Who Do You Think You Are?

Sunday, February 1, 2015

          The first thing I’d like you to do, if you are willing, is to take out the announcements insert and write down the numbers 1 through 4 as though you were making a list.

          We’re going to play a game I learned from a priest named John Newton.

1.     Write down a verb, in its past tense, and ending with “ed.” (A verb is an action word. It can pretty much be any word ending with the letters “ed” that signifies something that happened in the past)

2.     The name of someone you admire

3.     Adjective (A word that describes something: tall, blue, rugged, etc.)

4.     Noun (Person, place, or thing)

Since I saw you last I’ve been to Unity Village and back. While I was there this week I served on a team of ministers that interview and evaluate current students. In general terms we evaluate their progress in two areas: their ability to define Unity principles and how they use them in their lives, and, self-awareness.

Part of self-awareness includes defining our True Nature. We look for evidence of movement from the intellectual concept of our True Nature… to an experience and expression of it.

Now let’s put those four words you wrote down words into this sentence:

I am one ___ by ___. This is my ___ self. Every other identity is a (an) ___.

The four words I chose when I did this were: lighted, Abraham Lincoln, large, and boat.

Would anyone else like to share their “definition” of who they are?

Obviously, these definitions are ridiculous. They doesn’t even make sense. At the core of your being, this isn’t who you are. If someone were to say, “Who are you?” your answer wouldn’t be “I’m one lighted by Abraham Lincoln.” In terms of defining your identity, that’s a ridiculous way to fill in the blank. But how should you fill in the blank? I am _____. Who are you?

We might answer I’m a minister. I’m a business student. I’m an athlete. I’m a factory worker. I’m a retiree, I’m the president of the Indianapolis chapter of the New England Patriots fan club.

At the core of our being, our identity – who we are – can’t be tied to any of these things. Because what happens if we deliver a bad Sunday talk? Or graduate and can’t find a job? Who are we going to be then? A bad minister? An unemployed ex business student? I know that I do not want to see myself as I am not.

The facts are that you and I have hard time standing firm, first, in the knowledge and then in the experience and expression of who we are. And typically when we’re not sure who we are, we panic and start filling in the blanks in ridiculous ways. After all, we have to be someone. And so we make our life about perfecting an image. We find something the world values – money, power, our intellect, our sense of humor, the way we look, our skill at getting what we want from other people, how religious we are, how well we’re doing in school – and we build our identity around that. We make our life about perfecting an image. The only problem is, always working to perfect our image is competitive and exhausting, and before we know it, our lives become motivated by fear; fear of not measuring up. Fear of not living up to the expectations of others. Fear of losing our sense of self-worth. And a person driven by fear can’t see anything beyond or behind the image they’re trying to perfect.

Matthew 3:13-17, Jesus is baptized in the Jordan by John The Baptist. And at his baptism, Jesus hears a voice from heaven telling him who he is. Jesus receives unique insight into his identity. “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Now remember – Jesus hasn’t done a thing “to prove himself” yet. He hasn’t healed the sick or cast out any demons or preached a single sermon. And yet God tells Jesus that he is the beloved. Jesus is told that his life is pleasing to God.

What might Jesus be feeling on a day like that? He probably would be beaming from ear to ear and thinking of himself beyond the idea, “I’m a carpenter. I’m a Jew. I’m the son of Joseph” and thinking “I am the beloved son of my Father in heaven. I am one with whom God is well-pleased.”

There is some scripture in Colossians in which Paul says something to the effect that we have died and our identity is hidden with Christ in God.  In other words, we have died to (forgotten) who we are, and where is the remembrance of that identity seemingly hidden? Our identity is with Christ (Love) “within” God.

God sees us – not as we see ourselves in the worldly sense – but as we are in Spirit. God looks at each of us --- and says to us --- the very same thing that was said to Jesus on the day of His baptism, “You are my dear, dear child. And I’m absolutely delighted with you.”

But our story doesn’t stop here, because after hearing these words, Jesus doesn’t begin his ministry just yet, but we find Him in the wilderness where He is tempted.

Do you have a wilderness kind of experience where you feel lost and alone… and ego tempts you to believe you are unworthy, that you have to do something to earn God’s love – that you have to prove yourself in order for God to be well-pleased with your life? This is error thinking. This what we are asking for help with when we pray, “and leave us not in temptation, but deliver us from error for Thine (not ego) is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory, forever. Not just for once in a while or from time to time, but for ever and ever.

I believe we are all tempted with those thoughts.

What I think we need to do more than anything is change the way we fill in the blanks when it comes to defining who we are. Because at the core of our being, we are not how we look. We are not our resume. We are not our I.Q. We are not our latest Sunday talk. We are not our latest relationship, and so on and so on, because who we are – at the core of our being – has nothing to do with us. And it has everything to do with God.

We are worthy; and what God said to Jesus, God says to us. “You are my dear, dear child. And I’m absolutely delighted with you.”

And so get out your announcements insert and take a look at your fill-in-the-blank sentence again. The question is – who are you? 

How should you define yourself?

Define yourself as one LOVED by GOD. This is your TRUE self. Every other identity is an ILLUSION. 

(Thank you to Father John Newton for your idea and words, used without permission (because I couldn’t find you to ask)).

 

You Are Worthy

Delivered Sunday, January 25, 2015

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27 (KJV)

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek but a means by which we arrive at that goal."

End each day with thoughts of peace.  Begin each day with thoughts of peace.  Continue thinking thoughts of peace throughout your precious day and happiness will be yours.

As a society we have started and ended many wars on this planet. The world has changed drastically, just in our lifetimes. If we were to try and cover all the details about the boundary lines that have been changed in our lifetime, that would probably take months to define.

Human fighting human and the ego’s need to harm one another is a disease for the whole body of humanity.

World War I was called the war to end all wars. Yet, World War II followed. We have to look into that big mirror of humanity and see if the problem doesn’t lie within us. People start war; people continue war; people decide to stop war. 

If we want the warring that goes on inside of us we have to be brave enough to go for the spiritual cure… once and for all. We have to think about what is good for all people.

Dale Carnegie said, "If half a century of living has taught me anything at all, it has taught me that nothing can bring you peace but yourself."

Let me tell you a story about a remarkable lady. Her name was Mrs. DeCosta. She lived in Argentina. Around 1900, if you were to look for a hotbed of violence, it would be along the dividing line between Argentina and Chile. People were getting killed. They two countries were constantly in dispute about their common border. They couldn’t resolve anything, so they called in a mediator who brokered a deal, and, in 1903 the dispute ended. Enter Mrs. DeCosta.

She thought, as I believe we need to think, wherever there is war, be it internal or external – and it comes to an end, "Is this really going to be the end? Is this really the last time I’ll be warring?"

Perhaps as human beings, we need reminders.

The legend goes that Mrs. DeCosta had all the cannons that were used in the dispute put into the fire, molded and made into a statue of Christ, and here it is.

If you were to go to that pass, high up in the Andes Mountains on the borderline between the two countries, you would find the statue of Christ looking right along the border between Argentina and Chili.

When she had this erected, she knelt and prayed at the base along with thousands of people from both sides. She said, “May this be a reminder. Every time we think about war or even have a warring thought, may we remember.” And I presume she means, “May we remember the Presence of Christ, the Presence of peace; not just worldly peace, but the Peace of Christ.

Perhaps what each we need to do is to kneel inside of us (so to speak) and look up to the Christ who has never had a warring thought against ANY people, and know that no matter how warring we feel in our human self, we can go to that peace of God that is at the dividing line between war and peace.

How about in your own life? Your life is where peace begins. Let’s say you’re beginning to have a fight with your spouse or your children. Maybe you need to take a moment to rest “at the statue inside of yourself” and know that there is a greater power present with you who has the power  to come through you in the moment and heal the situation in a way that you probably cannot even imagine.

Or maybe you don’t feel like you deserve personal peace. Could that be the case… that you feel you are not worthy?”

Have you ever though anything along these lines? “Oh, I’m not really worthy of personal peace because, well, I get angry. In fact, sometimes think nasty things about people. I know that Jesus said we should love one another like He loved us and I don’t do a very good job of that. So, no, I’m not particularly worthy.”

I’d like you to listen to this audio clip from last Thursday’s “Mike and Mike in the Morning” radio shown on ESPN (It’s a sports talk show). Former President Bill Clinton is their guest and he’s talking about playing golf with Jack Nicklaus… (Sorry that I wasn't able to upload the clip. Here's the jist of the story. Clinton was putting 8' for an eagle and he missed the putt. Nicklaus said to him, "You didn't feel like you deserved that eagle, did you?" "No, I guess not" said Clinton. Nicklaus' replay was, "You need to get over that.")
      If you feel you aren’t good enough for any reason about anything remember the advice of Jack Nicklaus. Remember not just, “You need to get over that.” but, “You need to get over that!”

I’ll not forget this; I hope none of us will, “You need to get over that!”

If you’re not sure that you’re worthy consider this: Gen 1:26-27  ^“Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; … So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them male and female he created them.””

We are created in the image and after the likeness of God; how much more worthy can we get? We are worthy!

Paul tells us in his letter to the Ephesians that we are God’s own possession, chosen for the blessing of His Love.

We are worthy!

Fillmore from his book on living a thriving life: “Your thoughts should at all times be worthy of your highest self, your fellow man, and God. The thoughts that most frequently work ill to you and your associates are thoughts of criticism and condemnation. Fill your mind with thoughts of divine love, peace, and forgiveness.”

Now I know the attainment of these high ideals can sometimes seem impossible, and I know we “backslide” from time to time. The important thing is to remember Jack Nicklaus’ advice, “You need to get over that.” And we get over destructive thinking and feelings (as I talked about my having last week) through forgiveness, prayer, meditation, denying the negative thinking about ourselves as being true, remembering that we are worthy, asking God for guidance, thanking God for loving us unconditionally and eternally… then smiling and speaking a word of kindness to ourselves and into the world around us.

You are worthy. I love you. You are blessed.