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This is the 5th, and last part of a series on the Gospel of John. We have learned many things. For starters, just as with the others, we don’t know who wrote this book. We also learned that it was the last to be written, some forty years after the first, and seventy years after the death of Jesus. From the perspective of orally handed down stories, that is a very long time for stories to be circulating. It is not hard to imagine they changed along the way before they were finally written down. To further muddy the waters, we don’t have any of the original documents. What we have are copies from a couple of hundred years later. As such some have raised the question of whether these were really the words of Jesus, or of an author trying to make his point of view known? We have no way of knowing with absolute certainty, but there are clues that Biblical Scholars can pick up for insight into this question. Many have made this effort. One such group of scholars, The Jesus Seminar, actually concluded that essentially the entire Gospel of John are not the words of Jesus. In Unity we turn our attention to the words or ideas from this book that would come from a mystic, and when we do, we do find them in this spiritual book.

This is the 4th part of a series on the Gospel of John. Episode one began with an overview of all the Gospels. My intention was to show both what they share, and how they differ. Among what they share is that we don’t know who wrote them. They are not eye-witness accounts. They were written generations later, in a different language. They differ, in that each portrays a different Jesus. In Mark, (the first Gospel written), Jesus is a simple itinerant preacher. In Matthew he is the Jewish Messiah, In Luke, the prophet and teacher, and in John (the last to be written) Jesus is the Cosmic Christ. In weeks two and three, we began to examine the Gospel of John from the perspective of the cosmic consciousness revealing itself through this book. From this point of view, what Unity calls a metaphysical interpretation, every character, every event, every word takes on significant meaning as some aspect of our Being, or of a transcendent idea. Some examples we covered were: “The word”, as the infinite potentialities of Being. The lamb of God, as the consciousness that removes error thought from the mind of the individual who has reached that level of realization. John the Baptist as the illumined natural man. Meaning that stage in us when we reach intellectual knowledge of a higher reality, thus begin the journey to the unfolding of the Cosmic Consciousness within. Finally, we addressed Jesus as the voice of the universal consciousness, speaking not as the Redeemer of Sin, but as the Revealer of Truth. Thus, when we hear Jesus make the I AM statements, or say to Nicodemus that he must be born again, he is not making human references, he is speaking as the divine essence within each of us.

Two episodes ago I started a new series on the Gospel of John. In episode one I spend some time doing “set-up work” about, not only Gospel of John, but all the Gospels. My intention was to help you understand the history of these gospels—to put them in perspective. Epiode two we dove into some of the abundant spiritual meaning in the book. Three of the major topics covered were (1) the metaphysical meaning of the person John the Baptist as the forerunner to the coming of the Christ consciousness. From Charles Fillmore we get that John the Baptist represents the “illuminated natural man”. This means that in the ever-evolving process, John the Baptist represents the stage in us when we awaken intellectually to the idea of a greater reality. The mind eventually realizes that “baptizing with water” (knowledge of the physical world), is but a voice crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord (the coming of our greater consciousness—Spirit awareness). The prologue to the Gospel reads “and the light shineth in the darkness and darkness apprehended it not”. That is to mean that we are spirit beings, yet unaware of it. We also covered the idea that, (2) spiritually speaking, “in the beginning” is the ever present here and now. So that at any moment we want to change our mind, change our world, that becomes our new beginning. Finally we talked about (3) “the word”. How both John and Genesis 1 make clear that in the beginning there was “the word” and nothing else. I posed the question: what IS this word? Charles Fillmore writes: “The Greek word (logos) cannot be adequately translated into English. In the original it denotes wisdom, judgement, power, and in fact, all inherent potentialities of Being.” Thus, in the beginning (now) there is ever all the inherent potentialities of Being before us awaiting the unfolding of our consciousness into that awareness.

Last episode, I started a new series. A series on the Gospel of John. The Gospel of John is distinctive, and unlike the other three, which are more narrative driven. As noted in the last episode, we don ‘t know who wrote any of the Gospels. However, the Gospel of John is so radically different, that some suggest it could have been the product of an entirely different school of thought. A perspective that saw the more mystical side of Jesus. That would not be a stretch, because the Gnostic texts discovered in 1945 certainly show that this was one of the many diverse views about Jesus that existed during that time. This is no different than the distinction between how tradition sees Jesus, and how Unity sees Jesus today. From this comparison, the Unity mindset would have written John, and the traditional mindset the Synoptics. Granted some of this is conjecture because we know so little about the topic from a historical, unbiased, point of view. As such, that leaves us with the liberty to take a metaphysical interpretation of the Gospel of John because that is what we do in Unity.

The Gospel of John is a very intriguing book. It is radically different from the other three, referred to as the Synoptic Gospels. The meaning of the word synoptic can be broken down to “syn” (together) and “optic” (seen). Literally “seen together”. In other words, you can place them side by side and see the similarity in format, style, and content. Such is not the case with the Gospel of John. From the onset, in John, Jesus is seen as the “Cosmic Christ”--one with God before time began. It is much more reflective and theological than the narrative-driven Synoptic Gospels. It also includes the “I AM” statements that are frequently quoted in traditional churches. These are not found in the other three gospels. Why? We will see. From the Unity angle of metaphysical interpretation, the Gospel of John is seen as more spiritual. It is the only Gospel Unity Co-Founder Charles Fillmore wrote a book about.

How many times have you heard someone bring up the question: what is my purpose? Have you ever thought about that question? Do we have a purpose? I have heard many people say that God has a purpose for us. A plan for each and every one of us. Is that true? If it is, what are the theological ramifications? If it is not, does that mean life has no purpose? Most people don't think about these things. I do. Most people are content to simply say “God” has a plan for me, and leave it at that. Join us this week as we examine the questions: What is mine to do? What is my purpose?

In today's episode, we finish our review of Unity's Five Principles with a look at Principle #5 and a general overview of the Principles. When the Unity Movement began in the late 1800s, Unity co-founder Charles Fillmore never wrote anything down for the first twenty years. His reasoning was: the person I am today, is not the person I will be tomorrow. He knew that to hold a steadfast set of beliefs was, and is, a limitation contrary to life’s unlimited nature. Eventually, he was persuaded to compile some kind of “theology” for the sake of passing on this new understanding of the relationship between God and Mankind. Many years later Charles' great-granddaughter, Connie Fillmore Bazzy, was asked if she could summarize Unity teachings for a Daily Word article back when she was the president of Unity school in Kansas City. She came up with five principles that have since become the cornerstone of our teachings. These Five Principles are: 1. God is absolute good, everywhere present. 2. Human beings are created in that image of God and our very essence is divine; therefore, we are inherently good. 3. We create our life experiences through our thoughts and beliefs. 4. Through affirmative prayer and meditation, we connect with God and bring out the good in our lives. 5. I do and give my best by living the Truth I know. I make a difference. In this episode, I will focus on Principle #5 which essentially is “walking the walk”. That is to say, putting the knowledge we have of the principles to work in our lives. Join us this week as we conclude our review of Unity’s Five Principles.

In the episode, we continue our review of Unity's Five Basic Principles with a look at principle #4 which states: prayer is creative thinking that heightens the connection with God-Mind and therefore brings forth wisdom, healing, prosperity and everything good. In her book titled The Five Principles, author Rev. Ellen Devenport, begins her chapter on the fourth principle: "Prayer would seem to be the simplest and most familiar of spiritual concepts. Even little children understand it. Prayer has been practiced by human beings throughout the ages, in many different forms, addressed to gods of many different names. And yet this is where confusion usually sets in regarding the Five Principles." But what could be confusing about prayer? You talk to God, you ask for this or that, sometimes the petition is granted, sometimes it is not. What's confusing about that? Isn't that the way it works? No, that isn't the way it works! That is a view of God that is external, and anthropomorphic. A God that is fickle and capricious. The confusion for beginning Unity students is in regards to the radical departure from this whimsical God which one has to petition to. In Principle 1 we see God as Principle. In Principle 2 we see God as personal, expressed through each of us. In Principle 3 we learn that it is we who create our own destiny, through the activity of our thinking, believing, and feeling (free will). Given these three principles, then it seems we truly are in control of our own destinies. Then who or what am I praying "to", or why is prayer necessary at all? In its simplest form, the answer is that we are an expression of this ONE greater Mind (consciousness), and through affirmative prayer (not supplication) we align ourselves with this greater good to "...bring forth wisdom, healing, prosperity and everything good". To use a metaphor, there really is a “river of life” that flows in the expansive and positive direction. Prayer then becomes aligning ourselves with this flow, to manifest that which is consistent with its general nature. Join us this week, as we delve further into the topic of affirmative prayer.

In this episode, we continue our discussion of Unity’s Five Principles with Principle 3 which states: “Human beings create their experiences by the activity of their thinking” The principle states that it is you who co-creates your experience(s)! That we are active participants in the creation process. If you’re like most, you’re probably thinking; How? By the activity of your thinking and believing, as the Principle states! The caveat that cannot be ignored is that we are not alone in the process. Mark 11:24 states, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” Mathew 21:22 states “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Notice that, in both passages, whether what you pray for “comes to be” or not, is contingent upon YOU! You are the determining factor! Is there any basis for this idea in science? Yes, there is as well! Quantum physics is essentially telling us that we live in an interactive universe (the observed is altered by the observer). Roman Catholic Priest and paleontologist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin put it this way: “The universe as we know it is a joint product of the observer and the observed.” To repeat my personal mantra: we have GOT TO change the way we see things! The time to start is now!

Unity has Five Basic Principles that summarize our entire philosophy, our theology. In her book about the Five Principles, Rev. Ellen Debenport writes: "As well as offering tools for daily living, The Five Principles suggest answers to the great questions of existence that humans have been asking since the dawn of conscious awareness." The Five Principles are: #1: God is absolute good, everywhere present. #2: Human beings are created in the image of God and our very essence is divine; therefore, we are inherently good. #3: Human beings create our life experiences through our thoughts and our beliefs. #4: Through affirmative prayer and meditation, we align with God (Source) and bring out the good in our lives. #5: I do and give my best by living the truth I know. I make a difference. If we were to express these in a concise manner, they might be something like this: GOD IS, I AM, I think (create), I pray (align), I act! Based on these principles, Unity's view of God, man and our "relationship" is quite different from that of traditional Christianity. In particular, the concept behind second principle. Of this idea Ralph Waldon Emerson wrote: the greatest revelation is that God is in every man. In this episode, we examine principle #2: Human beings are created in the image of God and our very essence is divine; therefore, we are inherently good.

These next two weeks, Unity Spiritual Center Georgetown will be conducting new membership classes. In order to become a member of any Unity center it is not necessary to believe any particular dogma or creed. We do this for a specific reason. We teach and appreciate an open mind, and an open heart. We do so because we know that every moment is a new moment, and every day our consciousness expands as a result of the experience of the day. Unity co-founder, Charles Fillmore, never wrote down anything for the first twenty years of Unity’s existence. His reasoning was: the person I am today, is not the person I will be tomorrow. He knew that to hold a steadfast set of beliefs was, and is, a limitation contrary to life’s unlimited nature. Eventually, he was persuaded to compile some kind of “theology” for the sake of passing on this new understanding of the relationship between God and Mankind. A number of books were written as a result of this effort. It was part of the birth of the New Thought Movement. Many years later, Connie Fillmore Bazzy, great-grand daughter of Charles, was asked if she could summarize Unity teachings for a Daily Word article back when she was the president of Unity school in Kansas City. She came up with five principles that since have become the cornerstone of our teachings. These Five Principles are: 1. God is absolute good, everywhere present. 2. Human beings are created in that image of God and our very essence is divine; therefore, we are inherently good. 3. We create our life experiences through our thoughts and beliefs. 4. Through affirmative prayer and meditation, we connect with God and bring out the good in our lives. 5. I do and give my best by living the Truth I know. I make a difference.

In his book: Meeting Jesus (Again) for the First Time, biblical scholar and professor, Rev. Marcus Borg presents us with a different view of one of the most influential people in  western civilization. We, in the west, have all “met” Jesus. The image we have of him is largely dependent on the religious, or non-religious, background we come from. The book presents us with an overview of these images as well as a view from the scholars. One review notes: “In this small, but eloquent and learned book, Borg directs his readers, especially those who have found no meaningful image of Jesus, away from confessed doctrines about Jesus (what the gospels and the churches say about Him) and toward a relationship with the Spirit of God.” In Unity we believe there is a major difference between the life and teachings of Jesus, and the story created about Jesus which ultimately became tradition. According to Rev. Borg, the traditional view of Jesus, as the "Christ of Faith" the only Son of God, who died for the sins of the world, was a view Jesus would have found foreign. Rev. Borg aims to present us with a new image of Jesus not commonly known. Jesus as a teacher who’s central purpose was to show us how to know God as an experiential reality. Join me this episode as we meet Jesus (again) for the first time.

This episode I will cover the first of a two-part series on a book by Unity Minister Robert Brumet titled: “Birthing A Greater Reality, A Guide For Conscious Evolution”. The conversation continues with the questions: where are we (spiritually), where are we going, and how do we get there? Brumet’s book is divided into three sections. Chapters 1 and 2 focus on the big picture of who we are and our history. Chapters 3, 4, and 5 parallel this approach, but the focus is on the personal level. Chapter 6 integrates our understanding of global evolution with the wisdom derived from our personal transformation. In the book Rev. Brumet brings up the ideas of three very influential authors/philosophers: Henri Bergson, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, and Ken Wilber. Influential that is, if you are familiar with them. I would like to believe that we are at the point of birthing a greater reality for our community and those whose lives we touch. Our fundamental belief is that there IS a greater reality, and we must ever be open to the awareness and expression of that consciousness. Unity offers a distinctly unique approach to spirituality. Our open-mind and open-heart approach puts us in a receptive mode towards that end. Join me for this episode as we continue to explore ways to ever expand our awareness as individuals and as a humanity into a higher reality.

This episode is based on two ideas. The first is the concept of integral theory as developed by American Philosopher and mystic, Ken Wilbur. The second on a book by Rev. Paul Smith applying the integral approach to Christianity. The title is: “Integral Christianity, The Spirit’s Call to Evolve.” From Ken Wilbur (the innovator of integral thought) comes this: “The word integral means comprehensive, inclusive, non-marginalizing, embracing. Integral approaches to any field attempt to be exactly that—to include as many perspectives, styles, and methodologies as possible within a coherent view of the topic. In a certain sense integral approaches are “meta-paradigms” or ways to draw together an already existing number of separate paradigms into a network of interrelated mutually enriching perspectives” In simple English, it means taking existing points of view and bringing them together to form a BIGGER, broader point of view! Basically, it’s making a bigger puzzle using smaller puzzles. From the forward, by Jim Marion, comes this: “[Rev. Smith’s book] sets forth the evolutionary stages of human spiritual development. It also explains the three stages of human spiritual development as well as the three standpoints through which humans experience the reality of God”. In his introduction to the book, Rev. Paul says, “We all wear glasses, our glasses are our worldview. The lens through which I now look at Christianity had not taken shape and did not have a name 50 years ago…. What if there is a Christian path that more closely follows Jesus than many of us have seen in the past? What if it is possible to hear the continuing voice of the Spirit as Jesus promised?”