2010-08-19-Service

Session

Opening

Gerdean: I want to say a little focusing prayer here: Michael, I come to you in the Stillness and in the company of these wonderful people. We’d like to hear from our mentors on high who want to teach us and nurture us in the ways that you would have us go. Encourage us and set us straight where necessary. Send us the words, the teachers, the concepts that would best serve us, and thank you for all your blessings. And Happy Birthday.*

TOMAS: Good evening, faithful friends, I am Tomas. I will come in and companion you this evening, along with others who are apprised of your focus. We see the light go on and are encouraged, activated, as you are when you see something that appeals to you happening. It is not difficult to learn to focus on that which is engaging, but it is a cultivated taste, a learned pattern that once learned is hard to unlearn, difficult to forget, like you say, riding a bicycle; once you know how you can pick it up easily enough under any new circumstance or environment. It has been my privilege these many years to help you navigate the bike trails, to encourage you to stop and rest when you have worn yourself out with your efforts, and to encourage you to continue when you have lingered long enough.

I am also going to commend the efforts of the Monjoronson team for their studious approach to these lessons with the questions submitted by a mediator, for that gives the T/R the peace of mind of knowing that the need is being met without their having to provide any sort of stimulation or promotion from their own superconsciousness. You know this is a co-creative effort, and we do use the minds and faculties of the transmitters, that when there is not much to work with it is beneficial to have the direction that questions provide. We have been fortunate with this one, Gerdean, who has, over the years, been able to pick up the ball and run with it with the slightest of hints and indications of what we were going to discuss.

Lesson

I have no foreordained lecture for this evening but I will further these remarks a little bit in terms of service before I open the floor for your questions and your involvement. The reason I focus on service as a theme for our discussions this evening, is because service is the natural offshoot of your attitude of gratitude. When you feel the abundance of God’s gifts, when you feel the plentitude and the magnitude of the Divine in your life, you well up with a sense of wanting to give back that which you have received, if not in fact at least in spirit, and so you seek to serve.

It is true that many people like to think that they serve and then feel the reward of having been of service, and certainly there is an amount of gratification that comes from being of service and dong a job well done, but the most spontaneous and productive kind of service is that which comes from your cup running over, just simply because your heart is filled with love for your existence and the Source of your existence. There is no drying up of this Source; it is endless. Whereas, when you seek to serve from an intellectual or a social point of view, you grow weary and need encouragement from others and from on high to continue your efforts. This kind of service will certainly never be denied or decried, but it does burn out, unlike the effects of the gifts of the spirit that keep giving, that keep pouring forth even when you have relinquished all claim to fame and power. This is truly when the Spirit speaks best. But it is also endearing to see how you all are striving to serve in your own right, through your own choices, in your own manner, as you perceive is your duty and your joy, according to your inclinations, your talents, your skills, and your temperament.

“Life is but a day’s work; do it well.” And that includes the service opportunities that are presented to you either through your consciousness or through those channels of living water that are like waves washing over you, carrying you along with the others to the distant shores.

It is virtually impossible not to be of service. One would have to isolate themselves completely from humanity and close off their consciousness. Those of you who live dynamic lives, who encounter others in your work place or your neighborhood, in the marketplace, over the internet, are all in the process of serving some way somehow the needs of others. This is like the currency of the universe. As you give to others, they feel enriched and they want to give to others as well. Some of the service projects you get into are admittedly doomed to fail and some are comical to observe but this is all a part of the learning process. Eventually and gradually you learn what feels successful, what feels productive, and what feels right for you regardless of the feedback from others, although feedback from others is a very important quality. Just as the character of children is formed by the encouragement of their parents, so is the social character of you formed by the acknowledgement and appreciation by your peers. Criticism also is a quality that will help forge your service paths. Criticism is not nearly as pleasant or as endearing but it is also a necessary part of your rising to the occasion of serving as you feel called to do.

And yes, of course, there are those who say that in doing service works the right hand ought not know what the left hand is doing, and I tell you in truth this is the case for all of you because you cannot perceive how you are being received by others -- not fully, not completely -- and yet each one of you does indeed effect everyone as you pass by. This is true sometimes when you act in a certain way but your attitude belies your action and the perceptive individual may be confused as to which is the truer – your actions or your attitudes, but they will take what they need in order to feed their own growth. So even if you are wrong, even if you are confused, even if you are mis-directed, if a person who is seeking to grow, is seeking to grow in the spirit, is looking for God to manifest, it will come to pass. If you did not function such, even the trees, the flowers and the rocks on the side of the road rejoice in the experience of being all they can be as creations in this living paradigm of reality that you know here on Urantia as life.

The gift of life is a greater gift than most people realize. It certainly goes beyond your life and reaches into the far reaches -- not just of other people but into the atmosphere, into all that goes into making up a world of time and space. What a marvel it is! What a tremendous opportunity you have been given! You almost cannot go wrong. You almost cannot lose. You would have to deliberately go out of your way to make a real mess in order to make a dent in the wonder and glory that is your world. [Pause]

I speak to you as sons and daughters of god. I speak to you as conscious and intelligent children of Michael and his consort. I speak to you as believers because you hear me. We know there are those who are lost, who are unaware of the wonders of existence, who indeed find life a vale of tears, who regret having been born, who are filled with anger and hatred at their circumstances. This is the chaos out of which emerges the sun [sic]. Bask in the light of the sun [sic], those of you who have sought the light, and in your gratitude be open to let your light shine on others as you pass by and serve in this capacity of being a light unto their feet, a smile on a dreary day, a helping hand in the face of their burdens, a twinkle of the eye that confers upon them encourage-ment and assurance that they are not alone and that they can do this. They can do it. You have faith in them.

How people respond to this simple assurance! Their Adjusters thrill to the challenge that is set before them. This is our challenge – turning on the light and walking in the light. This is the service we perform innately, inherently, intuitively. In this attitude of service I greet you and welcome you to share your light with me and with others in this forum. [Pause] Fear not the opportunity now to express yourself, to bring forth your concerns, your struggles, your challenges, your questions, your quandaries and your victories. You know how we love to hear from you in this personal ministry aspect of our association. If my co-worker Merium were to speak up she would say “Stretch!” “Open the windows of your mind; let the air blow through,” and “Fluff up the pillows so you are ready to engage with others.” Are there questions?

Dialogue

Ron: I have a question TOMAS: Good. Ron: This is Ron from Florida. First time. TOMAS: Hello, Ron.

Ron: Hi Tomas. I would like to say “Happy Birthday” to Michael. And my question has to do with the currency of service that you spoke of earlier. Will we possibly get credits for the things that we do for our brothers and sisters, that we do throughout the day to make their day a little brighter, that we do with love for Michael and Nebadonia and everyone in the universe.

TOMAS: Yes. They are similar. They are assets, you see. They are riches, similar to mercy credits. You must not think of them in terms of shekels or coins. It is not a matter of tit for tat: you serve me and then I will serve you. That is not the spirit of service that I would promulgate. It is really more of a tapping into the Source that is the Source of service, the endless supply of the Universal Father, the living water that pours forth constantly from Paradise, and, by proxy, through you or His sons and daughters into the fields. This living water that flows forth, refreshing the soil and stimulating growth, is a service. It cannot help but serve; it is innate in its nature. And as you serve in this same way by pouring forth your living water into your fields -- your workplace, your home life, etc., -- you are simultaneously nurtured and fed by that same spring through the services of others and through their Universal Source of endless supply.

Ron: Thank you, Tomas, and Gerdean, both of you for your service tonight.

TOMAS: You are surely welcome. It is and has been my pleasure to be a part of this Teacher Corps at this time in Urantia’s unfolding. Michael is here and would like to greet you in response to your many greetings and well wishes. One moment.

JESUS: Greetings, my children. I am coming to you as your fellow, your peer, as Jesus rather than as the Master Son. It is my birth, after all, that you celebrate. The acknowledgement of my existence on this world -- your world, our world -- is something we share, that we enjoy, that bonds us in a special way. We understand the customs and conditions of this world. 2,000 years ago was not that long ago. The holidays and festivities have not that much changed. The need to celebrate is still with us and the gift of life is something that loved ones bestow upon each other.

We had birthday acknowledgements in my home – and there were many! We didn’t necessarily have the presents and gifts and festivities you have today. We did not go to Chucky Cheese Pizza or the Golden Corral for dinner, but we did acknowledge the anniversary of each other’s birth and we loved one another. We were glad we existed. Even though there were squabbles and fights among us, particularly the more belligerent among us, there was the opportunity to resolve the problem and make up, become friends, resolve the situation and go on, and this endeared us to each other as can only be had in a family setting. And this is what I share with you, those of you who have brothers and sisters in the flesh, and parents who pass on not only the tradition but the sentiment of being glad for your birth, of being glad you are alive, of testifying that your life has enriched them. This is an example of service that Tomas spoke about. When you wish someone a “happy birthday” you are being of service to them because you are acknowledging their existence and your joy in their being a part in your life.

I acknowledge your acknowledgement of my presence in your life today as Michael. But this conversation here, this chat we’re having, I thank you for your birthday wishes, as your friend, as a comrade who walked the walk you walk and felt the same things you feel. I am glad to be your friend. I consider you my friends, as you know. And I rejoice in the fact that you remember me after all these many years. Not just the 2,000 years since I lived here, but the many years of your life that you return to an appreciation of my experience here with you as a fellow mortal of the realm, a man among men, a believer amidst the heathen and the non-believers, eager to feel the refreshing touch of the Father’s living water flow through the hearts and minds of others to the refreshment of my soul.

Thank you for this gift, my friends. I cherish it as I cherish you and I celebrate with you this gift of Sonship that makes us brothers. Carry on.

Ron: Thank you, Michael. We would never forget you because we love you with all our heart and we wish you the happiest and joyous birthday and you know that I have been working on a song for the last year and we are almost near the completion of it and so I honor you and love you and just having a wonderful time speaking with you.

JESUS: Your praise and affection is like the cake that we eat to give us strength; the song you sing is like the [candle, the] Spirit of Truth that points the way. You are beloved friends. Enjoy the party! It will no doubt go on for some days and the effects of this annual celebration always reap results in your lives. Like you, I look forward to seeing the effects of the causes that are set into motion as you open your hearts to the Father’s divine love -- and my own -- and how that will be revealed through you in your divine love for your fellows … my children, Father’s children. I return you to your Teacher. Thank you.

Ron: Thank you.

TOMAS: What a charming personality he has! I so enjoy this work, this opportunity to share such a broad spectrum of reality. To be able to attend a briefing in the morning with so many celestial personalities, to observe and work throughout the day in those situations that I am able to or assigned to, and to commingle with mortals in their struggles to advance. Such an expanse! You might say it is like the fortunate mortal who is able to be equally at home with the professional and the blue collar worker. It lends such an interesting perspective and enhancement to what could otherwise become selective and focused. It’s just a tremendous adventure, this opportunity I enjoy.

It would do you well to also see what a tremendous advantage you have in the tremendous perspectives available to you, but I am sure I need not remind you what to be grateful for. Your gratitude is obvious in the enduring peace that I feel in your midst and your delightful countenance as I look out over you in this sea of tranquility. [Pause] Are there other questions or concerns or comments, since we have this opportunity? [Pause] The quietude lifts up as a fragrance and honors the Divine Upholder; in Stillness we sit in humble joy of His kingdom, His power and glory. It is blessed to be able to sustain ourselves in this atmosphere of peace and love, harmony and mutual service. It is also true that the time will come when the Father Himself will say, “Enough! I have been worshipped enough. You have obeyed and honored enough. Go now into the fields and be about the business of planting seeds in the hearts and minds of those who have not yet seen Me. Speak to those who have not yet heard My Voice. Represent me as you go about your business, the Father’s business, in the kingdoms of men.”

Closing

“Let us go then, you and I,” as the poet has set forth. But before you go, I would like to see you open the windows of your mind, fluff up your pillows of contentment, and assure me that you are ready to go back into the world, into the blessed routines of life, the securities and insecurities encountered, the adventures and challenges of the daily life, knowing you can return to this spot any time. You can create this spot and dwell with the Father anytime. It has been such a joy for me this evening, friends, students, children, to be your mentor. I regret you have not opened up to me with your Pandora’s box of problems but perhaps, it being the season for acknowledging Michael’s birth as a babe, we are in a moment of reverence and I cannot discourage or disdain such. I will thus leave you here in this state of repose, knowing that you are well in hand.

Amen and farewell.

Note

The Urantia Book reveals that Jesus of Nazareth was born at noon on August 21 in the same manner as all babies before that day and since have come into the world. He was wrapped in the clothes which Mary had brought along for such a contingency and laid in a near-by manger. For a full disclosure, read Urantia Paper 122, Birth and Infancy of Jesus