"Dead Knowing!"

It seems righteous, that after recently investing a considerable number of Sundays exploring the many ways that mind can be used unskillfully, that something be said about the importance of translating our newfound “knowing” into a “doing.”

If, as the Gospel of James suggests, “Faith without works is dead,” it would seem to follow that “knowing” without “doing” is just as futile. So, lets share an idea or two about the significance of consistently applying what we’ve learned.

Almost two thousand years ago an inspired Galilean prophet shook the foundations of Hebrew theocracy by declaring that all beings are children of a universal “Father within” who wants nothing more from us than to learn how to celebrate the grace of existence by “loving one another” in a radically unconditionally way. Fifteen hundred years later, Jesus’ invitation to cultivate the spiritual art of unconditional love was still struggling for a foothold.

Nowhere was this more evident than in the violent sectarian conflict going on in the mid-East between the Muslims and Hindus during the late 1500’s. The struggle was so intense that it inspired an awakened spiritual master, Guru Nanak, to found a new religion, Sikhism, in an attempt to build a bridge of understanding between the two warring faiths.

Once, while visiting Mecca during those times of intense hostility, Guru Nanak was asked by a devotee, “What religious belief is superior, Hindu or Muslim?”

The Guru replied, “If their belief system doesn’t inspire ethical, compassionate behavior in the hearts of their followers, neither one is of any consequence. Truth is high, but higher still is truthful living.”

All spiritual paths initiated by truly awakened beings contain teachings that are extraordinary in their potential to dramatically transform the behavior of their devotees, but not until the truth becomes a living reality consistently reflected in their acts and utterances.

And there you have it. The key to all truly relevant and authentic transformation is the willingness to bring a fierce commitment to the discipline of faithfully applying the spiritual principles that “set us free” to be loving players in the game of life.

And, just to be sure that we are clear on what it means to “apply” something, consider this from the Random House Dictionary. There we find that the first, thus commonest, definition of “apply” is “to make practical or active use of.”

Therein lies a key to understanding what inspires some folks to define Unity as a “practical” form of Christianity. Unity is a life philosophy that will dynamically reward anyone who makes "active use of" its clear and practical strategies for enjoying the fruit of the spiritually informed life.

Jesus was crystal clear on this point. He was totally committed to inspiring all His followers to move beyond simply “knowing” His commandments into the spiritually rarified space of “keeping them in remembrance of Him.” Key thought . . . “keeping them.”

Remember his inspiring revelation that, “these things I do, and even greater things, you shall do!” It’s all about the power of spiritual action, the power of doing, the power of releasing the energy inherent in the principles of Truth when they are “acted on” in ways that liberate their great potential to become the mighty spiritual force that transforms our lives from bondage to freedom, from the mundane to the mystical.

Dr. William Willimon, Dean of the Chapel at Duke University, nailed this notion when he suggested that he couldn’t recall anytime that Jesus asked his disciples to “believe the following five things about me.” Hardly. What Jesus invited them to do was to experience the grace of responding to his invitation to “follow me.”

“Follow me” . . . a doing, His overture to taste the power of making “active use of” the genius contained in His mystical revelations of a liberating Truth, a Way to a life so unclouded by longing it “passes understanding.”

Nowhere in our study of the Jesus ethic do we encounter Him encouraging us to refine, for example, our capacity to correctly define and properly articulate the conceptual principles of love. No. He simply calls us out and leaves us with His one commandment . . . “love one another as I have loved you.” “Let your light shine.” “Be” a love that shows up faithfully to hug and help and nurture each other through the “slings and arrows” that dot the path of every journey through an earth plane incarnation.

Furthermore, scripture contains no evidence suggesting that Jesus demanded perpetual praise and worship as a condition of discipleship. Indeed, rather than “standing on the corner and praying loudly to be heard of men,” He typically maintained His “nothing specialness” by “praying to the Father in secret,” and declaring “it is not I, but the Father within that doeth the works.” Or, “These things I do and even greater things you shall do.”

There it is again, the “do” word. Not you shall think about it, or you shall discuss it, or you shall take it under advisement. He left no place to hide. If you want to be my disciple . . . “DO IT!”

Nor did He ever suggest that "following” Him demanded an unquestioning belief that He had indeed been born of a virgin, turned water into wine, walked on water, raised the dead, or rose from the cross. The only test for discipleship in the Jesus tradition was perfectly clarified with His counsel that, “They shall know you are my disciples by your love for one another.” If you pay close attention you’ll hear Him inviting us to abide in Him, to do the things He did, to follow Him, to do our best to emulate His life by keeping His commandments.

Remember it is far more crucial that we put our energy into “being” a disciple, a follower of Jesus, than it is to work at perfecting our identity as a Christian. If you ever catch me focusing on how to make you a “good Unitic,” hit me in the back of the head with a 3 iron, please. The dance is not about learning how to be a perfect enunciator of a religious ideology. Christianity, righteously understood, transcends knowledge, beliefs, and theological propositions to reach out and embrace the rarified space of authentic discipleship, a willingness to follow His teachings with impeccable integrity deep into the mystical heart of their origins.

Remember, transcending ego doesn’t mean getting rid of it. It’s simply about plugging it into a neural network more spiritually informed than its current operating system. You’ll know you’re getting close when a deep and inner peace begins to haunt you and you find yourself incapable of manufacturing turmoil with quite the same conviction you once could.

I honor your growing capacity to come off your positions and enjoy a good laugh over how boldly we defended the utter crap we clung to so arrogantly as the last word on whatever topic was under discussion..

Finally, ultimately, the effectiveness of our transformational practices will be determined by the level of intimacy we have cultivated with the Source of all life enhancing energies... Love – Peace – Joy – Compassion – Forgiveness – Wisdom - not to mention a little Pain and Suffering thrown in now and then to stir the pot of our awakening.

And so the question remains . . . How truly intimate is our connection to the Heart-Mind of God – the Christ within? Has our quest for truth merely cultivated our intellects, or has a fierce commitment to doing His revelation gone so soul deep that ecstatic silence is the only appropriate response?

The difference can be dramatic. Snap your rubber bands and find out!

Enjoy the quest... it's the only game in town!
--Love,
Chad

© 2005 Rev. Chad O'Shea

"When all is said and done,
more is said than done."
~Lou Holtz

"No one would remember the Good Samaritan
if he'd only had good intentions."
-- Margaret Thatcher, 1986

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