Sunday Sermon - We've come this far by faith

There are times in life when we feel bereft, in despair, overwhelmed, doomed. We are filled with fear that we are losing, have lost,  or about to lose things that are extremely important to us even essential to our continued existence. At first we panic, then perhaps grow furious, and then we implode, surrender, give up and wonder if we can continue living. I have felt this way several times in my life. The biggest times were when my kids were killed and when my marriage ended. I have lived through it with many clients who have lost people, and things very important to them and broke down in the face of terrible existential devastation.

And when one's life is falling apart or has fallen apart where does one turn? How does one cope, if one does and not kill themselves as I have known people to do,  with this kind of devastating loss?

We cry.

We drink and drug.

We turned to trusted ones we love for solace.

We turn to faith.

Faith is both a noun and a verb, a process. Faith can be a creed or set of beliefs, and it can also be a way of proceeding in the face of pain and fear. One of my favorite hymns is an old spiritual, "We've come this far by faith, leaning on the Lord, Trusting in His holy word. He's never failed me yet."

God will not only walk with us if we ask Him, He will carry us even if we can't walk ourselves if we ask for a break. Mary Stevenson's great poem, Footprints, says in part, "Why, when I needed you most, you have not been there for me? The Lord replied, 'The times when you have seen only one set of footprints, is when I carried you.'"

In Alcoholic Anonymous, the first step of the twelve step program, is to admit that life sometimes is too much, it is too unmanageable and we have to turn our life over to our Higher Power whatever we conceive our Higher Power to be. Paradoxically, it is in this surrender, that we find our greatest strength and peace.

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Sunday Sermon - The one word that brings peace.

"Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace."

Buddha

In A Course In Miracles it is taught that what brings peace is forgiveness. Forgiveness comes when we forgive ourselves when we finally realize that our life is unmanageable because of all the insane things we have thought and done to ourselves and to others and with no where else to go and no one else to turn to in this world we finally surrender to our Higher Power, whatever we conceive our Higher Power to be. In Alcohol Anonymous this surrender is the first of twelve steps to getting our lives on a better track.

We also recall that Jesus, when asked how we should pray, gave us what became known as The Lord's Prayer which is in part "... Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

In Lesson 152 in A Course In Miracles we are taught that the decision between my will and the ego plane, and God's will on a spiritual level, is my own. Like the Nike slogan, "Just do it", I have coined the ACIM Lesson 152 as the "Make the decision" lesson. Make the decision to turn my will over to God, and let God take the lead in my life.

In my life I have to forgive myself for thinking that I foolishly thought I knew what was best for myself and for others, and now must humbly admit that I, my ego, was wrong. I really know nothing and get dumber every year as I get older and have more experience in life. When the men brought the adulterous woman to Jesus and asked if they should stone her to death He said "which ever one of you is without sin can cast the first stone." And it says in the story that they all walked away beginning with the eldest. We learn as we get older that our egos don't know what's best. We are wise when we ask for help and turn it over to our Higher Power.

And so I forgive myself my stupidity with a knowing laugh and I forgive others their trespasses against me. It is in this forgiveness of myself and others that I find peace.

So this Sunday as I reflect on the words of the Buddha and on the words of Jesus, I smile as I realize that one word does bring peace - forgiveness.

The Heart Of The Matter by Don Henley

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Sunday sermon - Reflection of living your dream

On Sunday, August 18, 2013 a group of 13 people met at the Brockport Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in the Historic Garland Church to discuss "Living Your Dream". The meeting was facilitated by P. J. Benedetti.

It was a fascinating discussion in which everyone participated sharing experiences from their own lives. Unitarian Universalists believe in the inherent worth and dignity of every person, the free and responsible search for truth and meaning, and acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations.

The theme "Living Your Dream" can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. Some times it may mean quitting because you know that your life is on the wrong track. Some times it means that you don't know you are living your dream until you are living it.

As W. Edwards Deming, the total quality management guru said one time, "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there."

Unitarian Universalism offers something unique to people, fellowship as you attempt to find your way. As the Beatles sang, "I'll get by with a little help from my friends."

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Sunday Sermon - Living in the Kingdom in Brockport

As Sweden Supervisor, Patricia Connors, pointed out in her letter of June 15th, 2013 to voters in the Village of Brockport, a false narrative repeated often enough, will lead ignorant people to believe it.

Brockport Mayor Connie Castaneda's constant response to the charges of official misconduct, and falsifying business records for over 15 months pending in Judge David Murante's court in Ogden before he dismissed them was that they were politically motivated. Never once has she addressed the actions that led to the charges themselves. While Murante stated that in his judgment justice demanded that the charges be dropped, the truth has not been served by Judge Murante or Mayor Connie Castaneda.

What is the truth of the matter? There are affidavits from the renters that they were asked by Ms. Castaneda to behave in a surreptitious manner so as to forestall the discovery of the illegal rental situation they were involved in.

Brockport voters have spoken on June 18th, 2013 and Mayor Castaneda has been relieved of her duties not because of legal charges, for voters are notoriously forgiving, but for her lying and failure to come clean, and instead, blaming her predicament on the political agenda of her nemesis, Brockport Police Chief, Daniel Varrenti. This false narrative leaves a lot to be desired because Varrenti alone could not have brought these charges. There was evidence and testimony by Code Enforcement Officer, Scott Zarnsdorf, and the Monroe County District Attorney's office decided there was enough evidence to prosecute. Varrenti was careful to vet the charges with others in the law enforcement system before the arrest was made.

Brockport is a small community comprised of good people. The issue for the voters is not whether  Castaneda illegally rented her apartment or not, but the fact that she appears to be lying about it and continues to repeat a false narrative. What Brockport voters want more than anything is someone they can trust and who will tell them the truth. Castaneda failed this important litmus test and lost the opportunity to continue as Brockport's mayor. If she had only listened to and learned from Sweden Supervisor, Patricia Connors.

As we have a new day to move forward to creating the Beloved Community I am reminded of a verse in A Course In Miracles which reads, "When you have become willing to hide nothing, you will not only be willing to enter into communion but will understand peace and joy." Peace and joy awaits us when we are willing to forgive ourselves and others our mistakes and trespasses. When fear rules our lives we create obstacles and barriers to our awareness of Love's presence. Would that we put our grievances aside, forgive us our trespasses, and stand in the light of truth.

This past Father's day my daughter, son-in- law, and three grand kids came to visit from Virginia. The topic of conversation turned to the Mayor's race. The conversation was not about politics as much as it was a morality tale about how we should live together in truth, peace, and joy and how this does and doesn't get played out in our community life in Brockport. My daughter and son-in-law get it and practice daily to set their fears aside, practice the miracle of forgiveness, and what a wonderful world they are creating for their children based on the power of Love. The Kingdom is here under our feet in Brockport. Do you sense it? The Truth will set you free for communion, peace, and joy.

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Sunday Sermon - Don't believe everything you think for you are blessed as a son or daughter of God

One of my favorite bumper stickers reads, “Don’t believe everything you think.” The thoughts of the world from which we suffer for the most part are illusions which we project based on our fears.

Our first fear is for our body and that our body might die.

Our second fear is that our will will be thwarted and unfulfilled.

Our third fear is that we will be deprived and suffer lack and others will have more.

Our fourth fear is that we are inadequate and defective in some way and therefore unlovable.

Our fifth fear is that we will not have a good life and fail in achieving our hopes, dreams, and aspirations.

And the sixth fear is fearing fear itself.

Our fears torment us and cause great suffering for ourselves and others and as it reads in A Course In Miracles in the Manual For Teachers, “Yet it is time alone that winds on wearily, and the world is very tired now. It is old and worn and without hope. There was never a question of outcome, for what can change the Will Of God?” MT.1.4:4-6

The Course teaches us, as Jesus did, that God not only loves us, but loves us abundantly and what it takes to experience this love is a change of our minds and hearts. We must deny the reality of our projections which are illusory, and focus our minds instead on loving and blessing, first ourselves, and then others. As St. Paul says in his letter to the Romans “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Bringing our will into alignment with God’s will for us allows us to experience the power of God’s love for us and the world, and hastens the Atonement.

Lesson 40 in the Workbook of the Course in Miracles reads, “I am blessed as a Son of God.” The text in the review of this lesson reads,

 “Herein lies my claim to all good and only good. I am blessed as a Son of God. All good things are mine, because God intended them for me. I cannot suffer any loss or deprivation or pain because of Who I am. My Father supports me, protects me, and directs me in all things. His care for me is infinite, and is with me forever. I am eternally blessed as His Son.” 

Jesus demonstrated this in his crucifixion. They killed his body but not his spirit. He died forgiving his torturers and executioners. He rose above the illusion that they could execute his soul. Jesus demonstrated that our souls do not die but are one with God forever. Herein lies the peace of God. Not everyone is ready to understand this knowledge, but some are, and those who are bring peace to themselves and to the world.

Don’t believe everything you think because most of it is nonsense and in the long wrong does not amount to a hill of beans as they say, but when you think you are the beloved son or daughter of God this belief will bring great peace and joy. It will lead to your forgiving yourself and others for your misperceptions, misjudgments, and recriminations. It is in forgiveness that we correct our illusions and get on the same wave length of God’s love for God’s creation. May the miracle of seeing the world with forgiving mind and heart give you peace and joy today or if not today, sometime soon.

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Sunday Sermon - I am sustained by the Love of God

From A Course In Miracles workbook, Lesson 50:

I am sustained by the Love of God.

W-50.1.    Here is the answer to every problem that will confront you, today and tomorrow and throughout time. 2 In this world, you believe you are sustained by everything but God. 3 Your faith is placed in the most trivial and insane symbols; pills, money, "protective" clothing, influence, prestige, being liked, knowing the "right" people, and an endless list of forms of nothingness that you endow with magical powers.

W-50.2.    All these things are your replacements for the Love of God. 2 All these things are cherished to ensure a body identification. 3 They are songs of praise to the ego. 4 Do not put your faith in the worthless. 5 It will not sustain you.

W-50.3.    Only the Love of God will protect you in all circumstances. 2 It will lift you out of every trial, and raise you high above all the perceived dangers of this world into a climate of perfect peace and safety. 3 It will transport you into a state of mind that nothing can threaten, nothing can disturb, and where nothing can intrude upon the eternal calm of the Son of God.

W-50.4.    Put not your faith in illusions. 2 They will fail you.

As I reflect on the message in this lesson it reminds me of the controversy over gun control. People cling to their guns thinking that their guns will protect their bodies and the bodies of their loved ones, but what about their spirits and the spirits of their loved ones?

Yesterday, 04/27/13, on King Street in Brockport, NY, at about 5:22 PM the Brockport Police were called when about 50 drunk college kids were arguing, and threatening each other, and one of the protagonists threatened to shoot the other protagonist who was provoking him. The police arrived and the crowd quickly dispersed before any violence occurred, and it is not known whether there are actually guns in the neighborhood, but these kind of incidents do lead to gun violence across the country. The point being that most gun violence is the result of a spiritual sickness born out of egotistical beliefs that guns keep us safe and give us power.

It is a fearful people which put their faith in guns to protect them. The public health data clearly shows that people who have guns are more likely to die by gun violence than people who do not have guns. The ego rejects the truth of the facts out of its fears.

A Course In Miracles teaches that the opposite of fear is love and while the Course teaches that it cannot define Love because Love is undefinable, it can help remove the blocks to the awareness of Love's presence.

Take a moment and consider the statement "I am sustained by the Love of God." Deep down, under your fears, you can sense that this is true. Otherwise, why would you even ever have been born and be here to think these thoughts? The proof that you are on the right track is when you experience more peace and less anxiety.

May more peace be with you this day.

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The Brockporter Sunday Sermon - What or who is God?

People struggle with the question of whether there is a God. People have believed forever that there are supernatural powers and they have named these supernatural powers all kinds of names. Gods are a part of human history and human cultures since human beings have existed and become conscious of their own consciousness.

So when people ask if you believe in God the first question should be “What kind of a God are you asking about?” John Buehrens said one time that when people tell him they don’t believe in God he asks them “What God don’t you believe in?”

Personally, if you ask me, and nobody has asked me in a long time, I answer that my sense is that God is not a noun but a verb. God, like Luke Skywalker says in Star Wars, is The Force. God is the power behind the universe.

Is this force a personal deity that cares personally about me? No. I am simply the manifestation of this force and perhaps there are other manifestations of this force that care about me, which in a way may be representative of this higher power, but the higher power itself is not personal and doesn’t care one way or the other particularly.

But my ego cares. My ego wants to be loved and taken care of by what it conceives as its creator and yet my ego isn’t real. My ego is simply a temporary illusion that allows me to function with a degree of autonomy temporarily until I see through it and realize that my ego is a social construction, something which I can also call my identity.

We have several identities throughout our lives. I am not the same person now I was 20 years ago. I am not the person now whose behavior is recorded in my academic records, my driving record, my credit history, my employment history, my family history, my legal history, my medical history. These histories all describe different roles I have played and different behaviors I have engaged it, but these descriptions do not come close to describing the essence of who and what I am.

So, if I could figure out, in essence, who and what I am, then maybe I would have a better understanding of what God is, because I sense that I and you and all of us are part of God and I have no idea in heaven what that is.

Jesus says that the kingdom of god is within us. I think Jesus meant that God is our heart and soul. And in the end, when all else is subtracted, that is all that is left, and that’s God as far as I know.

 

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Sunday Sermon - Having reflected on our sins, there is a better way

On this Palm Sunday we are reflecting on the 10^thanniversary of the start of the Iraq War which the U.S. government, in its hubris, titled “shock and awe”. Many of us were among those who protested the Iraq war as foolish and criminal and yet our assessment was overridden by a corrupt U.S. government and the majority of U.S. citizens at the time who wanted vengeance for 9/11. Those citizens, fanned by the  corporate media, didn’t care much about who the scapegoat would be for their loss and grief as long as somebody paid to make them feel better.

It is astounding to realize that the majority of Americans who supported the criminal pre-emptive attack on Iraq believed, based on the lies perpetuated by American media, that Iraq had something to do with the attacks on 9/11. This false belief is evidence of the psychotic delusions that fuel so much of U.S. policy and support for the corporate-military complex which has taken over the U.S. government which President Eisenhower warned us against back in 1960.

The problem is not so much the corporate-military complex which has taken over the United States government but the spiritual poverty of Americans who are so quick to believe what their corporate masters tell them. The Nuremberg trials demonstrated that the rationalization of “just following orders” does not exonerate culpability of those who perpetrate crimes against humanity. The Nuremberg position makes manifest the idea that there is a higher morality than the legalities of a particular nation. It raises the spiritual and moral question of one’s duty when one’s nation engages in activities that violate the human rights of others?

Here in Brockport we have seen public support for those who engaged in crimes against humanity branding them as “Hometown Heroes”. These “heroes” are aware of the crimes they have committed against other human beings and this awareness has lead to what is known as PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and suicide rates which now exceed the number of military causalities from combat.

In spite of some Brockporters attempts to assuage the guilt of military personnel and their families, the soldiers themselves know the moral truth of their activities for which they volunteered which leads to self loathing that leads to their self inflicted death to end their psychological torment.

Rarely, other than the Winter Soldier project and Bradley Manning's leak of documents through Wiki-leaks, are Americans told the truth about their support for their governments misguided policies and criminal behavior. George W. Bush and Dick Cheney cannot set foot outside of the United States because of the fear of their arrest for their war crimes. Will we  ever see justice done? Probably not because most Americans are just as guilty having supported their policies and actions.

On Palm Sunday we see Jesus ride into Jerusalem to popular acclaim only to be arrested, tortured, and executed by the same popular acclaim a week later.

Popular sentiment is a fickle phenomenon easily manipulated by the 1%, those in power. The ease with which the population is manipulated is explained by the spiritual poverty of that population who does not have a deep morality upon which to rely in making good judgments about human dignity and world wide justice.

The war in Iraq had the largest popular protests of any war to date around the world indicating that the population on the planet may be waking up and developing a higher sense of morality than has ever been witnessed before on the planet.

Some of us knew that the Iraq and Afghan wars were a big mistake. It turns out ten years later that we were right and the United States will be doing penance for our wrong doing long into the future. Our crimes will be placed on the shoulders of our children and grandchildren and they will wonder whatever possessed us to engage in such destructive behavior to assuage our grief?

This coming week, Jesus will be crucified and rise again, which demonstrates that the truth cannot be killed, goodness cannot die, and that attack and killing are all a bad dream from which we, as a species, have yet to awake.

Some of us knew the truth, increasing numbers of us, and we encourage the rest to move ahead and raise their levels of consciousness so that the Atonement can be achieved. If we learn anything this Easter may it be that war makers are not “hometown heroes” and that redemption does not come from violence. The lesson of Jesus death and resurrection is not that redemption comes from death and suffering as Mel Gibson would have you believe, but that redemption comes from rising above suffering and death and realizing that it flows from love for one another and the realization that we are One. Jesus words as he was crucified "Father forgive them for they know not what they do" stand out as a challenge to us to increase our awareness and understanding of what in the world we are doing. If we did, we would not be doing it, or having done it, we would repent the error of our ways and get ourselves on a new and better track. We should know, having reflected on our sins, that there is a better way.

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The Brockporter Sunday Sermon - The Curious Case of Open-Source Religion

By John Maguire

For this essay I will explore the rationale for an offshoot of the Open-Source paradigm known as Open-Source Religion. I will also refer to it loosely and interchangeably as Open-Source Philosophy.

Open-Source Religion can be summed up as the individualized practice of mixing various religious teachings with a diversity of non-religious ideas and beliefs to form a coherent spiritual framework for oneself. A person is free to be as creative as they so choose in this process, as long as their beliefs do not violate the golden rule: do no harm. For example, if you believe that a three-eyed race of telepaths from the Sirius star-system seeded the earth with intelligence, and at the same time believe in the philosophical teachings of both Jesus and Buddha, then more power to you. Theoretically your conclusions can be grounded in nothing more than pure intuition, but I believe decisions are best arrived at through critically-minded research and employing the scientific method. The danger in relying strictly on intuition is that you may end up adopting some type of intellectually-bankrupt and exploitative alternative such as Scientology. The choice however is yours.

In contrast to Open-Source, traditional, proprietary religious practice insists on rigidity, standardization, and the collective deferment of authority to an elite priesthood. Open-Source Religion integrates horizontally and promotes integrity by stressing thoughtful analysis; Closed-System Religion integrates vertically and promotes a lack of integrity by propagating dogmatic adherence. 

The bureaucratized and hierarchical Religions of the present day eat away at the social fabric and sunder the inherent interconnectedness of humanity. I’m not saying there are no good people trapped within these systems, or that localized religious institutions cannot serve as community-touchstones; there are, and they can. But the reality is that mainstream religious ideology operates by and large as a rationale for war, genocide, poverty, and general divisiveness in the world. For all practical purposes, MSR single-handedly embedded the imagined threat of an external other into popular consciousness; a satanic boogey-man that we must unite against no matter the cost. We have seen this mentality play out in the twentieth-century during WWII and Vietnam respectively during which the American public was easily frightened into blind acquiescence, and brainwashed American soldiers proudly mailed back the bones of dehumanized enemies to their families and wore their victims’ body parts as trophies. We see this continuing today in the contrived War on Terror, as we condone and commit war-crime after war-crime, all in the name of chasing our own shadow. On top of this, MSR(main stream religion) also perpetuates the cultural epidemic of sadomasochistic addiction to self-hatred. The self-loathing person can never self-actualize, and the writhing emptiness within can only be satiated by self-destructive behavior such as mindless consumerism, or the demented urge to exert power and control over others.

Moving beyond these stark issues, I see value in discussing OSR because I feel that all human beings, on a very deep level, require a self-inspired, logical, and optimistic philosophical framework for life that helps them transcend their familiar five-sense reality. To quote Logicist author David Jack, “I believe that everybody, in a sense, has a God. We [all] have something that we believe in as supreme.” I agree wholeheartedly, and believe this concept extends to all people, even agnostics and atheists. Guiding principles are in essence a Religion; just as Religion in essence is a set of guiding principles. Therefore, whether we admit it or not, we are all religious creatures at heart. In that respect, we all have a stake in the development of the OSR paradigm. 

I myself was baptized, raised, and confirmed as a Roman-Catholic. In time I got over the trauma of it. I studied hard, I meditated, and in the process discovered a holistic philosophy that helps me stay balanced, focused, and answer that all important question: What is life all about? You can do the same if you are courageous enough to ditch your psychological baggage, leave your ego at the door, and move forward with integrity and an open-heart. I will likely take time in a future video to outline my own personal belief system for those who are interested.

I ask that you take a brief moment to reflect, and to not misinterpret what I’m saying. Just because I insist on the need for a religious philosophy grounded in Open-Source, does not mean that we should ignore reality and engage in magical thinking; nor should we pretend all is well and wear disingenuous Prozac smiles on our faces. In the words of philosophical giant Ervin Laszlo, “We should apprehend this remarkable world with our heart as well as with our intellect… [we must adopt] a vision that is imaginative but not imaginary.” 

Obviously the world, and the human race, is in turmoil. That is not a valid excuse to indulge in narrow-minded cynicism. If you find yourself unable to muster up a sense of optimism and elevate your thinking beyond your own ego-driven existence, it is my opinion that you are ignorant of certain fundamental truths. Something is logically amiss in your approach to problem-solving. Put plainly, you are lacking in awareness, and that is a byproduct of both conditioning and intellectual laziness. To change this, you must make the choice to engage in honest interdisciplinary research. By integrating up-to-date findings from a broad spectrum of scientific and metaphysical fields of study, you would arrive at some very liberating and encouraging conclusions. For example, systems theory, non-linear thermodynamics, shamanism, quantum physics, astral-theology, entheogenic pharmacology, and naturalistic philosophy are all critically important subjects. Yet how many of us know even the slightest bit about them, let alone how to organize them into a coherent framework? This epitomizes the challenge at hand; a challenge that nobody can undertake for you. 

Almost all classical belief systems are irreconcilably flawed, as has been historically demonstrated by the countless contradictions and inaccuracies they have given rise to. Consequently, none of them deserve our full allegiance. To borrow a quote from Ayn Rand, “Contradictions do not exist. Whenever you think you are facing a contradiction, check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong.” In my opinion these belief systems had their chance, and failed to deliver. Open-Source sense making is the future starting now.

We already exist in an era of Open-Source Religion. All we have to do is come to terms with it. The truth is that everyone, even those who consider themselves strict orthodox, selectively constructs their own constellation of beliefs. If this was not true, supposedly strict adherents of the Christian Bible for example would all be stoning their disobedient children to death, and condemning themselves and others to hell for wearing clothing made of two different fabrics. So obviously people everywhere are already engaged in Open-Source spiritual sense-making. But they are too proud, too ignorant, or too afraid to take off their masks and jump ship from their sinking institutions.

I sincerely believe the materialistic, Newtonian paradigms of the past centuries are coming to an end. Compartmentalization is going out of fashion. We need to regain our sanity by reclaiming the lost wisdom of our indigenous forerunners. I think the incomparable Joe Bageant put it best when he said, “There is a spiritual side of man…a moral side. I’m not a Christian, but it’s there, and it’s there for us to share as a people, together.”

 Editor's note: 

John Maguire was born in 1985 and raised in Upstate New York. He attained his undergraduate degree in History Education from the State University of Brockport in 2007. Disillusioned, he successfully dropped out of graduate school in 2009 to pursue a happier and more authentic life. Slowly at first, he initiated a program of autodidactic learning and self-exploration that has been ongoing since. Believing truth and authenticity are the only things worth pursuing, most of his days revolve around such aims. When necessary, he pays for the ego-driven demands of life by way of substitute teaching and coaching poker. He currently lives in North Carolina with his ever-patient girlfriend Nikohl."

John can be reached at foks0904@gmail.com

I met John and Niki when they both worked as book sellers at Lift Bridge Book Shop in Brockport, NY

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