Unity Church of Castro Valley
Sunday Message for March 25, 2007
I Am Forgiving & Forgiven
We are talking today about being forgiving and being forgiven. If we believe that God is all, then we know that anytime we hold resentment, we believe that the person is outside of God. But, in reality, anything that is in our life is there for a reason. There is always something to be revealed.
We need to embrace all of our life, or all of God. We can't ignore the bad or ignore the good in our life, because it's all God and it all serves a purpose.
But, you might ask, where does the bad stuff come from if God only wishes us good? We attract it like a magnet - it comes from our consciousness. And, no, we don't usually ask for it consciously, but it may be a deep-seated belief in our sub-conscious mind. Our thoughts, deeds and words, return to us sooner or later, with astounding accuracy.
Knowing this, though, does not mean that we should go into guilt about what we have created. We need to accept God's forgiveness of our errors, and we need to forgive others and our self for errors.
RECONCILIATION 1
Walter Starcke talks about forgiveness in his book It's All God. He points out that it says in (2 Corinthians 5:17-19) "So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us."
Could it be any clearer that God has already forgiven us and that we now need to forgive? To forgive ourselves, and to forgive everyone else. We have been given “the ministry of reconciliation.”
According to Webster reconciliation means to bring together. The dictionary says that it is to make friendly again or to make compatible or to bring into harmony. How are we doing so far in this world at reconciliation? How are we doing so far in our families at reconciliation? And how are we doing so far within ourselves to bring things into harmony?
I think if there were one word that would sum up the consciousness of the entire Christ message it would have to be reconciliation. Jesus talked about bringing people together. He said, (Matthew 5:44) "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." And Jesus talked about bringing together that part of us that is of the earth with that part of us that is of Spirit. He said, (John 17:22-23) "That they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one."
In fact, the idea of reconciliation of spirit and flesh runs throughout Christianity, the idea of God becoming man, and the idea of cause and effect being one and the same. Jesus told us that through reconciliation the illusion of duality goes away. He said that the loneliness or isolation created by the ego ceases to exist as a reality.
The way to oneness is not through telling other people about their sins, or their errors - it is through reconciling them with the spiritual truth of their being. It is through seeing the Christ within them.
Jesus wasn't playing metaphysical games or just flapping his gums when he said, (Matthew 22:37-39) "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. And you shall love your neighbor as yourself." He was telling us that he believed God to be the only power, the only presence, and the only reality. He was saying that we should love the spiritual and the material and know that both are the universal omnipresence. Until we can reconcile the material or human side of the world with the spiritual and see that they are one and the same, we will never know that it is all God.
OIL AND WATER 1
One of the main reasons that reconciliation fails is that we think that to reconcile two things they have to become the same. We have tried to make human beings spiritual, but trying to spiritualize humanity is like trying to mix oil and water. No matter how hard you mix the two, they always settle down and become separate.
The only solution is to stop trying to make either of them other than what they are. When you love them for what they are you have reconciled the two. They both come from the same Source and they are both parts of God.
Forgiveness, or reconciliation, is an inside job. It really has nothing to do with anyone else. It is something that takes place within ourselves. We have to reconcile what has happened on the outside with the principles of our Higher consciousness. We can be objective about what is happening, but we also must be free of judgment before we can find peace.
In order for us to become reconciled, we have to bring the spiritual identity of another person into perspective with that person's human conduct. If we get to the point where we are able to release another person from spiritual judgment, that person has been reconciled.
When we get angry at someone and we can find the place within ourselves where we are able to blame the ignorance that is using the other person, but not the person, we can reconcile the inner being of the person with their mistake. That is called forgiveness.
The way we forgive someone who has violated principle is to realize that the person was hypnotized by ignorance. It is then possible for us to love the person who is trapped in his or her ignorance without ignoring the ignorance. In that state of love we can come to the altar and pray the prayer of reconciliation even if we still hold the other person accountable.
This is what happened to Jesus on the cross. When he said (Luke 23:34) "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." He didn't say ‘doing to me,' as some people may think he meant. He was saying, “Forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing to themselves.” He was reconciling their ignorance with the truth of their being.
In other words, to be reconciled may occasionally have something to do with another's actions, but spiritually it means for us to reconcile appearances with their inner reality. It has to do with our being able to be aware of ignorance without losing sight of the divinity of each other's souls. Ascension consciousness is the ultimate reconciliation. When that happens, we are all included in the one body of Christ consciousness. We transcend the intellect and we become aware that it is all God.
EXCLUSION AND FORGIVENESS 1
Forgiveness is the most important single act anyone can do to bring peace to his or her soul, harmony to life, and love to God. And the thing is, it has little or nothing to do with another person. It is an internal process. To be forgiving is just what the word says - to be “for giving.” Spiritually, there is only one thing we can give another person, and that is freedom from judgment. Whenever we give, we release and allow God or Love to be all-inclusive. Any time we no longer hold on to any thing, any person, or any concept (even good ones), we have forgiven them and accepted their oneness as a part of God.
Jesus said, (Matthew 16:19) "Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." It also means that whatever you release (or forgive), you free in heavenly consciousness, and whatever you judge you bind to you in your earthly consciousness. Everything God has created has a place and a purpose. When you know this you no longer see some things as good and others as bad - then you have become a forgiver. When you stop trying to eliminate anything, you are affirming that it's all God.
The only security or happiness we ever achieve comes from realizing that God is all, and that everything and everyone is included in that allness. When that happens, there isn't anything left to forgive. When we stop believing that it is necessary to exclude our hurt feelings, and we include and replace them with the Spirit of Love, we know true forgiveness. This is a spiritual matter - a matter of Spirit. Whenever any aspect of wholeness is excluded, the Spirit of Union and fulfillment is impossible. The Spirit of Forgiveness is present when our release is all-inclusive and there is nothing more to let go of at any level.
It may sound strange, but we also have to forgive God. While realizing that our fulfillment comes from God consciousness, we have to release God from our wants and expectations. God is all and God is perfect, because God is perfectly all-inclusive. Everything is included in God. By realizing that everything is perfectly part of the divine plan, we forgive God, and we release God. If we trust and live by this realization, we can forgive and release every person and every thing, because it's all in God's hands. That is why to be forgiving is the surest way to heaven.
WORDS ON FORGIVENESS 2
It says in (Matthew 5:23-24) "So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift."
Since we are starting our Class on Prayer today, this is an important scripture. It reminds us that our prayers are not as effective when we hold unforgiving thoughts in our minds about ourselves or others. If we really want our prayers to be felt and experienced, we have to pray with a receptive mind and heart. We must be free from unresolved issues that block the flow of our good.
This scripture tells us to pray with a loving and pure heart. Once our heart is an open channel, the grace of God can flow freely through it, we are changed, and our prayers are answered.
Forgiveness can be a difficult hurdle - but it's a hurdle to overcome if we want a life of health, happiness, and prosperity. When Peter asked Jesus, (Matthew 18:21) "How often should I forgive?" Jesus said, (Matthew 18:22) "Seventy-seven times." It seems that we are being told that forgiveness is something we'll have to do all of our lives. No matter what the cause of any upset we may experience, we need to learn the tools of forgiveness and keep them close at hand.
VISUALIZATION AND FORGIVENESS 3
So let's do a forgiveness practice. Just get comfortable in your seat. Close your eyes and go within. Affirm three times, silently, God is the life within me.
Affirm three times, silently, I now release every recognized or unrecognized feeling of fear, resentment, condemnation, envy, distrust, hate, or any other negative feeling or thought about myself or anything I may have said, thought, or done. I forgive myself for everything, and I love and bless myself.
Affirm three times, silently, Divine love now dissolves and dissipates every wrong condition in my mind, body, and relationships.
Now visualize in detail and in color the most beautiful, peaceful scene you can. Bring all your senses to play, and let the feeling of complete oneness with God and the universe fill your being. Feel yourself melting into the scene.
Gradually let the feeling become light that is going through your circulatory and nervous systems. See the light flowing into every dark corner. Use white light or a specific color, or simply allow the light to be the color determined by your subconscious mind.
Gradually withdraw attention from the light as you affirm three times, silently, God is life. I am one with God. I am one with life. Thank You, God, for perfect life. In the name and through the power of Jesus Christ, Amen
SCRIPTURE: 2 Corinthians 5:17-19; Matthew 5:44; John 17:22-23; Matthew 22:37-39; Luke 23:34; Matthew 16:19; Matthew 5:23-24; Matthew 18:21-22
REFERENCE: It's All God Walter Starcke 1; Pray Up Your Life Charline E. Manuel 2; Handbook of Positive Prayer Hypatia Hasbrouck 3
Last updated
March 11, 2007
