GREAT MORNING BELOVED!!

1^st Sunday of Advent – Hope & Faith and “Be Impeccable with your word”

And I hope you had a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving. The day to remind us to be thankful, not that we need reminding. We all know the gift of gratitude…both in giving and receiving. And receiving is especially important…keep the circle of love and gratitude going!

And in case you might have forgotten, I am grateful for you all, who have made Unity Spiritual Center a place filled with love and peace and joy.

And also Hope and Faith…the first themes of Advent. Yes, ADVENT already. It’s been an interesting year, 2020. And as we wind down to the end of one and the beginning of another, we have many thoughts and even lessons from this year.

Can you think of any?

For many of us, taking care of ourselves by wearing a mask and keeping a distance from others might be something new to learn, especially since many of us do not do well, thinking of ourselves first.

And then realizing, as we take care of ourselves by wearing that mask, we are taking care of others too, makes it even more important but also, easier to do. It always seems when we think of others first, it’s easier to do.

We also learned to be at home a lot more than we were used to. And that meant learning what to do with that time in the house. I hope you took some time to do some inner work…and maybe still are!

Maybe you had to learn about sharing that space with others more than you normally did. Maybe you had to learn to be with yourself more than you were used to…and that was probably interesting…right?

I am sure you have more ideas that you are welcome to share, make a note on FB or send me a message, I’d love to hear from you.

So, yes, today we start Advent. Advent is a time of spiritual preparation. It means beginning as we work toward Christmas, representing the divine child born in each of us.

This year we are looking at Advent through the Lens of the Four Agreements.  Since we just discussed Don Miguel Ruiz’s book, I thought it would or could be interesting to look at the Advent themes with the 4 Agreements in mind.

What does Hope and Faith, Peace, Love and Joy have to do with the Birth of the Christ Consciousness and how in the world do the Four Agreements tie in?  I hope you will join us for a journey into the season of preparation weaving these different aspects of consciousness into our preparation for the Christ birth.

From the little booklet on advent, titled “The Spirit of Christmas” from Unity Worldwide Ministries, most Christians focus on hope during the first week of Advent. In Unity, perhaps inspired by the view that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for,” we contemplate both hope and faith as we spiritually prepare our hearts and minds for Christmas …

Hope arises when we glimpse a new possibility. These glimpses can inspire us to make positive changes. They can motivate us to adopt new ways of thinking and behaving.

Recall what the Four Agreements were asking us to do, make changes in the way we interact with others and in effect, change our lives.

Our 1^st Agreement, “Be Impeccable with Your Word” is asking us to put our faith in our ability to speak with integrity. Speaking with integrity first means we must discern what our integrity entails. We must challenge our beliefs. Get past our domestication and look with faith, turning hope into faith to be our true self.

As we prepare for the coming of the Christ child, we have hope that that coming will bring to us a new faith. It has been a year filled with learning opportunities. Our integrity may have been challenged many times. We may have become discouraged as the pandemic waned and then escalated, back and forth.

Our families and friends became even more important to us as we prayed and had faith that they were safe. We found new ways of communicating with them, from a safe distance.

It was in 1917 when Charles Fillmore said we can experience more peace and happiness during the holiday season by helping others to understand the true meaning of the birth of Christ within themselves. He wrote in “Christmas Literature,” published in the December 1917 issue of UNITY magazine; “You can easily do this if you select wisely your Christmas offerings . . . so let your selections be those things that will make the joy of Christ be felt, not only this season, but every hour of all time to come.”

Many refer to the first candle as the candle of hope but also of prophecy. The Hebrew Bible talked of the messiah who would come. They were impeccable with their words. They spoke words directly from our Source, God, Spirit, Divine Energy.

The people of Israel put their faith in those words. What are you putting your faith in?

I am not saying that we should just hunker down in our homes and pray. We should always definitely pray and meditate or take time for contemplation. But we must remember that we all have a gift to share. And those scientists working on how to treat and prevent this disease and many others are here to share their gift…the gift of science.

They are being impeccable with their word by working with integrity to find a cure.

So, we find patience in this ‘pause.’ We do what is ours to do and, in this case, we listen to the truth that is being presented by the scientists as they discuss their findings and tests and then how all that can help us.

In the meantime, the more present we are with others, the more impeccable our words and actions will be with others.

Not presents but presence…

Christmas is a shining light at the end of this long year.  Feel the hope and faith as we travel through each week. Let the lights and decorations lift you with childlike anticipation. Watch the Christmas themed movies and eat a few Christmas cookies!

Look again to see if you are being present with others. No disassociating as the family and friends have gathered to share with you. But sharing the love and excitement with them. Be impeccable with your words, thoughts and actions.

And I invite you to check me…let me know whether my words are in alignment with my beliefs. It’s always interesting to hear what other have to say as they give constructive criticism.

Remember, every experience is our teacher

I give you this as we go into meditation:

“May you have enough happiness to make you sweet,

enough trials to make you strong,

enough sorrow to keep you human,

enough hope to make you happy.”

Unknown