Every time we feel frustrated, afraid, upset, angry,
sad, depressed, all those low vibrations of negativity, we
need to heal, not by pretending they’re not there, but by facing
them with the truth.
Things are not what they seem to be. Is the room full of furniture
or we just imagining it like Guenevere? If we think it’s
the report that’s the problem, the joke’s on us.
It’s not the report, it’s the belief. It’s
always the belief. It is done unto us as we believe. Period.
When we’re willing to surrender, to give up our beliefs
of separateness, and all that implies, we find joy. And we
can laugh at the joke. Otherwise, the joke’s on us.
