Help us love beyond our ideals

Rev. David Hulse introduced Unity of Charlotte to a direct translation of The Lord's Prayer from the
Aramaic to English.




 First we'll look at the King James Version:
1-Our father which art in heaven
2-Hallowed b they name
3-The  kingdom come
4-They will be done
5-On earth as it is in heaven
6-Give us this day our daily bread
7-And forgive us our debts
 8-As we forgive our debtors
9-And lead us not into temptation
10-But deliver us from evil
11-For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory
12-Forever and ever
13-Amen

Second, let's look at this translation from the Aramaic to English

Prayer of the Cosmos (Translation)

1-O Birther! Father-Mother of the Cosmos
2-Focus your light within us-make it useful
3-Create your reign of unity now
4-through our fiery hearts and willing hands
5-Help us love beyond our ideals and  sprout acts of compassion for all creatures
6-Animate the earth within us: we then feel the Wisdom underneath supporting all
7-Untangle the knots within
8-so that we can mend our hearts simple ties to each other
9-Don't let surface things delude us
10-But free us from what holds us back from our true purpose
11-One of you, the astonishing fire
12-Returning light and sound to the cosmo.
13-Amen

Christmas Kept

‘Tis the season . . .  right?  I read a lot, and I read many different types of things.  I recently came across an excerpt from a piece called “Keeping Christmas” by Henry Van Dyke.
 In the midst of all the hubbub and busyness in which we find ourselves at this time of year, I found this little gem a real touchstone for keeping the true meaning of Christmas alive in my heart not only now, but throughout the year. 

 After all, keeping the spirit of Christmas alive all year long wouldn’t be a bad thing, would it?  The excerpt goes as follows:

       “There is a better thing than the observance of Christmas Day, and that is, keeping Christmas.  Are you willing to forget what you have done for other people, and to remember what other people have done for you; to ignore what the world owes you, and to think what you owe the world; to put your rights in the background and your duties in the middle distance, and your chances to do a little more than your duty in the foreground; to see that your fellow men are just as real as you are, and try to look behind their faces into their hearts, hungry for joy; to know that probably the only good reason for our existence is not what you are going to get out of life, but what you are going to give to life; to close your book of complaints against the management of the universe, and look around for a place where you can sow a few seeds of happiness—are you willing to do these things even for a day?  Then you can keep Christmas.”

Remember, these are not my words but Mr. Van Dyke’s.  A wise man in my book and his sentiments echo words I’ve heard coming through in Sunday lessons shared by Rev. Nancy and Rev. David.  They are food for thought for me.  I hope they will be the same for you as well. 

May your Christmas be filled with many blessings, not the least of which include an awareness of how very blessed you are.  

Namaste.

Kate Morgan for Unity of Charlotte