July 11 Message - No Man is an Island
All mankind is of one author and one volume; when one man dies one chapter is not torn out of a book but is translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated....
No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were.
Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee
John Donne
Call to Worship
Click below. Listen and recite the invocation in Hebrew along with the cantor. Let the words resonate within you and prepare your heart to worship. Deuteronomy 6:4
Opening Hymn
Prepare your spirit to be receptive by creating an attitude of worship in your heart.
Click on the title below to hear the music. Read the lyrics and sing along.
Opening Prayer
Our Father and Mother in Heaven, on earth and within us.
You are one
and we are one in You,
and one with You.
We are, each of us,
a part of Your Creation,
a piece of Yourself.
We celebrate that fact this sabbath.
Help us this day you have a new understanding
of our interdependence with You
with humankind
and with all creation.
Amen
Scripture Reading
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
Psalm 139: 7-16
13For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
14Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" 22On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
1 Cor: 13-26
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Matthew 25: 37-40
Message
Our service today began with the often quoted essay of John Donne, a 17th century English poet. Probably the most famous line of this essay are the words "No man is an island". John Donne wrote these words during the renaissance. At that time he was in sharp contrast to his contemporaries who sought isolation, wishing to truly form islands out of the continent of humanity. For example, in that same era, Sir Thomas More wrote Utopia, a description of an island nation that thrives in its isolation to develop the ideal society. John Donne wrote the "no man is an island" essay to refute the theory of a separate and apart elitism.
Scriptures and the teachings of Yeshua support John Donne's belief that people are not isolated from one another. According to scripture, all humankind is interconnected. Genesis tells us that all creation is the work of the Father and Mother. God said "let there be" and it was so. All the world we have around us is a physical manifestation of the spoken will of God. We and every thing around us come from the same Source. We are part of the same creation.
After the appropriate environment was created to nurture life, Father Yahweh and our Holy Spirit Mother said, "Let us make man in our own image." Then, God's divine Spirit was breathed into us and we became living souls. The same breath of the Divine is within each of us today. It connects us all. That concept brings new understanding to the Psalm in our scripture reading. King David wrote "Where can I go from your Spirit?" and indeed, it is impossible to escape the Spirit because the Spirit is within you. God's spirit is also in all the people around you and even manifests itself in God's creation.
When we realize fully that we are all of one Spirit...interconnected..., that realization can impart great comfort. You are never alone. God is with you, of course. You must also realize that all those you love, and ever loved are with you as well. There is no time and space constraints in the spiritual world. If then, we are all of one Spirit, we are always together. No matter how many physical miles appear to divide us, we are with our loved ones always. The connection is still there. We may not consciously realize that connection but it is real. The tie that binds us together does not cease to be just because we do not recognize it.
This knowledge that we are always connected to those we love gave me great comfort during a very painful time in my life. Two of my children left my home when they were still teenagers. Besides being physically apart from them during that time, these children also created emotional barriers that were quite hurtful. I cried alot and ached inside. Then I realized that no matter how much they try to push me away, our spirits are one. They could never sever that tie. We are one in God. It brought me great peace to realize that even if they never returned to me, I could continue to give them my love and speak to their spirits.
This knowledge that we are always connected to those we love gave me great comfort during a very painful time in my life. Two of my children left my home when they were still teenagers. Besides being physically apart from them during that time, these children also created emotional barriers that were quite hurtful. I cried alot and ached inside. Then I realized that no matter how much they try to push me away, our spirits are one. They could never sever that tie. We are one in God. It brought me great peace to realize that even if they never returned to me, I could continue to give them my love and speak to their spirits.
During that time, I began and ended each day with speaking their names and telling them I loved them. Then I closed my eyes, breathed in deep and reached deep into my spirit to send them my love. As I breathed out, I sent my spirit and my love out to them. Though we were many miles away I knew that their spirits knew I loved them. Since that time, I have reconciled with those children but I have continued the same ritual. The best gift we can give each other is love. It is also a great way to remind myself that whatever happens, we are connected. I urge you to try this technique sometime when you have to be physically away from family or those you love. I think you will find it will give you great peace. You will also experience a very warm loving sensation within you. I believe that loving sensation is your spirit uniting with that loved ones spirit.
There is no death in the spiritual realm either. So even those loved ones who have left this physical plane are with us always. This concept is touched on briefly in Hebrews 11 and 12. The author of Hebrews discussed all the great men and women of faith who came before us and are no longer on this world, then concludes the passage with these words. "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." In other words, those who passed on are still with us, watching, sort of cheering us on in this race called life.
As John Donne said above, when one dies, that person has not left, he is merely translated to another, better, form. All the people you loved who have left this world before you, are still there. Not only are they in the heavenly realms, they are in you. Your grandparents, your parents, your friends, a piece of their spirit is still in you. It is enmeshed in your spirit because we are all of the One Source.
When we realize we are of one Source, we have to realize that we cannot draw the line at our family and friends. Even strangers are connected to us. Even our enemies are a part of us. All of creation is made by God and of God. Through the abuse of God's gift of free will, it turns out that some of that creation is not nice any more. But we are still connected. There is no exclusivity. We cannot choose whom we want. We are all one.
Some of us have chosen to cultivate and live in the Spirit. Some have chosen to ignore the Spirit and some have deliberately chosen to pervert the Spirit of God within them. Whatever each person's individual choice may be, we are still intertwined in a delicate relationship with every other living soul. We cannot separate ourselves from the good or the bad. I sent love and goodness to my children during the time we were apart whether they wanted those gifts or not. The love and good intent I sent to them, helped mold them into the great human beings they are today. In the same manner, other peoples' spirit and intent can be forced upon those around them for good or bad. I am sure you have been around someone in your life that just exudes negativity. When you are around that person, you feel more negative too. That spirit effected you even without your consent.
This is why Yeshua implored us to love our enemies and to respond always in love and kindness. We who are awake, "who have eyes to see" and understand the spiritual ramifications of our actions have a special responsibility. " To whom much is given, much is required." We are required to be active agents of God's love on this earth. We must recognize that our actions and the spirit of love that we express have long lasting ramifications. We are not islands in this world. The love and Spirit we share go far beyond ourselves and create an atmosphere of God's grace that can change the world.
The scriptures we read above state that our lives are not random. No life on this earth is an accident. Even if the parents did not plan the pregnancy, each birth was preordained by God. Our parents are not happenstance either. God knew us before we were born and had a plan for our time on this planet. The close personal relationships we experience throughout our lives were planned in the heavens for this span of time. Every interaction in our lives is part of God's plan for eternity.
This discloses another universal truth. The failure to carry out the predetermined plan for our lives can effect the quality of many other lives and even effect the course of humanity. Look at just a few of the lives recorded in scripture and what would have happened if one person chose another course. Zechariah could have divorced Elizabeth because she was barren. Mary could have said, "no" to becoming pregnant. Joseph could have refused to marry her. John the Baptist could have chosen another life career and failed to prepare the way for Yeshua. At any number of stages, Yeshua could have reneged on his commitment. All of them had freewill.
Consider the domino effect that could have occurred had any one person revoked his or her soul's calling. The truth is it is no different today. We are creating the history of the future. This same domino effect happens when we renounce our soul's contract. Those lifelong dreams that nag at you are the Spirit calling to your Spirit. Those inner urgings that pull you in one direction while your sense of duty and practicality push you in another are God calling. What will be changed in the future if you do not listen to those calls?
The many problems that have arisen in this world today are a result of a multitude of events that should have happened but didn't. Evil has made great headway by making lives too busy to listen to the Spirit. Those "if only" yearnings will arise in our consciousness only when we are free to allow our soul to wander in the spiritual realm. That is hard to do when you come home and immediately turn on the TV, or go to the computer. The still small voice within is no match for the hundreds of thoughts racing in our minds in this present age of urgency.
Perhaps that is why there are so few great spiritual leaders in this world today. In the past, it was easy for the Spirit to speak on a quiet hill while a shepherd was watching his flock or as a person walked alone in the woods. Those moments of solitude are rare now-a-days. It is up to us to MAKE quiet time. We have to slow down and quiet down our lives enough to hear the Spirit calling. Then we have to have the maturity to understand the importance of that call. We have to be acutely aware of our life's role in the Divine plan for all of humanity.
It takes courage to follow the Spirit's guidance no matter how senseless and frightening it may feel to do so. That courage comes from consistently staying atuned to the Spirit. The inner most part of our being knows our soul's plan - our individual truth. To deny God's will, the plan for our lives that we possess intuitively, is to start a domino effect in our lives and in the lives of others. The universe is impacted, to greater or lesser extent, by whether or not we carry through on our soul commitments. Yes, as crazy as it sounds, the whole world is counting on you and me to make it better. Let's come together now as children of the Heavenly Mother and Father and be the force we were meant to be in this world. Wake up, listen to your spirit and make history.
Time of Reflection
As we view the video below, remember, we each have a Divine purpose.
Discussion of the Message
Those of you who are participating with us on line, can take this time to quietly reflect on the message. If you have comments or questions that come to your mind, you are welcome to write them in the comments section below.
Closing Prayer
Our Father and Mother in Heaven, around us and within us
Remind us today of who we are
Help us to be one in love
Your Hands and Feet in this world
a force for good
listening to the Spirit
and following the preordained life plan
that You had set aside for us before the beginning of time
In the name of Yeshua,
Amen
Closing Hymn
Let's start this new week thinking about our connection with each other.
Click on the title below and enjoy the music.
