Mark 12:28-31 (NRSV)
28 One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30 you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’31 The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
In Mark 12:28-31 Jesus proclaims to his followers what his two most essential spiritual teachings are. The first is to understand that God, Divine Substance, is all there is and each one of us must claim that Truth in consciousness. This is the essence of Principle one in Unity that there is one presence and one power in the Universe, God the good omnipotent. When we love God with all our hearts and with all our souls, and with all our strength Jesus is telling us that we must know with every fiber of our being our Oneness in God. The second important spiritual Truth is to love thy neighbor as thyself. This teaching is clearly reflected in Unity’s second Principle which states: every individual is a spiritual being, created in God’s image and that the spirit of God lives within each person; therefore, all people are inherently good.
Jesus simply and clearly states that living from the consciousness of Divine Love is our most important purpose in life. Although simply stated, living from a consciousness of Oneness is difficult for many. Love is one of if not the most popular subjects found in novels, songs, and movies. Yet, people continue to be perplexed by Love and seem to be on a constant search to discover Love in their lives. Part of the problem lies in how Love is depicted by our collective culture. Webster defines love as a feeling of strong or constant affection for a person and an attraction that includes sexual desire. We are taught that someone or something outside of ourselves will fulfill us with the Love we seek. If we would just find the right partner and the right friends we would experience Love. If only family members and friends would be more loving to me, maybe I would experience real love. Well, my friends, it doesn’t work that way which I know many Truth seekers have already discovered.
According to Charles Fillmore, cofounder of Unity, Divine Love is impersonal; it loves for the sake of loving. It is not concerned with what or who it loves, or with a return of love. Like the sun, its joy is in the shining forth of its nature. Love is an inner quality that sees good everywhere and in everybody. It insists that all is good, and by refusing to see anything but good it causes that quality finally to appear in the uppermost in itself; and in all things…Love is the great harmonizer and healer. Fillmore informs us that Love is who we are and in order to experience Love we must claim that in consciousness. We must align our thoughts, beliefs, feelings, words, and actions to reflect that everything is Divine. In order to experience Oneness, we must first realize that we are the Love we seek. Fillmore tells us that when we radiate Love from within that we experience pure Joy. So, my friends take a moment and ask yourself these questions. How can I be the love I seek? What actions can I take today to be Love in action? As I have watched some of the troubling events playing out in our world I feel now more than ever we must not contract in fear, but courageously emanate the unifying, harmonizing energy of Love.
As spiritual leader of this community I have been asking how I can call us to be Love in action. Unity’s Fifth Principle states it’s not enough to study Truth we must live it in our lives… we must be the love we seek. During my Sunday talk at the end of December on “I Am the Love I Seek”, I discussed several ideas on how individuals can participate in experiences that foster the experience of Divine Love. Some mentioned were to participate in Stand in Love Triads, Luminary Circles of Light and Love, distance affirmative world prayer events, as well as engaging in a collectively decided group outreach in our community. I will be explaining in detail all of these opportunities at our annual meeting on January 31, 2016. I invite you to claim your Divine essence, and join with me in helping to shift our collective consciousness from fear to Love!
Love and Light,
Angela Denton MA; P.D. MFT; LUT
Spiritual Leader
