Post by rmcdra on Jul 5, 2015 19:25:45 GMT -5
6. His disciples asked him and said to him, "Do you want us to fast? How should we pray? Should we give to charity? What diet should we observe?"
Jesus said, "Don't lie, and don't do what you hate, because all things are disclosed before heaven. After all, there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and there is nothing covered up that will remain undisclosed. - Gospel of Thomas
5 For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter had tempted you and that our labors might have been in vain. 6 But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you, 7 for this reason, brethren, in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith; 8 for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord. - 1 Thessalonians 3:5-8
Oh wretched man, what will you do if you fall into their hands? Protect yourself, lest you be delivered into the hands of your enemies. Entrust yourself to this pair of friends, reason and mind, and no one will be victorious over you. May God dwell in your camp, may his Spirit protect your gates, and may the mind of Divinity protect the walls. Let holy reason become a torch in your mind, burning the wood which is the whole of sin. - Teachings of Silvanus
When we think of religion, we often think of a laundry list of do's and don'ts. For many, religion is nothing more than a set of laws that one obeys without question. But what if those laws go against your conscious or what if the law is against what we know to be right? If religion is a set of laws then what good does it serve? We have laws in our areas, laws of our families, laws of our moral codes, why the need for more laws? Maybe concerning religion we have been wrong in our thinking about what it is. We have been conditioned to see religion as if it were following the laws of another country but is this view accurate or is it is something we created? Religion can be more accurately described as a way of life. It is our world view, our customs, the way we choose to live life. Since religion is a way of life, we should try to keep it as simple as possible so that it grows with us.
When Jesus was asked about what his disciples should do, how should they pray, what kind and how much alms should they give, what kind of food they were restricted from eating, he responded in a very common sense manner. Don't do what you hate and be honest with yourself. While there are some who may see this as an excuse to do whatever you want, the core of this message is integrity. If you aren't moved to pray then who are you trying to please by praying? All motives are known to God, why do something you don't want to do? If it's not pleasing to yourself, if its not pleasing to God, then why do it? This is keeping it simple and making your religion your way of life and your own. The God that Jesus reveals here is an unknown god to the people of his times. Gods were no different from kings, so orders from a god were expected to be obeyed without question even if they caused personal suffering. If there is no personal meaning behind what you do then why do it?
What it is asked seems easy for those who are part of what is regarded as normal. For some of us it's more difficult. For those of us that are in a class of people that are stereotyped, whether it be racial, religiously, in one's gender and sexual expression, there is immense pressure on us. Because we represent a view that is not regarded as normal, we are often put in a position where we have to be the face of that different way of being. We are either going to confirm those stereotypes or be the one that shows that shows that what is regarded as normal is an illusion. At the same time those of us who are regarded as part of the illusion of normal do have the power to hurt such people whether we want it or not. We can opposes the illusion of normal by being authentic and compassionate, whether we are in the role of the oppressor or the oppressed. It is being honest with ourselves and how we live our lives as well as having compassion for our “other” that allows us to shatter that illusion. Those of us in roles of social power must understand what that power is and how that power can be used against our brothers and sisters. That when we recognize that there is an injustice or that a stereotype is false, we can use that power to change it. Those of us that are not in roles of power, continue living your life being who you are for the illusion can never be shattered if another way being is not shown. We must be compassionate and understanding that our way of being is unknown, like our unknown God. The only way to counter hate is through love and integrity for to give into the hate is to become the very empire we oppose, to become infected by the virus that Philip K Dick wrote about.
Our tools at our disposal our friends, reason and mind. It is through being thoughtful and purposeful that we can be authentic and find that spark of God that dwells within us. It is through mind and reason that we can recognize when a law no longer serves us and we have become servants to it. It is the slavery to the law that were crafted, not innate, that creates the illusion of normal. Sin is not disobedience to the law but ignorance of the perfect love. That ignorance of the perfect love is what leads to error and the root of all evil. Error tries to maintain its self through distortions of truth and through authority, through oppression. But since error is not rooted in truth, reason and mind will be its undoing. For any argument, no matter how well crafted, will fall apart if there is no truth to it. Reason and mind will burn away at it leaving only what is imperishable and that which is imperishable is truth.
Religion is a way of life. It provides us tools on how we can live it fully but like anything in the world of form, our world, it can also be used as a weapon to degrade and devalue us. Being the seeds of Sophia, we have at our disposal our mind and and reason to keep us from our way of life from becoming burdensome. If the religious laws we adhered to go against reason and your conscience then why follow them. If the God you follow is supposed to be a God of truth and love, then why would such a being expect you to follow something that opposed to either of these? These “friends”, mind and reason, are what allow us to recognize the Christ spirit in whatever form it takes for the Christ spirit is not confined to any one religion or sect. It is also through these friends that aid us in recognizing when our roles, either as oppressor or oppressed, and allows not to give in to the blind sentiment, “that's just the way things are.” We already have many burdens that come with living here. Whatever those burdens may be, the last thing we need is a world view that ignores those burdens or makes them more burdensome and unbearable. Finding that which makes your yoke lighter is what brings you closer to the Fullness.
A thank you to Cassandra Farrin at the Westar Institutue who's article on 1 Thessalonians 1-3 gave me the inspiration for this sermon.
Jesus said, "Don't lie, and don't do what you hate, because all things are disclosed before heaven. After all, there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and there is nothing covered up that will remain undisclosed. - Gospel of Thomas
5 For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter had tempted you and that our labors might have been in vain. 6 But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you, 7 for this reason, brethren, in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith; 8 for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord. - 1 Thessalonians 3:5-8
Oh wretched man, what will you do if you fall into their hands? Protect yourself, lest you be delivered into the hands of your enemies. Entrust yourself to this pair of friends, reason and mind, and no one will be victorious over you. May God dwell in your camp, may his Spirit protect your gates, and may the mind of Divinity protect the walls. Let holy reason become a torch in your mind, burning the wood which is the whole of sin. - Teachings of Silvanus
When we think of religion, we often think of a laundry list of do's and don'ts. For many, religion is nothing more than a set of laws that one obeys without question. But what if those laws go against your conscious or what if the law is against what we know to be right? If religion is a set of laws then what good does it serve? We have laws in our areas, laws of our families, laws of our moral codes, why the need for more laws? Maybe concerning religion we have been wrong in our thinking about what it is. We have been conditioned to see religion as if it were following the laws of another country but is this view accurate or is it is something we created? Religion can be more accurately described as a way of life. It is our world view, our customs, the way we choose to live life. Since religion is a way of life, we should try to keep it as simple as possible so that it grows with us.
When Jesus was asked about what his disciples should do, how should they pray, what kind and how much alms should they give, what kind of food they were restricted from eating, he responded in a very common sense manner. Don't do what you hate and be honest with yourself. While there are some who may see this as an excuse to do whatever you want, the core of this message is integrity. If you aren't moved to pray then who are you trying to please by praying? All motives are known to God, why do something you don't want to do? If it's not pleasing to yourself, if its not pleasing to God, then why do it? This is keeping it simple and making your religion your way of life and your own. The God that Jesus reveals here is an unknown god to the people of his times. Gods were no different from kings, so orders from a god were expected to be obeyed without question even if they caused personal suffering. If there is no personal meaning behind what you do then why do it?
What it is asked seems easy for those who are part of what is regarded as normal. For some of us it's more difficult. For those of us that are in a class of people that are stereotyped, whether it be racial, religiously, in one's gender and sexual expression, there is immense pressure on us. Because we represent a view that is not regarded as normal, we are often put in a position where we have to be the face of that different way of being. We are either going to confirm those stereotypes or be the one that shows that shows that what is regarded as normal is an illusion. At the same time those of us who are regarded as part of the illusion of normal do have the power to hurt such people whether we want it or not. We can opposes the illusion of normal by being authentic and compassionate, whether we are in the role of the oppressor or the oppressed. It is being honest with ourselves and how we live our lives as well as having compassion for our “other” that allows us to shatter that illusion. Those of us in roles of social power must understand what that power is and how that power can be used against our brothers and sisters. That when we recognize that there is an injustice or that a stereotype is false, we can use that power to change it. Those of us that are not in roles of power, continue living your life being who you are for the illusion can never be shattered if another way being is not shown. We must be compassionate and understanding that our way of being is unknown, like our unknown God. The only way to counter hate is through love and integrity for to give into the hate is to become the very empire we oppose, to become infected by the virus that Philip K Dick wrote about.
Our tools at our disposal our friends, reason and mind. It is through being thoughtful and purposeful that we can be authentic and find that spark of God that dwells within us. It is through mind and reason that we can recognize when a law no longer serves us and we have become servants to it. It is the slavery to the law that were crafted, not innate, that creates the illusion of normal. Sin is not disobedience to the law but ignorance of the perfect love. That ignorance of the perfect love is what leads to error and the root of all evil. Error tries to maintain its self through distortions of truth and through authority, through oppression. But since error is not rooted in truth, reason and mind will be its undoing. For any argument, no matter how well crafted, will fall apart if there is no truth to it. Reason and mind will burn away at it leaving only what is imperishable and that which is imperishable is truth.
Religion is a way of life. It provides us tools on how we can live it fully but like anything in the world of form, our world, it can also be used as a weapon to degrade and devalue us. Being the seeds of Sophia, we have at our disposal our mind and and reason to keep us from our way of life from becoming burdensome. If the religious laws we adhered to go against reason and your conscience then why follow them. If the God you follow is supposed to be a God of truth and love, then why would such a being expect you to follow something that opposed to either of these? These “friends”, mind and reason, are what allow us to recognize the Christ spirit in whatever form it takes for the Christ spirit is not confined to any one religion or sect. It is also through these friends that aid us in recognizing when our roles, either as oppressor or oppressed, and allows not to give in to the blind sentiment, “that's just the way things are.” We already have many burdens that come with living here. Whatever those burdens may be, the last thing we need is a world view that ignores those burdens or makes them more burdensome and unbearable. Finding that which makes your yoke lighter is what brings you closer to the Fullness.
A thank you to Cassandra Farrin at the Westar Institutue who's article on 1 Thessalonians 1-3 gave me the inspiration for this sermon.
