Come, Spirit, Come

Though I may speak with bravest fire,
And have the gift to all inspire,
And have not love, my words are vain,
As sounding brass, and hopeless gain.

Though I may give all I possess,
And striving so my love profess,
But not be given by love within,
The profit soon turns strangely thin.

Come, Spirit, come, our hearts control,
Our spirits long to be made whole.
Let inward love guide every deed;
By this we worship, and are freed.
(“The Gift of Love,” Hal Hopson, 1972)

A group gathers each Wednesday Noon at the Center for Spiritual Living here in Santa Fe. Although I can’t speak for why any one else participates in these weekly sessions, I know that I look forward to them and that I usually come away feeling connected and uplifted. For over an hour we focus our minds and energies on our own lives as manifestations of God’s ever-present love.

In all of the reading that I do, one consistent message lies at the heart of all God practices. It’s what we call the golden rule. In Judaism—before the life and teachings of Jesus—it was stated, “Do not do unto others what you would not have done unto you.” Jesus turned this around--”Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Those who choose to examine and honor various God practices at least recognize that compassion and kindness are at the heart of all practice.

At the close of our gatherings each Wednesday, each of us has an opportunity to speak aloud our best intentions for ourselves. We can choose to be silent for our minute. Spoken aloud or held in silence, we manifest the best for ourselves, and clearly what we hold best for ourselves by definition honors what is best for all of us—at least in principle.

God’s love is unceasing. We often choose to live separate from this love. Some call this sin. Choosing to live separate from God’s love exacts a mighty price. In some Christian traditions, it is commonly said following the Offering, “All things come of thee, O Lord, and of thine own have we given thee.” (1 Chronicles 29: 14). It seems to me that what holds true of what is called stewardship within the church is in no way limited to the sharing of treasure that can be counted and measured. The greater treasure is ourselves. God is my source. God is our source.

Come, Spirit, Come--Santa Fe, New Mexico (January 3, 2010)
R. Harold Hollis