Sermon for Unity of Salt Lake, Sunday, September 9, 2012
Rev. Christopher T. Scuderi of Universal Heart Ministry
“Bringing Balance through Order”
Greeting
Good morning! I am grateful for your presence here today and for the welcoming warmth I have received from you. I am honored to have been asked and feel I have been blessed with the wonderful opportunity to be your guest speaker for this morning’s Sunday service. Before we begin I wish to make the following affirmation: My life is in balance and in order, and all is well.
Overview
Today’s sermon is entitled “ Bringing Balance Through Order”, wherein I will be speaking about the general principles of order and the benefits that come from structure and the implementation of our own awareness, acknowledgement and attunement with the divine.
I will also be touching upon various ways one may bring balance into the many facets of life through order; thus bringing harmony and peace along with it and simultaneously providing a more joyful and inspiring life experience.
Definition
What is order? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary the first known use of the word “order” was during the 13th century; its meaning is: to arrange, command, marshal, organize, systematize, prioritize, methodize, destine, ordain or to regulate.
Sermon
A key element of our nature that is so integral to both our personal and spiritual growth, and our own happiness and overall well being, is developing balance in our lives. To develop balance we need structure, a plan, an order to what we do and how we do them. When we take a closer look at the systems that surround us in our daily living, we can clearly see that order abounds in everything. There is order in our morning routine. Order throughout the day as we go about our duties at work, or play. Order to the way we interact with other people and even, generally speaking, an order to how we interact with a friend or family member over someone we’ve just met. In short, there is order in every manner of how we conduct our lives.
Unity Congregations
Currently, Unity congregations are exploring the 12 Powers; during my research for today’s sermon I found that September’s power is Order. The definition of Order, according to the Unity website, is: The ability to organize, balance, sequence or adjust. For those exploring the disciples matched with the Powers, the disciple for Order is James, son of Alphaeus. He represents the harmony and balance available through centering our awareness.
The most effective way of centering our awareness is through meditation. The corresponding color for Order is olive green and the location is the navel, or rather just behind the navel. In performing a meditation exercise on Order, one may affirm: Divine order is established in my mind, body and life.
A beautiful affirmation and some of you may be thinking “ok, so how do I develop divine order in my life?” This may pose a bit of a challenge for the free spirit or spontaneous adventurer, though even they have order in their lives. So just how does one go about creating divine order?
Excerpt
An excerpt from the book “Your God-Given Potential: Unfolding the Twelve Spiritual Powers”, reads: …“To develop divine order in our lives, we must learn to cooperate with spiritual law… It is the secret that will make our lives happy, harmonious and balanced… Order starts with the establishment of this concept in our thinking and then works from within out…”
When we are in tune, when we cooperate with spiritual law we find balance in our lives. That is not to say that order cannot be disrupted; in fact it often is when we allow events or people to bring chaos into our lives. When we allow chaos to enter it becomes an energetic natural disaster of epic proportions; like a tornado that swoops down, tearing a path wherever it touches and picking things up, turning them this way and that and then crashing them to the ground in a broken mass.
In choosing to allow chaotic events or people to disrupt our personal order we invite a host of things that do not benefit our well being: we lose sleep, loss of appetite or have an appetite on overdrive, we stress, we worry, we become depressed, we are not productive nor efficient, we become less available to those we love and in fact may even shut them out completely; worst of all we become blind and lose our way. When this has happened to me I have had to remind myself that I am not Atlas; I alone do not carry the weight of the world upon my shoulders. So I listen, help where and when I can and then continue moving forward. I’ve recently come to affectionately call this phenomenon “taking it in, without taking it on”.
If you are in the midst of just such an experience, the key is to keep moving forward, keep developing structure and order. If the order you have been working from has not provided you with the happiness, peace or balance you desire then perhaps it is time to “re-order your order”. You can easily do that by taking a good look at what your priorities are, how your time is spent and with whom and what you truly desire to have in your life. When you have established those things you can keep moving forward on this grand journey and with a much better sense of direction.
Direction, now there is a wonderful use of order. If order is a plan and a plan is a map then think of where it will lead you. Are you headed in the direction you really want to go? Yes? Congratulations! You’re ahead of the game. No or Not really? Re-order your order; your peace and happiness, and likely your health as well, depend upon it.
Quote
The famous Trappist monk and American author, Thomas Merton once stated “Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.”
Imagine if each of us, each and every day took the time to gain focus and real clarity. Think about that for a moment. What happens when we have a sense of purpose, a knowingness of what our day might hold for us or our plan and vision for the coming year? When we are in tune our spirits naturally rise, the frequency at which we vibrate in that completely positive state of mind brings with it a renewed sense of well being.
Structure
When we have structure, an order that resonates well with who we are the benefits are boundless. We enjoy better health and vitality, faith and confidence, inner peace and hopefulness. We enjoy abundance and prosperity, success and wealth, spiritual clarity and focus. And we enjoy profound love and genuine care. There is much to be gained from having order in our lives. It brings harmony and balance to every facet of our experience.
Quote from Charles Dickens
Another famous author, Charles Dickens stated “I never could have done what I have done without the habits of punctuality, order, and diligence, without the determination to concentrate myself on one subject at a time.”
Developing Order
There are a number of ways that we can go about developing order. There is no one set way. Earlier I spoke of meditation; it can be highly beneficial, though this may not be the most effective form for some. Some of you will find it best through prayer or other forms of spiritual practice. Still some may choose to create written lists or even vision boards and treasure maps as daily visual direction. Whatever method works best for you. Once again, the key is to keep moving forward.
To have order one must have purpose. If one has no purpose in life then they also lack meaning; without meaning life holds no real significance or hope. What drives you? What do you feel or know to be your purpose? With purpose you will have direction, with direction you can create your plan, your order.
Time Management
I would like to share with you a true story about order that involves a subject that many of us are quite familiar with, time management.
(read excerpt from “Time Management: An Introduction to The Franklin System”):
“Daily planning is such a simple idea and it’s been around for a long time. Probably one of the earliest and most well known stories of the effect of planning as a management discipline concerns Charles Schwab, then president of Bethlehem Steel. In a discussion with a management consultant one day, Mr. Schwab hurled this challenge. “Show me a way to get more things done with my time and I’ll pay you any fee within reason.” Ivy Lee, the consultant, handed Mr. Schwab a piece of blank paper.
Write it down
“Write down the most important tasks you have to do tomorrow and number them in order of importance,” said Lee. “When you arrive in the morning, begin at once on number one and stay on it ‘til it’s completed. Once you’ve completed the first task, recheck your priorities and begin number two. Stick with your task all day if necessary – as long as it’s the most important one. If you don’t finish all your tasks, don’t worry. You probably couldn’t have done so with any other method, and without some system you’d probably not even decide which one was most important. Now, make this a habit every working day. When it works for you, give the idea to your management. Try it as long as you like. Then send me your check for what you think it’s worth.”
It is reported that some weeks later, after the idea had been tried and found worthy, Mr. Schwab sent Ivy Lee a check for $25,000.00 – an enormous sum for the nineteen thirties – along with a note saying that the idea was the most profitable one he had ever learned. Schwab also formulated a plan for all Bethlehem Steel management, using Lee’s idea, that was carried out under his direction. This planning idea was given credit for turning Bethlehem Steel into the biggest independent steel producer in the world at the time. When asked by his friends how he could justify such a handsome sum for such a simple idea, Mr. Schwab asked, “Aren’t all ideas basically simple?” Upon further reflection Schwab stated that the $25,000.00 was probably the most valuable investment that Bethlehem Steel had made that year.”
Applying Time Management Principals
Some of you may be thinking that I have strayed off topic. I would suggest however, that if we paid better attention to our use of the time we have each day our order would indeed be more efficient, productive and beneficial. A purpose was derived in the story: to be more productive. Prioritizing the various tasks and duties by importance the order was set and as long as the general plan was followed, the order was successful. Applying even the most basic time management principles to our daily lives we allow less opportunity for chaos to interfere and thus we can keep moving forward with our order. I ask each of you to think of one thing, just one thing that robs your order of time.
Time robbers
It could be as simple as the second or third time you push snooze on the alarm clock, maybe it’s watching too much t.v., maybe it’s talking with someone who zaps your energy, or maybe it’s losing faith, lacking direction or giving up on yourself. Whatever “it” is, what changes are you willing to make so that they no longer negatively impact your order? If it is something that is a work in progress, such as re-gaining your sense of self, or finding your purpose, are you willing to allow time for yourself?
Being More Successful
Your order will be most successful, most beneficial when you feel whole and complete. The health of your order will depend greatly upon your well being; your whole self, mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. By listening to your own divine spirit, sitting in meditation or kneeling in prayer, through the use of daily affirmations, or whatever your personal faith practice, you can overcome the challenges in your lives, and come to a place of personal courage, inner strength and peace.
Shift in Perspective
Making a shift in perspective for you to continue moving forward. We go through life aligning and re-aligning ourselves with our thoughts, ideas, beliefs and our order. This often happens when we have had a shift in perspective. When providing pastoral care I will often discuss how a shift in perspective may lend more clarity to a situation. If the individual feels “stuck” and simply cannot see any other options I talk about what I do when I take photographs; going to great lengths for the “unusual” angle, I get down on my belly, climb a ladder or a tree, hang upside down or lean perhaps a little too far over a railing.
Each of those methods provide tremendous shifts in visual perspective and almost always result in a beautiful and completely unique photograph. Suddenly, I see the light bulb come on and recognize that they have experienced an unexpected shift and have set a new course of action.
Shifting your “order” perspective may require similar acrobatics; especially in challenging times when the path may not seem clear. Once you can see clearly again, keep moving forward and simply adjust your order as needed.
We each can bring balance into our lives through order. May you each reap the blessed benefits of your personal order.
Closing
In closing, I wish to say thank you and to once again state the affirmation for you to continue moving forward with: My life is in balance and in order, and all is well.