Prayer for Today

Dear God, Master of Infinity,

May all humanity raise their voices in your praise;

May your glory abound,

And your will be manifest

In all dimensions.

Nourish our souls with your presence.

Let us know our weaknesses,

And understand those weaknesses in others.

Let the Comforter be a barrier to the evils of this world,

For you are Existence.

Amen

Ancient Hymns

Hymns bring memories and a sense of hope.

Old ones remind me of my childhood

With family gathered around the piano to sing together.

New ones make me part of today and the future,

Part of the ever woven fabric of Christianity.

The greatest hymns are very old:

The Psalms.

I shall read a Psalm today

As I listen to a hymn,

So that the music in my ears

Is echoed in my soul.

Christian Exclusivity

We had an enlightening discussion in Sunday School last week on whether belief in Jesus Christ is the only way to God. Most of my classmates stated that belief in Jesus Christ was the exclusive prerequisite for eternal life. They took literally Christ's words: "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the father but by me." So do I.

I believe that Jesus was not imparting a message of exclusivity, but one of mechanism. Jesus was telling us that no matter how we as humans describe God or what we believe about who God is, we will reach the after life by one conveyance. All will come to God after death through the manifestation of God that is God's word in creation, that is God in action in our dimensional reality, and I believe, is most clearly revealed in Jesus Christ. All have the opportunity to know God and life after death. God doesn't care how we find him, what we call him, only that we do.

As to atheists, I think they are closer to God than they believe. Atheists actively protest the existence of God, but in doing so they confront the concept of God. I think this brings them closer to God than those who are indifferent. In the end, I believe everyone will know God and will be able to choose or reject a relationship with God.

For me, Jesus represents the truest revelation of God and the mechanism by which we reach God no matter what we believe.

The Great Banquet

Today, I read the parable of the great banquet.

How those that were invited did not come,

While the lame, the blind and the poor did.

Is that the problem of this world?

Has God invited us to the banquet,

Only to find that we are too busy with our own lives

To partake of the everlasting repast?

Let me heed God's invitation,

That I might sit at the Almighty's banquet table

And feast my soul in God's presence.