Universal Life Church

Online sermons, Sunday school and other interesting readings.

Monday, February 28, 2005

Universal Life Church

How We Treat People
By submitted by JoAnn Jenkins


Five (5) lessons to make you think about the way we treat people.

1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name?I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. "Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello". I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.

2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain One night, at 11:30 P.M., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab.She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached.. It read:"Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away... God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."

Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.

3 - Third Important Lesson - Always remember those who serve.In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked. "Fifty cents," replied the waitress. The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. "Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. "Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied. The little boy again counted his coins. "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the emptydish, were two nickels and five pennies. You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

4 - Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path. In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded.

Lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained manygold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand! Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

5 - Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts...Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare &serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will save her." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away". Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.

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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. 
Ordination with the Free Online Ordination, button.We also offer many free wedding ceremonies for your use.
 
The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.
 
Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Sunday, February 27, 2005

Universal LIfe Church

Open Your Own Doors
By Rev. Lisa Fisli


With a heavy heart and the burdens of a hard life, a man shyly walked up to the doorstep of God. Curious and slightly intimidated, he lightly tapped on the golden veneer of the Almighty’s magnificent front door.

After a few uncomfortable seconds of silence, he thought to himself, “How odd?” Maybe God did not hear his knock, so he rapped on the door just a little bit harder. Again, there was no answer.Confused, as one might expect, the man began to knock louder and harder.

Still, there was no answer.His anticipation turned into worry. His worry turned into fear. His fear turned into desperation. Panicking, he thought to himself, “Does God not hear me? Is He ignoring me? Why doesn’t He answer? Where is He?”

Yet all the while, although the man did not notice, God was patiently and lovingly watching this man claw and fight and pound in desperation. Still, The One did not speak a word.Like a two-year old throwing a temper tantrum, the man began begging and pleading with God to open the door. He clawed, scratched and kicked the door.

But God did not open the door.The man continued to kick and bang on God’s door. He made great promises in hopes to barter his way into the house of the Lord. He yelled at God. He threatened God with their very relationship! And God watched with persistent love. Firm in His resolve, He did not open the door.In what seemed like an eternity to this man, he sat down at the threshold exhausted and spent from his roller coaster ride of emotions.

Tears streaming down his face, and breathing heavily, he decided it was time to rest. He came to the uncomfortable realization that God was just not going to open this door for him no matter what he did or said. His actions, his words, his begging, pleading and promises yielded him nothing in return.And God patiently watched with all the love that only He could give. This man will come to the correct, divine and perfect solution in due time.

As if a light bulb flashed in his head, the man stood up! He took a deep breath and began to smooth out his clothes. He took out a handkerchief and dried the tears from his eyes. Carefully, he took hold of the glorious handle of God’s front door and gently turned the knob.The door was unlocked! With a small push, he opened the door and peeked inside. His heart pounded with curious excitement. “Hello?” the man queried.

No one answered.Nervously, he slowly opened the door all the way and tiptoed inside the threshold where he saw the most magnificent sight! Everything he had ever wanted from God was there for him, unmoved and unspoiled; just waiting right there for him! Oh how his heart sang!The man thought to himself, “Why did God not answer my prayers? Why did I have to wait until I stood before the kingdom of Heaven in order to obtain those gifts I’ve always wanted and needed from Him?”

And the answer came to him as natural as breath: “The kingdom of God is inside you and all around you. Not in mansions of wood and stone. Split a piece of wood and I am there. Lift a stone and you will find Me.”

“Everything I ever needed was within me all along!” He thought.

Do not look outside yourself begging God to open the door for you. Open your own doors. Be the co-creator you were designed to be. Choose your path knowing that the choices you made were divinely laid before you. Go forth, co-create and realize all the potential of The Creator. His gifts are your gifts just waiting to be shared.

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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. 
Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.We also offer many free wedding ceremonies for your use.

 
The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.  
 
Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Saturday, February 26, 2005

Online Sermon

The Power of Understanding
By Bruce

Understanding

Why should we be thinking about understanding?

Understanding is probably the biggest key to achieving love, peace and harmony.

Only when we really understand each other can we truly forgive, accept and come to love. Look at the problems that society faces today, war, bitterness, hatred, crime, greed, envy, racism, starvation, poverty, sexism? the all are as a result of a lack of understanding.

One of the greatest attributes of our church is it's understanding of multiple beliefs, it's acceptance comes through the fundamental understanding that love of god, in whatever form is good.

Man created churches and faiths, I believe that there is one god and that man has created many different faiths and churches for this one god, we may use different language, we may have differences in what we believe is right and wrong, but we all have a fundamental belief in god and a set of basic moralities that have come from him.

We have a duty to god, to be the best we can, and to be the best we can, we need to have understanding of each other. The problem is that sometimes we think that we know the facts because we have read them in newspapers, magazines and have heard them on TV. But have we really questioned what we have heard? Have we really been given all the facts, or have we being manipulated by advertisers, governments or spin doctors to only hear one side of the facts.

If we do not question, but mearly accept the facts we are given, then perhaps the deliberately engineered misconceptions created by those with access to media will prevail and our understanding will not improve.Perhaps this is easiest to illustrate with an example. I was born, grew up and still live in England. During my childhood, the news was constantly filled with the stories of terrorist atrocities in the Northern Ireland conflict.

As a child I could never understand why these "evil" people were doing such terrible things. As time progressed the violence escalated, car bombing in England started to happen, we used to look under our cars before we got in to check for bombs. Fortunately the Northern Ireland conflict has subsided, indeed, it is now possible to see that this conflict will be resolved without violence and the peace could be permanent.Northern Ireland though illustrates understanding.

As a child I could not understand, not because I was unable but simply because the information I had was incomplete. The English had occupied another country, and not surprisingly some of the people who had been occupied didn't like it. Indeed we also put a lot of our civilians into the occupied territory in order to secure the territory. The people whom we had seen as terrorists were only terrorists from our point of view, for the Irish they were freedom fighters, but due to the control of the media I never understood this.

Indeed in other parts of the world the Irish were seen as the victims, America had a great deal of influence with NORAID which funded the freedom fighters.Over a period of time, the truth has come out, we now understand much more about the conflict, what the issues are, we have even forgiven the freedom fighters (terrorists) and released them from our prisons. This has improved understanding and has lead to peace in Northern Ireland, which is a great achievement.

But why were we not given the facts at the time, why were we deceived with propaganda, to further or save the career of some now unknown politician who couldn't allow us to back down. We had decades of fear, hatred, violence and death, just because we didn't understand enough, because we didn't ask questions, we didn't believe the unpatriotic IRA sympathisers when they told us the truth we were brainwashed by the media. The people who suppressed the truth, were probably just as ignorant as we were, they were probably following party lines and supporting a war on terrorism without questioning the issue facing them.We know some information on some things but do we understand them, have we weighed up the pro's and con's or are we just going along with the flow?

Is there a relationship between our ignorance and our failure to be creating a better world for everyone, is it important, does it matter? We must question what we are told if we are to understand better what is happening in our world. Only through that better understanding can we really start to achieve some of Gods goals; such as for us to live in a harmonious world without poverty, war and suffering. Perspective affects our interpretations; information is never as complete as we think it is. Time tends to let information leak out, but there are a lot of people holding it back and hiding it.

All the time the information is suppressed, evil is free to do it's biding.If we are to serve God and our fellow man then it is our responsibility to find out the truth, to question everything and to spread our truth, as we see it, as far and wide as we can.

Bruce


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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. 

Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.We also offer many free wedding ceremonies for your use.

 
The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.  
 
Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Christian Sermon

Life is in the Love
By Scott Phillips
In Him By Him Through Him

The Life of Righteousness is in the Love
Can you hear it? Weeping, crying deeply and yearning for that missing piece of life, not knowing where peace may be found. Sure we see a façade of together lives and smiling faces, but truly what this generation seeks is to belong and to be loved. There is a great sense of aloneness in this struggle we call life. You can see it in people's eyes, a seeking and searching for that which is real. You can hear it in their voices, you can feel it when you pray, there is a great need today.

The scripture says, "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul."Leviticus 17:11The Life of the Flesh is in the Blood.The Life of the Spirit is in the Love.This morning I was directed to read 1st John. This disciple that the Bible designates as the "disciple whom the Lord loved."

John had a special understanding of love for he was singled out by the Lord Jesus and received with this designation a special revelation  because he had a special ability not only to receive, but also to reflect this guiding principle of God.God is Love.If we dwell in God, and God in us, we love. Can a body live without blood? We know the answer to that question is no.

Just as a man of the flesh cannot live without this life-giving fluid, we know that without love we are not truly Spirit living people.Forty times love is mentioned in this single book of 1st John, signifying the theme of this epistle.It is possible to be excited without love and possible to be motivated without love and possible to be visionary without love.It is possible to do all of the religious things that must be done without love, but the question to ask us is, "Will these things survive, if they do not have the life of love in them?" I submit to you everything we do without the motivation of God's love in the mare dead and will never live.This word has been cheapened by our culture.

It is connected to so much that is not love. I love chocolate. I love crossword puzzles. I love you man. Let's make love.In the Greek there were three words translated into the English word love.Eros sensual desire Phileo friendship, I have heard it described as a you love me, so I love you Agape pure, undemanding, unquestioning unconditional,self sacrificing love Can you guess the Greek word used in the context of 1st John? Give that man a prize! Agape is the right answer. Throughout scripture we are made to understand that the only way we can demonstrate our love for the God we cannot see is how we conduct ourselves with the people in the world we do see. Toward our brothers, mothers, believers, the poor and even our enemies, we are commanded to Agape them.The proof that the Spirit is flowing through us is that Agape is our first reaction. I don't have to look at my hand and say, "Blood Flow to my fingers."

The fact that I am alive, the heart pumps,the blood flows and the wonder of life is in my fingers.My prayer today is, "Lord let your heart beat in me. Let the life's blood of the spirit flow in me to bring the blood of Jesus to those I meet."We think of blood as messy, however blood that is contained in the body is not red, but blue, or so I have been told. As long as it is in the body, the blood is blue. It is only when blood ceases to be where it is supposed to be, that it becomes messy.We know, we all know, the great need of our world is for them to catch a glimpse of the Love of God. The only way they will ever see it is for us to truly be alive spiritually. To be walking in the Spirit, to be working in the Spirit, to be sensitive to the Spirit, to be led by the Spirit.I don't think love is this icky, sticky, religious love you see plastered on some peoples faces. So often those that talk about the love of God, don't love God at all.

It seems they are looking for an excuse for their own lack of morality. I have heard people goon and on about love, but their life was one that was devoid of His spirit, though I think they had some kind of spirit working in them.Is it not interesting, that in this Love book, John warned of False Prophets and the proof of the Love of God. He that doeth righteousness is a child of God, but those that do not righteousness are the children of the Devil.

There is a direct correlation between righteousness and love. In my service toward right, there will be the spirit that flows through is effort that animates, sanctifies and authenticates this righteousness, and it is life of the Spirit.We know it is possible to do right and still be dead spiritually.It is possible to even do right and be motivated by a spirit that is not one described as love. Is it not interesting in this Epistle about love that we find a warning about false prophets and even the spirit of Antichrist?So the lesson is this, love is the life of the Spirit that is portrayed in the righteousness that we do. One without the other is like faith without works; righteousness without love is dead being alone."Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." 2 Cor 3:6We have seen the self righteous kill those with the very thing that should have brought life. When we should be a rescue team, we as can become mercenaries.

The Red Cross gone wrong, instead of healing the hurting, cutting limbs off and severing hope.Oh Lord help us to be a holy order of orderlies. To be specialist of surgery to bring wholeness and healing through the power of God.For your purpose found in the reason of your annointing. Let us as your church find that same annointing today.The Life of Righteousness is found in Love.Fill my way everyday with love, As I walk with a heavenly dove, Let me go all the while, With a Song and a Smile, Fill my way everyday with love.



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To ordain yourself with the Universal Life Church, for free, for life, right now, click on the Free Online Ordination link.

Rev. Long created the ULC seminary site to help ministers learn and grow their ministries. The Seminary offers a huge catalog of materials for ministers of the Universal Life Church, as well as an online seminary program and a chaplaincy program.


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Online Sermons

Hello!

Welcome to the ULC Seminary Sermons Blog. Here we have posted some of our sermons for your enjoyment. Please feel free to comment on any of them and express your opinion. While we want you to be honest, please remember that the sermons are personal to those who write them, so be kind with your comments.

Also, if you'd like to post your own sermon or thoughts, please feel free to do so as well.

You can find more sermons at the Universal Life Church Seminary website.

Thanks!



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The Universal Life Church offers handfasting ceremonies, funeral ceremonies and free minister training.

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.
Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar