a ripple of helpfulness

What makes a miracle? No longer a hotly debated issue, in the 19th century it became a major point of contention between the "orthodox Unitarians" and the emerging "transcendentalists." William Phillips Tilden reminds us that every miracle begins with "the helping hand." May the eyes of our souls be cleared and our hands and mouths be ready for the act of mercy and the word of kindness...

BETHESDA (Scripture Reading)

Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.
In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.
For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole ?
The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
And immediately the man was made whole.
John v.

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BETHESDA (Tilden's Meditations)

"Who does not need the strength and the warmth of the clasp of a friendly hand to guide over the cold hard steps of discouragement into the angel-touched waters of healing mercy ? We are too often blind to the occasions for the helping hand on the instant need. If only the cataracts could be taken from the eyes of the soul to clear the vision! Every act of Love in the wide world repeats itself. Every kind word, like God's own word, of which it is an imperfect syllable, a stammering accent, always wakes an answer in some heart, and this again in another, so sending a ripple of helpfulness clear across the sea of human life. Love and Labor go hand in hand. Love needs Labor for expression, and Labor needs Love for inspiration. We are one body with many members: the eye for seeing; the ear for hearing ; the hands for working; the feet for running; all animated with the Christ spirit of healing Love. All hear his voice bidding crippled humanity. "Rise; . . and walk."

Blessings

thirst

We are grateful for the draught of cold water when we are thirtsy. Brother Tilden reminds us that we are probably more thirsty than we acknowledge...

THE WELL AT SYCHAR (Scripture Reading)

"THEN cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar. . . . Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.
Then cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. . . .
Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

J0hn iv.

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THE WELL AT SYCHAR (Tilden's Meditation)

"THE wells around Nazareth were as symbolic to the mind of Jesus as the lilies of the field; so we learn from his words to the woman of Samaria as they sat together at the well of Sychar under the hot rays of a noon-day sun. A week-day meeting on the highway! How vast and far-reaching its results! Then were there opened wells of truth which are full to-day for thirsting humanity. Water becomes the symbol of refreshment of soul as well as of body. It is thirst that makes a draught from the living spring so grateful.
"If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water."
How familiar the words! We were born to them. But to great thoughts like these we need to be born again every day. How deep are God's wells ! How many are the secret springs, all out of sight, which fill them! We feed on God's life and think not whence the gift. Blessed are we when Jesus opens the well, and the roots of our life touch living springs.
" Give me this water, that I thirst not."

Blessings

a perpetual prayer

On this eighth day of Lent, Brother Tilden offers words on the Lord's prayer, and ours:

THE LORD'S PRAYER (Scripture)

BUT thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
And take heed. to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, . . . and cares of this life; . . . Watch ye therefore, and pray always.
Matt. vi. Luke xxi.

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THE LORD'S PRAYER (Tilden's Meditations)

"THIS prayer keeps God daily before us as "Our Father;" teaches us to hallow His name in speech and work, and to bring the kingdom of God here and now. The forgiving love of God we nightly pray for shall remind us that the forgiveness we receive is not ours to hold, but to pass on to our brother man, even till seventy times seven. Prayer is the key to hidden riches and strength which no other key will unlock. What would tempted ones do without it ? The spirit of our own prayer will bring of itself deliverance from the power of evil. The Christian prays a perpetual prayer, not only on knees, but with unwearied feet, tireless hands, sweet smile. No life of nobleness was ever lived without some personal knowledge of the presence chamber of the Great All- Father. Let us live in the spirit of this prayer. It contains a depth of wisdom that still feeds the world's best thought.

Blessings

aim at the highest...

One week into the season of Lent, Brother Tilden speaks of a common theme of the BU's, the Fatherhood of God (see Ware Jr. and Channing.)

THE FATHERHOOD OF GOD (Scripture Readings)

"Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
. . . Do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
. . . For your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him.
For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father which is in heaven.
Matt. v. vl. vll. x. xxill.

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THE FATHERHOOD OF GOD (Tilden's Meditations)

"THE Fatherhood of God is the sublimest revelation of Christianity. The soul's cry is for a Father, and it will find no peace till it rests in a Father's arms. The Great Spirit is in living communion with our souls. Do we know Him ? Do we listen for His voice and expect to hear ? The presence of God is too near to be seen; too interior for the senses to lay hold on; but it must be felt in the soul as the centre of its life. Our Father! He is the sun round which all our Christian doctrines revolve. Its golden beams stream all through Christ's teachings. Do we value as we should the early thought of God as it first breaks in on a pure child's mind, and consider how that thought is often the pole-star that shapes his course round the world ? Love God as your Father. He loves you. Let His love waken yours. The essence of the Infinite One the finite mind cannot fathom. But when we say, Our Father, He comes forth out of the mystery of mysteries and speaks to our hearts and bids us aim at the highest conceivable ideal; an ideal that will always be above, rising in endless spirals higher, higher, higher!

Blessings

become simple...

A truth that has taken me years to even approach is that the spiritual path is a simple path and available to all (did I mention, however, that I, myself, have only scratched the surface of this truth?) And even that came only when I became profoundly "hungry" and "poor" as we all do to one degree or another. So I offer Brother Tilden on the Beatitudes for all "benighted travellers" on the way...

"THE BEATITUDES" (Scripture)

AND seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying:
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for their's is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peace-makers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for their's is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before

Matt v.
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The Beatitudes (Tilden's Meditation)

"FROM the way St. Luke opens his fragments of the Sermon on the Mount we infer that Jesus spent the whole previous night in prayer to God. This helps us to understand the spiritual exaltation of his opening words. He had been alone with God.
"Blessed be ye poor: for your's is the kingdom of God." "Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled."
High words, because spoken from the watch-tower of loftiest contemplation; but they become simple to souls that rise unto the spiritual region where they were uttered. How deep and high the thoughts! They carry us down to foundation principles, and up to eternal verities. The Sermon on the Mount is illuminated with the Fatherhood of God, as the stars illumine the great dome above us. It is the Father who paints the lily; feeds the ravens; cares for the sparrow ; answers prayer. This Gospel arches a new heaven above us, and puts a new earth beneath our feet. With what power his words fell upon those who waited for them, as benighted travellers wait for the Morning!"

Blessings

Live by the day...

I spent many years searching for the Kingdom thinking if I learned enough theology, practiced the right kind of prayer, lived the right kind of life etc...it would come to me. All this only to discover that the Kingdom is within, and it is lived in each day of life, and that, as William Phillips Tilden reminds us in today's Leaflet for Lent, "God is bending over (us) with messages of love:"

THE KINGDOM OF GOD (Scripture readings)

Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
. . . Be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
The kingdom of God cometh not with observation; Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
Behold the fowls of the air: far they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
And why take ye thought for raiment ? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Matt. vi. Luke x. xli. xvll.

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THE KINGDOM OF GOD (Tilden's Meditation)

FIRST seek the kingdom of God. It is a condition of soul, by which we enter through the gate of a higher life. It means the enthronement of Righteousness, which is Right put into service. This is the soul's crown. But this kingdom will not come of itself; it must be sought. Seek it as a pearl of great price. Seek first what God has put first. Jesus would have his disciples seek and find this kingdom just where all the world never thought of looking for it, "The kingdom of God is within you." Jesus lays his ear reverently to the earth to catch the whisper of his Father's spirit that he hears on mountain-top or in the valley. Live by the day, as the birds do; trouble not about to-morrow; God is bending over you with messages of love. Do not feed the body and starve the soul. The soul must grow and be clothed upon in Righteousness through the Spirit of Christ within. He came and toiled and died to bring his kingdom into human hearts. This is His Salvation."

May we all put right into service today and every day. Blessings

A likeness to thy Son...

For the most part, western churches do not include the Sundays during lent among the 40 days as Sunday looks to Easter in its celebration of the triumph of Jesus over death. In this book of devotions, Laura Tilden (daughter of William Phillips Tilden and compiler of this devotional) includes scripture and, usually, a hymn (this week by William Henry Furness)

(The picture I have included is a detail of picture I remember so vividly hanging in my Grandparent's home when I was growing up. It was framed in ornate plastic and, for some reason, I remember it as backlit, thus providing a glow. It is, and always will be, a central visual representation of Jesus for me.

The First Sunday in Lent (Scripture Readings)

"DESPISEST thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
Now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ. our Lord.
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
And if children, then heirs: heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ: if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. . . .
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." (Romans)

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THE FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT. (Hymn)

I FEEL within a want
Forever burning there.

What I so thirst for, grant,

O Thou who hearest prayer

This is the thing I crave, —

A likeness to thy Son :

This would I rather have

Than call the world my own

'Tis my most fervent prayer;

Be it more fervent still ;

Be it my highest care ;

Be it my settled will.

William Henry Furness.

Have a blessed Sabbath.