How can we grow beyond our tribal differences of politics, religion, and culture to build a more healthy, just, and compassionate world for all people? Let’s emerge from isolation with a greater commitment to a more inclusive idea of community.
[00:00:00] The following talk was given at Mile Hi Church in Lakewood, Colorado. Please visit our website at MileHiChurch.org So hey, it's great to be here with you tonight. Thanks a lot for tuning in and we're moving into the next phase out there in the world
[00:00:19] and so I thought we'd great to talk about a little bit about just moving into the next phase and how we might do that more intentionally, more consciously and things I wanted to talk about tonight was our tribes
[00:00:35] and moving beyond our tribes as we go into this next phase and I know all of us are kind of born into tribes. We've got the tribes of our parents and the way that they thought and our religious tribes that we were born into
[00:00:51] and we've got our political tribes, we've got our social tribes, ethnic tribes places just where we feel comfortable and as we've found ourselves in this global pandemic here it's caused us to look beyond those and to see a bigger picture
[00:01:13] and I was thinking this week some about the astronauts I've been thinking a lot about them lately, about them going up into space and looking at the Earth from a different way I brought a picture here that they showed
[00:01:30] And it was the first time we got to see the Earth this way you know with no borders, no boundaries and they said it was just like an instant global consciousness several of them spoke of this and I think that we've kind of moved into that idea now
[00:01:50] as we start to open up, as we start to open up all over the world in different places where we're looking at it and we're trying to figure out how do we do this new thing?
[00:02:02] How do we move forward and do it in a way that supports everybody well being and so that's why I'm going to talk about tonight is the concept of moving beyond our tribes and the first thing I think that's important is that we honor our tribes
[00:02:21] our tribes make us feel comfortable to be around we call like-minded people, to be around people who share our values the people who, you know in our political tribes we're working with people who believe in the same things that we do
[00:02:36] but there's a bigger picture unfolding now too and I think we need to be aware of that as a spiritual center here we've noticed that we get the opportunity to go deeper in this time like this to deepen our connection with God, to do our spiritual practice
[00:02:59] and to feel more grounded in our spiritual practice and to kind of go beyond politics for a while because of this situation it's given us an opportunity to kind of keep those tribal political hostilities at bay for just a little bit, it's been a good thing
[00:03:20] you know in a reminder me of a story in the Bible that I just love and this is a story that's in Matthew, Mark and Luke it's a time when some men came to Jesus with a political question and a very much a tribal political question
[00:03:38] and at the time when Jesus was alive his tribe that Jewish tribe was being occupied by the Romans and there was a lot of the Jewish people who wanted to revolt and overthrow the Romans there were other Jewish people, the Jewish leaders, especially who
[00:03:55] thought that the status quo should be maintained so somebody comes to Jesus and man and says you know your wise, we know that you're a very smart, very just person I just have a question for you here should we as Jewish people be paying taxes to the Romans
[00:04:14] and Jesus knew that this was a trap and that either way that he answered he was going to be in trouble with somebody so this is what he did, he said let me have a coin
[00:04:26] somebody here of a coin and he said whose face is on this coin and they said well that's the Emperor's face, that's Caesar's face and he said well give to Caesar those things that are Caesar's but give to God those things that are God's
[00:04:42] what an answer that was it says in the Bible that they all were amazed and you got to admit that's a pretty good answer and one of the things I just love about that is he's talking about
[00:04:53] be involved in the system that you're in, be involved in the culture that you're in, do your civic duty but save your heart, your soul, and your mind for God there is a bigger story unfolding here and we don't want to settle for the cheap drama of politics
[00:05:09] when we have a real connection with the living spirit that is available to us so I think that's the opportunity that we have right now we have that opportunity to stay connected with spirit, stay connected with our spirit, we'll discipline,
[00:05:25] stay connected with the truth of ourselves as we move into this next phase Next thing I wanted to talk about was the concept of being for something rather than being against things all the time
[00:05:39] one of the things that we see about tribalism is that we spend a lot of our time attacking the other tribes that's where a lot of our focus goes is to be in attack mode and it's all based on fear
[00:05:52] and there's so much uncertainty now that there is a lot of fear in our culture but I think the thing that we can do is we can make the decision to be for something to be for something rather than against things
[00:06:10] you know I had the great opportunity this summer my wife Stephanie and I went out to California to a conference where all of our centers get together and they you know we have a lot of music
[00:06:23] and a lot of speakers that are it's a place called the Ceilamar which is in the Monterey Peninsula and was always a gathering place for the centers for spirit to live in religious science and our founder Ernest Holmes used to have an annual gathering out there in August
[00:06:38] and people will come from all over the country in this year they were celebrating to come back to a Ceilamar, we came back there and we were talking about Ernest Holmes last talk
[00:06:51] which is called the sermon by the sea it was the last time he spoke to people before he made his transition last time he spoke to this group of people and so all the speakers during the week all the ministers that got up in spoke
[00:07:07] reference that last talk when he was kind of saying what was important to him as he knew that he was ending his time here on earth and this is something that he said that I thought was really it was really important
[00:07:21] it would be wonderful indeed if a group of person should arrive on earth who were forced something and against nothing this would be the highest good for an organization wouldn't it? it is in the life of the individual
[00:07:36] find me one person who is forced something and against nothing who is redeemed enough not to condemn others out of burden of his soul and I will find another savior, another Jesus and an exalted human being
[00:07:52] he went on to expound about that thing the idea of being forced something and against nothing and it certainly is a tall order but I think that we can see culturally as we move out into this next phase
[00:08:07] that we have been a part of an idea we are all in this together we see those signs in the windows we see those banners in the street we are all in this together we see it in the commercials so can we be forced something now?
[00:08:26] can we be forced something? to find something that we are for and to put our energy there to put our commitment there, to put our time and our efforts there to be a part of the political process but to be forced something
[00:08:42] and to be clear about what we are for to be enlightened citizens and to do our work in the world in a positive way and I like what he said it starts with the individual starts with each of us and we make it collective by our commitment together
[00:09:00] and the last thing I wanted to say is as we move into this next this next time we got to reach out and serve it's an opportunity for us to reach out and serve like we never have before we have a tremendous amount of work ahead of us
[00:09:18] tremendous amount of work all over this planet there is a lot to be done and so our service in our commitment to service is going to be the thing that pulls us through let's go and be the place where we need to place our focus and so
[00:09:40] I just got done reading a great book it's a book called The Second Mountain it was written by a guy named David Brooks who is a columnist for the New York Times wrote this great book about just kind of the path that we follow through life
[00:09:55] and he said on our first mountain we're striving and we're trying to make it we're trying to make money to better it our job to move up and whatever we're doing and he said the goals and that first mountain are the normal goals that our culture endorses
[00:10:13] to be a success, to be well thought of, to get invited into the right social circles and to experience personal happiness it's all the normal stuff, nice home, nice family, nice vacations, good food, good friends and so on and then something happens and all of us know that
[00:10:32] what happens on the first mountain is often times we get knocked off of it a relationship falls apart, somebody passes our job goes away, we just kind of lose our way that's how most of us found our way here, we lost our way
[00:10:50] so what he said is at that time we fall into the valley and what's interesting now is we've all fallen into the valley together the whole planet's in the valley now and in the valley is where we learn and we grow
[00:11:06] and we shed some of the things that no longer serve us and then we start moving towards the Second Mountain and that's different the people who have been made larger by their suffering are brave enough to let parts of their old self die
[00:11:23] down in the valley their motivations changed they've gone from self-centered to other centered the Second Mountain is not the opposite of the first mountain to climb it doesn't mean rejecting the first mountain is the journey after it it's the more generous and satisfying phase of life
[00:11:44] that's the opportunity that's in front of us now to look for spiritual solutions but include everybody to stay connected and to give the best part of our self to God to look there for our guidance and we can do this we are indeed in this together
[00:12:05] that's the good news I just love that multi-talented doctor Barry Ebert he sings, he preaches, he knows all sorts of stuff about kids and families the only thing he can't do is dance I think we've discovered that dancing may not be his biggest talent
[00:12:27] or gift but it's great that he does so much else and we're really grateful again to have you here with us we'll talk a little bit just for a minute about some of our favorite things about this beautiful place, my Ohio Church
[00:12:43] so what's something great you think that's going on these days around here Dr. Barry besides that, that great talk you just gave one of the things I like this going on we have this great youth ministry which I'm kind of fond of
[00:12:58] and we do a service after the Sunday service in the big house a service online and it's cool I get to play some music and that we do a little less in every week and they're posting stuff and it's so cool seeing the kids in the little squares
[00:13:16] so we'll be singing the present so we'll be singing a hop to it or some of the songs we sing a day camp and I can see all the kids doing the hand signals online and everything and it's just a great feeling
[00:13:27] and always we have so much and we're also going to give it to someone and really a great lot of success we've got to have for our kids running around this place again I really miss that and I know what's going to happen
[00:13:43] but about for you, remember Michelle for me one of the things that I love right now is just all of the opportunities to stay connected in whether it's through zoom through phone calls
[00:13:54] for the sacred sisters, our teens meet twice a week as well as our middle school group. Our next gen's been meeting once a week and so just continuing to create the space for connection and community even if we're not able to be here in person with one another.
[00:14:08] It's just been huge I think. That's great. Yeah, I think we kind of like each other and I think we recognize that we do belong to each other and we belong to you and you belong to us and one of the things that
[00:14:21] is just touched me so deeply. We've mentioned it a number of times that I look in on my office occasionally when I'm here for Wednesday night or for a Sunday morning and I will have stacks of letters
[00:14:33] of gratitude of people just writing into us saying thank you for being there for me right now. I never really watched online and now I'm so grateful that I am doing that and thank you for those classes you're offering online and thank you for staying with us.
[00:14:49] I literally have a stack like this on my desk of notes that are just so beautiful and touching. So we are very grateful that you continue to be here with us, that you continue to send
[00:15:01] love our way and that you continue to support yourself and support this ministry so beautifully. And as we just move into this time of prayer I invite you to take a breath with me and I was just turned within recognizing the divine presence that is right here.
[00:15:26] Right now breathing us, supporting us, expressing through us, recognizing all of the ways that God shows up around us through the sunlight, through the plants, the animals, through laughter, through connection. God is the very breath that we breathe and there is no limit to God's expression.
[00:16:20] For God is all that there is and so much more. This divine presence outpriccers as community, as oneness, as possibility. I am so grateful to know that right where I am in any given moment. God is expressing itself through me as me, expressing itself as love, as gratitude,
[00:17:08] as the truth that I am one with this divine presence. And truth that there is no place or no situation where God is not. God is the ever-present being the breath of life, the extraordinary light that we see in each and every one that we meet.
[00:17:46] I am so grateful for the connection, for the strength, for the courage that this present embues in me, especially in the moments where I may not be able to feel them. I can lean into that divine presence that is always there to remember.
[00:18:14] I can lean into that truth and know that I am supported, I am whole, I am one with the one. And so right here and now as we come together as one global family, we take time to see that divine presence, that divine light, that divine truth.
[00:18:50] In each and every person that we come into contact with, we see it in the loved ones that we are home with. We see it through the screens, through their voice mails, through the calls, even through the texts.
[00:19:11] We feel that connection, we feel that love, and we know that we're not alone. We know that we belong here. Now we recognize that we have been called here by divine appointment right here.
[00:19:36] The world needs our light, the world needs the extraordinary gifts that we have come here to share and so as we continue to find our own sense of connection, be it through nature, reaching out to friends, through turning within and just remembering our own divine light.
[00:20:05] We strengthen that vibration that lifts up the entire planet as we support one another during this time. Each act of kindness ripples into the world and supports people in ways that we may never even realize.
[00:20:32] And so as we continue to lean into that divine light as we continue to lean into the love that surrounds us. May our light continue to shine even brighter, may our love be felt around the world.
[00:20:54] And during this time right now, I invite you to speak your name if you are feeling called to connect to a deeper sense of the divine within you. Speak your name or speak the name of the loved one, who may need a little greater sense
[00:21:15] of connection right now, knowing that as we connect with one another we continue to build and grow and strengthen our tribe, our tribe of humanity, our tribe of love of peace. Perhaps you or someone you love, maybe experiencing a sense of dis-ease.
[00:21:51] And perhaps they can use or you can use a balm of healing light. So I invite you to speak your name or the name of the loved one allowed and send that
[00:22:08] ripple of healing love and light to that person or to you if you need a greater experience of healing right here. For the truth is that there is a divine blueprint of wholeness, of perfection, of health that has already available to us that is already within us.
[00:22:35] And so we allow that love, that light, that healing to ripple out and we experience it now. And if you or at loved one is experiencing or would like to experience a greater sense of community and relationship, I invite you to speak your name
[00:23:03] allowed or the name of the loved one and just know, know with me that right where we are, we belong. And that the loving relationships around us, we open to them right here and right now.
[00:23:23] We see the love within ourselves and we allow that mirror to be mirrored back to us by the people around us. And if you or a loved one is interested in being more in the flow of the divine abundance
[00:23:43] that is readily available, even in times where it seems as those there's maybe a sense of separation or a sense of lack. Let us right now speak our name, allowed and bask in that flow of divine prosperity,
[00:24:05] of divine love, of divine connection, experiencing greater love, experiencing greater prosperity, knowing that the resources that we need are readily available to us. And as we turn within, we are guided to that next perfect step to support our greater expansion
[00:24:30] to support our greater experience of love, of light, of wholeness, of possibility. And so I just wrap all of the names that have been spoken aloud, all of the extraordinary beings who are able to be here with us this evening, wrapping each one of us in this blanket
[00:25:05] of unconditional love, of support, of recognition that we belong, that we matter, that we are here to make a powerful difference in the world. And I am just so grateful for all of the opportunities that we have to stay connected.
[00:25:35] I am so grateful for all of the opportunities that we have to serve one another, to help uplift the world, to help uplift our own lives. grateful for this time, grateful for this truth, fully knowing that all that has been said
[00:25:57] is already done before it's even spoken, it has already done in the mind of God. And so I just simply let go and I let God do God's work, knowing that it is good and very good. And I simply allow it to be. And so it is.
[00:26:26] Thank you for listening to the Mylhychearch podcast. This podcast is made possible by the generous contributions from listeners like you. If you'd like to make a donation please visit us at Mylhychearch.org. Have a fabulous day.