This first Sunday of Advent, we are invited to celebrate the indwelling spiritual power of Faith. It is the perceiving power of the mind linked with the power to shape substance. It is the spiritual assurance of that which is yet unseen and/or the seemingly impossible. We are invited to LIVE our faith on a moment-to-moment, daily basis, thereby strengthening it. We are invited to be conscious of how we are using, thereby learning how to direct it in ways that will be in harmony with our highest good.

Every goal, if worth while, is going to require of us a number of things; a sense of purpose, a willingness to take risks and a determination to reach that goal one step at a time! Time!! It can pass quickly or ever so slowly, depending on circumstances and our state of mind. It can be our perceived enemy, (Oh, my God! I’ll never make that meeting on time!) or our best friend (Thank you God! One second sooner and we’d have had an accident!). We are invited, this week to learn to USE it fruitfully and with skill, to VALUE it, for it is one of the greatest gifts, here in this world, and to FILL it with those things which will enrich our lives and the lives of others.

All cultures, worldwide, have some celebration of gratitude. Of all the differences that would seem to separate us, this is one of the things that we commonly share! We can look around us at the world, and be grateful for many things; family, friends, health, prosperity. However, whether we know it or not, gratitude is a choice. It is not dependent upon circumstances. We can be grateful, even in times of challenge — and yes, even grateful for the challenge, itself! Gratitude opens us up to ever expanding Good — the more we express it, the more the universe will give us for which to be grateful!

Chaos is defined as a state of confusion, disorder, lack of organization, etc. By any other name, it is a sure sign that change is on the horizon! We can run from it in fear! Or, we can face it and see that, within it, lie limitless opportunities; it is the Law of Creation in progress! We can know that the same intelligence that guides the sun and moon and stars is intimately involved with and guiding our lives! This week, we are invited to USE chaos for what it is; potential, knocking at the door! We can accept and work with the Law of Creation! We best do this through the use of prayer, thereby giving direction to, and creating a mold into which, Divine Substance pours itself. Affirming Good in the face of appearances, we give it the door through which it can come into our experience!

Halloween, for many children, is a time of make-believe; donning costumes, play-acting different parts, and YES, trick-or-treating! Then, we grow up. Many of us, however, forget to take off the masks we wore as children. We continue to live and act from those ghost-goblin ego-driven selves, allowing past ghost-goblin events; hurts, betrayals, injustices to haunt us and keep us in a state of doubt, anger  and/or fear! We waste our God-given energy! This week, we are invited to see through the appearances of things past and present; to see from the consciousness of Truth. We are invited to shine our own indwelling light. And, in that light of Truth, all appearances of lack and limitation, hurts and wrongs – those dark shadows – will fade into nothingness! We are invited, in celebration of Halloween, to be NOT Jack O’Lanterns, but Christ O’Lanterns!

Each of us has two voices inside of us. One is the ego speaking; complaining, criticizing, fear-mongering and condemning. The other is our Inner Christ Self, the Truth of our Being. It is always encouraging approving, loving, eager to raise us to an ever higher, more expansive awareness of our divinity. This is the divinity, which Jesus taught, when he said, “Is it not written…Ye are Gods….” Question is: to which voice shall we listen? We can go from day to day, “business as usual.” Or, we can make each day special; a day in which we pursue God-sized dreams! If we choose the latter, we will be infused with God-sized abilities to accomplish that for which we have come into this world.

What would it be worth to live a life of health, happiness, prosperity, joy and freedom? Are we conscious of our own Self-worth? If not, why? We come into this world endowed with gifts sweeter than honey, more precious than gold! However, if we are to access and live them we must live by certain spiritual laws! The universe always says, “Yes!” to whatever we are thinking, feeling and saying. If we want the above noted blessings, we have the power to create them in our lives; to allow TRUTH to manifest! This week, we are invited to reexamine our thoughts, words and feelings, our inner picture of SELF. We are invited to reexamine our prayer practices, and our daily habits, that we might keep them in alignment with our highest good.

Remember the Knights of the Round Table of old? That table was round to signify the equality of all of the knights. Our consciousness is much the same. Each thought and feeling is accepted equally by our subconscious mind. So, WHICH thoughts and feelings are we allowing at our Spiritual Round Table? Are we aware of them? “I’m tired” will soon express in our bodies! “I don’t have enough (fill in the blank)” will soon express in our finances or other areas of our lives! We are invited, today, to populate our mental round table with positive thoughts of harmony, peace, health and plenty! Those, too, will express in our lives! Again, the choice is ours!