Universal Family

Righteousness gets a bad name because of two distortions: legalistic religion that tries to control matters that should be left to individual freedom, and self-righteous swagger with its hostility toward for broad classes of humanity. When Jesus assured us, "Happy are those who hunger and thirst for happiness," he had something different in mind. He was pointing the way to the beautiful wholeness of righteousness. The hunger and thirst is stage one. The divine gift of righteousness is stage two. Isaiah: "My soul shall rejoice in the love of my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation and covered me with the robe of his righteousness." Stage three requires us to learn an expanded concept of morality that wisely coordinates an understanding of the truth of universe process as it takes place on this evolutionary world with an understanding of the meaning of the relevant truths of spiritual experience: love and mercy, worship and service, joy and liberty, faith and assurance, and so on. When we l

Social service defined: readiness to do good to anyone with any kind of need. It is common for love to be preferential in a way that is not based on our quality in the brotherhood of man/siblinghood of humankind. But everything changes when we recognize the spiritual core of our creation as personalities--unique, mysterious, and constant through change--each one a masterpiece of the Creator's art, whom our Father indwells by his spirit.  On this basis we begin to serve with the following motivation: We serve our Father in the persons of those whom he indwells by his spirit. And thus we become ready to serve in a way that reveals God's love and mercy for the whole person.  

When we say "God" we refer to the awesome Creator. But a full concept of God includes his intimate and personal relationship with us. He is also our Father and our friend.     Increasingly realizing this in our spiritual experience, we can more readily embrace the evidences of a friendly universe. 

When we establish our core identity in the truth of our being a son or daughter of God, we have gone a long way to ending whatever craziness may have infected us. We can enjoy the beauty of nature and the arts, including healthy pleasures and uplifting recreation. And we can lead a life dominated by goodness and make a more effective contribution to the progress of sanity in our world.

We start physical life as a one-celled zygote. We start the development of our mind in complete ignorance. Why should we expect that our physical and mental development gives us advanced standing as we begin our spiritual journey?  

Turning to him as his child, we can discover God as our Father. We thus discover a central truth of the Creator and the core of our own identity. 

Here are four thoughts designed to help you realize this transforming truth more fully.

As a both-and thinker who sometimes recognize an either-or, I see that (1) there can be no peace between light (divine truth) and darkness (rebellion against God). But (2) countless other conflicts arise in which we can make tremendous progress if we mobilize different attitudes and tactics, such as we can learn from Marshall Rosenberg's methods of nonviolent communication and Thomas Aquinas's method of discussing disputed questions.  

How can someone who used to avoid social service start to become a server of all?

From Dante's Divine Comedy to 12-Step programs to the Enneagram, insight is mixed with overemphasis on the negative and a failure to recognize the new and better way: we (at least we non-addicts) can first be transformed by the Spirit of Truth before we go on to cleanse ourselves from all evils of mind and body.

Along with a revised version of the Serenity Prayer, this episode offers  an outstanding spiritual practice of Stephen Post, and shows how to cope when we are relating to a person we find difficult to love. These examples make the philosophy of love come off the page. 

The kingdom of God, the spiritual family of God, is open to all who seek it in the faith of a child. But a living faith is a growing faith; and as challenges rise, we may need to re-enter. But we may need more than a child's faith; we may need the spiritual force of the faith of a mature adult.

Christian teaching mingles life-giving teachings of Jesus with other teachings, some of which are needless obstacles for those who need to enter into the family of God. On a handful of key controversies, here are questions with contrasting possible answers. 

Werner Herzog's film Huie's Predigt (Huie's Sermon)--the film is really in English with a few German subtitles) presents a worship service in an urban black church. The sermon which asserts over and over that God is in control--which seems to be refuted by images of the utter bleakness of a trashed out slum. A reflection on what it means for God to be in control accounts for the success of the sermon in its hearers. 

Spirituality as connection to a larger, all-pervading reality (for example, God, as revealed in Jesus) is cultivated by spiritual direction. This book, based on the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola, does an extraordinary job of introducing the reader in a gentle, perceptive, illuminated way to our images of God, our narratives of self, our need to listen and respond and engage. This book review of Jeffrey A. Nelson's Coffeehouse Contemplative summarizes the book and celebrates its effects in this reader.

The spiritual life involves seeking for value (which I symbolize by the term prayer) and celebrating value (which I symbolize by the term worship). Whichever one of these predominates flavors the experience of the other. 

Nicole Stark relates a revelation of the kingdom of God within, and struggles after it is over. Although I encouraged her then about the quality of the event, I have more of an answer now. 

The Last Jedi moves the viewer/hearer from the emotions of conflict to the thought of higher wisdom and the triumph of spirituality. A philosophy of living functions as an art of thinking, but the art of living is practice, action, doing. Divine love motivates and beauty pervades its unfolding harmony.