December 28, 1998

• Accept differing beliefs

• Interpretations of God, Jesus, and others who are worshipped

• What gives life meaning

God’s power and living light are with each of you. You are a very strong assembly of souls, strong in numbers, but more importantly, strong in commitment. There is no way that one can reasonably expect total agreement about the position of the church or Jesus, historically, theologically, morally. But the questions you raised are precisely those issues that you must confront as you continue to grow spiritually.

There is no position along the path leading toward God that is the only correct and appropriate place to be or direction to follow. God is inclusive. The paths that lead to a greater understanding of your spiritual lives are many. Each path carries with it its own sense of truths unique to that path. There are, certainly, Truths with a capital T. But those Truths are measured only as they relate to the appropriateness for those who seek them.

One cannot say categorically as an absolute truth that supersedes all of the world’s religions that God is absolutely benevolent or that God is absolutely judgmental. One cannot say that God is merciful or that God is impatient or that God is vengeful or that God is forgiving. One can say that there are qualities about God that have meaning to all who are on a given path. For some who seek a more godly life and who are concerned about their own spiritual growth, there will be beliefs in God’s sense of righteousness which supposes an awareness of what is not righteous. That approach may be appropriate for some but totally inappropriate for others. Your view of God is most appropriate when it addresses your individual needs.

Your view of God is never static; it is always dynamic. It always evolves, revealing more of itself through effort. Your perception of God changes as you evolve. As a result, your needs change. It is for this reason that so many religious schools of belief have emerged, for there is not one single belief that is necessarily appropriate for all. You believe that God is love and wonder how that can be inappropriate for any group of people. The fact is, for some a recognition that “God is love” brings to mind a perception of what love is—forgiving, patient, accepting. But for others, the meaning of God being love may be interpreted as a stern love—a love that is given character through discipline, through a requirement for self-denial. Both perceptions of love are very different, and yet both paths may claim to believe that God is love. We can say to you that God is not vengeful, but there are those who feel that without the vengeance of God, there is no discipline that is required to encourage a godly life.

God is—that is certainly an absolute statement of fact—but what it means to recognize that God is will be different for all people. What is important is an understanding of what individuals must do in their own lives to serve as an example of their interpretation of a godly life.

If there are many interpretations of what God is, regardless of what name is used to identify God, the issue of completely understanding the nature of the figure of Jesus is more complex. An absolute truth may be given by stating: Jesus lived. The question is not did he live, but what was the nature of that life, and what is the implication of that knowledge to your own lives.

Your interpretation of Jesus will vary as well as your interpretation of God. There is no question that the divinity of Jesus was more recognized, was more transparent, was clearer than those many others who are the subject of worship. But such a presence, such a spiritual presence, does not in any way negate or lessen the value of others whose divinity has been revealed. You cannot set up a hierarchy of visible divinity or recognized divinity. For many, Mohammed was far more divine than Jesus. For others, Buddha is the supreme recognition of divinity. It is not important which was more divine. It is not important whose divinity was more clearly recognized. It is important that all human beings relate to a manifestation of divinity so intense that it reaches out to them and draws them closer to God.

It is through the divine acts of human beings that you become most aware of God’s presence. You may sense the power of God through acts of nature, but it is through individuals that you more clearly understand the person of God. There have been those in the past whose divinity has shown brilliantly, and they are worthy to be followed. There are many whose divinity is less evident but who also serve as fine examples. And there are many for whom it is difficult to sense the presence of a divine force. It is a continuous spectrum, so to speak, from the most intense to the least evident. If you want to understand the function of God in your lives, then try to understand the function of one whose example is godly. You make the choice—you make the choice of whom to follow, you make the choice of how to follow. What is important is that there is someone to follow and that you acknowledge your commitment to the pursuit.

You spoke of diversity. There is great diversity in these brilliant lights of divine presence. That diversity should be welcomed and respected, but also to be welcomed and respected is the diversity by which each human being approaches that example. Imagine how empty your lives would be with no sense of God, with no sense of a divine presence surrounding all of creation. Imagine trying to find meaning in life with no sense of divine inspiration in the person of someone who has shared human life. Imagine a life of meaning when there is no challenge to pursuing what life means. You would merely exist, going about your daily activities with no sense of the future, no profound sense of one another, no perceived opportunity for divine expression. What an empty experience that would be!

Your lives are given meaning because of the search, not because of the answers, because the answers change as your needs change, and therefore the search takes on a different shape. A life that is meaningful is a life that is flexible to adjusting its shape, depending upon what it is that is sought. Divine Truth? Yes, of course there is, but a truth beyond “God is” excludes those who do not share in those next truths, and that is not the will of God. The will of God is that all seek. It is not the will of God that there is only one way because that excludes others who find themselves on a different path.

You obviously seek the real Truth. No one wants to be misled. No one wants to lead a life based on false assumptions. Nevertheless, everyone can be assured that they are proceeding along the appropriate path for them so long as they seek. When you reach a point in your path that you are assured that you have found the answer, you can be equally sure that you have not found it, for there is no one answer. What gives meaning and value to your lives and affirms the importance and dignity of all that is created is appropriate for you. Your beliefs, your goals, your objectives cannot stand in isolation. Rather, they are related to all that exists. By accepting, by taking in all that has been created—all human beings—you are fashioning a life that is divine, that is dignified, that is loving and that reflects the true place of God in the world.

You pray for knowledge, you pray for awareness, you pray for sensitivity and compassion, you pray for peace, understanding, justice, love. All of those goals are worthy and are focused in such a manner to give your life direction. As you see a change in the means of achieving those goals, allow your lives to adapt. But as long as your eye is upon the goal, you certainly can be assured of the rightness of where you are at the moment.

Take in the world. Give meaning to what is around you. Give meaning to individuals. Give meaning to their perceptions, valuing them for that person. There is no requirement that you assimilate those beliefs into your own path of development. You will then see God. You will then understand the meaning of a divine life. You will then accept others’ visions of an embodiment of perfect divinity. Your heart will be set upon the goal, and the path will be pure.

We bless you as you move closer to God, to one another in the process of spiritual fulfillment. Your guides are with you constantly and your lives are given meaning and perspective. Rejoice in the process! Be grateful for the path you are on, for each path is a divine blessing.

Amen.